Tag Archives: What God blesses

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The Spirit of Simeon

How Long Are You Willing To Wait On God?

If you simply look at the lives of those whom the Bible presents as examples of God-honoring faith, you will notice that one of the outstanding characteristics of their lives was their willingness to wait on God for the fulfillment of his promises. They prayed – and didn’t give up. They obeyed – and didn’t grow weary. The expected – and didn’t lose heart. Which begs the question: How long are you willing to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life? Biblical waiting – your willingness to pray, expect, trust, obey, and in general, live a God-honoring life in the meantime – will in the end be the very thing that determines the strength of your faith, which is the greatest treasure you can offer to God.

The Journey: Luke 2:28-29

Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.”

I can just imagine this old, weathered prophet, Simeon, moved by the Holy Spirit, running up to Mary and grabbing the baby Jesus from her arms. Perhaps Mary and Joseph were a bit stunned; maybe they were about to call for the temple guard to arrest this crazy old man, but before they could react, Simeon burst forth in a loud prophetic praise to God,

“…dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation…”

Then as suddenly as he took the baby, Simeon gently laid Jesus back into Mary’s arms. He pronounced a blessing upon the young parents, uttered a few esoteric words, then turned and made his way through the curious onlookers. As Simeon walked away, he shouted his praises to God, and as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone from the temple—and from any further mention in the Bible.

Not much is known about Simeon. Christian tradition suggests that he was very old—over 100 years of age. We don’t know for sure, but because of his eagerness to die, that would be a logical assumption. We’re told in Luke 2:25 that he was looking for the “consolation of Israel”—a reference to the messianic hope of the Jewish nation. Then as we dig a little deeper into this passage, Luke 2:25-35, we actually begin to learn a great deal more about this otherwise obscure man:

  1. We learn that he was a man who was dedicated to the ways of God — “devout and righteous”. (Luke 2:25) Simeon had a consuming passion for God.
  2. We also discover that he was a man who was led by the Spirit of God — “The Holy Spirit was upon him… revealed to him by the Holy Spirit… Moved by the Spirit.” (Luke 2:25-27) Simeon had a unique connection to God.
  3. We likewise find that he was a man who was obedient to the will of God — “He was waiting for the consolation of Israel. It had been revealed to him that he would see it in his lifetime.” (Luke 2:25) Simeon had an unbending dedication to the plan of God.
  4. We then see he was a man who was committed to speaking the truth of God — “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many…And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35) Simeon had an unwavering commitment to speaking the prophetic Word of God.

Now this might seem like nothing more than otherwise unimportant and uninteresting biographical information on this old prophet, but there is something instructive here for you and me. You see, Simeon’s story has been included in Holy Scripture to remind us that God is still looking for people with the spirit of Simeon—people who are equally dedicated to the ways of God, who have learned to be led by the Spirit of God, who are obedient to the will of God, who will speak the Word of God, and who are willing to wait unwaveringly on God.

If you simply look at the lives of those whom the Bible presents as examples of God-honoring faith, you will notice that one of the outstanding characteristics of their lives was their willingness to wait on God for the fulfillment of his promises. They prayed – and didn’t give up. They obeyed – and didn’t grow weary. The expected – and didn’t lose heart. Which begs the question: How long are you willing to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life? Biblical waiting – your willingness to pray, expect, trust, obey, and in general, live a God-honoring life in the meantime – will in the end be the very thing that determines the strength of your faith, which is the greatest treasure you can offer to God.

Those are the kind of people for whom God is looking, through whom God will speak and to whom God will fulfill his promises.

Will you be that person?

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, give me the spirit of Simeon. Grant me the heart to seek, the passion to obey, the courage to speak, the patience to wait.
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What Makes You Blessable

Being With Jesus:
John 13:17 (NLT)

“Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”

If we are going to be the kind of Christ-followers that God can bless, our behavior will have to align with our beliefs. What we “know” must become what we “do.” Specifically, we will have to live like Jesus lived, which means serving like Jesus served. Jesus made that perfectly clear when he said,

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. (John 13:13-15, NLT)

So how did Jesus serve? Well, an entire book could be written on that, but among the many characteristics of the servanthood of Jesus, he was simply available to people. And thinking about my own life and the lives of most people I know, my sense is the critical need for most of the people who will read this devotional is reorienting their busy schedule to make serving Jesus by serving others the top priority in their life.

Think about how Jesus did that. Matthew 20 tells the story of Jesus walking to Jericho when some blind men start yelling at him: “‘Lord, have mercy on us!’” And it says, “Jesus stopped and asked. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’”

Now think about that: Jesus stopped! God turned aside to make himself accessible to those society had cast aside. Jesus did that a lot! Do you realize that most of Jesus’ miracles were interruptions? What we see as intrusions, Jesus saw as invitations—an opening in his schedule to serve God’s purpose by serving God’s people. If you and I are to grow into a Christ-like ministry mindset, that is the attitude we will have to cultivate. And here is what that means:

First, we will have to realign our crowded calendars. Matthew 6:33 says, “More than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things you want will be yours as well.” What that means is that if you will make God’s concerns your priority, he will make your concerns his priority. In other words, that will make you blessable.

Second, we will have to refocus off of ourselves and onto others. Philippians 2:4 says that in becoming like Christ, you have to, “forget yourself long enough to help other people.” That is truly the preeminent attitude of Christ-likeness. And it is one of the things that leads to a truly satisfying experience of life—giving yourself to others. Again, that is what will make you blessable.

Third, we will have to relax our perfectionism. Too many Christians wait for perfect circumstances to serve: when life isn’t so hectic; when the right ministry comes along; when other stuff gets done first. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.” Christ-like servants do the best they can with what they have for Jesus today. Like Jesus, they are available when the opportunity presents itself! By definition, a servant makes himself available at all times to his master, and that is what will make you blessable to the only Master that matters.

Jesus served because at the core of who he was there was a consuming desire to connect people with the grace, mercy and love of his Father. Serving was the primary means of that. Since, as a Christ-follower, you are being transformed into his character, that must be characteristic of you, too.

God has made—or more accurately, remade you—to serve him by ministering to others. Actually, “you are God’s workmanship, made to do good works that God himself has prepared in advance specifically for you to do.” (Ephesians 3:10)

Interestingly, and quite deliberately, the Greek word in that verse the Apostle Paul chose for “workmanship” is poiema. We get our English word poem from that. You are God’s poem, and when you serve in the mindset of God’s Son, you’re poetry in motion.

And when you do, you are at your most blessable!

“Just as a servant knows that he must first obey his master in all things, so the surrender to an implicit and unquestionable obedience must become the essential characteristic of our lives.” (Andrew Murray)

Getting To Know Jesus: There is one vitally important question you musts answer after you have been saved: Where are you loving God by serving others?