Serve The Servants // Micah

ICUs are challenging places. They house the vulnerable, who apart from professional service, cannot survive. Between my father being hit by a truck, me breaking my neck and our two children starting as premies, my wife and I have spent our fair share of time in critical care units.

As my bride sat with our daughter in the heaviness of the NICU last Saturday, something beautiful happened. An army of loving people ascended on the unit, wearing red shirts with “Serve Team” across their chests. They brought diapers, baby clothes, mommy essentials, refreshments and much more. They loved on worn-out mothers, many having children on the brink of death. In all they did, they valiantly shared and showed the love of Christ to needy people.

My wife was moved by their love for her, but floored by the platform this gave her as an insider. While she took care of our daughter, she had been serving other moms. She had been buying devotionals and consoling women who were losing their babies. She’d grown weary having spent hours walking alongside a mom who birthed early under hardship and feared abuse on return if her child survived. But joy flooded in at the hands of this groups service and it prompted chatter, “maybe these people are different,” “maybe I can find hope.” 

The heavy hearts that had filled a space, were lifted, and even my ever-resilient sweetheart got the shot in the arm she needed. As they left, Audrey pulled one of the visitors aside and said, “I will handle follow up from the inside." How beautiful indeed when lovers of Jesus, who actively reach the hurting, take time to serve the servants.

Luke 12:37 “The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!”

Proverbs 11:25 “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

- Micah McElveen

Racism: Anti Mission // Micah

God is opposed to racism, in part, because He is against anything that stands in the way of mission. Though rarely talked about, of all the reasons why people shy away from sharing the good news, racism is one of the ugliest and longest running.

To hate another for their ethnicity is to declare ugly the beautiful diversity God insists He will have in His person for eternity. Revelation 7:9 tells us, “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, ‘Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!’” When a race thinks so much of itself that it feels superior to the “created of another shade” it effectively disfigures the picture God is painting. Racism dulls the multi-hued mural heaven is piecing together. If God intends a mixed multitude to enhance the beauty of His eternal choirs in paradise, then Sundays should provide a window into glory.

Racism is not only ugly, it is age-old. While it is a trending topic today, it has long been a hindrance to mission. Thousands of years ago, one of the greatest missionaries was constantly abused on this point. Paul’s synagogue mates could tolerate much of his message but Acts 22:21-22 reminds us that their religion veiled their racism and it would not stand mission. “But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'” The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, “Away with such a fellow! He isn't fit to live!”

The simple truth is that those who despise other races are less concerned about God’s heart for “all nations”. Hate always hinders efforts to provide all with the good granted by the gospel. Let it not be so among us. May we rise above the ugliness of the times and let the love of God guide us into a life for people and on mission.

- Micah McElveen

Loyal Love // Micah

Loyal in Hebrew (kheh-sed) speaks to one who is “faithful and unswerving in allegiance.” In Psalms 145:8, God identifies Himself as one who “...is patient and demonstrates great LOYAL love.” To become a child of God through the grace of Jesus Christ is to be adopted as a Son or Daughter of God. To become recipients of reliable, constant and steadfast love. No matter what tosses us to and fro, nothing can deter God’s constant loyal love. He is the anchor for both the boat on the placid lake and the skiff on stormy sea.

Romans 8:38 “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.”

- Micah McElveen

Happily Wed // Micah

James 4:4-5 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?”

We all have ambitions, which flow from our hopes and desires. The first few verses in James 4 remind us that dissension in Christ’s family chiefly flows from ungodly ambitions being pursued in ungodly ways. Like a hot knife through butter, verse 4 cuts to the chase declaring, “You are with me or you are against me, choose this day whom you will serve… and if it is me, then love me exclusively and follow me wholeheartedly.”

He uses language from the bedroom, reminding us that we sleep around on God when we choose the world over Him. He explains that cheating creates division in the family and sows discord between us and God. He pulls from other scriptures, highlighting that God, like a good husband, has a zealous and jealous love for His bride. He reminds us that anyone who violates the intimacy meant between exclusive lovers, no doubt becomes the enemy of the betrayed.

Father, help us to quit vacillating and embrace the hope of Heaven, the desires of the Lover of Our Soul. Help us to align ourselves with the ambitions of our bridegroom, Jesus Christ. Transform our will to yours, Maker, Savior, and Lord, that we would walk in our union as lovers, Happily Wed.

- Micah McElveen

Well Off // Micah

James 1:9-11 “Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.”

James reminds us of a pragmatic truth, a materially poor brother is less tempted to find his security in money because he doesn’t have any to hope in. His position causes him to look for assistance outside himself. The humility needed to acknowledge ones’ need for help and to seek it from God comes more natural to him as life has made him well practiced.

On the other hand, the rich person is tempted to lean on his savings and trust in his earning potential instead of truly resting in God’s provision. Money for the rich is often elevated to a place of worship, used outside of God’s intended purposes and held over the heads of those in need. While mammon can prop a man up for a season, it cannot satisfy or save a soul.

One day soon, that false god whose reliable persona lures so many, will wither like winter rye in the summer heat and all who idolized it will wilt. Many, once proud and wealthy, will kneel in the ashes of their god, filled with acute humiliation. Next to them the poor, who looked to Jesus, will stand exalting in the Hope of Glory.

Wake us up, Lord. Help us trust you more and steward your resources in line with your desires. Help us love, serve and learn from the poor. Grant us Heaven’s perspective on how to live truly Well Off.

- Micah McElveen

Only God // Micah

One of the functions my role at Vapor Ministries involves is stakeholder development. I help connect people with our mission, which plays out in poverty stricken environments, in ways that Meet Needs & Feed Souls. With that I live squarely between two very different worlds. Often I have sat in a rickety tin shanty, holding the undernourished child of a destitute mother, on a Monday only to be hosted in a well furnished home, discussing the endeavors of an established entrepreneur, by Wednesday.

With modern advancements the distance between third-world environments and first-world settings have substantially closed and yet, at times, it seems the chasm is larger than ever. It is heavy to feel the weight two parties carry, see how they could enrich each-other, but with so much on the line fail to make the connect. Bringing the two together in healthy and impactful ways is the job of an advocate and yet my inadequacies complicate the already difficult task.

While being positioned between the two worlds can be deeply unsettling, for every discouraging encounter there comes an entirely liberating one. One in which, it seems a different force is at work. Two groups aren’t trying to adjoin alone, a third superior presence is forging a meaningful union. In times like these amazing breakthroughs occur as strangers are moved to lay their lives down to serve each other. Oh the wonder of the moment! When an other worldly love pours into the open hearts of yielded people who in turn make room for those in need. My soul is deeply stirred when Worlds are brought together as heaven settles on earth.

Yes, part of my role is to “close the gap,” to function as a bridge between radically different places that desperately need each other. But I have come to realize it is futile to pursue a heavenly call in the effort man can produce. Instead, I along with all of God’s children, am invited to pursue the good of man and glory of Christ in a strength much greater than that produced by man. This greater power comes from Only God.

John 6:7&11 “Philip replied, ‘Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them!’... Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.”

Deuteronomy 8:17-18a "Be careful not to say, 'My own ability and skill have gotten me this wealth.’ You must remember the LORD your God, for He is the one who gives ability to get wealth…"

I John 3:16-17 “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God's love be in that person?”

- Micah McElveen

Unshakably Satisfied // Micah

Breathe that in for a moment. Try and get a mental image of what that looks and feels like... What would you give for that?

Satisfaction does not require retirement and is not a bedfellow of apathy. A truly satisfied person is not void of trial, challenge or toil nor are they empty of hopes, dreams and aspirations. Instead a content soul does not “need,” and is therefore not anxious or demanding. Satisfaction is the substance in one who has “learned to be content” while “pressing toward the mark.” The results of this sustained state leads to a fire forged strength, capable of surviving the rigor of life’s battles.

A satisfied individual is unshakable because they aren’t propped up by volatile external factors. Self-worth derived from co-dependence has given way to a vitality drawn from a deeper well.

While hard to achieve, much less describe, I do know one thing that must be present to find timeless unbreakable satisfaction and that is unfailing love. But where can we find such a love? A love untouched by circumstance that remains unstained by evil and continues undiluted by time? Unfailing love is found in God and is made available in the person of Christ whose Spirit resides in all called by His name. In Him alone can we become Unshakably Satisfied.

Psalm 90:14 “Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.”

Psalm 107:9 “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall not thirst.”

- Micah McElveen

Load Lifter // Micah

Have you ever noticed how burden often begets burden? A heavy heart is made heavier still when one inflicted with a pain is overtaken by the unexpected discouragement accompanying the trial.  This state is only perpetuated when a current of shame, shame for having despaired in the first place, keeps the broken reed from reaching the air on the surface. If unlifted, what began as a hurt, can become a weighty sea threatening to drown the life of the one held under its wake. The broken one is left to think, "what would God want of me now, I am of no use?"

The answer God gives to that question is "everything." He wants everything to do with the heavy of heart who come to Him in humility and truth. He does not ask the broken to fix themselves, to make themselves presentable, that they may merit His presence. He does not say to the drowning man, "learn to swim, and if you get the hang of it, swim my way." 

No, he says, "cry out to me and I will come." He says, "come to me and I will mend.” We were not made to bear the load, but instead to know the Load Lifter. 

"The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.” Psalms 145:14

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 

- Micah McElveen

If Only They Knew // Micah

With a hollow stare and pale complexion, he reluctantly boards a ship headed for uncharted waters. Despite what he feels, he knows he must put some distance between himself and the love he is convinced he will never have. The only problem... she actually loves him too. Two people so close to experiencing a loving relationship, both deeply caring for the other, and yet neither are aware. The plot is thick, yet as a viewer, so frustrating. Aware of both perspectives and still incapable of intervening we simply shake our heads and say, "If they only knew.” This is the feeling I got as I meditated on John 3...

John spent his life actively waiting for the unbridled love of Heaven to plant His feet on earth. John saw his life’s purpose as “one who was to prepare the way" for the coming of that love to broken humanity. He was sure that Jesus Christ was God’s promised One. When Christ did appear, He was thrilled, humbled and joyful. It was as if He fully expected his disciples to follow Jesus, his fame to fade into the glory of Christ's and others to be as confident in Jesus as He was. Like a movie watcher, He saw the big picture. Yet standing in the gap between the question in every human heart and the answer from heaven, he must have felt helpless. In verses 31 and 32 he laments… “He [Jesus] has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else.  He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!”

“The Way, The Truth and The Life” extending Himself to the lost, the confused and the lifeless. Men and women who are so close to redemption, and yet they don’t know His love. So… frustrating. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t have to wander, run, or board the outbound ship, filled with ambiguity, questioning the intent or reality of the lover of our souls. We can pivot, turn from our way, and run to Him. In the end, we will either know the love of God through Christ or move away from it. I wonder if the angels look upon mankind and think... “If They Only Knew.”

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

- Micah McElveen

Unearned Love // Micah

Moist blue eyes glistening like the warm waters of the Caribbean locked onto my gaze as little man settled his chin into my chest. Normally not so affectionate, Arrow, our 1 year old, was all daddy hugs this morning as his cold tempered his natural wide-open demeanor. His movements were slower and mood subdued as he and daddy sat by the fire. The greater light coming through the window softly touched his pearly skin while the lesser glimmer cast by the fire accented his blonde brows. A strong and deep emotion swelled in my core as his little lungs pushed his tiny breast up and down on daddy, baby frame molded to my chest.

My Bible was open to Psalm 145, the scripture I was meditating on, before Mommy laid him on me. As I drank in the moment, a thought struck my mind in the form of a question. What has Arrow done to earn my love? The question had nothing to do with the presence of love, but instead was rooted in how it came to be. What is he doing to sustain it?

He is too young to take out the trash. He doesn't talk, much less read, write, or get straight A's. The more I thought about what he "does," the less it made sense that love would result. Poop, cry, and pull all the Tupperware onto the kitchen floor everyday, without fail. Yet here I was, consumed with a strong unearned love, a Father's love for his son.

I paused and thought about all the things I am tempted to do to try and earn my Heavenly Father's love, to sustain His affection for me, to somehow influence Him not to turn off the spiket of His love for me. I glanced back down at Psalm 145:8 and thought of the unfaltering perfect love of God for His children. As I meditated on His love my mind ran to the cross, where God's love for us was lifted up in Christ. A Father's love making the ultimate sacrifice, that we may experience pure unearned love.

"The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." Psalm 145:8

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

- Micah McElveen

Mammoth Truth Equals Great News // Micah

Occasionally, we come to scriptures which make direct connections between mammoth individual concepts. At these points, the richness in the message is more like that of Fort Knox than your local bank vault. Great treasure abounds and is ripe for the taking in Psalm 130:7. Here, there is:

• hope- (Hebrew: yacht) to confidently expect
• steadfast love- (Hebrew: checed) deep unwavering affection
• plentiful redemption- (Hebrew: rabah & paduth) bountiful debt cancellation

These are all connected. The consolidated message reads, “You can confidently bank on the Lord who full of intense, unswerving affection for His children has forever cancelled out the sin debt for all who have turned from their sin and trusted in Him.”  Now that is Great News!

“O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption” Psalm 130:7

- Micah McElveen

A True Friend // Micah

The under-discussed action that a good friend is called to is providing critical feedback. Yes, a friend listens, consoles, and is there in good and bad, but a real friend also says the things fans won't. The wise see the value of having people in their lives who love them enough to tell them what they need to hear not just what they want to hear. Men naturally shy away from constructive criticism and yet the wise listen and respond knowing true love sharpens and grows a person. In Jesus, we have such a friend. 

"If only you will respond to my rebuke, then I will pour out my thoughts to you and I will make my words known to you." Proverbs 1:23

- Micah McElveen

Relentless Faithfulness // Micah

Often in the Bible, steadfastness, and love are tied together to communicate how God, not only loves His own, but does so with relentless faithfulness. He is not sparing or wavering in His commitment to continually treat His children with unmerited love and kindness. His persistent and consistent love for us flows out of who He is, not what we have done or not done to earn it. It stems from His person and from His actions, and it always runs congruent with His character. Praise Jesus for His steadfast love for us.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

- Micah McElveen

Kind Affection // Micah

Kind in Hebrew (khaw-seed) implies ‘one who is full of sympathy and forbearance, one desiring to give pleasure and relief.’ How sweet to know that one of the defining character traits of God is His kindness. He wants us to know that He has kindly affections toward His own and that it is His nature to demonstrate that kindly care. Surely, when we see that He not only made a flower but a million varieties each created to bless the one who takes the time to consider them, we will also see their creator desires to give pleasure to His creation.  Though brokenness surrounds us, we must gaze beyond it and catch a glimpse of our benevolent King’s kindness. -Musings

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways and KIND in all His works.” Psalm 145:17

Loyal Love // Micah

Loyal in Hebrew (kheh-sed) speaks to one who is “faithful and unswerving in allegiance.” In Psalms 145:8, God identifies Himself as one who “...is patient and demonstrates great LOYAL love.” To become a child of God through the grace of Jesus Christ is to be adopted as a Son or Daughter of God. To become recipients of reliable, constant and steadfast love. No matter what tosses us to and fro, nothing can deter God’s constant loyal love. He is the anchor for both the boat on the placid lake and the skiff on stormy sea. -Musings

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.” Romans 8:38 

- Micah McElveen