You Were Made for More

7/27/2019 You Were Made for More

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An Encapsulated View of the Best from C hristian P ublishers

Volume 5 . Issue March 2009

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COUNCIL OF REFERENCE

Dr. Richard Averbeck

Rev. D. Stuart Briscoe

Dr. Paul Cedar

Mr. Dave Coleman

Dr. & Mrs. Larry Crabb

Mr. Roger Cross

Rev. Samuel Farina

Dr. Kenneth O. Gangel

Rev. & Mrs. Lud Golz

Dr. Howard G. Hendricks

Mr. Olan Hendrix

Dr. David Jeremiah

Rev. Knute Larson

Dr. John C. Maxwell

Dr. Bruce McNicol

Mr. Dean Merrill

Mrs. Elisa Morgan

Dr. Ray Ortlund

Dr. Luis Palau

Dr. Gilbert A. Peterson

Rev. Wes Roberts

Rev. & Mrs. JamieRassmussen

Mr. J im Warren

Dr. Rick Warren

Publishers

Catherine & DavidMartin

Editors

Cheryl & MichaelChiapperino

COUNCIL OF REFERENCE

Dr. Richard Averbeck

Rev. D. Stuart Briscoe

Dr. Paul Cedar

Mr. Dave Coleman

Dr. & Mrs. Larry Crabb

Mr. Roger Cross

Dr. Kenneth O. Gangel

Rev. & Mrs. Lud Golz

Dr. Howard G. Hendricks

Mr. Olan Hendrix

Dr. David Jeremiah

Rev. Knute Larson

Dr. John C. Maxwell

Dr. Bruce McNicol

Mr. Dean Merrill

Mrs. Elisa Morgan

Dr. Luis Palau

Dr. Gilbert A. Peterson

Rev. Wes Roberts

Rev. & Mrs. JamieRassmussen

Mr. J im Warren

Dr. Rick Warren

Publishers

Catherine & DavidMartin

Editors

Cheryl & MichaelChiapperino

By J im Cymbala w ith Dean MerZondervan PublishingISBN: 78031241270

A Quick Focus

Eight Main Points2345567

9

The Boo k's Purp o seEncourage follow ers of C hrist t o findjoy, peace, and purpose

C hallenge follow ers of C hrist to pursuethe rich spiritual place they long for

Offer compelling snapshots of peoplefinding “ more of G od” as they serveH im

Inspire believers through biblicalaccounts and stories of modern-day

people who have discovered their“ promised land, ” their special assign-ment from G od

The Bo o k’s MessageAre you longing to make a difference~and un-

willing to settle for a run-of-the-mill life? A com-fortable life will not provide the happiness andfulfillment you’ re seeking. G od has more for you~and t his “ more” includes a deep sense of purpose.

G od has crafted an assignment fo r every oneof H is people: something uniq ue that only you can accomplish for H im in this lifetime. Exploring

the lives of people God has used and is presentlyusing to exercise their gifts for H is purposes revealsthat w hen a person taps into this “ more of G od”he or she experiences more influence, energy, joy,and satisfaction.

Seek Your Promised Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Celebrate God’s Past Provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Make Room for the Forgotten One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Persevere for the Long Haul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Seize the Benefits in Hardships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Exchange Your Weakness for His Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pursue Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Embrace Your Promise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You Were Made for More:The L i fe You H ave, The L i fe God Wan ts You to H ave

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“Moving intothe land God

has waiting forus is not

something forthe timid

or fearful.”

It’s natural to long for a place where we can be safe, fulfilled, and grow-ing~where we can freely spread our wings. That goes for our spiritual andemotional lives as well as our physical lives.

Jesus to ld us that H e came to g ive us life~even “ life to the full” (John10:10).

This full, abundant life is available to all followers of C hrist. And H ewants us to experience it. I magine~a richer grasp of H is Word , a clearerunderstand ing of G od’s design for our lives, strength and boldness to com-municate our faith, liberty from t he pain that distracts and limits us, andinternal peace no matter what w e’re facing.

The biblical account of G od using Joshua to lead the children of I sraeltoward the Promised Land is full of lessons that will help us as we pursuethe “ Promised Land” G od has prepared for each one of us.

Moving toward the Promised Land, Canaan, was a struggle that requiredthem to conq uer a vast array of hostile armies. Whereas Israel experienced

a dramatic deliverance from Egypt, seizing the Promised Land confrontedthem w ith seemingly insurmountable obstacles. L ikewise, G od offers usdramatic deliverance from the grip of sin, “yet we sti l l seem to str uggle when clai mi ng God’s promi se for mor e.”

The Israelites discovered that the Promised Land had clear parameters,an exact location. Similarly, G od ’s plan is “l i mi ted to H i s speci fi c plan for our l i ves, and we ar e assur ed of God’s help i f we stay wi thin the bound- ar i es of what H e has mar ked ou t for us.”

Pursuing the Promised Land req uired tenacity and courage. G od to ldJoshua no less than three times that J oshua needed to be “ strong andcourageous” (Joshua 1:6-7, 9). In the same way, pursuing our ow nPromised Land will be demanding~it will require grit and courage.

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“That is what we crave. We sensesomehow we were meant for more~more

than the constricted, self-limiting liveswe currently endure.”

“If God brought you into the spiritualcounterpart of ‘a good and spacious landflowing with milk and honey’

(Exodus 3:8), what would that look like?”

And so H e promised to providestrength and resources every stepof the way. “H i s promi ses, when met wi th our si mple fai th, cannot be fr ustr ated.”

G od called Jo shua to accom-plish a unique assignment,one tailored for his abilities.“God has cal l ed ever y si ngle Chr i sti an t o do somethi ng speci al , somethi ng mi ghty,somethi ng un i que that onl y he or she can do.”

Sometimes we make the as-sumption that G od only has specific

work assignments for full-timeministers and missionaries. But itis clear tha t G od has plans for allof us. H is mission t o spread thegospel and raise up committed dis-ciples all over the world requiresthe involvement of al l H is follow -ers. Each person’s ro le is vital.

“God has anassignment

designed preciselyfor you~and this

is part of theabundant life you

so earnestlycrave.”

Seek Your

Promised Land

Seek Your

Promised Land



33

“The blood sacri fi ce must a lwaysr emai n cent r al,” the children ofIsrael learned at G ilgal, where theycelebrated Passover. As they placedthe blood of a lamb on their door-posts, the Israelites were remindedof bo th G od’s provision and pro-

tection.Today we recognize that it’s

only the blood of Christ that pro-tects us from G od’ s judgment ofsin. We can’t earn forgivenessthrough g ood behavior; there’snothing w e can do t o earn it!

“We cannot livein known

disobedienceand expect thatGod will bless

us and help us …We can’t have Godand at the sametime, hold on

to the sin He sent

His son todie for.”

CBS

Celebrate God’s

Past Provisions

Celebrate God’s

Past Provisions

“In the future, when your children ask you, ‘what do those stone mean?’ tellthem that the flow of the Jordan wascut off before the ark of the covenant

of the Lord” (Joshua 4:6-7).

“We need to anchor our heartsand minds in God’s overwhelming

track record.”

There is a small place in close proximity to Jericho that became atraining g round w here G od reminded H is people of H is loving care forthem.

G ilgal was the first place the I sraelites set up camp after they crossedthe Jordan River. Gilgal was a training ground, a place where God t aughthis people many important lessons.

“L ook back befor e you move for war d” is one key lesson revealed, asJoshua obeyed G od and took 12 large stones from the floor of theJordan and set t hem up as a memorial.

This memorial helped the Israelites keep their bearings when circum-stances threatened to convince them that G od could not prot ect them

from their enemies.

Likewise, rehearsing and recalling the amazing w orks G od has do nefor us in the past keeps us from becoming fretful.

“D on ’t tr y to move forwar d i n di sobedi ence” is the second lesson ofGilgal. Over four decades of wilderness wanderings, Israel had slippedaway from covenant obligations like circumcision. G od directed Jo shuato lead the people in correcting the situation. In a matter of days, aftermounting a circumcision prog ram, I srael once again experienced God ’sfavor.

Today we need to be acutely aware of the connection between ourob edience and the release of G od ’s favor in our lives.

“Only

the bloodputs usin rightstanding

with Him.”



44

Amazingly, when I srael neededa leader, the elders thought ofJephthah.

Scriptures tell us that “ the Spiritof the L ord came on Jephthah.”H e crossed G ilead and M anasseh,passed through Mizpah of G ilead,and from there he advanced againstthe Amorites and the Lord gavethem into his hands.

Samson

Even tho ugh he made poorchoices later in life, Samson experi-enced G od’ s power, and G od usedhim to accomplish His goals (Judges13:25; 14:6,19; 15:14-15).

In general, Christians demonstrate reverence toward two of the threePersons of the Trinity~ our heavenly Father and H is Son, our Savior.“The member of the Tr i n i ty who most of ten gets neglected i n our songs,prayer s, and pr eachi ng i s the H oly Spi r i t.”

As children, many of us heard people refer to the H oly Spirit as theH oly G host. And this positioned H im as a fright ening entity. Maybethat’ s one reason so many people neglect H im in their songs, prayers,and preaching.

But the H oly Spirit is not frightening. H e is a person and H e is real.“H e i s a l i vi ng bei ng who has feel i ng and speaks to God’s people.” With-out doubt, after Jesus left this world to join the Father, H e dispatched

the H oly Spirit to “t ake H i s place among di sci ples.”

O ne thing the H oly Spirit do es is guide believers into G od ’s workand eq uip them to accomplish it through H is power.

The H oly Spirit w as active in the Old Testament, and w e can seecountless ways H e empow ered people to do amazing d eeds. C onsiderthese four examples from the book of Judg es:

Othniel

Caleb’s nephew, Othniel, became a national hero when he becameIsrael’s judge (leader) and overpowered the king of Aram. This begana process that enabled O thniel’s people to sustain four decades of peace.The biblical record affirms that Othniel was able to do this because “ TheSpirit of the Lord came on him” (Judges 3:10).

Gi deon A shy underachiever, G ideon w as approached by an ang el who called

him a mighty w arrior. Over time, he d iscovered incredible strength when“the Spi r i t of the Lor d came upon [ him] , and he blew a tr umpet sum- moni ng [ hi s clan ] to foll ow hi m.” Two days later, Israel enjoyed anamazing victory.

Jephthah

The Bible says little about Jephthah, a leader with a chip on his shoul-der. H is family scorned him because he was the product o f a relationshipbetw een his father and a prostitute. Judg es 11:3 reveals that Jephthahran with a “ gang of scoundrels.”

CBS

Make Room forthe Forgotten OneMake Room for

the Forgotten One

“If we don’t believe this and becomeinsensitive to the voice of the Spirit,

we will miss wonderful things that God

has planned for us.”

“The Spirit’sanointingoverrodehis quirksand human

weaknesses.”

“He takesus with all

our limitationsand raises usup to handlechallenges

that otherwisescare us.”





SEIZE THE BENEFITS OF HARDSHIPScontinued from page 5

Unseen Benefit 3:Enduring hardships gives us a real-life testimony we can pass along to

others to let them know about G od’ s goodness and power. H e can usethese stories to help others who are young and going through similar prob-lems. The challenges in our lives~ tho se circumstances tha t o n the surface

seem senseless~ are catalysts to strengthen us, to cause us to pray more fer-vently, and to provide a “t est i mony to help other s i n need.”

Like a trial attorney finding fault w ith a line of q uestioning, at t imeswe say, “ I o bject” when w e sense G od is leading us to step out in faith.Perhaps we object respectfully, reminding G od how H is request is illog ical.

G ideon was a biblical characterwho q uestioned G od when H ehand-selected him to lead the na-tion of Israel. A humble farmer,G ideon was hiding out threshingwheat in the cramped q uarters ofa winepress when an angel of theLord greeted him and called hima “ mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12).

In response, G ideon voiced fourobjections:

Objection 1:“Where have you been?”

Frustrated by G od ’s seemingabsence from Israel as the nationfaced the Midianites, G ideon com-plained that G od had abandonedhim and his fellow Israelites. Inreality, the Israelites had abandonedG od t o w orship idols.

G od’ s angel did not dignifyG ideon’s complaint with an answer.Instead, he challenged G ideonto move ahead in G od’ s strengthand rescue his people from theMidianites.

When G od calls us to do some-thing, we need t o discipline our-selves to fix our eyes forward andnot dwell on the past.

Objection 2:“I don’t have the rightconnections.”

G ideon, recognizing t hat hiscredentials and his family back-ground left much to be desired,asked how he could possibly saveIsrael. God reminded G ideon thatH e wo uld be w ith him.

continued on page 7

“Our struggles are simply a signthat we, like the ancient Israelites,

were made for more.

“Warmth of soul creates an atmosphere

favorable to prayer, because it is favorableto fervency. By flame, prayer ascendsto heaven.”

E. M. Bounds

CBS

Exchange YourWeakness for His

Strength

Exchange YourWeakness for His

Strength

“But because God loves us and wantsthe best to come to pass in our lives,He responds with the simple phrase,

‘Objection overruled.’”

“Now theyreaped God’schasteningfor theirspirited

infidelity.”

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CBS

EXCHANGE YOUR WEAKNESSFOR HIS STRENGTHcontinued from page 6

“Y ou may not have the r i ght connecti ons~but you have me! I ’m your sour ce.I ’m the one you need to cal l . I ’ l l be wi th you ever y step of the way.”

When we step out o f our comfort level, “when we take the r i sk to fol l ow

H i m, H e wi ll meet al l our needs.” Objection 3: “Would you give me a sign?”

G ideon still seemed uneasy about o beying G od , so he asked H im fora sign. G od obliged and accommo dated his request by drenching a fleeceleft out overnight with dew.

Objection 4: “How about another sign?”Amazingly, G ideon asked G od for yet another sign, this time a dry

fleece left out overnight on w et ground. G od showed H is patience by pro-viding t he sign G ideon requested.

In time, Gideon “wen t ou t and won a spectacu lar vi ctory over the M i di ani tes i n t he most unu sual man ner ,” proving G od’ s strength d espiteG ideon’s weaknesses.

What mad e the difference? H ebrews 11 lists G ideon as a hero o f thefaith~ he accomplished the victory by faith. We need to ask G od for thisspecial gift o f faith (1 C orinthians 12:9).

As G od g ives us the certainty that H e can be trusted to d o what H esaid H e would do, t hree things happen:

G od ’s promise possesses us.

When wartime ends, peace is especially sweet. Jo y abo unds~ and peoplepull out all the stops as they celebrate. Imagine the joy that the Israelitesexperienced when their leader, Othniel, claimed a victory that afforded thepeople 40 years of peace (Judges 3:11). And consider how happy they musthave been when the second leader, Ehud, led another victory that resultedin peacetime for eight more decades.

The Bible records that the I sraelites celebrated by praising G od in songwhen t he next leaders, D eborah and Barak, ensured anot her 45 years ofpeace (Judges 5:3, 31).

G od ’s plan possesses us.

Like G ideon accepting t he factthat God could win a battle withonly 300 men, we sometimes need

to trust G od and abandon our“ smarter ideas.”

G od’ s pow er, rather than ourown, possesses us.

We need to relinquish our de-sire for getting the credit and realizeG od’s work requires G od’ s power,not ours.

In the midst of a war on terror-ism in the early 21st century, we

wonder when we will experiencepeace again. Sadly, even if thenations of the world could cometogether and forge a lasting peace,this would not guarantee internalpeace. “Str ess on the i n ter per sonal level takes a heavy toll on mi l l i ons.” An absence of inner peace robspeople of the simple joys of life.

The Peace of God

True peace cannot be manu-factured; it is not a matter of ourwill. C onsider what Jesus to ld hisdisciples during the Last Supperas he was preparing them for w hatwas coming . “ Peace I leave withyou; my peace I give you. I donot give to you as the wo rld gives.D o not let your hearts be troubledand do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

continued on page 8

Pursue PeacePursue Peace

77

“The promise of God proves stronger

than our fluctuatingemotions. We arelocked into

His guarantee; itcontrols us.”

“What did peace mean to the Israelitesin these times? It meant children couldgo out and play freely, without worryof being kidnapped. It meant parentscould sleep soundly at night. A farmercould work hard ... and use his earnings

to take care of his family.”



88PURSUE PEACEcontinued from page 8

The Peace of God

True peace cannot be manufactured; it is not a matter of our will. Con-sider what Jesus told his disciples during the Last Supper as he was preparingthem for what was coming. “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.I d o no t g ive to you as the world gives. D o not let your hearts be troubled

and do no t be afraid” (John 14:27).

No tice that G od called this “ my peace.” “I t was super na tu r al .” H emod eled t his peace, H is peace in the midst of unthinkable mental, emotional,and physical pain during H is trial and crucifixion.

Later Paul wrot e about “ the peace of G od, which transcends all under-standing.” It was this peace that Paul said “ will guard your hearts and yourminds in C hrist Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Although many fo llow ers of C hrist o verlook this “pi ece of heaven , the place of no tear s, the place wher e shalom r u les,” and instead ask G od t oprovide us with healing, better jobs, or more money, H e wants to lavishH is peace on us. H e wants to lead us in the path of H is peace in the midstof all of life’s circumstances.

Satan, the enemy of our souls, is eager to prevent us from seeking orenjoying G od ’s peace~ and he often uses four strategies to do so. H e makesaccusations, stirs up hostility, causes us to fret and worry, and fills our mindswith rubbish.

Recognizing the importance of peace in our lives, we must prepareourselves to stand our g round against the enemy in the following ways:

Resist accusationsExpect Satan to bring up sins and failures of the past~that’s part of whohe is as “ the accuser of o ur brot hers and sisters” (Revelation 12:10).D efending o urselves against o r arguing w ith Satan is a waste of t ime.Perhaps the best w ay to neutralize him is to rejoice in the L ord andthank God for what H e has done for us, including the promise of eternal

life with H im in heaven.

Resolve animosityH arboring resentment and anger and concentrating on the wrong s wehave suffered will deplete our peace. But G od want s H is peace to flow in our lives~ and H e has provided some basic instructions for proactivelypursuing reconciliation in Matthew 5 and 18. G od has placed a highpriority on restoring peace and resolving animosity with others, particularlythose within the family of G od.

Release anxietyWhen we become preoccupied with the cares of life~ even those tha tare overwhelming~ we miss out on experiencing G od ’s peace. Paul re-minds us in Philippians 4:6 that instead of being anxious about these

H ere’s the key. We need to“ take the wei ght t hat i s bear i ng down on us and give i t t o God i n pr ayer .”

Renew your mental“atmosphere”We need to take great care inwhat w e allow to take controlof our mental state. We live ina wo rld full of noise~and if weare not careful this noise willpoison o ur minds until wecannot t hink straight .

Paul advises us to focus ourminds on things that are true,nob le, right, pure, lovely, ad-

mirable, excellent, and praise-worthy (Philippians 4:8-9).

We need to stand guard overwhat we allow into our minds~and the instant a thought thatwill pollute us enters ourminds, we must be ready to“tel l Satan to take hi s garbage and get ou t.”

continued on page 9

“This is shalom ~that wonderfulHebrew word that means completeness,

wholeness, blessing for thetotal person.”

“There isan actual

transfer here;we lift theweight upand off ourbacks, and

He takes itfor handling.The thing thathas been tooheavy for us

is a lightweight in

His hand.”



PURSUE PEACEcontinued from page 8

In o ur world, promises are not always kept. Po liticians are often unableto deliver on their campaign promises after they are elected. Those of uswho are parents are well aware of the protests that will ensue if we try tobreak a promise we have made to our children.

But we never need to remind G od of H is promises~ H e “i s an ent i r ely r el i able promi se maker .” Consider the confidence with which Joshua couldmarch into C anaan and take on the enemy. H e took God at H is wo rd whenH e told him H e would be with him. O ther Bible heroes~ including Abraham,Jacob , Joseph, Moses, and D avid~ learned firsthand w hat it means to receivea promise from G od. As we read their stories, we see how G od taught thesepeople to t rust H im implicitly.

Whenever we w onder if G od will really make goo d o n H is promises,we can turn to P salm 119:49, w hich simply states, “ Remember your wordto your servant, for you have given me hope.”

This “ wo rd” refers to the Bible, the rock-solid foundation fo r our faith“wher e we fi nd God’s i r r evocable pr omi ses abou t many thi ngs.” Never giveup on H is wo rd. G od keeps H is promises~ we can depend on H im.

As you w alk in G od ’s promises and spend t ime asking H im how H ewant s to use you, H e will invigorate you and direct your steps. H e madeyou for more. “ You ar e H i s beloved chi l d, and H e i s the best Fat her i n the wor ld. H e wi l l do what H e has pr omi sed i n your l i fe.”

Volume 5, I ssue 7

Publishers

C atherine & D avid M artin

Editors

C heryl & Michael Ch iapperino

Published o n the World Wide Web atChristianBookSummaries.com.

The mission of Christian BookSummaries is to enhance the ministryof thinking C hristians by providingthorough and readable summaries

of noteworthy books fromC hristian publishers.

The opinions expressed are thoseof the original writers andare not necessarily those of Christian Book Summariesor its Council of Reference.

You Were Made for More by Jim Cymbala wi th Dean M er r i ll , copy- r ight 2008 by Jim Cymbala. Summa- r i zed by permissi on of the publi sher ,

Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids,Michigan, 49530. ISBN: 78031241270.222 pages. $19.99 U .S. A vai lable at your favor i te bookstore or onl i ne bookseller .

The authors: Jim Cymbala has beenthe pastor of the B rooklyn Taber-nacle for more than 25 years. Theauthor of many bestselling bo oks,he lives in New York City with hiswife, C arol Cymbala, who directsthe Grammy Award-winning BrooklynTabernacle Choir.

D ean Merrill, former publishingexecutive with Focus on the Familyand International Bible Society, isauthor or coauthor of 33 books. H eand his wife, Grace, live in ColoradoSprings.

“You [God] will keep in perfect

peace those whose minds are steadfast,because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3).

CBS

“Underline Psalm 119:49 in your Bible.Turn to it often. Lift it up before God

as a reinforcement of His covenantpromise to you. Let it strengthen

your confidence in Him.”

Embrace Your PromiseEmbrace Your Promise

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CBS

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You Were Made for More