God created us for relationship with him, but what does that look like? How do we interact with God? What does he expect from us? We are to love God, but what is this about enjoying him? Two-way communication is a hallmark of any relationship, so how does communication function in our relationship with God? How does God speak to us? How do we recognize his voice? What do we do with what he tells us? Rob seeks to answer all these questions and more through the Scriptures and lots of examples from his own life, so that you too may be enthralled with God!

Enthralled with God–Cultivating a Joy-Filled Relationship with Him is available on Amazon.com! You will find the book in both soft-cover and e-version.

Below is the brief introduction from this book that I’m sure you’ll want to read.

Introduction

A few years ago, a young woman named Amy was living with us. One evening we heard the front door open and my wife and I went to the top of the stairs to greet Amy. She was returning home from discipleship training at our church. I called down to her and asked her how it went.

Amy had a huge grin on her face and stood there speechless for a moment. Then she blurted out, “I’ve been a Christian for many years, but tonight I discovered that I can enjoy God!—This changes everything!”

It’s true! Enjoying God, being enthralled with him does change everything! My experience and that of countless others have been every bit as dramatic and life-changing.

If you long to know God more deeply, seeing him as your joy and delight, then this book is for you! You are embarking on a great adventure with God!

© 2010 Rob Fischer

To order your copy of Enthralled with God please click on the link: http://www.amazon.com/Enthralled-God-Cultivating-Relationship-ebook/dp/B004CRSSZ6/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290529603&sr=1-4

Yet, as I read through Genesis again I’m utterly amazed at God’s career plan for Joseph. Through Joseph’s dreams it appears that God had given him an inkling of what the future might hold for him. His brothers and even his father interpreted this as arrogance. In fact, his brothers were so incensed by Joseph’s dreams and preferential treatment by his dad that they hated him (Genesis 37:4).

So at about the young age of 17, Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him, then thought better of it and sold him as a slave to Midianite merchants who in turn sold him to one of Pharaoh’s officials in Egypt. Meanwhile, Joseph’s brothers cunningly convinced their father that Joseph was dead, having been torn apart by some wild beast.

As bleak and hopeless as Joseph’s situation appears, the Scriptures inform us, “The Lord was with him and gave him success in all he did” (Genesis 39:2-5). It’s so easy to read that and just plow on in the text oblivious to what was happening behind all of this, so let’s ponder this for a moment. From the time Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt until the time when he was promoted to second in command over all of Egypt was about thirteen years. He spent some of those thirteen years as a slave in Potiphar’s household and the remaining years in prison.

In planning my own career path, neither slavery nor a prison sentence ever entered my mind as a possible stepping stone toward promotion! Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, Joseph was falsely accused of trying to seduce his master’s wife. Precisely where Joseph has determined to keep his integrity intact, his reputation was soiled by this false accusation and circumstantial evidence. (Potiphar’s wife had grabbed his cloak as “proof” that he had tried to rape her.)

In several places in Scripture we gain insight into Joseph’s trials. He himself refers to “all his trouble” and his “suffering” in Egypt. And the Psalmist explains of Joseph, “They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons” (Psalm 105:18). Add to his physical suffering, the loneliness and oppression of slavery, a tarnished reputation and the hardships and humility of prison.

Surely through all those years Joseph must have wrestled with God frequently! Joseph was a man like we are. Would he not have cried out to God, “Why? Why me? Why this? Where are you, God? Why don’t you answer my prayers for deliverance? Why do my brothers hate me so? Don’t you care about me? Have I done something terrible to warrant this treatment? If so, reveal it to me so I can repent!” Do you feel the turmoil and desperation he must have experienced?

And yet, the Scripture says, “The Lord was with him . . .  and gave him success in all he did” (Genesis 39:2-5). The implication here is that Joseph worked diligently and God prospered him in his work. In other words, Joseph rose above his circumstances and kept his integrity intact by working hard and doing well for his bosses. In his diligence God blessed him. However, Joseph’s diligence was coupled with his dependence on God. Notice that in his conversations with the cupbearer and baker and later with Pharaoh, Joseph credits God with the interpretation of dreams.

Again, we find something amazing going on here in the background. In the middle of all his struggling and suffering Joseph’s relationship with God had deepened profoundly. With the interpretation of these dreams it’s clear that Joseph had learned how to listen to God. Joseph was alert to the working of God and he also knew God’s character. Remember his words to Potiphar’s wife when she was trying to seduce him? “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9)

Joseph clearly saw his dependence on God and lived dependently on him trusting him for all things. Joseph had lost his standing as a favored son of a wealthy rancher. Then he lost his position as a trusted slave. His reputation was slandered and his freedom taken. But Joseph continually cultivated his relationship with God.

Later on as second in command over all Egypt, Joseph possessed all the power and authority to bring justice upon his scheming brothers. But Joseph freely forgave them. His words of encouragement to them are incredible! Joseph consoled them, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” (Genesis 45:4-5) Joseph’s relationship with God had worked in him a forgiving, loving response to those who had hurt him.

And later, when their father had died, Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” (Genesis 50:19-20)

Joseph’s words also demonstrate that he found great joy and purpose in knowing that God was using him and that his life was impacting others for good. Too often I find myself more concerned with how fulfilling my job is for me. What I see in Joseph was a godly diligence and fervor for his job and then asking a chief question, “How is my work benefiting others?”

Finally, I find three prominent characteristics that stand out in Joseph’s story: 1) God’s presence, faithfulness and sovereign ability to turn awful circumstances into something wonderful; 2) Joseph’s trust in God and ability to see God’s care for him in spite of horrible trials; and 3) Joseph’s preoccupation with spending his life in the service of others.

©2010 Rob Fischer

1. Always read God’s Word expecting to meet with him. Approach God’s Word relationally. Listen for his voice. What is he saying to you personally? What do you see from his Word that reveals God’s character and ways? Where do you need to align your life with his character and ways?

2. Set aside a regular time to read God’s Word. I don’t know about you, but I need the discipline of a schedule. It helps knowing that I always spend this time listening to and conversing with God. Self-discipline is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We do not cultivate self-discipline by always being spontaneous or only reading and conversing with him when we feel like it.

3. Beware of routine! This is the flipside of the previous tip. If you find yourself just going through the motions of reading, shake it up and do something different! For instance, if you’re in a reading plan, break out of it for a week and go to your favorite portion of Scripture. Be open with the Lord about your feelings and ask him to help you. Add some spontaneity to your Bible reading.

4. Read God’s Word out of desire for him. God is not impressed with how many times we’ve read through the Bible or with what we can recall from it. He wants our heart.

5. Share what you find with others. This is one of the most neglected, yet most powerful habits for launching ourselves and others into deeper relationship with God. Tell others what he’s revealing to you, how he’s changing you and what you enjoy about him.

One time Jesus was speaking to a group of zealous Jewish people of whom he acknowledged, “You diligently study the Scriptures . . .” On the surface this sounds noble and good. Yet in the same breath Jesus said to them, “You have never heard [the Father’s] voice . . .” (John 5:37 & 39) How is this possible? How can one read, let alone diligently study God’s Word without hearing his voice?

Certainly one can study the Bible without coupling that activity with faith in its Author. But I’ve also found that we can get so caught up with the grammar, context, word choice and all the other mechanics of the written Word to the extent that we forget what brought us there in the first place.

Jesus told the church in Ephesus that they held to the right doctrines (teachings from God’s Word), but they had forsaken their first love—their love for Christ and each other (Revelation 2:4).

If you are a student of the Bible, keep it up! Don’t be discouraged by the above. Instead, let me offer three simple principles to focus on as we come to the Word.

First, always come to the Bible expecting to meet with God. If we are not going to the Word to hear from him, then we’re going to it for the wrong reasons! The Bible is God’s Word. He speaks to us through his Word. The Holy Spirit will speak to us as we meet him there. So meet him there and listen.

Second, as you study the Bible allow his Word to penetrate your heart. Applying principles of Bible study and hermeneutics (the science of biblical interpretation) require diligence and hard work. We do that hard work and close the Bible satisfied that we’ve studied well. But few of us realize the work is not finished, but barely begun.

In order to take God’s Word into our hearts and let him transform us we need to meditate on it (or reflect on it, mull over it, ponder it). Sometimes this takes moments, but often it takes days, weeks, months or even years. Actually, God indicated to Joshua that meditating on his Word is a lifestyle (see Joshua 1:8). After walking with the Lord for over 50 years, I am in awe over the things he continues to reveal to me from his Word that are fresh and life changing!

Third, as you study the Word and let God speak to your heart, align your life with his Word and character. James urged us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) Simply hearing, reading or even studying the Bible will not necessarily change you.

In John 15 Jesus speaks of our relationship with him as analogous to a branch remaining in the vine. He is the vine, we are the branches. There he urges us to remain in him and to let his words remain in us (John 15:7). Recognize both your dependence on Christ and diligence in remaining or living in him and his Word. In this way we get beyond mere study of the Bible to cultivating our living, growing relationship with its Author!

©2009 Rob Fischer

Just a few verses further Paul writes, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” (Romans 5:1-2 NLT)

By trusting Christ and what he did for us, Jesus makes us right with God. He does for us what we could not possibly do for ourselves. He gives us right standing with God, peace with him and makes us his children. In fact, verse 5 goes on to explain, “For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (NLT)

So what does all this have to do with rejoicing in trials? Romans 5:3 (NLT) says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” Paul is tying these thoughts right back to what he just shared with us about Abraham.

Look at Romans 4:20-21 (NLT) again, “Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.”

God has promised us full and complete salvation including ultimate salvation from all sin, sickness, death, decay and evil. In this passage he says, “And we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” (Romans 5:2 NLT) This is God’s promise to us. He has also given us his Holy Spirit as his guarantee that his promise will be fulfilled.

But when we experience trials and suffering we basically have two choices in how we react. Either we moan and groan, “Why me, God? What did I deserve to do this?” And we question God’s goodness, love and ability to fulfill his promises. The second response is to do as Abraham did and not waver in trusting that God loves us and he will fulfill his promises to us. In fact, such faith sees God as so much bigger than any trial or suffering! Another way to view these two responses is that the first one results in our pushing God away, while the second one results in drawing near to him.

Remember, faith or trust in God is a highly relational response. Putting this in terms of Abraham’s situation, he simply took God at his word and acted on it. That’s exactly what God wants us to do when we encounter tirals. He says to us, “Trust me. I’ve got this covered!” And as we trust him, we draw near to him. And in his presence we cannot remain unchanged!

That’s what the passage means when it says that trials “help us develop endurance”–that is endurance in our faith or trust in God. “And endurance develops strength of character” because as we endure in faith and draw near to God, he changes us and makes us like his Son in character.

What trial or tough situation are you experiencing right now that you need to trust God for? Take him at his word that he loves you in spite of that trial and he will fulfill his promises to you. Then watch God change you!

©2009 Rob Fischer

• Paul was chosen by God to proclaim His Good News—1:1
• God promised this Good News long ago through His prophets in the holy Scriptures—1:2
• The Good News is about God’s Son Jesus, who is both a descendent of King David and the one and only Son of God—1:3-4
• God intends His Good News for all nations everywhere, that people might believe His Good News, obey Him and bring glory to His name—1:5
• Paul’s calling, passion and privilege is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ—1:15-16
• The Good News of Jesus Christ is God’s power at work to save all who believe—1:16
• This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight—namely through faith in Jesus—1:17

People long for some good news in a world filled with bad news that’s sensationalized to sound even worse! People want to hear of an improving economy, a peaceful settlement in a war-torn land, rain with promise of future crops where drought has prevailed, emotional relief in a life ravaged by grief and turmoil. As refreshing as all those examples of good news sound, they pale in comparison with the Good News that God has for us.

The Good News that God has promised and carefully prepared for us transcends our physical, emotional and social needs and at the same time does not leave those unattended. God’s Good News shows us once and for all how to be reconciled with Him, our Creator. He wants us to be in right standing with Him.

One would think that God would demand a high price for right standing with Him. And in fact He did—but the price was so high, we could not pay it. So God paid the price for us through His Son Jesus. And what does He ask of us? Believe. Trust Jesus. Put your faith in Him. Accept that God’s payment for sin was satisfied in the death of His Son Jesus and humbly thank Him!

Father, thank You for Your Good News! Thank You for giving us right standing with You through Your Son Jesus. We do believe and place our trust and faith in Him. Thank You!

© 2009 Rob Fischer

In Mark 4:35-41 we find an amazing story with far more impact than first meets the eye!

“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’
They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’” (Mark 4:35-41)

I invite you to enter into this story with me. Jesus had been speaking to a large crowd all day long. In fact, the crowd was so large that he sat in a boat on the lake and taught them from there. Now at the end of the day, he was exhausted. He suggests to his disciples that they all cross the lake.

Since Jesus was already in the boat the others climb in and they take off. The text tells us there were other boats that accompanied them. As tired as he was, Jesus promptly fell asleep in the stern. This lake, the Sea of Galilee, flanked by mountains is prone to severe storms. That night a terrific storm swept down over the lake and turned it into a roiling nightmare for the disciples. For although at least four of them were seasoned professional fishermen, they were scared to death and convinced they were going to die.

The amazing thing about this situation is that it was Jesus’ suggestion that put them in this storm! Let that sink in. There are clearly times when God leads us into a storm. His path for us is not always placid and calm. Yet we tend to expect that it should be and question whether we followed him right when we end up in the storm. But it’s in the storms that the strength of his mighty power is revealed.

Another great truth that emerges from this story is that in the midst of this storm Jesus was present, but silent. Many times in my life I’ve been in the thick of some storm—be it financial, relational, or whatever—and I’ve cried out to God. And for a time he chose to be silent. He was always present, but he remained silent. Will we still trust him under those circumstances?

In my mid-thirties I went through a very difficult career and identity crisis—a terrific storm. Oh how I cried out to God to rescue me from it all. It was beyond painful! Yet God remained silent. In all honesty I didn’t always respond well to his silence, but like Jesus’ disciples I got pretty riled up and angry at God. But he never left me. He was always there. He was asking me to trust him to weather the storm rather than deliver me from it. I grew more in my relationship with the Lord, my wife and others during that storm than I would have had he simply removed the storm from me.

There’s another amazing truth in this passage that we easily overlook. When Jesus’ disciples finally woke him saying, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” They were not asking him to rescue them, they were ticked at him and accused him of not caring about them. The language not only leads me to that conclusion, but also the disciples’ reaction when Jesus stilled the storm and calmed the waves. For what he did totally took them by surprise!

So Jesus rebuked the wind and waves and then turned to his disciples and said, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” I have to ask myself, what would a faith-response have looked like in this situation? I think what Jesus desired from his disciples is that they would have looked back at him and followed his example of calm trust in his heavenly Father in spite of the storm. Trust like this is not easy, but is simple.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

© 2009 Rob Fischer

I would further add, that if we come to God’s Word with a purpose other than getting to know him better, we may be studying it for the wrong reasons. Even a life time of study will not unearth all the gems that God’s Word has to offer us. But those gems are not merely “nuggets of knowledge” but jewels of God’s character and works through which we can know, love and enjoy him better.

(To continue reading this post, please click here.)

• “Am I on track with God in my finances?  What does he want or expect of me in this regard?”
• “How do I determine my financial health?  And how do I improve it?”
• “How do I get out of and stay out of debt?”
• “How do I know how much to give to God?”
• “Why is it we never seem to have enough money to make it until the next paycheck?”
• “I make enough money and have money to spare, but I sense there is more God wants me to do and that it has to do with my finances.”

These are all important issues that you will work through in Uncommon Cents.  But we believe your experience in Uncommon Cents will yield far more than helpful financial advice, tools and skills.  For you are about to embark on an adventure with God!

God makes a clear distinction between what is holy and what is common (Leviticus 10:10).  As his children, he calls us to a holy or uncommon lifestyle.  “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.”  (1 Peter 1:14-15)  The principles you will read about on the pages that follow are uncommon.  That is, they do not follow the common patterns of thought or practice that our world or culture pursues.

Much of what is common in our culture is so deeply rooted in our lives, that it takes some pretty radical life change to expose it and dig it out.  That kind of life change is something only God can perform.  In Uncommon Cents, you will have the opportunity to draw close to God through a wide variety of activities and life challenge projects.  These are designed to propel you forward in your walk with Christ.  And as you draw near to him, you will not be able to remain unchanged.  He will expose the common in your life and give you the opportunity to replace it with what is uncommon and holy.

We challenge you to prepare your heart to meet with God as you pursue him through Uncommon Cents.  Expect and watch for him to work in your life.  Trust him in ways you’ve been afraid to in the past.  Ask him for his help and provision in your daily life and finances.  If you are married, enter into this adventure with your spouse as a team.  Also, partner with your small group and watch God work in each other’s lives.  He will, because that’s what he does!

Download Uncommon Cents and powerful financial tools free in the “Free Stuff” tab.

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.’” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

This is an amazing truth—that the God who created the universe and everything in it—created you and me for relationship with him. Let the magnitude of that truth sink in! God went to great extremes in order to restore our relationship with him even when we were still in rebellion against him. “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:5 NLT)

Relationship with God through Jesus Christ stands at the core of biblical Christianity. John 3:16 oozes relationship, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” And Jesus defined eternal life as relationship with him and with the Father (John 17:3).

Listen to the passion with which our heavenly Father cries out to wayward Israel, “I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land—the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me.” (Jeremiah 3:19 NLT) But don’t think for a minute these passionate words only apply to Israel!

In 2 Corinthians 6:16 and 18, Paul applies these God-promises to us, “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” God created us for relationship with him!

Our need to be reconciled with God

How was our relationship with God broken? What caused this rift between us and God? Where did we go wrong? Sin, which is essentially rebellion against God, became our way of life after our ancestors Adam and Eve defied God’s leadership and revolted. Their estrangement from God was immediate. They felt shame and they knew their relationship with him had been broken, so they tried to hide from him.

Adam and Eve’s kids inherited the same propensity to rebel against God. And there was no evolution or progressive development of sin as we might think. Sin was immediately full-blown and their firstborn murdered his younger brother in a fit of jealousy. A few chapters later we read, “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5)

You and I are sinners, both by heredity and by practice. We are guilty on both accounts. Our sin has separated us, estranged us from God. “The entire world is guilty before God.” (Romans 3:19 NLT)
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.” (Romans 3:23-25 NLT)

God loved us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to die in our place for our sins. Jesus, who was holy and without sin, took the full penalty of our sins upon himself. There was nothing we could do, no payment great enough to pay our debt owed to God. But what we could not do, Jesus Christ did for us, dying in our place. Jesus opened up the way to God for us.

Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf was so effective and so all-encompassing, that he not only bought us forgiveness, but he declared us righteous before God and restored our friendship with God (Romans 5:10). What God requires of us is to receive his gracious gift by trusting in Christ. “For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5 NLT)

© Rob Fischer 2008