Responding To A Father's Love

This morning I was reading in Mark's Gospel. I love this story of Jesus raising the little girl from the dead.

Mark 5:21-24, 35-43 NIV:

[21] "When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. [22] Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. [23] He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” [24] So Jesus went with him....

[35] While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

[36] Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

[37] He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. [38] When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. [39] He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” [40] But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. [41] He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). [42] Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. [43] He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat."

There several things that I really like about this story. First, Jesus is stirred by this man's love for his child. He was a synagogue leader, yet he went himself and pleaded earnestly. The Greek for this phrase could be translated 'with much begging', in other words this man was emotionally distraught at his daughters condition and Jesus was moved with compassion for him.

The reason I like this is that aside from my wife I have no greater emotion or love for anyone other than my children. My heart is immediately impacted if they struggle, if they are sick, or hurt. I want desperately to see their situation improved whatever it is. It is not something I can control but is based in the deep love I have for them. I think this is common for most parents, and it is good to know that Jesus sees and understands this love and responds to it.

Second, Jesus already knows what the outcome will be before He gets to the girl's side. When people tell them that she died, His response was "Don't be afraid, just believe." He knows He will be able to raise her from the dead, and just was not worried about it, how difficult it was, what originally caused her death. He just knew the Father wanted her raised from the dead, and so He obeyed. He knew the Father had the power and provided it to Him through the Holy Spirit. He had no concern about the Father being weak, confused or uninterested.

Third, when the people laughed at Him, He didn't stand for it. He also wasn't looking for some lift in the popularity of His ministry. He purposely moves forward with a minimal crowd. He was more concerned about the parents and the girl than He was about then great increase in popularity He would receive.

Fourthly, His directions are practical, telling the parents to give her something to eat. He cares for our spiritual bodies as well as our physical bodies. Sometimes we think we need to hear something that is great and spiritual and He will be talking to us about getting more sleep, or exercise or eating better. He really does care for us in those ways.

Finally, His invitation to her is extended to all of us who feel stuck, dead inside, hopeless, lifeless, exhausted, or otherwise afflicted. He is reaching out His hand and taking our hand in His and saying, "get up, stand up!" He desires us to be set free from whatever binds us or holds us, and He has the power to set us free. Our only task is to believe Him and stand up. No matter how weak, lifeless, beat-down, or defeated we feel, He can help us to stand up!

Thank You Jesus for Your compassion, Your understanding and Your real love. Thank You for being concerned about us all, and loving my children as much as I love my children!

Pursue That Which Endures

This morning I was reading in my Bible, and an interesting set of verses have jumped up. Like normal i was asking the Lord for direction about what I should read and the number 495 popped into my head. When this happens I usually will turn to that set of pages in my Bible, read them to see if anything resonates with my heart. If something does, I will also check other chapter and verse combinations that match, in this case I read some chapter 49s. There is a specific theme to three of the verses I read this morning, each having to do with one's purpose and also comparing oneself to others, specifically the wealthy and wicked nonbeliever.

The first set of verses is from Psalm 49:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-13, 15-17 NIV:

[1] "Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world,
[2] both low and high, rich and poor alike:
[5] Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me---
[6] those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
[10] For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.
[12] People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish.
[13] This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
[15] But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.
[16] Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases;
[17] for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them."

The second set of verses is found on page 495 in my paper Bible.

Psalm 73:1-7, 11-13, 16-20, 23-26, 28 NIV:

[1] "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
[2] But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
[3] For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
[4] They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
[5] They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.
[6] Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
[7] From their callous hearts comes iniquity ; their evil imaginations have no limits.
[11] They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?”
[12] This is what the wicked are like---always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
[13] Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.
[16] When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply
[17] till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
[18] Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
[19] How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
[20] They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.
[23] Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
[24] You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
[25] Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
[26] My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
[28] But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds."

And finally from Isaiah 49:1-13, 16 NIV:

[1] "Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.
[2] He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.
[3] He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor. ”
[4] But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”
[5] And now the Lord says---he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength---
[6] he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
[7] This is what the Lord says---the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel---to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
[8] This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
[9] to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.
[10] They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.
[11] I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.
[12] See, they will come from afar---some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan. ”
[13] Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
[16] See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."

My meditation this morning is on the pursuit of the Lord, rather than the pursuit of riches and wealth. In both of the last two sets of verses the author was looking at their own life and was thinking to themselves that they had pursued God in vain. They thought that while they had been pursuing God, the wicked and those who trusted in wealth were prospering and seemingly without any problems. The Lord opened the eyes of the authors in both cases, first in Ps. 73 to see the final destiny of those that don't trust in the Lord, and in Is. 49, to see the greater call in their own life.

I felt that this was an important message this morning both for myself and for others. If you are questioning Your pursuit of God, having made decisions based on your efforts to follow His will and you haven't seen His blessing or financial gain, do not fret or believe for a second that God has passed you by. It is easy to look around ourselves and see others that appear to be more blessed, those that live in nicer homes or drive nicer cars, or have better jobs. However, it might appear here on earth, we need to look at the eternal perspective that God sees from. We have no idea the actual impact our lives have in the world, nor do we see our future, but the Lord sees all! We need to learn to trust His perspective, listen to what He says about us, and believe Him when He speaks of our value to Him, and His love for us.

I am reminded of Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. [12] Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. [13] You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Let us not be wooed by the attractiveness of passing fame, wealth or glory, but rather let us pursue that which truly endures, that which is the greatest treasure, relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Let us trust that He is good and faithful in all things and our inheritance in Himis beyond comprehension.

Provision, Restoration and the Holy Spirit!

This morning I felt led to read from Joel 2:21-32 NIV:

[21] "Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things! [22] Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.

[23] Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. [24] The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

[25] “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten---the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm---my great army that I sent among you. [26] You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. [27] Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.

[28] “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. [29] Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

[30] I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. [31] The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. [32] And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls."

I really love the imagery of these verses for in them the Lord promises provision and blessing, restoration of all that was lost, and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I mean what more do we need?

I also like the fact that we see the natural leading the way for the spiritual. He promises spring and autumn showers that bring natural provision for the feeding of our natural bodies. And afterward, He promises to pour out His Spirit on all, bringing provision of dreams and visions and prophecy that will feed our spirits, and bring us real life, life from the Holy Spirit.

As I read these verses this morning, the message of restoration of that which was lost resonated the strongest with my spirit. I believe the Lord wants us to know that anything that has been lost in our pursuit of His will and way has been noticed and He will be faithful to restore. I am reminded of the promise of Jesus in Luke 18:27-30 NIV:

[27] "Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
[28] Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
[29] “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God [30] will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

These really are such awesome promises, and we need to hold onto them, for the enemy would try to convince us that we have given more than we have received. He tries to convince us to count the cost and see how God has shortchanged us. He accuses the Lord in our hearts and is trying to convince us that we serve a stingy, cold hearted God who demands much and gives little in return.

Nothing could be farther from the truth! As Paul says in Romans 8:31-32 NIV: "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all---how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" The Father has given us that which was the greatest treasure, His Son Jesus, as a ransom for us all. He has given us all things to enjoy and fill our lives. He is the most gracious and giving individual there ever was or ever will be.

So let us rejoice in His promises, believe God's description of Himself, and trust Him to pour forth provision, restoration and His Holy Spirit. He does love us more than we can ever comprehend, and He is faithful!

Love and Obedience

This morning I was reading John's first letter. I must say He is a hard author to follow for he seems to spin around a couple of topics over and over again. For med Paul is much easier to understand, for his thoughts are usually expressed in a logical flow. Anyway, as I mentioned above, John has a couple of recurring themes and they are love for each other and God, and obedience and sin. Here are a couple of verses that are key in his letter-

1 John 3:23-24 NIV:

[23] "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. [24] The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."

1 John 5:2-5 NIV:

[2] "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. [3] In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, [4] for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. [5] Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

1 John 3:4-8 NIV

[4] "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. [5] But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. [6] No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. [7] Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. [8] The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work."

These themes are all interwoven and you can't have one true in your life, and the others not true. If we say we love God, but hate our brothers we don't really love God, for our brothers and sisters are His children. If we say we believe His words, but don't love our brothers and sisters, which is His command, we are lying, which is sin.

It is in loving each other that we carry out His commands. It is by believing His words that increases our faith in Jesus, which leads to deeper relationship with Him, which leads to us operating out of love. As we obey the Lord, loving Him and our brothers and sisters, we are being obedient and no longer sinning. It is in loving each other that we overcome the works of the devil.

So let us examine our lives and see how we are loving Him and each other, for the two go hand in hand. Left us believe His word, and follow His command to love one another.

Real Speech, Real Answers

This morning I am reading from Colossians 4:5-6 NIV:

[5] "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. [6] Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

What a simple scripture, and simple suggestion, yet so hard to actually live out. I am probably the worst in the world of making the most of every opportunity. It seems my mind and my thoughts are always on something else, distracted by the business of my life and demands of my job, or whatever excuse I choose for the day. The simple reality is that it is hard to be constantly focused and viewing things from God's perspective. I find hundreds of things ton distract me in a day, and plenty too distract me even when I am praying. Because my mind is elsewhere, I rarely make the most of every opportunity - just being real.

Certainly my conversations are not always full of grace, and seasoned with salt. The idea Paul is expressing is that our speech and conversation should be attractive to those on the outside, unbelievers. Our speech and conversation to each other can sometimes be so full of Christianese, that the normal man cannot comprehend it. Let us be real and loving in our conversations!

Grace is unmerited favor, which as speech should be very attractive to people. Paul is saying people should know, through our speech, that we favor them, just as Jesus favors them. What a difference that could make in man of our lives, if we just knew and believed that people favored us!

Finally Paul exhorts us to all this that me might know how to answer everyone. This where the preceding verses are so helpful, as they describe the opportunity to make our speech acceptable, and appealing. Ultimately,He wants us to be ready to share, ready to love, ready to extend mercy and ready to be real. I think sometimes we feel like we need to have all the answers, and I can tell you that is the last thing we need to do. We need to be real! If we are struggling, say so. There in nothing more encouraging than hearing from someone who is going through exactly the thing you are, but who has hope and joy.

Lord, let us extend ourselves in You as salt and light, hope and healing, mercy and forgiveness, and unmerited favor! Give us the words we need to unlock hearts, bring healing and restoration and You to those we meet. Help us to be focused and aware, not distracted by the work and cares of the day! Let us provide real answers for the real concerns of those we meet.

Amen!

Jesus Our Priest

This morning I am reading an interesting section from the Letter to the Hebrews. In this section the author is talking about the priesthood of Jesus. We often don't spend much time on the historical significance of this, but to the Jews this was a critical point, for it was the Priests, descended from Levi, whom were appointed as the ministers of the covenant, and ministers unto God. They offered the sacrifices for forgiveness of sins, and guilt on behalf of the people. They were basically the mediators of the old covenant. It is in this context of understanding that the author writes about Jesus, as follows:

Hebrews 7:12-19 NIV:

[12] "For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. [13] He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. [14] For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. [15] And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, [16] one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. [17] For it is declared:

“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

[18] The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless [19] (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God."

Continuing on -

Hebrews 7:24-27 NIV:

...[24] "but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. [25] Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

[26] Such a high priest truly meets our need---one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. [27] Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself."

We have in Jesus one who perfectly fulfilled the old covenant, established a new covenant, and as the high priest is our way to the Father, and the source of all the forgiveness of our sins. This again is why we believe that He is the only way. No other individual has fulfilled perfectly and personally the priestly duties. This is also why the law and the old testament no longer apply, for Jesus issued in a new priesthood which requires a new law, a new covenant.

Jesus understood this when He talked about the new covenant at the Last Supper, as follows:

Luke 22:19-20 NIV
[19] "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” [20] In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."

Jesus in establishing a new covenant with His blood, and his body as the sacrifice was taking on a new priestly ministry. As the author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote:

Hebrews 8:1-2, 6-7, 13 NIV
[1] "Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, [2] and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

[6] But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. [7] For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.

[13] By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."

So, the significance of this all is that Jesus has established a new covenant, and we are no longer subjects to the old covenant. As the establisher and mediator and high priest of this new covenant, Jesus is our only path to the Father, our only source of forgiveness and cleansing of our sins. He personally paid with His body and blood for our sins, so we don't need to pay. He made the perfect sacrifice so we don't need to offer any. He now sits on the throne in Heaven where He intercedes for us.

Finally, because we have Jesus as our true High Priest, we no longer need any other priest/man to intercede or mediate for us. We can and should go directly to Jesus and the Father. Lord, help us to look directly to You, turning to You and receiving from You forgiveness and cleansing of our sins! Amen.

A Rewired Brain

This morning I was reading from Mark 7:31-35 NIV:

[31] "Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. [32] There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

[33] After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. [34] He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). [35] At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly."

As I read this I realized that one thing of significance is not called out in this story, namely the gift of language that was imparted along with the healing of deafness and muteness. In my earlier life and planned career of education, I was very interested in deaf education, because of the struggle to teach language. If someone is completely deaf they do not have the natural understanding of language that we all develop from the time we are babies. Teaching a deaf person to read is very difficult because they really have no idea of verbal communication and the written language is really a representation of the spoken language.

In this story Jesus heals the man of his deafness, his muteness AND at the same time imparts the gift of understanding and being able to speak the language. This would be the equivalent of completely rewiring his brain in an instant. To put it in context, it would be like someone from America instantaneously understanding and being able to speak Mandarin. English and Mandarin have almost no common elements, and if you learn one, you really are not better off in learning the other. To further complicate things, our present understanding of deaf education and the teaching of language, in particular, has made significant strides in the last 200 years. Things like ASL didn't exist that long ago (it originated in the early 1800s), so the deaf man in this story likely had very little understanding of language or communication other than what he had figured out on his own. Going from being deaf and mute to being able to speak is an amazing miracle when we consider the reality of the situation.

At a couple of healing conferences I have attended, one of the things we prayed for was people who were afflicted with dislexia, or other learning disabilities. We asked the Lord to effectively rewire their brains and saw and heard some miraculous results. Several people, at one conference in particular, experienced complete healing, and one young man spent the entire night reading, because he was so overjoyed with being able to read for more than 20 minutes without being totally exhausted. He said it was like the information was just flowing into his brain and he didn't have to work to understand anything. It was an amazing transformation of his ability to learn. This example of healing would be very similar to what is described in these verses from Mark, the rewiring of the brain, and sudden understanding of language.

I felt encouraged to write about this today because I think we sometimes put limits on what God can do, and what He wants to do. We think of the brain as one of the things that we just need to deal with, and learning disabilities are just part of the way some people's brains operate, with no real hope for change. I am here to say that everything is within the ability of God to change. There is nothing in us that He can't touch or change or heal. No disability is beyond His power, no personal characteristic, no personal struggle, nothing is beyond His touch. He can rewire our brains in an instant! He created them in the first place. So, let us not settle for less than He wants to give us. Let us not just accept things the way they are, but let us pursue God for all that He can do, and wants to do.

When Jesus ministered on the earth He healed every sick or afflicted person that came to Him, but he didn't heal all the sick or afflicted in the region. There were those that didn't go to him, and thus weren't healed. Likewise, sometimes we don't go to the Lord for healing because we either think He can't, He doesn't want to, or we can live with whatever it is that afflicts us. Let us be encouraged that He wants to heal us, He can heal us, and His desire is that we are free from that which afflicts us, and is not His best for us.

Lord, I ask that You would astound us with wonders! I am reminded of His promises in Isaiah 29:13-14, 18-19 NIV:

[13] The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. [14] Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish. ”

[18] In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. [19] Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."

Amen, come Lord Jesus!

Dealing With Defilement

This morning I am reading from Mark 7:14-16, 20-23 NIV:

[14] "Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. [15] Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16] If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

[20] He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. [21] For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come---sexual immorality, theft, murder, [22] adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. [23] All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Jesus, in this instance, is talking about food, for the disciples had not been careful to wash before eating, and the pharisees were all over that defilement. Jesus was addressing the issue of actions not aligning with ones heart, for even though they observed the external components of the law, in their hearts the pharisees were far from God.

The defilement Jesus is speaking about is based on the law, and all the different things one could do to make oneself unclean. Being unclean would affect Your ability to come into the presence of God, and it could only be resolved by sacrifice. The following verses are some of the first that describe this process - Leviticus 5:5-6, 13 NIV:

[5] ..."when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. [6] As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering ; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.

[13] In this way the priest will make atonement for them for any of these sins they have committed, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in the case of the grain offering. ’ ”

Thank God that we are no longer under this dispensation, under the law. Jesus was addressing the fact that it is the heart that matters. He had this same theme on His sermon on the Mount ( Matt 5-7), taking the Law and expanding its definition to include the ways of the heart. The Lord is after our hearts, the very depth of our nature, being changed into His likeliness. It isn't enough to fulfill the external rules and regulations without changing our heart and mind.

The good news is that the Lord promised us new hearts (Ezek 36:26) and renew our minds (Rom 12:2). He has taken away our guilt and paid for our sins. We have the opportunity, in Him, to be clean.

Amen Lord, cleanse us of all that defiles us. Give us new hearts and renew our minds.

Come Away With Jesus and Rest

This morning I felt like reading from Mark 6:30-31 NIV:

[30] "The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. [31] Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

These verses are found in between Jesus sending out the 12 Apostles to do ministry and feeding a crowd of 5000 and immediately follow the section on the beheading of John the Baptist, so although transitional in nature, they have a nugget of significant truth that I hadn't really noticed before, Jesus was encouraging the Apostles to rest and step away from the people for a period.

I guess it really shouldn't be surprising as Jesus called himself the "Good Shepherd" (John 10:11) and caring for His sheep is part or His role. I just had never seen this or noticed this before. I think, at times, those of us in ministry feel obligated to work unceasingly, because the need never goes away, but here Jesus is showing us, with His attentions and words that rest and a time away is the absolute right thing to do.

Notice the invitation is unto Himself, inviting them to come with Him, and this is also a critical point, for our true source of life is Him. So if we need to feel refreshed, renewed and need to be refilled, we should go to the source of life, Jesus. He says that out of Him flows streams of living water (John 4:10-14). This living water reminds me of the prophetic picture in Ezek 47:1-12, that speaks of the river flowing out of the temple. The river brought refreshment and life everywhere it went (verse 9) and there was healing and provision produced by it (verse 12). I was also reminded of the verses found in Matthew's Gospel 11:28-29:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

So let us heed the invitation of the Lord this morning and go with Him to a place of rest and renewal, a place of intimacy and refilling. He is our source of life, so let us drink deeply and be restored, and our souls will find rest!

Sowing And Reaping: A Natural and Spiritual Principle

This morning I am reading from 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 NIV:

[6] "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. [7] Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. [9] As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”

[10] Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."

As I read this I thought of the other reaping and sowing verse from Galatians 6:7-10 NIV:

[7] "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. [8] Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. [9] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. [10] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

It is so helpful to me to know that the Spiritual principles of our faith are related to the natural principles, as described here by Paul. Sowing and Reaping is one of the simplest principles, yet many of us don't live our lives in this way. This principle speaks of a natural progression over time, where some seed is planted and over a season of germination, growth and maturity a harvest is finally recognized. Again, this principle takes time. In our modern microwave world we think everything should happen in an instant, and that is not the way described here.

Secondly, the natural principle says if you want a certain type of harvest, you need to plant that type of seed. Again, because so many of us are so concerned about instant results, we think there must be another way, and special process of secret way to get what we want. Our marketing companies generate billions of dollars in sales by selling us instant fixes that are not seeds of the harvest type we want to reap. I was driving yesterday and heard an advertisement that said this guy's special insight of how to flip houses and generate $20,000 almost instantly was completely risk free. It would only be a couple of weeks and you could cash out with tons of money. What a load of lies. In the same way, all the exercise equipment manufacturers that promises firmed and toned bodies make it look easy and almost overnight, but they never mention the hard work, the diet restrictions and self motivation required to actually achieve those results.

The simple truth is what we sow we reap. In spiritual terms, if we want a deeper relationship with God, we need to spend time with Him, for that is how relationships grow, through relating. If we want to grow in insight of God's Word, we have to spend time reading and learning and working to gain understanding. If we want to grow in our spiritual giftings, we must exercise them and learn how they operate and develop. If we want spiritual intimacy with God, we need to spend time being intimate with Him.

I have always been intrigued by those men and women of God who seem to have deep relationships with God, who can hear His voice with clarity. As I have read about their lives, to the individual they all have recognized this type of ministry through years of prayer and developing their ministries. I have learned to be wary of those talking about how quickly they have been established in their ministries, as if they have a special relationship with God, that means they have missed much of the natural growing and maturing process God takes the vast majority of us through. Large fruit that grows unnaturally quick usually falls off the vine or breaks the branches because there isn't the appropriate support.

I also find it interesting how the purveyors of the prosperity gospel, have taken these verses, especially those from 2 Cor 9, and turned them into some special financial blessing secret. The worst of the lot make it seem like God is a money printing machine, where you put one dollar in and receive back 10 times in return, guaranteed. I would guess that most of those ministries don't point back to Jesus words in the Gospels where He says our investments here on earth build our accounts in heaven (Matt 6:19-21, Matt 19:21, Mark 10:17-30, Luke 18:18-30).

Going back to the natural principles at work, sowing is followed by a time of germination, growth, watering, cultivation and finally a harvest. God will bless those who give generously, His word says so, but it will be over time and through process. It will most importantly influence our heavenly account with the Lord. Also Paul speaks about a harvest of righteousness that goes along with an increase of the store of your seed. The Father is not stingy nor hard-hearted and as we give to Him, He will pour abundant blessings back to us.

This doesn't mean we won't experience difficult times, for in growing seasons there is often heavy rains, winds, scorching sun, and dryness, but if we persevere we will experience the harvest. So let us not grow weary of sowing, waiting on the Lord, fertilizing, cultivating and maturing, for they were all required to reach maturity. Let us not abandon hope when we encounter storms, or difficult times, for there will be a harvest.

Finally a word for those in desperate need, sow what you need, in whatever amount you can. If its healing, pray for others healing. If it is financial, give what little you can afford to the Lord, and He will be faithful, His words says so, and my experience is in line with His words.

Amen Lord, we trust in You!

Truth and Conviction

This morning I felt lead to read from 1 Timothy 2:1-6 NIV:

[1] "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people--- [2] for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. [3] This is good, and pleases God our Savior, [4] who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time."

As I read these verses I am convicted of my lack of prayer for this present administration, choosing to gripe and complain, rather than pray. There are many things I wish weren't in the Bible, and at present this is one of those things because I would rather gripe and complain. However, I believe this is the Word of the Lord and so, I need to change my mind about this and decide to pray and intercede for this government. Its not like I haven't ever, but the far greater flow out of my mouth and heart is not prayer for this administration. I stand convicted and choose to repent.

Additionally, starting in verse 3, this is such a great description of the heart and direction of God. Summarizing:

1. It pleases God when we pray for those in authority
2. God wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth
3. Jesus is the One and Only mediator between God and Mankind
4. Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all people

Each of these is a significant statement of faith and belief. They should drive our thinking and ultimately our actions. As the Body of Christ we must make sure that we express God's love and desire to all people. There is no people group, no nation, no tribe that God does not want to see saved, this includes groups who actively persecute Christians. We must stand on the truth that is expressed here, in love. Jesus is the only mediator between God and Mankind, that means He is the only way. There is no other. To be clear the original Greek is the word mesites whose definition is:

1. one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant
2. a medium of communication, arbitrator

So on one hand we have mankind and on the other we have God and Jesus is the only one who is the go-between. He is literally than man and God in the middle. This is why it is so important that He was fully man and fully God, for that allows Him to be the mediator. This is why we Christians believe there is only one way to the Father and His dwelling place in Heaven. There are not other ways, other truths, other gods who can fulfill this role. To make a full explanation of this requires going back to the beginning of the Bible and discussing God's plan for mankind, man's sin, and the separation that sin caused between mankind and God. That discussion is a bit much for a morning meditation, but it brings us to this same point of understanding.

Simply put, Jesus is the way, the mediator between God and man, He is our Ransom and God desires that all men might experience salvation and freedom, and understand this truth.

Amen and amen.

Sincere Love!

This morning I am reading from Romans 12:9-13 NIV:

[9] "Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil;
cling to what is good.
[10] Be devoted to one another in love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
[11] Never be lacking in zeal,
but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
[12] Be joyful in hope,
patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer.
[13] Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.
Practice hospitality."

I love it when Paul has these short exhortations. Each of them is worthy of reflection and internalization. I separated each of the main ideas on its own line to actually help me stop and read them individually. So often I would see this all in a paragraph and just read through the list, nodding my head as I read each, agreeing and thinking they sound swell. The reality is that each statement is loaded with truth.

Taking just the first statement -"love must be sincere", there is much to consider. The NASB translation says, "let your love be without hypocrisy" which gets a little closer to Paul's meaning. Sincerity has a little too much emotional warmth in our modern usage of it, Paul is not talking about love that is "well meaning" but rather is talking about love in which there is no falseness at all! No mixed messages, no feigned affection, no faked feeling or putting on a well-practiced persona. His idea of love - the Greek word here is Agape - is the same as Jesus' idea of love in John 15:13 NIV: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.". That is sincere love, love in which there is no falseness, but rather utter selflessness and sacrifice, putting someone else before one's own life. No loving to get something, but loving through giving everything, even to the point of death.

As in was writing that last statement I was reminded of something I read concerning John G. lake and his early missions work in Africa. I have included a brief few paragraphs that exemplifies sincere love. ( http://www.tidenstecken.se/enlake.htm):

"Lake and his churches had one hundred and twenty-five men out of on the field at one time. They were a very young institution, not well known in the world. One day, certain men in England and America began rumours about Lake. Finances got so low under the awful attack, as people withdrew their support, that they soon could not even mail $10 a month to the workers. Then it got so bad he could not even send them $2. Lake did not want to take the responsibility of having men and their families on the frontier under such conditions.

Staff at headquarters sold their clothes, jewellery, pieces of furniture, and in one case their house to bring those one hundred and twenty-five workers off the field for a conference. One night in the progress of the conference, Lake was invited by a committee to leave the room for a minute or two. The conference wanted to have a word by themselves. He stepped out to a restaurant for a cup of coffee and returned soon after.

When John came back in, he found the chairs arranged in an oval, with a little table at the end, and on the table was the bread and wine. Old Father Van der Wall, speaking for the company, said, "Brother Lake, during your absence, we have come to a conclusion; we have made our decision. We want you to serve the Lord's supper. We are going back to our fields (the mission fields they had been assigned and to which they had given their lives). We are going back if we have to walk back. We are going back if we have to starve. We are going back if our wives die. We are going back if our children die. We are going back if we die ourselves. We have but one request. If we die, we want you to come and bury us." The next year he buried twelve men, sixteen wives and children. Lake sadly recounted, "There was not one of them, if they had had a few of the things a white man needs to eat, but what they might have lived."

As an end-note, this sacrifice was not unrewarded, for Lake's ministry exploded afterwards. "His anointed miracle ministry resulted in what has been described as "the most extensive and powerful missionary movement in all Africa (at that time)." As Gordon Lindsay wrote, "during that time he spent five history-making years in South Africa, engaged in a ministry which in some respects rivalled that of the Early Church.". His ministry was responsible for raising over 1,000,000 converts, 625 churches and 1,250 preachers in five years of ministry." ( http://healingrooms.com/index.php?page_id=422 )

That level of commitment, zeal, and love is extreme and thankfully (selfishly) something I haven't been called to live out. However, this perfectly exemplifies the call to lay down our lives in love for our friends and fellow members of the Body of Christ.

Clearly, there is much to mine in Paul's three verses from Romans 12. Let us allow these words to penetrate deeply into our hearts, into our lives and let the Lord bring forth beauty and treasure that is eternal!

Belief and Love AND Action

This morning I am reading from 1 John 3:23-24 NIV:

[23] "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. [24] The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."

I love these simple and clear verses. John describes the primary call of all Christians in one sentence and describes it simply as believing and loving. It is important to note that believing is not just intellectual acknowledgement, but rather an active lifestyle of belief. In the same way, loving is not some simple emotional state or affection, but rather is an active lifestyle. So the questions presented are:

1. What does a life of belief in the name of Jesus look like?
2. What does a lifestyle of loving each other look like?

In my opinion the two questions are actually tightly intertwined. They are both relational, expressed through relationships. Our belief in the name of Jesus means, to me, that I understand and believe who Jesus said He was, namely the Son of God and perfect representation of the Father, and live my life as if that was the case. If He truly is the Son of God and speaking for the Father, then His words are the most important words in history. He showed us the heart of the Father and if I belief this, then I must conform my life to His for He brought the Father Glory, and I want to as well. If I believe He broke the chains of sin, sickness, disease and death, then I should not fear these things for they have no real power. If I believe in Him and believe that He is alive and lives within me, then I should listen to Him, trust in His guidance and operate in His power. If I truly believe in His name, then my life should be different than those who don't believe.

A lifestyle of loving one another as He commanded us means laying down my life for our friends - see John 15:12-13. John describes it well in the preceding verses to those I quoted above, as follows: [16] "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. [17] If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? [18] Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:16-18. Our live for others must involve action. James said it this way, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:17.

So, let us believe and love and show both through our actions and our lifestyles.

The Cost of Following

This morning I am reading from Matthew 10:37-39 NIV:

[37] “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. [38] Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. [39] Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."

These verses are quite challenging to read, another set of verses that I would rather not have in the Bible. I think it is generally true that we humans do not like to give things or people up, especially those that are precious. We don't like sacrificial living and we don't like discomfort. This certainly doesn't sound like a prosperity gospel of plenty and blessing, which is far more palatable and to our liking.

Taking a closer look at these verses might be helpful, but will certainly leave us with questions, specifically how these verses apply to our own lives. I find that the Lord deals with each of us individually and uniquely. What He addresses in my life He never mentions to someone else. We must never lose sight of His personal and intimate knowledge of us.

The first sentence, while spoken with a negative voice is actually about our love and affection for the Lord. Our call is to love God above all else. This was the first of the Old Testament commandments, and it was described as the most important by Jesus in Matt 22:37. What Jesus is providing us is a good measuring stick of our affections. He desires to be first in our lives. If we have someone or something else that we consider more valuable that is what the statement "worthy of me" means in the Greek - not assigning proper worth. Jesus is supposed to be the one the we value most above everything else.

The second sentence is puzzling to me, primarily because He spoke this before He was crucified. We read this verse with a historical knowledge of what Jesus suffered through, but the people He was speaking to had no such knowledge. Here were His disciples, people following Him, believing that He might be the messiah and He starts talking about how they should embrace being treated like the worst criminal. I am guessing there were plenty of confused looks in the crowd, wondering what He was talking about. Regardless it is ominous language, for the carrying one's cross meant one was already convicted and on their way to their death. Maybe that is exactly what Jesus meant, that we must die to ourselves to follow Him fully, and as such be willing to lay down everything, which is a perfect lead into the following sentence.

Finally losing our life to gain it, in Him, to me speaks of identity. We are all supposed to find ourselves in Him, and our lives have purpose and direction in His plan. We are called live for Him and take our identity from Him. When we choose to follow Him we take on that new identity, as His son or daughter, and it is this context that our lives should be lived.

Lord, thank You for Your word and truth, guidance and direction. You constantly call us forward and deeper into relationship with You. Help us to put You first in our lives.

Jesus Is THE Way

This morning I am reading from Paul's letter to the Colossians 1:15-20 NIV:

[15] "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. [19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

OK, so there is enough to think about in these verses to fill a library. A couple of things that catch my eye and mind:

1. All things were created through Jesus
2. All things were created for Jesus
3. Jesus is the firstborn of creation
4. Jesus is the firstborn from among the dead
5. In Jesus, all things hold together
6. All the fullness of God dwells in Jesus
7. God the Father reconciles all things to Himself, through Jesus

Any one of these short statements could generate hours of thinking. The last one really grabs me, for reconciliation means restoring to favor those that have been separated because of disagreement, or wounding. This is referring directly back to the Garden of Eden, and man's separation of himself from God. However, this includes everything else as well, it wasn't just man that was separated from God, but all things.

In short, these verses describe the reason why we believe there is only one way to heaven, one way to salvation, one way to the Father and it is through Jesus. He is the only way, the only one through whom we can be reconciled. Jesus said it well in John 14:6, saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Amen!

The Fellowship and Glory of Suffering

This morning I was meditating on these words of Jesus found in John 13:31-32 NIV:

[31] "When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. [32] If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once."

If one removed these lines from their context (the Last Supper) one would think that God was going to do something awesome for Jesus, like reveal Him to the world, or maybe announce Him as the Son of God that all people would know Him and love Him and serve Him. Maybe in glorifying Him, God would establish Him as the King over all. Whatever it was, it would bring Him glory!

What threw everyone for a loop was that this path to glorification lead Jesus straight into persecution, false witnesses, beatings and floggings and ultimately death on the cross! Jesus knew exactly what that path entailed yet chose the path of complete obedience. He understood that His path to glory required the shedding of His blood and the near destruction of His Body.

I was thinking about Paul's statement in his letter to the Philippians 3:10: "I want to know Christ---yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,...". I have read that verse many times, and have thought Paul crazy for saying He wanted to know Him through participation in His sufferings. I mean, who would choose that? The brief answer is that Jesus chose that, for Love of us.

I was thinking about all this in light of my two nephews who are presently going through Chemo treatments for the cancer that they have in their bodies. I have a bit of the summer crud, feeling a little crappy, and I think I am suffering. They, on the other hand, ache deep in their bones, have lost their hair, suffer nausea, weakness, fatigue and sometimes despair. As I read these verses from Jesus and Paul, I realize a few things:

1. They have and are experiencing some suffering that is in line with what Christ suffered, and thus know Him in a way I have yet to understand or experience for myself. They have chosen to undergo suffering and pain to rid from their lives this evil sickness and its effects, and Jesus did the same, choosing to go through immense suffering and pain to rid us all of the effects of sin.

2. The Lord is able to take the most terrible things in life and bring about Glory! He goes through the final days of His life, suffering and being rejected, yet in the end He is glorified by His Father in the sight of men. In the same way, God is able to bring about immense good through the lives of Joe and Marcos, for He is capable of redeeming us from even the darkest hours of our life.

So to those who are suffering, and those supporting them through this time, I offer this encouragement. Jesus has walked down very similar paths and He understands well where you are, and what You are feeling. He chose to go there out of Love for us all. Let Him speak to you and comfort you. He is capable of bringing Glory to His name, and giving you glory as well.

Worship Flows Out Of Relationship

It appears that I am still studying the message of the Gospel of Grace, for this morning I felt lead to read from Romans 9:15, 30-32 NIV:

[15] "For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

[30] What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; [31] but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. [32] Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone."

Once again, Paul is focused on the message of grace, and salvation and righteousness through faith. He is writing to the Romans helping them make sense of the way God has worked through history, and how He has chosen to extend salvation to the Gentiles. This is such an interesting topic, for one would think that the Jewish people would have recognized their savior, yet they stumbled over the very thing that was supposed to prepare them for His coming, namely the Law.

Rather than relationship with God, they embraced the rules and regulations. The whole of the Law was meant to lead them to relationship with God, but they settled for remote and unattached worship of God. We find this described in Isaiah 29:13: "The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught."

The Lord desires our hearts to be moved by Him, in other words relationships of desire and emotion. The whole of scripture talks about God's emotions towards those that are His people, and His passionate desire for them. He desires that we would feel the same for Him, passionate desire for Him. Here are some verses from Deuteronomy 6:1-6 NIV, in which we find the first commandment, which speaks of love:

[1] "These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, [2] so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. [3] Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

[4] Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [5] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. [6] These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts."

The reciprocal is true as well, that God promises to love the people in return, and bless them, as He describes in Deuteronomy 7:11-13 NIV:

[11] "Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

[12] If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. [13] He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land---your grain, new wine and olive oil---the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you."

This was all supposed to be about love and relationship. Some how over time, the people of the promise lost focus on the first commandment and focused on the rest of the commandments and the other laws. They passed down the rules and regulations and the desire for righteousness, but chose it pursue this through simply following the rules and remaining detached and unaffected.

We Gentiles, on the other hand knew nothing of these laws and regulations yet were invited into relationship. It is as if we were starting over with the covenant of love that God established with Israel. In Christ, He was establishing a relationship of love with the Gentiles. Once again, as I reflect back over the history of the church, I see that many of us, and many churches have slid away from the focus on relationship and instead have embraced rules and regulations. Our worship of God has become strict liturgical expressions that often fail to elicit any emotion or passion for God. We go to church and worship Him with our presence, but remain unmoved and unchanged in our hearts.

This is not what the Lord is after, rather He desires that we revel in Him, and His wonders. He desires that we see and experience His deep passion for us. He wants us to dance in the freedom that He has purchased for us, and desires that we explore the depths of His passion for us. As Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, [16] "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, [18] may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, [19] and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Eph 3:16-19

So let us examine our relationship with God, and see the great gift of salvation, this free gift that God has extended to us out of His immeasurable love for us. Let us pursue relationship with Him in ways that stir our hearts and uncover that which He has given us. Let us pursue deep and intimate relationship as the foundation of our worship, and let us cease from trying to earn that which has already been given freely. For the Gospel of Grace is exactly this - salvation has been given us, and we can attain this through faith expressing itself through love (Gal 5:5).

He (God) Has Made Us Clean

This morning I am reading from Acts 10:9-17, 21-22, 28 NIV:

[9] "About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. [10] He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. [11] He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. [12] It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds.

[13] Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

[14] “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

[15] The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” [16] This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

[17] While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate.

[21] Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

[22] The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to sDOy.”

[28] He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean."

I love this story of the miraculous leading of the Lord to open the Body of Christ to the Gentiles. I was thinking about this story this morning and specifically about verse 15, where God said that we should not "call anything impure that He has made clean". This is such an interesting expression, and although the imagery was of animals to eat, He was talking about the Gentiles as Peter correctly understood once he met the men that Cornelius sent.

The word clean from verse 15 is translated from the Greek word Katharizo whose definition is:

1. to make clean, cleanse
a. from physical stains and dirt 1. utensils, food 2. a leper, to cleanse by curing 3. to remove by cleansing
b. in a moral sense 1. to free from defilement of sin and from faults 2. to purify from wickedness 3. to free from guilt of sin, to purify 4. to consecrate by cleansing or purifying 5. to consecrate, dedicate

2. to pronounce clean in a levitical sense

We understand that God was speaking of the second minor meaning, that of moral cleansing - namely the defilement of sin and faults, and the guilt of sin. So if you follow the logic of the Lord, Jesus sacrifice paid for the sins and cleansed the Gentiles just as much as the Jews. This moral cleansing was applied by God to all men, for He said He has made them clean. This is such good news for all of us who were outside the people of the promise, the Jewish people.

This is not something that we earned, but something given, something already attained for us by the actions of God. We have been made clean, we have been cleansed. As I wrote yesterday, this is the foundation of the understanding of the Gospel of Grace, that salvation is a free gift, not something earned or achieved by our own efforts. This is the reason Paul fought against any merging of the Law and the Gospel, for God had made it very clear that He had already cleansed all men.

It is interesting to note that later in his life, Peter started waffling on this core message, of which he was the primary recipient. I find it troubling that he could forget such a significant experience with God, due to the pressures of men. I also find it encouraging that the Lord, through Paul, wasn't going to let this core message be tainted or forgotten.

I am so grateful for the truth of the Gospel, that I have been cleansed and made pure by Christ. I don't need to earn, or work for this, it has already been given. What I DO want to do, is live up to that which I have already attained, or received in this gift. I want my life to be full of giving thanks for this gift, and to live in such a way that I experience the fullness of this gift in my life!

Fighting For The True Gospel

This morning I am reading from Paul's letters to the Galatians 3:23-29 NIV:

[23] "Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. [24] So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. [25] Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. [26] So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, [27] for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise"

Galatians 5:1, 4-6 NIV
[1] "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

[4] You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

I was just thinking about how important this message was in the early church. Paul was fighting for the Gospel of Grace, and it was so essential they fully understood this message. For the early followers of Christ were all Jews, but after Peter's experience at the home of Cornelius (Acts 10), it was evident that the Gospel was supposed to be preached to the Gentiles. Freedom from the Law was essential for the Gentiles to be received, it also offered the Jews the opportunity to step out from under the Law, into freedom, as Paul writes in chapter 5.

I think the Jews struggled with stepping free from the Law for a couple of reasons. First it was well known to them, and people often choose that which is familiar rather than what is best. Secondly, it was easy to keep track and measure one's progress of righteousness by the Law, for there is clarity and black and white. The problem is that this is in direct conflict with the message of grace and the free forgiveness available in Christ Jesus. As Paul says, the only thing the counts, that matters to the Lord is "our faith expressing itself through love".

So, we should be looking at our own lives in Christ and the churches we belong to. Do we feel free from rules and regulations? Is the message of grace and faith expressing itself through love, preached and more importantly lived? Is the focus on what we do, rather than who we are? Is the path forward found in relationship with the Lord, or is it through pleasing man, specifically those in charge or with influence?

These are essential questions and ones we should consider, for they will help us to hold fast to the Gospel. Paul was admonishing the Galatians for so quickly abandoning the true Gospel is favor of those that mixed the Gospel with the Law. He says that anyone who does this has become alienated from Christ, a stern warning indeed. So let us be encouraged that the true Gospel is a message of grace and love, one that is meant to set us free! Let us pursue all that the Lord has purchased for us, and throw off the chains of slavery.

Living Up To What We Have Attained

This morning I am reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians 3:15-16 NIV:

[15] "All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. [16] Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

These verses are pretty simple to understand, yet significant. I personally have needed to hear that the Lord would help me to think correctly (Paul's meaning at the end of verse 15) more than a few times. There are many teachers out there, and many who teach things not totally in line with the teachings and life of Christ. It is good to know, that the Lord will guide us to the truth as we continue to pursue Him. He will bring correction to the way we think, help us to see where our thoughts are different than His and bring us into alignment if we are open to His correction. For me this means taking a humble approach, always understanding that in some way, or on some point I may not have clarity or think correctly. I am under no false impression that I have everything figured out, and see that approach dangerously prideful.

The second verse (16) is also simple yet full of meaning. What we have already attained is the rich statement, for in many ways we cannot even begin to grasp the reality of what we have attained in Christ.

In Him we have already attained eternal life, who can possibly grasp the fullness of that!

We are, in Christ, co-heirs of God and our inheritance is rich beyond understanding.

In Christ, we are part of the Body of Christ, belonging to each other and His representatives here on earth.

In Christ, all our sins have been paid for, and any debt of sin cancelled, for Jesus took all the punishment upon Himself.

In Christ we have power over sin, the evil one and death, for He defeated all, and as members of His body we walk in His authority!

In Christ, we can minister healing, deliverance, cleansing, forgiveness, miracles, signs and wonders, and even raise the dead!

So yes, let us live up to what we have already attained for it is Glorious!

When We Don't Understand...

This morning I am reading from Luke 18:31-34 NIV:

[31] "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. [32] He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; [33] they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

[34] The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about."

I am always amazed when I read the statement Luke makes in verse 34, how the disciples totally missed what Jesus was saying, and its meaning was hidden from them. Jesus really couldn't have been and clearer, yet they didn't understand. I was thinking about how this all was written several years after the actual occurrences, and they are thus based on the Apostles memories of the events.

What I find interesting is their recollection of their totally missing the meaning of Jesus' statement concerning His impending death. I think this is similar to our more modern thought, "if I knew then what I know now, I would have done in this or that completely differently". The point that Luke makes, and I am sure the Apostles had come to understand, was that the meaning was hidden from them by the Lord. He was meant to be abandoned, meant to suffer, meant to be rejected (Isaiah 53), and if they had really understood what He was saying they would have likely tried to dissuade Him or even gotten themselves hurt in those events.

The point is that some things are only meant to be understood in retrospect. It is only in looking back, only when we reflect that we understand some things, and that is the purpose of God. I know of people who beat themselves up over things they didn't see, things they didn't understand, things they missed when in retrospect it all appears so clear. Here the Apostles, through Luke are confessing the same thing, and they see that it couldn't have been any different. This was the will of the Lord, and in time they came to understand that. The Holy Spirit brought revelation and helped them to see what they had missed, helped them to connect the dots and understand the fullness of His prophetic revelation concerning Jesus as it is found in the Old Testament.

I have written previously about how some of their missing Jesus' meaning had to do with their wrong expectations, and this is clearly also one of the reasons they misunderstood what He was saying. Much of this came from the teaching they had heard concerning the Messiah, and for that they cannot bear responsibility. It was only afterwards that everything fell into place. In the same way, as we grow and mature in the Lord we learn things that correct earlier thoughts we had, earlier understanding s, and for this we need to give each other grace, and help.

Sometimes the Lord will bring us into things we don't understand, and we need to trust the He knows exactly what He is doing. The real task is having faith, trust and belief that God's plan is for our good. These events and situations are meant to grow us and mature us. It is similar to weight lifting, it takes a certain amount of stress and strain and work to grow in strength. So let us give ourselves and others grace as we grow and mature and gain understanding. Let us continue to pray for wisdom and revelation.