This morning I am reflecting on some verses from Paul's letter to the Romans. His letters are always full of such thought provoking and rich language. Here are the verses for today - Romans 12:3-13 NIV:
[3] "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. [4] For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, [5] so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. [6] We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; [7] if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; [8] if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."
[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."
What a wonderful encouragement for maturity - think of yourself with sober judgment, not more highly than you ought. I think we all want to be that one person, that is special and unique and recognized and appreciated by all. We desire greatness, but the Lord's call is to humility, to sober or right thinking, in the midst of His greatness. We are all members of a single body, His, and as such we belong to and are connected to each other. We are meant to be balanced and healthy in our role(s) and relationship(s), recognizing that everything we have is the result of His grace and mercy.
We are called and invited to put into practice our gifts, and as fellow members of the Body of Christ, we should encourage this in everyone, not just the pastoral team or leaders. We all belong to each other, and we all need everyone functioning and practicing their gifts. The Lord didn't give them to us to have them sit on the shelf, but rather to build up, strengthen and encourage the whole of the Body of Christ (Eph 4:12-13). Paul writes in his first letter to the 1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV: "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." He is speaking of the same gifts that he listed above, and specifically says they are given for the common good. In other words we all benefit when gifts are exercised.
Secondly, we don't need to wait for permission to exercise these gifts. God gave us these gifts for everyone's common good, including ours, so why do we wait to exercise them? His gifting is indicative of His will and purpose, and there is no higher authority. I figure that if God has given me the gift, He intends for me to enjoy it and practice it. I pray that we, in the Body of Christ, might learn how to release all into their giftings, for it is for our benefit.
Finally, just as Paul writes in his famous love passage to the Church in Corinth, he wraps these thoughts to the Church in Rome with the covering of love. Love each other with sincerity and devotion. We are commanded to love one another by the Lord (John 13:34), and Paul is just reiterating that command. Love is not an option. The Greek word that Paul uses in verse nine is 'anupokritos' and it means unfeigned, undisguised, sincere. In other words, it is not just an act, not something that is a portrayal.
I am reminded of God's statement through Isaiah, where His diagnosis of the people is that their worship is words only, but their hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:14). Our love for each other must be more than just words, but me be real, full of action. As John writes, "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:18 NIV). We should join together and be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer, helping one another, especially those in need and being hospitable on every occasion. We should encourage each othe to exercise that which they have been given, and seek to build up the Body of Christ. We should embrace our gifts, our relationships and our role and extend love to all!
Amen!!
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
We Need More Wisdom and Revelation!
This morning I had an interesting thought as I was reading the following verses - 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."
First, upon reading verse thirty four, my initial reaction was to wonder how stupid were the apostles to not understand the statement Jesus just made? Then immediately I thought about the fact that revelation is required, and we are reading those verses with a historical knowledge of the revelation that followed. They however, were walking through the day to day ministry of Jesus, and were generally convinced that He was the Messiah, but they didn't understand that the Father had sent Him to suffer and die and purchase salvation and forgiveness for us all, gentile and Jew alike. They thought the Messiah was going to be a Warrior King in the style of David, and restore their nation and throw out the Romans. Thus, any comments that Jesus made about being beaten and killed just had no relevance to their paradigm of understanding.
As I was thinking that, I was reminded of Paul's prayer in his letter to the Ephesians 1:17-21 NIV:
[17] "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. [18] I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, [19] and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength [20] he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, [21] far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."
Paul had it right in praying for a spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we might know Him (Jesus) better. We think because we see Him from this historical point, and because we know the stories of scripture and the revelation contained therein that we know Jesus. We can become settled in our knowledge of Him, thinking that we understand Him and that we understand the precepts of our faith. However, in reality we barely know the Lord, for we could study Him for eternity and never know Him fully, for He is a member of the Most Holy Trinity, whose Kingdom never ends (Luke 1:33) and whose Kingdom is ever increasing (Is 9:7). He has all power and authority (Col 2:10) and through Him the world was created (John 1:1-3). Thus, it is wrong for us to ever think that we understand everything about the Lord or His purpose or character. Our paradigms of understanding are completely limited, even as the Apostles were limited, and as such, we should pray exactly like Paul, asking for a spirit of wisdom and revelation!! We need to have humble hearts!
We also need to have grace and mercy towards those that are growing in the Lord, who have yet to discover some of the revelation that we walk in, to the Glory of God. He is so wise and gentle in His leading and guiding us, and He never rejects us for lack of understanding. He understands our limited human minds, our inability to grasp the infinite, our relative blindness to the spiritual realm, so He is patient and loving in His instruction! He has sent us the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us, to instruct us and make known to us revelation (John 14:26 & John 16:12-15)!
So today, let us be encouraged that the Lord is leading us and guiding us to wisdom and revelation. Let us recognize that we are all still learning and still understanding. Let us extend mercy and grace to those who are beginning their relationship with the Lord, and growing in their faith. Let us ask for more wisdom and revelation, that we might know Him better, and come to understand more of His "incomparably great power"!
[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."
First, upon reading verse thirty four, my initial reaction was to wonder how stupid were the apostles to not understand the statement Jesus just made? Then immediately I thought about the fact that revelation is required, and we are reading those verses with a historical knowledge of the revelation that followed. They however, were walking through the day to day ministry of Jesus, and were generally convinced that He was the Messiah, but they didn't understand that the Father had sent Him to suffer and die and purchase salvation and forgiveness for us all, gentile and Jew alike. They thought the Messiah was going to be a Warrior King in the style of David, and restore their nation and throw out the Romans. Thus, any comments that Jesus made about being beaten and killed just had no relevance to their paradigm of understanding.
As I was thinking that, I was reminded of Paul's prayer in his letter to the Ephesians 1:17-21 NIV:
[17] "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. [18] I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, [19] and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength [20] he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, [21] far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."
Paul had it right in praying for a spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we might know Him (Jesus) better. We think because we see Him from this historical point, and because we know the stories of scripture and the revelation contained therein that we know Jesus. We can become settled in our knowledge of Him, thinking that we understand Him and that we understand the precepts of our faith. However, in reality we barely know the Lord, for we could study Him for eternity and never know Him fully, for He is a member of the Most Holy Trinity, whose Kingdom never ends (Luke 1:33) and whose Kingdom is ever increasing (Is 9:7). He has all power and authority (Col 2:10) and through Him the world was created (John 1:1-3). Thus, it is wrong for us to ever think that we understand everything about the Lord or His purpose or character. Our paradigms of understanding are completely limited, even as the Apostles were limited, and as such, we should pray exactly like Paul, asking for a spirit of wisdom and revelation!! We need to have humble hearts!
We also need to have grace and mercy towards those that are growing in the Lord, who have yet to discover some of the revelation that we walk in, to the Glory of God. He is so wise and gentle in His leading and guiding us, and He never rejects us for lack of understanding. He understands our limited human minds, our inability to grasp the infinite, our relative blindness to the spiritual realm, so He is patient and loving in His instruction! He has sent us the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us, to instruct us and make known to us revelation (John 14:26 & John 16:12-15)!
So today, let us be encouraged that the Lord is leading us and guiding us to wisdom and revelation. Let us recognize that we are all still learning and still understanding. Let us extend mercy and grace to those who are beginning their relationship with the Lord, and growing in their faith. Let us ask for more wisdom and revelation, that we might know Him better, and come to understand more of His "incomparably great power"!
Monday, February 20, 2017
Storing Treasure In Heaven
This morning I was reading through Matthew's Gospel, as it was used in the sermon yesterday. It is one of those significant passages that I go back to regularly. This morning I am reflecting upon the following verses, having to do with heavenly treasure - Matthew 6:19-21 NIV:
[19] “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
At first blush, this seems to be some strange advice, certainly flying in the face of today's estate planning and retirement savings mindset. While it could be applied to our financial decisions, I think the heart of the matter that Jesus is speaking about is our heart! His statement in verse 21 is such a helpful measure in life, because I think it is absolutely true; where our treasure is, is where our heart is. In other words those things that we value most are shown to us by our focus, our thinking, our actions, our affections and our time. The things we really value is what we give our life too, what we invest in.
I think this is a great reflection point, for we should be looking at our life and seeing if we live where and how we want to live. I think that many of us, if you are like me at all, have a set of things we want to value in our heart, but our lives don't always show it. I guess you could say I have an intentional life in my mind, that doesn't always agree with my actual life. There are many more things I intend to do, than I actually do. If I were to analyze my life, and look at what I do and where I invest, I would find that I am not always spending my time, investing in the things that I want to treasure. Often times I just go with the flow, allow my life decisions to be made for me by circumstances or laziness and find whole swaths of time passing me by without really embracing the things I consider in my heart and intentions important. Thus, I have an opportunity to repent, to change not so much the way I think, but to change the way I act, as I don't suffer from a drought of good intentions, but rather good actions.
Secondly, I think the Lord is encouraging us to look to eternity and our life in heaven, to start developing an eternal mindset. His point is that this life is preparation for an eternal life, and what we do here, affects our eternal destiny. Now I don't fully understand what it means to store up treasure in heaven, but I do know that the Lord has encouraged us to think this way, so there must be wisdom and understanding available to instruct us. I have heard someone preaching about how they wanted to be one of the God's chosen companions in the Millennial Reign of Christ (See Rev. 20) and how fasting and other works of religious devotion would increase your chance to be one the chosen. I don't think this is what Jesus meant. I also know that the Catholic Church for many years used this verse to extract cash from her faithful, selling indulgences and such that would affect one's eternal life and heavenly existence. Again, I don't believe that it was Jesus' thought to unleash some kind of giving campaign to furnish Himself and the apostles awesome living quarters, and food. Jesus actually did give a few examples of what stored up treasure in heaven, here is His statement from Luke 18:22 NIV: "When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Going back to His final statement in the verses from Matthew, He is saying that this is a heart issue. In a real sense, He is saying that we should rightly learn to value our eternal life, our heavenly existence, over our life here and now. I believe that our life in heaven is synonymous with eternal life, for the most part. In 1 John, he describes eternal life as relationship with Jesus as follows - 1 John 5:11-12 NIV: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." Thus, applying this we should be prioritizing our relationship with Jesus over other pursuits and concerns here on earth. That is exactly what Jesus told the rich young ruler He was speaking to in Luke 18:22 quoted above, get rid of your possessions on earth, give to the poor and then come and follow Him, or enter into relationship with Him. Clearly there is something good about giving to the poor, but the real issue was concerns and heart affection. Jesus is inviting him to put relationship with Him over all his other possessions and concerns.
I was also just thinking that although there are no poverty in heaven, those that were poor during their time here will certainly be there. Could it be that part of the treasure we are to store up is relationships with those that are considered poor here? What would be the impact on a poor person's life if we were to come along-side them and bless them with some of our abundance, selling our possessions and giving to them providing for them? Clearly the Lord values relationships and since we don't believe that anything we have on earth, other than relationships, passes the eternal threshold it would make sense that this is one other thing we can invest in here that is of value in heaven.
In summary, my encouragement this morning is to prioritize my relationship with the Lord over all things. I am encouraged to invest in relationships over possessions. I am encouraged to review my life, reflect upon my heart attitudes and actions and make sure that I am aligned and prioritized as I intend. Really the Lord's intention in leading us into a time of repentance, where we examine our thoughts and change those that need changing , and examine our life and make changes to our actions as appropriate, is really an encouragement towards a more healthy and balanced life, not a hard punishment or discipline meant to smack us down and correct our behaviour. If this is all about heart issues, then He is intending to lead us in ways that allow us to change our heart. Hard discipline and punishment rarely do that effectively.
The Lord understands us, understands our human condition perfectly, and leads us appropriately. So let us look at our lives and decide to follow Him, and really store up a great treasure in heaven, relationship with Him and others such as our family and friends who know Him, and will spend eternity in heaven.
Amen!
[19] “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
At first blush, this seems to be some strange advice, certainly flying in the face of today's estate planning and retirement savings mindset. While it could be applied to our financial decisions, I think the heart of the matter that Jesus is speaking about is our heart! His statement in verse 21 is such a helpful measure in life, because I think it is absolutely true; where our treasure is, is where our heart is. In other words those things that we value most are shown to us by our focus, our thinking, our actions, our affections and our time. The things we really value is what we give our life too, what we invest in.
I think this is a great reflection point, for we should be looking at our life and seeing if we live where and how we want to live. I think that many of us, if you are like me at all, have a set of things we want to value in our heart, but our lives don't always show it. I guess you could say I have an intentional life in my mind, that doesn't always agree with my actual life. There are many more things I intend to do, than I actually do. If I were to analyze my life, and look at what I do and where I invest, I would find that I am not always spending my time, investing in the things that I want to treasure. Often times I just go with the flow, allow my life decisions to be made for me by circumstances or laziness and find whole swaths of time passing me by without really embracing the things I consider in my heart and intentions important. Thus, I have an opportunity to repent, to change not so much the way I think, but to change the way I act, as I don't suffer from a drought of good intentions, but rather good actions.
Secondly, I think the Lord is encouraging us to look to eternity and our life in heaven, to start developing an eternal mindset. His point is that this life is preparation for an eternal life, and what we do here, affects our eternal destiny. Now I don't fully understand what it means to store up treasure in heaven, but I do know that the Lord has encouraged us to think this way, so there must be wisdom and understanding available to instruct us. I have heard someone preaching about how they wanted to be one of the God's chosen companions in the Millennial Reign of Christ (See Rev. 20) and how fasting and other works of religious devotion would increase your chance to be one the chosen. I don't think this is what Jesus meant. I also know that the Catholic Church for many years used this verse to extract cash from her faithful, selling indulgences and such that would affect one's eternal life and heavenly existence. Again, I don't believe that it was Jesus' thought to unleash some kind of giving campaign to furnish Himself and the apostles awesome living quarters, and food. Jesus actually did give a few examples of what stored up treasure in heaven, here is His statement from Luke 18:22 NIV: "When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Going back to His final statement in the verses from Matthew, He is saying that this is a heart issue. In a real sense, He is saying that we should rightly learn to value our eternal life, our heavenly existence, over our life here and now. I believe that our life in heaven is synonymous with eternal life, for the most part. In 1 John, he describes eternal life as relationship with Jesus as follows - 1 John 5:11-12 NIV: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." Thus, applying this we should be prioritizing our relationship with Jesus over other pursuits and concerns here on earth. That is exactly what Jesus told the rich young ruler He was speaking to in Luke 18:22 quoted above, get rid of your possessions on earth, give to the poor and then come and follow Him, or enter into relationship with Him. Clearly there is something good about giving to the poor, but the real issue was concerns and heart affection. Jesus is inviting him to put relationship with Him over all his other possessions and concerns.
I was also just thinking that although there are no poverty in heaven, those that were poor during their time here will certainly be there. Could it be that part of the treasure we are to store up is relationships with those that are considered poor here? What would be the impact on a poor person's life if we were to come along-side them and bless them with some of our abundance, selling our possessions and giving to them providing for them? Clearly the Lord values relationships and since we don't believe that anything we have on earth, other than relationships, passes the eternal threshold it would make sense that this is one other thing we can invest in here that is of value in heaven.
In summary, my encouragement this morning is to prioritize my relationship with the Lord over all things. I am encouraged to invest in relationships over possessions. I am encouraged to review my life, reflect upon my heart attitudes and actions and make sure that I am aligned and prioritized as I intend. Really the Lord's intention in leading us into a time of repentance, where we examine our thoughts and change those that need changing , and examine our life and make changes to our actions as appropriate, is really an encouragement towards a more healthy and balanced life, not a hard punishment or discipline meant to smack us down and correct our behaviour. If this is all about heart issues, then He is intending to lead us in ways that allow us to change our heart. Hard discipline and punishment rarely do that effectively.
The Lord understands us, understands our human condition perfectly, and leads us appropriately. So let us look at our lives and decide to follow Him, and really store up a great treasure in heaven, relationship with Him and others such as our family and friends who know Him, and will spend eternity in heaven.
Amen!
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Hearing God Speak
This morning I felt like I should read from the Book of Exodus which is not my typical morning meditation reading. The verses that caught my eye are the following - Exodus 19:3-6,9,16-19 NIV:
[3] "Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: [4] 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. [5] Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, [6] you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
[9] "The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said."
[16] "On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. [17] Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. [18] Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. [19] As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him."
Two themes that are important in these verses are the choosing of Israel as God's treasured possession and God's willingness to speak, to guide and direct, and establish His law. God has chosen these people and was now in the process of forming them into a nation. Previously they were tribes that were related to each other, but they had no laws other than those of Egypt. In the next several chapters God relays to them the foundations of the Law, and established a code of conduct for them, to help separate them from other nations and peoples. This was all the result of God's affection! He loved this people, chose them out of all nations and was personally involved in their lives, leading and guiding them.
Continuing on, in this dispensation, Moses was God's chosen spokesman, and was the go between for the people and God. God's choice was witnessed to by the smoke and fire, clouds, thunder and lightning, and it was meant to be a sign to the people of God's choice of Moses. I love the fact that God didn't just expect Moses' words to convince them, but instead backed his words with signs that were easy to see and understand. God spoke to the people through Moses, and this way He was able to lead them, guide them and form them.
As I was reading this, I thought about how glad I am that this is no longer the way God works on the earth. As described by Peter in Acts 10 & 11, God revealed that His salvation and invitation to relationship was to be expanded to include all people, not just the Hebrew people. Secondly, I am so glad that we no longer need to hear God's voice through His chosen spokesman, but rather are invited into a personal relationship with God where He literally lives within us and speaks to us individually. He has given us the witness of His words, His voice and His character and has recorded this all in Scripture. This is meant to be our guide as we hear God in our daily life, a sort of measuring stick of God's heart and character so that we know what God sounds like and speaks of, and what is on His heart. As we learn to hear God in our lives, we use scripture to guide us and confirm His voice and words. He chosen to reside within us, and He speaks to us and helps us to recognize His voice. Because we all have the Holy Spirit within us, we don't need to have someone like Moses to reveal to us God's words. He intends that each of us is capable and able to hear His voice.
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes - Hebrews 10:19-25 NIV:
[19] "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, [21] and since we have a great priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, [25] not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another---and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
We can have confidence to approach God, to hear His voice and experience His love and affection.
Jesus said the following - John 16:7,12-15,23-27 NIV:
[7] 'But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
[12] “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. [13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. [14] He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
[23] "In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. [24] Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. [25] “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. [26] In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. [27] No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God."
And this same Holy Spirit will live in us and speak to us as indicated by Jesus in John 14:15-21,25-27 NIV:
[15] “If you love me, keep my commands. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--- [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [18] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. [19] Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. [20] On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. [21] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
[25] “All this I have spoken while still with you. [26] But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. [27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
In the same way as described in Exodus, our invitation to relationship is based on God's love for us. If we love Him in return, He will come and dwell with us, even dwell in us, and He will speak to us, each individually! We will know and understand, we will be taught by the Holy Spirit, we will receive from Him all truth!
So, this morning I am encouraged that I can hear God, and be loved by God! God Himself lives within me and will guide me and direct me into all truth! He will speak clearly to me, and will help me to know about the Father!
Amen!
[3] "Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: [4] 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. [5] Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, [6] you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
[9] "The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said."
[16] "On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. [17] Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. [18] Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. [19] As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him."
Two themes that are important in these verses are the choosing of Israel as God's treasured possession and God's willingness to speak, to guide and direct, and establish His law. God has chosen these people and was now in the process of forming them into a nation. Previously they were tribes that were related to each other, but they had no laws other than those of Egypt. In the next several chapters God relays to them the foundations of the Law, and established a code of conduct for them, to help separate them from other nations and peoples. This was all the result of God's affection! He loved this people, chose them out of all nations and was personally involved in their lives, leading and guiding them.
Continuing on, in this dispensation, Moses was God's chosen spokesman, and was the go between for the people and God. God's choice was witnessed to by the smoke and fire, clouds, thunder and lightning, and it was meant to be a sign to the people of God's choice of Moses. I love the fact that God didn't just expect Moses' words to convince them, but instead backed his words with signs that were easy to see and understand. God spoke to the people through Moses, and this way He was able to lead them, guide them and form them.
As I was reading this, I thought about how glad I am that this is no longer the way God works on the earth. As described by Peter in Acts 10 & 11, God revealed that His salvation and invitation to relationship was to be expanded to include all people, not just the Hebrew people. Secondly, I am so glad that we no longer need to hear God's voice through His chosen spokesman, but rather are invited into a personal relationship with God where He literally lives within us and speaks to us individually. He has given us the witness of His words, His voice and His character and has recorded this all in Scripture. This is meant to be our guide as we hear God in our daily life, a sort of measuring stick of God's heart and character so that we know what God sounds like and speaks of, and what is on His heart. As we learn to hear God in our lives, we use scripture to guide us and confirm His voice and words. He chosen to reside within us, and He speaks to us and helps us to recognize His voice. Because we all have the Holy Spirit within us, we don't need to have someone like Moses to reveal to us God's words. He intends that each of us is capable and able to hear His voice.
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes - Hebrews 10:19-25 NIV:
[19] "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, [21] and since we have a great priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, [25] not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another---and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
We can have confidence to approach God, to hear His voice and experience His love and affection.
Jesus said the following - John 16:7,12-15,23-27 NIV:
[7] 'But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
[12] “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. [13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. [14] He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
[23] "In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. [24] Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. [25] “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. [26] In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. [27] No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God."
And this same Holy Spirit will live in us and speak to us as indicated by Jesus in John 14:15-21,25-27 NIV:
[15] “If you love me, keep my commands. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--- [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [18] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. [19] Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. [20] On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. [21] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
[25] “All this I have spoken while still with you. [26] But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. [27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
In the same way as described in Exodus, our invitation to relationship is based on God's love for us. If we love Him in return, He will come and dwell with us, even dwell in us, and He will speak to us, each individually! We will know and understand, we will be taught by the Holy Spirit, we will receive from Him all truth!
So, this morning I am encouraged that I can hear God, and be loved by God! God Himself lives within me and will guide me and direct me into all truth! He will speak clearly to me, and will help me to know about the Father!
Amen!
Saturday, February 18, 2017
God's Kingdom Is Real
Yesterday I was reading through some of my previous blog posts and came across this post where I was reflecting on the reality of the Kingdom of God: http://amomentwithgod-srh.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-reality-of-kingdom-of-god.html. It was such a good reminder and reflection I thought I would repost it.
We need to be reminded that God's Kingdom is real and that He continues to demonstrate this reality even today, which is why I have been posting videos of God healing people. Each of those situations is an example of God's Kingdom reality encountering our present reality and affecting the people who have lived with affliction or sickness or whatever. God is demonstrating two things: 1) His love for the person 2) His Kingdom is REAL. Check out this excellent video of a girl who receives the sense of smell for the first time in her life! Testimony of Receiving the Sense of Smell
We can choose to deny these examples or ignore them, but for each of those people, and for the people in their families, they know that they have been touched by God, and know He loves them. Jesus came to proclaim and demonstrate the Kingdom, and He did this through healing and other miraculous signs (Matt 4:23).
Lord, I am encouraged by Your word, and Your demonstrated reality! I pray that You would pour for upon us a wave of Your love and Kingdom demonstrations!
We need to be reminded that God's Kingdom is real and that He continues to demonstrate this reality even today, which is why I have been posting videos of God healing people. Each of those situations is an example of God's Kingdom reality encountering our present reality and affecting the people who have lived with affliction or sickness or whatever. God is demonstrating two things: 1) His love for the person 2) His Kingdom is REAL. Check out this excellent video of a girl who receives the sense of smell for the first time in her life! Testimony of Receiving the Sense of Smell
We can choose to deny these examples or ignore them, but for each of those people, and for the people in their families, they know that they have been touched by God, and know He loves them. Jesus came to proclaim and demonstrate the Kingdom, and He did this through healing and other miraculous signs (Matt 4:23).
Lord, I am encouraged by Your word, and Your demonstrated reality! I pray that You would pour for upon us a wave of Your love and Kingdom demonstrations!
Friday, February 17, 2017
God's Promises Are Good, It Is Never Too Late!
This morning I felt led to read from John's Gospel once again, chapter eleven, which is the story of Lazarus. This morning I am meditating on the following verses: John 11:4,14-15 NIV:
[4] "When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.”
[14] So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, [15] and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
The interesting thing I saw this morning was that both of these statements were made to His disciples, not to the crowds following Him. Verse fifteen in particular is very telling, for apparently there were those that followed Him who still did not fully understand or believe that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. This particular situation was really meant to be the final proof, the one event that showed everyone who Jesus was in reality. Lazarus was someone they all knew, someone they knew Jesus greatly loved. This was almost like losing one of their close friends, so they were all impacted.
Now I want to digress for a moment from that line of thought to look at what we know about Lazarus' death. We know that by the time Jesus got there he had been in the tomb 4 days (John 11:38) which means he had likely been dead about 5 days. I wanted to look at the state of Lazurus' body and the significance of his being raised, and what was reversed for him to come back to life.
There are 4 stages to a body decomposition after death, according to ( http://www.aftermath.com/content/human-decomposition). This process of decomposition begins around four minutes after a person dies and follows four stages: autolysis, bloat, active decay, and skeletonization. According to this website the Body Decomposition Timeline begins as follows: 24-72 hours after death — the internal organs decompose (Autolysis); 3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose. So we know that Lazarus' body was well into the second stage of decomposition by the time Jesus arrived, possibly moving into the third stage.
I know this is a bit gross, but here are descriptions of the first two stages:
Stage One: Autolysis
The first stage of human decomposition is called autolysis, or self-digestion, and begins immediately after death. As soon as blood circulation and respiration stop, the body has no way of getting oxygen or removing wastes. Excess carbon dioxide causes an acidic environment, causing membranes in cells to rupture. The membranes release enzymes that begin eating the cells from the inside out.
Rigor mortis causes muscle stiffening. Small blisters filled with nutrient-rich fluid begin appearing on internal organs and the skin’s surface. The body will appear to have a sheen due to ruptured blisters, and the skin’s top layer will begin to loosen.
Stage Two: Bloat
Leaked enzymes from the first stage begin producing many gases. The sulfur-containing compounds that the bacteria release also cause skin discoloration. Due to the gases, the human body can double in size. In addition, insect activity can be present.
The microorganisms and bacteria produce extremely unpleasant odors called putrefaction. These odors often alert others that a person has died, and can linger long after a body has been removed.
So, Lazurus was likely in stage two, and his Sister even indicated that was likely when Jesus asked for the stone blocking the door to be removed (John 11:38). During this period of history, the practice of embalming was not widely practiced, so the people were likely more familiar with these stages than most of us, as there was no hiding the odor, no way to slow down the decomposition. I believe that the Father allowed Lazarus to be dead this long, because He wanted the sign to be impossible to discount or ignore.
We know Jesus raised several people from the dead, which are described in other accounts, but in most of those accounts the person had died shortly before He encountered them. If you were cynical, you could explain away those miracles as people just being in a deep coma, and think that Jesus really hadn't raised them from the dead, but Lazarus was a different situation and everyone could agree and understand that his body was now dead. Jesus said this was so that He might be glorified and the disciples might believe. I can see why this was successful, for they knew the miracle was undeniable when Lazarus walked out of the tomb with all his body and organs functioning correctly, completely restored to life. In fact, so many people heard about this event that they flocked to Bethany not only to see Jesus, but to see Lazarus (John 12:9).
So why am I focusing on this today? I think it is important for us to know how capable God is to do miracles that cannot be explained away. One cannot look at the death of Lazarus and explain away 4-5 days of decomposition being completely reversed in an instant. This is so far outside the zone of possibility that we must be confronted with the fact that it was miraculous. Secondly, Jesus understood that even after all the signs and miracles He had done that there were those that still didn't believe in Him, even among His followers. He wasn't upset about that, or cranking down on those who didn't believe, but rather trusted the Father to make it abundantly clear that He was the Messiah, God's own Son. Jesus did not judge the unbelieving followers but continued in His obedience to the Father and allowed the miracle to glorify Him. I believe this event was the anchor of faith for many of His followers after He was crucified, and before His resurrection.
So today I am encouraged to not give up hope over a situation that seems to have past, some hope that has died, especially if the Lord has spoken a promise concerning this situation. If He has made a promise, than it is never too late to see that hope become reality. Secondly, I am encouraged that the Lord will help me to grow in my faith and recognition of His true identity. He will be glorified by the Father in my sight so that I might believe, and I believe this is true for us all.
[4] "When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.”
[14] So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, [15] and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
The interesting thing I saw this morning was that both of these statements were made to His disciples, not to the crowds following Him. Verse fifteen in particular is very telling, for apparently there were those that followed Him who still did not fully understand or believe that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. This particular situation was really meant to be the final proof, the one event that showed everyone who Jesus was in reality. Lazarus was someone they all knew, someone they knew Jesus greatly loved. This was almost like losing one of their close friends, so they were all impacted.
Now I want to digress for a moment from that line of thought to look at what we know about Lazarus' death. We know that by the time Jesus got there he had been in the tomb 4 days (John 11:38) which means he had likely been dead about 5 days. I wanted to look at the state of Lazurus' body and the significance of his being raised, and what was reversed for him to come back to life.
There are 4 stages to a body decomposition after death, according to ( http://www.aftermath.com/content/human-decomposition). This process of decomposition begins around four minutes after a person dies and follows four stages: autolysis, bloat, active decay, and skeletonization. According to this website the Body Decomposition Timeline begins as follows: 24-72 hours after death — the internal organs decompose (Autolysis); 3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose. So we know that Lazarus' body was well into the second stage of decomposition by the time Jesus arrived, possibly moving into the third stage.
I know this is a bit gross, but here are descriptions of the first two stages:
Stage One: Autolysis
The first stage of human decomposition is called autolysis, or self-digestion, and begins immediately after death. As soon as blood circulation and respiration stop, the body has no way of getting oxygen or removing wastes. Excess carbon dioxide causes an acidic environment, causing membranes in cells to rupture. The membranes release enzymes that begin eating the cells from the inside out.
Rigor mortis causes muscle stiffening. Small blisters filled with nutrient-rich fluid begin appearing on internal organs and the skin’s surface. The body will appear to have a sheen due to ruptured blisters, and the skin’s top layer will begin to loosen.
Stage Two: Bloat
Leaked enzymes from the first stage begin producing many gases. The sulfur-containing compounds that the bacteria release also cause skin discoloration. Due to the gases, the human body can double in size. In addition, insect activity can be present.
The microorganisms and bacteria produce extremely unpleasant odors called putrefaction. These odors often alert others that a person has died, and can linger long after a body has been removed.
So, Lazurus was likely in stage two, and his Sister even indicated that was likely when Jesus asked for the stone blocking the door to be removed (John 11:38). During this period of history, the practice of embalming was not widely practiced, so the people were likely more familiar with these stages than most of us, as there was no hiding the odor, no way to slow down the decomposition. I believe that the Father allowed Lazarus to be dead this long, because He wanted the sign to be impossible to discount or ignore.
We know Jesus raised several people from the dead, which are described in other accounts, but in most of those accounts the person had died shortly before He encountered them. If you were cynical, you could explain away those miracles as people just being in a deep coma, and think that Jesus really hadn't raised them from the dead, but Lazarus was a different situation and everyone could agree and understand that his body was now dead. Jesus said this was so that He might be glorified and the disciples might believe. I can see why this was successful, for they knew the miracle was undeniable when Lazarus walked out of the tomb with all his body and organs functioning correctly, completely restored to life. In fact, so many people heard about this event that they flocked to Bethany not only to see Jesus, but to see Lazarus (John 12:9).
So why am I focusing on this today? I think it is important for us to know how capable God is to do miracles that cannot be explained away. One cannot look at the death of Lazarus and explain away 4-5 days of decomposition being completely reversed in an instant. This is so far outside the zone of possibility that we must be confronted with the fact that it was miraculous. Secondly, Jesus understood that even after all the signs and miracles He had done that there were those that still didn't believe in Him, even among His followers. He wasn't upset about that, or cranking down on those who didn't believe, but rather trusted the Father to make it abundantly clear that He was the Messiah, God's own Son. Jesus did not judge the unbelieving followers but continued in His obedience to the Father and allowed the miracle to glorify Him. I believe this event was the anchor of faith for many of His followers after He was crucified, and before His resurrection.
So today I am encouraged to not give up hope over a situation that seems to have past, some hope that has died, especially if the Lord has spoken a promise concerning this situation. If He has made a promise, than it is never too late to see that hope become reality. Secondly, I am encouraged that the Lord will help me to grow in my faith and recognition of His true identity. He will be glorified by the Father in my sight so that I might believe, and I believe this is true for us all.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Our Motivation In Ministry
This morning I was meditating on something the Lord brought to my attention over the last few days, namely my desire to see my own glorification through being used in ministry to bring healing, other miraculous ministrations, or anything of value. I didn't realize it was there, and it was something that He gently showed me, allowing me to repent. This morning as I was thinking about this I was reminded of the following story from Luke's Gospel, and was specifically directed to verse twenty.
Luke 10:2-3,8-9,16-21 NIV:
[2] He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. [3] Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
[8] “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. [9] Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
[16] “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
[17] The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
[18] He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. [19] I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. [20] However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
[21] At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do."
As I look at verse twenty, it seems to me that Jesus is gently correcting the statement and mentality of the seventy-two. They came back rejoicing that demons were submitting to them, in Jesus' name. Jesus quickly redirects them and says to be less concerned with that and more focused on their relationship with Him, and as a result there eternal destiny in heaven (relationship with the Father).
We know from other scriptures that the apostles likely compared notes on how their ministry had gone, and at one point were even arguing about who was the greatest (Mark 9:34). The point Jesus seems to be making here is to not allow our thoughts to go down that path, rather we should rejoice that our names are written in heaven. That is such an interesting point, because that same thing is true of all believers, whether they are doing active successful ministry or not.
I believe Jesus is correcting a wrong thought process that associates successful ministry with God's favor or affection. The truth is that God has always loved us far beyond our comprehension and our success in ministry has no real affect on His affection for us, or favor towards us. We are called to be co-laborers with Christ and in that light we are invited to join in Jesus' ministry, but not for our glory, but rather for His!
I don't think there is anything wrong with rejoicing over God's miraculous touch through our prayers, but we must guard our thinking. We have a proclivity to think that successful ministry means increased favor, and we tend to believe that people who operate in these gifts are somehow special in the eyes of the Lord. There is significant danger down that line of thinking, as we start to keep track, start to keep score of what the Lord does through us and compare our ministry to others. One of the first things ministries are often asked is how many people have been touched or saved, or ministered to. It is good to be good stewards of the task and call the Lord has given us, but I believe He is far more interested in our relationship with Him.
It is interesting, in scripture we find what appears to be two different teachings of Jesus concerning our service for Him. On one hand we have the parable (and several like it) of the 10 talents or bags of Gold (Matt 25:14-30 or Luke 19:12-27). In this it seems that the Lord extends greater favor to the one who has stewarded the gifts of the Lord well. On the other hand we have the parable of the vineyard workers, found in Matt 20:1-16. Here the Lord rewards each worker, regardless of how many hours and how much work they have accomplished, the exact same.
At first blush these stories seem to be almost conflicting, and certainly could be confusing. I am taking these stories a bit out the context they were delivered in, but the basic principles are what I am observing. In both stories, I want to look at the mindset of the worker, and God's response. In the parable of the talents, the Lord doesn't indicate that there was going to be any reward, and the good servants aren't expecting any reward, but are rather faithful in their work because they know the heart of their master, and are faithful to the trust He has given them. It is so important to note that their motivation wasn't to gain more of His favor, but to be faithful to Him. This is one time where knowing the end of the end of the story can cause us problems in understanding the real lesson. The master comes back and rewards their faithfulness with greater responsibility and authority. This was not part of the initial understanding or contract, but rather was the Master's good pleasure to extend. The servants were not expecting this good pleasure, so it was not their motivation. In a similar way, the workers in the vineyard were working for what was considered a fair days wages. The vineyard owner was being generous in hiring everyone that was looking for work. While they were working, all they were expecting was to receive a fair days wages, and each man worked as he was able.
The problems in both stories arose when they started making judgements about the master's or owner's motivation and /or heart. In the first parable the man who dug a hole and hid the gold did so because he judged the master as being a hard man, and he was afraid. He was reprimanded for his lack of stewardship and most importantly for misjudging the heart of the master. In the story of the laborers, the workers hired first were angry when the workers who started late in the day were paid the same as them. They were thinking that those who did more, should be paid more. They thought the owner was being unfair when he decided to pay the late starting workers the same pay as was agreed for a whole day of labor, and this was due to the fact that they had basically been keeping score. They expected to be paid more than those who had done less work! Their problem was that once they saw how much the late workers were paid, they applied their score keeping tallies and of their own volition increased their expectations of their pay. They were so concerned about their own "payment" that they missed the generous heart of the owner towards the late workers.
Bringing these stories back to the topic at hand, the Lord's encouragement seems to be that we should not concern ourselves with our position, our successes or our reward for our works, but rather that we should be faithful in our work, in the trust He has put in us, and that we should be grateful for the chance to be a co-laborer. God is good and faithful and we can entrust ourselves and our efforts to Him. God Loves each of us and extends favor to each of us, and our efforts should be to bring as many people into relationship with Him as we are able, not for our Glory, but that they might know His love and goodness themselves. Our goal in every bit of ministry should be to help people understand that God knows them, loves them and has an invitation to relationship waiting for them. We should rejoice that we have been entrusted by the Lord with gifts and abilities and just be grateful that our names are written in Heaven. While we will experience His blessing on earth, His greatest blessing is relationship with Him that extends to eternity.
So let us rejoice in the Lord's love, mercy and compassion! Let us rejoice when He extends His power to heal and set people free from illness, injury or spiritual oppression. Let us share His joy when the enemy falls from heaven due to the extending of the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth. Let us rejoice over souls who have entered into relationship with our Savior. Finally, let us stop keeping score, stop comparing ourselves to others, and stop expecting that our efforts will in some way entitle us to special favors or preferential treatment, for our reward in Him is more than enough!
Amen!
Luke 10:2-3,8-9,16-21 NIV:
[2] He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. [3] Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
[8] “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. [9] Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
[16] “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
[17] The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
[18] He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. [19] I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. [20] However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
[21] At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do."
As I look at verse twenty, it seems to me that Jesus is gently correcting the statement and mentality of the seventy-two. They came back rejoicing that demons were submitting to them, in Jesus' name. Jesus quickly redirects them and says to be less concerned with that and more focused on their relationship with Him, and as a result there eternal destiny in heaven (relationship with the Father).
We know from other scriptures that the apostles likely compared notes on how their ministry had gone, and at one point were even arguing about who was the greatest (Mark 9:34). The point Jesus seems to be making here is to not allow our thoughts to go down that path, rather we should rejoice that our names are written in heaven. That is such an interesting point, because that same thing is true of all believers, whether they are doing active successful ministry or not.
I believe Jesus is correcting a wrong thought process that associates successful ministry with God's favor or affection. The truth is that God has always loved us far beyond our comprehension and our success in ministry has no real affect on His affection for us, or favor towards us. We are called to be co-laborers with Christ and in that light we are invited to join in Jesus' ministry, but not for our glory, but rather for His!
I don't think there is anything wrong with rejoicing over God's miraculous touch through our prayers, but we must guard our thinking. We have a proclivity to think that successful ministry means increased favor, and we tend to believe that people who operate in these gifts are somehow special in the eyes of the Lord. There is significant danger down that line of thinking, as we start to keep track, start to keep score of what the Lord does through us and compare our ministry to others. One of the first things ministries are often asked is how many people have been touched or saved, or ministered to. It is good to be good stewards of the task and call the Lord has given us, but I believe He is far more interested in our relationship with Him.
It is interesting, in scripture we find what appears to be two different teachings of Jesus concerning our service for Him. On one hand we have the parable (and several like it) of the 10 talents or bags of Gold (Matt 25:14-30 or Luke 19:12-27). In this it seems that the Lord extends greater favor to the one who has stewarded the gifts of the Lord well. On the other hand we have the parable of the vineyard workers, found in Matt 20:1-16. Here the Lord rewards each worker, regardless of how many hours and how much work they have accomplished, the exact same.
At first blush these stories seem to be almost conflicting, and certainly could be confusing. I am taking these stories a bit out the context they were delivered in, but the basic principles are what I am observing. In both stories, I want to look at the mindset of the worker, and God's response. In the parable of the talents, the Lord doesn't indicate that there was going to be any reward, and the good servants aren't expecting any reward, but are rather faithful in their work because they know the heart of their master, and are faithful to the trust He has given them. It is so important to note that their motivation wasn't to gain more of His favor, but to be faithful to Him. This is one time where knowing the end of the end of the story can cause us problems in understanding the real lesson. The master comes back and rewards their faithfulness with greater responsibility and authority. This was not part of the initial understanding or contract, but rather was the Master's good pleasure to extend. The servants were not expecting this good pleasure, so it was not their motivation. In a similar way, the workers in the vineyard were working for what was considered a fair days wages. The vineyard owner was being generous in hiring everyone that was looking for work. While they were working, all they were expecting was to receive a fair days wages, and each man worked as he was able.
The problems in both stories arose when they started making judgements about the master's or owner's motivation and /or heart. In the first parable the man who dug a hole and hid the gold did so because he judged the master as being a hard man, and he was afraid. He was reprimanded for his lack of stewardship and most importantly for misjudging the heart of the master. In the story of the laborers, the workers hired first were angry when the workers who started late in the day were paid the same as them. They were thinking that those who did more, should be paid more. They thought the owner was being unfair when he decided to pay the late starting workers the same pay as was agreed for a whole day of labor, and this was due to the fact that they had basically been keeping score. They expected to be paid more than those who had done less work! Their problem was that once they saw how much the late workers were paid, they applied their score keeping tallies and of their own volition increased their expectations of their pay. They were so concerned about their own "payment" that they missed the generous heart of the owner towards the late workers.
Bringing these stories back to the topic at hand, the Lord's encouragement seems to be that we should not concern ourselves with our position, our successes or our reward for our works, but rather that we should be faithful in our work, in the trust He has put in us, and that we should be grateful for the chance to be a co-laborer. God is good and faithful and we can entrust ourselves and our efforts to Him. God Loves each of us and extends favor to each of us, and our efforts should be to bring as many people into relationship with Him as we are able, not for our Glory, but that they might know His love and goodness themselves. Our goal in every bit of ministry should be to help people understand that God knows them, loves them and has an invitation to relationship waiting for them. We should rejoice that we have been entrusted by the Lord with gifts and abilities and just be grateful that our names are written in Heaven. While we will experience His blessing on earth, His greatest blessing is relationship with Him that extends to eternity.
So let us rejoice in the Lord's love, mercy and compassion! Let us rejoice when He extends His power to heal and set people free from illness, injury or spiritual oppression. Let us share His joy when the enemy falls from heaven due to the extending of the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth. Let us rejoice over souls who have entered into relationship with our Savior. Finally, let us stop keeping score, stop comparing ourselves to others, and stop expecting that our efforts will in some way entitle us to special favors or preferential treatment, for our reward in Him is more than enough!
Amen!
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
How Does God Refer To This Present Chapter In My Life?
This morning I had an interesting thought as I was opening my bible to read. I was preparing to read Hosea, which is a very interesting story of a prophet who God told to marry a promiscuous woman. He has several children with her, but she continues to run off with other lovers, and God has Hosea bring her back and forgive her and continue to love her. This is a great prophetic picture of God's love for Israel, and also a prophetic picture of many of our lives, especially those of us that struggle to stay faithful to God. The really good news is that He is more loving and forgiving and compassionate that even this story can portray. If you have not read the book of Hosea, I would recommend it, as it is intended to help us understand God's faithful, redemptive and forgiving heart.
However, this morning that was not what I was focused upon, instead my mind was drawn to the fact that God provides prophetic names for each of the children born to Hosea and Gomer. Each name represents God's perspective of the the present situation, or His plan. They represent how God sees Israel at that time.
I was reminded of how the Union and Confederacy, in the Civil War, refer to the same battle with different names. The North calls it the battle of Bull Run, the South calls it the battle of Manassas. This difference in the naming convention was the result of a different way of looking at the battle field, and is often related to the armies headquarters or main battle line, with both armies being on different side having a different perspective. This actually is common in most wars, for example the Battle of Waterloo is known by that name only among English-speaking peoples. The French call it the Battle of La Belle Alliance. The battle that decided the war between Prussia and Austria in 1866 is known among the Germans as the Battle of Sadowa; but the Austrians call it the Battle of Königgrätz. In the war of 1870, between Germany and France, the great engagement that the Germans call the Battle of Gravelotte is spoken of by the French as the Battle of St. Privat. (Quoted from http://vintageamericanways.com/battles-that-have-two-names/).
So why am I bringing this up? My reflection this morning is that God has a specific perspective, how He sees things and understands what He is doing in my life, and probably has a chapter title for my present situation. His perspective is from Eternity, outside of time, and my perspective is rooted in my limited earthly and time-bound perspective, and is probably very different than God's. For instance, in 2007, our family went though two major health issues, and I don't think back on that year fondly at all. However, when I think back to the impact that year had on my faith, my dependence on God, my experience of His favor and blessing in the midst of that difficult time, I believe that God sees that year very differently and probably has a different name than the "year that sucked". ;-)
So my reflection is that if I can learn to ask God what He is seeing and how He refers to my present situation, I might have a completely different understanding, and be able to apply that understanding to my life (I hope that makes sense).
Maybe another way to think of it would be if I am re-reading a familiar book. Having already read the book, I know how a certain situation the character is in gets resolved, so my perspective about the story and situation is different. I am not worried for the character, and might even think about the story differently, more from the finished story perspective. For example, in the story of David and Goliath, I am familiar enough with the story that I have a hard time ever seeing it from the real-time perspective of a shepherd youth going into battle with a sling and five stones against a seasoned warrior, who also happened to be a giant. I always think about it as the time David defeated Goliath, and it is an inspiring story of God's ability to direct us and deliver us from the most dire circumstances. However, I know David didn't think about it that way while he was in the midst of the battle!
In the same way, God is viewing our lives and situations from outside of time, so He can see our whole lives. He has a completely different perspective, and knows exactly what we are thinking and feeling, but also know exactly what He is teaching us in each circumstance. He knows how the situation is resolved, what we learned and what character we developed. He sees our lives completely and so when He provides insight, prophetic words of encouragement, or other revelation, He is giving us an inside look as to how He sees us from His perspective. He wants us to know that He sees us, wants us to be encouraged that our lives turn out ok, and more than anything wants us to know that He loves us.
So, my encouragement today is to ask the Lord how He sees my present situation and circumstances, and what He would call this chapter or season in my life? I want to press into Him to understand His mercy, compassion, forgiveness and faithfulness. I want to understand His heart for me, and His perspective and allow that to fan into flames hope and faith in my heart.
Amen.
However, this morning that was not what I was focused upon, instead my mind was drawn to the fact that God provides prophetic names for each of the children born to Hosea and Gomer. Each name represents God's perspective of the the present situation, or His plan. They represent how God sees Israel at that time.
I was reminded of how the Union and Confederacy, in the Civil War, refer to the same battle with different names. The North calls it the battle of Bull Run, the South calls it the battle of Manassas. This difference in the naming convention was the result of a different way of looking at the battle field, and is often related to the armies headquarters or main battle line, with both armies being on different side having a different perspective. This actually is common in most wars, for example the Battle of Waterloo is known by that name only among English-speaking peoples. The French call it the Battle of La Belle Alliance. The battle that decided the war between Prussia and Austria in 1866 is known among the Germans as the Battle of Sadowa; but the Austrians call it the Battle of Königgrätz. In the war of 1870, between Germany and France, the great engagement that the Germans call the Battle of Gravelotte is spoken of by the French as the Battle of St. Privat. (Quoted from http://vintageamericanways.com/battles-that-have-two-names/).
So why am I bringing this up? My reflection this morning is that God has a specific perspective, how He sees things and understands what He is doing in my life, and probably has a chapter title for my present situation. His perspective is from Eternity, outside of time, and my perspective is rooted in my limited earthly and time-bound perspective, and is probably very different than God's. For instance, in 2007, our family went though two major health issues, and I don't think back on that year fondly at all. However, when I think back to the impact that year had on my faith, my dependence on God, my experience of His favor and blessing in the midst of that difficult time, I believe that God sees that year very differently and probably has a different name than the "year that sucked". ;-)
So my reflection is that if I can learn to ask God what He is seeing and how He refers to my present situation, I might have a completely different understanding, and be able to apply that understanding to my life (I hope that makes sense).
Maybe another way to think of it would be if I am re-reading a familiar book. Having already read the book, I know how a certain situation the character is in gets resolved, so my perspective about the story and situation is different. I am not worried for the character, and might even think about the story differently, more from the finished story perspective. For example, in the story of David and Goliath, I am familiar enough with the story that I have a hard time ever seeing it from the real-time perspective of a shepherd youth going into battle with a sling and five stones against a seasoned warrior, who also happened to be a giant. I always think about it as the time David defeated Goliath, and it is an inspiring story of God's ability to direct us and deliver us from the most dire circumstances. However, I know David didn't think about it that way while he was in the midst of the battle!
In the same way, God is viewing our lives and situations from outside of time, so He can see our whole lives. He has a completely different perspective, and knows exactly what we are thinking and feeling, but also know exactly what He is teaching us in each circumstance. He knows how the situation is resolved, what we learned and what character we developed. He sees our lives completely and so when He provides insight, prophetic words of encouragement, or other revelation, He is giving us an inside look as to how He sees us from His perspective. He wants us to know that He sees us, wants us to be encouraged that our lives turn out ok, and more than anything wants us to know that He loves us.
So, my encouragement today is to ask the Lord how He sees my present situation and circumstances, and what He would call this chapter or season in my life? I want to press into Him to understand His mercy, compassion, forgiveness and faithfulness. I want to understand His heart for me, and His perspective and allow that to fan into flames hope and faith in my heart.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
The Goal is Jesus
This morning I am reflecting on some verses, actually more like most of a chapter, from Paul's letter to the Colossians 2:2-3, 6-17, 20-23 NIV:
[2] "My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, [3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
[6] "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, [7] rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
[8] "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."
[9] "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, [10] and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. [11] In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, [12] having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead."
[13] "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, [14] having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. [15] And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
[16] Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. [17] These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
[20] "Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: [21] “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? [22] These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. [23] Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence."
OK, there is so much in these passages, but this morning I am focusing on the sufficiency of our relationship with and in Christ Jesus. Here are some thoughts pulled directly from Paul's writing above:
1) All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ!
2) We are to live our lives hidden in Him.
3) Our lives of faith must be rooted, and built up in Him.
4) These truths are completely different than human wisdom would teach us.
5) In Christ all the fullness of God lives in bodily form.
6) Jesus is over very power and authority.
7) He put to death our sins and cancelled all our indebtedness as a result of our sin.
8) Our whole flesh was put to death and we were raised to new life through our faith in Him.
9) He set us free from any rules and regulations concerning our religious observance, even from the sabbath regulations.
10) Relationship with Him replaces any religious regulation.
11) It is relationship with Him that fulfills us and helps us in restraining sensual indulgence (our appetites and urges).
In light of that list, it is hard to come up with any logic to pursue anything else, or anyone else for that matter. In and through relationship with Him, our sins are forgiven, we are raised to life, and we are hidden in Him. If we are hidden in Him, then we have access to everything else that is in Him. We can begin to touch all the wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in Him, experience the fullness of the Godhead, and even walk in His authority and power!
As Paul rightly comments, why would we submit ourselves to anything less than Christ Jesus?
For many of us, we have been raised in families that embraced religious observances and regulations. As Paul writes, those things are just shadows of what is found in Christ Jesus. Thus the purpose and fulfillment of these should be relationship with Jesus, the person, not observance for observances sake. He is the supposed to be the sole source of all life, where we connect and grow. While the religious observances might point us in the correct direction, and get us started, it is relationship with Him that is the final and eternal goal.
So, if we are struggling to know something, we should turn to Him, for all wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. If we are battling through some difficult situation we should turn to Him, for He has all power and authority. If we are feeling attacked be the enemy we should allow ourselves to be drawn back into Him, hidden in Him the enemy cannot touch us. If we are struggling to restrain our proclivity for indulgence, we should turn to Him, for it is relationship with Him that brings the necessary truth and light to uncover the lies and deceptions of the enemy, and allows us to draw from His strength and power walk in faith and forgiveness.
Clearly, relationship with Jesus is far more than just an hour or two on Sunday, or some short rote prayers. He desires us to be connected to Him, interacting with Him, growing in relationship with Him. He is meant to be the greatest treasure we will ever encounter in life and He is worthy of a life-long pursuit and investment of our lives.
[2] "My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, [3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
[6] "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, [7] rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
[8] "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."
[9] "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, [10] and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. [11] In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, [12] having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead."
[13] "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, [14] having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. [15] And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
[16] Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. [17] These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
[20] "Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: [21] “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? [22] These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. [23] Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence."
OK, there is so much in these passages, but this morning I am focusing on the sufficiency of our relationship with and in Christ Jesus. Here are some thoughts pulled directly from Paul's writing above:
1) All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ!
2) We are to live our lives hidden in Him.
3) Our lives of faith must be rooted, and built up in Him.
4) These truths are completely different than human wisdom would teach us.
5) In Christ all the fullness of God lives in bodily form.
6) Jesus is over very power and authority.
7) He put to death our sins and cancelled all our indebtedness as a result of our sin.
8) Our whole flesh was put to death and we were raised to new life through our faith in Him.
9) He set us free from any rules and regulations concerning our religious observance, even from the sabbath regulations.
10) Relationship with Him replaces any religious regulation.
11) It is relationship with Him that fulfills us and helps us in restraining sensual indulgence (our appetites and urges).
In light of that list, it is hard to come up with any logic to pursue anything else, or anyone else for that matter. In and through relationship with Him, our sins are forgiven, we are raised to life, and we are hidden in Him. If we are hidden in Him, then we have access to everything else that is in Him. We can begin to touch all the wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in Him, experience the fullness of the Godhead, and even walk in His authority and power!
As Paul rightly comments, why would we submit ourselves to anything less than Christ Jesus?
For many of us, we have been raised in families that embraced religious observances and regulations. As Paul writes, those things are just shadows of what is found in Christ Jesus. Thus the purpose and fulfillment of these should be relationship with Jesus, the person, not observance for observances sake. He is the supposed to be the sole source of all life, where we connect and grow. While the religious observances might point us in the correct direction, and get us started, it is relationship with Him that is the final and eternal goal.
So, if we are struggling to know something, we should turn to Him, for all wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. If we are battling through some difficult situation we should turn to Him, for He has all power and authority. If we are feeling attacked be the enemy we should allow ourselves to be drawn back into Him, hidden in Him the enemy cannot touch us. If we are struggling to restrain our proclivity for indulgence, we should turn to Him, for it is relationship with Him that brings the necessary truth and light to uncover the lies and deceptions of the enemy, and allows us to draw from His strength and power walk in faith and forgiveness.
Clearly, relationship with Jesus is far more than just an hour or two on Sunday, or some short rote prayers. He desires us to be connected to Him, interacting with Him, growing in relationship with Him. He is meant to be the greatest treasure we will ever encounter in life and He is worthy of a life-long pursuit and investment of our lives.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
A Balanced and Healthy Body
This morning I felt like reading from 1 Corinthians 12:4-14, 27-31 NIV:
[4] "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. [5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. [6] There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work."
[7] "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. [8] To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, [10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."
[12] "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. [13] For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body---whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free---and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. [14] Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many."
[27] "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. [28] And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. [29] Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? [30] Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues ? Do all interpret? [31] Now eagerly desire the greater gifts."
"And yet I will show you the most excellent way."
I think one of the most significant statements Paul makes is that these gifts are for the common good (verse 7). In other words, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the roles, ministries, works and responsibilities are all for our benefit, the common good of all the Body of Christ. If any are not being allowed to exercise, then we are missing out on what has been released for our good.
Thinking of the Body of Christ, like a human body, if we only exercise one part of the body, say the bicep on the right arm, then the rest of the body, although partially helped by the increased blood flow from exercise, will not grow into a healthy balanced body. In fact, if one part is exercised to the exclusion of other parts, it is possible to injure the body, as the strong part can overpower that which is not strong, and actually damage the balancing muscle.
The Lord, in His wisdom, made the body to work together, to be fully functional and balanced. The exclusion of any part, causes the body to be crippled in some way. In the same way, Paul writes that the Body of Christ should be well balanced and unified. The gifts should work together, and none at the expense of the others. All the gifts and ministries are needed and required for a balanced and healthy Body, and this is for our common good.
Finally, Paul closes his thinking with the statement that there is a most excellent way, which leads to his comments about Love in the next chapter. His commentary about the gifts and such, should always be understood as being rooted in, and requiring connection to love. This is the most excellent way; operating in love; rooted in love; being filled with love. If love is not our primary motivation then we are missing God's purpose and missing Him, for He is Love (1 John 4:8).
So today, let us pray for a full release of all the Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for unity in the Body of Christ. Finally, let us pray for the body of Christ to fully embrace love as our primary motivation for all things.
[4] "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. [5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. [6] There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work."
[7] "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. [8] To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, [10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."
[12] "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. [13] For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body---whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free---and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. [14] Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many."
[27] "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. [28] And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. [29] Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? [30] Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues ? Do all interpret? [31] Now eagerly desire the greater gifts."
"And yet I will show you the most excellent way."
I think one of the most significant statements Paul makes is that these gifts are for the common good (verse 7). In other words, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the roles, ministries, works and responsibilities are all for our benefit, the common good of all the Body of Christ. If any are not being allowed to exercise, then we are missing out on what has been released for our good.
Thinking of the Body of Christ, like a human body, if we only exercise one part of the body, say the bicep on the right arm, then the rest of the body, although partially helped by the increased blood flow from exercise, will not grow into a healthy balanced body. In fact, if one part is exercised to the exclusion of other parts, it is possible to injure the body, as the strong part can overpower that which is not strong, and actually damage the balancing muscle.
The Lord, in His wisdom, made the body to work together, to be fully functional and balanced. The exclusion of any part, causes the body to be crippled in some way. In the same way, Paul writes that the Body of Christ should be well balanced and unified. The gifts should work together, and none at the expense of the others. All the gifts and ministries are needed and required for a balanced and healthy Body, and this is for our common good.
Finally, Paul closes his thinking with the statement that there is a most excellent way, which leads to his comments about Love in the next chapter. His commentary about the gifts and such, should always be understood as being rooted in, and requiring connection to love. This is the most excellent way; operating in love; rooted in love; being filled with love. If love is not our primary motivation then we are missing God's purpose and missing Him, for He is Love (1 John 4:8).
So today, let us pray for a full release of all the Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for unity in the Body of Christ. Finally, let us pray for the body of Christ to fully embrace love as our primary motivation for all things.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Don't Worry, Turn To The Lord!
This morning I felt like reading from Luke's Gospel, and as always, in my reading I found verses that apply directly to my present situation. Here are the verses I am reflecting upon - Luke 12:22-34 NIV:
[22] "Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. [23] For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. [24] Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! [25] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life ? [26] Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
[27] “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [28] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you---you of little faith! [29] And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. [30] For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
[32] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
One of my first thoughts, after reading these passages, was how interesting it is that so little has changed since Jesus lived on earth. If I were to quickly classify the commercials on TV, it is amazing how many of them are directed at food, clothing and possessions. Jesus' statement that "the pagan world runs after all such things" made me stop and check my heart! How much time do I think about, plan my day around, or worry about my possessions, my next meal, or my clothing? The Greek word used by Luke for worry is merimnao and it means dealing with cares or anxiety. One of the original root words is merizo and it means divide or separate into parts. So, Jesus' point appears to be that if we are divided in our focus, our attention and our pursuits, we will have a hard time following after the Lord, for we are constantly turning our attention to other things.
I would say that Jesus is spot on in His statement, for this is exactly my experience. I find my attention and focus on the Lord is easily distracted and it usually happens as my life gets busy and becomes filled up with other concerns. I am presently going through job transition and I find myself looking to my own strength and plans in my thoughts. I start to worry, and when I do, I start to doubt God's plan, purpose and provision. Rather than doubling down on my turning to the Lord, listening to what He is saying, letting His previous words to me settle my mind and heart, I instead start thinking what I can do, and start leaning into my own strength.
In Jeremiah 17, the Lord, through the prophet makes a very interesting comparison that has consistently been my anchor in life. Here are the verses - Jeremiah 17:5-8 NIV:
[5] "This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
[6] That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
[7] “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
[8] They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
The theme of these verses is trust and focus. If we trust in man, in our own strength, than our focus becomes distracted and turns away from the Lord. It is interesting to note that in verse 6, the Lord says that prosperity will come , but the one trusting in their own strength won't see it. I think that is because they are looking in the opposite direction. In the end, their dwelling place becomes parched desert, absent of the water of life. It is interesting that the Lord describes this life as a bush in the desert. Bushes there are generally stunted, have very little if any fruit, and are generally very dry - not a nice sounding image for a life.
The Lord contrasts the earlier statement with one who continues to trust in the Lord. The Lord says this person is like a tree planted by the water. Generally trees planted by water are tall and green, full of lush vegetation and visible to all around (think Palm covered Oasis in the middle of the desert, or Cottonwoods growing in the middle of the great plains of America) The Lord says that heat and drought still come, but instead of turning an area into parched dessert, and causing the bush to be stunted, the tree continues to grow, be nourished and produce fruit!
I know I would much rather be the tree planted by the water, and according to the Lord, it is all the result of our trust and focus. If we trust the Lord, turning to Him, we become like the tree planted by the water. If we trust in ourselves and turn away from Him, we become like the desert bush.
Going back to the verses from Luke's Gospel, Jesus appears to be revealing the heart of the Father as it relates to focus and trust. He says that the Father is fully intending to provide everything we need, food, clothes, and possessions. We don't need to worry about these things, for it is part of His nature and character to provide and care for those things that He has created. The greater invitation is to embrace the Lord, turn our attention to the things He is focused upon (His Kingdom) and have confidence in Him. He knows what we need to live, and what we need to fulfill His Kingdom purposes, and plans to provide those things. He is after our heart, and wants to be our sole focus and the only one we turn to.
If we can train our hearts and minds to turn toward the Lord, rather than away from the Lord, than our life will be filled with the necessary provision and freedom from worry, for our identity and purpose become anchored in God and His abilities, not our own. Jesus goes on and encourages even greater freedom, by selling one's possessions and giving to the poor. Having recently down-sized our house and possessions, I can say this definitely works. We have less to be concerned with, our house requires less upkeep and less time to care for it, so we are more free to do other things with our time and money. It gave us great joy to give many of our possessions to those in need, and to the poor through several excellent charities. We were blessed to be able to be a blessing to others.
Finally, the Lord's desire for us all is to understand His heart for us. He desires to bless, and He says that He is pleased to give us the Kingdom! The Greek word used by Luke in recording Jesus' words, saying the Father is pleased to "give us" the Kingdom, is the word Eudokeo. It means one's good pleasure, or that one has chosen gladly. Think about that for a moment - the Father has chosen gladly to give us the KINGDOM, His KINGDOM! If we could wrap our head fully around this statement and learn to live from this place, we would never worry, never doubt and live a life that is full of His Life!
Oh Lord, help me to understand and embrace this invitation, and turn my eyes and heart fully to You, regardless of the circumstances and situation I find myself in! You are a good, good Father and are worthy of all my trust. Help me to not be distracted by lesser things and other concerns.
Amen!
[22] "Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. [23] For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. [24] Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! [25] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life ? [26] Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
[27] “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [28] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you---you of little faith! [29] And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. [30] For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
[32] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
One of my first thoughts, after reading these passages, was how interesting it is that so little has changed since Jesus lived on earth. If I were to quickly classify the commercials on TV, it is amazing how many of them are directed at food, clothing and possessions. Jesus' statement that "the pagan world runs after all such things" made me stop and check my heart! How much time do I think about, plan my day around, or worry about my possessions, my next meal, or my clothing? The Greek word used by Luke for worry is merimnao and it means dealing with cares or anxiety. One of the original root words is merizo and it means divide or separate into parts. So, Jesus' point appears to be that if we are divided in our focus, our attention and our pursuits, we will have a hard time following after the Lord, for we are constantly turning our attention to other things.
I would say that Jesus is spot on in His statement, for this is exactly my experience. I find my attention and focus on the Lord is easily distracted and it usually happens as my life gets busy and becomes filled up with other concerns. I am presently going through job transition and I find myself looking to my own strength and plans in my thoughts. I start to worry, and when I do, I start to doubt God's plan, purpose and provision. Rather than doubling down on my turning to the Lord, listening to what He is saying, letting His previous words to me settle my mind and heart, I instead start thinking what I can do, and start leaning into my own strength.
In Jeremiah 17, the Lord, through the prophet makes a very interesting comparison that has consistently been my anchor in life. Here are the verses - Jeremiah 17:5-8 NIV:
[5] "This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
[6] That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
[7] “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
[8] They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
The theme of these verses is trust and focus. If we trust in man, in our own strength, than our focus becomes distracted and turns away from the Lord. It is interesting to note that in verse 6, the Lord says that prosperity will come , but the one trusting in their own strength won't see it. I think that is because they are looking in the opposite direction. In the end, their dwelling place becomes parched desert, absent of the water of life. It is interesting that the Lord describes this life as a bush in the desert. Bushes there are generally stunted, have very little if any fruit, and are generally very dry - not a nice sounding image for a life.
The Lord contrasts the earlier statement with one who continues to trust in the Lord. The Lord says this person is like a tree planted by the water. Generally trees planted by water are tall and green, full of lush vegetation and visible to all around (think Palm covered Oasis in the middle of the desert, or Cottonwoods growing in the middle of the great plains of America) The Lord says that heat and drought still come, but instead of turning an area into parched dessert, and causing the bush to be stunted, the tree continues to grow, be nourished and produce fruit!
I know I would much rather be the tree planted by the water, and according to the Lord, it is all the result of our trust and focus. If we trust the Lord, turning to Him, we become like the tree planted by the water. If we trust in ourselves and turn away from Him, we become like the desert bush.
Going back to the verses from Luke's Gospel, Jesus appears to be revealing the heart of the Father as it relates to focus and trust. He says that the Father is fully intending to provide everything we need, food, clothes, and possessions. We don't need to worry about these things, for it is part of His nature and character to provide and care for those things that He has created. The greater invitation is to embrace the Lord, turn our attention to the things He is focused upon (His Kingdom) and have confidence in Him. He knows what we need to live, and what we need to fulfill His Kingdom purposes, and plans to provide those things. He is after our heart, and wants to be our sole focus and the only one we turn to.
If we can train our hearts and minds to turn toward the Lord, rather than away from the Lord, than our life will be filled with the necessary provision and freedom from worry, for our identity and purpose become anchored in God and His abilities, not our own. Jesus goes on and encourages even greater freedom, by selling one's possessions and giving to the poor. Having recently down-sized our house and possessions, I can say this definitely works. We have less to be concerned with, our house requires less upkeep and less time to care for it, so we are more free to do other things with our time and money. It gave us great joy to give many of our possessions to those in need, and to the poor through several excellent charities. We were blessed to be able to be a blessing to others.
Finally, the Lord's desire for us all is to understand His heart for us. He desires to bless, and He says that He is pleased to give us the Kingdom! The Greek word used by Luke in recording Jesus' words, saying the Father is pleased to "give us" the Kingdom, is the word Eudokeo. It means one's good pleasure, or that one has chosen gladly. Think about that for a moment - the Father has chosen gladly to give us the KINGDOM, His KINGDOM! If we could wrap our head fully around this statement and learn to live from this place, we would never worry, never doubt and live a life that is full of His Life!
Oh Lord, help me to understand and embrace this invitation, and turn my eyes and heart fully to You, regardless of the circumstances and situation I find myself in! You are a good, good Father and are worthy of all my trust. Help me to not be distracted by lesser things and other concerns.
Amen!
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Pursuing One Thing
This morning I am reflecting on the difference in mindsets between King Solomon and Paul. King Solomon was a very wise King, but he lived in a time before the revelation of Christ Jesus and the invitation to relationship with Him. His reflection on life is found in the Book of Ecclesiastes and is pretty much hopeless. Paul, on the other hand, has experienced much success in life and in his previous Pharisitical position. However, after being introduced to Christ Jesus, while on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-19), Paul has discovered that His life has greater meaning and purpose, a higher calling that He is willing to pursue no matter the cost. The contrast between the two is striking.
Here is a summary of Solomon's thinking from the book of Ecclesiastes 9:1-2, 7-10 NIV:
[1] "So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. [2] All share a common destiny---the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not."
"As it is with the good, so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them.
[7] "Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. [8] Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. [9] Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun---all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. [10] Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."
Solomon seemed to have no knowledge of eternal life, and seems to have forgotten the purpose in life He was given by His father David (1 Chron 28: 5 ff) and in the end concluded that the best a person could do was to eat, drink, be merry, enjoy the days for all were meaningless, so you might as well find joy. Reading through the book of Ecclesiastes is actually pretty discouraging, for in his writings, you find unenlightened truth, and it is pretty dark and hopeless. However, from Paul we see a recognition that pursuing relationship with Christ Jesus is of more value than anything else. He is full of life and hope and purpose. His ultimate personal motivation is captured in his letter to the Philippians 3:4-14 NIV:
[4]..."though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: [5] circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; [6] as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless."
[7] "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. [8] What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ---the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. [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, [11] and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. [12] Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."
[13] "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Paul had achieved much, had studied under the most famous teacher, had been recognized as a leader and appeared to be a rising star in the religious/political realm of the Pharisees, yet after meeting Jesus he considered this all rubbish, not out of hopeless recognition that his days were meaningless, but rather because he found a greater purpose, a greater calling. It wasn't that he threw away everything because it was trashy, but rather he recognized how much better life in relationship with Jesus was than everything else, any of his successes or previous accomplishments. In comparison, everything else was rubbish or had no comparable value. In fact, in light of what was before him, even the good works of yesterday, performed while in relationship with Jesus, were not worth a moments thought, for compared to Jesus, all else is worthless and meaningless.
Paul, is also possessed of an awareness that His life does have purpose, for Christ Jesus took hold of him, selecting him to be His representative. Paul knows his ultimate destiny is heaven, and in this light sees his life as worthwhile, and filled with purpose. He knows his days are numbered, as all of ours are, but presses forward to "win the prize". What a great purpose driven life he had, once he met Jesus.
So my prayer and reflection today is that we would each come to know that our lives have purpose and meaning, and that these are ultimately driven and defined through our relationship with Jesus. He has called us, and chosen us since before the creation of the world (Eph. 1:4). If we really meet Him and consider all else we are pursuing compared to Him, we will see that He is the only pursuit worthy of everything.
In this light, I find purpose and reason for my life, more than just eating, drinking and merriment (all of which I enjoy immensely). He is to be my one thing.
Amen!
Here is a summary of Solomon's thinking from the book of Ecclesiastes 9:1-2, 7-10 NIV:
[1] "So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. [2] All share a common destiny---the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not."
"As it is with the good, so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them.
[7] "Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. [8] Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. [9] Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun---all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. [10] Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."
Solomon seemed to have no knowledge of eternal life, and seems to have forgotten the purpose in life He was given by His father David (1 Chron 28: 5 ff) and in the end concluded that the best a person could do was to eat, drink, be merry, enjoy the days for all were meaningless, so you might as well find joy. Reading through the book of Ecclesiastes is actually pretty discouraging, for in his writings, you find unenlightened truth, and it is pretty dark and hopeless. However, from Paul we see a recognition that pursuing relationship with Christ Jesus is of more value than anything else. He is full of life and hope and purpose. His ultimate personal motivation is captured in his letter to the Philippians 3:4-14 NIV:
[4]..."though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: [5] circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; [6] as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless."
[7] "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. [8] What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ---the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. [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, [11] and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. [12] Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."
[13] "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Paul had achieved much, had studied under the most famous teacher, had been recognized as a leader and appeared to be a rising star in the religious/political realm of the Pharisees, yet after meeting Jesus he considered this all rubbish, not out of hopeless recognition that his days were meaningless, but rather because he found a greater purpose, a greater calling. It wasn't that he threw away everything because it was trashy, but rather he recognized how much better life in relationship with Jesus was than everything else, any of his successes or previous accomplishments. In comparison, everything else was rubbish or had no comparable value. In fact, in light of what was before him, even the good works of yesterday, performed while in relationship with Jesus, were not worth a moments thought, for compared to Jesus, all else is worthless and meaningless.
Paul, is also possessed of an awareness that His life does have purpose, for Christ Jesus took hold of him, selecting him to be His representative. Paul knows his ultimate destiny is heaven, and in this light sees his life as worthwhile, and filled with purpose. He knows his days are numbered, as all of ours are, but presses forward to "win the prize". What a great purpose driven life he had, once he met Jesus.
So my prayer and reflection today is that we would each come to know that our lives have purpose and meaning, and that these are ultimately driven and defined through our relationship with Jesus. He has called us, and chosen us since before the creation of the world (Eph. 1:4). If we really meet Him and consider all else we are pursuing compared to Him, we will see that He is the only pursuit worthy of everything.
In this light, I find purpose and reason for my life, more than just eating, drinking and merriment (all of which I enjoy immensely). He is to be my one thing.
Amen!
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