I felt like reading from the end of Paul's letter to the church in Colossae. As I was reading his closing remarks, a couple things he wrote caused me to take pause. Here are the verses - Colossians 4:2-6 NIV:
[2] "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. [3] And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. [4] Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. [5] Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. [6] Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
First, his encouragement to be watchful and thankful. This doesn't sound too strange, but in our modern day language, I think the more common expression would be to be watchful and careful. It struck me that Paul might be addressing an underlying mindset, of gratitude for all things, even difficult things. I recently was watching a Bill Johnson sermon on difficult seasons ( https://youtu.be/CSLKnRYaPQI) and he was talking about the fact that there are some things you only learn about God when you walk through "the valley of the shadow of death" (Ps 23:4). He wasn't advocating difficult seasons, but was saying that by keeping His heart and mind fixed on the Lord in the midst of this difficult season, he was able to grow in his relationship and faith.
Secondly, another perspective about the watchful and thankful encouragement might be that Paul is urging the people to be constantly on the lookout for those God arranged meetings, those divine encounters. He does finish that paragraph speaking about how we act towards outsiders, making the most of every opportunity, and maybe this directive is pointing at that thought.
My mind immediately goes to an idea that this is related to sharing my faith. I tend to be somewhat fearful of opportunities to share the Lord with those outside of church. It is mostly due to my fear of man, and fear of rejection. How different would my response be if I prayed for a thankful heart and thankful perspective in these instances, that instead of meeting the situation with fear, I meet it with a heart of gratitude that God has entrusted some small influence in the other person's life to me? Maybe my mind would change from a "I have to", to more of a "I get to" share.
Here is another radical thought, maybe I can just focus on loving the person I meet, and make that my goal, rather than being all worried about sharing my faith. Not that I shy away from sharing my faith, but focusing instead on the primary command of the Lord to love one another (John 13:34). It is my experience that if I am empathetic, if I am compassionate and willing to care for, encourage and help someone, they are almost always grateful! I can allow my kindness and personal interest in them speak of their value and worth to me, and to the Lord! I can determine to let my conversation be full of grace, and ready to share my love and my relationship with God, if asked or the opportunity presents itself. If I take my focus off of having to share, and instead look at the opportunity of loving someone who needs to know they are loved and lovely, then I find that I can embrace the opportunity with thankfulness!
Lord, I am encouraged this morning to be prayerful, watchful and thankful for opportunities to love, opportunities to be kind, opportunities to extend mercy and grace. Thank You Lord that You have decided that I am trustworthy of extending Your love and mercy to others.
Amen!
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
Vain Imaginations
Lately, the Lord has been helping me to take more and more control of my thought life. Of late, He has been giving me freedom from what I like to call 'vain imaginations'. So this morning I was doing some additional research into this type of thinking and came across two scriptural references that are related. I looked up "vain imaginations" and it is from Romans 1:21 KJV: "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
The other verse that includes vain thinking if in Philippians 2:3-4 NIV: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
As I dug into the original Greek , I found it interesting that words translated vain in these two verses have a couple of different roots. The Greek Word translated vain conceit, is "Kenodoxia" and it means vain glory, groundless, self esteem, empty pride. The focus is on empty or fruitless, as in 'they tried in vain'. The Greek words translated in the KJV as vain imaginations are "Mataioo" meaning empty, vain or foolish and "Dialogismos" meaning the thinking of a man deliberating with himself, internally. I guess they basically mean the same thing, empty internal thoughts or concerns about oneself. The key is that they are fruitless and self focused. For me the only fruit they bear is temptation and sin generally, as they lead me down paths of pride and selfishness, neither of which is blessed by the Lord.
It works this way in my life. I imagine that people are looking at me, talking about me, noticing me for an endless number of reasons, most of which are quite ridiculous. It might be the car I am driving, its either good looking, or dirty and so I think people are thinking about me, as I am driving it. How often do we think about the other people we see driving, and how often is that thought more than a momentary judgment on their driving ability? Other times it is based on my appearance, my clothes, or hair, of carriage, and I think people are noticing me, thinking about me, or talking about me. Again, if I am grocery shopping, how often do I spend time thinking about others? If I do, its related to how I think they are thinking about me, and really for almost no other reason. It is this crazy self-focused perspective that takes me out of connection with the Father, because I am listening to my own empty thoughts, rather than listening to Him. Ultimately it is fruitless (for the Kingdom) thinking that only causes me to have anxiety or pride, and neither is beneficial to me. I could go on and on, as there is seemingly no end to the different imaginations I have about myself.
My desire is to become more like the Lord, and learn to listen to the Father at all times. Jesus demonstrated this in His life as a human, which means its possible for me to do as well. Listening to the Lord, grounds us in His perspective, rather than in our selfish perspective. We can have imaginations, but they are based on His call and invitations to relationship and Kingdom service. He desires that we have dreams and visions for our future, but wants them to line up with His purpose and His relationship in our lives. Sometimes He releases dreams and prophetic words over our lives to help us focus our thinking and imaginations. He wants our thoughts to bear good fruit, not empty conjecture, anxiety or pride.
I can remember, as a child, playing games, like baseball, basketball or other pursuits. Part of my thinking was how great I could be, re-enacting last minute heroics, and such! That was all good for a child, as God wants us to have hopes and dreams. As an adult, the Lord actually has even higher thoughts than those about us, for He sees us from His eternal perspective and sees all that we are capable of doing, in Him, and it is far greater than the momentary glory of a game winning last basket. We have in us the ability to effect eternal change, to walk in His authority and Power, to wage spiritual warfare, to bring healing and deliverance, to release life changing power, and He wants us thinking about those things!
So this morning, I am encouraged to recognize those empty lines of thinking and stop them before I get started. I want to think about things that will bear good fruit! I want to learn to listen to the Lord, and to do that I need to stop my own talking (internally). Lord, I pray that you will open my eyes to how You see me, open my ears to hear what You have to say to me and about me, and learn to rid myself of my vain imaginations!
Amen!
The other verse that includes vain thinking if in Philippians 2:3-4 NIV: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
As I dug into the original Greek , I found it interesting that words translated vain in these two verses have a couple of different roots. The Greek Word translated vain conceit, is "Kenodoxia" and it means vain glory, groundless, self esteem, empty pride. The focus is on empty or fruitless, as in 'they tried in vain'. The Greek words translated in the KJV as vain imaginations are "Mataioo" meaning empty, vain or foolish and "Dialogismos" meaning the thinking of a man deliberating with himself, internally. I guess they basically mean the same thing, empty internal thoughts or concerns about oneself. The key is that they are fruitless and self focused. For me the only fruit they bear is temptation and sin generally, as they lead me down paths of pride and selfishness, neither of which is blessed by the Lord.
It works this way in my life. I imagine that people are looking at me, talking about me, noticing me for an endless number of reasons, most of which are quite ridiculous. It might be the car I am driving, its either good looking, or dirty and so I think people are thinking about me, as I am driving it. How often do we think about the other people we see driving, and how often is that thought more than a momentary judgment on their driving ability? Other times it is based on my appearance, my clothes, or hair, of carriage, and I think people are noticing me, thinking about me, or talking about me. Again, if I am grocery shopping, how often do I spend time thinking about others? If I do, its related to how I think they are thinking about me, and really for almost no other reason. It is this crazy self-focused perspective that takes me out of connection with the Father, because I am listening to my own empty thoughts, rather than listening to Him. Ultimately it is fruitless (for the Kingdom) thinking that only causes me to have anxiety or pride, and neither is beneficial to me. I could go on and on, as there is seemingly no end to the different imaginations I have about myself.
My desire is to become more like the Lord, and learn to listen to the Father at all times. Jesus demonstrated this in His life as a human, which means its possible for me to do as well. Listening to the Lord, grounds us in His perspective, rather than in our selfish perspective. We can have imaginations, but they are based on His call and invitations to relationship and Kingdom service. He desires that we have dreams and visions for our future, but wants them to line up with His purpose and His relationship in our lives. Sometimes He releases dreams and prophetic words over our lives to help us focus our thinking and imaginations. He wants our thoughts to bear good fruit, not empty conjecture, anxiety or pride.
I can remember, as a child, playing games, like baseball, basketball or other pursuits. Part of my thinking was how great I could be, re-enacting last minute heroics, and such! That was all good for a child, as God wants us to have hopes and dreams. As an adult, the Lord actually has even higher thoughts than those about us, for He sees us from His eternal perspective and sees all that we are capable of doing, in Him, and it is far greater than the momentary glory of a game winning last basket. We have in us the ability to effect eternal change, to walk in His authority and Power, to wage spiritual warfare, to bring healing and deliverance, to release life changing power, and He wants us thinking about those things!
So this morning, I am encouraged to recognize those empty lines of thinking and stop them before I get started. I want to think about things that will bear good fruit! I want to learn to listen to the Lord, and to do that I need to stop my own talking (internally). Lord, I pray that you will open my eyes to how You see me, open my ears to hear what You have to say to me and about me, and learn to rid myself of my vain imaginations!
Amen!
Friday, February 23, 2018
We Need the Apostles!
This morning I am reflecting on God's amazing relational expression of life, namely the Church, or as Paul describes us, the Body of Christ. Within this context there are many unique giftings and callings and functions, but always the same Body. The Church and the Body of Christ really are synonymous. I am meditating on Paul's description of this found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-14,18-20,27 NASB:
[4] "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. [5] And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. [6] There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. [7] But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [8] For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. [11] But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills."
[12] "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. [13] For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."
[14] "For the body is not one member, but many."
[18] "But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. [19] If they were all one member, where would the body be? [20] But now there are many members, but one body."
[27] "Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it."
You will notice that I picked out verses where Paul kept referring to our membership in the Body. I wanted to focus on that particular truth this morning, for we can lose sight of this reality in our selfish worldview. It is easy to become focused on ourselves, focused on our gift, or our ministry, or service and lose sight of the fact that we are connected to the greater Body of Christ. In fact, it is right and true to say that God placed us in the Body (His Body) as HE desired, gave us gifts as He desired and He expects us to work together.
Even back then, Paul saw the propensity for people to become so myopic, concerning their gifts or ministries, that they lose sight of the greater Body of Christ, and he was calling them back to this understanding. Every church in every town and city, every ministry, every service work, every gifting is in place for the greater good, the common good of the entire Body of Christ. We all have the same goal, and competition should never be a part of our focus or drive. My right hand is not in competition with my left hand, they are supposed to work together and compliment one another, sharing the load. They rely on my wrists, arms, bones, muscles and tendons to move or accomplish anything at all. Wouldn't it be great if all similar ministries in a city got together and realized they were all meant to work together and complement one another?!
Paul writes very clearly that all gifts, and all ministries and service (effects) are given for the common good (verses 6 & 7 above), and for the body to work well, it can be no other way. Yet we find in the local body of Christ, competition and expressions of distrust and disagreement, duplication and judgment. Oh that we would see ourselves as truly part of the same body, all working for the common good! Oh, that we would be willing to direct our members to other expressions of service, ministry or points of connection where they fit better.
I see this as where the church really is missing the role of the Apostle, for they are tasked with the overseeing, directing and growing of the overall church. One could almost say they are supposed to be "life coaches" for the life of the local expressions of the Body of Christ (the individual churches in a city or region). Instead or apostolic direction we find very little coordination, different lines of leadership that are denominationally aligned, with very little intra-body and intra-member communication. Instead of operating like a real body, we find limited communication, limited coordination and even limited relationship. Oh Lord, bring forth the Apostles, those who operate in Your authority and power, given for the directing, overseeing and coordination for the Common good of the entire Body of Christ.
Lord, we pray that You would raise up in Your church, those men and women who You have placed as You desired, for our common good, as Your apostles. Lord, we pray that You help us to break down the walls of division, distrust, disagreement and disunity! Help us to come together as Your true Body, embracing one another as members of the same body, working together to expand Your Kingdom! Holy Spirit, help Your Church!
Amen!
[4] "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. [5] And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. [6] There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. [7] But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [8] For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. [11] But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills."
[12] "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. [13] For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."
[14] "For the body is not one member, but many."
[18] "But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. [19] If they were all one member, where would the body be? [20] But now there are many members, but one body."
[27] "Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it."
You will notice that I picked out verses where Paul kept referring to our membership in the Body. I wanted to focus on that particular truth this morning, for we can lose sight of this reality in our selfish worldview. It is easy to become focused on ourselves, focused on our gift, or our ministry, or service and lose sight of the fact that we are connected to the greater Body of Christ. In fact, it is right and true to say that God placed us in the Body (His Body) as HE desired, gave us gifts as He desired and He expects us to work together.
Even back then, Paul saw the propensity for people to become so myopic, concerning their gifts or ministries, that they lose sight of the greater Body of Christ, and he was calling them back to this understanding. Every church in every town and city, every ministry, every service work, every gifting is in place for the greater good, the common good of the entire Body of Christ. We all have the same goal, and competition should never be a part of our focus or drive. My right hand is not in competition with my left hand, they are supposed to work together and compliment one another, sharing the load. They rely on my wrists, arms, bones, muscles and tendons to move or accomplish anything at all. Wouldn't it be great if all similar ministries in a city got together and realized they were all meant to work together and complement one another?!
Paul writes very clearly that all gifts, and all ministries and service (effects) are given for the common good (verses 6 & 7 above), and for the body to work well, it can be no other way. Yet we find in the local body of Christ, competition and expressions of distrust and disagreement, duplication and judgment. Oh that we would see ourselves as truly part of the same body, all working for the common good! Oh, that we would be willing to direct our members to other expressions of service, ministry or points of connection where they fit better.
I see this as where the church really is missing the role of the Apostle, for they are tasked with the overseeing, directing and growing of the overall church. One could almost say they are supposed to be "life coaches" for the life of the local expressions of the Body of Christ (the individual churches in a city or region). Instead or apostolic direction we find very little coordination, different lines of leadership that are denominationally aligned, with very little intra-body and intra-member communication. Instead of operating like a real body, we find limited communication, limited coordination and even limited relationship. Oh Lord, bring forth the Apostles, those who operate in Your authority and power, given for the directing, overseeing and coordination for the Common good of the entire Body of Christ.
Lord, we pray that You would raise up in Your church, those men and women who You have placed as You desired, for our common good, as Your apostles. Lord, we pray that You help us to break down the walls of division, distrust, disagreement and disunity! Help us to come together as Your true Body, embracing one another as members of the same body, working together to expand Your Kingdom! Holy Spirit, help Your Church!
Amen!
Growing in Belief!
Last night I was reflecting on my lack of belief and faith in regards to answered prayer. It is an ugly thing when you are confronted with your own unbelief. I don't know how to move past this point of believing that God can and will move, but still having doubts and low expectations. I know faith comes from hearing (Rom 10:17). I think my response is similar to the man whose son the apostles couldn't heal, "Lord, I believe, help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24NIV).
In light of last night's reflections, this morning I am once again drawn back to some of my favorite verses from John's Gospel. I have been reflecting on these words and hoping in these words for most of my adult life. I believe they are true and that we will see an increase in our experience of the truth communicated here by Jesus. Here are the verses - John 14:9-14 NLT:
[9] "Jesus replied, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? [10] Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. [11] Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do."
[12] "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [13] You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. [14] Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!"
- And following these with Jesus' continuation of the theme of indwelling - John 14:20,23 NLT:
[20] "When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you."
[23] "Jesus replied, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them."
In the same way that Jesus described the Father living in Him (verse 10 above), He describes Himself and the Father living in us! It is the same level of relationship and intimacy from God's perspective. He lives in us! He LIVES in us! He lives IN us! He live in US!
I don't think we can think on that truth too much! It was the Father living in Jesus who did His work through Jesus (Jn 14:10), and the proof of that was in the works that Jesus did (Jn 14:11)! Oh Lord, that is one of the paths forward to see and believe in the works that You do! Help me to listen and hear, to look and see all that You are about in the world, all that You are doing! Help me to grow in belief through the works that You are doing!
Amen!
In light of last night's reflections, this morning I am once again drawn back to some of my favorite verses from John's Gospel. I have been reflecting on these words and hoping in these words for most of my adult life. I believe they are true and that we will see an increase in our experience of the truth communicated here by Jesus. Here are the verses - John 14:9-14 NLT:
[9] "Jesus replied, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? [10] Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. [11] Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do."
[12] "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [13] You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. [14] Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!"
- And following these with Jesus' continuation of the theme of indwelling - John 14:20,23 NLT:
[20] "When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you."
[23] "Jesus replied, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them."
In the same way that Jesus described the Father living in Him (verse 10 above), He describes Himself and the Father living in us! It is the same level of relationship and intimacy from God's perspective. He lives in us! He LIVES in us! He lives IN us! He live in US!
I don't think we can think on that truth too much! It was the Father living in Jesus who did His work through Jesus (Jn 14:10), and the proof of that was in the works that Jesus did (Jn 14:11)! Oh Lord, that is one of the paths forward to see and believe in the works that You do! Help me to listen and hear, to look and see all that You are about in the world, all that You are doing! Help me to grow in belief through the works that You are doing!
Amen!
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
The Prayers of the Righteous Are Powerful & We Are Righteous In Jesus
The verses I am reflecting on this morning come from the last chapter of James' letter - James 5:13-18 NIV:
[13] "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. [14] Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. [16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
[17] "Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. [18] Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."
My point of reflection is the last sentence quoted above, how Elijah prayed and the heavens gave rain! So often when I read those verses, I am drawn to think of them as focused on the dry season that occurred as a result of Elijah's prayer, but this morning I was drawn to the second, to the praying for rain. I am particularly drawn to the impact the rain had, it watered the earth which produced its crops. The rain was the cause of increase!
Recently I had a word that spoke of rain falling, and while we often look at rain as a sign of blessings, with natural rain it is the after-effect of the rain that produces the increase. The rain itself is welcome as it washes and cleanses, but it is the watering of the soil, that causes the seeds to sprout and the trees to produce fruit. Rain while necessary to quench our thirst, has a much longer impact in producing crops! I guess you could say it is really a triple blessing, it washes and cleanses, it quenches our thirst and it allows the earth to produce its crops. I could definitely use that triple blessing in my life - cleansing, refreshing, quenching of my thirst for God, and abundance from a harvest!
James wrote the following immediately preceding his comments on Elijah - " The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." As I read that I was thinking that I wish I was more righteous, that my prayers might be more effective. Almost immediately I was reminded of the fact that I am righteous because of what Jesus has done, not because of my works. I can allow His righteousness to affect me and change me, as I become more like Him, but the only righteousness I have in God's presence is Jesus' righteousness! (See Rom 3:10-31 for Paul's introduction to Righteousness by Faith). Thus, although I am certainly not righteous on my own, in Jesus, I am righteous, and my prayers are powerful and effective! Said another way, if I am hidden in Christ (Col 3:3) then when I pray, my prayers are coming out of Jesus, and are ascribed His righteousness, and there is no one more righteous!
This morning I am greatly encouraged that my prayers, offered in faith through Jesus are powerful and effective! I am encouraged that just as Elijah called forth rain, which brought a heavenly directed blessing and abundance, I am also able to release prayers that are every bit as effective! Oh Lord, stir up my faith that I might fully grasp my hiddenness in You, that I might release Your very prayers, even as You release the Father's blessing! You promised us, "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. [28] I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (John 16:26-28 NIV). We are praying to the Father, through You, and He is receiving our prayers in Your name, in the His very throne room!
Wow! Amen!
[13] "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. [14] Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. [16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
[17] "Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. [18] Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."
My point of reflection is the last sentence quoted above, how Elijah prayed and the heavens gave rain! So often when I read those verses, I am drawn to think of them as focused on the dry season that occurred as a result of Elijah's prayer, but this morning I was drawn to the second, to the praying for rain. I am particularly drawn to the impact the rain had, it watered the earth which produced its crops. The rain was the cause of increase!
Recently I had a word that spoke of rain falling, and while we often look at rain as a sign of blessings, with natural rain it is the after-effect of the rain that produces the increase. The rain itself is welcome as it washes and cleanses, but it is the watering of the soil, that causes the seeds to sprout and the trees to produce fruit. Rain while necessary to quench our thirst, has a much longer impact in producing crops! I guess you could say it is really a triple blessing, it washes and cleanses, it quenches our thirst and it allows the earth to produce its crops. I could definitely use that triple blessing in my life - cleansing, refreshing, quenching of my thirst for God, and abundance from a harvest!
James wrote the following immediately preceding his comments on Elijah - " The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." As I read that I was thinking that I wish I was more righteous, that my prayers might be more effective. Almost immediately I was reminded of the fact that I am righteous because of what Jesus has done, not because of my works. I can allow His righteousness to affect me and change me, as I become more like Him, but the only righteousness I have in God's presence is Jesus' righteousness! (See Rom 3:10-31 for Paul's introduction to Righteousness by Faith). Thus, although I am certainly not righteous on my own, in Jesus, I am righteous, and my prayers are powerful and effective! Said another way, if I am hidden in Christ (Col 3:3) then when I pray, my prayers are coming out of Jesus, and are ascribed His righteousness, and there is no one more righteous!
This morning I am greatly encouraged that my prayers, offered in faith through Jesus are powerful and effective! I am encouraged that just as Elijah called forth rain, which brought a heavenly directed blessing and abundance, I am also able to release prayers that are every bit as effective! Oh Lord, stir up my faith that I might fully grasp my hiddenness in You, that I might release Your very prayers, even as You release the Father's blessing! You promised us, "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. [28] I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (John 16:26-28 NIV). We are praying to the Father, through You, and He is receiving our prayers in Your name, in the His very throne room!
Wow! Amen!
Monday, February 19, 2018
A Gospel Reminder/Refresher
This morning I felt like I should read from Paul's letter to Titus, who was one of his spiritual sons and helpers. It is an interesting letter, and certainly more of a personal note than theological treatise.
The first thing that caught my eye was how Paul describes himself in his opening greeting. I am grateful I don't have to introduce myself this way, as I would need to take a couple of breaths to say it all! :-)
Titus 1:1-3 NIV:
[1] "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness--- [2] in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, [3] and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,.."
His introduction makes me breathe hard and makes my brain hurt, trying to keep his description straight. It is almost like he is trying to fit the Gospel into his opening description of his title. Although somewhat humorous, I think the point is simply this, Paul lived the Gospel! It was that which was his complete focus and life goal to eat, sleep and breathe the Gospel. Oh, what a glorious Gospel it is!
The second section that I am reflecting on is his short synopsis of the Gospel found in the second chapter - Titus 2:11-14 NIV:
[11] "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. [12] It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, [13] while we wait for the blessed hope---the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, [14] who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
Paul has the ability to pack so much information into just a few sentences. It is clear that these are the bullet points of the Gospel, as He proclaims it. It is first and foremost about the grace of God that offers salvation to all people, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, man or woman, regardless of race or nation (Col 3:11). It is an offer of salvation that any can respond to, and that comes with real help to change. This help, although not mentioned here by Paul, is clearly the Holy Spirit, the one who teaches and instructs (John 6:13), advocates and informs (John 15:26-27), reminds and reveals God's wisdom. He is the seal of our salvation the guarantee of what is promised (Eph 1:13-14). It is through the Holy Spirit's help that we are enabled to change, for He brings real power and authority, breathes relationship through the spirit of adoption as God's own children (Rom 8:15). Finally, Paul finishes his sentence drawing us back to Jesus' perfect sacrifice, his setting us free, and His promise of eternal life and final glorification upon His return to earth to gather all who believe.
In Paul's mind it seems everything relates back to the Gospel. Although he talks about followers being self-controlled, upright, godly, pure and eager to do what is good people, his teaching is that this is a joyful response to relationship through the Gospel of Grace. He starts by reminding Titus of the Gospel of grace, and ends with people joyfully waiting for Christ's return, and through gratitude leading lives that are changed by this real grace. The Gospel should bring about joyful change, for it is real good news, available to us all!
Thank You Lord for Your salvation, Your grace and Your help! Help me to live a life of gratitude and peace!
Amen!
The first thing that caught my eye was how Paul describes himself in his opening greeting. I am grateful I don't have to introduce myself this way, as I would need to take a couple of breaths to say it all! :-)
Titus 1:1-3 NIV:
[1] "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness--- [2] in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, [3] and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,.."
His introduction makes me breathe hard and makes my brain hurt, trying to keep his description straight. It is almost like he is trying to fit the Gospel into his opening description of his title. Although somewhat humorous, I think the point is simply this, Paul lived the Gospel! It was that which was his complete focus and life goal to eat, sleep and breathe the Gospel. Oh, what a glorious Gospel it is!
The second section that I am reflecting on is his short synopsis of the Gospel found in the second chapter - Titus 2:11-14 NIV:
[11] "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. [12] It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, [13] while we wait for the blessed hope---the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, [14] who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
Paul has the ability to pack so much information into just a few sentences. It is clear that these are the bullet points of the Gospel, as He proclaims it. It is first and foremost about the grace of God that offers salvation to all people, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, man or woman, regardless of race or nation (Col 3:11). It is an offer of salvation that any can respond to, and that comes with real help to change. This help, although not mentioned here by Paul, is clearly the Holy Spirit, the one who teaches and instructs (John 6:13), advocates and informs (John 15:26-27), reminds and reveals God's wisdom. He is the seal of our salvation the guarantee of what is promised (Eph 1:13-14). It is through the Holy Spirit's help that we are enabled to change, for He brings real power and authority, breathes relationship through the spirit of adoption as God's own children (Rom 8:15). Finally, Paul finishes his sentence drawing us back to Jesus' perfect sacrifice, his setting us free, and His promise of eternal life and final glorification upon His return to earth to gather all who believe.
In Paul's mind it seems everything relates back to the Gospel. Although he talks about followers being self-controlled, upright, godly, pure and eager to do what is good people, his teaching is that this is a joyful response to relationship through the Gospel of Grace. He starts by reminding Titus of the Gospel of grace, and ends with people joyfully waiting for Christ's return, and through gratitude leading lives that are changed by this real grace. The Gospel should bring about joyful change, for it is real good news, available to us all!
Thank You Lord for Your salvation, Your grace and Your help! Help me to live a life of gratitude and peace!
Amen!
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Reflections On Jesus' Glory
This morning I have been reflecting on Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. As I read through the first couple of chapters, I was stopped by the truth of the following verses - Philippians 2:9-11 NIV:
[9] "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
[10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
I was just thinking that this is one of the most profound promises found in Scripture; the Father's promise to glorify His Son Jesus! We read words like this and think we know what they mean, but I don't think we, in our wildest and grandest imaginations, could even come close to fathoming the truth of this statement.
Let us reflect for a moment on this statement - "God exalted Him to the highest place". That would be in heaven, of which we can't grasp any of the dimensions, since it is eternal and ever increasing, and yet the Father sets Jesus in the highest place! It is an impossible position to describe, the highest place in an ever-increasing Kingdom, but suffice it to say whatever we can imagine, it is higher and more glorious!
If we look in Scripture at the attempts of Isaiah, Ezekiel and John made to describe the visions of heaven, their descriptions are full of language that clearly falls short of their actual experiences. They describe the things they see and hear are "like" things we might understand, and yet it is clear that their descriptions don't capture the fullness and glory effectively. Ezekiel finished his vision with the statement that, "this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God", and I believe this statement expresses his inability to accurately convey what He saw and experienced.
Here is a short excerpt from Ezekiel's vision - Ezekiel 1:22-28 NIV:
[22] "Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. [23] Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. [24] When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings."
[25] "Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. [26] Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. [27] I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. [28] Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him."
"This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking."
John's description of his revelation is full of imagery and description, similar in many extents to what Ezekiel described. Here are a couple of sections:
Revelation 1:12-18 NIV:
[12] "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, [13] and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. [14] The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. [15] His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. [16] In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
[17] When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. [18] I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Revelation 4:2-11 NIV:
[2] "At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. [3] And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. [4] Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. [5] From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. [6] Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal."
"In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. [7] The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. [8] Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,' who was, and is, and is to come.”
[9] Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, [10] the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
[11] “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created and have their being.”
I just love the grand and glorious attempt that both authors made to describe something that cannot be fully described in our limited language. Higher than this, and more glorious than this is the eternal position of Jesus, for he is seated in the highest place. These visions may be insights into what that place looks like, but is ever increasing in Glory, so clearly lacking the fullness of the reality.
Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes that one day we will all be confronted with this and our reaction will be the same as John and Ezekiel, we will bow down! In fact at the full unveiling of the glory of Jesus, EVERY knee in heaven, on earth and even under the earth (Common idea of where Hades is located) will bow down. There will be no challenge to His glory or position, all will bow, for I think we will all be overcome by His glory!
There are those that think they will never bow to Him, certainly the fallen angels and hosts would desire to turn their backs and say He is "not their God", but apparently they will also be overcome by His Glory and they will bow their knees and even proclaim that He is the Lord!
I think is makes sense to close with the opening verses from Paul's letter to the Philippians 2:9-11 NIV:
[9] "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
[10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Amen!
[9] "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
[10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
I was just thinking that this is one of the most profound promises found in Scripture; the Father's promise to glorify His Son Jesus! We read words like this and think we know what they mean, but I don't think we, in our wildest and grandest imaginations, could even come close to fathoming the truth of this statement.
Let us reflect for a moment on this statement - "God exalted Him to the highest place". That would be in heaven, of which we can't grasp any of the dimensions, since it is eternal and ever increasing, and yet the Father sets Jesus in the highest place! It is an impossible position to describe, the highest place in an ever-increasing Kingdom, but suffice it to say whatever we can imagine, it is higher and more glorious!
If we look in Scripture at the attempts of Isaiah, Ezekiel and John made to describe the visions of heaven, their descriptions are full of language that clearly falls short of their actual experiences. They describe the things they see and hear are "like" things we might understand, and yet it is clear that their descriptions don't capture the fullness and glory effectively. Ezekiel finished his vision with the statement that, "this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God", and I believe this statement expresses his inability to accurately convey what He saw and experienced.
Here is a short excerpt from Ezekiel's vision - Ezekiel 1:22-28 NIV:
[22] "Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. [23] Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. [24] When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings."
[25] "Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. [26] Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. [27] I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. [28] Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him."
"This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking."
John's description of his revelation is full of imagery and description, similar in many extents to what Ezekiel described. Here are a couple of sections:
Revelation 1:12-18 NIV:
[12] "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, [13] and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. [14] The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. [15] His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. [16] In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
[17] When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. [18] I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Revelation 4:2-11 NIV:
[2] "At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. [3] And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. [4] Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. [5] From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. [6] Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal."
"In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. [7] The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. [8] Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,' who was, and is, and is to come.”
[9] Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, [10] the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
[11] “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created and have their being.”
I just love the grand and glorious attempt that both authors made to describe something that cannot be fully described in our limited language. Higher than this, and more glorious than this is the eternal position of Jesus, for he is seated in the highest place. These visions may be insights into what that place looks like, but is ever increasing in Glory, so clearly lacking the fullness of the reality.
Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes that one day we will all be confronted with this and our reaction will be the same as John and Ezekiel, we will bow down! In fact at the full unveiling of the glory of Jesus, EVERY knee in heaven, on earth and even under the earth (Common idea of where Hades is located) will bow down. There will be no challenge to His glory or position, all will bow, for I think we will all be overcome by His glory!
There are those that think they will never bow to Him, certainly the fallen angels and hosts would desire to turn their backs and say He is "not their God", but apparently they will also be overcome by His Glory and they will bow their knees and even proclaim that He is the Lord!
I think is makes sense to close with the opening verses from Paul's letter to the Philippians 2:9-11 NIV:
[9] "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
[10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Amen!
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Mercy for Ignorance and Unbelief!
This morning I am reflecting on a couple of verses from Paul's first letter to Timothy, in which he shares an insight into his previous life. Here are the verses - 1 Timothy 1:12-17 NIV:
[12] "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. [13] Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. [14] The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."
[15] "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners---of whom I am the worst. [16] But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. [17] Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."
I find Paul's recounting of the reason He was shown mercy very interesting. He said it was because he acted in ignorance and unbelief! One would normally associate His actions of persecuting the early church, hunting down the Christians, doing everything he could to crush the early church, a bit beyond ignorance and unbelief, and yet that is apparently how the Lord addressed them in extending mercy to Paul.
Isn't that amazing, here is the man who was trying to crush the church, who oversaw the stoning of Stephen, who was on his way to Damascus to attack and destroy the church there, and Jesus calls his sins unbelief and ignorance and forgives him of them both. Instead of punishing Paul, Jesus calls Paul into His service, as one of his most trusted evangelists. Wow, that is not the model of mercy we often see or understand, nor how we would likely judge his actions.
Paul continues his next statements fully embracing this truth! Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and although he was one of the worst, the salvation available in Jesus extended even to him! I am so encouraged by Paul's transparency and grasp of this clear truth. Jesus can save anyone, regardless of how dark and deep they have gone in their lives. Jesus extends mercy to those that we would write off, those that we would judge, and those that are ignorant and in unbelief. That is so reassuring!
In the church, sometimes we struggle to embrace the radical mercy that Jesus shows to sinners. We want them to pay for the bad things they have done! We want them to experience the judgment of God, not His mercy. We are sometimes like Jonah, who didn't want to preach to Ninevah because he knew that if they repented God would relent! He wanted to see the Ninevites punished! (See Jonah, Chapter 4 for this insight). Imagine if Jesus extended the same mercy that He extended to Paul, to all the athiests, or to all those who never heard or understood or believed, or even to those who were raised in completely different religious systems? It would be glorious! An yet, there are those who could never accept this type of mercy as being from God, for God hates sin! However, we see Paul clearly speaking of exactly this type of mercy, having learned it personally at the hands of Jesus!
Jesus even addressed this somewhat in the parable of the vineyard workers (See Matt 20:1-16). The workers hired earliest had agreed to work for one denarius a day, but when the vineyard owner paid those that had only worked an hour that same wage, the workers who had worked all day complained that it was unfair. They thought they should receive more! Here is the vineyard owners response, “But he answered one of them, 'I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? [14] Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. [15] Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' (Matthew 20:13-15 NIV) We should be grateful for the Lord's mercy being extended to us, to our own sins, and be grateful the Lord is equally patient and merciful to all sinners.
I love how Paul's reflection on this truth leads to Him praising God in the very next sentence (verse 17). Paul is moved by the greatness of the mercy that was extended to him! He understood how unbelievable this was, how beyond our human reasoning and thought God's mercy is and just launched into praising His name! We really should be grateful and celebrating the incredible mercy and patience that Jesus demonstrates not just to us, but to all sinners.
Oh, that we would all receive the same abundant grace poured out on us! Oh, that the love and faith that are found in Jesus might fill our lives, our hearts and our minds! He is so much more merciful, patient and forgiving than we can imagine! Let us be the light of this mercy, love and faith in our world today! Let us learn to extend the same mercy to those in unbelief and ignorance! Let us entrust judgment to the righteous one, and let us celebrate His mercy towards us!
Amen!
[12] "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. [13] Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. [14] The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."
[15] "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners---of whom I am the worst. [16] But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. [17] Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."
I find Paul's recounting of the reason He was shown mercy very interesting. He said it was because he acted in ignorance and unbelief! One would normally associate His actions of persecuting the early church, hunting down the Christians, doing everything he could to crush the early church, a bit beyond ignorance and unbelief, and yet that is apparently how the Lord addressed them in extending mercy to Paul.
Isn't that amazing, here is the man who was trying to crush the church, who oversaw the stoning of Stephen, who was on his way to Damascus to attack and destroy the church there, and Jesus calls his sins unbelief and ignorance and forgives him of them both. Instead of punishing Paul, Jesus calls Paul into His service, as one of his most trusted evangelists. Wow, that is not the model of mercy we often see or understand, nor how we would likely judge his actions.
Paul continues his next statements fully embracing this truth! Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and although he was one of the worst, the salvation available in Jesus extended even to him! I am so encouraged by Paul's transparency and grasp of this clear truth. Jesus can save anyone, regardless of how dark and deep they have gone in their lives. Jesus extends mercy to those that we would write off, those that we would judge, and those that are ignorant and in unbelief. That is so reassuring!
In the church, sometimes we struggle to embrace the radical mercy that Jesus shows to sinners. We want them to pay for the bad things they have done! We want them to experience the judgment of God, not His mercy. We are sometimes like Jonah, who didn't want to preach to Ninevah because he knew that if they repented God would relent! He wanted to see the Ninevites punished! (See Jonah, Chapter 4 for this insight). Imagine if Jesus extended the same mercy that He extended to Paul, to all the athiests, or to all those who never heard or understood or believed, or even to those who were raised in completely different religious systems? It would be glorious! An yet, there are those who could never accept this type of mercy as being from God, for God hates sin! However, we see Paul clearly speaking of exactly this type of mercy, having learned it personally at the hands of Jesus!
Jesus even addressed this somewhat in the parable of the vineyard workers (See Matt 20:1-16). The workers hired earliest had agreed to work for one denarius a day, but when the vineyard owner paid those that had only worked an hour that same wage, the workers who had worked all day complained that it was unfair. They thought they should receive more! Here is the vineyard owners response, “But he answered one of them, 'I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? [14] Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. [15] Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' (Matthew 20:13-15 NIV) We should be grateful for the Lord's mercy being extended to us, to our own sins, and be grateful the Lord is equally patient and merciful to all sinners.
I love how Paul's reflection on this truth leads to Him praising God in the very next sentence (verse 17). Paul is moved by the greatness of the mercy that was extended to him! He understood how unbelievable this was, how beyond our human reasoning and thought God's mercy is and just launched into praising His name! We really should be grateful and celebrating the incredible mercy and patience that Jesus demonstrates not just to us, but to all sinners.
Oh, that we would all receive the same abundant grace poured out on us! Oh, that the love and faith that are found in Jesus might fill our lives, our hearts and our minds! He is so much more merciful, patient and forgiving than we can imagine! Let us be the light of this mercy, love and faith in our world today! Let us learn to extend the same mercy to those in unbelief and ignorance! Let us entrust judgment to the righteous one, and let us celebrate His mercy towards us!
Amen!
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Glory and Unity!
This morning my heart is stirred by some passages I have been reading from John's Gospel, specifically the prayer Jesus prays right before His passion and death. Here are the verses:
John 17:4-5,20-26 NIV:
[4] "I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
[24] “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."
[25] “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. [26] I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
What an incredible prayer! There is so much for us to reflect on here, as Jesus is including us specifically in verse 20, for we are those who have believed through the message (the Gospel) passed down to us by the Apostles and disciples. It is great knowing that Jesus specifically prayed for us!
It seems to me that much of His prayer revolves around giving glory to the Father, through us. Jesus said He brought the Father Glory by finishing the work He had been given to do. He established the Church, passed on an understanding of the Father that was intimate and perfect. This was giving Glory to the Father! The gift of unity is meant to give the Father Glory (verse 22-23). We are called to reveal to the World the Glory of the Father through our unity - one can see clearly why the enemy works so hard to cause division. Lord, we pray for a release of Unity in the Body of Christ like the world has never seen, that we might bring You Glory, the Glory Your deserve!
Jesus also prays that we might see His glory, the glory He had since before the creation of the world. This is where my brain tilts. I can visualize Jesus as a human man walking on the earth, I have a harder time getting my mind around His sitting on the Heavenly Throne, in full glory! We have records of the descriptions o what Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John saw in their heavenly visions, but they struggle to even express what they saw in language we can understand. We are left with a fuzzy image, due to the lack of appropriate language, and thus, my inner image of Jesus on the throne is less clear. I pray for the greater capacity and greater experience of Jesus' glory, for He desires it as well. Isn't that great to know, Jesus wants us to see Him in Glory! He wants us to comprehend who we worship!
Finally there is the promise of Jesus to continue to make the Father known to us! Part of this will result in an infilling of the Father's love for His son, into us! Wow! That is actually worthy of sitting on for a while. The Father's Love for Jesus will fill us too, causing us to know Him, and experience His indwelling in a more full way!
This ties back to the verses I was reflecting on this morning from Ezek. 43, and Isaiah 43 (see below). Yes, Lord show us Your Glory! Yes Lord, bring Your sons and daughters, bring us to Unity in You, The Father and the Holy Spirit!
Amen!
Here is the reflection I had on the verses from Isaiah and Ezekiel!
This morning I woke up at 4:34am, thanks to my cat crying right in my face. I woke up more alert than normal and thought maybe the time related to a scripture, or verse. I have been reading through the different 43:4's and here are a couple that stood out:
Ezekiel 43:2-5 NIV:
[2]..."and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. [3] The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. [4] The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. [5] Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple."
(This reminds me of the transformation videos we were talking about recently, the ones where the Inuit heard the roaring sound during worship - link to the Youtube version here - https://youtu.be/X42oZ1O8hAk )
Isaiah 43:4-13,18-21 NIV:
[4]"Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. [5] Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. [6] I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth--- [7] everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. ”
[8] Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. [9] All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” [10] “You are my witnesses, ” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. [11] I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. [12] I have revealed and saved and proclaimed---I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses, ” declares the Lord, “that I am God. [13] Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”
[18] “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. [19] See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. [20] The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, [21] the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise."
It seems to me there are three promises:
1) He will visit us with His Glory
2) He will gather His sons and daughters to us
3) He will do a New thing!
Oh Lord, we pray these promises over all of Your people, over every church here in KC, in the region and in the World. We are Your children, we are Your Church, We are Your Body! Visit Us! Add to us!
John 17:4-5,20-26 NIV:
[4] "I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
[24] “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."
[25] “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. [26] I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
What an incredible prayer! There is so much for us to reflect on here, as Jesus is including us specifically in verse 20, for we are those who have believed through the message (the Gospel) passed down to us by the Apostles and disciples. It is great knowing that Jesus specifically prayed for us!
It seems to me that much of His prayer revolves around giving glory to the Father, through us. Jesus said He brought the Father Glory by finishing the work He had been given to do. He established the Church, passed on an understanding of the Father that was intimate and perfect. This was giving Glory to the Father! The gift of unity is meant to give the Father Glory (verse 22-23). We are called to reveal to the World the Glory of the Father through our unity - one can see clearly why the enemy works so hard to cause division. Lord, we pray for a release of Unity in the Body of Christ like the world has never seen, that we might bring You Glory, the Glory Your deserve!
Jesus also prays that we might see His glory, the glory He had since before the creation of the world. This is where my brain tilts. I can visualize Jesus as a human man walking on the earth, I have a harder time getting my mind around His sitting on the Heavenly Throne, in full glory! We have records of the descriptions o what Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John saw in their heavenly visions, but they struggle to even express what they saw in language we can understand. We are left with a fuzzy image, due to the lack of appropriate language, and thus, my inner image of Jesus on the throne is less clear. I pray for the greater capacity and greater experience of Jesus' glory, for He desires it as well. Isn't that great to know, Jesus wants us to see Him in Glory! He wants us to comprehend who we worship!
Finally there is the promise of Jesus to continue to make the Father known to us! Part of this will result in an infilling of the Father's love for His son, into us! Wow! That is actually worthy of sitting on for a while. The Father's Love for Jesus will fill us too, causing us to know Him, and experience His indwelling in a more full way!
This ties back to the verses I was reflecting on this morning from Ezek. 43, and Isaiah 43 (see below). Yes, Lord show us Your Glory! Yes Lord, bring Your sons and daughters, bring us to Unity in You, The Father and the Holy Spirit!
Amen!
Here is the reflection I had on the verses from Isaiah and Ezekiel!
This morning I woke up at 4:34am, thanks to my cat crying right in my face. I woke up more alert than normal and thought maybe the time related to a scripture, or verse. I have been reading through the different 43:4's and here are a couple that stood out:
Ezekiel 43:2-5 NIV:
[2]..."and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. [3] The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. [4] The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. [5] Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple."
(This reminds me of the transformation videos we were talking about recently, the ones where the Inuit heard the roaring sound during worship - link to the Youtube version here - https://youtu.be/X42oZ1O8hAk )
Isaiah 43:4-13,18-21 NIV:
[4]"Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. [5] Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. [6] I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth--- [7] everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. ”
[8] Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. [9] All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” [10] “You are my witnesses, ” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. [11] I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. [12] I have revealed and saved and proclaimed---I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses, ” declares the Lord, “that I am God. [13] Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”
[18] “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. [19] See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. [20] The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, [21] the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise."
It seems to me there are three promises:
1) He will visit us with His Glory
2) He will gather His sons and daughters to us
3) He will do a New thing!
Oh Lord, we pray these promises over all of Your people, over every church here in KC, in the region and in the World. We are Your children, we are Your Church, We are Your Body! Visit Us! Add to us!
Friday, February 9, 2018
Speaking Truth to Our Inner Thoughts
This morning I was led to read from Paul's letter to the Romans 6:8-14 NIV:
[8] "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. [9] For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. [10] The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God."
[11] "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. [12] Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. [13] Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. [14] For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."
I love Paul's logic here, and his approach to helping us with our mindsets. He is speaking of the spiritual reality to help us apply it to our thinking and thus to our life. It is well known in today's psychology that we listen most to our own thoughts (just Google "Listening to Your inner Thoughts Psychology" for a great example of the many articles and studies that have been done on inner thoughts) and they can greatly affect how we act.
In one article the author wrote the following - "Did you ever realize that everything going on in your mind -- every thought, feeling, sensation, everything you are aware of -- is in fact happening only in your private internal world? Your thoughts appear only to you, and are not being heard by anyone else whatsoever. There is one physical world here on earth, but billions of different internal worlds. We are all in our own separate theaters, witnessing entirely different shows." ( https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inviting-monkey-tea/201308/why-our-thoughts-are-not-real).
The author's point was that we all are affected by our internal thinking, and it is so important to understand what the truth is, and to actually meditate on it. She makes some very interesting points, and it is worth some reflection. One thing she doesn't take into account is the spiritual realm, and that is what Paul is speaking on here. He is addressing the thought lives of us all, and trying to help us grasp Spiritual truth that we can use to apply within our internal thought life, He clearly understands that this thought life affects us greatly.
For much of my life I didn't realize that some of my thoughts didn't originate with me, but rather were coming from an external source, either God or the enemy. It took time to learn to discern which came from the Lord, and which came from the father of lies, and which were my own. Once I become aware of this spiritual reality, I was able to identify the themes and efforts the enemy was constantly sowing within me. For a great example of a fictional account of this, read C.S. Lewis's book "The Screwtape Letters". Anyway, as I pondered my thoughts, I realized that many of the temptations I faced were in fact the result of thoughts that I embraced and followed, that were not originally from me. Despite the fact that I was a Christian and had been for many years there was a constant flow of negative or tempting thoughts, that I had to constantly deflect. It was a tiring effort, but one I was committed to waging. It was only a few years ago that the Lord helped me to see clearly how to step free of this struggle.
As I understand it, one of the great efforts of the enemy is to make us think our thoughts are all ours. He doesn't want us to realize he exists and is working to derail our lives. If we don't understand this, then we can believe this is just the way we are, and accept this as reality. The enemy also knows that the more we allow these thoughts and temptations to affect us, the deeper into his twisted world we are drawn. It is actually quite the nefarious scheme, and many of us humans are wholly unaware of this situation. The goal of the enemy is to draw us so deeply in, that our lives revolve around our sin, and we feel trapped with no hope for escape. It is a dangerous and deadly downward spiral. James speaks about the effects, or fruit of giving into temptation and allowing sin to take root in the following passages - James 1:13-15 NIV:
[13] "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
There is a downward spiral to sin, and many sins start as temptations, which often come as thoughts sown into our minds. If we allow these thoughts to reside and be planted into our minds and lives, they bear fruit as sin and as we continue to sin more and more and that sin bears fruit, and that fruit ultimately leads to death of some sort; death to relationships, death to hope, death to our true identity.
Paul is providing the spiritual truth to combat these attacks of the enemy, and we would be wise to allow these truths to settle firmly in our minds and embrace them in our active thought life. In Christ, we are "dead to sin and alive to God". The old man (in us) has died and we are now united with Christ Jesus in His glorious resurrection and reign. Satan has no power or authority in the Kingdom of God, or in the throne room of God. He is still the accuser, but that is all he can do. We have the freedom and power and authority, as sons and daughters of God, to tell him to be quiet. Jesus demonstrated this for us and the Gospel writers recorded multiple instances where He was telling the evil spirits or demons to be silent. Realizing we have this authority is half the battle, the other half is knowing we need to do this.
Paul, in light of this truth (We are dead to sin and alive to God) urges us to "not let sin reign in your mortal body". He is speaking about us allowing sin access and giving it power in our lives, when it should have none. This is where our free will comes in, God could eternally still the voice of the enemy, and will do so one day, but for now we must choose. We must choose whose reign we will live under, and it is our choice. The enemy in his multitude of lies tries to deceive and convince us that there is no way free, no way to escape the bonds of our sin, nor any way to escape the penalties, debts and fruit of our sin. He tries to make his path seem full of pleasure, but it is all selfishness and ultimately depravity and enslavement. God offers us freedom, forgiveness and the ability to walk as His true sons and daughters. He offers us life, death to our old man, life in His Glorious Kingdom. In such stark comparisons the choice is easy, but we must choose who to listen too, which is the point Paul is making. He says we can step free of the mastery of sin, there is another path, one of life united with Christ Jesus. We must choose to embrace the truth that we are free, made so by Christ Jesus. Regardless of the circumstances around us and how things look, we are free, because our old man died with Christ.
I am reminded of the effects of the 13th Amendment on the slaves here in the US. There were many that embraced this new freedom and threw off the shackles and life-styles of slavery to embrace their new found freedoms. There were also those that chose to stay on, living in much the same way they did before the amendment, for whatever reason. The choice was, in reality, theirs to make, to live as free men or to live in lifestyles very similar to slavery. This isn't a great analogy, but hopefully the point is clear. Paul is reminding us of the the proclamation of freedom to each of us, freedom from the power of sin, freedom from the lies of the enemy. We are encouraged to allow this truth to set up free! We have Jesus proclaiming freedom in this passage from Luke 4:18-21 NIV:
[18] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
[20] Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. [21] He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
We are no longer captives to sin, oppressed by the lies and deception of the enemy. Paul wrote the following in his letter to the Galatians 5:1 NIV: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Paul was speaking specifically about the Law, but the truth is equally applied to sin. We were set free from the power of sin, and the lies and deception of the enemy by Jesus. We have freedom in Him!
This morning I am encouraged to look closely at my thought life and see where I am embracing the truth, and those areas where I am allowing temptation and sin to reign. I am encouraged to look to my life to see where I have believed the lies and deception of the enemy, guided by the Holy Spirit. I am encouraged to tell the enemy to be silent, as a son of God, standing in unity with Christ Jesus, who has all authority and power. I am encouraged to embrace freedom and the truth. Oh Lord, help me to know deep in my heart and mind this truth, that I am set free from the chains of sin, and I am free to be Your son, free to walk in everything You have for me. The old man is dead and I am alive in You! Help me to remind myself of this daily, that the old man is dead and I am alive to Christ Jesus, the enemy has no power over me! Help me to listen to the truth, to recite the truth, to speak the truth to myself!
Amen!
[8] "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. [9] For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. [10] The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God."
[11] "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. [12] Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. [13] Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. [14] For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."
I love Paul's logic here, and his approach to helping us with our mindsets. He is speaking of the spiritual reality to help us apply it to our thinking and thus to our life. It is well known in today's psychology that we listen most to our own thoughts (just Google "Listening to Your inner Thoughts Psychology" for a great example of the many articles and studies that have been done on inner thoughts) and they can greatly affect how we act.
In one article the author wrote the following - "Did you ever realize that everything going on in your mind -- every thought, feeling, sensation, everything you are aware of -- is in fact happening only in your private internal world? Your thoughts appear only to you, and are not being heard by anyone else whatsoever. There is one physical world here on earth, but billions of different internal worlds. We are all in our own separate theaters, witnessing entirely different shows." ( https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inviting-monkey-tea/201308/why-our-thoughts-are-not-real).
The author's point was that we all are affected by our internal thinking, and it is so important to understand what the truth is, and to actually meditate on it. She makes some very interesting points, and it is worth some reflection. One thing she doesn't take into account is the spiritual realm, and that is what Paul is speaking on here. He is addressing the thought lives of us all, and trying to help us grasp Spiritual truth that we can use to apply within our internal thought life, He clearly understands that this thought life affects us greatly.
For much of my life I didn't realize that some of my thoughts didn't originate with me, but rather were coming from an external source, either God or the enemy. It took time to learn to discern which came from the Lord, and which came from the father of lies, and which were my own. Once I become aware of this spiritual reality, I was able to identify the themes and efforts the enemy was constantly sowing within me. For a great example of a fictional account of this, read C.S. Lewis's book "The Screwtape Letters". Anyway, as I pondered my thoughts, I realized that many of the temptations I faced were in fact the result of thoughts that I embraced and followed, that were not originally from me. Despite the fact that I was a Christian and had been for many years there was a constant flow of negative or tempting thoughts, that I had to constantly deflect. It was a tiring effort, but one I was committed to waging. It was only a few years ago that the Lord helped me to see clearly how to step free of this struggle.
As I understand it, one of the great efforts of the enemy is to make us think our thoughts are all ours. He doesn't want us to realize he exists and is working to derail our lives. If we don't understand this, then we can believe this is just the way we are, and accept this as reality. The enemy also knows that the more we allow these thoughts and temptations to affect us, the deeper into his twisted world we are drawn. It is actually quite the nefarious scheme, and many of us humans are wholly unaware of this situation. The goal of the enemy is to draw us so deeply in, that our lives revolve around our sin, and we feel trapped with no hope for escape. It is a dangerous and deadly downward spiral. James speaks about the effects, or fruit of giving into temptation and allowing sin to take root in the following passages - James 1:13-15 NIV:
[13] "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
There is a downward spiral to sin, and many sins start as temptations, which often come as thoughts sown into our minds. If we allow these thoughts to reside and be planted into our minds and lives, they bear fruit as sin and as we continue to sin more and more and that sin bears fruit, and that fruit ultimately leads to death of some sort; death to relationships, death to hope, death to our true identity.
Paul is providing the spiritual truth to combat these attacks of the enemy, and we would be wise to allow these truths to settle firmly in our minds and embrace them in our active thought life. In Christ, we are "dead to sin and alive to God". The old man (in us) has died and we are now united with Christ Jesus in His glorious resurrection and reign. Satan has no power or authority in the Kingdom of God, or in the throne room of God. He is still the accuser, but that is all he can do. We have the freedom and power and authority, as sons and daughters of God, to tell him to be quiet. Jesus demonstrated this for us and the Gospel writers recorded multiple instances where He was telling the evil spirits or demons to be silent. Realizing we have this authority is half the battle, the other half is knowing we need to do this.
Paul, in light of this truth (We are dead to sin and alive to God) urges us to "not let sin reign in your mortal body". He is speaking about us allowing sin access and giving it power in our lives, when it should have none. This is where our free will comes in, God could eternally still the voice of the enemy, and will do so one day, but for now we must choose. We must choose whose reign we will live under, and it is our choice. The enemy in his multitude of lies tries to deceive and convince us that there is no way free, no way to escape the bonds of our sin, nor any way to escape the penalties, debts and fruit of our sin. He tries to make his path seem full of pleasure, but it is all selfishness and ultimately depravity and enslavement. God offers us freedom, forgiveness and the ability to walk as His true sons and daughters. He offers us life, death to our old man, life in His Glorious Kingdom. In such stark comparisons the choice is easy, but we must choose who to listen too, which is the point Paul is making. He says we can step free of the mastery of sin, there is another path, one of life united with Christ Jesus. We must choose to embrace the truth that we are free, made so by Christ Jesus. Regardless of the circumstances around us and how things look, we are free, because our old man died with Christ.
I am reminded of the effects of the 13th Amendment on the slaves here in the US. There were many that embraced this new freedom and threw off the shackles and life-styles of slavery to embrace their new found freedoms. There were also those that chose to stay on, living in much the same way they did before the amendment, for whatever reason. The choice was, in reality, theirs to make, to live as free men or to live in lifestyles very similar to slavery. This isn't a great analogy, but hopefully the point is clear. Paul is reminding us of the the proclamation of freedom to each of us, freedom from the power of sin, freedom from the lies of the enemy. We are encouraged to allow this truth to set up free! We have Jesus proclaiming freedom in this passage from Luke 4:18-21 NIV:
[18] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
[20] Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. [21] He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
We are no longer captives to sin, oppressed by the lies and deception of the enemy. Paul wrote the following in his letter to the Galatians 5:1 NIV: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Paul was speaking specifically about the Law, but the truth is equally applied to sin. We were set free from the power of sin, and the lies and deception of the enemy by Jesus. We have freedom in Him!
This morning I am encouraged to look closely at my thought life and see where I am embracing the truth, and those areas where I am allowing temptation and sin to reign. I am encouraged to look to my life to see where I have believed the lies and deception of the enemy, guided by the Holy Spirit. I am encouraged to tell the enemy to be silent, as a son of God, standing in unity with Christ Jesus, who has all authority and power. I am encouraged to embrace freedom and the truth. Oh Lord, help me to know deep in my heart and mind this truth, that I am set free from the chains of sin, and I am free to be Your son, free to walk in everything You have for me. The old man is dead and I am alive in You! Help me to remind myself of this daily, that the old man is dead and I am alive to Christ Jesus, the enemy has no power over me! Help me to listen to the truth, to recite the truth, to speak the truth to myself!
Amen!
Monday, February 5, 2018
The Many Responses to God's Move!
This morning I am reflecting on some verses from John's Gospel, where he is describing the varied responses to Jesus. Here are the verses - John 12:9-13,17-19,37,42-43 NIV:
[9] "Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. [10] So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, [11] for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him."
[12] "The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. [13] They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! ” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
[17] "Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. [18] Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. [19] So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
[37] "Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him."
[42] "Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; [43] for they loved human praise more than praise from God."
As I read these verses, I am aware of the many different responses to God, especially when He is moving. Jesus had clearly done awesome miracles in their sight, many were eye-witnesses. There was a growing belief in Him, that He was the Messiah, and yet the Pharisees and and chief priests wanted to kill Him. The very ones that said they worshipped God and served Him wanted to kill Him! They were the ones whose power and authority were being questioned, and challenged. They didn't want to just kill Jesus, they wanted to kill Lazarus too, as he was a visible representation of God's work.
There are those that wanted to worship Jesus, and praise of Him broke out spontaneously! They gathered in the streets, proclaiming His name, and shouting. They were those that had been waiting for the real move of God, and were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah! These were the people who longed for a savior, who longed to see God Move!
There were those that went around sharing about Jesus, because they were so convinced by His miracles that He was the Messiah! They had seen the miracles, and wanted all to know that He was the one they had been waiting to receive!
The Pharisees clearly had set themselves against Jesus, and apparently it didn't matter what He did, they were going to try to stop Him. They must have hated His real power, His ability to win crowds of people, His authoritative messages, His referring to God as if He knew Him! He had everything they wanted, and yet because they couldn't control Him they wanted to kill Him. They were in danger of losing their positions of power and prestige, or so they thought. It is a scary thing when people resist the move of God because of fear for their own position and power - they are clearly not worshipping God above all else.
There are those that remain unconvinced regardless of the signs and wonders performed. They are those whose hearts are hardened, those whose pride will not let them admit they were wrong, those that have stood and proclaimed there is no god! Oh, the sad state of their hearts, to be confronted with the very Word of Life, and choosing instead to close their eyes, ears and hearts to the one who loves them!
Finally there are those that believed, but lived in fear of those in power. They were worried about what the Pharisees thought of them, and worried about their positions as well, but clearly not the decision makers. There are always those that long for the move of God, but then when He starts moving they lose their stomach for Him out of fear.
Lord, I pray that I would not respond out of fear, out of pride, or out of concern for myself or my "position"! I pray that I might welcome you, and welcome news of You moving! I pray that I might be one who shares with all, the wonders I have seen and experienced! I pray that my heart might be moved by You! I pray for the leaders of our churches, that they would welcome Your move wholeheartedly, for You are the one we are waiting for!
Amen!
[9] "Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. [10] So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, [11] for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him."
[12] "The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. [13] They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! ” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
[17] "Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. [18] Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. [19] So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
[37] "Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him."
[42] "Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; [43] for they loved human praise more than praise from God."
As I read these verses, I am aware of the many different responses to God, especially when He is moving. Jesus had clearly done awesome miracles in their sight, many were eye-witnesses. There was a growing belief in Him, that He was the Messiah, and yet the Pharisees and and chief priests wanted to kill Him. The very ones that said they worshipped God and served Him wanted to kill Him! They were the ones whose power and authority were being questioned, and challenged. They didn't want to just kill Jesus, they wanted to kill Lazarus too, as he was a visible representation of God's work.
There are those that wanted to worship Jesus, and praise of Him broke out spontaneously! They gathered in the streets, proclaiming His name, and shouting. They were those that had been waiting for the real move of God, and were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah! These were the people who longed for a savior, who longed to see God Move!
There were those that went around sharing about Jesus, because they were so convinced by His miracles that He was the Messiah! They had seen the miracles, and wanted all to know that He was the one they had been waiting to receive!
The Pharisees clearly had set themselves against Jesus, and apparently it didn't matter what He did, they were going to try to stop Him. They must have hated His real power, His ability to win crowds of people, His authoritative messages, His referring to God as if He knew Him! He had everything they wanted, and yet because they couldn't control Him they wanted to kill Him. They were in danger of losing their positions of power and prestige, or so they thought. It is a scary thing when people resist the move of God because of fear for their own position and power - they are clearly not worshipping God above all else.
There are those that remain unconvinced regardless of the signs and wonders performed. They are those whose hearts are hardened, those whose pride will not let them admit they were wrong, those that have stood and proclaimed there is no god! Oh, the sad state of their hearts, to be confronted with the very Word of Life, and choosing instead to close their eyes, ears and hearts to the one who loves them!
Finally there are those that believed, but lived in fear of those in power. They were worried about what the Pharisees thought of them, and worried about their positions as well, but clearly not the decision makers. There are always those that long for the move of God, but then when He starts moving they lose their stomach for Him out of fear.
Lord, I pray that I would not respond out of fear, out of pride, or out of concern for myself or my "position"! I pray that I might welcome you, and welcome news of You moving! I pray that I might be one who shares with all, the wonders I have seen and experienced! I pray that my heart might be moved by You! I pray for the leaders of our churches, that they would welcome Your move wholeheartedly, for You are the one we are waiting for!
Amen!
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Being A Follower of The Way
This morning I am reflecting on a couple of verses from Paul's letter to the Ephesians. These two verses are normally separated by chapter headings, but if you read them together they make more sense. Here are the verses - Ephesians 4:32 NIV and Ephesians 5:1-2NIV:
[32] "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
[1] "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children [2] and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God".
Paul is following his statement in verse 32 with additional thoughts (therefore) in verses 1 & 2. We know that Paul didn't separate the letter into Chapters, they were added for thematic breaks and readability by later scholars, so it is good to learn to read through the chapter breaks.
In this case, Paul is speaking of kindness, compassion and forgiveness to one another as demonstrated by God, and setting them as an example of how we should walk in love. Make no mistake there is self-sacrifice in kindness, compassion and forgiveness, and that is what Jesus demonstrated. We are encouraged to unload the burdens from our own shoulders, our bitterness, anger, rage, brawling, slander and malice in verse 31 (Eph 4:31). It is interesting that pretty much all of those things come from a place of selfishness and self focus. Instead, we are encouraged to act out of a motivation of love and compassion, empathy and kindness towards each other. To make that transition we must lay down our self-focus and pick up Jesus' perspective.
Jesus encourages us to do just that in the following verses - Matthew 11:28-30 NIV: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
- and again a similar theme - John 13:34-35 NIV:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
We are to learn to love the way Jesus loved us. We are to learn to be kind and compassionate and forgiving even as Jesus was kind, compassionate and forgiving. If we are to act like Jesus, we need to see and hear like He saw and heard. We need to lay down our perspective and ask for His.
It is very difficult to love someone when You are angry with them! We are called to lay down our anger. We can ask Jesus to help us see the one we are angry with from His perspective, to see them as they really are before Him.
It is more difficult to love one when we harbor bitterness towards them. In this case, anger has been replaced with deep wounding and offense. It is almost impossible to see the object of bitterness in any other light. To move past bitterness, forgiveness must be embraced and offenses must be released. To do this one must willfully choose to lay down the offense, and where better than at the feet of Jesus. He will replace the load of bitterness with one of love, compassion and humility, which will bring peace and rest. Christ bore no bitterness towards those that betrayed Him, towards those that wounded Him, and even towards those that hung Him on the cross, and in His sacrifice is the strength to walk away from our own woundedness and offenses. Lord help us!
Back to the verses from Ephesians, Paul reminds us that we are dearly loved children of God, each and every one of us. When we look at our brothers and sisters, we need to recognize God's love for them as well. God knows that the children in families do not always get along perfectly, but there must be an underlying understanding of love and relationship that trumps everything else. We are encouraged to look to that familial relationship amongst each other. We are called to walk in the "way of love", and ultimately that "way of love" is to be a sign to all of our discipleship to Christ Jesus! In fact in the early years of the Church, they were called followers of "the Way", (Acts 9:2; Acts 22:4) and I would think that could be short for "followers of the way of Love".
This morning I am encouraged to be kind and compassionate, learning to walk more in the way of Love. I am encouraged to lay down anything that was not demonstrated by Jesus and to follow His example of loving kindness, mercy, compassion, empathy and forgiveness. I am encouraged to let the motivation of love season all of my actions, that others might see and recognize Christ's example in me. I want to be a follower of the way of love!
Amen!
[32] "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
[1] "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children [2] and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God".
Paul is following his statement in verse 32 with additional thoughts (therefore) in verses 1 & 2. We know that Paul didn't separate the letter into Chapters, they were added for thematic breaks and readability by later scholars, so it is good to learn to read through the chapter breaks.
In this case, Paul is speaking of kindness, compassion and forgiveness to one another as demonstrated by God, and setting them as an example of how we should walk in love. Make no mistake there is self-sacrifice in kindness, compassion and forgiveness, and that is what Jesus demonstrated. We are encouraged to unload the burdens from our own shoulders, our bitterness, anger, rage, brawling, slander and malice in verse 31 (Eph 4:31). It is interesting that pretty much all of those things come from a place of selfishness and self focus. Instead, we are encouraged to act out of a motivation of love and compassion, empathy and kindness towards each other. To make that transition we must lay down our self-focus and pick up Jesus' perspective.
Jesus encourages us to do just that in the following verses - Matthew 11:28-30 NIV: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
- and again a similar theme - John 13:34-35 NIV:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
We are to learn to love the way Jesus loved us. We are to learn to be kind and compassionate and forgiving even as Jesus was kind, compassionate and forgiving. If we are to act like Jesus, we need to see and hear like He saw and heard. We need to lay down our perspective and ask for His.
It is very difficult to love someone when You are angry with them! We are called to lay down our anger. We can ask Jesus to help us see the one we are angry with from His perspective, to see them as they really are before Him.
It is more difficult to love one when we harbor bitterness towards them. In this case, anger has been replaced with deep wounding and offense. It is almost impossible to see the object of bitterness in any other light. To move past bitterness, forgiveness must be embraced and offenses must be released. To do this one must willfully choose to lay down the offense, and where better than at the feet of Jesus. He will replace the load of bitterness with one of love, compassion and humility, which will bring peace and rest. Christ bore no bitterness towards those that betrayed Him, towards those that wounded Him, and even towards those that hung Him on the cross, and in His sacrifice is the strength to walk away from our own woundedness and offenses. Lord help us!
Back to the verses from Ephesians, Paul reminds us that we are dearly loved children of God, each and every one of us. When we look at our brothers and sisters, we need to recognize God's love for them as well. God knows that the children in families do not always get along perfectly, but there must be an underlying understanding of love and relationship that trumps everything else. We are encouraged to look to that familial relationship amongst each other. We are called to walk in the "way of love", and ultimately that "way of love" is to be a sign to all of our discipleship to Christ Jesus! In fact in the early years of the Church, they were called followers of "the Way", (Acts 9:2; Acts 22:4) and I would think that could be short for "followers of the way of Love".
This morning I am encouraged to be kind and compassionate, learning to walk more in the way of Love. I am encouraged to lay down anything that was not demonstrated by Jesus and to follow His example of loving kindness, mercy, compassion, empathy and forgiveness. I am encouraged to let the motivation of love season all of my actions, that others might see and recognize Christ's example in me. I want to be a follower of the way of love!
Amen!
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Pursuing That Which Has Real Value
This morning I am letting Paul's reflection on the value of Christ Jesus wash over me. Here are the famous verses from his letter to the Philippians 3:7-14 NIV:
[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."
As I let these words fill my mind, I am aware of how far I have to go in my faith. Not that I haven't made significant progress, but the reality is that there is still much more to experience and pursue. It is like climbing a huge mountain and looking out, realizing that you have come a very long way up, then turning and looking at how much farther there is still to go. I am not discouraged, but rather encouraged that after 40 years, there is still a vastness to be experienced.
I know I am not to the point that Paul was in his passionate pursuit of the Lord, where I consider everything else as garbage. I think some of that must come as one takes on a more eternal mindset, for it is in that reality that the true values of our lives is appropriately framed. The houses, cars, jobs, material wealth, life accomplishments, all will matter little, if at all, in the eternal landscape. It seems to me that the things that will last, e.g. relationships with family, connections with the Body of Christ, experiences of God's mercy, compassion and love, relationship with Christ Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit - those are the things that matter in eternity, and things we should value here.
As we embrace the Lord more, as Paul writes, other things become less and less valuable, until they become like garbage, worth almost nothing and easily jettisoned and walked away from. Paul says he has lost all things for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus. Anything that didn't aid him in his pursuit of the Lord was cast aside, or able to be thrown away. Paul wrote this as he looked back over the last many years of ministry, as he was writing this during his imprisonment in Rome, which ultimately ended in his martyrdom. He had clearly left most everything for the sake of Jesus, and he was not looking back nostalgically, or with regret, but instead was looking back with a sense of thankfulness that he had been able to pursue that which has the greatest value, and able to continue to press on!
Oh, that I would be able to say the same thing in my life. That I might have an eternal mindset and perspective, that I might pursue those things that really have value, and choose to lay aside anything that is worth less. I love that Paul knew his life was winding down, yet continued to pursue Christ with all the passion and energy he had, and that is how I want to be. I don't want to coast in to the end, but rather be engaged in the ascent heavenward until my last day.
Amen!
Saturday, January 27, 2018
God's Love and Faithfulness - Worthy of Reflection
This morning I am reflecting on the shortest Psalm, and letting the 2 verses resonate in my heart.
Psalm 117:1-2 NIV:
[1] Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.
[2] For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord."
I almost want to read this Psalm backwards starting with verse 2 and finishing with verse 1, as sometimes being reminded of God's awesome virtues causes me to praise His name! The fact that God's love and faithfulness are presented together is so helpful, as the two go hand in hand.
He loves us and He is faithful.
His motivation is always love!
His actions are always in line with His love, and are eternally consistent!
He is the same for eternity, always loving, always faithful!
Are you in a difficult circumstance?
God Loves you and is Faithful!
Are you struggling with your thoughts, your own self worth?
The God of the universe loves you and is faithful!
Have you fallen in sin?
God Loves you and is Faithful!
Have you been hurt by the church?
God Loves you and is Faithful!
At best we humans are imperfect, but God is glorious in His Perfection! Never-ending in His love! Eternally faithful! Unchanging and unaffected by our mistakes, our imperfections and our sin! He still Loves us and still is faithful, even if we are not.
Because of this, I am moved to sing His praises, to speak of His awesomeness and wonders, to extol His name! Praise God!
Amen!
Friday, January 26, 2018
Of Legos and Building the Church
This morning I felt led to read from Paul's first letter to Timothy. He made a statement that caught my eye and I want to spend some time reflecting on it. HEre is the verse - 1 Timothy 3:15 NIV:
...[15] "if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."
The phrase that caught my eye was "God's household, which is the church of the living God". That really is a very interesting description of the church. Paul has elsewhere described the church as the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12), and this just adds another dimension to that image. The Greek word translated household is the word Oikos and it is defined as follows:
1) a house
a) an inhabited house, home
b) any building whatever
1) of a palace
2) the house of God, the tabernacle
c) any dwelling place
1) of the human body as the abode of demons that possess it
2) of tents, and huts, and later, of the nests, stalls, lairs, of animals
3) the place where one has fixed his residence, one's settled abode, domicile
2) the inmates of a house, all the persons forming one family, a household
a) the family of God, of the Christian Church, of the church of the Old and New Testaments
3) stock, family, descendants of one
As we can see the word is quite varied in its translation. It seems to me to indicate both God's dwelling, the place where He chooses to make His home. It also seems to mean all the members of one family, and one household. It is interesting how perfectly this double meaning actually describes the church, it is both!
Now imagine if you were visiting God's actual house, somehow transported to eternity and walking through what is His actual home, and having the opportunity to stay in that house. How would you feel? How would you act? What would you think about? How would You feel when He tells you to make yourself at home? How would you treat others that were around you?
I find this a good reflection to guide me as I think about the local church, that which we attend and that which gathers in many other locations as well. How do I interact with the others that meet in God's home? Do I consider them interlopers or do I consider them co-heirs, my brothers and sisters, equally invited? Am I more worried about myself (vain imaginations) than I am about God's home?
Continuing on, I find Paul's additional description helpful. The Church is the "pillar and foundation of the truth." This statement has some real significance, and as such, should also drive behavior and thought. If the church is the pillar, that means it is a significant support to the whole structure. The pillars in modern buildings support the inner part of the building and the foundation supports the outer walls. Architecture in Paul's time was not much different, but often-times the pillars supported the outer walls as well, regardless we are talking about structure that gives strength to the whole building, the whole dwelling.
As I look at the present day church with human eyes, it seems far from this picture. In many ways it seems fragmented, divided, weak and crumbled down. However, that is with human eyes, I believe that when the Lord looks at His church, he sees us as we truly are, in Him. He is the master-builder and the master-planner, and He knows how it will all come together and when. We cannot limit ourselves to our own perceptions, but must instead look to that which is promised and prophesied about the church.
I was just thinking of an analogy to help me grasp our present situation. I felt like it was like a 1 Billion piece Lego project, and each person is given 4 or 5 pieces to put together by following the specific directions that accompanied those 4-5 pieces. God then will tell us how and when those pieces connect with other 4-5 piece clusters, all in unison and in a particular order and timing. Finally these parts are brought to the final building site, put together into the complete structure, which looks and is far more grand and glorious than any of us can imagine. We have a few words and maybe pictures to describe the final outcome, but nothing can prepare us for the reality! Now that is something I can get excited about, and still be responsible for my own 4-5 pieces.
Oh Lord, we pray that You hasten the building and finishing of Your Church, Your Household! Help us to live as we should as members of Your household. Help us to rightly respect Your overall master-plan and vision, trusting You to build your house according to Your plan! Help us to love one another and encourage one another to put their pieces together, knowing that we need all the pieces, and no one piece has precedence over any other piece!
Amen!
...[15] "if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."
The phrase that caught my eye was "God's household, which is the church of the living God". That really is a very interesting description of the church. Paul has elsewhere described the church as the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12), and this just adds another dimension to that image. The Greek word translated household is the word Oikos and it is defined as follows:
1) a house
a) an inhabited house, home
b) any building whatever
1) of a palace
2) the house of God, the tabernacle
c) any dwelling place
1) of the human body as the abode of demons that possess it
2) of tents, and huts, and later, of the nests, stalls, lairs, of animals
3) the place where one has fixed his residence, one's settled abode, domicile
2) the inmates of a house, all the persons forming one family, a household
a) the family of God, of the Christian Church, of the church of the Old and New Testaments
3) stock, family, descendants of one
As we can see the word is quite varied in its translation. It seems to me to indicate both God's dwelling, the place where He chooses to make His home. It also seems to mean all the members of one family, and one household. It is interesting how perfectly this double meaning actually describes the church, it is both!
Now imagine if you were visiting God's actual house, somehow transported to eternity and walking through what is His actual home, and having the opportunity to stay in that house. How would you feel? How would you act? What would you think about? How would You feel when He tells you to make yourself at home? How would you treat others that were around you?
I find this a good reflection to guide me as I think about the local church, that which we attend and that which gathers in many other locations as well. How do I interact with the others that meet in God's home? Do I consider them interlopers or do I consider them co-heirs, my brothers and sisters, equally invited? Am I more worried about myself (vain imaginations) than I am about God's home?
Continuing on, I find Paul's additional description helpful. The Church is the "pillar and foundation of the truth." This statement has some real significance, and as such, should also drive behavior and thought. If the church is the pillar, that means it is a significant support to the whole structure. The pillars in modern buildings support the inner part of the building and the foundation supports the outer walls. Architecture in Paul's time was not much different, but often-times the pillars supported the outer walls as well, regardless we are talking about structure that gives strength to the whole building, the whole dwelling.
As I look at the present day church with human eyes, it seems far from this picture. In many ways it seems fragmented, divided, weak and crumbled down. However, that is with human eyes, I believe that when the Lord looks at His church, he sees us as we truly are, in Him. He is the master-builder and the master-planner, and He knows how it will all come together and when. We cannot limit ourselves to our own perceptions, but must instead look to that which is promised and prophesied about the church.
I was just thinking of an analogy to help me grasp our present situation. I felt like it was like a 1 Billion piece Lego project, and each person is given 4 or 5 pieces to put together by following the specific directions that accompanied those 4-5 pieces. God then will tell us how and when those pieces connect with other 4-5 piece clusters, all in unison and in a particular order and timing. Finally these parts are brought to the final building site, put together into the complete structure, which looks and is far more grand and glorious than any of us can imagine. We have a few words and maybe pictures to describe the final outcome, but nothing can prepare us for the reality! Now that is something I can get excited about, and still be responsible for my own 4-5 pieces.
Oh Lord, we pray that You hasten the building and finishing of Your Church, Your Household! Help us to live as we should as members of Your household. Help us to rightly respect Your overall master-plan and vision, trusting You to build your house according to Your plan! Help us to love one another and encourage one another to put their pieces together, knowing that we need all the pieces, and no one piece has precedence over any other piece!
Amen!
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Our Identity - We ARE Loved By Jesus
This morning I am reflecting on a few verses from Paul's letter to the Philippians, and just find his words encouraging in my pursuit of Christ. Here are the verses - Philippians 2:1-4 NIV:
[1] "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
For some reason when I read these verses this morning they were like a warm blanket to my soul. Paul was reminding us of the affection and love Christ has for us, and encouraging us to look at the world from the perspective of being united to and loved by Jesus! Imagine how our identity would be impacted if we let that fact settle into our heart!
I remember how my perspective in life changed when I fell in love with my future wife, it was as if my whole outlook on life changed when I realized that she loved me as well. There was an excitement and desire for unity, for sharing deeply, an increasing tenderness and understanding of her heart and life. It was easy to think of her first, to value her opinion and wishes above my own, and that sounds very much like what Paul is encouraging us to embrace in the Lord!
I think it is so easy to put our relational faith into the context of works and duty, for we want easy to follow directions and steps. We have so many voices preaching and teaching and that is not a bad thing, but relationships are personal and intimate. We should never abandon our personal pursuit of the Lord, because someone we listen to sounds like they know what they are talking about and we just follow after them. If I did that with my wife, I would be in trouble in a hurry!
The Lord doesn't desire followers of good preachers and teachers, He desires a personal relationship with you and me! Each of us will have a unique relationship, unique ways of relating, hearing, speaking and sharing of life. My relationship with my wife is unique to us. There are similarities to other married relationships, and I have even learned from others, but our relationship is ours and ours alone. In the same way, we are invited into a individual and intimate relationship with Christ Jesus, with The Father and the Holy Spirit. No one else can replace me or my wife in our relationship, and God does not want to see us hand over the control of our relationship to Him to any preacher or teacher, no matter how good they are.
This means that each of us must be internally motivated to grow in our relationship with the Lord. We must desire to go deeper, we must understand His desire for us and join our hearts to Him. Relationships require time and communication to deepen. I have plenty of relationships that never go deeper, and that is because we only relate occasionally, and spend very little time communicating. My time in prayer each morning is where I do much of my communicating with the Lord, but I am also constantly in communication throughout the day. I desire to move to the point of constant prayer (communication) in my life with Him, but I am certainly not there yet.
Back to talking about my honey, when I travel I usually try to talk to her several times in a day, if its possible. In fact ,when I was traveling extensively, friends of hers used to give her a hard time about how often we talked. What I desired was that in my travels that we never suffered a reduction in our communication or intimacy. Despite being separated by miles, sometimes for days at a time, we were both very aware of each other's day, activities, thoughts and experiences. When I got home I didn't need to "catch-up" instead we just continued on growing deeper and communicating with the same consistency. This is similar to my model for relationship with the Lord. I try to spend time with Him every day, and be in conversation multiple times throughout the day. Some days I am better than others, but every day I am aware of the Lord's desire for me to grow in relationship with Him. There are many days I feel that He is waiting for me to grab my bible, my cup of coffee and to come sit with Him.
Ultimately this relationship with Him should have a profound effect on our outward focused lives too. We should learn to love those He loves (I am very fond of all of my wife's friends!). We should learn to see others the way He sees them, as having a priceless value and unique place in relationship with Him. We should see an increase in our compassion and tenderness, for our hearts should become more and more like His, and He is both compassionate and tender. Our hearts should become more outward focused as we see our deep needs for love and acceptance met by the Lord! I find it easy to love others when I am feeling and experiencing being loved. We should desire to see others grow in Love with Him, and encourage them in their pursuit for He is able to love us all, equally well and intimately. We should find ourselves embracing humility, for He embraces it fully very day, despite His awesome power and authority. He chooses to dwell in us, in our hearts, deeming us worthy of His attention! Wow!
Thus, this morning I am encouraged to embrace more fully my relationship with the Lord! I am encouraged to pursue Him throughout my day, being in state of constant communication and affection. I am encouraged to love others, especially my honey, with ever increasing vigor and compassion and tenderness, for I know that my Lord is doing that too. I am encouraged to lay down my selfish ways and embrace unity with all those valued and loved by my Lord! I am encouraged to embrace and treasure the fact that I am loved by Jesus.
Amen!
[1] "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
For some reason when I read these verses this morning they were like a warm blanket to my soul. Paul was reminding us of the affection and love Christ has for us, and encouraging us to look at the world from the perspective of being united to and loved by Jesus! Imagine how our identity would be impacted if we let that fact settle into our heart!
I remember how my perspective in life changed when I fell in love with my future wife, it was as if my whole outlook on life changed when I realized that she loved me as well. There was an excitement and desire for unity, for sharing deeply, an increasing tenderness and understanding of her heart and life. It was easy to think of her first, to value her opinion and wishes above my own, and that sounds very much like what Paul is encouraging us to embrace in the Lord!
I think it is so easy to put our relational faith into the context of works and duty, for we want easy to follow directions and steps. We have so many voices preaching and teaching and that is not a bad thing, but relationships are personal and intimate. We should never abandon our personal pursuit of the Lord, because someone we listen to sounds like they know what they are talking about and we just follow after them. If I did that with my wife, I would be in trouble in a hurry!
The Lord doesn't desire followers of good preachers and teachers, He desires a personal relationship with you and me! Each of us will have a unique relationship, unique ways of relating, hearing, speaking and sharing of life. My relationship with my wife is unique to us. There are similarities to other married relationships, and I have even learned from others, but our relationship is ours and ours alone. In the same way, we are invited into a individual and intimate relationship with Christ Jesus, with The Father and the Holy Spirit. No one else can replace me or my wife in our relationship, and God does not want to see us hand over the control of our relationship to Him to any preacher or teacher, no matter how good they are.
This means that each of us must be internally motivated to grow in our relationship with the Lord. We must desire to go deeper, we must understand His desire for us and join our hearts to Him. Relationships require time and communication to deepen. I have plenty of relationships that never go deeper, and that is because we only relate occasionally, and spend very little time communicating. My time in prayer each morning is where I do much of my communicating with the Lord, but I am also constantly in communication throughout the day. I desire to move to the point of constant prayer (communication) in my life with Him, but I am certainly not there yet.
Back to talking about my honey, when I travel I usually try to talk to her several times in a day, if its possible. In fact ,when I was traveling extensively, friends of hers used to give her a hard time about how often we talked. What I desired was that in my travels that we never suffered a reduction in our communication or intimacy. Despite being separated by miles, sometimes for days at a time, we were both very aware of each other's day, activities, thoughts and experiences. When I got home I didn't need to "catch-up" instead we just continued on growing deeper and communicating with the same consistency. This is similar to my model for relationship with the Lord. I try to spend time with Him every day, and be in conversation multiple times throughout the day. Some days I am better than others, but every day I am aware of the Lord's desire for me to grow in relationship with Him. There are many days I feel that He is waiting for me to grab my bible, my cup of coffee and to come sit with Him.
Ultimately this relationship with Him should have a profound effect on our outward focused lives too. We should learn to love those He loves (I am very fond of all of my wife's friends!). We should learn to see others the way He sees them, as having a priceless value and unique place in relationship with Him. We should see an increase in our compassion and tenderness, for our hearts should become more and more like His, and He is both compassionate and tender. Our hearts should become more outward focused as we see our deep needs for love and acceptance met by the Lord! I find it easy to love others when I am feeling and experiencing being loved. We should desire to see others grow in Love with Him, and encourage them in their pursuit for He is able to love us all, equally well and intimately. We should find ourselves embracing humility, for He embraces it fully very day, despite His awesome power and authority. He chooses to dwell in us, in our hearts, deeming us worthy of His attention! Wow!
Thus, this morning I am encouraged to embrace more fully my relationship with the Lord! I am encouraged to pursue Him throughout my day, being in state of constant communication and affection. I am encouraged to love others, especially my honey, with ever increasing vigor and compassion and tenderness, for I know that my Lord is doing that too. I am encouraged to lay down my selfish ways and embrace unity with all those valued and loved by my Lord! I am encouraged to embrace and treasure the fact that I am loved by Jesus.
Amen!
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Our Identity and the Gospel of Grace
This morning I was reading through Paul's letter to the Galatians and was reflecting on how religion was already slipping into the ranks of the Body of Christ and causing confusion and disagreements and heresy. According to the entry on this letter, "some scholars date the original composition to c. 50–60 AD. Other scholars agree that Galatians was written between the late 40s and early 50s." ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_the_Galatians). If Jesus died in 30-33AD, then we are looking at an issue that had already risen within the first 20-30 years of His life. Many of the original Apostles were still alive, and yet already there were seeds of disagreement and divisions were forming. My heart was saddened by this reality and by the present state of the Body of Christ with division and disagreement rampant in our midst.
I have been reflecting on the bedrock truths of our faith, on the two most important commandments (per Jesus) and was thinking that it would be wonderful if we could unite behind the basic truths and teachings of Jesus as one Faith! It doesn't seem so hard or complicated for us to universally embrace our call to love God first, and then to love one another (our neighbors) as Jesus loves us. Yet, we find the majority of churches struggling to have real relationships and trust of other churches outside their own denomination,fellowship or organizations. We find that many pastors are alone, have few friends in neighboring churches and more often feel a sense of competition for the believers in their city or region.
This is exactly the scene in Galatia, and Paul is forced to address in His letter to the churches there. Clearly this is a letter defending the true faith, his ministry and even move and guidance of the Holy Spirit, for it seems the members of the church in Galatia were willing to lay down everything they already had, for the false promise of righteousness through works! There were opposing forces at work to dissuade them of the Gospel, they were working to convince them that Paul was not to be trusted, all of which we see Paul addressing in his letter.
I am not focusing on the specifics of the disagreements and differing opinions, rather I am looking at this from the attack on identity and relationship perspective. Core to our understanding of our identity in Christ is the issue of the Gospel of Grace. Basically none of us deserve salvation, but Jesus in the supreme act of self-sacrifice, gave Himself to set us free, and it His free gift to us all. He loves us and He paid the price. We did nothing to deserve this, and His salvation is distributed equally to all, because He loves us all equally! Nothing we can do adds to His love or to what He has already given us. All He asks for in return is relationship.
The enemy would have us believe that we still live in that state of unworthiness and the only way forward is through some works, or religious expression or sacrifice, and that is a lie from the pit of hell, for it negates completely the free gift of salvation that Jesus died to provide us! The truth is that none of us are worthy, and yet all are made worthy only by Jesus' righteousness being applied to our lives. Nothing we do increases His sacrifice, or makes it more or less effective! IT IS FINISHED!
We are all loved!
We are all forgiven!
We are all His favorites!
We are all His sons and daughters!
We are all able to enter by faith!
If we think these truths don't apply to our lives, then we are agreeing with the lie of the enemy and we are saying that Jesus didn't do enough, that His sacrifice was not enough to redeem us! If we think that our religious expression adds something to our favorableness before God, then we are saying Jesus, in whom we are hidden, isn't that attractive to the Father! Do we really want to align ourselves with the accuser before the Throne of Grace??
For most of us, we don't usually see these issues in such clear light. They are hidden in feelings of inadequacy, feeling of guilt or failure, feelings of not being loved or accepted. We have listened to the whispered lies of the enemy without realizing it and without discerning the evil intent.
This morning I am encouraged to reflect on my life, upon my thoughts and to root out any lies of the enemy that I have come into agreement with in my life. I am encouraged to ask God to shine the light of His truth into the dark recesses of my mind, my heart and my being to root out all the hidden delusions and deceptions the enemy has sowed. I am encouraged to let His Truth become the foundation of my identity in Him!
Amen and Amen!
I have been reflecting on the bedrock truths of our faith, on the two most important commandments (per Jesus) and was thinking that it would be wonderful if we could unite behind the basic truths and teachings of Jesus as one Faith! It doesn't seem so hard or complicated for us to universally embrace our call to love God first, and then to love one another (our neighbors) as Jesus loves us. Yet, we find the majority of churches struggling to have real relationships and trust of other churches outside their own denomination,fellowship or organizations. We find that many pastors are alone, have few friends in neighboring churches and more often feel a sense of competition for the believers in their city or region.
This is exactly the scene in Galatia, and Paul is forced to address in His letter to the churches there. Clearly this is a letter defending the true faith, his ministry and even move and guidance of the Holy Spirit, for it seems the members of the church in Galatia were willing to lay down everything they already had, for the false promise of righteousness through works! There were opposing forces at work to dissuade them of the Gospel, they were working to convince them that Paul was not to be trusted, all of which we see Paul addressing in his letter.
I am not focusing on the specifics of the disagreements and differing opinions, rather I am looking at this from the attack on identity and relationship perspective. Core to our understanding of our identity in Christ is the issue of the Gospel of Grace. Basically none of us deserve salvation, but Jesus in the supreme act of self-sacrifice, gave Himself to set us free, and it His free gift to us all. He loves us and He paid the price. We did nothing to deserve this, and His salvation is distributed equally to all, because He loves us all equally! Nothing we can do adds to His love or to what He has already given us. All He asks for in return is relationship.
The enemy would have us believe that we still live in that state of unworthiness and the only way forward is through some works, or religious expression or sacrifice, and that is a lie from the pit of hell, for it negates completely the free gift of salvation that Jesus died to provide us! The truth is that none of us are worthy, and yet all are made worthy only by Jesus' righteousness being applied to our lives. Nothing we do increases His sacrifice, or makes it more or less effective! IT IS FINISHED!
We are all loved!
We are all forgiven!
We are all His favorites!
We are all His sons and daughters!
We are all able to enter by faith!
If we think these truths don't apply to our lives, then we are agreeing with the lie of the enemy and we are saying that Jesus didn't do enough, that His sacrifice was not enough to redeem us! If we think that our religious expression adds something to our favorableness before God, then we are saying Jesus, in whom we are hidden, isn't that attractive to the Father! Do we really want to align ourselves with the accuser before the Throne of Grace??
For most of us, we don't usually see these issues in such clear light. They are hidden in feelings of inadequacy, feeling of guilt or failure, feelings of not being loved or accepted. We have listened to the whispered lies of the enemy without realizing it and without discerning the evil intent.
This morning I am encouraged to reflect on my life, upon my thoughts and to root out any lies of the enemy that I have come into agreement with in my life. I am encouraged to ask God to shine the light of His truth into the dark recesses of my mind, my heart and my being to root out all the hidden delusions and deceptions the enemy has sowed. I am encouraged to let His Truth become the foundation of my identity in Him!
Amen and Amen!
Friday, January 19, 2018
The Simple Invitation to Relationship = Greatest Commandment
This morning I have been reflecting on Mark's twelfth chapter, which contains some interesting things. It starts with Jesus telling the parable of the Tenants, which is clearly about religion and the religious leaders. I believe that the Lord's desire was to see them recognize their wrong ways and repent, but instead they chose to seek ways to kill Him. Jesus spoke of God's amazing patience, and laid an invitation for them to believe, yet they resisted.
After the first parable, the next several interactions were the Pharisees and Sadducees trying to trap him with difficult questions meant to get Him to commit to something that they could use to destroy Him. In each case, He adroitly avoids their traps and continues to frustrate them. Finally we see one teacher who understands and has a positive interaction with Jesus (Mark 12:28-34). I think that Jesus was very pleased to see one of the religious leaders who actually understood the whole purpose of the Law! It wasn't about sacrifices and offerings and works, but it was about loving relationship with God and with each others. Here is their interaction, for it is worth reflecting on - Mark 12:28-34 NIV:
[28] "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
[29] “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' [31] The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.”
[32] “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. [33] To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
[34] "When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions."
One of the first things I noticed this morning was the humility of the teacher in coming to Jesus. He wasn't trying to trap Him, wasn't there to boast of His knowledge, but rather came to Jesus asking His opinion and perspective. We always want to be teachable, and come to the Lord in humility. He always has a better perspective than we have, so looking to Him is the wisest thing we can do.
Secondly, He listened to what Jesus said, and grasped the heart of Jesus' response. We, also, should look closely at what Jesus said, for this is as true today as it was when He said it. Jesus said the two most important things we can do are to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Wouldn't church be interesting if this is what we practiced? Rather than focusing on religion and religious works and liturgy, focusing on relationships of Love with God and one another.
The teacher recognizes the truth as the Truth speaks it to him, and his heart is stirred and he has revelation! This revelation was probably in process already, but Jesus confirmed it! Oh that we would let the Truth settle into our hearts and bring revelation and life! Oh that we would come to Jesus and let Him speak Truth!
Finally Jesus encourages the teacher and lays out the invitation into the Kingdom... leading him forward with positive affirmation. The Lord will always affirm our repentance and moves towards Him!
This morning I am encouraged by the simplicity of Jesus' reply! Let me love God and love others! That is more important than any religious activity or pursuit. He wants us focused on relationships!
Amen!
After the first parable, the next several interactions were the Pharisees and Sadducees trying to trap him with difficult questions meant to get Him to commit to something that they could use to destroy Him. In each case, He adroitly avoids their traps and continues to frustrate them. Finally we see one teacher who understands and has a positive interaction with Jesus (Mark 12:28-34). I think that Jesus was very pleased to see one of the religious leaders who actually understood the whole purpose of the Law! It wasn't about sacrifices and offerings and works, but it was about loving relationship with God and with each others. Here is their interaction, for it is worth reflecting on - Mark 12:28-34 NIV:
[28] "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
[29] “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' [31] The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.”
[32] “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. [33] To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
[34] "When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions."
One of the first things I noticed this morning was the humility of the teacher in coming to Jesus. He wasn't trying to trap Him, wasn't there to boast of His knowledge, but rather came to Jesus asking His opinion and perspective. We always want to be teachable, and come to the Lord in humility. He always has a better perspective than we have, so looking to Him is the wisest thing we can do.
Secondly, He listened to what Jesus said, and grasped the heart of Jesus' response. We, also, should look closely at what Jesus said, for this is as true today as it was when He said it. Jesus said the two most important things we can do are to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Wouldn't church be interesting if this is what we practiced? Rather than focusing on religion and religious works and liturgy, focusing on relationships of Love with God and one another.
The teacher recognizes the truth as the Truth speaks it to him, and his heart is stirred and he has revelation! This revelation was probably in process already, but Jesus confirmed it! Oh that we would let the Truth settle into our hearts and bring revelation and life! Oh that we would come to Jesus and let Him speak Truth!
Finally Jesus encourages the teacher and lays out the invitation into the Kingdom... leading him forward with positive affirmation. The Lord will always affirm our repentance and moves towards Him!
This morning I am encouraged by the simplicity of Jesus' reply! Let me love God and love others! That is more important than any religious activity or pursuit. He wants us focused on relationships!
Amen!
Thursday, January 18, 2018
God's Love - The Bedrock of Our Identity
This morning I am continuing my reflection on our true identity, and one thing that continues to resonate in my heart is that it is all based around relationship, and specifically relationship with our heavenly Father. Yesterday I looked at the story of the Prodigal son, which reveals much of the Father's heart, and it focused on restoring one's identity, and it was all anchored in relationship with the Father.
I know I have written in the past of the Father's desire for relationship, and that seems to be the foundation for everything! The Father desires relationship with you and me, individually! Our truest identity is found in this core, eternal relationship. If we look at just a few passages in scripture that illustrate His love for us, we can quickly appreciate the eternal nature of His Love.
God loved us before the creation of the world!
Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV:
[3] "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--- [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."
God created us!
Psalm 139:13-16 NIV:
[13] "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. [14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
God created us with purpose!
Ephesians 2:10 NIV:
[10] "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
God Loved us so much that He sent Jesus!
John 3:16-17 NIV:
[16] "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
God sees us as His sons and daughters!
2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV:
[18] "And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
God wants us to see ourselves as His sons and daughters!
Romans 8:14-17 NIV
[14] "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. [15] The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. [17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs---heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
- and -
Galatians 4:6 NIV:
[6] "Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba , Father.”
God's love for us cannot be defeated!
Romans 8:38-39 NIV:
[38] "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God plans to give us eternal life in relationship with Him (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
John 6:40 NIV:
[40] "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
- and -
1 John 5:11 NIV:
[11] "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."
- and -
1 John 4:13-15 NIV:
[13] "This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God."
All these verses point to the love the Father has for us, the fact that He created us, has a purpose for us, desires relationship with us as His sons and daughters, and ultimately plans to live eternity in relationship with us! If this is the truth, if this our eternal reward, from before the world was created, to after the world ends, relationship with God, then God's love for us and desire for relationship is the foundation of everything else! If we dig down far enough on any truth, the bedrock we hit will always be God's love for us, and His desire for relationship. It is in context with this Rock that we find our true identity. He is the Rock, and we stand on Him and take our identity from Him!
I am reminded of an encouragement Jesus gave us in Matthew 7:24-25 NIV: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
Let Your true identity rest upon the Rock! If we build our house (our identity) on Him, upon His love, upon this revelation than we will stand regardless of the attacks and trials we encounter.
Amen!
I know I have written in the past of the Father's desire for relationship, and that seems to be the foundation for everything! The Father desires relationship with you and me, individually! Our truest identity is found in this core, eternal relationship. If we look at just a few passages in scripture that illustrate His love for us, we can quickly appreciate the eternal nature of His Love.
God loved us before the creation of the world!
Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV:
[3] "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--- [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."
God created us!
Psalm 139:13-16 NIV:
[13] "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. [14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
God created us with purpose!
Ephesians 2:10 NIV:
[10] "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
God Loved us so much that He sent Jesus!
John 3:16-17 NIV:
[16] "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
God sees us as His sons and daughters!
2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV:
[18] "And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
God wants us to see ourselves as His sons and daughters!
Romans 8:14-17 NIV
[14] "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. [15] The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. [17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs---heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
- and -
Galatians 4:6 NIV:
[6] "Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba , Father.”
God's love for us cannot be defeated!
Romans 8:38-39 NIV:
[38] "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God plans to give us eternal life in relationship with Him (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
John 6:40 NIV:
[40] "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
- and -
1 John 5:11 NIV:
[11] "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."
- and -
1 John 4:13-15 NIV:
[13] "This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God."
All these verses point to the love the Father has for us, the fact that He created us, has a purpose for us, desires relationship with us as His sons and daughters, and ultimately plans to live eternity in relationship with us! If this is the truth, if this our eternal reward, from before the world was created, to after the world ends, relationship with God, then God's love for us and desire for relationship is the foundation of everything else! If we dig down far enough on any truth, the bedrock we hit will always be God's love for us, and His desire for relationship. It is in context with this Rock that we find our true identity. He is the Rock, and we stand on Him and take our identity from Him!
I am reminded of an encouragement Jesus gave us in Matthew 7:24-25 NIV: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
Let Your true identity rest upon the Rock! If we build our house (our identity) on Him, upon His love, upon this revelation than we will stand regardless of the attacks and trials we encounter.
Amen!
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
The Attack On Our Identity - The Father's Response
This morning I am continuing my reflection on identity and will delve deeper into that subject through Jesus' great parable about the prodigal son. I think that first and foremost this story is about identity, the rejecting of identity and the receiving back one's true identity. Jesus was telling this story to a people and culture who focused on individual's as they related to the father. For a couple of quick examples we have Bartimaeus which means son of Timaeus; we have Simon bar Jonas (son of Jonas), James and John the sons of Zebedee; Luke 3:21-38 recounts the genealogy of Jesus, and it is all based on the paternal relationship; almost the entire first chapter of Matthew's Gospel is devoted to Jesus' genealogy. I believe we can conjecture that one's identity was closely tied to one's father, and his father and so on.
I will look at the story and then break it down as it refers to identity. Here is the story as recounted in Luke 15:11-24 NIV:
[11] "Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. [12] The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them."
[13] “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. [14] After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. [15] So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. [16] He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
[17] “When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! [18] I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' [20] So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
[21] “The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
[22] “But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. [23] Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. [24] For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate."
What an awesome story demonstrating the Father's heart, and His desire to restore us to our true identity!
Let me break down the story as I understand it. One of the things that is somewhat overlooked, in our present culture, is the statement the younger son was making in asking for His inheritance, His share of the estate. He was basically saying to the Father, I wish you were dead, I want nothing to do with you any more, I want out. I want my name set free, and I want everything that goes with that to go with me as well. It is important to note that this is the younger son, and often the oldest son inherited the land, but a good father always provided for all his sons and lent his name and authority and reputation to all his sons.
This son had decided he didn't need any of that help or relationship, so he moved to a distant land where it would just be him and whatever name he could make for himself. Unfortunately, left to his own identity he stumbled quickly and made bad decision after bad decision and ended up with nothing. Truthfully he ended up with less than nothing for he wasn't treated even as well as the pigs, and no one helped him. The truth is no one knew him, he had no family and no friends, for those he had developed were only friends because of his money, and when that ran out, so did they.
While he was in this depressed state he came to his senses, and realized that even the servants in His father's house were treated better than he was being treated. The fact that this is what he realized when he came to his senses, means that he hadn't seen this before, and previously had not been in his right mind. He had totally misunderstood who he was and what relationship with his father provided himself, as well as all the others, even the servants.
He immediately decided to head back home, but knew what he had said to his father in parting, and how deeply that would have wounded him, but figured he would ask to be a servant, just so he could eat and have shelter. He thought he had given up his identity, and now could only relate to his father as a hired hand or servant.
I love the father's response, as described by Jesus and it is important for us to note, for clearly this is a parable describing our Heavenly Father and us. The Father never revoked the son's identity, and never withdrew his love, or desire for relationship. In fact, every day he waited scanning the horizon to see if his son was returning to Him. As soon as He saw the son He ran to him and embraced him! Notice the son didn't run to the father for he was likely ashamed of his behavior and worried about what he last said to Him.
The father was overjoyed to see the son and was busy embracing him, and the son just couldn't even go there in his mind. Instead he still thought his only relationship with his father would be as servant, and so he tries to explain that to his father. His father, however, will have nothing to do with that type of thinking and immediately calls for public restoration of identity (sandals), authority (ring) and relationship (robe). One thing I just was researching was the significance of giving the son back his sandals. Here is a quote I found referring to the significance of shoes:
"Then the biblical tradition took a further step. The ‘lifting up of the foot’ became more concrete and real with the ‘pulling off of the shoe.’” [26] This act before witnesses was a legal attestation [27] that the party divesting itself of a particular piece of property was doing so willingly—and had formally and officially relinquished all future claims to that particular piece of property. [28] The removal of the sandal, slipper, or shoe at the end of the rite signified that the transaction was completed and that the ritual was legally binding." Full article may be found at : https://rsc-dev.byu.edu/archived/our-rites-worship-latter-day-saint-views-ritual-history-scripture-and-practice/ceremony
In other words, the giving back of the son's shoes was returning him to that which he left, namely his true identity as son of the father! What had been legally divested (his inheritance) was now legally restored! It was as if he had never left and all rights and relationship were fully restored! Wow!
It is almost as if he never left, never sinned, never failed, never made stupid decision after stupid decision - and that is exactly the point Jesus is making! This is how the Father loves us, how He treats us, how He desires us to understand our true identity! There is no second class son or daughter! He is waiting for us all to return to Him, to fully embrace our identity, to live in the fullness of what He has for us! This is true for everyone of us, no matter what we have done, or how far we have run away! He has never stopped loving us, never stopped waiting or us to return to Him, never crossed our name off His list of sons and daughters!
Any thoughts or ideas to the contrary are not coming from the Lord. These are lies that have been broadcast by the enemy, trying to convince us that the Father can't be that good, that we have sinned too much, that we have irreversibly damaged our identity and relationship with the Father. They are lies, and Jesus came to set us straight!
This morning I am just greatly encouraged by the mercy and grace the Father has for me! I am encouraged to step into my identity, and to look at any ways that I have not been in my right mind or listened to the lies of the enemy concerning the Father and His love for me!
Amen!
I will look at the story and then break it down as it refers to identity. Here is the story as recounted in Luke 15:11-24 NIV:
[11] "Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. [12] The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them."
[13] “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. [14] After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. [15] So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. [16] He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
[17] “When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! [18] I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' [20] So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
[21] “The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
[22] “But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. [23] Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. [24] For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate."
What an awesome story demonstrating the Father's heart, and His desire to restore us to our true identity!
Let me break down the story as I understand it. One of the things that is somewhat overlooked, in our present culture, is the statement the younger son was making in asking for His inheritance, His share of the estate. He was basically saying to the Father, I wish you were dead, I want nothing to do with you any more, I want out. I want my name set free, and I want everything that goes with that to go with me as well. It is important to note that this is the younger son, and often the oldest son inherited the land, but a good father always provided for all his sons and lent his name and authority and reputation to all his sons.
This son had decided he didn't need any of that help or relationship, so he moved to a distant land where it would just be him and whatever name he could make for himself. Unfortunately, left to his own identity he stumbled quickly and made bad decision after bad decision and ended up with nothing. Truthfully he ended up with less than nothing for he wasn't treated even as well as the pigs, and no one helped him. The truth is no one knew him, he had no family and no friends, for those he had developed were only friends because of his money, and when that ran out, so did they.
While he was in this depressed state he came to his senses, and realized that even the servants in His father's house were treated better than he was being treated. The fact that this is what he realized when he came to his senses, means that he hadn't seen this before, and previously had not been in his right mind. He had totally misunderstood who he was and what relationship with his father provided himself, as well as all the others, even the servants.
He immediately decided to head back home, but knew what he had said to his father in parting, and how deeply that would have wounded him, but figured he would ask to be a servant, just so he could eat and have shelter. He thought he had given up his identity, and now could only relate to his father as a hired hand or servant.
I love the father's response, as described by Jesus and it is important for us to note, for clearly this is a parable describing our Heavenly Father and us. The Father never revoked the son's identity, and never withdrew his love, or desire for relationship. In fact, every day he waited scanning the horizon to see if his son was returning to Him. As soon as He saw the son He ran to him and embraced him! Notice the son didn't run to the father for he was likely ashamed of his behavior and worried about what he last said to Him.
The father was overjoyed to see the son and was busy embracing him, and the son just couldn't even go there in his mind. Instead he still thought his only relationship with his father would be as servant, and so he tries to explain that to his father. His father, however, will have nothing to do with that type of thinking and immediately calls for public restoration of identity (sandals), authority (ring) and relationship (robe). One thing I just was researching was the significance of giving the son back his sandals. Here is a quote I found referring to the significance of shoes:
"Then the biblical tradition took a further step. The ‘lifting up of the foot’ became more concrete and real with the ‘pulling off of the shoe.’” [26] This act before witnesses was a legal attestation [27] that the party divesting itself of a particular piece of property was doing so willingly—and had formally and officially relinquished all future claims to that particular piece of property. [28] The removal of the sandal, slipper, or shoe at the end of the rite signified that the transaction was completed and that the ritual was legally binding." Full article may be found at : https://rsc-dev.byu.edu/archived/our-rites-worship-latter-day-saint-views-ritual-history-scripture-and-practice/ceremony
In other words, the giving back of the son's shoes was returning him to that which he left, namely his true identity as son of the father! What had been legally divested (his inheritance) was now legally restored! It was as if he had never left and all rights and relationship were fully restored! Wow!
It is almost as if he never left, never sinned, never failed, never made stupid decision after stupid decision - and that is exactly the point Jesus is making! This is how the Father loves us, how He treats us, how He desires us to understand our true identity! There is no second class son or daughter! He is waiting for us all to return to Him, to fully embrace our identity, to live in the fullness of what He has for us! This is true for everyone of us, no matter what we have done, or how far we have run away! He has never stopped loving us, never stopped waiting or us to return to Him, never crossed our name off His list of sons and daughters!
Any thoughts or ideas to the contrary are not coming from the Lord. These are lies that have been broadcast by the enemy, trying to convince us that the Father can't be that good, that we have sinned too much, that we have irreversibly damaged our identity and relationship with the Father. They are lies, and Jesus came to set us straight!
This morning I am just greatly encouraged by the mercy and grace the Father has for me! I am encouraged to step into my identity, and to look at any ways that I have not been in my right mind or listened to the lies of the enemy concerning the Father and His love for me!
Amen!
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