This morning I felt like reading from Psalms, it has been a while since I perused these beautiful verses. I am focusing on Psalm 114:1-8 NIV:
[1] "When Israel came out of Egypt,
Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
[2] Judah became God's sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
[3] The sea looked and fled,
the Jordan turned back;
[4] the mountains leaped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
[5] Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
[6] Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
you hills, like lambs?
[7] Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
[8] who turned the rock into a pool,
the hard rock into springs of water."
I love that so much of Israel's history can be captured in a few simple verses. I really like the imagery that David uses to describe the crossing of the Red Sea, the river Jordan, and the provision of water at Meribah (Ex 17:1-7).
The verse that really caught my eye, was verse 2: "Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel his dominion." This really a pretty amazing statement, the Judah became God's sanctuary. The Hebrew word that is translated sanctuary, is the word Qodesh and its Definition:
1) apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness
a) apartness, sacredness, holiness
1) of God
2) of places
3) of things
b) set-apartness, separateness
This word is translated into sanctuary more often than any other word, so it is important for us to grasp the meaning. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary lists the full definition of the word 'sanctuary' starting with these two lines:
1 : a consecrated place: as
a : the ancient Hebrew temple at Jerusalem or its holy of holies
Putting these together, we find that the tribe of Judah was set apart, made Holy by God, and it was in their midst that He chose to dwell. We saw this lived out first through the tabernacle and the Holy of Holies within it, and then by the Holy of Holies in the temple. God chose to dwell among these people. In both cases when they established this place (sanctuary) for God, He came in an awesome display of power and settled there. In Exodus 40: 1-38 it is described how Moses set up the Tabernacle and then the glory of God came and filled the tabernacle. We see the same thing occur when Solomon built the temple and consecrated it in 2 Chron 6 & 7, the glory of God filled the temple (resting in the Holy of Holies, and His presence was so great that the priests could not even enter.
When I think about these historical events I am filled with awe, and just imagine the glory of the Lord, filling the place so much that people's only response is to bow down and worship Him! That must have been so wonderful to experience.
As I read these verses I thought about the way God has transitioned His presence from the first chapters of Genesis, where He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve, to making His sanctuary among the people of Judah, and specifically the Holy of Holies. Continuing this transition, Jesus describes how He (Father, Son and Spirit) will come and dwell in us. The following verses describe this exactly:
John 14:15-17 NIV:
[15] “If you love me, keep my commands. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--- [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."
John 14:23 NIV:
[23] "Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."
Paul describes our bodies as temples - 1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;"
In summary, the progressive revelation of God as described in Scripture, first has God walking with man, secondly has God dwelling amongst a people He has chosen and consecrated, and finally living inside of us. This is God's stated desire to be with us, to have fellowship with us, to allow us to be in His presence continually. This is so amazing to me - God chooses to dwell in me, to make me His home, His sanctuary, His Holy of Holies!
Going back to Psalm 114:7 - we find that the presence of God elicits a response, even from the physical earth. I believe it is His intention that His presence in us, would affect the world in the same way! He desires to shake the mountains ( Religion, Family, Education, Government, Media, Arts & Entertainment and Business), and affect the waters (life for all humanity and creation), and cause all people to know of His presence - through His presence in us!
Lord, help me to be Your sanctuary!
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Jesus Understands Our Loss and Pain
This morning I felt like reading from John 11:3-7 NIV:
[3] "So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
[4] "When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.” [5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, [7] and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
When I first read these verses, it seems that they are just a quick introduction to the real story, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, but in reality, there are some REALLY significant things hidden here.
First, in verse 4, Jesus again says as clear as possible that He is God's Son! This may not seem like much, but remember this was a HUGE issue for the Jewish people. They were waiting for a Messiah, they had no idea God was planning to send His only Son! For them, saying You are God's Son was blasphemy, for they held God in such awe, they could not believe that He would lower Himself to our human form (see John 10:22-39). Jesus once again clearly affirms His identity to His disciples, and this is one of the absolute corner-stones of our faith, that Jesus truly is the Son of God. John slides it in so quietly one could almost miss the statement.
Secondly, Jesus says this was going to happen to bring God and Himself glory. I think this is one of the most understated and misunderstood statements that Jesus makes. Taking this to the personal level, Lazarus was loved by Jesus, in fact John makes it clear that He dearly loved the whole family.
In all our lives we come into contact with those that feel like family, people who we just connect with and love, sometimes we even feel like they are our second family. I believe this is what Martha, Mary and Lazarus are like to Jesus. They are one of the few people in the Gospels that are mentioned more than once. We know that Jesus hung out at their house ( Luke 10) and that Mary was one of His closest followers. Mary is mentioned multiple times in all four Gospels That is only true of a couple of the other Apostles, and she was one of the few of His followers who was present at His crucification and was the first one Jesus appeared to when He rose from the dead.
The point I am making is that Jesus had no closer friends than Mary, Martha and Lazarus, other than His apostles, so when Jesus had to sit and wait rather than hurrying to Lazarus when He heard he was sick, He clearly would have been significantly moved emotionally. Imagine if your best friend, who you really loved, was sick and in danger of dying, and you were asked to wait to return, even though you knew you could cure your friend.
How do we know that Jesus wanted to do that very thing, to heal Lazarus? We know because He tells us that He already knows the Father's will, which means He asked! Jesus did walk in incredibly close unity with the Father, but He was doing so as a completely human individual. He had humbled Himself and for a time emptied Himself of His divinity (Phil 2), so He was effectively shielding Himself of His Oneness with the Father where He would have known the Father's will, even as He thought it. Instead, Jesus operated on earth as fully man, interacting with the Father through the Holy Spirit, but always only as a man. Thus, for Him to know something from the Father, it was because He had asked or desired to know. So we know that His heart must have been to go and heal Lazarus, He asked this of the Father, but instead the Father instructed Him to wait.
Sometimes in our self-focus, especially when we are hurting or have lost someone close, we think that no one can understand our pain. We think that God doesn't care, that He is cold and heartless for allowing this situation in our lives. The truth is that Jesus completely understands our loss, our pain and our hearts. We know this because Jesus was clearly moved by the loss of Lazarus, and the pain that the sisters felt and expressed when He finally arrived on the scene. Here is the continuation of the story after Jesus meets Martha and now Mary - John 11:33-38 NIV:
[33] When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
[34] “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
[35] Jesus wept.
[36] Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” [37] But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
[38] Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance."
We know Jesus was moved with compassion at other times, as recorded in the Gospels, but never over a personal loss, and never as deeply. I believe He wept for Mary, for Martha, for Lazarus, and out of His own pain at the loss of Lazarus. Even though He knew the Father's plan, He was still moved deeply. The Greek word for compassion, means to feel something deep in our bowels, or our gut. The words used by John here mean to "charge forward snorting (original Greek would add 'in anger'), and wailing in grief!
I have a good friend who's dad passed away suddenly of a massive heart attack. He raced to the hospital, but his dad was already gone. He first saw his father laying on a hospital bed and was overcome with grief, ran to him, threw himself across his dad's body and wailed loudly! This is similar to what John appears to be describing in Jesus' response! That gives me great hope that Jesus understands my grief, my loss and my sorrow at the loss of my loved ones, and for any time I am dealing with the frustration of waiting for God to move! He knows our hearts and how greatly affected we can be by others and by difficult situations!
His encouragement to all of us would be to turn to the Father, and know that He has a great plan, one that will bring Him glory, and one that will sooth our hearts! So, if you are waiting desperately for the Lord to move, to visit you, to help you, to save you, to heal you, to ease your grief or your pain. Know that Jesus is VERY aware of Your sorrow and pain, and that He will move, will visit, will help, will save, will heal and will ease your grief! He loves you even as He loved Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
Lord I am so grateful that You came and become man, and personally experienced our human condition. I am so grateful that You know well our hurts and pains, our struggles, our woundedness. I am so grateful that You are not some far off god, who is cold, detached and unfeeling. Thank You for loving us passionately, even as you did Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
Amen!
[3] "So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
[4] "When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.” [5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, [7] and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
When I first read these verses, it seems that they are just a quick introduction to the real story, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, but in reality, there are some REALLY significant things hidden here.
First, in verse 4, Jesus again says as clear as possible that He is God's Son! This may not seem like much, but remember this was a HUGE issue for the Jewish people. They were waiting for a Messiah, they had no idea God was planning to send His only Son! For them, saying You are God's Son was blasphemy, for they held God in such awe, they could not believe that He would lower Himself to our human form (see John 10:22-39). Jesus once again clearly affirms His identity to His disciples, and this is one of the absolute corner-stones of our faith, that Jesus truly is the Son of God. John slides it in so quietly one could almost miss the statement.
Secondly, Jesus says this was going to happen to bring God and Himself glory. I think this is one of the most understated and misunderstood statements that Jesus makes. Taking this to the personal level, Lazarus was loved by Jesus, in fact John makes it clear that He dearly loved the whole family.
In all our lives we come into contact with those that feel like family, people who we just connect with and love, sometimes we even feel like they are our second family. I believe this is what Martha, Mary and Lazarus are like to Jesus. They are one of the few people in the Gospels that are mentioned more than once. We know that Jesus hung out at their house ( Luke 10) and that Mary was one of His closest followers. Mary is mentioned multiple times in all four Gospels That is only true of a couple of the other Apostles, and she was one of the few of His followers who was present at His crucification and was the first one Jesus appeared to when He rose from the dead.
The point I am making is that Jesus had no closer friends than Mary, Martha and Lazarus, other than His apostles, so when Jesus had to sit and wait rather than hurrying to Lazarus when He heard he was sick, He clearly would have been significantly moved emotionally. Imagine if your best friend, who you really loved, was sick and in danger of dying, and you were asked to wait to return, even though you knew you could cure your friend.
How do we know that Jesus wanted to do that very thing, to heal Lazarus? We know because He tells us that He already knows the Father's will, which means He asked! Jesus did walk in incredibly close unity with the Father, but He was doing so as a completely human individual. He had humbled Himself and for a time emptied Himself of His divinity (Phil 2), so He was effectively shielding Himself of His Oneness with the Father where He would have known the Father's will, even as He thought it. Instead, Jesus operated on earth as fully man, interacting with the Father through the Holy Spirit, but always only as a man. Thus, for Him to know something from the Father, it was because He had asked or desired to know. So we know that His heart must have been to go and heal Lazarus, He asked this of the Father, but instead the Father instructed Him to wait.
Sometimes in our self-focus, especially when we are hurting or have lost someone close, we think that no one can understand our pain. We think that God doesn't care, that He is cold and heartless for allowing this situation in our lives. The truth is that Jesus completely understands our loss, our pain and our hearts. We know this because Jesus was clearly moved by the loss of Lazarus, and the pain that the sisters felt and expressed when He finally arrived on the scene. Here is the continuation of the story after Jesus meets Martha and now Mary - John 11:33-38 NIV:
[33] When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
[34] “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
[35] Jesus wept.
[36] Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” [37] But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
[38] Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance."
We know Jesus was moved with compassion at other times, as recorded in the Gospels, but never over a personal loss, and never as deeply. I believe He wept for Mary, for Martha, for Lazarus, and out of His own pain at the loss of Lazarus. Even though He knew the Father's plan, He was still moved deeply. The Greek word for compassion, means to feel something deep in our bowels, or our gut. The words used by John here mean to "charge forward snorting (original Greek would add 'in anger'), and wailing in grief!
I have a good friend who's dad passed away suddenly of a massive heart attack. He raced to the hospital, but his dad was already gone. He first saw his father laying on a hospital bed and was overcome with grief, ran to him, threw himself across his dad's body and wailed loudly! This is similar to what John appears to be describing in Jesus' response! That gives me great hope that Jesus understands my grief, my loss and my sorrow at the loss of my loved ones, and for any time I am dealing with the frustration of waiting for God to move! He knows our hearts and how greatly affected we can be by others and by difficult situations!
His encouragement to all of us would be to turn to the Father, and know that He has a great plan, one that will bring Him glory, and one that will sooth our hearts! So, if you are waiting desperately for the Lord to move, to visit you, to help you, to save you, to heal you, to ease your grief or your pain. Know that Jesus is VERY aware of Your sorrow and pain, and that He will move, will visit, will help, will save, will heal and will ease your grief! He loves you even as He loved Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
Lord I am so grateful that You came and become man, and personally experienced our human condition. I am so grateful that You know well our hurts and pains, our struggles, our woundedness. I am so grateful that You are not some far off god, who is cold, detached and unfeeling. Thank You for loving us passionately, even as you did Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
Amen!
Monday, July 25, 2016
Tuning Our Hearts and Actions to Him!
This morning when I opened my Bible, it opened to one of my favorite passages from the Prophet Isaiah, a section on the type of fasting the Lord desires. I love the If-Then promises of the Lord in this regard. Here are the verses:
Isaiah 58:5-12 NIV:
[5] "Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
(What the people thought God wanted)
[6] “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
[7] Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter---
when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
(What God actually wants)
[8] Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
[9] Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
(God's response to us, if we tune our hearts and actions to Him)
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
[10] and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
(God's "If statement")
then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
[11] The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
[12] Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
(God's promise will "Then" come to pass.)
I like to think that verses like these show the heart of God. He is not after our religious activity, He is after our hearts and our actions, lined up with Him. Once when Jesus was questioned about the greatest commandment, He provided the following response - Matthew 22:37-40 NIV:
[37] "Jesus replied: “ 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
If we love God with our whole self (heart, soul and mind) first, that becomes the basis for our outward actions, for He loves all those around us. When You love someone completely, you Love what they love, those that are important to them, become important to you. This is what God is after in His encouragement in these verses. He doesn't want us focused on some rules, some religious act, He wants us focused on others and acting out of relationship with Him.
God is so good to us that He can't help but respond in kind when we give of ourselves for His sake. That is really what He is saying here, if we act like Him, then He will bless us, because that is what He IS like.
I was just thinking about an analogy that is timely, as we are just about to start the Olympics. I used to be a gymnast, and as a gymnast we performed routines that were judged on the several merits, but perfection of activity was what was looked for, perfectly pointed toes, legs held together just right, uniform worn just right, etc. It seems to me that this is what religious requirements are like - trying to put on the perfect show.
What God is looking for is more like mud-wrestling (in a good way). He is looking for those that don't mind getting "dirty", and are willing to get in there and embrace their neighbors for His sake, regardless of how "dirty" they are in their sin and desperate need.
Lord, help me to tune my heart and actions to You! Help me to love others the way You love them!
Amen!
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Streams of Living Water for the Thirsty!
Recently I have been working my way through a book titled, "The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit" by R.A.Torrey. It is a great book, and I highly recommend it, for he does an excellent job expanding on who the Holy Spirit is, how He is referred to in the Scriptures and what that means to us as a believer in Jesus. In reading this book, I find that I am relatively shallow in my understanding and knowledge of the Holy Spirit, and it has been very helpful.
In this light, this morning I felt like reading in John's Gospel and saw the following verses from John 7:37-39 NIV:
[37] "On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. [38] Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” [39] By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."
It is important to note that this is John writing this Gospel, an eye-witness to the events of the Resurrection and Ascension and Pentecost. He was personally recounting from his years of experience, his remembrance and understanding of Jesus' words. Here he wraps into the account his retrospective understanding of what Jesus said about the Spirit. I can imagine at the time Jesus spoke these words there was much confusion, for the Holy Spirit had not been given yet, and the neither the Jews nor the Apostles had any real paradigm for what Jesus was saying.
We have the famous Ezekiel prophecy of streams flowing from the Temple (Ezekiel 47) and Jesus had talked about "living water" with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), but there is no real mention or teaching given by Jesus yet about the Holy Spirit. I am sure they all stood around and stared at each other, especially since Jesus made this statement as a major announcement! John spares us the confusion and suspense and just tells us what Jesus meant. He says that Jesus was referring to the Spirit, and indicates that those who believed in Him (Jesus) were to receive the Spirit, after Jesus was glorified.
I find this interesting commentary, as we know that Jesus sent out the Apostles (Luke 9) and later the 72 (Luke 10) for small ministry trips to neighboring villages, and they went with power and authority and saw miracles and healings everywhere they visited. John says at this point they had not yet been given the Holy Spirit. In other words, it seems to me that the receipt of the Holy Spirit was a wholly different experience. That means that looking back at these experiences, John knew that they had not been fully aware of the Holy Spirit, nor His power while out ministering in Jesus' authority. Fascinating!
I digress, back to what Jesus was proclaiming. He said (paraphrased) " if anyone was thirsty, we are to come to Him and drink, and if we believe rivers of living water would flow from within them". We know that Jeremiah spoke of God being the spring of living water (Jer 2:13 & 17:13) and thus the people must have had some understanding that Jesus was speaking of a divine blessing. Isaiah spoke the following - Isaiah 58:11 NIV: "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." This however was something more, for this was not a spring, but rather a river of living water. The Greek word used by John is defined as streams, rivers, torrents and floods. This is much more than a small spring that provides sufficient water for a garden plot, but rather a flow of water that is significant and life giving!
It is interesting that a small drink for the thirsty can turn into a river of living water, but that is what happens when the Holy Spirit is given, the natural is turned into the "super"natural. I am reminded of the Dairy Queen commercial for its flaming hot burgers. The man in the commercial takes one bite, and then everything he breathes on catches fire! That is a funny illustration of the same principle Jesus speaks of here, one drink becomes a river. The source is clearly not us, for our drinks do not multiply within us. The picture I see is that one drink, coupled with belief, opens the flood-gates of heaven, and that which exists in heaven now pours forth out of us!
I think this is why John adds the retrospective reference, as up to that point they had not experienced this outpouring, and outflowing as described by Jesus. What an awesome invitation and promise Jesus has given us! Let us come to Him and drink, for I know I am thirsty! Holy Spirit we welcome Your outpouring into our lives and out of us to others who are thirsty!!
Amen!
Friday, July 22, 2016
Rejoice, Be Peaceful and Rest!
This morning I felt like reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians 4:4-9 NIV:
[4] "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [5] Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
[8] "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things. [9] Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me---put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
I thought these verses were a poignant reminder in these crazy days of political and civil unrest. There is so much in the news and on social media to become worried about, so much happening that can cause our hearts to fear, or be anxious, and Paul's words here, if we embrace them, can be like a calming balm.
I know I can get carried away by all the swirl around so many things, but as a follower of Christ, my heart should be at peace, and my spirit unaffected, for my gaze should be on Him, not on the world around me, for my sense of stability. Paul lays out some great advice - always rejoice in the Lord. In other words, be constantly mindful of the blessing of salvation, of His love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness extended into our lives. Remind yourself of His calling, His acceptance, His encouragement, His sovereignty, His awesome power, His authority, His presence.
If we are thinking about these things and rejoicing in them, it will be really hard to become bogged down by the cares and concerns all around us. Not that we ignore the issues and swirl, but our hearts, minds and our spirits respond from God's vantage point, not our own. When I think that everything is going crazy, I am reminded that He has all power and authority and is perfectly in control. When I see people hating each other, I am reminded that God created each and every one of us, and He died for us all, and loves us all, including me.
Paul encourages us to respond in gentleness, to let God's peace settle over us, and to think about the true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. If this is what I am thinking about, I will have much less time to think about other unsettling stuff. The old saying, "you are what you eat" is somewhat true. I think it is much more accurate to say, "we are what we think about!" If I am constantly thinking about all the turmoil I become tumultuous internally. If I find myself constantly being pulled back and forth by the opinion and statements of opposing views, I am at the very least unsettled internally.
One of my favorite authors, Graham Cooke, speaks about spiritual warfare out of our place of peace and rest. Part of the strategy of the enemy is try and cause division, disturbance, doubt and fear. However, our call and invitation is to the opposite - unity, peace, trust and love. If we learn to rest in the Lord and are constantly mindful of Him and His position of authority and power, we become settled in His peace, which is beyond our understanding. We learn to rest in Him, and the enemy is unable to affect us, or should I say "infect us" with division, disturbance, doubt and fear.
When we respond out of peace, and are gentle to all around us, we become like a lighthouse in the midst of the storm, signalling to those around us that safe harbor can be found. So, let us be examples of peace and rest to the world around us. Let us look to Him, trust in Him and let His peace settle over. Let us think about Him, about the true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Let us allow His peace flow out of us to those around us!
Amen!
[4] "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [5] Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
[8] "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things. [9] Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me---put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
I thought these verses were a poignant reminder in these crazy days of political and civil unrest. There is so much in the news and on social media to become worried about, so much happening that can cause our hearts to fear, or be anxious, and Paul's words here, if we embrace them, can be like a calming balm.
I know I can get carried away by all the swirl around so many things, but as a follower of Christ, my heart should be at peace, and my spirit unaffected, for my gaze should be on Him, not on the world around me, for my sense of stability. Paul lays out some great advice - always rejoice in the Lord. In other words, be constantly mindful of the blessing of salvation, of His love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness extended into our lives. Remind yourself of His calling, His acceptance, His encouragement, His sovereignty, His awesome power, His authority, His presence.
If we are thinking about these things and rejoicing in them, it will be really hard to become bogged down by the cares and concerns all around us. Not that we ignore the issues and swirl, but our hearts, minds and our spirits respond from God's vantage point, not our own. When I think that everything is going crazy, I am reminded that He has all power and authority and is perfectly in control. When I see people hating each other, I am reminded that God created each and every one of us, and He died for us all, and loves us all, including me.
Paul encourages us to respond in gentleness, to let God's peace settle over us, and to think about the true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. If this is what I am thinking about, I will have much less time to think about other unsettling stuff. The old saying, "you are what you eat" is somewhat true. I think it is much more accurate to say, "we are what we think about!" If I am constantly thinking about all the turmoil I become tumultuous internally. If I find myself constantly being pulled back and forth by the opinion and statements of opposing views, I am at the very least unsettled internally.
One of my favorite authors, Graham Cooke, speaks about spiritual warfare out of our place of peace and rest. Part of the strategy of the enemy is try and cause division, disturbance, doubt and fear. However, our call and invitation is to the opposite - unity, peace, trust and love. If we learn to rest in the Lord and are constantly mindful of Him and His position of authority and power, we become settled in His peace, which is beyond our understanding. We learn to rest in Him, and the enemy is unable to affect us, or should I say "infect us" with division, disturbance, doubt and fear.
When we respond out of peace, and are gentle to all around us, we become like a lighthouse in the midst of the storm, signalling to those around us that safe harbor can be found. So, let us be examples of peace and rest to the world around us. Let us look to Him, trust in Him and let His peace settle over. Let us think about Him, about the true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Let us allow His peace flow out of us to those around us!
Amen!
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Revelation Waits For Its Appointment
This morning I ran across an interesting verse in the Book of Habakkuk 2:1, 3 NIV:
[1] "I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint."
[3] "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay".
Specifically the second verse - "revelation awaits an appointed time". This is such a true statement, but one we want to be untrue. We want to know the revelation now, on our time, not in God's time. We don't like to wait, don't like to experience delays in our plans. But the reality is that God is all about timing, and massive intricate moves, in hundreds/thousands/millions/billions of people's lives and timing matters.
I am reminded of the time I met my friend Bob in the airport in Atlanta, while I was walking down the one of the busiest terminals there. He literally stepped right in front of me, totally unaware that I was there. A difference of a couple of seconds and we would have never met for our paths would not have crossed again. I had no reason to believe I would meet him that day, for He is from MN, and I am living in KC, and we hadn't seen each other for more than 20 years, yet there he was. It turns out that I definitely had an encouraging word (revelation and confirmation) for Bob, and it was clearly a God appointed timing and meeting. He was praying about an important decision, and a combination of my experiences and things I shared with him based on prophetic insight I received, were really assuring to Him at that time. This is a great example of revelation awaiting an appointed time, for that encouraging word (revelation of God's love and direction) were appointed at that time and in that place.
Another great example occurred when I was laid off. I had been laid off for over 5 months in 2009, and was definitely praying hard and listening to the Lord about His plans for me. It was one of the most interesting times for me, for no matter how hard or passionately I asked, God was mostly silent about His plans. He had given me a dream about 6 months earlier that seemed to indicate I would have a 6 month break, but when you are looking for work, you don't want to listen to or believe something like that. Anyway, after months of absolutely no response from the Lord, and almost no responses from any prospective company, I was to a point where I felt like I was in a cloud of unknowing. I didn't know where I was going to work, whether we were going to stay in KC, pretty much anything, other than I was still married and had 2 kids. It was like my whole future was completely unknown, and God was silent. When people asked how I was doing that is what I said, "I am in the cloud of unknowing, no idea where I am going or whether I am moving at all." One day about 5 1/2 months into my lay-off period, I sat down to pray and felt directed to read from Ps 99. Here is what I read...keep in mind my name is Samuel:
Psalm 99:6-7 NIV:
[6] "Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the Lord and he answered them. [7] He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them."
As soon as I read that verse, I knew that the Lord was going to speak! By the end of that day, I had three potential jobs and interviews scheduled for two of those opportunities! It had been over 3 months since I heard anything from any company, so it was an amazing day. God could have released the revelation of where I would end up 6 months earlier, but I wouldn't have listened to Him or believed Him, for I ended up in a completely different industry. At that time, the opportunity I finally ended up in, wasn't even an option for myself, or for the company that ended up hiring me. This is another great example of the revelation waiting for its appointed time, for God definitely had a plan, and the plan was really good, but it had to wait for the proper alignment in time to be released. Every morning I stationed myself before the Lord in prayer and it was only 5 1/2 months later that His answer came. However it was right on time and there was no delay on the Lord's part. It seemed late to me, but in retrospect, it was perfectly timed.
God truly is an amazing God, and His care for us is intimate and wonderful. His plans are perfect, and they are perfectly timed, whether the timing agrees with us or not.
Lord, help me to remember to wait for Your revelation, for it will surely come!
Amen!
[1] "I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint."
[3] "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay".
Specifically the second verse - "revelation awaits an appointed time". This is such a true statement, but one we want to be untrue. We want to know the revelation now, on our time, not in God's time. We don't like to wait, don't like to experience delays in our plans. But the reality is that God is all about timing, and massive intricate moves, in hundreds/thousands/millions/billions of people's lives and timing matters.
I am reminded of the time I met my friend Bob in the airport in Atlanta, while I was walking down the one of the busiest terminals there. He literally stepped right in front of me, totally unaware that I was there. A difference of a couple of seconds and we would have never met for our paths would not have crossed again. I had no reason to believe I would meet him that day, for He is from MN, and I am living in KC, and we hadn't seen each other for more than 20 years, yet there he was. It turns out that I definitely had an encouraging word (revelation and confirmation) for Bob, and it was clearly a God appointed timing and meeting. He was praying about an important decision, and a combination of my experiences and things I shared with him based on prophetic insight I received, were really assuring to Him at that time. This is a great example of revelation awaiting an appointed time, for that encouraging word (revelation of God's love and direction) were appointed at that time and in that place.
Another great example occurred when I was laid off. I had been laid off for over 5 months in 2009, and was definitely praying hard and listening to the Lord about His plans for me. It was one of the most interesting times for me, for no matter how hard or passionately I asked, God was mostly silent about His plans. He had given me a dream about 6 months earlier that seemed to indicate I would have a 6 month break, but when you are looking for work, you don't want to listen to or believe something like that. Anyway, after months of absolutely no response from the Lord, and almost no responses from any prospective company, I was to a point where I felt like I was in a cloud of unknowing. I didn't know where I was going to work, whether we were going to stay in KC, pretty much anything, other than I was still married and had 2 kids. It was like my whole future was completely unknown, and God was silent. When people asked how I was doing that is what I said, "I am in the cloud of unknowing, no idea where I am going or whether I am moving at all." One day about 5 1/2 months into my lay-off period, I sat down to pray and felt directed to read from Ps 99. Here is what I read...keep in mind my name is Samuel:
Psalm 99:6-7 NIV:
[6] "Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the Lord and he answered them. [7] He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them."
As soon as I read that verse, I knew that the Lord was going to speak! By the end of that day, I had three potential jobs and interviews scheduled for two of those opportunities! It had been over 3 months since I heard anything from any company, so it was an amazing day. God could have released the revelation of where I would end up 6 months earlier, but I wouldn't have listened to Him or believed Him, for I ended up in a completely different industry. At that time, the opportunity I finally ended up in, wasn't even an option for myself, or for the company that ended up hiring me. This is another great example of the revelation waiting for its appointed time, for God definitely had a plan, and the plan was really good, but it had to wait for the proper alignment in time to be released. Every morning I stationed myself before the Lord in prayer and it was only 5 1/2 months later that His answer came. However it was right on time and there was no delay on the Lord's part. It seemed late to me, but in retrospect, it was perfectly timed.
God truly is an amazing God, and His care for us is intimate and wonderful. His plans are perfect, and they are perfectly timed, whether the timing agrees with us or not.
Lord, help me to remember to wait for Your revelation, for it will surely come!
Amen!
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
It Is Finished!
This morning I was reading from Matthew's Gospel and came across an interesting statement of Jesus that made me stop and consider His words. I should say that from my perspective, all of Jesus' words are interesting and worthy of consideration and deep thought, but sometimes certain phrases really catch my attention, almost like the Holy Spirit is applying a spiritual highlighter to a particular verse or set of verses. That is the case this morning for the following verses - Matthew 5:17-18 NIV:
[17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
What really grabbed me this morning was the phrase "until everything is accomplished." As soon as I read that line, I was reminded of Jesus last words before dying on the cross as recorded in John 19:30 NIV: "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." The similarity of the statements really intrigued me, so I decided to do some digging into the original Greek, and see if these mean essentially the same thing.
The Greek word used by Matthew is Ginomai. This is an interesting word to translate accomplished, for the definition is as follows:
1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
2) to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen
a) of events
3) to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage
a) of men appearing in public
4) to be made, finished
a) of miracles, to be performed, wrought
5) to become, be made
Looking at the definition above, one thing is clear, the word "accomplished" is not in the list. When applied to the Law, this would cause one to believe that the Law was created for a specific purpose, and that purpose was something that could be completed, that could become real, that was a part of history.
Jesus made some other interesting statements about the Law and Prophets as we see in the following verses - Luke 16:16 NIV: “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it."
- and -
Luke 24:44 NIV: "He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
When I look at these two statements, I see a few things. First, the Law and the Prophets served their purpose for a time, but that time ended with John. Secondly, the Law and the Prophets pointed at Jesus. So, in a way, Jesus' life was a fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. Paul writes about the Law and Prophets in his letter to the Romans 3:21-22 NIV: " But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe...." He understood that the Law and Prophets bore witness to the coming reality of a new righteousness through Jesus. In effect the Law and the Prophets gave us the definition of righteousness, set the requirements of righteousness and then judged all of us guilty. That is what the Law and Prophets existed to do, but that time of our dependence on them was was passing away. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote the following - Hebrews 10:1a NIV "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming---not the realities themselves".
In summary of the first statement made by Jesus, the Law and the Prophets had a specific purpose that they were created to accomplish, and that purpose would have an end, a complete date. The Law and the Prophets pointed towards Christ, and when He showed up on earth and began His ministry He began a new era, for they were pointing towards Him and were a shadow of what He revealed, and they had completed their purpose when He was revealed.
Back to the statement Jesus made on the cross in John 19:30, He said "it is finished". The Greek word recorded by John is different than the word used in Matthew's verses. Here the Greek word is Teleo. The definition of this word fits perfectly with the understanding we developed above. Its definition is as follows:
1) to bring to a close, to finish, to end
a) passed, finished
2) to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)
a) with special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command
b) with reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, and generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfill
3) to pay
a) of tribute
I believe that when Jesus uttered those words, He was bringing to an end, or completing what the Law and the Prophets where created to accomplish. He was fulfilling the requirements, and the final step was to be resurrected. Thus, if we take a look back at the the statement He made in Matthew's Gospel, everything was accomplished! This is why Jesus spoke of establishing a new covenant (Luke 22:20NIV), for the old covenant of the Law and Prophets was completed. So wrote the author of the Letter to the Hebrews 8:13 NIV: "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."
This is really good news for all of us! We are no longer under the requirements of the Law and the Prophets, but under a new covenant, established by Christ Jesus Himself. His new covenant provides His righteousness to all who believe in Him, or as Paul calls it "righteousness by faith" (Rom 1:17).
Amen Lord! Thank You for making a way, for completing that which was required, for providing me Your righteousness!
[17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
What really grabbed me this morning was the phrase "until everything is accomplished." As soon as I read that line, I was reminded of Jesus last words before dying on the cross as recorded in John 19:30 NIV: "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." The similarity of the statements really intrigued me, so I decided to do some digging into the original Greek, and see if these mean essentially the same thing.
The Greek word used by Matthew is Ginomai. This is an interesting word to translate accomplished, for the definition is as follows:
1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
2) to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen
a) of events
3) to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage
a) of men appearing in public
4) to be made, finished
a) of miracles, to be performed, wrought
5) to become, be made
Looking at the definition above, one thing is clear, the word "accomplished" is not in the list. When applied to the Law, this would cause one to believe that the Law was created for a specific purpose, and that purpose was something that could be completed, that could become real, that was a part of history.
Jesus made some other interesting statements about the Law and Prophets as we see in the following verses - Luke 16:16 NIV: “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it."
- and -
Luke 24:44 NIV: "He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
When I look at these two statements, I see a few things. First, the Law and the Prophets served their purpose for a time, but that time ended with John. Secondly, the Law and the Prophets pointed at Jesus. So, in a way, Jesus' life was a fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. Paul writes about the Law and Prophets in his letter to the Romans 3:21-22 NIV: " But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe...." He understood that the Law and Prophets bore witness to the coming reality of a new righteousness through Jesus. In effect the Law and the Prophets gave us the definition of righteousness, set the requirements of righteousness and then judged all of us guilty. That is what the Law and Prophets existed to do, but that time of our dependence on them was was passing away. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote the following - Hebrews 10:1a NIV "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming---not the realities themselves".
In summary of the first statement made by Jesus, the Law and the Prophets had a specific purpose that they were created to accomplish, and that purpose would have an end, a complete date. The Law and the Prophets pointed towards Christ, and when He showed up on earth and began His ministry He began a new era, for they were pointing towards Him and were a shadow of what He revealed, and they had completed their purpose when He was revealed.
Back to the statement Jesus made on the cross in John 19:30, He said "it is finished". The Greek word recorded by John is different than the word used in Matthew's verses. Here the Greek word is Teleo. The definition of this word fits perfectly with the understanding we developed above. Its definition is as follows:
1) to bring to a close, to finish, to end
a) passed, finished
2) to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)
a) with special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command
b) with reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, and generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfill
3) to pay
a) of tribute
I believe that when Jesus uttered those words, He was bringing to an end, or completing what the Law and the Prophets where created to accomplish. He was fulfilling the requirements, and the final step was to be resurrected. Thus, if we take a look back at the the statement He made in Matthew's Gospel, everything was accomplished! This is why Jesus spoke of establishing a new covenant (Luke 22:20NIV), for the old covenant of the Law and Prophets was completed. So wrote the author of the Letter to the Hebrews 8:13 NIV: "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."
This is really good news for all of us! We are no longer under the requirements of the Law and the Prophets, but under a new covenant, established by Christ Jesus Himself. His new covenant provides His righteousness to all who believe in Him, or as Paul calls it "righteousness by faith" (Rom 1:17).
Amen Lord! Thank You for making a way, for completing that which was required, for providing me Your righteousness!
Monday, July 18, 2016
The Encouragemnt to Endure
This morning I felt led to read from Paul's second letter to Timothy. The verses I am considering follow - 2 Timothy 2:1-7 NIV:
[1] "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. [2] And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. [3] Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. [4] No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. [5] Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor's crown except by competing according to the rules. [6] The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. [7] Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this."
I like the fact that Paul calls Timothy to reflect on what he is saying, and that is what I am going to do. Paul starts this section calling Timothy to recall the things that Paul has taught, and to make sure that he passes that knowledge along to others who can teach. That is pretty straight forward, and simple to understand.
Next Paul brings up three analogies, a soldier, an athlete and a farmer, as examples to Timothy of how to join Paul in suffering like a good soldier. This is where these verses caught my attention, and where I will spend my time. The Greek word used by Paul, here translated suffer, is Sugkakopatheo and it basically means endure hardship and trials with another. Paul then goes on to apply this to the soldier, athlete and farmer, so we have context for what he means.
This is not suffering or enduring hardship for the sake of suffering, but rather is goal or function focused. The soldier trains, so that they are physically and mentally prepared for battle. The training is hard, and one must endure it to become successful and a member of the army (or whatever branch of service you are in). The athlete, similarly endures sometimes years of training and honing their skills to reach the level that could receive the victors crown. The farmer, likewise works hard to tame the soil and prepare it for seed. Plowing and planting and picking weeds is definitely hard work, but the goal is the harvest. So we can conclude that Paul is encouraging Tim to press in and not be afraid of the difficult task of evangelism and discipleship - but the goal is the eternal harvest, the victors crown and hearing the Lord say, "Well done!" The hardships endured are related to dying to oneself, loving others and serving others, sowing and cultivating the word, being long-suffering and patient, gentle and forgiving in the face of persecution and attack. None is easy, but again there is a goal to be focused on.
Paul also adds some interesting commentary to all three analogies - the soldier doesn't get entangled in civilian affairs, the athlete must follow the rules and the farmer is the first to receive a share of the crops. At first glance my mind wants to just pass these by as nice descriptions of what we already know, but I believe the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these little statements because of the additional truth He wanted to reveal to us.
Starting with the soldier, the encouragement is to stay focused on the direction and commands of his commanding officer (in this case Christ Jesus). Not that civilian affairs are less than a concern, they just aren't supposed to be worried about by the soldier under command. His job, his only job is to due those things entrusted and commanded by His commanding officer. I believe Paul's encouragement here is for Timothy to keep focused on his call and commission, not getting embroiled in more civilian concerns. Timothy was clearly continuing Paul's apostolic work, and that work could become side-tracked by local church issues, arguments over terminology (as we see later in this chapter) and the like. In other words, stay focused on what the Lord has called you to do. In the same way, we are called by the Lord into fields of influence (family, friends, coworkers and such) and we have been called with a purpose. Paul's encouragement to us all is to stay focused and not to get distracted.
Secondly, Paul describes the athlete as only attaining the crown is he plays by the rules (and is the best at his particular event). In the day of athlete doping, steroids, and other cheating scandals, we can understand some of what Paul is concerned by. There is often a pressure to cheapen or weaken the Gospel message, or maybe to compete with others for numbers of followers, or to promote oneself to the exclusion of the Gospel. We could also add the dangers or unrighteous behavior, those things that would disqualify a minister. All of these are ways that the rules are broken, and the Gospel is compromised. Paul continues on from the verses calling Timothy to maintain the purity of life and the simple Gospel, and to have nothing to do with arguments, godless chatter and disagreements over words and terminology. Again the encouragement is to focus on the task, spreading the Gospel and continuing the apostolic work.
Additionally, the danger for anyone who is pursuing greatness (winning the victors crown) is pride. We begin to think that we are someone special, that we don't need to follow the rules, that training isn't required, that our greatness adds weight to our words, that our success allows us to command a certain amount of respect and authority. All of these will draw one's attention away from what is most important, and what one has been called to do. Then when distracted and unfocused, realizing their predicament, the only way to maintain one's position and pride is cut corners, cheat a little, etc. Our call to follow Christ Jesus is a call to integrity in all things, and is not a competition. Whether our task is share the Gospel with one other person or one million, we are equally important in Christ's eyes.
Finally the encouragement from the example of the farmer is that they get to share in the harvest first. This is somewhat similar to the athlete in that there is a reward for the hardship endured. The sharing in the harvest seems to me to be related to seeing the fruit of his labors. He gets to witness the changed lives, the lives impacted by the Gospel, the lives changed and restored, healed and prospering. He gets filled up by the food of doing God's will, as Jesus stated in John 4:34 NIV: “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." There is joy in doing the Lord's work, in seeing the fulfilment of His call on people's lives, spoken forth personally. It is awesome to experience the Lord using us to expand the Kingdom! This is sharing in the harvest, in seeing the joy of the master of the Harvest.
I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 25:21 NIV: “His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" What an awesome promise that we get to share in the Master's happiness!
In summary, I am encouraged today to continue to pursue the Lord, to pursue the commission (orders) He has given me. I know that it won't be easy, that I must remain focused and undistracted and endure, but the goal is sharing the Master's happiness, and that is one awesome goal.
Amen!
[1] "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. [2] And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. [3] Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. [4] No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. [5] Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor's crown except by competing according to the rules. [6] The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. [7] Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this."
I like the fact that Paul calls Timothy to reflect on what he is saying, and that is what I am going to do. Paul starts this section calling Timothy to recall the things that Paul has taught, and to make sure that he passes that knowledge along to others who can teach. That is pretty straight forward, and simple to understand.
Next Paul brings up three analogies, a soldier, an athlete and a farmer, as examples to Timothy of how to join Paul in suffering like a good soldier. This is where these verses caught my attention, and where I will spend my time. The Greek word used by Paul, here translated suffer, is Sugkakopatheo and it basically means endure hardship and trials with another. Paul then goes on to apply this to the soldier, athlete and farmer, so we have context for what he means.
This is not suffering or enduring hardship for the sake of suffering, but rather is goal or function focused. The soldier trains, so that they are physically and mentally prepared for battle. The training is hard, and one must endure it to become successful and a member of the army (or whatever branch of service you are in). The athlete, similarly endures sometimes years of training and honing their skills to reach the level that could receive the victors crown. The farmer, likewise works hard to tame the soil and prepare it for seed. Plowing and planting and picking weeds is definitely hard work, but the goal is the harvest. So we can conclude that Paul is encouraging Tim to press in and not be afraid of the difficult task of evangelism and discipleship - but the goal is the eternal harvest, the victors crown and hearing the Lord say, "Well done!" The hardships endured are related to dying to oneself, loving others and serving others, sowing and cultivating the word, being long-suffering and patient, gentle and forgiving in the face of persecution and attack. None is easy, but again there is a goal to be focused on.
Paul also adds some interesting commentary to all three analogies - the soldier doesn't get entangled in civilian affairs, the athlete must follow the rules and the farmer is the first to receive a share of the crops. At first glance my mind wants to just pass these by as nice descriptions of what we already know, but I believe the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these little statements because of the additional truth He wanted to reveal to us.
Starting with the soldier, the encouragement is to stay focused on the direction and commands of his commanding officer (in this case Christ Jesus). Not that civilian affairs are less than a concern, they just aren't supposed to be worried about by the soldier under command. His job, his only job is to due those things entrusted and commanded by His commanding officer. I believe Paul's encouragement here is for Timothy to keep focused on his call and commission, not getting embroiled in more civilian concerns. Timothy was clearly continuing Paul's apostolic work, and that work could become side-tracked by local church issues, arguments over terminology (as we see later in this chapter) and the like. In other words, stay focused on what the Lord has called you to do. In the same way, we are called by the Lord into fields of influence (family, friends, coworkers and such) and we have been called with a purpose. Paul's encouragement to us all is to stay focused and not to get distracted.
Secondly, Paul describes the athlete as only attaining the crown is he plays by the rules (and is the best at his particular event). In the day of athlete doping, steroids, and other cheating scandals, we can understand some of what Paul is concerned by. There is often a pressure to cheapen or weaken the Gospel message, or maybe to compete with others for numbers of followers, or to promote oneself to the exclusion of the Gospel. We could also add the dangers or unrighteous behavior, those things that would disqualify a minister. All of these are ways that the rules are broken, and the Gospel is compromised. Paul continues on from the verses calling Timothy to maintain the purity of life and the simple Gospel, and to have nothing to do with arguments, godless chatter and disagreements over words and terminology. Again the encouragement is to focus on the task, spreading the Gospel and continuing the apostolic work.
Additionally, the danger for anyone who is pursuing greatness (winning the victors crown) is pride. We begin to think that we are someone special, that we don't need to follow the rules, that training isn't required, that our greatness adds weight to our words, that our success allows us to command a certain amount of respect and authority. All of these will draw one's attention away from what is most important, and what one has been called to do. Then when distracted and unfocused, realizing their predicament, the only way to maintain one's position and pride is cut corners, cheat a little, etc. Our call to follow Christ Jesus is a call to integrity in all things, and is not a competition. Whether our task is share the Gospel with one other person or one million, we are equally important in Christ's eyes.
Finally the encouragement from the example of the farmer is that they get to share in the harvest first. This is somewhat similar to the athlete in that there is a reward for the hardship endured. The sharing in the harvest seems to me to be related to seeing the fruit of his labors. He gets to witness the changed lives, the lives impacted by the Gospel, the lives changed and restored, healed and prospering. He gets filled up by the food of doing God's will, as Jesus stated in John 4:34 NIV: “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." There is joy in doing the Lord's work, in seeing the fulfilment of His call on people's lives, spoken forth personally. It is awesome to experience the Lord using us to expand the Kingdom! This is sharing in the harvest, in seeing the joy of the master of the Harvest.
I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 25:21 NIV: “His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" What an awesome promise that we get to share in the Master's happiness!
In summary, I am encouraged today to continue to pursue the Lord, to pursue the commission (orders) He has given me. I know that it won't be easy, that I must remain focused and undistracted and endure, but the goal is sharing the Master's happiness, and that is one awesome goal.
Amen!
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Our Commandment is to Love!
This morning the topic of my meditation is our call and command to love one another. The verses I am considering come from the Gospel of John 13:31-35 NIV:
[31] "When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. [32] If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
[33] “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
[34] “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.”
The context of these verses is Jesus speaking to His Apostles after the last supper, and after Judas left to betray Him. He had demonstrated servant leadership by washing the feet of His disciples and was now speaking to them at length for the last time, before His death, and He his mindful of that, as evidenced by His comments in verse 33. I like to think of these verses as His last monologue, where He says the most important things, He wants them to remember for sure. In that light, let us look at verses 34 and 35.
Jesus, gives us a new command! The impact of this must not be lost - this is like the 10 Commandments in the level of authority. This is not a suggestion, not an encouragement, but a commandment. The Greek word is very clear, this should be considered an order.
Jesus goes on to qualify exactly what He means by Love (agape) in this instance, He calls them to love as He has loved them. His example is our guide, our call and is well recorded. He says this immediately after washing their feet, and I believe this is no coincidence. Loving one another by serving one another is the command. Loving one another by seeing the significance of each other, calling each other forward, encouraging one another, speaking truth to one another.
His example is well documented, should we want to review it, and our call and command is to love like He loved.
Jesus goes on to say that this love for one another will be one of the most significant signs to all others that we are actually following Him. Imagine is this was what the Church was known for, our ability to love each other! As the Church this is supposed to be both our organizational and personal objective "loving one another", as well as the best description of us. Love is supposed to be the foundation of all that we do.
I am reminded of Paul's encouragement to the Colossians 3:12-14 NIV:
[12] "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
In this case, Love is the garment that covers over everything we do, and the other character traits are all encompassed in Love. Love is supposed to be our foundation, our covering and our motivation in all things.
So as I read and write these things, my personal question is whether I am following His command? Is love my primary motivation? Is my initial reaction loving? Am I recognized for my love? Can someone else tell that I am a follower of Christ because of the way I live and love?
Oh Lord, help me to embody this commandment! I want to love like You loved us.
[31] "When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. [32] If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
[33] “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
[34] “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.”
The context of these verses is Jesus speaking to His Apostles after the last supper, and after Judas left to betray Him. He had demonstrated servant leadership by washing the feet of His disciples and was now speaking to them at length for the last time, before His death, and He his mindful of that, as evidenced by His comments in verse 33. I like to think of these verses as His last monologue, where He says the most important things, He wants them to remember for sure. In that light, let us look at verses 34 and 35.
Jesus, gives us a new command! The impact of this must not be lost - this is like the 10 Commandments in the level of authority. This is not a suggestion, not an encouragement, but a commandment. The Greek word is very clear, this should be considered an order.
Jesus goes on to qualify exactly what He means by Love (agape) in this instance, He calls them to love as He has loved them. His example is our guide, our call and is well recorded. He says this immediately after washing their feet, and I believe this is no coincidence. Loving one another by serving one another is the command. Loving one another by seeing the significance of each other, calling each other forward, encouraging one another, speaking truth to one another.
His example is well documented, should we want to review it, and our call and command is to love like He loved.
Jesus goes on to say that this love for one another will be one of the most significant signs to all others that we are actually following Him. Imagine is this was what the Church was known for, our ability to love each other! As the Church this is supposed to be both our organizational and personal objective "loving one another", as well as the best description of us. Love is supposed to be the foundation of all that we do.
I am reminded of Paul's encouragement to the Colossians 3:12-14 NIV:
[12] "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
In this case, Love is the garment that covers over everything we do, and the other character traits are all encompassed in Love. Love is supposed to be our foundation, our covering and our motivation in all things.
So as I read and write these things, my personal question is whether I am following His command? Is love my primary motivation? Is my initial reaction loving? Am I recognized for my love? Can someone else tell that I am a follower of Christ because of the way I live and love?
Oh Lord, help me to embody this commandment! I want to love like You loved us.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Sow Us Lord!
This morning I was praying for direction and reading through the scriptures and at the end of my time I typed the following prayer:
Come Lord, sow us and direct us.... I meant to write show us, but somehow the "sow us" seems appropriate, for we are trying to be good seed, and we are looking for the Lord's direction as to where we should move. I was instantly reminded of the following verses:
Matthew 13:3-9, 23 NIV:
[3] "Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. [4] As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. [5] Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. [6] But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. [7] Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. [8] Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop---a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. [9] Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
[23] "But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Yes Lord, sow us... we want to be fruitful.
Come Lord, sow us and direct us.... I meant to write show us, but somehow the "sow us" seems appropriate, for we are trying to be good seed, and we are looking for the Lord's direction as to where we should move. I was instantly reminded of the following verses:
Matthew 13:3-9, 23 NIV:
[3] "Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. [4] As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. [5] Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. [6] But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. [7] Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. [8] Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop---a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. [9] Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
[23] "But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Yes Lord, sow us... we want to be fruitful.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Defending the Holy Spirit
This morning I felt led to read from Mark, and here are some excerpts from the story. Basically Jesus is demonstrating the Kingdom of God by healing and through delivering people from the hand of His enemies. This is from Mark 3:10-12, 23-30 NIV:
10] "For he (Jesus) had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. [11] Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” [12] But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
[23] So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? [24] If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. [25] If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. [26] And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. [27] In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. [28] Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, [29] but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
[30] He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
As I was reading through these verses, I was struck once again by the absurdness of people saying Jesus was casting out demons because he had a bigger demon. Yet, one can understand their thinking, for they had never seen anyone operating with the authority Jesus demonstrated, so they thought Jesus was just using a higher powered demon to gain success. This tells me that it had been so long since they had seen God work that they basically forgot what God was capable of doing.
Jesus makes their statement personal against the Holy Spirit. This is because Jesus was doing all the miracles, signs and wonders through the power of the Holy Spirit, not through His own Divine nature, which He had volunteered to set aside when He became man (Phil 2: 5-11). Jesus let them know that this was not acceptable, speaking poorly of the Holy Spirit. This also shows the utter jealousy that the Pharisees felt toward Jesus, for they had none of the authority nor power, and so they bad-mouthed Jesus who did, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
These last verses are also a good reminder that Jesus, also was only doing these things through the power of the Holy Spirit. If it was just him (Jesus) doing the miracles through his own power, I think Jesus wouldn't have been so upset, for He was clearly used to being misunderstood. However when they attacked Him and said the source of His power was an impure spirit, they were speaking directly against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was His constant companion, and the one who worked through Him. Jesus is indicating that is indeed the case, by defending the Holy Spirit's work - He was pointing to the true source of His power.
So this morning, I am encouraged for this same Holy Spirit has been given to us, to dwell with us, to empower our lives. I am also encouraged to be very careful how I think about people operating through the power of the Holy Spirit, and those who are more questionable. I must be very slow to identify another source besides the Holy Spirit, just because I haven't seen a particular manifestation before. Holy Spirit I invite You to work through my life, and ask that You guide me, direct me, lead me through the times I am unsure.
Amen!
10] "For he (Jesus) had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. [11] Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” [12] But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
[23] So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? [24] If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. [25] If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. [26] And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. [27] In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. [28] Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, [29] but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
[30] He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
As I was reading through these verses, I was struck once again by the absurdness of people saying Jesus was casting out demons because he had a bigger demon. Yet, one can understand their thinking, for they had never seen anyone operating with the authority Jesus demonstrated, so they thought Jesus was just using a higher powered demon to gain success. This tells me that it had been so long since they had seen God work that they basically forgot what God was capable of doing.
Jesus makes their statement personal against the Holy Spirit. This is because Jesus was doing all the miracles, signs and wonders through the power of the Holy Spirit, not through His own Divine nature, which He had volunteered to set aside when He became man (Phil 2: 5-11). Jesus let them know that this was not acceptable, speaking poorly of the Holy Spirit. This also shows the utter jealousy that the Pharisees felt toward Jesus, for they had none of the authority nor power, and so they bad-mouthed Jesus who did, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
These last verses are also a good reminder that Jesus, also was only doing these things through the power of the Holy Spirit. If it was just him (Jesus) doing the miracles through his own power, I think Jesus wouldn't have been so upset, for He was clearly used to being misunderstood. However when they attacked Him and said the source of His power was an impure spirit, they were speaking directly against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was His constant companion, and the one who worked through Him. Jesus is indicating that is indeed the case, by defending the Holy Spirit's work - He was pointing to the true source of His power.
So this morning, I am encouraged for this same Holy Spirit has been given to us, to dwell with us, to empower our lives. I am also encouraged to be very careful how I think about people operating through the power of the Holy Spirit, and those who are more questionable. I must be very slow to identify another source besides the Holy Spirit, just because I haven't seen a particular manifestation before. Holy Spirit I invite You to work through my life, and ask that You guide me, direct me, lead me through the times I am unsure.
Amen!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Kiss the Hand
This morning I was reading through some very familiar passages in John's Gospel, the story of Jesus healing the man born blind in the ninth Chapter. Since this is so familiar, it is sometimes easy to just read over it quickly and not let the words really settle into our heart and mind. This morning my attention was grabbed by these verses - John 9:35-38 NIV:
[35] "Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
[36] “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
[37] Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
[38] Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him."
The last three words are what stopped me this morning, the idea that it is possible to worship God face to face! My first thought upon reading this was , I wonder how He worshipped the Lord. I looked up the word translated here as worship, and it is quite interesting. The original Greek word literally means to kiss the hand in reverence and could be compared to a dog, licking his master's hand. I find this a strange term to be translated worship , although we see a similar behaviour in the tradition of kissing the ring of the King, to recognize their authority and submit oneself to that authority.
Going back to the story, this man's life has been radically changed, healed of his blindness, which was with him since birth, and now cast out of the synagogue as a result of his answers to the Pharisees. He knew that He had been touched by God, or that Jesus was God's servant, based on the answers he gave during his questioning, but he didn't know what Jesus looked like (obviously). So when Jesus went to find him after He heard the man had been cast out, the man didn't realize it was Jesus talking to Him. His immediate response to Jesus telling him that He was the Son of Man (a Messianic title) was to get down on his knees and kiss Jesus hand(s) and submit himself to Him.
What a great picture of a proper response to the revelation of God, present in our lives. We should recognize His authority and submit ourselves to Him.
Lord, we want to experience Your touch in our lives in such a way that the only proper thing to do is bow down and worship You, kissing Your hand!
Amen!!
[35] "Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
[36] “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
[37] Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
[38] Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him."
The last three words are what stopped me this morning, the idea that it is possible to worship God face to face! My first thought upon reading this was , I wonder how He worshipped the Lord. I looked up the word translated here as worship, and it is quite interesting. The original Greek word literally means to kiss the hand in reverence and could be compared to a dog, licking his master's hand. I find this a strange term to be translated worship , although we see a similar behaviour in the tradition of kissing the ring of the King, to recognize their authority and submit oneself to that authority.
Going back to the story, this man's life has been radically changed, healed of his blindness, which was with him since birth, and now cast out of the synagogue as a result of his answers to the Pharisees. He knew that He had been touched by God, or that Jesus was God's servant, based on the answers he gave during his questioning, but he didn't know what Jesus looked like (obviously). So when Jesus went to find him after He heard the man had been cast out, the man didn't realize it was Jesus talking to Him. His immediate response to Jesus telling him that He was the Son of Man (a Messianic title) was to get down on his knees and kiss Jesus hand(s) and submit himself to Him.
What a great picture of a proper response to the revelation of God, present in our lives. We should recognize His authority and submit ourselves to Him.
Lord, we want to experience Your touch in our lives in such a way that the only proper thing to do is bow down and worship You, kissing Your hand!
Amen!!
Monday, July 11, 2016
The Finger of God!
This morning I am thinking about some verses from the Gospel of Luke 11:14-15, 17-20 NIV:
[14] "Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. [15] But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”
[17] "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. [18] If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. [19] Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. [20] But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."
The final verse I quoted above is the one that grabbed my attention. I used to read this verse and think the finger of God was possibly some mystical saying that the Jewish followers were familiar with at that time. Anyway, today as I was reading it I was thinking it was more of comment on how much more power there is in the Kingdom of God, than there is in the demonic. In the Old Testament, there are several references to the mighty hand and outstretched arm of God, and a few references to Him baring His holy arm, and all of those have to do with His mighty power to save. Here Jesus says simply that God's finger is what drove out the demon - not the hand or arm, but just a single finger! Praise God for His mighty power!
Secondly, I like the fact that Jesus specifically ties this act to demonstrating that the Kingdom of God was present and had come upon them. This was not just a random encounter and healing but was an example of Kingdom of God overcoming the kingdom of the enemy. This was not just a one-on-one battle, but was representative of the overwhelming power of God, compared to the strength of the demons. This is not like Starwars and the dark side of the force compared to the good, where the two are somewhat evenly matched, but where the dark-side always seems to have the overwhelming strength and the good side of the force is championed by a poorly trained but lucky individual. This is the exact opposite of that, for we have the Son of God, present in a special way, encountering a demon, and casting him out with nothing more that the finger of God, clearly showing the superiority of the Kingdom of God.
This morning I am encouraged the the Lord is so much powerful than we imagined. He can break the grip of the enemy with a simple word. Lord let Your Kingdom come in our lives.
Amen!.
[14] "Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. [15] But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”
[17] "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. [18] If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. [19] Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. [20] But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."
The final verse I quoted above is the one that grabbed my attention. I used to read this verse and think the finger of God was possibly some mystical saying that the Jewish followers were familiar with at that time. Anyway, today as I was reading it I was thinking it was more of comment on how much more power there is in the Kingdom of God, than there is in the demonic. In the Old Testament, there are several references to the mighty hand and outstretched arm of God, and a few references to Him baring His holy arm, and all of those have to do with His mighty power to save. Here Jesus says simply that God's finger is what drove out the demon - not the hand or arm, but just a single finger! Praise God for His mighty power!
Secondly, I like the fact that Jesus specifically ties this act to demonstrating that the Kingdom of God was present and had come upon them. This was not just a random encounter and healing but was an example of Kingdom of God overcoming the kingdom of the enemy. This was not just a one-on-one battle, but was representative of the overwhelming power of God, compared to the strength of the demons. This is not like Starwars and the dark side of the force compared to the good, where the two are somewhat evenly matched, but where the dark-side always seems to have the overwhelming strength and the good side of the force is championed by a poorly trained but lucky individual. This is the exact opposite of that, for we have the Son of God, present in a special way, encountering a demon, and casting him out with nothing more that the finger of God, clearly showing the superiority of the Kingdom of God.
This morning I am encouraged the the Lord is so much powerful than we imagined. He can break the grip of the enemy with a simple word. Lord let Your Kingdom come in our lives.
Amen!.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Through Faith Alone
This morning as I sat to read scripture, I felt directed to Paul's letter to the Romans. I really enjoy Paul's writings, and probably his letter the Romans the best. Once and while I will read the whole letter through and it is so helpful, as you really can see and understand Paul's primary purposes and points much etter than in consuming the letter by reading short passages over a long period of time.
Anyway, today I am actually just focused on a few verses - Romans 9:30-32 NIV:
[30] "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; [31] but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. [32] Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone."
The other night we were discussing some of the basics of our beliefs. I like these few verses because in the Paul simply points out the futility of pursuing righteousness and salvation by works. He continues on in Chapter 10 to expand on these topics, but these three verses set the foundations. The Gentiles (most of us would be included in this) have obtained (here he is clearly speaking of the members of the body of Christ, not all Gentiles) righteousness by faith, faith in Jesus Christ. He is using the word righteousness here, but rolled into that word is also the understanding that this is salvation and acceptance by God.
I like the fact that Paul uses a past-tense description - they "have obtained" righteousness, as I think this points to the finished work of Christ. In other words, our righteousness has already been established, obtained for us by Christ. It is the application of what is already obtained that is found in faith. There is no earning, no making ourselves worthy, no cleaning up our lives required to have faith that our righteousness is already obtained for us by Christ. No amount of good deeds, good intentions or self-sacrifice can gain for us what Christ has already obtained. This is one of the reasons we proclaim that Christ is the only way to the Father, for it only through faith in Him that this righteousness, that He obtained, is applied to our lives.
As I was writing those last lines I was reminded of a few verses from Paul's letter to the Galatians 2:15-16, 21 NIV:
[15] “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles [16] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."
[21] "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
I am encouraged this morning by the simple message of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. He has already obtained righteousness for me, made it available to me through faith in Him. He readily accepts me and welcomes me and I don't need to do anything, except believe in Him. It really is through faith alone that we experience salvation.
Amen!
Anyway, today I am actually just focused on a few verses - Romans 9:30-32 NIV:
[30] "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; [31] but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. [32] Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone."
The other night we were discussing some of the basics of our beliefs. I like these few verses because in the Paul simply points out the futility of pursuing righteousness and salvation by works. He continues on in Chapter 10 to expand on these topics, but these three verses set the foundations. The Gentiles (most of us would be included in this) have obtained (here he is clearly speaking of the members of the body of Christ, not all Gentiles) righteousness by faith, faith in Jesus Christ. He is using the word righteousness here, but rolled into that word is also the understanding that this is salvation and acceptance by God.
I like the fact that Paul uses a past-tense description - they "have obtained" righteousness, as I think this points to the finished work of Christ. In other words, our righteousness has already been established, obtained for us by Christ. It is the application of what is already obtained that is found in faith. There is no earning, no making ourselves worthy, no cleaning up our lives required to have faith that our righteousness is already obtained for us by Christ. No amount of good deeds, good intentions or self-sacrifice can gain for us what Christ has already obtained. This is one of the reasons we proclaim that Christ is the only way to the Father, for it only through faith in Him that this righteousness, that He obtained, is applied to our lives.
As I was writing those last lines I was reminded of a few verses from Paul's letter to the Galatians 2:15-16, 21 NIV:
[15] “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles [16] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."
[21] "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
I am encouraged this morning by the simple message of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. He has already obtained righteousness for me, made it available to me through faith in Him. He readily accepts me and welcomes me and I don't need to do anything, except believe in Him. It really is through faith alone that we experience salvation.
Amen!
Friday, July 8, 2016
A Mighty River Flows
Yesterday morning before the effects of allergy medicine caused me to fall back to sleep, I was reading the following verses from Ezekiel 47:1-12 NIV:
[1] "The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. [2] He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side."
[3] "As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. [4] He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. [5] He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in---a river that no one could cross. [6] He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”
"Then he led me back to the bank of the river. [7] When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. [8] He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. [9] Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. [10] Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds---like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea."
[11] "But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. [12] Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. ”
I have been thinking about the Holy Spirit recently, and most of the time the imagery of the flowing water refers to the Holy Spirit. This is one of the coolest passages referring to flowing water in the Scriptures. I love the imagery of the increasing flow, that brings life, provision and healing.
Yesterday I was wondering if the 1000 cubits were analogous to 1000 years, or millenniums? I don't know, but if it does, then we are getting ready to enter into the fourth millennium since the building of the temple (Originally built in 957BCE ) so 2973 years ago! I know I like the idea that in the next years we see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, so much so that it becomes a mighty river of life, provision and healing to all we touch! Come Lord!
I find it very encouraging that the river is able to make the Dead Sea fresh again. The Dead Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth. It is called the dead sea, because nothing is able to live in its waters (except for some bacteria and fungi). Its normal salinity level is 35%, compared to the oceans average salinity level of 3.5%. However, we aren't talking about becoming alive again, like the oceans, but fresh, like the water we normally associate with drinking water, almost no salt at all. This would require an overwhelming amount of fresh water, to dilute the salt accordingly, either that or a removal of the salt. Either way it represents a complete transformation of the water, the ecosystems and the life of all that comes in contact with the water! I like that word picture very much!
We look forward to the day, Holy Spirit, where this is true, where the life flowing out of the Church, because of Your outpouring, touches and changes all around us! Amen!
[1] "The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. [2] He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side."
[3] "As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. [4] He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. [5] He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in---a river that no one could cross. [6] He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”
"Then he led me back to the bank of the river. [7] When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. [8] He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. [9] Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. [10] Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds---like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea."
[11] "But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. [12] Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. ”
I have been thinking about the Holy Spirit recently, and most of the time the imagery of the flowing water refers to the Holy Spirit. This is one of the coolest passages referring to flowing water in the Scriptures. I love the imagery of the increasing flow, that brings life, provision and healing.
Yesterday I was wondering if the 1000 cubits were analogous to 1000 years, or millenniums? I don't know, but if it does, then we are getting ready to enter into the fourth millennium since the building of the temple (Originally built in 957BCE ) so 2973 years ago! I know I like the idea that in the next years we see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, so much so that it becomes a mighty river of life, provision and healing to all we touch! Come Lord!
I find it very encouraging that the river is able to make the Dead Sea fresh again. The Dead Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth. It is called the dead sea, because nothing is able to live in its waters (except for some bacteria and fungi). Its normal salinity level is 35%, compared to the oceans average salinity level of 3.5%. However, we aren't talking about becoming alive again, like the oceans, but fresh, like the water we normally associate with drinking water, almost no salt at all. This would require an overwhelming amount of fresh water, to dilute the salt accordingly, either that or a removal of the salt. Either way it represents a complete transformation of the water, the ecosystems and the life of all that comes in contact with the water! I like that word picture very much!
We look forward to the day, Holy Spirit, where this is true, where the life flowing out of the Church, because of Your outpouring, touches and changes all around us! Amen!
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Knowing the Holy Spirit
Recently I have been reading a spiritual classic called "The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit" by R.A. Torrey. It is s very good book and worth reading and studying. I cam across a couple of sentences that challenged me - "Do you know the communion of the Holy Ghost? The fellowship of the Holy Ghost? The partnership of the Holy Ghost? The comradeship of the Holy Ghost? The intimate personal friendship of the Holy Ghost? Herein lies the whole secret of a real Christian life, a life of liberty and joy and power and fullness. To have as one's ever-present Friend, and to be conscious that one has as his ever-present Friend, the Holy Spirit and to surrender one's life in all its departments entirely to His control, this is true Christian living. The doctrine of the Personality of the Holy Spirit is as distinctive of the religion that Jesus taught as the doctrines of the Deity and the atonement of Jesus Christ Himself. But it is not enough to believe the doctrine—one must know the Holy Spirit Himself."
I found myself realizing that I don't really the know the Holy Spirit as I should. I certainly believe that He is distinct from the Father and the Son, and as the third member of the Trinity, He must be an equal in every way with the Father and the Son, including person hood. However, as R.A. points out, its not enough to believe the doctrine, it is relationship that we are called to , and if the Holy Spirit is a person, then it is possible to have a relationship with him.
Holy Spirit, if You want to be known, then You will help me to know You, and I pray for Your help. Come Holy Spirit, help us all.
I found myself realizing that I don't really the know the Holy Spirit as I should. I certainly believe that He is distinct from the Father and the Son, and as the third member of the Trinity, He must be an equal in every way with the Father and the Son, including person hood. However, as R.A. points out, its not enough to believe the doctrine, it is relationship that we are called to , and if the Holy Spirit is a person, then it is possible to have a relationship with him.
Holy Spirit, if You want to be known, then You will help me to know You, and I pray for Your help. Come Holy Spirit, help us all.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Dealing With The Root!
As I was waking this morning I was thinking about the Lord, and was reminded of the following story from Luke 5:17-26 NIV:
[17] "One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. [18] Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. [19] When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus."
[20] "When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
[21] "The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
[22] "Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? [23] Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? [24] But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” [25] Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. [26] Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
I have always been intrigued by this story, because it is the one time I can think of where Jesus did something besides healing the person first. There are plenty of stories of Jesus meeting the person, healing them and then addressing them afterwards, but this story was different, and all three of the synoptic authors (Matthew, Mark and Luke) recorded this story.
So this morning I was pondering, as usual, why Jesus forgave the man's sins as the first thing He did, after seeing the faith of the others. The thought came to my mind that this was because the young man believed it was his sin that caused his paralysis. This was the common thought at that time that sin caused sickness. We see this idea related in the story of the man born blind, as recorded by John, in his ninth chapter. Here is the verse - "His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2NIV)
Notice that there is no question about whether sin was the cause, that was assumed. That was the normative thinking of the day, and is often still the thinking of many of us today. The disciples assumed that it was either the man or his parents that had sinned to cause him to be born blind, in their mind there was no other explanation. I believe that the situation was the same in the young paralyzed man's life, there was no question in his mind that it was his sin that had caused his paralysis. If this was the cause, at least in the mind of the young man, then Jesus dealt with the cause first.
Think about this, assuming the man truly believed his sins were forgiven, the results would have been the same whether Jesus then went on to tell him to pick up his mat or not, for he had already been forgiven of the cause of his paralysis! If it was his sins that caused the sickness and the sins were forgiven, there was now no reason for the sickness and he could now get well!
I had always previously thought that the reason Jesus had forgiven his sins first, was because it was a teachable moment for all the people, especially the pharisees and teachers of the law that were looking on. I thought that Jesus was effectively setting a question in their mind, and then correcting their thinking, and that might be the case as well. However, today I realized that Jesus was really addressing the most important thing for the young man, for he was convinced that His sin was the cause of his paralysis.
It might not seem like that big of a deal, but for me this revelation was really significant. I saw how well Jesus knows us, and how gently he heals us! I saw Him correctly addressing the root cause, which allowed the young man to move on in his healing. What an incredible gift of mercy!
I am so thankful Jesus, that You know us so intimately that You don't just bandage the wound, but You heal the cause, the very root. Thank You Lord for Your mercy and grace, Your compassion and love!
Amen!
Thursday, June 30, 2016
The Battle is Real, But God is Winning
This morning I felt like reading from Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV:
[10] "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
As I was reading these familiar verses today I was reminded of the fact that our real battle is against the evil one, and his schemes and plans. It is interesting how confused we are about our real foe, and how seldom we as a church seem to be able to defeat his strategies and plans at present, at least here in America. We are letting the enemy have a field day with us, winning victories in many areas where we should be strong, seeing ourselves being labeled and maligned and not having the ability to stand our ground. The good news is that is not the case world-wide, and in many places the church is rapidly expanding and growing stronger and Lord is clearly winning.
As I read these verses this morning, I was reminded of the fact that first and foremost we must rely on the Lord and His strength and power. We aren't fighting a battle on a battlefield that we naturally understand or can see. We are fighting a spiritual battle, and we need His power and strength, His armor to protect us. If we look at the basics of His armor, it based on the Truth (His Word), His righteousness applied into our lives, the Gospel of peace (His Kingdom real and present), faith in Him, salvation from Him, and the sword of the Spirit, which is His word, the word of God. All of this comes from Him, and is applied into our lives. We are participants in dressing ourselves in this armor, but it all comes from Him. We must understand that unless we are in relationship with Him, we have no armor, and no ability to stand.
If we are fighting a spiritual battle but have no spiritual armor or weapons, our battle will be brief and defeat is assured. Make no mistake the enemy understands that each of us is important, and just like in any battle if you defeat all of the soldiers individually, then victory is assured. We must, each of us, learn to apply the armor of God to our own lives, and learn to encourage others in the application of their armor. We must encourage each other in daily relationship with the Lord, in the understanding of the spiritual realities, and mostly in the reliance on the Lord's strength and power. One person fighting alone is easily overcome from behind, but two individuals fighting back to back can withstand a sizable force. How much more could a small group of individuals working in unison, fighting together and protecting one another be successful in battle!
The enemy has worked hard to try to separate us from one another through disagreement and division. He has tried to paint our efforts and our faith as weak and powerless. He has tried to color us as stupid, and bigoted, angry and judgmental. If we look around (in the western church) we see the strength of the church weakening, and our message becoming marginalized.
When I look at this situation, it seems to me that we are looking at the wrong indicators and are being convinced of our defeat or weakness, because we are looking at our own strength and abilities. The truth is that God is fully in charge, has all power, strength and authority and He hasn't weakened one bit. He has already won the victory, already defeated the enemy and we should be looking at Him and His power and strength, not our weakness and inability. God's armor is sufficient to allow us to stand our ground against all of the enemies schemes and tactics. His strength and power are far superior to our enemies' and if we step into His strength and power and join ourselves to Him and one another, we will also be superior to the enemy.
When Paul wrote this letter the enemy was hard at work attacking the church with division, heresy, persecution and confusion. He was throwing everything he had at the church, and Paul and the apostles continued to expand the church and see more and more people join its ranks. The enemy had the government on his side, had tons of people from other religions and faiths all trying to destroy the church and in the midst of all of that the church was winning. Make no mistake the church continues to grow around the world and as an example China is on pace to become the nation with the most Christians by 2030 ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10776023/China-on-course-to-become-worlds-most-Christian-nation-within-15-years.html), and the church is rapidly expanding in places like Mozambique, Brazil, and Mexico. In fact the number of Christians worldwide has quadrupled in the last 100 years ( http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/) and is spreading rapidly to areas that historically had few Christians.
It is also interesting to note that in Europe and America the church is losing members, and in reading these verses from Paul today, I believe part of the reason was that the church, feeling herself strong, grew lax in maintaining her vigilance for the schemes and attacks of the enemy. We allowed the enemy to infiltrate the media and our education systems and start to turn people's hearts and thoughts away from the Truth. We should have been aware of his tactics and schemes, but we were apparently asleep or unconcerned. We have turned our hearts and minds to our own ideas, desires, and programs and lost our reliance on the Lord's power and strength. Lord help us to return to You!
So this morning, I am encouraged to learn to be strong in the Lord and in His power! I am encouraged to learn to put on His armor. I am encouraged to learn to stand my ground and recognize the schemes and tactics of the enemy. I am encouraged to trust in the Lord and in His ability, not in mine! I am encouraged to find like-minded brothers and sisters in the Lord who can encourage me and stand in battle with me. I am encouraged that the Lord has already defeated the enemy and not only is He winning, He already won!
Amen!
Monday, June 27, 2016
Remaining In His Love
This morning I ran across these verses as I was researching another topic - John 15:9-17 NIV:
[9] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
[10] If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love.
[11] I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
[12] My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
[13] Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.
[14] You are my friends if you do what I command.
[15] I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
[16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit---fruit that will last---and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
[17] This is my command: Love each other."
It really helps me to breakdown a paragraph into individual sentences, for my tendency is to read right on through without allowing the words to really register in my mind and more importantly, in my heart.
The verse that grabbed my attention this morning is verse 16. What an incredible thought, that we didn't choose Him, rather that He chose us. He saw us in our sinfulness, our depraved condition and chose us! Wow! He was able to look beyond our limitations, weaknesses and sins and see who we could be in Him. Not only did He choose us, but He appointed us to go and bear fruit. He not only saw past our limitations, but also saw our potential, recognizing our ability to bear fruit, through Him.
This gives me great encouragement, as I wait and wonder about what the Lord will release me to do. I know that He has a plan and it is good, and my job is to remain in Him and keep His commands.
His commands are quite simple to say - love each other as He has loved us - more difficult to live out. It is in keeping His commands that we remain in His love. So, our ability to love each other directly affects our ability to remain in His love. It is not that He removes His love from us, but we remove ourselves from His love. In verse nine the word remain can also be translated abide. This is the verb related to abode, or home or residence. It is our choice where we live, what we surround ourselves with daily. Do we love? Do we love those around us? Do we love others the way Jesus loves them? Do we lay down our lives for our friends? If we choose to love, we will find ourselves remaining in His love as well! If we do this, we are His friends and He will make known to us what He learned from the Father.
So today I am encouraged to love as He loved. I am encouraged to look at those around me with His eyes, loving them in spite of their weaknesses, limitations and sinfulness. I am encouraged to love, because He first loved me. I am encouraged to remain in His love.
Amen!
[9] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
[10] If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love.
[11] I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
[12] My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
[13] Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.
[14] You are my friends if you do what I command.
[15] I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
[16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit---fruit that will last---and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
[17] This is my command: Love each other."
It really helps me to breakdown a paragraph into individual sentences, for my tendency is to read right on through without allowing the words to really register in my mind and more importantly, in my heart.
The verse that grabbed my attention this morning is verse 16. What an incredible thought, that we didn't choose Him, rather that He chose us. He saw us in our sinfulness, our depraved condition and chose us! Wow! He was able to look beyond our limitations, weaknesses and sins and see who we could be in Him. Not only did He choose us, but He appointed us to go and bear fruit. He not only saw past our limitations, but also saw our potential, recognizing our ability to bear fruit, through Him.
This gives me great encouragement, as I wait and wonder about what the Lord will release me to do. I know that He has a plan and it is good, and my job is to remain in Him and keep His commands.
His commands are quite simple to say - love each other as He has loved us - more difficult to live out. It is in keeping His commands that we remain in His love. So, our ability to love each other directly affects our ability to remain in His love. It is not that He removes His love from us, but we remove ourselves from His love. In verse nine the word remain can also be translated abide. This is the verb related to abode, or home or residence. It is our choice where we live, what we surround ourselves with daily. Do we love? Do we love those around us? Do we love others the way Jesus loves them? Do we lay down our lives for our friends? If we choose to love, we will find ourselves remaining in His love as well! If we do this, we are His friends and He will make known to us what He learned from the Father.
So today I am encouraged to love as He loved. I am encouraged to look at those around me with His eyes, loving them in spite of their weaknesses, limitations and sinfulness. I am encouraged to love, because He first loved me. I am encouraged to remain in His love.
Amen!
Sunday, June 26, 2016
The Kingdom Established With Power
This evening I am thinking about this verse found in Mark's Gospel - Mark 9:1 NIV: "And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
It is interesting that this verse stands in its own in this chapter of Mark's Gospel. The chapter continues with the Transfiguration, the healing of the young boy, Jesus predicting His death, the battle that was raging in the popular mind concerning Christ, and finally a warning about sin. For me, this verse stands out and points directly at the day of Pentecost, when power was released upon the gathering of believers.
Jesus had sent out the apostles and later the 72 with the message of the coming Kingdom of God, and with the authority to demonstrate this new Kingdom through the working of miracles, healing, deliverance and such. This was apparently the precursor to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the believers, and thus the birthing of the Kingdom of God on the earth. The power of the Holy Spirit was the crowning sign, the evidence that this was truly the Kingdom of God.
The evidence of the effectiveness of the power of the Holy Spirit in establishing the Kingdom is seen in the signs and fruit born immediately after the outpouring.
We see this described in detail in Acts 2:1-4, 14-19, 37, 41 NIV:
[1] "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. [2] Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. [3] They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."
[14] "Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. [15] These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! [16] No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: [17] “ 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. [18] Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. [19] I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke."
[37] "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
[41] "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."
Thus after the Holy Spirit was poured out the church immediately experienced a massive burst of growth. Peoples lives were transformed and the church was firmly established. The church continued to see rapid expansion, and the working of many miracles, which again was the evidence presented that proved the Kingdom of God was real.
Here are some verses following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the establishment of the Kingdom;
Acts 2:42-43 NIV:
[42] "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. [43] Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles."
Acts 3:6-10 NIV:
[6] "Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” [7] Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. [8] He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. [9] When all the people saw him walking and praising God, [10] they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."
Acts 4:4 NIV:
"But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand."
Acts 4:31, 33 NIV
[31] "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."
[33] "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all"
Acts 5:12-16 NIV
[12] "The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. [13] No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. [14] Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. [15] As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. [16] Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed."
Acts 5:17-20 NIV:
[17] "Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. [18] They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. [19] But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. [20] “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
I have included just some of the verses, but it is quite evident that the Kingdom of God was in full demonstration through signs and wonders, shaking of houses, winds from heaven, massive healings, miraculous escapes from jail, all proving that the Kingdom of God was present in power. The Kingdom message devoid of power is just mere words, and Jesus had told his followers to go to Jerusalem and await the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, knowing that mere words would not be enough to birth the Kingdom. Luke recorded Jesus message as follows, Acts 1:4-8 NIV:
[4] "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. [5] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
[6] Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
[7] He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The power of Holy Spirit released into the Apostles lives, and lives of the followers, caused a massive growth in the church. Jesus specifically told them to await the outpouring, for it was with the outpouring that they would receive power. This is what Jesus was referring to when He prophesied about the coming of the Kingdom with power in Mark 9:1.
So this evening I am encouraged to hold onto Jesus' promise that we would be filled with power, and this power would be proof that the Kingdom of God was established and expanding. I am encouraged to press into the Lord, waiting for the gift of power when the Holy Spirit comes on me and fills me again. Come Holy Spirit and fill Your church.
Amen!
It is interesting that this verse stands in its own in this chapter of Mark's Gospel. The chapter continues with the Transfiguration, the healing of the young boy, Jesus predicting His death, the battle that was raging in the popular mind concerning Christ, and finally a warning about sin. For me, this verse stands out and points directly at the day of Pentecost, when power was released upon the gathering of believers.
Jesus had sent out the apostles and later the 72 with the message of the coming Kingdom of God, and with the authority to demonstrate this new Kingdom through the working of miracles, healing, deliverance and such. This was apparently the precursor to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the believers, and thus the birthing of the Kingdom of God on the earth. The power of the Holy Spirit was the crowning sign, the evidence that this was truly the Kingdom of God.
The evidence of the effectiveness of the power of the Holy Spirit in establishing the Kingdom is seen in the signs and fruit born immediately after the outpouring.
We see this described in detail in Acts 2:1-4, 14-19, 37, 41 NIV:
[1] "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. [2] Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. [3] They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."
[14] "Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. [15] These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! [16] No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: [17] “ 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. [18] Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. [19] I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke."
[37] "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
[41] "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."
Thus after the Holy Spirit was poured out the church immediately experienced a massive burst of growth. Peoples lives were transformed and the church was firmly established. The church continued to see rapid expansion, and the working of many miracles, which again was the evidence presented that proved the Kingdom of God was real.
Here are some verses following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the establishment of the Kingdom;
Acts 2:42-43 NIV:
[42] "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. [43] Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles."
Acts 3:6-10 NIV:
[6] "Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” [7] Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. [8] He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. [9] When all the people saw him walking and praising God, [10] they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."
Acts 4:4 NIV:
"But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand."
Acts 4:31, 33 NIV
[31] "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."
[33] "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all"
Acts 5:12-16 NIV
[12] "The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. [13] No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. [14] Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. [15] As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. [16] Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed."
Acts 5:17-20 NIV:
[17] "Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. [18] They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. [19] But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. [20] “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
I have included just some of the verses, but it is quite evident that the Kingdom of God was in full demonstration through signs and wonders, shaking of houses, winds from heaven, massive healings, miraculous escapes from jail, all proving that the Kingdom of God was present in power. The Kingdom message devoid of power is just mere words, and Jesus had told his followers to go to Jerusalem and await the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, knowing that mere words would not be enough to birth the Kingdom. Luke recorded Jesus message as follows, Acts 1:4-8 NIV:
[4] "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. [5] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
[6] Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
[7] He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The power of Holy Spirit released into the Apostles lives, and lives of the followers, caused a massive growth in the church. Jesus specifically told them to await the outpouring, for it was with the outpouring that they would receive power. This is what Jesus was referring to when He prophesied about the coming of the Kingdom with power in Mark 9:1.
So this evening I am encouraged to hold onto Jesus' promise that we would be filled with power, and this power would be proof that the Kingdom of God was established and expanding. I am encouraged to press into the Lord, waiting for the gift of power when the Holy Spirit comes on me and fills me again. Come Holy Spirit and fill Your church.
Amen!
Monday, June 20, 2016
Our Father In Heaven - What He is Really Like!
Yesterday being Father's Day, I was thinking about the fact that one of the primary reasons Jesus came to earth was to reveal the Father to us. His desire, and obviously the Father's desire is that we come to know Him and understand Him more. As I have written before, Jesus said that everything He said and did was at the Father's direction. In Hebrews 1:3 it says that Jesus is the "exact representation of His being". Jesus said in John 14:9 that "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father". In Luke 10:22 Jesus says, "...no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Clearly Jesus is our best representation and window into who the Father is, and what the Father is like.
With this in mind, I was reminded of the story that Jesus told in Luke 15 of the wayward son. Specifically I was reminded of the character of the Father in the story, for Jesus is clearly pointing towards His Father in heaven when telling this story. Here is the story in its entirety, as it is too good to paraphrase - Luke 15:11-32 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.
[25] “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. [26] So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. [27] 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
[28] “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. [29] But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. [30] But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
[31] “ 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. [32] But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' ”
I love this story because I think it so effectively communicates the Father's heart towards all of us, even those that have effectively turned their backs on God for whatever reason. The Father never stopped loving His wayward child, and never stopped looking for His son to return to Him. As soon as the Father saw the son, He ran to Him and embraced Him and called for his robe, ring and shoes all symbolic of restoring his identity.
In the same way, the Father loves us, regardless of our life choices, and is always waiting for us to return to Him. His love for us makes no logical sense. His love for us does not include a time of punishment for our misdeeds but rather He is all about restoring our identity when we return! It does not matter what we have done, where we have found ourselves sleeping, how long we have been away, He is always waiting and watching for our return.
The enemy and the world would try to convince us that our sin, our turning our back on God, has in some way disqualified us to be in relationship with Him, has caused us to lose our place or chance to be one of His children. I believe that is precisely why Jesus told this story, He wanted us to understand the Father's heart toward all of us. Jesus wanted to reveal the Father's heart for the lost, the confused, the deceived, those who have turned their backs on Him, those that have denied Him, and those that act like there is no God. He isn't waiting to punish, but rather is waiting with open arms ready to welcome us back. That is what the Father is like!
So today, the day after we celebrated Father's day, I am so grateful for the Father in Heaven and His endless mercy, compassion and grace. I am so grateful that Jesus came to reveal the Father to us, that we might understand and see what an awesome Father He truly is. I am encouraged to learn from Jesus and Our Father and offer the same fatherly heart towards my children. I am encouraged to have the same heart as the Father towards all of those that do not know Him, those who are lost, those who have walked away, those who have run after fulfillment in life through every other means, and those who are mistaken about His character.
Father, Thank You for revealing Yourself to us through Your Son Jesus!
Amen and Amen!
With this in mind, I was reminded of the story that Jesus told in Luke 15 of the wayward son. Specifically I was reminded of the character of the Father in the story, for Jesus is clearly pointing towards His Father in heaven when telling this story. Here is the story in its entirety, as it is too good to paraphrase - Luke 15:11-32 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.
[25] “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. [26] So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. [27] 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
[28] “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. [29] But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. [30] But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
[31] “ 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. [32] But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' ”
I love this story because I think it so effectively communicates the Father's heart towards all of us, even those that have effectively turned their backs on God for whatever reason. The Father never stopped loving His wayward child, and never stopped looking for His son to return to Him. As soon as the Father saw the son, He ran to Him and embraced Him and called for his robe, ring and shoes all symbolic of restoring his identity.
In the same way, the Father loves us, regardless of our life choices, and is always waiting for us to return to Him. His love for us makes no logical sense. His love for us does not include a time of punishment for our misdeeds but rather He is all about restoring our identity when we return! It does not matter what we have done, where we have found ourselves sleeping, how long we have been away, He is always waiting and watching for our return.
The enemy and the world would try to convince us that our sin, our turning our back on God, has in some way disqualified us to be in relationship with Him, has caused us to lose our place or chance to be one of His children. I believe that is precisely why Jesus told this story, He wanted us to understand the Father's heart toward all of us. Jesus wanted to reveal the Father's heart for the lost, the confused, the deceived, those who have turned their backs on Him, those that have denied Him, and those that act like there is no God. He isn't waiting to punish, but rather is waiting with open arms ready to welcome us back. That is what the Father is like!
So today, the day after we celebrated Father's day, I am so grateful for the Father in Heaven and His endless mercy, compassion and grace. I am so grateful that Jesus came to reveal the Father to us, that we might understand and see what an awesome Father He truly is. I am encouraged to learn from Jesus and Our Father and offer the same fatherly heart towards my children. I am encouraged to have the same heart as the Father towards all of those that do not know Him, those who are lost, those who have walked away, those who have run after fulfillment in life through every other means, and those who are mistaken about His character.
Father, Thank You for revealing Yourself to us through Your Son Jesus!
Amen and Amen!
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Of Jesus and Marriage
So I felt like turning to Matthew, chapter 19 this morning and saw these verses. I believe they are applicable to me during this week of my 30th anniversary.
Matthew 19:3-12 NIV:
[3] "Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
[4] “Haven't you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' [5] and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? [6] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
[7] “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
[8] Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. [9] I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
[10] The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
[11] Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. [12] For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others---and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
So apparently marriage has been a hot topic of conversation since Jesus was on earth. I find it interesting that the Pharisees were wanting to test Jesus, so they asked him about marriage and divorce. This tells me that that of all the things they could have tested him on, the topic of marriage was controversial enough then to be a cause of major disagreement, and it still is. I don't think it is so much that the topic or idea is difficult to understand, but rather we find it difficult to live out.
Jesus teaches us that divorce was allowed by Moses (Deut 24:1) as He was directed by God, and is the result of hard hearts, and I don't think that is far off. In relationships that don't end well, we often see one or both of the individuals developing hard hearts towards the other. This is often the result of pain, emotionally or physically, disappointment, rejection, bitterness or other cause. I find the response of Jesus' disciples to His comments interesting - if that is the case, "it is better not to marry"! They clearly understood the amount of work it requires to stay married, and were alarmed at Jesus' comments.
Jesus finishes his comments with an interesting statement - "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given... The one who can accept this should accept it.”
I mean, imagine if Jesus was here today and someone asked him about marriage, divorce and such, and His reply was basically this - "yeah it is hard, but if you are called and can accept it, than do so!" His response seems so unspiritual, yet very real.
The unification of two people, two becoming one flesh is how it is described in Genesis and again here by Jesus, is not some romantic notion, or wonderful thing that happens when you fall in love. Rather it is the result of hard work, of dying to oneself, of serving the other, of choosing over and over to make it work. There are wonderful times, and grace sufficient to see oneness through, but as Jesus seems to indicate, it is at times hard.
I am actually encouraged by Jesus words for He says that 'those to whom the word has been given can accept it'. The Greek word for accept is the word choreo, and it means 'one who can make room for something', as a primary definition, but it also means 'one who can move forward and take possession and succeed'. In other words, if you have been called to marriage, than that means that you are capable of succeeding in marriage. The church would call this sacramental grace, grace received or accepted in the experience of the sacrament. Said another way, if God has called you to marriage, than He is going to give you the strength and grace necessary to succeed at it! Praise God!
In summary, I think it is fair to say that Jesus recognizes the difficult call that marriage is in our lives. His command in marriage is really no different than His command to all, 'Love God, and love one another as He loves us'. This is meant to be the foundation of all deep relationships, love that puts each other first, love that is sacrificial, love that is serving, and love that unites. Love is so much more than emotion and feeling, it is commitment and hard work, but absolutely worth it. Most importantly, God knows how difficult it can be, but has provided the grace (help) sufficient to see us through to the end of our lives.
Amen!
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