Be All You Can Be

Colossians 3:12-17

One of the many questions asked by people is "What am I supposed to do in life?"  This topic concerns many of us as we attempt to "do" what God wants us to do.  People of all ages find themselves asking this question after significant changes in life whether it be high school graduation, marriage, loss of spouse or family member, financial unrest, tragedy, etc.  What I want to point out today is that it is more important to be what we should be.  In being what God wants us to be we cannot help but to do what He wants us to do. 

An individual that desires to fight for his country will not have the opportunity to do so without first joining the armed forces and becoming what he should be as a soldier.  Only after becoming proficient in all that his training officers have instructed will he then be given the opportunity to fight for his country.  We should be far more concerned with becoming like Christ and the question of what we shall do will come along in due time in the context of His great plan for our lives.  The scripture referenced above is another reminder of what God is looking for in us before revealing to us His complete will.  We should  not be too worried with the uncertainty of what the future has in store for us and far more focused on being what we should be. 

In this way I can tell anyone what the will of God is for their life...be more like Jesus every day and the "what shall I do" will take care itself.

(Please read the reference along with this!)

Go To The Ant

Proverbs 6:6 "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; and consider her ways, and be wise:"

While sitting in my living room recently I noticed my dog, Shade, sitting at the sliding glass door peering outside through he screen.  As I watched her I noticed her nose working very intently.  It dawned on me that she was using her sense of smell to evaluate not only what she could see but also what she could not see.  The thought hit me that she was doing exactly what we are supposed to do in "seeing him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27).  God has given to us spiritual instincts to sense God and the reality of Him working in our lives.  

What it takes is disconnecting from our physical senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste.  We must learn to connect to our spiritual senses allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the hidden things of life.  These "invisible things" are just as real as everything else we sense and are so much more valuable and important in relation to the eternal things of God.

How do we improve our spiritual senses?  Sorry, but the answer is well-known to most of God's children...spending more time in the Word of God.  It does not change us overnight but with a consistant diet of reading/study the Bible will enhance one's spiritual senses.   

Have a great day!

Angels...Our Powerful Executive Assistants!

Hebrews 1:14 "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"

What an awesome verse!  To be reminded of the fact that we have guardian angels ministering to us as we do the will of God!   Allow me to quickly remind us of the role the angels play in our lives.

1.  Angels have a deep interest in man (Luke 15:10).   

2.  Angels take great interest in the salvation of man (1 Peter 1:12).    

3.  Angels help us when we are in need (Ps. 34:7, Gen. 19:1, Acts 12:7-8).  

4.  Angels give us strength when tempted to sin (Luke 22:43). 

5.  Angels support us during affliction and persecution (Daniel 6:22).

6.  Angels attend to dying believers and take them to heaven (Luke 16:22).

Our ministering angels are powerful and benevolent beings that are employed to serve the children of God as we live our lives here on earth.  We have many things at our disposal to help us on a daily basis to gain victory in this life including but not limited to a loving heavenly Father, God's Word, our High Priest, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and also powerful angels that are very attentive to our daily needs!

Rise up and rejoice for the Christian truly is never alone!

Sowing Good

Galatians 6:10 "As we have therefore the opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially unto them who are of the household of the faith."

Often we are told in the Bible to do good.  The phrase "do good" is sometimes a subjective phrase unless an explanation is attached to it in the surrounding context.  The word "good" means pleasant, agreeable, joyful, and excellent.  God is saying we are to bring this quality of life to all men when we have the opportunity to do so...especially our brothers in Christ. Then in case we do not understand when and to whom we should do good we find it explained in verses 1-6. 

• In verse 1 the "good" referenced is in restoring those that have been "taken in a fault" which means helping those fallen in sin to recover.
• In verses 2-4 the "good" is about helping those that are burdened by life's hardships.
• In verse 6 the "good" is described as "communicating unto him that teacheth" which is to help in the support of those that have dedicated themselves to teaching God's people His truths.
• In verses 7-9 we are reminded/warned that if we fail to sow these "spiritual seeds of good" toward all men, especially other Christians, we will reap accordingly. Also to expect good from God when ignoring the needs of others is to mock God.

The Christian life is far more about how we have treated others and less about attempting to create some sort of pristine vessel of obedience (on the outside) to be lifted up for His glory (really man's glory!).

God help us today to take advantage of every opportunity we have to do right by others that we may sow the seeds of goodness in their lives raising their quality of living.  

The Good Life

Proverbs 16:20 "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good:"

If 10 people were faced with the same problem we could witness 10 different ways of dealing with it.  Because people are different in their upbringing and all manner of experiences they also think differently.  Each individual has his own biases, fears, strengths, and insecurities; therefore, we see that we all look at the facts to some extent differently. But the one goal we should all have in mind is to determine to act wisely in all we do.

I have said for a long time that I want to do things rightly (wisely).  I try never to "push a bad position."  I don't want to win when I'm wrong; I want to either be right or be shown my error and correct my way that I might be right next time.  This is my desire though I am sure that I am not always acting in line with it.

I hate it when my pride gets in the way of learning and behaving wisely.  

God promises "good" to all those that would act wisely.  The word "good" has the meaning of life being pleasant, agreeable, excellent, valuable, and an all-around quality of prosperity. Who does not want this?

Let's make it our goal to handle all matters today wisely.

What Seek Ye?

John 1:38 "Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye..."

As I read this recently a simple thought came to mind.  As we follow God (go to church, serve, read the Bible, pray, etc.) what are we really seeking?  Are we truly seeking to make Jesus Lord of our lives or are we simply doing what we have always done according to our Christian tradition?  Are we seeking to conform to His image through every sermon we hear or are we just doing the Christian thing by going to church? Are we serving Him out of a heart full of love for Him or are we trying to earn our way into the good graces of God?

I challenge all of us to keep this thought in mind each and every day of our lives as we follow Him...What seek ye?...What seek ye?...What seek ye?  What is the motive behind all that we do?  

What would be your answer if Jesus asked you what it was that you wanted from Him as you sat in church yesterday or as you read His word this morning?  Could you have said that you desperately want to be like Him? 

May our obedience be inspired by the motive to love Him, honor Him, and to be like Him in every area of our lives.  

  

Your Best

1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

What a mighty promise we find in this verse.  I don't know about you but I get tired of sinning and disappointing my Lord.  I understand that He already knows that we will sin and has forgiven the failure but I still find it at times gut wrenching to once again fail in my attempts to be like Him.  Some days even thinking, "What is the use in trying?"  Quickly though my mind reminds me that it is in the attempt and desire to do right that God is glorified.  Obedience is paramount!  When we fail in our attempt to obey Him God is still glorified.  When we fail to obey is when He is dishonored (see life of Saul).

What a glorious day it will be when we see Him in His glory.  Oh to be sure, there is a little apprehension on my part about all that will go on at the judgment seat but in the end to be delivered from this world of evil is a most wonderful reality.  And to be made like Him and to be a joint-heir with Him is a refreshing thought.

Give God your best today; desiring His ways and will for your life. 

Don't Be An Elkanah!

1 Samuel 1:8 "Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?"

A challenge to all husbands today would be to do more reading and studying in order to understand our wives better.  I heard a preacher say this weekend that in order to get a full view of God one must understand the godly characteristics found in woman and not found in man.  God has revealed His true self through both man and woman.  Each has qualities that taken together paint the full picture of all that God is.

Elkanah in this verse has just acted arrogantly in saying "Why are you so upset because you have no kids...surely I am enough to satisfy your every desire in life."  No true.  There beats within the heart of every godly woman the desire to have children and nothing can replace that privilege and experience.  Obviously Elkanah did not understand this.

The main point this morning is that husbands need to be careful of acting insensitive to their wives.  Just because we do not understand something does not mean that it is wrong or unimportant.  It may be of great importance and we may be witnessing a godly attribute in action that we do not possess.   I would hate to find displeasure in my wife as a result of her displaying a godly attribute in my presence.  I would hate to know more about each player drafted by my favorite football team than I do the needs and desires of my wife!

Don't be an Elkanah today!

What All Great Leaders Have In Common

2 Chronicles 32:8 "With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles.  And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah."

King Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings of the nation of Judah and obviously a great leader.  In this passage he is encouraging the people to not be afraid of the Assyrian king nor his multitude of people. (King Sennacherib had laid siege to Jerusalem) Hezekiah did not simply say not to be worried but gave them a viable reason to relax.  He told them that the Assyrians were simply "arms of flesh" when the captain of their army was the Lord God and He would fight their battles.  They rested in his words. 

Hezekiah knew that his people needed to be reminded of the fact that God is their protector.  One of the main things leadership provides for the follower is focus.  Often it is not the circumstances that spell defeat in our lives it is the lack of focus on our part. Leadership (parents, pastors, coaches, bosses, husbands, moms and dads, etc.) needs to constantly re-focus the sight/mind of the follower upon the basic truths of God's Word. Most believers know the right answers but often the circumstances distract them from what they know to be true.

Leaders should be very careful of criticizing followers when they fail and should be more encouraging in helping them to set their sights on God.  It is the leader's responsibility to provide an atmosphere of safety (rest from worry) in order to help the follower prosper.  This was Moses' great challenge in leading the people out of Egypt and to the promise land...he had to constantly re-focus their attention off of their fears and back on God.   

By the way, God did in fact destroy the Assyrian army once again freeing His people and the great city of Jerusalem from impending destruction.

A Lasting Memorial

Mark 14:8 "She hath done what she could:"

Jesus spoke this answering the disciples after they had witnessed Mary of Bethany anoint Jesus with the expensive ointment of spikenard.  Spikenard in the Bible was an expensive spice used to make perfume.  This spice is obtained from a plant located in the Himalayas of China and the northern regions of India and Nepal.  It was very expensive. 

What I want to focus on today is not necessarily the anger and confusion of the disciples but the phrase that we quoted above about her actions.  I find it a very comforting thought that God never expects us to do above and beyond what we are able.  Now, I understand Philippians 4:13 but this verse is proof positive that we can do all that God has in mind for each of us to do.  This bar of excellence is set at different levels for different people.  The ability that Moses possessed and the expectations God had for him are very different than what He has planned for most us.  

What is great about this verse is that Jesus felt loved and honored by the sacrifice of Mary and her desire to express her devotion to Him!  He even said that her devotion to Him would be spoken of around the world wherever this gospel was preached. It would be a "memorial" for her (vs. 9).  We know that this is absolutely true because we are speaking about it even today.

Don't worry about how you measure up to anyone else...just be sure to do all you can do through His power  (very important) to honor and exalt Him with your life each day!  

We Have A King!

1 Samuel 12:12 "...Nay; but a king shall reign over us; when the Lord your God was your king."

In this passage the people of Israel begged for a king that they might be like the other nations.   God's question was "Why do you need a king when you have me and who could provide a greater life for you than the Lord God?  Even though it hurt the Lord, He did give in to their cries giving then Saul for a king in Israel.  

In this chapter we find Samuel reminding the people how it has always been God that delivered them from their enemies and that even though they now had a human king they must not forget that Jehovah is still their strength and the people and the king must continue to rely upon His wisdom, protection, and provision.  If they refused to follow after the Lord they would suffer.

This plea of God to follow after Him is still being made today.  Just as He was with Israel in the Old Testament fighting their battles and providing for their every need He is with us today.  Malachi 3:6 " For I am the Lord; I change not...".  

Let us trust Him today to be our king.  Let us not beg Him to for a king when He ever liveth to care for us!  Many of our daily prayers could be taken by the Lord as us asking for a king. Do we pray for the king of "financial freedom" that we might not have to depend upon Him to care for our every need?   

May we today seek not a replacement for the One that loves us the most and desires the very best for us.  Let's trust in the living God and turn to Him for our every need.  

Day of Reckoning

2  Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear  before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Where the rubber meets the road"?  I feel obligated to give a brief warning this morning regarding a future event that none of us will escape.  It is the Judgment Seat of Christ.  As we see in the verse this is a real event that will happen and each of us must attend.

The word "appear" comes from a Greek word that means "to be made manifest."  The idea is that we shall be turned inside out, to be laid bare, stripped of every outward facade of respectability, and openly revealed in the full reality of one's character.  Every thought and deed will be open to the scrutiny of Jesus Christ.  Scary, huh?

We are establishing our future enjoyment of heaven with each day we live on earth. Regardless of how we live here on earth the believer will be saved.  But there will be a reckoning of how we lived our lives and we will be rewarded and/or suffer loss of that reward accordingly.  The reward is not only simply something tangible (a crown) received from Christ at the judgment seat but also the privilege to reign with Him in His earthly kingdom.  I do believe there will be a time when God wipes away the memory of wasted opportunities but this will be after the thousand year reign on earth and the great white throne judgment of the unsaved when the new Jerusalem will be introduced.  At this time the Bible says that God will wipe away all tears which I believe are shed by those who wasted their time on earth; maybe all of us will have some occasion to shed the tears of regret in heaven, but surely there will be those  whose weeping will be seen and heard for a thousand years.

God pleads with us to "set our affections on things above" (Colossians 3:2) that we may experience all that He has to give us through salvation.

1 John 2:28 "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."

Fully Persuaded

Romans 4:21 "And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform."

Do you ever stop to think that most of us found it easy to believe in the power of the gospel at the time of salvation?  Most of us have little trouble in believing that God is capable of saving us and rarely ever doubt our salvation.  We find it easier to trust in a God we have never seen to deliver our souls from a hell we have never seen and take us to heaven, which again we have never seen.  It's almost like as long as the issue is  dealing with things we have never seen then we are fine with trusting the Almighty to care for us for all of eternity.

Then we have the other side of the coin.  In matters of normal life we suffer greatly from unbelief because we somehow doubt His ability to care for the needs we can see (food, money, debt, health, etc.) that impact our lives daily.  How absurd is this?  Our minds live in two separate worlds...one for the spiritual and the other for the tangible.

The truth is that God is able to meet our every need both the seen and unseen.  We must, as Abraham, be fully persuaded that He is able to perform all His promises.  The problem is being fully persuaded.  We tend to be fully persuaded in the might of our strength and the ways of this humanistic world order. 

Romans 8:31-32 "What shall we then say to these things?  If God be for us, who can be against us?  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?"  Considering this truth why would we ever doubt or be anything but fully persuaded that He is willing and able to perform His promises concerning our well-being?

God's Word is replete with promises that God will provide for His own and would never withhold from us anything good that we need to be happy and secure.

God has provided all you need to have a great day today...make it happen!

The Sin of Impulse

I just finished reading an article in the magazine Scientific American Mind that was very interesting regarding how our minds work.  The article discussed one's ability to withstand temptation.

In essence the author's conclusion was that when we yield to temptation it is an act of impulse which is focusing on the immediate without regard to the future.  When we are able to control a desire and not yield to it's urging this is an act of reflection or the ability to think in long-term effects.

It always amazes me when scientists "get it right."  This battle is exactly what the Bible calls the battle between good and evil or flesh and the Spirit.  The article went as far as to say that the old picture of having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other is an accurate idea of what is going on in the mind.  It is impulse verses reflection.  The devil says, "There it is, you want it, you have a right to it, so do it now."  The Spirit on the other hand is saying, "Just a minute, is this right and would Jesus do it if He were here?" and "What will the consequences be if you do this?  Take your time to think about it."  

Impulse verses reflection.  The desire of the flesh to satisfy lust or yielding to the Spirit to think and apply wisdom/judgment to a situation in order to discern the right course of action.

This was the downfall of Adam and Eve.  In seeking to satisfy their lust they failed to reflect upon the command of God and the consequences of disobeying His will.  Had they taken time to reflect upon the decision in light of His command they quite easily may have chosen to honor God instead of pleasing self.

Once again we are reminded that the battle will be won through our ability to "search out a matter" (Prov. 25:2)...being disciplined to take our time to gather the facts and make an informed decision.  Reflection is the key to overcoming impulse.

MacBook Pro or x86 PC...It's Your Choice

I have been saved for 32 years and if I have learned anything during this time it is this...in order to live a successful Christian life and experience God in a real and fulfilling way you must desire the things of God. This is God's original plan that we would desire Him and trust that everything He tells us is the only way to true happiness and prosperity.

To the extent that we desire the things of the world we will find the ways of God to be hard, unpleasant, and uninteresting.  This does not mean that you never wish you had more interest in Him but that interest never produces fruit because we have rooted our ways in the philosophies of this world (see Mark 4:1-20).  We seek happiness, fulfillment, love, excitement, success, and all other issues of prosperity through the world's ungodly system of humanism.  It's like many Christians are seeking to reap the benefits of a 2011 MacBook Pro while operating off the original MS-DOS system for x86 PC's.  You're expectations are impossible to achieve. You are seeking cutting edge, efficient programming with beautiful images on your screen and all you're getting is orange letters, numbers and no pictures on a black screen.  You must update your operating system.     

Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled."  This is a promise of God to all those that would desire greatly His ways.  This is the operating system we should install and update on a daily basis.  

A Thought For Men

Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"

I love researching words to better understand what God is saying in a verse.  Such is the case with the word "gave" in the verse above.  

The word "gave" means to put into the hands of another.  Whenever we put something into the hands of another we are also giving that person the right to choose what to do with it... correct?  I find this thought to be convicting for the following reason.  Often I find myself not in agreement or at outright odds with the  individual whom I have given something because of the way they choose to use it or treat it.  If I honestly gave it to them I also handed over to them the responsibility for the care and use of it.  

Application: Have we really given our lives to God for the sake of our marriage as Christ did for the church? He put His life in the hands of God the Father and suffered unconscionable torture and suffering at the hands of those that hated Him.  Do we give this way that God might sanctify our marriages with healing and cleansing?   

We say, "Yes, I give my all for my wife working 40, 50, and 60 hours a week to support her." But then we come home and expect to be waited on hand and foot as the lord of the house!  You never saw this in the way Jesus gave it all.  He became the servant surrendering His very life for His bride, the church, therefore many people struggle today in their marriages because of the man's refusal to submit to the will of God the Father.  Why do men require submission from the wife when they neglect to submit to their authority?

Just a thought...

Be Slow To Speak

James 1:19 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:"

A very quick reminder today that we must disconnect the flesh from the mind in order to serve the Lord in righteousness.  The godly man has put his flesh under subjection to the will of God and lives his life through the mind (Acts 20:19; Phil. 2:5; Rom. 7:25).  In Proverbs we are told that he that does not control his spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls (Prov. 25:28).  Meaning that he is vulnerable to the attacks of sin be it in the form of the devil, the world, or his own lust and is defenseless against them.

There are many emotions that cause us to become rash in our actions and decisions.  There is anger, jealousy, fear, bitterness, and all manner of insecurity.   One great way to live with these emotions and not be subject to their desires is to be "slow to speak."  

Often people say "I said it because that's what I was thinking."  Well, there is no law that says we are to say everything in our minds and I believe that the action of speaking what is in your mind makes the thought that much more real and right to you.  Having a thought is one thing but when we verbalize the thought it becomes more concrete in the mind.  

Be slow to speak; analyze the thought before you speak.  Scrutinize your thinking and allow the Spirit of God to approve the thought or rebuke it.

Have a great day!

It's Not Rocket Science

Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him."

God is so good to "dumb it down for us" when it comes to what is expected of us today and every day.  This verse totally simplifies the greatness of Christ by saying that He went about "doing good."  The truth is that life is really not rocket science.  The situations we face today that will require a decision on our part generally are not that difficult...simply "do good."  

Emotion, being the great enemy of clarity, will attempt to distort the facts but we must not allow anything to complicate what God has simplified. 

When faced with temptation to do wrong...do good.

When faced with persecution...do good.

When faced with trial...do good.

When faced with confusion...do good.

When faced with fear...do good.

Whatever the choice is today, identify the "good" choice and do it.

Not only has God simplified His will but He also anoints us with the power to "do good."  What a great set-up!  

The Mixing Bowl

Hebrews 4:2 "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."

We know that God's Word is powerful (see verse 12 of this chapter) but there is one thing we must add in order to release the full power of the Word of God and that thing is our faith. Our faith "mixed" (to unite one thing to another) with the Word of God make it profitable in our lives.  Often believers struggle with the wonder of why they do not see God's Word working in their lives as they see in someone else's and the reason is in most cases they simply have not put their faith in His Word.  They may acknowledge that the Bible is God's Word but never put their faith in it.  

We must exercise the very faith that God has given to each man by mixing it with His Word and then and only then will we see great things from Him.  The simple act of reading His Word never ignited the truth of God to begin a profitable work in anyone.  Many hear the gospel but are never saved because of their unbelief...lack of faith.  Many believers wonder aimlessly through life without any real focus or measure of growth because they are living in the wilderness.  They stopped mixing their faith with the Word of God after salvation.  The desert will forever be their dwelling because they trust in sight and not in the Holy One of God.  They have left out the key element needed to unleash the power of God Himself.

Lord, help each of us today to mix our faith with your Word that we may enter in the rest promised to all those that put their trust in thee.

 

A Closer Look At Failure

From the time Adam and Eve fell, all of mankind was destined to sin because of the sin nature passed to all of us from Adam.  It never is a surprise to God when we sin because nothing ever surprises God.  It is not to say that our sin does not frustrate or hurt Him because the Bible teaches that our sin does affect the heart of God.  But we must not be too hard on ourselves regarding our sin.  (Easy now, don't label me a heretic just yet.)  Jesus paid a great ransom to deliver us from our sin and this act was completed over 2000 years ago.  

I find though that many of God's children relate their acts of obedience to making God happy and that failure brings God's wrath or disgusts Him.  If we are not careful this  makes the issue all about us; it's just another "works" thing.  In other words when we sin and find ourselves broken and remorseful we are commanded to return to Him and seek His grace.    Why else would He make forgiveness such an easy thing to get from Him?  To beat yourself up over sin is to make you the issue and this is never in agreement with the mind of God.  Forgiveness is for sinners of which the Apostle Paul said he was the greatest.  We are in good company.   

There is a fine line between beating yourself up over sin and using the grace of God as a license to sin (Romans 6:1).  Matthew 5 teaches us that blessed are they that mourn (for their sin) for they shall be comforted.  This mourning for our sin is to lead us to the wonderful comfort of His forgiveness.  Often our sin shakes us back into the reality that we need Him more than ever and our failures are a constant reminder of this truth.  

Our obedience should originate from a heart full of love and admiration for Him and not a way of proving to Him that we are becoming like Him.  However close I am to being like Him is for Him to consider and not me.  I am not out to prove how I have acheived some greatness.  I am to exalt Him in my heart and allow that to overflow into my life.   To be sure the Bible teaches that our works make our faith alive in the eyes of others but God looks on the heart.

It has never been sin that brought the wrath of God upon His people; it is the unrepentant heart and the refusal to get right with God that always brings judgment.

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."  This doesn't sound like an angry God, but One that is coaxing us back to Him that we may receive forgiveness and be restored. 

We are sinners and this is no revelation to God.  The issue is not how good you can be but how closely you walk with Him, love Him, and desire to please Him.

Have a great day!! 

  

"O Taste And See..."

Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

I have tasted of the Lord and He is good!  So why do I far too often leave the great buffet of food He has prepared for me?  I believe that living as a spoiled American we spend most of our time seeking how to please ourselves through the flesh and why do we do this...because we can.  We have far too many possessions and too much "food" to ever feel as though we need Him every minute of every hour. But the truth is that we are forever more starving ourselves spiritually and we don't even realize it.  We attempt to have a great faith and wonder why we fail at the smallest of tests.  It is impossible to see great things from Him based on the way most of us provide for our spirits.  We are suffering from spiritual malnutrition.     

When God jerks the rug out from under our feet we find it easier to hunger and thirst after Him but when we are "full" we say "Who is the Lord?"  (Proverbs 30:8-9 "...give me neither poverty nor riches: feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord?...")

It can be dangerous to dwell on the failures of one's life but it can also be very helpful to allow the Spirit of God to make us aware of our frailties that we might see ourselves as the poor and needy children that we truly are.  

May we today hunger and thirst after righteousness that we might dwell in Him and in His land that flows with milk and honey!  

Suffering...There's Nothing Like It!

Suffering...it is all that it's cracked up to be.  

Christ's strength is made perfect...check!
Suffering purifies us...check!
The purification is noticeable in one's life (to himself I mean)...check!
God has huge shoulders on which to cast our every care...check!
There are places (profitable) only suffering can take us...check!
"Things of earth grow strangely dim" through suffering...check!
Regardless of the circumstances, Jesus and I make a majority...check!
The more intense the suffering the more visible Jesus becomes...check!
God's grace is sufficient (to be possessed of unfailing strength)...check!

It is true that when the Lord chooses to purify us through suffering all things change...for good or bad and it is our choice how the change affects us.   All that He teaches us through His word about suffering becomes crystal clear!  SUFFERING IS FOR OUR GOOD and just as Paul welcomed it (2 Cor. 12:9) so should we.

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." - 1 Thess. 5:18

We have such a wonderful God!

Lions, Tigers, and "Snares", Oh My!

Galatians 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soeth that shall he also reap."

Proverbs 29:6 "In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice."

Without getting into a long theological discourse, we all know that the Bible teaches that we often receive that which we have given whether it be good or bad.  The world calls it "what goes around, comes around."

In reading Proverbs 29:6 the other day I was stopped for a time regarding the snares.  For some reason the word snare "ensnared" me that day...pun intended!  I began to research the word and the verse and want to share with you briefly what I found.

The basic teaching is that when we sin we set a snare for ourselves that will entangle us somewhere down the line.  The more one transgresses the law the more snares he sets for himself.  The Bible gives us many ways in which we set snares for ourselves.  Space does not give me the opportunity to share them in this post.

What impressed me that morning was that having a snare out there waiting on me that I could not see or anticipate with any real sense of security bothered me a great deal.  I know I am being selfish but this to me is a real problem!  And to think that I set it!!

The thought I would like to leave with you is that there truly are consequences for sin and they often come in the form of snares seeking to entangle us, injure us, and even sometimes kill us.  Obviously this is not God's choosing for our lives for He loves us beyond comprehension.  The next time we are tempted to sin maybe this thought will race through our minds that we are setting snares for ourselves that will bring harm to us.

Finishing on a good thought, I believe that these snares are set when we sin and do not make it right with God.  I believe the confession of sin to the Lord lift the snares out of our lives.  There will always be negative consequences for sin but when we are right with the Lord we at least do not have to worry about the snares.

No Comment Needed

Often we attempt to explain the Bible in order to help others understand what it is the Lord is trying to accomplish through His Word.  This is acceptable as we see in Nehemiah 8:8 "So they read in the book of the law distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading."

There are times though that we need not to comment on His Word as it is very simple and plain for all to comprehend.  Such is the case with the passage below.   Prayerfully consider what God has said.

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

"For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.  It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it?  But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.  See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.  But if thine heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear , but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

God help us to "choose life" today.  Amen.

Those Bleating Sheep!

1 Samuel 15:14 "And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

Samuel was rebuking Saul for his incomplete obedience in the destruction of the Amalekites.  Saul was to kill everything alive including all people and animals.  Instead Saul brought back the best of the animals to offer to the Lord.  Surely in his mind this was acceptable.  Apparently not as God said in verse 11 that He regretted that He made Saul king over Israel.

Today it would be like a person giving his money to the church and thinking this will satisfy the Lord and make up for his obvious spirit of disobedience in other areas.  The sacrifice of our substance does not and never will exalt the Lord as we go through life with an unyielded heart.  Nothing honors Him as does obedience born out of a surrendered heart to the ways and mind of God.  1 Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

Does the Lord hear the "bleating of the sheep or the lowing of the oxen" in our lives this very minute?  My great prayer is that I would offer Him the sacrifice of a yielded spirit to do His will today.  

John 14:15 "If ye love me keep my commandments."  

A Process of Delusion

This post will deal with a point from my adult Bible class lesson yesterday.  It will be a review for any of them that read this (which does not hurt any of us) but I wanted to share this thought with those of you that would not have been there.

It is amazing to me in my own life how when tempted with sin my mind has a tendency to focus on the pleasures of sin.  The effects that the sin will have on my life and spirit  seem  either absent or at the most a faint whisper.  Why is it that the "new man" does not throw a fit, kicking and screaming at the notion of my being tempted to violate the Word of God?   I will never say that the new man never has victory but far too often I find myself under such a powerful force within me that wins the battle.  We must first realize that our flesh is far more powerful than we think!  This battle is the one described by Paul in Romans 7.  It helps to know that I am in good company in my fight.

The point I want to make is that the process of sin is a process of delusion.  We know sin brings with it shame, fear, suffering, and death.  We know that obeying the principles of God's Word bring happiness, peace, blessings, and abundant life.  This process of delusion convinces us that the way to happiness, joy, prosperity, etc is through sin (see Eve in Gen. 3:6).  If we could only realize this process in action before it results in sin we would have a greater opportunity to yield to the Spirit of God and His power over sin therefore winning the battle.  

I know this is an age old battle that all God's children face on a daily basis but I for one am not happy to sit by and with apathy say "Oh well we'll never be perfect this side of heaven anyway."  God commands us to "Be ye perfect (mature) even as your Father in heaven is perfect." - Matthew 5:48     

Psalm 119:9 says, "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy Word."  The Word of God is powerful and has the ability to strengthen us in this battle with the flesh.  Plain and simple, the more time we spend in His Word the more powerful we become in our attempts to live as He did.  John 15:5, "I am the vine ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit (victory!): for without me ye can do nothing (defeat!)."  His Word is fully capable of cutting though the delusion the flesh creates granting us the clarity of mind to comprehend the grave nature of what is going on when tempted of sin.  We will never have complete victory over sin 'til we see Him, but we can experience more and greater victory as we honor Him in all we do through the power of His Word.

Consider It Well

Proverbs 24:32 "Then I saw it, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction."

I can recall many times in my life that I made decisions that led to awful, painful, and at times embarrassing consequences.  Often I remember saying in my mind if not aloud "What was I thinking?"or "Why in the world did I do that?", and "What on earth could have possessed me to say that?".   

When Solomon went by the field of the slothful man and noticed the shape of his vineyard he immediately began a process of thoughts that fueled the observation made in verse 32.  It is not important to this study what the thoughts were that Solomon had regarding the slothful man but what is important this morning is that he took time to "consider" what he had seen; he even considered it well.  

The word "consider" means to discern, to understand the difference, to recognize or identify.  I believe this is a lost art in our lives.  We just do not stop long enough to think anymore...to identify the facts and weigh the options that offer themselves to us in making the appropriate decision regarding the issues of life.  A great example of someone doing this is Joseph, Mary's husband, in Matthew 1:18-25.  Think of all that must have been going through Joseph's mind when he was told by Mary that she was with child.   But what do we see him doing?  God says that Joseph "thought on these things" (1:20) and did not act hastily out of anger, hurt, or jealousy.   Even the law condemned those that commit fornication to death.   Instead Joseph took his time to consider what he would do.  It was during this time that the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and explained God's plan and gave him direction on what to do.  What if Joseph had been a man given to anger?  What would have happened?  Actually nothing would have happened because he would never had been chosen of God to be the husband of Mary and would never have had the great privilege of rearing the Son of God.  That wonderful opportunity would have been given to another man.   

We are admonished in God's Word to be slow to speak (James 1:19)  and act.  The Bible often condemns the quick and hasty ways of man (Pro. 29:20) in making decisions that at times carry grave consequences.  We need to give our spirit time to digest the facts and choose our answers and actions with wisdom and prudence. 

For God's sake and for our own quality of life...S-L-O-W  D-O-W-N and consider it well.

Who Takes Pleasure In Sufferings?

Paul most gladly welcomed suffering and took pleasure in affliction.  Why?  Paul stated in Phil. 3:10 "That I may know him,  and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."

Paul knew that to know Christ intimately he must experience the bad (not in God's mind) with the good.  In order to think like Christ he must be of the same mind.  What is this mind?  It is found in Phil. 2:5 as we find Jesus humbling Himself to take on the form of a servant and be made in the likeness of man and become obedient to death...suffering.

We often hear Romans 8:29 preached  about how God's will is to conform us to the image of His son and we accept this without any real thought of what needs to happen.  Part of the conforming is a great amount of suffering.  After all, it is through suffering that Jesus won the greatest victory of all - salvation.  It is through suffering that Jesus became the perfect example in how to respond to pain, affliction, and persecution (1 Peter 2:21).  In Proverbs 17:3 "The fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts."  This trying of the heart is putting the man under pressure...suffering...in order to purify the heart that he may be conformed to the image of Jesus.  Paul's sole focus was to be like Christ and he knew that sufferings were a big part of getting there, therefore he welcomed them and took pleasure in them.

Paradoxical as it may seem there is great happiness and victory achieved through suffering!  Suffering   breaks down our pride and dependence on self; it incinerates our haughty ways and reduces us to mere  emotional/physical weaklings dependent upon a great and powerful God.  Your heavenly Father will never be closer to you than during the times of suffering.  Then if that's not enough...

Romans 8:18 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

2 Corinthians 4:17 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;" 

God may hand out spoons full of suffering but he rewards in buckets full of glory!!

Lord, help us to stay faithful when suffering knowing that you are at work in our lives molding us and making us more like the Saviour...might we even someday, as Paul did, take pleasure in it.

 

To Embellish With Honor

Titus 2:10 "Not purloining , but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things."

Experts say that of the people making New Year's resolutions many fail due to not having a plan to succeed in their efforts.  Of those that have no plan only 4% succeed in making their resolution reality.  The other side of the coin is that 44% succeed when they simply write the resolution down and form a simple plan to achieve the goal.  The point is that those that made it their purpose daily to fulfill the desire had much more success than those that casually attempted to change a part of their lives for the better.

What does this have to do with Titus 2:10?  It is our responsibility as children of God to adorn the Word of God through purposeful godly living that the Word of God be not blasphemed (to speak evil of) by the world.  The word "adorn" means to embellish with honor.  Chapters 2 and 3 use the words "good works" four times in twenty-four verses.  Plainly our good works is the tool to be used to bring honor to the Word of God (study chapters 2-3 to better understand this).

This showing of good works will be done on purpose and with a plan.  No child of God ever performed good works naturally or by accident.  The doing of right does not come naturally but with a yielded heart and a plan. 

God has granted to us a wonderful privilege in making His doctrine more glorious and beautiful in the minds of all people.  My question is, "What plan do we have to in all things adorn the doctrine of God?"  If we have no plan there will be no adorning.  Live this day on purpose and let that purpose be to bring beauty, glory, and honor to the things of God.

Lord, please let me not do anything today that would bring dishonor and blasphemy upon your wonderful truth.    

Hope

Exodus 4:31 "And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped."

In the previous verses we find Moses through Aaron telling the people that God has heard their cries and is about to deliver them from the pain and suffering of bondage under the hand of Pharaoh, King of Egypt.  Can you imagine how they listened with baited breath and hung on every word that Moses had to say about his meeting with Jehovah?  As he explained in minute detail all that was said can't you hear them saying, "Now Moses don't leave out one detail." and "What did He look like?" and "Were you scared?" and  "Now exactly what did He say again about delivering us, when will it begin, how long will it take and where will we go when we leave here?"  When Aaron had finished speaking and answering whatever questions the people had, the Bible said they "bowed their heads and worshipped."

I love this passage. In my Bible I wrote the word "Hope" after verse 31 because of the wellspring of happiness and joy obviously felt by the people and no wonder why!  How would you feel if you knew without a shadow of doubt that God has heard your prayers and was about to answer them?  This is what stuck out in my mind as I contemplated this meeting.  

We know that God hears our prayers.  I will list several prayer promises but the Bible contains countless others for our benefit.

Matthew 7:11 "If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things unto them that ask him?"

John 15 "If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you."

Matthew 21:22 "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

My point this morning is that God does in fact hear the prayers of the righteous. How exciting it is to know that He hears you and having the faith to believe that He is going to answer is not only mind-boggling but offers incredible strength as we depend on Him for our every need. 

This truth empowers my prayer life...knowing He hears my prayer and Him knowing I believe in His omnipotent power to give me good things.  THIS IS HOPE!