There is a reason why our Father gives us occasions to store away testimonies of what he has done; he knows we easily forget. We could be facing disaster today, call out to him and have testimony of his rescue. But next week something similar could happen and we are once again filled with fear and anxiety because we forget what he has already done for us.
Remembering is important in our developing relationship with our Father and in our growing understanding of how the Kingdom functions. He takes us through things so that we will develop, grow, mature and gain testimony to teach others.
"But be on guard and watch yourselves closely so that you don't forget the things your eyes saw and so they never leave your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren." (Deuteronomy 4:9)
We understand the importance of teaching the instructions of the Lord to our children and grandchildren but in this case it is the testimony that we are told to pass on. We are to tell our children and grandchildren about our story with God. We are suppose to tell them of what God has done, answered prayers, miracles, interventions, rescues, provision. They need to know more than theory, they need to hear the practical application of being a child of God.
It is more than the testimony of your salvation moment; it is your ongoing story of you and your Saviour. It is about your spiritual growth. It is about your increasing revelation. It is about the Lord's constant interaction and intervention in your history.
Yesterday I was in Walmart with my wife and I saw a baby's album for grandmothers. I scoffed at it at first because I thought it was an album for recording things about the baby. I figured it was just another thing to make money but when I looked inside I realized its true value. It wasn't the story of the baby but of the grandmother to pass on to the baby. It was all about the family history so the baby would understand his roots.
This is the idea of passing on your testimonies, what you have seen and experienced with God; your family's spiritual roots. Every family needs a book of testimony!
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Do You Need Correction?
I bet you don't like to be corrected. None of us do. Even when we know we are wrong we would rather just let it pass unnoticed, to fade away, to be forgotten. None of us like to face our mistakes, take a good look at our actions and be corrected for them. Yes, correction is vital for our growth as a person, in relationships and in our preparations for eternity.
It is embarrassing to be wrong but it is even more embarrassing to continue to be wrong; to repeat the same mistake over and over again. We need someone who is strong enough in our lives, who we give permission to help us learn and grow from our mistakes. As children it was our parents. As adults we need to choose someone. Ultimately it is our Father who ensures that we receive correction, not for punishment but for growth:
My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights. (Psalm 3:11-12)
The writer of Hebrews tells us that we should be encouraged by the correction of the Lord because it means we are legitimate children. Fathers only correct their own children. So we should be concerned if we are not receiving correction:
But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. (Hebrews 12:8)
No correction is meant to destroy us. The Lord does not want to destroy but to build us up, to mature us, to prepare us for eternity. No one enjoys correction but under Father's loving hand we can be assured that it is for our good, our benefit. Don't hate him for it but rejoice that it is a sign that you are a legitimate child. Don't try to avoid it but embrace it as a natural part of our development.
We are not perfect. We mess up. We need to be corrected. We need to be kept on the right path. We need to be told where we were wrong and what we can do to correct our actions. We need it and the Father does it because he loves us. He loves us, we can trust him, even in the correction. Without correction we will end up independent, spoiled children, cut off from our inheritance because we thought we knew better than our Father. Don't go there.
It is embarrassing to be wrong but it is even more embarrassing to continue to be wrong; to repeat the same mistake over and over again. We need someone who is strong enough in our lives, who we give permission to help us learn and grow from our mistakes. As children it was our parents. As adults we need to choose someone. Ultimately it is our Father who ensures that we receive correction, not for punishment but for growth:
My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights. (Psalm 3:11-12)
The writer of Hebrews tells us that we should be encouraged by the correction of the Lord because it means we are legitimate children. Fathers only correct their own children. So we should be concerned if we are not receiving correction:
But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. (Hebrews 12:8)
No correction is meant to destroy us. The Lord does not want to destroy but to build us up, to mature us, to prepare us for eternity. No one enjoys correction but under Father's loving hand we can be assured that it is for our good, our benefit. Don't hate him for it but rejoice that it is a sign that you are a legitimate child. Don't try to avoid it but embrace it as a natural part of our development.
We are not perfect. We mess up. We need to be corrected. We need to be kept on the right path. We need to be told where we were wrong and what we can do to correct our actions. We need it and the Father does it because he loves us. He loves us, we can trust him, even in the correction. Without correction we will end up independent, spoiled children, cut off from our inheritance because we thought we knew better than our Father. Don't go there.
Friday, May 9, 2014
I Want To Be Accused Of Being An Imitator
If you want to be extraordinary, love your enemies. If you want to be like Jesus, love your enemies. If you want to be called children of Father, love your enemies. If you truly want to belong to Jesus, to walk in his footsteps, to be everything he has called you to be, allowing the Spirit to work through you, then you must be determined to obey Jesus' commands and to do what he did. Jesus said:
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return ... (Luke 6:25a)
You see, being a Christian is not a tradition that is handed down to you by your family. It is not a philosophy of living. It is not "pie in the sky" that ushers in utopia on this earth. It is a transformation that moves us to a place of extravagant love expressed through strong action. It is the denying of self for the purpose of promoting the welfare of others. It is an impossibility to manufacture in ourselves. It is far beyond the reach of our limited abilities but nothing is impossible for Yahweh.
The Word tells us what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through us. Our limited capacity is changed, walls come tumbling down, limitations are removed and we are filled with Father's capacity to love. That is what Jesus told us:
... your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. (v. 25b)
We will be transformed so that we will love like Daddy loves because we will take on his character. Every child takes on some of the behavioural characteristics of his parents. This is not passed on by genetics but is learned behaviour. The Spirit gives us new capacity through the transformation but it is only by observing Father (through the Son) that we learn what is expected of us. Love your enemies, do good without restraints. Don't hold back because of your thinking and prejudices. Don't allow personal feelings to get in the way of Father's extravagance in love. What does that look like?
If you want to know what Father's love looks like and how it has impacted us, look no further than the gift of himself through the Son, Jesus. He laid it all out for us, walking through the experience of torture so he could reach the goal of the sacrificial lamb, lifted high upon a cross. We can't even begin to describe such extravagance, but is the same unrelenting love we are to give to our enemies. Are you there yet?
Most likely most of us reading and writing these words are not near to being there yet. We live in a culture where you are more important than your neighbour. We live in a culture that holds up justice for the individual, as long as that individual is not in his mother's womb. We believe the individual is so important that we will stomp all over the rights of others just to lift up that one person. We fight for the equality of one group at the cost of inequality for all the others. The problem is, we all want to be that individual; we all want to be that special group; we want all the attention focused on us. This makes it hard for us to relate to "love your enemies". Nonetheless, it is what Jesus said we need to do, reflecting the character of Father who is "kind to the ungrateful and those who are wicked".
In case we missed the point, there is no room in the Christian vocabulary for the phrase, "How dare you ...", or, "I have the right...". We are too concerned with reflecting the character of Father to be worried about who did what against us and which of our many rights have been violated. Just think of how many rights Jesus set aside in order to demonstrate the extraordinary love of Father. To imitate Father should be the only thought on the minds of his children:
So imitate God and be truly compassionate, the way your Father is. (v.36)
The Word says it, the Spirit does it but our will must desire it. There is no judgment coming from this writer but the facts should speak for themselves. Look in the mirror, reflect on your behaviour and attitude, ask yourself if your love for Jesus has brought you the point of obedience to his commands, and take careful note if you are imitating Father. Are you imitating him? Are you extraordinary because of your demonstrated love for your enemies? Do you do good every day without any restraints? You have been transformed by Jesus, changed, made new, and now you have the capacity to be an imitator of Father. It is a learned behaviour. Watch what he does, and do it.
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return ... (Luke 6:25a)
You see, being a Christian is not a tradition that is handed down to you by your family. It is not a philosophy of living. It is not "pie in the sky" that ushers in utopia on this earth. It is a transformation that moves us to a place of extravagant love expressed through strong action. It is the denying of self for the purpose of promoting the welfare of others. It is an impossibility to manufacture in ourselves. It is far beyond the reach of our limited abilities but nothing is impossible for Yahweh.
The Word tells us what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through us. Our limited capacity is changed, walls come tumbling down, limitations are removed and we are filled with Father's capacity to love. That is what Jesus told us:
... your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. (v. 25b)
We will be transformed so that we will love like Daddy loves because we will take on his character. Every child takes on some of the behavioural characteristics of his parents. This is not passed on by genetics but is learned behaviour. The Spirit gives us new capacity through the transformation but it is only by observing Father (through the Son) that we learn what is expected of us. Love your enemies, do good without restraints. Don't hold back because of your thinking and prejudices. Don't allow personal feelings to get in the way of Father's extravagance in love. What does that look like?
If you want to know what Father's love looks like and how it has impacted us, look no further than the gift of himself through the Son, Jesus. He laid it all out for us, walking through the experience of torture so he could reach the goal of the sacrificial lamb, lifted high upon a cross. We can't even begin to describe such extravagance, but is the same unrelenting love we are to give to our enemies. Are you there yet?
Most likely most of us reading and writing these words are not near to being there yet. We live in a culture where you are more important than your neighbour. We live in a culture that holds up justice for the individual, as long as that individual is not in his mother's womb. We believe the individual is so important that we will stomp all over the rights of others just to lift up that one person. We fight for the equality of one group at the cost of inequality for all the others. The problem is, we all want to be that individual; we all want to be that special group; we want all the attention focused on us. This makes it hard for us to relate to "love your enemies". Nonetheless, it is what Jesus said we need to do, reflecting the character of Father who is "kind to the ungrateful and those who are wicked".
In case we missed the point, there is no room in the Christian vocabulary for the phrase, "How dare you ...", or, "I have the right...". We are too concerned with reflecting the character of Father to be worried about who did what against us and which of our many rights have been violated. Just think of how many rights Jesus set aside in order to demonstrate the extraordinary love of Father. To imitate Father should be the only thought on the minds of his children:
So imitate God and be truly compassionate, the way your Father is. (v.36)
The Word says it, the Spirit does it but our will must desire it. There is no judgment coming from this writer but the facts should speak for themselves. Look in the mirror, reflect on your behaviour and attitude, ask yourself if your love for Jesus has brought you the point of obedience to his commands, and take careful note if you are imitating Father. Are you imitating him? Are you extraordinary because of your demonstrated love for your enemies? Do you do good every day without any restraints? You have been transformed by Jesus, changed, made new, and now you have the capacity to be an imitator of Father. It is a learned behaviour. Watch what he does, and do it.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Loving Without Compromise In A Divided Home
Things are changing very quickly in the Church's relationship with the world and we are beginning to see large divisions in the Church herself. There is a great spirit of confusion because the enemy is taking advantage of the fact that people do not know their Bible. Even though we have more resources available to us than ever before, biblical illiteracy is incredibly high. When we don't know what Jesus taught it becomes easy for the enemy to change our heart with a changing of the wind as we are seeing in our society of late.
At the end of the Old Testament we find the book of Malachi and at the end of this book we have a warning to not let go of the Word of God. We also find here the promise of what the returning prophet Elijah would do:
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:6)
So many parents hold on to these words as a promise not understanding their significance. This is not speaking of family strife but of generations that had turned away from the patriarchs of Israel, who had left the teaching of the ancients and had rebelled against Yahweh. In other words it was speaking of the nation of Israel. So this is the condition of Israel when John the Baptist began preaching and he was effective. The people turned and repented, receiving a baptism of repentance. Jesus had another warning for parents though:
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ (Matthew 10:34-36)
Jesus spoke of what is only natural because the flesh cannot be friends with the Spirit nor the Spirit with the flesh because they are contrary. When a son or daughter refuses Christ and the parents stay steadfast then there is division. When the son or daughter belong to Jesus and the parents do not, there will be division. We are going to see much more of it in the days to come as the world sinks deeper into its depravity and the saints continue to stand on the Word. The hatred will grow and we will see greater division. Jesus knew his the cross would not bring peace to the world but would bring peace between those who accepted it and Father. But he warned us:
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. (v. 37-38)
Many of us will do anything to have peace in the family. We will be willing to compromise the Word, bend some things that Jesus taught, all for the sake of peace in the house. Peace at all cost, but Jesus warned against it. No matter the cost we must pay, we have to keep to the understanding that Jesus is of highest importance and priority. Even if we lose our entire family as a result, we must stand with Jesus; we must love him more than any other.
Yes parents, our hearts will be crushed as the sin of unbelief divides us from our flesh and blood. Yes children, your hearts will yearn for the council of your dear parents, but our love for Jesus must be superior to all of this. It is hard but that is exactly what the enemy is counting on, that our earthly affections will keep us from Jesus. We cannot compromise on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We cannot compromise on the holiness of our LORD God. We cannot live but the Word of God.
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (v. 39)
We never lose hope nor give up on those whom we are separated from because of unbelief; we love them too much to give up. But neither do we move from the Rock, upon whom we stand, to be with them in their depravity. Every person will have to make their decision and will be held accountable for that decision. We can pray for them and try to persuade them but they have to make and live with their own decision. Do your best to get them in now because it is almost too late but whatever you do, don't go wandering yourself because the curtain is being drawn on this age. Stand fast my friend and pray.
At the end of the Old Testament we find the book of Malachi and at the end of this book we have a warning to not let go of the Word of God. We also find here the promise of what the returning prophet Elijah would do:
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:6)
So many parents hold on to these words as a promise not understanding their significance. This is not speaking of family strife but of generations that had turned away from the patriarchs of Israel, who had left the teaching of the ancients and had rebelled against Yahweh. In other words it was speaking of the nation of Israel. So this is the condition of Israel when John the Baptist began preaching and he was effective. The people turned and repented, receiving a baptism of repentance. Jesus had another warning for parents though:
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ (Matthew 10:34-36)
Jesus spoke of what is only natural because the flesh cannot be friends with the Spirit nor the Spirit with the flesh because they are contrary. When a son or daughter refuses Christ and the parents stay steadfast then there is division. When the son or daughter belong to Jesus and the parents do not, there will be division. We are going to see much more of it in the days to come as the world sinks deeper into its depravity and the saints continue to stand on the Word. The hatred will grow and we will see greater division. Jesus knew his the cross would not bring peace to the world but would bring peace between those who accepted it and Father. But he warned us:
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. (v. 37-38)
Many of us will do anything to have peace in the family. We will be willing to compromise the Word, bend some things that Jesus taught, all for the sake of peace in the house. Peace at all cost, but Jesus warned against it. No matter the cost we must pay, we have to keep to the understanding that Jesus is of highest importance and priority. Even if we lose our entire family as a result, we must stand with Jesus; we must love him more than any other.
Yes parents, our hearts will be crushed as the sin of unbelief divides us from our flesh and blood. Yes children, your hearts will yearn for the council of your dear parents, but our love for Jesus must be superior to all of this. It is hard but that is exactly what the enemy is counting on, that our earthly affections will keep us from Jesus. We cannot compromise on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We cannot compromise on the holiness of our LORD God. We cannot live but the Word of God.
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (v. 39)
We never lose hope nor give up on those whom we are separated from because of unbelief; we love them too much to give up. But neither do we move from the Rock, upon whom we stand, to be with them in their depravity. Every person will have to make their decision and will be held accountable for that decision. We can pray for them and try to persuade them but they have to make and live with their own decision. Do your best to get them in now because it is almost too late but whatever you do, don't go wandering yourself because the curtain is being drawn on this age. Stand fast my friend and pray.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Intimacy With Daddy: Be Encouraged
Sometimes we allow doubt and fear to reign over us because we do not understand the nature and character of our God. Yahweh is at heart a father, our father. He is not a failed father. He is not distracted or self-centered. He has not walked away from his children, abandoning them to some impoverished destiny. He is not abusive nor manipulative.
Our Father, daddy, is attentive to his children. We are his focus. He never takes his eye off of us and is always at hand to rescue us from our own foolishness. He guides, protects and loves us through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as he formed a nation from Abraham, he has formed a new nation; a people who were not a people and he has called us his own. We have been adopted through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus. Because of the blood of Jesus we are now fully his and he is responsible for our care.
When we look to his heart for Israel we can better understand his heart for us. Through the prophet Isaiah, Father told his people:
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine. (Isaiah 43:1)
Hear the assurance in that, "You are mine". But this is Israel and we are the Church; does it really mean that we are his? Yes, because we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, the Son, Jesus Christ. All that we were as the enemy of Father has been washed away and we have been redeemed from our sin so that we are made holy and justified, now adopted and set into the family of Father. He has not done this with one massive sweep of his hand of grace but instead has called us each individually, called by name to have that grace applied individually. He knows us intimately and he says, "You are mine".
Now understand what this means. So often we read from the psalmist "You are my God" and we echo that proclamation with them. In saying this we are saying that we belong to him, understanding our responsibilities as the children of Father, such as obedience, but we also accept the benefits. I don't know where you are in your life right now but I want you to be encouraged by just one these benefits:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. (v. 2)
One of the simple benefits is that he is with us. We have it even better than the Israelites because we are possessed by the Spirit of Jesus. He abides in us and we in him. He is with us wherever we go and experiences whatever we experience. He is our protector even in the worse possible days. It doesn't say he will prevent us from going through the waters or the fires but he promises that we will go through, we will make it, that the waters will not overwhelm us and the flames will not burn us. Be greatly encouraged:
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (v. 3)
Daddy has you. He has you in his arms at all times. You are precious to him and he is occupied with you all the time. He doesn't get weary of you, he doesn't take a nap, he doesn't get busy with something else; he is always busy with you. Sometimes I think we fall short in understanding just how much he loves us and how intimate we are with him. Jesus prayed that we would have a full understanding of this intimacy:
that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, (John 17:21)
The Trinity is a great mystery to us but one thing is not a mystery, that Jesus brought us into an incredibly intimate relationship within this Trinity; that we are one with Yahweh. Father knows you, he knows you by name and you are his.
The most assuring part of your day today should be knowing that you are his; you are a child of Father; he has called you to him, redeemed by the Son, he called you by name and said you belong to him. Rejoice! I will tell you again, Rejoice! Praise his holy name. Dance, sing, lift up holy hands because you are possessed of the Spirit, loved by Jesus and belong to Father. What an incredible place to be. Forget about the waters, do not worry about the fires, because Father has told you to not be afraid. Instead, Rejoice! because you are his.
Our Father, daddy, is attentive to his children. We are his focus. He never takes his eye off of us and is always at hand to rescue us from our own foolishness. He guides, protects and loves us through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as he formed a nation from Abraham, he has formed a new nation; a people who were not a people and he has called us his own. We have been adopted through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus. Because of the blood of Jesus we are now fully his and he is responsible for our care.
When we look to his heart for Israel we can better understand his heart for us. Through the prophet Isaiah, Father told his people:
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine. (Isaiah 43:1)
Hear the assurance in that, "You are mine". But this is Israel and we are the Church; does it really mean that we are his? Yes, because we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, the Son, Jesus Christ. All that we were as the enemy of Father has been washed away and we have been redeemed from our sin so that we are made holy and justified, now adopted and set into the family of Father. He has not done this with one massive sweep of his hand of grace but instead has called us each individually, called by name to have that grace applied individually. He knows us intimately and he says, "You are mine".
Now understand what this means. So often we read from the psalmist "You are my God" and we echo that proclamation with them. In saying this we are saying that we belong to him, understanding our responsibilities as the children of Father, such as obedience, but we also accept the benefits. I don't know where you are in your life right now but I want you to be encouraged by just one these benefits:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. (v. 2)
One of the simple benefits is that he is with us. We have it even better than the Israelites because we are possessed by the Spirit of Jesus. He abides in us and we in him. He is with us wherever we go and experiences whatever we experience. He is our protector even in the worse possible days. It doesn't say he will prevent us from going through the waters or the fires but he promises that we will go through, we will make it, that the waters will not overwhelm us and the flames will not burn us. Be greatly encouraged:
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (v. 3)
Daddy has you. He has you in his arms at all times. You are precious to him and he is occupied with you all the time. He doesn't get weary of you, he doesn't take a nap, he doesn't get busy with something else; he is always busy with you. Sometimes I think we fall short in understanding just how much he loves us and how intimate we are with him. Jesus prayed that we would have a full understanding of this intimacy:
that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, (John 17:21)
The Trinity is a great mystery to us but one thing is not a mystery, that Jesus brought us into an incredibly intimate relationship within this Trinity; that we are one with Yahweh. Father knows you, he knows you by name and you are his.
The most assuring part of your day today should be knowing that you are his; you are a child of Father; he has called you to him, redeemed by the Son, he called you by name and said you belong to him. Rejoice! I will tell you again, Rejoice! Praise his holy name. Dance, sing, lift up holy hands because you are possessed of the Spirit, loved by Jesus and belong to Father. What an incredible place to be. Forget about the waters, do not worry about the fires, because Father has told you to not be afraid. Instead, Rejoice! because you are his.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Abortion Rates In The USA Have Fallen! So Where Is The Good News?
You aren't going to like what I write and I doubt you will agree with me. I even debated with myself if I should bother, but the latest headlines to grab my attention is eating at me. There is something about this issue that is provoking my spirit. CharismaNews is reporting "Study: US Abortion Rate Hits Lowest Level Since 1973". Sounds fantastic, right? But then we find out that this coincides with a dramatic fall in pregnancies. This would be a direct result of the "morning after" pill and other such instant abortion options.
Yes, the abortion issue upsets me a lot but not as much as the other thing this news indicates. What screams at me from this headline story is that the Church continues to fall into greater disobedience as a direct result of our self-centeredness. People are having fewer children because the values of the world are becoming more of a priority over those of the Kingdom.
People have a ton of reasons for not having children. They talk about the financial impact and how they can't afford it. How fair is it to raise a child without all the bells and whistles? How fair is it to raise a child in a disadvantaged state? If you listen to the latest reports it costs too much. According to the Canadian Living magazine it is going to cost you over $12,000 a year, more than $250,000 by the age of 18 years (How Much Does It Cost To Raise Kids In Canada). Well, I must be a very rich man because I have a lot of kids and they lack for nothing. This is crazy and people are falling for it.
Others will say that they want to further their career first and children will just get in the way. Others cite the supposed world over population. These are all messages from the world thinkers who have different values and priorities. The Christian is not suppose to buy into such a world view. We, a holy people, sanctified, set apart, no longer belonging to ourselves, are suppose to walk in complete obedience to our God, Yahweh. But this is just one more glaring example of how we put ourselves ahead of the Kingdom and the mission.
We sing praises indicating that we only want the Father`s will but then we make all the decisions for ourselves. We ignore the scripture that talks about contraceptive practices. Onan purposefully tried to prevent pregnancy and Yahweh killed him because Onan's actions displeased him that much (Genesis 38). We ignore the Scriptures that tell us that Yahweh is in control of the giving and preventing of children. He opens and closes wombs. And the Word tells us that we must consider children a gift from him:
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward. (Psalm 127:3)
Unless it gets in the way of our plans?
Do I dare say that it is not even the issue of the children as much as it is in our failure to understand that we do not belong to ourselves? It is not just this one issue but it is everything about our lives. We are willing to worship Jesus but we are not willing to allow him to be Lord, to rule over us. We want all the blessings but we do not understand or accept the cost of obedience. A completely surrendered life, seeking the will of our Father, engaged in the mission, and following the direction of the Spirit, anchored in the Word. Not at your convenience but by his will.
The Church will rise, beautiful, radiant, loved and cherished by Jesus, but I am not sure how many of us will be counted in that number. My fear is that we are too busy chasing after our own interests to care.
Yes, the abortion issue upsets me a lot but not as much as the other thing this news indicates. What screams at me from this headline story is that the Church continues to fall into greater disobedience as a direct result of our self-centeredness. People are having fewer children because the values of the world are becoming more of a priority over those of the Kingdom.
People have a ton of reasons for not having children. They talk about the financial impact and how they can't afford it. How fair is it to raise a child without all the bells and whistles? How fair is it to raise a child in a disadvantaged state? If you listen to the latest reports it costs too much. According to the Canadian Living magazine it is going to cost you over $12,000 a year, more than $250,000 by the age of 18 years (How Much Does It Cost To Raise Kids In Canada). Well, I must be a very rich man because I have a lot of kids and they lack for nothing. This is crazy and people are falling for it.
Others will say that they want to further their career first and children will just get in the way. Others cite the supposed world over population. These are all messages from the world thinkers who have different values and priorities. The Christian is not suppose to buy into such a world view. We, a holy people, sanctified, set apart, no longer belonging to ourselves, are suppose to walk in complete obedience to our God, Yahweh. But this is just one more glaring example of how we put ourselves ahead of the Kingdom and the mission.
We sing praises indicating that we only want the Father`s will but then we make all the decisions for ourselves. We ignore the scripture that talks about contraceptive practices. Onan purposefully tried to prevent pregnancy and Yahweh killed him because Onan's actions displeased him that much (Genesis 38). We ignore the Scriptures that tell us that Yahweh is in control of the giving and preventing of children. He opens and closes wombs. And the Word tells us that we must consider children a gift from him:
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward. (Psalm 127:3)
Unless it gets in the way of our plans?
Do I dare say that it is not even the issue of the children as much as it is in our failure to understand that we do not belong to ourselves? It is not just this one issue but it is everything about our lives. We are willing to worship Jesus but we are not willing to allow him to be Lord, to rule over us. We want all the blessings but we do not understand or accept the cost of obedience. A completely surrendered life, seeking the will of our Father, engaged in the mission, and following the direction of the Spirit, anchored in the Word. Not at your convenience but by his will.
The Church will rise, beautiful, radiant, loved and cherished by Jesus, but I am not sure how many of us will be counted in that number. My fear is that we are too busy chasing after our own interests to care.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Enemies Of God
What do you have to do to be saved? By saved I mean saved from eternal damnation. It is a good question that should have a simple answer but in this age of "enlightenment" it is a simple answer that is getting lost in the noise. It is a good thing to refresh ourselves in what the Word says about salvation.
Jesus referred to a second type of birth. He told someone that we need to experience a new birth, into what our Father desired us to become; his children. In our current form we cannot be the children of God. Not everyone in the world is a child of our Father, but he desires them to be:
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. (John 3:16, CEV)
It is the Father's desire that none should perish but he decided from the beginning that he would not force himself on us. The only love he wants from us is what we freely give to him. Our mistake is thinking that we are all born as his children and if we behave ourselves we will all get to go to heaven. It's not the truth. We are all born as enemies of God but he had compassion on his enemy and desired for us to be his children:
Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life. (Romans 5:10, CEV)
But to go from being the enemy of God to being his children we have to experience a new birth. Jesus said:
“I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God’s kingdom!” (John 3:3)
When asked how a man can be born a second time Jesus explained:
Humans give life to their children. Yet only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God. Don’t be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. Only God’s Spirit gives new life. (vv. 6-8)
And this only happens through Jesus. He is the first born, who opened the way for the rest of us to follow. So this second birth comes down to this, a very simple act of trust:
Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life. (John 3:15)
A voluntary act of trust; an act provoked in us as we accept that God really loves us that much, that we are sinners separated from God and that only Jesus can get us to where we need to be; with our Father. Adopted as "sons" of God; chosen to be loved; transformed by the spilled blood of the Son of God.
However, the cross where Jesus died is not the end of the matter. In fact, the cross is only the beginning; the open door to a brand new adventure.The cross is the beginning of the transformation process, as we go from what we were to the new creation God has destined us to be. We leave the old behind as we take up the new. All priorities and desires change as our destination changes. That is the road we are on now, of this new adventure.
However,new adventures can have difficulties and we can get tired, even weary. But we mustn't. We must rest on Jesus' strength. We must abide in him and he in us. We must remain intimate and vulnerable to God because going part way is not good enough. Close doesn't count. We have to go all the way with Jesus, right to the last breath.
But that is another story for another day. It is enough to know today that you are not saved unless you have made that decision to voluntarily accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, having faith that God loves you and wants you as his children. It isn't yours because your parents are Christians. It isn't yours because you go to church. It isn't yours because you do good deeds and think about God every now and them. It is only yours when you make that decision to accept Jesus, his love, his sacrifice because you know you are an enemy of God and don't want to be any more. Have faith in Jesus and he will do the rest.
Jesus referred to a second type of birth. He told someone that we need to experience a new birth, into what our Father desired us to become; his children. In our current form we cannot be the children of God. Not everyone in the world is a child of our Father, but he desires them to be:
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. (John 3:16, CEV)
It is the Father's desire that none should perish but he decided from the beginning that he would not force himself on us. The only love he wants from us is what we freely give to him. Our mistake is thinking that we are all born as his children and if we behave ourselves we will all get to go to heaven. It's not the truth. We are all born as enemies of God but he had compassion on his enemy and desired for us to be his children:
Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life. (Romans 5:10, CEV)
But to go from being the enemy of God to being his children we have to experience a new birth. Jesus said:
“I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God’s kingdom!” (John 3:3)
When asked how a man can be born a second time Jesus explained:
Humans give life to their children. Yet only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God. Don’t be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. Only God’s Spirit gives new life. (vv. 6-8)
And this only happens through Jesus. He is the first born, who opened the way for the rest of us to follow. So this second birth comes down to this, a very simple act of trust:
Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life. (John 3:15)
A voluntary act of trust; an act provoked in us as we accept that God really loves us that much, that we are sinners separated from God and that only Jesus can get us to where we need to be; with our Father. Adopted as "sons" of God; chosen to be loved; transformed by the spilled blood of the Son of God.
However, the cross where Jesus died is not the end of the matter. In fact, the cross is only the beginning; the open door to a brand new adventure.The cross is the beginning of the transformation process, as we go from what we were to the new creation God has destined us to be. We leave the old behind as we take up the new. All priorities and desires change as our destination changes. That is the road we are on now, of this new adventure.
However,new adventures can have difficulties and we can get tired, even weary. But we mustn't. We must rest on Jesus' strength. We must abide in him and he in us. We must remain intimate and vulnerable to God because going part way is not good enough. Close doesn't count. We have to go all the way with Jesus, right to the last breath.
But that is another story for another day. It is enough to know today that you are not saved unless you have made that decision to voluntarily accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, having faith that God loves you and wants you as his children. It isn't yours because your parents are Christians. It isn't yours because you go to church. It isn't yours because you do good deeds and think about God every now and them. It is only yours when you make that decision to accept Jesus, his love, his sacrifice because you know you are an enemy of God and don't want to be any more. Have faith in Jesus and he will do the rest.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
God Is Not Raising Spoiled Children
The thing we need to remember about our God is that he is a parent. We are his children and his desire is to see us grow and mature just like what we desire for our children. Of course children need to be raised in an atmosphere of love and encouragement and so we emphasize a lot the love, mercy and grace of our Father. It is important and we need the whole world to understand. But love is not just a field of butterflies and daffodils on a warm sunny day.There is more to a parent's love than hugs and kisses.
We often forget that our Father must also discipline us and this too is part of his love. Any parent who refuses to correct their child, who fails to teach right from wrong, who neglects to demonstrate the negative consequences of wrong action, does not love their child as they should. Of course we would prefer that our children were perfect and we did not have to deal with any negative behaviours, but our children are not perfect; they came from us.
Our Father loves us enough to deal with our wrong behaviour. He loves us enough to discipline us. No one enjoys it but we know we need it. We need it in order to learn and to grow up. Just because we needed discipline does not make us a failure; the only failure is to reject the correction. And remember, our Father's correction always includes restoration. Our desire should be to be obedient in all things at all times but when we are not our great desire should be restoration to a proper standing with God. David felt that:
Don’t punish me, Lord,
or even correct me
when you are angry!
2 Have pity on me and heal
my feeble body.
My bones tremble with fear,
3 and I am in deep distress.
How long will it be? (Psalm 6:1-3)
I don't know about the rest of you but the punishment was never the greatest consequence of my wrong actions as a child. I could handle the punishment because it was over quickly but it was the strained relationship I could not handle. It wasn't until my mom or dad told me they forgave me, and I felt they were sincere, that I could relax.
The one thing we can be sure of is that our Father never corrects us out of vengeance or hatred. His correction is always an act of love, to make us more than what we are, to bring us to a better place, to help us mature and become all that he intended us to be. We must remember that even in correction, God is for us, not against us and when he says he forgives us he also means it is forgotten, never to be brought up again. This is an important passage to consider if you think love should not include discipline:
Spoiled ones, that's which ones, and our Father is not raising spoiled children.
Are you so perfect that you make no mistakes, never offend God, never sin? Are you so mature that you have no room to grow further, nothing more to learn? Me neither. I have a long way to go and need the discipline of my Father to go the distance. I don't like it but I know I need it because I want to be with him today and forever. I want to live a life that would make my Dad proud. I want to please him.
So when we pray "show me Lord" sometimes he brings correction to tear down what we incorrectly built. Sometimes discipline must be applied so we can gain insight into what matters the most to our Father. Don't despise discipline and don't think our Father hates you or has abandoned you. Apply the lesson, seek forgiveness and allow him to restore you to him so that you will be more than you were before. Ask him for eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart to receive and a mind to understand.
We often forget that our Father must also discipline us and this too is part of his love. Any parent who refuses to correct their child, who fails to teach right from wrong, who neglects to demonstrate the negative consequences of wrong action, does not love their child as they should. Of course we would prefer that our children were perfect and we did not have to deal with any negative behaviours, but our children are not perfect; they came from us.
Our Father loves us enough to deal with our wrong behaviour. He loves us enough to discipline us. No one enjoys it but we know we need it. We need it in order to learn and to grow up. Just because we needed discipline does not make us a failure; the only failure is to reject the correction. And remember, our Father's correction always includes restoration. Our desire should be to be obedient in all things at all times but when we are not our great desire should be restoration to a proper standing with God. David felt that:
Don’t punish me, Lord,
or even correct me
when you are angry!
2 Have pity on me and heal
my feeble body.
My bones tremble with fear,
3 and I am in deep distress.
How long will it be? (Psalm 6:1-3)
I don't know about the rest of you but the punishment was never the greatest consequence of my wrong actions as a child. I could handle the punishment because it was over quickly but it was the strained relationship I could not handle. It wasn't until my mom or dad told me they forgave me, and I felt they were sincere, that I could relax.
The one thing we can be sure of is that our Father never corrects us out of vengeance or hatred. His correction is always an act of love, to make us more than what we are, to bring us to a better place, to help us mature and become all that he intended us to be. We must remember that even in correction, God is for us, not against us and when he says he forgives us he also means it is forgotten, never to be brought up again. This is an important passage to consider if you think love should not include discipline:
And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? (Hebrews 12:5-7)
Spoiled ones, that's which ones, and our Father is not raising spoiled children.
Are you so perfect that you make no mistakes, never offend God, never sin? Are you so mature that you have no room to grow further, nothing more to learn? Me neither. I have a long way to go and need the discipline of my Father to go the distance. I don't like it but I know I need it because I want to be with him today and forever. I want to live a life that would make my Dad proud. I want to please him.
So when we pray "show me Lord" sometimes he brings correction to tear down what we incorrectly built. Sometimes discipline must be applied so we can gain insight into what matters the most to our Father. Don't despise discipline and don't think our Father hates you or has abandoned you. Apply the lesson, seek forgiveness and allow him to restore you to him so that you will be more than you were before. Ask him for eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart to receive and a mind to understand.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Strangers In Our Own Home
We are not bold enough. Often we try to be too polite with God. We act like visitors in a stranger's home, not wanting to offend or get anything dirty. There is a difference between how children react as a guest in someone's home and as a family member in their own. Why would we act like guests in the presence of our Father? Why would we treat him like a stranger? Why are we so afraid to act like family and why would we ever ask for something he has already promised to us?
Could you imagine this conversation:
"Mom, can I have some clothes? Can you give me some clothes please?"
"What are you talking about? Your closet is full of clothes?"
"Yes, but can I have them? Can you give them to me?"
"I already gave them to you. They are yours. Go ahead and wear them."
"Are you sure I can wear them? It won't offend you? I will clean the whole house if you let me wear them."
"What? Are you feeling okay?"
But we do it all the time. We treat our relationship with our Father like we are strangers in his house. We are afraid to touch what he freely gave to us. We don't act on his promises. It's like he has to give them to us again and again. They are ours.
There is nothing wrong with reminding God of his promises in boldness. It is not so much that we are reminding God as we are reminding ourselves. The psalmist stated it rather frankly:
Listen, Lord, as I pray!
Pay attention when I groan.
2 You are my King and my God. (Psalm 5:1-2)
The psalmist comes with boldness, demanding the attention of God, not because he deserved it but because of the relationship: You are my King and my God. There is a lot he says in that declaration. God has made promises that have obligated himself to us. Because he is our Father he has bound himself to certain things.
You may think, "God, is Sovereign, he can do what he wants". True but our Father will never go against his character and his promises come out of that character. He is our Father. He has adopted us as his children through Jesus Christ. In doing this he has obligated himself to fulfill all the promises given to us, as we remain his children. Look at how the psalmist understood it even at that time, before Jesus:
You are my King and my God.
Answer my cry for help
because I pray to you. (v. 2)
"You are my King and my God and as such you are obligated to answer my cries for help because I am asking my King." Jesus communicated with us the promises of the Father. He told us to go to the Father with whatever we needed. He told us to stop worrying about what we need here and concentrate on the Kingdom because our Father would look after what we need here. We don't need to come with hat in hand to our Father. We come in with the boldness of children who trust their Father to be who he says he is, one who loves us and pours out all his goodness on us. But remember that it is the parents who establish the rules in the house. The kids do not get to do whatever they want. There is correction:
You are not the kind of God
who is pleased with evil.
Sinners can’t stay with you.
5 No one who boasts can stand
in your presence, Lord,
and you hate evil people.
6 You destroy every liar,
and you despise violence
and deceit. (vv.4-6)
Our God is not a "genie in the bottle" who grants wishes. He is our Holy and Righteous Father who expects relationship. He loves us and wants us to love him in return. He wants us to consider what is important to him to be important to us. He wants us to walk in his footsteps, to reject evil and to cling to what is good. It is in this relationship of obedience that we have the boldness of any child to come into our Father's presence, to love him and to expect good things.
Stop acting like a stranger in our Father's house. To be honest, it is kind of creepy. It's like we don't know who we are. Stop it and be the child that you are. Princes and princesses in the Kingdom of God is who we are and our Father keeps us constantly in his presence. Live with boldness and walk in what has already been given to you.
Could you imagine this conversation:
"Mom, can I have some clothes? Can you give me some clothes please?"
"What are you talking about? Your closet is full of clothes?"
"Yes, but can I have them? Can you give them to me?"
"I already gave them to you. They are yours. Go ahead and wear them."
"Are you sure I can wear them? It won't offend you? I will clean the whole house if you let me wear them."
"What? Are you feeling okay?"
But we do it all the time. We treat our relationship with our Father like we are strangers in his house. We are afraid to touch what he freely gave to us. We don't act on his promises. It's like he has to give them to us again and again. They are ours.
There is nothing wrong with reminding God of his promises in boldness. It is not so much that we are reminding God as we are reminding ourselves. The psalmist stated it rather frankly:
Listen, Lord, as I pray!
Pay attention when I groan.
2 You are my King and my God. (Psalm 5:1-2)
The psalmist comes with boldness, demanding the attention of God, not because he deserved it but because of the relationship: You are my King and my God. There is a lot he says in that declaration. God has made promises that have obligated himself to us. Because he is our Father he has bound himself to certain things.
You may think, "God, is Sovereign, he can do what he wants". True but our Father will never go against his character and his promises come out of that character. He is our Father. He has adopted us as his children through Jesus Christ. In doing this he has obligated himself to fulfill all the promises given to us, as we remain his children. Look at how the psalmist understood it even at that time, before Jesus:
You are my King and my God.
Answer my cry for help
because I pray to you. (v. 2)
"You are my King and my God and as such you are obligated to answer my cries for help because I am asking my King." Jesus communicated with us the promises of the Father. He told us to go to the Father with whatever we needed. He told us to stop worrying about what we need here and concentrate on the Kingdom because our Father would look after what we need here. We don't need to come with hat in hand to our Father. We come in with the boldness of children who trust their Father to be who he says he is, one who loves us and pours out all his goodness on us. But remember that it is the parents who establish the rules in the house. The kids do not get to do whatever they want. There is correction:
You are not the kind of God
who is pleased with evil.
Sinners can’t stay with you.
5 No one who boasts can stand
in your presence, Lord,
and you hate evil people.
6 You destroy every liar,
and you despise violence
and deceit. (vv.4-6)
Our God is not a "genie in the bottle" who grants wishes. He is our Holy and Righteous Father who expects relationship. He loves us and wants us to love him in return. He wants us to consider what is important to him to be important to us. He wants us to walk in his footsteps, to reject evil and to cling to what is good. It is in this relationship of obedience that we have the boldness of any child to come into our Father's presence, to love him and to expect good things.
Stop acting like a stranger in our Father's house. To be honest, it is kind of creepy. It's like we don't know who we are. Stop it and be the child that you are. Princes and princesses in the Kingdom of God is who we are and our Father keeps us constantly in his presence. Live with boldness and walk in what has already been given to you.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
What Shapes Your Expectations?
Have you ever been disappointed? What a silly question. We have all been disappointed in people, situations and desires. Disappointment comes from expectations. We expect things to be a certain way or people to have a particular reaction and when it doesn't happen we are disappointed. Sometimes we allow these experiences to diminish our expectations. We start expecting less of people and of life. Subconsciously, or consciously, we figure the less the expectation the less our disappointment. It is tragic when we allow this in our relationship with Jesus.
As Christians we have faced many disappointments and often they were due to wrong expectations. We then allowed our experience to dictate what we expect from God and we lower those expectations. But we are never suppose to live according to experience or even desires. We are to live according to the promises of Jesus, the promises of our Father. His promises are not like any others. They were true yesterday, are true today and will be true tomorrow. These promises, many of which people do not know, were given in the context of a deep, loving relationship.
For many of us, we treat God's promises like a formula or a "genie in a bottle". We keep our relationship on the surface, read a bit of the Bible, worship a bit, put a few coins in the offering and expect to get whatever we want whenever we want it. But the promises were given to those God referred to as his children. Children have expectations of their parents that they don't even think about but exist within every day.
Children expect that there will be food at meal times. They expect a hug and a band-aide when they get hurt. They expect a bed to sleep in and walls to protect them from the storms. They expect to find clean clothes in their drawers. They expect a bedtime story and a warm embrace whenever they want it. They also expect correction whenever they do wrong, even though they hope not to get caught. Children don't think about these expectations because they happen in the context of a deep and growing relationship with their parents. This is the level of intimacy God desires with us and even more so. Jesus spoke of our connection:
Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire. (John 14:4-6, CEV)
He spoke of the depth of our relationship:
I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. (John 17:20-21, CEV)
We are crazy stupid not to realize the level of relationship Jesus desires for us to have with God. It is in the deep relationship that we can begin to live within the promises at the same level as a child with his parents. A child does not say, "I don't expect there to be cereal for breakfast" in the hope of not being disappointed. The child goes to the cupboard with unspoken expectation of finding cereal there. I face my journey today with the expectation that my God will provide everything that I need. I expect it because he promised and my relationship is such that i trust what he tells me.
It is also in this depth of relationship that I understand the promises, God's purpose for me and the direction he is taking me. I walk in the joy and peace that he has given me and if I fail to do so it is a warning to me that I am letting go of the intimacy. If I fail to walk in the promises and face disappointed, it is not my Father's fault. It isn't because he failed in his promises but rather because I have failed in our relationship and expectation. If a child fails to look for the cereal in the cupboard it does not mean the parent failed to provide. If I choose worry and fear today, it doesn't mean my Father did not provide joy and peace.
All good gifts are from our Father and he never takes away what he has promised to give. It is we who fail with our low expectation, lack of knowledge of the promises, not receiving what has been freely given and in the depth of the relationship to which we have been called. And because we are this crazy stupid, God is not glorified in our lives and the world cannot see Jesus. Experience or promises: What shapes your expectations?
As Christians we have faced many disappointments and often they were due to wrong expectations. We then allowed our experience to dictate what we expect from God and we lower those expectations. But we are never suppose to live according to experience or even desires. We are to live according to the promises of Jesus, the promises of our Father. His promises are not like any others. They were true yesterday, are true today and will be true tomorrow. These promises, many of which people do not know, were given in the context of a deep, loving relationship.
For many of us, we treat God's promises like a formula or a "genie in a bottle". We keep our relationship on the surface, read a bit of the Bible, worship a bit, put a few coins in the offering and expect to get whatever we want whenever we want it. But the promises were given to those God referred to as his children. Children have expectations of their parents that they don't even think about but exist within every day.
Children expect that there will be food at meal times. They expect a hug and a band-aide when they get hurt. They expect a bed to sleep in and walls to protect them from the storms. They expect to find clean clothes in their drawers. They expect a bedtime story and a warm embrace whenever they want it. They also expect correction whenever they do wrong, even though they hope not to get caught. Children don't think about these expectations because they happen in the context of a deep and growing relationship with their parents. This is the level of intimacy God desires with us and even more so. Jesus spoke of our connection:
Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire. (John 14:4-6, CEV)
He spoke of the depth of our relationship:
I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. (John 17:20-21, CEV)
We are crazy stupid not to realize the level of relationship Jesus desires for us to have with God. It is in the deep relationship that we can begin to live within the promises at the same level as a child with his parents. A child does not say, "I don't expect there to be cereal for breakfast" in the hope of not being disappointed. The child goes to the cupboard with unspoken expectation of finding cereal there. I face my journey today with the expectation that my God will provide everything that I need. I expect it because he promised and my relationship is such that i trust what he tells me.
It is also in this depth of relationship that I understand the promises, God's purpose for me and the direction he is taking me. I walk in the joy and peace that he has given me and if I fail to do so it is a warning to me that I am letting go of the intimacy. If I fail to walk in the promises and face disappointed, it is not my Father's fault. It isn't because he failed in his promises but rather because I have failed in our relationship and expectation. If a child fails to look for the cereal in the cupboard it does not mean the parent failed to provide. If I choose worry and fear today, it doesn't mean my Father did not provide joy and peace.
All good gifts are from our Father and he never takes away what he has promised to give. It is we who fail with our low expectation, lack of knowledge of the promises, not receiving what has been freely given and in the depth of the relationship to which we have been called. And because we are this crazy stupid, God is not glorified in our lives and the world cannot see Jesus. Experience or promises: What shapes your expectations?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
What Do People See In You?
Do you have Christian parents? Then you should praise the Lord for them. Although you cannot have a saving relationship with Jesus through your parents' faith, a difference has been made in your life because they are believers. They have spent years teaching you by word and deed what it is to follow Jesus. Perhaps you didn't realize it but everything they did and how they did it was teaching you about their faith in God.
I am not claiming your parents are perfect examples, no one is, but they at least instilled in you the knowledge that there is something greater in your life than what you see. Your faith and trust in Jesus was shaped ever since you could understand and interpret your parents actions and words. Jesus was shining through them to plant seeds in you so that when he made himself known to you, there was a foundation already in place.
As apostle Paul remembered his friend Timothy, his friends faith came to mind. Timothy was remarkable from the beginning. From the very first request from Paul, Timothy showed he was willing to do whatever it took to serve Jesus. Having been invited to come along with Paul and Silas, Timothy obeyed Paul's request and was circumcised. According to our faith this ceremony is no longer needed but Timothy did it due to the fact Paul ministered at the synagogues of the towns they visited. This was a step of sincere faith and Timothy never looked back. And who does Paul credit such a good foundation to?
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (2 Timothy 1)
As I said at the beginning, the source of faith is Jesus Christ, but examples of it are seen in the people we surround ourselves with. It is important for parents to understand that taking a child to church is a good thing but setting an example for their child is still their responsibility. It goes beyond kindness and good manners. It goes beyond respecting people and teaching right from wrong. Parents must demonstrate a sincere faith. Trust in Jesus is seen in the face of trying circumstances. Parents of faith do not allow worry and fear to change their behaviour or to act poorly to others. They show that when times are tough we do not find the solution in our but we bring it all to Jesus.
How we react shows our children the sincerity of our faith. What are our children seeing in us? I don't mean in the good days. Any person can smile when the sun is out. Any person can make a show of it in public. It is our children who get to see our private face. It is our children who first see our reaction to the stresses of life. It is our children who see the inconsistencies and question how much we really believe what we say.
We need to praise the Lord for our parents who set a good example for us in what it is to trust Jesus. We also must be determined to set that example for our children. When they think of us do they think "My parents love and trust Jesus"? If someone asks them to describe you in a word, will "faith" come to mind? That's a good question to ask regardless of being a parent or not. If someone asked one of your friends to describe you in a word, what would that word be?
I am not claiming your parents are perfect examples, no one is, but they at least instilled in you the knowledge that there is something greater in your life than what you see. Your faith and trust in Jesus was shaped ever since you could understand and interpret your parents actions and words. Jesus was shining through them to plant seeds in you so that when he made himself known to you, there was a foundation already in place.
As apostle Paul remembered his friend Timothy, his friends faith came to mind. Timothy was remarkable from the beginning. From the very first request from Paul, Timothy showed he was willing to do whatever it took to serve Jesus. Having been invited to come along with Paul and Silas, Timothy obeyed Paul's request and was circumcised. According to our faith this ceremony is no longer needed but Timothy did it due to the fact Paul ministered at the synagogues of the towns they visited. This was a step of sincere faith and Timothy never looked back. And who does Paul credit such a good foundation to?
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (2 Timothy 1)
As I said at the beginning, the source of faith is Jesus Christ, but examples of it are seen in the people we surround ourselves with. It is important for parents to understand that taking a child to church is a good thing but setting an example for their child is still their responsibility. It goes beyond kindness and good manners. It goes beyond respecting people and teaching right from wrong. Parents must demonstrate a sincere faith. Trust in Jesus is seen in the face of trying circumstances. Parents of faith do not allow worry and fear to change their behaviour or to act poorly to others. They show that when times are tough we do not find the solution in our but we bring it all to Jesus.
How we react shows our children the sincerity of our faith. What are our children seeing in us? I don't mean in the good days. Any person can smile when the sun is out. Any person can make a show of it in public. It is our children who get to see our private face. It is our children who first see our reaction to the stresses of life. It is our children who see the inconsistencies and question how much we really believe what we say.
We need to praise the Lord for our parents who set a good example for us in what it is to trust Jesus. We also must be determined to set that example for our children. When they think of us do they think "My parents love and trust Jesus"? If someone asks them to describe you in a word, will "faith" come to mind? That's a good question to ask regardless of being a parent or not. If someone asked one of your friends to describe you in a word, what would that word be?
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Ignorant Of God's Blessings
You are blessed, child of God. You may be ignorant, stubborn, forgetful, ungrateful but you are still blessed. We all need to be reminded of that fact because we so easily forget in the busyness of our day. In fact, right now we should all take a moment and just say "I am a blessed child of my heavenly Father". It is not that we have one or two blessings but all of them. Apostle Paul writes:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
Praise be indeed! Every spiritual blessing in Jesus has been given to us. Every. We are a rich people
You might be thinking, "I don't feel blessed". That's because we keep equating blessings with physical comfort. But our Father's desire for us goes beyond simple temporary things and he provides us with what we need for eternity. Remember, we don't belong to this place any more. We are here with a purpose which is the mission Jesus gave to us, but other than that our citizenship belongs in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
We need to make that shift. We have to be willing to lose our mistaken value of these temporary things. We need to allow the Spirit to give us the right perspective, focus and understanding. We have to be willing to give up the struggle, to let go, and to let the Spirit do it in us. We need to desire to value what God values. We need to desire to see what he sees.
If the only thing we seek and value in life is our creature comforts then we will not have the taste for the true blessings of God. It is like being raised on fast food all of your life. It kills your taste buds so when you eat a finer meal, something home made and seasoned to perfection, you cannot appreciate and value it.
Many Christians are more interested in God's daily provision than they are in his salvation. They would rather pray for a sports car than they would holiness. They value their large screen TV more than they do the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. What about the fact that our Father has declared us blameless in his sight? Isn't that a blessing more highly valued than the $1000 that unexpectedly arrived at your door?
There are all kinds of temporary physical blessings God fills our lives with that are great. A good wife is a blessing. Lots of children are a blessing. A job is a blessing. Good health is a blessing. As great as these are they only have temporary value in this place. Consider the real value of grace, forgiveness, peace, love, and joy, just to name a few. These are the things are ours every day and that should provoke us to praise our God from the rooftops.
The Church used to sing a song that encouraged us to count our blessings, to name them one by one. The song reminded us that when we take the time to daily remember these incredible blessings it reminds us of what God has done for us. When we remember what he has done then we also remember his love for us and that alone will rescue us from whatever kind of day we are experiencing. The praises of our King will be forever sweet upon our lips if only we can remember what a blessed people we are.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
Praise be indeed! Every spiritual blessing in Jesus has been given to us. Every. We are a rich people
You might be thinking, "I don't feel blessed". That's because we keep equating blessings with physical comfort. But our Father's desire for us goes beyond simple temporary things and he provides us with what we need for eternity. Remember, we don't belong to this place any more. We are here with a purpose which is the mission Jesus gave to us, but other than that our citizenship belongs in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
We need to make that shift. We have to be willing to lose our mistaken value of these temporary things. We need to allow the Spirit to give us the right perspective, focus and understanding. We have to be willing to give up the struggle, to let go, and to let the Spirit do it in us. We need to desire to value what God values. We need to desire to see what he sees.
If the only thing we seek and value in life is our creature comforts then we will not have the taste for the true blessings of God. It is like being raised on fast food all of your life. It kills your taste buds so when you eat a finer meal, something home made and seasoned to perfection, you cannot appreciate and value it.
Many Christians are more interested in God's daily provision than they are in his salvation. They would rather pray for a sports car than they would holiness. They value their large screen TV more than they do the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. What about the fact that our Father has declared us blameless in his sight? Isn't that a blessing more highly valued than the $1000 that unexpectedly arrived at your door?
There are all kinds of temporary physical blessings God fills our lives with that are great. A good wife is a blessing. Lots of children are a blessing. A job is a blessing. Good health is a blessing. As great as these are they only have temporary value in this place. Consider the real value of grace, forgiveness, peace, love, and joy, just to name a few. These are the things are ours every day and that should provoke us to praise our God from the rooftops.
The Church used to sing a song that encouraged us to count our blessings, to name them one by one. The song reminded us that when we take the time to daily remember these incredible blessings it reminds us of what God has done for us. When we remember what he has done then we also remember his love for us and that alone will rescue us from whatever kind of day we are experiencing. The praises of our King will be forever sweet upon our lips if only we can remember what a blessed people we are.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Understanding Holiness Begins With Understanding Love
It is hard for many people to tell the difference between love and law. Sounds silly right? One would think it quite obvious. Love is found in a relationship and the law is a set of rules. Still, we confuse the two.
There is another word we don't hear very much any more: Holiness. We all know that God is holy but we seem to have forgotten that God has declared this same holiness over us and works it through us. But to understand holiness one has to understand the difference between love and law.
To help get our heads around this I am taking us back to a very odd verse in Numbers. When I say it is odd I mean it is odd in the context of this conversation:
“‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’” (Numbers 35:33-24)
That's pretty simple to understand. God had made the decision to live among his chosen people. They were chosen, not because they were special, but because of a promise to one man who himself chose to believe God. They were chosen so that God could glorify himself through them so that the whole earth would see and know God. But for a holy God to live with these people they could not do the things that God found disgusting. He told them not to pollute the land, not to defile it, because he was there with them.
Now, let's fast forward this to what changed with the cross, empty grave and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly God has gone from pillars of fire and smoke, from temples and sacrifices, from stone tablets and priests, from a God who lives with his people, to a God who lives in his people. He no longer lives in the land but in his people. He no longer manifests himself in a temple but in his people.
Think about it for a minute. If you want the whole world to know about you would you continue staying in one location where the people are doing a terrible job at representing you? Israel just kept getting it wrong, no matter how many prophets were sent to help them get back on track. So, God moves from one location to millions of locations by taking up occupancy in his people. He is also better able to guide them, help them, teach them. Instead of going through a middle man, a priest, God has direct access for teaching his children. Pretty awesome. But go back to the polluting part.
If it was important not to pollute and defile the land, is it not equally or even more important not to pollute and defile our bodies, minds, and hearts? Is this not the new land that God is living in to be with his children? Did he not say to us, "Be holy because I am holy"? You will find Peter quoting it from Leviticus in 1 Peter 1. When Paul was teaching about sexual immorality the Spirit inspired him to write:
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
If God lives in us then the last thing we would want to do is pollute our body with things that offend him because God will not stay where there is constant polluting from rebellion and wilful acts against his holiness. So this is where we need to understand the difference between love and law.
The Israelites tried to please God by following the law. They set up their strict rules, had their temple worship, followed the instructions on sacrifices but there remained a problem. The human heart is a fickle thing. As hard as they tried they could not keep to the law and continued experiencing a roller coaster type of relationship, depending on the character of the king. All that God ever really wanted was the hearts of his children. He just wanted people to respond to him in love; to love him with all their heart, mind, soul, body and strength.
The law provokes rebellion as people refuse to follow rules they do not understand. Love provokes obedience and a desire to please the one you love. When we love Jesus with our entire being, dedicating ourselves to him, and following him with all selfishness set aside, we reject anything that would offend him. With the Spirits guidance we do naturally what we failed to do with the law. Love gives to God the only thing he desired from his children: our hearts. And love provokes obedience in a positive relationship.
If we love him, with our entire being, we would purposefully and willingly reject anything that would bring harm to our physical body, including sex outside of God's design, because we would not want to pollute God's dwelling place. If we loved him we would not fill our mind with things that he has rejected and that would offend him. We would not harbour things in our heart that do not honour our God. When our love for him is so great that we naturally reject anything that would offend him, when we look at temptation and walk away in love, when our single thought is to please Jesus, then we have come to understand holiness.
There is another word we don't hear very much any more: Holiness. We all know that God is holy but we seem to have forgotten that God has declared this same holiness over us and works it through us. But to understand holiness one has to understand the difference between love and law.
To help get our heads around this I am taking us back to a very odd verse in Numbers. When I say it is odd I mean it is odd in the context of this conversation:
“‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’” (Numbers 35:33-24)
That's pretty simple to understand. God had made the decision to live among his chosen people. They were chosen, not because they were special, but because of a promise to one man who himself chose to believe God. They were chosen so that God could glorify himself through them so that the whole earth would see and know God. But for a holy God to live with these people they could not do the things that God found disgusting. He told them not to pollute the land, not to defile it, because he was there with them.
Now, let's fast forward this to what changed with the cross, empty grave and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly God has gone from pillars of fire and smoke, from temples and sacrifices, from stone tablets and priests, from a God who lives with his people, to a God who lives in his people. He no longer lives in the land but in his people. He no longer manifests himself in a temple but in his people.
Think about it for a minute. If you want the whole world to know about you would you continue staying in one location where the people are doing a terrible job at representing you? Israel just kept getting it wrong, no matter how many prophets were sent to help them get back on track. So, God moves from one location to millions of locations by taking up occupancy in his people. He is also better able to guide them, help them, teach them. Instead of going through a middle man, a priest, God has direct access for teaching his children. Pretty awesome. But go back to the polluting part.
If it was important not to pollute and defile the land, is it not equally or even more important not to pollute and defile our bodies, minds, and hearts? Is this not the new land that God is living in to be with his children? Did he not say to us, "Be holy because I am holy"? You will find Peter quoting it from Leviticus in 1 Peter 1. When Paul was teaching about sexual immorality the Spirit inspired him to write:
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
If God lives in us then the last thing we would want to do is pollute our body with things that offend him because God will not stay where there is constant polluting from rebellion and wilful acts against his holiness. So this is where we need to understand the difference between love and law.
The Israelites tried to please God by following the law. They set up their strict rules, had their temple worship, followed the instructions on sacrifices but there remained a problem. The human heart is a fickle thing. As hard as they tried they could not keep to the law and continued experiencing a roller coaster type of relationship, depending on the character of the king. All that God ever really wanted was the hearts of his children. He just wanted people to respond to him in love; to love him with all their heart, mind, soul, body and strength.
The law provokes rebellion as people refuse to follow rules they do not understand. Love provokes obedience and a desire to please the one you love. When we love Jesus with our entire being, dedicating ourselves to him, and following him with all selfishness set aside, we reject anything that would offend him. With the Spirits guidance we do naturally what we failed to do with the law. Love gives to God the only thing he desired from his children: our hearts. And love provokes obedience in a positive relationship.
If we love him, with our entire being, we would purposefully and willingly reject anything that would bring harm to our physical body, including sex outside of God's design, because we would not want to pollute God's dwelling place. If we loved him we would not fill our mind with things that he has rejected and that would offend him. We would not harbour things in our heart that do not honour our God. When our love for him is so great that we naturally reject anything that would offend him, when we look at temptation and walk away in love, when our single thought is to please Jesus, then we have come to understand holiness.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
In This Clear And Present Danger, What Are You Doing?
Ahhh, what a beautiful day. I love Saturday's; the day we get to catch up on everything we couldn't fit in during the week. Also a day when we can take the time to "smell the roses", a time to relax and simply enjoy life. What will you do with this day? What would Jesus do with it?
Oops, what would Jesus do? What does he have to do with Saturday's? Well, he has everything to do with everything and if we do not realize it then our "following Jesus" is lacking some understanding. To be a Jesus follower requires total commitment; I mean total. Everything we are is all about him and he directs us, in everything we do, how to bring him honour and glory, and how to fulfill our part in the mission.
You would be amazed how he can use our everyday chores for the Kingdom. I mean the car washing, grocery shopping, lawn mowing, snow shoveling, but we have to be attentive, looking for the opportunities and jumping on them when they are presented. In other words, Jesus must always be on our mind.
I was reading Psalm 79 this morning, which was the reaction of this psalmist to the devastating attack of the enemy of God's people, and I realized how fitting it was in describing the effects of our enemy's attack on the Church:
O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
They have left the dead bodies of your servants
as food for the birds of the sky,
the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
They have poured out blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury the dead.
We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
of scorn and derision to those around us. (Psalm 79:1-4)
The enemy in North America has been very subtle for years, invading the Church inch by inch, slowly eroding away our core beliefs, the foundations of our faith. Like a constant, gentle wave against the shore line, he has taken years to change us from Christ-centered to self-centered. So now we are weak and we are getting to be easy for the picking. Don't be fooled by the number of large churches; those who are strong in their faith, focused on Jesus and have turned their back on the pleasures of this world are much fewer in number. We have been seeing for years now the changes in doctrine being accepted without a fight, pastors changing the Word to fit their own ideologies without much of a challenge at all, and Christians being shaped by the thinking of society instead of the Word of God.
The nations have invaded God's inheritance. They have defiled his holy temple, which is us. They are tearing down God's nation from the inside. The dead bodies of God's servants are being fed on as they pile up, one after another, as these servants put a longing for success ahead of faithfulness to God. There is very little doubt any more of the contempt, scorn and derision that people around us feel toward us. Oh, maybe not toward those who are willing to compromise to be accepted by their neighbour, but those who stand by the Word, who refuse to give an inch to the enemy and whose constant thought is Jesus.
It is not hard to tell which camp you fall into and it is not hard to change it. Is Jesus the center of everything you do? Is he involved in everything you do? Do you do what you do because of Jesus? Is there anything in your life that has a greater influence on you than Jesus? Is your greatest desire to please Jesus in all your thinking, feeling and actions? Do you see him as the reason for your life? Is there anything that you tolerate that comes against the person of Jesus? If Jesus was physically present with you all day today would you change some of your plans and perhaps some of your vocabulary and maybe the way you treat family and neighbours?
The difference is sometimes very subtle. Do you spend time with your friends because you get something from them or because you want to add to them? Do you help your parents with resentment or with joy? Do you play video games with your children because you enjoy video games or because you enjoy your children and being with them gives opportunities to teach about Jesus? In everything we do it is always a question of the heart. Is it because it honours Jesus and a giving to others or is it because we get to feed our own selfish needs?
We have to stop playing the church game. Either we are followers of Jesus or we are not. There is no in between place. Jesus said that anyone who was lukewarm would be spit out. He said to be his followers we would have to give up everything. He said we would have to deny ourselves, take up our calling (purpose)(cross) and follow him. In other words, go all the way until our purpose has been completed.
The enemy is in our midst and some of us are just becoming aware of it. The good news is that he is nothing compared to Jesus. He is weak, pathetic and simply a fallen angel in rebellion against God. Jesus won't be taking him on because the enemy is beneath him. It is the other angels who will fight against Satan and defeat him. We are powerful against him and the Word is clear that we must be attentive to the war that is raging around us. We are those who pray and send the enemy fleeing. We know in this age many will be deceived but we do not have to belong to this group. We are the children of God and we must take our stand, trusting, believing, refusing to give an inch to the enemy.
So, I ask you again: What will you do with this day? What would Jesus do with it?
Oops, what would Jesus do? What does he have to do with Saturday's? Well, he has everything to do with everything and if we do not realize it then our "following Jesus" is lacking some understanding. To be a Jesus follower requires total commitment; I mean total. Everything we are is all about him and he directs us, in everything we do, how to bring him honour and glory, and how to fulfill our part in the mission.
You would be amazed how he can use our everyday chores for the Kingdom. I mean the car washing, grocery shopping, lawn mowing, snow shoveling, but we have to be attentive, looking for the opportunities and jumping on them when they are presented. In other words, Jesus must always be on our mind.
I was reading Psalm 79 this morning, which was the reaction of this psalmist to the devastating attack of the enemy of God's people, and I realized how fitting it was in describing the effects of our enemy's attack on the Church:
O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
They have left the dead bodies of your servants
as food for the birds of the sky,
the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
They have poured out blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury the dead.
We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
of scorn and derision to those around us. (Psalm 79:1-4)
The enemy in North America has been very subtle for years, invading the Church inch by inch, slowly eroding away our core beliefs, the foundations of our faith. Like a constant, gentle wave against the shore line, he has taken years to change us from Christ-centered to self-centered. So now we are weak and we are getting to be easy for the picking. Don't be fooled by the number of large churches; those who are strong in their faith, focused on Jesus and have turned their back on the pleasures of this world are much fewer in number. We have been seeing for years now the changes in doctrine being accepted without a fight, pastors changing the Word to fit their own ideologies without much of a challenge at all, and Christians being shaped by the thinking of society instead of the Word of God.
The nations have invaded God's inheritance. They have defiled his holy temple, which is us. They are tearing down God's nation from the inside. The dead bodies of God's servants are being fed on as they pile up, one after another, as these servants put a longing for success ahead of faithfulness to God. There is very little doubt any more of the contempt, scorn and derision that people around us feel toward us. Oh, maybe not toward those who are willing to compromise to be accepted by their neighbour, but those who stand by the Word, who refuse to give an inch to the enemy and whose constant thought is Jesus.
It is not hard to tell which camp you fall into and it is not hard to change it. Is Jesus the center of everything you do? Is he involved in everything you do? Do you do what you do because of Jesus? Is there anything in your life that has a greater influence on you than Jesus? Is your greatest desire to please Jesus in all your thinking, feeling and actions? Do you see him as the reason for your life? Is there anything that you tolerate that comes against the person of Jesus? If Jesus was physically present with you all day today would you change some of your plans and perhaps some of your vocabulary and maybe the way you treat family and neighbours?
The difference is sometimes very subtle. Do you spend time with your friends because you get something from them or because you want to add to them? Do you help your parents with resentment or with joy? Do you play video games with your children because you enjoy video games or because you enjoy your children and being with them gives opportunities to teach about Jesus? In everything we do it is always a question of the heart. Is it because it honours Jesus and a giving to others or is it because we get to feed our own selfish needs?
We have to stop playing the church game. Either we are followers of Jesus or we are not. There is no in between place. Jesus said that anyone who was lukewarm would be spit out. He said to be his followers we would have to give up everything. He said we would have to deny ourselves, take up our calling (purpose)(cross) and follow him. In other words, go all the way until our purpose has been completed.
The enemy is in our midst and some of us are just becoming aware of it. The good news is that he is nothing compared to Jesus. He is weak, pathetic and simply a fallen angel in rebellion against God. Jesus won't be taking him on because the enemy is beneath him. It is the other angels who will fight against Satan and defeat him. We are powerful against him and the Word is clear that we must be attentive to the war that is raging around us. We are those who pray and send the enemy fleeing. We know in this age many will be deceived but we do not have to belong to this group. We are the children of God and we must take our stand, trusting, believing, refusing to give an inch to the enemy.
So, I ask you again: What will you do with this day? What would Jesus do with it?
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Let's Not Fail Our Children
I once heard a man, who looked around at the new generation that was emerging, utter these words: "We have failed them". He was referring to the "lawlessness" of his children's generation, their cavalier attitude toward God. They had become a generation that was turning their back on their parents' belief and the only trust they had was in themselves. It was a generation that was dropping the torch being handed to them for the sake of chasing after self-interests. We see from this that since then each generation is getting a bit worse than the one that came before it. Now, one of the greatest industries is that of entertainment and the thing that occupies a great portion of our days is entertainment.
It's not a difficult thing. God told us to teach our children all about him so they too would learn to put their trust in him. There is even a promises that states that if we teach our children the way of the Lord, as they grow they will not depart from it. The psalmist wrote:
He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our forefathers
to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. (Psalm 78:5-6)
It's only natural and it only makes sense, giving a positive result:
Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. (Psalm 78:7)
This is what was commanded about the teaching of God and the law, so how much more important is it to teach about God's grace through Jesus Christ? The thing with parents is that they get to teach it in word and then to demonstrate it in deed. We can can teach the importance of love and trust but if we don't demonstrate it in our actions the lesson is not going to go very deep.
There are no greater teachers than parents. There are no more natural teachers than parents. If a parent can teach a child how to eat, walk, run, how to dress themselves, make their bed, brush their teeth, then surely to teach them about Jesus is an easy thing. We teach them to be polite and kind so why not teach them why we must be kind; that Jesus taught us to love? It should be an easy thing to teach our children the foundation for our own living, what motivates us to do what we do, and why it is so important to have Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
We may not be able to do much about the mistakes of previous generations but we certainly can stand in the responsibility we have been given to teach our children. It is great that the Church provides Sunday School and other youth training programs, but the greatest lessons still come from the parents and this is where the responsibility lay; on the parents. Let's not lose our children while trying to save the world. Let's start at home before we look to our neighbour. Let's not fail our children.
It's not a difficult thing. God told us to teach our children all about him so they too would learn to put their trust in him. There is even a promises that states that if we teach our children the way of the Lord, as they grow they will not depart from it. The psalmist wrote:
He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our forefathers
to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. (Psalm 78:5-6)
It's only natural and it only makes sense, giving a positive result:
Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. (Psalm 78:7)
This is what was commanded about the teaching of God and the law, so how much more important is it to teach about God's grace through Jesus Christ? The thing with parents is that they get to teach it in word and then to demonstrate it in deed. We can can teach the importance of love and trust but if we don't demonstrate it in our actions the lesson is not going to go very deep.
There are no greater teachers than parents. There are no more natural teachers than parents. If a parent can teach a child how to eat, walk, run, how to dress themselves, make their bed, brush their teeth, then surely to teach them about Jesus is an easy thing. We teach them to be polite and kind so why not teach them why we must be kind; that Jesus taught us to love? It should be an easy thing to teach our children the foundation for our own living, what motivates us to do what we do, and why it is so important to have Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
We may not be able to do much about the mistakes of previous generations but we certainly can stand in the responsibility we have been given to teach our children. It is great that the Church provides Sunday School and other youth training programs, but the greatest lessons still come from the parents and this is where the responsibility lay; on the parents. Let's not lose our children while trying to save the world. Let's start at home before we look to our neighbour. Let's not fail our children.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Sacrificing To Molech
Good morning my friends,
I think most of you would agree with me that the world is a crazy mixed up place. Most restraints that were placed on people by our society have been thrown off as our society loses sight of the holy things. There used to be a very clear distinction between right and wrong. Perhaps these distinctions were poorly applied and people suffered as a result but just because some people went overboard with it does not make it right today.
This morning’s reading contained a chapter on wrong sexual behaviour. It would have been difficult for my younger students and I will temper my comments on it because of them. One would think that common sense would dictate that this behaviour is wrong but there is no such thing as common sense. We do have a moral compass that God has built in us but often we do not know how to apply that compass to our behaviour. Our sin nature has knocked it out of whack. The law was given and then explained in detail so that the people could understand that compass.
Unfortunately everything that was listed this morning takes place every day in this world. Thirty-five hundred years ago we were told not to behave in this manner and yet today we find this behaviour to be far too common. Unfortunately as our society becomes more “tolerant” of these “life-style choices” we are going to find more of our children becoming curious and experimenting with them. Our public school system is very good at spreading the gospel of some of these groups, all in the name of tolerance and equality. Next the common thief will be pushing for his rights because his is a “life-style” choice. As far as I am concerned (and this is a personal opinion) sending our children to public education is the same as sacrificing them to Molech. There are some great Christian teachers in the system but there are too few to protect our children from the ideas and opinions that bombard our children every day. These teachers are more like evangelists, out to save as many of the perishing as possible.
A big problem in all of this is the attitude of many Christians. First there are the pastors who do not recognize the mounting dangers of the public education system and fail to uphold the Word that tells us to train up our children in the ways of the Lord. Second, there are the pastors and fellow Christians who have pet-sins that they pick on. We have countless sermons being preached out there against the evils of homosexuality but what about the sin in the church that is taking place right in from of the pastor? Is there any difference between the sin of homosexuality and the sin of sleeping with your neighbours wife?
It is one thing to be narrowed on the Word of God and it is another to put blinders on so we can’t see what is happening around us. Pastors, teachers, evangelists, Christian workers must all be willing to open their eyes fully that we may see all the things that are happening around us. We need to recognize what is happening in our public schools. Only a miracle will be able to turn that beast around and from what I read in the Word the end times are only suppose to get worse. We need to start facing the times we are in. We need to train up our children. Get them into an educational system we believe in and trust. Make decisions about what they are watching on TV. Monitor their internet use and guide them in good choices. Help them select friends who will not destroy them. Take an active part in their spiritual growth. We will take them to sports events and desire to see their physical, social and mental skills increase. Yet, when it comes to their spiritual growth we do not give it much thought.
Understand that parents sacrificed their children to Molech in the hopes of securing a better future for themselves. I hope we are not doing the same thing by choosing our desires over our children’s needs. I hope we do not send them to daycare and school with the attitude that they are being babysat while we continue with our life? I hope we do not choose public education over Christian because we want to save our money for something we want to buy for ourselves. I hope all of us who are Christian parents will remember that we will have to give an account for our decisions with our children.
I also hope that we will stop pointing fingers at the world. They are acting as their sin nature dictates. They are acting normal for their nature. However, we have been saved from this so there should be a difference in the Church. As we reach out to the world let us not lose sight of the correction that must continue within the Body of Christ. There is a difference between the Holy and the Common.
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