It is obvious that the Christian community in the United States is trying to figure out how to respond to the fact that the law has changed to permit homosexual marriage. Here in Canada that change was made a number of years ago. Can we say that the "horse has left the barn" on homosexual marriage? In fact, it left the barn a long time ago.
Without doubt marriage is a spiritual act, uniting a man and woman to become one flesh. It was created by God for our benefit on this earth (it does not exist in heaven).We choose to make this union in front of family and friends, calling them witnesses of this union that is made in the sight of God. It should have always remained us such but the Church dropped the ball when it allowed the State to take authority over it. As soon as we allowed governments to start issuing license for something that was a spiritual matter we lost. Now it is the State who gets to define marriage any way they want. We can continue to proclaim the truth but the world doesn't care.
Now we are left with some tough decisions. In some ways this could be a good thing as it gives clear distinction between believers and non-believers. Certainly the enemy will do everything he can to discredit our argument and failing that will try to discredit the Bible itself but that is nothing new to us. From the very beginning he has been questioning and trying to throw into confusion the commands of Yahweh. Check out the conversation with Eve in the garden. There are a few things I think the Church needs to do:
1. Return in all permits to perform State marriages. What do we have to do with a world system that cuts our God out of what he created. Do we allow them to license baptisms or communions? So why do they get to license marriages, or for that matter, pastors? We know we are in the end times and hearts are growing harder so there will be no going back now, so cut them loose.
2. Start drawing the distinction between the State marriage and the Church marriage. Allow people to have two ceremonies, one before God, and, if they want all the State benefits to marriage, one before the government. Let the State perform marriage as they see fit and we will continue with marriage as God defined it. It is not up to the government to legislate our beliefs.
3. Stop taking government money for the Church. That's a hard one isn't it. Stop looking for tax exemption. As long as we are taking their money they are going to feel they have authority over us. We are a spiritual body not an NGO or corporation. We should never place ourselves in a position of dependence on anything other than Jesus. That should separate some sheep and goats.
Why are we following the patterns of this world? Why are we depending on flesh over Spirit? Why are we so flustered when the world goes in its natural course of rebellion to God? The reason is because we are more married to the world than we are to Jesus. It is time to change that. We can't have two husbands. We can't have two masters. We need to make a distinction. We need to decide.
Showing posts with label decisions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decisions. Show all posts
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
The Keys Of Authority You Have Been Given
We understand very little about who we are in Jesus. We say we are spiritually minded but in effect we believe what we see. We react to our circumstances, to people, to our environment with little or no thought to the spiritual. It is as if we do not know that the spiritual shapes the physical. If we do not understand this then how can we walk with Jesus and fulfill our mission? You are more than you realize.
As the Spirit gives us revelation, deeper understanding, we are given keys of authority in this understanding. Those keys are meant to unlock doors, situations, circumstances that other people are in so that the Kingdom may grow to envelope such things, expanding the borders, and allowing people to serve Jesus with no barriers. Apostle Peter is an example of this.
In Acts we read of Peter's vision about the animals being lowered in front of him and Yahweh telling him to eat. The lesson for Peter was obedience even in the face of known barriers. It was in preparation for his call to Cornelius' home. Normally Peter would have declined because Cornelius was a gentile and Jews did not enter the homes of gentiles. But Jesus had called for him to go and with the vision still clear in his thoughts and with the Spirit's prompting to go, Peter went, despite the barrier.
It wasn't long after arriving that the Spirit came upon the people of Cornelius' home. Peter and the Jews with him were amazed and Peter understood that salvation was not for the Jews alone but Yahweh's grace was for every person of every nationality. What happens next causes me to appreciate Yahweh's perfect timing.
While this was taking place with Peter there was a great move of the Spirit taking place in Antioch, among the gentiles. It was so great that Barnabas had to seek out Saul to help them. Out of this, Barnabas and Paul ended up being sent out to expand the Kingdom in the hearts of people even further, among more gentiles. Meanwhile, there was a challenge to the gentile ministry as some Jews wanted to force these gentile believers to submit to Moses' law. So Paul and Barnabas were dispatched to make inquiry with the Church Council in Jerusalem.
It was in this meeting that we find Peter to be the first to speak. He drew upon what happened earlier and he used the key of authority given him to unlock the barrier to the gentiles:
God, who knows people’s deepest thoughts and desires, confirmed this by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, but purified their deepest thoughts and desires through faith. Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear? On the contrary, we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 15:8-11)
Boom! Peter applied the key and knocked the door right off it's hing. It was given to Peter to open the door so that Paul and Barnabas could walk through and complete the work.
Many of us have been given keys of authority to remove barriers so other people can walk through but we must know who we are in Christ and we need to know the authority we have been given. We can't operate by what we see, limiting Jesus in our lives and environment. The Spirit has walked us through situations in our lives, taught us how to overcome, so that we may understand our authority to assist others in similar situations. Like Peter, we are advanced troops, meant to clear the way for others to follow.
It's time to pick yourself up, stop fooling around, and get serious about your responsibilities. Ask the Spirit to give you understanding for the keys you have been given and start stepping out to open those doors for people. Let us see the Kingdom of God expanding in the hearts of people.
As the Spirit gives us revelation, deeper understanding, we are given keys of authority in this understanding. Those keys are meant to unlock doors, situations, circumstances that other people are in so that the Kingdom may grow to envelope such things, expanding the borders, and allowing people to serve Jesus with no barriers. Apostle Peter is an example of this.
In Acts we read of Peter's vision about the animals being lowered in front of him and Yahweh telling him to eat. The lesson for Peter was obedience even in the face of known barriers. It was in preparation for his call to Cornelius' home. Normally Peter would have declined because Cornelius was a gentile and Jews did not enter the homes of gentiles. But Jesus had called for him to go and with the vision still clear in his thoughts and with the Spirit's prompting to go, Peter went, despite the barrier.
It wasn't long after arriving that the Spirit came upon the people of Cornelius' home. Peter and the Jews with him were amazed and Peter understood that salvation was not for the Jews alone but Yahweh's grace was for every person of every nationality. What happens next causes me to appreciate Yahweh's perfect timing.
While this was taking place with Peter there was a great move of the Spirit taking place in Antioch, among the gentiles. It was so great that Barnabas had to seek out Saul to help them. Out of this, Barnabas and Paul ended up being sent out to expand the Kingdom in the hearts of people even further, among more gentiles. Meanwhile, there was a challenge to the gentile ministry as some Jews wanted to force these gentile believers to submit to Moses' law. So Paul and Barnabas were dispatched to make inquiry with the Church Council in Jerusalem.
It was in this meeting that we find Peter to be the first to speak. He drew upon what happened earlier and he used the key of authority given him to unlock the barrier to the gentiles:
God, who knows people’s deepest thoughts and desires, confirmed this by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, but purified their deepest thoughts and desires through faith. Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear? On the contrary, we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 15:8-11)
Boom! Peter applied the key and knocked the door right off it's hing. It was given to Peter to open the door so that Paul and Barnabas could walk through and complete the work.
Many of us have been given keys of authority to remove barriers so other people can walk through but we must know who we are in Christ and we need to know the authority we have been given. We can't operate by what we see, limiting Jesus in our lives and environment. The Spirit has walked us through situations in our lives, taught us how to overcome, so that we may understand our authority to assist others in similar situations. Like Peter, we are advanced troops, meant to clear the way for others to follow.
It's time to pick yourself up, stop fooling around, and get serious about your responsibilities. Ask the Spirit to give you understanding for the keys you have been given and start stepping out to open those doors for people. Let us see the Kingdom of God expanding in the hearts of people.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Who Gets To Make Decisions In Your Life?
There are a number of perspectives and attitudes that we accept as normal but which have no part in our Christian walk. Those of you who are students right now are facing it. Some of you who are considering changing jobs are facing it. Some of you who are simply deciding what to do after work are facing it. Who gets to make the decision in our lives?
The obvious choice is us, but we have to ask ourselves how influenced we are by this age of the individual. Everyone assumes that we get to decide the direction of our life and that Yahweh will use whatever we make available to him. There are tons of books on the subject of decision making and most come to the same conclusion: "Do whatever makes you happy". But that is the fundamental problem with this thinking; we are not here to be happy.
There is only one book I consider to have the authority to set the foundation of my life and that is the Bible, the Word of God. And there is only one who has shown us the way and has set the example for us and his name is Jesus. He stated that he said nothing and did nothing in his own authority but only that which they Father had given him to say and do. There are also Scriptures such as this:
O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. (Jeremiah 10:23)
This is why we need Jesus. We were born in rebellion to Yahweh. It is natural to us and no matter how hard we try to live up to his standards, we can't do it without help. That help came in the form of Jesus who sacrificed himself to remove the barrier between us and Father. He also sent to us the Holy Spirit for plenty of reasons but one of the big ones is so that he could remain with us, in us. He gives us direction, strength, power, and energy to do Father's will. But a rebellious attitude can be hard to shake off, even when we are singing songs of love.
To do what we want, when we want, how we want is part of our natural rebellious attitude, and as long as we think we are the "captains of our own destiny" we will find it impossible to get rid of. It is only in a daily humble attitude, recognizing we no longer belong to ourselves and that our entire desire is to do the Father's will, that this rebellion will die as the Spirit expunges it from us. But it requires an attitude of cooperation and a desire for the one who is above us. Not always easy in our culture but we belong to a more ancient, powerful and superior culture; for we are citizens of the Kingdom. Our ways are no longer our own as we learn to walk like Jesus, as he directs, for the Father's purpose.
The obvious choice is us, but we have to ask ourselves how influenced we are by this age of the individual. Everyone assumes that we get to decide the direction of our life and that Yahweh will use whatever we make available to him. There are tons of books on the subject of decision making and most come to the same conclusion: "Do whatever makes you happy". But that is the fundamental problem with this thinking; we are not here to be happy.
There is only one book I consider to have the authority to set the foundation of my life and that is the Bible, the Word of God. And there is only one who has shown us the way and has set the example for us and his name is Jesus. He stated that he said nothing and did nothing in his own authority but only that which they Father had given him to say and do. There are also Scriptures such as this:
O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. (Jeremiah 10:23)
This is why we need Jesus. We were born in rebellion to Yahweh. It is natural to us and no matter how hard we try to live up to his standards, we can't do it without help. That help came in the form of Jesus who sacrificed himself to remove the barrier between us and Father. He also sent to us the Holy Spirit for plenty of reasons but one of the big ones is so that he could remain with us, in us. He gives us direction, strength, power, and energy to do Father's will. But a rebellious attitude can be hard to shake off, even when we are singing songs of love.
To do what we want, when we want, how we want is part of our natural rebellious attitude, and as long as we think we are the "captains of our own destiny" we will find it impossible to get rid of. It is only in a daily humble attitude, recognizing we no longer belong to ourselves and that our entire desire is to do the Father's will, that this rebellion will die as the Spirit expunges it from us. But it requires an attitude of cooperation and a desire for the one who is above us. Not always easy in our culture but we belong to a more ancient, powerful and superior culture; for we are citizens of the Kingdom. Our ways are no longer our own as we learn to walk like Jesus, as he directs, for the Father's purpose.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
The A, B, C's Of Decision Making
Have you ever sung the hymn "What A Friend We Have In Jesus"? Have you ever listened to the words you have sung? Have you ever been convicted by them?
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
It's crazy, you know, just how accurate these words are. We do throw away the peace Jesus has so freely given to us because we mishandle our challenges in life. How do you handle tough decisions? You probably turn the options over in your head again and again and again. If they are big enough decisions you probably lose sleep over it while turning the options over again and again and again. Perhaps you have people that you trust who you talk it over with. If you have several friends they probably give you different advice so you end up measuring what they say over again and again and again. Whether it is a decision, trouble or hardships, if we don't know how to handle it properly we can end up doing a lot of damage to ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
It is an easy thing to say "take it to the Lord in prayer" but if we have not cultivated the habit of prayer we can find the task daunting. How do you pray? For how long? In what position? What do you say? How do you word it? Many of us usually simply say a quick prayer and then rush off to find our own solutions. But prayer is equally more complicated and simpler than that.
Prayer isn't as much about the petition we have to bring as it is about the relationship. This is the point most of us miss. We rush into the presence of Yahweh and right back out again but what Father wants is our time and attention. He wants us to hang out with him, just to enjoy his presence, to love and worship him. We spend 5 minutes, if we are generous maybe 15 minutes, in prayer. After all, there is only so much one can say in a one sided conversation. But it isn't one sided and it isn't all about talking.
Sometimes the greatest solution to your problems is to worship or to sit in Father's presence in silence or to meditate on Scripture. I didn't say read but meditate. Take one of Jesus' promises and turn it over in your thoughts again and again and again. Certainly tell Father your problems, your need for a solution, but don't make it your only purpose. Don't focus on your problem but instead give your full attention to him. This can sometime take time, perhaps days. Jesus set us the example.
Jesus had the daunting task of choosing the members of his inner circle from a group of 120 disciples. These 12 he would call his apostles. This was not a simple task or one to be taken lightly. These would be the ones he would trust with the greater truths, the ones into whom he would seed the Church. So what did Jesus do to make his decision? He prayed all night:
Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles. (Luke 6:12-13)
Are you greater than Jesus? I know I am not, yet there have been so many times in my 20 years of pastoral ministry that I have trusted the advice of advisers instead of resting in prayer. I have made a number of wrong decisions as a result of my lack of prayer. Over the years I have learned that sometimes it can take a month of fervent praying, of focusing on the relationship, before the solution is made clear. Much of the time is spent wrestling with my thoughts and opinions to submit them to Father's will. If you have already cultivated this prayer life it is an easier task because you have gained discipline but it may not be any less time consuming.
We should be ashamed of ourselves. We testify to the goodness of Jesus. We worship him with all of our heart. We gladly surrender all we have to him. We really do trust him,. but we allow ourselves to follow the patterns of this world instead of having our minds renewed in him. We have allowed ourselves to become too busy with diversions to spend an hour, 2 or 3 in prayer every day. We just don't get how utterly dependent we are on Jesus because if we understood we wouldn't be struggling with this stuff on our own.
Pray. Focus on Jesus. Hang out with Father. Let him be your comfort, your counselor, your guide. Take time with him and you will be amazed how clear the solutions become:
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
It's crazy, you know, just how accurate these words are. We do throw away the peace Jesus has so freely given to us because we mishandle our challenges in life. How do you handle tough decisions? You probably turn the options over in your head again and again and again. If they are big enough decisions you probably lose sleep over it while turning the options over again and again and again. Perhaps you have people that you trust who you talk it over with. If you have several friends they probably give you different advice so you end up measuring what they say over again and again and again. Whether it is a decision, trouble or hardships, if we don't know how to handle it properly we can end up doing a lot of damage to ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
It is an easy thing to say "take it to the Lord in prayer" but if we have not cultivated the habit of prayer we can find the task daunting. How do you pray? For how long? In what position? What do you say? How do you word it? Many of us usually simply say a quick prayer and then rush off to find our own solutions. But prayer is equally more complicated and simpler than that.
Prayer isn't as much about the petition we have to bring as it is about the relationship. This is the point most of us miss. We rush into the presence of Yahweh and right back out again but what Father wants is our time and attention. He wants us to hang out with him, just to enjoy his presence, to love and worship him. We spend 5 minutes, if we are generous maybe 15 minutes, in prayer. After all, there is only so much one can say in a one sided conversation. But it isn't one sided and it isn't all about talking.
Sometimes the greatest solution to your problems is to worship or to sit in Father's presence in silence or to meditate on Scripture. I didn't say read but meditate. Take one of Jesus' promises and turn it over in your thoughts again and again and again. Certainly tell Father your problems, your need for a solution, but don't make it your only purpose. Don't focus on your problem but instead give your full attention to him. This can sometime take time, perhaps days. Jesus set us the example.
Jesus had the daunting task of choosing the members of his inner circle from a group of 120 disciples. These 12 he would call his apostles. This was not a simple task or one to be taken lightly. These would be the ones he would trust with the greater truths, the ones into whom he would seed the Church. So what did Jesus do to make his decision? He prayed all night:
Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles. (Luke 6:12-13)
Are you greater than Jesus? I know I am not, yet there have been so many times in my 20 years of pastoral ministry that I have trusted the advice of advisers instead of resting in prayer. I have made a number of wrong decisions as a result of my lack of prayer. Over the years I have learned that sometimes it can take a month of fervent praying, of focusing on the relationship, before the solution is made clear. Much of the time is spent wrestling with my thoughts and opinions to submit them to Father's will. If you have already cultivated this prayer life it is an easier task because you have gained discipline but it may not be any less time consuming.
We should be ashamed of ourselves. We testify to the goodness of Jesus. We worship him with all of our heart. We gladly surrender all we have to him. We really do trust him,. but we allow ourselves to follow the patterns of this world instead of having our minds renewed in him. We have allowed ourselves to become too busy with diversions to spend an hour, 2 or 3 in prayer every day. We just don't get how utterly dependent we are on Jesus because if we understood we wouldn't be struggling with this stuff on our own.
Pray. Focus on Jesus. Hang out with Father. Let him be your comfort, your counselor, your guide. Take time with him and you will be amazed how clear the solutions become:
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Faltering In Our Beliefs
It is a hard life to be an indecisive person, always struggling over choices and decisions. These people tend to waiver even after they have decided, doubting the choice they did make and if it would have been better to have chosen differently. It reminds me of Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken":
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth."
You notice the title is not "The Road Taken" but "The Road Not Taken". Obviously the emphasis was on the thought of the path that he did not choose, wondering, speculating. We are this way with so much in our lives. Perhaps not to the point of being indecisive but often times regretting not having made decisions differently.
Sometimes such an attitude hampers us in the decisions we have made and so we only put a partial effort into the journey we are on. We are robbing ourselves of the glory of the path we have taken. The worse of it is when we try to take both paths and make a mess out of everything. Throughout the Scriptures we are told to make a decision about who we will serve because, as the apostle Paul said, we will end up serving something.
We all remember the famous "As for me and my family" speech from Joshua and it is spot on. Make a decision people, who will you serve: Yahweh or some other god? Make a decision and give it your full effort. Some of you may protest and say that we are not to put in an effort, that it is all by Yahweh's grace. Salvation is by his grace but our walk with Jesus is with effort and determination. Yes, his grace covers us when we falter but if we do not understand our responsibility in the relationship we will do more than falter, we will drop off. We need to be determined every day to choose Jesus, to walk in his ways (directions, commands, instructions, laws), to not fear and trust him for all we need, to spend time in relationship building (prayer, worship, Bible study), and to carry out the mission (to make disciples).
Yet, Joshua's speech is not the only example of being told we must make a decision. Examples are scattered throughout the Word. One is found in 1 Kings 18:
Elijah was fearless and bold in demonstrating to the people that, although there was a choice, there was only one that was obvious. But people do not like choosing Yahweh, even with the promise of eternity because of the intimacy of the accountability. They would rather find a system that would demand less out of them; something that would benefit them but with low risk, low cost and low effort. We are such a lazy people.
Jesus told us that we would have a choice and that he had come for those who would make the decision to believe the good news he was revealing. It's a decision. We can choose to stay as we are, in our rebellion and be slaves to sin or we could choose to accept the loving relationship with Yahweh and be slaves to righteousness. Paul used the term slave to describe something with a term that we could understand because it is hard to translate the spiritual into a language the non-spiritual may comprehend. When we make a decision for Jesus we are compelled to walk in righteousness in the same way we were compelled to walk in sin without him.
Now let's be clear on this, we can't serve two masters. We can't choose two paths. You can't choose Jesus and still do whatever you want. There is a distinct way of living when we choose Jesus and many of us are choosing with our mouth but our heart still belongs to the other path. It can't be made any clearer than this: when you choose Jesus you let everything else go and you give yourself completely to his path. You don't get to argue and negotiate certain aspects with him. It is like when Moses presented everything to the people of Israel and then told them to choose. Jesus told us to count the cost, check out what you are agreeing to. Yahweh hides nothing but he says that if we are to follow him these are his clear expectations and demands of those he calls his children. It is not a free for all.
Salvation is by grace but the rest of it gets worked out in us daily as we are transformed by the Spirit, transformed with an obedient and willing heart. Too many of us are choosing with our mouth only but it also requires a belief of action in our hearts. The question is simple: who will you serve? Which path do you choose? What is your decision?
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth."
You notice the title is not "The Road Taken" but "The Road Not Taken". Obviously the emphasis was on the thought of the path that he did not choose, wondering, speculating. We are this way with so much in our lives. Perhaps not to the point of being indecisive but often times regretting not having made decisions differently.
Sometimes such an attitude hampers us in the decisions we have made and so we only put a partial effort into the journey we are on. We are robbing ourselves of the glory of the path we have taken. The worse of it is when we try to take both paths and make a mess out of everything. Throughout the Scriptures we are told to make a decision about who we will serve because, as the apostle Paul said, we will end up serving something.
We all remember the famous "As for me and my family" speech from Joshua and it is spot on. Make a decision people, who will you serve: Yahweh or some other god? Make a decision and give it your full effort. Some of you may protest and say that we are not to put in an effort, that it is all by Yahweh's grace. Salvation is by his grace but our walk with Jesus is with effort and determination. Yes, his grace covers us when we falter but if we do not understand our responsibility in the relationship we will do more than falter, we will drop off. We need to be determined every day to choose Jesus, to walk in his ways (directions, commands, instructions, laws), to not fear and trust him for all we need, to spend time in relationship building (prayer, worship, Bible study), and to carry out the mission (to make disciples).
Yet, Joshua's speech is not the only example of being told we must make a decision. Examples are scattered throughout the Word. One is found in 1 Kings 18:
Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
But the people said nothing. (v. 21)
Elijah was fearless and bold in demonstrating to the people that, although there was a choice, there was only one that was obvious. But people do not like choosing Yahweh, even with the promise of eternity because of the intimacy of the accountability. They would rather find a system that would demand less out of them; something that would benefit them but with low risk, low cost and low effort. We are such a lazy people.
Jesus told us that we would have a choice and that he had come for those who would make the decision to believe the good news he was revealing. It's a decision. We can choose to stay as we are, in our rebellion and be slaves to sin or we could choose to accept the loving relationship with Yahweh and be slaves to righteousness. Paul used the term slave to describe something with a term that we could understand because it is hard to translate the spiritual into a language the non-spiritual may comprehend. When we make a decision for Jesus we are compelled to walk in righteousness in the same way we were compelled to walk in sin without him.
Now let's be clear on this, we can't serve two masters. We can't choose two paths. You can't choose Jesus and still do whatever you want. There is a distinct way of living when we choose Jesus and many of us are choosing with our mouth but our heart still belongs to the other path. It can't be made any clearer than this: when you choose Jesus you let everything else go and you give yourself completely to his path. You don't get to argue and negotiate certain aspects with him. It is like when Moses presented everything to the people of Israel and then told them to choose. Jesus told us to count the cost, check out what you are agreeing to. Yahweh hides nothing but he says that if we are to follow him these are his clear expectations and demands of those he calls his children. It is not a free for all.
Salvation is by grace but the rest of it gets worked out in us daily as we are transformed by the Spirit, transformed with an obedient and willing heart. Too many of us are choosing with our mouth only but it also requires a belief of action in our hearts. The question is simple: who will you serve? Which path do you choose? What is your decision?
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Jesus Knew Even Before You Did It
Many days of our lives we can be accused of making a god after our own image. He study the Bible, learn about Yahweh, worship him but then change small details to suit our own needs. You don't think so? Then I challenge you to read the entire Bible in 90 days (YouVersion has a Bible Reading Plan for 90 days) and come face to face with who is Yahweh, the true Yahweh, Yahweh the just, Yahweh the righteous. There is a reason why Scriptures says it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
One thing that cannot be mistaken in any of the Scriptures is that Yahweh is full of grace, but we are also warned never to allow grace to be an excuse to sin. We do not understand how much grace is already being shown to us every day. Sometimes we do not even consider how our actions will impact our Father. We do not consider how our actions will effect our testimony. We do not consider how our actions and words impact the way the world looks at our God. Yahweh does.
Our Father knows our words even before they are on our lips. He knows the actions we will take even before we take them. He knows the decisions we will make and he knows our motivation. He knows the end from the beginning and he knows the roots. He sees the outcome of the words we speak and the decisions we take today even when we can't. It is no different today than in the days of Moses.
Yahweh knew before he sent Israel into the promised land that they would reject him and take on the gods of the other nations. He knew that they would do this and he knew the actions he would have to take:
Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. (Deuteronomy 31:16-17)
Nothing is hidden from our God, not even our future. Then why does he allow it to happen? If nothing surprises Yahweh, why does he not stop the rebellion before it begins? Let me remind you that anything that is against the will of the Father is rebellion. What kind of rebellion do you and I live in every day as we make decisions with no thought of Jesus, his righteous ways and his will for our lives? How often do we decide against the righteousness of Yahweh without giving it a second thought? Ignorance is no excuse. He is suppose to be our "everything" and we are suppose to be consumed by passion for the Name.
The reason Yahweh does not stop us is two-fold. First, he created us as a creation with a free will. We have the freedom to make our own decisions. Jesus set us free from the slavery of sin so we could have the freedom to decide for him instead of against him, and we still have that freedom today. If Yahweh interferes with that freedom he goes against his own purpose. He desires for us to love him freely.
The second is that our Father uses these times of rebellion for training us. We are his children and he will correct us. He allows us to make mistakes, to rebel but then he brings in the correction to increase us. No punishment is meant as a revenge but as a teaching opportunity. We may not like the correction but it certainly brings us closer to our Father and that is what he is looking for.
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. (Hebrews 12:7-8)
The sad thing is that we usually try to find the short cut out of the correction instead of standing up under it. In this world of self-satisfaction and instant gratification, enduring the correction of our Father is a foreign concept. It could be one reason why there are so many babies running around needing their diapers changed and precious few mature men and women of faith. Sin happens, mistakes will be made, Jesus knows all about it and the Father loves you enough to bring correction. Stand up under it and be increased or slink away into the dark to find your own solutions and lose out. It is your decision, just don't a god after your own image to excuse it away.
One thing that cannot be mistaken in any of the Scriptures is that Yahweh is full of grace, but we are also warned never to allow grace to be an excuse to sin. We do not understand how much grace is already being shown to us every day. Sometimes we do not even consider how our actions will impact our Father. We do not consider how our actions will effect our testimony. We do not consider how our actions and words impact the way the world looks at our God. Yahweh does.
Our Father knows our words even before they are on our lips. He knows the actions we will take even before we take them. He knows the decisions we will make and he knows our motivation. He knows the end from the beginning and he knows the roots. He sees the outcome of the words we speak and the decisions we take today even when we can't. It is no different today than in the days of Moses.
Yahweh knew before he sent Israel into the promised land that they would reject him and take on the gods of the other nations. He knew that they would do this and he knew the actions he would have to take:
Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. (Deuteronomy 31:16-17)
Nothing is hidden from our God, not even our future. Then why does he allow it to happen? If nothing surprises Yahweh, why does he not stop the rebellion before it begins? Let me remind you that anything that is against the will of the Father is rebellion. What kind of rebellion do you and I live in every day as we make decisions with no thought of Jesus, his righteous ways and his will for our lives? How often do we decide against the righteousness of Yahweh without giving it a second thought? Ignorance is no excuse. He is suppose to be our "everything" and we are suppose to be consumed by passion for the Name.
The reason Yahweh does not stop us is two-fold. First, he created us as a creation with a free will. We have the freedom to make our own decisions. Jesus set us free from the slavery of sin so we could have the freedom to decide for him instead of against him, and we still have that freedom today. If Yahweh interferes with that freedom he goes against his own purpose. He desires for us to love him freely.
The second is that our Father uses these times of rebellion for training us. We are his children and he will correct us. He allows us to make mistakes, to rebel but then he brings in the correction to increase us. No punishment is meant as a revenge but as a teaching opportunity. We may not like the correction but it certainly brings us closer to our Father and that is what he is looking for.
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. (Hebrews 12:7-8)
The sad thing is that we usually try to find the short cut out of the correction instead of standing up under it. In this world of self-satisfaction and instant gratification, enduring the correction of our Father is a foreign concept. It could be one reason why there are so many babies running around needing their diapers changed and precious few mature men and women of faith. Sin happens, mistakes will be made, Jesus knows all about it and the Father loves you enough to bring correction. Stand up under it and be increased or slink away into the dark to find your own solutions and lose out. It is your decision, just don't a god after your own image to excuse it away.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
We Are Very Good At Escapism
It's been a hard day. You're bummed. You just want to veg for a bit, not think about things.You grab the TV remote, open the computer, plug in the ear phones or disappear into a novel.
It's been a hard day.You're stressed. There is so much going on. You don't know what decisions to make. You don't want to think about it right now. You should open your Bible. You should pray. You should spend some time in worship to get centered again, but you don't. It's so much easier to watch a movie on NetFlix, scroll through some social networking, go to sleep.
We belong to a society that loves to escape, prefers to be distracted, to major on the minor and hope the important stuff goes away. It is so easy to give in to it; a lot less energy, less emotions, less decision making. Why can't life just leave us alone?
If we turn to the Bible we quickly discover people who tried to avoid life and their responsibility in it. Yes, you are not alone. Adam tried to hide from God so he wouldn't have to face the consequences of his disobedience. Elijah tried to disappear in a cave to avoid confrontation and threats. Peter fled into the cover of the night to avoid the shame after denying Jesus. Maybe it's just tiredness, despair or craziness but somehow we forget who is our God.
Do we really think God doesn't see us in the forest, or the cave or in the dark? Not only does God love us enough to pursue us in all places but he is waiting there for us before we arrive. God knew all our days before we lived one of them. He knew our decisions, moods, reactions, circumstances and he laid down his plans accordingly. The psalmist reminded us:
"Your eyes saw my embryo,
and on your scroll every day was written that was being formed for me,
before any one of them had yet happened." (Psalm 189:16, CEB)
And the psalmist's reaction to this revelation?
"God, your plans are incomprehensible to me!
Their total number is countless!
If I tried to count them - they outnumber grains of sand!
If I came to the very end - I'd still be with you." (v. 17-18)
He worshiped. How could he not? Any time we look into the incomprehensible glory of our God our response is worship. And concerning trying escapism on God?
Where could I go to get away from your spirit?
Where could I go to escape your presence?
8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there.
If I went down to the grave,[a] you would be there too!
9 If I could fly on the wings of dawn,
stopping to rest only on the far side of the ocean—
10 even there your hand would guide me;
even there your strong hand would hold me tight!
11 If I said, “The darkness will definitely hide me;
the light will become night around me,”
12 even then the darkness isn’t too dark for you!
Nighttime would shine bright as day,
because darkness is the same as light to you! (Psalm 139:7-12)
There isn't a cave, jungle, or dark night that could ever separate us from the love of God. There isn't a TV show, video game or book that could keep him from pursuing us. Whatever it is that we don't want to face we can do it with God's strength. Whatever we want to avoid we can confront with Jesus in us. He has promised to equip and strengthen us to overcome all things in this world. So don't put it off.
Put down the TV remote. Put the music away. Turn off the xbox. Close your book and allow God to make you aware of his presence. Receive strength. Overflow with blessings. Be all you were ever intended to be. Forgiven. Transformed. Empowered. Possessed. All things are possible through him who gives you strength.
Welcome back to our reality; the reality of the Risen King.
It's been a hard day.You're stressed. There is so much going on. You don't know what decisions to make. You don't want to think about it right now. You should open your Bible. You should pray. You should spend some time in worship to get centered again, but you don't. It's so much easier to watch a movie on NetFlix, scroll through some social networking, go to sleep.
We belong to a society that loves to escape, prefers to be distracted, to major on the minor and hope the important stuff goes away. It is so easy to give in to it; a lot less energy, less emotions, less decision making. Why can't life just leave us alone?
If we turn to the Bible we quickly discover people who tried to avoid life and their responsibility in it. Yes, you are not alone. Adam tried to hide from God so he wouldn't have to face the consequences of his disobedience. Elijah tried to disappear in a cave to avoid confrontation and threats. Peter fled into the cover of the night to avoid the shame after denying Jesus. Maybe it's just tiredness, despair or craziness but somehow we forget who is our God.
Do we really think God doesn't see us in the forest, or the cave or in the dark? Not only does God love us enough to pursue us in all places but he is waiting there for us before we arrive. God knew all our days before we lived one of them. He knew our decisions, moods, reactions, circumstances and he laid down his plans accordingly. The psalmist reminded us:
"Your eyes saw my embryo,
and on your scroll every day was written that was being formed for me,
before any one of them had yet happened." (Psalm 189:16, CEB)
And the psalmist's reaction to this revelation?
"God, your plans are incomprehensible to me!
Their total number is countless!
If I tried to count them - they outnumber grains of sand!
If I came to the very end - I'd still be with you." (v. 17-18)
He worshiped. How could he not? Any time we look into the incomprehensible glory of our God our response is worship. And concerning trying escapism on God?
Where could I go to get away from your spirit?
Where could I go to escape your presence?
8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there.
If I went down to the grave,[a] you would be there too!
9 If I could fly on the wings of dawn,
stopping to rest only on the far side of the ocean—
10 even there your hand would guide me;
even there your strong hand would hold me tight!
11 If I said, “The darkness will definitely hide me;
the light will become night around me,”
12 even then the darkness isn’t too dark for you!
Nighttime would shine bright as day,
because darkness is the same as light to you! (Psalm 139:7-12)
There isn't a cave, jungle, or dark night that could ever separate us from the love of God. There isn't a TV show, video game or book that could keep him from pursuing us. Whatever it is that we don't want to face we can do it with God's strength. Whatever we want to avoid we can confront with Jesus in us. He has promised to equip and strengthen us to overcome all things in this world. So don't put it off.
Put down the TV remote. Put the music away. Turn off the xbox. Close your book and allow God to make you aware of his presence. Receive strength. Overflow with blessings. Be all you were ever intended to be. Forgiven. Transformed. Empowered. Possessed. All things are possible through him who gives you strength.
Welcome back to our reality; the reality of the Risen King.
Friday, July 12, 2013
The Change Can Start With You
Isn't life great! We have friends, a job, a house, a couple of cars, the retirement fund is growing nicely, we can afford to travel or just stay home and enjoy our large screen TV. We have the internet, our social networking, YouTube, our music, some books. Who could ask for anything more?
That stuff might be fine for people who do not claim Jesus but it's not fine for you. You are a Christian, the Christ follower, a child of the Father, possessed by the Holy Spirit and as such Jesus instructed you:
Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. (Matthew 6:31-32)
Trust God, is what Jesus is instructing. Don't run after the priorities of this world, is what he says. Your priorities are so much greater:
But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. (v.33)
The psalmist stated of those who chose the priorities of the world:
You love foolish things,
and you run after
what is worthless. (Psalm 4:2b)
Are there any better words to describe the priorities of our life? What are our dreams? What are we pursuing? Some people have noble notions of what they want to do with their life but most people live to exist. They just want to make it through their day. They just want work to be over so they can go home, order in a meal and watch tv. They just want a comfortable life. But those who have chosen Jesus, who have been adopted as the Father's children, are not called to a "normal", comfortable life. We have been told to put God's work first and to do the Father's will. This can lead to uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations.
We have to make some right choices today.
We have to choose Jesus.
Every day we have to make that choice that "today I will serve the Lord". Choosing to pursue our comfort is not choosing Jesus. The great servants who went before us did not choose their own comfort. They set aside the pursuit of self and looked square into the Father's priorities and it changed them. They were not petty in their relationships. They rose in spiritual maturity, throwing off childish attitudes and walked in the anointed calling and purpose of their life. It cost them but the benefits far outweighed the cost.
If your day was put under the microscope would you consider yourself running after what is worthless or being faithful to God's work? Are you building your life, collecting your possessions, finding comfort in this place or are you doing what our Father wants? It's not completely our fault if we have it wrong. We were taught wrong. We were not coached and helped along or if we were it was from a wrong perspective. The Church has done an appalling job of directing and instructing people in the priorities of the Father, of instructing them in what is holy and what is common. As long as our mega churches are full and we have a form of Christianity, as long as the bills are being paid. What a foolish people we are! The Church is pursuing the same things that the confused children of God are pursuing.
There needs to be some changes to move us from the acceptable practices of this world to a passionate service to our King; to move from the common to the Holy. That change can start today. That change can start with you. There are choices to be made today. There are priorities to uphold. Jesus' words
You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)
Who will you serve?
That stuff might be fine for people who do not claim Jesus but it's not fine for you. You are a Christian, the Christ follower, a child of the Father, possessed by the Holy Spirit and as such Jesus instructed you:
Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. (Matthew 6:31-32)
Trust God, is what Jesus is instructing. Don't run after the priorities of this world, is what he says. Your priorities are so much greater:
But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. (v.33)
The psalmist stated of those who chose the priorities of the world:
You love foolish things,
and you run after
what is worthless. (Psalm 4:2b)
Are there any better words to describe the priorities of our life? What are our dreams? What are we pursuing? Some people have noble notions of what they want to do with their life but most people live to exist. They just want to make it through their day. They just want work to be over so they can go home, order in a meal and watch tv. They just want a comfortable life. But those who have chosen Jesus, who have been adopted as the Father's children, are not called to a "normal", comfortable life. We have been told to put God's work first and to do the Father's will. This can lead to uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations.
We have to make some right choices today.
We have to choose Jesus.
Every day we have to make that choice that "today I will serve the Lord". Choosing to pursue our comfort is not choosing Jesus. The great servants who went before us did not choose their own comfort. They set aside the pursuit of self and looked square into the Father's priorities and it changed them. They were not petty in their relationships. They rose in spiritual maturity, throwing off childish attitudes and walked in the anointed calling and purpose of their life. It cost them but the benefits far outweighed the cost.
If your day was put under the microscope would you consider yourself running after what is worthless or being faithful to God's work? Are you building your life, collecting your possessions, finding comfort in this place or are you doing what our Father wants? It's not completely our fault if we have it wrong. We were taught wrong. We were not coached and helped along or if we were it was from a wrong perspective. The Church has done an appalling job of directing and instructing people in the priorities of the Father, of instructing them in what is holy and what is common. As long as our mega churches are full and we have a form of Christianity, as long as the bills are being paid. What a foolish people we are! The Church is pursuing the same things that the confused children of God are pursuing.
There needs to be some changes to move us from the acceptable practices of this world to a passionate service to our King; to move from the common to the Holy. That change can start today. That change can start with you. There are choices to be made today. There are priorities to uphold. Jesus' words
You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)
Who will you serve?
Friday, March 22, 2013
It All Depends On How You Look At It
Someone responded to my criticism of Rob Bell yesterday by stating that how we see the Bible depends on interpretation. I agree whole heartily and add that the vast majority of us are interpreting God's Word according to our own selfish desire. The only interpretation that is worth receiving is that given through the revelation of the Holy Spirit but we are too self-focused to listen to the Spirit. We would rather hear from man's interpretation, the kind that comes from man's own wisdom, interpreted through man's desires. Can you imagine how that turns out? You don't have to imagine, just look around.
We can go back and look at the original language, tear things apart, look at them under a microscope, debate them, chew on them, and apply it to our current culture. The problem is that man changes. Our values change. Our culture changes. Our desires change as do our priorities. But God doesn't change. Interpreting his Word to make it more relevant to our culture is plan stupid. God is always relevant regardless of the culture. Society is not suppose to shape the Church, the Church is suppose to influence the society.
Man does not get to define good and bad. We do not get to decide what God considers evil. God has defined it and man has ignored it. We don't need to pick on homosexuality here, we have a whole list of things we can choose from. We can pick on abortion if you want. Do you know how many Christians have murdered their babies because society says it is okay? They ignore what God says and accept murder. I know of many Christians who decide to live with their boyfriend or girlfriend in a sexual relationship because society accepts it and God considers them married, or so they say.
Let me get a little more personal. I am not throwing stones here because I have no leg to stand on. I have been lost in pornography in the past. I have lied, stolen, cheated. I am a divorced man. As David said, my sin is always before me. I am also forgiven and I know my God has forgotten all these things even if I can't. I praise him every day for his grace and for the fact that his mercies are new every morning. But I also know this, he is a holy God and he has called me to his holiness. I cannot make excuses for my sin and I cannot allow society to seduce me into the dark by accepting my sin as "normal." I must pursue the righteousness of God, not man.
Forgive me as I repeat that point: I have no right to excuse my sin and live in it according to the interpretation of my society. I must be honest with Jesus, understand where I have fallen short, repent of my stubborn ways and run after his righteousness. Not a righteousness as defined by me or interpreted by my culture but a righteousness that is, was and always will be my God. I have a responsibility to flee from what is evil, not embrace it, excuse it and re-define it:
But the foundation that God has laid is solid. On it is written, “The Lord knows who his people are. So everyone who worships the Lord must turn away from evil.” (2 Timothy 2:19)
It doesn't matter if society says it is okay to murder my unborn child; God says it is evil. Flee! It doesn't matter if society says I don't need to be married to have sex with whoever I want, male or female; God says it is evil. Flee! It doesn't matter that society says looking at naked bodies is normal and natural; God says it is evil. Flee!
I am praying for a re-awakening of God's children to a desire for holiness, that we would seek the character of Jesus again. I know that re-awakening must begin in me and I am crying out with all my heart, mind, soul and body. I am praying for this because I know that there will be no revival of God's children without it. We need to denounce the things we have done in the dark and society does in the daylight. We need to throw off what is not of God and seek his face with all our energy. We must call good good and evil evil. We must allow the Spirit to interpret God's Word to us and refuse the interpretation of man because man has it all messed up.
Let us make the decision to be his holy people again.
We can go back and look at the original language, tear things apart, look at them under a microscope, debate them, chew on them, and apply it to our current culture. The problem is that man changes. Our values change. Our culture changes. Our desires change as do our priorities. But God doesn't change. Interpreting his Word to make it more relevant to our culture is plan stupid. God is always relevant regardless of the culture. Society is not suppose to shape the Church, the Church is suppose to influence the society.
Man does not get to define good and bad. We do not get to decide what God considers evil. God has defined it and man has ignored it. We don't need to pick on homosexuality here, we have a whole list of things we can choose from. We can pick on abortion if you want. Do you know how many Christians have murdered their babies because society says it is okay? They ignore what God says and accept murder. I know of many Christians who decide to live with their boyfriend or girlfriend in a sexual relationship because society accepts it and God considers them married, or so they say.
Let me get a little more personal. I am not throwing stones here because I have no leg to stand on. I have been lost in pornography in the past. I have lied, stolen, cheated. I am a divorced man. As David said, my sin is always before me. I am also forgiven and I know my God has forgotten all these things even if I can't. I praise him every day for his grace and for the fact that his mercies are new every morning. But I also know this, he is a holy God and he has called me to his holiness. I cannot make excuses for my sin and I cannot allow society to seduce me into the dark by accepting my sin as "normal." I must pursue the righteousness of God, not man.
Forgive me as I repeat that point: I have no right to excuse my sin and live in it according to the interpretation of my society. I must be honest with Jesus, understand where I have fallen short, repent of my stubborn ways and run after his righteousness. Not a righteousness as defined by me or interpreted by my culture but a righteousness that is, was and always will be my God. I have a responsibility to flee from what is evil, not embrace it, excuse it and re-define it:
But the foundation that God has laid is solid. On it is written, “The Lord knows who his people are. So everyone who worships the Lord must turn away from evil.” (2 Timothy 2:19)
It doesn't matter if society says it is okay to murder my unborn child; God says it is evil. Flee! It doesn't matter if society says I don't need to be married to have sex with whoever I want, male or female; God says it is evil. Flee! It doesn't matter that society says looking at naked bodies is normal and natural; God says it is evil. Flee!
I am praying for a re-awakening of God's children to a desire for holiness, that we would seek the character of Jesus again. I know that re-awakening must begin in me and I am crying out with all my heart, mind, soul and body. I am praying for this because I know that there will be no revival of God's children without it. We need to denounce the things we have done in the dark and society does in the daylight. We need to throw off what is not of God and seek his face with all our energy. We must call good good and evil evil. We must allow the Spirit to interpret God's Word to us and refuse the interpretation of man because man has it all messed up.
Let us make the decision to be his holy people again.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
When Life Seems Too Confusing ...
Are you a bit confused? Join the club. There are a lot of things in this world that don't make sense. A lot of contradictions. At times life can be very complicated because our hearts can be complicated. Never forget, there is a battle raging over you. Your heart is the object of that battle.
Life is as complicated as we allow it to become. It is all a matter of decisions. Some decisions that we need to make we don't want to make because it means closing certain doors we do not want to close. Yet, by not making those decisions we are making a decision, and that is very sad.
If anything in life we should be decisive. Make the decision and live with it. No regrets. Just live with the consequences of that decision. But what if it is the wrong decision? How can we be certain that it is the right decision? Seriously, what if, after making a decision we realize it is the wrong decision? My only advice in this is not to follow your heart, because often it is corrupted by a selfish nature. You need to follow our measuring rod, the only real guide we have in this life: Jesus.
Measure your choices and decisions against Jesus. Consider what he has taught us. Consider his example. Consider his purpose for us. Consider if our decision adds to his glory or takes away from it. Listen to the Spirit, understanding that the Spirit will never go against the Word of God. Always be governed by Jesus' directive to love.
We get into trouble when we don't consider our decisions, we just react. Whatever we "feel" like doing we do. We allow our emotions, our loves and hates, likes and dislikes, pleasures and discomforts, to dictate our decisions. We filter perspectives with opinions and prejudices. Then, when things turn ugly, we are completely baffled by it.
Now, about that question: What if we do make wrong decisions because of our foolishness? Live with it. Seriously, we all mess up. We all occasionally get distracted and take our eyes off of Jesus. We all allow our emotions to get the better of us from time to time. We all make bad decisions. We shouldn't but we do. Living your life in regret will not benefit anyone. Say sorry. Ask for forgiveness. Repent. Do what you can to make amends in love and then have faith. Trust God.
Yes, even in our bad decisions God is sovereign. There is nothing wasted in the Kingdom. Our God is far greater than anything we can imagine and we are simply told, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28). This is found in the passage that explains that we are more than conquerors through Jesus. That means that we are overcomers. Through Jesus we overcome even our bad decisions by having faith that God turns everything to his advantage.
Grace is no excuse to sin. It is no excuse to sit back and put no effort into living for Jesus' glory. It is no excuse for reactive decision making in your life. Grace covers all things that fall through the cracks of our living for Jesus. This prevents regrets. It does not excuse an unrepentant heart but it does give us hope when we do repent.
This was not the blog I intended to write today. It was suppose to be part 2 of yesterday's blog but these are the words that evolved as my fingers flowed across the keyboard. It means these are the words you needed to read today. Take it to heart. Consider whether your life is governed by Jesus, whether every decision you make is weighed by his example. Consider that he has given you everything you need to live a life that glorifies him so make your decisions accordingly. I leave you with the words Peter was given to write, inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit:
"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:11)
Life is as complicated as we allow it to become. It is all a matter of decisions. Some decisions that we need to make we don't want to make because it means closing certain doors we do not want to close. Yet, by not making those decisions we are making a decision, and that is very sad.
If anything in life we should be decisive. Make the decision and live with it. No regrets. Just live with the consequences of that decision. But what if it is the wrong decision? How can we be certain that it is the right decision? Seriously, what if, after making a decision we realize it is the wrong decision? My only advice in this is not to follow your heart, because often it is corrupted by a selfish nature. You need to follow our measuring rod, the only real guide we have in this life: Jesus.
Measure your choices and decisions against Jesus. Consider what he has taught us. Consider his example. Consider his purpose for us. Consider if our decision adds to his glory or takes away from it. Listen to the Spirit, understanding that the Spirit will never go against the Word of God. Always be governed by Jesus' directive to love.
We get into trouble when we don't consider our decisions, we just react. Whatever we "feel" like doing we do. We allow our emotions, our loves and hates, likes and dislikes, pleasures and discomforts, to dictate our decisions. We filter perspectives with opinions and prejudices. Then, when things turn ugly, we are completely baffled by it.
Now, about that question: What if we do make wrong decisions because of our foolishness? Live with it. Seriously, we all mess up. We all occasionally get distracted and take our eyes off of Jesus. We all allow our emotions to get the better of us from time to time. We all make bad decisions. We shouldn't but we do. Living your life in regret will not benefit anyone. Say sorry. Ask for forgiveness. Repent. Do what you can to make amends in love and then have faith. Trust God.
Yes, even in our bad decisions God is sovereign. There is nothing wasted in the Kingdom. Our God is far greater than anything we can imagine and we are simply told, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28). This is found in the passage that explains that we are more than conquerors through Jesus. That means that we are overcomers. Through Jesus we overcome even our bad decisions by having faith that God turns everything to his advantage.
Grace is no excuse to sin. It is no excuse to sit back and put no effort into living for Jesus' glory. It is no excuse for reactive decision making in your life. Grace covers all things that fall through the cracks of our living for Jesus. This prevents regrets. It does not excuse an unrepentant heart but it does give us hope when we do repent.
This was not the blog I intended to write today. It was suppose to be part 2 of yesterday's blog but these are the words that evolved as my fingers flowed across the keyboard. It means these are the words you needed to read today. Take it to heart. Consider whether your life is governed by Jesus, whether every decision you make is weighed by his example. Consider that he has given you everything you need to live a life that glorifies him so make your decisions accordingly. I leave you with the words Peter was given to write, inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit:
"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:11)
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