You Have Only Begun To Show Me

Moses was a man who saw a lot. He had almost missed his destiny by trying to respond to his heart's desire in his own strength. Murder was not a vehicle to freedom. Even though he wanted to help his people, Yahweh had a bigger plan. Moses would become Yahweh's friend a chosen instrument to solidify the people into a nation God had chosen to reveal his glory to the world.

Moses got to speak with Yahweh. He represented him to Pharaoh. The great plagues of Yahweh were brought on Egypt through Moses. He had a front row seat for the divided sea, the manna, the quail, the water from rocks, the cloud representing Yahweh's presence, the giving of the Commandments, the meetings on the mountain, the meetings at the tent, the miraculous death of the rebellious, the budding of Aaron's staff, the correction of Miriam and all of the many things I probably left out. Yet, Moses knew there was even more:

You have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. (Deuteronomy 3:24)

Moses wanted Yahweh to change his mind and allow him into the Promised Land because he knew there was a lot more yet to be manifested concerning Yahweh. He had tasted and seen that God is good, and he wanted more. After all he had experienced he wanted even more.

Today, many of God's children hardly know him. When we have experienced so little of our Lord, how can we have so little desire for more of him? Our Father wants us to know him intimately. He wants us to have the same passion for him as he has for us. So why do we limit what we are willing to have revealed to us about him.

One hour in church.

Sing a few songs.

Politely listen.

Pay our tithes.

For most that is all they experience of Father.

Moses saw the miracles, the provision, heard his voice, experienced a portion of his glory, and so much more and yet he wanted to experience even more.

There is something wrong here.

I am praying that Father will call to us. If he doesn't call we can't respond. It is the Father who calls us to the Son, and it is only by the Son that we can come to Father. I am praying that he calls us today so we have an undying hunger for more of him. I don't want to be satisfied. I don't want to sit down. I don't want to stop until there is no more of his air in my lungs. I want to live Moses' reality:

You have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand.

Living Large In The Lord

Boldness is a mark of those who know who they are in Jesus. It has nothing to do with our intelligence, abilities, knowledge, skills and everything to do with our relationship with Jesus. When we realize and live the reality of his promises we step out each day in the confidence that we go in his strength and presence.

We've been lied to about not knowing the will of God, of not knowing the direction to take or the decisions to make. Jesus made it all clear and the only reasons we would not move forward is due to a lack of will on our part, laziness, or lack of a relationship. Moses is a great example to demonstrate this fact.

I have no doubt that Moses would have known about the Hebrew God growing up, as all the Hebrews did, but there was no revelation. None of them had a revelation. Yahweh had only revealed himself to a choice few and none of them were in Egypt at that time, or alive. It was Moses' heart to see his people freed but without knowing Yahweh he did what he thought was best and it got him in trouble.

Forty years later, Moses had a personal revelation of Yahweh through his burning bush experience. In fact, Moses went further than anyone else, being told what God's name was; "I AM who I AM", translated as Yahweh, Jehovah, and written as LORD in our Bibles. Even in this experience Moses was hesitant, offering up three excuses of why he couldn't accept Yahweh's call. He did not yet know Yahweh intimately. Moses at the end of Deuteronomy is not this same Moses. He had been transformed by an incredibly intimate relationship with "I AM who I AM". Moses' confidence was not in himself but in everything he had witnessed his God do:

"By this you will know that the Lord sent me to do these deeds and that it wasn't my own desire." (Numbers 6:28)

Skip ahead. Peter is another person who was completely transformed by a growing relationship with Jesus. Peter of the Gospels is not the same Peter of Acts. The receiving of the Spirit had much to do with this (the same Spirit we have received) but experiencing three years of intimacy with Jesus also helped, so that Peter did what he had seen Jesus do. Who could doubt the boldness of spirit that possessed Peter.

Paul was another of the great servants who operated in boldness. But Paul said that he considered anything he was and had before Jesus to be a lose. In other words, he was not reliant on his privileges, contacts, education, finances and instead placed himself in complete dependence on the Lord. Paul wrote many times in a similar fashion of Moses, that he did nothing in his own strength but in the strength of Jesus.

For our own convenience we have let go of this boldness today. We do what we have the resources to do. We do what we know how to do. We do what we want to do. We are bold in ourselves which means we are not very bold. Where is there faith in our lives? Where is the God column in our budgets? Where is the impossibilities of our projects? Where is God's glory in our lives? No where because most of us do not live intimacy with Jesus and so do not live by his strength.

I was challenged by the Spirit this week with a very simple thought that came in while I was talking a few things over with the Lord: "You are not living large enough for my glory". The same thing I just said to you was presented to me: He asked me, "Where is faith in your day?" "Where are you letting me show myself?" "For what am I getting the glory?"

It comes down to: Do we believe or don't we? If we believe then we are called to live big, in boldness, trust and faith, giving all the glory for what is produced to our Father, because that is the Son's desire. And if that is his desire, isn't it enough for those who say they love him? Are we living according to our ability or his?

Don't Be Like Them

Being a follower of Jesus, should we live according to our opinion or the instructions of Jesus? Should we be directed by our society or the commandments of the one who we claim as King? Sometimes it seems that somewhere along our walk we get disconnected from the implications of the decision we freely made to follow Jesus. It was our choice. It was our choice to allow him to transform our life. It was our choice to experience the second birth. Yet, somewhere, somehow, many of us have left off our desire to live like Jesus and now desire for ourselves.

We aren't losing ground because our churches aren't big enough or that we don't have enough programs. It isn't because our youth rallies aren't cool enough or our pastors not entertaining enough. It is because we no longer pursue a desire to live for Jesus but instead chase after the priorities of our world. Let's isolate one verse while keeping it in it's context. Jesus said:

Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. (Matthew 6:8)

The words of Jesus. A message for every age but especially for today. Don't be like them. Don't be like the rest of the world. Don't be like those who make life all about survival, possessions, working themselves to death. Don't be like those who store away treasures that they will never get to spend. Don't be like those who search for escape in the distractions of this world. Don't be like those who seek purpose in things that will have no value in eternity.

Jesus told us not to be like them but instead to spend our days seeking the things of the Kingdom. As citizens of this Kingdom, as children of our Father, we are to pursue and discover the priorities of our God, the things he considers to be important. If this does not attract you or have any interest for you, you should understand that you are not where you need to be with Jesus.

It's easy to get to that wrong place. It only takes a neglect of our relationship with Jesus, a neglect of God's Word, a neglect of prayer, a neglect of worship, a neglect of church. For a while we feel okay and everything seems fine and then we even start to lie to ourselves. But decide to be honest for a moment. Is Jesus still the greatest love of your life? Is your eternity the greatest priority? Is your love for people and concern for their salvation your greatest interest? Is your life about yourself or others? Are you distracted by the things of our society?

Don't be like them!

Now is not the time to faint and fall away. Now is not the time to sit and rest for a while. Now is not the time to become distracted. Time is short. Know the Father's heart and pursue those things.

Lest We Forget

Have you ever noticed that no matter how much you have, your need is always just a little bit more. I often say, if I had a million dollars my bills would come to a million and one. I think there is a very specific reason for this. It is called, dependence.

We are a very capable people. We are intelligent, crafty, and sometimes even wise. We can think our way out of almost any situation. If we can't do it with our hands we come up with an appropriate tool. We walked on the moon, sent probes to Mars and have flung research ships out beyond the edge of our solar system. We have built high and dug low. We have learned how to manipulate our environment to meet our comfort level. We have learned to cure diseases, grow babies in a test tube and to kill others in their mothers' wombs without killing the mom. Is there any limit to our highs and lows, our good and evil? But we are also very forgetful.

Jesus met ten blind men and healed them all, but only one returned to thank him. Yahweh gave Israel their own land and blessed them in it, but within a generation they forgot. We have a very short term memory when it comes to the goodness of Father. Today we could be facing something terrible, ask for help, receive it and the very next day doubt his goodness when we face the next problem. Relationship is about building a mutual history of proven love and trust but it seems that our history with Jesus restarts every day, as if he has done nothing for us in the past.

It is for this reason that Moses warned Israel:

“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today,  lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them;  and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;  when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end—then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’" (Deuteronomy 8:11-17)

Moses was telling them to keep the commandments now, making it an essential part of their living so that when times are good they would not forget why they are good. We may consider the same thing with spiritual disciplines. Our Bible, prayer, worship, stewardship and such are not just for the bad times. These are tools that keep us intimate with our Saviour. Without them we forget Jesus in the good times. Could you imagine a friend who showed up at your door only when he was in need?

Too often we neglect to remember the overwhelming part Jesus plays in our victories and success. We are not self-made people. We are sheep. We have a shepherd. We are dependent on him. We do not wander off and do our own thing. We follow his direction and do what he tells us to do. In good times he leads us to great pasture; in bad times he protects us with his staff. He is not a wish granting genie but our constant companion who does more for us in a day than we could possibly realize.Our dependence is always on him and all praise is due him. So take time each and every day to pray, study your Bible, meditate on the Word, worship, be good stewards and serve, lest you forget.

Knowledge, Wisdom, Gifting (3)

Success depends on three things : knowledge, wisdom and gifting. In the last two days we have considered that knowledge is our responsibility. We are the ones who must gain knowledge, which in this day and age, is as close as our finger tips. However, to apply that knowledge within the definition of our relationship with our LORD, we need wisdom. Wisdom is found in Yahweh, who freely gives it when we seek and ask for it. But there is a third element we need for success and it is one most of us neglect. What is your gifting?

Long before we see light or breathe air Yahweh knits into us gifts. Some people refer to these as talents or abilities but gifts is a better description because they have been given to us by our Creator. These are the things that we do not learn but are born with the ability to do. We may have to practice our gifts to become more familiar with them but they are the thing that gives us the ability to do better than most people.

For instance, I am a musician. I started learning how to play a musical instrument in the fifth grade. It was not an easy thing for me but it made me feel like I was part of something; something special. It took me hours of practicing but even with my great effort I could never rise above average. Yet I watched other children around me excel. Certainly they had to work hard at their craft but there was something inside of them that made them shine. I became a mechanical musician, doing all the right things at the right time, but the gifted ones moved people when they played.

We spend a lot of time teaching children the fundamentals in education and we try to get them to pursue what interests them, but we spend little time in investigating their gifts. Many people spend their lives working against the grain, doing the things that are mechanical and average instead of what their Creator had given them to do. Let me give you an example from the Scriptures.

Yahweh was instructing Moses on the tabernacle he wanted built so there would be a place where the priests could carry out their obligations to him, a place for the people to offer worship. He was very detailed in his instructions and something like this, such a holy place, needed to be built of the best materials in the best manner possible. It could not be mediocre or average. It required artisans but the very best of the artisans. This is what we discover:

And I (Yahweh), indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you. (Exodus 31:6)

Here we see the three elements that we have been speaking of: knowledge, wisdom and gifting. A little more specifically we read:

And Moses said to the children of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship (Exodus 35:30-31)

We can study hard, gain knowledge and even receive wisdom to know how to apply that knowledge but if we want real success, as described by our LORD, then we need to work within our gifting. Uri had the knowledge of his craft, but it was the LORD who called him to be above everyone else by the gifting and wisdom he have him.

Yahweh has given us these gifts for a purpose and the responsibility is on us to know what those gifts are so we can walk in our purpose. Don't just look at what interests you but what you are good at doing. Ask the LORD to reveal it to you. Ask your family what they see in you. Ask your pastor and friends. Understand there is a plan and design for you and the LORD wants you to be successful in it. That doesn't mean money and fame necessarily, but successful in what he has given you to do.

Knowledge, Wisdom, Gifting (2)

So you are a person filled with knowledge. You have studied hard, filled your brain, impressed a lot of people; now what? Now what are you going to do with all that knowledge? What is it good for? How are you going to apply it? There are a lot of smart people in the world. There are a lot of people who love to read. There are a lot of information junkies but very few do anything with it. It's like they think it's just about them so they keep that knowledge to themselves, nullifying its purpose.

Gaining knowledge, kept in the context of our relationship with Yahweh is excellent, but it is useless without the wisdom to know how to apply it. But wisdom is not something that can be learned as it's source is Yahweh. Wisdom is only found in our LORD.

Here is the thing about wisdom: You need to know you need it. Second, you need to desire it, to seek for it. Third, you need to ask for it.

Solomon, in his instructions to his son, emphasized the great importance of wisdom and described it as honey:

My son, eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 14:13-14)

Wisdom is a sustaining thing of life and he describes the lack of it like death:

The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of wisdom. (Proverbs 10:21)

We need to know that we need wisdom in order to honour God and fulfil our purpose.

In knowing that we need it we will begin to desire it, to seek for it. But we don't seek as the world does, because we seek only in the LORD who is the source of all wisdom:

For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints. (Proverbs 2:6-8)

But we must seek it. It doesn't just happen. It's like Solomon told his son, he has to "get" wisdom:

Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. (Proverbs 4:7-8)

The world tells us that wisdom comes from years of experience but that is wisdom as measured by the world. The wisdom of value is a gift from our LORD.

We know we need it, it is something we desire, so how do we obtain wisdom. James told us simply to ask:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5-6)

Of course when we ask of our LORD the things he desires for us to have, they are ours. We act in faith that we have them and it is amazing what the LORD is able to accomplish through us. Don't expect it to look like it does in the world and don't expect the world to agree with you. The wisdom of the LORD is not based upon the principles of this world but upon Yahweh himself. It is amazing though the difference it makes when the LORD's wisdom is used to apply our knowledge.

You know you need it, you desire it, you have asked for it, now walk in it. Tomorrow we look at the third element of success: God's Gifting.

A Word To The Discouraged Heart

Discouragement is a very powerful thing that does not always come with roots. By roots I mean legitimate causes. Sometimes we can easily see the reasons we are discouraged; our expectations are not met, things are not where we want them to be, failure even though we tried our best. Sometimes it is because of circumstances beyond our control or even caused by us. Then there are other times when there is not justifiable reason, we simple feel discouraged by things in general.

Discouragement does not belong to the children of God. I know we will face it at times but it doesn't belong to us; it is foreign. Discouragement should never be left to take root in us but should be dealt with right away. Confess your feelings. Admit that it is what you are facing. Then ask the Spirit to deal with this thing that is inside of you. Sing, shout, declare the Lordship of Jesus in all things.

The only effective way of dealing with discouragement is to go deeper with Jesus. It won't seem to be working at first and you will really have to push through to get there. I mean, you are going to have to fight. It is a battle to make your flesh submit to your spirit but you can't afford to lose this battle. Why do you think Jacob wrestled with God?

Jacob was facing a very difficult situation. He was running away from one problem only to face another that he had created a long time ago. He had wronged his brother and now he was about to come face to face with him. I am sure you have felt stuck between a rock and a hard place with no easy solution. Jacob did what most of us do in desperate times, he sought assurance from God. Perhaps for the first time in his life Jacob realized that his fast talking would not get him out of this. Filled with fear, anxiety, uncertainty, perhaps discouragement, he would not let go of God until he received his blessing.

I don't think many of us have ever been in this place with God, but we should be. We should all have to face such a time as this, when we are forced to be honest with ourselves and admit our only hope is Jesus Christ. We should all be in that place where we refuse to let go of God, because we have no other hope, until we receive his blessing, his assurance, his promises, his hope, his love.

We are in a time in history when the enemy of our soul is doing everything he can to discourage us. We will have discouragement without root and we will have discouragement with deep roots, like Jacob. Our Father's enemy will accuse us of failure. He will accuse us of what God has forgiven. He will make sure that we see the discouraging things around us and hear the discouraging reports as the Israelites did. And most of it will focus on us. What we did or did not do. Our failures. Our lose. That is how you will recognize him, by his emphasis on you, to provoke your emotions. But knowing this will not be enough to protect your heart. You are going to have to learn to wrestle.

We are warned in Scripture:

My friends, watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called “today.” If you don’t, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let’s hold tightly to our faith until the end. (Hebrews 3:12-14)

The Scripture encourages us not to be like the Israelites who listened to discouraging reports and refused to enter into what God had promised. My friends, the end is in sight; now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to press on and we need to watch out for each other, to testify to each other, to lift each other up, to pray, encourage, and love each other.

Don't you dare give up: Don't! Jesus is coming!

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?

Genuine Imitations

Be careful, the values, priorities and patterns of our society do not belong to us and must not be part of us. Just because it is accepted in society does not mean it is accepted by our Holy God. There is real danger here. It seems that originality and individualism are highly prized in our society, even though most people conform to the image of society. We however do not desire to be an original; we want to be imitators, but not of society:

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children. (Ephesians 5:1)

You know that attitude, when children are of the age of seeing mom and dad as their heroes. That is when their greatest aspiration is to be just like dad or just like mom. As followers of Jesus that attitude must remain our desire, to be imitators of God.

We are dearly loved children and our Father has given us an example to follow. He gave us Jesus as the first born, the one who opened the door for us, set the path, showed us how it is done. Along with that we have the Spirit who is transforming us into the likeness of Jesus. There is no other measuring rod for us. We do not compare ourselves to society, successful people, even heroes of the faith. There is only one example we follow and it is Jesus, our big brother, friend, Saviour, Lord and King. Let the world mock us and call us names but Jesus is our hero and our desire is to be just like him.

His is example is based on one foundation and we have a lifetime to search the height, breadth and depth of the matter, not just to understand it but to live it:

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Love is the foundation of all of creation and of our lives. I don`t know how people miss this message in the Word of God. The example we follow, the power that transforms, the life we are to live is that of Jesus' love. Not our love because it is too pathetic in nature to be of any use; it has to be Jesus`love. This love is sacrificial and fragrant.

Quick, look at your life before you notice yourself looking. Quick glance! What do you see? Is it a life of sacrificial love or something ugly and pathetic? I am not saying you are pathetic but what we try to be becomes pathetic in nature because we try to live for God in our love and strength. If we could do it ourselves Jesus would not have had to die. We have to live his love. We have to be transformed by his love, made new, different eyes to see, different priorities to live. We must be permeated by that love which calls us into action and provokes us to serve God beyond our pain and circumstances.

Here is your test to see if you love Jesus: Do you do what he has told you to do? Do you obey?

Here is your test to see if you love people: Do you consider them more important than yourself?

A Christian life is not weak or pathetic, controlled by poverty or circumstances. A Christian life is not clouded by struggles and personal opinions. A Christian life is powerful in love, joy, peace and hope. A Christian life is filled with the powerful sacrificial love that changes every situation and life it touches. Powerful I say!

Be imitators of God: live a life of love. This should be the desire of our heart as we serve Jesus every second of our life, living for his glory by sacrificing our lives for others, investing into them the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Anything else makes us cheap imitations. I don't know about you but after living my life here, I don't want to have to explain to Jesus why I only had a cheap life, with a cheap faith and a cheap love. I want to be as rich in my love as Jesus is because I want to be lust like him.

I am not there yet, but it is my desire to be. So every day I surrender my will, my heart, my mind, my strength to Jesus so that he may live through me. And as he does, I am changed and made more like him. Anything less will not do. My friends, are you genuine imitations?

Our King's Desire

There is nothing that destroys school spirit more than disunity, when there is no unifying force like a well loved sports team or a beloved principal. There is nothing that destroys the strength of an army more than division in the ranks, when there is no unifying leader or, for that matter, enemy. There is nothing that destroys the beauty of a family more than shattered unity, when there is something that divides the mom and dad. Unity is a powerful thing, beautiful in its effectiveness. Yet unity's beauty is as delicate as a flower, easy to crush.

That is the state of unity in the world but it should look much different in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. We have a much loved King we share in common. We have a common enemy we fight against. Our list of things in common is long and our differences short. We are members of the same family with an awesome Father involved in our daily living. We share the same Spirit. We just don't see the importance of unity and don't understand the glory we are robbing from Jesus by our disunity.

Do you remember this prayer from Jesus?

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23)

We hear about so many other things that Jesus taught but on this prayer of unity we hear very little. It is our King's prayer that you and I would be one, united together so that in our unity this lost and rebellious world would see Jesus and understand his love. It is hard to preach this message of love when we can't manage to love each other.

Most people don't even understand the church doctrines they defend against other believers. We defend them because it is the church we were born in. These walls need to come down and the Church needs to rise up so we can be effective in our purpose. Apostle Paul told us what unites us:

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:3-6)

Paul makes it very simple, giving us a list of the doctrines that keep us united under Jesus. There is one body (Church), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Father. That's it. Plain and simple. This is what you and I have in common, the reason we can worship and serve side by side and why our hearts should be filled with love for one another.

It should be enough that our King's desire is for us to be united, to be one as he and the Father are one. Just that alone should give us the desire to set aside any differences and be united. Our purpose is to bring glory to God, to allow his glory to be seen in us. He said to love him and love others; be united with him and united with others; be one with him and one with each other.

So, let us love one another as Jesus has loved us (with great sacrifice) and allow the world to see Jesus.

He Fell In Love With You Before There Was Light

Do you know why I love Jesus? He never gave up on me. Despite my rebellion against him he never walked away. Despite my disobedience he never washed his hands of me. Despite my whining and complaining he never got frustrated and left me to my own. Despite my disbelief he never stopped believing in me. When Jesus tells me he loves me it comes with a depth of action that no one else can match.

If we all know this, how can any of us not understand and accept the blessings of God today?

Look up!

Jesus loves us as the Father loves us and the Father has loved us before he called light into being. He loved us and he laid out his plan to rescue us even before he created man, before man had a chance to rebel, before any of this happened. Yes, our Father knew exactly what was going to happen and he made is plans to counter it with love and then he went ahead with bringing everything into being.

He went ahead with it because he wanted you to have the opportunity to know him. He wanted the opportunity, even the possibility of the opportunity, of being with you.

It is like the mom and dad who get the news that their unborn child has a defect. The doctor asks if they want to terminate the pregnancy. But their heart is already so full of love for that child that they can't imagine never meeting her. Despite the cost they want to know that child and fill her life with their love. The only difference is that our Father heals our defects.

Get this:

In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Ephesians 1:5-6) 

Predestined, not as in done without our will. Predestined, as in we are destined for salvation, as in it is ours if we accept it. It is our Father's will, desire, longing and hope that everyone would be saved from the destruction of our rebellion.

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

He loves us all that much! He loves all of us that much, sinner and saint.

Having a hard day, week, month, year? Then be encouraged this morning by embracing this blessing that, according to our Father's pleasure and will, he has always planned to adopt you as his son. We say "son" here because in the tradition of the Bible it is the son who inherits the blessings of the father, and in this sense we have all been called sons, male and female. Don't lose the beauty of this blessing over the male and female issue.

The fact is, our Father considered the thought of you before he called the light into being and fell in love with you, deciding he wanted you to be his. Before he said "Let there be light" he was already in love with you.

Reflect on that today and see how blessed you end up feeling.

And he did this through the first born, who he dearly loves, our Lord and King, Jesus! Yes, the same Jesus who never gives up on us no matter what.

Oh, I feel the need to find a rooftop and shout out my love and praises for such an incredibly Father and his Son who shares his Father's love for us.

Stop Getting In The Way

The self-help, self-improvement, self-whatever industry has certainly made a lot of money off of peoples desires to be more than they are. We all have that desire in one form or another. Some people want to improve their intelligence so they work on math skills and general problem solving. Some want to improve their heath so they join a gym. Whatever you want to improve you will find hundreds of books, videos and articles on it.

It is no different spiritually. Many people want to know more, be more but often we run out of energy or desire. Spiritual practices take too much effort or cost too much or just get boring. The fact is, we don't have very much determination and stamina. Apostle Paul said of these things:

These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. (Colossians 2:22)

He also says of them:

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (v. 23)

People may have been a little more extreme in Paul's day about self-improvement but the basic principles are there: a desire to improve on ourselves by controlling our desires.

Most self-improvement principles are based on self-discipline and self-control, when we take control over those things that control us. It could be our appetite, tv watching, sex, swearing, bad thoughts, or anything that we are trying get a handle on. Most people don't realize that these are all provoked by our sin nature and there is no controlling that.

The Word of God makes it clear that mankind is enslaved to the sin nature. No matter what we try we cannot escape from this nature. We may make small inroads if we are really determined but we will always be disappointed in the results. We may be able to get our body in shape but it will not improve our character. We may manage to improve on our intellectual capacity but it will not improve our wisdom. We may be able to influence a few surface things but it will not deal with the underlying nature of indulgence.

There is only one power that can deal with the sin nature and that is Jesus Christ. It is what the cross was all about. If we could have done it ourselves God would not have had to sacrifice himself to rescue us. In the letter to the Romans Paul describes what it is to be controlled by the sin nature and he concludes with this:

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24-25)

The sad thing is that sometimes we think we have let Jesus rescue us but in fact we are still amongst the self-help group. The only way to allow Jesus to rescue us is to completely give up to him, to surrender it all, to allow his power to take over and to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit. When we learn to "Be still" we will discover the power of Jesus. As long as we are trying to rescue ourselves we are getting in the way of the real rescuer.

Stop trying to conform and allow Jesus Christ to transform!

Would You Consider Yourself A Godly Person?

How are you doing today? Things okay? How would you describe your journey so far? Any confusion? Is everything pretty clear? How are you handling the draw of this world on your flesh? Any mixed messages happening there with your fellow Christians? The battle can be pretty hard sometimes when we are surrounded by so many tempting things. The world can appear really attractive and we can get pretty tired of trying to stay on the right path but the desire for godliness has many rewards, including eternity. But what is godliness?

We are going to look at godliness in greater depth next week but for now let us summarize it by saying it is us becoming like Jesus. It is us being transformed with his character. Some have referred to it as "a pursuit" of Jesus' character but only in the sense that it is our desire. It is where we turn our back on the character that is produced in this world because of our desire for Jesus' character. It is when Jesus becomes more important to us than anything we could pursue in this world. If godliness is the working out of Jesus' character in us then it would help to know the character of Jesus.

We all know that Jesus is loving and compassionate but that is only part of his character. I am going to give you a four point summary that simplifies the character of Jesus and that allows you to put all that he did under these descriptions:

- Jesus was* completely committed to our Father.
- Jesus was entirely dependent on the Spirit's enabling. He did nothing without the Spirit.
- Jesus loved others.
- Jesus proclaimed the Good News wherever he went.

Read that over a few times. This is a good summary of Jesus' character but it is not exhaustive. It allows us to see in a nutshell what that character should look like in us. Ask yourself:

- Am I totally sold out to Jesus? Is there anything else that has my attention, time, talents and heart?
- Am I completely dependent on the Holy Spirit to enable me to do all things? Is there any part of it where I trust in my own abilities, money, opinions and ideas?
- Do I love others with sacrifice, considering their needs greater than my own? Do I only love according to convenience, when it suits me, when I feel like it and as long as it is what I want to do?
- Do I freely share the Good News about Jesus and the Father's plan for salvation? Do I proclaim freedom to the prisoners? Do I shed light in the darkness for people to see? Or do I keep the Good News to myself in the fear of offending someone?

Interesting isn't it. Funny, it wasn't my intention to write any of that. I just wanted to point out what Paul said to Timothy. Godliness is not a natural ingredient found in us. It is something that must be produced in us by the Holy Spirit but we must desire it. Like everything in the Kingdom we must first desire it before we can have it. We must desire salvation to be saved. We must desire godliness to be godly. There is only one source of godliness:

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:

   He appeared in the flesh,
   was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
   was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
   was taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

That mystery from which godliness springs is the great mystery that the Father has revealed to us. Once we were blind but now we see so very clearly the Son of God, the Lord of lords, the King of kings, Jesus the Christ. He is the only source of godliness and it is to be like him we must desire. As we allow that desire to grow in us the Spirit will enable us. We will become more like him as we journey through this life for the purpose of developing this character.

When I asked how you were doing at the beginning of this you may have measured your response according to the standards of this world but that is not what I meant. How are you doing in your walk with Christ? How are you doing in this "pursuit" of godliness? Where is your heart right now? Are you completely and entirely committed to Jesus Christ? Are you completely dependent on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit? Do you spend your days loving others as Jesus has loved you? Are you so convinced and excited about Jesus that you have to share the news wherever you go? That is what I meant when I asked "How are you doing?" So, how are you doing?


* "was" refers to the three year ministry period. Jesus was, is, and forever will be. Jesus has always been, being one of the three in the Godhead - God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit.

My Heart's Desire In This Brand New Year

Sometimes great things come out of New Year resolutions, especially when they are provoked by the Holy Spirit. A year ago I was challenged by the Spirit to write my blog every single day of the year. This was a challenge for me, especially on Sundays because often the blog was a separate subject from what I was preaching that day. I stuck to it and ended up writing my 369th blog of the year yesterday and I was blessed in doing it. Now, what about this year?

I woke up this morning with one thought in my heart and one prayer on my lips. I was speaking to the Lord even before I realized I was awake and what I heard my spirit say is, "Lord, I give to you all 365 days of this new year. My desire is to seek nothing for myself in these days but to only seek you and your will; to serve, love, and seek you with all my heart, mind, body and strength."

Almost from day 1 of 2010 I faced overwhelming challenges that threatened to destroy me and my faith. I identified with the psalmist as he wrote:

Do not cast me away when I am old; 
   do not forsake me when my strength is gone. 
For my enemies speak against me; 
   those who wait to kill me conspire together. 
They say, “God has forsaken him; 
   pursue him and seize him,    for no one will rescue him.” (Psalm 71:9-11)

I had a choice, I could hold on to my faith and trust my Lord or I could allow myself to be pulled down into despair and be lost to my God and those who love me. I chose the Lord because he is all I have known since my youth and he has never failed me, not even during those times I failed him. He always stayed close and covered me by his grace which sprang from his love. So as I look at what he has done for me over this past year my heart yearns with a desire to bless him will all my love and life. Again I find my words on the psalmist's tongue:

But as for me, I will always have hope; 
   I will praise you more and more. 
My mouth will tell of your righteousness, 
   of your salvation all day long, 
   though I know not its measure. 
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;    I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. (Psalm 71:14-16) 

As I look at this past year I have no doubt that I accomplished nothing of any worthy yet God accomplished great things through me. I want to see more of that. Less of me everyday in this new year and more of Jesus. He has provoked such a song in my heart by his great acts of mercy and grace. He has revealed a greater portion of his heart and given me understanding to comprehend it. The more I understand the more I realize I want all of him and nothing of myself. My greatest worth is found in what he has done for me and what he has called me too. Nothing I have pursued for myself has stood the test of the fires and been of any benefit. All I know is I want to be faithful to him from my youth to my last breath, when I no longer have any strength in this feeble body to carry on:

Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, 
   and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. 
Even when I am old and gray, 
   do not forsake me, O God, 
till I declare your power to the next generation,    your might to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:17-18)

After all he has done for me in this past year, how could I have any other response than to give him my all in this new year. Every day, each moment of each day, in all that I pursue and desire, I pray his glory will shine as I follow his will. May this year bring you and yours even greater revelation of the depth of God's love and may the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ shine through you for all the world to see. May you be faithful to him in all that he desires for you and your family. May his praise be forever found on your lips in this brand new year.