There are certain principles of Christianity that we know, understand and speak about a lot, but we don't necessarily understand them enough to put them into practice. I am not saying that Christianity is a matter of practicing certain behaviours. Instead it is a knowledge that certain behaviours belong to rebellion and others please Father. With this knowledge we desire to live in a way that pleases and honours Father even if we are powerless to do it. That desire is then empowered by the Spirit in us because we were made a new creation through Jesus, so we are changed bit by bit to be more like Jesus.
When I first started out with Jesus I was a very critical and judgmental person, as I find many new Christians are. It takes us a while to get our footing and to understand that how Father sees things is different then how we see it. We tend to see all the things people do wrong according to the Law. Father sees a creation he loves lost in rebellion against him. He sees a creation he wants to come back to him, to become his children. He sees with love. He would rather forgive than condemn and that is what we need to remember, for ourselves and others.
The struggle for Christians is the tension between forgiveness and justice. It sounds simple enough. If we have been forgiven we should forgive, which is what Jesus instructs us to do. He told some very powerful parables on the danger of accepting forgiveness but not offering forgiveness. Our problem is our sense of justice, wanting people who do wrong things against us to pay for those wrong things. It can take us a while to fully understand from our heart and not just our head how important it is to forgive as we have been forgiven but once the Spirit has made this a part of our character, we see everything differently.
As far as judgement is concerned, when we keep pushing in with Jesus, our perspective changes. We begin to realize that every person is susceptible to the rebellious nature of sin and we all mess up. Each of us is accountable to Jesus and what Jesus thinks is so much more important than anyone else. He knows our struggle and it is the reason that salvation is a gift of grace and not something that we earn. Because it is a gift based on Jesus' actions, the only way I cannot possess it is if I refuse it. This is true for me any everyone else.
With the truth of this accountability we need to apply this simple Scripture:
Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4)
With this shifting of perspective we become cheerleaders for our brothers and sisters instead of judge and jury. When we realize the greatness of Father's love for those who belong to him and even for those who don't, we tread with respect in the lives of others.
No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. We are all at different levels of maturity, knowledge and understanding. We are all wrong in some part of our understanding but we are all growing. I try to keep in mind what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi:
Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. (Philippians 3:15)
We all belong to Jesus and where we are wrong Jesus will bring correction and we are not to judge those who belong to Jesus because Jesus is going to bring them into victory. And we are glad for it. Our great desire, along with the salvation of everyone, is that everyone who is saved will be victorious over everything in their lives. If this is not yet your desire it will be as you grow into it.
Showing posts with label understanding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label understanding. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
We Have The Knowledge, So What Is The Problem?
Lack of knowledge is not our problem; lack of application is. We have more knowledge available to us now than at any other point in history. I am not speaking of the knowledge available to the elite of academia but of the general masses of people who occupy this planet. More information is available at our finger tips than can be found in the city library. But has it made us any wiser? Are we any better off because of it?
The same can be said of the Church and the general population of Christians. We have more teaching on the Word of God available to us than at any other time. More teaching videos, recorded sermons, blogs, books, dvds and blue rays, stuffed with incredible teaching and revelation. But it all amounts to nothing without application. The Word of God is not about acquired knowledge but holy living.
We have all the answers. We know what we need to do to be strong in the Lord and to be used by him. It is not new just unused. Our failure is not knowledge but wisdom. Our failure is the application of the knowledge we have gained. I know I am repeating myself but I am desperate for me to understand and apply this fact, and maybe you know what I mean:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
You know this. You have studied it. You have memorized it. You might even have it on a poster on your wall. But how many times have we failed to apply it and paid the price of sleepless nights because of it?
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (v. 6)
You have told other people to do this. You've sung about it. You have taken notes from countless sermons on this. But how many times have we failed to apply it?
We know that we can have an incredibly intimate relationship with Jesus. He desires it and has made it possible. We also know that the vehicles of such a relationship is prayer, Bible meditation, worship, service but do we apply this knowledge? Do we set aside the things that have no eternal worth to lay up treasures in heaven? Do we do everything we can on our part to cultivate an intimate relationship?
We can't blame Jesus. We know the blame lies with us. We know that we suffer because of our own neglect. We know we suffer because of our inaction. We know that he seems so far away and detached because that is what we have done. We have the knowledge. We know what to do. Is it important enough to us to apply it? To be wise? To take action? Lack of knowledge is not our problem; application is.
The same can be said of the Church and the general population of Christians. We have more teaching on the Word of God available to us than at any other time. More teaching videos, recorded sermons, blogs, books, dvds and blue rays, stuffed with incredible teaching and revelation. But it all amounts to nothing without application. The Word of God is not about acquired knowledge but holy living.
We have all the answers. We know what we need to do to be strong in the Lord and to be used by him. It is not new just unused. Our failure is not knowledge but wisdom. Our failure is the application of the knowledge we have gained. I know I am repeating myself but I am desperate for me to understand and apply this fact, and maybe you know what I mean:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
You know this. You have studied it. You have memorized it. You might even have it on a poster on your wall. But how many times have we failed to apply it and paid the price of sleepless nights because of it?
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (v. 6)
You have told other people to do this. You've sung about it. You have taken notes from countless sermons on this. But how many times have we failed to apply it?
We know that we can have an incredibly intimate relationship with Jesus. He desires it and has made it possible. We also know that the vehicles of such a relationship is prayer, Bible meditation, worship, service but do we apply this knowledge? Do we set aside the things that have no eternal worth to lay up treasures in heaven? Do we do everything we can on our part to cultivate an intimate relationship?
We can't blame Jesus. We know the blame lies with us. We know that we suffer because of our own neglect. We know we suffer because of our inaction. We know that he seems so far away and detached because that is what we have done. We have the knowledge. We know what to do. Is it important enough to us to apply it? To be wise? To take action? Lack of knowledge is not our problem; application is.
Monday, March 24, 2014
How To Know Good Advice From Bad
It is tough being in the midst of trials. Sometimes it is really hard to know where to turn, who to trust, who really has your best interest at heart. Sometimes we simply turn to whoever appears to be the most available, the person who readily offers their opinion. Often that is the very last person to whom we should listen. Often this person is filled with nothing but the counsel of the world and has no understanding of the spiritual realm to which we belong. Their advice works perfectly well for someone of this world but misses the mark for the citizens of the Kingdom. That is something we should always keep in mind.
People whose roots are in this world cannot see what we see; they do not know what we know; they cannot understand what we understand. A great example of this is when king Sennacherib, the great king of Assyria, tried to frighten king Hezekiah and Jerusalem into surrender. Why fight a battle when you can frighten your enemy into submission? Is that not the tactic of the enemy of our soul? He says to Hezekiah:
“What confidence is this in which you trust? I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him." (Isaiah 36:4-6)
This king could not figure out why Hezekiah was resisting him so he looked around for the obvious. He guessed wrong that Hezekiah was hoping Egypt would come to his rescue but Hezekiah's only plan was to trust Yahweh. This king saw Hezekiah's confidence and assumed it was according to the plans of the world. But he didn't leave Hezekiah's faith alone either:
“But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?” (Isaiah 36:7)
He had heard of Hezekiah's reforms but misinterpreted them. Hezekiah had inherited a messed up kingdom that worshiped every god of every neighbour and then some. He brought in revival with his reign because he loved the Lord our God with his entire being. He did a cleansing of the land and threw out every idol, teaching the people the Law and having them return to the proper worship at the Temple. This was a good thing that provoked the love and protection of Yahweh.
Yet the world look on this and did not understand. They misinterpreted his actions of love and devotion. They figured Hezekiah had blown it and was now at the mercy of the gods he had offended. Hezekiah stuck to his trust in Yahweh and Yahweh himself delivered them from the king of Assyria.
People without Jesus can only evaluate your situation from their experience, from what they know, and what they know is the wisdom of man. It will sound reasonable because it is, for those who are without Jesus. They are only following the rules and habits that they know. However, we belong to another set of principles established by Father. We belong to another place, the Kingdom of Jesus. We have a different ruler than the false prince of this world and he is the true King of creation. We are no longer governed by the patterns of this world and so cannot receive counsel based on it. We need wise counsel and direction from those planted firmly in Jesus.
Be very careful because since we live in this place temporarily we can become accustomed to its rules. We can be tricked by the sound arguments of this place. Everything we hear makes sense by what we see, but we do not walk by sight. We walk by faith in Jesus, in the Word, by the Spirit, according to the principles of the Kingdom. More than any other book ever produced by man we should be in love and know the one book produced by the Holy Spirit. Above all else, allow it to be your guide as taught to you by the Spirit. He will never fail you, even in the face of the kings of this world.
People whose roots are in this world cannot see what we see; they do not know what we know; they cannot understand what we understand. A great example of this is when king Sennacherib, the great king of Assyria, tried to frighten king Hezekiah and Jerusalem into surrender. Why fight a battle when you can frighten your enemy into submission? Is that not the tactic of the enemy of our soul? He says to Hezekiah:
“What confidence is this in which you trust? I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him." (Isaiah 36:4-6)
This king could not figure out why Hezekiah was resisting him so he looked around for the obvious. He guessed wrong that Hezekiah was hoping Egypt would come to his rescue but Hezekiah's only plan was to trust Yahweh. This king saw Hezekiah's confidence and assumed it was according to the plans of the world. But he didn't leave Hezekiah's faith alone either:
“But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?” (Isaiah 36:7)
He had heard of Hezekiah's reforms but misinterpreted them. Hezekiah had inherited a messed up kingdom that worshiped every god of every neighbour and then some. He brought in revival with his reign because he loved the Lord our God with his entire being. He did a cleansing of the land and threw out every idol, teaching the people the Law and having them return to the proper worship at the Temple. This was a good thing that provoked the love and protection of Yahweh.
Yet the world look on this and did not understand. They misinterpreted his actions of love and devotion. They figured Hezekiah had blown it and was now at the mercy of the gods he had offended. Hezekiah stuck to his trust in Yahweh and Yahweh himself delivered them from the king of Assyria.
People without Jesus can only evaluate your situation from their experience, from what they know, and what they know is the wisdom of man. It will sound reasonable because it is, for those who are without Jesus. They are only following the rules and habits that they know. However, we belong to another set of principles established by Father. We belong to another place, the Kingdom of Jesus. We have a different ruler than the false prince of this world and he is the true King of creation. We are no longer governed by the patterns of this world and so cannot receive counsel based on it. We need wise counsel and direction from those planted firmly in Jesus.
Be very careful because since we live in this place temporarily we can become accustomed to its rules. We can be tricked by the sound arguments of this place. Everything we hear makes sense by what we see, but we do not walk by sight. We walk by faith in Jesus, in the Word, by the Spirit, according to the principles of the Kingdom. More than any other book ever produced by man we should be in love and know the one book produced by the Holy Spirit. Above all else, allow it to be your guide as taught to you by the Spirit. He will never fail you, even in the face of the kings of this world.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Why Do We Pray?
We all nod in agreement whenever someone states that we need time with Jesus every day. But that is a misleading statement because we are always with Jesus; he is in us and we are in him. What we are mindlessly agreeing to is the notion we need time alone in our prayer closet; time to worship, time to pray, time to receive instruction in the Word. We need quality time with the Lover of our soul.
Yes, we nod in agreement but most of us fail in it because we fail to understand the importance of its purpose. I was reminded of that importance today. I was reminded while washing dishes. Yes, strange, but I am a strange person and the Lord often speaks to me in strange ways and in strange places.
As I was finishing up the dishes for the second time today, listening to some new worship songs and allowing my heart's desire to be expressed to my Lord, I stopped to survey the kitchen. I concluded everything was done, in its place and it was looking good. The floor was swept, counters cleaned, dishes washed and put away. Not bad. And the the thought, "At least until the next meal". We all know and agree that there is no end to keeping our homes clean and in good running order.
"Exactly", was the thought that penetrated my contentment.
Exactly what, I thought. "Exactly how relationships work. Exactly how you grow in me."
In a flash, like the Holy Spirit does it, I understood the Lord's point. Prayer was putting everything into it's proper place. Prayer is submitting ourselves to the Spirit so he can put all our priorities right, to correct perspectives, to encourage us in the truth, to work out all the rough spots, to bathe us in love, mercy and grace. Prayer is necessary for the well being and growth of our relationship with Jesus. It is the maintaining his power in our lives to walk in obedience, truth and power. Without prayer our lives would end up in a complete mess with nothing being taken care of, with no correction and us putting things wherever we think is best.
Most of us know what our kitchen looks like after one meal and it bugs us too much to leave it even for an hour. Yet, we think nothing of setting aside prayer. We think nothing of letting the mess pile up in our lives. We think nothing of it because we don't understand our relationship and the importance of rich fellowship with Jesus in prayer and worship. Listening to worship is not enough. We must worship with all our heart and enter into prayer with that same attitude.
If only we would pray. We would see a lot of things change. We would discover the miracle of a refreshed heart each and every time. We don't wash the dishes when we feel like it; we wash them because they need to be washed. Don't pray when you feel like it; pray because you know you need it.
Yes, we nod in agreement but most of us fail in it because we fail to understand the importance of its purpose. I was reminded of that importance today. I was reminded while washing dishes. Yes, strange, but I am a strange person and the Lord often speaks to me in strange ways and in strange places.
As I was finishing up the dishes for the second time today, listening to some new worship songs and allowing my heart's desire to be expressed to my Lord, I stopped to survey the kitchen. I concluded everything was done, in its place and it was looking good. The floor was swept, counters cleaned, dishes washed and put away. Not bad. And the the thought, "At least until the next meal". We all know and agree that there is no end to keeping our homes clean and in good running order.
"Exactly", was the thought that penetrated my contentment.
Exactly what, I thought. "Exactly how relationships work. Exactly how you grow in me."
In a flash, like the Holy Spirit does it, I understood the Lord's point. Prayer was putting everything into it's proper place. Prayer is submitting ourselves to the Spirit so he can put all our priorities right, to correct perspectives, to encourage us in the truth, to work out all the rough spots, to bathe us in love, mercy and grace. Prayer is necessary for the well being and growth of our relationship with Jesus. It is the maintaining his power in our lives to walk in obedience, truth and power. Without prayer our lives would end up in a complete mess with nothing being taken care of, with no correction and us putting things wherever we think is best.
Most of us know what our kitchen looks like after one meal and it bugs us too much to leave it even for an hour. Yet, we think nothing of setting aside prayer. We think nothing of letting the mess pile up in our lives. We think nothing of it because we don't understand our relationship and the importance of rich fellowship with Jesus in prayer and worship. Listening to worship is not enough. We must worship with all our heart and enter into prayer with that same attitude.
If only we would pray. We would see a lot of things change. We would discover the miracle of a refreshed heart each and every time. We don't wash the dishes when we feel like it; we wash them because they need to be washed. Don't pray when you feel like it; pray because you know you need it.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
The Cross Is For Our Benefit, Not God's
There are very few relationships where the giving is only one sided. Every person who is in your life gets something out of being part of you. None of them exist only to give to you; not your best friend, not your teachers, not even your parents. That is why Jesus is like no other person in your life.
No matter how you look at it, Jesus received nothing from giving himself for you. He came entirely for your benefit. Jesus came so that you can have full life through him:
I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. (John 10:9-10)
God doesn't need us. He is self contained within the God-head. He does not need the angels. He does not need creation. He does not need mankind. But he created us and made a covenant with us, and even though we broke relationship with him, he never gave up on us. He gave himself entirely so that we could have life to the fullest, as he always intended for us to have, simply because of his word to us.
We certainly didn't merit Jesus' death. We do not merit his love. No matter what we do we could never earn it; never. But he freely gave it at no cost to us and to no benefit for himself. He paid the full cost only for our benefit. No one else could ever show that kind of love for us.
And all we have to do is accept it.
Everything that needs to change in us will be changed by the power of the love we accept into our selves. We don't receive it after we have changed. We change after we accept it because that love transforms us, making us a new creation, and continues to transform us until we are just like Jesus. Again, all for our benefit.
Don't ever think that God did this because he needs something from us. Don't think that he needs our worship, our talents, our offerings. He needs nothing. He did this because of the purest form of love; a love that is God himself. For this we gladly give him our lives, because such love provokes absolute trust, service of gratitude and whole-hearted worship. So take time to come to as deep an understanding of this love as God is willing to reveal to you.
No matter how you look at it, Jesus received nothing from giving himself for you. He came entirely for your benefit. Jesus came so that you can have full life through him:
I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. (John 10:9-10)
God doesn't need us. He is self contained within the God-head. He does not need the angels. He does not need creation. He does not need mankind. But he created us and made a covenant with us, and even though we broke relationship with him, he never gave up on us. He gave himself entirely so that we could have life to the fullest, as he always intended for us to have, simply because of his word to us.
We certainly didn't merit Jesus' death. We do not merit his love. No matter what we do we could never earn it; never. But he freely gave it at no cost to us and to no benefit for himself. He paid the full cost only for our benefit. No one else could ever show that kind of love for us.
And all we have to do is accept it.
Everything that needs to change in us will be changed by the power of the love we accept into our selves. We don't receive it after we have changed. We change after we accept it because that love transforms us, making us a new creation, and continues to transform us until we are just like Jesus. Again, all for our benefit.
Don't ever think that God did this because he needs something from us. Don't think that he needs our worship, our talents, our offerings. He needs nothing. He did this because of the purest form of love; a love that is God himself. For this we gladly give him our lives, because such love provokes absolute trust, service of gratitude and whole-hearted worship. So take time to come to as deep an understanding of this love as God is willing to reveal to you.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Open My Eyes Lord
"Open my mind and let me discover the wonders of your Law." Psalm 119:18 CEV
So many people approach the Word of God as they would a novel, a book of history, or some impossible thing to understand, and approaching it in such a way will make it impossible to understand. What is worse is when we approach it like unbelieving theologians, tearing it apart like some ancient text book that has to be proven or disproved. The Word of God does not need to be defended any more than the Ark of the Convenient needed to be protected. It is not in need of being proven. It is from God, of God, holy and protected by him. He will defend it. He will prove it.
I cannot teach you the Word of God unless I am anointed by the Spirit to do so. You cannot receive from the Word of God unless you have a spiritual mind because only God can provide revelation. Only the Spirit can give us the heart and mind to understand what is spiritual. What is so difficult to understand, that the Word of God can only be understood by the mind possessed by the Spirit of God?
People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. (Romans 8:5)
The Spirit, through apostle Paul, made it plan for us to see:
Every word we speak was taught to us by God’s Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people. (1 Corinthains 2:13)
Spiritual things to spiritual people. And by this Paul refers to those possessed by the Spirit of God. It is great that we have accepted Jesus as Saviour but to grow spiritually, to be one with Jesus, to understand the revelation of the Word of God, we must be Holy Spirit possessed. We can understand nothing but our selfish desires when we try to understand in our flesh.
I read a lot of "junk food" theology in the sphere of social networking, but much of it is propagated by people who have understood the Word through their flesh. Certainly they have taken courses and may even have letters behind their name, but it does not mean they are anointed by the Spirit. Many are unpiritual people teaching an unspiritual people, and it is just creating a mess. It is not a new phenomena:
My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That’s why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned. So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot, because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)
I encourage you, if you want to dig deep into the revelation of God, into his holy Word, then cry out to God to be possessed by his Spirit. Die to your own understanding and caste away your selfish desires. Soak in the Spirit, making sure that you are fully surrendered, then ask God to open your eyes to the Word. There is nothing new under the sun but that does not mean you understand what is of the Spirit. Make it your heart desire and God will see that you receive it and he will give you a spiritual mind.
So many people approach the Word of God as they would a novel, a book of history, or some impossible thing to understand, and approaching it in such a way will make it impossible to understand. What is worse is when we approach it like unbelieving theologians, tearing it apart like some ancient text book that has to be proven or disproved. The Word of God does not need to be defended any more than the Ark of the Convenient needed to be protected. It is not in need of being proven. It is from God, of God, holy and protected by him. He will defend it. He will prove it.
I cannot teach you the Word of God unless I am anointed by the Spirit to do so. You cannot receive from the Word of God unless you have a spiritual mind because only God can provide revelation. Only the Spirit can give us the heart and mind to understand what is spiritual. What is so difficult to understand, that the Word of God can only be understood by the mind possessed by the Spirit of God?
People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. (Romans 8:5)
The Spirit, through apostle Paul, made it plan for us to see:
Every word we speak was taught to us by God’s Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people. (1 Corinthains 2:13)
Spiritual things to spiritual people. And by this Paul refers to those possessed by the Spirit of God. It is great that we have accepted Jesus as Saviour but to grow spiritually, to be one with Jesus, to understand the revelation of the Word of God, we must be Holy Spirit possessed. We can understand nothing but our selfish desires when we try to understand in our flesh.
I read a lot of "junk food" theology in the sphere of social networking, but much of it is propagated by people who have understood the Word through their flesh. Certainly they have taken courses and may even have letters behind their name, but it does not mean they are anointed by the Spirit. Many are unpiritual people teaching an unspiritual people, and it is just creating a mess. It is not a new phenomena:
My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That’s why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned. So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot, because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)
I encourage you, if you want to dig deep into the revelation of God, into his holy Word, then cry out to God to be possessed by his Spirit. Die to your own understanding and caste away your selfish desires. Soak in the Spirit, making sure that you are fully surrendered, then ask God to open your eyes to the Word. There is nothing new under the sun but that does not mean you understand what is of the Spirit. Make it your heart desire and God will see that you receive it and he will give you a spiritual mind.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Understanding The Obligation
For the last little while I have been challenging us to consider our perspective on life. Are we sold out for Jesus or is he just someone in our life? Is Jesus the reason for the air in our lungs or do we just pull him out when we have to play the God card? Do we have an "all or nothing" attitude when it comes to serving God with all that we have?
Paul wrote to Timothy :
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. (2 Timothy 2:7)
Let's review what it was that Paul was saying to Timothy:
- be strong in the grace of Jesus (not as you receive it but as you give it out)
- teach what you have received so they in turn can teach others
- do not avoid suffering in the mission
- do not get distracted by the affairs of this world
- serve according to the rules and principles of the Kingdom
- God provides through ministry
These are Paul's final instructions to this man he considered to be a son so we should consider the importance of these things.Too often we serve with no thought, no reflection, no understanding. Everything else in our lives we study, consider, measure, weigh and understand as we move forward. We do not invest money without understanding the risk. We do not take a job without knowing the job description and the salary. We make a decision based on amount of work, payout and interest. We do not begin a romantic relationship with someone without deciding whether we are attracted, if there is enough interest, if we can see ourselves with the person for the rest of our lives. We consider personality, physical appearance, similarities, the reaction of our emotions. Should we not also understand and engage with Jesus with this same effort and interest?
Service to Jesus does not depend on how we feel. We don't go to work or to school depending on how we feel about it. We have an obligation as we do with Jesus. Again I remind us that we are not free agents. We are not spiritual entrepreneurs. We have entered an agreement, a covenant with the King of kings. We no longer belong to ourselves. We have received instruction. We must understand our obligations and if our heart is right then it will be an obligation of love, filled with joy.
Most people hold back because they are afraid of reputation. They are afraid of what people will think. They are afraid of rejection. But the only rejection we should fear is the rejection of our Lord on the day we are called home. The only reputation that should concern us is one of faithfulness to our King. What the world thinks of us and what the world does to us should not dictate the actions of our day. Only the instructions and example of Jesus should have a direct impact on how we live each day.
So many people are wanting a deeper revelation. They want to learn more. They want to go deeper. Yet, we don't even do what we do know. We sit in classes, take courses, receive certificates but we are too afraid to tell people what Jesus has done for us today, which is our first obligation. Obedience is as simple as explaining to people why we are brimming with joy, despite any circumstance that may be against us. What is the point of wanting to learn more when we don't act on the revelation we have already received.
Oh forgive us Lord.
Let's be the army Jesus has called us to be; faithful, operating in grace, sacrificing as we are called upon to sacrifice, not fearing to suffer when called upon.To God be the glory!
Paul wrote to Timothy :
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. (2 Timothy 2:7)
Let's review what it was that Paul was saying to Timothy:
- be strong in the grace of Jesus (not as you receive it but as you give it out)
- teach what you have received so they in turn can teach others
- do not avoid suffering in the mission
- do not get distracted by the affairs of this world
- serve according to the rules and principles of the Kingdom
- God provides through ministry
These are Paul's final instructions to this man he considered to be a son so we should consider the importance of these things.Too often we serve with no thought, no reflection, no understanding. Everything else in our lives we study, consider, measure, weigh and understand as we move forward. We do not invest money without understanding the risk. We do not take a job without knowing the job description and the salary. We make a decision based on amount of work, payout and interest. We do not begin a romantic relationship with someone without deciding whether we are attracted, if there is enough interest, if we can see ourselves with the person for the rest of our lives. We consider personality, physical appearance, similarities, the reaction of our emotions. Should we not also understand and engage with Jesus with this same effort and interest?
Service to Jesus does not depend on how we feel. We don't go to work or to school depending on how we feel about it. We have an obligation as we do with Jesus. Again I remind us that we are not free agents. We are not spiritual entrepreneurs. We have entered an agreement, a covenant with the King of kings. We no longer belong to ourselves. We have received instruction. We must understand our obligations and if our heart is right then it will be an obligation of love, filled with joy.
Most people hold back because they are afraid of reputation. They are afraid of what people will think. They are afraid of rejection. But the only rejection we should fear is the rejection of our Lord on the day we are called home. The only reputation that should concern us is one of faithfulness to our King. What the world thinks of us and what the world does to us should not dictate the actions of our day. Only the instructions and example of Jesus should have a direct impact on how we live each day.
So many people are wanting a deeper revelation. They want to learn more. They want to go deeper. Yet, we don't even do what we do know. We sit in classes, take courses, receive certificates but we are too afraid to tell people what Jesus has done for us today, which is our first obligation. Obedience is as simple as explaining to people why we are brimming with joy, despite any circumstance that may be against us. What is the point of wanting to learn more when we don't act on the revelation we have already received.
Oh forgive us Lord.
Let's be the army Jesus has called us to be; faithful, operating in grace, sacrificing as we are called upon to sacrifice, not fearing to suffer when called upon.To God be the glory!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Danger Of Being Entertained
Sometimes we consider our church pretty boring. It's not as hip and exciting as some of the churches out there. Sometimes we wish there was a way to make Bible reading and Bible study more interesting. If only we could dress it up somehow and repackage it; a lot more people might get into it. Sometimes we are a bunch of spoiled children who have been over stimulated by this world and have lost all spiritual sensitivity. We have no idea how absolutely fantastic our church and Bible are.
When we come into our churches we are looking to be entertained. We look for the wrong type of value in our experience. What we should be realizing is that we are about to look into the great mystery of our God and what he has done. We consider, "Yeah, yeah, I know already. God loves us, yada yada yada". We have this attitude because we look at the results without understanding the roots of it.
Do you think that apostle Paul found this boring? Was he looking for entertainment value as he suffered for it? I think Paul woke every morning with a sense of excitement and urgency because of what he had to share and teach to people:
This grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. (Ephesians 3:8-9)
Look at that wording: the unsearchable riches of Christ. Guess what? Through the revelation that has been given those riches are now searchable to you every time you open the Word of God. Not everyone can see it. You have to have Jesus to have the Spirit and it is the Spirit who gives us understanding. That's us, understanding that mystery of God and are able to tell other people about it.
Paul's job was to make plain the administration of this mystery. How is it possible for us, who were not a people to become a people? How is possible for us to receive salvation? How is it possible for us to be possessed by the Holy Spirit? How is it possible for us to be in the presence of God? These things were unknown before. The people of Israel did not enjoy what we enjoy today. This mystery was kept hidden in God until now, revealed in this age of grace.
What is available to us now was not available to even the prophets. They could only look in on it, from a distance, write about it, long for it; this thing that we consider dull and lacking entertainment value. Do you not realize that Jesus said the least of us, so the one with the smallest amount of faith, is greater than John the Baptist. As great and important as John was he did not get to enjoy what we have today.
This world with all its sensuous delights, with all its entertainment value, its bright lights, loud noises, and time wasting activities, is dulling our spiritual senses. It is overwhelming and distracting us. It is ruining our palate so we can no longer distinguish between junk food and the riches of Christ. If church is boring and the Bible dull you need to ask Jesus to clean your palate so that the things of this world become dull and uninviting, and the things of God explode with excitement in you. I think we can all do with a little palate cleansing.
When we come into our churches we are looking to be entertained. We look for the wrong type of value in our experience. What we should be realizing is that we are about to look into the great mystery of our God and what he has done. We consider, "Yeah, yeah, I know already. God loves us, yada yada yada". We have this attitude because we look at the results without understanding the roots of it.
Do you think that apostle Paul found this boring? Was he looking for entertainment value as he suffered for it? I think Paul woke every morning with a sense of excitement and urgency because of what he had to share and teach to people:
This grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. (Ephesians 3:8-9)
Look at that wording: the unsearchable riches of Christ. Guess what? Through the revelation that has been given those riches are now searchable to you every time you open the Word of God. Not everyone can see it. You have to have Jesus to have the Spirit and it is the Spirit who gives us understanding. That's us, understanding that mystery of God and are able to tell other people about it.
Paul's job was to make plain the administration of this mystery. How is it possible for us, who were not a people to become a people? How is possible for us to receive salvation? How is it possible for us to be possessed by the Holy Spirit? How is it possible for us to be in the presence of God? These things were unknown before. The people of Israel did not enjoy what we enjoy today. This mystery was kept hidden in God until now, revealed in this age of grace.
What is available to us now was not available to even the prophets. They could only look in on it, from a distance, write about it, long for it; this thing that we consider dull and lacking entertainment value. Do you not realize that Jesus said the least of us, so the one with the smallest amount of faith, is greater than John the Baptist. As great and important as John was he did not get to enjoy what we have today.
This world with all its sensuous delights, with all its entertainment value, its bright lights, loud noises, and time wasting activities, is dulling our spiritual senses. It is overwhelming and distracting us. It is ruining our palate so we can no longer distinguish between junk food and the riches of Christ. If church is boring and the Bible dull you need to ask Jesus to clean your palate so that the things of this world become dull and uninviting, and the things of God explode with excitement in you. I think we can all do with a little palate cleansing.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
The Only Thing That Matters Is ....
Here's a fact: All that matters is your relationship with Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter about your looks, your style, your possession, your job, your friends, even your family. It doesn't matter how many times you go to church, how well you sing, if you are in the worship group or lead a Bible Study. It doesn't matter how many hours you spend feeding the poor, visiting the sick, building homes, giving out clothing. It doesn't matter how many storms you quiet, dead you raise, blind you give sight to, lepers you heal. All that matter is your relationship with Jesus Christ.
When this relationship is right then everything else falls into place. Your motivation is right. The power is present. Your energy is good. You sleep well at night. Peace is your constant possession.
I say this because many of us are too worried about the opinions and ideas of other people. We are swayed too easily by what the world thinks and says. We worry too much about fitting in and doing the right thing. Our confidence is low and we often just want to "get by". No expectations. Nothing accomplished. Just another brick in the wall.
Understand what the Spirit is saying:
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)
Repeat that: "The reality, however, is found in Christ". Keep repeating that until the truth of it hits you.
So many Christians try to live an Old Testament type of Christianity not understanding that those things were just shadows of the reality we find in Jesus. There is something wrong with us. We have a tendency to try to take the things of God and translate them into something we better understand. Look at Israel and the golden calf. In fact, look how easy it was for Israel to fall prey to foreign gods. They just wanted something they could see and touch.
We still do that today, trying to make the things of God human in nature so we can better understand. But anything we try to translate becomes twisted and deformed and becomes a distraction from Jesus just like the desert snake became an idol for the Israelites in generations to come.
All that matters is our relationship with Jesus. That is our reality because everything finds its reality in him. Do not allow anything to distract you or persuade you to take your eyes off of him. Do not let anything become a substitute for your relationship with him. Do not fall for any lies or any deception that would try to tell you that you need something more than this relationship with Jesus. There is nothing you have to do other than love him with all your heart, mind, soul, body and strength. When you do that everything else falls into place.
All that matters is your relationship with Jesus.
When this relationship is right then everything else falls into place. Your motivation is right. The power is present. Your energy is good. You sleep well at night. Peace is your constant possession.
I say this because many of us are too worried about the opinions and ideas of other people. We are swayed too easily by what the world thinks and says. We worry too much about fitting in and doing the right thing. Our confidence is low and we often just want to "get by". No expectations. Nothing accomplished. Just another brick in the wall.
Understand what the Spirit is saying:
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)
Repeat that: "The reality, however, is found in Christ". Keep repeating that until the truth of it hits you.
So many Christians try to live an Old Testament type of Christianity not understanding that those things were just shadows of the reality we find in Jesus. There is something wrong with us. We have a tendency to try to take the things of God and translate them into something we better understand. Look at Israel and the golden calf. In fact, look how easy it was for Israel to fall prey to foreign gods. They just wanted something they could see and touch.
We still do that today, trying to make the things of God human in nature so we can better understand. But anything we try to translate becomes twisted and deformed and becomes a distraction from Jesus just like the desert snake became an idol for the Israelites in generations to come.
All that matters is our relationship with Jesus. That is our reality because everything finds its reality in him. Do not allow anything to distract you or persuade you to take your eyes off of him. Do not let anything become a substitute for your relationship with him. Do not fall for any lies or any deception that would try to tell you that you need something more than this relationship with Jesus. There is nothing you have to do other than love him with all your heart, mind, soul, body and strength. When you do that everything else falls into place.
All that matters is your relationship with Jesus.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
You Need To Eat To Stay Alive
Yesterday was the climax of a stressful week. For the first time in years I find myself in a classroom, being overwhelmed by information I must quickly absorb, understand and act upon. Saturday was our first assessment and I must admit, I was a bit stressed by it. I am an overachiever. A pass is not good enough for me. I want close to perfection in everything I do. My wife told me not to be stressed but to trust God. I knew Jesus would be faithful to me, but it was me I was stressed over: Did I study enough? Did I forget to study anything? Was there anything I didn't understand?
Stress is a natural part of our life and some have said that stress is what keeps us alive and motivated. However, we all know that too much stress will kill you. I am a person who knows that stress can have ill effects on my health. Even normal living stress can build up with time like an electrical charge in us. My way of dealing with this "charge" in my body is to do physical activity. This activity acts to release this charge through the exercise of my body so there are no ill effects from built up stress. But, at the end of the day yesterday I was tired.
It was a beautiful Spring day in a month when it is usually still cold and there is usually still snow. So being a beautiful day, the children wanted their bikes out. Well, it is never a simple matter of opening the garage and taking the bikes out. First, all the tires need to be pumped and then all the chains and moving parts have to be oiled. After that comes the washing and the checking of the safety equipment. There are seven children with bikes plus two adults, and our friends have four bikes as well. That's a total of thirteen bicycles after a stressful assessment. By supper time I was exhausted and I had not gone for the walk I needed to go on to disperse the stress I could feel in my body.
I checked with my wife but she is nearly six months pregnant and she had helped with the bikes plus she had been doing the laundry so she was no longer interested in a walk. I was exhausted and really just wanted to go to bed. I was greatly tempted to just forget about the walk. After all, I am not out of shape so one day was not going to kill me. But, the walk was not just about staying in shape, it was my mechanism to deal with the stress in my body. I overcame my temptation to not go for my walk by remembering the benefit of that walk. Discipline will not be long lasting if we do not understand our motivation.
So often I push people to remember the need for the relationship ingredients that we must participate in to remain refreshed with Jesus. I talk about and write about our need for studying the Bible, prayer, worship, fellowship and witnessing. These are all the ingredients we need for staying strong in Jesus but if it does not go beyond habit and discipline, to a place of understanding the benefits, then the discipline will be quickly lost, or it will become a dull and stale activity, without purpose.
When we open our Bible we must have the understanding that we are about to feed our soul the food it needs to be sustained in Jesus Christ. If we do not see it as the fuel we need to keep going in the Spirit it will just become a thing we have to do in the day. I can feel myself become spiritually weak if I have allowed busyness to keep me away from my "meal". I know the benefit so I know I must reserve the time to "eat". It is not a stale and dull meal as I dive into the richness of its flavours. The same is true for prayer and worship. If I do not make these the pivotal point of my day, I know that I am slowly starving myself to death. They are not a religious activity I have added to my life; they are what enables me to live. When you have this understanding, your motivation becomes a different thing entirely.
I don't care who you think you are, if you are not rich in Bible study, prayer and worship, you are not rich in Jesus Christ. I am glad you accepted him as your Lord and Saviour but now you need to learn how you can be rich in him. You need to learn how he is your everything. You need to understand what real communion is as you allow him to replace everything you were. You need to allow this relationship to move you from being centered on yourself to being centered on Jesus, from being controlled by your flesh to being controlled by the Spirit. This is the relationship you were saved for. You are spiritually poor, facing spiritual salvation if you do not understand where you get your food from. Your motivation for Bible study, prayer and worship is to stay alive in Jesus and not to experience starvation. I doubt you are too tired to eat supper tonight so don't use your tiredness as an excuse to skip your spiritual meals today either. You need to eat to stay alive.
Stress is a natural part of our life and some have said that stress is what keeps us alive and motivated. However, we all know that too much stress will kill you. I am a person who knows that stress can have ill effects on my health. Even normal living stress can build up with time like an electrical charge in us. My way of dealing with this "charge" in my body is to do physical activity. This activity acts to release this charge through the exercise of my body so there are no ill effects from built up stress. But, at the end of the day yesterday I was tired.
It was a beautiful Spring day in a month when it is usually still cold and there is usually still snow. So being a beautiful day, the children wanted their bikes out. Well, it is never a simple matter of opening the garage and taking the bikes out. First, all the tires need to be pumped and then all the chains and moving parts have to be oiled. After that comes the washing and the checking of the safety equipment. There are seven children with bikes plus two adults, and our friends have four bikes as well. That's a total of thirteen bicycles after a stressful assessment. By supper time I was exhausted and I had not gone for the walk I needed to go on to disperse the stress I could feel in my body.
I checked with my wife but she is nearly six months pregnant and she had helped with the bikes plus she had been doing the laundry so she was no longer interested in a walk. I was exhausted and really just wanted to go to bed. I was greatly tempted to just forget about the walk. After all, I am not out of shape so one day was not going to kill me. But, the walk was not just about staying in shape, it was my mechanism to deal with the stress in my body. I overcame my temptation to not go for my walk by remembering the benefit of that walk. Discipline will not be long lasting if we do not understand our motivation.
So often I push people to remember the need for the relationship ingredients that we must participate in to remain refreshed with Jesus. I talk about and write about our need for studying the Bible, prayer, worship, fellowship and witnessing. These are all the ingredients we need for staying strong in Jesus but if it does not go beyond habit and discipline, to a place of understanding the benefits, then the discipline will be quickly lost, or it will become a dull and stale activity, without purpose.
When we open our Bible we must have the understanding that we are about to feed our soul the food it needs to be sustained in Jesus Christ. If we do not see it as the fuel we need to keep going in the Spirit it will just become a thing we have to do in the day. I can feel myself become spiritually weak if I have allowed busyness to keep me away from my "meal". I know the benefit so I know I must reserve the time to "eat". It is not a stale and dull meal as I dive into the richness of its flavours. The same is true for prayer and worship. If I do not make these the pivotal point of my day, I know that I am slowly starving myself to death. They are not a religious activity I have added to my life; they are what enables me to live. When you have this understanding, your motivation becomes a different thing entirely.
I don't care who you think you are, if you are not rich in Bible study, prayer and worship, you are not rich in Jesus Christ. I am glad you accepted him as your Lord and Saviour but now you need to learn how you can be rich in him. You need to learn how he is your everything. You need to understand what real communion is as you allow him to replace everything you were. You need to allow this relationship to move you from being centered on yourself to being centered on Jesus, from being controlled by your flesh to being controlled by the Spirit. This is the relationship you were saved for. You are spiritually poor, facing spiritual salvation if you do not understand where you get your food from. Your motivation for Bible study, prayer and worship is to stay alive in Jesus and not to experience starvation. I doubt you are too tired to eat supper tonight so don't use your tiredness as an excuse to skip your spiritual meals today either. You need to eat to stay alive.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Stuck Between A Rock and A Hard Place
What would you do if you had an enemy infront of you and a wall behind you? What would you think if you knew God had purposely placed you there?
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