Truth Matters Posts
Numbers?
What constitutes a valuable, dependable soldier? God inspired the Apostle Paul to write: “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:4) We have been reminded time and time again about allowing the details of life to become more important to us than serving God. But the second part of that verse is what we focus on today...namely, the discipline of our spiritual life. Without that discipline we will not be valuable or dependable soldiers of Christ. In other words, unless we place our time with Lord through prayer, Scripture, and worship of utmost importance, we can never expect our Lord to be pleased with our service...and His pleasure should be our priority. What happens when we become lax with these spiritual disciplines, we can become distorted and confused about our success as kingdom soldiers. “Success” is not determined by numbers or the lack of them. Success is determined by bring joy to God through our humble submission to His design, and that design is only discovered by our deepening relationship with Him.
Left to ourselves, this is a difficult lesson to embrace. We've been taught numbers are most important whether they be GPA, salary, attendance, conversions.... But when it's all over, Jesus informs us of an interesting outcome: “But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.” (Matthew 19:30) It's His way of saying, don't be enamored by numbers. They are not necessarily indicators of success, but rather, one's heart and commitment to Lord. He'll take care of the numbers, our job is to stay sensitive and committed to His voice through spiritual discipline. My prayer for you and me today is summed up in the lyrics of this song:
Make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Being Weaned
As we grow in our Christian lives there are certain servants of God that make indelible impacts on our lives...Pastors, teachers, educators that we have learned to trust and even become dependent upon to teach us God's word. I have at least six such Bible teachers that I rely upon often...most likely, so do you. The problem comes when we begin to rely upon them rather than getting alone with God and His Word and seeing for ourselves what God is revealing to us . An additional problem comes when God takes these trusted Bible teachers away from us through death or perhaps other circumstances. We may feel a void because we have depended upon their feeding us for a long time. Believers must understand a weaning process that must take place. We thank God for these teachers, but we must not prioritize them over going into the Scriptures to seek God's ways for ourselves. A sort of “weaning” process should be taking place. Webster defines “weaning” as: “to detach from a source of dependence.” Faithful Bible teachers are a gift from God, but they are to deflect from themselves and direct us to a deeper personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. Faithful Bible teachers must be seen as men like John the Baptist, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘make straight the way of the Lord.” “This One is He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal.” (John 1:23-27)
We must always be careful not to lock unto the teachings of a man rather than seeking God's face through our own Bible study and prayer. Sometimes I think we just get lazy and depend upon someone else's study and work rather than doing the heavy lifting of personal Bible study “accurately handling the Word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we are so thankful that You have brought faithful expositors of Your word into our lives. We have grown in our knowledge of You through them. But we realize that we must take on the personal responsibility of standing on our own...being “weaned”...and learning from You personally through Your word. To that end we pray and we will commit ourselves to “Be diligent to present ourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed” (2 Timothy 2:15). Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Lord or Feelings
I recently saw a bumper-sticker that said, “Vote for Trump...I don't care about your feelings.” I guess what that sticker was trying to say was don't let your “feelings” for Trump personally get in the way of voting for constructive policies.
In the Christian life, we often allow “feelings” (passions, moods, heartstrings) get in the way of the constructive ways of God...His “policies.” “Feelings” are often shaped by our sin natures and keep us from listening for and obeying the voice of God. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us— “The heart (where feelings originate) is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can know it?”
Jay Adams, in his book Competent to Counsel, teaches this approach to counseling: “lovingly confronting people out of deep concern in order to help them make those changes that God requires. By confrontation we mean that one Christian personally gives counsel to another from the Scriptures. He does not confront him with ‘feelings,' either his own or those of whom he is counseling.”
Wise counsel...not only for those who counsel, but as a guiding principle for living the Christian life.
We often try to put “the cart before the horse”...that is, we think our “feelings” should be the driving force that leads us to a deepening relationship with the Lord. No. Our obedience to “God's policies” should be our driving force. Feelings will follow, but they will be feelings of victory, joy, and gratitude. Our bumper-stickers should read—“I vote for God's word...I don't care about ‘feelings.” My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, may the words of the Psalmist ring true in our lives— “How can a young man or woman keep their way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:9) Help us to put aside our “feelings” and commit ourselves to Your “policies.” Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Radical Moment of Decision
Dealing with persistent, habitual sin seems to be an insurmountable dilemma for so many of us. It's kind of a spiritual rollercoaster ride where there are times when we feel we have conquered our pet sin only to succumb to it again and again. It's a struggle that brings us guilt and shame when we realize the strangle hold this sin has on us. It's not that we aren't aware of sin's destructive force in our lives...it's not that we don't want to please our Lord Jesus...it's not that we haven't confessed our sin to God...it's not that we haven't made resolutions with ourselves and to God that we will walk away from these habitual sins...it's because we can't seem to rid ourselves of sin's hold on us.
One Bible teacher I had as a teenager stated:
“Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but the power to do what we ought. By engrafting God's Word in us, “sin shall not have dominion over [us]” (Romans 6:14). “If you continue in My word . . . you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).”
But in reality...in practical terms where we live...how do we do that?
The key to victory over habitual sin is not trying to overcome it as though it were a goal, an effort we must make. Rather, God wants us to live in a “crucified with Christ” zone where we make this assumption - we have been crucified with Christ...our habitual sin has been crucified on Christ's cross and has no more dominion over us. We must get to that “radical moment of assumption / decision”...that moment of realization...that we, by identifying with Jesus' death, have put to death that sin. The sequence is this:
1) Spend time in the Word and prayer. Pray that God, the Holy Spirit, would reveal the root cause of our “habitual sin.” This might take some time and will require humility, repentance, and submission to what God is revealing to you.
2) Once revealed, nail it to the cross...that is, regard it as dead.
My prayer for me and you this day is this: Lord, we do not want to live on a sinful “rollercoaster” any more. Sin shall not rule over us. We have died with Christ and we have been raised with Him to a new life. We nail that “habitual sin” to the cross that it would no longer control us. This is our commitment...herein we stand. Praise and worship belongs to You. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing
2=1
In theological terms, the “hypostatic union” means--Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man. He is simultaneously perfectly divine and perfectly human, having two complete and distinct natures at once. As God, Jesus knew He would accomplish paying the debt for our sins on the cross. But as a man, Satan would tempt Jesus again to spare Himself of the pain and suffering of the cross. So overwhelmed by His human aversion to the cruel suffering of crucifixion, doctor Luke took notice of Jesus' “hematidrosis”...(a condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, occurring under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress.)
“And being in agony He was praying very fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” (Luke 22:44)
As God, Jesus had no doubt He would perfectly pay the debt for the sins of the world, but as a man, would He faithfully offer Himself up as the Lamb of God...endure the suffering and the pain? “Father if You are willing, remove this cup from Me” (Luke 22:42) was His human cry. But He endured the physical pain and suffering of the cross out of the perfect love He has for you and me.
What a lesson Calvary teaches us! What commitment to God's saving plan did the Son of Man demonstrate to us! Here's the lesson the Son of Man teaches us—“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me (John 6:38). It probably won't require any of us to physically suffer the way Jesus did, but it does show us the kind of commitment God calls us to in faithfully proclaiming the gospel of the cross. We must have the same mind-set as our Lord...”not to do my will, but the will of Him who sent me.” My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we see the depth of commitment and love Jesus demonstrated for us. May that be the lesson we take with us each day resulting in a thankful heart and making God's will our chief priority. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth or Consequences
I remember a game show on TV called “Truth or Consequences” (1957-1973). On the show, contestants received roughly two seconds to answer a trivia question correctly (usually an off-the-wall question that no one would be able to answer correctly, or a bad joke) before "Beulah the Buzzer" sounded. Failing to complete this "truth" portion meant that the contestant had to face "consequences," typically an embarrassing stunt.
Most of us have lived or are living a “Truth or Consequences” existence in our Christian lives. The “truth” is that we have allowed a sinful thought pattern to take hold of our minds our emotions and even our inner natures. We will see that these “sinful thought patterns” lead to painful decisions and mistakes that cloud our joy and peace. Most often, these decisions and mistakes bring with them a loss of what could have been. The word I'm looking for is “regret”...the recognition of how these sinful thought patterns have ruined relationships...have caused unnecessary suffering and pain...made us unproductive for the kingdom. These sinful thought patterns have many shapes and sizes...could be unforgiveness, pride, laziness, lust, covetousness, quest for self-centered entitlements, inferiority...on and on the list could go. The interesting thing is that God often causes us to remember these “consequences.” They serve to grow us more Christ-like as we see the relationship between sinful thought patterns and painful decisions.
Today's My Utmost for His Highest addresses this issue:
“What is it that blinds you to the peace of God “in this your day”? Do you have a strange god- not a disgusting monster but perhaps an unholy nature that controls your life? More than once God has brought me face to face with a strange god in my life, and I knew that I should have given it up, but I didn't do it. I got through the crisis “by the skin of my teeth,” only to find myself still under the control of that strange god. I am blind to the very things that make for my own peace. It is a shocking thing that we can be in the exact place where the Spirit of God should be having His completely unhindered way with us, and yet we only make matters worse, increasing our blame in God's eyes.
“If you had known….” God's words here cut directly to the heart, with the tears of Jesus behind them. These words imply responsibility for our own faults. God holds us accountable for what we refuse to see or are unable to see because of our sin. And “now they are hidden from your eyes” because you have never completely yielded your nature to Him. Oh, the deep, unending sadness for what might have been! God never again opens the doors that have been closed. He opens other doors, but He reminds us that there are doors which we have shut- doors which had no need to be shut. Never be afraid when God brings back your past. Let your memory have its way with you. It is a minister of God bringing its rebuke and sorrow to you. God will turn what might have been into a wonderful lesson of growth for the future.”
These are penetrating words. Words that require honest, Spirit led conviction and transparency before God's word. Sometimes it will require periods of pain and suffering before we begin to see the “truth” that has led to our “consequences.” Yes we may have closed doors to the joy we might have realized, but now God has opened new doors...we must not allow these “sinful thought patterns” to continue to harm ourselves and our testimonies. God reminds us in Romans 12:1-2 - “Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we carry a bunch of baggage that weights us down and jeopardizes our decision making and joy in serving You. Identify this “baggage” in our lives by the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Once identified, give us the power and strength to overcome and not let that “baggage” control us. We confess our sinful thought patterns. May we fight to eradicate them from our lives...trusting and depending upon You to help us be clean vessels (2 Timothy 2:20-21).
Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Every Step Goes Higher
There is a song I haven't heard for a while. It goes like this:
We are climbing Jacob's ladder,
We are climbing Jacob's ladder,
We are climbing Jacob's ladder,
Soldiers of the cross.
Ev'ry round goes higher, higher,
Ev'ry round goes higher, higher,
Ev'ry round goes higher, higher,
Soldiers of the cross.
The song speaks to the “strategy of elevation” ...that is, as we learn to trust God more and obey what the Spirit is showing us, we move to a higher plain of relationship with God...God reveals more to us and we experience more Christ-likeness. Think back a year ago...are you at a higher level in your relationship with God? If so, it's because you're “climbing higher.” Climbing a ladder requires effort and trust in that ladder, so too in the process of sanctified “elevation.” God waits for us to take the next step higher in our relationship with Him. We will experience Godly changes in how we think, our priorities, how we love others, our edifying usefulness among the brothers and sisters in the church.
This is the theme of today's My Utmost for His Highest:
“A higher state of mind and spiritual vision can only be achieved through the higher practice of personal character. If you live up to the highest and best that you know in the outer level of your life, God will continually say to you, “Friend, come up even higher.” Never allow God to show you a truth which you do not instantly begin to live up to, applying it to your life. Always work through it, staying in its light.
Your growth in grace is not measured by the fact that you haven't turned back, but that you have an insight and understanding into where you are spiritually. Have you heard God say, “Come up higher,” not audibly on the outer level, but to the innermost part of your character?
God has to hide from us what He does, until, due to the growth of our personal character, we get to the level where He is then able to reveal it.”
The point of today's Truth Matters is this: don't give up, keep climbing higher in your trust and obedience to God even when it's hard and seems beyond what you are able...after all, the song defines us as “soldiers” ...brave, committed, willing to endure hardship, trusting our Commander. My prayer for you and me this day is this:
Lord...many of us are struggling today. Help us to see that our struggle is another rung on our sanctification ladder. We'll trust You in the midst of our struggle, and as we do, we'll reach for that next rung where we will see You more clearly. We need Your help Lord through the struggle because sometimes we don't feel like “soldiers”... we're not reaching for that next rung. The enemy would love for us not to “reach.” We cling to Your promise:
No (circumstance) has overtaken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow (a circumstance) beyond what you are able, but with the (circumstance) will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 DB amplified version)
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Unless You Abide in Jesus
On the Thursday of Passion Week, Jesus was with His disciples giving them instructions and reassurance of how to become “fruitful” in His kingdom. The main instruction was this:
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” (John 15 4)
There are at least two important “Truth Matters” in Jesus' statement:
1. “Bearing fruit” is a given priority for the believer. This “fruit” has to do with bringing folks to know the sin cleansing power of Jesus Christ. Our lives are to reflect that. by keeping your conduct excellent among the Gentiles, they may because of your good works, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:12)
2. The key here is “abiding in the vine.” Just to have “excellent conduct” as a goal in itself is not how “fruit” is born. There are many unbelievers who have excellent conduct but end up in hell and bring many with them. There are many believers who strive for excellent conduct but only to promote themselves and never bear fruit. “Fruit producing conduct” can only come when the believer is in close relationship with Jesus. The “fruit” comes naturally out of that relationship. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” (John 7:38)
Today's My Utmost for His Highest speaks to this issue:
“Goodness and purity should never be traits that draw attention to themselves, but should simply be magnets that draw people to Jesus Christ. If my holiness is not drawing others to Him, it is not the right kind of holiness; it is only an influence which awakens undue emotions and evil desires in people and diverts them from heading in the right direction. A person who is a beautiful saint can be a hindrance in leading people to the Lord by presenting only what Christ has done for him, instead of presenting Jesus Christ Himself. Others will be left with this thought— “What a fine person that man is!” That is not being a true “friend of the bridegroom”— I am increasing all the time; He is not.
To maintain this friendship and faithfulness to the Bridegroom, we have to be more careful to have the moral and vital relationship to Him above everything else.”
The very important point is this...walking closely with the Lord Jesus in meditating on the Word and in making application of that Word through prayer, is what will result in “fruit.” We don't have to contrive “good behavior.” The kind of behavior that results in “fruit” spills over naturally from our relationship with Jesus. That kind of “Christ generated behavior” is what draws folks to the Savior.
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, keep us from being superficial Christians. Give us the faith and trust to allow You to so direct and influence our lives that not only will we receive joy, peace, and confidence, but that others would see You in us and be drawn to the Savior we love. Amen.
Havergal's song is where “fruit” has its origin:
Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Fellowship of Suffering
Have you ever wondered what the Apostle Paul meant when he said he wanted to know “the fellowship of His sufferings?” (Philippians 3:10) Most likely, we think about the persecution Jesus suffered...and we might indeed suffer as Jesus did as He told the truth about sin and righteousness...as we are to do (John 15:20) But there's much more to Paul's prayer than just persecution. Actually, it has to do with something more intense, more troubling, more difficult than just persecution. It has to do with Paul's previous statement, “I have suffered the loss of all things.” (Philippians 3:8)
To fellowship with Jesus in suffering means that we put aside our personal wants, desires, goals, purposes, selfishness and follow Christ. We will have to change how we look at our lives with all our expectations, our claimed entitlements, our independence. We need to be reminded of at least two Truth Matters:
1. You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” (James 4:14-15) The point is, our “expectations,” our independent purposes and desires are really insignificant in comparison to eternity. The song reminds us “Only one life will soon be passed, Only what's done for Christ will last.” That, my friend, is what fellowship with Jesus Christ's suffering is.
2. Fellowship with our Lord's suffering will demand our full commitment to God's word...obedience. No matter if we can or cannot see positive outcomes, we commit our lives to Him. This commitment will cause us to suffer the loss of all we once held dear and turn our lives over to God. Vulnerability is part of the “suffering.” It's what Jesus was agonizing with when He “fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39)
Indeed, we are called to suffer in fellowship with Christ. “Suffering the loss of ALL things” is what intimidates us...makes us feel vulnerable. We say, “If I give up my desires and expectations, where will my joy come from?” God tells us this: 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory (1 Peter 1:7-8)
My prayer for me and you this day is this...Lord, keep our priorities straight. Help us to see our lives through the lens of eternity. Help us to learn the continuing lessons of faith as we become more conformed to our Lord Jesus. We'll obey what You show us in Your word. We trust You with the outcomes. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
When Common Sense Comes Knocking
I think we've all experienced times when we become discouraged and defeated that our particular area of kingdom service seems a failure in our eyes. Sometimes that may be a sign from God to move on to another service or a time to take spiritual inventory of our own lives. But more times than not, we allow ourselves to be discouraged because we lose our focus on our Lord Jesus Christ. By that I mean, we forget we are in His hands for His purpose to use us in ways that transcend our common sense. We forget we are not our own...our lives are not our own...we belong to Christ to use us as He sees fit. In other words, when our service seems a failure, even though Christ calls us to function in that service, we have to remember that He is the Cornerstone who put us there and trust Him for what He is doing in and through us.
Of course, this is not an easy recognition or commitment. It often flies in the face of our common sense, but this is where we must be careful and dig deeper in our relationship with God. Sometimes it will require prayer and fasting to discern what God is trying to tell us. Sometimes it will require Godly insight from brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. It's very easy to put blinders on during times of discouragement and never see God's actual working in and through us. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord...do not allow Satan to discourage and quench the Spirit's leading in our lives. Help us to remember that You are in control of circumstances and, most of all, our lives. Help us to live our lives in such a way that we can say with the Apostle Paul: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Call or Duty
I'm not into video games but there is one I hear about from grandsons and teens. The game is Call of Duty. All I know about the game is it is a war game having to do with WWII. But the name presents an intriguing question for believers. Do we minister out of a sense of “call” or “duty.” If we operate out of a sense of “duty,” there are many perks that go along with that approach. People will commend you for sticking with a program. There will be a sense of satisfaction because duties are being fulfilled. And best of all, we often contrive what our duties should be...not to be overly demanding but allow us to function admirably in our comfort zones.
Jesus does not seem impressed by folks operating out of a sense of “duty” (e.g. Matthew 23:23). He's more interested in believers who operate out of a sense of “call” and relationship with Him. Not many “perks” here. Jesus made that clear: “...any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33). Here are the “perks” to expect if you operate out of a sense of call: “...glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; 9 as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet behold, we live; as punished and yet not put to death, 10 as sorrowful but always rejoicing, as poor but making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things. (2 Corinthians 6:8-10).
What is the difference? The difference is that “duty” is contrived by our own thinking. “Call” is the result of walking with the Lord...worshipping Him...listening for His voice (often in opposition to our own)...making our relationship with Him our priority
So which is it? Are you going to live your Christian life out of a sense of duty...that is, your formulations of what those “duties” should be, or, are you going to walk more closely to the Lord and with reckless abandon give yourself to His wise plan. There will be “perks” for either choice. Choose which set you want. Matt 19:29-30
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive one hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, keep us close to you. So close that we hear Your call. So close that our lives don't become “duty” filled but open to Your “call.” Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
When My Well is Dry
Maybe there's a situation or person in your life you know needs to come under the loving change brought by God the Spirit. You pray and pray and pray (maybe for years) for these changes to take place. You try everything you know to see the changes made. Your intentions are good and you want God glorified, but nothing seems to work. Finally, in a state of depression and failure you say,
“I can't go any deeper...I have no more resource...I'm emotionally, spiritually and physically exhausted and feel lost. I know my Lord is with me and I go to Him for strengthening and comfort. I've gone to the depth of my well and it's dry.”
Here's where today's Truth Matters provides us with a much needed insight...namely, our “well” is not where the answer is. Jesus does not go deep into our “well” with us to drudge up answers. No. Our help must come from above not at the bottom of our “well.”
If we only see our Lord as a comforter or strengthener in our attempts to see needed spiritual change, we miss a very important point...that is, God's wisdom and His power is what will bring about change...and that is from above not down deep in our “well.” Our approach must be to affirm God's omnipotence. Trust in His working.
I guess a lot of our lack of faith comes from our expectations of what we want to see happening. Compounded on that is our impatience with God...we want to see it happening now. We see our “wells” of desire, processes, and fixes as to how God will work. What He wants, is for us to depend and have confidence in His power...to depend on His timing...to know He has purposes beyond which we have understanding but will bring honor and glory to His name. We must not depend upon our “wells”...they will run dry. We must look to almighty God from which our help will come.
My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, You've told us to put our cares and anxieties on You (1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 11:28). We lose sight of that. Please remind us of this every day. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Christ Wins We Win
Seems like every day we hear and read about increasing botchery happening all over the world, but even more concerning, in America. I just read an article this morning published by the National Police Association (February 2024 - “No Sacred Place: Worship at Risk”) that shows churches in America are experiencing unprecedented violence and criminal attacks in 2024. We look at the crime statistics and we are often dismayed at the trend. We see the Apostle Paul's predictions for the days preceding Daniel's 70th week becoming more clear. The list causes many to fear and face their future with apprehension— “2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, without gentleness, without love for good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, but having denied its power. (2 Timothy 3:2-5)
The cure for many of our apprehensions comes when we realize two Truth Matters:
1) If we're not careful, we begin to see things as if they're falling apart; but in reality, all these things are falling into place in preparation for Jesus' second coming. (Matthew 24:3-14)
2) Even more importantly, we believers are in our God's sovereign hands—“because God has chosen you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth... 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the instructions which you were taught from us. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen them. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)
The point is this...we persevere through troubling times because we trust our Lord and Savior. He wins. We are one in Him. He brings us to ultimate glory...we are winners in Him. Being in His hands, Christ Jesus is our confidence.
We persevere through troubling times because the Sovereign, Creator of the universe; the only God who became a man to pay our penalty for our sin by dying on the cross so that we would be with Him for all eternity in heaven; the One who shapes the history of man for His glory; is our God and the One who loves us with an infinite, eternal love. My prayer for me and you is this...Lord, calm our fears. Relieve our apprehensions. Help us to persevere with faith and confidence as we think about Your power, plan, purpose, and Your love for us. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
This one will say, ‘I am Yahweh's'; And this one will call on the name of Yahweh; And this one will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to Yahweh. (Isaiah 44:5)
Just Do It
We are familiar with Nike's trademark swoosh and the marketing slogan “Just Do It.” I think the marketing slogan had to do with the tedious dread the athlete experiences as they must take on the drudgery of training, diet, and preparation for their physical objectives. In those times, the athlete must self-motivate and “Just Do It.” If he or she does not have that self-motivation, those physical objectives will not be met and the athlete will not succeed.
Life, in general, is a lot like that. There are times when we have to plow through times of drudgery. No one is going to make us or even encourage us to plow through; we “Just Do It.” We also experience this in our service for the Lord Jesus. We expect some “lightening bolt” to get us moving for the kingdom's sake, but in fact, there will be no “lightening bolts” but the necessity to “Just Do It.” Sometimes we waste precious kingdom opportunities, not because we can't see the opportunities, but we just don't get moving. We'll find when we “Just Do It” we then will experience and realize the leading and power of God as He uses us to complete His work.
We ask the question, “What comes first...the chicken or the egg?” In the case of most believers, God shows us an opportunity to advance the kingdom, but then it is up to us to “Just Do It.” If we don't, we'll just sit on that opportunity and it will pass us by. Reminds me of the guy I read about today in my morning time with God who buried his talent and it earned nothing for the master (Matthew 25:14-30). The purpose of that parable is to tell us to “Just Do It.” My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, so many times we see what needs to be done for the kingdom's sake, but we don't get off our rear ends and start working. Our problem is that it will require sacrifice, effort, a realigning of priorities. Help us to see that is exactly what you want from us...for the kingdom's sake and Your glory. We commit ourselves to “Just Do It.” Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Desperation Brings Us to Praise
Andrea Crouch wrote a song that every believer can relate to. The chorus goes like this: “Through it all, Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God.” Seems like when life seems to be going great, things appear to be predictable and under control, our expectations are being fulfilled, it is harder to develop trust and a desperate relationship with Jesus. I think it's part of what Jesus was trying to teach His disciples when He told them, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23-24) The point is, there's nothing wrong with being rich...as there is nothing wrong with enjoying the blessings of life...but Martin Luther would never have written A Mighty Fortress is Our God if he did not experiencing the hardships and unpredictability of his life during the Reformation. Paul too credits the humility, stress, and pain he suffered as God's way of conforming and directing him to Christ.
This is one of the blessings of being older...you can now see how those painful experiences, those hours spent in anxious uncertainty, those seemingly dry, thirsty deserts we passed through all made us more God focused, God dependent, driven to the Word and prayer. God works that way in all our lives.
Today's My Utmost for His Highest reminds us of this Truth that Matters:
“Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him— pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood— darkness is the time to listen. Don't talk to other people about it; don't read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.
After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation. If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, “How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!” And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart— a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.”
I've been to Red Rocks, CO...a perfect amphitheater carved out of a red rock canyon by God. There, this song was sung that sums up what the “desert places” are intended to bring for the Christian. Sometimes music brings out the “truth matters” better than words:
I'm Desperate For You - Red Rocks Worship - Lyric Video - YouTube
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we thank You for the times when You bring us to an end of ourselves. Those are the times You become precious to us. We learn to walk ever more closely to You. For those times, we thank You. “What a friend We have in Jesus...What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Narcigesis
I believe it may have been the reformed theologian R.C. Sproul who coined the term “narcigesis.” The term is defined this way:
“Narcigesis is combining the words narcissism and eisegesis.” Narcissism is “excessive interest in or admiration of oneself,” and eisegesis is “interpretation of a text by reading into it one's own ideas.” So, narcigesis is “the explanation of the Bible in a way that shows excessive interest in oneself and prioritizes one's own ideas.”
In other words, the “narcigetic” is one who interprets the Bible according to his or her own liking. Of course, this becomes problematic and dangerous because of the distortions and untruths put upon God's word.
I was reading this morning in Matthew 22:29 where Jesus rebuked some “narcigetes” of His day: “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.”
Could that same rebuke be needed today...by us?
I think the term “narcigesis” is an apt description of how many Christians today approach their understanding of the Bible. Rather than paying attention to what the Bible is actually saying, they “cherry-pick” passages that they think reinforces what THEY think God should say, be, or do. God tells us: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15). “Narcigetics” be dammed. We never want to get into the position where “I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don't hear Him.” My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, may we never get ourselves into a position where we are “in error because we do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” Speak to us Lord through Your word and give us discernment to see where we are becoming “narcigetes” rather than humble and diligent students of your word. This is especially important for those of us who have been given the responsibility of preaching and teaching the Bible...but it's essentially true for all of us. Open the eyes of our hearts, souls, and minds to Your Word. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
My Biggest Regret
Dr. John Macarthur was once asked by a seminary student (I paraphrase because I can't recall the exact quote): “As you mature in your Christian life, will you sin less?” Macarthur's response was: “Yes, I sin less, but I'm remorseful more.” How can that be? Why is it that as we mature in our Christians lives we become more remorseful? I think there are two reasons:
1) As we mature we learn more about who God is, and who we are. By that I mean we become more and more aware of how far we are from the righteousness and the purposes of God. The more deeply we understand God, and more deeply understand our sinfulness and our flesh, and who we really are, it becomes more hurtful and causes us remorse.
2) As we mature in our Christian walk we sense how faithless, how negligent we have been not to heed God's word, believe it, and put it into practice. This causes us greater remorse as we see how much we have been so artificial, phoney, thoughtless to the things revealed in God's word.
Today's My Utmost for His Highest reveals the reason for the mature Christian's remorse:
“We don't consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don't listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.
We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don't want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God's servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, “Well, that's only your own idea, even though I don't deny that what you said is probably God's truth.”
Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, “Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?” This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.”
Pastors are being counseled these days to preach as if they are addressing 7th and 8th graders. Of course there are times when the elementary truths of God's word need to be explained in the most simplest of terms, but pastors who only preach on the 7th grade level will get churches filled with 7th grade level Christians (a problem seen in many of today's “evangelical churches”). As Christians get fed on the “meat” of God's word (Hebrews 5:11-14), they will experience the remorse Macarthur was talking about and explained by Oswald Chambers. The question is, why put ourselves in the position of remorse? Why aren't we finding “real delight in finally hearing Him?” That's question we each must answer. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we don't want to live in the remorse of wasted opportunity...the remorse of disobedience...the remorse of not experiencing Your blessing. We want to know You more and walk with You more completely. Help us Lord to fulfill Your purposes. Amen
The old “Farmer's Almanac” adage applies here: “If you quit hitting your head with a hammer, you'll feel less pain.” Think about it.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Sanctified or Thrown Out
Seems like America is becoming less and less “Christian” in any real sense of the word. The abominable state of our secular colleges and universities, our anti-God and anti-Bible culture, opening our borders to anti-Christian aliens for the purpose of their votes, weak churches and weak pastors not “contending earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints (Jude) ...all of these are contributing to an anti-Christian America. But perhaps the main cause of the degeneracy of America has to do with today's Christians themselves. We have lost the personal meaning of “sanctification.” By that I mean, we've lost the meaning of what it takes to be the corrective “salt” and “light” demanded by Jesus (Matthew 5:13-20). Today's Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest, confronts us with this damning truth:
“Are we prepared to pay the cost of sanctification? The cost will be a deep restriction of all our earthly concerns, and an extensive cultivation of all our godly concerns. Sanctification means to be intensely focused on God's point of view. It means to secure and to keep all the strength of our body, soul, and spirit for God's purpose alone. Are we really prepared for God to perform in us everything for which He separated us? And after He has done His work, are we then prepared to separate ourselves to God just as Jesus did? “For their sakes I sanctify Myself…” (John 17:19). The reason some of us have not entered into the experience of sanctification is that we have not realized the meaning of sanctification from God's perspective. Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the nature that controlled Him will control us. Are we really prepared for what that will cost? It will cost absolutely everything in us which is not of God.
Are we prepared to say, “Lord, make me, a sinner saved by grace, as holy as You can”? Jesus prayed that we might be one with Him, just as He is one with the Father (see John 17:21-23). The resounding evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life is the unmistakable family likeness to Jesus Christ, and the freedom from everything which is not like Him. Are we prepared to set ourselves apart for the Holy Spirit's work in us?”
The Mennen Skin Bracer commercial of 1972 showed a man splashing on an alcohol laced after-shave and then responding to the shock to his raw, shaven face. He exclaimed, “Wow...I needed that!” The “Skin Bracer” woke him up...ready for his day. I think most of us need a healthy dose of “spiritual bracer.” We need the conviction of what Chambers wrote for February 8 above. It's the “bracer” that will wake us up to our roles of “salt” and “light” needed to influence our degenerating culture. Nothing of which Chambers pointed out will be easy. Jesus pointed that out too when He stated:
“28 For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it ... 34 “Therefore, salt is good, but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? 35 It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, [j]let him hear.” (Luke 14:25-35)
This is where the men are separated from the boys...where the women are separated from the girls. This country, this culture, this world, needs men and women who understand what it means to be “sanctified”...the cost and the purpose.
My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, we want to be “totally in” resulting in our “sanctification.” Forgive us of our negligence. our lack of commitment. Use us this day as Your “salt” and “light.” Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
God’s Glory or Our Dejection
The main point of our preaching series “God's Love” is that God's love is not how we conjure it up in our minds. The Bible's description of God's love often takes us by surprise...sometimes it's not understood by us...it always requires faith and trust in God's loving purposes. The problem is when we try to superimpose our expectations and near-sighted approval of how God should manifest His love. Two problems here:
1) God is perfectly holy...we are not. How He loves is a perfect manifestation of AGAPE (“Agape love is not merely an attribute of God, it is His essence. God is fundamentally love. He alone loves in the completeness and perfection of love)
2) God is omniscient...that is, God knows the beginning from the end...we do not. God knows how, when, and where to manifest His love. In other word, we don't tell God what love is, He tells us how His love is demonstrated. Whatever His mercy and grace and kindness and goodness and tender-heartedness achieved cannot obliterate what will be made manifest by His hatred, His anger, His wrath, His vengeance and His justice. All of God's attributes have a place in the demonstration of His love.
If we cannot accept the fact that the chief desire of God is that His attributes will be honored and glorified, then we will experience “spiritual dejection” when we are faced with seemingly unanswerable questions in the tragedies of life. Not trusting in “God's Love,” we are left with resentment, disillusionment, and anxiousness.
We don't realize that all the time God is at work in our everyday events and in the people around us is key to understanding God's love. No matter what the circumstance might be, we know that God is working through that circumstance according to His love for us. Although we may not be able to see or understand the path God has laid out for us, we know and trust God has a glorious purpose for it and we will finally see God's ultimate expression of His love. My prayer for you and me today is this...Lord, teach us that You are always working in our lives out of Your infinite love for us. No matter what the circumstance might be, the circumstance has been carefully designed by a loving God to bring out the image of Christ in us and bring You glory and honor. Keep us from feeling dejected because of our spiritual short-sightedness. Amen.
Stanphill's song comes to my mind:
I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Kings or King-makers
There is a huge difference between those who live their Christian lives to be well thought-of, congratulated, honored, esteemed...another words, live to be “kings” and...those who have little thought of being “kings” but rather, give themselves up in order to make others succeed and be great for the glory of God...in other words, they see their role as “king-makers.” To be a “king-maker” is not a glamorous job. In fact, it requires one to let go of self-aspiration and take the role of one often unappreciated, unknown, and seemingly insignificant in order that others might succeed in their Christian walk and become great in the kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul describes the life of a “king-maker:” “ 28 Him we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His working, which He works in me in power.” (Colossians 1:28-29) Sometimes a “king-maker” will be highly regarded and gain notoriety, but most of the time he or she will not.. There must be a conscious decision to become a “king-maker.” Today's My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers addresses this issue:
“Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the work of another believer—to pour out your life sacrificially for the ministry and faith of others? Or do you say, “I am not willing to be poured out right now, and I don't want God to tell me how to serve Him. I want to choose the place of my own sacrifice. And I want to have certain people watching me and saying, ‘Well done.' ”
It is one thing to follow God's way of service if you are regarded as a hero, but quite another thing if the road marked out for you by God requires becoming a “doormat” under other people's feet. God's purpose may be to teach you to say, “I know how to be abased…” (Philippians 4:12). Are you ready to be sacrificed like that? Are you ready to be less than a mere drop in the bucket— to be so totally insignificant that no one remembers you even if they think of those you served? Are you willing to give and be poured out until you are used up and exhausted— not seeking to be ministered to, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work while maintaining a saintly attitude, because they feel such service is beneath their dignity.”
Paul made this statement in Philippians 2 “3 doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, 4 not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others... 17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.” Those are the thoughts and aspirations of a “king-maker.” “Being poured out as a drink offering” may not be a popular aspiration, but it is the mind-set of a “king-maker.” I think God would have us all to have this mind-set. After all, it was the mind-set of our Lord Jesus - “5 Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself” (Philippians 2). Why? So that others might become kings in glory.
My prayer for you and me this morning is this...Lord, humbly we place our lives before You to be used to bring others to glory. Help us put aside our pride and ambitions and use us to the building up of others. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Losing is Actually Winning
Webster gives these definitions to the word “loss:” “the harm or privation resulting from losing or being separated from something;” “the act or fact of being unable to keep or maintain something.” The case could be made that Christians are a bunch of “losers”...that is, in order to follow Christ, we will suffer “harm or privation” we will “be unable to keep or maintain.” The Apostle Paul put it this way: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him...” (Philippians 3:7-11)
What Paul was referring to was personal. He lost prestige, worldly honor, his former way of life and thinking so that he could identify with and know Christ.
Each of us has a personal story like Paul's where we suffer loss to be counted as a follower of Christ. Jesus teaches His disciples to “turn the other cheek,” trade the world's acceptance for persecution, trade worldly sophistication for child-like faith, trade self-conceived control for God's sovereign purposes, trade pride for humiliation. Whether we're talking about marriage, or career, or parenting, or ministry, or fleshly desires, we will suffer personal loss in order to follow the Lord Christ.
In other words, being a Christian means we lose our ambitions, expectations, plans, self-promotions in order for Christ's power to be seen in us...and that loss will seem counter-productive every time...we will chafe under that loss...many times we don't recognize God's perfect plan. Paul was able to accept those “loses” so that he “may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11). That “resurrection” wasn't only a reference to the rapture, it was also a reference to leaving behind the ambitions, expectations, plans, self-promotions and now becoming one with Christ. This is a case where “losing is actually winning.”
My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, help us to see that what we thought was winning must be put aside for Your purpose in our lives. Remind us often that Your purpose will make us real winners and bring glory to Your name. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Am I On Course?
God tells us - “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” (1 Corinthians 9:24). In Hebrews 12:1 “...laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” In 2 Timothy 2:5 God uses another athletic illustration - “if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” Our problem is figuring out “the race that is set before us.” The question is - “Are we still on course?” A follow-up question is - “How are we competing...how great is our commitment to winning the race?”
The goal of every Christian is to lift up, magnify, promote, honor, praise, and acclaim the Lord Jesus Christ. When trying to figure out the “course” for our lives, the 1647 Westminster Confession puts it this way: “What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
Maybe we need a “course correction.” Maybe we need to see that the goal of our lives is to bring glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. That may involve the redemption of sinners, the sanctification of saints, but these are tangential to the “prize,” namely, lifting up the Son of God. We have to ask ourselves the question, do we see exalting Christ the main purpose of our lives? That prize is what must direct our “course.” Whether it's in our teaching, parenting, mentoring, working, playing...are we running the race with the purpose of lifting up Jesus Christ? Will we remain “unmovable” in our race for the prize even through heartbreak, disillusionment, and tribulation? The answer to that question will determine “how great is our commitment to winning the race.” It is one of those self-diagnostic questions that may require a “course correction.” Etched in my grandfather's pulpit so that he was reminded whenever he preached were these words: “They would see Jesus.” Not a bad reminder for all of us.
My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, You are great and greatly to be worshipped and praised. In our evangelism, in our desire for holiness, let us never forget the prize...lifting You up, exalting You. To You be the honor and glory and blessing now and forever. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Top Priority
Ask yourself this question: “What is the most important purpose God has for my life?” You might begin to trot out a number of things like: to be a Godly parent; a Godly husband or wife; a faithful and honest employee; a Godly friend; steeped in the service of the church or Christian organization; a caring neighbor.... All those are areas where we, as Christians, should reflect Christ. They are part of “working out of our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12-13). But the most important purpose God has for you and me is to share the gospel...the life changing reality of redemption. Think about this: God has placed you where you are so that you would uniquely share the gospel with those uniquely around you. You were created and molded for a time and place such as this...for the purpose of communicating the gospel. That's your most important purpose. It's the priority Jesus emphasized in Matthew 28:16-20 and Acts 1:8.
1 Cor. 9:24-27, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
The gospel ordered the way Paul lived. Everything he did was based on the priority of sharing the gospel. It wasn't based on what was in his best interest, his friends, his comfort or anything else that is typically considered the pursuit of happiness in the US. Although we may not be an apostle like Paul, we can still learn from his example. Paul exercised self-control based on his priority of the gospel. Have you considered whether or not your life is based around the priority of the gospel?
True...we are not “Apostles” in the sense that Paul was, but he was given to us by God as an example to emulate: “Brothers, join in following my example, and look for those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.” (Philippians 3:17). And that “pattern” was the priority of sharing the gospel. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, keep us fixed on the priority You have established for us, namely, sharing the reality of redemption. So many things...so many distractions...so many enticements keep us from the one thing we have been molded for. Help is to see the brevity of life and the reason You've put us here. Help us to refocus and reset our lives for Your kingdom's sake. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Not Understanding
I was seeking God's face earlier this morning while meditating on Matthew 16:21-23. That's the passage where the Apostle Peter misunderstood God's love and while he thought he had Jesus' best interest in mind, he was actually thinking and acting contrary to God's love plan. Jesus called him out on his misunderstanding and rebuked him harshly... ”Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:22). We often like to ridicule, or even feel superior, to Peter because of his leaping to his own conclusions, but in reality, aren't we VERY OFTEN like him? Rather than living and serving in humility and trusting in God's plan and God's love, we insist on our own understanding and stand in need of the same rebuke Peter got. Today's My Utmost for His Highest (the beloved devotional by Oswald Chambers) brings this nearsightedness to our attention:
“God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. We say, “I know that this is what I should do” — and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the depths of our ignorance. We show our ignorance of Him in the very way we decide to serve Him. We serve Jesus in a spirit that is not His, and hurt Him by our defense of Him. We push His claims in the spirit of the devil; our words sound all right, but the spirit is that of an enemy. “He…rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of' ” (Luke 9:55). The spirit of our Lord in His followers is described in 1 Corinthians 13.
Have I been persecuting Jesus by an eager determination to serve Him in my own way? If I feel I have done my duty, yet have hurt Him in the process, I can be sure that this was not my duty. My way will not be to foster a meek and quiet spirit, only the spirit of self-satisfaction. We presume that whatever is unpleasant is our duty! Is that anything like the spirit of our Lord— “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8).”
I don't know about you, but Peter's rebuke by the Lord Jesus sends a dagger to my heart. I'm often just like Peter telling Jesus what I THINK He should or should not do? Am I humbly willing to submit to His plan and purpose for my life no matter how inconceivable that plan seems to me? Am I deserving of the same rebuke Peter got? Bottom line is this...is my desire to glorify the Lord God of my own design or am I humble to, with joy, place myself in His holy design? That's a question all maturing believers must come to recon with. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, forgive us of insisting on our ways of serving You...of our preconceived purposes and expectations. May we humbly accept Your plan and purpose for us to be perfect, a blessing to others, and glorifying to You. We ask in Jesus' name...amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Compromise
I looked up Webster's definition of “compromise.” One of the definitions is: “to find or follow a way between extremes.” Many modern day Christians believe this is the way to win an unregenerate world over to our side. If we would just “compromise” a little with a world energized and directed by “the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11,” we would move the needle in our direction. In God's word, you cannot find that definition of “compromise” anywhere in the Bible...only warnings against it. In fact, all the examples of attempts to compromise found in scripture led to further ungodliness. The Bible makes it clear that God does not condone compromising His commands: “Be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). Joyful are those who “do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths” (Psalm 119:3, NLT). God is holy, and His ways are right. God is good, and His ways are life giving. Concerning matters that God has clearly addressed, we do not negotiate, bargain, or compromise.
Webster has other definitions of “compromise: “a concession to something derogatory or prejudicial”... ” to make a shameful or disreputable concession.” These definitions are what believers should think about when tempted to give up what we know to be “truth matters” for even good intentions or human strategies.
In other words, our lives are to reflect God's truth. Where or when does God bend or compromise His truth? Never. Neither should we. Not compromising includes not being hypocritical. When our intention is to actively pursue a deeper relationship with God and obey Him in all things, we are less likely to compromise. We will more readily recognize the things that seek to draw us away from God. We will more readily recognize His voice and trust Him (see John 10:4). We come to understand the magnitude of His holiness, the crushing nature of sin, and the depth of His grace. We long to follow Him in all our ways. The better we know God, the better we can resist the temptation to compromise His truth. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, help us to overcome our “sophistication” and humbly submit to Your truth. The consequences are Yours, but holding firmly to the truth is our testimony and responsibility. Keep us ever anchored to Your truth and not be swayed by “compromise.” Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Allow your eyes to adjust
I get up in the morning and after a time of prayer and meditating on God's word, I try to write one of these “Truth Matters” and then proceed down to the barn to feed the horses. It's about a hundred yard walk. The sun is reflecting off the snow and by the time I get to the barn, I walk into the feed room and experience “snow blindness”...that is, the dimly lit feed room becomes completely black. After a few minutes my eyes adjust and can begin to see to get the work done. I have to wait in order to see clearly.
In a way, that's how it is in our service to the Lord. We walk in the bright light of God's revelation to us...we study His word...we seek Him to speak to us...we rejoice in His revealed truth to us...and then proceed to be used by Him only to find we enter into a dimly lit area where we experience “revelation blindness”...that is, we can't see how God is purposefully orchestrating our lives to be used for Him.
It's the “waiting” that becomes a hurdle to us...because we want “results” we can see and somehow manipulate. We are “cause & effect” people often discounting God's sovereign, omniscient purposes for us. In other word, we may not know or see what God is doing through us until God takes away our “revelation blindness” and gives us confidence that He is in charge AND...the results are His. Before heading down to the barn to feed the horses, I am praying this for you and me this day: Lord, turn our impatience into trust and confidence in Your working in and through us. Help us to be faithful through times of “spiritual blindness” as You gradually open our eyes and allow us to see and trust in Your hand. Amen.
Whittle's hymn written in 1884 still points to our response to “revelation blindness:”
I know not why God's wondrous grace
to me is daily shown,
nor why, with mercy, Christ in love
redeemed me for his own.
But “I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day.”
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Joy to Jesus
President John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” This same exhortation could be said to Christians concerning their relationship to the Lord Jesus. Did it ever occur to you that we can bring pleasure and joy to our Lord? We view Him as our provider, protector, and loving Father...and rightly so. But did you realize we can bring Him joy in serving Him; bring Him joy in loving Him; bring Him joy in wanting to be with Him through prayer and the word? Maybe we need to stop and realize how often our typical focus is on how God can bring us joy...while we fail to realize we can bring joy to Him. Today's My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers reminds us of this:
“Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink' ” (John 4:7). How many of us are expecting Jesus Christ to quench our thirst when we should be satisfying Him! We should be pouring out our lives, investing our total beings, not drawing on Him to satisfy us. “You shall be witnesses to Me…” (Acts 1:8). That means lives of pure, uncompromising, and unrestrained devotion to the Lord Jesus, which will be satisfying to Him wherever He may send us.
Beware of anything that competes with your pleasure-giving loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?”
An older saint I knew, Spencer Banfield, loved this hymn because of the reality it was in his life. The hymn goes:
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
The part we often overlook is “the joy WE share as WE tarry there” ...that is, our part in the joy the Son of God derives from our fellowship with Him. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we want to sit down with You this day...to talk with You...listen to Your voice...express our love to You. For we know this brings You great joy and that is what we want to do. We want to bring You joy today as we walk with You. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Costly for Others
What would God have me do?...or what is God's call on my life? Just like there are no two snowflakes exactly alike, God's call for each of us is individual. God's call on your life will not be exactly the same as God's call on mine. It's a waste of time to compare, contrast, or explain our call. No one beside God could understand how uniquely God has shaped us for His call. There are many contributing factors that shape our “call”...factors such as: DNA, childhood-adolescent-adult experiences, family influences, marriage, spiritual development, achievements and defeats, personal abilities or the lack there of, physical and emotional tendencies. The point is...we are complex and individual. What we must understand is God's omniscient sovereignty carefully puts in place all these “complexities” that make you you. We were created and orchestrated by God to be used by Him. As we seek God's call, these “complexities” steer us and prepare us for that which will bring Him glory and advance His kingdom. For some of us, it may take years to realize how our “complexities” are to be used in the service of the King. We come to realize there is a need to be filled in reaching the world with the gospel or a need in edifying the brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, and then the Spirit of God opens our eyes as to how God can use us.
We come to a point in our lives where we identify with the Apostle Paul when he wrote:
12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He regarded me faithful, putting me into service... for this reason I was shown mercy, so that in me as the foremost (of sinners), Christ Jesus might demonstrate all His patience as an example for those who are going to believe upon Him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:12-17)
It is when we realize the brevity of life and the eternal worth of our “complexities” that we begin to realize and pursue God's call on us. We serve with joy and confidence as we begin to understand how our God designed “complexities” plug in to His purposes. My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, sometimes it is a mystery and wonder how You have intricately prepared us for Your service. We pray for the leading of the Spirit to show us how and where we are to be used for the advancement of Your kingdom. You have uniquely prepared us and now we are ready and willing to be plugged in. Amen
Reminds me of the prayer found in one of Fanny Cosby's hymns:
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow'r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Costly for Others
When we engage in any facet of ministering to the lives of people, there is going to be a cost to others. There will be a cost in terms of precious personal relationships. Jesus told His followers: “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26). The word “hate” is hyperbole, but it forewarns the follower of Christ of focus that will be required. But there will be another kind of cost to others...namely, sacrificial material support. This may come in the form of financial support, or other kind of sacrificial support that will enable us in fulfilling the call God designed for us. For example, consider those who financially supported Jesus: “And it happened that soon afterward He was going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him...and many others who were ministering to them from their possessions. (Luke 8:1-3)
While we all know of “ministers of the gospel” who have exploited and distorted this concept for personal gain, the fact of the matter is that much of God's work through us will require the support and help from others...and it will be costly to them...it will require sacrifice. We hate that notion because we want to be independent and self-reliant not needing anyone's help...we don't want to be an inconvenience to others...but that's not how God designed ministry to take place. We need the financial and material support of others.
Whether it be Christian education, the pregnancy center, missionary outreach, the local church, there will be expenses involved that will need the financial support of others. Ministries will not be able to function without sacrificial support. It takes a great deal of humility to rely on others to support our ministries. The thought of “fund raising” when involved in God's work is both humiliating and intimidating, but we must put aside our pride and independence and accept God's working through the lives of others. There is a certain grace that God must give us as we see how our ministries require sacrifice on the part of others. My prayer for you and me today is this: Lord, teach us the humility and blessing of receiving. You use others to see works done in Your name go forward. Bless those who give for the furtherance of the gospel and Your kingdom.
Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Almost Christians
In the day in which we live, one of the important tasks of Ambassadors for Christ is to face professing Christians with the fact they have never been regenerated. They don't show the characteristic signs of regeneration e.g. prayerful humility; a thirst for God's word personally and corporately; a growing love for others as described in 1 Corinthians 13; an increasing desire to know Jesus Christ more intimately. In other words, “if there's no smoke in the chimney there's no reason to think there is a fire in the fireplace.” Many “Christians” today say they have been “converted”...that is, they see some kind of advantage of being biblically influenced...they may become active in some “do goodism” that has the facade of being Christian...they have adapted a Christianized lingo...they have even learned how to “make-believe” pray...but honestly, they still live and talk like the world. I call them “almost Christians.” They have never come to the place where they have become utterly crushed because of their sin and receive the forgiveness only Jesus can give. They do not know the presence of the Spirit nor are they willing to be directed by Him. This situation is the disaster of evangelicalism today...in fact, the designation “evangelical” has lost its defining identity of true, regenerated believers. Living under the umbrella of “evangelicalism” has become a dangerous and self-deceiving place to be these days
How dreadful and terrible it will be when so many self-proclaimed “evangelical / almost Christians” find themselves confronted by Jesus Christ and sentenced to an eternity in hell because they refused to believe themselves to be totally lost sinners in need of God's only provision. Matthew 7:21-23 should strike terror in the lives of many of today's “evangelicals” -
21 “Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,' but still won't get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.' 23 But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.' (The Living Bible paraphrase)
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we know about self-deception and how easy it is to be self-deceived. We know folks who profess to follow Christ but their profession is self-deceived. They still want to be in control of their lives and agendas and are unwilling to humbly fall on their knees before the Lord Jesus and give themselves over to the Christ who died on a cross for them. Use us Lord to make this clear. Use us to bring others to true repentance and Spirit led lives. Empower us...embolden us to speak the truth in love. Use us as Your ambassadors to preach the gospel in all its wonder, mystery, and clarity. We pray for salvation for those “almost Christians.” Amen.
Truth Matters 1-4-24
Maybe it's a goal that now seems out of reach, or maybe it's a failure you now are desperate to rectify, or maybe it's a move or new relationship you believe to be in your best interest...you want to help God out by taking control and making it happen. The counsel for such impulses is...wait. When we take the impulsive initiative to fix or rectify a situation we will miss a sanctifying lesson and bring with it suffering to ourselves and to others we touch. When we feel the impulse to “fix” huge emotional or relational issues, it's time to wait on God's providential, sovereign working and learn to trust in His wise plan. God counsels us:
Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and make manifest the motives of hearts. And then each one's praise will come to him from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)
Today's My Utmost for His Highest gives some insight on this issue:
“There are times when you can't understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don't fill it with busyness, just wait. The time of waiting may come to teach you the meaning of sanctification— to be set apart from sin and made holy— or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun to teach you what service means. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt— wait.
At first you may see clearly what God's will is— the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, or something else you feel is distinctly God's will for you to do. But never act on the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will cause difficult situations to arise which will take years to untangle. Wait for God's timing and He will do it without any heartache or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.”
Taking this approach to many of our quandaries of life is very hard for us. We don't want to take a Pollyanna approach to life saying, “let go and let God,” but we have to learn to be trusting in God's providential and sovereign purposes and learn to wait upon His plan to unfold. To this end I pray for you and me this day...Lord, You are great and greatly to be praised. Help us to have such trust in Your working in our lives that we are surprised by joy when we give over to You control of our lives. Our confidence and trust is in You. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 1-4-24
Maybe it's a goal that now seems out of reach, or maybe it's a failure you now are desperate to rectify, or maybe it's a move or new relationship you believe to be in your best interest...you want to help God out by taking control and making it happen. The counsel for such impulses is...wait. When we take the impulsive initiative to fix or rectify a situation we will miss a sanctifying lesson and bring with it suffering to ourselves and to others we touch. When we feel the impulse to “fix” huge emotional or relational issues, it's time to wait on God's providential, sovereign working and learn to trust in His wise plan. God counsels us:
Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and make manifest the motives of hearts. And then each one's praise will come to him from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)
Today's My Utmost for His Highest gives some insight on this issue:
“There are times when you can't understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don't fill it with busyness, just wait. The time of waiting may come to teach you the meaning of sanctification— to be set apart from sin and made holy— or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun to teach you what service means. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt— wait.
At first you may see clearly what God's will is— the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, or something else you feel is distinctly God's will for you to do. But never act on the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will cause difficult situations to arise which will take years to untangle. Wait for God's timing and He will do it without any heartache or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.”
Taking this approach to many of our quandaries of life is very hard for us. We don't want to take a Pollyanna approach to life saying, “let go and let God,” but we have to learn to be trusting in God's providential and sovereign purposes and learn to wait upon His plan to unfold. To this end I pray for you and me this day...Lord, You are great and greatly to be praised. Help us to have such trust in Your working in our lives that we are surprised by joy when we give over to You control of our lives. Our confidence and trust is in You. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 1-3-24
This Sunday we will be speaking about another armament of the Christian -the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). In our teaching, we'll be looking at the issue of “illumination”...which every Christian needs and is provided for by God the Spirit. Simply put, illumination in the spiritual sense is “turning on the light” of understanding when it comes to spiritual truth. There is no question that God desires us to accurately understand what He has given us. Words have meaning, and we must pay attention to the details in those words. If, however, we stop there, we simply have an academic understanding of facts or philosophies, which do no one any good. The Spirit of God, who enlightens us to hear and understand God's Word, then takes that knowledge and guides us in living it. Romans 8:14 says “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” The illuminating and leading work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is a confirmation that we are indeed children of God.
This is what the Apostle Paul was getting at when he wrote:
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the depths graciously given to us by God, 13 of which depths we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual depths with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually examined. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)
There are two ways Christians are “illuminated:”
1) Studying the word of God...not just for information...but meditating on the Word and asking the question “what is God revealing to ME personally?” Illumination always leads to repentance and action. We pray for the Spirit's insights in our individual lives.
2) God has ordained and gifted pastors and teachers to provide spiritual insight and illumination...”so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by emotions and carried about by every wind of doctrine...but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ.” (Ephesians 4:14-15)
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we pray for illuminating insight into Your word. Keep us personally in Your word. May it be our highest priority as we begin our days. Provide for us pastors and teachers that are faithful to Your word and endowed with truthful insights to teach us and show us Your truth. For these things we commit ourselves. Teach us the deep things God wants us to know and live. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Who So Ever Will
Seems like in Reformed circles the necessity of appealing to the “will” of the unbeliever has been set aside because we have been convinced of God's initial regenerating work in one who is spiritually dead (Romans 3:10-18). God is sovereign in the salvation of the spiritually dead. Reformers call it “Irresistible Grace.” Jesus made it clear: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). We acknowledge the truth of God's necessary, initiating, regenerating work that alone can make the spiritually dead responsive to the gospel. But at the same time, we must not set aside our appeal to the sinner's “will.” We used to sing the song:
Whosoever will, whosoever will!
Send the proclamation over vale and hill;
'Tis a loving Father calls the wanderer home.
"Whosoever will may come."
This may seem paradoxical, but our evangelism must be shaped by both of these truths. Knowing that the Spirit of God must break the rebellious heart of the unbeliever, we must also appeal to the “will” of the unbeliever. The gospel message is an appeal to the hearts and minds of the unbeliever. Focusing only on sovereign regeneration can make our gospel appeal cold, mechanical and lacking compassion. We must engage the sinner with a passionate plea to be saved from eternal judgment and receive God's provision in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul put it this way: “We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
We who are biblically reformed in our understanding of the Scriptures, have no doubt concerning the necessity of the Spirit's work in taking a heart of stone and making it a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). But at the same time, with the love of Christ, we must passionately appeal to the “will” of the unbeliever using the Scriptures to change their minds, repent and put their trust in the Lord Christ. The Apostle Paul is an example to us:
Paul was explaining to them by solemnly bearing witness about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. (Acts 28:23)
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, give us the passions for souls that You have. We're not “selling” the gospel. We're desperate to save folks from eternal hell. May our desperation be evident in the way we proclaim the good news of the gospel. May we have the same “desperation” demonstrated by the Apostle: I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could [a]wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers (Romans 9:1-3).
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Run to Christ
People, circumstances can cause the Christian great emotional pain and unsettled spiritual defeat. This is especially true when:
1) ...We become introspective...focusing on our failures. Coming to believe we deserve every bit of our emotional turmoil. This is especially true for spiritually sensitive folks who crave Christ-like reality in their lives.
2) ...Our sense of self-worth is tied to other's opinions of us or being in control of those “opinions” or circumstances around us.
3) ...We forget God has a purposeful plan to make us more and more like Jesus Christ. Rather than putting our focus on Him, we forget that God has placed that person or circumstance in our lives. We focus on the “fix” rather than realizing God's working in our lives. BTW...it may not result in the “fix” we initially thought important, but God will bring about His perfect result as we put aside our introspection, self-worth, insecurities and be fully confident in Christ. The writer of Hebrews 12:1-3 put it this way:
...let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. 2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God. 3 If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him. (TLB)
The third verse from the Hebrews passage is key - “3 If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him.” Jesus contemplated another “fix” (“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42). That's what “Christ-likeness” is about...”Your will be done.” When we take this point of view, mark it down, God will perfect us and bless those around us. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, how often do we allow unscriptural introspection, self-worth, and unbelief to bring us emotional and spiritual defeat. Lord, we want to put our rest and assurance in You. Strengthen our faith. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Confronted by Sin
Joel Osteen, pastor of one of the largest churches in America, was being interviewed on the Larry King Show when Larry King made the observation that Osteen hardly ever preaches on sin. To which, Osteen replied, “People don't need to be told they're sinners...they already know that.” Osteen (and most other pastors today) would rather talk about how Christianity can help with finances, marriages, self-worth, success...but sidestep the issue of sin. The fact is, people don't know about sin...its devastation...the necessity of repentance...of confronting their personal rebellion against Holy God. Preaching on sin is a hard message in today's culture of victimization, entitlement, lack of moral clarity, disregard of the Scriptures, and rejection of the idea of God's judgment. The preaching on sin is of paramount importance in the proclamation of the gospel. The Apostle Paul put it this way:
I would not have come to know sin except through the Law... 13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by working out my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. (Romans 7:7,13)
Indeed, the subject of sin must be addressed constantly and often from the pulpit. It is the starting point of one's recognition of their need for the gospel.
Preaching on sin cuts through to the hearts of self-righteous men and women. They must come to recognize their rebellion against Holy God, the consequences, and the coming judgment. Growing up in Christian circles, I was often given the impression that those preachers categorized as “Hell Fire and Brimstone” preachers were driving people away from the faith. I now realize that it is only by preaching on sin that folks are drawn to the good news of the gospel. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, in our desire to be “liked” and “acceptable,” we tend to stay away from addressing sin. We stay away from addressing the root cause of one's separation from God. May we be bold in proclaiming the truth of sin and grace. Amen.
This song gives the sequence of realizing one's sin and the grace of the Savior:
Lord I come to You
Let my heart be changed, renewed
Flowing from the grace
That I've found in You
Lord I've come to know
The weaknesses I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the power of Your love
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
What Are We Praying For?
Wednesday evenings we here at ECC, meet together for a common meal, but the main focus is prayer. Like many other Christian prayer meetings, there is the tendency to be praying from the wrong perspective. We often get focused on the difficult circumstances...sometimes tragedies...of those who we love or are concerned about. Our prayers are often driven by sympathy and the desire to “fix” the situation. Jesus changes our perspective on intercessory prayer by reminding us:
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion (A Roman copper coin, approx. 1/16 of a laborer's daily wage)? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. (Matthew 10:28-29)
Two Truth Matters we take away from Jesus' statement:
1) God is in control of even the smallest of details in the lives of those we are praying for.
2) It is God's perspective that is the most important focus of what we should be praying for.
God has placed difficult circumstances and even tragedies in the lives of those we pray for so that He can show His omniscience, omnipresence, bring about His purposes, and ultimately, cause that person to trust and love Him. We should pray not so much for “fixing” the details of the situation, but pray that God's purposes would unfold in the person's life and in the lives of those involved. It is a different perspective, but one that makes us true “intercessors.”
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we so often get caught up in the details of another's difficulty. We tend to pray for the “fix” rather than realizing You have a loving and redemptive plan for that person. Help us to pray with the mind of Christ.. “so that our faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:5). Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Quirks and Peculiarities
We all have “quirks” and individual “peculiarities” that seem to identify us personally. These “quirks” and “peculiarities” are not necessarily bad...they can often be endearing characteristics that draw us to others and others to us. But they can be very bad when they become an impediment to the leading of the Holy Spirit. For instance...are there people in your life the Spirit is wanting you to befriend and help, but yours and/or their “quirks” and “peculiarities” keep you from being obedient?...or maybe there is some aspect of ministry God has been calling you to, but you object because you can't get past your “quirks” and “peculiarities.” If the truth were known, often we embrace our “quirks” and “peculiarities” refusing to set them aside so that the Spirit of God can have control of our lives. This is part of what Jesus was getting across to “would-be” disciples:
“Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of even one's own self!—can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-27 the Message paraphrase)
I know folks who see themselves and try to present themselves as “athletes” or “professionals” or “glamorous” or “red-necks” or “leaders” or “private persons” (the “quirks” and individual “peculiarities” list goes on...) but they have a hard time ministering to folks who are not like them or folks who do not pay tribute to their “quirks” and individual peculiarities.” The truth is...hanging on to our “quirks” and individual “peculiarities” are part of our residual sin natures and will impede God's working in us and through us. Without question, God created us as individuals, we all do have “quirks” and individual “peculiarities,” but when we cling to these, our commitment to the indwelling Christ will inevitably be distorted and sometimes destroyed. We need to be careful and discerning about his aspect of our lives. My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, you've made us so wonderfully different, but never let us cling to our personal differences at the expense of obeying Your word and allowing the Spirit to work in and through us. Amen.
When I think of putting aside my own “quirks” and “peculiarities,” I think of the words of this song:
We are called to take His light To a world where wrong seems right, What could be too great a cost sharing life with one who's lost? Thru His love our hearts can feel All the grief they bear; They must hear the words of life Only we can share.
People need the lord, At the end of broken dreams He's the open door.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Quirks and Peculiarities
We all have “quirks” and individual “peculiarities” that seem to identify us personally. These “quirks” and “peculiarities” are not necessarily bad...they can often be endearing characteristics that draw us to others and others to us. But they can be very bad when they become an impediment to the leading of the Holy Spirit. For instance...are there people in your life the Spirit is wanting you to befriend and help, but yours and/or their “quirks” and “peculiarities” keep you from being obedient?...or maybe there is some aspect of ministry God has been calling you to, but you object because you can't get past your “quirks” and “peculiarities.” If the truth were known, often we embrace our “quirks” and “peculiarities” refusing to set them aside so that the Spirit of God can have control of our lives. This is part of what Jesus was getting across to “would-be” disciples:
“Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of even one's own self!—can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-27 the Message paraphrase)
I know folks who see themselves and try to present themselves as “athletes” or “professionals” or “glamorous” or “red-necks” or “leaders” or “private persons” (the “quirks” and individual “peculiarities” list goes on...) but they have a hard time ministering to folks who are not like them or folks who do not pay tribute to their “quirks” and individual peculiarities.” The truth is...hanging on to our “quirks” and individual “peculiarities” are part of our residual sin natures and will impede God's working in us and through us. Without question, God created us as individuals, we all do have “quirks” and individual “peculiarities,” but when we cling to these, our commitment to the indwelling Christ will inevitably be distorted and sometimes destroyed. We need to be careful and discerning about his aspect of our lives. My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, you've made us so wonderfully different, but never let us cling to our personal differences at the expense of obeying Your word and allowing the Spirit to work in and through us. Amen.
When I think of putting aside my own “quirks” and “peculiarities,” I think of the words of this song:
We are called to take His light To a world where wrong seems right, What could be too great a cost sharing life with one who's lost? Thru His love our hearts can feel All the grief they bear; They must hear the words of life Only we can share.
People need the lord, At the end of broken dreams He's the open door.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
We Are Not “Dirtbags”
The Urban Dictionary defines the term “dirtbag” this way: “typically living with lack of reason to be alive, living in depression or lost, and somewhat of an underdog.” I don't like using culturally defined terms like that, but this definition is the way many Christians suffer spiritual depression...that is, we sometimes feel like “dirtbags” because we do and think things we know are sinful and displeasing to God and then respond by going into a depressive dumpster thinking God is fed-up with our failures. Often, rather than the Spirit's conviction leading to repentance (the commitment to change and obedience to the Word), many Christians resort to tears of depression and defeat and live like “dirtbags.” Satan loves that term and knows he can squash a Christian's testimony and kingdom usefulness if he can keep them thinking they are “dirtbags.” “Dirtbag” Christians need to be reminded of two things:
1) The Holy Spirit's ministry is to reveal our sin and bring us to Godliness. (e.g. Hebrews 12:7-11)
2) It is the cross of Jesus that eliminates any thought of being spiritual “dirtbags”...by that I mean, though we sin in thought and deed, we have been made perfect in God's sight because we are now identified with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We must not only know this, but believe it and live it.
Isaiah 1:18 -- Come now, and let us reason together,” Says Yahweh, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
In other words, we are not “dirtbags.” We are washed clean by Christ's redeeming work...perfect, righteous, prepared for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Reminds me of the song:
When Satan tempts me to despair,
and tells me of the guilt within,
upward I look and see Him there
who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
my sinful soul is counted free;
for God the Just is satisfied
to look on Him and pardon me;
to look on Him and pardon me.
May the words of that song be our prayer reminder this day. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Repentance or Regret
Much of the error of today's evangelism has to do with not understanding what repentance is. We know a person has to repent before they can be saved, but really what does that mean? Most have the idea that to repent means to be sorry for the mistakes made or for the hurt caused or for misunderstandings of others. Yes, we all have made mistakes, caused pain, hurt others and wish we could take a “mulligan” (a free shot sometimes given a golfer in informal play when the previous shot was poorly played). Many think that “repentance” is going into some kind of confessional and feeling really bad about theses mistakes...hoping that God would forgive and remedy our selfish stupidnesses. But this is not what salvation repentance is. A person cannot be saved until they realize they have no part with the holiness of God...until they realize they are rebels against God...until they realize the present and eternal consequences of their sin. Preacher “Smiling Joel” Olsteen once made the remark on the Larry King show: “People don't need to be told they are sinners, they already know that.” NO THEY DON'T! They have to be shown what sin is...how that sin affects their relationship with God...and the only remedy to be reconciled to Holy God is by the propitiating work of the Cross (2 Corinthians 5:19-21). This is the missing element of today's modern “evangelistic” message. We start off by telling the unbeliever “God has a wonderful plan for your life” (they have a “wonderful plan” too...hoping God will help them achieve it) but we neglect to tell them about the holiness of God and how far short they measure up...that they are headed for an eternity of hell...separated eternally from the goodness of God...without putting their faith and trust in what Jesus Christ accomplished for them on the cross, they have no hope. This is a humble recognition, but this is where effective evangelism must start. “Hell Fire and Brimstone?” Yes...that is what is missing in many of our churches today
The “Got Questions” website apply explains it this way:
“When the Holy Spirit convicts people of their sin, He represents the righteous judgment of God (Hebrews 4:12). There is no appeal of this verdict. The Holy Spirit not only convicts people of sin, but He also brings them to repentance (Acts 17:30; Luke 13:5). The Holy Spirit brings to light our relationship to God. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to our sin and opens our hearts to receive His grace (Ephesians 2:8).
We praise the Lord for the conviction of sin. Without it, there could be no salvation. No one is saved apart from the Spirit's convicting and regenerating work in the heart. The Bible teaches that all people are by nature rebels against God and hostile to Jesus Christ. They are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). Part of that “draw” to Jesus is the conviction of sin.”
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, in our evangelistic efforts, we cannot bypass the importance of repentance. We trust God the Spirit to take the message of repentance and penetrate the hearts of the elect (Ephesians 1:3-8). Help us to be clear and true to the gospel message. Use us. Speak through us we pray. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Trusting in God’s Covenant
Romans 8:28 has become a familiar verse to most of us - “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” But we don't often recognize the covenant nature of that promise. By that I mean, this is an indisputable, unalterable, eternal promise given to each of us who have trusted in Christ. “Covenant” is defined by Webster as “a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action.” God has guaranteed that all things that happen to us are designed by God specifically for our good. If this “covenant” was not made with the omniscient, omnipotent, loving, God, we might doubt or take offense to many of the difficult, hurtful, disappointing circumstances in our lives, but God never breaks His “covenant” with us...He can't!
When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they'll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can't break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. (Hebrews 6:16-18 MSG)
God has you and me in His hands. All the outcomes of our lives will result in eternal glory, joy, and praise. Trust Him and let Him work out our glorious outcome...even when things seem difficult.
God's covenant with us (Romans 8:28-29) is unchangeable. We always seem to be asking, “why this, or why that?”...as if God has forgotten us or thrown us to the wolves. NO, NEVER. God has made a covenant promise to us that we can rest in. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, help us to live confidently and bask in the joy of knowing that You are shaping and molding us through the ups and downs of life. We may not understand, but You have had a plan mapped out for us before we were even born...and the end result of it will be our perfection and glory throughout eternity.
“I knew you before you were formed within your mother's womb; before you were born I sanctified you” (Jeremiah 1:5 TLB)
We stand firm in Your covenant with us. Amen.
Reminds me of Babbie Mason's song:
He sees the master plan
And he holds our future in His hand,
So don't live as those who have no hope,
All our hope is found in Him
We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and the last
And like a tapestry He's weaving you and me,
To someday be just like Him
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His Heart
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Not Relative but Absolute
We live in a post-modern era where “relativism” is the “Holy Grail” of our institutions of higher learning and even most American churches. In other words...there are no “absolutes”...no inarguable standards of moral, ethical, or even “scientific” thought. Students at most of our major universities and many church goers will hear this mantra:
“So let's stop pretending we know what truth is. I should not pretend that all that is true for me is true for you. We should not pretend that all that is true for our species is true for other species. We should not pretend that all that is true on this planet is true on all planets, or that all that is true at our scale is true at all scales. There are multiple truths.” (Urban Dictionary)
This is the world in which we live. Becoming a born again Christian requires a confrontation with the “absolute” “incontrovertible” standard of God's righteousness; and repentance realizing we don't meet that absolute standard. The gospel message is a hard sell. The gospel has always been a “hard sell” at this point, but it seems even more so as we enter these end times. The Apostle Paul predicted an increasing “relativism:”
3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God's truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, 4 and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable]. (2 Timothy 4:3-4 AMP)
Indeed, the gospel is a “hard sell” to our “relativistic,” “amoral,” culture, but we cannot use that as an excuse not to proclaim the truth of the gospel. Regardless of the culture in which we live, there is supernatural power in the truth of the gospel. As we proclaim the gospel to a relativistic world, it is the supernatural intervention by the Holy Spirit that breaks through the relativism of the hearer so they will realize the truth of God. Our job is to proclaim the gospel. It's the job of the Spirit to convict and convince. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we are so often intimidated by the difficulty of proclaiming Your truth in our a truth culture. Remind us often that Your truth has power that overcomes any culture.
14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:14,16 LSB)
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters My Response to "wok Christian" deniers
Answer to BoniJean
Of course there have been all kinds of misinformed, purposeful distortions of the Bible. The Apostle Peter exhorts and reminds us: 15 and consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15-16)
We have ample historical and linguist evidence that we essentially possess the original text of Scripture in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Since the King James translation (which 47 scholars used only a limited numbers of minuscules and manuscripts called the Textus Receptus in 1611) there have been numerous archeological, linguistic and historical discoveries that continue to help Bible scholars refine and bring us better translations. The point is, the study of textual criticism is on-going, complex, and beyond just saying the number of translations is some kind criteria of inauthenticity. Just to opposite is true. This quest for the autographs is important because -- 19 we have as more sure the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes by one's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men being moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1)
Having recognized but not exhausted the translation issue, now we come to the REAL issue...namely, why did Jesus come. Here's what the Bible teaches:
1) You are a sinner. Read Romans 3:10-18, 23 that tells us who we are before the holy and righteous God.
2) The Bible clearly tells us of our destiny without putting our faith and trust in the cross work of Jesus (Romans 6:23; Matthew 7:13-29)
3) God became man to be the only sin bearer ( John 1:1-17)
4) Jesus Christ...not Mohammad...not Budda...not Allah...not anyone or any other teaching can provide the sinner with eternal life (Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Do I expect this REAL issue to be embraced by the majority of people?...no. It is the Spirit of God that breaks the sinner's heart and draws him or her to the Savior. I close with this insight for all rejecters of God's word:
And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the witness of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.... 0 But to us God revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the depths of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the depths of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the depths graciously given to us by God, 13 of which depths we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual depths with spiritual words.14 But a natural man does not accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually examined. 15 But he who is spiritual examines all things, yet he himself is examined by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will direct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2 - taken from the Legacy Standard Bible [Look up the translation on Google])
I pray for all the deniers of the truth of Scripture that God would take the blinders off.
Truth Matters “Beating the System”
Yesterday I preached a sermon reminding folks that they are dangerously “hemmed in” by the world, the demonic realm, and their flesh. This doesn't spell defeat, but it does put us on notice of how and what God has provided that will bring us through victoriously (Ephesians 6:10-18). We have a Great High Priest in heaven (the resurrected Jesus Christ - Hebrews 4:14-16) who is aware of our struggles and was tempted like we are (except He didn't have a sin nature like we have)...but He is praying for us...concerned about us...desiring to help us. Jesus is praying:
“15 I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan's power. 16 They are not part of this world any more than I am. 17 Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world, 19 and I consecrate myself to meet their need for growth in truth and holiness.” (John 17 TLB)
Recognizing and believing God is sovereign in all things (Ephesians 1:5), we are now faced with OUR part in victory over the world, demonic forces, and our residual sin natures.
And btw...it is not enough to know God's will. We have to tighten our “Belts of Truth” (Ephesians 6:14) and do it. Sounds simple, but going to war is never simple. It will extract from us a strong determination...a resolve...an integrity...apart from which we will be defeated. We've got two things we rely on for victory: 1) God's working in our lives to strengthen us and guide us (Ephesians 2:10). 2) Our obedience, trust, submission to God's word.
The first is God's work and He never fails. The second is OUR work and is subject to our commitment (James 1:22-25). My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we will not lose our battle today. We know we are “hemmed in” but today we will be conquerors...especially over the calls of our sin natures. We are reminded of Your admonition: 12 So then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you [f]must die, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the practices of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8 LSB). May we take that admonition seriously today. “...leave no doubt.” Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “Beating the System”
Yesterday I preached a sermon reminding folks that they are dangerously “hemmed in” by the world, the demonic realm, and their flesh. This doesn't spell defeat, but it does put us on notice of how and what God has provided that will bring us through victoriously (Ephesians 6:10-18). We have a Great High Priest in heaven (the resurrected Jesus Christ - Hebrews 4:14-16) who is aware of our struggles and was tempted like we are (except He didn't have a sin nature like we have)...but He is praying for us...concerned about us...desiring to help us. Jesus is praying:
“15 I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan's power. 16 They are not part of this world any more than I am. 17 Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world, 19 and I consecrate myself to meet their need for growth in truth and holiness.” (John 17 TLB)
Recognizing and believing God is sovereign in all things (Ephesians 1:5), we are now faced with OUR part in victory over the world, demonic forces, and our residual sin natures.
And btw...it is not enough to know God's will. We have to tighten our “Belts of Truth” (Ephesians 6:14) and do it. Sounds simple, but going to war is never simple. It will extract from us a strong determination...a resolve...an integrity...apart from which we will be defeated. We've got two things we rely on for victory: 1) God's working in our lives to strengthen us and guide us (Ephesians 2:10). 2) Our obedience, trust, submission to God's word.
The first is God's work and He never fails. The second is OUR work and is subject to our commitment (James 1:22-25). My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we will not lose our battle today. We know we are “hemmed in” but today we will be conquerors...especially over the calls of our sin natures. We are reminded of Your admonition: 12 So then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you [f]must die, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the practices of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8 LSB). May we take that admonition seriously today. “...leave no doubt.” Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “Cute Story or Death by Decree”
Seems like many like to make the birth of Jesus into some kind of a Hallmark tear-jerker. Jesus' birth did not happen so that we would be impressed by the “cuteness” or the “desperation” of the nativity. Jesus was born to go to a cross and die for our sins. That's the real story of Christmas. Jesus' birth was intentional...it was decreed by God in eternity past...that God's wrath, God's righteous judgment toward rebellious, sinful people would be targeted to the perfect Lamb of God. In a sense, Jesus' birth was a judicial birth. God's eternal punishment for our sin was to be born by this baby. This is not a “Hallmark” story...the birth of Jesus is eternal, judicial reality.
So that I don't completely offend “Hallmark” lovers...while Jesus' birth and death were decreed by the Father, Son, Holy Spirit in eternity past, Jesus was the One who demonstrated God's love for sinners by being the perfect Lamb who would perfectly meet God's righteous judicial requirement. “God so loved the world that He gave His Son.” Christmas reminds us of God's love. It reminds us that the Son loves us so much that He willingly took on human flesh so that He would provide us a way to be clean and righteous before Holy God. We could say, Christmas is the greatest of all “Hallmark” stories.
6 (the Son, Jesus Christ), although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)
Thank You God for this unspeakable, judicial gift.
We praise and give thanks to You.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “Believing and Applying”
Believing and applying God's word everyday is the only way we experience “oneness” with God. We sing the song - “Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus,” but for many these are just words, not an actual, personal, commitment or experience. As our Intercessor in heaven, here's what Jesus is praying for you today:
these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves...sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth...the glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one. (John 17 LSB)
“Oneness” with God is what Jesus prays for for each of us. But that “oneness” can never be achieved apart from obedience to God's word. It's not His fault...it's our fault. Many Christians are looking to “feel it,” but they will never have that satisfaction...that oneness with Jesus Christ because they have overlooked or refuse obedience. There are areas where they refuse to submit and follow the Lord Jesus. When we decide to put Jesus first, we then begin to experience the joy and confidence that can be ours.
There are two important ways we are to approach God's Word: 1) We have to know and understand what it says. This will require the work of grammar, historical context and biblical context...but...2) We must look at every passage and pray: “What are You trying to reveal about myself?...What are You revealing about Yourself?...What in my life needs to change? When both of these are operational, then the last ingredient is obedience. Frankly, without obedience, your Bible study is a waste of time. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord...reveal to us who we are and who You are. Give us the commitment and follow-through to obey. Then, we will experience the oneness with You which will give us trusting confidence and joy. This is what You want from us...this is what we give to You this day. Be our help this day. We will obey. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters Vessels not Professionals
Here's where secular and much of Christians counseling / psychology misses the most important factor in being able to counsel or help another. (It's also what we everyday Christians...moms and dads...church ministry endeavors...advice givers... fail to realize.) Namely, it is one's personal relationship with the Lord Jesus that gives them insight and helpful counsel. One can academically study and research for “silver bullets” that can be applied to various problems, but God only uses counselors that are first and foremost His. In other words, it's one's committed relationship to the Lord from which Godly discernment comes. Sometimes Godly discernment may seem counterproductive to our way of thinking or strategizing for another's sake, but this is where Godly counsel and “professional” counseling differ. Out from the life of one who is focused upon Jesus Christ, lead by the Spirit, committed to God's word, comes truth that matters. Much of the time that person will hardly recognize the effectiveness of his or her counsel...it's almost an unconscious awareness of how God's truth is being channeled through them.
The best qualification of a counselor is one who is totally devoted to Jesus Christ. By that I mean, one whose life is so permeated with his or her love for Jesus, that Christ's discernment stops them from being “amateur providence makers” and unconsciously allows the Spirit of God to provide real wisdom, insight, and healing. Stay close to your Lord and let Him influence hurting people through your dependence and commitment to Him. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, You are the master counselor. There is none like You who can heal and make right. We just want to be vessels used by You. We're not looking to be “professionals”... just instruments of Your love and wisdom that we have as we draw close to You. May it be. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters Thought-life Battles
Most of us spend the bulk of our Christian lives engaged in battles we should never have had to struggle with. I'm talking about our thought lives...that is, what we allow Satan to tantalize us with...his schemes of temptations and drawing us away from God. Here's how it goes -- the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us, goes to work and brings conviction of what we've been thinking about (John 16:5-11)...then we repent...experience God's forgiveness (1 John 1:9)...and we go on to repeat the cycle over and over and over again. Our lives become perpetual cycles of conviction and repentance. What we should be doing is focusing on Jesus...on what He has done for us...of our position in Him...our gratitude...our daily worship of Him...our eternal destiny with Him. When we learn to do this, most of the needless battles we cycle ourselves through fade away.
It's time for us to discipline our “thought-lives” and seriously consider again what Jesus teaches His disciples in Matthew 5:3-10, but especially verses 3,6,8 (The Amplified Bible):
3 “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].
6 “Blessed [joyful, nourished by God's goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.
8 “Blessed [anticipating God's presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, this is our need...this is our prayer:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love:
Take my heart, oh, take and seal it
With Thy Spirit from above.
Rescued thus from sin and danger,
Purchased by the Savior's blood,
May I walk on earth a stranger,
As a son and heir of God. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters Trusting in God’s Sovereignty
Understanding and believing in the sovereignty God is of vital importance to the Christian for these two reasons:
1) It gives us absolute assurance that our loving heavenly Father is in control of our lives even when we may be perplexed or confused by our circumstances. Jesus gave us His assurance:
“I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish—ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 [a]My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. (John 10:28-29).”
2) We know that wherever God leads us to serve, our service will accomplish an eternal weight of glory. This is an important truth because we often ask the question “is it all worth it?” We see little visual evidence of “success” and wonder if God is really working through us. J.B. Phillips paraphrase renders 2 Corinthians 4:17 this way:
These little troubles (which are really so transitory) are winning for us a permanent, glorious and solid reward out of all proportion to our pain. For we are looking all the time not at the visible things but at the invisible. The visible things are transitory: it is the invisible things that are really permanent.
It's understanding the sovereignty of God that keeps us going when we don't see the results we expected.
In Today's My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers, he reminds us of God's sovereign purposes in our lives. It's good to be reminded of this important Truth Matter:
“After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, “God has called me for this and for that,” you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God's interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world.”
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, sometimes we can't see how You are using us... how our lives are significant or accomplishing anything for the kingdom. Help us Lord to be faithful to that which You have called us knowing that You are using our faithfulness in ways we may not see or understand this side of heaven. Keep us vigilant and in-tuned to the Spirit and then be glad the results are in Your hands. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters Spirit’s Intercessory prayer
This might seem shocking to some, but when we conisder prayer, we are not omniscient. By that I mean, there are many times we don't even know what to pray for. Either there are dangers we are not aware of so we don't pray...or there may be ministries God wants to use us in that are incompressible to us so we don't pray...or perhaps our prayer life is skewed to the point we are praying for things that are contrary to God's will and purpose. Jeremiah the prophet found himself in each of these categories...and so do we.
God, in His grace, intervenes and the Spirit prays for us in ways we don't even recognize or understand.
the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don't even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows, of course, what the Spirit is saying as he pleads for us in harmony with God's own will. (Romans 8:26-27 TLB)
Well then...because sovereign, omniscient God prays for us in ways we cannot express, then why pray at all?...just let the Spirit pray for us. This is not how God designed our lives to be lived. He desires our conscious prayer. It testifies to our dependence upon Him and His love for us. God told Jeremiah...and us: “Thus says Yahweh who made the earth, Yahweh who formed it to establish it; Yahweh is His name, 3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you.” It is through our conscious praying that God's hand is moved. For example, the Spirit inspired James to write this: “5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8)
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we are eternally grateful that You intercede for us when we don't know how or what to pray for, but we are just as grateful that we can come into Your very presence with the concerns we have and know about. May we be more faithful in our personal prayer life. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 11/06/23
When we were in school we were expected to become proficient in a subject area. We read, wrote papers, listened to lectures, and memorized facts. When it came to morality, we acted upon certain beliefs we developed from church or from our families or peer groups. But when it comes to our relationship with God, the Christian with a new nature, is given an insatiable desire to know Him...fellowship with Him...walk with our Lord Jesus...be led, taught, and strengthened by God the Spirit. We sang a simple, but descriptive song last Sunday about this “insatiable desire” every truly born again Christian is imparted with. Here are some of the words:
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me
And I I'm desperate for You
And I I'm I'm lost without You
This is the kind of intimacy and desire God imparts to us when He gives us a new heart... when we believe and are changed. Ezekiel describes this:
26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to do My judgments. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 LSB)
This is a supreme diagnostic truth...namely, if one claims to be a Christian but cannot sing the words of the song referred to earlier, there is every reason to doubt whether that person has been born again...renewed...imparted with a new heart.
The person who has been born into God's family does not make a practice of sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him—he has been born again. (1 John 3:9 The Living Bible)
My prayer for me and you this day is this: Lord, continue to instill in us and make it more and more our experience to make You and Your word the very “air I breathe.” Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “The key to the Christian’s joy”
Do you ever feel like you've lost contact with God? There is no presence of the Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, and direct your life. Feels like you're on our own, making your own decisions, pursuing your own path through life. You're living the words to the hymn - “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the Lord I love.” God allows us to “wander” until we realize the emptiness we feel as we stumble along. We know something's not right, but we continue to “stumble” and “wander.” There's a reason why we find ourselves in this predicament...namely, we have forgotten what it means to submit to God's word...to be obedient...and as the popular song goes “we've lost that loving feeling and it's gone, gone, gone OOOOOH.” We've forgotten what it means to give up our lives for the purpose of making God our first and primary reason for living.
When we first feel that emptiness, that distance from the Lord, we need to step back, evaluate our lives and ask ourselves this question...”am I sold out to Jesus as my Lord, or am I trying to live a superficial Christianity where I place my own aspirations and pursuits above those of the Lord Jesus?” Dr. Charles Stanley regularly reminded us - “God will not use any of us until He has broken us.” He was talking about “breaking” us from ourselves...he was talking about making the Lord Jesus our preeminent desire. Apart from making the “sold out to Jesus as my Lord” decision, we will not experience that assurance, that enduring power, that fullness, which is key to the Christian's joy. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we are indeed “prone to wander...prone to leave the God we love.” The song goes on and becomes our prayer:
“Here's my heart, oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above.” Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “Embracing the Cost”
Jesus tells us in Luke 14:27 - “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” We'd actually like to bypass that admonition and replace it with our own - “We will follow You as long as it does not create hardship, pain, or suffering.” I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we will not be of much use to God until we get over our insistence that we not enter into the sufferings of Christ. The Apostle Paul made it clear what Jesus' admonition means:
I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ, 10 Now I have given up everything else—I have found it to be the only way to really know Christ and to experience the mighty power that brought him back to life again, and to find out what it means to suffer and to die with him. (Philippians 3:7-10 Living Bible)
Hardship, pain and suffering is what it cost Jesus to accomplish the will of His Father...namely, to bring salvation and hope to a world lost in sin headed for eternal hell. If we are to enter into the work of Christ (which is what Lordship is all about), our life expectancy should be the same as what our Lord willingly endured
This idea of “carrying our own cross” is counter intuitive to most of us. The only way we will make personal sense of sharing in the sufferings of Christ is by having an eternal perspective. It's the perspective the Apostle Peter wrote about in 1 Peter 1:6-7 -
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various [a]trials, 7 so that the [b]proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which [c]is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, teach us to know the brevity and passing nature of our earthly lives. Teach us to have Your eternal perspective. Remind us often of the glory ahead in heaven whenever we experience suffering and sacrifice for the kingdom's sake. To that end we commit our lives in the short years we have on earth. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “Be a disciple before making disciples”
David wrote something in Psalm 51:10-13 that is the essential requirement of all those who desire to see unbelievers become committed followers of Jesus Christ. He wrote:
10 Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. 11 Don't toss me aside, banished forever from your presence. Don't take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to other sinners, and they—guilty like me—will repent and return to you.
(Living Bible)
The prerequisite for evangelism and making disciples is this: I must first be sure my life demonstrates my commitment to following Jesus before I will effectively disciple another. In other words...making committed disciples requires that I be a committed disciple. Two principles to take notice:
1) God is more concerned with our relationship with Him than any evangelistic or discipleship ministry we might be involved in. Jesus tells His disciples - “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
2) We need to be able to say with the Apostle Paul: “Brothers, join in following my example, and look for those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.” (Philippians 3:17) Paul was talking about following the pattern he set in his own discipleship. How can we think we can be instrumental in seeing unbelievers become committed followers of Christ when we ourselves are not committed disciples? This is especially true for parents desiring to raise Godly children.
Parents...sit up and take notice - you will not be able to lead your children to become committed followers of Christ if you yourself are not one. You must not only be a “pattern,” but more importantly, your life must be an open book to Christ. In other words...your life must be an open book to Christ before you can be an open book of Christ to others. My prayer for you and me this day is this...Lord, teach us about “first things first.” May we seek Your face throughout our days so that we can fulfill the purpose You've given to each of us (Matthew 28:19-20). Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “God’s Calling”
Webster defines “calling” this way: “a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence.” How does one come to know this “conviction?” God uses a number of means to bring us to recognize His “calling” -- He uses His Word and the Spirit's leading...He uses providence by orchestrating circumstances...He uses other people, particularly other believers who recognize God's calling in our lives...He gives us a burden (“a strong inner impulse”) to serve in some particular manner. “Callings” are individual not some response to “group think.” But here's the hard part...often, these “callings” will put us in ministries or services that are not spectacular or successful in our eyes. We must realize at least two things: 1) Faithful response to God's calling is what He desires from us. 2) God is sovereign in that He uses our “calling” in ways we could not have imagined or known.
These two truths are what we must keep before us or we become discouraged and doubting.
I think the hardest part of fulfilling God's purpose in our lives is that we are prone to be “results driven.” I know that “results / goals / objectives” are how we typically view ministries, but the fact is, if we are faithful to our “calling” we will be accomplishing His purpose...our service will never be void of very important significance in God's plan. The day will come when we are with God in glory that our eyes will be open and we will see the greatness of God's plan and our part in it. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we will serve You no matter how meager our contribution may seem to us. We will rest in the confidence we have in Your purpose for us. May we go out with great joy and knowledge of our “calling.” Amen.
Reminds me of another old hymn:
Would you have Him make you free, and follow at His call?
Would you know the peace that comes by giving all?
Would you have Him save you, so that you need never fall?
Let Him have His way with thee.
Would you in His kingdom find a place of constant rest?
Would you prove Him true in providential test?
Would you in His service labor always at your best?
Let Him have His way with thee.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “Leave no doubt”
In a recent sermon I used coach Bill Steward's pre-game address to the 2008 Fiesta Bowl WVU football team. He stressed "out straining," "out hitting" the opponent and most of all..."LEAVE NO DOUBT" regarding the team's commitment to win. That's the kind of commitment we must have when the temptation to sin in thought or deed raises its destructive head against us. We must tell ourselves and the demonic realm that WE WILL NOT PROCEED with sin...we will "LEAVE NO DOUBT"...we will not be defeated in this spiritual warfare. When it comes to sin, we must demonstrate commitment, integrity, dedication to win over sin. No other approach or excuse will work.
The "Belt of Truth" referred to in Ephesians 6:14 speaks to the readiness and commitment of the Roman soldier to battle against the enemy. We must be the same when it comes to defeating sin in our lives. We must go in to each day with this mantra: "LEAVE NO DOUBT" in our battle with our flesh and Satan. Paste it on our mirrors. Tape it to our dashboards. Recite it throughout our day. Be victorious! My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we're through being lackadaisical. No "lackadaisical" soldier wins the battle. In our commitment to defeat sin we will "LEAVE NO DOUBT." Amen.
Reminds me of the final stanza from Am I a Soldier of the Cross:
Since I must fight if I would reign,
Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing
Truth Matters “Our Struggle with Expectations”
We all have expectations of what our lives should be and how we end up. There are family expectations, financial expectations, possession expectations, recreational expectations, retirement expectations, church expectations. It may be a shock to you, but God doesn't care about our expectations...in fact, His desire is that we forsake these expectations and replace them with knowing Him and giving ourselves to His expectations for our lives. If we're honest, we realize that most of the expectations we have do not stem from God but they are the result of prejudices we develop over the course of our lives. The word “prejudice” is defined as: “preconceived judgment or opinion; an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge.” These “prejudices” develop from fleshly desires, worldly enticements, and Godly ignorance. These “prejudices” evolve into our expectations. These “expectations” get in the way of a humble submission to God and having an eternal view of life. In the 10-23 devotional by Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost for His Highest” he says it as succinctly as can be said:
“Our Lord never tolerates our prejudices— He is directly opposed to them and puts them to death. We tend to think that God has some special interest in our particular prejudices, and are very sure that He will never deal with us as He has to deal with others. We even say to ourselves, “God has to deal with other people in a very strict way, but of course He knows that my prejudices are all right.” But we must learn that God accepts nothing of the old life! Instead of being on the side of our prejudices, He is deliberately removing them from us. It is part of our moral education to see our prejudices put to death by His providence, and to watch how He does it. There is only one thing God wants of us, and that is our unconditional surrender.
How are we going to get a life that has no lust, no self-interest, and is not sensitive to the ridicule of others? How will we have the type of love that “is kind…is not provoked, [and] thinks no evil”? (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). The only way is by allowing nothing of the old life to remain, and by having only simple, perfect trust in God— such a trust that we no longer want God's blessings, but only want God Himself. Have we come to the point where God can withdraw His blessings from us without our trust in Him being affected? Once we truly see God at work, we will never be concerned again about the things that happen, because we are actually trusting in our Father in heaven, whom the world cannot see.”
One of the hardest realizations we make in our Christian journey is that our “expectation” must be set aside in preference of loving God and submitting to His perfect will. When we do, we look back and wonder what took us so long to realize that true blessing, peace, and contentment is found in Him. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, the words of this hymn is our prayer today -
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love:
Take my heart, oh, take and seal it
With Thy Spirit from above.
Rescued thus from sin and danger,
Purchased by the Savior's blood,
May I walk on earth a stranger,
As a son and heir of God.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “Reason for Rejecting Sin”
When the Holy Spirit reveals sin in our lives, Christians will deal with it in one of two ways:
1) We view our sin as disgust in God's eyes. We view our sin as a disappointment to God and our failures lead us to despair. We hate that feeling. So to avoid disappointing God AGAIN, we refuse to be failures in God's sight and carry on our struggle to stop sinning. We live as if we relate to God as an eternal parent who we hate to disappoint. In other words, we try to overcome sin because after we have sinned AGAIN we feel the pain of remorse of disappointing God.
2) The other way of dealing with sin is not so much in dealing with the aftermath of how we disappoint God, but rather, when the temptation to sin comes to us we remember what it cost Christ Jesus to pay for that sin. In other words, when we are reminded of the blessing of the atonement and of the blood shed to provide us with that blessing, out of gratitude, we reject the sin. This is one of the primary reasons to regularly observe the Lord's Supper. We deal with our sin because we are reminded of what it cost God to pay for it. The motive becomes not one of feeling we've disappointed God, but rather, our motivation not to sin comes from our love toward the One who died in our place and His enduring, eternal love for us.
I think the second of the two is the most important way to address sin.
As children of God we certainly do not want to disappoint our heavenly Father with our sin, but our love for Him and realizing His atoning work for us is a far greater incentive when it comes to conquering sin. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, the next time we are tempted by our sin, remind us of what You had to pay so that we might be righteous in Your sight. We praise You for Your atoning work and love for us. Amen.
Reminds me of a stanza from one of our best loved hymns:
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “Focus of Christian Organizations”
Involvement in organizations such as the Greenbrier Pregnancy Center or WV for Life can be reduced to merely humanitarian services whose goals are to help alleviate human suffering. While there are numerous biblical examples and exhortations for Christians to intervene in the sufferings of those around them and around the world, we must never lose sight of the primary reason for such interventions...namely, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to keep all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20). We must be careful not to allow our humanitarian desires overshadow God's primary intent...namely, God is “not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) How easy it is to get sidetracked from the main thing to peripheral pursuits. Many Christian ministries start out focused on the mandate Jesus gave us (Matthew 28:18-20) but over time, the organization becomes increasingly more focused on its humanitarian mission and organizational necessities than the focus God wants us to have...namely, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, and the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” (John 7:38-39).
Numerous examples of organizations that started out with Matthew 28:18-20 as their driving force but lost their initial reason for existence and became subservient to sustaining the organization...(e.g all of the Ivy League universities, Harvard, Yale, Princeton ff.) This happens with local churches as well. While organizational efforts are necessary to carry out the Great Commission, we must never lose sight of God's primary purpose for the organization. This commentary of John 21:17 is what our ministry organizations must keep before them: “Identify yourself with My interests in other people,” not, “Identify Me with your interests in other people.” My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, keep us focused on Your primary objective as we seek to reach out to folks...namely, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) Never let us lose the reason for why our ministry organization exists. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters “Prayer Workers”
I have always been fascinated by the construction and engineering that goes into the development of an industrial building or complex. The building will house high powered technicians and equipment that will produce services or goods. I am awed by the construction process, but seldom are we awed by the workers who carry the pipes, dig the ditches, do the welding, run the wiring etc. But they are key to the construction process. Without them, there will be no goods or services. It's kind of like what prayer is. The necessity of prayer is often overlooked as to its essential part of God's production possibilities. It's the necessary “grunt work” that will bring about fruit. Because it is “grunt work” it is hard. We don't naturally make time for it. It is the reason why we don't see fruit. No one sees us “carrying the pipes” or “digging the ditches”...and no one pats us on the head for this labor. But without prayer, God will not produce “goods and services” that make our ministries effective and God glorifying
For His own purposes and design, God requires us to pray to unleash His power in our lives and in the lives of our families and the church. It's hard and tedious, but it's so necessary that no spiritual progress will be made without it. Engineering accomplishment requires construction workers. God's power and accomplishment require prayer workers. Are you...am I...willing to be one of the necessary “prayer workers?” Nothing happens without “prayer workers.” My prayer for you and me today is this...Lord, continue to teach us the importance of prayer. Without it, we will do nothing God glorying. We move His powerful hand when we pray. Never let us forget. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 10-10-23
DO YOU NOT REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT “OBEDIENCE” IS? We hear that word bantered around with frequency in evangelical circles, but we treat “obedience” as if it has nothing to do with our relationship with God or our rest in Him...kind of an optional response in our Christian lives. We know (or should know if we'd study our Bibles) what God demands, but we rationalize, bury, or pass on them because we want to do what we want, when we want, how we want, and then wonder why we are not growing in Christ...not experiencing the blessing promised in God's word. I'm reminded of that poignant passage in Hebrews 3:18; 4:2-3 -
18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?... 2 For indeed we have had good news proclaimed to us, just as they also; but the word [a]that was heard did not profit those [b]who were not united with faith among those who heard. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,“As I swore in My wrath,They shall not enter My rest,”
How many Christians I know who want to live as close to the edge of worldliness in language, desires, pursuits, entertainment as they want and then wonder why Jesus seems to distant to them. If one really wants to know the joy and blessing of being in Christ it begins with being obedient...there is no other way. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, how foolish we are to think we can experience the joy of being Yours without obedience. We will obey because we love You and because we desire the rest that can only be found in You. Amen
Reminds me another familiar hymn:
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters "Oswald Chambers"
Oswald Chambers once made this statement: “The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things.” At the moment one is regenerated and believes in the atoning work of Christ, he or she immediately possesses 40 blessing they did not have before coming to Christ. It's beyond the scope of these daily Truth Matters to list them all, let alone explain them, but here are some of them: imputed righteousness; removal of condemnation; indwelling of the Holy Spirit; come under God's care; removal of the domination of the old sin nature; access to God... the list goes on with 33 more. The point is, when we truly believe what God says we have on account of the atonement, do we live like it? Christians who seem filled with depression, anxiety, fear, insecurity, yielding to sin, hopelessness are Christians who have lost their sense of the awesomeness of what Jesus Christ has accomplished and given them personally in His atonement. Chambers was correct: “The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things.” This is the point of today's My Utmost for His Highest:
“I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man.
The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the supernatural grace of God.”
When we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17 -- “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” -- we often fail to realize how extensive and intrusive the atonement of Jesus Christ is to us. Now we are to live based upon the truths we know are ours. It is what keeps us confident, clear-headed, and God glorifying. Hebrews 10:35 reminds us: “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.” My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, You have given us 40 blessed promises when we trusted in You. May we constantly remember who we are in You and trust in the promises. We will be strong and confident. Amen.
Reminds me of the hymn:
Standing on the promises that cannot fail.
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
List'ning ev'ry moment to the Spirit's call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
Truth Matters 10-04-23 Preparing for the “vision”
One of the joys of being a coach is giving an athlete a vision of how good he or she can be. Once the athlete buys into that vision they soon realize that the “vision” will not become reality unless they are willing to sacrifice and go beyond what they feel capable of physically and mentally. At this point, unless the athlete has committed confidence in the coach, they give up and the “vision” is not realized. This often true analogy in the athletic world is applicable to our lives as Christians. Jesus gives us a vision: “whoever does and teaches my commandments, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19). We want greatness, but now read the rest of the chapter. These next verses stretch us beyond what we feel physically, spiritually or mentally capable of. Like the athlete, this is the turning point. Either we have the confidence to be committed to what Jesus asks of us or “60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it? 66 As a result of this many of His disciples [k]went away and were not walking with Him anymore.” (John 6). The point is, God gives us the vision of being useful and great for His kingdom, but are we willing to go through the rigors, self-sacrifice, commitment to attain the vision?
Here's where the analogy of the coach and athlete breaks down. Coaches make mistakes...sometimes they're in it not for the athlete's best good. Jesus isn't like that. Not only is He not mistaken in the vision He has for us, it is always for our best good. Not only that, but He is God...let that sink in for a minute. We will experience His gymnasium: “2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (Hebrews 1:2-4 The Message Paraphrase)
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, break us, mold us, build us so that we conform and fulfill your vision for us. We want to be great for Your honor's sake and the building of Your kingdom. Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 10-03-23 Handling “insurmountable circumstances”
Focusing on our Lord Jesus during times of seemingly insurmountable stress or circumstances is necessary for us to rise over them for God's glory. What I mean by that is: 1) We must trust in the fact that God loves us and is pursuing Christ-likeness in us; 2) God is sovereign in placing us in the situation we find ourselves; 3) The only way to experience peace is not in eliminating the “insurmountable circumstance,” but putting our focus on Christ...on His sustaining grace...on His purposes...His love for us. Our natural tendency is to focus on the “insurmountable circumstance”...changing it...getting rid of it...ignoring it. This is the recipe for resentment, depression, disappointment, fear...none of which should characterize the life of the Christian. A life like that is no longer focusing on Christ and does not demonstrate the power of Christ in rising above, what appear to our natural self to be, “insurmountable.”
This lesson is probably one of most hard for us as Christ followers, but it must become our “modus operandi.” Jesus promised us that life would be filled with tribulations (John 16:33) but God's Word also gives us confidence in trusting Christ through them: we stand, and rejoice in confidence of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, confidence: 5 And this confidence maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:2-5)
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, please instill in us “confidence” of Your purpose, love, and care for us...even in the midst of seemingly “insurmountable circumstances.” Help us to live our lives unto You and rise above every trial with the peace and confidence of knowing You.
Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 10-02-23 “Living in the Valley”
You desire to be used by God...to have others recognize your giftedness...to feel good about what God is accomplishing through you for His kingdom's sake...you want the spiritual mountaintop experience to continue. But then, you enter into a time where none of that seems to be happening. It's during those humiliating times...often confusing times...when your “metal” is going to be tested. What I mean by that is this---God does give us spiritually mountaintop experiences, but those “experiences” are not where we live. We live in a world of relationships, circumstances, regrets, hopelessness where it becomes easy to lose our confidence in God. It is there in the “valley” we must prove our trust in our Lord God...where we must learn to lean entirely upon His plan and purpose for us
The day is coming when we're in heaven and the tapestry of our lives will be revealed. It is then we'll discover how important our “valley” lives were to the glory of God. Wherever we find ourselves today (probably in the “valley”), let us be faithful in pursuing Jesus in faithfulness, obedience, and loving Him. My prayer for you and me this morning is this: Lord, so often we are prone to discouragement and defeat because we don't see anything spectacular coming from us. Help us to understand You are not expecting us to be “spectacular” but instead...faithful, trusting, obedient and loving You. May that be our goal, our reason for living. Amen
Reminds me of the words of Nusbaum's old hymn:
Would you in His kingdom find a place of constant rest?
Would you prove Him true in providential test?
Would you in His service labor always at your best?
Let Him have His way with thee.
His pow'r can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
'Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 9-29-23 “Where Is Your Focus?”
I want to try not to make this day's Truth Matters autobiographical, but in the retrospect of 76 years, I can relate to the Apostle Paul's self-description in relation to his “calling” --
15 It is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost. 16 Yet for this reason I was shown mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Christ Jesus might demonstrate all His patience as an example for those who are going to believe upon Him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:15-16)
Webster defines “calling” this way: “a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence.” God gives every maturing Christian a sense of His “calling.” If we continue to seek God's purpose for our lives, this “call” becomes an irrepressible drive that can change the course of our lives. It's like how Paul expressed his “call” - “For if I proclaim the gospel, I have nothing to boast, for I am under compulsion. For woe is me if I do not proclaim the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:16) Of course, not all of us are “called” to be preachers or missionaries (a common misconception of the term), but God has “called” each of us to some service for building His kingdom...it's not a “calling” of our own contrivance...in most cases, it will be uncharted, and often unimaginable.
I have found God's “call” to have these characteristics:
1) It was a service I never aspired to...that is, I never saw myself functioning in that service...I had no desire...plus I never thought I had the ability.
2) The “call” developed over time. Doors opened...door closed. Experiences, relationships, education, the Spirit's illumination took some time. Repentance, the Word of God, and increasing trust and faith in Christ were keys. Often times this period was confusing. I was unaware at that time that God was preparing me for His service.
3) Once the “call” became clearer, then it came down to decisions of life that had to be made. But what I found was that those decisions were blessed by God in the sense of His encouragement and provision.
Most folks who engage in the “call” of God will probably follow a similar pattern although it will be individual as to the how, what, and when. Just remember, that “call” is why God caused you to be born. Earnestly pursue it. Nothing is more important. Be faithful and diligent with your “calling” because God's eternal rewards will be yours (2 Timothy 4:7-8). My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we would be more sensitive to Your calling. Give us discernment that only comes from Your word and the indwelling Spirit. Help us to encourage others in their callings too. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 9-28-23 “Where Is Your Focus?”
Most of us have heard the expression: “Only one life will soon be past...only what's done for Christ will last.” The key to understanding that truth is our focus. By that I mean...is our focus truly on eternity or is it on our lives now? The answer to that question will determine how we live our lives...our priorities, our agendas, our goals and aspirations. I think this is where many of us fail. If our focus is on eternal things, the things of our earthly lives will fade...if our focus is on earthly things, eternal realities will fade. Someone has quipped: “He is so heavenly minded, he is of no earthly good.” The more accurate restatement is: “He can only be of earthly good if he is heavenly minded.” Jesus drives home the point continually (Luke 14:25-35)...until we realize the preeminence of the eternal God, we cannot be His disciple...the truth is...we WILL not to be His disciple.
Isn't that the essential issue in being a disciple of Jesus? Do we truly understand the permanence of eternal life with God compared to the fleeting temporal life of what we are trying to build now? How stupid we are! Here's another expression we have heard: “No one trails a U-Haul behind a hearse.” Jesus put it this way: “God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you prepared?' 21 So is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21) My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, teach us the brevity of our earthly lives but remind us of the importance of building our treasure in heaven...of being eternally minded.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) Amen.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 9-27-23
John 2:23-25 describes most of us: “many believed in His name, when they saw His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He had no need that anyone bear witness concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” The text talks about many of us who have seen the truth of the gospel but are really not totally committed to Him. There are other things in our lives that we allow to have a higher priority than sacrificing our lives for His kingdom. We refuse to give up things, aspirations, relationships rather than loving sacrifice and walking with the King. One of two things are happening here:
1) You haven't been born again. “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4).
2) You don't realize what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. “26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27)
You might say, “these are awfully harsh words Pastor.” Yes, but I didn't say them...I'm just a mailman delivering the mail. It's up to you to ponder and address what the Spirit is saying to you.
I recently heard a sermon by Alistair Begg where he said we American Christians have a soft, easy Christian life compared to most believers around the world. I know what Alistair was getting at in regard to our half-hearted, cushy, complacency, but I tend to disagree with the premise. I look at the fervor for Christ and His kingdom demonstrated by brothers and sisters living in poverty stricken nations...and then us...who live in affluence with so many opportunities to vest our lives in things and pursuits having nothing to do with God's kingdom. I say we have a huge challenge to “carry our own cross and come after Christ.” It means stripping down to the essentials of discipleship. Remember, I'm just the mailman delivering Christ's letter to you. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, keep us focused on those things that have eternal value and not on those things that take us away from our commitment to You. Show us the worthlessness of so many things that grab our attention. Teach us Lord what it means to be a committed follower of Jesus Christ. Amen
Truth Matters 9-26-23
Resentment/unforgiveness/bitterness can keep the Christian from being what God has called him or her to be. It not only destroys relationships, but those characteristics can block the Christian's relationship with God. For example...God tells us, “Now to sum up, all of you be like-minded, sympathetic, brotherly, tender-hearted, and humble in spirit; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but giving a blessing instead, for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)
What are some of the “blessings” for those who overcome “resentment/unforgiveness/bitterness?” The Christian's Christ-like character will strengthen their trust, love, and relationship with God, but even the Mayo Clinic has a list. In one of the Clinic's “Adult Health” articles it pointed out: “Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for improved health and peace of mind. Forgiveness can lead to: Healthier relationships; Improved mental health; Less anxiety, stress and hostility; Fewer symptoms of depression; Lower blood pressure; A stronger immune system; Improved heart health; Improved self-esteem.”
You've probably heard of the man or woman who was hitting themselves on their heads with a hammer, and then, they discover how much better it feels when they stop hitting themselves and put their hammers away. Silly illustration, but that's the way it is when we put our grudges and bitterness away and find the peace and joy God has intended for us. For some, it will be harder than others, but it will be self-destructive in our relationship with God and others if we don't. How is this possible? The Apostle Paul writing under the inspiration of God writes this:
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 fulfill my joy, that you think the same way, by maintaining the same love, being united in spirit, thinking on one purpose, 3 doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, 4 not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.... 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 so that you will be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life (Philippians 2:1-16)
My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, we are so prone to demand our rights, our respect, our entitlements, that we seem to easily develop resentment toward those who seem to have trampled on them. Instead of resentment, give us the kind of love demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ toward sinners like us. We pray for His humility and love to be seen in us. Amen
Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Truth Matters 9-25-23
Dr. Jay E. Adams has arguably done more to clarify Christ-centered counseling than any of the modern attempts to integrate secular psychological theories with biblical truth. In one of his books, How to Help People Change, he writes:
“Substantial change requires the alteration of the heart. How can a Christian counselor facilitate such change? The answer, of course, may be found in Scripture, specifically in 2 Timothy 3:14-17.” That text says:
“...you have known the sacred writings which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is [a]God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for [b]training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
The point is, if we are going to be of any help to another...that is, to help them change in God honoring ways...it must start with their relationship with Jesus Christ. The text of scripture makes it clear...we must be “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Personal trust in the gospel is where all effectual counseling must begin. Regeneration is the first step toward wholeness in relationships, personal/emotional issues, or battles with the destructive forces of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The Christian counselor must understand that the starting point of joy and purpose must first be found in one's saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Apart from that, we are working with “bandages” not cures. The characteristics and commitments found in The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-12) are impossible to experience or keep apart from the supernatural work imparted to everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. While the goals of counseling are found in those 12 verses, they are unattainable apart from first being changed by the power of the gospel. That's why the Apostle wrote: I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16) Let us never lose sight of the preeminence and centrality of the gospel in our attempts to help others. We can't do it...they can't do it..without they're first coming to Jesus humbly, repentantly, desperately in need of salvation from hell and from themselves (2 Corinthians 5:13-17) - “13 For if we [a]are out of our mind, it is for God, or if we are of right mind, it is for you...He died for all, so that they who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf...17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, never let us lose sight of how key and instrumental the saving power of the gospel is when we are called upon to help others. Remind us often about the power of the gospel. Amen
Truth Matters 9-20-23
Matthew chapter 7 is one of my favorite chapters because it addresses many of the fallacies and false assurances of today's contemporary “Christians.” I put Christians in quotes because so many church-goers are not born again but just label themselves as Christians. Many today equate being a Christian with doing good deeds... engaging in ”Christian” activities...or living a clean life. The warning Jesus gave should shock and demand evaluation:
21 “Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,' but still won't get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.' 23 But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine Go away, for your deeds are evil.' (Matthew 7:21-23 TLB)
I have come to know one of the tell-tale signs of genuine regeneration is how the person relates to others. Tendencies toward fault-finding, resentment, jealousy, paranoia, thinking the worst of, holding grudges. When God changes the heart of a person these attitudes are replaced by being “very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5 never haughty or selfish or rude...does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5 TLB) This is a significant test of true regeneration. Indeed, it is a supernatural change that takes place
Let me ask you this: Would you give up your son or daughter so that that “sinner” of yours could be saved? That's what God did (Romans 5:6-8). That's the character God gives to everyone who is regenerated and Spirit led. This becomes one of those “tests of life” found in 1 John. My prayer for you and me today is this: Lord, help us to love others as You have loved us. If we don't, let us examine ourselves: “to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5). Our attitude toward others is such a test. May we be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48). Such lavish grace cannot be earned, so just receive it with gladness this new year.