Devotionals

Making Visible The Invisible

God is invisible. He is Spirit. He became visible in Jesus so that we would be able to know Him. In Colossians 1.15, it says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” He came to reveal the Father to mankind. His incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection made it possible to receive the forgiveness of sins and by receiving Jesus into our lives, our spirit is born again. Thus, we have been granted fellowship with God as a son.

The invisible God is now resident in our lives. His “nearness” is that He is in us. Paul says, this is a mystery, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,” (Col. 1.27). What is the purpose of having Christ, or rather, the Spirit of the Lord in us? Is it to just get a ticket to Heaven? Is it to get some spiritual “goose-bumps” along the way? Or is there some other reason?

God desires us to know Him so He sent us His son take on the form of man, (in other words, to have a human body). And He comes into our lives, (body), so that we might make Him known to others. Through every word we speak, every attitude, action or expression we might have is to manifest the nature and very image of God. His Words become our words, His thoughts our thoughts, His ways our ways. If we take on His name, we are to take on His nature.

To have a relationship with God is not to have Him in some hidden, small part of our life. He must be all-consuming, (in every area of our life), to be all-powerful, (life-transforming). Anything less, is a dead religion.

A friend of mine told a story of a young man that went camping in the mountains of the State of Montana. He was warned of bear in the area, but he responded arrogantly, saying that he had his “sword”, (the Bible), with him. Weeks passed and this young man did not return. A search party was organized and when they found his camp, all that was left of him was pieces of his pants with his Bible in the pocket.

You may claim to have Jesus in your life, but how much of you does Jesus have? It is not the Bible you walk around with, but the life you live that is read by others. Make the invisible visible, today.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Col. 1.15-29; I Tim. 1.15-17; I Pedro 3.15; II Cor. 10.3-5

Emmanuel

Mat. 1.23, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

This verse is a quote from Isaiah 7.14 and reveals an aspect of God that is so important. God is with us. With us, in that He is for us. He is on our side. He isn’t against us; He isn’t mad at us; He is not trying to hurt us. He is with us!  It also refers to the fact that God is present. He is not far away but near. He is not sometimes near, but is continually present with us.

The Good News is that Jesus came to open the way back to Father God so that we could be able to communicate with Him. You don’t have to scream or shout to get His attention. Just a whisper will do. He is with us. In Revelations 3.20, we see a picture of the Lord standing at the door and knocking. He is outside, wanting to come in. If we open the door, He will come in and “sup” or commune with us.

To commune with someone is to be intimate. It is to talk about important issues; to be transparent and sincere. If God were far from us, He would never talk to us. But He does communicate to us in many ways and we can talk to Him. There is no need to be superficial or present a certain image. When we commune with God we can just be ourselves. He loves us just as we are. That is freeing and that is Good News.

Christmas is the celebrating of this experience with God. God came to man; to save him from sin and to fellowship with him. God is here. He wants to talk to you. He wants to share His life with you. Open the door.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Heb. 13.5; Rom. 8.31; II Cron. 19.7; Apoc. 3.20, Is. 7.14; 9.6

Say Much in Few Words

I remember Derek Prince often saying; K.I.S.S., (Keep It Simple, Stupid). He had gift of saying such profound truths in few words. Over the years I have collected a number of wise sayings from a number of authors. Let me share some of them with you.

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” — Victor Frankl

“The shell must break before the bird can fly.” – Lord Tennyson

God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with him.  – Jim Eliot, (a missionary martyred by Ecuadorian Indians in the Amazon).

If you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don’t, you will find an excuse.” – Anonymous

Resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other person dies.” – St. Augustine

“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” — Albert Einstein

He who praises himself has a congregation of one”. — Jewish proverb

“Gossip is when you must hurry and tell someone before you find out if it isn’t true.” — Anonymous

“The character of a person is what he or she is when no one is looking.” — Anonymous

“Go out and preach the gospel and if you must, use words.” — St. Francis of Assisi

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. – Winston Churchill

The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we appear to be. –Socrates

Parents who wish to train up their children in the way they should go must go in the way in which they would have their children go. – F. Bacon

Fear knocked at my door. Faith opened that door and no one was there. –Author Unknown

Marks Of A True Christian

The age in which we live is dominated by the paradigm of existential relativism. This is where each individual determines for himself what is true and good. In fact, this reduces truth to the level of opinion and sin to the changing morals of society. The “buzz word” for living in such a world in which there is no absolutes is “tolerance”. We are not the only generation that has had to confront such a philosophy. The first century was also dominated by this same Greek mindset. Jude warned the believers to not allow this vague relativism to enter into the Church. We are to “contend for the faith.” In other words, we are at war!

This war is not to be fought with natural weapons of judgment in an inquisition type courtroom. Sure the Church needs to be rid of this infectious philosophy, but it is not done through the pointing of the finger, but through true conversion. The greenhouse where relativism grows best, in the Church, is where there is mental assent to Christian doctrines instead of a conviction of truth, which results in a radical change of life-style and values. Paul points out to the Roman Church some marks of a true believer; one that has experienced a conversion from the dominion of sin and the world. These signs are to be guidelines for our transformation and not a rule by which we judge others.

1. To have genuine love.
2. To hate evil and love Good.
3. To outdo others in showing honor.
4. To be zealous in serving the Lord.
5. To be full of joy, (no matter the circumstance), and to be constant in prayer.
6. To contribute to the needs of others and to show hospitality.
7. To bless those who curse you.
8. To show compassion and empathy, in good times and bad.
9. To live in harmony with others.
10. To not be proud, but associate with all kinds of people.
11. To not avenge yourself, but rather live this to God and do good to your enemy.
12. To overcome evil with good.

Dear soldier of the Lord, fight the good fight of your faith. You win the war that is in the world by winning the war that is within. Change yourself, so that you can change the world.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Jude; Romans 12.9-21, I Timothy 1.18-19; Ephesians 6.10-18.

Getting Up Again

In the Proverbs it says that the righteous fall seven times, but get back up, (24.16). They don’t stay down and they don’t run and hide. They just get back up again. When one errors, it is embarrassing. One not only feels guilt but also shame. As a Christian one holds to a standard of integrity and moral excellence above the status quo. The falling down reveals his humanity and sinful nature. To remain down is to continue in sin and guilt. It is to crucify once again the Lord Jesus Christ. The righteous don’t do that. They confess their sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing from sin.

Peter, who confessed Jesus as the Son of God, also denied Him three times. When the gravity of what he had done was revealed to him, he wept bitterly. I am sure he had wished he never would have done that, or even that he never had been born. He fell. He could have run away and hung himself, as Judas did, or he could get up and deal with his sin and be restored. Jesus restored Peter in an encounter he had with him on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus forgave him and gave him a ministry. But then he needed to go back and fit into the same group of disciples. I sure that was not easy, but he did do it and his ministry was one of the greatest of the apostles.

Some people deal with the shame of falling by running away from those they have disappointed. Others try to act as if nothing ever happened; expecting everyone to forgive and forget. In responding in these ways, the problem is destined to repeat itself. When one falls he must rise up through humility. He must stand again, where he fell, by the Grace of God. He must confront his weakness and those affected by his sin. The fear of the Lord is established and restoration is gained. To start again in another church, community or nation only delays the restoration process. It appears to be the easiest and less painful of the options, but does not have God’s desired result. The righteous get up and deal with it properly and go forward.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Prov. 24.16; John 21.15-17; I John 1.9; Acts 1.13-15.

How To Give A Burden To The Lord

If you would have known my mother-in-law you would have seen many similarities between her and Helen. At times she could be intense with her piercing, blue eyes, (even to the point of being scary ), but then be fun, very caring and sensitive. She shared the Lord with everyone who came into her life and, in Africa, started a church under a tree. She was not ashamed of the Gospel.

Like Helen does, she was constantly leaving little notes around; sharing what she had received from the Lord and others. Not always understood or appreciated at the time, these little notes continue to speak to us. I found one of those notes the other day and I want to share it with you:

How to Give a Burden to the Lord.

Get alone with god. Put the one or more burdens in your cupped hands, lift them up towards Him with elbows straight as far as you can. Talk about the needs or problems to the Lord. Your aching arms typify the ache in your heart regarding these needs. Hold it high until you just cannot reach up one more second. Let them slowly come down as your faith and praise ascend to follow those burdens.

Write – make a written record of the exact time and day that you gave this burden (s) to God. Remember where you wrote tis down; could be that the enemy, Satan, will accuse you; laugh at you. Then you can remind him of that very hour that you gave it to Jesus. Praise Him out loud and tell him that you are trusting the Lord for the answers which are on their way. “I gave that burden to Him.” As you continue to Praise, the enemy cannot stay where there is praise.

My mother-in-law, Anne Stark, was a great woman of God.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Mat. 11.30; Psalms 55.22; 94.17-19; I Peter 5-7.

Secret Believers

Shortly after the resurrection of Lazarus and the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, there were a number of religious leaders that believed in Jesus. It was the height of popularity for Jesus and with the multitudes following Him, anything could happen. Some thought it was the time for the Messiah to free Israel from Roman domination. There was excitement in the air as the people shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” This moment was intoxicating as prophecies were being fulfilled and the hope of the nation was at hand. It was easy to believe.

There was, though, another side to this event; the opposition. The Pharisees were afraid of losing their hold on the people and were planning to kill Jesus as well as Lazarus. Those that believed that Jesus was the Messiah kept it to themselves for fear of being expelled from the synagogues. They tried to be both a believer and an unbeliever for as the Scriptures tell, “they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God,” (John 12.43).

Is it possible to be a secret believer? I don’t believe it is. You are or you aren’t. In Proverbs it states that, “the fear of man lays a snare.” Fear causes you to compromise. Fear places you before temptation. Where there is fear there is no faith. Fear places one’s eyes on the circumstances and projects negativity into the future. The fearful put their trust in man and not in God, and this brings a curse. For this reason, I don’t believe in secret faith. When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, on that eventful day, the Pharisees wanted Him to have the people to be quite and not be bold in their praise of Him. He responded by saying that if they didn’t praise Him the rocks would cry out. What is in our heart will be expressed through our mouth and manifest in our lives.

Scriptures to meditate on:

John 12.12-43; Jeremiah 17.5-8; Luke 19.40; Proverbs 29.25.

Thorns In Our Lives

The Apostle Paul was bothered continually by what he said was a thorn in the flesh. Some have guessed this to be some kind of eye ailment that he was suffering from and from which he had never received healing. Others have judged it to be the satanic opposition to his ministry. Whatever it was it was negative and caused him to continually need the grace of the Lord.

Paul saw the need of total dependency on the Lord. This was the key to his ministry.  Yet, with the many revelations he had received and the powerful ways in which the Lord had used him to help others, he considered his main enemy to be conceit. To combat this he concentrated in glorying in his weakness so that Christ could be glorified in him.

As I have studied the life and ministry of Paul, I have seen him again and again referring to his testimony. He was continually conscience of his sin, what he was before knowing Jesus and at the same time the grace of his salvation. His message was the cross of Christ and his identity with it.

The other day, I was awakened in the night by a “thought” from God. I felt the Lord saying, “you cannot have a revelation of grace without a revelation of sin; you cannot have a revelation of blessing without a revelation of the blood; you cannot have a revelation of Love without a revelation of forgiveness; you cannot have a revelation of covenant without a revelation of the cross.”

Jesus said to one young man, “no one is good but God”. I am sure there are things in all our lives that reminds us of our weaknesses, sin and utter need of God’s grace. May we never be “puffed up” to think we are good and a part from God of some importance or value. In Christ, alone, we have life and that more abundantly.

Scriptures to meditate on:

II Cor. 12.1-10; Eph. 2.7-8; Phil. 3.8; John 10.10; Romans 3.23; 8.26; Mark 10.17-22.

Be Blessed

When talking about the desire to be blessed, all hands go up. Everyone wants to be blessed, but what does “blessing” mean? From the beginning of creation, God’s will was to bless His creation. It says in Genesis 1.28, “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Blessing is a pronouncement and an endowment. It is God defining His will and then giving His creation the ability to perform it.

God pronounced blessing at creation attached to a mandate to be fruitful and multiply and then empowered them to move toward the fulfillment of this mandate. Throughout the rest of the Bible we see that when someone was blessed they were moving along their intended path of fruitfulness, multiplication and dominion. Toward the end of Abraham’s life we see that God had blessed him in every way, (Gen. 24.1). These were not blessings that fell from the sky, but were the fruit of his obedience and faith.

In Genesis there are three main categories of blessings. First, is that of wealth and fruitfulness. Second, is seen in one’s favored relationship with God. And third, is measured by the peace one has in their families, society and nation. All these were evident in Abraham’s life. Abraham was blessed, he was a blessing to others and when other’s blessed Abraham, they were blessed.

We, who are in Christ, are of Abraham’s seed and heirs of the promise or mandate. Through us our nation and others will be blessed. This means economic prosperity with justice, peace between peoples and races, healing of disease and preservation of life as well as the presence of God in all aspects of our life and community. God says, “Be Blessed”.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Gal. 3.14, 29; 4.4-5; Gen. 12.2; 24.35; 30.27, 30; 14.19-20; 21.22-23.

Separation Before Creation

The story of creation, in Genesis chapter 1, begins with an emphasis on separation. In verse 4, God separates the light from the darkness and in verse 6 He separates the water on the earth from the waters above the earth. These two acts of creation were accomplished in the first two days. The separation of Light from darkness was not the creation of the sun, moon and stars, for this happened on the fourth day, (vs.14-19). It was the separation of revelation from spiritual blindness, good from evil, righteousness from sin and the presence of God from the presence of Satan. This separation is necessary for any other creative act of God to take place. We can apply this to our own lives in that there is a need of repentance before the new birth, the leaving before entering and of death before life.

The separating of the waters is the separation of the natural from the spiritual. Jesus explained to Nicodemus, in John chapter 3, that one is born of water, (natural birth), and the Spirit, (new birth). What is natural is earthly or carnal and what is spiritual is from above, or heavenly. Water from above, (or rain), is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was taken up in the clouds and will return again in the clouds. These two realities are opposed or at enmity with one another. They are incompatible and thus must be separated. We cannot walk in the flesh and Spirit at the same time.

These two acts of separation preceded the rest of creation. All the “Good stuff” comes after we walk away from sin in repentance denying ourselves, (the flesh), to follow the Lord.  Sanctification is separation and without this work in our lives we will not experience the good and perfect will of God.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Genesis 1; II Cor. 5.17; Rom. 12.1-2; John 3.3-21; Zec. 10.1; Hosea 10.12

Before Creation

The Bible begins by stating, “In the beginning…” This starts the story of the natural world as we know it. The heavens and the earth are created, but then in verse 2, of Genesis 1, it seems to be interrupted by another scene, that of abyss, void and darkness. Before creation, God is, and He is Light. What the Lord creates is perfect and reflects His nature. So something must have happened between verse 1 and 2. This has been a topic of discussion among theologians for years. Some talk of a pre-adamic race which resulted in the origin of demons. Some say this was the era of the dinosaurs with the ice age destruction of life. I tend to believe that this scene was the result of the fall of Satan and his angels. They were cast out of heaven to the earth and thus brought confusion, darkness and an emptiness into existence.

If this is the right interpretation of this phenomena, then the earth needed to be re-created. In verse 3, we see the first act of God in restoring the heavens and earth to their divine purpose. God said, “Let there be light.” This was the first day, (or phase), in putting creation back in order. This act of separating Light from darkness was not the creation of the natural light, giving by the stars, moon and sun, because they were created on the fourth day, but rather a spiritual separation, or, in other words, sanctification. Boundaries were established for the darkness so that the light could rule.

I see this pattern of creation working still today in our lives. Before a new creation can occur, there must be a separation from sin and the destruction caused by it. Just as Satan’s sin destroyed God’s original plan and needed to be re-created, so man’s sin destroyed God’s plan for man and he needed to be re-born. The first step of the new birth is repentance. This is the “Let there be light” separation from darkness. Light and darkness don’t mix. They are distinct and separated. Without repentance there is no belief and thus no salvation. Faith is not a result of the mental acceptance of truth, but rather of a change in direction and mindset.

After repentance, then God can begin creating all His “good” stuff in our lives. You must leave to be able to enter. You must let go to be able to lay hold. When we walk away from the darkness into the Light, then we can experience what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. This is when God says: “It is good!”

Scriptures to meditate on: John 1.1; Romans 12.1-2; II Cor. 5.17; Acts 2.38; 3.19; I Peter 2.9.

What Do You Really Want?

If someone would ask you this question: “what do you really want?” What would be your answer? Would it be financial security, a long life, happiness, companionship or health? Jesus asked this question to people on several occasions. The blind wanted to see, the lame wanted to walk and the sick wanted to be healed. Most people don’t think beyond their need when thinking of what they want and most people go to Jesus only at the time of their need.

Jesus, in His mercy and compassion for the lost, extends His hand to heal and denies no one, but is this the end purpose of His goodness? By meeting our needs at any given moment, is He fulfilling His purpose in our lives? In Romans 2.4, it says that “…the kindness of God is meant to lead you to repentance.” Jesus came to save us from sin, not to just give us a happy, blessed life. Sin has separated us from God, not our problems. Repentance initiates a change in our very nature and direction. It takes us from “me-centeredness” to “God-centeredness”. It establishes righteousness in us. This is a right standing with God and a right living here on the earth.

The reason many enter the church, but do not stay, is that they are after a quick fix to their problems. Some even want to “follow Jesus” as long as it is popular and easy, but when they are faced with sacrifice, self-denial and a call to holy living, they disappear. They are like the rich, young ruler who was told to sell all to follow the Lord. He just couldn’t do it. Jesus warned us that there would be many “false converts” in the church. These are those that want a happy life with no cost; those who would be present to receive, but who would never come to repentance. There would be tares and wheat, good fish and bad fish, wise virgins and foolish virgins, sheep and goats, etc., all in the church at the same time. It is repentance makes the difference.

What do you really want and why do you want it? Think it over.

Scriptures to meditate on: Matthew 7:21-23, 13:24-30, 47-50; 25:1-13, 31-46 and Mark 4:16-17

Beautiful Feet

There is much said about feet in the Bible. Much of the teaching, where feet are referred, has to do with the direction our life is to take and purpose God has for us. We are told to shod our feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, (Eph. 6.15). This is part of our armor as we go forth as bearers of Good News. Wherever we go we are to preach and preform God’s Word. This is our mission and this is God’s Will. The salvation of the nations’ depends on our obedience to this mission.

In Romans 10, verse 15, it says that the feet of those who preach the Gospel are described as “beautiful.” The translation of this adjective has left the meaning a little vague. The Greek word, translated “beautiful”, is: horaios, which literally means: timely, belonging to the right hour or season. Joining verse 14, which talks about salvation through the preaching of the Gospel, to verse 15, we see that the unsaved cannot hear the Good News unless our feet are beautiful. This is being at the right place at the right time. It is that timely word that hits the mark. It is not just the going but the appropriate timing of our going.

Beautiful feet people are those who are led by the Spirit of God. They don’t rush in and blurt out the first religious phrase or Bible verse that comes to their head. Firstly they are goers not stayers, but they are also listeners before they are speakers. They wait for the open doors and the appropriate time. Their words are as “apples of gold on plates of silver,” (Prov. 25.11). Their words are seasoned by faith, hope and love. Beautiful feet have the aroma of God’s presence with them. The people of this world are open and receptive to them, because they are delightful to be around. The result is a great harvest.

Let’s be beautiful, feet people as we walk about in our lives.

Scriptures to meditate on: Romans 10.14-15; Luke 10.2; Mark 16.15; Matthew 28,18-20 and Proverbs 25.11.

Worthless Faith

Titus 1.16, “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached that if salt loses its saltiness it is good for nothing and is to be thrown out. This illustration referred to us, His Church. We have a defined mission and that is to influence our generation with the message of the Kingdom. If we fail in this then our faith is of no value, it is worthless.

In the post-modern world in which we live, absolute values are scorned. The Bible is received as true, but not relevant. True for its time, but for today’s generation it is to be reinterpreted and adapted to each person’s own situation and desire. We have been presented with a “Lord-less” salvation, cheap grace and easy believism. “Just repeat after me…just believe…and all will be ok.”  We have made it so easy and in so doing the Church has become irrelevant and impotent. As Judas warned, we are in a battle for the faith, (Judas 3).

Worthless faith is when we say we know God, but your life does not reflect His Lordship. One of the most popular songs today is “Empire State of Mind”, by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. They are mouth pieces of the enemy’s deception when they sing: “Jesus can’t save you. Life starts when the church ends.” Even Katy Perry, (formerly Katy Hudson), a rising pop star, who claims to be a Christian, said in an interview with “Rolling Stone” magazine: “God is very much still a part of my life. But the way the details are told in the Bible—that’s very fuzzy for me. And I want to throw up when I saw that. But that’s the truth. . . . I still believe that Jesus is the son of God. But I also believe in extraterrestrials, and that there are people sent from God to be messengers, and all sorts of crazy stuff.” She went on to state her relativistic views on morality and much more.

If the power of the Gospel does not change us, then others will not change. We are to be like Jesus, not just to have Him in some special, hidden part of our life. Jesus is not around to just get us out of our messes, but to rule and reign in our hearts. We cannot just put on an appearance of godliness, but deny its power to transform us. Let not your faith become worthless.

Scriptures to reflect on: Jeremiah 2:8; 7.28; II Timothy 3.1-5, Titus 1.16; Matthew 5.13-16 and Judas.

Brokenness

We can learn a lot from nature. Yesterday as I was preparing the ground to sow the seeds for my garden, I was reminded of a verse in Hosea 10.12, “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap steadfast love, break up the fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” Since last Fall I have been meditating on this verse. As a church, we have been attempting to live this out by being more passionate in our love and worship of the Lord and compassionate toward others. Since the first of the year, we have begun a 24/7 prayer watch and continuous cycles of 40 days of fasting, ending each cycle with a night in which we pray for the sick. God has been meeting us in a powerful way, with a new experience of His presence and many testimonies’ of healing and lives transformed. We have also initiated a charitable association, A.C.A.L., to serve the practical needs of the poor. We desire to bear much fruit, but there is a condition of the heart that must be met for this to happen.

In Psalms 51.17, the Lord says that He desires from us a broken and contrite heart. In the context of this verse, brokenness is repentance. It is the bringing of what is hidden in us out to the open. Confession of sin is making it known, being transparent and accepting responsibility for our errors. When it is confessed it can be repented of. But, I believe, brokenness has yet a broader meaning. It is not just matter of repentance, but also a life-style. The alabaster jar that contained the expensive perfume had to be broken for Mary to anoint the feet of Jesus. Brokenness here is the letting of the good treasure and fragrance of Christ come from us to others. Our lives are not to be guarded and closed off to others, but rather to be laid down and given as a living sacrifice to the Lord and others. This is our desire with the life He has given us.

Each time we take communion we are remembering the Body of the Lord Jesus that was “broken” for us. Jesus’ brokenness resulted in our salvation. When He said, “not my will, but Thine be done”, he broke the power of self-will, self-desire and self-ambition in His life and allowed the sweet fragrance of the Love of God flow from Him to all of us. This is the life style that is so pleasing to the Lord. It is the broken and contrite heart that God so desires.

Where there is hardness of heart, there is no fruit. The fallow ground must be broken up or plowed. This happens as we passionately seek the Lord, or can happen as a result of going through adversity and trials. How would you like to be broken?

Scriptures to meditate on: Mark 14.3; I Cor. 11.24; John 15.16; I John 3.16

Community

Have you heard that God is Love?  If course you have. God does not have love, He is Love. It is His nature. Love requires relationship. When love is alone it is egotistical, or self-love, and this is pride. When God revealed Himself to man, He revealed Himself in a three-fold relationship of: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When Moses asked God what His name was, He said, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. This is my name forever and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” (Exodus 3.15) God chose a man to have a family, which became tribes and nations. Through community the Love of God is revealed.

This message of community is central in the Scriptures. For example, in the Old Testament, there are traditionally 613 commandments. Of these 248 are positive, (things to do), and 365 are negative, (things to not do). Simlai, an old Jewish sage, noted that 248 correspond to the 248 bones of the human body and 365 to the 365 ligaments of the human body. No one can keep all the laws, because some are only for priests, others for women, others for those living in Israel, etc. To fulfill all the law requires a community working together. In the New Testament, the Church is called the Body of Christ. Each member of the Church corresponds to a member of the body. There is diversity in relationship. Each one is necessary for the whole to function. God’s work was never intended to be a one-man operation.

I like Isaiah’s picture of God’s people. He compared them to a cluster of grapes, (Is. 65.8). He said that in the cluster is the “New Wine”. It is in the cluster that the blessing is found. The psalmist wrote that God places the solitary in family and that only the rebellious dwell in a dry, (forsaken), place. God is the Father, or initiator, of all families. Community is His idea. It is where He commands the blessing.

Just as love is revealed in community, sin too is manifest in relationships. Sin is always against someone. It is intent on destroying relationships, especially our relationship with God. No one sins in a vacuum. The consequence of sin involves others. Even the innocent becomes victims where sin prevails. To avoid the destruction of our souls and the collateral damage that results, we must press in to love God will all our hearts, (passion), and others as ourselves, (compassion).

Scriptures to meditate on: Psalms 133; 68.6; Isaiah 65.8; Matthew 22.37-40

Only God Is Good

When a rich young man came to Jesus and addressed Him as “Good Teacher” and then asked Him what good things he should do to enter into the kingdom of heaven, Jesus responded by saying, “No one is good but One, that is God,” (Mat. 19.16-17).

We all have our concept of being good. This young man had kept all the commandments, he had been a “good” boy, yet felt that something was still lacking.

Most define goodness by comparing it to evil, such as “better than” or as the “absence of evil,” etc. But Good is a Divine quality, thus cannot be defined by man, but rather by God Himself. Let me show you how God defines good.

Good is:

• Giving honor to the detestable. He bestows honor on all of us.

Man honors by merit. He gives honor to the winners, achievers, the beautiful and talented. He gives to those who deserve to be honored.

• Loving the unlovable, that is, the bad people, before they change, while yet in their sin.

Man withholds his love until there is change. Guards himself from being hurt and so is careful not to give his love to just anyone.

• Showing care and attention to those who have stolen from the poor, killed the innocent and abused the helpless.

Man wants justice to rule. The sins of man can become so hideous that our response is so often, “You deserve to burn in hell.” No mercy for Hitler, Bin Laden, Stalin, the pedophiles, the rapists or who we hate.

• Forgiving all sin and healing all disease.

Man forgives most sins, especially ones own, but not all. He also desires that his sicknesses be healed, yet is satisfied when the homosexual get AIDS, knowing that it is well deserved.

• Giving a chance or even second chance to the victims of rape, divorce and abuse.

Man condemns the innocent life to death, (in abortion), in cases of rape and incest, stigmatizes the divorcee, and ostracizes those scared by abuse and deformation.

• Extending the life of the miserable, knowing that as long as there is life there is hope.

Man gives up too soon. God is longsuffering not desiring that any one perish. Man wants to hurry up death through euthanasia, killing the deformed child, so as not to burden society with prolonged health care and pulling the plug on those barely hanging on to life.

No, only God is good. There is no good in man. He cannot save himself nor can he apart from God be like God. Some have said that there will be many good men in hell. But, no, there are no good people in hell. All who are there well deserve being there, for all have sinned. Only God is Good and we need Him in our lives.

Scriptures to meditate on: Mat. 19.16-22; 25.34-46; Romans 3.23; Psalms 103.3; I Peter 2.17.

Why I Love The Church

Some time ago I heard a statistic of the church in America that really shocked me. It said that there were more “born again” Christians out of church than in church. This meaning that more people were opting to weekly stay home than to congregate with fellow believers. As I thought about this phenomena, I was led to evaluate my own reason for fellowshipping regularly or as we normally say, “go to church.” I have listed 25 reason why I love the church.

1. …because I love Jesus and He is the Head of the Church, which is His Body, (Col. 1.18).
2. …because I want to be where Jesus is, (Eph. 2.22).
3. …because I want to be a part of His family, (Eph. 2.19).
4. …because I want to be in a place where the devil cannot prevail, (Mt. 16.8).
5. …because the church is the place where I am built up and edified, (I Cor. 14.5, 12).
6. …because being in the Church, I remain steadfast, (Heb. 10.25).
7. …because I worship better in church, (Heb. 2.12, Ps. 22.3).
8. …because the Lord’s Supper only makes sense as we take it together in the congregation. (I Cor. 10.16; 11.20, 23-31).
9. …because it is where I receive spiritual protection by being under spiritual authority, (Heb. 13.17).
10. …because it is where I learn to hear the voice of one Pastor, (Ecc. 12.11-13).
11. …because it is where the elders minister to the sick, (James 5.14-15).
12. …because it is where I receive comfort when I am sad and where my brothers rejoice with me in my victories, (Rom. 12.15).
13. …because Christ loves the Church and gave Himself for her. (Eph. 5.25).
14. …because Jesus will return for the Church. I want to be a part of the Church!, (John 14.2-3).
15. …because the Church is the Bride of Christ and she will be eternally with Him. (Rev. 21.9-).
16. …because the Church is being purified, washed and sanctified by the Word to be presented to Jesus, (Eph. 5.26-27).
17. …because in the Church I have a priestly ministry, (I Peter 2.5).
18. …because I was called and chosen to be a part of the people of God, (I Peter 2.9).
19. …because it is where the invisible becomes visible, (i.e., love of God, covenant, adoption, acceptance, etc.).
20. …because it is where I met my wife and raised my children.
21. …because it is where there is agreement in prayer and certainty of receiving answers, (Mat. 18.19).
22. …because it is the storehouse where I bring my tithes and offerings, thus receiving blessings and protection, (Mal. 3.10).
23. …because it is where I receive correction as a son and not allowed to go my own way, (Heb. 12.6).
24. …because the Church is the New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven and only those whose name is written in the Lamb’s book of life will be there, (Rev. 21.9-27).
25. …because it is where you are and I want to be a part of you all.

Growing Up Spiritually

No one likes to hear these words: “I wish you would just grow up!” It shows a certain disgust or disdain with an attitude or action being portrayed. The fact is we are all in a process of “growing up”. Physically we reach our peak at about 25 years of age. From then on we are in the process of maintenance until we begin the dying decline. Spiritually speaking, we have a beginning, which is called the “new birth”. We begin as “babes” in Christ, grow as children, developing into the experience of youth, so that we can arrive at maturity or adulthood.

One does not just jump into adulthood, but rather grows into maturity. Maturity is measured by one’s capacity to be responsible. As a child, one learns through obedience and discipline. Paul refers to this stage as that of a soldier. A new recruit first learns to obey and then is told why. The commands are direct; “march, stop, sit, dig the ditch.”  The basic disciplines of reading the Bible, praying, fellowshipping, etc., are not optional for growth. In the child phase of growth, one’s character is being formed, values are being learned and godly habits established. Obedience is to produce submission and discipline is to produce self-discipline.

In the natural, if we remain as a child, something is seriously wrong. God desires that we attain the full stature of Christ, which means growing up. Having raised five children of our own, my wife and I found that youth are motivated by rewards. They don’t respond so well to orders, as do children, but rather to incentives. For example, “If you wash the car, then you can go out this weekend.” Paul explains this growth stage as that of an athlete. He trains for the prize. He learns to deny himself for a greater goal.

This is an excited period of our maturing in Christ, but is not all there is. Adulthood is where we are to go. It is as adults that one lives for the benefit of others. An adult is motivated by vision, service and purpose. This stage is referred to as that of a farmer. This is the productive time, when one’s fulfillment is in seeing his life influencing and touching others.  Adults have children; youth should not. The youth are still “me” oriented, so if they would have children, usually it is the parents/grandparents or other adults who raise them. God desires that we grow up spiritually so that we can win the lost, care for the hurting and disciple the nations.

Scriptures to meditate on:  I John 2.12-13; II Timothy 2.1-6

Living Stones

The writers of the New Testament used many different illustrations and figurative language to describe the church of Jesus Christ. We see the church referred to as a New Man, as a Bride, as a Soldier, as a Temple or House, and as a Body. With each picture we see how many members become a whole in order to fulfill a purpose.

The church is not a physical building, an organization or even a meeting. It is a people that have been placed together to express the person of Jesus Christ to the world. Peter refers to the believers as “living stones” being built together to form a spiritual house. In so many parts of the Christian world, the church is seen more as a pile of stones. The main objective is to have a lot of people in one place. Many programs are designed to attract the crowds and success is seen in the ability to have the biggest and most dynamic of meetings. In this picture of the church, the temptation is for the best to rise to the top. Though this may mean stepping on peoples to get there, the goal is to get to the top of the pile. It is similar to an experience I had as a boy growing up in Alaska. My friends and I used to play “king of the mountain”

in the piles of snow left by the snowplow. The objective was to get to the top of the snow pile and that meant pulling down whoever was there first.

This is not the picture we have in I Peter. A house is not a pile of stones but stones that have been built together. A short time ago I had an addition built onto our house. I was surprised how careful the builders were to reinforce the foundation. You have to have a good foundation before you can begin to build the walls. The foundation we are all built upon is the cross of Jesus Christ. The work of the cross in our lives deals with the wiggly effect of being a living stone. We can’t be a rolling, wondering stone any longer. We must find our place along side some, over others and under still others to be built into the habitation of God, His Holy Temple. This speaks of submission to authority, faithfulness to friends and responsible discipleship. Our advancement and the completion of the work, depends not on our “getting to the top”

, but on our supporting the weight, (ministries), of others.

Scriptures to meditate on: I Peter 2.4-10; Ephesians 4.11-16; 2.21; Revelations 21.22-27; Hebrews 3.1-6.

All

In reading through the Scriptures, I am amazed at how frequently the word all or every is used. One day I looked up this word in the Hebrew and the Greek to find some hidden or expanded meaning, and what I saw was amazing. The word all means literally, ALL. Wow, that is deep! It is not in the Word of God to show emphasis, but to really mean everything or everyone, (no one excluded).

Let’s look at some of these “alls” by subject.

Sin: “All have sinned…”, Romans 3.23
“All we like sheep have gone astray…”, Isaiah 53.6

Salvation: “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3.9
“who desires all men to be saved…”, I Timothy 2.6

Prayer: “that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority…” I Timothy 2.1-2
“…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit”, Ephesians 6.18

Healing: “…Who heals all your diseases,” Psalms 103.3

Blessings: “…who has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” Ephesians 1.3

These are just a few of the many times these words are used to express God’s all encompassing love and desire He has for us. He has determined to pursue us with His goodness. Many times our own insecurities speak to us that we are not worthy of His care and love. That His “all” is conditional and that we are not included in it for whatever reason we may have presented. But, the fact is that God never said that. We may feel excluded and unworthy, but that does not make it true. When the Bible is so clear about something, we need to doubt our doubts but not His Word.

Scriptures to meditate on: Number 6.24-26; I Timothy 2.1-6; II Peter 3.9; I Peter 2.21-25; Matthew 4.23.

Speak Lord, I’m Listening

When Samuel was a small boy, he was awakened in the night by a voice he thought was his mentor’s, the priest Eli. It turned out to be God speaking to him. This was the first of many occasions Samuel was able to not only hear God speak to him, but also to respond back. What an amazing thing to be able to dialog with God Himself!

Though God does speak and desires to communicate with us, many have difficulty in hearing or discerning what He is saying. Our mind is so often distracted and cluttered by so many worries and concerns, that when we want to hear what God has to say, all we just get is the buzz of our own thoughts. Our mind is important in the experience of hearing God, but only as an interpreter. God speaks to us in our inner man or spirit, then the mind interprets what He is saying. Some wish God would just speak audibly or through some sign in the sky, thinking that this would make things so much easier, but this has happened in the past and still many didn’t get the message. An example of this is in the Gospel of John where God spoke audibly about His Son, and those with Jesus thought it was just thunder or some angel. The same thing happened to those with Saul on the road to Damascus. God speaking audibly is no guarantee that we will hear correctly.

Hearing God is through revelation, not through natural intelligence. Revelation is when the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of our understanding. The two disciples that were talking to the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize it was Jesus talking to them until their eyes were opened. Jesus explained the Scriptures about Himself, (which is the same Greek word used in I Cor. 12.30 for interpretation of tongues), their hearts were moved and then revelation came.

Instead of hardening our hearts toward God, because of our stubbornness and sin, let us prepare our hearts to hear Him. Offer yourself to Him as a child and ask Him to open the eyes of your understanding.

Scriptures to meditate on: I Samuel 3; Ephesians 1.17-18; Hebrews 1.1; John 12.28; Luke 24.13-35.

It’s A Great Life

If God is good and His will is good, then the life He has given us is to be enjoyed to the max. Before I came to know the Lord, I lived from weekend to weekend. I was always bragging about what I did last weekend or what I was planning to do the next weekend. It seemed that the present was not enjoyable at all. When I gave my life to God, I began to discover what life was really all about and each day became an exciting adventure. A life without God is purposeless, hopeless and boring.

The life of God is a love life. When someone is in love, they walk differently, have more energy, sleep less and will do almost anything to please their love. Some years ago we had four of our six children engaged and living at home at the same time. Wow, was that an experience. Other than the high phone bills our home was a buzz of emotions. Each time the phone rang, four voices would call out, “I’ll get it” I was a nervous wreck thinking that one more of my children would come asking for a private time to talk to me. Being in love is a great thing.

Living for God, or rather, living His life is not being devoted to a religion. Religion is man’s pursuit of God. Life is what is given to us from God. He is the initiator/creator of life. In other words, living the Life of God is a relationship that God has offered to us. It is His love, His person, experienced in every moment of our life. For this reason, His life is passionate, energetic and vibrant. There is nothing better.

Having experienced a life with God, one has a hard time imagining living any other way. I guess it is as possible to fall out of love as it is to fall in love, but that means that someone or something has taken His place in our life. God’s love and purpose for our lives have not changed, but if we change and walk away from this His Love, we lose a Great Life.

Scriptures to meditate on: Romans 8.38-39; I John 4.8; Rev. 2.4; I Cor. 13;John 10.10b

As The Eagles

The eagle is a bird used quite often in history to symbolize superiority, conquest and divinity. Many nations have the eagle as their national symbol and some even display this bird on their flags. In the Bible, the eagle speaks of vision, renewal and faith. Because it is a metaphor used in Scriptures for the victorious believer, let us learn how to be as eagles.

The eagle is noted for its capability to reach great heights. Far above the cares of this life, it soars effortlessly above the circumstances which would try to pull it down. From its lofty position it can see clearly what is moving on the ground. It has an incredible vision. If it weren’t for its vision, it would never fly so high. Lesson number one: Our attitude, vision, determines our altitude.

An eagle can live up to 70 years, but at around 40 years his beak and claws have grown too long to be able to grab his prey. His feathers become worn and if left in this condition the eagle would die far before his time. To be renewed the eagle finds an isolated place on the cliffs and beats his beak on the rocks until it falls off. After it has grown back, he uses it to pull out his claws. When his claws grow back he then uses them to pull out his feathers. Only after they grow back can he soar once again and complete his days. Lesson number two: Renewal requires removal or no gain without pain.

To overcome the natural laws of gravity, the downward pull of the earth, the eagle employs the laws of aerodynamics. As he goes against the flow of the wind, he is lifted up. The resistance of the air is used to his advantage. The negative opposition becomes the stimuli of faith. The world does not stop because we have problems. If we give up we will be pulled down, but if we extend our wings of faith and trust God we will raise above our circumstances. Faith is released when we are between a rock and a hard place. Lesson number three: Problems either make us bitter or better.

Scriptures to meditate on: Isaiah 40.28-31: 41.6,10; Ephesians 1.3, 20-22; 2.6; Romans 8.37-39.

Transformed

In Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, we are admonished to be transformed instead of being conformed. Conform means to be pressed into a mold. It is a mindset, or paradigm, that is forced upon us by the given status quo. The paradigm of our day is a functional one. The emphasis is on accomplishment, job titles and agendas. We live by the clock and find our value in our usefulness and function.

Instead of being conformed to this identity, or mindset, we are to be transformed into the person God as destined us to be. The paradigm that God desires us to have is a relational one. A functional paradigm creates competition, jealousy and loneliness. God takes the solitary and places them in a family. He said that it wasn’t good that a man remain alone. As we give ourselves to Him, He transforms us from being independent to living in a community, from suspicion to trust and from self-gratification to loving others as we love ourselves. God created us to be human beings, not human doings.

Transition involves a crisis and process. There is an initial thrust into a new way of living, which is then accompanied by progressively being changed. The Chinese word for crisis is a combination of two words: danger and opportunity. There is both fear and expectancy in change. I used to think that change was difficult for just the elderly, but over the course of my ministry I have found that change is difficult for everyone. For one to be motivated to change, the benefits must over rule the discomfort. The consequences of not changing must be seen as more undesirable that the pain in being transformed.

Paul said that as we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds we will experience the good and perfect will of God. That’s enough motivation for me. Our discovering God’s plan for our lives is conditional to embracing the crisis and process of change. It may be difficult to let go of our own selfish ways, but God has so much more for us as we learn to trust Him with our life.

Scriptures to meditate on: Romans 12.1-2; Psalms 68.6; Genesis 2.18; Jeremiah 48.4; Philippians 3.13; II Corinthians 5.17;

Called to Good Works

As I was reading through the book of Titus, I began to see two words often repeated. These were “good works.” To many of us these two words are easily discarded as they remind us of what many try to do to earn salvation. Our thoughts go quickly to Ephesians 2.8-9 where is says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” So when our emphasis is on the grace of God and living by faith, the idea of works gets easily put on the back shelf.

James comes to the defense of works by saying that faith without works is dead. In other words, we cannot have one without the other. In this pastoral letter of Paul to Titus, we see that good works are the responsibility of all those who have been saved by faith. In the second chapter of Titus, goods works are the outward sign of an inner work. It is following the pattern of life revealed in Jesus Christ and serving as an example, or pattern, for others to follow. Our faith is not just to be worn on Sundays, but affects our relationships, doctrine, integrity, character and motivation. Our everyday life is the only Gospel that many people will ever see.

The inner work of being dead to sin and alive to God is seen in our ability to lay down our life for others. Good works is doing good to others without expecting anything in return. It is being a blessing at all times to all people. Jesus is the pattern in that He gave up His own life for sinful man. His only motivation was love. The natural man places conditions on good works. It has its own timetable and expects a positive response. But good works that come from a grateful heart needs no praise, credit nor approval.

An accusation against the church has often been because of our good works, or rather our lack of them. As we are zealous for good works, we destroy the arguments of the enemy. The criticism, “they don’t do what they preach,” is too often true. Let us show the unlovely God’s love. Let us win them without a word.

Scriptures to meditate on: Titus 1.16; 2.7-3.14; I Corinthians 11.1; I Peter 3.1; Romans 10.8-9.

God is Good

One of greatest truths we can come to know is that God is good. It seems so simple and obvious, yet so often our lives and conversation does not reveal that we really believe it. The negative pull downward influences our world view to the point that we speak out continually our frustrations and doubts. But with every negative word we say, God has a positive response.

When we say, “Its impossible”, God answers, “All things are possible to them that believe.” We may say, “I’m so tired”, but God says, “I will give you rest.” We argue, “I just can’t do it,” and God says, “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.” We say, “I’m afraid”, but God says, “I have not given you a spirit of fear.” We respond, “But I feel so alone”, and God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

Though you may not believe in yourself, God believes in you. He has created you and has called His handiwork good. God does not make mistakes, especially in making you or me. We are the prize of His creation. If we feel out of control, we must realize that God is still in control and knows what He is doing. Nothing escapes His full attention and involvement. So when you say, “I can’t go on”, God says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” We know our weakness, but He knows His strength. God bases His response to us, not on our ability but on His ability to supply all that we need.

You see, God is for us not against us. We can trust Him with all our life. As we trust Him with each decision and with our dreams and future we will prove that good and perfect will of God. God is Good and there is no shadow of turning in Him. He is the same each day. He won’t have a bad hair day and be grumpy and hurt or disappoint us. He is not as a man that we could be false or inconsistent. Even when we don’t feel so special or loved, God says, “I love you.”

Scriptures to meditate on: John 3.16; Luke 18.27; Philippians 4.13, 19; Hebrews 13.5; II Timothy 1.7; Matthew 19.17; II Corinthians 12.9; Romans 12.1-2.

Two Cities

As the two seeds multiplied and man began to populate the earth, we see two world systems developing. These two systems of thought are at enmity with one another. They are characterized by two cities: Babylon and Jerusalem.

Babylon is the fruit of the seed of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Here a philosophical dualism of good and evil emerged, producing double mindedness and relativism. Each person in this city determines his destiny and is motivated for what is right in his own eyes. There are no absolutes or moral standard in Babylon, but rather what is the expressed will of each given generation.

Religion is varied here, as each one seeks his own path to God and self-realization. It breeds fanaticism and indifference, hypocrisy and sincerity and incites wars and promotes peace. This two-sided tree creates dual personalities, which, in every day life, are seen, as people are one way at church and another at home or one way at work and another at home.

Jerusalem, on the other hand, represents God’s rule. There is no democracy here, but rather the reign of one benevolent, sovereign King. Jerusalem comes down from heaven. To enter this city, one must die to his self-rule, his independence, and accept the Lordship of Jesus. One will speaks of unity and peace. Two, (good and evil), speaks of division and strife. There are no committees in this city of God. Here the people of God seek to do His will above all and to be directed by Him each day.

Truth is not relative to the individual’s own taste or desire, but rather is revealed to him by God. God has given us the Holy Spirit to bring us into all truth. He will lead us to daily fulfill the destiny God determines for us. Here true fulfillment is achieved and inner peace is found.

Scriptures to meditate on: Revelations 18; 21.9-27; James 1.8; Matthew 6.33; 28.18-20.

Being A Holy Priesthood

Martin Luther contributed greatly to the restoration of the church when we began to preach about the priesthood of all believers. This opened the door of salvation to millions and millions of people. The priest, in his day, was the only one that could go directly to God. They were the only ones who could read and interpret the Bible and thus be assured of salvation. The people were dependent on the priest, thus the church, to be their mediator and through good works, which were determined by the priest, negotiations, which we bought favors or indulgences, or physical denial and pain, one could possible share in this blessed hope of salvation.

When Luther saw, in Ephesians 2.8, that we are all saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not of works, millions readily accepted this free gift from God. The map of Europe changed as did the future of the church. The priesthood was given to each believer. Each one could go directly to the Lord in prayer, worship and receive personal salvation and edification. The Word of God was made available to each one in their own language and a new of era of evangelical revival was established.

Yet, something was missing. In both the old covenant as well as in the new, the priest not only ministered to God and received from Him, but also ministered from God to the people. In what we call the Reformation, Luther’s followers maintained the established division between clergy and laity. Everyone could be a priest in going directly to God, but not everyone could minister from what they had received from God to others. I believe that God is restoring this final part of the Reformation in our days. All are called, all are being built into a spiritual house and all called to be a holy priesthood to minister both to God as well as to man.

The characteristics of a priest are these: To hear and obey the Word of God, to guard is heart and life in holiness, to speak the truth in love, of offer up spiritual sacrifices and to intercede for the lost. Each one of us are called to bear fruit and to disciple those we have won for Christ. As we each function in our priestly office the church will be build and the Kingdom of God established.

Scriptures to meditate on: I Peter 2.5; John 15.16; Matthew 28.19; Ephesians 2.8; 4.15; Philippians 4.18.

Two Seeds

A seed represents fruit. It has within itself great potential for multiplication, but is limited to produce only after its own kind. An apple seed will only produce apples, not potatoes. As the Bible say, “What you sow, that you will also reap.”The seed does not just refer to plant life, but also animal and human life. We can talk about the seed of mankind, referring to their descendants.

Adam and Eve had two sons or seeds. The first, Cain, was a worker of the soil. He was of the nature of his father the first Adam. He had his eyes on earthly things and so as he worshiped God, he brought to him the work of his hands. One worships only what he knows, so as Cain approached God in offering sacrifices, he presented the best he had, but it was the fruit of what had been cursed. His offering was rejected, because it was a result of his work and not his faith.

The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil leads one to base truth and what is right or wrong on what feels good, appears good and seems good. If one would come into an economically, socially and morally depressed environment and promise an end to unemployment, crime, inflation and moral decay, would you vote for him to lead your government. Probably you would. If so you would have voted for Hitler, as did the Germans in the 1930s. In Revelations, the Beast who comes out of the earth appears to be the answer to all the world’s woes.

The second seed was Abel. He was a tender of sheep. He represents the second Adam. When he worshiped God, he brought to Him what had life, a lamb. His offering was accepted because it represented the fruit of the tree of life. He did not work to produce life, he only offered up to God the life he had. He suffered for doing good and did not retaliate. His blood was poured out onto the earth, as was Jesus’, and spoke to the whole world. The blood of Jesus is the good news of salvation to all mankind. It speaks better than the blood of Abel. The blood of Abel speaks of justice and revenge; the blood of Jesus speaks of mercy and redemption.

Scriptures to meditate on: Genesis 3.1-15; I Corinthians 2.14; Romans 1.18; Revelations 13.11; Ephesians 2.13; Hebrews 11.4; 12.24.

Two Trees

Free will is one of the greatest gifts that God has given to mankind. By being able to choose, we are elevated above the rest of creation and given the possibility to have a relationship with God as a friend. Friendship is not compulsory, but rather voluntary. Thus, a choice is necessary.

God placed two trees in the Garden of Eden. Man was given a choice: life or death, curse or blessing, freedom or slavery. Man could either walk with God or away from Him. With a free will came the consequences of its choices. Each choice is a cause that has its given effect. As the two trees represent free will, they also represent family lines, thus the expression, “family tree.”The seed of the tree man partook of affected his offspring and generations to come. Adam made the wrong choice. He ate of the tree that led him away from God. The seed of this “good and bad” tree entered into all of mankind, producing people who could be as good and they could be bad, but who would not know God nor would have His eternal life.

This choice brought death, separation from God and slavery to sin. For life and communion with God to be restored to man, the seed of the Tree of Life would have to be sown into man, for each tree produces after its own kind. The seed of Life could not be sown into a descendant of the first Adam, who was already polluted by sin, but into a second Adam who knew no sin. This second Adam is Jesus, the sinless son of God. Confronting temptations, (choices), He made the right decisions. He conquered sin and death and now to all who believe in Him receive a new nature, are born again and have eternal life. The seed of the Tree of Life is the Word of God. It is received into our hearts through faith in Jesus Christ. It transforms man and sets him free from the slavery of sin and cancels the consequence of him former wrong choice.

Scriptures to meditate on: Genesis 2.9; John 14.6; 3.16; 10.10; 1.14; Galatians 6.7; II Corinthians 5.17-21.

A Vision With A Mission

Having a vision is not like watching a film, where we are passively observing the future unfold. Vision is seeing what can be, but necessitates our involvement for it to come to pass. It is like prayer, in that we are involved in God’s will being done here on the earth. Reese Howells, a British intercessor, said often, “Never pray unless you are willing to be the answer to your prayer.” In the same way, you cannot be a visionary without being a missionary.

Ezekiel received a vision of a valley of dry bones. These bones represented the actual state of Israel. He didn’t receive this vision just to be informed, but rather to enact change. God did not want Israel to remain “dead” and so involved Ezekiel in their restoration by having him speak His word over these dry bones.

Having a vision with a mission involves several things. First, we need to know that if we have a vision, then we will be involved in its fulfillment. Secondly, our words must be in line with the Word of God. It also requires faith in God to do the impossible. A vision that will change the coarse of history is always beyond the ability of man. Next, vision is strategic. It doesn’t just happen. There are steps to take. First the bones came together, then the nerves, muscles, flesh and skin. There is always order to a vision’s fulfillment.

Because vision changes people and nations, it is not without offense. These bones coming together caused a lot of noise. For God to bring forth a people who would walk together in unity and do great conquests as an anointed army, independence had to be dealt with. This scandalizes those “loose cannons” who desire to do things their way. They are always learning, but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ is also not without offense, yet it is the power of God to all those who believe.

Scriptures to meditate on: Ezekiel 37.1-12; II Timothy 3.7; Romans 10.8, 17; I Corinthians 1.18.

Being a History Maker

There are people in the world that we deem heroes, those that have made history. We all remember their names. We study about them in school and the world is forever indebted to them for their contributions. What makes them so unique? Each has had just one life, 24 hours in their day, a father and mother, same air we breathe and their own series of difficulties and trials, yet they seem to have risen above the rest to mark their generation.

Abraham was one such individual. He became the father of the nation of Israel as to all the Arab nations. Even to Christians all around the world, he is considered the father of all who believe. He has become an example of faith for the whole world and I believe there are aspects of his life that we can imitate and thus be a history maker as well.

Abraham became a friend to God. He sought to have a relationship with the one true God, even in the midst of a polytheistic environment. He was able to stand alone in his faith in God. He also had the courage to begin a new life in a new place. To enter into what God had for him he had to leave the past behind. His desire was to obey and to please Father God. Abraham was a blessing to others, both in his own family as well as in the other nations were he went. And when he began to prosper and succeed he maintained his humility.

If we take on these characteristics, then we too can influence our world in a positive way. God desires that we be salt and light in a world without hope. He desires that we fulfill the destiny to which we have been called. God wants us to be a history maker.

Scriptures to meditate on: Genesis 12.1-3; Romans 4.11: Isaiah 51.1-2; James 2.23.

Love At First Sight

It is really amazing to see how a person changes when they fall in love. They walk different, they spend more time before the mirror, they smile a lot and it seems they have less need for sleep then they ever had before. Love is a mystery for sure.

Jacob had this experience when he met Rachel. Some chemical reaction went off in him and he knew that she was the one for him. Even though her father put restrictions on their relationship, he was more than willing to pay the price. Seven years past as if it were a day and now he would receive what he had been waiting and laboring for. It was the “hope set before him” that gave him the ability to be patient. Rachel was good looking. She was all he wanted.

The wedding day came, they celebrated until late in the night and Jacob became drunk with expectation only to wake up the next day to find he didn’t have what he really wanted. Instead of Rachel by his side, there was Leah, her older sister. He felt deceived and greatly disappointed. Leah is noted as having poor eyesight. She wasn’t the “good looker” that Rachel was. She had a weak vision.

So often we begin our Christian life with such high expectations. We have been smitten by the love of God and have a vision of experiencing of a life full of blessings and joy. Our life changes and we are full of enthusiasm and energy to go the extra mile in serving the Lord. But then come the disappointments and after a time we realize that what we have is not what we thought we would have. Our vision becomes clouded and our love grows cold. What do we do next?

Do what Jacob did. Return to your first love. Don’t accept the weak vision and the present situation as your destiny. Keep your eyes on God’s perfect will for your life and don’t turn back. Let love have its way in you.

Scriptures to meditate on: Genesis 29; Revelations 2.4; Hebrews 12.2; I Corinthians 13

Successful Relationship

Over the years of my ministry I have performed scores of marriages. Each one holds on to the promise of a long life of happiness and love. On the marriage day no one ever thinks of divorce or separation. There is just this wonderful expectation of spending a life together with their lover and best friend. However, as the years progress and as adjustments are confronted, many times this hope is tested and some to the point of failure.

As I have counseled couples over the years, I have found that those who are successful in their covenant of marriage have this in common: they have placed God first in their lives. Man has been created in the image of God and God is Spirit. Man as a spiritual being can only experience true unity in his relationship “in the Spirit”. I have seen this principle over and again in the Scriptures; “Seek first the Kingdom of God” Even in prayer and worship we see this principle, “I will pray in the Spirit and with the understanding also, I will sing in the Spirit and with the understanding.”

We are to first know one another after the spirit and not after the flesh; according to the new life we have in Christ. Even before one marries, this pattern needs to be observed. First know the other person after the spirit by praying together, studying the Word together and fellowshipping with others. Then comes the area of the soul: mind, emotions and will. Find out one another’s thoughts, desires, likes and dislikes. When covenant is established then it is sealed by the two coming together in physical intimacy. If this order is reversed, there are bound to be difficulties in developing lasting and healthy relationships. Keep your unity by being “in the Spirit.”

Scriptures to meditate on: I Thessalonians 5.23; II Corinthians 5.16-17; I Corinthians 14.15: Philippians 3.3; Romans 8.4-5, 26-27, Ephesians 4.3.

Friends

One of the joys of life is spending time with a good friend. This is someone who you don’t have to impress or be guarded around, one who accepts you as you are and is there to share your good times as well as the bad times. Do you have such a person in your life?

One day I asked a group of teens what they desired in a friend. I was surprised by their definition. One teen said: “someone who will respect you for who you are,” another said: “one who you can trust with your secrets,” and another said: “one who will correct you when you are wrong.” My pastor instincts were seeing verses behind each of these qualities and it just confirmed to me that man’s desire for true friendship is really God’s idea.

God desires friendship with man. This is why man was given a free will. Friendship is not forced upon us. It must be freely given and received. In Proverbs 18, verse 24, it says, “a man who has friends must himself be friendly.” God has extended His friendship to us. He has been faithful, there when we need Him, always believing the best about us, helping us find the best way to live, respecting our “space” and even correcting us when we need it. He is that friend that sticks closer than a brother, (v.24b).

Abraham was called the friend of God. Jesus called his disciples friends and even was known as a friend to sinners. As what happened when the friends of the paralytic opened the roof of the house to have Jesus heal him, a good friend will take you to Jesus. He is your best friend and you can be His as well.

Scriptures to meditate on: Proverbs 3:12; 17:17; 27:17 and 27; John 15:15; Luke 7:34; Psalms 37:3; 46.2; Mark 2:3.

What Is In Your Hand?

Sometimes I wonder if we are not our biggest enemy. So often I find myself arguing with God when He gives me a new task to do or widens the parameters of my ministry. “But, Lord, I don’t have the staff to do this, the money, resources nor the time.” God believes we can do it, but we are all so ready to disqualify ourselves due to our experience, age, talents, needs or lack of help.

When God had an encounter with Moses on Mount Sinai, the Lord spoke vision and destiny into his life. He accepted Moses as he was, but then showed him what he could be and what he was to do. Moses’ reaction was just like so many of ours. “But Lord, suppose the people won’t accept me, send someone else. I can’t even talk right, I stutter”. God spoke out of faith, but Moses responded out of his insecurity and knowledge of his felt need.

God didn’t ask Moses what he needed to get the job done. Did he need thousands of horses and chariots? How much food and water would he need for all the people? No, God did not ask him what he needed, but rather want he had. So the Lord said to him, “what is that in you hand?” Exodus 4.2. God uses what we have, not what we don’t have. To enter into God’s plan for our lives, we must take a step of faith. We must take our eyes off what we don’t have and see what He has already given us. With who we are and what we have, God will accomplish great things through us.

Scriptures to meditate on: Romans 8.37; Philippians 3.12-14; Hebrews 12.1; Ephesians 3.20; Matthew 15.32-38.

The Giving of Thanks

While growing up in Fairbanks, Alaska, I never remember a meal that didn’t begin with the giving of thanks. Most times it was my father who prayed, but as we grew up this practice was shared among us. Never a long prayer, but always with these words, “thank you Lord for this food which we are about to eat.”

Later as I reached my teen years, I thought this daily ritual to be religious so when alone or with my friends, I readily discarded it. I was no longer thankful to God for what I had and began to live as if I was the source of my life. This began a spiral decline ending in utter despair and the loss of all I had.

When the Apostle Paul was caught in a storm that lasted for weeks and it looked like all was lost, he encouraged those in the ship to take a meal to strengthen themselves before the ship would be torn apart. It didn’t look like there was anything to be thankful about, but in front of a ship full of “non-believers”, he gave thanks, (Acts 27.35). What was the result? All were saved.

The giving of thanks places us under God’s protection. It is honoring God as God, the source of all of life and of all good. It places us in a position to receive from Him. So at every meal, in every place and at all times, let us give God our thanks.

Scriptures to meditate on: Romans 1.21; II Timothy 3.2; I Timothy 2.1; 4.4-5; Philippians 4.6; Psalms 100