Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (ESV)
How often do we take the freedom God has given us and try and convict another person for not walking the same way we do? Would that not be placing a yoke of slavery on another. You see, we often call it freedom, because we practice what we think is the most biblical way to the faith. But yet in that freedom we have just created a burden. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” God does not see us for the laws we live by but what is of concern to him is whether or not we accept his son. “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” God has called us to freedom, that we might not fall back into what he has freed us from. It’s a sad day when we place the law over Christ, we might as well go as far to say, “Christ you are not enough.” Do you believe in the power of the cross, or do you truly think there is something you can do that will earn your salvation. If that is the case, I would strongly encourage you to get into the word and ask God to reveal to you His salvation found only through the promise of His son Christ Jesus.
Now that we know where our freedom comes from we can talk about how to apply this freedom to our lives in a way that will build up the body of Christ, not tear it down as we so often allow it to. Today more churches are divided over non salvific issues then over doctrine and theology. Things as small as, one person thinks we should do worship before the message and the other thinks that all worship should be done after the message. And we say, really? A church would divide over something that holds no biblical truth. Its hard to believe but it is the culture we live in today. We allow the flesh to dictate our freedom, man is fallen and stubborn by nature. Often times set in his ways, and without the renewal of Christ very prideful. We get stuck in our ways and will go to the extent of dividing a church to make a point.
What is the church anyways? That pretty building down the road, right. Common answer, but no. It’s the body of Christ. The cornerstone, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Literally in the Hebrew, cornerstone is translated the head of the corner. Christ, the head of what? 1 Peter 2:4, he is the head of his people, “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.” We are the church, in Christ Jesus, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” If you notice everything I am talking about points back to Christ. This should be a reflection of our churches and ministries today.
Christ at the center, and we build down from there. Allowing the freedom of Christ and the Holy Spirit to cultivate and grow the structure of a ministry.
On a global scale, the body of Christ needs to agree to disagree, set aside their differences, not look at any one way as the right way. Because single out any one way and it will not work, but a worldwide collaboration and then the body of Christ is able to work as intended. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” So what do we do? Through love we serve one another. We love because Christ first loved us. Let that captivate your soul the divisions in the body start to disappear. Let the love of Christ allow you to step outside of your culture for a minute, and become sensitive to all walks of life. Praise God for his diversity and uniqueness, that he has chosen something so small as man to reflect his glory. Be like Paul, “I have become all things to all men, that by all means I might save some.”
Application:
In the Kenyan culture, they appreciate an outsider who has applied themselves to learn a few words in their language. Today I will learn a few words in Swahili, as I am heading off to Kenya shortly
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Power of His Love
Matthew 11:6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me (ESV)
How often am I worried about whether I am offending someone or not. It is very often, and not to mention, generally this thought comes to mind when Jesus is brought up. I don’t want to offend someone and there lifestyle, so instead of taking the time to relate the gospel to their life, I offend my Father in heaven by keeping silent about him. Almost embarrassed or ashamed, honestly it makes me uncomfortable. But enough of the self pity, there is an antidote to this action, this lie I have been believing. The Holy Spirit is knocking, waiting, always within ready for duty. Just waiting for us to ask for an empowerment, to lay our fears and worries down at the foot of the cross, to empty our life of our selfish thoughts and ways. Only through the empowerment of the Spirit will I be able to be bold for Jesus, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” It boils down to the driving motive. Love. If I am not letting the love Christ has for me, be my motivator, then it probably is some self-seeking or desiring thought from within. You see once we can understand (which I don’t believe we ever will this side of heaven) the love God has for us, then we can learn how to love ourselves. This self love is one commonly misinterpreted. We know the bible says to, look not only to our own interest, but to the interest of others, also it says to love God and to love others. So what does this selfless love look like? Just what it sounds, not placing their rights or needs above another. We are made in the image of God, not the image of man. So when need to know him, his fellowship, his love and let that shape and mold and image and view of love in our own lives. James 2:2-3 says, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” We need this understanding and right view on love of self, not for our own passions, but simply because we cant give what we don’t have. Back to the verse, a right view of Gods love will give you a desire to always please him, boldness and power will pour out through that love welling deep within.
Application:
Today I will share with someone what God is doing in my life.
How often am I worried about whether I am offending someone or not. It is very often, and not to mention, generally this thought comes to mind when Jesus is brought up. I don’t want to offend someone and there lifestyle, so instead of taking the time to relate the gospel to their life, I offend my Father in heaven by keeping silent about him. Almost embarrassed or ashamed, honestly it makes me uncomfortable. But enough of the self pity, there is an antidote to this action, this lie I have been believing. The Holy Spirit is knocking, waiting, always within ready for duty. Just waiting for us to ask for an empowerment, to lay our fears and worries down at the foot of the cross, to empty our life of our selfish thoughts and ways. Only through the empowerment of the Spirit will I be able to be bold for Jesus, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” It boils down to the driving motive. Love. If I am not letting the love Christ has for me, be my motivator, then it probably is some self-seeking or desiring thought from within. You see once we can understand (which I don’t believe we ever will this side of heaven) the love God has for us, then we can learn how to love ourselves. This self love is one commonly misinterpreted. We know the bible says to, look not only to our own interest, but to the interest of others, also it says to love God and to love others. So what does this selfless love look like? Just what it sounds, not placing their rights or needs above another. We are made in the image of God, not the image of man. So when need to know him, his fellowship, his love and let that shape and mold and image and view of love in our own lives. James 2:2-3 says, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” We need this understanding and right view on love of self, not for our own passions, but simply because we cant give what we don’t have. Back to the verse, a right view of Gods love will give you a desire to always please him, boldness and power will pour out through that love welling deep within.
Application:
Today I will share with someone what God is doing in my life.
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Social Outcast
Matthew 11:5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them (ESV)
How many times do we read about the miracles of Jesus over and over. And yet I would be willing to bet it is one of the sections we almost look over, or don’t finish the verse. We don’t let the things he did take a hold of us and captivate us. I am sure that if we took a little while to meditate on the miracles of Jesus they would come alive, we would see them all the more, holding the meaning and power he intended for them to have. One of the miracles in this verse that is of interest to me, because of the deeper meaning within is the lepers are cleansed. We can better learn about the origin of Leprosy from Leviticus 13 and 14. A book that we refer to as boring. But when we look at the Old Testament for what it is, the New Testament concealed, then it brings a new life to it. Leprosy is a disease of the skin, that starts off slow, on the outside of the skin, taking root into the body, eventually killing the infected. What it better represents is sin in the human life, the scars its leaves and its ability to spread throughout our body, leading to death. When raw flesh is seen he is considered unclean, but if it has all turned to white he is clean. This verse comes alive in the sense of sin when Isaiah 1:18 is considered, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” We are washed white as snow from our sin, just as the raw flesh of the leper turned to white rendering him clean. Verse 45 says this of a leprous person who has the disease, “shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry, ‘unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.” This sounds a lot like the effects sin can play our life. Lepers were social outcasts, they were not welcomed by the rest of society. This section holds its importance in the New Testament when Jesus cleanses a Leper. This is not the first miracle, but it is the first recorded healing in the Gospel of Matthew. This is more then a healing, it is a cleansing. It is a symbol of Jesus reaching out, to what society has deemed as worthless, outcast, unaccepted and unfixable. Reaching out, associating with the most lowly of the earth, healing what was thought to be incurable. I think there are a few meanings with in, one being that no matter how great of sin (paralleled with leprosy) entangles us, God is bigger then that, he can heal us. Two is that God is compassionate, and loving, not deeming one as less than another. Third is that we see the humanity of Jesus, that he would bring himself to the lowest of places and lay hands on the rejected. I wonder what the rest of the miracles of Jesus reveal to us about human nature and his character, I know much more!
Application:
Today I will read Leviticus 13 and 14 finding more parallels to leprosy and sin.
How many times do we read about the miracles of Jesus over and over. And yet I would be willing to bet it is one of the sections we almost look over, or don’t finish the verse. We don’t let the things he did take a hold of us and captivate us. I am sure that if we took a little while to meditate on the miracles of Jesus they would come alive, we would see them all the more, holding the meaning and power he intended for them to have. One of the miracles in this verse that is of interest to me, because of the deeper meaning within is the lepers are cleansed. We can better learn about the origin of Leprosy from Leviticus 13 and 14. A book that we refer to as boring. But when we look at the Old Testament for what it is, the New Testament concealed, then it brings a new life to it. Leprosy is a disease of the skin, that starts off slow, on the outside of the skin, taking root into the body, eventually killing the infected. What it better represents is sin in the human life, the scars its leaves and its ability to spread throughout our body, leading to death. When raw flesh is seen he is considered unclean, but if it has all turned to white he is clean. This verse comes alive in the sense of sin when Isaiah 1:18 is considered, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” We are washed white as snow from our sin, just as the raw flesh of the leper turned to white rendering him clean. Verse 45 says this of a leprous person who has the disease, “shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry, ‘unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.” This sounds a lot like the effects sin can play our life. Lepers were social outcasts, they were not welcomed by the rest of society. This section holds its importance in the New Testament when Jesus cleanses a Leper. This is not the first miracle, but it is the first recorded healing in the Gospel of Matthew. This is more then a healing, it is a cleansing. It is a symbol of Jesus reaching out, to what society has deemed as worthless, outcast, unaccepted and unfixable. Reaching out, associating with the most lowly of the earth, healing what was thought to be incurable. I think there are a few meanings with in, one being that no matter how great of sin (paralleled with leprosy) entangles us, God is bigger then that, he can heal us. Two is that God is compassionate, and loving, not deeming one as less than another. Third is that we see the humanity of Jesus, that he would bring himself to the lowest of places and lay hands on the rejected. I wonder what the rest of the miracles of Jesus reveal to us about human nature and his character, I know much more!
Application:
Today I will read Leviticus 13 and 14 finding more parallels to leprosy and sin.
Go!
Matthew 11:4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:” (ESV)
One word stands out in this verse. The word Go. The Lord gives them clear instruction to continue on, as the word in the Greek literally means to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one's journey. When I make this point I do not want to rule out the other side of the Lords instruction. Sometimes he may have us to wait and be patient, we are not always told to go. But in this verse, clearly this was the commandment. And often times God will tell us to Go with no explanation, no answer, no reason, other then the fact that he has just told us to. Now here he gives a brief explanation but he does not give them room for dialogue. He simply says to Go and say this, its as simple as that. So this makes me wonder, when God tells us to Go, why do we say at first, “that couldn’t be his voice.” That wouldn’t be in Gods character to just say go, no questions asked. Oh wait, we see right here that this is something God would say, and I’m sure at some point is something He will say to you, if He has not already. So why do we question God when it was clear he tells us to Go without explanation. We are fallen, limited in scope, and fixers by nature. This last point is key to why we are so resistant to the unknown. We were created to provide, fix and take care of one another. It is vital, if these things are not inline in our life it shakes us to the core. We are uneasy, anxious and often angry when we can not seem to figure out the way we are to accomplish the task at hand. Taking this into consideration, I can understand why our first response would be, but why. Sometimes God does not reveal to us why, sometimes he does, and I do know he is not a God of confusion, so he does give us enough to work with. But sometimes that’s it. This gives us the need for God. If we did not have to lean on him every step of the way then it would be very easy to forget him, just as the Israelites were warned in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:17-18: Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth. If God revealed his full plan for my life I know by time I completed it I would forget who provided, empowered and guided my work in the first place. All I would see was the work of my own hand, forgetting that the Lord gave me the direction all along. So next time the Lord tells you to go, be obedient, knowing that in due time he will reveal the next step.
Application:
Today I will make a stone of remembrance, so I don’t forget God has gotten me here and the many trails He has carried me through.
One word stands out in this verse. The word Go. The Lord gives them clear instruction to continue on, as the word in the Greek literally means to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one's journey. When I make this point I do not want to rule out the other side of the Lords instruction. Sometimes he may have us to wait and be patient, we are not always told to go. But in this verse, clearly this was the commandment. And often times God will tell us to Go with no explanation, no answer, no reason, other then the fact that he has just told us to. Now here he gives a brief explanation but he does not give them room for dialogue. He simply says to Go and say this, its as simple as that. So this makes me wonder, when God tells us to Go, why do we say at first, “that couldn’t be his voice.” That wouldn’t be in Gods character to just say go, no questions asked. Oh wait, we see right here that this is something God would say, and I’m sure at some point is something He will say to you, if He has not already. So why do we question God when it was clear he tells us to Go without explanation. We are fallen, limited in scope, and fixers by nature. This last point is key to why we are so resistant to the unknown. We were created to provide, fix and take care of one another. It is vital, if these things are not inline in our life it shakes us to the core. We are uneasy, anxious and often angry when we can not seem to figure out the way we are to accomplish the task at hand. Taking this into consideration, I can understand why our first response would be, but why. Sometimes God does not reveal to us why, sometimes he does, and I do know he is not a God of confusion, so he does give us enough to work with. But sometimes that’s it. This gives us the need for God. If we did not have to lean on him every step of the way then it would be very easy to forget him, just as the Israelites were warned in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:17-18: Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth. If God revealed his full plan for my life I know by time I completed it I would forget who provided, empowered and guided my work in the first place. All I would see was the work of my own hand, forgetting that the Lord gave me the direction all along. So next time the Lord tells you to go, be obedient, knowing that in due time he will reveal the next step.
Application:
Today I will make a stone of remembrance, so I don’t forget God has gotten me here and the many trails He has carried me through.
That couldn't be God...
Matthew 11:3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (ESV)
How many times do we see a miracle of God right before our eyes and then question whether it was God or not. It’s the same for John, he hears of the miracles Jesus has been performing yet he was still wandering if he was the Messiah. I think often times we tend to over analyze a situation instead of excepting the clear and obvious facts. What does God have to do to get our attention. He is constantly doing miracles in front us and yet we are saying, “no that couldn’t be God.” We become critical of it, turning to what we know for the answer, the laws of the earth. If we don’t think it could happen, then we say there is no way it did, and if we choose to accept it did, then it definitely wasn’t God. That would be to obvious for it to be God, there has to be more to it. I say this and laugh thinking about it but its true. Sometimes I know that the simple things I take for granted, over complicating them and talking the hand of God out of them. I cant speak for John, but if I got report from those who I trusted that Jesus had been performing the miracles he did I would have to associate it to one thing, the Messiah himself. God was at work, doing something greater then what any human could do. I see works done daily through people that I know can only be explained by God. But for whatever reason I still ask, “was that you God?” Now don’t get me wrong, we need to be testing spirits and staying in a right understanding of who God is and his work at hand. But if we know his word, we would know who to accredit our good works to, “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Application:
Today I will look for things in my life and the lives of those around me and thank God for the work he is faithfully doing through them.
How many times do we see a miracle of God right before our eyes and then question whether it was God or not. It’s the same for John, he hears of the miracles Jesus has been performing yet he was still wandering if he was the Messiah. I think often times we tend to over analyze a situation instead of excepting the clear and obvious facts. What does God have to do to get our attention. He is constantly doing miracles in front us and yet we are saying, “no that couldn’t be God.” We become critical of it, turning to what we know for the answer, the laws of the earth. If we don’t think it could happen, then we say there is no way it did, and if we choose to accept it did, then it definitely wasn’t God. That would be to obvious for it to be God, there has to be more to it. I say this and laugh thinking about it but its true. Sometimes I know that the simple things I take for granted, over complicating them and talking the hand of God out of them. I cant speak for John, but if I got report from those who I trusted that Jesus had been performing the miracles he did I would have to associate it to one thing, the Messiah himself. God was at work, doing something greater then what any human could do. I see works done daily through people that I know can only be explained by God. But for whatever reason I still ask, “was that you God?” Now don’t get me wrong, we need to be testing spirits and staying in a right understanding of who God is and his work at hand. But if we know his word, we would know who to accredit our good works to, “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Application:
Today I will look for things in my life and the lives of those around me and thank God for the work he is faithfully doing through them.
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Honorable Messenger
Matthew 11:2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples (ESV)
I wonder what it must have been like for John. To be imprisoned, only knowing what was going on by the word of his disciples. We see in Luke 7:18 another account of the same story, “the disciples of John reported all these things to him.” John has placed a great trust in his disciples. Sending them out in hopes that they were going to deliver his word to Jesus and in turn, return with an accurate report of what Jesus had told them. I look at this situation and think of how I am a disciple of Christ, taking the word he has given me and sharing it with those I come in contact with. Just as John has placed a trust in us, Jesus has also entrusted to us his word. “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” He has entrusted us to rightly handle and represent before the rest of the world his word. John’s disciples could have chosen to be faithful messengers, delivering the message quickly and speedily. But the delivery of the message is not the important part. See if the disciples could not first listen, then regardless of their ability to relay the message, the outcome would not have been as was indented by their sender. Are we taking the time to sit down and listen to what Christ is speaking to us, or do we briefly skim his word and rush out the door to fulfill our busy schedule. If we do not take the time to listen to his word, then how do we expect to accurately to portray his message. As ambassadors of the Gospel we should be finding ourselves daily before the Lord. Then, and only then, once we have slowed down to listen and plant his word in our heart, comes the importance of the delivery. I am confident to say that this part of the process will come with power and authority as long as we establish a consecrated life before the Lord. You see someone who allows the word of God to speak to them and change them from the inside out, is then able deliver the message with power, boldness and authority. Matthew 10:19-20, “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the spirit of the father speaking through you.” So here we see two key aspects of a disciple of the word of God. First we listen, on our face daily before God, in a daily personal devotion centered around his word. Then comes the delivery, the part we are so often eager to do ourselves, yet forget God is the one who speaks through us to begin with. Remember who our sender is, let him turn you inside out to then deliver his message through you.
Application:
I want the word of God to change me, to turn me upside down and shake my life. Today I will pray to God that he would give me a passion for his word. That it would speak to me, and then he would empower me to deliver it with passion, power and authority.
I wonder what it must have been like for John. To be imprisoned, only knowing what was going on by the word of his disciples. We see in Luke 7:18 another account of the same story, “the disciples of John reported all these things to him.” John has placed a great trust in his disciples. Sending them out in hopes that they were going to deliver his word to Jesus and in turn, return with an accurate report of what Jesus had told them. I look at this situation and think of how I am a disciple of Christ, taking the word he has given me and sharing it with those I come in contact with. Just as John has placed a trust in us, Jesus has also entrusted to us his word. “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” He has entrusted us to rightly handle and represent before the rest of the world his word. John’s disciples could have chosen to be faithful messengers, delivering the message quickly and speedily. But the delivery of the message is not the important part. See if the disciples could not first listen, then regardless of their ability to relay the message, the outcome would not have been as was indented by their sender. Are we taking the time to sit down and listen to what Christ is speaking to us, or do we briefly skim his word and rush out the door to fulfill our busy schedule. If we do not take the time to listen to his word, then how do we expect to accurately to portray his message. As ambassadors of the Gospel we should be finding ourselves daily before the Lord. Then, and only then, once we have slowed down to listen and plant his word in our heart, comes the importance of the delivery. I am confident to say that this part of the process will come with power and authority as long as we establish a consecrated life before the Lord. You see someone who allows the word of God to speak to them and change them from the inside out, is then able deliver the message with power, boldness and authority. Matthew 10:19-20, “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the spirit of the father speaking through you.” So here we see two key aspects of a disciple of the word of God. First we listen, on our face daily before God, in a daily personal devotion centered around his word. Then comes the delivery, the part we are so often eager to do ourselves, yet forget God is the one who speaks through us to begin with. Remember who our sender is, let him turn you inside out to then deliver his message through you.
Application:
I want the word of God to change me, to turn me upside down and shake my life. Today I will pray to God that he would give me a passion for his word. That it would speak to me, and then he would empower me to deliver it with passion, power and authority.
Your in Jerusalem
Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (ESV)
First thing I want to note is the word upon in this verse. In the Greek the word is Epi, which means power. In John 20:22, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into the disciples. At the point they had they holy spirit dwelling within but they had not yet been empowered with the Holy Spirit, or as Jesus calls it in Acts 1:5, baptized with the Holy Spirit. We associate the baptism of the Holy Spirit with boldness, confidence, meekness, discernment of Gods word, conviction and so on. We know this because right after Peter is baptized with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost he is no longer his fearful self. Yet he stands up and preaches the word with boldness and conviction, rightly dividing the word of God with authority and power. We know that once the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you He is always within in you. But the baptism is something that needs continually renewed, Galatians 5:18 says “but be filled with the Spirit.” In Luke 11:9, Jesus says “ask and it will be given”. Who is it you ask. We see in verse 13, it is the Holy Spirit, “how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” The Lord is will to pour his spirit afresh upon us, all we must do is simply ask and receive with an open heart. So from here I want to talk really quick about the ladder part of the verse. Most the part of Jerusalem, commonly associated with your home, which is partially correct. But what we know about this portion of scripture is that Jesus was addressing men of Galilee. So for him to say Jerusalem would have been him talking about where they were at, at that moment. Not their home, but their current location. We need to take on this mindset, being a witness for Christ starting with right here, right now, your Jerusalem.
Application:
Today I will allow the guiding of the spirit, looking for an opportunity to witness to someone today at the mountain.
First thing I want to note is the word upon in this verse. In the Greek the word is Epi, which means power. In John 20:22, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into the disciples. At the point they had they holy spirit dwelling within but they had not yet been empowered with the Holy Spirit, or as Jesus calls it in Acts 1:5, baptized with the Holy Spirit. We associate the baptism of the Holy Spirit with boldness, confidence, meekness, discernment of Gods word, conviction and so on. We know this because right after Peter is baptized with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost he is no longer his fearful self. Yet he stands up and preaches the word with boldness and conviction, rightly dividing the word of God with authority and power. We know that once the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you He is always within in you. But the baptism is something that needs continually renewed, Galatians 5:18 says “but be filled with the Spirit.” In Luke 11:9, Jesus says “ask and it will be given”. Who is it you ask. We see in verse 13, it is the Holy Spirit, “how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” The Lord is will to pour his spirit afresh upon us, all we must do is simply ask and receive with an open heart. So from here I want to talk really quick about the ladder part of the verse. Most the part of Jerusalem, commonly associated with your home, which is partially correct. But what we know about this portion of scripture is that Jesus was addressing men of Galilee. So for him to say Jerusalem would have been him talking about where they were at, at that moment. Not their home, but their current location. We need to take on this mindset, being a witness for Christ starting with right here, right now, your Jerusalem.
Application:
Today I will allow the guiding of the spirit, looking for an opportunity to witness to someone today at the mountain.
Save it for Evangelism
Acts 1:7 He said to them, “it is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (ESV)
When I read this verse, it makes me think of when we ask God why would he allow for someone we know to be in such turmoil. Such suffering. God how could you allow this to happen to them? Little do we know that what God is going to do with that trial in their life, will change the lives of many others. To the one who is forgiven much loves much. We often question God during times of persecution, but how selfish are we. We mock God, and rob the blessing he has for us to reach many through our hardships. It is not for us to know what Gods plan is and when we will come out the other side or when a trail will come. But it is for us to know that God is in control, his good and perfect will is being done even in our free will. Wrap your mind around that for a minute, and then come back and tell me why we should demand from God an answer of what he is doing. He is allowing us to have a say in what we do with our life, yet he still has the ultimate authority. Anyways, I could word free will a hundred different ways and I will never fully understand it. I just sit back and thank God that he does know the time and the season. How grateful should we be to surrender our rights to him and allow for the leading and guiding of his Spirit in our lives. We should sit back in awe that God knows the final outcome of our life, let alone the entire world. So instead of trying to compete with God in a screaming match (by the way there is no comparison), save your voice for the spreading of the Gospel. That we have a God of order, who loves and cares for us and will come back for us in his time, all we should do is be obedient to what he has placed before us and leave the rest to him.
Application:
Today I will send this to someone who needs encouragement on unsaved loved ones.
When I read this verse, it makes me think of when we ask God why would he allow for someone we know to be in such turmoil. Such suffering. God how could you allow this to happen to them? Little do we know that what God is going to do with that trial in their life, will change the lives of many others. To the one who is forgiven much loves much. We often question God during times of persecution, but how selfish are we. We mock God, and rob the blessing he has for us to reach many through our hardships. It is not for us to know what Gods plan is and when we will come out the other side or when a trail will come. But it is for us to know that God is in control, his good and perfect will is being done even in our free will. Wrap your mind around that for a minute, and then come back and tell me why we should demand from God an answer of what he is doing. He is allowing us to have a say in what we do with our life, yet he still has the ultimate authority. Anyways, I could word free will a hundred different ways and I will never fully understand it. I just sit back and thank God that he does know the time and the season. How grateful should we be to surrender our rights to him and allow for the leading and guiding of his Spirit in our lives. We should sit back in awe that God knows the final outcome of our life, let alone the entire world. So instead of trying to compete with God in a screaming match (by the way there is no comparison), save your voice for the spreading of the Gospel. That we have a God of order, who loves and cares for us and will come back for us in his time, all we should do is be obedient to what he has placed before us and leave the rest to him.
Application:
Today I will send this to someone who needs encouragement on unsaved loved ones.
The Suffering Messiah
Acts 1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (ESV)
It would seem the restoration of Israel was of more importance to the apostles then the promised baptism of the Holy Spirit. I think we see an important lesson in the verse. At this time I believe there view of who Jesus was a little different then what the true character of God reveals about the son. The Pharisees and scribes had gone around filling the minds of the people that the Messiah would come, and be a conquering Messiah. Who would set up his kingdom here on earth, and become the ruler of all. Bring true peace and see a tangible form of heaven on earth established under his reign. But we know that this is not our savior. The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, was a suffering servant who came to give us freedom from our bondage, to establish a heavenly kingdom. To kill off the law and bring back personal communion with God. I think this verse shows that the Apostles still viewed Jesus as an earthly ruler, who would reign amongst them in the physical form. The importance of the Holy Spirit I do not think registered, because they only knew Jesus as one who would establish his presence and power from the external. Not from within. The lesson is we so often shove to the side the true promise and character of God and look to our own idea of what his promise should look like in our life or how it should play out. We need to know our business is first and foremost with the Lord, then the earthly matters will play themselves out according to his will.
Application:
I need to examine myself and the view I hold on who Jesus is. Today I will take time to seek God and ask him to reveal to me the areas in my life where I place him second, and look to the world for the answer.
It would seem the restoration of Israel was of more importance to the apostles then the promised baptism of the Holy Spirit. I think we see an important lesson in the verse. At this time I believe there view of who Jesus was a little different then what the true character of God reveals about the son. The Pharisees and scribes had gone around filling the minds of the people that the Messiah would come, and be a conquering Messiah. Who would set up his kingdom here on earth, and become the ruler of all. Bring true peace and see a tangible form of heaven on earth established under his reign. But we know that this is not our savior. The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, was a suffering servant who came to give us freedom from our bondage, to establish a heavenly kingdom. To kill off the law and bring back personal communion with God. I think this verse shows that the Apostles still viewed Jesus as an earthly ruler, who would reign amongst them in the physical form. The importance of the Holy Spirit I do not think registered, because they only knew Jesus as one who would establish his presence and power from the external. Not from within. The lesson is we so often shove to the side the true promise and character of God and look to our own idea of what his promise should look like in our life or how it should play out. We need to know our business is first and foremost with the Lord, then the earthly matters will play themselves out according to his will.
Application:
I need to examine myself and the view I hold on who Jesus is. Today I will take time to seek God and ask him to reveal to me the areas in my life where I place him second, and look to the world for the answer.
What Would Jesus Do?
Acts 1:5 “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now”
What an empowerment the Holy Spirit plays in our life. I wonder if the apostles were able to make sense of God coming to live with in them. I could imagine this would be hard to grasp. I figure this because today the Holy Spirit lives with in me and yet the concept still seems to amaze me at times. I think about what this must have been like, for they knew Jesus at this point very well, they had experienced God on the tangible level but never with in. Leading and guiding them, up until now their closest experience to a God within had been watching Jesus walk out the spirit filled life. They had to of seen in Jesus the guiding and leading of something greater then himself. For no man had done the things Jesus did. I am reminded back to a portion in scripture in John 14:16-17, where Jesus is revealing his relationship with the father and the promise of the Holy Spirit to fall upon his followers. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” What a revelation this must has been to the disciples. I back up a little bit in this chapter of John and am amazed at how Jesus plays out the role of the Spirit. Starting in verse seven, “If you have known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” At this point they ask Jesus to show them the father. And Jesus replies “have I not been with you so long? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Slowly I would imagine it is becoming more clear to Philip. But Jesus goes on to say, “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” Jesus has revealed to the disciples his deity, but not only that he has just instructed them on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. They do not understand this yet, but he is about to explain it to them, after he gives them one more minor detail. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do: and greater works than these will he do.” I’m sure this sounded a little bit crazy to Philip, but its what Jesus says next that ties it all together. This brings us back to verse 16, Jesus introduces himself in the Spirit. He refers to himself in the Spirit as another Helper (or advocate, or counselor). God in the spirit is what makes it possible for us to know God personally. We have been given the Spirit to guide and lead us as disciples of Jesus Christ. It is no longer: What Would Jesus Do? But now it is, God what would you do through me now, this very moment. The book continues on, we follow Jesus, but we do not study his every move to step exactly where he stepped, we simply allow him to take new steps as he now lives in us. I know this explanation does not do justice to the power the Holy spirit pours upon us, but I do hope I gave you a sense of the importance and realness of the matter and brought a deeper meaning to today’s verse.
Application:
I know God is constantly looking for a work to do through me to bring glory to his name. So today I will pray for the boldness of the Spirit and ask that God would give me an opportunity to exercise that.
What an empowerment the Holy Spirit plays in our life. I wonder if the apostles were able to make sense of God coming to live with in them. I could imagine this would be hard to grasp. I figure this because today the Holy Spirit lives with in me and yet the concept still seems to amaze me at times. I think about what this must have been like, for they knew Jesus at this point very well, they had experienced God on the tangible level but never with in. Leading and guiding them, up until now their closest experience to a God within had been watching Jesus walk out the spirit filled life. They had to of seen in Jesus the guiding and leading of something greater then himself. For no man had done the things Jesus did. I am reminded back to a portion in scripture in John 14:16-17, where Jesus is revealing his relationship with the father and the promise of the Holy Spirit to fall upon his followers. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” What a revelation this must has been to the disciples. I back up a little bit in this chapter of John and am amazed at how Jesus plays out the role of the Spirit. Starting in verse seven, “If you have known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” At this point they ask Jesus to show them the father. And Jesus replies “have I not been with you so long? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Slowly I would imagine it is becoming more clear to Philip. But Jesus goes on to say, “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” Jesus has revealed to the disciples his deity, but not only that he has just instructed them on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. They do not understand this yet, but he is about to explain it to them, after he gives them one more minor detail. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do: and greater works than these will he do.” I’m sure this sounded a little bit crazy to Philip, but its what Jesus says next that ties it all together. This brings us back to verse 16, Jesus introduces himself in the Spirit. He refers to himself in the Spirit as another Helper (or advocate, or counselor). God in the spirit is what makes it possible for us to know God personally. We have been given the Spirit to guide and lead us as disciples of Jesus Christ. It is no longer: What Would Jesus Do? But now it is, God what would you do through me now, this very moment. The book continues on, we follow Jesus, but we do not study his every move to step exactly where he stepped, we simply allow him to take new steps as he now lives in us. I know this explanation does not do justice to the power the Holy spirit pours upon us, but I do hope I gave you a sense of the importance and realness of the matter and brought a deeper meaning to today’s verse.
Application:
I know God is constantly looking for a work to do through me to bring glory to his name. So today I will pray for the boldness of the Spirit and ask that God would give me an opportunity to exercise that.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Men of Galilee
Acts 1:4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me;" (ESV)
In verse eleven we find out that Jesus was addressing the ‘Men of Galilee‘, so for them to stay in Jerusalem would have created a sense of uncomfortably. At this point in time they did not know that Jesus would ascend from their very presence, although I could imagine his final words were imprinted in their minds and hearts after the ascension. So of all things Jesus could have talked about we are given this dialogue in verses five through eight as his last instructions to his people before he returns to the Father. Looking further ahead in the book of Acts we see why Jesus gave them final instructions to stay in Jerusalem. For we find out on the day of Pentecost he fulfills his promise in verse five and pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people. I think we can draw a very practical principle of the character of God from this verse. Often times we sense God is instructing us to something but it is uncomfortable. Like the apostles, for them to remain in Jerusalem, it didn’t make much sense, especially since Jesus was now gone, what more did they have to stay there for? But Jesus knew, because he sees the bigger picture. Remember when God instructs us to do something he is not telling us with the limited scope we often confine him to. “But God you know I cant afford that”, or “I have to be somewhere in 15 minutes, what do you mean you want me to stop and help this person?” How often do we rob God of the blessings he has for us because we are so confined to our narrow minded view of this life he has given us. Imagine if they had went back to Galilee and missed out on the experience of Pentecost, the very start of the church today as we know it. Why did they wait? Because they had been with Jesus. They knew and trusted him by now. So what can we take from this verse. For one we need to allow God to speak into our lives and allow space in our schedules for God to bless us. But most importantly we need to spend time with Jesus. For when we do, it will be plain for all to see. “And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” This is said in Acts 5:13 by the rulers and elders in Jerusalem, the religious leaders of the law. Like Peter and John we will have a boldness and confidence in Christ’s instruction that surpasses the ignorance of our nature.
Application:
I want people to see Christ in me, but I also know my flesh wants to keep me bound in my selfishness. Today I will kill out my flesh by confessing my shortcoming to another and asking for forgiveness, taking responsibility for the wrong I have done.
In verse eleven we find out that Jesus was addressing the ‘Men of Galilee‘, so for them to stay in Jerusalem would have created a sense of uncomfortably. At this point in time they did not know that Jesus would ascend from their very presence, although I could imagine his final words were imprinted in their minds and hearts after the ascension. So of all things Jesus could have talked about we are given this dialogue in verses five through eight as his last instructions to his people before he returns to the Father. Looking further ahead in the book of Acts we see why Jesus gave them final instructions to stay in Jerusalem. For we find out on the day of Pentecost he fulfills his promise in verse five and pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people. I think we can draw a very practical principle of the character of God from this verse. Often times we sense God is instructing us to something but it is uncomfortable. Like the apostles, for them to remain in Jerusalem, it didn’t make much sense, especially since Jesus was now gone, what more did they have to stay there for? But Jesus knew, because he sees the bigger picture. Remember when God instructs us to do something he is not telling us with the limited scope we often confine him to. “But God you know I cant afford that”, or “I have to be somewhere in 15 minutes, what do you mean you want me to stop and help this person?” How often do we rob God of the blessings he has for us because we are so confined to our narrow minded view of this life he has given us. Imagine if they had went back to Galilee and missed out on the experience of Pentecost, the very start of the church today as we know it. Why did they wait? Because they had been with Jesus. They knew and trusted him by now. So what can we take from this verse. For one we need to allow God to speak into our lives and allow space in our schedules for God to bless us. But most importantly we need to spend time with Jesus. For when we do, it will be plain for all to see. “And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” This is said in Acts 5:13 by the rulers and elders in Jerusalem, the religious leaders of the law. Like Peter and John we will have a boldness and confidence in Christ’s instruction that surpasses the ignorance of our nature.
Application:
I want people to see Christ in me, but I also know my flesh wants to keep me bound in my selfishness. Today I will kill out my flesh by confessing my shortcoming to another and asking for forgiveness, taking responsibility for the wrong I have done.
Rock Bottom
Galatians 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life (ESV)
I think back to my life before I knew Christ. What started off as having a little fun turned into a full blown addiction to drugs. However in-between those two events there was about a four year period. It would take this amount of time before the corruption would be apparent in my life. At some point it would become unavoidable, I was trapped, I needed a way out. I had reaped from my flesh the corruption that this verse says was due to come. Although up until that point I was determined to indulge in my flesh, whatever I wanted I would do and generally I would do it to the best of my ability. This could consist of a number of things, things that at first seemed to happen without consequence, allowing me to continue on. My point here is that I didn’t starve my flesh of anything, I was sold out to doing just that, little did I know I would soon be reaping the corruption of my flesh. So on the flip side we see that one who sows to the Spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. So now picking up from where I got saved, why would I not expect the process of reaping and sowing to go something like it did in the flesh. I did not wind up homeless and addicted in one day so why did I expect that one encounter with Christ and I would be fruitful in my walk eternally. No you see this process would look a little something like an inverted mountain. You picture yourself at one end of the scale, slowly slipping down until you hit bottom. This is where you have an encounter with Christ, and then we are right back where we slipped down from…No, we know that’s not how it works. But now we start our upward journey, with one goal in mind. We set our gaze on our Lord Jesus Christ and don’t look back, we press on. As the writer of Hebrews says in 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that has been set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Don’t take your hand off of the plow, don’t look back. If obstacles come your way do not them throw you off track, but rather detour your way back onto the upward journey. The journey of eternal life.
Application:
By next Friday I will memorize Hebrews 12:1-2.
I think back to my life before I knew Christ. What started off as having a little fun turned into a full blown addiction to drugs. However in-between those two events there was about a four year period. It would take this amount of time before the corruption would be apparent in my life. At some point it would become unavoidable, I was trapped, I needed a way out. I had reaped from my flesh the corruption that this verse says was due to come. Although up until that point I was determined to indulge in my flesh, whatever I wanted I would do and generally I would do it to the best of my ability. This could consist of a number of things, things that at first seemed to happen without consequence, allowing me to continue on. My point here is that I didn’t starve my flesh of anything, I was sold out to doing just that, little did I know I would soon be reaping the corruption of my flesh. So on the flip side we see that one who sows to the Spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. So now picking up from where I got saved, why would I not expect the process of reaping and sowing to go something like it did in the flesh. I did not wind up homeless and addicted in one day so why did I expect that one encounter with Christ and I would be fruitful in my walk eternally. No you see this process would look a little something like an inverted mountain. You picture yourself at one end of the scale, slowly slipping down until you hit bottom. This is where you have an encounter with Christ, and then we are right back where we slipped down from…No, we know that’s not how it works. But now we start our upward journey, with one goal in mind. We set our gaze on our Lord Jesus Christ and don’t look back, we press on. As the writer of Hebrews says in 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that has been set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Don’t take your hand off of the plow, don’t look back. If obstacles come your way do not them throw you off track, but rather detour your way back onto the upward journey. The journey of eternal life.
Application:
By next Friday I will memorize Hebrews 12:1-2.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Sow and Reap
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.(ESV)
“Now if you could do that.” A famous quote often used by Pastor G. But I feel this is appropriate for this verse. To me this is a fundamental concept for one who is walking out the Christian faith. I believe once we are able to wrap our minds around this in a practical sense we will see fruit more abundantly. The abundant life will become tangible, and I don’t say this in the sense of finding your best life now on earth, but I am talking about the abundant life we find in the abiding of Gods word. Simply known as the “fruit of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience gentleness, kindness, faithfulness and self control.” We know that each one of these is not considered matured until there is some kind of physical or tangible action. I want this life yet I do not put in the work to get there. I ask God to do a work in my life but hardly do I ever want to do my part of the job. I want the reward without the work. I take the easy way out and in return I am left living an average life of faith. I give half of my will and expect it all back in return, when I have given God no reason to give me more. “One who is faithful in little is also faithful in much.” Love requires a choice, thus God has given us free will. I am done settling for the mundane. Newton’s three laws of motion can be related exactly to the sowing and reaping relationship. Law one states: “Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.” We must constantly seek after a filling of the Holy Spirit, we need an outside force (the Holy spirit) to compel a change of state. The third law states: “that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In other words, when we seek out to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to the measure we seek we will be filled. Or what we sow we will reap. For those of you practical thinkers who need to see it to believe it, bounce a ball and watch what happens…there you have it, its that simple.
Application:
Today I will set aside an extra half hour of my undivided devotion and seek the Lord for a renewing of the Holy Spirit.
“Now if you could do that.” A famous quote often used by Pastor G. But I feel this is appropriate for this verse. To me this is a fundamental concept for one who is walking out the Christian faith. I believe once we are able to wrap our minds around this in a practical sense we will see fruit more abundantly. The abundant life will become tangible, and I don’t say this in the sense of finding your best life now on earth, but I am talking about the abundant life we find in the abiding of Gods word. Simply known as the “fruit of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience gentleness, kindness, faithfulness and self control.” We know that each one of these is not considered matured until there is some kind of physical or tangible action. I want this life yet I do not put in the work to get there. I ask God to do a work in my life but hardly do I ever want to do my part of the job. I want the reward without the work. I take the easy way out and in return I am left living an average life of faith. I give half of my will and expect it all back in return, when I have given God no reason to give me more. “One who is faithful in little is also faithful in much.” Love requires a choice, thus God has given us free will. I am done settling for the mundane. Newton’s three laws of motion can be related exactly to the sowing and reaping relationship. Law one states: “Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.” We must constantly seek after a filling of the Holy Spirit, we need an outside force (the Holy spirit) to compel a change of state. The third law states: “that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In other words, when we seek out to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to the measure we seek we will be filled. Or what we sow we will reap. For those of you practical thinkers who need to see it to believe it, bounce a ball and watch what happens…there you have it, its that simple.
Application:
Today I will set aside an extra half hour of my undivided devotion and seek the Lord for a renewing of the Holy Spirit.
Man or God?
Galatians 6:4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. (ESV)
One question comes to mind when I read this. Who am I allowing to set my standard of living? Man or God? So often I find myself looking at how another is running there life to compare it with the quality of mine. Usually those who I am surrounded by are who I allow to set my standard. I am looking to the fallen man; a fellow brother or mentor to be the judge of my own actions. This is very dangerous, for there is no man on earth free from sin, in turn this has distorted my view of perfection and lowered my very drive for holiness. I am constantly looking to the left or right to find someone I can compare my walk with. This allows pride to set in, it also allows for self-pity. There is a reason God became fully man and walked out a perfect life, because he knew in that he was the only one who could hold the standard of righteous living without bringing condemnation along with it. Only through Christ will I find a true picture of holiness, one that does not come attached with guilt and shame. I need to allow Christ to be the only standard in my life. Like the Bereans I need to see if my life is lining up with the word of God, and not mans flawed image of a sanctified believer. God through His Holy Spirit will do all the discerning, he will lead me down the path of righteousness, as opposed to man, “Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” Says Jeremiah 17:5. We have exchanged our relationship with God for man. We accept the shallow praise of one another and wonder why we are left looking for more. We have settled for this lowly exchange and have it accepted it for our holy land or blessed pasture. Jeremiah goes on to say in verse 7, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” God has more for us then what we have settled for. We need to go the bible itself for his spiritual standards and we will be delighted with what we find there.
Application:
For the next week all I read in my devotional time is my bible.
One question comes to mind when I read this. Who am I allowing to set my standard of living? Man or God? So often I find myself looking at how another is running there life to compare it with the quality of mine. Usually those who I am surrounded by are who I allow to set my standard. I am looking to the fallen man; a fellow brother or mentor to be the judge of my own actions. This is very dangerous, for there is no man on earth free from sin, in turn this has distorted my view of perfection and lowered my very drive for holiness. I am constantly looking to the left or right to find someone I can compare my walk with. This allows pride to set in, it also allows for self-pity. There is a reason God became fully man and walked out a perfect life, because he knew in that he was the only one who could hold the standard of righteous living without bringing condemnation along with it. Only through Christ will I find a true picture of holiness, one that does not come attached with guilt and shame. I need to allow Christ to be the only standard in my life. Like the Bereans I need to see if my life is lining up with the word of God, and not mans flawed image of a sanctified believer. God through His Holy Spirit will do all the discerning, he will lead me down the path of righteousness, as opposed to man, “Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” Says Jeremiah 17:5. We have exchanged our relationship with God for man. We accept the shallow praise of one another and wonder why we are left looking for more. We have settled for this lowly exchange and have it accepted it for our holy land or blessed pasture. Jeremiah goes on to say in verse 7, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” God has more for us then what we have settled for. We need to go the bible itself for his spiritual standards and we will be delighted with what we find there.
Application:
For the next week all I read in my devotional time is my bible.
Think Your Something?
Galatians 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (ESV)
Paul is calling those who are spiritual to bear one another’s burdens, and to do so in a spirit of gentleness. First I want to note that before we go on, we recognize gentleness is a fruit of the spirit. As Paul just wrote a few verses back, we recognize this is something obtained not through our own strength or abilities, but through a full submission to the Holy Spirit, allowing that fruit to take place in your life. When I read verse three with one and two in mind I know where I have gone wrong. Shortly after I got saved, it didn’t take long for me to realize my lifestyle had radically changed. Especially when I would go out around those who were non believers. I would seem to forget that just a while before I was no different then them. But yet somehow I had a feeling of pride, like I was better then they were, that I had figured life out and they were to dumb to see the truth. Instead of a compassion for the unsaved I grew disgusted by them. How could they live like that I would ask myself? God started to show me that although I had quite using drugs, that to Him I was no better then the next guy. To him sin is sin, no matter how big or little, I know its not my place to judge and it is clear to me we are all sinners. Even though I was now saved, I was by no means perfect, I still had and have my issues. God really started convicting me. He did not save me so that I could judge the rest of the world of their wrongdoings and sit on my throne of righteousness. There is only one on that throne, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” So I say to myself yeah, there is a God, and its not me. Today God is changing my worldview. I daily come before God, and recognize my role as mere ambassador, and nothing more then an unworthy servant.
Application:
I still find myself falling into a prideful mindset. Today I will ask God to give me compassion for those around me, and look for opportunities to the place the needs of others above mine.
Paul is calling those who are spiritual to bear one another’s burdens, and to do so in a spirit of gentleness. First I want to note that before we go on, we recognize gentleness is a fruit of the spirit. As Paul just wrote a few verses back, we recognize this is something obtained not through our own strength or abilities, but through a full submission to the Holy Spirit, allowing that fruit to take place in your life. When I read verse three with one and two in mind I know where I have gone wrong. Shortly after I got saved, it didn’t take long for me to realize my lifestyle had radically changed. Especially when I would go out around those who were non believers. I would seem to forget that just a while before I was no different then them. But yet somehow I had a feeling of pride, like I was better then they were, that I had figured life out and they were to dumb to see the truth. Instead of a compassion for the unsaved I grew disgusted by them. How could they live like that I would ask myself? God started to show me that although I had quite using drugs, that to Him I was no better then the next guy. To him sin is sin, no matter how big or little, I know its not my place to judge and it is clear to me we are all sinners. Even though I was now saved, I was by no means perfect, I still had and have my issues. God really started convicting me. He did not save me so that I could judge the rest of the world of their wrongdoings and sit on my throne of righteousness. There is only one on that throne, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” So I say to myself yeah, there is a God, and its not me. Today God is changing my worldview. I daily come before God, and recognize my role as mere ambassador, and nothing more then an unworthy servant.
Application:
I still find myself falling into a prideful mindset. Today I will ask God to give me compassion for those around me, and look for opportunities to the place the needs of others above mine.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Here I Am Lord! Use Me.
Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ (ESV)
If you are like me, you might here the word commandment and think of a physical task placed in front of you. At first read, this is naturally what my mind drifted towards. But I seemed to have forgotten the two most important commandments given in scripture. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Sure without an outward expression of these two commandments they most likely would not prove to be valid in your life. Although I think they start in the heart, this is not a condition you can modify yourself to have. To conform to this kind of love is not possible, it is only possible by a transforming and renewal of the mind. To me knowing that these are the two greatest commandments, these should be of highest priority in all we do. So when we are serving, and have been placed a task in front of us, our primary focus in whatever it might be is to love God and love your neighbor. Now as I mentioned these are conditions that start from within although they are practically applied as well. I am confident enough to say if you focus on living worthy to the call of these two commandments all else you do will fall into place, including having a servants heart. So I ask you this, are you striving and working hard to earn the love for one another and for God, or are you allowing Gods love transform your heart are in turn flow out of you naturally? I know often times I am working for that love, but then I am reminded there is nothing I can do to be righteous before God, our savior has already done that work for us. Now all I can do is surrender my rights to Him. This is the mindset Paul is saying to have in I Corinthians 9:19, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” the he goes on to say, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” And for what do you do this you ask? “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” There you have it. Paul lets us in on his secret, his lets his love for the Lord and the gospel transform his mind into one that selflessly serves every person he comes into contact with. Jew or Gentile, weak or strong, “Here I am Lord! Use me.”
Application:
I to often work for this mindset instead of allowing God to do the work for me. This morning I will yield my rights to the Lord, and focus on fulfilling these two commandments at any opportunity.
If you are like me, you might here the word commandment and think of a physical task placed in front of you. At first read, this is naturally what my mind drifted towards. But I seemed to have forgotten the two most important commandments given in scripture. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Sure without an outward expression of these two commandments they most likely would not prove to be valid in your life. Although I think they start in the heart, this is not a condition you can modify yourself to have. To conform to this kind of love is not possible, it is only possible by a transforming and renewal of the mind. To me knowing that these are the two greatest commandments, these should be of highest priority in all we do. So when we are serving, and have been placed a task in front of us, our primary focus in whatever it might be is to love God and love your neighbor. Now as I mentioned these are conditions that start from within although they are practically applied as well. I am confident enough to say if you focus on living worthy to the call of these two commandments all else you do will fall into place, including having a servants heart. So I ask you this, are you striving and working hard to earn the love for one another and for God, or are you allowing Gods love transform your heart are in turn flow out of you naturally? I know often times I am working for that love, but then I am reminded there is nothing I can do to be righteous before God, our savior has already done that work for us. Now all I can do is surrender my rights to Him. This is the mindset Paul is saying to have in I Corinthians 9:19, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” the he goes on to say, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” And for what do you do this you ask? “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” There you have it. Paul lets us in on his secret, his lets his love for the Lord and the gospel transform his mind into one that selflessly serves every person he comes into contact with. Jew or Gentile, weak or strong, “Here I am Lord! Use me.”
Application:
I to often work for this mindset instead of allowing God to do the work for me. This morning I will yield my rights to the Lord, and focus on fulfilling these two commandments at any opportunity.
Thank you?
Luke 17:9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? (ESV)
Are we seeking that thanks at the end of our duty? Is our very motive behind doing what we do simply to be seen by one another. I wonder what we value more, the thanks from our earthly masters, or a thanks from our heavenly father. I would be lying if I said there were not times I have chosen man over God. Paul says in Colossians 3:23-24, “not by way of eye-service, as people pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” We should be working for the Lord, our interior motive should be one to please God. And yes he is pleased by the work we do for him, we see Hebrews 13:16 says, “do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” What greater reward then serving the one who gives you life, the very creator of your being, of the world you daily walk in and the ones you interact with. I can confidently say the blessing of God far outweighs the blessing of man. So to answer the question in this verse I would say it is not the obedience to the commandment that is pleasing to the Lord, but it’s the condition of the heart.
Application:
Today I will fast and seek the Lord. I will ask him to reveal the driving motive behind my actions and to show me a heart that will please him.
Are we seeking that thanks at the end of our duty? Is our very motive behind doing what we do simply to be seen by one another. I wonder what we value more, the thanks from our earthly masters, or a thanks from our heavenly father. I would be lying if I said there were not times I have chosen man over God. Paul says in Colossians 3:23-24, “not by way of eye-service, as people pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” We should be working for the Lord, our interior motive should be one to please God. And yes he is pleased by the work we do for him, we see Hebrews 13:16 says, “do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” What greater reward then serving the one who gives you life, the very creator of your being, of the world you daily walk in and the ones you interact with. I can confidently say the blessing of God far outweighs the blessing of man. So to answer the question in this verse I would say it is not the obedience to the commandment that is pleasing to the Lord, but it’s the condition of the heart.
Application:
Today I will fast and seek the Lord. I will ask him to reveal the driving motive behind my actions and to show me a heart that will please him.
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