Who Do You Look like?

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. -  Romans 8:29

God does not change us from the outside in but quite the opposite - from then inside out. The Apostle Paul encourages us to abandon conformity to the world and 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:2

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. - John 14:8-10

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. - John 17:20-23

I worked in my step dad’s family business with his dad, mom and 2 brothers while I was in high school.  People always commented or assumed I was one of the brothers – but I didn't look like them. They were English/Swedish – I was Scotch/Irish/German – they were short – I was tall. I was full of freckles and they were not. But it was not my looks that made them think that – it was my behavior.  

So do you remind people of your "big brother" or your Dad (Abba) even?  I am not talking abut sitting in church on Sunday - I am talking about bearing fruit in your life that shouts that you are a child of the King!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. - Galatians 5:22-23

If people see that in your life it will make them think about Jesus. If they have seen you then they have seen Jesus and if they have seen Jesus then they have seen the Father.

[And] if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Or at least they are supposed to be. It can be a struggle. How are you doing with that?

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Who or What Do You Love

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. - 1 John 2:15-17

1 John was written to Christians—likely one or more churches in the region of Asia Minor, probably around Ephesus. The letter does not name a specific church or individual recipient, so it is often classified as a general or “universal” letter. One of the great challenges in any Christian's life is to not yield to our old nature and its desires. As John wrote there is not wiggle room with respect to the devotion of our hearts. Your heart is either fully devoted to God or it is not. 

And when God had removed King Saul, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will. -  Acts 13:22

I have heard people describe David as loving God with his whole heart and yet, as you know, David sinned. He was but a man who struggled with his flesh as we all do. But I suspect you are like David and are a man or woman after God's own heart and are not content with walking with sin in your heart. Like Psalm 51 where David asked God to create in him a clean heart after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan over David's sin with Bathsheba and send her husband Uriah to his death on the battlefield.  Not that we would not like to be able to hide our sin - but God sees the heart.

People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7

After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness, where he fasted for 40 days and nights. The devil then tested him with three temptations (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life)

1. Turn stones into bread — Jesus refused to use his power for himself, replying, “Man shall not live on bread alone.”

2. Throw himself from the temple — Jesus refused to test God, saying, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

3. Worship the devil in exchange for worldly kingdoms — Jesus rejected power gained through disobedience: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”

Jesus responded with the Word of God in each instance.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13

Just like Jesus - when we are tempted we must respond with the Sword of the Spirit - the Word of God.

Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you. - Psalm 119:11

I remember two Indiana Jones movies. In the first - Indy was facing a man with a huge sword when he remembered he had a gun so he shot the guy. In the second movie he faced another man, Indy smiled and reached for his gun, but his holster was empty. Think of both of those men as temptation and the gun as the Word of God. And as the old American Express commercial would say with respect to the Word of God - "Don't leave home without it!" 

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Sharing The Good News As You Go

 Then He [Jesus] spoke many things to them in parables, saying: Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! - Matthew 13:3-9

Notice that the man in the parable did not avoid the wayside, stony places, thorns and focus only on the good ground.  A man whose heart is not open to God will not receive the truth of the Gospel. I cannot see the heart so I must speak to everyone. Casting the seed - the Gospel - as I go.

I am not responsible for how the Good News is received by the hearers. That is between the one who hears and God who speaks. 

Jesus sent out the 12 disciples and told them " And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’" (Matthew 10:7). In the same way, we are sent out to proclaim the good news. Not everyone who encountered Jesus followed Him. 

My sheep hear My voice, and I [Jesus] know them, and they follow Me. - John 10:27

There is a spiritual dynamic that happens - something supernatural - it happened to me and if you are a Christian, it happened to you. When I heard the Gospel, on that particular day, my heart received it as Truth and I surrendered my life by faith. It was not a matter of someone arguing or pressuring me into heaven. In fact, for me - what I heard was not new - I had heard the Gospel many times - but on that particular day, it was not my ears but my heart that heard and received the message. And what was the message?

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. - Romans 10:8-10

 Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Why People Don't Want To Hear About Jesus

I did not come to bring peace but a sword. —Matthew 10:34

 If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.  Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, “We can never be that.” Then drive it home with, “Jesus Christ says you must.” “But how can we be?” “You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit” (see Luke 11:13). There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring…a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Before I was born again, the last thing I wanted to do is have someone preach to me or at me about Jesus.  If it was a family member I tolerated it, but if it was someone else, I avoided it.  Why? Because there was no sense of spiritual need in my life.  I wanted nothing to do with Jesus.  In fact it stirred something up inside of me .. not anger but maybe distaste.  I didn't understand that it was a reaction of my sinful nature to the Creator God.  Do you know people like that?  I am certain you do.  Most of the world is like that.  Jesus divides … His message separates … 

For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.  Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. - Matthew 10:35-38

Does that sound harsh?  Well, think about this.  What does it mean to obey Matthew 22:37-38 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Can anyone come between you and God?  I didn't say "should" because I am certain you would say "Of course not!" Are you willing to stand between God and someone you love, just so they won’t feel bad? What is your responsibility?  Are you willing to be rejected because you follow Jesus?  Where is your true devotion?  Why did Jesus say that?  Because He knows the heart of man and the struggles that we face that's why.  The temptation is to soften the message to accommodate someone we care about or to avoid rejection.  You must not. Instead you must speak the truth in love.  You are a messenger of the truth … by the way - how you live must match what you say … as a Christian, what you say must be Truth which will divide.  How others respond is not your fault or responsibility … but what is your responsibility is to be a faithful witness.  And that not by your own power and intellect but by the power of the Spirit.

This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. - Zechariah 4:6 

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Living By Faith – Confounding To The World – Profound To The Body Of Christ

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:11-13  

I was working at at a home damaged by Hurricane Harvey one day when the man from the Gas Company came to turn the gas on.  I was working by myself, as I do on occasion, and he asked me where my help was.  I told him that I was working alone that day and that was a segue for me to talk about Pathfinder Mission and God’s call to serve others.  He was intrigued and asked more questions.  I could tell by his expression and language that he was a Believer.  Don’t know if you have experienced it, but the Spirit resonates between Believers.  The spiritual connection is obvious but is unspoken and super-natural. He commented on the good thing we are doing and left by saying “God bless you in your work.” 

Listen – we are not to revel in the positive attention we receive because of the difficult situations that we find ourselves in – but I was reminded that our light will shine brightly when we walk through difficult situations by faith. I was sitting in our travel trailer, we lived it in for the first 2 years after we came to Texas listening to the Blue Angels roar over me – over and over again as they prepared for the air show this weekend.  Frankly I yearned for quiet. Fortunately we have a friend here who opened her home to us – when we need it – and Martie and I rested well in the quiet of her home that night.  But … there I the next morning, writing a devotion and preparing for another day of restoration – this time with a good friend to help me.  

Martie and I live like we do by choice.  It is necessary to do what we do, but we could choose to do something else .. to live somewhere else.  But this is the thing – we are compelled by God’s call to serve others.  That means we must be willing to abandon what many consider a way of living that is vital to their feeling of wellbeing.  Paul wrote 

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death ... - Philippians 3:8-11

That is true for every Christian.  What that looks like in each person’s life may be different.  We are not wearing animal skins and eating locusts and honey like John the Baptist, but in the view of many Americans we are not far from it.  The point today is that I want to encourage you to make your faith the thing that shapes your life, your desires and where and how you live.  One of our life verses is Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  That verse does not mean that God is some divine waiter – but when you make Him your first priority, He will change your heart and when He does that – what you want and think you need will also change. Sitting in a travel trailer might not be so bad!  He is all you need.  

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

God's Calling Requires Spiritual Strength

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:8-10

I may have a very clear understanding of what God wants me to do, and I may be doing it, but there is this issue of faith, or lack of it, that will raise its head every now and again.  Let me explain. 

It is clear that God has me, Martie and me to be correct, helping those who cannot help themselves.  In particular, He has made me very aware of the plight of widows.  James 1:27 says “religion is expressed in its purest sense when we help widows and orphans in their affliction” (paraphrased by me).  I have seen the mighty hand of God at work. Do you remember the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18? Right after that victory, Elijah was exhausted and even ran for his life in fear.  How did that happen.  In my experience, when you are anointed by the Spirit of God for a particular work and that work is accomplished to and for the glory of God, you will be physically and emotionally exhausted at the end.  You will have a supernatural ability in the midst of the work, but after, you become very aware of your weakness in light of Jesus’ strength. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I just had a conversation about this with a friend and co-laborer yesterday. The work he is called to looms large and is more than he can do – but he knows that God is in the work and it is going to stretch his faith and challenge his obedience to the call.

Like Elijah  …  when you are “recovering”, you are vulnerable. When you find yourself outside of the boat and your flesh kicks in  and you start to doubt and perhaps you ask yourself, “What am I doing?!?!” "What was I thinking?!?" I recall a time when my family called upon me to bring Spiritual comfort to a family member who was at the doorstep of death. I had just read a post on Facebook about people who have suffered the loss of a loved one and the thought came to me.  “What good do you think you can possibly do in light of what others are doing? Who do you think you are?”  Have you every wondered that in the light of God’s call on your life? The truth is, what God calls you to do is between you and God.  It has nothing to do with what He has called others to do. The temptation is to take your eyes off of Jesus and focus on other things, other people.  If you do, you will immediately start to sink.  That is what happened to me. On the face of it, it seemed improbable or perhaps even impossible.  I mean how can you go from standing boldly for God at one minute and doubting that what you are doing is right the next. 

It’s not by strength or by power but by my Spirit says the Lord God of Hosts. - Zechariah 4:6

As Jesus followers we all live with this tension between the Spirit and the flesh. Once again, Proverbs 3:5-6 says trust God and not yourself. If you are depending upon the world and trusting in yourself to do what God has clearly called you to do, you will fail.  You can’t do it.  Don’t compare yourself to others when considering your God-given purpose.  God will always ask you to do what is not humanly possible.  You will always need the power of the Spirit to do it.  And when the task is accomplished, you will feel just a little bit, or even a lot, of the weight of what you have just done. And it will exhaust you.  Maybe even make you fearful or doubtful.  When that happens … praise the Lord and be humbled that He would use a sinner like you or me for His eternal purposes.  Amazing!

“And he (Jesus) said unto me (Paul), My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Does that describe you? I want to encourage you to let your light Shine Bright my friend and give God the place and glory He is due. And when He calls you to a task your only answer can be "Yes Lord, Your servant ready and willing and by You power I am able."

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Ministry May Not Be What You Think It Is

Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel… —1 Corinthians 1:17

Paul states here that the call of God is to preach the gospel. But remember what Paul means by “the gospel,” namely, the reality of redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are inclined to make sanctification the goal of our preaching. Paul refers to personal experiences only by way of illustration, never as the end of the matter. We are not commissioned to preach salvation or sanctification— we are commissioned to lift up Jesus Christ (see John 12:32). […] Jesus Christ labored in redemption to redeem the whole world and to place it perfectly whole and restored before the throne of God. […] The one passion of Paul’s life was to proclaim the gospel of God. He welcomed heartbreak, disillusionment, and tribulation for only one reason— these things kept him unmovable in his devotion to the gospel of God. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

Have you ever thought of yourself as a preacher?  Perhaps not.  In our present day economy, preacher has a connotation of someone devoted to ministry, standing behind a pulpit on Sunday morning.  While I was in Haiti … my moniker was “Pastor Charley”.  I did not pastor a church but the Haitians associated me with those who did. Although I am ordained as a minister of the Gospel in Baptist circles, I never pastored a church and never will, most probably.  My point, I am called to ministry and so are you, each in our own way according to God’s shaping.  We are all called to “preach the Gospel”. 

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear - 1 Peter 3:15

You don’t have to stand behind a pulpit to lift Jesus up.  To tell people what happened in your life.  Telling people about your life before Jesus, how you met Jesus, and your life now that you follow Jesus.  I think we make it difficult with “methods” when it should be as natural as talking about your family or why you do what you do for a living.  

I [Paul] charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. - 2 Timothy 4:1-5

I am certain there are some people that you have known that you wanted to avoid when you saw them coming.  They “attacked” you with the Gospel.  Dr. John Maxwell said “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  It’s true. Another thing that is true is that you cannot save anyone.  Our part is to tell about what happened to us.  His part is to send His Spirit to do a work in the person’s heart.  Their part is to believe the truth and by faith in Jesus, be saved … or not.  You are merely and magnificently called to “fulfill your ministry”.  Pretty simple, huh? So what are you waiting for? An Invitation? Considered it delivered!

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone