Words Are Not Enough

"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." - James 2:15-18

There are three "T"s, Time, Talent, and Treasure, that sum up the idea of Christian works. Works being actions taken by a Christian that are birthed out of their faith and more specifically, their love for God. We protect our time don't we. We treat time is as a valuable resource and we decide how it will be spent or allocated. That love manifests itself in love directed toward other people. Love is not an attitude it is an action. Our talents which are given by God are intended to be used for His glory and the good of others. If you could pull your talents out of your pocket to show the Lord that you have them - would they look like they were brand new? Or would they be crumpled and stained by your life's journey. We are given talents so they can be used for the benefit of others. Treasure - uh oh - here it comes! It is not just money but it can be money. Perhaps it is money that has been foregone because you rejected financial success for service to others. Perhaps it is money because your discretionary income was used to help others and not to feather your nest or enable to travel or buy the next thing that you might find joy and satisfaction in. Or perhaps like time and talents, to properly respond to the Spirit will require a sacrifice on your part.

"I  [Paul] appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:1-2

Feeling sorry for someone and doing nothing - meaning that the Spirit prompted you to action and you chose to give them an encouraging word instead - or perhaps not even that - a kind thought. Or maybe worse - you decided to play the role of Job's "friends" and think they needed to deal with their sin to find God's favor again.  Well, those are temptations that we all must confront - recognize them for what they are and rebuke them.

That is not to say we must help everyone that comes our way. Jesus did not heal or feed everyone - but He brought a greater gift - salvation. Living water. Bread of Heaven. Spiritual healing. Our whole purpose is not just to bring temporary relief to others - although we do that - but to point them to Jesus.

"But Peter said, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" - Acts 3:6

You may not feel you have much to offer, but you are a child of the King and His ambassador in a world that desperately needs saving. Words may not be enough but a life lived by faith to the glory of God is.

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

An Audience Of One

"I can of Myself do nothing. ........ I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." - John 5:30

Jesus said that.

"I live before the audience of One-before others I have nothing to gain, nothing to lose, nothing to prove." 

Os Guinness, a modern day theologian said that.

I don't know if Os Guiness was the first to say that in terms of how he lives his new life in Christ. I do know that Jesus was the first to say what He said. We are to live our lives with one focus in mind, to live and do for an audience of One - the Creator God. Many people - many Christians live their lives trying to impress or please other people. They are sensitive to rejection or criticism. Disheartened when relationships crash like a ship on the rocks, broken and unrepairable. People become dominated with the thought that what other people think is has primacy over what God thinks.

"for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." - John 12:43

It is so easy to chase the approval of other people, even to the detriment of walking in obedience and finding God's approval.  People liking me or praising me is not the validator of my walk with God.  I don't do things so as to win the favor of other people. I do things out of obedience to God's call and will. Seem to lofty to you? It is the essence of our faith and new life. Of course you must be certain that it is God you are following and not your own imagination.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" - Proverbs 14:12

Too often I have seen someone's faithful service derailed by the opinion or criticism of another person. In the face of that turmoil, God is removed from the equation. It becomes a carnal - a natural thing. Often the result is terminal with respect to that person's service.

Live for an audience of One. All other people are merely by-standers.  For some that is a tall order because they worry about what others think more than what God thinks. I think it is a form of co-dependency. Which is - a psychological condition or a relationship in which a person manifesting low self-esteem and a strong desire for approval has an unhealthy attachment to another often controlling or manipulative person. 

The low self esteem comes from a lack of faith and spiritual maturity. In other words, they lack confidence of who they are in Christ and their sufficiency in the eyes of God. Their feeling of well being is dependent upon how other people respond to them = even in the context of their new life in Christ.  

Be careful that you do not give credit and weight to others' opinions when that credit and weight is not due. When criticism and adversity comes - that is "when" not "if", you must be prepared to rebuff it with the Truth of who you are and Who you live for and serve.  

This word is for someone. Who, I don't know. It is meant to encourage. Not everyone wishes you harm. To you give spiritual perspective, read Galatians 5:16-26. It will give you some context on how people around you behave and what their underlying motivation is. Thinking of another song ...

"When it's all been said and done There is just one thing that matters Did I do my best to live for truth? Did I live my life for you?

When it's all been said and done All my treasures will mean nothing Only what I've done for love's reward Will stand the test of time" When It's All Been Said And Done, Don Moen.

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 Confounds The World – But Is Profound To The Body Of Christ

"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

A few years ago, I was working at home damaged in Texas by Hurricane Harvey, when a man from the Gas Company came to turn the gas on.  I happened to be 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 the language (words) he used that he was a Believer.  There was a connection between us. I don’t know if you have experienced it, but the Spirit resonates between Believers.  The spiritual connection was 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 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. Martie and I live like we do by choice.  It is necessary to live like we do to do what we do. We could choose to do something else .. to live somewhere else .. to just walk away.  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 to be vital to their wellbeing.  

That is true for every Christian.  What that looks like in each person’s life may be different.  Martie and I 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 and your desires.  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 – ready to serve up whatever you want. 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. So today, sitting in this travel trailer in Florida next to a pond that has an alligator in it might not be so bad!  Not when He is all you need.  

"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

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

Letting Your Light Shine Even When It Hurts Someone's Eyes

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house." - Matthew 5:14-15

What means or measure do you use to filter life’s events? In other words .. what is the source from which you respond to what happens to you and around you?  Since this is a faith-based BLOG, the “right” answer would be - your faith.  But that may not be what actually happens. We might like it to be that way, but so often we stumble as we walk in the Way.  If we fail to embrace the primacy of our new nature in our life then we will put the natural in the front of the line .. at the top of the stack of responses to life.  

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20 

The life I now live in the body .. means my natural life has been usurped by Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  How I respond to life, now, should always be based on who I am in Christ.  Romans 12:2 says don’t be conformed to the natural but be transformed by the supernatural.  Loving God with all of you does not leave any room for the flesh and the natural.  When Jesus said 

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:26-27  

That means that you must put the natural in its proper place and it cannot be ahead of Jesus and your new life. Most people want to be in harmony with their family.  Sometimes our faith gets in the way of that natural harmony.  Many people want the acceptance of their family more than anything.  If you are a Christian, that may not be possible if acceptance by your family means that you must be willing to compromise your faith.  

Have you ever “tucked your faith in your pocket” when you are around certain people so as not to offend them?  If you have, you put the natural ahead of the supernatural.  You chose to deny your faith in favor of  acceptance from the world .. and that, sadly, may include your family and friends.  You don’t have to be offensive, but you should also not be apologetic.  We are called to be salt and light.  Salt that has lost its saltiness …its ability to do what it was created to do … flavor and heal … is good for nothing and should be cast out to be trampled under men’s feet. (Matthew 5:13) That doesn’t sound good does it.

The world is trying hard to erase the Truth and substitute a lie in its place.  And in the face of that ... you and I are to be spiritual salt and light – what we were reborn to be (2 Corinthians 5:17).   Have you ever been in a dark room when someone opened the curtains or turned the lights on.  Did it hurt your eyes?  That is what you do spiritually when you are around other people who are living in darkness.  Be the light!  You don't have to be "in your face" with your faith, but then you should not be apologetic. 

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 5:16

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

A Particular Thought About What Love Is

"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." -  John 13:35

Some mornings I wake up to a particular thought. A thought that was prompted by the Spirit, I believe, and I sit down at my computer to write it down.  Not so much for you who are reading this right now, but for me so I can capture the thought. The particular thought has to do with love and marriage. Martie and I will be married for 52 years next January. We were 21 when we got married which means that we have spent the majority of our lives together. The first day that I saw that really cute girl serving behind the soda fountain counter at Tobin Drug store I had no idea that she would be the one I would spend my life with. I could write much about that, and perhaps I will, later, but then I would not be writing about the particular thought.

Jesus brought a profound spiritual truth to light during His ministry on Earth.  He showed us what the love of God the Father was like by demonstrating it on the Cross and telling us that as God's children we should do the same. Many people confuse God's children with created mankind. All people are not God's children, spiritually speaking, but they are part of His creation. When Jesus said "Love one another", He was not saying "do the best you can". That is no different from the love the rest of the world has to offer. Reciprocal love. Speaking about that, Jesus said .... 

".... if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same." - Luke 6:32-33

What the world offers is a kind of love that says, "I love you because you love me and if you don't love me then I am not obliged to love you back." In contrast, as a Christian, I love you because God's love flows through me. It is spiritually natural for His love to flow through me to you. Loving proactively not conditionally.

Back to that browned eyed girl behind the counter for a moment. At first I was physically attracted to her. We fell in love and got married before we were Christians. It was not until we both knelt next to the bed together and prayed the prayer of faith that I began to learn what love is the way God intended it to be. With respect to how we are to love our wives, men, the Apostle Paul said wrote this to the Church of Ephesus.

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." - Ephesians 5:25 

That could take us to a whole different devotion on how Christ loved the church. We won't "chase that rabbit" today. And BTW, Paul was not saying that wives do not have to love their husbands in the same way. They are. Jesus also said that by applying it to all Christians on many other occasions as did Paul. (e.g., John 15:13, Matthew 22:37-39). But here Paul was saying that husbands are to love their wives ahead of themselves. Husbands are the head of the wives just like Jesus is the head of the church. (Ephesians 5:23) And what did Jesus do? He went to the cross for us. And so, what are husbands to do for their wives? Yep - offer themselves as a sacrifice. Be head but be a servant at the same time. To be the head as being spiritually responsible to be an example to the wife and family, not as lording the fact that you are head over them. That is abuse of power - spiritually speaking. And unfortunately, it happens all of the time. 

I remember helping one particular family. The home owner was a widow. One day, her son - in his late teens, told me out of the blue, that he was the head of the household. I thought that was an odd thing to tell me at the time. But realized that he was letting me know that he was the bull of that pasture - establishing that he was the one in charge, not his mom. I thought, "Friend, you have no idea what that means." 

So, having said all of that, what was this particular thought? Here it is.

"... husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." 1 Peter 3:7

The idea of "understanding", is that husbands are to be like students majoring in loving their wives. A wife is or should be the single, most important person on this planet to the husband. His life's work is understanding his wife - honoring her - knowing her strengths and her weakness. Her hopes and her fears. Readily showing her grace and mercy. Life gives me pop-quizzes everyday when it comes to loving my wife. Sometimes more than one a day! Personally, I want an "A" on my report card when I show it to my Father! 

Something I find peculiar about my brain is that often, I think a thought and then I remember a song. I will close this particular thought with this song that came to mind. It is about being a student of your wife. 

"Sometimes in the mornin' when shadows are deep I lie here beside you just watching you sleep

And sometimes I whisper what I'm thinking of My cup runneth over with love

Sometimes in the evening when you do not see I study the small things you do constantly
I memorize moments that I'm fondest of My cup runneth over with love

In only a moment we both will be old We won't even notice the world turning cold
And so, in these moments with sunlight above My cup runneth over with love" Ed Ames, My Cup Runneth Over

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 Like There Is Always Tomorrow

"Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" - Luke 12:16-20

I often think about that parable in the context of how I am living my life. What my priorities are. What I put my hope and confidence in. What I invest my life in. We are not promised our next breath and yet, we live like there will be a thousand tomorrows. That is until we are reminded by some malady that befalls us or someone we care about or learn of the unexpected death of someone we care about and especially when they are younger than we are.

"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." - James 4:13-15

In Haitian Creole the words are "Si Bondye Vle" meaning if the Lord wants or wills. The point, we should be living like each day is our last. With our eyes and hearts fixed on heaven and not earth. What would you have done differently today if you knew that you would not see tomorrow? Like the man building bigger barns, would you be feathering your own nest? It is not wrong to be a good steward of what you are given by God to steward. But it is so easy to lose sight of why you have been given it. Might be money or it might be time you are stewarding.

Some dear friends of ours live a relatively simple life by choice. They say that they live simply so others can simply live. There is a term that I learned in sociology 101 in 1971, "conspicuous consumption". The term might be another way of saying "building bigger barns". People buying things that far exceed their needs as a way of proclaiming their affluence to the world. Others may be impressed, even envious, but God is not. Not should you be.

So -- what would you do differently if you knew that today or tomorrow would be your last day? 

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 You Can't Get No Satisfaction

…All my springs are in you. —Psalm 87:7

"Our Lord never “patches up” our natural virtues, that is, our natural traits, qualities, or characteristics. He completely remakes a person on the inside— “…put on the new man…” (Ephesians 4:24). In other words, see that your natural human life is putting on all that is in keeping with the new life. The life God places within us develops its own new virtues, not the virtues of the seed of Adam, but of Jesus Christ. Once God has begun the process of sanctification in your life, watch and see how God causes your confidence in your own natural virtues and power to wither away. No natural love, no natural patience, no natural purity can ever come up to His demands. But as we bring every part of our natural bodily life into harmony with the new life God has placed within us, He will exhibit in us the virtues that were characteristic of the Lord Jesus." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

I was watching a documentary of sorts on PBS one evening.  It was about people going back to the country of their ancestors.  They wanted to recapture the culture and the religious practices of that country.  To restore what was lost through the generations.  To cling to the “seed of Adam” as if somehow that would make them right with the world and satisfy a void in their life. Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician and philosopher wrote “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus”  Along the same vein, C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” To quote a famous "poet of our time" - Mick Jagger - "I can't get no satisfaction!" 

2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if we are “in Christ” – redeemed – save – reborn by the Spirit – we are new, the old has passed away and all things are becoming new – living the sanctified life.  Sanctified – set apart – consecrated for a holy purpose.  In our struggle to satisfy the yearning that God has put in each of us, our natural man turns to natural things … possession .. heritage … but never finds it - satisfaction that is.  That is because only God can fill the void through Jesus Christ.  The other solutions seem reasonable but are fleeting and fall short over time … but then God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts …

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." - 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

My encouragement to you is to keep this fresh in your mind.  To have a spiritual perspective on what is going on around you.  That your natural inclination is to try to find satisfaction through the things of this world - accumulation - wealth - heritage - the natural things - the things that the world tells us are the answer to our desires … but the truth is you will only find satisfaction in Jesus.  And if Jesus doesn’t do the trick, well – Houston you have a problem!  Perhaps it is an indication that you need to spiritually recalibrate your heart and mind.  To shake off the influence of the old and fully embrace the new.  It requires discipline and the pursuing the things of God through His Word, prayer and worship.  That is my hope for you.   But that is why I write these devotions - that you would be encouraged to understand and embrace this.

"You [Jesus] are my Strength when I am weak. You are the Treasure that I seek. You are my All in all. Seeking You as a precious Jewel, Lord to give up I’d be a fool. You are my All in all! Taking my cross my sin my shame, Rising again I praise Your Name. You are my All in all. When I fall down You lift me up. When I am dry You fill my cup. You are my All in all." - All In All, Dennis Jernigan 2004

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

The Symptoms Are Not The Illness

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12

Have you ever gone to see a doctor about a physical problem you are having only to be told that what you are experiencing is not the problem but only as symptom? That you have been fighting the symptoms - all the while masking the real issue. We deal with what we see and feel. But very often, that is not the source of the problem we face.

I have been writing a good bit of late about trouble in our culture. Moral trouble. Blatant - in your face - problems. Things that you never would have imagined would be true in your lifetime. But they - as discouraging as they might be - are merely symptoms of the underlying illness. We don't have these problems in our country, and the world for that matter, because they are something new. To us perhaps, but not to the generations that have lived before us. 

The illness entered in when Adam and Eve chose disobedience over obedience - the illness is sin. Sin has been festering in the hearts of men and women since that fateful day in the Garden. Sin - a spiritual problem - that manifests itself in a relational one between mankind and God. And then its symptoms, which are legion, show themselves in - pushed pause for a moment - 

I almost wrote humankind instead of mankind. Mankind is not a misogynistic term. Oh it could be used that way - but it is not used in the Bible that way. Nor is it used by me in that way. There are some translations that are being rewritten to make the terms used more palatable to our culture. As if the Spirit of God is not enough. Read 2 Timothy 3:16.

now as I was saying ...

our daily life on this planet. I say "this planet" because they will be noticeably absent in heaven. We mistake the symptoms for that which we are resisting when really it is the illness which is spiritual and that is Sin. There is only one cure for Sin and that is faith in Jesus.

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6

The only way that you can come to the Father is if your sin has been erased.  The only way that can happen is through Jesus sacrifice. The problems we see all around us are symptomatic of a people who are far from God - thinking their symptoms are normal and right and acceptable. They are blind. But Jesus said.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." - Luke 4:18-19

Don't put your hope in politics or something other than Jesus. The underlying illness is spiritual not natural.

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

Do You Love God Or Like God?

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord…" —Isaiah 6:1

“What I need is God’s surgical procedure— His use of external circumstances to bring about internal purification. Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

If I were to tell you that You must love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, you would most certainly nod your head in agreement or maybe even shout amen.  Actually it was Jesus that said that, first. You know, it is important that we acknowledge the fact that we are not the first ones to say something. I often quote something I heard Dr. John Maxwell say. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!" A the time, he did not say that it was not original to him.  At least I did not hear him say it. Actually the quote was by Teddy Roosevelt. Read Matthew 22:37-39.  Jesus said that all the law .. the essence of the direction that God has given us to live and love .. the foundation of our life with respect to God and man is summed up in two commands … Love God, first and then love others next.  

As you well know, that level of relationship is not automatic .. you can’t just flip a switch.  It requires that each of us lay our own life down - daily.  There is an old hymn that goes “All to Jesus I surrender.  All to Him I freely give.  I will ever love and trust Him.  In His presence daily live.”  In John 21 Jesus asked Peter, three times, “Do you love me?”  Recall Peter denied Jesus three times before Jesus’ crucifixion.  We need to be careful about our attitude toward Peter – wondering “How could Peter deny his relationship with Jesus so easily?”  We should be careful lest we go the “way of Peter”.  When Peter denied Jesus he feared men more than God.  Remember, Peter was on his own at that point.  But after Pentecost, Peter was filled with the Spirit of God.  The same Spirit that inhabits every Believer.  What God asks you to do, you cannot do on your own … it is our spiritual nature that manifests itself in the natural.  We tend to look at the natural … everyday living … as if it is separate from the spiritual .. it is not.  

Everything we do, think, speak, and desire must be in the context of who God is and our love for Him.  God’s expectation for that level of devotion is not reserved for the super-saints or the zealots …. It’s for me and for you.  You want to know what’s missing in your new life?  At the root, it’s the level of your love for God.  So do you love God or merely like God. The answer to that question will determine the quality of your new life.

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

Having The Proper Perspective

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the  house of the Lord Forever" - Psalm 23:5-6

I was listing to a preacher read Psalm 23 last Sunday. I do not know how many times I have heard or read that psalm. How about you? When he got to verses 5 and 6, the spirit came knocking on my heart. What does it mean to have a table prepared for me by God in the presence of my enemies? I will tell you what came to my mind.

It speaks to the spiritual reality that every Christian lives in so long as they walk this earth alongside those who are not Christian. We have been anointed by the Spirit of God - represented physically by oil. We have been pleased with spiritual blessings.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" - Ephesians 1:3-4

So we live our new lives with a spiritual reality or table prepared for us, understanding that we live in a world that is in opposition to God and His Truth and us. Our "enemy", if you will, is the fallen world. We live in it, have been saved from it, and are longer part of it. Certainly we wish and hope that the world would change its mind and embrace God, but that requires spiritual conversion. 

I wrote "understanding" that we face a spiritual conflict that manifests itself in daily life in a culture that has rejected the Truth for a lie. We are mistaken to think that it is any different. That people really want to be good. To do right. The truth is that they are dominated, driven, enslaved by their sin nature, just as we once were. Why do I continue to write about this fact? Because, like the sons if Issachar, (1 Chronicles 12:32) we must understand the times that we live in and act accordingly as ambassadors for Christ - lights on a hill in the midst of darkness.  

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12

We can live like the turtle and pull our heads, legs and tail into our "shells" and hope that whatever threatens us will go away. That somehow things will go back to the way they once were, or the way we thought they were. But things won't be set aright until the Lord returns or we join Him in Heaven. In the meantime - we must live like strangers in a foreign land. Not in fear or dread, but with confidence and boldness, and understanding that we are children of the King. 

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

Denial Is Not A River In Egypt

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 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 10:12-13

Martie and I were talking about Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. What an example of temptation and the struggle we all have with lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16) Bilbo wanted to believe that he was free from the power of the Ring - yet he was not. Gandalf asked him for the ring and he resisted giving it up. When he saw it again hanging from Frodo neck, he momentarily turned on Frodo when denied the opportunity to embrace the ring once again.

So what does this have to do with us? You and me? Our old, sinful nature and its desires is crouching at the door.

"So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." - Genesis 4:6-7

Don't fool yourself, like Bilbo, and believe that you are above all that. Don't believe that you can control it on your own. You could not control it before you were born again, and you can't now. The "way to escape" is spiritual not willful.  And when you do sin, and you will, don't deny it. Martie and I helped start a Celebrate Recovery ministry in Waveland while we were there.  One phrase that stuck with me was "Denial is not a river in Egypt". It is easy to pretend that we are someone we are not. Especially if our sins are limited to our thought life or our alone time. As children of God, we are never alone.

"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" - 1 Corinthians 3:16

So why tell you this? Because I want to encourage you in your faith. To know that you are not alone in your struggle. And to remind you of God's promise to you when you do sin.

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." - 1 John 1:8-10

To confess means to agree with not reveal. It means that you have once again yielded to the Lordship of Jesus with a broken and contrite heart.

"For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise." Psalm 51:16-17

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

Have You Put Your Lamp Under A Basket?

 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16

We were talking to a woman the other day who we were considering giving a shed to. As it happened it did not work out, she did not meet the qualification criteria. Financial need. When I told her to qualify she could not have the financial resources to buy her own shed. She looked at me and said, "I can afford to buy one." I thanked her for her honesty.  A friend with me had some pocket New Testaments. He asked her if she needed a Bible and she said "no". So he asked if she would like to have one or two Bibles to give to her neighbors. It was at that point that she was no longer pleasant. She had a look of indignation, as if he had crossed a line. She said she didn't want the Bibles for that purpose either. We thanked her for her time and went on our way.

Our conversation with her reminded me of Matthew 5. As Christians we have a clear mandate from God - go and tell others - be witnesses - not just with our words only but with our actions. Why would we want to hide our faith from others? None of the reasons are good.  I am certain you know people who were over bearing in their witness. They would press others as if it was intensity of the witness that would sway the heart. In fact, it is the Spirit of God that sways the heart. God uses our lives as lights in a dark world. Our verbal witness must be consistent with how we live and love. Dr. John Maxwell said, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." 

Did you catch that? Would that woman's neighbors have been surprised to discover that she was a Christian? Perhaps or perhaps she was not a Christian at all and my friend asked her to do something that was contrary to her carnal nature. 

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." - 1 Corinthians 2:14

When you share spiritual truth with a person who is not a Christian it is like speaking a foreign language to them. Apart from the Spirit at work in them, they will not receive it. Casting seed on hard or rocky soil. What is my point? We must be spiritually prepared and spiritually aware. When the Lord gives us opportunity (prompted by the Spirit) to speak we should. When we are given opportunity to do - we should act. That requires spiritual discernment which requires spiritual preparation. 

As we talked with the woman, I sensed that she had a heart that was hard toward God - for whatever reason. It saddened me actually. But I know that most of the world will respond to the Gospel in the same way. They are headed for the wide gate that leads to their destruction. 

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

Facing Adversity

"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." -  2 Corinthians 4:8-10

I have been writing about the harsh realities of being a Christian living in a "pagan" world among people whose hearts are far from God. In times past, Christians could live in virtual enclaves, insulated from the world and its depravation. You could limit your exposure and associations to other people of faith. But not today. The defense perimeter that once surrounded our homes and our families has been breached by technology and local, state and federal government redefinitions of what is right and good and normal.  

As people of faith, we are hard pressed by what is happening all around us, perplexed by how such a thing could happen, persecuted when we take a stand for what the Word says is Truth, verbally and socially struck down. But not crushed in our spirit, in despair of what the future holds (we know Who holds the future), forsaken or abandoned by God, our faith is not destroyed.  Being a person of faith has never been in more contrast  to the world we live in. Actually our new life in Christ has always been in stark contrast to the natural world we were saved out of. It just has never been more apparent. 

The temptation is to focus on what is happening around us and take our eyes off of God. To wonder what we are going to do. Might I suggest this as a course of action?

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" - Ephesians 6:10-18

In other words as Watchman Nee wrote - Sit - Walk - and Stand. (that is s great book to read BTW)

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 Decides What Is Good?

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." - Isaiah 5:20

Most Christians don’t struggle with those things that are blatantly “evil”, but with those that seem, on the surface, to be “good”.  Good as defined by our culture and our traditions.  There is a movement in our culture, in particular, to redefine the definition of “good” or what is not sin. There is also a consequence for that which will be paid in full.

Since the Garden, people continue to strive to be like God and define what is good and acceptable.  Paul wrote in the beginning of his letter to the Romans .. 

 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. … they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools… And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” - Romans 1:18,20-22,28-32

And today .. the beat goes on!  Then the young man called Jesus “good teacher”, Jesus responded (Matthew 19:17)  “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”  In other words,  “Only my Father in heaven is good”  God is the source of goodness.  However some cultures choose to define their own morality and their own definition of what is good.  Jesus accused the Church of Ephesus  of being lukewarm in Revelation 2.  They wanted to do both.  Embrace God and embrace the world.  Very often, when there is a clash of definitions, God is abandoned in favor of the culture.  God is rejected and the culture is embraced.  Those Christians who do it feel justified. It is the temptation of “Everyone is doing it”  Before Jesus, everyone was going to hell … today without Jesus .. they are still going to hell … that does not make it good.  God is the source of what is good .. His Word tells us what is sin and what is not.  His Spirit convicts us of sin unless we quench the Spirit.  (There is so much running through my head right now, but I will not share it … else this might be a book and not a devotion) Listen, the cultural consequence of standing on Truth and the Word, when it is contrary to the culture is rejection and criticism. Why should you be any different than Jesus … don’t you want to be like Him?  Or only with respect to the “good” parts of being like Jesus. 

 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also.” - John 15:18-27

We are in a spiritual battle that manifests itself in the way people live and believe.  My encouragement to you .. (Joshua 24:15)  “Choose this day whom you will serve .. but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”  Make it more than a catch phrase or a plaque on your living room wall.  Make it a commitment … everyday … and more than that … do 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

It Takes The Spirit

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." - John 16:13

The role of the Spirit in our lives. We will never have enough natural wisdom to understand the Bible. God, the Father, sent the Spirit after Jesus ascended to give us that understanding.

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man.  The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." - 1 Corinthians 2:9-14

The problem is this. People - including Christians - take the Word of God and fit it into their natural thinking. Someone once said, "The heart wants what the heart wants." as if to justify an act or an attitude or a lifestyle. They "cherry-pick" scripture to fit what they want to do or believe and diminish or ignore what is plain - spiritually - that does not fit with their desires or circumstances. The purpose of God giving us the Word is this.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Sadly over the generations, some people - those who profess to be born again by faith - have subverted and perverted the Word to fit their world view and justify their life choices and actions. One generation says blue is green and the next says green is blue. God says green is green and blue is blue.

The Word of God will always be in conflict with the word of man. The word of man will prevail among those who are not the children of God and who have not been sealed by the Spirit. And many among those who are born again embrace the customs of man over the clear teaching of the Word of God. They justify their choices in their natural hearts - the heart wants what the heart wants. We must all be careful. We are all "prone to wander - Lord I feel it! Prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart Lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above." Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing was written in 1758. The problem and the solution are not by any means new.

"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." - 1 John 2:15-16

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

Telling Others All Is Well When It Isn't

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." -  2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Living by faith and walking in the light does not just happen.  It requires commitment and discipline. This new life requires effort of the heart… to submit to the Lord requires us to lay down on the altar.  Working out our salvation is not self-effort .. trying harder to be “good” …. it’s submission. 

So many people are satisfied with working on having a good-Christian appearance and miss the joy and peace that comes from living in obedience to the will of God.  I know too many people that are struggling with life and refuse to trust God.  (perhaps you do too) If you ask them, they will tell you that “all is well”, but all is not well, they just want it to be in spite of their living in disobedience. And they don't want others to know that they are struggling, perhaps even with their faith.  

I have often said the time of the week when most lies are told is Sunday morning at church. We greet each other with a smile. When asked how we are we respond with "I'm fine" or "I am blessed" when really we are hurting. But to admit it seems, well .. unchristian. Oh yes, and the person who asked you  - really doesn't want to know if it is not good.  Am I being cynical? I don't think so. 

"Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2

And what is the law of Christ? Matthew 22:37-39. Love God and Love Others. Getting close to hurting people can be like trying to hug a porcupine. A commandment is not a suggestion. We can only fulfill the law of Christ if we are living and walking by faith and believing that we can do all things through Christ who is our strength.

Desperation of circumstances can subvert your faith and divert your walk.  Unless you are willing to trust and obey.  I wish I could do that for others, but I can’t, I can only watch their struggle and hope they look to God for answers instead of trust in their own designs that have consistently failed them in the past.  And perhaps be an encouragement to them. So can you.

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

Blinded By The Darkness

"But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age [Satan] has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." - 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

There is a moment in each Christian's life when they were blind but now they see. We were lost but now we have been found. Like Paul on the road to Damascus. On his way to do what he knew was right - persecuting people who followed the "Way" as in the way the truth and the life - Jesus. But then he met Jesus. His eyes were opened by faith. There are billions of people who are just like Paul - just like we were. Convinced that they are in the right.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ..... But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." - 1 Corinthians 1:18, 2:14

Why? Because they are spiritually depraved and deprived - their hearts blinded by the god of this age or world - Satan. We should not expect the blind to see because we have somehow persuaded them with our words. Certainly God uses us through word and deed to shine the light of the Gospel in the world, but the point conversion is a very personal - between that person and God - event. Like Paul and like you and me. It is a spiritual phenomenon - inexplicable in human terms - but real nonetheless. An event to which you and I are living testimonies. 

So to my point - finally! Don't be surprised by what you see and how the world reacts to the Body of Christ. Darkness, by its nature wants no part of the Light.

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me [Jesus] before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." - John 15:18-20

I write this to encourage you. To cause you to think about your life and the world you live in. To understand your role in the great story of creation and context of our place in a foreign land. We are ambassadors - just passing through - citizens of Heaven. This world is not our home - we are just passing through. So don't get too comfortable.

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

When Evil Is Good And Good Is Evil

"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; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." 1 Peter 3:15-17

Did you ever think there would come a day when a person who embraces the Bible as Truth would be accused of being a hater and evil doer by those who reject what God has revealed in the Bible? Well, that time has come. That day is here! We live in a day when men call evil good and good evil.

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!" - Isaiah 5:20-21

This is not a new thing. People who want to justify their sin by declaring it right and good while rejecting what the Lord has declared right and good as evil have been doing just that since the Garden. Truth never changes - but what the world declares to be truth does. And so - in the midst of a culture and a time when what is plain to every Christian is rejected by the culture we live in. Thus we are considered to be the sinners - the ones in the wrong. 

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." - Romans 1:28-32

Today we tend to divide people as being on the Left or on the Right. But that is natural man making distinctions between other natural men (and women). There will come a day when the only distinction that matters will be those who are left behind (for judgement) and those who are in the right (having been saved by faith).

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

Seeing And Living Life In Its Spiritual Context

 "Therefore I [Paul] also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your hearts [understanding] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion" - Ephesians 1:15-21

One of my many challenges in my new life in Christ is living my life out with a spiritual perspective - with eyes of spiritual understanding that Paul wrote about. It is so easy for me to read a news article or see natural events - the course of human history, if you will, and react with my old nature and not my new one.

That reaction might manifest itself as worry, fear, hopelessness, maybe even anger. Most likely those emotions are evoked out of a sense that what I am seeing or experiencing is beyond my control. Like a dream where you are trying to escape some danger but try as you might, you cannot. Helpless - hopeless. My reaction is a result of my natural perspective. I have forgotten "what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ". Or perhaps I am having a faith problem.

"So He [Jesus] asked his [the boy's] father, How long has this been happening to him? And he said, From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" - Mark 9:21-24

The man was focused on the impossibility of the situation. He had done everything he could for his son and was feeling helpless and hopeless. He was lacking in faith and knew it. That happens to me now and again and again and .... It is so easy to see the "giants in the land" and tremble. Perhaps like the people of Israel to wander in the desert rather that trust in our God who is great. 

Faith is something that must be exercised and nurtured. Living in a morally decadent world as we do requires faith and spiritual understanding to not lose heart. To stand against and not embrace feelings of helplessness and hopelessness because of what is happening around us. 

And so, like that father, we must cry out, "Lord, we believe - but help us with our unbelief!"

Be the light!

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

We All Have Something To Do

 "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart." - 2 Corinthians 4:1

Each and every Christian is called to ministry to accomplish God's purposes on this planet. We listened to a pastor speak to this last Sunday. He said he was called to "vocational" ministry. That is to suggest that there are different layers or levels of ministry requiring different giftings. Vocational should not be confused with "full time". We are all called to full time ministry. There is never a time when we are not ministers of the Gospel. That is who we are. What we do to earn a living or live our lives is in addition to who we are and Whose we are. I suspect that most Christians don't see it that way.

A very few reading this know that I was ordained by the church we attended in Alabama as a minister of the Gospel before we began our missionary journeys in 2005. So what does that mean? Glad you asked! It means that the local church recognized a certain set of giftings and a specific calling to a specific role in the Body of Christ. Call it an anointing if you want. 

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." - Ephesians 4:11-12

It was not something I was looking for - wanting to be - it was and is the work of the Spirit of God. Not just in me, but in you too Christian.  We have a tendency to think of those roles in the Body of Christ as being superior to others. They are and they aren't. The people that are called to fulfill those roles are sinners saved by grace - just like every other member of the Body. But those roles come with a weighty spiritual responsibility. 

I was talking to a volunteer the other day who noticed the "Fly Army" sticker on the rear window of my truck. He mentioned that he was not a pilot but an aircraft mechanic, almost apologetically as if he was something less than me. I told him that if he was not proficient at his job - to maintain the aircraft, then I could not fulfill mine - to fly the aircraft. We were both important to the mission. In the same way, as far as living out your faith is concerned....

"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ..... But the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. ...  But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary." - 1 Corinthians 12:4-7,11,20-22

The question is, "What has the Spirit appointed you to do and are you fulfilling that appointment?" 

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

Erasing The Distinction

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." -  Galatians 3:28

As you must be well aware, there is a movement in some parts of the world to remove the distinction between male and female genders. The idea is that you can decide what your gender is, irrespective of what chromosomes are the building blocks at the root of your very existence. Thinking about it, I am not surprised. Dismayed perhaps, but really no more dismayed than at the world's rejection of God and His Son. Human kind, in its fallen state, wants to be its own god. To make its own choices about creation - the reason for its existence - the manner in which it is to live out its time here on earth. And that time is short.

"For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." - James 4:14

Humans were not the first to remove the distinctions between genders - God did that through Jesus. In fact the change went well beyond the difference between male and female. The distinctions has been erased between cultures and races as well. All of that  happens at the point of our new birth.

"Therefore, 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

As Christians we stand the same - no difference - before God. We all have the same spirit. That is not to say that we have lost our natural - physical distinctions and characteristics. That has to do with the natural. Come to think of it, the Lost stand the same before God - condemned for their sin.

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." - Genesis 1:27

Man cannot create anything from nothing - only God can do that. Man can only recreate from what is already created by God. Like cloning and test tube babies. To fallen man's disappointment - there is a limit to what man can do. Like what Nicodemus asked Jesus.

"Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." - John 3:4-6

When we are born again by the Spirit - we lose our distinctions before God -  we are His spiritual children. All people are not all God's children, but we are all God's creation. It is only through our rebirth do we find the place that God intended. Sadly many Christians still cling to their culture and their ethnicity even to the point of accepting, even promoting division, in the Body of Christ. I would say that is evidence of remnants of the old nature wanting to define the nature of our relationships with other Christians.

Do you remember the children's story about the Emperor's new clothes. A tailor convinced the emperor that the tailor had made magnificent clothes when in fact there was nothing. The emperor traveled through the town to show them off.  The people fawned over the imagined clothes - awed by their magnificence. Then one little boy shouted, "The Emperor is in his underwear!" Just because people want to deny the truth does not make what they embrace the truth. Whether it be gender identification or Christians choosing to identify with their culture and genetics over oneness through the Spirit of God.

Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it. And lest we forget and sit in judgement remember what Paul wrote.

"And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight" - Colossians 1:21-22

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

Knowing What God is Going To Do

 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

I do not know what God is going to do, but I know what He has done. Don't you find it odd that when good things happen to us - God is good. When not so good things happen to us then we wonder if God cares. The same God. Who never changes. We can't believe both things about God or can we? Wouldn't it be nice if God made His plan plain? Maybe wrote it out for us? But would we want to play our part in that plan if we knew before hand? Probably not. Not if it meant a difficult climb - a rocky road - end even perhaps a few storms, losses and disappointments. 

It is easy to spout scripture to other people. It is quite another to embrace scripture when life seems to go against us. When God called us out of our old life, He did not promise that what we were being called to would not be difficult - but He did promise that we will not be alone.

"For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" - Hebrews 13:5-6

I don't know what your personal struggles are. Your doubts. Your Fears. Those things that you keep tucked inside and share with no one and may not be apparent to anyone. Those things that you think about in your alone moments. But God does. He knows the heart of man (and woman). Your heart. With that said, if there is one thing that I am confident of in my new life it is this.

"I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day." - 2 Timothy 1:12

No matter what the next day might bring.

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