Knowing But Not Going

 "So, whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." - James 4:17

When this scripture came to my mind, I was reminded of this quote by A.W. Tosier

A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to 'accept' Christ without forsaking the world. - A.W. Tosier

In other words, we know what the Bible says living our new life and forsaking the world and its ways, but we choose to defer to our culture instead - agreeing with one another that it is not a problem. Say otherwise and you might be accused of being legalistic or worse, out of touch with people today. Actually, the exact opposite is true. It concerns me that Christians are so eager to embrace their culture and its practices over obedience to the Word of God. The Bible is not a book of suggestions. 

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

That truth has not fallen out of date. That truth has not become obsolete. As much as some would like it to be. Perhaps there should be a new version of the Bible - The New Redacted Bible - The Key to Guilt Free Living.  Just choose those verses that you will not abide by and blacken them out with a Sharpy. 

I once heard someone say, "The Bible will keep you from Sin and Sin will keep you from the Bible. 

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!" - Psalm 119:11-12

Christians today do not have a greater or new truth - the greatest and old truth remains. Truth does not change. And neither does our struggle to obey it.

"I [Jesus] have given them your word [Father God], and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." - John17:14-21

"but also for those who will believe in me through their word" That means us - those who centuries later will place our faith in Jesus because of the Word of God. 

Oh Christian, you walk on a slippery slope if you embrace your culture and its wisdom. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." - Proverbs 3:5-8

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 The Way Of Our Hearts

"For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?" - Matthew 7:2-4

The following are the words from a comment a friend posted with yesterday's devotion. 

"If we compare ourselves to another sinner, we will always seem better people, more holy, more spiritual and we will have no need to change. But if we see ourselves in the light of the WORD Of GOD we will see the way of our heart, the thoughts and intentions and then we will understand the urgent need we have of Christ, the urgent need to CHANGE!" - (N. P.)

In psychology they call condemning others in that way Projection. "Projection is a defense mechanism in which an individual unconsciously attributes their own undesirable thoughts, feelings, or behaviors to another person or group. It is a way of protecting oneself from anxiety and guilt associated with these unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or behaviors." -  Dr. Mayank Saxena

Unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or behaviors is the world's way of describing sin. We don't want to think of ourselves as sinners even when we nod our heads in the affirmative when we read the Word of God about sin. We say "yes" and "amen" to verses like these.

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God." - Romans 3:10-11

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23

The truth is that we all struggle with sin. We want forgiveness to be freely given to us but are slow to grant the same grace and mercy to others. In fact, we often stand, pridefully, with the attitude that "there but for the grace of God go I".  I am reminded of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the Book of Luke.

"He [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you; this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." - Luke 18:9-14

One of my favorite verses is Micah 6:8. (I will let you look it up.) It describes how God wants us to live our lives. How to show Jesus to a desperately wicked world. It is a picture of the tax collector.

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

Our Trouble Is With Stinkin Thinkin

"I [Jesus] do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." - John 17:20-21

John 17 is probably the best-known chapter for concerning the saints being one. Like Jesus and the Father are one. So that begs the question - how are we supposed to be one. Short answer - be like Jesus. And how is that? Well, with respect to character - Jesus' character was like His Fathers - with respect to love - Jesus' love for mankind was the same as the Father's. Jesus was an extension and demonstration to mankind. So when the disciples asked to see the Father this is what Jesus said.

"Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works." - John 14:8-10

In the same way, if we are one with Jesus and the Father - when people see us, they should see Jesus. Not the Anglo Jesus. Not the Hispanic Jesus. Not the [fill in the cultural or ethnic blank] Jesus.  There is only one Jesus. Spiritually - you are to be one with Jesus - indistinguishable. Naturally - we wear out cultural or ethnic heritage. It is what a world blinded by Satan is used to seeing. Paul wrote to the Corinthains, the Galatians, and Colossians about this very thing.

 "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many." - 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." - Galatians 3:27-29

" and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" - Colossians 3:10-12

Apparently, there were issues - common issues. The new Christians were having a problem seeing past culture and its customs, perhaps skin color and ethnicity. They were looking at each other from the natural and not the spiritual. The same problem that every generation has had since. When Paul wrote to the churches - that was the first generation of Christians. Had it been later, Paul might have added "age" to the list of things that the world uses to keep us separated.  I had a conversation just yesterday where it was suggested that older Christians don't understand how the younger Christians think and do. That is all part of the natural world. 

It is what a friend of mine called "Stinkin' Thinkin'". We should think and do like Jesus, not our culture or our particular generation in that culture. The generation in which we were born is of no consequence with respect to our spiritual - eternal nature. God does not change.  Truth does not change. The new life we have by faith does not change because of time or place. Division in the Body of Christ is so subtle and can even seem reasonable to someone whose view of the world and their faith is dominated by the natural and not the spiritual. The trap is, all the while, they actually believe they are thinking spiritually and not naturally. So, I want to encourage you as Paul did to the church at Ephesus. 

"I [Paul] therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." - Ephesians 4:1-6

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

As You Run The Race - Rock Steady

"The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience." Luke 8:11-15

The disciples wanted an explanation of the parable of the seed. It is about those who are not Christians, those who are but fall away in the race, and those who are faithful and finish the race run well - faithful to the One who has called them. There is much more to be said about the parable, but I will save that for another time.

There are many people who start out strong with their faith and then their interest in living a sanctified life seems to fade away. I used to run a lot - a long time ago. 10K's and 8 mile runs.  I remember there would be some in those runs who would take off like rabbits at the sound of the starting pistol. About 2 miles into the race, I would often see them walking or pulled on the side of the road. They had great intentions.

I would run 5 miles a day and 10 miles on Saturdays to prepare for those "fun runs". My goal was to finish, not first, but doing the best that I could do. Keeping my eyes fixed on the finish line. Run my pace, and as we used to say in the Army - "rock steady". The preparation required sacrifice on my part. Blisters, shin splints, rain or shine, hot or cold. Setting time aside to run. With respect to our faith, if you don't discipline yourself, if you don't accept that running in the race of faith is going to require sacrifice, you may not finish well. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." - Hebrews 12:1

What is it that is weighing you down? Preventing from running well? You need to cast it off.  Your old nature will push back.  Human reasoning will step in and try to convince you that you must hang on to that something because you really need it. That only means that you are in a spiritual struggle. It is a battle for the devotion of your heart. As I told a friend, if you are not getting shot at, spiritually speaking, you are not in the battle or the race. You are merely a by-stander. My hope for me is that I can say with Paul at the end of my days on this earth.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." - 2 Timothy 4:7

That is my hope for you as well!

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

Dressing Up In Our Culture To Go To Church

"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." - 1 John 2:15

 "Worship is no longer worship when it reflects the culture around us more than the Christ within us." -  A.W. Tosier

I have been around the block a time or two in this life. As I am making my laps, I have watched the evolution of worship. I recently heard someone speak of a church service as boring. That was to say, as I understood it, that the purpose of going to church was to entertain them and not for them to focus on the corporate worship of God. The gathering together in corporate worship is to focus on God and to hear from God as the body of Christ and not be entertained. It is the old nature that yearns for entertainment. 

We should be careful about bringing in our culture or generational preferences to worship on Sunday mornings. There is not one way for older people to worship and another for the younger. If being older meant that you are out of touch spiritually then we might need a new Bible - we might need a new Saviour - we might even need a new God. Does that bother you that I would suggest that? My point is that the Gospel has not changed - sin has not changed - our need for the Spirit of God to teach us and lead us and convict us has not changed. Certainly, technology has. What people look like on the outside has. But their condition on the inside has not. The musical notes on the scale have not changed. 4/4 time is still 4/4 time.  The separation of worshippers by age and music preference, the way we "do" church, today is a reflection of the American Christian culture. But the depravity of man and the need to be born again does not.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." - Isaiah 40:8

The tendency to draw our culture and its values into our worship has not changed. It has been happening since mankind made the first footprints in the Garden of Eden.  Christians still don't check their sin at the door of the church. If they harbored prejudice in their hearts when they got up that morning - they brought it to the pew and embraced it all the while shouting amen and hallelujah as the preacher shared the Good News that Jesus Saves! Listen, you can shout as loud as you want - God will not hear you so long as He regards sin in your heart. Oh, people will and think you are spiritual when you are merely religious.

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." - Psalm 51:15-17

Words are not enough!

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

 

Navigating Through Moral Minefields

"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." - Luke 6:45

Have you ever been around Christians the speak harshly against other people? Or maybe around Christians that use profanity freely. Before I was born again, I used profanity freely in my speech. It was just part of my vocabulary.  I thought nothing of it. I would find pleasure in an off-color joke. I thought nothing of it. Then Jesus got ahold of my life. Suddenly the attraction of my profane vocabulary was gone. I felt uncomfortable around my friends who wanted a good laugh over something that was demeaning or degrading. It wasn't funny anymore. The Spirit of God was transforming my life. Oh, did I mention that I no longer found it necessary to drink myself into a stupor. I had been set free.

"But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving." - Ephesians 5:3-4

The Word of God is clear. We are to honor God with our actions, with our words, and with our thoughts.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." - Philippians 4:8

The thing is, we are exposed to those things I just described every day - everywhere. Social media is perhaps the greatest threat to pure thought. The latest thing is to show you only part of a profane word and fill the rest in with asterisks (****) You see enough letters to know what the word is and so your mind fills in the (****) with the missing letters and you hear the sound of the word in your mind. Gotcha! 

Pastor Greg Laurie once said, "Temptation can be like a bird flying over your head. You cannot keep it from flying over your head, but you can keep it from making a nest in your hair!" I use Facebook to post these devotions.  A lot of people read them. But my news feed is like a field of moral land mines. There is a lot of good, but it can be very dangerous at the same time.  

Be careful that you don't embrace the lie that "it's not so bad". You are being a prude. A prude is someone who is easily shocked. Sin should always shock your senses. If it doesn't - well, you are in trouble my friend. Using profanity does not make you a man. You know what makes you a man?

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8

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 With A Divided Heart

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." James 4:3-10

Why are we called adulterous? Because we have another love besides God.

"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." - 1 John 2:15

How do you know when that is the case? When you make choices that are contrary to the teachings of the Bible or that are counter to the leading of the Holy Spirit. When confronted with those choices, we should choose God.  Why would we not choose God? Because we love the world more. We, who are God's own possession, have abandoned Him and embraced another love - the world. Don 't want to think about it that way? That won't change the truth.

Why are we called double minded? 

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8

Because we cannot make up our minds. Do I follow God or follow the desires of my flesh. The problem we have is a love problem.

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Matthew 22:36-37

The meaning of the word "All" is "All"! There is no room for any other devotion as a Christian. 

"All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I daily live. I will ever love and trust Him. In His presence daily live. I surrender All. I surrender All. All to Thee my blessed Savior, I surrender All." - I Surrender All Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896 - Public Domain.

You can live with a divided heart, but to do that you must be content with your sin. How can that be when we have so great a gift you ask? Actually. and unfortunately, it is quite common. It is the great deception form hell. You believe that you are walking by faith when, in fact, you are living in sin.

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

Ram In The Bush

"He (the Angel of the Lord - also known as Christ of the Covenant) said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided." - Genesis 22:12-14

The ram in the bush was the sacrifice not Isaac.  Sacrificing Issac could not set things right between God and man. It was a picture of our need or a sacrifice and God providing a "ram in the bush" - Jesus. Yes, I know that God was testing Abraham's devotion to God. But it was Jesus who spoke to Abraham on that mountain. That is called a Theophany - when Jesus revealed Himself in the Old Testament.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any-thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:1-5

I know that you know Jesus was in the Beginning. That Jesus was sent from heaven to earth as THE (sic) "Ram in the bush" for all of mankind. An eternal sacrifice once for all. Following Jesus means living a life submitted to the will of the Father. Just like Jesus.

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." - John 6:38

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

Our Sacrifice Is Not A One And Done

"And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." - Luke 9:23

No man gives anything acceptable to God until he has first given himself in love and sacrifice. - A.W. Tosier

When you read that verse, it is also in Matthew and Mark, what image comes to your mind, about you - not about Jesus? I picked Luke because the word "Daily" is included. Implied in the other Gospels. But the idea is continuous - not a one and done. For Jesus it was.

"For the death he [Jesus] died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God." - Romans 6:10

Our lives are not the same as His. Every day is a day of being deliberate. The day that we are saved - where the old man is put to death does not mean that there will not be a struggle.  If my life is supposed to be perfect without sin after I was saved then the only conclusion I can come to is that I am not saved! Why? Because I continue to struggle with sin. Every day I have to pick up my cross whereby I offer myself as a living sacrifice. 

"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

A living sacrifice - every day offering my heart to God and from my heart my devotion and from my devotion my obedience and from my obedience His promise. 

Do not be lulled into a false sense that sin does not matter - there are cults that justify their sin by clinging to that lie from hell. Teh world needs to see Jesus and all we have to offer are cracked pots - imperfect jars of clay being made perfect not by our own effort but by the power of God through faith in the One who, without sin, died once for all. And when I trusted Jesus my salvation was assured - that was one and done!

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

You've Gotta Stop Children What's That Sound

"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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life - is not from the Father but is from the world." - 1 John 2:15-16

A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to 'accept' Christ without forsaking the world. - A.W. Tosier

There is a temptation that we all must deal with. The temptation is to embrace what the world says is good and right, even in the face of the Word of God saying it is not. According to 1 John, if you embrace the world and accept the world's "truth" as having primacy over the Word of God, the problem is that you do not love God - even though you may claim that you do. 

Jesus saw this in the people who considered themselves His disciples.

"Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?" - Luke 6:46

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments." - John 14:15

What many people are doing is practicing something called Syncretism. Syncretism is the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought. With respect to culture, it is when a group of people move to the United States, but do not embrace the culture of the new country, claiming it as their own, but cling to the culture of the country they left. They still love their old way of life. Spiritually, it happens a lot in under-developed countries. Well-meaning missionaries go to a county, share the gospel and rejoice when the indigent people accept Jesus. The thing is, that they have not rejected their old beliefs. What they do is add the Christian faith to what they already believe. Their previously held beliefs have priority over their new-found faith.  They have not repented and are not converted or saved from their sin. 

That is what A.W. Tosier was saying about people in the United States. They embrace what their culture says is right and, at the same time, consider themselves to be Christians. They do not see the contradictions in what they say they believe. 

"So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." - Matthew 15:6-9 & Isaiah 29:13

Do not deceive yourself and think you are above such things. The temptation to embrace the teachings of you culture and reject the Word of God has been with us for thousands of years. Many people have fallen into this sin thinking they were doing well and being praised by the natural culture they live in. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Children, that sound you hear is the song of your culture wooing you away from the Truth of God.

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 Power To Follow By Faith

"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." - Ephesians 1:11-14

"I do not think the Holy Spirit will bless just any act of service that is done even by well-meaning people, because if He did, it would seem as if He had set His seal to a great deal that was not according to the mind of the Lord. Let us so act in our work that there is never even the smudge of a dirty thumb across the page, and nothing of pride, self-seeking, or anger. Instead, let all that we do be done in humility, in dependence upon God, and in faith - and always in a holy and gracious spirit, so that we can expect the Holy Spirit to take it over and bless it. That will, of course, involve that everything must be done prayerfully, for our Heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13); and we must ask for this greatest of blessings, that God the Holy Spirit may work with our work.

Then we must believe in the Holy Spirit, and believe to the highest degree, so as never to be discouraged or think anything is too difficult. Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14). Can anything be difficult for the Holy Spirit? It is often an imposing thing to get into deep water so as to be forced to swim, as we like to keep our feet touching the sand. What mercy it is to feel that you cannot do anything, for then you must trust in God and God alone, believing that He is quite equal to any emergency!" - Charles Spurgeon, Following Christ

"Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." - Zechariah 4:6

Following Jesus is impossible in our own might and under our own power. You should not, but probably will, determine to do better next time if you persist in following in your own strength. You are really just putting a good face on going your own way. Occasionally you might find yourself walking the same path with Jesus, but you are not really following Him. "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back." That old song but it might lead you to believe that you decide to follow Jesus and then your life runs on its own power. And you would be wrong! 

When we were born again, we all became temples of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19) Our spiritual lives are powered by His power. Our ability to follow Jesus is totally dependent upon the presence of the Spirit and faith. Bottom line, we can only follow Jesus, the Son of God, when we are submitted to the power and leading of the Spirit of God and follow 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

Where He Leads Me .....

"The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." - Deuteronomy 31:8

"Do you not remember how, when His children had to go and destroy the Canaanites, the Lord sent the hornets before them? I sent hornets before you, which drove them out from before you (Joshua 24:12). Now, when you have to go and preach to sinners, God sends some preparatory work before you; He is sure to do so." Charles Spurgeon, Following Christ

To follow Jesus means that He is ahead of you. Following is not merely doing what He does - but being in His presence - because of His sacrifice we have access to the Father. He is our advocate before the Father. The eternal intercessor, pouring out His shed blood on the Mercy Seat, 24x7x365xEternity. 

"God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me 

He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side with love and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way" - Don Moen, Integrity's Hosanna! Music

"For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father." - Ephesians 2:18

"For it is witnessed of him, “You [Jesus] are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” ... This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever." - Hebrews 7:17,22-28

That is the Jesus that we follow! Make this your commitment!

Where HE leads me, I will follow

Where He leads ME, I will follow

Where He leads me, I WILL follow

I'll go with Him, with Him, ALL THE WAY  - E. W. Blandly (my emphasis)

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

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

Taking The Oath To Follow Jesus

"if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9

To become a Jesus follower requires a "Profession of Faith" that all lost people must make in order to be saved. To be born again by the Spirit. You may be familiar with something called the "Sinner's Prayer".  There are a number variations of it. But all them contain the core truth found in Romans 10:9. This is one example. You might know one that you prefer.

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen." (Billy Graham)

When a person surrenders their will to God and finds salvation by faith they become a Jesus follower. Their priorities change from loving themselves to loving God first and others next. Their personal benefit is subordinate to everyone else. Jesus followers offer themselves as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1-2) Jesus said that - 

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

That is what Jesus followers are to do. Well, that reminded me of the oath I, along with a multitude of others, before and after me, took when I joined the military - it applies to all branches of the armed forces. 

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. (So help me God)."

Everyone who joins the military puts everyone else ahead of themselves. They are willing to be put in harms way for our country and the people of the United States - no matter who they are, race, color creed or moral perspective.  You might think of that oath as a secular equivalent to Romand 10:9 and John 15:13. In a way, they laid down their lives for others the moment they took the oath.

I wrote about a veteran previously who suggested that they had been in harm's way when they had not been.  But I must also add that although that veteran was not called to direct conflict, I am confident that he was ready to go. He took the oath. Just like his other brothers and sisters in arms. I knew some who wanted to see the "whites of the eyes" of the enemy and others who were willing to go where their orders took them. in harm's way or not.  And for that they all have the undying gratitude of this nation.

I have had the honor of leading a military funeral detail (coffin bearers, the rifle party, and a bugler) at a number of veterans' funerals when I was on active duty.  These are the words said when I presented the flag to the family member, often the widow.

"On behalf of the President of the United States, [the service they were part of] and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service." 

But back to the point of following Jesus. Following requires personal sacrifice. Willingness to sacrifice requires commitment to the One who has saved us. Jesus followers are set apart from the world. In the military we made a distinction between those in the military and civilians. As Jesus followers we make a distinction between the saved and the lost. Just as I did not expect a civilian to do what I did because they were not in the military, don't expect the lost to do what you do. They lack the Spirit of God. I will leave you with Romans 12:2

"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."

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

Following Jesus - Laborers In The Fields

"What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers." - 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

"You remember the passage in which we are said to be laborer's together with God (1 Corinthians 
3:9). Is it not gracious and kind on the Lord's part to let us come and work with Him? Yet it seems. 
to my mind, even more gracious for God to come and work with us, because ours is such poor, feeble, 
imperfect service, yet He does so - the Lord working with them (Mark 16:20). The Lord is working 
with that dear sister who, when she teaches her Sunday school class, feels that she is quite unfit for it. He is working with that brother who, when he preaches, thinks that he has not preached at all and is half-inclined never to try again. 

Oh, yes, the Lord working with them, such as they were, - fishermen, humble women, and the like! This is wonderful how God reaches down to us! The Holy Spirit took what they said and made it to be divinely powerful. However feebly they uttered it according to the judgment of men, there was an inward secret power that went with their utterances and compelled the hearts of men and women to accept the blessed appeal of God. I believe that when we are seeking to serve Christ" - Charles Spurgeon, Following Christ. 

So you don't think you have what it takes to follow Jesus? You think rightly. You are but a jar of clay - a broken vessel - just like the rest of us. Suitable only for ignoble use. And yet God uses us for His eternal purposes to His glory and praise. You see, it is not what you can do, but what God can and will do through a heart that is willing to follow in obedience to His call to "Follow Me".

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

You see my part - your part - is to lay down our nets, leave them behind and step out in obedience to His call and begin to follow by faith. The power to do what He leads us to do comes from Him not us. 

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

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

A Real Follower Of Jesus

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." - Matthew 7:21-23

As I live my life, I try to see the spiritual context or application of the natural. Those things that happen day to day. With regard to being a Jesus Follower, I was thinking about a guy I met at the junior college I attended after I returned from Vietnam and mustered out of the Army - the first time.  I remember walking down one of the interior hallways when I saw a guy wearing a fatigue jacket. Those were the days of the draft and there were a lot of veterans using the G.I. Bill to pay for college.

So, I walked up to him and as I did, I noticed the patch on the right shoulder of his jacket. You wear the patch of the unit you last served with in a combat zone. It was a MACV patch - Military Assistance Command - Vietnam. The same unit I served with. I was with Advisory Team 68 in the Vinh Long Province in the Mekong Delta (read giant rice paddy!) I asked him what Advisory team he was with, to which he replied "What?" with a confused look on his face. I asked again, "I saw the MACV patch, I served with MACV also, what team were you with?" He replied, "Hey man, I wasn't in the Army, I bought this jacket at the Salvation Army!" And I walked on - a bit dismayed.

He was wearing an Army Jacket but was never in the Army.  It is like people who go to Church but are not and were never serving in the Lord's Army. They are certainly not following Jesus. To follow Jesus, you must enlist - in the words of Jesus to Nicodemus - "You must be born again!"

I have opted to use the VA medical center in lieu of going to a civilian doctor. Whenever I go and see the plight of so many men my age - all veterans, I invariably tell the doctor when they ask the standard question, "How are you doing?" To which I reply in the context of seeing how bad my life could be, "I am doing great!" Virtually all of those guys wear ball caps that give some indication of the branch of service they were in.  Some have all sorts of accoutrements attached. (rank, emblems, unit patches, etc)

There was one guy who was wearing a Vietnam Veterans hat. I asked him when he was there and then what branch he served in. Early '70s and the Navy. There was a naval detachment that worked with our team. They had PBRs - River Patrol Boats. They had 50 caliber machine guns mounted on them. They face hostile fire many times -like sitting ducks on the rivers. I figured that is what he did. So, I asked what he did in Vietnam. He said, I was on a ship on the ocean. He never set foot in Vietnam proper, and never saw any hostile action. But he had the hat and people could think whatever they wanted to about the guy wearing the hat. Just because you are a Christian, wearing the hat, does not mean that you are following Jesus. 

Am I being critical - no. My point is being a Jesus follower is more than going to church (wearing a jacket). It is more than being born again (wearing a hat) - although that is a pre-requisite. It means that you must get your boots muddy.  That you must face hostile fire. That you must follower your leader into battle.

Don't expect the world to give you a victory parade for following Jesus. When I returned from Vietnam, we were told not to wear our uniforms in the airports. One day at the same junior college I was asked how many babies I had killed while I was in Vietnam. Welcome home baby killer!

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you." - John 15:18

So if you can't tell a follower by their coat or their hat, how can you tell them apart from everyone else?

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

There is a lot more to say about 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

Following Jesus - What It Looks Like

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

Following Jesus means that I am living by faith. I believe that Jesus bore the penalty of my sin - suffered, died, and rose again in eternal victory over sin and death. Mortal death meant that I was destined to be eternally separated from the God who created me. But now, because of Jesus - 

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" - Romans 8:1

And yet still, there are a number of reasons why I might find it difficult to follow Him. None of them are good ones. Following Jesus means that my priorities must shift heavenward. My relationship with the Father must take first place in my life. How I relate to the world changes and is derived from my relationship with the Father. I must put the "old man" on the cross. I must abandon my affection for the things of this world. If they prove to be contentious toward God and His will, and many will, then they must be sacrificed on the altar of my heart.

"You cannot have Christ if you will not serve him. If you take Christ, you must take him and all his qualities. He must not simply take him as a friend, but you must also take him as your master. If you were to become his disciple, you must also become his servant. I hope that no one fights against that truth. It is certainly one of the greatest delights on earth to serve our Lord and this is to be our joyful vocation, even in heaven itself. - Learn this, then, all of you who would like to have Christ as your savior, that you must be willing to serve him. We are not saved by serving him, but we are saved to serve him. From the moment we’re saved we ought to live in a service of our Lord. If we refuse to be his servants, we are not saved, for we evidently still remain the servants of self and the servants of Satan. " - Charles H Spurgeon, Following Christ.

Charles Spurgeon said it plainly and perhaps, for some, painfully. There is no halfway for Jesus followers. It is all or nothing. We must abandon all affection for the things of this world. Just like Paul.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake 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" - Philippians 3:6-8

Do you find that unsettling? Disturbing perhaps? Extreme even.  Well, that is the nature of our new life. That is what it means to follow Jesus. I will leave you with a couple more verses to think about.

"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

In other words - Follow Jesus!

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

Follow Jesus - The Two Hardest Words

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." -  Romans 8:28

Don't you hate it when you ask a question and the answer given forces another question?  As Christians we are all called. But called to what? To what God has purposed. And what has God purposed? Feels like we are running down a rabbit hole and the farther we go, the further we are from understanding the answer to our first and most pressing question. As a Christian, what on earth am I supposed to be doing? And Jesus said, it's simple - "Follow Me".  

The picture I included is of "Iron Mike". That statue is the icon of the U.S. Army Infantry. The Queen of Battle! (I was Armor and Aviation BTW) Iron Mike is leadership immortalized in bronze. The essence of leadership is leading by example. And that is exactly what Jesus did. Martie has been a Group Leader in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) for several years. We were talking about John chapter 10, and she shared some of her study notes from BSF. This statement caught my attention.

"We often overcomplicate the Christian Life. Jesus simplified the essence of true faith: He leads, and we follow." BSF Lesson 14 John Chapter 10

It isn't that Jesus was doing things on His own. Winging it if you will. He had His eyes fixed on the Father. 

"So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise." - John 5:19

And so, when we follow Jesus, we do what He does, and He does what the Father does. Pretty simple. And what did Jesus do? Obeyed the will of the Father and laid down His life to fulfill His eternal purpose.

"But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" - Matthew 16:23-26

Lofty words that are easy to say "Amen" to but not so easy when you are faced with the sacrifice that following will require. To follow Jesus will always cost you something. You will have to lay down your nets - the things that you value. The things that define you and follow Jesus by faith.  Is there something that you struggle with letting go to follow? Do you think the disciples packed their nets, just in case? Have 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

Follow Me

"So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." - John 10:24-28

The church we attend begins each new year with a 21 day fast. Fasting is not just about forsaking food but abstaining from things of the world that we find pleasure in. Not wrong things, but things that we like to do - eating certain foods is certainly one of them, but not the only one.  

"One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God." - Romans 14:5-6

Fasting is about some form of intentional - denial of self. Abstaining from some aspect of the world and focusing on God and faith.  Reminding ourselves where our love lies - or should lie.

"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." - 1 John 2:15

Martie and I decided that we would stop watching television in the evenings - 5:00pm to bedtime. Something that has become somewhat of a habit. No news. No favorite programs to dull our senses. But wait, there's more! Instead, we are going to read books that have a spiritual emphasis. We read the Bible, of course, but this is in addition to the Bible. 

My first book is The Call by Oz Guinness. It is a book I have read several times - but not for some time. In the introduction, he poses a question,

 "Are you open to the possibility that there is one who created you to be who you are and calls you to be who he alone knows you can be?" He goes to say - "Then listen to Jesus of Nazareth and His two words that changed the world - 'Follow Me'."  

If "Sorry" seems to be the hardest word (according to Elton John), then "Follow Me" are the two hardest words (according to mankind). I will write more about this in my next post. Let me just say that if you want to understand your purpose then you must understand what it means to Follow Jesus. Not just understand the concept but be willing to lay down your nets.  

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

Your Age Is Just A Number

"Even to your old age I [God the Father] am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save." Isaiah 46:4

Martie and I were watching a videographic account of the life, an actress from the 40's and 50's, Heddy Lamar. It was very interesting and, at the same time, very sad. She was a beautiful woman who gained her notoriety because of her beauty. She was a talented actor and very intelligent - credited with inventing frequency hopping which evolved into what we know as secure communication, the WIFI, and Bluetooth - among other applications.  She was denied recognition for those achievements largely, I think, because she was a woman and recognized for her beauty and not her brains. But I digress, a literary art that I nearly perfected!

Heddy Lamar's youth and her beauty eventually faded, as it does for all of us. After a while, not even money and the plastic surgeon's scalpel could restore her youthful looks. She was married 6 times - seemingly seeking that which was always just out of reach. Married six times, she eventually became a recluse and as mortal death will happen to all of us, she died. 

At this point you might be wondering what this has to do with faith. Well, it has to do with our keeping an eternal perspective while living our natural lives. The root of our wanting to cling to our youth is not just a problem of vanity - but mostly one of fear. The cause of the fear, I think, is that we like having a visual reminder that we are getting older because then we are reminded that it won't be long that we will be dead. Just like the generations before us. 

"So, we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" - 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

As Christians we have the capacity to have an eternal perspective while living our mortal lives. If we are not careful, the physical and emotional aspects of our natural - mortal lives that we live can dominate us to the point that our eternal perspective is hidden or stifled.  The moment we were born again, we began to live in eternity. We can become preoccupied with the care our bodies and self-esteem requiring - even justifying, their important place over the eternal as being Biblical. Personally, I don't imagine God is very concerned with how old our flesh looks or what high place we hold in the opinion of mortal men, but more with what or who our devotion is focused on. Are we living our mortal lives for Him.

I have mentioned this before - many Evangelical Churches in the United States organize around age groups which "seems" to minimize the importance of spiritual maturity. It's like having teachers meet with each other in one room and let the students teach themselves in another.  

I am not suggesting that we should ignore the need of our bodies to be healthy - only that we should be more concerned with our spiritual health than our mortal longevity. It is not so important that we will be remembered by those who survive us, but that we will be acknowledged by the One who saved us. That we leave a spiritual legacy.  Heddy Lamar was and is admired by many, but I think she was a very sad and lonely person in her alone time behind closed doors. She needed Jesus.

If you desire recognition, then let it come from the One who saved you. Our greatest desire should be that He will one day say to us - 

"Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." - Matthew 25:21

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

Cast Your Nets

"And he [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear." - Matthew 13:3-9

I am certain that you are familiar with that parable. Typically, the focus is on the type of soil and what happens to the seed. My guess is that most Christians who hear it don't think of themselves as the one who is casting the seed.  Isn't that passage just for preachers, teachers and evangelists? The holy hired guns if you will. The short answer "no". There is another verse that addresses the same issue. That being how the lost respond to the Gospel.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." - Matthew 13:47-50

There will always be those who receive the Word - the Gospel and by it are saved and those who reject it - the bad soil, if you will, or in this case the bad fish - the unsaved. So, what is our role in this eternal "play"? The short and is "go and tell". Share the Gospel with no expectation that your eloquence or lack of it will be the determinant of someone's eternal destination. 

When you are given the opportunity, and the Spirit prompts you to speak then speak. Share what you know which is what you experienced. Like the blind man you were healed.

"So, for the second time they [the Pharisees] called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man [Jesus] is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” - John 9:24-26

You can only tell others what you know and then leave the rest to the Spirit of God and the person who must believe by faith so they might be saved. 

"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? - So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." - Romans 10:14,17

And who will be the one preaching? It may well be you. Oh - you say you are not minister of the Gospel? Think again.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

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

Be The Light

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 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 5:13-15

Jesus spoke of His followers - we Christians - as salt and light. Each has its unique purposes - Salt to preserve, to flavor, to heal. Light to reveal what is hidden in the darkness - to help those who cannot see to see what is there and what is not there. Light brings life. We can see it in creation - how the plants will turn toward the sun because they are designed to depend upon the light to live and prosper. 

"Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life." - John 8:12

As Christians, we have the light of life - eternal life - and so, as His disciples, we are to let that light shine in a dark world.  It should not be hidden - but, IMO, at the same time it should not be like shining a bright light into someone's eyes. Many, if not most, people will find the Gospel message offensive even when spoken in love. Don't be surprised by that or let it discourage you from letting your light shine for fear of offending someone. Fulfill your God-given purpose during this short life. 

"So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders  rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." - 1 Peter 2:7-9

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound - that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found. Was blind but now I see!" - John Newton, Amazing Grace

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

Knowledge Puffs Up

"Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him." - 1 Corinthians 8:1-3

Do you know anyone who is "book smart" but has a difficult time communicating that knowledge into practical application in life? Knowing lots of facts, even facts about the Bible can be deceptive. You might come to think that what is important is the knowing, when the truth is, what is important is the doing. Loving God is an activity - a way of life - not an attitude.

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." - James 1:22-25

God has given us the Word so we might know how to live our lives in this world. He has given us the Spirit so we might understand spiritual truth. His expectation is that we will live by the faith and the power of the Spirit in us to do what He has made plain in His Word. But Christians who are hearers immediately forget what they have heard as they shift focus on the world to do the next thing. I wonder if I were to stand at the door as people leave a church service and ask what at least one point of the sermon was if many of the people could answer the question. What spiritual truth did you hear this morning? Other than, I don't remember exactly, but it was a good sermon. The man in the mirror.

"Jesus answered him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me." - John 14:23-24

It is not that we will be perfect this side of heaven - but that we will strive to live the life that God has called us to live. It is about making the effort. Being intentional and disciplined. Being a Christian is not an attribute like your hair color or your occupation. It is about loving God more than anything else and loving others more than you love yourself. That starts in the heart and is manifested in how we live our lives day by day. So how is that going for 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

Looking At Others From The Inside Out

"But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So, he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him." - Luke 10:29-34

Jesus was questioned by a lawyer of the Law. Someone who knew each jot and tittle. [In Hebrew, a jot is the smallest Hebrew letter and is represented by the letter ‘y’. A tittle is a small ornament placed over certain Hebrew letters, or a particle placed at the end of a letter1. It can also refer to a small stroke of the pen which could be used to change one Hebrew letter into another one.] He was wanting to justify why there were some people he loved and some he did not - contrary to the second greatest commandment. 

God loves his creation and if we love God then we will love others. That is not to say we will like what they do necessarily - very often - just like God does not. But our behavior did not keep God from acting on our behalf by sending His Son as THE [sic] Way to restoration by faith. Man, on the other hand, wants to modify the definition of neighbor to mean someone who looks like me, acts like, lives where I live, likes what I like. Do you see the lawyer's problem? Do you understand our problem?

Samaritans, are an ethnoreligious group who originate from the ancient Israelites. [Ethnoreligious communities define their ethnic identity neither exclusively by ancestral heritage nor simply by religious affiliation, but often through a combination of both.] They are native to the Levant and adhere to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic ethnic religion similar to Judaism, but differing in several important aspects. The Samaritans were half-Jews and half-Gentiles. They were believed to be the remnants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after it was conquered by the Assyrians in the 8th century BC. The Samaritans survived through the time of Jesus, and even, in limited numbers, to the present day.  

So Jesus used the example of the Samaritan to answer the lawyer's question. Someone least likely to be considered what the lawyer was hoping was his neighbor. And then Jesus answered the question with a question (don't you hate it when that happens?!?)

"So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he [the lawyer] said, “He who showed mercy on him.”  Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”" - Luke 10:36-37

Unfortunately, for many Christians we struggle with just loving other Christians, let alone the unsaved. It is not the unity of our faith in Jesus and the presence of the Spirit of God in us that we believe is binding us together and Brothers and Sisters - but our ethnicity [ethnoreligiosity], our material standing in our culture, the manner in which we worship. The focus is not on the internal - but the external. Not the spiritual but the physical. We fail to understand that those attitudes rise up from our flesh. Our old, sinful nature. Attitudes that we seek to justify before men and God. 

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