Love - An Action Of The Will Submitted To God

Love suffers long and is kind… —1 Corinthians 13:4

“Love is not premeditated– it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit…” (Romans 5:5).” - My Utmost For His Highest

“We love because He [God] first loved us.” - 1 John 4:19

We have the capacity to love like God loves because God loves us.  He is the source of love.  Not affection … God’s love is much deeper than that.  Our love toward others is a result of First .. our loving God.  If we are to love others rightly ... and we are … we must first be right with God.  Jesus said the greatest commandment is to Love God.  The next is to love others.  So what does that look like?  Paul tells us in Romans 12. 

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” - Romans 12:9-21

How did you respond the last time someone did something to you that was unkind? Something that you didn’t like.  Very often we respond to others with our flesh and feel justified, even smug.  After all, they deserve the attitude that we have toward them.  But God says “Love them.”  How is that working out for you?  Now God did not say become their best friend, although you might, love is an attitude of the heart and an action of the will submitted to God.  Its source, for a Christian, is God the Father by the power of the Spirit in us.  Listen ... you can post verses on Facebook ... smile at everyone on Sunday morning … even write a BLOG … but without love Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:1 “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” Without love you are just breathing air … making noise … but you are not glorifying God with your life … and that is your newfound purpose in Christ my friend.

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

Resisting The Spirit Of God

If you…remember that your brother has something against you… —Matthew 5:23

 “This verse says, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you….” It is not saying, “If you search and find something because of your unbalanced sensitivity,” but, “If you…remember….” In other words, if something is brought to your conscious mind by the Spirit of God— “First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24). Never object to the intense sensitivity of the Spirit of God in you when He is instructing you down to the smallest detail. Jesus does not mention the other person— He says for you to go. It is not a matter of your rights. The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus. The process of reconciliation is clearly marked. First, we have the heroic spirit of self-sacrifice, then the sudden restraint by the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, and then we are stopped at the point of our conviction. This is followed by obedience to the Word of God.” - My Utmost For His Highest  

"And when He [the Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, ...  of righteousness" - John 16:8-9

Has the Spirit of God ever spoken something to you that was contrary to what you wanted to do?  If you are born again and therefore have been sealed by the Spirit, He has.  Why? Because we tend to follow the ways of the flesh.  The Spirit being in us convicts us of sin, which is to say we are living or doing in a way that is contrary to the nature of God and our new nature.  The question is, “How do you respond when He speaks?”  Do you say, “yes Lord”? Or do you “turn the music up to drown out His voice” because you don’t want to do the very thing He is saying – do? The Bible calls that quenching the Spirit or putting the fire out.  Oh Saint, this life we live in the flesh we live by faith.  (Galatians 2:20) 

The Spirit of God will always prompt you to obedience.  To deal with those things that hinder your unfettered relationship with the Father.  You cannot offer anything acceptable to God if you do not have “clean hands and a clean heart”.  If you choose to ignore the prompting of the Spirit you are doing nothing more than practicing vain religion.  Praising God with your lips while your heart is far from Him. (Matthew 15:8) You might as well be watching TV for all of the spiritual good that is being derived!  We are a stubborn lot.  Holding on to attitudes and habits that are clearly contrary to who we are in Christ. You are not alone in this struggle.  But God has given you the power to overcome, and the means to live in victory.  You must pick up your cross daily and yield your life to the leading of the Spirit.  That requires faith and that comes from 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

When A Friend Hurts Your Heart

"…I am with you to deliver you," says the Lord. —Jeremiah 1:8

“God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “…your life shall be as a prize to you…” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance. The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).” - My Utmost For His Highest 

I just had a long conversation with someone the other day about this very thing.  Unjust treatment from someone very close to their heart.  There is nothing that hurts so deeply as betrayal by someone you love and trust.  So what do you do with that?  Certainly, there is sorrow … but we should not be surprised.  Do not look to the world ... even to those closest to you for affirmation .. look to the hills (Psalm 121:1). When it happens to us, our first response is to try and think of a way to fix it ... to find restoration … the problem is that it is not your problem.  It is the one who betrayed your trust that must repent ... you can’t coax them into it ... talk them into it … pummel them with scriptural reasons why they should not be that way.  Only conviction by the Holy Spirit and their submission to that conviction will result in the restoration that you seek.  So what can you do?  Well …. It’s simple really … show them Jesus. 

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” - Romans 12:17-21

This is not a natural response but a supernatural one.  The natural response is to return evil for evil.  People who care about you may give you a number of reasons why you should not return good for the evil they have done.  When anyone gives us advice in times like this, we must always look to the Word to see what God has to say about it.  And don’t expect your flesh – your old nature – to like it.  Times like this are a test ... that’s right – a test of your new nature.  Responding by faith with obedience to the Word of God requires that we see “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) And in doing so you bring glory to God and lift up Jesus to all those around you. Now what could be better than that? Nothing – that’s what!

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 If You've Got Heart Trouble

Jesus said to them again, "…As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." —John 20:21

“A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus. In missionary work the great danger is that God’s call will be replaced by the needs of the people, to the point that human sympathy for those needs will absolutely overwhelm the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, and the conditions so difficult, that every power of the mind falters and fails. We tend to forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary work is not primarily the elevation of the people, their education, nor their needs, but is first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ— “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19).  We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the divine guidance of God being exhibited through childlike people who were “foolish” enough to trust God’s wisdom and His supernatural equipment.” - My Utmost For His Highest

"Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) 

We should not for an instant think that we can do anything for God without God.  Anything we do for God is by the Spirit of God, by our new nature, not by our old nature and its works.  Even our salvation is a gift from God through Jesus and by the Spirit and not of works so no one can take credit for what God has done.  The only way we can please God is by giving our whole heart to Him.

What God asks of us often times seems foolish to the world.  In our experience, God has always given us what we needed when we needed it.  (not necessarily what we wanted) He has called us to very difficult places.  He has asked us to defy human reasoning ... even in favor of what many Christians would consider “reasonable” life choices.  We have abandoned the “comfortable” life for the physically uncomfortable.  The life of relative financial abundance for a life of hardship and little comfort.  And for what? For His glory and the good of others. Would that be good enough for you? I am not asking you to compare yourself to us.  God may not call you to our life and service.  But are you willing to lay your life down, for God, no matter what that means? 

What we have actually given up to serve is unknown to most people and I will not elaborate here, lest I boast in our sacrifice.  My point is, God may ask you to give up everything.  In the fact of the matter, He already has. 

 “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. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” - 1 John 2:15-17 

And if you don’t love it, you won’t mind leaving it.  When you consider God’s calling on your life do you think about what saying “yes” would cost you financially?  Friend, I hate to say it, but you have heart trouble!  Where is your faith?  Don’t you think that God could restore what you gave up, if He chose to? Examine your heart.  What I am sharing with you applies even if you stay in your job, stay in your house, live your life without disruption.  Live your life with a whole heart for God and be ready at any moment to give it up, if the Lord says so.  Don’t be like Lot’s wife or the rich young ruler.  Follow Jesus with empty hands and a heart full of love for 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

Choosing The Best Over The Good

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”” - Luke 10:38-42

I am certain you are familiar with this story. Both of these women loved Jesus.  The distinction was what they chose to do when faced with the good and the best.  Preparing the meal was a good thing – food has a practical importance.  Sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to words of Life – that has an eternal importance.  I suspect that Martha was so consumed with the practical that she was prepared to forego the most important with good intention.  But she missed it.  She thought she was being responsible - she was, but she was missing an eternal opportunity.  Like the time that the disciples wanted Jesus to eat.  

“Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” - John 4:31-33

Concern about the natural often interferes with our focus on the super-natural.  It requires a determined faith to see past the urgency of the things of this world and embrace things spiritual.  Someone called me a few weeks ago.  He told me that he had retired early but could not access his retirement until he met a certain age.  He believed he was called to ministry. A mutual friend suggested that he call me about working with me for a few weeks.  He had construction skills so I told him that I would pay him instead of hiring someone locally to do the work I could not do myself.  He told me that he would let me know by the weekend.  He called to tell me that he had decided to do something closer to home which would not require moving so he would not be coming.  A short time later, he called again to see if the option was still open – all of his plans had fallen through.  He added that his wife told him at the onset that he should have come here.  (I have learned that you should not ignore the discernment of a godly wife.) But, I had already hired local people. The work was done – the funds were spent.  (I have never held up helping the homeowner [the reason we are here] in favor of waiting on someone to decide if they might come.)  I was saddened because I felt that he had missed God in his indecisiveness.  Choosing the good over the best. 

Like Martha – this guy was trying to be practical.  God presented a spiritual opportunity – not to be with me – but to exercise faith and trust Him and not the things of this world.  When God calls you – it requires faith in Him – not money in the bank – not a more convenient time – not once the kids are out of college – although that may be God’s timing – but no matter – when He calls – a decision in the heart is required.  God does not need to hear empty promises – God knows the heart.  Those promises just make it easier for us to cook the food and not sit at Jesus feet. 

So – what has God been saying to you? And what have you been saying to God?  God’s call is not the same for everyone in terms of geography or activity.  But it is the same insomuch as (love that word!) it will require faith and devotion to respond to the call.  

When we were serving in Mississippi, someone asked me if I liked being in Mississippi.  It was a place of devastation and despair.  I told them “There is nothing better than being in the center of God’s will for your life – geography or the difficulty that we must endure has nothing to do with it."  So, I loved being in Mississippi because that is where God wanted us to be.” How about 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

Got Faith? Called To Do The Impossible

"Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it…" —Luke 14:28

 “….. The conditions of discipleship given to us by our Lord in verses 26, 27, and 33 mean that the men and women He is going to use in His mighty building enterprises are those in whom He has done everything. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple ” (Luke 14:26). This verse teaches us that the only men and women our Lord will use in His building enterprises are those who love Him personally, passionately, and with great devotion— those who have a love for Him that goes far beyond any of the closest relationships on earth." - My Utmost For His Highest

Jesus’ words sound harsh at the face of it.  He is speaking to the attitude of the heart.  We all nod our head in agreement that we are to love God with all of our hearts, minds, souls and strength (Matthew 22:37-39) That is until that devotion and call comes in conflict with earthly affections.  What or whom do you love more than God?  When you know it’s God but it requires you to subordinate your affection for your family to fulfill the call … then that can’t be God … right?  Wrong.  Does that mean you are irresponsible? No.  

That means that you will trust God even though you don’t know how what He calls you to do will be possible.  But that also mean that you must know it is God who is speaking and not your wild ambition or love of adventure.  If you venture out on your own in the name of God, without God, you are going to battle with no bullets for your gun.  God never calls you to do what is possible for men on their own … but to what is entirely possible for Him through you. Responding in obedience to His call will most likely require that you let go of something that you hold in high regard, perhaps not forever but maybe if even for a time.  That is where many Christians falter.  Doing what God calls you to do requires faith and often is contrary to conventional wisdom. 

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1

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 Things Don't Happen The Way You Planned

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters…, so our eyes look to the Lord our God… —Psalm 123:2

“This verse is a description of total reliance on God. Just as the eyes of a servant are riveted on his master, our eyes should be directed to and be focused on God. This is how knowledge of His countenance is gained and how God reveals Himself to us (see Isaiah 53:1). Our spiritual strength begins to be drained when we stop lifting our eyes to Him. Our stamina is sapped, not so much through external troubles surrounding us but through problems in our thinking. The danger comes when, no longer relying on God, you neglect to focus your eyes on Him. Whenever there is a spiritual drain in your life, correct it immediately. Realize that something has been coming between you and God and change or remove it at once.” - My Utmost For His Highest

The seed for doubtful thinking was planted in the Garden when Satan asked Eve, “Did God really say?”  Living by faith means that you are responsible to obey God and God is responsible for the events and the fruit thereof after that as you live by faith in the midst of them.  When we came to Texas, we thought that it would be an instant replay of Mississippi – NOT!  So then you ask yourself .. are we in the right place? Did God really say …. ? Dr. Henry Blackaby, in Experiencing God, wrote that knowing it’s God’s voice is not the problem .. obeying His voice is the problem. (paraphrased).  Like Peter, once you are on the water .. it is easy to look around you and take your eyes off of the One who called you out of the boat!  What is your circumstance that is testing your faith?  The first thing you should do is to be honest about your spiritual condition.  If you don’t have a clean heart … right before God .. how can you expect to be in step with God?  Second .. you must be connected to God through His Word, prayer and submission to the Spirit.  It is an easy pitfall to find yourself in when you come to expect God to do what you imagine will be done and not seek His will and His alone.  If you get a sense of satisfaction from what you are doing more than from knowing you are living in the will of God, you are on the wrong path.  Paul said that his “job” was to plant, Apollos watered .. but God brought the increase.  If God’s in it, He always brings the increase … whatever that looks like.  It’s all too easy to use man’s measures of effectiveness in making a determination as to whether the work is worthy of your effort.

Are you willing to serve with no evidence of fruit for your entire lifetime?  We do not get to dictate what the increase will look like or when it will occur.  Our obligation is go where He says go and to do what He says to do.  To live faithfully.  To focus on His will not our own. To trust Him and not ourselves.  (Proverbs 16:9) "Men make plans in their hearts, but God orders their steps" Do we know Texas is where God wants us? Yes.  Do we know what is going to happen tomorrow? No.  Men Bondye Konnen!  (But God knows!) That should be good enough for those who have laid their lives down at the foot of the Cross.  The question is ... Is 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

You Believe God Can, But Do You Believe God Will?

Where then do You get that living water? — John 4:11

“The well is deep” — and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! (John 4:11). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing.” The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves." -My Utmost For His Highest

Can opposite truths co-exist?  Happen at the same time? Can it be nighttime here and daytime here at the same time? No.  The earth's position with respect to the sun determines that.  If it is 12 noon it cannot be 12 midnight in the same place on the earth at the same time.  It's impossible.  Sound silly?  Well, so might the thought that God is able ... and at the same time God is not able.  I trust God and, at the same time, I don't trust God.  (Mark 9:23-24) " 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!” 

Perhaps the man believed Jesus could, but struggled with believing that Jesus would. It's one to agree that it is true when it is not happening to you, personally.  You may believe Jesus can intervene in your life's circumstances, but doubt that He will.  Really what you are struggling with is whether Jesus will do what you want Him to do in the way you want Him to do it or not.  What if the thing you want done is not what will bring glory to the Father?  I talk to so many people that acknowledge the truth of the Word but reject it with respect to their particular circumstance at a particular time in their life.  I was talking to a woman who had been maligned and betrayed by her son ... she said I forgive him ... I asked if he had repented?  She didn't answer which was an answer ... I said the father of the prodigal loved the younger son but did not embrace him until the son repented ... she wants to embrace him before he has a heart change ... she is in for more heartache. Our faith struggle often has to do with our unwillingness to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.  (James 1:22) This brings to mind an old friend - Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."  

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

If You Follow Jesus, Don't Take Your Eyes Off Of Him

He…said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem…" —Luke 18:31

“In our natural life our ambitions change as we grow, but in the Christian life the goal is given at the very beginning, and the beginning and the end are exactly the same, namely, our Lord Himself. We start with Christ, and we end with Him— “…till we all come…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:13), not simply to our own idea of what the Christian life should be. The goal of the missionary is to do God’s will, not to be useful or to win the lost. A missionary is useful, and he does win the lost, but that is not his goal. His goal is to do the will of his Lord. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matthew 10:24). In other words, the same things that happened to our Lord will happen to us on our way to our “Jerusalem.” There will be works of God exhibited through us, people will get blessed, and one or two will show gratitude while the rest will show total ingratitude, but nothing must divert us from going “up to [our] Jerusalem.” “…there they crucified Him…” (Luke 23:33). That is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that event is the doorway to our salvation. The saints, however, do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord’s grace they end in glory.” - My Utmost For His Highest

What is it that you expect from your new life?  If indeed you are “picking up your cross daily and following Jesus.” (Matthew 16:24)  There is a danger that we “rattle off” verses, perhaps secretly “smug” with the fact that we know them, but don’t stop to consider what they mean if we should actually apply them to our lives.  Consider your cross in the context of Jesus' cross.  The Cross was the will of the Father, the very reason Jesus came to this earth to begin with.  I just watched a Tim Tebow clip on Facebook where he was talking about painting John 3:16 on his face when he was quarterback at the University of Florida.  John 3:16. God sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins.  He sent Jesus to be crucified.  Jesus laid down everything in Heaven to sacrifice Himself for us.  

“No greater love has one man than this, but to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13) 

So what do you imagine picking up your cross entails?  To do the will of the Father means that we must obey Him, even when it costs us something, maybe everything.  And it will.  Following Jesus means that our value system must change.  Are you more concerned about your 401K than if your heart is OK with God?  I think many people are afraid that God will ask them to abandon what they treasure.  Guess what, He already has.  Following Jesus means to choose the Father.  Martie and I are in the middle of a transition in our lives.  We are trying to figure out how to distance ourselves from the things that we had wrapped ourselves up in - house, car, job, etc. – those things are normal - reasonable - responsible - parts of the earthly, secular life, but can prove to be stumbling blocks as we follow Jesus.

Paul said “….  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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” -  Hebrews 12:1-3

Fixing your eyes on Jesus, like Peter had to do as he sank into the sea.  If you are going to follow Jesus, you have to look to Jesus.  Have you ever followed someone in a crowd of people?  It can be a challenge.  If you lose sight of that person, you may feel a little panic – your heart rate increases – you become anxious.  Is that how you feel about Jesus?  It should be.  Jesus did not say pick up your cross – and then do your own thing.  He added, follow Me.  If you don’t do both, you can’t be His disciple.  You will certainly be saved, but you will not be living the life God intended.  Your life will not reflect Jesus … 

“all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”  - (Isaiah 64:6

You can’t do this on your own. Your effort was not good enough before your new birth and it’s not good enough now.  Lay it down and pick up your cross ... then follow Jesus in obedience to the will of God and His glory. 

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 In The World Of What Is Reasonable

"Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to Him, "…are You going there again?" —John 11:7-8

“Just because I don’t understand what Jesus Christ says, I have no right to determine that He must be mistaken in what He says. I know when the instructions have come from God because of their quiet persistence. But when I begin to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate enter into my mind, I am bringing in an element that is not of God. This will only result in my concluding that His instructions to me were not right. Faithfulness to Jesus means that I must step out even when and where I can’t see anything (see Matthew 14:29).  Faith is not intellectual understanding; faith is a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ, even when I can’t see the way ahead. Are you debating whether you should take a step of faith in Jesus, or whether you should wait until you can clearly see how to do what He has asked? Simply obey Him with unrestrained joy. Are you faithful to Jesus, or faithful to your ideas about Him? Are you faithful to what He says, or are you trying to compromise His words with thoughts that never came from Him? “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5).” - My Utmost For His Highest

Are you living in the world of what is reasonable?  Reasonable meaning that you are able to reason out what you are going to do?  I can’t tell you how many times someone has said .. “I would love to do what you do on the mission field, but I can’t afford it.”  My thought at that moment .. “you can’t afford not to … not to obey God that is”.  God will never ask you to do what is reasonable in the eyes of men.  To sacrifice the things of this world for your faith is not reasonable from the world view.  People – many Christians – are fearful when it comes to giving up their comfort, their plans, their financial security to follow God.  We can read the stories in the Bible .. the rich young ruler for example .. and think ..tsk .. tsk .. how could he walk away from Jesus? And then do exactly the same thing ourselves and be convinced we have chosen rightly.  While in Haiti, a Haitian friend and I were driving one day.  I mentioned the fact that Haitians seemed to be concerned that my truck was dirty but were not concerned about the trash in the streets.  He agreed with me that it was a contradiction, rolled the window down and tossed trash out onto the street.  How could he agree with me and then participate in the very thing we were speaking against?  It’s a problem with humanity .. we don’t see ourselves and what we do or don’t do in the same way that we see other people.  We marvel at the great missionaries of times past.  We love reading about their exploits .. their sacrifices .. but never imagine that God might call us, and often does, to leave our nets. That is not reasonable!

Not long ago, a friend asked me how we ended up in Haiti.  I shared the story about how God spoke to us by His Spirit through the Word, prayer, circumstances and other saints about our going.  Then I told him that a friend in Waveland looked me squarely in the face when I told him what we were going to do and asked “Are you crazy?”  He had been to Haiti and knew the challenges there.  I told him that it was not my idea .. it was God’s idea .. and where God guides, God provides.  We spent four wonderful years in Haiti and still participate in ministry there.  There is a common call to all Christians … love God with your all … abandon your affection for the things of this world … walk in obedience to His Word … Love others more than yourself.  That call is a precursor to service.  You may not be sent to a foreign mission field, or even across town.  But wherever God has you … you must first be faithful to your common call if you are going to have value in the kingdom ... and that is not for your glory but for His. And be ready to do the unreasonable!

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

What Have You Built Your Life Upon

…fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ… —1 Thessalonians 3:2

"As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they [your ways in your new life in Christ] are now the ways of the Lord. I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. […] When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness.” - My Utmost For His Highest

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  - Psalm 37:4

Putting God first will align your ways with His ways, you will desire what He desires, His purposes will become your purposes.  He will conform you into the image of His Son. 

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” - Romans 8:29 

The shaping process requires surrender .. of everything … not just some things.  One of my favorite praise songs “Knowing You” says

"All I once held dear, built my life upon, All this world reveres and wars to own, All I once thought gain I have counted loss, Spent and worthless now compared to this, Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You, There is no greater thing

Now my heart's desire is to know You more, To be found in You and known as Yours, To possess by faith what I could not earn, All surpassing gift of righteousness, Oh to know the power of Your risen life, And to know You in Your sufferings, To become like You in Your death, my Lord, So with You to live and never die, Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You, There is no greater thing."

Is there something in your life that you still cling to, still trust in - something you treat like a greater thing than your devotion to God?  Perhaps you want to preserve your lifestyle.  Perhaps you want to keep your circle of friends which causes you to compromise your faith for them.  Maybe something else, but it is something.  We all struggle with it.  Listen, the ways of the world will remain embedded in your heart if you don’t surrender all to God by faith.  It’s time to be honest with yourself.  God already knows the truth.  He examines the heart.  You can’t hide anything from Him.  You may fool the people at church when you put on your happy – I love Jesus yes I do I love Jesus how about you – face on Sunday.  But even then, your heart is hardened toward God, resisting what He wants to do in your life, because you love your old life and don’t want to give it up.  Am I being more blunt that you would prefer?  My job is to speak – or write – the Truth in love.  My purpose is not to condemn you, but to encourage you to choose 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

Two Steps Away From Truth

“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

Living the Christian life in this culture is becoming increasingly difficult.  Let me say that not everything in this culture is evil, but there is evil in this country and in the world for that matter. It is becoming more and more important for Christians to understand and embrace what is “good”, as defined by the Creator and made clear in His Word.  Our culture, and the world, is offering an alternative truth – one that is contrary to God’s revealed truth.  

You see this is not a new problem.  The first step on the path that leads away from Truth is “The World's claim that people have the right to choose how they live.” God gave us a free will.  We were born with a sin nature.  That is our natural inclination.  The world’s alternative to the Holy Spirit are cultural norms, acceptance, tolerance and man's laws.  Behavior of the people in a society is constrained or enabled by the pressures of those norms, what the culture says is acceptable and laws.  Man’s laws adapt to the moral course that a culture takes.  

The second step is “You do not have a right to say they are wrong.” Since the culture says the first step is on the right path, there is no “true north” anymore.  The ship can sail in any direction, and it will be the right course.  No one has the right to say that a person’s choices are wrong.  If they do, they will be condemned as intolerant, wrong, and evil.  Even if that person is trying to rest the course of the ship to its God-intended course.

That is where we find ourselves today.  Our culture calls good what is by God’s declaration  – evil. What is evil is by man’s declaration, good.  Speak out and you are accused of judging.  You suddenly are a “bad” person.  The temptation is to say nothing – to go along to get along.  Trading off acknowledgement that there is a Truth, and truth by definition, does not change or waiver in the face of cultural changes.  

Listen – this world is no longer your home.  You feel like an alien in the very country you were born in because you are! 

“ .. our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the LORD Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”  - Philippians 3:20-21

When you see something that is bad – according to the Truth – that is declared to be good – to speak out is not to judge but to give testimony to the truth.  Don’t expect the culture to embrace you – on the contrary you may very well face rejection.  

Be careful about wanting to be embraced and accepted by those who are lost.  

“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”  - 2 Corinthians 6:14

Let me leave you with this …..

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth." - 1 John 1:5-6 

Those who have (spiritual) ears, let them hear … those who have (spiritual) eyes, let them see

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 Circumstances Don’t Define You

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." —Psalm 37:5

“We get ourselves into circumstances that were not chosen by God, and suddenly we realize that we have been making our plans without Him— that we have not even considered Him to be a vital, living factor in the planning of our lives. And yet the only thing that will keep us from even the possibility of worrying is to bring God in as the greatest factor in all of our planning. In spiritual issues it is customary for us to put God first, but we tend to think that it is inappropriate and unnecessary to put Him first in the practical, everyday issues of our lives.” My Utmost For His Highest

Something that I noticed as I was driving along the interstate … there are a lot of people around me that I don’t know and will never know.  (Brilliant deduction you are thinking!) Each one has a personal life with personal relationships.  Some have money troubles, and some do not.  Some have broken hearts, and some do not.  Many are without hope.  Each has a unique set of circumstances shaped by seemingly random events …  some of those events out of their control and some not.  But is that really the case?  I can say with confidence... yes and no.  Yes, if you are lost and bound for hell … But no if you have been born again by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus. You may not be able to control the events of life but you can choose how you respond to them. You are not just one of the rats in this rat race that we call life on earth. As a child of God you have a unique distinction.

Our struggles in this life come when we live like we are just like those on this planet who are not born again.  Listen, you are always a Christian no matter what is going on around you.  God is always your Father... Jesus is always your Savior … The Spirit is always in you … the Word is always true and applies to every life situation... every second of your life on this planet and every moment into eternity. You must embrace that truth to live with hope and not despair.  Jesus said, “I came that you might have life” (John 10:10) Living above your circumstances... enduring in the face of trouble... having hope when the situation seems hopeless … it’s all yours … it’s within your grasp... but not if you disregard the One who is the source of hope.  Choosing to live like all of those around you.  Think about it.

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." —Psalm 37:5

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

Making Time For God - Nothing To It, But To Do It!

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image… —2 Corinthians 3:18

“The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord’s own character. The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him.” - My Utmost For His Highest

When you run short on time .. and we all do on occasion .. what are some of the first things that you give up?  I typically get up between 5:00 and 5:30 am.  Why? Because if I don’t then I don’t get this BLOG written. I don’t naturally spend time totally focused on the spiritual … establishing my day with a spiritual foundation.   I have to be deliberate about it. I hear people say, I got up late so I didn’t do  … whatever … maybe read the Bible … pray … or something simple like eat breakfast.  Our spiritual life is the most important aspect of our lives, at least that is what we tell people and ourselves, yet it is one of the first things that gets set aside when we are short on time.  If you get up late, the focus is on getting to work on time .. getting the kids up so they don’t miss the bus … the spiritual, at that point, is probably not even at issue because the natural so dominates our living and the urgency of the moment.

Look, with God there is not a “yes but". There is only yes and no … I did or I didn’t … no excuses …. Jesus asked Peter ... “Do you love Me, Peter?”  … Three times….  (John 21:15-18) First, love like you love people in general, then love like you love family, and last love like God loves you  .. sacrificially.  That is the way we are to love God. Most Christians would answer like Peter … “You know I do Lord!”   … Jesus said to Peter .. “If you do, show me.”  (my paraphrase) The bottom line .. the cold hard facts …. The reason we don’t have time for God is that we don’t make time.  I know that is true for me and I suspect it is true for you too … and other Christians that you know.  So what to do … “straighten up and fly right” … love that saying!  Encourage the saints.  

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”  - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

 Encouragement is not judgement and it’s not criticism.  We all need to be encouraged in the Faith from time to time .. that is why the Bible says it!  That’s why I get up at 5:00 in the morning.  So there is nothing to it, but to 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

Is It Me Or Thee

"And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal." - Luke 9:1-2

Living the Christian life is both a natural and a spiritual experience. Or it can be if lived according to God's design and intent. The spiritual part requires the power of God to be lived. Like Jesus sending the disciples out. Recall that He sent them out before His resurrection and before the Day of Pentecost. God the Father had not yet sent the Spirit of God as an enabler and helper.  Apart from Jesus giving them the power, the implication in Luke 9 is that the disciples would not have been able to do what He sent them to do. In the same way, we cannot do what God has called and sent us to do apart from the power of God in us.

"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

For many Christians the spiritual aspect of their lives is limited to sin management and passively asking God for help for themselves and others.

"And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart." - Luke 9:3-4 

Not only did Jesus send them out, but he told them to not reply on themselves but trust in God's provision. All too often we try to make it happen - or work out. Trusting in God means not trusting in yourself. Where God guides, God provides. I first heard that from some dear friends, retired missionaries that mentored Martie and me in the mid 90's. Living like that requires faith. Like the faith that saved you.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:9-10

We are God's workmanship. New creations in Christ Jesus. We cannot live this new life and do what God has purposed for us to do - apart from the power of God.

"And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.  And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere." - Luke 9:5-6

As you walk in the Way - you will not always be well received. You may care greatly for some people who reject you and your message or help. No surprise for God! People like that crucified Jesus. Jesus told his disciples not to persist with them. It is Jesus they are rejecting. You are not wise enough, eloquent enough or persistent enough to soften a hard heart. It is a spiritual issue and not a natural one. In fac, most people will send you on your way. If they are friends or family, they may patronize you and tolerate you - but in their hearts, they have sent you on your way.

"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." - Romans 12:3

So the title of this devotion is "It is Me or Thee". Martie and I have been privileged to join God in some amazing work. We have received many accolades for our work and our sacrifices - for what people have seen us do. We have had to be on our guard that we do not believe that what has been accomplished can be credited to us. We are on mission for God. Like the disciples, He has sent us and you out and given us the power to do what He sent us to do. Be careful that you don't rob God of His glory. When God said "go and do", the only thing that any of us can take credit for is saying "Yes, Lord to Your will and to Your way. Yes Lord yes I will trust you and obey. When Your Spirit speaks to me with my whole heart I'll agree and I will answer yes Lord yes!"  

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 Christian Is No Longer Cool

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

"I [Jesus] have given them your [God the Father's] word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." - John 17:14

"I am the way and the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me." - John 14:6

77.2 percent of the world's inhabitants identify with one of five major religions: Christians - 32%, Muslims - 23%, Hindus - 15%, Buddhists - 7%, and Jews - 0.2%. The remaining 22.8% put their faith in some other belief system or in themselves. But to say that 32% of the world population is Christian and heaven bound would be inaccurate without clarifying what Christian means. I want to elaborate but don't want to lose the point of this post by chasing "rabbits".

It has never been more important to know what you believe and why you believe it. One might ask - can 68% or more of the world be wrong about God and life? The answer is, actually 100% of the world has been wrong about God and life - that is until some of them met Jesus on the road. Many people identify with the Christian faith but, like Nicodemus, must be born again. John 14:6 is pretty clear about how a person gets to God - it's Jesus.

In John 15 and 17, it is pretty clear why the world rejects Christianity and those who embrace the faith - yep, again, it's Jesus. The tenants of the Christian faith have never been so contrary to the majority of the world's view of what is right and what is wrong. 

The darker the night the brighter the light. As the world grows darker, light of Christ will shine all the brighter. You know how your eyes react when you are in a dark room, and someone turns the lights on. It hurts your eyes, and you want the light turned back off. So it is with sin. The world does not want the light of the Gospel and the Truth of God to shine on their sin. Don't expect a world that loves its sin to applaud you for the conviction that your life brings. We have come to a point in time when it is no longer cool to be a Christian. In fact, the world will accuse Christians of being evil. The prophet Isaiah spoke of a time that would be and now is.

"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 shrewd in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right! Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." - Isaiah 5:20-24

It has never been more important for Christians to stand and show the love of God to a world in desperate need of 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

When Things Are Going Badly - God Is Still Good

All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen… —2 Corinthians 1:20

“When it is a question of God’s Almighty Spirit, never say, “I can’t.” Never allow the limitation of your own natural ability to enter into the matter. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be exhibited in us.  Never forget that our capacity and capability in spiritual matters is measured by, and based on, the promises of God.” - My Utmost For His Highest

When something doesn’t go your way ... something bad happens, some might say that it was because you didn’t have enough faith or maybe it was some sin you committed.  (like Job’s friends) Did you know that all of the disciples, with the exception of John) were martyred?  Do you suppose that happened to them because of their lack of faith or perhaps the consequence of some sin they failed to confess? I think not.  People have been trying to figure out the balance between our new life in Christ and the events that happen or fail to happen in our earthly life.  We tend to put good things on the “God’s Blessings” side and bad things on the “What have I done wrong or why me side”. The fact of the matter is that bad things happen to good people. 

The Bible is like an apple tree … Christians tend to pick the apples that are attractive to them and leave the ones that are not.  The fact is that all of the “apples” are for our consumption.  Our challenge, frankly, is to trust God even when life goes south … someone gets sick or dies … you experience financial loss .. get fired or laid off from work … a relationship with someone you care about is broken, apparently beyond repair … the list is pretty long …

Let me share a challenge Martie and I faced some time ago.  Martie had what turned out to be a gallstone.  We thought it was a heart attack.  Well, we had just left work with the Air Force, surrendered our health benefits and moved to Texas.  Without insurance, we were in transition to Medicare.  We had part A – hospitalization – but were waiting on documentation so we could get Part B – Outpatient.  I rushed her to the emergency room.  The people were really professional and caring.  I asked if Part A would cover the visit and was told “Yes”.  I later found out that I had asked the wrong person – that answer was actually “No”.  They treated her for a heart attack – which it wasn’t.  They did some imaging … thought it was a gallstone but saw a shadow on her kidney which they thought might be cancer .. they did some more testing .. finally, the radiologist told them that it was a cyst which is not uncommon .. not cancer … can you say, “emotional roller coaster”? We left relieved … after a few days, the pain stopped .. apparently, the stone had passed into her intestine.  Then the other shoe dropped .. Medicare notified us that the claim for almost $35,000 was denied. What!!!  I mean, hey, we are missionaries Lord!  We have laid our lives down for others … come on!  Lord are You going to let them take our money?  (Just being honest)  

Martie came to me crying .. she just had been praying that God would intervene and now it looked like we would lose a big chunk of our life’s savings. But as Paul Harvey used to say “And now for the rest of the story”  I took all of the bill notices back to the emergency room to get some answers .. like “Why did you say Part A was OK”  I talked to the Director.  During the course of our conversation, she said that I was only the second Elgin she had ever met.  The other was her first boyfriend.  I thought "Uh-oh … this may not be good!"  Then she said that her maiden name was “Charles” and she was getting goose bumps.  (Elgin Charles - Charles Elgin - get it?) I told her it was the Spirit of God and then she told me she was a Christian.  When I shared about Haiti she told me that her grandfather was from Haiti and so I said something in Creole (Bondye Bon – God is Good) and we conversed briefly in Creole … the RN sitting at the desk was looking on in amazement.  The Director told me to go to the main hospital and speak with accounting … that we would not be charged the full amount … I did and they told me that the hospital portion had been reduced to  $3,000.  But we would have to pay the two Doctors separately – another $3500.  Turns out that the accounting representative was also a Christian and so we had church in the waiting room … got a lot of stares from the people sitting there.  

My point … Martie and I had to be reminded that God is in control and even if we had to pay all of the money … God is faithful and would walk with us through it.  We are not on mission so we can derive some financial benefit from it … we are on mission because God has called us to it and we knew that we are right where He wanted us to be .. in spite of the storms that were raging around us.  He might ask any of us to give something up that we thought was "safe".  That we depended upon. And if He does ... we must trust Him to be faithful.  What challenges are you facing today?

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

Totally Devoted To Whom?

"Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever." - Psalm 86:11-12

There are only two options with respect to the devotion of our hearts. Either I am devoted to the God of Heaven (Jehovah) or I am devoted to the god of this world (Satan).  You may not like that truth, I know I don't, but we really have no choice in the matter. To begin with, we were all born with a sin nature - a natural devotion to Satan but were given a choice because Jesus went to the Cross to choose God. A wrong made right - to be reborn by faith and now devoted to God. New life and no more penalty for our sin. 

For those who are not Christians, they are eternally bound to the nature they were born with. Their lives shout it out. Something I call the fruit of the flesh or sin nature.

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." - Galatians 5:19-21

Do you see any of that in the world around? Just take a casual look at the news on television or read of the headlines or scan social media. That is all you will see. As a Christian, you find it easy to identify at least one or two works of the flesh listed in Galatians that you could say that you have never done and would never do. The problem is ... 

"For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it." - James 2:10

Insomuch as we are mere jars of clay, as Christians, we often find ourselves professing faith and devotion to God and then manifesting the works of the flesh when we are out of eyesight and earshot of church or our Christian friends. And feel OK about it. Making excuses for our fallibilities. We are all too quick to make excuses for ourselves but stand ready to condemn when we hear about it or see it in other Christians. We all should be living out what Paul encouraged the Galatians and us to do.

"But I (Paul) say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." - Galatians 5:16-18

For those of us who have been born again, we have the spiritual capacity to show the world a better way. Not as a result of personal resistance to the flesh and thereby avoiding its "bad" fruit, but by yielding to the Spirit of God and experiencing the fruit of the Spirit - that which the flesh - our old nature finds to be out of reach, even undesirable. 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit."  - Galatians 5:22-25

It is a day by day, moment by moment choice we make. Training ourselves to recognize the temptation to yield to the "old man" and quench the Spirit. We do that by practicing the disciplines of the Faith. Day by day - moment by moment.

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 Great Dividing Line

"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. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9-10

In the eternal context of things there is but one distinction between the people on this planet. Those who are deemed righteous by faith and those who are not. We love to make distinctions. To put people in the "good" group and the rest in the "not-so-good" group. And those in the "good" group will even subdivide themselves - because it is what the flesh loves to do - even though people think they are being spiritually minded when they do it. The Bible is clear enough.

"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." - Galatians 3:28

We are all familiar with that verse and other verses that talk about unity - oneness in the Body of Christ. I think the root of the problem is that we focus on our natural roots, first, and not the source of our spiritual roots which is rebirth. 

I am certain at some time you have heard or read the excerpt from the Emma Lazarus poem associated with the Statue of Liberty. 

'Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!'" - Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus

The hope of the founders of this nation had spiritual roots, but the people lacked the spiritual power to make that vision a reality. The founders were mere men and women who struggled with the flesh as does all mankind. As a country, people from the 4 corners of the world have come to this country - not so much to embrace the common culture but to escape the circumstances of political and social oppression, poverty and hunger they faced int he country of their birth. And so, this "melting pot" called the United States is not so united but has become a country of many cultures - separated and suspicious often in contention with one another. 

I see parallels with the Christian life. People from the 4 corners of the world turn their hearts toward God, but like Lot's wife, look back at their "Sodom" not wanting to abandon the natural for the spiritual. This republic is more a social experiment than a spiritual one. The unity and harmony envisioned by the founders has proven to be a pipe dream - out of reach in the natural sense and neglected in the spiritual sense. It is an opportunity for the Church to be witness to this nation and the world that one people, real life, real liberty and real happiness can only be found by faith in Jesus and spiritual transformation.

"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."- Ephesians 2:19-22

"For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 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. You are God's field, God's building." - 1 Corinthians 3:3-9

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

Approaching A Holy God

"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." - Hebrews 10:19-23

What is your image of God, the Father? You know, the Father God who so loved the world. For many, their thinking about God is shaded by their experience with their earthly father. Some adjectives with a negative connotation that I have heard over the years are absent, passive, dismissive, strict, abusive, loving, distant, and unapproachable.  A local politician, raised in a single parent family says he doesn't want to talk about the father who wasn't there but the mother who was. That is understandable and perhaps laudable, but willful absence on the father's part is inexcusable - it is contrary to God's intent for family. Children should have both a father and a mother present. There is little difference between a single mother and a widow. The only difference is the manner in which the father left the home. 

God, the Father, is a loving God and, at the same time, is a Holy God. Because we were sons and daughters of Adam by natural birth, at the moment we breathed our first breath we were denied access to the presence of God. For the people of Israel, being in the presence of God was represented by limited access to the Holy of Holies in the Temple. The place where the Ark of the Covenant rested. Where the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement was made. Accessible only by the high priest. When we are born again by the Spirit, we are granted access into God's presence by the sacrifice of Jesus - the shedding of His blood for our sins - Jesus who is our eternal high priest and who is forever making eternal intercession for us, 24-7-365 throughout eternity. Access to the Father through Jesus is not a one and done thing. It is every day for eternity. We will always need Jesus to intercede for us to have access to the Father.

"I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me." - John 14:6

We are sealed by the Spirit of God on the day of our salvation for eternity. One second spiritually dead - the next spiritually alive - by the Spirit of God. 

"In him [Jesus] 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 1:13-14

When Jesus said "Ask in His name", he was saying that we have no authority to ask anything of the Father apart from the access given by faith in Jesus.

"Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." - John 16:24

I often hear people pray to Jesus - even to the Holy Spirit - as if they cannot or should not address God the Father - but we can and should pray to the Father because of Jesus and the Spirit, by faith. As we pray, Jesus is making intercession for us and the Spirit is praying things that are too hard for us to pray.

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27

It is actually quite amazing - or as a friend would day - it is Him- mazing. Our new life is all about Jesus and all about 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