Losing Your Witness

In Luke 6 Jesus said - "But I say to you who hear [by that Jesus meant those listening who had spiritual understanding]: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. - Luke 6:27-31  

Oswald Chambers, author of My Utmost For His Highest said this about that ----- ‘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.’ 

Let me ask you. When you hear or read Jesus words, do they seem right to you?  I mean shouldn’t you be shown kindness?  Shouldn’t people that treat you poorly be dealt with – divinely?  Wouldn’t that make you feel better?  

Most of us will agree that the concept is good … but when you are being treated poorly how do you feel when the concept becomes a reality … I sometimes say, tongue in cheek, ‘I don’t want to lose my witness’ … when what I am really saying is that I don’t want to act on what I am feeling and wanting to do.  You know what?  It’s too late at that point.  I have already missed it (the mark). I have already sinned in my heart.

"Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." - 1 John 3:15  

"We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?  And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." - 1 John 4:19-21

You see ….. it is about your heart .... the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).  You don’t have to act on your sin to sin.  Thinking that so long as you didn’t do what you were thinking you have stopped short of sin is not right thinking.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." - Matthew 5:27-28  

Remember David on the roof?  He had already sinned before Bathsheba ever entered his house.  Pretty high standard isn’t it.  It cannot be achieved through determination .. will power .. or won’t power … but only by God’s power in us.  

Are there things – attitudes – responses that you have stifled so you don’t lose your witness? Things in your life that you have been accommodating? Pretending that they didn’t matter .. Get your heart right … do not sin … James says that sin begins in our heart when we are tempted (James 1:12-15).. and at the point of temptation is where it must end … It is only when we are spending time in the Word and with the Lord will we be able to stand against the temptation, but … that is another devotion for another day …  

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

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

Every Christians Duty

"And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit." - 1 Thessalonians 5:14-19

When you join the military - the branch of service matters not - every member is taught the basics of what it means to be a member of that particular service - specifically and then what it means to be in service to your country specifically. I can remember finding my step-dad's manual from the marine corps. As a grade schooler I read that book from front to back. I learned the assembly and disassembly of the M-1 Garand rifle and how to treat blisters on your feet. I guess my serving in the Army should have come to no surprise to anyone. Once you learned the basics, you learned one or more specialties - like communications or Armor or Infantry. A specific role in the organization.

The Apostle Paul was wrote to the Church in Thessalonica about their basic responsibilities as Christians. The fundamentals of the faith if you will. Characteristics that will set you apart from the culture you  live in. Things that every Christian should be about.  We should all warn those Christians who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances. When others think about what a Christian looks like - your face should come to their minds. (Do you think it does?)

That would not be as a point of pride but one of thankfulness, knowing that you are no longer conformed to this world but are being transformed to prove or demonstrate that which is the good and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2) You are fulfilling your purpose in your generation.

But wait there's more!!!  In the military everyone has a specialty that they are trained in. In the Body of Christ, everyone is gifted for their place in the Body that God has purposed for them. You are not merely a passenger on this train to heaven, but you are part of the crew. 

"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. .... one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ." - 1 Corinthians 12:4-6,11-12

You have been called to serve in the Lord's army, if you will. Just remembered a song we taught our children when they were very small. "I may never fight in the infantry, shoot the artillery, ride in the cavalry. I may never fly o'er the enemy, but I'm in the Lord's army - Yes sir!" 

Actually I have done all of those things and am in the Lord's army on top of it. Go figure. So where is the place that the Lord has called you to?

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 

Not All Israel Is Israel

"I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, [speaking nonsense] against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God." - 1 John 3:9-11

Have you ever witnessed a time when there was discord in your church. People - professing Christians - could not seem to get along. There was division - not unity - dissention - not harmony. Maybe you witnessed a split where a group of people left - "en masse" - over some issue. Discouraging? Yes. New with our generation? No. The writers of the New Testament addressed problems like this with the churches that they planted and nurtured.

I recall one church we attended while we were in Alabama. I was asked to lead a devotion at the start of a business meeting. There was some contention among the members over a number of issues. I called them "pet rocks". Issues that certain people would pull out of their pockets and talk about when they had an audience. So I decided to speak to the church about Galatians chapter 5. The fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

"Now the works [what I call fruit] of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." - Galatians 5:19-25

I focused on "outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions" with respect to the flesh. I told them that if you wanted to know what a person's underlying motivation was - the flesh or the Spirit - all you had to do was examine the fruit. That was the best business meeting that we ever had - and it was the last time that I was asked to do the devotion.

So what is the problem? James wrote .... 

"Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh." - James 3:10-12

When you see demonstrations of the flesh in the church, it is because 1) a Christian is yielding to their flesh and not the Spirit or 2) the person is not a Christian at all and incapable of being spiritual - merely having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. (2 Timothy 3:5)

So what does this have to do with Israel? 

"But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel" - Romans 9:6

Not all of the ethnic Jews were part of the Spiritual Israel. Just because people attend church does not mean that they are Christians. Just because they are Christians does not mean that they "checked their old nature at the door." When you encounter situations like this - don't react - reflect - reflect 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 

Forgiven But Not Excused

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" -  Romans 5:8

There is something called the "Roman Road" that is an explanation of the Gospel using scripture from the book of Romans. John 3:16 is, of course, another "go to" verse that communicates what it was that God, the Father, did through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the Son. Good so far?

I had a conversation with one of my cousins today about loving sinners and forgiveness. What exactly that means in a practical sense for those of us who have been forgiven by God through Jesus and how we are to love and forgive others. This is the way I see it, and of course, you are free to disagree with me. God's forgiveness has to do with eternity. He loved us enough for His Son to pay the penalty for our sins which saved us from eternal separation from God and eternity in hell. 

What I think it did not do was give us a pass on the natural consequences of our sins with respect to the laws of man. The Bible says you are not to murder other people. If you do, you can find forgiveness through the blood of Jesus by faith. That does not mean that you will be spared from a life in prison, or worse, execution by the state. We are to love others like God loved us and desired that they would place their faith in Jesus and be born again by the Spirit. One of the thieves on the cross was told by Jesus that Jesus would see him in paradise because of his faith. That thief told the second thief that the two of them "were receiving the due reward of their deeds"

"Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." - Luke 23:39-43

Jesus did not spare the believing thief his mortal life - though He could have. Both thieves dies that day. There are many evil people on this planet who do evil things. We are to pray that everyone, including the very evil ones, will yield their hearts by faith to the Lord, and yet the Bible tells us that most will not. The gate to heaven is narrow and wide is the gate that leads to destruction. Is it a challenge to pray for an evil person? I think so, but that is not our call but the Lord's command. We are praying for their souls - but not necessarily that they might escape man's judgement for their sins against humanity. If building prisons and the threat of sending people to prison was sufficient to prevent evil, then the prisons would be empty, the judges' gavels would be silent, and the police could go on holiday. But the prisons are full, the court dockets are backed up, and there are not enough police to maintain order. But still we pray. 

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 Proof Is In The Puddin'

"My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him." - 1 John 3:18-19

There are a number of sayings that have faded over time. "The proof is in the pudding" is one of those. Every now and again an old saying will "pop up" in my brain and come out of my mouth and Martie will say, "I haven't heard that in years." So .. what proof is in the puddin'? Well the proof of our faith. We prove our faith when we live out the Word of God in the face of the world that does what it can to contravene God's design and intent.

How do we do that? Loving others is at the top of the list. The Bible tells us that we are to love because that is God's nature and mankind's nemesis. God's love is unconditional - it doesn't matter who you are or what you have done. (I might add quickly that I am not saying there are no earthly consequences for our actions but there is eternal forgiveness for our souls) 

Following Jesus means that we must reject our old nature and embrace a new nature by faith. (Like what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3) The result is change within. 

"Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God." -  2 Corinthians 5:16-20

Listen - we live our new lives in jars of clay. It is a struggle to live a new life in the face of the pressure life on this planet brings to submit to the old one. The world wants what it considers the "good parts" of being a Christian but not the part that requires the rejection of the sin that it wants to embrace. The proof of our faith is in the lives that we live not in the words that we say. Our going to church is a demonstration to the world that we are religious but the proof of our faith is how we live and love.  

You know about Peter denying Jesus 3 times. In John 21, after the resurrection, Jesus asks Peter 3 times if Peter loved Him.  I don't know if those events are connected or not. Sometimes we look for connections that are not explicit in the Bible and sometimes we miss connections that are. Be that as it may (another old saying)

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep." - John 21:15-17

It's pretty clear - that Jesus was telling Peter that the love of God is an action and not just an attitude. Think - John 3:16 or perhaps .... 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 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 

Living Like Your In The 4th Quarter

"So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom." - Psalm 90:12

I joke with my wife when I stop watching a game - football - golf - whatever the sport might be by telling her "I predict that someone will win and someone will lose." Another fact is that all football games are won at the end of the 4th quarter - or in some cases, overtime. A fact you can stick in your pocket - in 2024 only 7 of the 111 games played in the NFL went to overtime.

But a 4th quarter may not be as long as we think. It's 15 minutes in football - and 12 minutes in basketball. Most games are won and lost in the last quarter. Sometimes in the last seconds of the game. Sometimes when the odds said that the losing team was too far behind. Then, sometimes, a miracle happens.

For me and my bride, we are turning 75 this year. I liken that to the 4th quarter of life. 75% - well you get the idea. Actually only God knows how much time we have.

We must be careful we don't have the attitude of the the man who decided to build bigger barns - 

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

We should live every day like it will be our last. Everyday we should give the day to the Lord saying, "not my will but your will be done Lord." 

If you lived like that - I mean really lived like that - how would your life change. We are not promised tomorrow. 

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

How does that truth change your perspective or does it? I said that we were living in the 4th quarter of our lives - but tomorrow the Lord may call the game for us. 

Don Moen wrote a song called "When It's All Been Said And Done"

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

When it's all been said and done. All my treasures will mean nothing. Only what I've done for love's reward. Will stand the test of time"

We should all live like we are in the 4th quarter and there is only time enough for one more play on the clock. The players are exhausted by the end of the game. It takes grit and determination to finish well. Same for us. My hope is that when it has all been said and done I can say .... 

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

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 

Let Them See Jesus

"And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. .... to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, ... that no one should be shaken by these afflictions ... May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. " - 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7, 3:3,12-13

Do you watch the news much? Martie and I have struggled with whether we should continue. The preponderance of the news is about what bad people have done or what tragedy has befallen them - very little - maybe at the very end - one snippet about something good. We used to say in the Army that one "you messed up" can erase 10 "you did well". What is wrong in the world carries a lot of weight and seems to be what the people want to know about. Or at least that is mostly what they are being told about.

My guess is, though, that most people really crave good news. Some words of hope. Mankind does not seem to be doing a good job of fixing the problems that have persisted, generation to generation. The technology has changed but the underlying source of the problem has not. We live in a fallen - corrupted world. It will not get better until Jesus returns. Sounds pretty dismal doesn't it.

But there is hope - there is good news. Through faith in Jesus, mankind can find love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) If you are a Christian, and I assume you are if you are reading this, then you can be a light in a world without hope. Living by faith - people can get a glimpse of Jesus through your life. Not just by what you say but by what you do.

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

It is more than telling people that Jesus saves - although that is an eternal truth and worth telling. But it about living a transformed life - being the fragrance of Christ - 

"For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." - 2 Corinthians 2:15

That does not happen by trying harder but by "faithing" harder. Living a surrendered life by faith.

Then you will let them see 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 

Not Everyone Is Cheering For You

"This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus." - 2 Timothy 1:15-18

I deo not think that I would be understating it to say that I have met more resistance from other professing to be Christians than from those declaring that they were not. Apparently Paul experienced something similar from Christians in Asia. Not a lot of details, but it is a reminder of the realities of ministry.

Christian leaders have a responsibility to "protect the flock" from outside threats. But there are times when the threats are from within. Why is that? Because Christians carry their new life around in jars of clay. What can start as a genuine call of God can turn into an expression of the old nature. How do you know? The Word gives us a reference to use.

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like" - Galatians 5:19-21

I could share a number of examples from my own experiences, but I will limit it to one. We were serving in a disaster area. It is very stressful in those places - not just on the locals affected by the disaster, but for the people who have come alongside to help them. You have to work at keeping your focus on your mission and your strength from God. Martie and I had left everything behind, believing that God had called us to service. It was not long that I was being accused of a number of things that were contrary to representing Jesus by a particular person in the group. The volunteers were dumfounded as they knew that the accusations were blatantly untrue as they were witnesses. I was beside myself. My reputation and character were being impugned. So, I talked to some mature, impartial Christians about the problem seeking their advice. They first discounted what was being said as false, and then told me to do and say nothing. To let God vindicate me.

I must say, that is not what I was thinking about doing. The temptation was to stand up for myself. Confront the person - mano y mano. The "old man" wanted to rise up and settle things. But my spirit was affirmed that the spiritual counsel was the right course of action. I was reminded that Jesus had been silent before his accusers. And I was vindicated although my accuser continued to resent me from that day. That experience became a spiritual marker for us. It was a pivot point. God had already shown us that we were to start a ministry which is now Pathfinder Mission. It was that provocation that resulted in our yielding to God stepping into His call. 

We learned that love is the motivation for praying for those who despitefully use you. That you must choose love and trust in God when you are in the midst of a trial and not trust in yourself.

"But I [Jesus] say  unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" - Matthew 5:44

That is an act of faith and not of will. You don't do it because you "have to" you do it because you "want to". That happened about 17 years ago - but I still remember the spiritual lessons learned. I had forgiven the person back then. I still remember the incident, obviously. I tell people that you forgive but not forget. The way that you know you have forgiven is that no emotion rises up in your heart when you do remember - only love - grace and mercy.

Had I not experienced the hardship, I would not have learned a great spiritual truth. I better understand why James wrote what he did. 

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." - James 1:2-5

Godly wisdom is knowledge plus experience wrapped in obedience and tied with a faith bow. 

Not everyone you meet or even serve with will be cheering for you, but God has your back.

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 Your Life Goal to Burn Out Or Rust Out

"And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good." - 2 Thessalonians 3:13

I often tell people that I plan to burn out and not rust out with respect to my serving the Lord and others. The American dream is work hard and then retire from work and focus on yourself. There is nothing inherently wrong with resting or pursuing your hobbies or checking off whatever you have written on your bucket list. 

I do think it is a mistake to imagine that you have no eternal value in your later years in life. I must say that I am frustrated a bit with the local church in that its activities are organized around age. Once you hit 50 you are about to crest the hill of being useful in the church. Sound exaggerated? Perhaps, but really not that far from the truth. Oh, people are respectful enough, but they can be patronizing as well.  

The challenge is for the older folks to not fold up their tents and call it a day. Do you know how old Abraham was when Issac was born? 100. Sara was 99. No, I am not suggesting that our goal should be to start another family when we get our first social security check. But I am suggesting that God can and will use people, no matter their age if they are willing to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

I just shared a story with a friend about something that happened while we were serving in Haiti. I was asked to build an orphanage and have it ready in a very short period of time. My response to the request was that God would have to provide - make a way for it to happen - if that was going to happen. One day, about three weeks before the date we had to be ready I was talking to a Haitian pastor at the work site. He asked when I would be done and I told him what my deadline was. He laughed and said, "Nothing happens quickly in Haiti." My response to him was "Pastor, if you remember, Sara laughed." He got my point. It is my same point to you. Don't limit God. Oh - the orphans walked through the gate on the day that had been set. I could not have orchestrated that - only God could.

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26

God never asks us to do anything that we can do on our own. And then He gets the glory, and we have a testimony to the world.

So don't hang up your spurs quite yet my friend. There is a lot more ridin' to be done. (Thought I would throw in a little Texas talk!)

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 Primacy Of Our Spiritual Life

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Why do you do what you do? Why do you treat people the way you treat them? Well - Paul wrote that "every deed" should be prompted by faith. In other words there is nothing that we do that should be birthed from our old nature. No words said. No attitudes held. No actions taken that do not have their root in our spiritual natures. 

At the core of our faith is love. We love God first and others next - finding the power to love them is born out of our love of God. Seems simple doesn't it. That gives some context to what John wrote.

We love Him because He first loved us.  If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?  And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." - 1 John 4:19-21

If every deed and thought is to be prompted by love, then what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth is brought into context.

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Take a moment to consider your interactions with people - face to face - on the phone - even on social media. What kind of grade would you give yourself if you used 1 Corinthians 13 as the measuring stick? My point - Who we are by faith in Christ is who we should be to everyone we interact with. The Word of God is not a guide - it is a directive. 

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, 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 

Being Holy In An Unholy World

…unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 5:20

“The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good things, but that he is good in his motives, having been made good by the supernatural grace of God. … The purity that God demands is impossible unless I can be remade within, and that is exactly what Jesus has undertaken to do through His redemption… The great wonder of Jesus Christ’s salvation is that He changes our heredity. He does not change human nature— He changes its source, and thereby its motives as well.”  Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." - Isaiah 6:5

When Isaiah was in the presence of the Lord, he was suddenly and painfully aware of his sinful nature. That awareness was inescapable.  His very nature was laid bare before God.  There was nothing He could do to make it right or to hide it.  It was necessary for God to intervene on Isaiah’s behalf. 

“Then flew one of the Seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” - Isaiah 6:6-7

In the same way God intervened on our behalf on the day of our rebirth through Jesus. The question that came to my mind this morning is this. After so many days, months or years have passed, are we still aware of our dependence upon the Father’s intervention in our lives? That we are a people of unclean lips and cannot stand in the presence of a holy God on our own merit.  Or have we “adjusted” to our new life and really don’t see our sins as being significant. As far as we are concerned, we are maintain our sin life at an acceptable level.  The truth of the matter is displayed in the way we live our lives. We must all be on our guard. We might even have a casual attitude towards God and Jesus. I have heard some refer to the Creator of the universe as "the man upstairs" and Jesus Christ as "JC". Oh that we were like Isaiah.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Well ……. Do 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 

But What About Him

"Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?" - John 21:20-23

Have you ever been resentful about other people. Perhaps you felt that you were not getting your fair share of whatever was at a premium. Opportunity - love and affection - recognition. I was thinking about my brothers. If something was going to happen to me, typically that was not to my advantage, I wanted to know about the impact on my brothers. Maybe we got into a scrap over something, as brothers will do from time to time. I was the oldest and so I was held most accountable. But still, I wondered - but what about them?

Jesus had been talking to Peter about Peter's future. Jesus had just asked Peter 3 times if Peter loved Jesus. I am not a Greek scholar, but I was told once that the first time Peter replied that he loved Jesus like a friend, then a brother, and finally as Lord. Recall Peter had denied Jesus three times before His crucifixion. Frankly I don't know if the number three ties those events together, but I have heard some say it does. I will leave that to your study if you are so inclined.

So Jesus had just told Peter that later in life Peter's life would be very difficult. Peter turned and saw John and asked, "Well what about John?" Jesus' reply was, "What is that to you?" Almost like sibling rivalry. I remember the Smothers Brothers where Tommy would say to his brother, "Mom always liked you best!" For most of us that is more fear than fact. As far as Jesus was concerned, there was no favoritism - only the will of God. 

"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." - Matthew 5:44-45

Are you ready to rest in that. Or is your love for God conditional? His love for you is not.

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 Mystery And The Struggle

"This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 3:6

The Jews had long believed that as the Chosen Nation, if anyone who was not Jewish wanted to have a relationship with the Creator God, Jehovah - then they must embrace the Jewish faith and abandon their heritage, beliefs and practices. In fact, the disciples struggled with the idea that Gentiles might share in the Promise through faith in Jesus. Some required that the Gentile Christians practice the Jewish traditions even to the point of physical circumcision. It was Paul - a former Pharisee that showed them the error in their thinking. He even confronted Peter in the matter. Still Paul would go first to the Jew and then to the Gentile on his journeys. He wrote to the Church in Galatia ....

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

To the Church in Colossi he wrote ....

"You have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all." - Colossians 3:9-11

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23

All means all - it doesn't matter the race or religious leaning - we all need a Savior. Just like Jesus told Nicodemus - even Nicodemus needed to be born again by the Spirit. God does not favor one race or nation above others, although He may, from time to time, use a nation or race to accomplish His eternal plans.

"So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed." - Ephesians 4:17-19

Peter struggled with wanting to go back to the practices of the Jewish faith - to what he had been raised in. Paul, writing to the Church in Ephesus, was encouraging them to not return to the secular life that they had been saved from. There is a song that goes, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart Lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above."

It is a struggle that we all face and will continue to struggle until we face Jesus. That is why we must be reminded of the dangers and the temptations to live as we once did.  What we read in the Bible are not stories about past generations but about every generation.

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 World Needs To See Jesus

"Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority." - John 14:8-10

So the disciples wanted Jesus to usher them into the presence of God the Father. They wanted to see God. Jesus response - If they had seen Him (and they obviously had) then they had seen the Father. That reminds me of John 17.

"My [Jesus] prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." - John 17:20-23

So if you have seen Jesus then you have seen the Father. Likewise, if people have seen you then they should see Jesus and, in turn, they will see the Father. And then - the world will know that the Father sent the Son and, in turn, the Son has sent us. I suppose the question is - who do people see when they see you and me? I personally find that very convicting.

As I typed this out a painful memory came back to me. A negative example, if you will. When I was probably a freshman in high school, I had done something - don't know what - not even then - and my mom said to me - "Don't do that, you remind me of your father!" My folks were divorced when I was 2 years old. A strong message - don't act like your dad. At the time neither she nor I were Christians - but thank you Jesus, that all changed some years later. Do we remind people of the world or of heaven? The natural or the spiritual? Do our lives preach hopelessness or hopefulness?

I am not talking about putting on our spiritual game face. Giving the appearance of being a Christian. I am talking about being the fragrance of Christ in all that we do and say, all the time - everyday - under any provocation to act otherwise. 

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." - 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

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 

Merely A Reflection In The Mirror

"Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." - James 1:22-24

I took the following excerpt from a recent Yahoo News post. "Thursday’s bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast, where President Donald Trump affirmed he now “much more strongly” believes in God, went off the rails once lawmakers closed their Bibles and opened their social media accounts."

The idea for a National Prayer Breakfast first came from a Methodist minister in the1930's, but today religious leaders of many faiths attend, including [a number] Christian denominations, Islam and Judaism. In another article, a politician was quoted as saying "Christian prayer has no place in the Capitol." One of the pillars of this country is the idea of freedom of religion. From a secular perspective that makes sense - that people of other faiths might live in harmony with all people having no fear of isolation or persecution. However, for people of any particular faith, few if any believe that there is more than one true religion - that being theirs. 

Certainly, our country was founded largely by those of the Christian faith, but the country has evolved. With respect to faith, race and culture the United States is not the "melting pot" that I was taught about in grade school in the 1950's. It is stratified and by its nature weak at the seams. 

As Christians we must have a spiritual understanding of the natural world we live in. We have a dual citizenship. One on this planet and one in Heaven. (Philippians 3:19-21) Our primary allegiance is to the Creator God and secondarily to our country. Until Jesus returns there will always be a tension between the Body of Christ and the world in which we live - to include all other faiths. So what should we do? Do what Jesus did. But I might add, they still crucified Him.

OK, so much for my social commentary. 

The news post reminded of the verse in James chapter 1. We look in the mirror, turn away, and forget what we just saw. In the same way, we can attend an event - maybe church on Sunday and before we hit the door on our way to our car the Pastor's sermon is a distant memory. The conviction we felt from the Spirit as the Word was preached has faded. And we are back in the "real world". Our minds fixed on our bellies and what we are going to do on a Sunday afternoon. Like those lawmakers who had just left the Prayer Breakfast. Their response to the Prayer Breakfast is like church can be. It was a social - even mandatory event - where their attendance was expected. Yes, kind of like church can be. 

When we look in the mirror, we should see the reflection of Jesus in the saved sinner looking back at us. Not forgetting who were once were and who we are and will be for eternity.

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

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

Living By The Spirit

Death no longer has dominion over Him.…the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God… —Romans 6:9-11

"Eternal life is not a gift from God; eternal life is the gift of God. The energy and the power which was so very evident in Jesus will be exhibited in us by an act of the absolute sovereign grace of God, once we have made that complete and effective decision about sin. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8)— not power as a gift from the Holy Spirit; the power is the Holy Spirit, not something that He gives us. The life that was in Jesus becomes ours because of His Cross, once we make the decision to be identified with Him. If it is difficult to get right with God, it is because we refuse to make this moral decision about sin. Even the weakest saint can experience the power of the deity of the Son of God, when he is willing to “let go.” Then Jesus will have complete and effective dominion in us, and people will take notice that we have been with Him." - Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”  -  Acts 4:13

The difference in Peter and John was that they had the Spirit of God in them.  Peter had just been with Jesus when Peter denied Jesus.  Peter was operating out of his flesh – his old nature when that happened.  But in Acts, they were speaking with power and wisdom that could not be explained except that these men had been with Jesus.  They reflected Jesus in their words and with the authority by which they spoke.  It is the same with us.  The power of our new life is totally, 100%, dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit in us.  Imagine that you are driving down the road and someone reached over and turns the ignition key to the off position.  The engine stops .. the power steering is gone .. the car is unresponsive – dead if you will.  Well, that is how it is when we attempt to live the Christian life on our terms … without the Holy Spirit. 

“Do not quench the Spirit" - 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Like turning the key to off, we can disregard the Holy Spirit … trust in ourselves … and fail.  Are you having trouble being the Christian you know you should be?  Most probably it is because you are not walking in the power of your new nature. 

"So I [Paul] say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." - Galatians 5:16-18

And that, my friend, is the truth!

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

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

Who Is Your Testimony About?

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ… —Colossians 1:24

"If we simply preach the effects of redemption in the human life instead of the revealed, divine truth regarding Jesus Himself, the result is not new birth in those who listen. The result is a refined religious lifestyle, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is in a realm other than His. When we say, “What a wonderful personality, what a fascinating person, and what wonderful insight!” then what opportunity does the gospel of God have through all of that? It cannot get through, because the attraction is to the messenger and not the message. If a person attracts through his personality, that becomes his appeal. If, however, he is identified with the Lord Himself, then the appeal becomes what Jesus Christ can do. The danger is to glory in men, yet Jesus says we are to lift up only Him (see John 12:32).” Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest

I was talking with a painter and his son one day while rebuilding a house.  The conversation drifted from what had to be done in the house, to more personal matters … who we are, why we are what we are.  I feel strongly that God has these men helping for His purpose.  But as I shared a little about my past and why I was in Texas, the young man smiled and said that what I was doing was a great thing.  And so back to Mr. Chambers.  If all I do is impress those men with my service and fail to communicate whom it is that I serve and why, I have failed in my mission.  Testimonies are good but are hollow and vain without the Gospel at their center.  You can impress people with the “whats” in your life but fail in your mission if you do not tell people “why” you do what you do.  Paul said ....  

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

If people are not drawn to Jesus, but to you, then you have missed the point of your encounter with them.  Be careful that you don’t neglect the Gospel, your primary mission in your new life, in favor of people being impressed with who you are or what you do.  Every bit of that is for the glory of God, not your personal glory.  Don’t be like the some of the Pharisees.  

“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." - John 12:42-43

Like a friend would tell me whenever I would say, "Well George, what do you think?" His response - every time - "Jesus Saves"

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 Cost Of Your Faith

"So, they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation." - John 11:41-48

The Sanhedrin was a Jewish judicial and religious council during the time of Jesus and in the early years of the Christian movement. Composed of seventy-one members, including the High Priest, it held significant power but could not sentence a person to death under Roman law. The religious leaders were concerned - not that they were going to miss the Messiah, but that there would be a negative consequence from the Roman government if they allowed it to continue.

"Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God." John 12:42-43

Have you ever worried about what others might think or how they might treat you because of your faith in God and salvation through Jesus? I had a friend who once told me that he felt he had to drink alcohol because it was expected of him. We were both in the Army at the time. He was speaking out of his unfounded fears. I could argue that the Bible speaks against excess with respect to alcohol - I know others would disagree. Paul said although something might be OK to do, if it causes your brother to stumble, don't do it out of deference to their weakness. When I would attend something call a Dining In which was a formal military dinner for the officers of the unit there were a series of toasts made - to the wives, to the president, etc. Everyone had a wine glass for the toasts which were filled by the waiters. I would turn my wine glass upside down and toast using my water glass. I noticed that a few others would do the same once I did it. You never know when your obedience will give courage to others. BTW, nothing was ever said to me, and I had a moderately successful career. 

"If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels." - Mark 8:38

Why would Jesus have to speak to that? I think because it is a problem for all generations. Our spirit maybe willing but our flesh is weak. If we put our trust in the wrong place - in the world for example or the opinions of others - Christians or not - we have lost focus on what we are called to do.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." - Psalm 20:7

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 To Do About Sin After We Are Born Again

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." - 1 John 1:9-10

I heard a sermon this last Sunday about dealing with our sin after we are saved. The pastor said that the Book of John is about salvation and 1 John is about living the Christian life. Then he expounded on 1 John 1:9. You are most likely aware that there are two camps with respect to eternal security - once saved always saved and the other is, you can lose your salvation once you have it. I, personally, am in the first camp. And so, what I am going to write about is what to do with sin when we sin as Christians.

First - Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that we must be born again by the Spirit. He referred to two events in our lives - the natural birth and the spiritual birth. He didn't qualify the new birth with the caveat that if you sin again - ever - you will have to be born again and again and again.  Later in John chapter 10 Jesus told the religious leaders that His sheep belong to Him and no one else and He is not letting them go. 

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand." - John 10:27-29

No one can change that.  "NO ONE" is all inclusive BTW. That means that once I am a child of God - it is a done deal and cannot be undone by anyone - even me, the person in question. I hasten to add that there are many people who are religious but, like Nicodemus, have not been born again by faith. They have never been in the Father's hand, are not one of the sheep, but do associate with the sheep. Maybe every Sunday even. Since they have never been saved, they can't lose something they never had.

If a Christian sins but there seems to be no eternal consequence - ugh! as I am writing this I realize how deep this can go and I must resist - this is a BLOG post not a book! Is that to say that sin doesn't matter after you are saved? Paul addressed this in Romans chapter 6.

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" - Romans 6:1-3

The suggestion here is an acknowledgement that we will continue to sin but we should not abandon ourselves to sin. Since we are saved by grace it doesn't matter how we live and what we do. WRONG!! We have been called to be salt and light. We been sanctified by the Spirit though faith and are, each one, temples where the Spirit resides. 

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" - 1 Corinthians 6:19

As we travel through this life we will sin and that does impact our walk but not our salvation. I am reminded of Jesus washing the Disciples' feet. 

"Then He [Jesus] came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean" - John 13:6-10

Jesus' point was that once saved our "feet" will pick up dust along the road (we will sin) and we need to wash our feet - but not our whole body. So bring that into the context of 1 John 1:9. We need to confess our sins (wash our feet) so that our relationships and our witness will not be hampered. The Spirit, who is in us, will convict us of our sins. 

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

And when conviction comes, and it will even if we resist it, we must confess - which means to agree with God - and get our feet clean again.  That requires surrender - just like Peter. I suspect that there are a good number of Christians that carry a sack-full of unconfessed sin and then they approach God as if they have clean hearts and clean hands. Maybe they don't see the need when they approach a holy God. And if they don't see the need, perhaps it is because they have no part with Jesus to begin with.

I will leave you with a question to consider - What do you think happens if a Christian dies with unconfessed sin? With dirty feet?  

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

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

We Will Know When We See Jesus

I have been thinking about how to best frame this post. I am writing about what happens when Christians die. I hear people make reference to other Christians who have passed from this life as waiting in Heaven - that they are looking down on us - And the ones who are left behind are looking forward to the day when they are reunited as a family. I heard a pastor say, just today, that when Christians die they go to heaven. That is true but the question I am addressing is when do they go to heaven? Let's look at what the Bible says? But first some perspective. There are two groups of people in this world. Saved and Lost. Heaven bound and hell bound. What happens to mankind is God's plan not ours. We are just trying to understand spiritual truth the best we can. 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

God the Father sent Jesus the Son to save us - give us eternal life - spiritual life - born again spiritually by faith - sealed eternally by the Spirit of God. That is John and Ephesians.

I recently watched the interview of the father of one of the American Airlines pilots that died in that midair collision at Reagan National. He said his son was a spirit in a body and now he is a spirit. It rekindled my thinking about what we Christians believe about physical death. What happens when we close our eyes for this last time this side of heaven? Martie and I both will be 75 this year. We know we are on the back side of this mortal life. We may have 15 or 20 years left on Terra Firma, only the Lord knows for certain. But we know that there will come a day when we breathe our last breath, just like all preceding generations - just like you. And then what? 

We know God has revealed the fact that there will be a resurrection of the dead and a place for us in heaven. Jesus said ... 

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14: 1-3

Jesus was leaving and then coming back. But if we were with Him already, wouldn't it stand to reason that He would not have to come back to get us. Confusing? It is for me. It's like Paul was saying - that we see as through a glass darkly. Not a clear picture. Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonica .... 

"For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Honestly, I don't know that anyone really knows exactly what happens. The reference to falling asleep I can relate to. I fell asleep last night and like all the other times, I did not remember going to sleep. I never have any awareness of the passage of time while I am sleeping. I woke up this morning - with this issue on my mind actually, but I had no sense about how long I had slept until I looked at the clock.  I am thinking that perhaps Jesus and Paul used the idea of sleeping because that is what death is like. We have an earthly perspective on time, but I think the heavenly reality is quite different. Jesus struggled with the Jews in particular because they lacked spiritual understanding. Even the disciples needed explanations of His spiritual parables. At the time, they lacked the Spirit of God to help them. Peter gives us some insight into the contrast of the natural and the spiritual with respect to time.

"But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." - 2 Peter 3:8

Whether it is one day in Heaven or a thousand years on earth, the time we were asleep would seem like a moment. To put that verse another way. If I live 80 years on this planet that is the same as living for 115 minutes or just short of 2 hours in Heaven - according to my math. So, if the Lord tarries for 5 days in Heaven, that is 5,000 years on planet earth. That would mean that I could "sleep" a long time but would not know it. You get the idea? 

When a loved one passes, we look for comfort, like the father of that Airline pilot. If the one who has died was not a Christian - there is no consolation about eternity that you can give those who remain. Apart from Jesus, the lost are bound for hell. I know that is a hard truth that we really don't want to share with those who are grieving. For Christians who die, we have an eternal hope. For that dad, he is confident that his son, spiritually speaking still exists and is only asleep or may be awake in heaven. Do you remember the story of the girl who everyone thought was dead?

"When Jesus came into the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose." - Matthew 9:23-25

I think that was a spiritual lesson for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. Referring to those who are born of the Spirit. I think that we, with good intentions, mistakenly impose earthly constructs on heavenly realities. But we won't really know until we know and that will be when we are face to face with Jesus. 

The bottom line, whether we are sleeping waiting for Jesus to take our hand or we are in heaven waiting for the end of days, it should have no effect on how we live our lives while we still have breath. My thinking is that I will stop trying to figure it out and not stress over what I don't know. Resting in what I do know. What's that you ask?

Jesus saves! My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and His righteousness. On Christ the solid rock I stand - all other ground is sinking sand. I don't really need an answer because it is a win-win as far as I can tell. We will know when we see Jesus.

Now if I can just figure out how many angels can stand on the head of a pin? Just kidding!

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