Sarah Laughed

And He [the Lord] said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. - Genesis 18:10-14

When the Lord called Martie and me to Haiti it was to do something that I have never done before - build an orphanage. We arrived in Haiti in July 2011 and I was asked to have the orphanage operational by October 1. The Lord provided everything I needed to accomplish the task - materials, construction expertise, equipment, manpower. What I provided was leadership and a willing heart to walk by faith. Not long after the work had begun, I was talking to a Haitian pastor. He asked me when the orphanage would be ready for the children. When I told him, he laughed and said "Nothing happens quickly in Haiti". To which I replied - "Pastor - Sarah laughed!" I can say from the expression on his face he was not happy with my response - it was a challenge to his faith - and that, frankly, was my intent. On the first of October the children walked through the gate of their new home. 

‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.  ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before [the Lord God]  you shall become a plain! - Zechariah 4:6-7

How is it that we can accept Genesis chapter one's creation story or John 1:1-3 but when we consider God's word to us, we doubt. Do you not know that Sarah conceiving was the Lord's will and not hers? She was resolved to a life of being barren - childless. Not that she did not long for a child. But the season for any possibility of that happening has long since passed. Recall when Jesus prayed in the Garden, He prayed - "Yet not my will but Your will be done" There is no heavenly drive-through where we can place our orders and then God puts them in a sack and hands them to us as we drive by. We must align our will with the Father and where our will is not aligned with His, we must yield our will to His. And that means picking up our cross and following after Jesus. 

Then He [Jesus] said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. - Luke 9:23

Are you ready to do that? Even it means that you don't get what you want or things don't go your way? Really? My victory in the orphanage was followed by my contracting malaria, followed by chikungunya disease, and then followed by cellulitis. God is faithful - in good times and in difficult times. In the midst of it all, good and bad - God has been and will be faithful. Put your trust in 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

I Don't Love Your Choices But I Still Love You

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. - Proverbs 14:12

I am quite certain that you have someone, perhaps more than one someone, in your family who is struggling with sin. And very likely, you struggle with how you should respond to that someone. Well, I think that to find the answer you seek, you might have a look back at your own life. Was there a time when you and your heart were far from God? Of course there was.  Did you want people telling you that you were wrong and needed to go another away? Of course you didn't! 

So what changed in your life?  Did someone continue to love you? That is not to say they condoned the choices you were making. But they, still, did not "throw the baby out with the bath water!" 

Do you remember the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15?  When the son repented and returned to his father, his father saw him from a long way off.  That suggests to me that the father was always looking toward the hill for the son's return. But he did not go after his son. He loved him and waited for the son to have a change of heart. True spiritual transformation is not something that you can mandate or manipulate. Oh you might be able to influence someone's behavior when you are around them, but not change their heart. That is something that they must do. It is between them and God.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. - John 3:16-18

God has made a way for restoration but it takes each one of us yielding our hearts - repenting of our sin - and being restored to our heavenly Father through faith in Jesus. The life that we were living that led to death and eternal separation from God was saved because Jesus paid the price for our sins. I know some of my relatives are living their lives apart from God. They know the truth about God's love and yet they continue to live in a way that defies the Truth but makes sense to them. I have shared the Gospel on more than one occasion.  It is not that they have not heard the Truth. It is that they choose not to repent. There is nothing I can do about that. I can't make the decision for them.  But I will continue to love them, looking down the road, hoping that one day I will see them crest the hill as they return with a new heart.

My folks witnessed to me for 7 years - sometimes with words - but mainly with love and acceptance - living as examples of children of the King. They didn't love my choices, but they still loved me!  I heard their testimonies but there was another way that seemed right to me at the time, until one day - my eyes and heart were opened to the Truth - and my life was changed - forever. I was born again. If it can happen to me - it can happen to anyone. But it takes a divine - personal - revelation from the Father - Jehovah God.

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 16:16-17

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

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

Walking In Our Calling - Not An Easy Road

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." —Isaiah 6:8

“God did not direct His call to Isaiah— Isaiah overheard God saying, “…who will go for Us?” The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His “Follow Me” was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we will allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard— “the voice of the Lord.” In perfect freedom we too will say, “Here am I! Send me.”” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

 Jesus said (Mark 4:9) “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”  Whoever has the desire to seek God will hear.  Then once you hear God, the next step is to “do”.  We have all been called.  In Romans chapter 1, Paul referred to the Roman (Gentile) church as “the Called of Jesus Christ”.  Our challenge is to live in obedience to that calling.  It is not an easy road that we walk. But we don’t have to walk it on our own, thank the Lord.

So often we are interested in the eternal benefits of being a Christian, but we don't really want to yield fully to God. Instead we would like to negotiate with God. Maybe we can both sign a memorandum of agreement. Where we both give in certain areas.  We just want to hang on to a little bit of our old nature - the things of the world that we love. Is that so bad? Well the Word of God is clear. There is no wiggle room. No opportunity for compromise.  

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. - 1 John 2:15

Like the "song of the sirens" luring the sailors to their death on the rocks, our old nature calls to us to compromise - just a little. But James wrote

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. - James 2:10

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

Speaking To A Dead Man

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 16:13-17

Someone realizing who Jesus really is and who they really are is not something that can be reasoned out with logic or observation and study. It happens only by godly - spiritual revelation. 

As Christians, we have been anointed to proclaim the Good News - but salvation is between the hearer and God. We can convince no one of spiritual truth with logic or persistence. That realization is an act of faith. A revelation from God, Himself. Once heard - once someone feels the unction of the Spirit, they are faced with a choice of either yielding their heart and life to the Lord or continuing to stay on  the path, which leads to Hell and eternal separation. No matter how much I want someone to be saved - especially a loved one - perhaps a blood relative - part of my family - it is not up to me.

So what is my responsibility. I believe that it is to speak when the Spirit gives opportunity - to continue to pray for their salvation - to continue to love them - just like God continued to and continues to love me. I heard the Gospel for many years before I yielded my heart by faith. It is difficult to accept that not all whom I love will have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. But, thankfully, some will. God knows - I don't. And so I do what God has told me to do - Go and Tell. My place to is sew the seed - Only God knows the condition of the soil. I must be careful and not think that my words will convince someone - but God may use my words for His purpose. My willingness to share the Gospel must be unconditional - not conditional that someone must be saved when I speak or I have failed somehow. The sower does not stand in one spot but casts the seed as he walks along. And so should we.

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

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 The Choice To Not Be Angry - Part 2

This is a continuation of yesterday’s devotion.  I realize that many books have been written on this subject. Many people are in therapy for anger. Christian people.  Anger is a secondary emotion, meaning why we get angry is because there is something at the root – working behind the scenes – and a life situation serves as a catalyst for our anger to rise up.  

I also realize that people can find verses in the Bible that would suggest that anger is “OK”, it is not sin. But anger is like a loaded pistol.  The gun can go off by accident or can be used for harm intentionally.  It can be indiscriminate, hurting the innocent as well as the guilty.  Anger can be so dominant that the easiest thing is to yield to it and not resist.  My point is that accepting anger – even rage, is not consistent with your new life in Christ.

Most people are not looking for opportunities to be angry … Those opportunities come suddenly upon us, like an ambush, with ferocity.  Then it is over – the smoke clears – the causalities lie wounded all around.  And we say to ourselves “It’s not a sin to be angry.” In an effort to justify the harm we have done.  So what to do.

First – Understand, and Embrace the Truth, that Anger is not a fruit of the Spirit. 

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.   (Galatians 5: 19-23)  

These verses contrast the differences between your life in the flesh and your life submitted to the Spirit of God – the Spirit that is in you. 

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own -  1 Corinthians 6:19

How can we reconcile anger and the damage it does with our new nature and the fruit that it bears? I’ll answer that. We can’t!

Second – Have you ever heard or said “You make me so angry!”? No one can “make” you angry.  But they can provide the opportunity for you to express anger.  Everything is going fine then the ambush is sprung and you find yourself in the “kill zone”.  In "Ambush-eze", the kill zone is the place where most all of the fire power is directed. Anyone in that area when the ambush starts is a gonner.  The only way to not be a gonner is to do what makes no sense at the time, face the firing and charge it – fighting your way through it.  It is your only hope of survival. In this case, the best defense is a good offense! When you are getting angry, you need to recognize it immediately and deal with it spiritually.  Like salvation – you can’t succeed by trying harder.  You need to attack with the Sword of the Lord.  The ambush is within – it’s not the circumstance that gave rise to the anger.

Third – The best thing to do is to avoid the ambush altogether. To see the signs of danger and go another way.  That requires discernment which comes from the Spirit which requires the discipline of seeking God and hiding the Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11)  I recall an a time at ROTC advance camp at Fort Bragg, N.C.  It was my turn to lead the platoon during a training exercise in the woods.  I was leading the platoon on the most secure route and following the road was not necessarily the fastest route to our objective.  So, looking at the map, I decided that we would cut across difficult terrain.  I reached our objective without incident. Afterwards, I was told that there had been an ambush set up at an intersection along the road that I had bypassed that was waiting for us.  The thing is, we never showed up for the party.

You must be sensitive to the signs of an anger ambush and avoid them.  We choose how we respond to life – in the power of our flesh or in the power of the Spirit of God.  Your success will depend upon your training and preparation.  Most Christians lack an enthusiasm for spiritual growth and maturity. They are content with keeping a firm grasp on their ticket to heaven and talking about how much they love the Lord – around other Christians.  But when faced with the withering fire of a deadly ambush – they falter and fail.  

Perhaps you are thinking that avoiding anger is impossible. It is not any more impossible that the Son of God dying for your sin and you receiving eternal life.  If God can do that, why would you think that your problem with anger is bigger than that? You need to deal with the root of the problem. Paul talks about this in Romans 7:21-25 (read it) You don’t need to try harder – you need to Faith harder.  

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 The Choice To Not Be Angry - Part 1

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. - Ephesians 4:31

Anger – you know the feeling don’t you? That feeling in rises up inside of you? Like a jug quickly filling up with water until it overflows. You face is flushed.  Your heart is racing. But is it anger or frustration or disappointment? Often times they are indistinguishable and their expression through you is likewise indistinguishable.  Many people try to explain how they respond or excuse how they respond to life and problems by pointing to their ancestors and their family’s dominant country of origin.  

Some time ago, we ran into a plumbing snag at the house we were working on.  It’s fixable, but it might of cost one or two thousand dollars.  The plumber was talking to me on the phone, almost apologetically because he knows we are a ministry and the home owner has no money to pay for something like this. I could sense that he was expecting me to be unhappy and perhaps even angry.  I told him – “Man, I have been in two wars.  If someone is not dying – I don’t get upset about anything” I went on to say I know two things – “God is good” and “Jesus Saves”.  That brought perspective into the issue.  I told him that I was happy that I was dealing with this and not the home owner.  

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

If you can’t quell your anger – not let your emotions rule – that is a pretty good indication that you are not fully submitted to the Spirit of God.  That is not a judgment, just an observation from my own life.  People often point to Jesus being angry in the temple as an excuse for their own anger.  I would say that the next time you go to church and the money changers and vendors are set up in the foyer – go ahead and drive them out with a righteous anger. But don’t use Jesus as a reason to make excuses for your flesh and sin.  Others looking for an excuse for themselves may buy it, but God doesn’t.  

But I [Jesus] tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you - Matthew 5:44

Hmmm.  How are you going to squeeze anger into that verse? Here is another for icing on the cake. 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. - James 1:2-3 

Letting the emotion of anger have its way is a temptation -  a fierce temptation – that will spring on you without notice – like an ambush.  The only way you will “survive” an ambush is if you fight your way through it.  To do that you must have prepared yourself for such an occasion beforehand.  How you do that I will defer for tomorrow's devotion. 

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

Reasons Why You May Not Be Content

By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain… —1 Corinthians 15:10

The way we continually talk about our own inabilities is an insult to our Creator. To complain over our incompetence is to accuse God falsely of having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining from God’s perspective those things that sound so humble to men. You will be amazed at how unbelievably inappropriate and disrespectful they are to Him. We say things such as, “Oh, I shouldn’t claim to be sanctified; I’m not a saint.” But to say that before God means, “No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are opportunities I have not had and so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn’t possible.”  Always be humble before God, and allow Him to be your all in all. There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

You must be careful to not compare yourself to other Christians and imagine that you can never be like them.  It’s true, you may never do what they do, but if you are born again .. you are exactly like them.  You are exactly like Paul … exactly like Billy Graham … it is just that you may be a different part of the body.  

… the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. […] The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it. - 1 Corinthians 12:14-25

God has purposed us (Ephesians 2:10).  You might decide to be a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker in the natural, but you do not decide what part of the Body you will be in the supernatural.  God does that.  Exactly like Paul and Billy Graham.  Now that is not to say that you might be envious of someone who is the mouth.  But that is your flesh at work.  Perhaps your insecurities at work or maybe your pride. I have known men who demanded that they have a certain leadership position in a local church.  Not because they were called to it, but because they lusted after it.  They want to be significant in the eyes of men or perhaps to overcome some feeling of inferiority or spiritual doubt.  

Or maybe you feel like God can’t use you because you have nothing to offer.  You do! You do!  You can and should offer … YOU.  Then trust that God will use you as He sees fit. It may be to fulfill a place that people won’t see or ever know about.  Is that OK with you?  If not, examine your heart.  If your desire is to glorify God .. the first step is to submit your life to Him and to His will.  A song you may be familiar with …

 “Yes Lord yes to Your will and to Your way.  Yes Lord yes.  I will trust you and obey.  When the Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I’ll agree and I will answer .. YES Lord YES!” 

God will provide the opportunity for you to fulfill your purpose. You don’t have to make those opportunities.  Just do what God puts in front of you.  If it seems bigger than you are .. for whatever reason .. it is most probably God.  There was a man, Brother Lawrence, who was known for his spirituality.  He was a monk.  One thing he did not want to do was work in the kitchen.  He decided that.  Any guesses where God put him?  For 15 years.  During that time, he made a huge impact in many people’s lives.  He served faithfully where God put him and glorified God and blessed others in the process.  Are you ready to work in the kitchen? To set side notoriety and the praise of men.  

 [Jesus said] “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”  - Mark 9:35

My hope is this puts things in perspective for you.

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

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

Choosing Something Bad And Expecting Something Good

... by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. —Galatians 6:14

If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness— I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ’s interests. Our Lord … did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (see John 17:16). Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

I have known a good number of Christians who have made tremendous errors in spiritual judgement.  Those errors have derailed their lives and brought grief and heartache … sometimes that lasts a lifetime.  And yet, they persist in making the same choices based upon their emotions … their desire to “fix the problem themselves or satisfy the need that seems to dominate their lives.  Although they may sing “Jesus loves me this I know” … time and again they choose their own path and solutions over the path that God has laid out for them (Proverbs 16:9) 

They quench the Spirit and listen to their flesh.  They ignore the Biblical counsel of their friends and family … and repeat the same mistakes that they have made in the past with, predictably, the same result. When I see this happening, my heart breaks because I know the joy they have rejected for the trouble that they will inevitably embrace as they meet the consequences of their choices.  Does that sound dismal? That’s because it is.  God has called us out of that life.  But our faith must be more than a philosophy … a “get out of hell free” card.  The great gift we have came with a price .. Jesus on the cross .. yet even that is a distant thought.  That Truth is not enough to motivate us to choose God .. to follow the Spirit .. to sacrifice the flesh.

So why does that happen? For one reason, most of us do not separate ourselves from our old life.  It’s one thing to be IN the world as a Christian.  It’s quite another to participate WITH the world.  To embrace what we know to be sin in an effort to secure the world’s substitute for God’s will and way.  The interesting thing is that although I might speak to the wayward Christian to encourage them to draw close to Jesus, only the Spirit of God can bring conviction to their hearts and only they can yield to that conviction and turn to God in repentance.  So what to do.  Well. Be an example.  Love them .. not their sin … like Jesus.  Pray for them.  And bear the hurt in your heart as you watch them struggle with the impossibility of the life they have chosen.  Jesus spoke to the problem … the Apostles wrote about the problem to the churches .. so it is not a new problem in our generation.  It is the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit natures.  The nature that you feed is the one that will dominate. 

After I got out of the Army, I stopped exercising.  While I was in the Army, exercise was part of my daily life. So, not surprisingly, taking in more calories than my body needed .. I started packing on the pounds. Before I knew it … I weighed 298 pounds .. unbelievable but true.  But then I came under conviction.  First from my doctor who was watching my weight gain and said “You are going in the wrong direction.”  Then there was the associated medical issues derived from being overweight.  I saw a friend, one day, who had lost weight ..  a lot of weight and I asked him how he did it. He told me and encouraged me to do the same. Nine months later, I weigh 199 pounds. I repented. Stopped making the wrong choices and disciplined myself.  I needed encouragement .. but I also had to choose to go another way. Well, that is the way it is with our Spiritual, emotional and relational lives as well.  The Spirit will bring a dissatisfaction and we must be willing to repent.  Today .. choose Jesus.  He is the Way and the Life and the Truth. (John 14:6) Stop doing what you know is wrong for you.  The only way you can do that is by the Spirit. “It’s not by might or by power but by the Spirit”(Zechariah 4:6) You might say “It’s not by MY might or by MY power but by HIS Spirit”.  You can do it!  With His help.  Do it 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

The Insanity Of Choosing To Trust In Yourself And Not God

 “He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." —Hebrews 13:5

What line of thinking do my thoughts take? Do I turn to what God says or to my own fears? Am I simply repeating what God says, or am I learning to truly hear Him and then to respond after I have heard what He says? “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ” (Hebrews 13:5-6). “I will never…forsake you.” Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me.  As we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life. -  Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

 In my experience the greatest enemy facing me and my desire to follow God and yielding to His leading and ways is, well…. It’s me.  I find it so easy to agree with God and acknowledge His precepts as right, and yet, when faced with life I, consistently, turn to me and not Him. The phrase “Living by Faith” is not meant to be a plaque on the living room wall … or merely a pleasantry that we acknowledge as being right.  To live by faith – in God – means to trust Him first – no matter what.  Living by faith is not like one of the bodily functions controlled by the autonomic nervous system .. like breathing and heart beats … something that you don’t have to think about … Living by faith is intentional … It is an act of our will.  If you are struggling with living by your faith in a particular place in your life, it is most likely that the source of the struggle is you .. not your circumstances.  Like the man who said to Jesus “Help me with my unbelief” 

Jesus asked the boy’s father, How long has he been like this? From childhood, he answered. It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. If you can’? said Jesus. Everything is possible for one who believes. Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! – Mark 9:21-24

We know God “can” but the question is do we believe - He will? In this life on Earth, we are not spared from hardship or heartache, but … we can endure whatever life brings our way if we will only have faith in the One who sent His Son … Who created us from dust and breathed life into us. Once in our natural birth and then again in our spiritual rebirth when He sealed us with His Spirit – the Breath of God.  I know that trusting God in the midst of the turmoil of life can be difficult .. maybe you think impossible … This I know from my own life, if Christians neglect the disciplines of the faith … if Sunday is the sum total of the time they spend with the Father … then when the test comes . .and it will come, they will likely get a failing grade.  Not because God was not able to sustain them, but because they chose to ignore Him and trust themselves.  The depth of their faith is dependent upon good things happening to them and the avoidance or relief from bad things and not an abiding relationship with the Father. 

So why is something like living by faith, that seems so simple, so hard to do? Because it is our nature to trust ourselves even if it always leads to failure.  Remember that is the definition of insanity.

“Trust in the Lord and not yourself” – (my paraphrase of Proverbs 3:5)

Faith and trust in God demand that you surrender - now that can be problematic can't 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

Leaving A Legacy

The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. -  1 Chronicles 6:1-3

If you have read Kings or Chronicles in the Bible, you know that there are many names listed. Generational succession. And every now and again you come across names that you are familiar with like Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. But what about all of those other people? Was their existence just like the proverbial "hand in a bucket of water"? While the hand is in the water its presence is obvious. The hand displaces water, but when the hand is removed from the water and the ripples on the water subside, you would never know that the hand had been there.  

When you see a name on a building or street sign have you ever wondered about the person who bore that name? The street or the building was most likely named after them to honor them. But I suspect before that generation had passed - or most certainly by the next generation - the person was forgotten and their name was just a name on a sign. Of course, there are a few in history where their names and contributions to society are still remembered. They may be famous or infamous - but remembered, all the same. What is said about a woman in Proverbs can also be said for a man.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. - Proverbs 31:30

Our current president is wanting to make a visible mark, I think, so he will be remembered.  But, I suspect that like Gershon, Kohath, and Merari - it will not be much beyond this generation that people  will wonder, and then if only for a moment, "Who is that?" As Christians, I think that it is more important that the legacy we leave is not one of personal notoriety and temporal changes that can be upended as quickly as they were accomplished, but with changes that are eternal. 

Mankind, but our culture, in particular, is consumed with self-indulgence. With appearances. What the outside looks like. And from that, people draw conclusions about what the heart and character of that person are like. How disappointing to discover that the people we have put on pedestals of honor are found to have feet of clay - just like everyone else. And they too will be forgotten by the next generation.

So about that Legacy. Well - I think that the best legacy I can leave is that God is remembered and honored in the next generation. The thing is, in my experience, you may not know you have left a godly impression on the life of someone else. To be remembered - not because people saw me - but because people saw Jesus in me. The legacy I am referring to is not painted on a street sign or etched on the side of a building - but embedded in the hearts of others. A legacy of faith in 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

Like It Or Not - Our Words Reflect Our Hearts

“Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart….For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man…” —Matthew 15:18-20

Either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human heart, or He is not worth paying any attention to. If I will take an honest look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I am very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me. Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at naturally. But when the Holy Spirit comes into me, He brings into the center of my personal life the very Spirit that was exhibited in the life of Jesus Christ, namely, the Holy Spirit, which is absolute unblemished purity. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

I often tell people that if you will listen to what people say, eventually, they will expose their hearts. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the heart speaks”  Perhaps it is a critical word, gossip, profanity, a coarse joke, a racial slur, the use of the Lord’s name as an negative exclamation or it might be a word of encouragement, a praise to God, the voice of compassion, the use of the Lord’s name as a positive exclamation … if you listen long enough, you will hear the heart.  Have you heard anyone, including yourself, say “Just kidding” after making some unkind, cutting remark?  What they really mean is that they didn’t mean for that thought to come out.  My heart is the source of my actions and words … David prayed in Psalm 51 that God would create a new clean heart in him … renew a right spirit.  Our words give a glimpse of the condition of our hearts.  Are we walking after the Spirit or after the flesh?  Galatians 5 describes what you will hear and see in either case … the acts of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit.  As Christ followers, we are to be a light of hope … pointing people to Jesus.  

“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

“Be careful little mouth what you say. Oh be careful little mouth what you say.  For the Lord is up above and He’s looking down with love, so be careful little mouth what you say.”  That children’s song seems to suggest that we are the ones who can clean up our heart by being careful  .. but it is really God by His Spirit and Word that do the cleaning.  What we do, like David, is seek out the Spirit and the Word and submit to them …. Then like the Lord told Joshua …. 

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. - Joshua 1:8

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

Spiritual Parenthood - Who Is Your Daddy?

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. - John 3:14-18

OK - Have you read the full chapter of John 3? I mean really read it beyond embracing John 3:16.  Let me see if I can paraphrase verses 14-18

God loves the world and wants mankind to be restored through faith in Jesus. Jesus who was lifted up on the cross for our sins, died and was resurrected by the power of the Father. When we place our trust in that truth which is a spiritual revelation from the Father, then we have eternal life. And so, people who do not put their faith in Jesus - are not born again by the Spirit -  are already condemned. 

In Psalm 51:5, David wrote, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” David recognized that even at conception he was a sinner. When anyone is born, naturally, they are not spiritually fatherless. Because of what happened in the Garden, we are all born spiritually dead toward God - as children of the Devil.

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. - John 8:42-44

Now - we don't want to think that. We want to imagine that we are perhaps somehow neutral, spiritually speaking, up to some age and then we are accountable for our sin.  

"It is possible that God applies Christ’s payment for sin to young children and others incapable of faith, but the Bible does not specifically say that He does this. Therefore, this is a subject about which we should not be dogmatic. God’s extending grace to those who cannot believe would seem consistent with His character. [A reasonable] position [might be] that God does apply Christ’s payment for sin to babies and those who are mentally handicapped, since they are incapable of understanding their sinful state and their need for the Savior." - that is a quote from Got Questions Ministries (but again - "the Bible does not specifically say that He does this") 

With respect to accountability for sin, I suppose the takeaway is that those who are not born again spiritually are already charged as being guilty. One day they will hear the "strike of the gavel" and their sentencing and that will happen at the Great White Throne Judgement. But the lost don't know it.  I am certain that you are comfortable with your understanding of the verses in "Romans that tell us that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." "There are none righteous no not one" There is no exception in either verse. All means all. None means none.

We must be careful about interjecting what we hope to be true into what we know is Biblical truth. Jesus told Nicodemus - "You must be born again". When you are born again your "name' is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, have already received a pardon and will not be judged on that day. Hallelujah. Thank You Jesus!

Does it bother you that people are headed for hell but don't know it or perhaps accept it?  Did you know that as a Christian God has entrusted you with the Gospel - the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus? And that is a serious responsibility and must not be ignored or diminished.

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. - 2 Thessalonians 2:4

That is not to say that you should stand on a street corner with a sign saying "Turn or burn!" but you should be praying for those who are not Christians - starting with those who are close to you. Share your testimony about the difference that God has made in your life. And, of course, share the Gospel - planting seeds.  

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

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

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

God Can Hit Straight With A Crooked Stick

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one -  Romans 3:10

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus - Romans 3:23-24

We attended a church some years back where the pastor, Morgan Bailey, would often say "God can hit straight with a crooked stick". Meaning that there is not a human being that has not sinned, but God through His Son has forgiven, restored and enabled those who are born again by faith. 

So - does that mean that if you are truly born again you will never sin again? What does your personal experience tell you?  OK - so we all still struggle with sin. We all need to have our "feet washed" and not our whole body again like Jesus told Peter. 

After that, He [Jesus] poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He 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 [that is saved] needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” - John 13:5-10

So what is the impact of our sin after salvation? Think of it like being on a sports team but you are injured. You are taken out of the active roster (meaning you can be sent in to play) and put on the injured list until you are healed and your health is restored. Then you are back in the game. That is a simplistic example of what it means to be a Christian with unconfessed sin - and unrepentant. 

Sin cannot be ignored or trivialized if we expect to get off of the "injured list". God's purpose for me does not change - but my capacity to fulfill my purpose because of my sin, has. And how do I get off of the injured list? I must repent. That was the fundamental difference between King Saul and King David. The first tried to justify his sin and did not repent the latter acknowledged his sin and sought forgiveness and restoration.  When confronted by the Prophet Nathan over David's sin with Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite, David's' response was recorded in Psalm 51. 

Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned ....  Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.- Psalm 51:1-4, 10-13

So can you still do things that have to do with being a Christian and be living with unconfessed sin - unrepentant. Yes - but like those that Timothy wrote about - 

They (have) a form of godliness but deny its power. And from such people turn away! - 2 Timothy 3:5

What you do when you are "spiritually injured" lacks the power of God. You may look good to others, but not to God - the One that matters.

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 The Supernatural Life In A Natural World

“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet, not I but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” – Galatians 2:20

Supernatural living in a natural world.  That is what we are born again into, a supernatural life.  Does that statement seem strange when you read it?  Excessive? Well read on!

“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.” – 2 Corinthians 5:16-18

The supernatural life – our new life – is one that is totally dependent upon the One who saved us.  For most of us, the events that we face in life are not any different from any of the people around us who are living natural – unspiritual lives. We face the same things.  We do many of the same things.  We work in the same places.  We suffer through the same tragedies of life. But that is where the similarity ends and the difference begins.  The difference between the natural and the supernatural, the Spirit of God.  

You, Christian, have at your disposal the power of the Almighty.  You do not have to face this life alone.  You have the power to stand when others fall.  You can endure life with confidence when others wither under the pressures that this mortal life brings. And why can we be so confident?

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.  Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:31-39

That’s why !   

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

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

Telling Others All Is Well When It Isn't

We make it our aim…to be well pleasing to Him. —2 Corinthians 5:9

We make it our aim…. It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only “to be well pleasing to Him.” It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal. At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you. Paul spoke of the importance of controlling his own body so that it would not take him in the wrong direction. My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life. Is my primary goal in life to please Him and to be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how lofty it may sound? - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Living by faith and walking in the light does not just happen. It requires personal commitment and discipline. 

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.  Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. - Philippians 2:12-15

Our new life of faith requires effort of the heart… to submit to the Lord requires us to lay our very lives - public and private - down on the altar before God the Father - every day.  Working out our salvation is not self-effort .. trying harder to be “good” …. it’s submission. 

So many people are satisfied with working on having a good-Christian appearance and miss the joy and peace that comes from living in obedience to the will of God.  I know too many people that are struggling with life and refuse to trust God.  (perhaps you do too) If you ask them, they may well tell you that “all is well”, when all is not well. They just want it to be - hope it will be - in spite of their personal struggles. Perhaps living in willful disobedience. There was a news report today about a pastor who was just arrested for child sex abuse. He had just preached at his church the Sunday before. How could that be you ask? That may be an extreme example, but it reflects the same spiritual struggle. 

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! - 2 Timothy 3:2-5

Desperation because of the circumstances you are enduring can subvert your faith and divert your walk.  Unless you are willing to trust and obey.  I wish I could do that for others, but I can’t, just for me. I can only watch their struggle, pray for them and hope they look to God for answers instead of trusting in their own designs. Continue to trust in themselves even thought those designs that have consistently failed them in the past.  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. - Proverbs 3:5-8

And I can be ready to be an encouragement to them if the opportunity presents itself.

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

So - You Want To Be Like Jesus - Really?

When they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples. —Mark 4:34

Jesus doesn’t take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains things to us as we are able to understand them. The lives of others are examples for us, but God requires us to examine our own souls. It is slow work— so slow that it takes God all of time and eternity to make a man or woman conform to His purpose. We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. Jesus will reveal to us everything we have held within ourselves before His grace began to work. We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. He will allow us to experience heartbreak or the disappointment we feel when our intellectual pride is wounded. He will reveal numerous misplaced affections or desires— things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

For those whom he [God the Father] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. -  Romans 8:29  

Have you ever given any thought to what being conformed … molded .. changed … means?  Well, first you know it is a spiritual change, right?  Second … you know that the process is going to be contrary to your flesh. There will be resistance to it. God will show you things through the Spirit that you may not want to see or admit, even to yourself.  (One of the Spirit’s missions is to convict the world of sin.  The Spirit plus the Word of God are the “one-two” punch in the sanctification process.  The knock-out punch is when I surrender my will)

You know that there are certain aspects of your old nature that you want to hide or cling to.  Adam and Eve tried to hide themselves in the Garden… you know how that worked out for them. The only ones you can hide your sin from, for a season, is man.  The Word says (Numbers 32:23) “Your sin will find you out.”  God knows everything .. so why must we confess our sins (1 John 1:9) .. confess means to “agree with” not to reveal. 

The goal of this transformational – conforming process is not to make you miserable, but to bless you .. to make you better.  The pain or difficulty you experience is from the battle between the flesh and Spirit. My encouragement to you is the same as Paul’s to the Romans.  

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

God won’t make you do that.  You must surrender your will voluntarily.  Will 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