Showing The World What Right Looks Like

“The next day John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”— John 1:29

The world is on a constant hunt for a treasure that is and always will be just out of reach … peace and harmony.  The reason is the root of the problem – sin. And sin is a spiritual problem…… Does that see too simple? It seems to be an overstatement of the obvious doesn’t it? Indulge me and allow to me substitute some words for sin. But first – consider that God, the Father, sent Jesus, the Son, and eventually, the Spirit of God, to the earth. A spiritual solution to a spiritual problem.  You see – man could not do anything to fix his sinful nature – it took faith in the One that God the Father sent to do that.

Let’s go to Galatians for a short list of word substitutes.

“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

Quite a list wouldn’t you say? All of these words reflect some sinful action derived from our sinful nature – all requiring a spiritual solution.

So about that word substitution. Adultery is a spiritual problem. Idolatry is a spiritual problem. Hatred is a spiritual problem. Envy is a spiritual problem. Murder is a spiritual problem.  Have any problem agreeing with those substitutions.  Well, since they came from the Bible, probably not.  As a spiritual problem – they need a spiritual solution.

What if I was to say Prejudice is a spiritual problem. Bigotry is a spiritual problem. Racism is a spiritual problem.  Judging others is a spiritual problem. As a spiritual problem – they all need a spiritual solution.  Man cannot resolve their root cause – only Jesus can.  Do you think that God might be trying to show us that we are seeking natural solutions to spiritual problems and the solutions that we conjure up, all of our good intentions will never – ever solve those problem? God is the source of spiritual solutions – and they can all be found in Jesus. 

“Do not lie to one another, since 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. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” – Colossians 3:9-14

Someone once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome.  We have laws in the country, states, counties, and cities that say in essence – don’t sin, as defined by man, or you will be in trouble with the law. Yet, our prisons are full. We have laws that say we cannot show prejudice or bias toward others because of race, color, creed, religion, etc. and yet the streets are filled with protesters and rioters. The problem is not that we don’t have enough laws.  The problem is that we don’t have enough Jesus.

We must stop trying to justify our sin. By the way – to sin means that you disobeyed the Word of the Lord. Not caring about the affliction others suffer because it doesn’t affect you is – yes that’s right – it is sin. The solution for not caring is a spiritual one. The real reason you don’t care is because you don’t love God enough.  When you love God like Jesus said to love God, you will not be able to help but love others.  The solution to the problems of this world will never be fully resolved until Jesus returns. But, in the meantime, Christians can show the world what “right looks like” if they will only first fully commit their hearts to God and then fully commit their lives to each other and then let the light of Christ shine in this dark world of ours. Christians, we need to stop talking about it and start doing it – one heart at a time.

“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” – Zechariah 4:6

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

Mop-a-day-oh

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he [a man in the ditch] was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.”—Luke 10:33

The Lord woke me early this morning. Does that sound odd? Or perhaps I should ask – does He ever wake you up? What is it like? I wake up and there is a thought that comes immediately to mind. Actually it was two words – courage and m’ap-ede-ou. I will talk about the second before I do the first.

M’apedeou is a Haitian Creole contraction. The first time I heard it was years ago at an orphanage in Jacmel.  If you “un-contract” the words it is “mwen ap ede ou” – I will help you. I had asked someone to help me and they responded with m’apedeou. Since my conversational Creole was not that great, at the time, I had no idea what they said. We speak in contractions all of the time and think nothing of it. So why did the Lord bring that memory to the forefront of my mind at 3:00 a.m.? God often asks us to do what is impossible for man to do. To do what others would refuse to do. To walk to the other side of the road when we have no “real” responsibility to help.

Someone in the ministry I work with was contacted by some from the city help line. It seems a 72 year old widow, suffering from a recent stroke, her only companion a Chihuahua, was having a serious plumbing problem.  They asked if the ministry could help. The request was passed to another person and then found its way to me – as Pathfinder Mission – a ministry that provides that sort of help. I asked the contractor that does work for us – COVID 19 has eradicated the volunteer work force for a season – to look into it. It was the sewer line from the house to the main line – concrete pipe that had deteriorated. So I told him to fix it. Then I asked the Lord to provide the funds to pay the contractor. Does that seem out of sync to you? A prudent person would first find the money and then do the work. 

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7

When Peter climbed out of the boat it was in response to a command that defied nature. Men cannot walk on water. But he did – by faith. God asks us to live like Peter – the Lord called me out of the boat to help that woman. And then the contractor told me that the problem was not just with the cement pipe but the black cast iron drain pipes and the galvanized supply lines and the water heater. My reply was – of course it is. It is always something else.  Then I was reminded that the Samaritan not only bandaged the wounds, but took the man to a place where he could be cared for and paid for it.  Someone had fixed a break in the cement pipe before, but they did not fix the problem.

I am not trying to impress you with my obedience or spirituality. I am trying to encourage you to listen for God’s voice and be willing to do what seems impossible for men. We are all called to get out of the boat from time to time.  To be willing to do something that runs against the grain of what seems reasonable to the natural man. That is where the second word comes in. Courage.

“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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:8-9

Courage is not action in the absence of fear, but action in spite of fear. God asks us to trust Him and do the impossible – the improbable – the unthinkable. And when we step into the water, like with Joshua and Israel stepping into the river Jordan – the river backs up – but our feet touching the water did not cause that to happen. Our faith and obedience did.  God acted for our good and His Glory! The woman I mentioned I have never seen – and will probably never see – that is not necessary. We have helped a lot of people through this ministry and that by the power of God. People that we will never meet this side of heaven. Them knowing who we are, who I am, is not the point. Listen, when you worry about recognition, you are very near to robbing God of His glory. And the temptation will come calling – trust me. So today and every day – be ready to help those in need – whatever those needs might be – be willing to step out of the boat – to defy the natural and trust God – God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or think. Remember …..  

“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” – Zechariah 4:6

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

What Dominates Your Thinking And Your Doing?

 "Jesus answered [Pilate], ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’”—John 18:36-37

 We live in the natural world with all of its problems and sin.  We long for the kingdom of God to dominate the affairs of this world, but the truth is – that won’t happen until Jesus returns. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone embraced the Truth of God and harmony and unity reigned in this world – in our country.  Instead we are faced with a pandemic – for some it is real and for others it is a conspiracy.  We are faced with political turmoil – Democrats have their agenda and plan to make life in this country better – Republicans have theirs – now Marxists and Socialist have stepped forward declaring their ideas of what is right and what is truth.  Those who are born again are choosing sides – with hope that whoever they have aligned themselves with will be right and will prevail. But the hope we seek will not be found in this president or the next – only in the Source of all hope. So what to do?

In my view, the answer is not found on CNN – FOX – Facebook – or some other place – but in the Bible – God’s revealed truth that surpasses all generations – cultures and races. It is the eternal truth that there is none Good but One – the Creator God.  He is the source of all that is good and right. People look for heaven on earth – on the natural earth, but it cannot be found.  The kingdom that Jesus brought to the earth is a supernatural one. One that cannot be experienced except by the Body of Christ – but can be seen. But only then, when those who have been saved by faith are living in obedience to the Truth of God by the power of the Spirit of God.

I would never presume to tell anyone how to vote – but, I am encouraging all the saints to be faithful to the God who saved them through faith in Jesus and Who set them apart by the Spirit of God to be a living testimony to the love of God.   

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:9-10

Before we were born again, we were not united as a people, but now we are united – called out of a dark world into His marvelous light.  That unity has been stunted by sin. The influence of our old nature and the particular people group we were born in to. Why would we want to cling to the darkness? Why would we want to embrace what we know is sin, calling it good? Why would we seek natural solutions to spiritual problems? Why do we prefer to embrace our old nature and the sin that comes with it and think that at the same time we are holy and pleasing to God? Why do we fear?

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.” – Psalm 121:1-8

Where are you focused in this difficult time in our nation’s history?  Who or what are you trusting in the midst of the social, medical and political pandemonium that is raging all around us?  Should we pull our heads back into our shells and hope the trouble passes by us? No. But rather, we should be, must be a light in the darkness. United by the Spirit of God in the face of the cultural division and great fear that has become so obvious.  What does secular division have to do with a spiritual people called by God and separated for His glory? Each of us must decide – we must choose.

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15

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

What Does Love Have To Do With It? It Is The Thing That Connects Us

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”—John 15:12-13

That’s right. It is love. Not as the world loves – but the love of God.  Our capacity to love others the way that God loves us comes from God not from an intense desire on our part.  A desire that comes from our will and not God’s. When we try to do that – the love fails.  The world demands that you DO and then your love is proven. God demands that you LOVE and then the proof will show itself in the way that you do.

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” – James 2:14-18

I am certain you have heard many teaching on these verses. Martin Luther struggled with the book of James since he was convinced that our righteousness comes from faith and not works. (I agree with him, by the way). He called is a “strawy” epistle – meaning it was hard to swallow.  I believe James’ point is not that works come before faith, but that works are a natural product of faith. We have a tomato plant in our back yard and it has never yielded one tomato, not one. So what good does it do? It doesn’t get big enough to shade us from the hot Texas sun. That would be something. Likewise, as Christians, we are to demonstrate the love of God – through various means – by good works – good works that are fruit born from our faith in the One who called us out into new life.

If you do something nice for someone that you don’t like because it is the Christian thing to do – you have missed the point. If you do anything out of duty – meaning if you had the option you would not do it – you have missed the point. If you have a problem loving other Christians because they are not like you – you have missed the point. In fact – you have a love problem – not toward them but toward God. Verses I used yesterday …

“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

Must love means that it should flow from us – as if we had no choice. Our flesh may push back and provide any number of reasons why we should not love someone or even like them – that is the nature of our spiritual struggle.  The Body of Christ is divided because Christians are yielding to the flesh and not the Spirit. Preferring cultural traditions over the providence of God. Do you want the world to see Jesus? Do you want the light of Christ is shine into this present darkness?

 “A new commandment I [Jesus] give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35

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

Loving God Is Easier Than Loving Others But It Is Still Difficult

Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”—Matthew 22:35-39

Suppose I asked you if you love God – if you are a Christian I am certain that you would say, “yes”. I mean why would I ask you that? Doesn’t your proclaimed faith prove that? Loving God is the greatest commandment. It covers the first four of the BIG TEN. (The last six are covered by the second commandment.) But there is a catch – loving God the way Jesus said we are to love God does not leave any room for loving the world – there is nothing that can be our primary devotion except God. Oh, you get that? I am not telling you anything that you don’t already know. The words in the Bible do not change and yet we are encouraged to meditate on the words of the Word in order to have a prosperous and successful new life in Christ. (Joshua 1:8) In reading those words, the Spirit of God uses them to reprove (reprimand), correct, and instruct all Christians. My point, we need to be reminded that our primary devotion is to God.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” – 1 John 2:15-17

How much do you struggle with keeping God in His proper place in your life.  It is too easy to let the things of this world – things that seem to bring some sort of comfort to you to dilute your love for and devotion to God. You know it’s true! So if what is easy is difficult – how easy is it to love others?

People who are not perfect – who do not have your best interest in mind. People who really don’t care about your problems but are more interested in what you can do for them.  People who are not like you. People who don’t share your values – your heritage – don’t live like you – don’t look like you – don’t talk like you. People that God says to love because He loves them. Let me share a secret with you.  You can’t love others – not on your own anyway.

 “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

So you see – we must love God the way Jesus said, if we have any hope in loving others. If you don’t love others, it is because you are having a problem with God not being in the right place in you life. Now don’t confuse loving others with liking what they do. God did not like what we were doing before He sent Jesus to die for us.

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” – Romans 5:6-11

The lack of unity among Believers is proof that we struggle with loving God and loving others.  Fixing that problem starts with each of us. Think about it.

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

Staying In Stride With Jesus - It's A Supernatural Ability

"Enoch walked with God…" —Genesis 5:24

“The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him […] In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest ”

I was walking down the hall with a friend the other day, but his pace was much faster than mine.  I soon found myself a few yards behind him.  I thought, “I guess my age is catching up with me.”  Then it dawned on me that I might just be out of shape!  We can get out of shape spiritually too.  

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”  - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

This new life we live requires the discipline of an athlete.  Without proper spiritual conditioning, we will find ourselves falling behind, getting spiritually winded – another way of saying that we will struggle with sin and obedience.

There are two qualities that are important both in manufacturing and in the Christian life.  Validity and Reliability.  Validity means that whatever it is, is made and functions according to the designer’s plan.  Reliability means that it continues to function in the same valid way every time.  Have you ever said of someone that they are unreliable?  That they can’t be counted on? Well, perhaps that could be said of us as well with respect to our walk with the Lord.  We all have feet of clay, but we also all have the Spirit of God and the capacity to live a super-natural life.  A life dependent upon the One who saved us and not ourselves. And so my friend, I think we all need to look to Jesus and pick up the pace!

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2

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

Loving God More Must Be More Than A "Want" ... It's A Command

…being justified freely by His grace… —Romans 3:24

“We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. We must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that we are destitute. Until we get there, our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves." Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest

As Christians we live our lives on this earth with a tension between the spiritual and the natural.  The preaching of the earthly health and wealth gospel … God wants you to be rich and healthy … is the carnal Christian's attempt to resolve that tension.  The idea is that God will give you money .. which He tells you not to love … and health .. which He tells you that you will face affliction and hardship of many kinds … and so … you can really be independent of God .. all of your earthly needs will be met … do you see the heresy in this?  God wants us to give up our dependence upon earthly comforts and assurances and trust Him, alone.  There is a difference between depending on something and having it. When Job lost everything, the assumption was that he had done something wrong .. why?  Because he lost his earthly possessions. What was the truth .. there was something spiritual at work that superseded the natural.  The same is true in our lives.  The thing is, you must be willing to submit to that … to yield your devotion and dependence upon the natural and trust God's provision.  What do you hunger for?  I see people struggling after disasters and war and poverty, while Americans are trying to figure out if they should go ahead and buy that $1000 iPhone and get rid of their $700 iPhone.  The Church in the United States is the “frog in the pot” with respect to materialism.  We don’t know that we are being cooked … instead, we think the water temperature is just right.

I have been watching the Black Friday phenomenon  .. which it seems has crept into Thursday.  While I am trying to find money to help people recover from Hurricane Harvey and people are spending money – hand over fist – to satisfy their lust for more – because they certainly don’t need it – not really.  With respect to the rest of the world, I think it is safe to say that 99% of what we buy is to satisfy our wants.  Our needs were met a long time ago.   We are trying to get masks to people who have none and can't afford them - and people with the means are wondering what color and style they should buy.  Something that will go with their outfit. (Psalm 37:4) "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"  The emphasis here is on our focus on God and His changing what we desire to conform to what He desires.

 “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:2-4

Ugh! That does not leave a lot of wiggle room does it. I guess I should quote Jesus to bring this to a close.  (Matthew 13:14-16) “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" .....  And I would add .. He who is convicted – let him repent.”  Pray about it!

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