Your Devotion May Not Be Bad But It May Be Harmful

Luke 9:57-62 57 “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”"

We listen to the words people say, but God sees the heart.  Jesus could see the hearts of the three men He responded to.  The first needed assurance that he would have some place to come back to.  The second had greater commitment to the affairs of this world.  The third had greater affection for his family.  None of those things are inherently bad. But, if they keep you from Jesus, then they are eternally harmful. So many people want to cling to the natural in their yearning for the supernatural.  

Like Lot’s wife. (Luke 17:30-33; Genesis 19:26) “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.”

I have seen so many Christians turn to look back.  Perhaps some did not have true faith, like the parable of the seed (Matthew 13), I don’t know. But is saddens me to know what they are missing.  Probably the greatest sadness is when it is someone in your family.  They act one way when you are around and quite another when you are not.  That behavior shouts of their spiritual ignorance.  It is not me that they should be concerned with, but God who judges the heart and who is always present.  

People, Christian or not, might hide their sinful ways from you or one another, but they cannot be hidden from God. God, the very One they need, they turn away from to embrace an imitation.  It is interesting the Jesus did not chase after them, but let them go their own way.  We can’t see the heart of man, so we continue to hope that one day, they will turn their hearts toward God.  God demands all of our devotion. CHARLEY 

Serving God Requires Faith Plus The Power Of God

He said to them, "This kind [of unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." —Mark 9:29 

You cannot do anything for God unless it is done by faith in God.  Oh, you can do things in His name, but it really amounts to work accomplished by your own effort.  Ephesians 2:8,9 says we are saved by grace through faith not of works lest any man boast that somehow he had saved himself by his own effort.  And so it is when you step out for God.  There is nothing I can do that pleases God in terms of effort, what God wants from me is a broken and contrite heart and a willingness to pick up my cross and follow Jesus.  But God I am so smart. Who gave you your intelligence?  When you serve God you must lay a spiritual foundation.  If you say “yes” God will take you places that would crush your spirit and cause you to feint in the intensity of the circumstances. Whether it be a lion’s dens, a fiery furnace, or ministering to a difficult person in a difficult situation, God is sufficient to meet your needs. (Philippians 4:19) “… my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” 

Have you ever wondered what the difference was between a Christian giving someone a drink of water and a non-Christian doing the same thing?  The person receiving the water has their thirst quenched either way.  Sometimes we are guilty of thinking that only Christians can do “good” things.  Not true.  But there is something supernatural going on when a Christian serves others.  Jesus told the woman at the well that He had living water to give her.  He could offer water to her soul … and you can offer that water to others. 

You must have the Spirit of God in you to do that.  

There are  a few organizations involved in disaster relief that have the reputation for being “spiritual” but, in fact merely have a religious veneer. They will not allow Christians to share their faith in their desire to be “ecumenically correct” and not offend people of other beliefs or no belief at all.  Disasters are not an opportunity to take advantage of people’s vulnerability.  But they do give opportunity for the Church to rise up and be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within them. (1 Peter 3:15)  There are no spiritual strings attached to our serving others, but there is spiritual power behind it.  God uses circumstances to speak to the lost.  Sometimes He whispers and sometimes He SHOUTS!  In any case we must be ready to shine the light of Jesus whatever the situation and circumstance. CHARLEY 

Proclaim The Gospel By How You Live And How You Love

OSWALD CHAMBERS – “When the Holy Spirit comes into me, He does not consider my partialities or preferences; He simply brings me into oneness with the Lord Jesus.[…] He is not to proclaim his own point of view, but is only to proclaim “the Lamb of God.” It is easier to belong to a faction that simply tells what Jesus Christ has done for me, and easier to become a devotee of divine healing, or of a special type of sanctification, or of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But Paul did not say, “Woe is me if I do not preach what Christ has done for me,” but, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). And this is the gospel— “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”” 

He [Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. —1 John 2:2

The duty to proclaim the Gospel is not reserved for those called to be preachers, evangelists, or missionaries.  Everyone who is born again by the Spirit, bought by the blood of the Lamb has all been called out for a specific purpose.  We don’t live our lives just for ourselves and our own benefit.  We may not be preachers in that we stand before the people and verbally proclaim the Gospel, but we are preachers in that we live before the people and our lives should preach the Gospel.  

People should see us as being a people are for Jesus and not just against sin and the ills of the culture we live in.  If all we have to offer a world that is headed for hell is condemnation, then we have nothing to offer.  If we live our lives exactly like the lost culture we live in does, then we have nothing to offer.  What the world needs is Jesus.  We need to show the world Jesus, in how we live and how we love.  We need to preach the Gospel by living our lives submitted to the Spirit and obedient to the Word.  Christians have been relegated to just being another sect.  Just another group of people who believe certain, outdated things.  Our light has lost its shine.  Our salt has lost it saltiness.  Our message, that Jesus saves, has been drowned out by the louder voice of the culture.  The world needs to see the difference Jesus can make … the world needs to see changed lives … and we are the only ones who can show them.  Preach the Gospel Christian.  CHARLEY 

Your Speech Reflects Your Heart And Your Heart Reflects Your Faith

OSWALD CHAMBERS – “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. But as long as I remain under the false security of my own “innocence,” I am living in a fool’s paradise. If I have never been an openly rude and abusive person, the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a civilized life.” 

“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 

Our old nature does not go away when we are born again, but when we are born again, we no longer have to live in subjection to that old nature.  We have a choice.  But, because it is a choice, we can choose poorly and allow our old nature to dominate us. One of the sure-fire ways that I can tell where a person is spiritually is by listening to what they say and how they say it. 

“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45  

In other words, your speech will eventually reveal your heart.  We often make excuses for our old nature.  “That is the way our family is.” “I was just kidding.” But, we don’t have to make excuses for our old nature.  It is what it is.  It will never get better.  It can only be replaced with our new nature.  If our heart is yielded to the Lord then what comes out of our mouths will reflect the Spirit. (Read Galatians 5:16-25 to understand the contrast).  We are all vulnerable to spiritual relapses, but traits of our old nature should not be characteristic of who people think we are, what they have come to expect of us and how we behave toward others and the Lord.  Stop making excuses for what you know is wrong and does not honor God.  Our mission in this life is to reflect Jesus, to glorify God, to proclaim the Gospel in the manner which we live out of our lives.

“The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil” – Proverbs 4:18-27

You can’t do that on your own, it is a spiritual quest that you are on and it’s spiritual strength that you need to be successful.  CHARLEY 

Do You Really Want To Be Like Jesus?

(Romans 8:29) “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.”  

Have you ever given any thought to what being conformed … molded .. changed … means in your everyday life?  Well, first you understand that it is a spiritual change, right?  Second … you must realize that the process is going to be contrary to your flesh and your old nature will want to resist.  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 comes 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 .. that is why we confess our sins (1 John 1:9) .. confess means to “agree with” not to reveal.  The goal of this transformation – 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.  (Romans 12:1-2) “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.”  God won’t make you offer your life, your will, your ways to Him.  You must surrender your will on your own.  That means you must trust God more than yourself or other things. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Will you?  CHARLEY 

Take Me Back Lord Where I First Believed - 2

OSWALD CHAMBERS - ‘God is saying to His people, “You are not in love with Me now, but I remember a time when you were.” He says, “I remember . . . the love of your betrothal . . .” (Jeremiah 2:2). Am I as filled to overflowing with love for Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He ever find me pondering the time when I cared only for Him? Is that where I am now, or have I chosen man’s wisdom over true love for Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no thought for where He might lead me? Or am I watching to see how much respect I get as I measure how much service I should give Him?’ 

Andrae Crouch wrote the song “Take Me Back”  It is about someone who has let the fire go out in their relationship with Jesus.

 “Take me back, take me back dear Lord -- To the place where I first received you. Take me back, take me back dear Lord where I first believed.

 I feel that I'm so far from you Lord, But still I hear you calling me. Those simple things that I once knew, their memories keep drawing me.

 I must confess, Lord I've been blessed but yet my soul's not satisfied. Renew my faith, restore my joy and dry my weeping eyes.”

 Is your love for God still fresh, like the day you prayed to receive Christ as your Lord? Or, have you become casual in your relationship with Him. Do you still acknowledge His divine nature and His sacrifice and the unbelievable grace and mercy that God poured out on your life with unbridled devotion to Him? Or do you treat your relationship as “no big deal”, you are a Christian .. you love Jesus .. but you are no fanatic. Do you do what you do in the name of Jesus to be respected and honored by others? (Matthew 6:1) “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

 Maybe it is time to rekindle the fire that once burned so brightly in your life.  To remember just how magnificent your salvation is .. and how great our God is.

 "Take me back, take me back dear Lord -- To the place where I first received you. Take me back, take me back dear Lord where I first believed.”  CHARLEY  

Don't Let Your Past Hold You Back, Focus On Your Future, Rejoice and Repent

Oswald Chambers “…God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.[…] Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ. Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.”  

The remembering of our past failures (sins) has two sides.  On the one hand, they remind us that we have a sin nature and that nature has been a powerfully harmful influence in our lives.  We have proven the truth of the Word … all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and there is none righteous (Romans 3:10).  Our past failures remind us that we do not deserve God’s favor.  But on the other hand, we also know that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”  (Romans 5:8).  We know that we have been redeemed.  (Galatians 3:13) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (from the judgement of God) by becoming a curse for us”.  That does not mean ours sins are somehow, “OK”, but it does mean that we are forgiven.  It does mean that we have hope.  It does mean that we have help.  It does mean that we have a certain future.  Don’t let your past hold you back.  You are a child of the King.  Focus on your future, rejoice and repent!  CHARLEY