Godliness

For some, godliness can be a bit of a mystery. Paul, as an apostle and a spiritual father, highly values this trait when encouraging and instructing his son in the faith, Timothy.

1 Timothy 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

I often define this word, godliness, as being someone who knows they have a God and holds Him in great reverence by learning His desires and seeking to live them out. It’s about being like God in actions, thoughts, and motivations, and wanting to please God through one's life.

Strong's shows us that in Greek, the word refers to piety, especially within the gospel scheme: godliness and holiness.

This trait in someone, combined with a contented heart, Paul says, is a great gain.

Why is that? Paul explains:

1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Have you ever gained something material you cherished and then lost it due to unforeseen circumstances? That’s the idea here conveyed by Paul. Material things have a limited lifespan. They may seem to have the power to make you happy in the moment or for a season, but they lack the lasting power and true contentment that comes from being godly.

Paul isn't warning us with a scolding; he’s presenting a better, more fulfilling alternative—one that offers greater gain.

The world’s slogan, "He who dies with the most toys wins,” is a significant deception. I prefer the wisdom Jesus offers. All of this I've spoken of reminds me of something Jesus taught:

Luke 12:16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” 20 But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

What do we have at birth? Nothing! And at death? Nothing! Since we come into this world with nothing and leave with nothing, material possessions cannot provide lasting happiness.

Sadly, many today undervalue or overlook the blessing and richness of godliness with contentment, spiritually speaking. If we choose to please the flesh in this life, we might enjoy some temporary pleasures. However, living that way often leads to a distracted life, only occasionally fulfilling God's true purpose for us—the real destiny He has planned. There’s no regret in living a godly life with contentment. Such a life allows us to focus on what God has intended and enjoy the adventure He guides us through. We journey with Him, witnessing His work in the lives of others and experiencing His blessings.

Adopting His perspective on the blessing of godliness will enrich our lives far beyond the fleeting satisfaction of material things and their experiences. I encourage you to desire godliness with contentment.

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His Victory, Now My Victory

Here in Tennessee, football season is about to start back again, and here where I live, it is all about the Tennessee Volunteers.

The stadium will be filled up during home games with almost 102,000 people shouting and cheering on their team.

Whenever the Volunteers win, the whole city is in a better mood because it translates into a win for our city.

So in a sense, a Volunteer win is my win, their victory is my victory. Now I did nothing to make that win happen, I simply get to revel in it.

All that I am talking about right now is a natural phenomenon that confirms a spiritual reality.

2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

In Christ, we are always being led in triumph!

When our military returned home after the world wars victorious, cities held large parades to celebrate the victory and declare the war had ended.

Every 4th of July, as a nation, we celebrate our Declaration of Independence. This includes the hard-fought victory that followed when, as a nation, we fought for our freedom from King George of England. Centuries later, we still celebrate as a nation.

How much more should the church celebrate the victory that is ours in Christ?

God is leading us in a parade of sorts in triumph because, as heaven celebrates Christ and His victory, we are in Him and therefore part of the triumphal procession.

While still here on this earth, we are His perfume; our presence announces His victory and His greatness. As we learn to walk aware of being in Him and therefore reveling in His victory over sin and death, we can't help but carry His fragrance.

Believers who know how to celebrate are not weird, as the religious may state. They are actually the normal ones because they understand that when in a victory procession, one should wave their hands high, smile, sing, and shout. Just as here in Knoxville, when the Tennessee Volunteers score, everyone sings the team song Rocky Top! What are they doing? They are celebrating! When we stand in His victory, we are permitted to become a little undignified in our celebrating Him! Being stoic and reserved is for those who struggle to believe His victory is our victory because we are now in Him. Less about me and more about Him frees me to celebrate well.

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The Example Of In

When Jesus was with His disciples, He demonstrated what it means to be in. He speaks of how he is in His Father and Father is in Him.

Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus often spoke about His Father and how He would be their Father.

John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

"In" looks a certain way. It manifests the One in you. Jesus was in the Father, and the Father was in Him. The words Jesus spoke, and the works He did, were not His own. They were His Father's.

So much so was this the truth that Jesus told Philip to believe Him for the very work's sake.

Then Jesus speaks about those who will believe in Him. Believing in Him changes us and relocates us positionally speaking. It places us in Him and Him in us, and this is the reason for the works. We do not set out to do works to prove anything; we simply find ourselves doing His works because of our union with Him.

The works that qualify with God aren't our works to merit or to prove; it is the works that flow out of our relationship to Him because of Christ in us. The works that believing in Jesus tend to manifest as we open our hearts, souls, and minds to the Holy Spirit, who was promised.

Jesus said the works He did. Jesus was not renowned for His moral works as much as He was for His supernatural ones. No doubt that Jesus was sinless. However, when people think of His works and when they read the gospels concerning them, we find they are supernatural works that bless and benefit others by revealing to them what the Father is truly like.

It is not by believing in greater works that we do them. It is by our union with Him that they flow and are manifested. It is by believing in Him that these greater works are released in us. When we focus solely on the works, we start to lose sight of the most crucial aspect: knowing Him and realizing that our union with Him is more than just a metaphor. He lives in us and we live in Him! Everything we are called to be begins and ends with our relationship with Him. Faith in Him, believing in Him to the point we are convinced of His living in us and our living in Him in close, inseparable union, is the core of the good news.

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Dishonor

Dishonor means to fail to observe or respect, according to our modern dictionary. In Greek, it meant to render infamous, maltreat, despise, and shamefully enreat.

John 8:48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he shall never see death.”

How did they dishonor Jesus? By not recognizing who He truly was and falsely accusing Him as a result.

Today, there are still many who say they are loyal to the law covenant Moses gave, and they believe they honor it by defending it in the church. However, when you diminish it to make it palatable in a way that leads others to think they could keep it, you dishonor it. To not see it as something so holy that it is unattainable in the flesh and therefore requires a sacrifice to be made for failing to keep it, that diminishes it. To deny it is as it is described in Scripture, "The Ministry of death," is to dishonor it. By clinging to it as a means of continuing to be right with God and merit His fellowship and favor, they ignorantly falsely accuse Jesus of not having completed His mission and offering only a partial righteousness that needs the law to maintain it.

Meanwhile, Jesus said if anyone kept His word, that person would never see death. So to promote a different covenant other than the one Jesus established, or promote another means of righteousness other than what Jesus offers, is to dishonor Jesus.

If you were to say to a duly appointed judge who is ruling according to the law correctly that he has no authority to convict anyone in a court of law, you would be dishonoring that judge. You have held him in contempt. You have placed yourself above him in authority in your imagination.

It is one thing to say Jesus is Lord and a whole other thing to live like it. I am not living like it if I give greater credence to something outside of His covenant. If I give my allegiance to something other than Him for righteousness, I am holding Him and His finished work in contempt.

This is why the covenant Jesus established through His gospel should be given greater attention and be embraced more fully by the church. However, this is not the case in every church. Some churches draw the attention of their attendees to a former covenant and its rules and regulations, serving as a model for their lifestyle. They are overly focused on behavior for obtaining and maintaining one's righteousness as opposed to pointing them to Jesus for it. They have made fellowship and favor with God conditional based on a person's actions, rather than on what Jesus did to resolve the issue.

By doing this, they prove they are ignorant of how they dishonor Jesus by promoting something as a rival to what He has accomplished already for us and made obtainable by faith in Him alone. It is not grace plus something; it is grace plus nothing. It is not Jesus plus something; it is Jesus alone. I do not wish to dishonor my Lord by not believing He did everything and has provided everything for me that pertains to life and godliness by making it possible for me to be in Him and for Him to be in me. I wish to give Him all the credit He deserves. My favor and fellowship with the Father is in Christ and through Christ, not me.

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Someone New Is In Charge

I've never wanted to pastor a church I didn't originally plant. My reason is that I've seen how difficult it can be to take on a church that someone else has led according to their vision. I'm not saying it's impossible because men have managed it and done it well. I'm just saying it's not something I would desire.

The evidence of this is in Scripture. Israel had been led for generations by Moses; they held onto his vision long after he was gone.

Then Jesus arrived. Jesus came, revealing what the Father is truly like and doing things in a way that seemed different to the people in their imaginations. Some embraced Him while others struggled to do so.

It was as if some believed they would offend Moses if they embraced Jesus. This phenomenon still seems true today. That's why there is still so much mixed teaching in the church. Trying to please two leaders with different visions creates confusion and misleads those seeking to be committed.

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Jesus is now the one in charge and calling the shots. Moses is no longer present, and the prophets all spoke of this moment, and they are pleased to see Jesus having His say in real time.

It is Jesus's word that sustains everything, not the word of Moses or the prophets of old. A new vision has been established, called the New Covenant. Moses delivered the covenant that God gave him for Israel alone, but Jesus has established His covenant to replace it, and it now includes the entire human race. It is better and broader in scope, made by the Son of God who is far greater than Moses.

Luke 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”

Insisting that the things Moses spoke and instituted still be held dear causes confusion and creates divided loyalty. There can only be one person in charge: Jesus.

Moses was never described as Jesus is in this letter to the Hebrews. Jesus is not like a new manager at all. He is the owner's Son, the heir of all things. He is far more than just a new manager. He owns everything and rules over all. He is the Lord of all.

The glory of Moses was already fading when he was coming down the mountain to give the law to Israel. The glory of the Son is constantly increasing and will never fade. The two do not mix and are not meant to mix by God. Someone new is in charge now—His name is Jesus, hear Him. Spend time learning the vision of His New Covenant and follow Him according to its terms, leaving the old things behind, because in Him everything has become new.

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But Now Righteousness

If I were to say to you, "I used to enjoy something, but now," would you expect that I am about to say I prefer something else? Would you think something is about to change?

The term "but now" is a transitional phrase that prepares someone for a change. In the Scriptures, we find a very significant "But now."

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

But now, a very different type of righteousness that comes in a very different way than at any time before has appeared. This better righteousness, this new righteousness, was witnessed by the law and the prophets.

How is it possible that there can be a righteousness revealed witnessed by the law and the prophets? Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe?

Mark 9:2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. 7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” 8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.

That experience on that mount was a foreshadowing of how God's righteousness would be imputed through Jesus Christ only. To have God's righteousness requires being in Christ and having Christ in you. Only New Creations in Christ can make their boast of His righteousness. No one has ever made themselves a New Creation. No man can make himself righteous. God's righteousness has to be imputed to you through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the very righteousness of God. Without God's righteousness, no one can have a relationship with God. To claim Him as Father, one must possess His righteousness by having their faith in Christ Jesus. This is how God has determined it should be, and there is no other way for someone to experience, no matter what they may claim.

2 Corinthians 9:9 As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

Not only is God's righteousness better than the righteousness that comes by the law. God's righteousness is the only righteousness that endures forever. The only way to have eternal righteousness is to be born again by believing the gospel concerning Christ Jesus. There is no other way of obtaining, or maintaining the only righteousness that God will accept. Do you possess the "but now" righteousness?

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Healthy Asking

Jesus, as the Son of God, asked His Father for things for the sake of others and Himself often. He knew He was here on earth for a purpose and was on a mission to represent the Father and accomplish His will accurately. Jesus knew that part of His mission was to walk in a relationship with the Father for all to see. He was meant to put the Father on display, and that could not be done apart from a relationship with the Father.

In a healthy relationship, there is no fear in asking someone you believe loves you for something you need, knowing they can provide it, especially when you are living your life to make them known to others. Neither will you fear them asking you for something they desire.

In a relationship born of love, neither party will take advantage of the other for selfish reasons. There is a good reason for asking and giving, and there is a good reason for fulfilling the desires of the other. There is trust in the character of the parties involved, and there is value and worth ascribed that produces the fruit of respect.

Jesus indicates this reality when He makes a promise to His disciples about asking.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love."

John 16:23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 24 Until now, you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

When actual relational love-based asking is missing, the result is the fruit of division and tensions. Asking might still occur, but in a very different way.

James 4:1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your flesh? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Often church members can go without because they do not ask, and when they do not ask, it can be a sign of a lack of engaging in the relationship that has been so freely offered in Christ. Then there is the flip side of that coin. They ask only for things from a selfish perspective with regard to enjoying this world and all it has to offer as opposed to being kingdom motivated.

In a relationship, healthy asking is encouraged, for it demonstrates dependency and trust. Not all asking involves the getting of worldly things; it can also involve the desire to know something about the One being asked, or about how to navigate certain situations, etc.

My prayer for you today is that the Holy Spirit will grant you a profound revelation of the Father's love for you and His perfect purpose for your life so that you might be able to have confidence in your asking of Him for the things necessary to advance His kingdom and reveal His goodness in your life.

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Enriched In Everything

Enriched. Just what does that actually mean? In Greek, it means to be made wealthy in a figurative sense. To make rich.

Our English dictionary defines it as: improve or enhance the quality or value of.

Why focus on this idea of being enriched in everything?

Because Paul, as an apostle to the Corinthians, declared this blessing, despite the fact that they were a messed-up people needing correction and guidance.

1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amazingly, Paul will go on in this letter to offer instruction and correction, but their need for such things does not alter his perspective of who they are, what God wants for them.

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

Paul does not address them as sinners. He addresses them as saints. He then gives God thanks for the grace that has been given to them in Christ Jesus.

I love what follows that thanksgiving to God. Paul says they were enriched in everything!

Are you keenly aware that you are enriched in everything? How does this enrichment take place in our lives? By Jesus in all utterance and all knowledge.

This is being addressed to this church as it is experiencing several issues, some of which are serious in nature. They are being divided by preferences for teachers; they are tolerating a gross situation and calling it love, not realizing that they are not only ignoring the danger it can present to the church, but they are also ignoring the need of the person involved to be appropriately rescued. They are taking advantage of each other in some instances. When you read what's happening, you might be inclined to think this might be the most messed-up church ever. But here Paul is encouraging them and making them aware of who they truly are and what they have truly received in Christ. He says they have been enriched in everything! Why were they so enriched?

So that they might come up short in any gift while eagerly awaiting the revelation of Jesus Christ, who is going to confirm them to the end, so that they might be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ!

That should give you great hope today, even if you've been in a struggle. In Christ, you're still a saint, you've been enriched in everything! It is by seeing yourself in Him that the victory reveals itself. I pray you will come to the realization today just how enriched you truly are in everything in Him.

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Don’t Be Corrupted

Don't Be Corrupted

I love to grill. Many love the way I grill a good ribeye steak or chicken thighs. They will ask me what I did to make it taste so good. I find it simple: I rub olive oil on it, add coarse salt and ground pepper, and then sear it on the grill. After that, I bring down the heat to let it finish to my desired level.

There was a time I would marinate things in excess; they did not have the same appeal then. It was overthought, often overcooked, and made complicated.

The idea of corruption deals with being made to shrivel or wither, or be spoiled. It can mean being ruined by leaving behind something right to embrace something wrong. Overcomplicating a matter can ruin its beauty.

An artist can reach a point where a painting should be done, but thinks it needs more and keeps adding until the beauty and appeal are lost. By questioning the value of it in its simplicity and continuing to add to it, the value is diminished.

Depth of desire is usually what will determine the value of something. I desire something that works simply and does not require me to have a PHD to know all the steps for making it function. To me, the simpler the better.

This idea of being corrupted comes to us in Scripture as a concern that Paul, as an apostle, had regarding one of the churches.

2Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

When the enemy wishes to confuse and corrupt a believer, he does not do so by simple arguments. He does so by presenting complex arguments that sound very knowledgeable and intellectually convincing.

As stated by Will Rogers, sadly, common sense isn't too common. Too often, people, myself included, find it challenging to keep it simple. For instance, having the ability to know that, “When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.”

I have often had someone come to me asking for advice and telling me what it is they're struggling with. I asked them what they have been doing to address the problem. Often, what they reveal to me is different complicated self-will oriented angles of approach using the same solution. That's when I will ask them, "How's that working for you?"

When I tell them to apply the gospel, they often say it is too simple and then continue doing the same thing in different ways, getting the same result they have always had. The thing Paul, as an apostle, is getting at is that the simplicity of the gospel is our best option in all matters of life. Never underestimate the wisdom and the power of such a simple thing as the good news of Christ. Never let someone convince you that there's more that is needed. Jesus is quite enough; learning to turn to Him, trust in Him, and understand what it means to be in Him provides everything anyone will ever need in this life.

2Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

Don't be corrupted.

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Who Will You Believe?

There's a tree known as the Tree of Death, found in Florida and parts of Central and South America. It is the Machinel Tree. It bears fruit that resembles a crab apple. Its sap is toxic, and in Florida, they put danger signs on them. It looks like any other fruit-bearing tree, but it is deadly. When it comes to preaching and teaching, there can be messengers who deliver messages that appear to be true but are out of context and misapplied, and thus dangerous due to sowing doubt and unbelief and encouraging confidence in the wrong source.

When a truth is misapplied in both context and purpose, it is a lie because it is a falsehood that is misleading. Satan is an expert at this practice. He used that tactic with Jesus when trying to tempt Him in the desert.

When anyone speaks as though the Old Covenant is how God relates to His children, they are ministering a falsehood. Let me say that again. It is out of context and misplaced, even if it is well-intentioned. Many wish to bring you before the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and tempt you to make up your mind based on your ability, strength, and wisdom as opposed to what God has spoken through His Son in these last days. Every truth now has to pass through the filter of the New Covenant Jesus established by His blood.

IF YOU KNEW SOMEONE WHO COULD NOT LIE NO MATTER WHAT, WOULD YOU TRUST THEM?

As an apostle of Jesus, Paul understood something about the truth and the God of truth,

Titus 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

Have you ever read this and wondered, WHAT DOES PAUL MEAN BY TRUTH THAT ACCORDS WITH GODLINESS?

Godliness comes from the Greek word that involves the whole gospel scheme: Although that Greek word comes from a root word meaning devout, well-reverent, or pious, it is taking these traits and applying them to the gospel as the means as opposed to self-righteousness. Godliness means one belongs to God and is submitted to His way of relating.  Ungodliness is anytime someone attempts to establish a relationship with God in their own way or chooses to have nothing to do with God.

This is why Paul said, “an acknowledgement of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised from before time began.” God cannot lie, and did not lie about how we are made righteous, and how we have become His children. Nor has He lied to us regarding His promises. But His promises encounter roadblocks of doubt when we get caught up in Old Covenant thinking. You see, Old Covenant thinking subtly says that we must do ...... in order to receive ...... It is not according to New Covenant thinking that understands everything is ours now in Christ and because of Christ alone. Old covenant thinking makes every good and perfect gift conditional upon our performance as opposed to freely offered through Jesus Christ according to His obedience. Because of the New Covenant, all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. That is what the Scripture testifies to us boldly and loudly. Never forget, God cannot lie!

Something God cannot do is lie! Since that’s true, WILL YOU TRUST WHATEVER HE SAYS IS TRUE ABOUT YOU?

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Fogged Glasses

Here in Tennessee the heat and humidity are a thing. Since I wear glasses I can go from an airconditioned home to the outside and instantly be made unable to see because my glasses immediately fog up in the humidity and heat.

When this happens I have to stand in one place until they eventually clear otherwise I risk running into something ro stepping off my porch in a way that could hurt me.

When you are unable to see clearly it hinders your progress. You cannot get anywhere effectively. This is the problem with not truly being New Covenant.

2Corinthians 3:12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains un-lifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Having one foot in each covenant is like trying to walk around wearing fogged glasses.

Jesus said the following:  Luke 6:39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?

We read in Corinthians how many have not had the veil removed. Those who have not had the veil removed by Christ and think they should be leading others are actually like this passage we just read. The blind leading the blind. They are stumbling around in the dark bumping into things and not even knowing what it was they bumped into. They are not making real progress as they otherwise could were they to leave behind the mixture and dive headlong into the New Covenant that promotes Christ Jesus as having finished the work needed to bring us into all that God has for us.

It takes a revelation from the Holy Spirit visiting a heart and making known who Jesus is and what He has accomplished on their behalf. When that is made known by revelation to the heart faith awakens and a confession of believing it occurs and they are set free from their blindness to see with new eyes what they had been missing apart from Christ and His completed work at the cross.

The church is not in need of more veil ministries, she needs ministries who know how to preach Christ and Him crucified so that the veil is taken away. A grace awakening is what the church needs. The grace in Scripture that places us under His favor so we can know His presence in our lives continually. That kind of grace produces the fruit of a changed life devoted to Jesus with a grateful heart. That’s the kind of grace that results in boasting in what Jesus did as opposed to what I did. We need the kind of ministries that make much of what Jesus accomplished and less about what we must do to force God to be good to us. God is already good all the time. He is not reluctant to act on our behalf and in need of being bribed by something we do to get Him to act. He is waiting on our faith to be activated with regard to His goodness and willingness on our behalf.

Fogged glasses will never consitently get anyone where they want or need to be. They obscure the view of His love and goodness and marr a persons idea of His attitude towards them. They create a "He loves me, He loves me not approach to knowing Him." They can, at best, produce double mindedness regarding His faithfulness and love.

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Persecuted For Faith And Love

It seems strange to think that anyone would ever be persecuted for loving each other and exceeding in faith.

However, it is not expected that it will go well with those who perpetrate such persecution against the saints who walk in love and exceeding faith.

2Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. 11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not that we who choose to walk in love because of the great love we have received in Christ desire to see others punished for their coming against us. It is that a loving God who cherishes His children does not appreciate them being unjustly mistreated. This is why we can endure persecutions and tribulations in life. We know He cares for us and will look out for us.

These types of situations move God to fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness. God gets pleasure from the active work of His goodness towards us.

It is good when faith is at work with power in us. That is when the name of Jesus is glorified in us, and we, in turn, are glorified in Him. All this is according to His grace and the life of Christ in us.

The fact is, when we walk in love and faith, it means we are walking according to the working of His presence in our lives. As hard as it is to believe, there are plenty of people who do not appreciate such things—especially those who are merely religious and devoid of a real relationship with God. Sometimes they will go out of their way to make life as hard as possible for us in an attempt to discourage us from pursuing love and walking in the power of the faith we've been given in Christ.

These, too, need to hear and see the gospel at work in and through us, despite their efforts to dissuade us from it while they do everything they know to do to try to shame us about our gospel. The gospel is still the power of God to salvation, and our love for one another is still the visible testimony that we are Christ's disciples indeed, and like the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, our faith walk is being recorded for the generations to follow, and heaven is taking note of it. Therefore, do not let hardships discourage you and opposition hinder you in your calling to walk in faith and to love.

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“In”

“IN.” A tiny two-letter word that is loaded with meaning in the Greek. Especially when it comes to how Jesus used it.

It refers to a fixed position, a specific place, a designated time, or a state of being accompanied by rest.

John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

This unity is not just between Jesus and the Father, but it extends to all who believe in Him.

Because Jesus was “IN” the Father and the Father was “IN” Him, Jesus effortlessly did the works He was doing.

Jesus was simply in a state of being as a result of “IN.”  Jesus was not anxiously starting His day, worried about whether he would get things right or do enough things to justify His claim of being the Son of God.  He simply communed with His Father and rested in knowing the Father was “IN” Him, and He was “IN” His Father.  In other words, He and His Father were one.  They were in unity together.  They shared the same desires. They shared the same dislikes. They shared the same dreams and goals, as they pertained to the reason Jesus was here on earth in the first place.  They were in tune with each other, not from a 'have-to-be' perspective, but from a 'privilege-to-be' perspective.  They genuinely loved and liked each other, and they respected each other.

Jesus modeled a healthy relationship with the Father, showing us the way to a fulfilling and enriching spiritual life.  Jesus understood the power and the beauty of “IN.”

This was why Jesus prayed the way He did in John 17.

John 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

As believers in Christ, we get to enjoy the “IN” factor of our relationship with God.  This “IN” factor comes with the glory that is shared with us so that the world might see Jesus and know that the Father sent him with a purpose.

Everything is meant to flow out from the place of a loving relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.  Nothing is meant to flow from a place of duty, payback, merit, or gamesmanship to get ahead.  The relationship is at the core of everything pertaining to His kingdom.  We are meant to flow from a place that has a fixed position of “IN” so solid and secure that we are able to just 'Be' from a place of rest in Him.  From this place of faith and belief “IN” Jesus, the works that He did, we do, and even greater works are promised, JN 14:12.

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Five Fold Prophet

Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

I aim to highlight that the five ministries' primary target is the church, and their purpose is to help the church see, understand, and conform to Christ by growing in spiritual maturity.  The church grows in spiritual maturity by being shown Jesus and being instructed in His ways.  The gifts are not called to moralize the church but rather to help the church come into conformity to Jesus through revelation understanding.

When the ministries function correctly, the fruit is a mature and edified body of Christ that is growing in its love for each other, possessing discernment that keeps it from falling prey to false doctrines aimed at marring the image of Christ and His completed work.

I believe it is time once again for an authentic prophetic ministry to rise and engage the church in the way it is called.  Able to speak to the times with a focus on Jesus that equips the church to be conformed to Him and not moralism.

Focusing on issues as though they are outside Christ and only important in their moral implications can attract specific groups of followers on social media and in other venues. Still, it is not in line with the New Covenant gifts outlined in the Scriptures, as found in Ephesians 4.

When Agabus prophesied the famine, it was to equip the church to act according to their new nature and a love for one another, and thus live out the gospel of Christ towards their brethren.  The local churches in other regions pooled their resources to help the church that would be affected by the famine.  They served the body of Christ in an emergency situation, guided by the love of Christ.  We do not know what the regional church, impacted by the famine, did with all that it received.  However, we do know that the equipping function of the prophet was effective in equipping the church with a demonstration of Jesus.

When Agabus prophesied to Paul personally in front of the others, it was to give Paul ample warning about what would happen if he went to Jerusalem.  It helped equip Paul to set his own heart on Jesus, and it prepared those listening who loved Paul to express their love, support, and pain.  It equipped them to love Paul and provided evidence of the call to obedience in faith.  Paul was able to demonstrate to the believers present at the time of the prophecy that it confirmed the word of the Lord he had received from Jesus Himself, and Paul was ready not only to be imprisoned for Christ and to suffer, but also to die if need be.  There was a mutual edification, although it was accompanied by sadness.

Believers were equipped in Christ and practiced loving one another in both of these accounts.  To me, that means the prophetic gift fulfilled its purpose.

What I believe we are witnessing in our time is many claiming to be prophets who are not, and some who are tainted by the desire for followers and thus speaking in areas they should leave alone but know that by speaking in those areas and putting the focus somewhere other than Jesus (but still perceived as being “radical”) will increase their base.  In my understanding, both of these examples lend themselves to exposing a false prophet.

I believe that New Covenant prophets are just as accountable to sound doctrine as any other gift.

Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

If a prophet fails this test of pointing to Jesus in all they prophesy about — times, events, ideologies, and directions — they do not pass the test of being a true New Covenant prophet.

I believe the true gift will unveil Jesus and lead the church to marvel and begin to thrive in the completed work of Christ Jesus.  I believe it calls the church to think according to the Spirit, as opposed to the flesh, thus directing her attention away from the natural life and toward her heavenly calling.  When I say thinking according to the Spirit, I am not speaking of strange mystical thinking so much as new creation identity and living.

I also believe the five-fold work in team, and thus prophets are not a ministry to themselves any more than the other ministries are.  All the ministries have their distinctive characteristics, but they all work towards the same end in relation to the bride of Christ, and as such, they are very willing to work together and be accountable to one another.

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Don’t Get Cheated

Have you ever been cheated using promises of something that could not be delivered?

Have you ever purchased a product that made claims only to find it did not do what was promised?

This can be true of things considered to be spiritual. It can be true when it comes to claims of how one obtains sanctification, holiness, a closer walk with God, and so on.

We are offered New Covenant instruction on how to avoid being bamboozled by empty claims.

Colossians 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Philosophy - a theory or attitude held by a person or organization that acts as a guiding principle for behavior.

Empty Deceit - The promise of something that has no substance to it.

Tradition of men - principles and ordinances observed for generations.

Basic principles of the world - The natural order of things as they can be known and have been known. Practicality, as it can be understood according to how things work in the natural.

The essence of what is being spoken in these verses deals with the reality of how so often many wish to bring others under the supposed idea of how spirituality is obtained. Almost always, these ideas shift the focus away from what Christ did to secure the essential things for us and instead place our emphasis on what we must do to obtain them.

When we let this happen to us, we are allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of.

If I already have something that is working and someone comes along and says I need something more, and I buy into that claim, I am setting aside the thing that truly works for something that makes an empty claim. I am allowing myself to be cheated.

Christ has already done everything to make us complete. Our completion is only in Him. In Him is the fullness. The thing we need most to have revelation of is the beauty and power of what it means to be in Him. Anytime someone comes along and insists on the things you must do to advance in fullness, and it involves anything other than being grounded in what it means to be "In Him," then you should see it for what it is. It is a con job. It is advice rooted in things that have no substance and therefore cannot deliver. Don't get cheated!

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Entitlement Is Anti-Gratitude

Romans 4:4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

Entitlement:  the fact of having a right to something, the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

Romans 4:4 confirms the dictionary's definition of entitlement.  God agrees that a person is entitled to any contractual reward they work for.

An employee does not think in terms of gratitude for a paycheck on Friday for the hours they gave to the company to secure its success. They consider themselves owed that paycheck based on an agreement that they would work for a set hourly wage. They are being compensated for their knowledge, skill, experience, and ability based on a mutual benefit contract. All one needs to do to test this idea is withhold from the employee the check to which they feel entitled and see what happens.

There is only one utility provider in my city where I live. They do not show me the kind of gratitude one might expect if the payment I sent in was for them having provided me with nothing. I owe them for kilowatts of electricity, for gallons of clean water, and the removal of sewer water, or for cubic feet of natural gas. They might out of politeness say thank you on my bill but if I neglect to pay it those services will be terminated. They are entitled to payment or they will no longer feel the need to supply me with these products. They are entitled to payment so if they fail to deliver electricity, water, and natural gas to my home I do not pay them. It is a you scratch my back and I will scratch yours type of relationship based on entitlement. I am politely thankful to a certain degree, as are they.  We are locked in a cycle of survival dependence that requires that we each bring something to the table.

There’s a fundamental difference between an authentic heartfelt gratitude and a socially polite thank you.

In matters of the Kingdom of Christ and His gospel, there are ways to present it that stir heartfelt gratitude, and there are ways to distort it that stir entitlement attitudes.

A work-based doctrine produces an entitlement attitude. It constructs the notion that one is owed something on the basis of their performance.  Alternatively, the counterpart of this would be that they deserve to be neglected because they have not performed up to standard.

The doctrine of grace through faith does not feed into any type of entitlement attitude in that it magnifies the mercy and generosity of God, independently working on our behalf without us having done anything to deserve it.

God owes us nothing. However, although He owes us nothing, He has freely given us all things through His Son Jesus Christ.  His kingdom operates on His generosity, as He is the source of all that is good. We should never think of Him as owing us the kindness and love that He so graciously gives to us.

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Use It

I've been working with a friend who is a master electrician on some of his jobs part-time. It's been an education for sure.

It can be amazing how much simpler a task can be when done with the proper tool that was specifically designed for it.

The same principle applies to spiritual matters. God has equipped His children with what they need to walk with Him in a healthy relationship. He has equipped us with everything we need in Christ Jesus.

2Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The right gospel, according to the new covenant Jesus established with His blood, equips us to know Him correctly. In it is revealed the love of God for us, the righteousness of God we have become in Him, the sanctification we have received in Christ Jesus, the wisdom from God that is now available to us as a result, and the promised Holy Spirit who teaches us all things concerning Him and leads us in the right way.

Whenever the gospel is treated as merely an introductory message designed to get someone initially saved and then left alone, little to no real fruit is the result. The supernatural fruit the gospel produces is rooted and grounded in a relationship with God forged by the obedience of Christ Jesus and applied to our own lives by grace through faith.

The gospel is the primary tool of the New Covenant that Jesus established. When we remember to ask, how does the gospel apply in this situation? What can the gospel reveal to me about how Jesus feels and thinks about me in this matter? What can the gospel show me about the decision I need to make in this circumstance?

In every one of these examples, the gospel will point us to interact with the One who loves us so deeply and faithfully.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

The enemy wants us to believe that everything we face is too complicated for something as simple as the gospel to be our tool, bringing us to the right place for proper wisdom and solutions.

Colossians 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

The gospel is your tool. May I encourage you to use it?

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You Were Not Willing

That title is a very sober and haunting statement made by Jesus regarding Jerusalem.

Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

There are so many things Jesus desires to do, but He so often encounters an unwillingness in those He wishes to do something good in their lives.

Jesus was sent to the Jews for their redemption and blessing. However, many did not wish to receive Him.

John 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

Even today, many professing believers will reject the simplicity of the gospel and exchange it for a list of what to do, because they trust more in their capabilities than in His.

There's not a broken marriage, broken home, or bad situation or circumstance that the good news of Jesus cannot provide wisdom in navigating and experiencing peace, freedom, and wisdom that flows from Him.

Many prefer to find a counselor or minister who will provide them with a formula that involves their effort. They do this thinking that if they know what they need to do, they will do it, and the matter will be fixed. They are ignorant of how devoid of engaging the Father in relationship such an attitude is.

The extent of their prayers about it is usually, "Jesus, I ask You to fix this." It is not engaging in an interaction with the Lord for His heart in the matter, nor is it an effort to ask the Holy Spirit for revelation from the gospel to enhance wisdom to act in concert with the heart of Jesus about it.

Jesus wanted Jerusalem to welcome Hima nd engage in a relationship with the Father through Him. They enjoyed His miracles, signs, and wonders, as well as all the miraculous healings and people raised from the dead. But how many sought to have a relationship with and through Him with the Father? They were not willing to take a step in that direction. In their hearts, they rejected Him.

The religious leaders did not constitute the entire population of Jerusalem. There were people there who were not religious leaders, but they were just as unwilling as any religious leader. How many times has a parent yearned to help a child engage in a relationship with them, only to find their counsel and direction are ignored and they are pushed away? That is a case of that chilling phrase, "You were not willing."

It is the gospel that makes us aware of the things God did to enable us to engage in a relationship with Him at all levels. The gospel is not an introductory message; it is a life message. When it is taken lightly and largely ignored, it is a demonstration of someone's unwillingness to find the real solution to the challenges they will face in life.

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Safely Covered And Hidden

When I was a small boy, like most boys, I had a vivid imagination. I would watch monster movies with my older brothers and then go to bed, afraid in the dark. I imagined things under my bed or in my closet.

I convinced myself that if I covered up with my blanket pulled over my head, whatever was in my room couldn’t see me. Being hidden beneath my trusty blanket gave me the peace I needed to fall asleep.

I would almost bet you’d be able to relate to that experience in your own childhood story.

Believe it or not, in the Bible, there is a call for us as God’s children to use our faith and imagination to realize we have been safely covered and hidden. If we grasp this revelation, it can truly help us in our times of anxiety and fear. It can also help us in our times of temptation.

Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

The reality of being hidden with Christ in God is everything! What can see us in that place, and what could possibly get past God to get to us?

Even better is the idea of what we can discover about our God as our Father from being hidden with Christ in Him. There’s much love to discover in that place.

It is from our position of being hidden with Christ in God that we discover who He is, what He has done, and how it applies to us. That, in turn, tells us who we truly are and are meant to be.

You know, without the security of my trusty blanket as a kid, I would have had many a restless night, and it would have taken an even greater toll on me physically and mentally.

When it comes to spirit and soul, proper rest belongs to those who have the revelation of what it means to be in Christ. Our heavenly identity is inalterably tied to our position in Christ. I would encourage you to look at all the "In Christ" statements of Scripture and ask for real revelation on it from the Holy Spirit.

Today we are victorious not because circumstances will end the way we want, but because despite circumstances and fearful challenges, our life is hid with God in Christ!

Our security is in Jesus, and we are citizens of His kingdom, which is righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit. Having a tough time? Try to remember that you are under a powerful covering today. Remember who you are in, and that you are safely covered and hidden.

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Special Announcement

No Devotionals for at least two days this week.

I have a hectic schedule ahead of me this week, so I will not be able to take the time to send out my devotionals to the lists I have. I am sorry to skip like this. I will have my meditations as always, but unfortunately, I will not have the time to write them out and share them. I appreciate your patience and understanding.

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