Real Righteousness

Philippians 3:7  But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

In this instance, Paul speaks of how he abandoned his passionate, devoted pursuit of righteousness as a Pharisee.  A righteousness pursued through the Law is a work of the flesh and is not of faith.

Sometimes one’s sense of being good is often their worst enemy because it interferes with the specific kind of faith God desires.

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,

God cares about how we approach Him.  He is not moved by our own self-imposed righteousness that we feel is enough based on our own effort to be good enough for God to look our way and open His heart to us.

God desires the righteousness Jesus imputes to those who put their faith in Him and stand on His completed work.  God will not accept any other version of righteousness.

The righteousness Jesus offers freely to those who have faith in Him is superior to any other brand of righteousness.  It cannot be improved or superseded in any way.  So to attempt to approach God with any brand of righteousness is offensive to God.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.

No matter what might be happening in your life right now, your invitation to the throne of grace is based on the obedience and sacrifice of Christ, and that means you can go before God on that basis and get the mercy you need to help you.

I encourage you to take advantage of the righteousness you did not earn and go boldly before the throne of grace as often as you wish or need.  God will not turn away anyone who comes to Him in faith in Christ.

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Unshakeable Faith

How you relate to God reveals the difference between knowing Him as your Father or only as the Supreme Deity.  A Supreme Deity perspective can lead to reluctance to go to Him with anything other than that which is way too big for you.  A perspective of Father leads you to realize you can go to Him with anything you need to know His wisdom for.  Once you come to Jesus, God becomes your Father, and He cares for you and is not reluctant to offer you His wisdom on things.  God will make known His will for you.

I have found He is willing to offer me wisdom on things like car repairs, financial decisions, who I should spend my life with, whether or not I should take a trip, to wait on a purchase, and to know how to answer a question or avoid it.  He will be as involved in my life as I allow Him to be as my Father.

James reveals that you can seek God for wisdom without expecting to get a rebuke for it.  God is not poised to rebuke you due to a mistake you made before needing His wisdom or for why you need His wisdom. Your Father is gracious and willing to give you insight into His will for your life. Your Father is all about relationships.  His only requirement is that you go to Him in true faith about it.

God is not asking you to go through life assuming things about Him and making your best guess at what His will might be.   He is very willing to share His heart for you with you, and He is also willing to let you know what your next step is because He can see what is ahead that you cannot see.

Double-mindedness means there’s a hint of faith present but also unbelief at work.  It is an inner tug of war.  It is being stuck between two opinions.  You can agree that God is good and yet question His motives.  Or you can think you know Him well but with a skewed perspective, and as a result, you struggle to trust Him and are reluctant to go to Him because you think you know what His answer might be.

It’s like the parable of the talents that Jesus told in Matthew 25.  The Master gave His three servants each a set amount of money to steward while he went away.  He gave one five talents (bags of silver), the second servant got two, and the last servant got one.  The one with five bags and the one with two bags both invested what they had and doubled it.  The servant with just one bag dug a hole and hid it.

When the Master returned, He praised the servants with ten and two bags and declared let’s celebrate together.  They enjoyed rich fellowship!  They were also promised more responsibilities due to their faithfulness.  But what the Master said to the servant with one bag surprises most people.

Matthew 25:24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The servant with one bag had a skewed perspective due to pretending to have a relationship with the Master, and his real issue was not fear but laziness. He wasn’t as invested in knowing and pleasing as he claimed.

Proverbs 22:13 The lazy man says there’s a lion outside. I will be slain in the street if I go out.

He claims to be afraid when the truth is that he is lazy.  It’s an excuse for his unbelief.  The Master is not all about the money; He is about the trust that enables stepping out in relationship-based faith.  The one-bag guy lacked trust and faith due to having no real relationship. Thus the sentence of outer darkness.  A growing relationship convinced of God’s will produces unshakeable faith.   Unshakeable faith presses on despite the odds in the confidence only a close relationship can produce.

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Relationship 101

I am very thankful and fortunate to be married to the love of my life. We married way back in 1986.  I’ll let you do the math.

Something is interesting about being totally committed to one person in the bond of marriage.  It brings an end to playing the field and thinking only of oneself.

I realize that my way of thinking could seem strange to a more modern generation, but many still find it true. Our relationship would not be what it is today if we had felt it would be proper to see others or live only for ourselves.  We would not be together if that were the case.

I am wholly and devotedly still with my wife Sheila, enjoying our empty nest and doing life together because I love her, and she loves me.  Neither of us feels trapped; we want to be together and are grateful we have each other.  We’re in our happy place!

That is not to say we have never argued or faced extremely difficult situations together.  Jesus said, “in this world, you will have tribulations, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”  We have found that to be true, and the tribulations are multifaceted.

Every relationship has its own set of challenges.  This is true of a person’s relationship with Christ.  Just as I gave up a style of life as a single person when I met and married Sheila, anyone who is a believer leaves behind their old way of living to do life with Jesus.

Just as Sheila left her father and mother to be with me and start a family, a person who comes to Jesus is willing to part with anything that might interfere with their relationship with Jesus.

This is really what Romans six is getting at when it offers us sound instruction on living in the freedom we’ve received in Christ.

Romans 6:12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. 15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 19  Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.  20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is not about being righteous to earn a relationship with God.  A believer in Jesus already has a relationship with God through faith in Christ.  This is about how that relationship produces good fruit contrary to what a person was and how they thought before they came to know Jesus.  I’ve been joined to Christ, and that has produced a completely different way of life for me than what I had before I came to know Him.  This change is not the result of a have to or else mindset in me.  It is not something I regret now after forty years of journey.  I am most grateful for the change Jesus brought into my life, and I am most joyful and happy when I know I am living in submission to the will of the Spirit as a devoted disciple of Jesus.  I encourage you to embrace the deep abiding joy that is yours when surrendered to the Spirit and living in sync with whom you have indeed become in Christ.  In Christ, you’ve been set free!  Enjoy that freedom the way it is meant to be enjoyed.

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It Is Finished

John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

The final act of Jesus was based on what had been written in the Scripture concerning Him.

Psalms 69:21 They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Even though He was God’s Son, Jesus functioned as a man empowered by the Holy Spirit.  He lived His life according to the Holy Spirit and in step with the word the prophets had spoken concerning Him.

Jesus was a man of the word and of the Spirit.  Jesus was so committed to what the Scriptures spoke concerning Him that His final act was to fulfill a prophetic word in the Psalms.  Jesus lived His life based on what had been written about Him, and the Holy Spirit empowered Him to do so.

Why should this be so important to you and me?

It’s important because it demonstrates that we can also live according to what the word says about us as New Creation New Covenant believers in Jesus when we allow the Holy Spirit to govern our lives and empower us to do the will of God.

In saying this, I am not promoting the idea of anyone living a life of sinless perfection.  Yes, we will still miss the mark and sometimes do something to please ourselves and violate the two great commandments: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love others as we love ourselves.  I will be the first to testify honestly that I know I have not perfectly loved as I should every second of every day of my life since I was born again. There have been times when I knew what the good thing God wanted me to do was, and I refused to do it and did my own thing instead.

But according to His grace and the work of the Holy Spirit, I have been enabled to see when I have missed it, adjust to His will again, and move forward in Him, knowing I am still loved as much as I ever was by Him.  His grace is enough for me, and His blood has cleansed and continues to cleanse me of all my sin.  It does the same for all His children, and that is why we can live according to His word by the power of the Holy Spirit, even after making big mistakes in our journey.

Jesus lived a sinless life to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins, past, present, and future.  It is why He was able to take on our sin at the cross and, in exchange, give us His righteousness.  We are made righteous. We do not earn it.  Now we get to live out the righteousness we received.  It might make it simpler to say we were born into a relationship with God through Christ, and we maintain that relationship with God through Christ.  To live out the righteousness received is to live in a way that manifests our relationship with God.

The apostle Paul also was a man of the word and the Spirit, and he spoke about finishing well.

2Timothy 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Paul is not boasting that he lived a sinless life and is ready to go to God and receive His crown of righteousness based on his meriting it.  He testifies that he kept the faith!  “The faith” is believing the gospel concerning Jesus and being rooted and grounded in faith in Him.  Jesus finished the work to make this our reality today.  I encourage you to enjoy your relationship with God and immerse yourself in the word He has spoken in the Scriptures concerning Christ and His finished work.

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Learning To Trust

Learning To Trust

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

You need wisdom, especially when undergoing a trial of life. Being told to count it all joy when you fall into various trials can seem odd.  The end goal is the test your faith which will produce the fruit of patience.

If you are in a trial of faith, whatever you believe is God’s will for you may not have fully manifested yet, and a battle is underway.  That battle will always be along the lines of whether or not you heard God or if the thing you are holding out for truly is His will for you. We are told in,

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

God’s will for you requires you to stand in faith and not be moved regardless of the circumstances, the inability to see anything in the natural, or others ridiculing you.  When you stand your ground patiently, you find the Holy Spirit is the One coming to your aid and comforting you.  In your trial, He strengthens your relationship with God and your reliance on the completed work of Christ.  He strengthens your faith in what Jesus has done and gives you peace.  A trial of faith is a trial of your relationship with God.  When you stand firm, patiently waiting for God to be and to do according to who He is and what he has spoken, you find that despite what you can see with your eyes or feel with your emotions, God is even more real. With your ability to be aware of how involved and invested He is, you find you lack nothing.

The Apostle Paul was on a boat at sea on his way to Rome. A strong storm was destroying the ship, and men were plotting to abandon the ship. Paul had a word from the Lord about how all could be saved. Paul spoke based on what he knew to be the will of God for the situation.  Paul prayed for wisdom and was given the next step.  He knew it was God’s will that he go to Jerusalem.  You need the next step in both small and great situations.  You need the wisdom of His will for you more than you might think you do.

Ephesians 5:15 Therefore consider carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 For this reason, do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is.

If you trust your own experience more than His wisdom, you will find yourself constantly referring to your own experience and making most of your decisions based on that.  But even your own experiences, as weighty as they may seem, cannot match His ability to see all and lead you according to His will.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.  7  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.  8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

James reveals that you can seek God for wisdom without expecting to get a rebuke for it.  God is not poised to rebuke you due to a mistake you made before needing His wisdom or for why you need His wisdom. Your Father is gracious and willing to give you insight into His will for your life. Your Father is all about relationships.  His only requirement is that you go to Him in true faith about it.   I encourage you to seek Him for His wisdom today. Ask Him to reveal His will for you today.   He will not get angry with you or be impatient with you.  Approach Him in faith, and you will find He is ready to interact with you and help you.

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A Believer’s Authority

Growing up and having four brothers, three older and one younger, makes for an exciting childhood.

Being raised by a single mother and struggling financially also provides you with many memories.

I remember coming home from school, being hungry, and getting something out of the pantry to eat, only to be told I was not allowed by an older brother.  So I would grab the phone, call my mom at work, and ask her if eating what I had chosen was okay.  It would make my older brother mad that I had done it because my mom would say she wanted me to have it.

Once she made known her will for me to have it, my older brother could do nothing to keep me from having it, even though it upset him.  My mom’s will was more powerful than his, resulting in my hunger being satisfied.

I share this to emphasize the importance of knowing God’s will for your life.  You see when we know what His will is, we also know what is not in line with it and can resist it, and we also know there’s no greater authority than His, and therefore what He decreed is for us cannot be denied us.

A believer in Jesus cannot make a proper authoritative stand without knowing the will of God.  If they are unsure of it being His will, they become double-minded about whatever they need to be resolute about. It becomes impossible for them to obtain what He desires them to get.

You see, the kingdom operates according to faith.  Faith works according to His will being made known so that once it is believed it came from Him, there’s authority to stand on.

When a believer isn’t clear about the will of the Lord, they cannot be bold in what they say or in making the choice they need to make.

Knowing the will of another person is not always a fixed reality.  It requires a relationship.  To understand what another person thinks and desires, you need to know that person; otherwise, you are making assumptions, and our conscience knows assumptions are not always reliable.

To walk in the authority you’ve been given as a believer, you need to walk in a relationship with Jesus to the degree you are familiar with His will.

If you believe everything that happens is His will, you will go through life putting up with many things you do not have to.  For instance:  I would never inject a syringe filled with cancer into a person; I already know I am nowhere near as good as God, so I do not believe that God ever gives a person cancer.  I also reject any idea that He permitted it to teach someone a lesson.

When my kids were learning to ride bicycles, I did not get someone to tempt them to ride out in front of a car so they could be hit, injured, and hospitalized so that I could ensure they got the lesson.  What kind of father would you consider me to be if I did such a thing?

This is why it is so important to know and be familiar with the will of God.  Having it settled equips us. It lets us know where we have authority as a believer in Jesus and how we can use that authority to take a stand in faith where it counts.  I encourage you today to take advantage of the relationship Jesus died for you to have and ask to know His will for you. Let the Holy Spirit show you what you need to know about this, and I am sure you will not regret it.

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Abounding

2Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

I would not be in error if I said that a primary fruit of Christianity is generosity instead of holding back out of fear of loss or limitation.

As believers in Christ, we have more than enough grace to do whatever He might ask of us.  God will see to it that we have whatever we need to participate in His good work in any situation.

When the Holy Spirit stirs us to get involved, it is not based on what we have in the natural at our disposal at that moment.  It is always based on the generosity of His grace at work in us and His willingness to meet us in the thing He has stirred us to participate in.

Where others or even ourselves may see lack, He sees abundance.

When it comes to the will of God, it is never subject to our natural abilities and circumstances.  It is subject to His supply, resource, and ability to enable, empower and provide.

The question is not, can I but rather, can He?

We should never subject His will for us to our understanding of our abilities and resources as that will interfere with our walking in faith based on Him as opposed to ourselves.

When the Holy Spirit reveals the will of God for our moment, we should not ask what we have to bring to it; we should have faith and trust Him to provide what we need to bring to it.

Where He guides, He will also provide.

Our God is really good at raising up unlikely candidates to do great things and accomplish His purposes.  You and I are not exceptions to this.  He is no respecter of persons. He is simply looking for who is available to Him and open to knowing His will with a desire to see it accomplished.

Those who seek to do God’s will are attracted to those who do His will and have discernment regarding the teaching different ones claiming to be for God has to offer.

John 7:16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.

The teaching of Jesus was distinguishable based on how in step with the will of God it was.  It was not a teaching that deviated from God’s will but clarified it.  That is why anyone desiring to do God’s will was drawn to His teaching and knew it was of God.

If you’ve been born again and baptized with the Holy Spirit, you have been given the desire to know and do God’s will.  You have received heavenly equipping to be and to do according to what He says concerning you.  I encourage you not to look at yourself in the mirror according to what you see naturally.  Instead, see yourself as being capable in the way God is declaring you to be based on His will being revealed to you.  he is making all grace abound towards you!  You have what you need and what it takes because Christ is in you, and the Holy Spirit is filling you with His power.  Go and abound in Him!

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Wisdom

Ephesians 5:15 Therefore consider carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 For this reason, do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit,

In these modern times in which we live, millions have learned to run to YouTube when they need to know how to do something.

Need to know how to garden? There’s a YouTube video for that.

Need to know how to fix a faucet?  There’s a YouTube video for that.

Need to know how to fix something on a car?  There’s a YouTube video for that.

Need to discover a new diet to lose weight?  There’s a YouTube video for that.

For a believer in Christ, the clearest definition of being unwise is being ignorant of what the will of the Lord is.

Just as no one has to be ignorant of how to fix something because they can see a video instructing them on how to do it, what tools to use, and even where to buy the things they will need to make the repair, no believer in Jesus has to be ignorant of what His will for them is.

The advice Paul as an apostle, gives to the church at Ephesus is still wise for us today. We should consider how we live and ensure we are wise about it.

But how can we know we are wise about how we live?

Simple, make sure we are living according to the will of the Lord.  This advice given by Paul makes sure we understand the difference between wise and foolish by saying don’t be foolish but be wise.  How?  By understanding what the Lord’s will is.

In other words, if I am doing life without being confident of the will of the Lord, I am living foolishly.  Paul also says, do not get drunk but be filled with the Spirit.

In other words, if I am wise, I will ask to be filled with the Spirit daily.

What is being advised in Ephesians is an active daily relationship with the Lord involving interaction to the degree that we come away with a solid sense of what He desires for us.

To know someone I claim to love hates something, and then I do that very thing regularly is foolish.  It is like going out of my way to bring tension and conflict into the relationship.

Loving my wife makes me aware of her in ways that let me know what she likes and appreciates and empowers me to do even the most minor thing to demonstrate my love for her.  Love for her empowers me to know and do something I am confident she will appreciate and be blessed by.  But these things are made clear only when the relationship is alive and active.

No believer ever has to live foolishly.  Every believer in Jesus has the opportunity to make the most of every opportunity and live in the wisdom of knowing His will and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

I encourage you today to make that your goal.  To prioritize the relationship in a way that makes His will abundantly clear to you and moves you to rely on the Holy Spirit for empowerment to take advantage of the opportunity to do it.  I encourage you to walk in wisdom today and always!

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To God Be The Glory

If someone had told me forty years ago, in early 1983, that I would be celebrating forty years of following Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit and serving as the pastor of a church I planted thirty years ago this coming September, and that my youngest son would turn thirty, I would have said they were full of something.

I was supernaturally swept into the kingdom of God in October of 1983, and what a glorious journey it has been.

I was not in search of anything better way back in early 1983.  I thought I was living well and enjoying myself.  I knew that much of what I was doing wasn’t exactly what I should be doing, but it was fun and how I had chosen to live my life.  I was not thinking of the future or on the right path for anything promising.

I had nothing to offer God that would have impressed Him. Thankfully He wasn’t looking for what a dead in sin man could offer Him.  He wanted to provide me with life in Christ Jesus.  The Bible sums it up better than I can.

Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Even after four decades of knowing Jesus, I have nothing I can boast about because He has kept me by His grace.  My boast in being righteous is a boast in the work of Jesus!  Any endurance or faithfulness attributed to my life is a testimony of God's endurance and faithfulness, who has held me fast in the grip of His love and grace.

There truly is nothing like having a real relationship with God through knowing Jesus.

When I consider the passage we just read in Ephesians, one of the things that stands out to me is how it shows that God isn’t caught up in my accomplishments for Him.  He looks forward to showing off the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ!

God is up to something!  God is showing off His kindness towards us in Christ!  His doing this is not based on how wonderfully we can prove we were worth being saved.  It is based on Christ alone and has nothing to do with our efforts.  God is looking forward to boasting about Jesus and the incredible plan the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit put together in eternity past.  That means He is committed to our growth and transformation, energized by the Holy Spirit.

I love how verse ten speaks of how we are His workmanship.  My Maton acoustic guitar was handcrafted in Australia using only the best Australian wood, and they only have so many highly skilled guys who work there.  That makes each guitar unique.  They aren’t mass-produced on a factory assembly line.  You weren’t mass-produced.  A Master Craftsman has crafted you in Christ Jesus, and you are unique.  He designed you to be unique so that He can display His handiwork made possible through Jesus.  There’s only one you in all the world, and Jesus living in you and through you will produce a unique expression of grace. We were created for good works in Christ, works God prepared beforehand for us to walk in.  The Holy Spirit empowers us for this, so today, you have the privilege of engaging in the very thing you were created for and enjoying knowing it’s the will of God for you.

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God’s Kindness

2Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Notice how it speaks of the excellence of the power!  Wouldn’t you agree that statement has a great ring to it?  God has not done away with our humanity.  He has left our humanity intact, letting us live on this earth as His vessels carrying a great treasure.  Why has He done such a thing?  So that the excellency of the power may be of God, not of us!

It is His light, presence, and glory that is attractive!  He is not polishing us up so that men are drawn to us; He wants us to display the work of His mighty power so that others are drawn to Him!  Granted, this is not accomplished by being undisciplined and immoral as human beings.  The grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness, which means grace when it comes leads us into a place of being submitted to God and yielded to the Holy Spirit.  But He has left our humanity intact so much that others can see and know that the excellence of the power is of God, not of us.

If I were to take fifty pounds of gold and place it in a large secure box so that it could be kept, and someone heard I had a box with fifty pounds of gold, they would not desire the box because of its own great worth.  They would only want the box because of what is in it.

There is such a thing as “the law of attraction.” Let me explain what I mean by that.

If the only way for a young woman to get a particular guy is based on her figure, due to his dominant preference, she must find a way to maintain her figure to keep him.  Good luck with that.  If a young man has to be buff and have lots of hair to attract a particular woman due to her dominant preference. Well, I lost out on that one a long time ago.

If, for instance, the people a church wishes to attract require events with bells and whistles and all the latest theatrics, you’d better be able to keep up with the newest technology and keep up the pace of it to keep those who were attracted by it.  You’d better be able to do it on a larger scale than others.

Isaiah 53 tells us that Jesus was nothing to look at; in other words, He wasn’t handsome.  The glory of God manifested in the way He went about His business each day, and the message He spoke made Him attractive.  Jesus allowed the Father to draw all men to Him.  Jesus relied on the excellency of the power.

If the only way to attract people is to do with you or what you do, you must be sure it can be maintained perpetually if you intend to keep them.  You risk becoming a slave to whatever it was you believed is required not only to attract but to keep.

This is why it is so vital that the church attracts based on the presence of God and the integrity of the gospel that they believe in and live in.  Granted, a person walking in the Spirit will not be mean and spiteful, always finding ways to offend everyone in meaningless and malicious ways.  Someone manifesting the work of grace is attractive because of the presence of God in and with them.  They are joyful and peaceful and have a certain confidence they exhibit that can be attractive.  But it is the presence of God that is attractive. That is why the Scriptures say to be ready to give every man a reason for the hope that lies within you.  God set it up this way so that the glory is His as people witness His kindness towards us in Christ!  Let the Holy Spirit fill you with the hope only He can produce in you through the revelation of Jesus. Be encouraged and walk in the grace and peace that is yours in Christ Jesus.  When we walk confidently in our relationship with Jesus, allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way in and through us, it puts the excellence of the power of God on display.  I encourage you to enjoy Him and show off His kindness today!

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Knockoffs

In modern times, telling an original from a knockoff is becoming more challenging.

Ironically many are happy with knockoffs of an original.  They cost less and are easier to obtain.  But a knockoff gospel is not a smart way to go.

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. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

It can be all right to use generic medicines when you can’t afford the original brand.  But going after a generic gospel or Holy Spirit will never be all right.

The most important thing for a believer in Jesus is getting the gospel right, getting the gospel deep within, and then getting the gospel out.

You are saved by grace through faith in Christ, not of works.  A gospel that comes to you and says you must believe and……………   to be saved is not the simple gospel we find in Scripture.

Works-based righteousness is not the gospel.  When it comes to being made right with God, He only accepts the work Jesus accomplished. It is by faith in the finished work of Jesus that God is looking for.

But it is not unusual to encounter ministers who preach add-ons to the gospel and ignore the Holy Spirit, which is a part of it.  They will preach to you what “you” must do to be saved.

When the gospel is correct, there is simplicity to it.  An overcomplicated gospel should cause alarm.  The real gospel always comes with the right Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is not a spirit of condemnation with lists of accusations that leave a person hopeless.

John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

The Holy Spirit convicts people regarding the sin of unbelief in Jesus, that Jesus ascended to the Father, and that the devil has been judged (defeated).

Whenever someone tries to become too intellectual regarding the gospel, it complicates it.  The gospel first delivered was so simple that even those uneducated could hear it, believe it, and be transformed by it.

If the gospel you heard preached or are currently preaching requires an educational degree or certification, it is not the gospel.  The gospel is confirmed by the presence and power of God at work in it to transform someone’s life.  This is why Paul said in the Scriptures,

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Don’t be fooled by knockoffs pretending to be gospel proclaimers who make you dependent upon them by complicating it.  Don’t allow anyone to move you from the simplicity that is in the gospel.  I encourage you to keep your faith in what Jesus has done to make you righteous and never be ashamed to say it is where your confidence flows from.

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Heaven’s Treasure

When we think of what Heaven’s treasure is, some’s thoughts might run towards streets of gold, a crystal lake, a throne of jasper, etc.  But those things are not the treasure of heaven.

Heaven views treasure very differently from how this world perceives treasure. The real treasure of heaven is the presence of God.

God’s presence is the greatest treasure there is.  Heaven knows this, God knows this, and the church is supposed to know it too.

The activity of the Holy Spirit represents God’s presence in the church.  Under Moses, a temple tent was constructed, and a special place called the Holy of Holies was in that tent.  In the Holy of Holies, there was an ark of the covenant.  On top of that ark was a mercy seat, and during the time of sacrifice, blood was to be sprinkled on that mercy seat.  God promised it was where He would meet with them.  So the ark represented the presence of God (so to speak.)

During the captivity, the ark disappeared, and it was speculated through the ages that Jeremiah may have taken and hidden it away since he foretold the coming captivity.  Whether or not that is true, no one knows.  All that can be known is that the ark is gone.  Today people are looking for the ark, thinking that if they find it could be restored to the temple once a new temple is built.

For an authentic New Covenant believer finding the ark isn’t a thing.  We already know where the ark is because the Bible tells us.

Revelation 11:19  Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

But it is more than just this passage that comforts a New Covenant believer about matters of the ark of the covenant.

You see, when it comes to the treasure of God’s presence, we know that it is now in earthen vessels here on this earth.

2Corinthians 4:7   But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

When Jesus makes New Creations, it is so that they can house His presence.  Jesus was excited about returning to heaven so that the Holy Spirit would come because Jesus knows that the treasure of heaven is the presence of God.

Jesus gave Himself so that we, as believers, could be made into a habitation for the Holy Spirit.  We do not need an ark of the covenant.  The church has become the ark (so to speak).  We are the carriers of the presence of God!  This is New Covenant teaching, but sadly, many claims to be New Covenant have so much mixture of the Old Covenant still at work in them that they think the ark of the covenant needs to be found for God to do what He wants to do.  They believe God will relate with Israel under an Old Covenant construct in these last days.  They believe a temple will be rebuilt and sacrifices reinstituted in Israel, so they are in a frantic search for the ark of the covenant.

If you genuinely believe in Jesus, you are created to be a presence bearer!  May I encourage you to be available to the Holy Spirit with no hesitation so that the treasure of heaven can be manifested here on earth?

Being filled with His presence is the most incredible privilege you will ever know.  Don’t let anyone take that away from you by offering you distracting, time-wasting notions having nothing to do with the truth of the New Covenant work of Christ.  Stand firm in your faith in Him and enjoy being filled with the Holy Spirit by faith alone.

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Outcome?

Many decisions are made in life based on an expected outcome.  In the news, we have heard of outcome-based education.  The focus of outcome-based education is on achieving better test results.  The focus is less on a well-rounded and well-grounded education in the essentials.

We risk getting off track whenever we gear ourselves to make the goal a particular outcome that was never intended.  Outcome-based thinking can lead to unwarranted discouragement.

I’ve seen this happen to believers many times.  For instance, I have watched as a believer gets excited about sharing their faith and then loses that excitement when they begin to think everyone they shared it with should have been saved and was not.

In His parable on the sower, Jesus explains how the seed the sower sows is the word of God, and everywhere the sower goes, he is sowing that seed, but the seed falls on different types of ground.  If the sower determined whether or not to continue sowing seed based on the outcomes, he would likely give up because only one of the four types of ground described produced as it should.  In that parable, Jesus clarified that the soil types described people’s heart conditions.

This is a great parable to instruct us on understanding the purpose and being committed to it versus being outcome-based.

The purpose of the sower was to sow seed (The Word of God). The outcome would be based on the condition of the hearts the seed landed on.  The sower has no control over the state of the heart.  The seed sower was not sent to plow, condition, de-weed, or alter the soil the seed would fall on.

In this parable, the purpose of the sower is to sow seed faithfully and let the outcomes be whatever they end up being.  If the sower were to become distracted by the soil condition, he might only sow his seed selectively or cease sowing his seed altogether because he is determined to work on the state of the soil versus sowing his seed.

When it comes to being witnesses for Christ, we are only asked to share the truth concerning Jesus with others.  If we do that, we have done what we were asked.  If we become obsessed with the outcome, we can become easily discouraged and give up on doing what we are meant to do if the outcome isn’t producing at the level we initially hoped for.

Outcome moves our focus from the calling of obedience to His will from being the objective to an objective of what happens. If what we expect that outcome to look like isn’t occurring, we can begin to question His will and end up getting off course from it.

Hebrews 10:5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:  “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.  6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’ ”

I am so thankful that Jesus did not lose sight of His calling and purpose.  He pushed through the rejection of His people and the religious leaders, misunderstandings, false accusations, well-crafted temptations, and even death on a cross to complete His mission to fulfill the Father’s will.

We should remember how Jesus said, “nevertheless, not my will but Your will be done.”  Jesus did the Father’s will continually; it was His purpose.  His will is just as much our purpose; to know it and comply with it, we need the Holy Spirit.  Let’s not get outcome focused when it comes to being His witnesses.  Let’s enjoy being His witnesses in the power of the Spirit and let Him be the One who determines outcomes.

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Distracted

Have you ever been someplace you were not supposed to be at a time when you were supposed to be somewhere else and doing something other than what you were doing in that wrong place?

I remember when one of my older brothers skipped school to go joyriding with friends, and they had gone downtown to have fun. They were driving up and down the main street, mooning people out of the window of the car they were in.   My older brother’s turn came up, so he pulled down his pants and stuck his bare bottom out the window.  As far as he knew, he had a great time laughing with his friends and mooning people for most of that day.  But when he got home, he discovered one of the people he had mooned was our mother.  So much for a really fun day.

If he had been at school where he was meant to be doing his studies as he should have been, he would have never mooned our mother and gotten himself into trouble.

He’s not the only one who has ever allowed himself to get distracted from his real purpose and discovered it results in hardship.

King David in the Bible experienced this too.  You see, it was at a time when kings went to war, but David decided he would send out his men and stay home relaxing this time.  Since David had already said no to his purpose and yes to something that was not his purpose, he was already set up for trouble.

David was out on his rooftop when he noticed a beautiful woman bathing. Since his ability to say no to the wrong thing was already weakened by his first choice, he found himself saying yes to another bad thing and had her brought up to him.  It turned out this woman was the wife of one of his loyal warriors, who was where he was supposed to be fighting a battle for David.

Later David learned that the woman had become pregnant, and since he had already made two bad choices, he scrambled to cover his tracks with another wrong choice.  He had them send the warrior home, hoping the man would spend time with his wife and think the child, when born, was his.   But the warrior loyal to David slept at the palace door, refusing to be with his wife and declaring he was dedicated to the king and should be at war.  When David noticed his scheme wasn’t going to work, he sent the man back to the battle with a note for the general instructing that this man be sent to the front line of battle, and then everyone else retreat so he could be killed.

In that very true story, one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history reveals that one poor decision of not being where he should be and doing what he ought to be doing can cause a landslide of bad choices that can hurt not only onself but a lot of other people.  David created a question in the heart and mind of his military leader based on his actions, the woman’s husband, a respected, loyal soldier, lost his life, and later the baby she gave birth to died.   All this because at a time when kings go out to war, David remained at home.

New Covenant living is about doing life according to the Spirit.  It is being submitted and surrendered to the will of the Spirit.  But like David, if we say no to what the Holy Spirit reveals is ours to be and to do, we set ourselves to struggle with saying no to other things because we refused to say yes to the right thing to start with.

Our yes to the Holy Spirit, even in the smallest of things, is important because it sets us up for the amazing things He wants to do in and through us that will not only bless us but bless others.  What we choose to say yes to is much more important than we sometimes realize.  The simplest obedience to the Holy Spirit leading can save us from a lot more trouble than we might be able to perceive.  It also sets us up for surprise blessings the Holy Spirit has lined up for us.

I encourage you today to be in tune with the Holy Spirit as you go through your day and say yes to however He wishes to lead you.  It is never a bad decision when we submit ourselves to the will of the Holy Spirit, who leads us to both will and do of God’s good pleasure.

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Misunderstood?

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Being misunderstood happens easily to most people because the truth is that we do not say or do everything perfectly.

I remember decades ago, in a church I was part of, there was an older widow and an older widowed man whom I dearly loved and respected, and they likewise loved and respected me.  Over time they discovered each other and became interested in each other.   The day arrived when he asked her to be his wife and presented her with a ring.  The following Sunday morning, she tracked me down to show me the ring and tell me the good news.  Man, it was a large diamond ring, and I was genuinely excited for her, for both of them.  So I said to her, “You must rate way above all others.”  I thought I was paying her a high compliment, but when I said it, her countenance fell, and she turned and walked away in a huff.  She began ignoring me, and I couldn’t get her to talk to me.  I had no clue what I had done to cause such a reaction.

Sometime later, when talking with someone about the strange incident and seeking to know how to fix it, I was informed that what I had said was the worse thing I could have said because of how she must have taken it.  I did not realize that the man had been widowed two times before.  She had taken my comment to mean I was comparing her to his former wives.  I was trying to compliment her with the idea of her rating high above any other woman on earth to him.  We were eventually able to correct the misunderstanding, but it happened nonetheless.  It turned out she was made more sensitive about things due to some well-meaning but misguided people advising her to avoid getting involved with the man in any serious manner.  Those bad and unwelcome experiences with others left her vulnerable and tender, and my comment was taken wrongly.

There’s no way to know what has just happened or has been happening to someone we might encounter and speak with.  The potential for being misunderstood is an ever-present reality.  If you over-obsess about such a thing, fearful of blowing it with someone, you will most likely avoid them or allow fear of being misunderstood to rule you and silence you altogether.  Either way, a decline in the relationship will occur.

Often many offenses are the result of a misunderstanding. Usually, but not always, they can be remedied with effort.  That is why it is best to be a person who is not easily offended.

Making decisions from a place of offense can have unpleasant long-term effects on a person’s life.  Jesus warned about being easily offended.  While teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus said something many did not understand.  In fact, many of His followers at the time did not understand it.

John 6:53   Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”  61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?

John 6:66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

If Jesus could be misunderstood, I promise we can be as well.  We can just as easily misunderstand the intentions of others.  I encourage you not to allow being misunderstood or someone being offended by you to drive you to make a poor decision.  Ask the Holy Spirit for His wisdom and do whatever He tells you to do.   Do your best to seek peace whenever possible and be ready to accept moving on if it is not possible.

Not Many Fathers

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There’s a lack of spiritual fathers in these modern times.  There are plenty of peers doing ministry but not many fathers.  Peers do ministry to affirm themselves more than to establish those they minister to.

Fathers are more concerned with someone discovering their destiny and purpose.  Fathers encourage others in God’s direction for them and rejoice when the person they encourage discovers it.  Fathers also offer necessary correction when appropriate, rooted in the authority that a father walks in.

Fathers aren’t looking for personal affirmation because they already know who they are and their purpose.

When fathering is not understood, someone becoming aware of how much God is for them can be interpreted by others as being self-centered or what some call “too caught up in oneself.”

It might be time to ask:  Is it wrong for someone to see God as a Father who readily and consistently encourages them and seeks to direct them into prosperous kingdom living?

Before Jesus had done anything in the ministry besides being baptized by John the Baptist at the river Jordan, the Father spoke from heaven and declared, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”  Jesus had only taken a very simple step in the right direction.

Jesus had not yet done anything to prove Himself to His Father.  He had not cast out any devils, nor had He healed anyone. He had not even preached a sermon or performed any miracles that we are aware of. He submitted himself to the baptism of John, a baptism of repentance.  Jesus was sinless, so one could ask why He would need to be baptized.  John certainly wrestled with that idea at that moment.  But Jesus explained it to John, and John baptized Him.

Jesus’ Father knew it was important that Jesus be affirmed for who He was before He could embark on what He was called to do.  The Father affirmed His Son right before He would be led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan based on who He was.

Fathers help children understand who they are and bring correction when a child is out of step with who they are.

1Corinthians 4:10 Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. 11 Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. 12 We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. 13 We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.  14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me.  17  That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.  18  Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. 19 But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. 20 For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.

As a father, Paul patiently instructed a group of believers who were a mess in many ways.  A group that Paul himself had preached the gospel to and had introduced to Christ to start with.  If you read the letter to the Corinthians, you will find how much Paul labored to straighten out their identity and purpose as a father to them.  His reason for doing so was not about how it might sully his reputation; it was about how they were living out of step with who they, indeed, were called to be.  As a father, Paul was not ministering from a place of insecurity that coveted their approval of him.  Paul could lovingly offer them all they needed to hear and have exampled for their benefit instead of his own.

Do you have a father in the faith?  Are you a father to others in the faith?  Fathers are important because encouragement about who God says we are is essential. I encourage you today to be in touch with whom God says you are and let that be the fuel that carries you into a faith-filled adventure with Him.

Unpredictable

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Where I live, I would hate to be a meteorologist.  Trying to predict the weather here is like predicting the final score of a game that hasn’t been played yet.  You might get close, but accurately predicting the exact score of two teams before they meet doesn’t happen often.

I can imagine it might be that way in most places.  Often there’s nothing more disappointing than getting one’s hopes up based on a prediction of something only to find it will not happen after all.   People make plans based on some predictions, such as an extended forecast.

When our kids were much younger, we would go on vacation to the beach as a family.  The timing of the vacation depended on what dates were available on the schedule for the condo we would use.  A wonderful brother in the Lord provided ministry families free stays at this condo, but you had to get on the schedule for it.

Every time we scheduled, we ended up in September after the hurricane season had started. That meant taking a chance that the weather would be good. We experienced a vacation enduring a severe tropical storm one year before we could enjoy the beach.  It could have been a real bummer because we were spending our time grabbing towels to try to stop the water from running into the condo around the seams of the windows due to the high winds.  We couldn’t sleep well due to the howling noise of the wind on the windows.  We were a bit nervous about our vehicle as the waves washed all the way to the condo parking lot where our van was.

But we were grateful for this amazing gift of a free condo for a family vacation, and we determined that although it wasn’t going as we had hoped, we would consider this as part of our family adventure and enter it into the catalog of family memories.  As it turned out, the shore fishing was incredible once the storm passed and things calmed down!  The morning walks to find sea shells provided way more exciting finds.  The remaining days we had were excellent. We just had to weather the storm for the first part of our stay.

My family had never been in a tropical storm like that, so it was scary.  But we decided to hang in there rather than give up and go home.  We were glad we did.  We now have great memories and a story to share from that experience.

You know, like the weather or scheduling a vacation in a hurricane zone during hurricane season can be unpredictable, life generally is that way.  You can never be sure what you’ll be faced with.  You know there will be times when your expectations will not be met.  What you choose to think and do about such times will determine the kind of story you will tell later.

In John 16, Jesus is preparing His disciples for a difficult time.  Jesus is about to be betrayed into the hands of men and crucified, and His disciples will scatter.  They will have a bad experience that will blow up their expectations.  To prepare them, Jesus says,

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.b But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I do not know what you might be going through or how many expectations may have been shattered.  But I know this much you can choose what to think and do about it as you look to Jesus and ask for the help of the Holy Spirit.  I encourage you today to turn your thoughts and concerns over to Jesus and allow Him to give you His peace amid your storm.  I promise He will help you through this. It may not be going as you had expected it to start, but it can become one of your more remarkable stories in life if you allow Jesus to help you through it.  Grace and peace to you today in Jesus, my friend.  You have an Advocate who gives you the Holy Spirit as a Comforter today.  You are greatly loved regardless of what might be happening at this moment.

Springtime

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I love springtime. It’s my favorite season.  I love it because of its beauty.  Where I live, the trees burst forth with blossoms as well as hedges and flowers.  The color pallet of spring is the color pallet of new life. After everything looks dead from winter, all dull and gray spring breaks forth to tell us life overcomes.  It overcomes very beautifully too.

Springtime makes people happy; many of them often cannot explain why.  But I believe it is due to a hope it draws on deep within.  A hope that desires all will be well.

I am not surprised that the resurrection of Jesus would have taken place during springtime.  The two seem to go together.  It’s just another reason for me to love springtime all the more.

Hopefully, some are happy just reading how happy I am about spring.  The lighter greens as new leaves emerge on the branches, the vivid colors that dance in the breeze, the quality of the light during the day, and the blue of the sky all give me cause to praise Jesus, my Lord, and Savior.  It just makes me happy deep down to think about it.

I love the expression of the creativity of God in creation in spring.  To me, spring also is like a prophet of freedom.  After being all shut in during winter due to the cold, spring is like being released to get outside again and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

My Father uses springtime in my life to remind me of the victory of His Son Jesus, who gave Himself for me at the cross to pay for my sin and reconcile me to God and then three days later rose from the dead, triumphing over death, hell, and the grave!

Winter, to me, is like the days after the cross when the disciples were hidden away due to fear of the Jews.  I imagine that it felt like the end of a wonderfully good thing to them.  I imagine it felt like a final moment, every day feeling like weeks or months to them.  I know how winter drags on for me—shorter days of light causing there to be more darkness than at any other time of the year.

I don’t think it is by mere coincidence that Spring follows winter as it does.  It is just as God intended it to be.  He created it to speak to those who can hear its message.

Oh, the declaration of life spring is.  Jesus is alive; death could not hold Him, which means Satan could not defeat Him!

No wonder I am so happy and full of joy.  My Savior lives!  He loves me!  Just as He lives after death by rising from the dead, I, too, will live after my physical body has come to its last day.  Jesus is coming again; when He comes, my body will be raised to be with Him!

I never die, just as spring plants aren’t dead in winter; they’re just sleeping. It just looks as though they are dead.  But they are always alive and just waiting for the sun to shine on them in such a way as to call them forth into a glorious manifestation of life!

Hope springs eternal in those who genuinely know Christ!  Jesus is coming soon!  the dead in Christ will rise first, and those of us who remain will be caught up, and so will we ever be with the Lord.

My Jesus is alive and loves me.  Can there be anything better than that?

If

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My mom had a saying whenever I would try to use the excuse of “if only.”  Hopefully. you can identify with what I mean by “if only.”   “I would have gotten that done “if only” …….

My mom would say to me, “If a frog had wings, he wouldn’t scrape his bottom every time he hopped.”  She aimed to suggest that the frog needed to hop regardless of how many times he scraped his bottom.  She hoped it would get through to me to keep trying, stay firm in my resolve, and be more determined to stick to it.

The fact is, “if” can be a very powerful word, and believe it or not, it is used in the Scriptures.  “If” is a conditional word.  Suppose I were to say, “I could have been a professional drummer if I had taken lessons and practiced with much greater diligence,” I am using “if” to explain why I am not a professional drummer and the conditions that are part of that reason.  A somewhat similar kind of example appears in Scripture.

Colossians 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

A believer in Jesus was at one time alienated from God.  Clearly, we were enemies to Him in our thinking.  Something happened, though.  That is what But now is getting at.  God has reconciled the believer by the physical body of Christ being put to death on the cross.  Jesus had to die on the cross so the believer could be holy and without blemish in God’s sight.  More than that, the believer is free from accusation as a result of Jesus dying on the cross and them having believed in what that accomplishes on their behalf.

But did you notice there is a condition on this?  The condition is not based on an outward work we perform to make ourselves holy, without blemish or free of accusation.  It is an inward work of continuing in faith despite our shortcomings or failures.

It says, “If you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.”

This is why the gospel will always be relevant and vital to believers in Jesus.  It is the means of becoming saved; it is also the means of remaining holy, without blemish or accusation.  Our defense against accusation is not our best behavior; it is Christ’s work on our behalf.

It is not just any gospel that we are meant to be confident of and established in faith by.  It is the one Paul preached, which is a gospel of grace, not one of mixture with law, but one entirely reliant upon the finished work of Christ.

The primary and first thing, as well as the continuing things every believer needs to be established in, is their faith in the gospel.  They need to have their confidence firmly based on the finished work of Jesus instead of their own work to be holy and acceptable.

1John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus loves you!  He gave Himself for you to make you holy, blameless, and free from accusation.  You are no longer the object of His anger once you are in Christ.  You get to enjoy Him and the fellowship you have been given with Him through Christ.  I encourage you today to take advantage of that fellowship and allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with His extraordinary grace and love today.  Have faith in Him!

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Jeremiah 33:16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called:  THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Notice how Jeremiah prophesied by the Holy Spirit, “The Lord our righteousness.”  Jeremiah was being given a glimpse into the New Covenant of Christ.  It was glorious to him.

The essence of the New Covenant is summed up in the following,

2Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

What Jeremiah was given a revelation of, and what the New Covenant brings in answer to that revelation, is vastly different from what Moses spoke.

Deuteronomy 6:25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

Under Moses, Israel could only obtain righteousness by keeping the law perfectly.  They never achieved it because none ever kept the law perfectly.  Moses made a mistake when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it; it was enough to keep him out of the promised land.  Unfortunately, many are still trying to get themselves in a position to receive from God all that He has promised based on their good behavior as opposed to faith.

Romans 10:1  Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

When a person rejects the righteousness being offered based on faith alone in Christ alone, they reject the only means of being made righteous.

Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!

The truth is that Jesus is our righteousness now!  The ability to have a fantastic relationship with God and be filled with the Holy Spirit does not rest on how much you have your act together.  It rests on whether or not you will believe the report of the Lord concerning you in Christ.

Colossians 2:6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.  8  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.  9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.  13  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

If you believe the gospel as you should, the fellowship and power of the Holy Spirit are yours by faith, just as salvation is yours by faith in Jesus.  Your relationship with God is ensured based on what Christ Jesus completed on your behalf.  It is not about your excellent performance or the lack thereof.  It is about His obedience being imputed to you so that you are made into a New Creation by faith in Him and thus a fitting vessel for the Holy Spirit.  You have been given everything that pertains to life and godliness in Christ Jesus.  It is yours already!  But to take full advantage of it, you must first believe it is true.

I encourage you today to take stock of what Jesus has done instead of what you have done.  Look to Jesus today, and let His grace and peace fill you!