Kingdom Living

Romans 3:28 Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

Romans 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

Romans 4:5   But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Never underestimate the power of faith in Christ to be made righteous.

Knowing for certain that you are righteous opens a vast array of opportunities.

You have peace when you know that your relationship with God is good and forever will be. You receive the kingdom by faith in Jesus and all that He offers you.

In Christ, we are made righteous with God’s righteousness, not our own.

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;

2Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

No one can improve on the righteousness of God. It is set apart from any and all other kinds of righteousness, and it is the only righteousness God accepts.  It is the only righteousness that can produce peace and joy.  It is the righteousness we now have in Christ.

Kingdom living, which is living in the righteousness of God given as a gift, produces over-comers who, through faith, have inherited the promises!  It produces confidence, unlike anything you’ve ever known.

Kingdom living is living according to the Spirit.  It made it possible for Jesus to do all He did.  Because Jesus knew He had a relationship with His Father, even when there was silence in Gethsemane, Jesus could be reconciled to His Father’s will and walk in peace which enabled him to have joy that would enable Him to endure the shame of the cross!

It will do the same for you when you put your faith in Jesus and, by faith, surrender to the Holy Spirit as a seeker of the kingdom.

Remember, “It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit with power is the kingdom!

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The Kingdom

Luke 12:29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.     

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

1Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

So now we can know at least two things about the kingdom.  It has nothing to do with how things are going in your natural life and what you can do to make God accept you by keeping rules, making great sacrifices, or worrying about such things.  Paul, in Romans 14, makes it clear that trying to keep up with all the rules on what to eat or not to eat is not the kingdom, and there is no need to trample over a weaker brother to prove you can do something they can’t.  That is what is meant when it says the kingdom is not eating and drinking.  In other words, it is not about surviving or trying to advance oneself with God by rule-keeping.

It is also not about saying the right thing.  It is about possessing a power that is beyond your natural self.  The kingdom is Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit.

Righteousness, Peace, and Joy are much more important than many may realize.  They are the foundational evidence of the kingdom.  They are gifts that cannot be earned but can be possessed.  They profoundly impact a child of God’s sense of overall well-being despite any circumstances, good or bad.

The three things that are the very foundation of the kingdom (Righteousness, peace, and joy) are received by faith.  Jesus said, “It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”  That must be believed.

Seeking the kingdom is seeking righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.  By receiving Jesus by faith, you possess God’s righteousness.  You can also walk in the peace and joy Jesus had.

Jesus said, John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

When Jesus spoke this, He was teaching the disciples about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to them after Jesus ascended.  If you haven’t been baptized with the Holy Spirit, it’s likely that the peace and joy that comes with becoming convinced of righteousness by Him are lacking.  In that case, you should seek the kingdom.  Seeking to be baptized with the Holy Spirit is aking to seeking the kingdom.  He is our Comforter and the One who teaches us all things about Christ.  To be afraid of Him is to deny the revelation of righteousness at the level we are meant to, which will lead to a lack of peace and joy.

Righteousness is mentioned first because until we get that right, we cannot know peace at the level Jesus promised us.  Without peace, no deep, inexpressible joy is evident to us.  Peace is the gateway to that kind of joy in our lives.  Never forget that the joy of the Lord is our strength.  To possess all this as we should, we need the help of the Holy Spirit.  We need to be kingdom seekers!  I encourage you to let a desire for the kingdom arise in you today.

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Placebo Prodigals

In the story of the prodigal son, the son found himself destitute and in great need and came to his senses.  He concluded that the servants in his Father’s house had it better than he did, and he would return and be content with being a servant.  He did not expect that he would be owed anything from his Father.  After all, he had left his Father and been gone a long time, living in ways that dishonored his Father and went against who he truly was.  The son’s only expectation was to humble himself to his Father by acknowledging how wrong he was and offering to be a servant to improve his dire situation.

We all know the story.  The Father ran out to meet the son because all the Father ever wanted was a relationship with the son.  The Father ignored the humble plea of the son and restored him to son status.  But we cannot disregard that although the son returned in desperate need to a Father he knew had more than enough to help him.  He returned in humility of heart, prepared now to live as a servant, knowing that even servants in His Father’s house had it better than he did.  He did not think he deserved to be a son any longer but would be satisfied with being a servant.

I’ve heard many present this story in such a way that when they were done, the Father is depicted as being overly needy of the son’s attention and perhaps may have been trying to win his affection back.  It would not be fair to the story to ignore the actual condition of the son’s heart upon returning.

There’s no prodigal son story that depicts the son returning as though he were doing the Father a favor by doing so.  We do not have a counter-story that shows us what the Father’s response would have been had the son returned in pride with unrealistic expectations.  If we ignore the humility that led the prodigal to realize how much better off he might be back at his Father’s house, even as a servant, we may think the Father’s reaction would be the same under any condition a son might be seen returning.

What if the son returned home in pride with many expectations, and if they were not met, he got offended and accused the Father of wrongdoing and left once again, expecting his departure would punish the Father and make the Father come around to meet his expectations?

This is what I would call a placebo-prodigal.

The church has experienced many placebo prodigals during its history.  Many families, I am sure, have as well.  You may have had such an experience, and the enemy has used it to accuse and condemn you falsely.

Perhaps you are a parent who has a prodigal.  Perhaps you thought that prodigal was coming home with a desire to have a relationship after realizing that the relationships they had forged out in the world only took advantage of them and that their way of life had not produced the peace, joy, and prosperity that they thought it might. They could see how a relationship with you would be better and that your way of living had produced better results.

But you later discovered that they had returned with the idea that by just showing back up, they were doing you a favor, and they expected you to jump through hoops now to keep them around.  They returned with a silent list of expectations. You discovered you were not meeting those expectations after they became offended and began to accuse you of wrongdoing towards them and departed once again.

I want to help those who get these devotionals and have experienced what might be a placebo prodigal son or friendship in their life.  You deeply desired a relationship again but were unaware of the lack of humility and recognition of the worth of such a relationship with you on their part.  You put yourself out there hoping things would be restored, only to be accused of wrongdoing for not meeting their unspoken expectations.  Don’t beat yourself up, and don’t allow the enemy to condemn you falsely.  I encourage you not to allow a placebo prodigal situation to ruin the idea of receiving prodigals back and prevent you from discerning true prodigal situations in the near future and avoid the beauty of seeing real prodigal relationship restorations.  Good, healthy, right relationships will always be valuable treasures worth our investment.

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Kingdom Focus

Kingdom Focus

Matthew 12:22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”  24   Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

If we were to read further, we would find that Jesus knew the thoughts of these religious leaders, and He spoke directly to them as a result.

Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Jesus did not tolerate the abuse of the religious leaders.  The only time Jesus became silent and put up with their abuse was when it was time for Him to be offered up as a sacrifice for our sins.  Until then, Jesus rebuked these men and had nothing to do with them.  He marginalized them by ignoring them.  He seemed a bit more patient but no less direct when it was just the Jews falsely accusing Him.

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.

This incident escalated to them desiring to kill Him after the exchange, but He slipped through the crowd unnoticed and escaped.  Jesus did not give them their say by staying silent and not speaking the truth.  He spoke the truth, and it made them mad.

The point is that Jesus did not go through life simply by putting up with His accusers and abusers.  He did not invite them to come out cause Him grief.  He did not go out of His way to accommodate them and try to win them over.  They had made it clear they were not for Him, and He was not so needy or insecure that He needed them to like Him or accept Him.

Jesus was not an enabler of abusers.  Those who showed up to simply give Him grief were the same ones who wanted His demise and would later manipulate situations to participate in His death.  Jesus was not saying and doing what they wanted Him to, and it displeased them so much that they would rather He be gone.  They went out of their way to do all they could to discredit Him.

Jesus knew that when He refused to speak and do as they desired, they would go out of their way to mislead others about Him in an attempt to destroy His reputation.  That is what users and abusers do when things do not go as they had hoped.  They seek to make the person who displeased them pay for not saying or doing what they desired.

Perhaps you’ve been subjected to someone who was like this towards you.  They did not get what they wanted from you, so they sought to malign you to others or to speak hatefully and harshly to you and falsely accuse you.  You did not do anything mean to mean them to merit such behavior. You simply did not meet their expectations.

Walk away!  You are not required to keep going back for more.  If they persecute you in one city, flee to another.  If we stand for Christ in these last days and seek to walk according to the Spirit, there will be people who do not appreciate us.  Some might even go out of their way to malign us to others.  Some might even take up speaking and acting abusive toward us. Do not let this discourage or dissuade you.  You are not required to win such persons over.  Neither are you expected to let them stop what you are speaking or doing.

Those who persecuted Jesus thought they were doing God a favor, and so shall it be with some who might seek to make your life more difficult.  Pray for and forgive them, but don’t invite them to hang around you.  Do not be an enabler of their behavior; do not let them draw you into their way of being by retaliating.  Keep your focus on your kingdom calling.

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Resurrection Life

It is sad when the idea of resurrection is limited to a historical fact celebrated once a year instead of a spiritual reality that can empower the church daily and is central to the gospel message.

Acts 4:2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead.

Acts 4:33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.

Acts 17:32 When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.”

Resurrection is meant to be a pinnacle part of the gospel we preach.  A gospel that is the power of God unto salvation.

The apostles did not simply preach that Jesus was crucified to pay for sins; they preached that He was perfect, crucified, and raised from the dead, then ascended and will return soon.  They gave the whole message and made resurrection a major part of the good news they delivered to people.

The promise of resurrection rests on the promise of being made righteous. Power is displayed in the resurrection that is to be tapped into by a believer in Jesus.

Philippians 3:7 However, what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ.  8 Yes most assuredly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death;  11 if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

A failure to walk in the revelation of imputed righteousness unearned by works but rather received by faith will leave a person in an unrighteous condition no matter how morally good they try to live.

Jesus paid for the whole world’s sins at the cross, and His being raised from the dead proves His sacrifice was final and complete.  Only by faith in Him can a person be made righteous and maintain righteousness.  Without God’s brand of righteousness, there is no resurrection power.  Without the resurrection power revealed in the new life, a life we receive when we believe as we should, all other attempts are useless and wasted.

You can be a great rule-keeper and be just as unrighteous as the worst rule-breaker you have ever heard about.  In fact, those who live in that way are the worst sinners because they reject the true righteousness God offers through His Son according to faith and seek to establish their own brand of righteousness according to the law.

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

New life, resurrection life, is ours only through faith in Jesus Christ.  It is how God makes us righteous with His righteousness, and we become new creations in Christ.  We then have the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us to quicken our mortal bodies.

I encourage you to tap into the resurrection life received by faith in Jesus.  It empowers us to live our lives fueled by His power at work within us.  It is the power that has overcome.

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You Are Seen

It is said that everyone wants to be seen in life.  They want to know that they are not invisible.  Yet many go through life feeling as though they are invisible.  They feel that no one notices them.

It can be empowering to know that you are seen.  Knowing that the most important person ever sees you can be especially empowering.

Consider how the Psalmist felt about it,

Psalm 139:1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  2 You know when I sit down or stand up.  You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.  4 You know what I will say even before I say it, LORD.  5 You go before me and follow me.  You place your hand of blessing on my head.  6  Such knowledge is too wonderful and great for me to understand!  7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never escape from your presence!8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.  9 If I ride the wings of the morning and dwell by the farthest oceans,  10 even there, your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.  11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— 12 but even in darkness, I cannot hide from you.  To You, the night shines as bright as day.  Darkness and light are the same to you.  13 You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion and woven together in the dark of the womb.  16 You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!  18 I can’t even count them;

they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up, you are still with me!

God forever sees you because of the New Covenant that Jesus established with His blood!

Blood that speaks better things!  Blood that declares you will never be invisible to God!

What’s wonderful about being seen all the time by God is that God is not watching you so that He can collect prosecutorial evidence against you.  He is watching you out of His great love for you.

He is watching over you!

If you are born again and a follower of Jesus, there’s no need to fear, feel alone, or imagine you are invisible.  Your God is alive, awake, and alert!

Luke 12:6 “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

You may be in a situation that has left you feeling alone or unseen, but I assure you that you are seen and not alone if Jesus is your Lord and Savior.

I encourage you to take heart today in knowing that an ever-present loving, caring Father is watching over you and His Spirit is with you.  All this is ours, thanks to Jesus!

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A Deeper Sweeter Fellowship

Acts 13:49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. 50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit decided to throw His arms around these two men, pull them in close and encourage and strengthen them.  He was with them as they were persecuted; they all went through that event together.  Jesus was just as much a part of that rejection as Paul and Barnabas were.  Paul and Barnabas got to experience what Jesus had already experienced before them and was now experiencing again along with them.

When we, as believers, allow ourselves to partner with the Holy Spirit, as did these men, we, too, can be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit should we ever be subjected to rejection and persecution because of what we stand for and declare to others.  This deeper fellowship with the Holy Spirit is not based on how someone responds to our sharing the truth with them.  It is based on us deciding to lock arms with the Holy Spirit and speak and do what He shows us is ours to do.  It is the way we experience a deeper, sweeter fellowship with Him.

When I was a boy, one Christmas, my dad decided we would bless some neighbors from Puerto Rico who did not have much money or means.  So we collected some old bikes, stripped them down, painted them, rebuilt them to be as new as possible, and gave them as gifts to the neighbors.  While doing that, we talked, laughed, and imagined many things together.  It is still a precious memory I carry of my dad.  I felt so close to my dad during that mission moment with him.  It was a deeper, sweeter bonding moment for me with my dad.

I love how Acts 13 reveals that our joy and being filled with the Holy Spirit never hinges on a good response from those we preach the good news to.  We can be on a mission filled with opposition and still be overwhelmed with joy and be filled with the Holy Spirit just because we joined Him in a purpose He intended for us to join Him in.  Like with my dad, it is in those moments that He wishes to reveal things to us and even show us things about ourselves we would not be able to realize apart from this experience.

God has a joy for us that is not contingent on things going ideally for us.  It is ours as we partner with Him in the purpose He has called us to.

But how can anyone experience this rich, deeper, sweeter fellowship if they do not know what God has purposed for them?

I encourage you to become an avid witness to Jesus Christ. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, you can experience a fourth man in your fires of opposition and rejection for taking a stand for Jesus.  You experience that anytime you take a stand to speak and do what He has asked of you.  He wants us to cast off the fear of man and grow in our witness of Him to others.  He will never abandon us when we step out in faith in this way.  It’s time for the church to regain its voice in this generation.  Your testimony of Him matters.

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A Perfect Way

Many years ago, I was someone who thought that unless I could be just like Jesus; I wouldn’t be loved by the Father.   I was often discouraged because I knew how much I wasn’t like Jesus.  Thankfully the Holy Spirit revealed the truth of the good news of His kingdom to me.

Jesus came because we were nothing like Him; we still miss the mark even on our best days. I am still developing in my being transformed into His image.  I have yet to arrive. Thankfully we are told in,

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God loved us even when we were unaware of Him and living in rebellion against Him.  That doesn’t mean He condoned our rebellious behavior against Him or our denial of Him.  His love set out to change us.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus came to give us a righteousness we could never earn.  A righteousness the Father would approve of and welcome.  God’s own righteousness.  This reality is our security.  Jesus is the reason we have a relationship with God, and He remains the reason we are kept in that relationship.

The Bible says that God cannot deny Himself, and since it is His Own Righteousness we now possess in Christ, He will not deny us.

The law of Moses was never intended to be a way of being made righteous before God. It revealed righteousness very clearly and, as a result, condemned us.  That is why the Scriptures refer to it as the ministry of death.

2Corinthians 3:7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

Regular sacrifices were required when the Law was in force because no one fulfilled its demands.  If the standard of holiness it required could have been attained, there would have been no need to repeatedly shed blood for the remission of sins.

The righteousness God desired from before the foundation of the world and in the law of Moses is the righteousness we now possess in Christ.  Jesus fulfilled the righteous demands of the Law fully.  At the cross, Jesus took our sins and gave us His righteousness in exchange.

You see, God planned to make us righteous by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.

This glorious hope and promise cannot be found in any other person or method.  We need not add anything to Jesus to have a relationship with the Father and maintain it.  Jesus completed the work at the cross, He rose from the dead, proving God authorized him, and then He ascended on high to sprinkle His blood on the real mercy seat of heaven, forever cleansing our sin.  Then as the baptizer with the Holy Spirit, Jesus released the Holy Spirit to come those who would believe and receive.  Even the gift of the Holy Spirit is received by faith and not according to works.  When God provides a solution, He makes sure the problem is solved.  God made a perfect way!

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On Mission Joy

Acts 13:49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. 50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

I know it may seem odd to start a devotion with such a passage of Scripture.  But if we stop long enough to allow the Holy Spirit to show us something from it, we will be enriched.

Paul and Barnabas had been sent out on a mission to preach the good news of Jesus and His kingdom.  They had made the synagogues of the Jews in every region a top priority.  But the Holy Spirit had plans that extended beyond the synagogues.

Here we have two men who love Jesus being persecuted for trying to spread the love and hope revealed in the gospel.  They are not persecuted because they are taking advantage of anyone, stealing, or being mean and obnoxious to others.  They are persecuted for advancing the word of the Lord.

It says they shook off the dust from their feet.  That gesture indicated they were done with that group and no longer felt responsible for offering them the hope they had been so graciously offering.

It’s one thing when you are on a mission, and people do not wish to listen.  It’s another thing when someone goes out of their way to shut you up and turn others against you.  This is a form of rejection on a larger scale than just not listening because it is persecution.

New Covenant believers are not promised never to face persecution from others who reject the truth.  We are told we will be hated, persecuted, and rejected.  If we are on a mission as Paul and Barnabas were, we too may experience opposition to what we wish to share with others.

I love that Paul and Barnabas keep going.  Even though they feel they are released from the ones who were persecuting them, they move on to the next place to offer others the good news of Jesus and His kingdom.

When we, as believers, allow ourselves to partner with the Holy Spirit, as did these men, we, too, can be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit after severe rejection and persecution.

I love how this reveals that our joy and being filled with the Holy Spirit never hinges on a good response from those we preach the good news to.  We can be on a mission filled with opposition and still be overwhelmed with joy and the Holy Spirit.

God has a joy for us that is not contingent on things going ideally for us.  It is ours as we partner with Him in the purpose He has called us to.  It is an On Mission Joy!

This joy is not ours for doing our own thing apart from Him.  It is ours when we join with Him and find the deeper depth of our fellowship with Him involves doing the thing He is leading us into even when the people it is aimed at do not appreciate it.  I encourage you to know what His purpose is and join Him in it and let the joy and power of the Holy Spirit fill you today as you keep moving forward in whatever it is He has given you.

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Healthy Obedience

Is there such a thing as a healthy relationship without loving submission, vulnerability, trust, and respect?

In the two-way exchange of relationship, there is always a first person who extends themselves in such a way as to make the introduction and possibility of a beautiful connection, something that could and should be desired and grasped.

But a one-sided approach can spoil a golden, wonderful opportunity for a beautiful connection.

In this case, as I am describing, I will identify God as the first person in an opportunity.  God initiated, He sent His only beloved Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay for our past, present, and future sins.    Jesus, who was perfectly righteous, became sin so that we could become the very righteousness of God.

This amazing first step for connection was made possible because of the Father and Son’s glorious relationship.  Jesus was willing to let Himself be put out for the desire of the Father to be realized.  The Father’s desire became the desire of Jesus.  This is a two-way relationship.

The way we define this requires the word obedience.  Jesus was obedient.  Not as a slave would be obedient, having no choice but to do so.  Jesus was obedient as a Son.  A son’s obedience differs from that of a slave.  A son’s obedience is born from a place of relationship and love.

This is more in line with the point that is being made in,

Philippians 2:5   Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God the Father and Jesus the Son made the first move to initiate a relationship with us.  All we are asked to do is to believe and receive by faith the work Jesus accomplished to enter into a relationship with God and maintain that relationship.

The most basic and primary element of expected obedience is to believe.  Without faith, we cannot please God.  So to take Him at His word and stand in faith upon His word is our first act of obedience.  It’s the response we are expected to bring to the table of fellowship with Him.

Granted, our obedience will go even further than just believing and speaking things we have come to know about God. As we grow in our fellowship with Him, we become aware of His desires as the Holy Spirit makes known to us His heart and will for our lives.  When these things are revealed to us, and we step out in faith to embrace them and do according to what He has revealed to us, that is healthy obedience.

Religion will never produce this. It wants to spell out a list we must follow to earn His affection, attention, and blessing.  It does not move us into a place of obedience based on a relationship already made possible with Him based only on the merits of Christ.

Grace-based relationship is a healthy relationship, but it, too, is a two-way reality.  Be confident in the merits of Christ, but also be encouraged to bring your submission to the table of fellowship so that as you learn His heart, you can say I am willing to go and do whatever You may ask of me.

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Cop-Out Or Contement

When I was a young boy, there were some things my friends would do that I wouldn’t even try.  My reason for not trying was mixed.  At times it might have been due to fearing failure.  Other times it was just because I thought it went too far, and I just wasn’t interested.  Yet sometimes, I was already content with what I was doing and did not need something else.

So you could say that I was copping out in some cases, and at other times, I was simply content.

As a man who has been in ministry for many years, in fact, decades, there are many things others think I should do that I feel the freedom to say no to.  There are also levels of lifestyle that others think I should live that I feel no need to pursue.  I am content.

But some might attribute their assessment of my spiritual maturity and effectiveness to things I have mentioned, but that does not matter to me.

Philippians 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

There was a time when the group Paul was addressing had fallen off their attention and care for him.  At the time of his writing, their care had resumed.  It also appears that there may have been some obstacles to their ability to show their care that has now been moved out of the way.  It was not that they stopped caring, just that their display of it was hindered.

But Paul makes it clear here that he was not in need in such a way that their hindrance hurt him.  You get the impression he does not want them to feel responsible for him being without. He is not using manipulative language to coerce them to up their giving.

In other words, Paul will not present his need as urgent and pressure them to give to it.  Even if Paul were hungry, he would not seek to coerce them to give.  He then uses this as providing an opportunity to offer a lesson.

When Paul speaks of Christ strengthening him to do all things, he is talking about what it means to be content in all situations without it being a cop-out.  Paul can be content and not be a cop-out because he can do all things through Christ, who strengthens him.  Life does not have to turn out as Paul dreamed it would for himself.  Paul’s contentment and happiness are not based on what level of lifestyle he can live. It is based on his relationship with Christ.  Paul is not affected by the things of this world in this example.

When we walk in a close relationship with the Lord, we know our worth and value are not determined by how much of a thing we do that is good.  We are free to do according to what He reveals is ours to do, however great or small.  Knowing we are in step with Him makes our contentment real and not a cop-out.

Your assignment might look different from another’s, but that is okay.  All you need to know is that it is your assignment, and take heart in knowing you are doing what He has asked of you.  Do not get trapped in the game of comparisons.  I encourage you to look to Him and live!  Let Him tell you what is yours in your right now moment.  Let Him set your path, and He will bring you into the future He has ordained for your life.  I promise that whatever it is, you will have His strength to embrace it.

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Sure Words

Matthew 5:33 “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the LORD.’ 34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. 35 And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

To say more than yes or no is neither healthy nor fruitful.  Jesus took it further and declared to go beyond saying yes or no and mean it is to be under the influence of the evil one.  Being able to be matter-of-fact due to being confident of what your response should be is a precious thing.

Going beyond could indicate a fear of man, an insincerity of intent meant to move the other person to like you even though you are not in complete agreement with them in your heart.  To tell you the truth, I swear it, or on my mother’s grave, has no power to prove your sincerity.  In this case, the common practice among the Jews was to make a vow and then swear to uphold it by heaven, the earth, Jerusalem, or even by one’s head.  This would have been stated to convince another person of one’s sincerity and commitment.

Jesus was taking the need for such shenanigans off the table.

Many years ago, when I worked for a large company, I had an experience.  It was evaluation time again.  I had already been there several years and had excellent yearly evaluations.  At every review, my boss told me he wished he had ten other workers with my work ethic and abilities.  On the particular occasion, I want to bring to your attention, I was sitting at his desk when he once again, for the umpteenth time, stated how great I was and how he wished he had more like me; he then slipped a piece of paper across his desk showing what my raise would be.  When I viewed what was written on the paper, I was insulted.  What he had written wasn’t even close to what he was stating.  I slid the paper back across his desk, looked him straight in the eyes, and said, “If you believed what you have stated to me just now and the many other times we have had these evaluations, you would never have put such a number before me.”  He acted shocked and declared I do believe what I said to you.  I told him, “Then do not try convincing me with your words. Make that number larger in accordance with what you said; that number you just gave me is nothing more than a cost of living increase.  Your words of flattery do not feed my wife and kids or pay the bills”  I got up and left his office when he told me it was the most he could do.  He got up, following me down the hallway, declaring you can’t just get up and walk out during an evaluation.  I turned and said, “I just did.”

To make this story shorter, he asked me to come back, and I did, and he then slid another piece of paper across his desk to me, reflecting a much better number, to which I said, “This is better, thank you.”

People do not thrive on flattery.  People do not feel secure just because someone offers them insincere, over-the-top statements to get them to trust what they say.  Jesus never spoke words of flattery.  He did not talk to others with insincerity.  Jesus was genuine.  What you saw and what you heard was what you got.  He was consistent.  I want to be consistent and not worry about how others might perceive me but trust the Holy Spirit to help my words land on a heart the way I intended.  I realize I, too, will be misunderstood as Jesus was.  But that’s not bad company to be in.  The insincerity of flattery is like poison. But the genuine encouragement of truth is healing and empowerment to those who love the truth.  You can take what Jesus has declared about you to the bank and cash it in!  His words are true and trustworthy.  He is prepared to back them up with His power.

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Hope

On what is observed as Good Friday, Jesus shares His last meal with His disciples and prepares them for His death and resurrection.

Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”  27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”  30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Jesus knew that His death would bring His disciples great sorrow and pain.  Jesus knew they would not have an easy time dealing with their loss.  Jesus knew their grief would be persuasive in their decision-making immediately following His death.

The more wonderful and loved the person we lose, the more deeply the loss is felt.  Jesus was and still is amazing, great to spend time with, and a better friend no one could ever ask for.  That was what Jesus’ disciples experienced the most wonderful person they had ever encountered or known.  But that wonderful person was about to be taken from them.  He would be arrested, falsely accused, sentenced, and put to death on a cross.

As Jesus had spoken, His disciples were scattered and went into hiding after His death.  Even though He had also talked of His resurrection to them, their grief overshadowed the hope such words could offer them.  The reality of loss can cloud our minds and capture us in surreal moments where time passes without our detection.

I have experienced much loss in my life.  I know the process all too well as a result. I have learned how to hold on to the hope given in the promise of resurrection! I have found that it can shorten the surreal time frame and empower me to press forward in the wake of grief and great sense of loss.

We cannot know how familiar the disciples were with a loss in life before they saw Jesus die.  They were still unprepared for this loss even if they had been made aware.  Unlike us, they had no resurrection story to look back on to draw comfort from.

Their grief was soon turned to rejoicing when Jesus rose from the dead just as He said He would. It took some time for Jesus to break them free of the fog of the loss they felt so deeply.  But after appearing to them at various moments, they realized that all that Jesus had told them was true.  Jesus was alive again!  Jesus is alive today!

As the Christian world prepares to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on the Lord’s Day, on Good Friday, we observe what led to such a glorious resurrection.  As we observe, we should remember the hope that resurrection is intended to sow into our hearts and allow it to minister to us in the power it offers.

Jesus is alive!  He is coming again!  He will never leave us, nor will He ever forsake us!  When He returns, those we’ve said goodbye to will be raised from the dead, and we who remain will be caught up to be with Him.  So shall we ever be with the Lord!

If there is no resurrection from the dead, there is no hope in death.  But we who know Jesus have great hope knowing that just as He was raised from the dead, we will also be raised.  This is why the day of His death is called Good Friday.  He paid for our sins in His death and gave us the promise of hope in resurrection life by His being raised from the dead.

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Sweet Fellowship

2Corinthians 13:14   The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion (Koinonia - intimate fellowship) of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Paul concludes his second letter to the Corinthians with this statement we just read.  It is a trinitarian blessing.  He speaks of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, which would indicate the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

In our relationship with God, each member of the godhead works to bring us into a full experience and expression of what a relationship with God is meant to be.

To disregard even one member of the Godhead in that experience and expression is to reject the means God has chosen to make it available and bring us to a complete understanding and experience of Him.

The Holy Spirit is the tangible witness of our relationship with God.  It is by means of Him expressing Himself to us and through us that we can bring a powerful witness to the reality of the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the fellowship we have with the Holy Spirit.

For anyone to carry on as though the Holy Spirit cannot be trusted and, therefore, should not be submitted to is a lie the enemy uses to keep believers in Jesus from the full experience they’re meant to have and to enjoy.

The early church and the New Testament Scriptures are inundated with attention given to the importance and the purpose of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life and practice.  The Holy Spirit was a welcome person of the Godhead to the church, and so it should still be so to this day.

In this New Covenant, Jesus established with His blood, the Holy Spirit plays a significant role and purpose.  Jesus established a Spirit Covenant as opposed to a law covenant.

Jesus came to set up His abode in the heart of His followers and lead and guide them by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus did not establish a new set of rules for us to follow; He came to make it possible for us to be in close fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:16  I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

The key to a vibrant, alive, healthy, and productive spiritual walk is realized by fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit.  By close fellowship with the Holy Spirit, you will be led according to the plan and purpose Jesus has for you.  The key to overcoming the flesh is not a greater resolve to do better.  It is by valuing and fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit.  He will make everything about Christ plain and show you where and how to walk. Even more than that, He will empower you to walk out what He is showing you.

We need the fellowship of the Holy Spirit always.  I encourage you to ask Him to fill you daily and actively fellowship with Him.  He is, after all, the Comforter Jesus promised to give to you.

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He’s Available

John 20:19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

These are the guys who were Jesus’ disciples, and this event took place after Jesus had been crucified, was dead, had been buried, and had risen again.  Is this the moment these men were truly born again?  That moment when Jesus breathed on them, and they received the Holy Spirit?

Now this precedes Pentecost.  Jesus has yet to ascend to heaven.  But Jesus can breathe on them and command that they receive the Holy Spirit.  This is well before the Day of Pentecost.

Acts 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The same ones who had been breathed on are now being told to wait for the promise from the Father, which is the Holy Spirit.  This time Jesus isn’t telling them to receive the Holy Spirit; He is telling them they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Some might say that a believer gets all the Holy Spirit they will ever need when they are born again, but here we see men and women who were born again and received the Holy Spirit being told there was more to come.

Someone might say to this reasoning that it was because the Holy Spirit had not yet been fully released from heaven to do His part once Jesus ascended.  But once the Holy Spirit was released, people got all of Him they would ever need when they were born again.  But what does the Scripture show us about this?

Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men, and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.  14   Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

When this occurred in Samaria, the Holy Spirit had been at work for quite a long time past the day of Pentecost. We know these people were born again by the testimony declaring they believed Phillip’s preaching and were water baptized in the name of Jesus.  Yet they needed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit as a separate, distinct, and considered necessary experience by the apostles.

Anyone born again is granted the right to believe and experience being baptized with the Holy Spirit as a totally separate experience from being born again.  If you’ve never had such an experience, I encourage you to ask the Lord Jesus for it.  Consider what John the Baptist said,

Mark 1:8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

We belong to a risen, glorious Savior who baptizes His followers with the Holy Spirit and fire!  Anointing is available to those who belong to Jesus, but it must be desired and believed. Just as Jesus was a real person and must be believed to be received, the Holy Spirit is a real person and must be believed to be given full access to our lives.  I encourage you today to ask to be filled to overflowing measure by the Holy Spirit.

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Presence Bearers

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.

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.

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 looking to show off Jesus!

God is showing off His kindness towards us in Christ!  He’s not doing this because we were worthy of being saved.  He’s doing it based on Christ alone, and it has nothing to do with our efforts.

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.

It is God’s light, presence, and glory that are 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!

If I put fifty pounds of gold in a box, you might desire to get your hands on that box.  But it’s not the box you want as though it’s of great worth. You want to get your hands on that box because of what is in it.  It’s the gold inside that is attractive.

The presence of God revealed through the preaching of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit is attractive.  This happened with Peter and John in Acts after they healed the lame man at the temple.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

When we are the presence bearers we’re meant to be, the Holy Spirit takes care of the rest.  Here’s what is so encouraging.  You can be young or old and be a presence bearer.  You can be rich or poor, male or female, black or white, educated or uneducated, and still be a presence bearer.  Anyone who is genuinely born again becomes a presence bearer.

I encourage you to yield to the presence of God today and always.  Let Jesus manifest His life through you, and watch how the excellence of the power will be of God and not yourself.

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The Return Of The King

Palm Sunday was just observed, commemorating the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  It fulfilled what Zechariah had spoken about the Messiah coming to Jerusalem on a donkey in Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your King is coming to you;  He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.

But even though Jesus came as Zechariah prophesied He would, many did not recognize Him as such, nor did they understand the timing of His visitation or its purpose.

It is believed historically that the Pharisees had a saying, “if Israel were deemed worthy, the Messiah would arrive on a white horse, but if they were deemed unworthy, He would arrive on a donkey.”

Mt 21, Mk 11, Lk 19, and Jn 12 all say something about the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Each account presents a similar but slightly different perspective.

Jesus had been preparing His disciples for the time of His suffering and told them He must go to Jerusalem, where He would be handed over to the Gentiles, scourged, spat on, mocked, and then put to death.  But He also told them He would rise from the dead after three days.  Jesus was heading into Jerusalem as a man on a mission.  After the praises from the donkey ride, Jesus went straight to the temple, where He turned over the money changers' tables and drove the merchants out of the temple area with a whip He made.  Then the blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things He did and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said, “have you never read, ‘out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?” Jesus as a man on a mission, stirs things up in Jerusalem, and the religious leaders hate Him for it.  He did it intentionally too!

I imagine that when Jesus got on that donkey, He might have said, “Let’s ride!”  Kinda like Todd Beamer saying, “Let’s roll,” when they took out the terrorists on a flight during the 2001-9-11 attacks.    Jesus was on a mission to manifest God’s presence and become the sacrifice to make it available to all who believe in Him.

The Prophet Ezekiel had a vision in 562BC where he saw the temple from the Mount of Olives, and the glory of God departed from the temple and came down on the Mount of Olives.  That vision was true because the glory of God was still not in that temple in Jesus’ day; it was riding on a donkey into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives! The Glory of God is His manifest presence!  As a man on a mission, Jesus put the presence of God on full display.

Jesus will be coming again as a King on a mission! He will ride as King of kings and Lord of lords on a white horse.  The Pharisees may have gotten something right after all because when Jesus comes again on a white horse, it is to claim the Israel of God He made worthy!

When I was young, my mom and dad sometimes would put my four brothers and me to bed and then drive down to the local PDQ for some ice cream.  We’d all get out of bed and start playing hide and seek when they left.  One of us would be the watchman keeping an eye out for headlights.  If we saw headlights at the corner of our street, we’d all get back in bed.  We knew they would be back, but we were misbehaving during their absence and only being watchful for when their return was near so we could pretend we had been doing what they expected and avoid any embarrassment or punishment.

Are you ready for His return?  Do you recognize Him as your Savior and Lord?  Are you looking for His soon return?  Are you abiding in Him?

1John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

When Jesus comes on His white horse, those born again get to join Him on that ride!  I want to be ready to hear Him say once more, “Let’s ride!” I want to be watchful, anticipating joining Him instead of watching to avoid embarrassment.  Jesus is still on a mission, He’s still upsetting people with His mission, and He is coming again soon!  Hosanna!  Come, Lord Jesus!

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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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