Cling To What Is Good

Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

In Greek, the word cling was used to interpret the meaning of glue, cleave, join (Self), or keep company.

Good simply means good.  We all know what good means.  It is that which is of benefit, well.

Basically, the word of God is telling us to join ourselves, glue ourselves, and keep company with what is good.

Now someone might say ice cream is good!  But can you join yourself to it?  Is it really of much benefit?  Is it something you wish to be glued to?  So we know that is not the kind of good we are dealing with in this passage.  Besides, they didn’t even have ice cream then.

So what good might we be dealing with here?

When a rich young ruler called Jesus “good teacher,” Jesus responded with,

Mark 10:18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

Jesus made it clear that only God is truly good.  So I am prepared to accept that anything involving God (The Triune God) would be good.

Paul stated, “In my flesh dwells no good thing.”  So we know the good spoken of in this passage is not to be found in our strength and existence.  It is from a source other than ourselves.

So the Father is good, the Son is good, and the Holy Spirit is good, and they are sources other than ourselves.

The next rhetorical question would be, are each of these persons of the Godhead beneficial to us?  To meet the whole definition of good, a benefit must be involved.

We are loved by the Father so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that if we believe in Jesus, we will inherit eternal life.

We are loved by Jesus so much that He was willing to lay down His life to pay for our sin past, present, and future and make us righteous with the very righteousness of God.

We are loved by the Holy Spirit so much that He was willing to come and dwell here on earth with us until we are all caught to be with God at the end of time as we know it.

Our current interaction with God involves the work of the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of all that Jesus did to make our relationship with the Father possible.  He also empowers us to be witnesses for Jesus and Ambassadors for the kingdom.

So I would think that following the advice of Romans, we should be glued, clave, join ourselves and keep company with the Holy Spirit.

We need the fire of the Spirit operating in our lives continually.  It is the only way for us to do all we are advised to do in the word of God under the New Covenant.

When we speak with others, we need to be able to genuinely offer them words seasoned with grace and full of the fire of the Holy Spirit so that they, too, might realize the good of God available in Jesus Christ.

I encourage you today to cling to what is good!  Seek to allow the Holy Spirit to operate fully in and through you today and every day according to faith and trusting He is good and what you need!  He is meant to be our companion, comforter, adviser, and empowerer.  Be joined to Him!

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Abhor Evil

Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

To abhor something means to regard it with disgust and hatred.  The actual Greek meaning is to detest utterly.

This statement is in step with what is spoken in the Psalms and Proverbs.

Psalm 97:10 You who love the LORD, hate evil!  He preserves the souls of His saints;  He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;  Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

Yes, it is true that God never changes, and He does not need to repent because He makes no mistakes and is sinless and perfect in all His ways.  God is holy.  He has nothing He needs to apologize for.

When the Bible speaks of the fear of the Lord, it is not talking about being afraid of God.  It communicates the wisdom of respecting and honoring God, which begins with hating evil.

Hating evil is something God does because of how good and perfect He is and how destructive evil is.  Evil devalues and seeks to destroy all that is good and holy.  It is not the New Covenant to teach a tolerance of evil.  With all of its grace, the New Covenant does not condone evil.

The New Covenant promotes all that is good by the goodness of God on display through Jesus, His Son.

Evil cannot be pretended away.  Nor can it be allowed to exist without being utterly detested and opposed.

The basis of evil is described for us in Scripture.

Jeremiah 18:12  And they said, “That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will everyone obey the dictates of his evil heart.”

Hebrews 3:12   Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

When they think of evil, many imagine the wickedness of Satanism or some other very debased example but ignore the evil of a heart of unbelief.

I abhor unbelief because it defies the testimony of God’s goodness, ability, and willingness.  It questions all the good God has already done and desires to do and the great things He wants to accomplish through His church.

God was angry with the generation of Israel that first came out of Egypt because they would not believe His promise to give them an inheritance of rest.  They could have known rest but questioned God when they gave more credence to their circumstances than they did to His word of promise.  The New Covenant does not condone unbelief, as it requires belief to receive it.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

God is a rewarder!  Those who believe diligently seek Him.  I encourage you today to abhor what is evil. Unbelief is evil!  Let’s exercise the fear of the Lord together and tell unbelief to take a hike and begin to lay hold on His word of promise and diligently seek and hope like we are created to in Christ.

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Love Without Hypocrisy

Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy……

To consider this, we must first let ourselves visit the idea of what we perceive love to be in the first place.

On the supernatural, or what many might define as being the Spiritual front of loving, you can prophesy, but you're a clinking cymbal without love.

But in the natural or what many define as the practical application of love, you could also give your body to be burned, but without love, it is useless.

So your “love” can be hypocritical when expressed practically or through a spiritual gift based on the motive.

The difference between serving someone in a practical area according to a felt need versus serving them through a spiritual gift is who will ultimately get the credit.

You are not the source for supernatural gifting; it is obvious that it comes from God.  There will always be something powerful in discovering that God is for you when you struggle.  That is what Holy Spirit birthed ministry does for people. It communicates that God is for them even in the midst of their trials and struggles.

But if you only utilize a more practical approach, you can be thought of as the source to give money, time, talent, resources, etc.

That is why it can be wise to bless others practically whenever possible through the church.  Anonymity can be great wisdom and keep the focus off oneself as the source and direct the focus towards God whenever used in the practical.

Regardless of whichever avenue of loving we find ourselves engaged in, we should seek to employ love with hypocrisy, and to do that, the other person’s best interest and what is most needed based on God’s wisdom should always win out.

When love is without hypocrisy, it is never contingent on what the person receiving can offer in return.  It is not, “You scratch my back, and I will scratch yours.”

According to the kingdom’s culture, loving others begins with getting over oneself enough to be used by the Holy Spirit in the gifts.  The Holy Spirit can do more for a person than I ever could in my strength and wisdom.

Some might be more inclined to think of loving others only in a more practical way. In both expressions of love, we must get over ourselves and surrender to the will of God in the matter.

People need Jesus and the aid of the Holy Spirit more than they need anything else in this life.  So when it comes to the work of the Spirit, you must first be convinced that it is true that the Spirit is of greater benefit to someone before you will desire to be available as a conduit.  You were created to be a conduit for the work of the Spirit.

A gift of the Spirit that breaks through all that is happening in a person’s life and encourages and energizes them in their faith can lead to a practice of freedom that eliminates the perpetual felt needs they are experiencing.  People need Jesus, and they need the power of the Spirit!  Nothing can take the place of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

I encourage you today to love others without hypocrisy, surrendering to the Spirit so you can touch others in powerful ways that will greatly bless them.

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Use It

Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them:

Have you ever put in much effort to do your best to bless someone you love with that special gift only to discover later that they never used it?

How did that make you feel?

Did it inspire you to get them another gift?

Sometimes a person will ask for more from the Lord even though they’ve not put the gift grace gave them to use.

Use the gifts that “grace” gave to you!

Use it according to the proportion of faith you have for it too!

It is most beneficial to operate in your gift area according to the grace you receive and the measure of faith you have to move in it.

You may have a similar gift to someone else, but you haven’t used it enough to mature to the point that you’ve seen another person move in it.  If you pretend you are where they are already, that is not in proportion to your faith.

At the same time, the Holy Spirit may want to stretch you in your faith about it and move you to get a little beyond the boundary with it.  But being stretched, and pretending to be at a place you’re not, are two different things.

So I encourage you to use the gift grace gave you at the faith level you now have.

The gift grace gives you can be increased just as muscle can be strengthened with use; so can the gift be honed and strengthened with us.

If I haven’t worked out in a very long time, I can’t just show up at a gym, load up a barbell with 200lbs of weight, and think I will bench press it like it is nothing.

My ability to handle more weight is increased through use with repetition.

The more you step out in the gift you receive from grace, the more it increases and abounds.  The Lord rewards your willingness to use what He gives you generously.

So be encouraged today to use what God has given you to bless others.  You are a miracle looking for a place to happen based on the gift grace gave you.  I urge you to use what you’ve received from God supernaturally to love others and be a blessing.

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According To Grace

Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us,

Here’s what we can know based on what God's word has just shown us.

We have gifts that are different according to the grace that is given to us.

You will have a different gift based on the grace you were given.

Your gift, even if similar to mine, will be different because you are you, and I am me.

There is a divine favor that sets a path for you according to whom God says you are.

God gifts you by His Spirit according to what only He can know about you.

I wonder if you have had my experience while driving lately.  It seems many more people out there want to drive in my lane.  They are partly in their lane and mine, and there’s no grace for that!

When they start easing into my lane, I get a little nervous because there’s no room in my lane for both of us, even when we are going in the same direction.   

It’s not a peaceful easy feeling to see someone looking down at a phone and drifting into your lane.  I am not comforted when someone leaves the grace of their lane to travel in my lane of grace.  I am happiest in my lane of grace and when they stay in their lane of grace because then we can both safely travel.

Think of being given a lane that is all your own and going in the direction you need to travel as being your grace.  When you use it, it is a great gift.  But if you cross out of your lane into oncoming traffic or into the lane next to you where someone else is driving, you are no longer in the grace you were given, which is not good.

This is why knowing the grace you have been given is important.  You need to travel in the lane of grace the Holy Spirit has given you!

Don’t try to outpace the grace, be thankful for what you have been given. It is right and good and enough for you.  Settle into it and enjoy it.  When you are flowing in His grace, which is life according to the Spirit, even the difficult things have an air of excitement.

You know He will bring you through to victory in whatever it is you are up against, but more than that, when you are doing life according to grace, you live in overflow and have something to impart to others.  You become a conduit for blessing and impartation.

I encourage you today to know the gift that is yours according to the grace you were given and get into the flow of it.

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More Glorious

2Corinthians 3:4 Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. 6 He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

The ministry of Paul and others was a ministry of the new covenant.  They understood they were privileged to minister according to the new covenant, which came with greater glory than the old.

As we read here, the old covenant, represented mainly by the ten commandments etched in letters on stone, was a ministry of death.  The point is that although it was a ministry of death, it came with glory, so how much more glory accompanies the new covenant Jesus shed His blood to establish?

This is why it makes no sense for someone to have one foot in the old covenant and the other in the new.  The new covenant is far superior to the old.  It is not based on rules that condemn and lead us to death.  It is based on the Spirit who gives life.

Because of this ministry of the Spirit, the new covenant is more glorious!

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Jesus took the writings that condemned us out of the equation!  He removed the ability of the enemy to use what was etched and written to condemn us any longer because our righteousness is not dependent upon us; it is imputed by faith in Christ to us.

There is no glory in going back under the law for righteousness, which is a simple way of saying going back under such rules for confidence in having a relationship with God.

We are to have our confidence in Christ and His finished work at the cross.  We must be confident in the new covenant Jesus established, not our performance or the lack thereof.

Law-based performance thinking is subtle in many ways, and there are more who struggle with this than we might think.  They look back over their day and try to assess if they did well based on what they believe the rules are.  If they did well, they feel close to God; if they missed something, which is most often the case, they feel God is not pleased with them.

Under the new covenant, our best obedience is our confidence in Christ according to faith.  Believing that Jesus is enough is a work of the Spirit.  Having our confidence in Christ is pleasing to God.  It is also transformative in ways rules can never produce because it energizes our lives with the power and the glory of the Spirit.  What we have received in Christ is more glorious than anything that has existed.  I encourage you to grow in enjoying what Jesus alone can supply.

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The New Covenant

Hebrews 12:24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

By coming to Jesus, I came into better things than any other generation before His death had ever known.  I am convinced that what I have been given in Christ is far better than anything Moses or any prophets preceding Christ knew.

Now I realize that someone might look at what I just said as me boasting and think of it as being a bit pretentious on my part.  But it is true, and yes, I am boasting, but my boasting is of what Jesus has done in establishing His new covenant.

You know, each time I upgraded my vehicle, I let go of my older one.  My purpose in upgrading to a newer one was that the older was had become necessary to replace.  The same holds true with regard to a covenant.  The old covenant had served its purpose, but it was time to be replaced.

Hebrews 8:13   In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

It has vanished away.  The old is now replaced with the new.  We are invited to live in the new covenant Jesus established by His blood.  It does not make sense thought o live with one foot in the new and one foot in the old.  That breeds confusion and double-mindedness.

I do not desire to question His goodness or His intentions toward me.  The old covenant was a conditional covenant that relied on my own faithfulness and ability to keep commandments in order to be in a relationship with Him and experience His blessing.

The new covenant grafts me into a relationship with Him on the basis of the obedience of  Jesus.  This new covenant functions by faith in Jesus as opposed to having faith in myself.

Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

My sins, past, present, and future, are completely taken away by the blood of Jesus.  If He failed to pay for even one of my sins, then I cannot have a relationship that offers free and open access before the throne of grace where I might find mercy to help me in my time of need.

If I must rely on my own performance to merit such access, I am doomed.  I have never met a morally perfect human being, and I do not boast that I am such a person myself.  I have no confidence in my flesh, and I know that in my flesh, there is nothing good as it is not yet redeemed.  This is why I depend on what Jesus did at the cross and put the whole weight of my faith on Him and His completed work so that I might enjoy the benefits of the relationship through this new covenant He established.

It is most important that a person settle which covenant they will operate under and make sure they do not try to operate under two covenants as opposed to just one.  There is only one that is recognized by God now, and that is the one Jesus established.  The other is now obsolete.  I encourage you to make sure you have let go of the old covenant and enjoy the new covenant Jesus established.  There’s great possibility in the new covenant, while only death awaits those under the old.  I choose life and relationship according to my faith in Jesus.

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True Kingdom Evidence

Mark 4:30 Then Jesus said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Here are some things to note about mustard trees.  They are one of the fastest-growing garden trees there is.  They can grow to a height of 30ft and spread their branches just as wide.

In other words, they are the kind of tree that can spring up and mature in a surprisingly small amount of time.  They are self-reproducing too.  They do not require bees and other animals to pollinate, but they do take advantage of such opportunities.

Their seed is only 2mm in diameter.  So it is a tiny seed at that.

The idea of a mustard seed tree is that it becomes an invasive species once established.  It towers above all the other herbs in a garden.

It is not by chance that Jesus chose this particular plant to give an example of what the Kingdom of God is like.  When the kingdom of God is at work, it spreads, grows, reproduces, and becomes invasive.  It rises above and can be easily seen among all the other endeavors.  In other words, it is not hidden from view; it is not stagnating and lifeless and provides a haven.

On another occasion, the disciples of Jesus could not cast out a demon, and they asked Jesus why.

Matthew 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.

This coincides with Jesus’ example of the kingdom in that the idea of nothing being impossible would be in tandem with a fast-growing reproducing idea to the kingdom that is invasive and towers enough to be seen easily.

It only takes a little faith to do the impossible, cast out demons, move mountains, etc.  Jesus did not mince words with His disciples in this matter.  Because of their unbelief, they failed to exercise the authority they had been given.  This is proven by the fact that had they had faith that was tiny, even a little faith; they could have done the impossible.

The evidence of the kingdom is in full view wherever faith is alive.  Wherever there is faith, there is kingdom activity.  Dead religion can exist on intellectual satisfaction but cannot produce the evidence of the kingdom, which makes the impossible possible.  You can realize you can’t argue against something because it is true without it being of faith.

2 plus 2 equals 4.  No one will argue that.  But it doesn’t produce in everyone who agrees they could be a math expert and do amazing things.  Jesus has brought possibility and opportunity into a place of existence unlike anything the human race has ever witnessed.  The only way to experience what He offers is through faith in Him.  Sometimes we first have to acknowledge our unbelief issue, as did the disciples, before we step into real faith.  Real faith is not ours by a mere confession of it.  It is ours through revelation from the Holy Spirit.  I encourage you to ask Him to reveal what you need to see and believe most in your journey.

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Victory!

1John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Daniel 6:23 The king was exceedingly glad for him and commanded that they take Daniel out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury was found on him because he believed in his God.

Daniel had been thrown into a den of hungry lions and left there overnight.  Daniel had continued to pray three times a day even though a legal decree declared that no one was to call on any man or god except for the king for thirty days.

Daniel knew God well enough to know he did not wish to go thirty days without talking with Him, even if it meant trouble for Daniel.  Daniel was not in trouble for loving his routine.  He was not willing to be persecuted for a routine or discipline.  Daniel was willing to suffer because of his relationship with God.  Daniel was not a legalistic do-gooder who feared that he would be judged if he did not pray.  Daniel enjoyed his prayer time each day.

The faith that brings us to victory is not faith in things or what we imagine should be a solution.  It is not faith in what we do, even though faith produces actions.  It is not faith in our disciplines or our sense of right and wrong.

The faith that overcomes the world and brings us victoriously through every trial is grounded in the Lord Himself.  Faith that fuels our relationship with God to start with is faith that overcomes the world.

Faith that results from knowing Jesus in a real and living way is victorious.  It is the kind of faith that brings us into possibility and opportunity every day.

I want always to be found growing in my faith in Him.  I want to be increasing in my knowledge of Him.  I want to become so aware of who He is and what He is like that I can firmly stand in any situation unshaken and unmoved by the pressures being applied to get me to waffle even a little concerning what I know He has made me to be and to do.

To develop in this way, I ask the Holy Spirit daily to bring me into deeper fellowship and understanding in Jesus. I ask to know His will and purpose for me more clearly and grant me the boldness to embrace what it calls me into.

Living for Christ by being in Christ and not being ashamed to proclaim such truth anywhere and everywhere is not popular in these last days.  Faith that overcomes the world isn’t concerned with being popular with the world.  It is concerned with knowing and being known by God.  That’s how I want to approach each day I am given.  I trust it is your desire as well.  Go in the riches of Him in Christ today and be filled with the treasure of the Holy Spirit to live boldly in the relationship Jesus died to make possible.

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Another Jesus?

Matthew 9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Matthew 12:15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.

Matthew 14:14 And when Jesus went out, He saw a great multitude, and He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Is this the Jesus you know?

The Jesus presented in Scripture went about doing good and healing all oppressed by the devil.

There’s no indication of where Jesus went about and did anything bad or sought to cause pain and grief to anyone.  Jesus did not even do anything in retribution to His enemies and those who hated Him.

Jesus appeared to one of His enemies named Saul on the Damascus Road and rescued and converted Saul.  Saul became Paul and is now noted as one of Christ’s great apostles.

Jesus even healed the servant of a Roman Centurian!  That was uncommon compassion.

If Jesus was willing and demonstrated this kind of compassion and mercy towards many who did not even follow Him, what might He have in store for those who are His and love Him?

I find it difficult to think that Jesus would want bad things for His own but offer good things for others.

That strikes hard as a contradiction and would lead me to think I regard Him incorrectly.  That would mean I have looked to another Jesus other than the one I have revealed to me in Scripture.

I do not wish to have any conflicts in my thinking and believing with regard to Jesus and how He is presented to me in the Scriptures.  I want to believe in and follow the Jesus revealed to me consistently by the Scriptures.  I trust that is your heart as well.

Jesus loves you!  Jesus still heals!  Jesus still delivers!  Most importantly, Jesus still saves!

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Faith Can

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Faith makes it possible to not only know God’s will but also do it.  Abraham knew he had heard the Lord speak to him regarding his son Isaac.  He knew that Isaac was a promised child.  Because he was convinced by faith of such things when asked to sacrifice Isaac, he could be prepared to follow through, knowing God could not and would not go back on His word.

Of what from His word to you does faith convince you?  The way you know you are convinced by faith is that it has moved you to act on it somehow.  Faith is not stagnated or immobile.  Faith is active.  We are given faith to act, not simply to know.

You can know a thing, and it does not move you into action.  But if faith gets into you about something, you are energized to act on what you have come to believe.

Biblical faith has its roots in who God is and what God is like.  It produces a strong confidence in Him and His word.  Biblical faith can move us beyond what we know about ourselves into things that transcend our natural capabilities.

Biblical faith does not stumble at the promises God made and still makes to His children because of what can be known about the character of God.

Titus 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,

Paul, as an apostle, was activated by Biblical faith in God according to His character because Paul was convinced by faith that God cannot lie and always speaks the truth.

Of what are you convinced of concerning God?  Are you convinced He cannot lie?  If you are, then are you familiar with what He has promised concerning you in His word and in your spirit?

It is when we become convinced by faith in Him regarding such things that we can step out in faith to do what we know is ours to do.  The first step of faith becomes clear when our will has submitted to the faith we have received in Him.

When Jesus returns, I want Him to find me being obedient to faith according to what He has shown me by faith is mine to do.  I encourage you to hear His voice and be familiar with what He has spoken in His word so you can walk by faith according to the Spirit as His return is very near.  Know Him, and let your life be energized by the faith that grows the more you know Him, and be blessed with every spiritual blessing in high places in Christ, just as His word declares!  Be blessed today and always.

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A Holy Temple

Ephesians 2:19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In Christ, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in Christ you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

God desires to put us together with other believers.  But not just put us together, build us together.  Being built together indicates being together with purpose.  It is not merely attending a meeting as though that is all there is.

It is coming together for the experience of His presence, which will also reveal the knowledge of His will.  God has a determined will for each of us individually. Within the scope of His will for us individually is that part of His will that we are joined to others in the faith at such a level that we must interact, be connected with them, and work alongside each other in His greater kingdom purpose.

Does a brick get to say to the brick mason I refuse to be placed where you want?  Or better yet, I refuse to be set in that wall at all?

To refuse the master Mason in being placed, there is a refusal of a greater experience of presence and growth, for it is in the placing that the temple for a greater habitation is built.

It is true that each of us possesses His presence, but here it is indicated that there is something of a much greater purpose and blessing than being alone can produce.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, the writer, moved by the Holy Spirit, seeks to reason with scattered Jewish believers being tempted to leave the beautiful expression of one new man in Christ and go back under Jewish traditions and law.  It would mean that they forfeit the gathering of the church to pursue something else.  Here is what the Holy Spirit counseled them.

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

No father likes to see his children opposing each other.  He would much rather have them enjoying each other’s fellowship and, even better, joining together for one purpose.

The Father desires that we embrace being connected in fellowship at a local level.  This letter to the Ephesians is written to encourage the church at Ephesus.  They may not be able to meet regularly with the church at Jerusalem or Phillipi, but they can come together as the church where they are.

We are a holy temple for the Lord, and that is expressed on an even greater level when we come together with the intention of seeking Him and giving Him glory according to His greatness and goodness towards each of us.  Jesus is coming, that day is approaching.  I trust you are not only attending a fellowship but that you are actively participating in the purpose of the gathering.  If not, I encourage you to become a part of what you were created in Christ for.  Be the active part of the Holy Temple He means for you to be.  There is a blessing in it for you and for those you join yourself to.

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Unafraid And Determined

Acts 2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

I recently contemplated this idea of the apostles and the temple, and some things jumped out at me when I read this verse.

They continued.  Now this would not be too big a deal if it weren’t for the background behind this story.  You see, these guys are going to a temple ruled by the same men who worked to orchestrate the death of Jesus.  They continued to go to a place ruled by men that opposed their leader and were partners in His death.

They continued going to a place that rejected who and what they were about.  Now this speaks volumes to me as we witness many finding any reason not to attend the gathering of the saints on the Lord’s Day.  Many claim they’ve been hurt, and I would assume that in many cases, that is true because of abusive and illegitimate situations.

But not all are that way, and I know of none as threatening as what the apostles faced in their day, yet they continued.

Not just them, but those who were with them continued.  They all, in one accord, embraced the challenge of not being popular, being rejected, and possibly even being persecuted for their faith.  They were mistreated by those at the temple too, yet they were not deterred.

Because they continued, wonderful opportunities presented themselves.

Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

On this occasion, a lame man from birth who was a beggar at the temple sought help from Peter and John, and they did not give him money but instead gave him what they did have: healing in Jesus.

This miracle would not have been recorded had they not continued!  They would not have been present for this had they quit going.  I guess we could say the early church was unafraid and determined since we have such a record of them continuing as they did in the face of such odds.

Under the New Covenant, what we celebrate each Lord’s Day is not opposed to Jesus but recognizes Him and what He has done.  If someone gets offended on their job, they do not quit and stay home.  They keep going back and just do their best to stay clear of whoever hurt or offended them.

It is sad that it has become so easy for many to give up on attending Lord’s Day gathering due to an offense, hurt, or some other reason.  The possibilities to find a place to gather are practically endless in this nation.  Surely there’s a safe place to gather somewhere.

There is growth awaiting those who will continue!  There is strength to be deposited from the Spirit when we resolve in our hearts to continue.  I encourage you not only to continue yourself, but if you know someone who has withdrawn from this wonderful privilege of fellowship, you will encourage them, according to grace, to return.  Jesus is coming soon, and as His return gets closer, our gathering together becomes all the more important.  I encourage you to be unafraid and determined like those who ran so well before us.

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Fullness Of Joy

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

This psalm is written by King David, who was under the Old Covenant at the time, yet he could identify with the benefits of being in the presence of God.

Under the Old Covenant, the people of God did not have the consistency of promises that is ours under the New Covenant.  Promises were conditional under the Old Covenant.  But under the New Covenant, the promises are yes and amen in Christ.

You cannot be in Christ and have Christ living in you and be without the presence in some measure.  Under the New Covenant Jesus put in place, He will never leave us or forsake us.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Once we become a New Creation in Christ, we are forever sealed by His presence, which gives us new life.  When this is believed, it is experienced, and that experience of Him produces the fruit of joy!

But this Psalm did not just speak of the fullness of joy.  It also identifies pleasures forevermore.

The Hebrew word interpreted as pleasures could have also been interpreted as being delightful, agreeable, or sweet.

In Christ, the wrath of God that was once upon us has been removed from us, and we are brought into pleasant places!  God is not out to get us!  In Christ, God is for us!

This reminded me of Romans 8

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Someone might say that sounds conditional.   But it is not conditional on God’s part.  It would only be conditional on our side of the coin.  You see, if I believe I receive the Spirit and walk in faith, I walk according to the Spirit and do not lean on my strength and ability to try to earn what I have already been given in Christ.

This is New Covenant living that is aware of His presence all the time and therefore set free to experience the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.  You can go through life with a smile, even in your troubled times, when you go beyond passing a Bible quiz about such things, believe the truth concerning them, and receive them to walk in them.

I encourage you today and always to live in the abundance of His goodness that is yours under the New Covenant Jesus established with His own blood. Look to Jesus for your righteousness with confidence, peace, and joy!  He will not disappoint.

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Trust Is A Must

My wife Sheila and I will have been married for 37 years this November.  Something is interesting about trust.  Where there is any insecurity about being loved, there is a lack of trust.  A healthy, vibrant relationship fosters trust because both parties know they are loved, and when a person knows they are loved, they also know the other party who loves them will always want the best for them.  They do not live suspicious of the other person being out to get them.

This is true in our natural relationships, but it is equally true in our relationship with Jesus.  If you question the love of God or Christ, you will struggle to trust them.  Doubt will interfere with faith and trust because you are unaware of their intentions.

Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which surpasses (Exceeds) knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The Greek word for knowledge in Ephesians 3:19 is Gnosis meaning knowledge or science. We are being told here that there is a love so deep in Christ that it cannot be intellectually discovered.  It surpasses knowledge.  Science will never know what it is because it is not logical that His love could be so great.

Through the love of Christ, we can experience God’s fullness.  But the key to the fullness we are meant to experience is based on our knowing Christ’s love.  I believe this is true because to be vulnerable and surrender to whatever God wishes to give us and do in us and through us, we must trust Him.  But trust is difficult for someone who isn’t sure of being loved.

A naive person may trust people, but their trust is not rooted in love.  It might be rooted in people pleasing, which may be rooted in fear of man, but not in love.  You can reluctantly decide to trust someone simply because your desire to avoid their displeasure outweighs your reluctance to trust, so you give in and take the leap.  But that is not the same as a “trust fall” rooted in love.  To have that kind of trust, you must know you are loved.

The Greek word translated into know in Ephesians 3:19 is Ginosko, meaning allow, be aware of, feel, perceive, be resolved, be sure, understand.

There is something so real and so deep about the love of Christ that it can only be experienced.  We are first made aware of it through revelation from the Holy Spirit.  No one truly knows His love based on mere deductive reasoning.  It requires the aid of the Holy Spirit even to get a glimpse of His love.  To experience it is something special, and when that happens, and we become fully convinced of His love, we find it much easier to trust Him.

The experience of the fullness of God is something very special. The Greek word for filled in Ephesians 3:19 means to cram, to furnish, satisfy, verify, accomplish, or make full.

In the actual Greek text, it reads this way.  “That filled all God.”  You and I are meant to be full of God.

Being full of God can only be made real to us by the person of the Holy Spirit.  But, if we question the love of Christ, we will question Jesus’ promise to baptize us with the Holy Spirit.  This baptism and companionship of the Holy Spirit is the actual experience of the fullness of God.  I pray you will know it today and always!

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Good Hope

When a person is loved, they are given things of special significance.   

When a man loves a woman and wishes to take her as his wife, he bestows on her a ring of great value to declare his love and to indicate his good intentions of dedicating his life to her until she comes to the end of her life or he comes to the end of his own.

Most people I know enjoy birthdays because they expect that family and friends who love them will bless them somehow on that special day.

We all find special ways to bless those we love throughout the year just because we love them.  This practice helps the ones we love to feel they have a good hope of always being loved.

When you think of these things that are so practical in our everyday lives for a moment and then read what it says in,

2Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

How does this convey that we have been given everlasting consolation and good hope?

By grace!  It is by the favor God has freely given us because of Jesus Christ.

Everlasting consolation and good hope are meant to produce something in our lives too.

It is meant to comfort our hearts and establish us in every good word and work.  In other words, experiencing everlasting consolation and good hope by grace is transformative because it is administered by God the Father and Christ the Son to our hearts, and when they are at work in us, it is life-altering.

This is why it is impossible that we can remain the same if we are actively interacting with God in the relationship Jesus made possible through shedding His blood on the cross to free us from sin’s penalty and bring us into favor with the Father.

The righteousness of God we have been given is not merely a positional reality or idealistic notion.  It is a powerful force that works in us, bringing us again and again into conformity to Jesus when we actively utilize the privileges it grants us.

Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.  It stands to reason that the more we increase in Him, we, too, will be characterized as someone who speaks good words and has good works.

Be encouraged in the Father’s love and the love of Jesus Christ today!  Let their everlasting consolation and good hope well in you by grace, comfort your heart, and establish you in every good word and work.  You have been richly blessed in Christ!

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Be Strong

What would you say you are strong in?

When I was a boy living in South Florida and attending elementary school in phys ed, they would have competitions.  One such competition was who could do the most push-ups or sit-ups.   

Every boy wanted these bragging rights.  My class of boys, except for two of us, had already done their best.  I was to go next.  I blew everyone else away, far exceeding the number of sit-ups and pull-ups any others had done.  I was so proud of myself.  I thought I had secured my bragging rights.

But there was one boy left, my friend Rodney Hillsman.  You can imagine the surprise on everyone’s faces when he approached the number I had set.  Imagine the surprise on my face!  Imagine my disappointment when he kept going beyond what I had set.  My desire to brag was crushed, and my thought of being the most physical boy in my class diminished.

There are people in the world who are stronger than the acclaimed strongest man in the world.  They just do not enter the competition, for it is all.  In other words, there are a lot of Rodneys out there to bust our physical prowess bubbles.

Being strong is a trait many admire.  But being strong physically is not necessarily a thing God is all concerned with.  Though being strong is indeed something God cares about for us.

But the strong to be desired is a different kind of strong.

2Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

In these times we live in, many in the church are very committed to working out and being fit physically, which can have its benefits, no doubt.  But I wonder how many are as committed, if not more, to being strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus?

When we set out to establish where our priorities should lie, being strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus should be at the top of our list.

Paul spoke of being strong, Peter spoke of growing in it, and Hebrews spoke of our hearts being established with it.

2Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

I do not wish to underrate the grace given in Christ, and I especially do not wish to come up short in my understanding and possession of it.

May I encourage you today to take to heart such encouragement from Scripture?  Grace is so important to our lives. Time spent being strong and growing in grace far outweighs all our other endeavors. Being strong, growing, and having our hearts established with His grace matters with God.  I encourage you to walk in His grace today and always!

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Love So Deep

Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which surpasses (Exceeds) knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

There is a love so deep in Christ that it cannot be intellectually discovered.  It surpasses knowledge.  Science will never know what it is because it is not logical that His love could be so great.

The Greek word for knowledge used here is Gnosis meaning knowledge, science.

Because of the love of Christ, we can experience fullness.  But the fullness we are meant to experience is rooted in our knowing Christ’s love.

The Greek word translated into know here is Ginosko, meaning allow, be aware of, feel, perceive, be resolved, be sure, understand.

There is something so reel and so deep about the love of Christ that is meant to be experienced by us.  Something takes place when it is, and we become fully convinced and resolved of His love.

The experience of the fullness of God is something very special.  It is neither ordinary nor common.

The Greek word for filled here is pleroo meaning to cram, to furnish, satisfy, verify, accomplish, or make full.

In the actual Greek text, it reads this way.  That filled all God.

You and I are meant to be full of God.  This is made real to us by the person of the Holy Spirit.  But if we question the love of Christ, we will question His promise to baptize us with the Holy Spirit.  This baptism and companionship of the Holy Spirit is the experience of the fullness of God.

God is three persons but one God.  To know the Father through the Son Jesus Christ is an experience of only two-thirds of who God is.  To experience the fullness of God, the Holy Spirit is a vital part, and when the love of Christ is not resolved in the heart through faith as it should be, a person remains suspect of such a notion as being baptized and filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled to overflowing with the person of the Holy Spirit is a tangible, unmistakable, and powerful experience.  It empowers us to be witnesses for Christ far more effectively than we might be on our own.

Jesus offers a deep love that transforms us and prepares us for what He promised to start with.  It sets us up to trust Him and to know His goodness at such a level that we can surrender to whatever He declares is good for us and what He desires for us.  I encourage you to know His love which surpasses knowledge, and if that doesn’t describe your experience yet, I plead with you to ask God to help you embrace it.

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Unsearchable Riches

Ephesians 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

When I read a phrase like this spoken by Paul, I have to pause a moment and reflect on it.

It is possible to read such a statement as To me, who am less than the least of all the saints as though he is insincere about it and merely trying to make a point.  But when I reflect on it more, I believe Paul was very sincere in his statement.  He was keenly aware of how he had persecuted the church for a time before Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus Road.

In other words, Paul was very aware of how much of a sinner he had been before Christ rescued him—Paul was a man who was committed to the law and devoted to the temple system of the Jews.  He was very zealous for the law, which was why he persecuted the church.  But when Jesus revealed himself to this man, and Saul became Paul as a follower of Christ, the transformation was tremendous.

So I do not think Paul speaks tongue in cheek when he says he is the least of all the saints.

But the greater point of this passage deals with the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Paul was sent to the Gentiles to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ!  These are riches that would not be found because someone went looking for them.  They are riches that overtake people by surprise when they are not searching for them.

The Gentiles were not looking for Jesus!  The Gentiles were not looking for a Messiah!  The Jews were, but the Gentiles were not.

Even though the Jews hoped for a Messiah, many failed to recognize Him when He came. Many missed the unsearchable riches because they stumbled at His goodness and mercy.

I am amused when I hear someone talk as if they have discovered all there is to know concerning Jesus.

It is time again for our minds to be blown by the revelation of His greatness and the vastness of His worth like never before.

The Apostle John, who declared himself to be the one whom Jesus loved and had laid his head on the chest of Jesus at the fire for breakfast with His disciples after His resurrection, was shocked when he encountered Jesus in Revelation.

It says John fell like a dead man.  In my circles, we refer to that as being slain in the Spirit.  The revelation of Jesus was so glorious that it overwhelmed John and rendered him powerless physically.  There are yet more wonderful things concerning Jesus that can be discovered by those who reject the notion of having mastered all there is to know concerning Him.  Those who will desire Him to such a degree and are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Him even more to them.  This is the work of transformation God desires in us that we would see His Son and be conformed to His image.

There’s yet more to discover!  Unsearchable riches that surprise even the most astute among us.  I hope you like surprises because, in Jesus, there are plenty.

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Jesus Is Coming!

Luke 12:35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master when he returns from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

Jesus is coming again, and I believe it will be soon.

Watching is not the same as standing still.  In our going, we are watching.  Right after being saved, I thought watching meant staring at the sky to see if He was returning.  I was as distracted driving as many with phones are today.  But I later realized that is not what it means to be found watching.  I could not watch the sky while I was sleeping.  Now I understand that watching is about faith and being a witness.

But I also know that a person will not make others aware of His soon return unless they are aware and convinced of it.  You see, watching is an act of faith.

Luke 18:8 ………Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

When Jesus shows up, the ones watching will be actively witnessing because faith is not static or immobile.  Faith is active!

The exciting thing is that when Jesus returns and finds those watching, He will gird Himself and serve them!  I believe He does this even now for those active in their faith.  I have found it true that the fastest and often deepest growth in a believer’s life comes when they serve as witnesses for Christ.

There is something powerful about partnering with Jesus as His witness.  Being a witness is simply testifying about Jesus so that others know the truth concerning Him.  When walking in faith, Jesus is very real to us.  The Holy Spirit moves powerfully through us!

We have no difficulty speaking about other things we believe to be real.  I’ve even known people who believe in Sasquatch (Bigfoot), and they have no problem talking to others about it.  Some believe in UFOs and are unashamed to talk about it.

Many do not think that to be strange.  Why, then, should it be difficult for anyone who believes in Jesus to talk about Him to others?  Jesus makes far greater sense than Bigfoot or UFOs.

I encourage you today to share with others the good news of Jesus.  I challenge you to ask the Holy Spirit to give the same eyes of compassion Jesus had; it will help you see why it is so important not to keep such a wonderful truth to yourself or just for your already Christian friends.  The word needs to get out!  Jesus is alive!  Jesus is coming soon!  We need to be asking,

Do you know my Jesus?  The One who took the sin of the world on Himself at the cross and offered God’s righteousness in exchange for your sin.  Have you put your trust in Him for eternal life, the forgiveness of sin, and receiving the Holy Spirit of promise?  Jesus loves you, and the best way to experience His love is to surrender to Him, trusting that He is good and desires to do you good.  I encourage you to be born again by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

It doesn’t require a 45-minute sermon to be His witness.  Just your testimony and clear communication about being saved through faith in Him.  He is coming; I want to be found watching.  I encourage you to be found watching for His return.  Jesus is coming!

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