It Is Finished

Have you ever had a debt paid in full by someone else?  I mean, they learned that you were in trouble and unable to pay a bill that had gotten behind, and they just took care of it and cleared it for you?

Jesus paid a debt we could not pay.  Jesus cleared us of all wrongdoing.  Jesus made us into something we had never been before, and Jesus established us in a right relationship with God the Father.  Jesus did all this for us. We did not do anything to earn any of it.

Colossians 2:6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. 7 Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.  8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.  11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

If anyone tries to say that what Jesus did for us is not quite enough and that we need to come under the law to make certain it is complete, they are teaching error.

Galatians 2:17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

What Jesus has done took care of everything required to make us the very righteousness of God and put us in right relationship with God.  We are at our clearest, purest best when we stand in faith in what Jesus has done and trust fully in Him for all that is required to be right with God.  When Jesus said from the cross, “It is finished,” He wasn’t speaking metaphorically.  It was literal. Some get nervous about this kind of teaching. They have more confidence in self-management based on keeping the law and moral initiatives than they do in the supernatural work of Christ. Thus it makes them uncomfortable to hear such things as what I am saying here. But there is no denying the power of God on display in Christ at the cross and in His resurrection and ascension!

We are complete in Jesus!   Jesus eliminated the ability of the powers and principalities to shame us and condemn us by taking the charges against us due to the law and its perfection, and He nailed those charges on His cross, taking them upon Himself on our behalf.  He took them out of the way, and by doing so, He disarmed our enemies!  We need to become more aware of what Jesus did than we are of what we are doing.  We need to be more persuaded of the completeness of His work than we are of our ability to undo it.  We need to take to heart what He spoke from the cross when He declared, “It is finished.”  I encourage you to rest your hope on the fact that it is finished, and in Christ, you are complete.

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Not A Stranger

There have been many people over the years that I have met, but I could not tell you a lot about them except for what I have been told about them.  I did not spend time with them, getting to know them, having vulnerable conversations, sharing laughs and dreams, and recounting experiences together.

I might have been introduced to them by someone, but without spending time with them, I cannot say much about their likes, dislikes, dreams, aspirations, experiences, etc.  In such a case, that person is more of an acquaintance than a close friend.

When it comes to an acquaintance, one can say yes, I’ve met them, but it would be deceptive to carry on as though they knew them well.  An acquaintance may not be a stranger, but they aren’t very much above one.

I say all this because of something Jesus said,

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”

When someone doesn’t believe it is evidence, they are not one of His sheep.  As a result, they will struggle with the truth concerning Jesus.  Another characteristic of not being one of His sheep is not hearing His voice and thus refusing to follow Him.

I love the promise that is attached to being a sheep.  Sheep have eternal life, sheep will never perish, and no one can snatch a sheep away from Jesus, nor can they snatch them away from God. In other words, Jesus’ sheep are very secure!  Jesus is not a stranger to His sheep!

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

To a true believer, Jesus is not an acquaintance. He is a friend, a Shepherd, a Lord, a Savior, a Deliverer, and definitely not a stranger.  Jesus did not give His life on the cross to occupy the role of acquaintance in our lives.  He desires intimacy, closeness, involvement, and the ability to speak to us regularly to lead us, instruct us in His ways, and reveal the unlimited goodness of His character and nature to us.  The ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to reveal Jesus to us and eliminate the sense of His being a stranger.

Jesus’ endurance on the cross and His suffering its shame were not so He might be a stranger.  There’s no joy in being a stranger or mere acquaintance in the life of someone you place a value on.  Jesus was all about a full-on, wide-open, rich, and complete relationship with Himself and with the Father.  He desires to be known, and He knows those that are His.  He hasn’t made it difficult to know Him.  He pioneered the way for this and made it as simple as believing.  It is by grace through faith in Him that we are brought near.  Jesus is no stranger to those who truly believe.  He is always near and present and very real, and His voice is not foreign or weird.  He made all this possible by His sacrifice made for us.  I encourage that we take full advantage of what He has made possible and enjoy the intimacy so freely offered to every sheep of His pasture.  Enjoy Him today and always.

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Good Stewardship

In His goodness, God has seen to it that each of His children receives gifts.  The Father gave us gifts in Romans 12, which we refer to as motivational gifts; the Holy Spirit gives gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, which are referred to as spiritual gifts, and then the Son gives gifts to the church in Ephesians 4, which are the equipping gifts. In other words, we are very well-gifted as followers of Jesus Christ.   God has not withheld anything from us.

So what are we to do with these gifts?

1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

To have a gift and not minister it to others is to reject the calling of a good steward.  God, by His grace, gave us gifts for a purpose.  To withhold these gifts from blessing others is to ignore the calling of stewarding the grace we received.

By His grace, He gave us gifts.  We do not earn these gifts.  These gifts are truly gifts.

But these gifts are given with purpose.  They are not given to us as individuals for selfish purposes.

They are given to add to our abundance of grace so that we have something to give to others.

“Such as I have give I unto you.”  You cannot offer to others what you do not know you possess.

But here, it is made clear that every believer possesses a gift of some kind from God.  We have all received grace.

Grace kept to ourselves is wrong stewardship.  Grace generously on display towards others is proper stewardship.  In other words, we did nothing to merit the gift of His grace, and we shouldn’t expect others to perform to get it.  God wants to minister to others through us according to the gift we were given.

Do you know your gift?  Better yet, do you know the gift that you are to others?

There’s no such thing as a bankrupt believer in Jesus.  It isn’t possible that God would leave out even one of His dearly loved children.  he does not have trouble knowing who belongs to Him, and he does not suffer memory loss when dispensing gifts to His children.   You have a gift, and you are a gift for the benefit of others.

Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—21 may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

I pray you will be encouraged to be a good steward of the gift you have received and that many will be blessed, enriched, and encouraged in their journey in Christ because of it.

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What About My Body?

Does what I do in my body matter to God?

If my righteousness comes from faith in Christ alone, why should I care about my body and what happens in it and to it?

Should I consider it important to take care of my body?

What would taking care of my body look like?

To help with these questions, I recall a moment when I was very young.  I had a friend who had a Starsky and Hutch-styled Gran Torino. He let me borrow it to go somewhere.  He was so proud of that car.  The tire tread was not too great on it, as he had been doing burnouts.  It had begun to rain, and while making a right turn, I gave it too much fuel, lost control, and hit a small earthen bank on the side of the road.  I had no job to pay for it at the time, so I had to give him my stereo system to try to compensate for it.  That car was special to him. It was his. He bought and paid for it.  So, for me to take it out and damage it was grievous to him.

When I got my first car, I began to understand the importance of caring for what is mine.  The Bible refers to such behavior as stewardship.  In stewardship matters, we realize that something does not belong to us; another owns it, but we are given management.  This is how we are advised to think of our bodies.  While the body is not all-important, it still carries much significance with God.

1 Corinthians 6:12   All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

Who is the body for?  According to this truth shared here, the body is for the Lord.  That means the body is not in charge of all its appetites and desires.  It is to be kept in check so that it can serve the purposes of God. For all who have come to Christ in faith for a new life, their bodies become the temple of the Living God, and God now inhabits our bodies. This is why it goes further to say,

1 Corinthians 6:18   Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Sexual sin is against the body.  It is akin to someone borrowing a good friend’s new car and then intentionally going out and bashing it into things to damage it, diminish its image, and affect its performance.

It is indeed your body, but it is equally true that it is the temple of God.  God lives in you.  Therefore, he desires that we steward the body we have been given well.  It is meant to be for His service, and to do that, it needs to be cared for and treated with respect.  It is not given the first place of attention in life.  But it is not disregarded as having no significance at all.  For this reason, I do not wish to use my body carelessly or treat it as though it has no importance.  To maintain my body with integrity, I must change my view of it to match what God has said concerning it.  Our body matters.  You only get one during this temporary life on Earth.  I say let’s treat it well, make sure it is capable of accomplishing His will for us, and function as optimally as possible without the hindrances of reckless living.  What say you?  What about your body?

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God With Us

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

The idea is simple.  The presence of God is here and now with the believer.  Jesus did not suffer and die the way He did so that we would only have hope in one day being in the presence of God.

Jesus secured the presence of God here and now for us in our daily lives.

John 1:16  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

I love that the word received is used in the past tense here.  It is not used in a future-on-the-horizon way.  It is put in the past tense, indicating it is done, and the realization of it is now.

This here-and-now reality of His fullness, which is His presence, was made possible when we received favor from God to get the favor of God.

Sometimes, when I listen to someone speak about God, it is as if I am listening to closet deists.  Their language mirrors that of a distant God but will one day show up again and be close.  Any language that comes across as anything other than a God who is present and very involved in the lives of His children is false and full of error.

Jesus secured the closeness, the intense involvement, and the profound privilege of intimacy with God for us forever.  He took away the separation and distance that once existed.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

We are not brought near by anything that we do.  We were brought near, and we kept near through what Jesus did.  It is by faith that we enter into a relationship with God, and by faith, we remain fully aware of the ongoing relationship with God.

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.”

Jesus promised never to leave us nor ever to forsake us.  He has bound Himself to us in His love.  He has imparted new life to us; He has committed Himself to be faithful even when we are found to be faithless.

2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless,  He remains faithful;  He cannot deny Himself.

Christ in us the hope of glory!  God is with us!  He is presently intentionally, committedly, and faithfully with us!  Once you come to Christ, you can never be alone again.  God is with you!

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Demonstration Of The Spirit And Of Power

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

From what I am reading here, the most brilliant of the apostles, educationally speaking, refused to put any confidence in persuasive words of human wisdom.  Instead, he felt it was important to rely on the Holy Spirit, and that reliance came with demonstration.

This would not have been all that interesting had he not used the word demonstration.  It is a Greek word that means manifestation or demonstration.  It comes from a root Greek word that means to prove, to show off, set forth.

In the natural, Paul was weak among them and afraid, so much so that he was trembling.  In other words, this well-accomplished man was without confidence in his flesh to step up to the plate and make anything happen.

According to Paul, his preaching was nothing remarkable, and his speech lacked something.  Paul was not a pulpiteer.  He was not someone who could blow your mind with his handling of words when speaking.  I marvel that this did not bother Paul.  Instead, it worked in his favor because it meant that if people were to get anything worthwhile from his ministry, they would have to experience the demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power.

Why would Paul rejoice in such a thing? Why would he not rather be better understood intellectually?

He gives us the answer to this question.  He wanted their faith to be in the power of God as opposed to the wisdom of men—my how we have this backward in our day and time.  Today, the purpose is to be intellectually understood and a pulpiteer with such prowess that we can entertain and hold the attention of those listening.  If someone stands before a congregation in an unassuming way and speaks in trembling, many would lose their attention span in a hurry.  But in Paul’s case, this was a plus.  It meant God would have to show up and substantiate the truth Paul was speaking.  It meant the people would not be mesmerized by Paul’s excellent word skills but rather captivated by God’s power and the Holy Spirit’s demonstration.

Today, the quest for the wisdom of men to become a minister of the gospel is like a contagious disease.  Many would prefer to be polished more than be a weak vessel demonstrating His power.

In the quest to see hearts established in Christ according to the working of His Mighty Power, then His presence must have center stage, and reliance upon the Holy Spirit is not merely icing on the cake; it is an essential ingredient to seeing the work of God taking root in the lives of Christ’s disciples.  I am not convinced there is too much demonstration of the Spirit and of Power in the churches today.  I believe there is a great need for more of it.  It is my prayer to be used as Paul was used and not to fall into the snare of self-confidence based on my handling of the truth but rather to be reliant on the Holy Spirit all the more!  Without the working of His mighty power, hearts are not readily changed, and people are not aptly equipped for the work of the ministry.  Holy Spirit, we need You to be the One who produces fruit for His kingdom through our partnering with You!  There is no revelation or understanding without Your power, and there is no evidence of presence without a demonstration of Your activity among us.  Please move and reveal Jesus as only You can!

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Wrong Emphasis

Whenever the emphasis of something is changed, it redirects attention.

One of the greatest distractions is redirecting attention in a way that seems right and good but redirects a person’s attention away from the most important thing.

It’s akin to needing a reliable vehicle, but the salesman you are dealing with keeps drawing your attention to cosmetic details and away from the noise you hear under the hood while running. You need this car for traveling, so mechanical reliability is a must, but the salesman is artfully distracting you from disturbing engine noises to the beauty of the ride itself. He is not lying to you; he is telling you the truth; the car is beautiful, the bodywork is great, the paint job is great, and it looks good going down the road with you in it, but that is not your primary concern.  The primary need is reliability mechanically.

I use this illustration to highlight the need to get the gospel right.   When a true but misplaced emphasis is placed on the reason for the gospel, it distracts from its highest aim and purpose.

That is why multitudes in many places worldwide think the gospel is merely about getting to heaven.  While it is true that faith in the gospel will render the promise of heaven, that is not the primary aim of the gospel.  The highest goal of salvation is not a mansion in heaven.

Jesus did not allow Himself to be beaten and then bleed and die on the cross so that we could get the keys to our mansion in heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

The high goal of the gospel is the work of reconciliation to God.  The emphasis of the gospel is meant to be a relationship with God.  Unfortunately, in many circles, it has become other lesser important matters.

Jesus endured the cross, suffering the shame for the joy that was set before Him.  What joy?  The joy of reconciling man to God.  The joy of a restored intimacy between God and man.  The joy of being one in unity and experiencing the beauty of being one with God.  The joy of bringing many sons into glory!

The presence of God is the glory glory of God.  To be in His presence is to be in His glory.  We have been invited into the very fullness of God through the love of Christ.

Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The gospel’s emphasis is far more than just escaping judgment, getting a pass into heaven, and having the keys to a mansion there.  The real ultimate goal of the gospel is to reconcile us to God in unhindered fellowship so we might behold His glory by partaking in His presence and be filled with all His fullness.  This is what Jesus died, rose from the dead, and then ascended into heaven to provide.  If we get the emphasis of the gospel wrong, we tend to miss out on some glorious perks here and now that are meant to equip and empower us to be His ambassadors to our generation.

2Corinthians 5:20  Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

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New Creation

When I was young, I played a lot of baseball.   I was a pitcher and a shortstop.   I got to be a pitcher for one reason only.  I could throw strikes.  The coach did not care how fast I could throw the ball or how much junk I could put on a throw.  All he wanted was a pitcher who could throw strikes across the plate.  Had I been able to throw it hard and fast and with all kinds of movement on it but not throw strikes, he would not have put me on the mound.

That was a single-minded coach who knew exactly what he was looking for.  It would have done me no good to bring a lot of other stuff to try out.  The coach knew what he was looking for.  That’s what today’s passage reminds me of.

Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

God knows what He is looking for.  God knows exactly what interests Him.  God is not double-minded about this either.

Eternal life is not about what I bring to the table. It is about what God does.  Either I have believed in Jesus and become a New Creation supernaturally by the work of the Holy Spirit, or I haven’t.  The number of years I have spent going to church, attending Sunday School, going on short-term mission trips, reading my Bible, attending vacation Bible school, or participating in any other religious exercise will never be used by God to determine my legitimacy spiritually.

God is only interested in my birthright.  He is interested in what species I am.  He is looking for His DNA in me.  What matters to God is whether or not I have been born again from above.  He is looking to see if I have Christ living in me.  He is looking to see if I have been hidden with Christ in God.  He is looking to see if I am seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

I could do everything else right, and it would not be enough.  Because what I do is not what makes a New Creation.  I have no supernatural power to make myself alive unto God.  I cannot will myself into being a New Creation in Christ.  Paul, as an apostle, knew this all too well.  He had been super zealous for God; he had been a Pharisee of Pharisees; he had been devoted to the law, and he had a strong commitment to holiness and all the important things.  But he discovered that all those supposed accomplishments meant nothing to God.  Paul considered them worthless in comparison to knowing Jesus intimately.

The only way anyone can know Jesus intimately is to start with being born again and becoming a New Creation with Christ’s DNA.  Imposters will not be welcomed. They will not be able to deceive their way in.  A person is either genuinely born again, and a New Creation in Christ, or they are not.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

There’s no mistaking this event.  A person knows when they have become new in Christ.  It is a supernatural reality that forever changes who they are on the inside and works its way out of them as they grow in Christ.   God relates with New Creations, not religious devotees.  God deals with New Creations, not merely good people who try their hardest to better themselves.  It’s all about New Creations with God.

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Because Of Him

In the Marvel Superhero comic and movie series, Iron Man is a superhero created by scientist Tony Stark.  It is a super high-tech metal and mechanical suit that the scientist gets in, enabling him to do extraordinary things.  In the suit, he can fly, has superhuman strength, can shoot rockets and flares, and has a super high-tech onboard computer AI friend named Jarvis, giving him real-time information and fulfilling commands.  Outside the suit, he is just Tony Stark, a scientist and multi-billionaire.  He’d lose a fight fairly easily, But he becomes invincible in the suit.  It makes for a good fiction storyline entertaining for young and old alike.

But there’s something in this storyline that, as believers, we should take note of.  You see, without Christ, we are just whoever we are with whatever talents and abilities we have been blessed to possess, and some come out below average, some right at it, and others a little above it, and so on.    But no matter where we land on the scales of human achievement, the glory is fleeting, and the ability to stay in that place is temporary.

You can choose to be remembered for your natural achievements in this life and enjoy the accolades for them, or you can set your goal for the accolades of heaven and eternity by determining you will put on Christ and stand in His accomplishments as opposed to your own.

1Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

Unlike Ironman, Jesus, the supernatural Lord and Savior who reigns over all and has been given all authority in heaven and here on earth, steps into our human suit and performs miraculous things throughout our lives.  Because of Christ, we become something that never existed on this earth until He came and made it possible.  Now, we who believe have been made into something supernatural, a new species, a new creation equipped to house the all-powerful person of the Holy Spirit and to be a dwelling for Christ Himself so He might work through us to accomplish His purposes here on this earth.

We who were nothing ordinary human beings like everyone else at one point in time have now been brought near and made new by Jesus Christ and the work of His blood at the cross, and we are now something and someone extraordinary because of Him.  So, it is not something we can boast about, as though we did something to attain it on our own.  It is purely a gift, and all glorying belongs to Him.

I love how it says in the passage, Jesus became for us, wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption!   Because of Him, I am holy! Because of Him, I am accepted! Because of Him, I am a new creation!  Because of Him, I have the Holy Spirit living in me and filling me with His power.  Because of Him, I can do all things!  Because of Him, I already have everything pertaining to life and godliness!  Because of Him, I can make a positive difference in the lives of others.  Because of Him, I have peace, joy, love, and a sound mind.

It might appear that on the human scale of things, you are nothing, but when someone comes to Jesus and is born again, they become a new creation fitted for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who empowers them to become who God says they are and to do all that God desires for them to do.  Why?  So that Jesus may receive glory for His great accomplishment at the cross, raising from the dead, and ascending on high triumphantly over all His enemies.  It is all because of Him!  Let Him make you into who He says He wants you to be so that all your boasting is in Him and because of Him.

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The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power

I like to let the Holy Spirit highlight passages to me and then lead me in a time of meditation upon them until I sense I am seeing something that was once hidden from my vision.  I want to do more than just read them.  I want to own them.  I want them to become a part of me.

Here’s this morning’s consideration.  It is the prayer of a mighty apostle of Jesus crying out to God for the believers at Ephesus.

Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

Paul’s desire here is not that believers will possess intellectual knowledge of Scripture.  He wants them to have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus!  He wants them to experience what Christ knows and to know Christ very intimately.  He wants their intimate knowledge of Christ to increase all the more.

He goes on to detail what this would look like.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened?  Why?  So that you may know something important!

It is important that you know the hope of His calling.  Apart from His calling, you and I are no different than anyone else.  But when you put the hope of His calling into place, it separates us unto Him and His purpose and gives us importance for our time here on earth.  It sets us apart from others and gives us meaning beyond ourselves.  It is important to know this.

It is also important that we know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.  Jesus has an inheritance in the saints that it is important for us to know about.  This inheritance is filled with the riches of glory!  When the saints are together in unity of purpose to Tabernacle with God in their fellowshipping together, there is a riches of the glory experienced and released.  These riches of the glory are reserved for the saints, not individuals alone.  Certain things are meant to be experienced only when we are together.  Paul desired that we know and understand this.

Then, we are brought to this amazing promise of possibility and opportunity.  To know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.

This is huge!  This is so incredibly important, yet sadly, so little is it meditated upon.  When we were born again, the supernatural power of Christ made us into something that had never existed.  We became New Creations in Christ!  This is a work that requires His mighty power.  He made us into something brand new.  His greatest display of power is this new creation work, which was exhibited towards us who believe!  If you think it took much power to raise Jesus from the dead, then consider this fact.  It took the same amount of power to make you and I a new creation in Christ!

The same power that it took to raise Jesus from the dead, then to seat Him at the right hand of God in the heavenly places, and then to make certain Jesus is far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion not just in the here and now but for all eternity, that same power was and is at work in us who believe!  Jesus, who is the expression of that power, the owner of that power, the authority of such power, is living in those who believe!  We have not been shortchanged or had anything kept back from us that belongs to Christ Jesus and is part of the inheritance of the saints.  But we cannot take advantage of what we do not know we have in Him.

Suppose you do not meditate and let the Holy Spirit illuminate your understanding and revelation. In that case, you will read right past this amazing prayer of Paul and all that it reveals regarding the exceeding greatness of His power at work in you!  There’s something at work in you that can redefine your whole existence and elevate your purpose to such a degree that nothing can hold you back.  It is all discovered in knowing Jesus for who He is and for all He has done.  Not just knowing about Him, but truly knowing Him and understanding the scope of all He has done! It is truly incredible to get into and explore, and I challenge and encourage you to do so.  Ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and heart to see and to know as Paul prayed.

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Small Thinking

As a dad, whenever I would tell one of my kids what they were capable of, and they questioned me as though I was crazy, it was unpleasant.  I knew they could do far more than they realized, and I desired that they experience more and realize their fullest potential.  To do that, they would need to believe what I told them and be able to imagine themselves as capable according to what I was saying to them.  If not, they could never realize the possibilities and opportunities before them.

What would have the power to hinder them would be their small thinking resulting from rejecting a more reliable and objective source’s opinion and words outside themselves.

This happens a lot to believers in Christ regarding calling and spiritual possibilities.  It happens even more regularly when small thinking is allowed to be equated with humility in some way.  When someone adapts the idea that by thinking small, they are being humble and pleasing God, it can set up a roadblock in their imagination that hinders the flow of faith for just how far the Holy Spirit wants to take them in their calling and purpose.

God does not make us do what He desires for us to do.  We are invited into the purpose He has called us to.  God is at work in us both to will and do for God’s good pleasure, which is true.  At work in us in the operative key here.  But we must bring our faith and submission to His call.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

You can be placed in a situation where you receive an abundance of spiritual equipping for faith and practice and still end up not fulfilling what God has specifically for you due to small thinking.

In his first encounter with God (Exodus 4), Moses stumbled over this matter of small thinking.  He argued with God about his perceived insufficiencies despite God demonstrating supernaturally how He would equip Moese for what He asked him to do.

God anointed the shepherd’s staff in Moses’ hands to be an instrument of demonstration of the authority Moses was being given to do what he was being asked to do, but Moses was allowing his low opinion of himself to interfere with what God was instructing him.  So Moses debated with God concerning His choice of using him.  Moses argued why God might be mistakenly asking him to go to Pharoah and the children of Israel.

Whenever God speaks to our hearts and reveals His desires, it means that if we allow our imaginations to embrace what he says so that we see it in our imagination to prepare ourselves for action, we can do whatever He has asked us to do.  But suppose we allow ourselves to think it is humble to debate with God as though He could not possibly know our limitations and lack of abilities and, therefore, has missed it in selecting us. In that case, we will hinder the flow of obedience in faith.

God never asks us to partner with Him without equipping us for the task and resourcing us accordingly.  He does not call us based on what we bring to the table regarding talents, skills, and abilities in the natural.  He calls us according to His divine power and ability to empower us and enable us to be and to do according to His good pleasure.

Humility is best defined as agreeing with God in everything He reveals to be true, both in His word and in His speaking to our hearts.  Humility should not be defined as small thinking on our part.  Humility should be seen as relying on God to speak to us and to show us what we are truly capable of when we walk with Him in full assurance of faith according to what He desires of us in this life.  It allows Him to awaken our imaginations to all that is possible in Christ Jesus according to the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Do you know what God desires from you?  Has He tried to reveal it and encountered a debate with you about it?  Did you question whether it was God because it seemed bigger than you see yourself capable of being?  Do not measure it based on who you think yourself to be, but rather see it based on who He is and what He is capable of in your life.  Reject small thinking and let God be God in your life.

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Persecuted For Righteousness Sake - Part Two

The prior part of this consideration dealt with the persecution Jesus faced in His time on earth.  It was persecution from those devoted to the Law and threatened by His relationship with the Father.

Jesus and the early apostles faced tremendous persecution from the religious order of the Jews, as did the early church.   They were being persecuted for righteousness’ sake, too.

Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

So, how would this play out within pagan non-Jewish cultures?

Why would a pagan culture have an issue with righteousness as presented in New Covenant Truth?

The answer is not so complicated when you think about it.  Even in pagan cultures, devotion to gods was something clearly understood.  The idea of working to be blessed was common to everyone; if someone were disloyal to or displeased the gods, it was believed they would be punished.  Often, the punishment would not be believed to just fall on that person but also on the people in the culture they were a part of.  So, the perception of danger went beyond an individual application.

To promote the righteousness that comes by grace through faith in Christ alone was to call someone away from their loyalty to other gods and into a singular belief and trust in Christ Jesus to have a relationship with the only true and living God.  This might threaten not only the individual but also the family and possibly the entire community in the people’s minds.

New Covenant Good News denounces all other gods and brings attention to the one true God revealed in Jesus Christ.  Paul pointed this out on Mars Hill when he mentioned the inscription to the unknown God.  The people were so afraid of offending a god that they also made sure to mention any god they may have missed.  Any unknown god had to be covered as well and have an altar.

Acts 17:23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:  TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.  Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

The idea of earning privilege and position is not foreign to any culture.  It is commonplace whether they are under the Law or not.  So, to come with a message of a righteousness offered from the One True and Living God that cannot be earned but is His own righteousness given as a gift by a specific means was no small matter.

This is why a person can be persecuted for righteousness sake, even among those claiming no religious affiliation or affection.  This is what is being explained in,

2 Corinthians 2:14 Now, thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

Our fragrance of Christ will be most welcome and pleasant to a person drawn by the Holy Spirit.  But to the one who is disinterested and not being drawn, we will not be welcomed and thought of as something pleasant. We will be persecuted for righteousness’ sake in the many different ways persecution manifests in this world.

But never forget, such persecution is our blessing!  It is a sign that ours is the kingdom of heaven!  It is evidence of our relationship to God and His devotion to us. Be encouraged whenever you suffer persecution from anyone because you are promoting the good news of Jesus Christ and the free gift of righteousness He offers that cannot be earned.  It is a great reward.

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Persecuted For Righteousness Sake - Part One

When some hear such a phrase, they immediately think of how doing the right thing can result in persecution.  “The right thing” in the average way of thinking involves good behavior.  While it is true that taking a stand for that which is right can land someone in the persecution zone of experience, it is not what is at the heart of this phrase that Jesus made.

Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The word Righteousness here was translated from the Greek word Dikaiosune, a word built from a root Greek word meaning equity (of Character or act), but more specifically, in this instance, the Greek word Dikaiosune means specifically (Christian) justification: - righteousness.

This position can be further verified by the statement that followed what Jesus said about righteousness.  “For theirs is the kingdom of God.”

We should all be very well aware that no one will inherit the kingdom of heaven by their good works.  Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of this truth. Thus, I aim to encourage New Covenant Good News every time I have the opportunity to do so.

My awareness of the New Covenant Gospel keeps me from assuming that Jesus is saying that we are blessed because we are persecuted for behaving as if behaving well would result in inheriting the kingdom of heaven.  That would mean we could earn the right to inherit the kingdom of heaven based on keeping the Law.  If works obtain righteousness, that would mean righteousness can be earned.  If righteousness can be earned, it is no longer according to grace.

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

The idea of being able to boast to others of one’s goodness may seem powerful, but it cannot impress God in any way.  God is not impressed by what we bring to the table in our own strength.  He is impressed by what Jesus did.  That’s why Paul said what He did in Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:8 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.

When Jesus spoke that phrase in Matthew 5, people were more likely to be praised for their good works rooted in the Law than to be persecuted because of them.  But if they claimed they were justified by faith in Christ, they would have been heavily persecuted and even labeled as blasphemers and heretics. If you remember, Paul, who was called Saul before he encountered Jesus, and was changed. As Saul, he was zealous for the law and persecuted the church. He hunted down Christians to put them in jail and even had some killed, thinking he was doing God a favor.  Confidence in your relationship with God based on grace through faith alone can get you persecuted.  Jesus’ confidence in His relationship with the Father infuriated the religious leaders and many of the Jews of His day.  They did not want Him dead because of His good works.  They were offended by His relationship with the Father.

John 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

Jesus was being persecuted for His relationship with God and His claim to be one with God.  The sonship relationship was a primary reason for Jesus being persecuted because Jesus only did good works, He never sinned against the Law, and there was nothing there by which they could accuse Him.

John 8:46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?

They had to make up false reports against Him by taking some of His statements out of context and twisting them to say something other than He stated.  His claim to be in right relationship with the Father as a son and to be one with the Father and sent by the Father led to the persecution He suffered at the hands of the religious leaders.

Today, the same thing holds for believers in Christ who take a firm, confident stand on their right relationship with God based on nothing other than grace through faith in Christ alone.  Real New Covenant truth embraced and believed will often be persecuted by those who mean well and think they are defending the church when, in fact, they are doing more to hurt it by bringing into question the completed work of Christ to reconcile anyone who comes to Him by grace through faith alone in Christ alone.  Paul said it best.

Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Taking a stand on true New Covenant Biblical justification by grace through faith alone and in Christ alone can get a person in trouble in some circles of religious thought and practice.  It can even spark some controversy among those who are not religious.  Rejoicing in a justification and righteousness that came to you as a gift you could never earn may upset those who would rather think they have reason to boast of their accomplishments.  It can result in being persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

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Out Of

What happens in our hearts moves us to make choices and to speak certain things from our mouths. We speak based on what is transpiring in our hearts more often than we realize.   Jesus said,

Matthew 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.

Our speech reveals what is in our hearts.  They will reveal unbelief, or they will reveal belief.  They will reveal what we are currently going through in a moment in time and what we believe about the situation.

1 Samuel 1:16 Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

Here was a situation where a barren woman named Hannah had been weeping and pouring out her grief to the Lord and, therefore, seemed drunk as she walked and talked to the Lord. You can’t help but notice her mouth is speaking out what is occurring in her heart. The priest noticed her and questioned her why she would be in such a condition at that time of day.  She answered him accordingly, making him aware of her grief. The priest tells her to go in peace and that her petition will granted to her.  She received his word of hope and promise and went away with her heart uplifted. After getting her request granted, her face changed from that of sadness to that of gladness.  She believed his word spoken to her, and her heart rejoiced in it.

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 an 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.”

Here, we have the religious leaders who were constantly trying to test Jesus and challenge Him.  They did not believe according to the will of God.  Their hearts were filled with the evil of unbelief.  So they were constantly speaking from that place of unbelief, which led them to challenge Jesus and look for something they could use to discredit Him. Had they believed, they could have had their hearts changed, and it would have brought forth the fruit of believing in Him. We know a heart of unbelief is evil because the Bible says so clearly.

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

In every situation of life we face, we reveal what our hearts believe by what we speak concerning it.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.

I want declarations of faith and hope coming out of my mouth in all my situations.  I want to be in a place of believing in His goodness always.  I want His praise to be in my heart and to come out of my mouth.

Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

This is my prayer, and because it is, when I discover that what comes out of my mouth is evidence of doubt, I run to Him for help in getting my heart adjusted.  I run to His word and ask the Holy Spirit to help me get a revelation of Him that I desperately need at that moment.  I want my “Out Of” to be according to faith in Him.

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Praiseworthy

Have you ever taken anything or anyone for granted by not paying attention to the ordinary things?

It’s so easy to take the ordinary things that occur so commonly in our lives for granted.  We often do not realize how much we take for granted until it is removed or lost.  The same holds true about God and how involved He is in our ordinary affairs of life.

We can take too many things in life for granted without reflecting on how involved God is in our possession of them.  When we fail to recognize His works, we also fail to give Him the thanksgiving and praise He is due.

In Psalm 107 it says 4 times - “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

The final verse in Psalm 107 offers sound advice for anyone to consider and put into practice.  After 42 other verses dealing with the things that have happened to people and speaking of God's involvement, it says, “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”

When you pay attention to how involved God is in your ordinary and emphasize the presence of God in your life, you become more and more aware of His ever-present realness in your life.  This empowers you to practice appreciation for how amazing a privilege that is.  You get to learn to give thanks and praise to Him for His lovingkindness and desire to know you and let Himself be known by you.

If you are waiting for something absolutely amazing before you open your mouth to praise Him, you are missing out!  You are letting the devil shortchange you!  His goodness is already at work on your behalf.  It has been at work, and it is still at work right now!

Have you learned to be so aware of His nearness that you cannot stand it anytime it feels like something is trying to get between you and Him?

Are you persuaded about His love and faithfulness?  He demonstrated His love by giving His Son for us; “even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

When it comes to His lovingkindness and faithfulness, it is not about what you bring to the table!  It is who He is and what He brought to the table already!  Being persuaded in this way can be powerful.

Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul had become so persuaded of this particular truth that he could endure all kinds of hardships during his journey.  He could thank and praise the Lord in all kinds of difficult circumstances because he was persuaded of God’s love in Christ!  His lovingkindness is praiseworthy all the time!  When we observe His faithfulness in our ordinary, we become more and more aware of His lovingkindness, and He becomes more and more praiseworthy to us.

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Be Thankful

Today, where I live, 9 inches of snow are on the ground, and the morning temperature is 4.7 degrees Fahrenheit.  Brrrr, that’s cold.  This may not seem like much to my friends way up north, but it is way below average for where I live.  Here, you run the risk of pipes freezing and power going out.

But I give thanks to God that through this time of below-average temperatures and an unusual snowfall, my wife and I are safe and warm in our home, enjoying running water, both hot and cold, working appliances, and gas heat.

I thank God for food in the kitchen, reliable vehicles parked outside, clean clothes to put on that will keep us warm, and little birds in a cage that sing and make merry on gray, cold days.

I am thankful that I share all this with a lovely, faithful wife who loves Jesus.  Being thankful is something that requires being intentional.  To verbalize one’s gratitude is a good daily practice.

The thing I am most grateful for today is that I awakened to His new mercies and was aware that this is the day He has made, and I get to choose to be glad and rejoice in it.  His new mercy affords me that grace!

This idea of practicing thanksgiving is promoted in Scripture.

Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

With the right view, it is possible to be grateful under all kinds of circumstances.  With practice, it, like anything else, becomes easier to do.

I do not desire to be known as a man who complains and always finds something wrong with everything.  I desire to be known as someone who is grateful and appreciates even the smallest things in life.

I have found that most people can enjoy and appreciate a grateful person far more easily than they can one who is always complaining.  I have discovered in Scripture that even God appreciates and delights in those who are grateful and appreciative of all He does to supply our every need in Christ Jesus.  Actively giving Him thanks for everything, both small and great, in our lives is an act of humility because it recognizes that even the physical and mental ability to make a living comes from Him.

I find giving thanks to be a healthy exercise, and the more I participate in it, the more fun it becomes.  It is good for my soul.  I encourage you to intentionally give thanks for even the smallest things in your life today and experience the warmth of knowing how much Jesus cares for you.

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The Waste Of Worry

Like so many others, I have had my share of worrying about something in my lifetime.  So, I understand it, have experienced it, and can testify that there is no fruit in it.

This morning, although we had nine inches of snow on the ground and it was fifteen degrees outside, I was compelled to put some seed out for the birds in the feeders in my backyard.  It got me thinking about how God takes care of them, and they do not have to work for it.  Then, the Holy Spirit reminded me of this passage in Scripture.

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you, by worrying, can add eighteen inches to his stature?

Watching various birds come and delight themselves at my backyard feeders delights my soul.  I get pleasure from supplying them, and they get pleasure from the supply.  It is an interesting and rewarding exchange for both parties.

I believe it is the same regarding God supplying our needs.  We delight in knowing He cares that we have what we need, and He delights in the supplying.  That is basically what Jesus was conveying, was it not?

After all, Jesus observed and asked, “Your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Our Father delights in supplying birds. Will He not be even more delighted to supply us?

We cannot grow taller by worrying about how short we are.  Neither can we increase our finances by worrying about how short we are.  We cannot poof a pair of pants into existence by worrying.  We can surely weary ourselves worrying about such things, but for all that energy spent, we have nothing to show for it.

It is far better to rest on His promise to provide and care for our needs according to His riches in glory.   He has promised to supply our every need in Christ.  In other words, we cannot have a need so great that He cannot meet it.  After all, He conquered death, hell, and the grave just to save us.

I leave us with this thought from an amazing passage in the Bible:  Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

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Better Things

When I went to bed last night, after hearing the weather report, I expected to wake up to a lot of snow cover and unpassable roads.  However, when I awakened, I noticed that not so much snow had fallen, and the roads looked fairly clear.  The situation was better than I was led to believe it might be.

To say something is better is to say it exceeds one’s expectations or excels in quality, worth, and value compared to what is thought good.

Psalm 63:3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.

The Psalmist here declares that God’s lovingkindness is better than natural life.  In other words, the life he is living and the desire to keep going and to flourish is not on par with God’s lovingkindness.

When informed that something better is coming, hope can be generated in the heart.  The expectation of the better lends itself to hope.

There is then the matter of something better already being in place but not realized.  It can be present but not detected as yet.

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.

Here, believers are told they have come to better things, and various contrasts are offered to demonstrate why it is better.  One such thing that is better is the New Covenant.  It is better than the Old one.  But here, Christ’s blood is compared to Abel’s.

What is the difference we are meant to see and understand?  As told in Genesis, you may recall how Cain killed his brother Abel.  But did you pay attention to what God said to Cain?

Genesis 4:10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

Abel’s blood was crying out to God from the ground.  It was crying out, “Avenge me and give me justice!”

On the contrary, Jesus’ blood cries out, “Forgive and wipe clean the sin!”

This dramatic contrast in these two types of blood is why the blood of Christ speaks better things than the blood of Abel.

Because Jesus shed His blood for us so that those who believe in Him can have their sins past, present, and future removed completely and they can be washed clean, makes His blood superior and speak better things!  Today, I leave you with one more better things statement from Scripture.

Hebrews 6:9  But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.

I hope you are becoming more and more aware of just how much better of a covenant you have been brought to in Christ, how much better the promises are in Him, and how much better the hope you can cling to because of Him. Be encouraged in Him today and always.

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God’s Generosity

If you had millions of dollars, would you be inclined to be even more generous on a broader level?

Would you give more if you knew you could help people and not suffer financial loss?

If you had more than enough food, clothing, etc, would you desire to bless others with some of it?

When a person has boundless resources to the point that they do not have to think about how to replenish them, they can choose to be generous to whomever they wish to be generous.

God is boundless in His resources and power.  He chooses whom He will bless with them, too.  But one thing is for certain: He is not stingy.  He is not a miser.  All that He has and gives is good.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Good comes from God, and bad and evil come from the Father of lies and are the result of living in a fallen world wrecked by sin.  But those who know the Lord have a much brighter outlook in life than those who are the children of the devil.

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory;  No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!

The term walk uprightly is there because the covenant the psalmist is under is the Old Covenant.  It is another way of saying walking in relationship with God.  That is why it says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in You.”

The way this is realized today is through knowing Jesus by faith.  When I was born again, I became the very righteousness of God.  In other words, I was imputed righteousness to be placed in a relationship with God as His child.  This is the New Covenant Jesus established.  The blessings promised under the law only if one kept the law in order to be righteous, are now available to those who are in Christ by faith.

All the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ.  Walking uprightly with God under the New Covenant is still about trusting in Him.  It is still about knowing His goodness, made evident through Jesus Christ.  Jesus came and revealed to us the nature of the Father towards us.  Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.  God desires to show Himself strong in your life and do you good.  He wants to show His goodness with great generosity, too!

It is always available to us, but His goodness is always received by faith and is rooted in our trust in Him based on what we know of Him.  This is why growing in our revelation of Him as Jesus presented Him is so important.  Every day is a new opportunity in our lives to discover just how much He loves us and desires to do us good.   Our God is very generous!

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Overwhelmed

Shortly after being born again, another monumental experience dramatically impacted my life.

I was in my early twenties and living in a small trailer with my older brother, his wife, and his son.  I had a tiny room in the middle of the trailer with a small bed and my drum set, so it was hard to maneuver in that room.

When I would spend time there in prayer, I had to lay on the bed as I meditated on the Lord and talked with HIm.  One day, as I was doing this, I recalled a passage I had read.

2 Chronicles 6:18  “But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!

I mulled it over in my heart and soul that  God was so great and huge that He filled all of heaven and more.

To me, it was like saying the universe and all of heaven could not contain Him.  That thought just put a hook in me.  As I lay there thinking about it, I couldn’t help it from becoming very personal.  I began to say to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, Your word says you are so great and so immense that the universe and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you, and to me, that means You are very great and very large, and there’s more to You than I currently know and probably possess.  So I want You to give me whatever I might be missing. I am asking You to fill me up.”

When I said that to the Lord, I began to feel like electricity was pulsing through my body as if to lift from my bed, and it was so intense and powerful that I began to say, “Lord, please stop, or I will die.”

After that moment, I realized I had come to know God, and He was no ordinary God. He was God all-powerful, and although that experience was a bit scary to me, it was also reassuring.  After that experience, I began to know things I could not know on my own accord about situations and people, and I began to prophesy.  I did not know it was prophesying at the time because I did not know the gifts of the Spirit.

Shortly after, a friend who had also come to Jesus invited me to His church for an evening service.  We had played in bands together before we were saved.  That night, when I went, he wasn’t there, but I met a man who took me to the balcony and sat with me.  As things began to start, I looked down, and there was a cloud in the place so thick you couldn’t see below, and the worship music was playing.  The Lord spoke to me and told me He would raise me up in that house and send me out from there to accomplish His purposes in my life. Then, a man began to speak, and the cloud lifted, and I could see everything. On the stage was a set of drums I had sold to a church while I was a lost man needing a car.  The man spoke about being baptized in the Holy Spirit and about the gifts of the Spirit, and that was when I first realized what had happened to me that day on my bed.  That experience brought a dramatic change in my life that I have never regretted.

The Lord did exactly as He said He would that night.  Jesus raised me up in that church under the mentorship of that man, and years later, I was sent out from that church by that man and the other elders to plant a church which I still pastor to this day.  I am so glad the Lord overwhelmed me as He did that day on my bed.  I am glad He is still overwhelming at times.  There is still so much to experience and discover regarding Him and His ways.  I never want to lose the wonder of Him.  Have you ever been overwhelmed by Him?  You can be.  If you hunger to know Him the way He wants you to know Him, you will find He is willing to reveal Himself in supernatural ways to you.

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