"Work Or Relationship?"

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."  John 1:12

We think living for the Lord is all about service-- working for Him.  True we have received the commission to reach the world and preach the gospel.  We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and those in prison.  And, yes, we are to let our lights shine before men that they may see our good works.  But if serving God is all that you believe it is to it, then you have missed it.

Jesus died on the cross to reconcile our relationship with God the Father.  He died so that we could become the sons and daughters of God.  He desires a relationship with you more than He desires your service for Him. 

God could do the work that needs to be done by Himself without us.  All He has to do is speak it and it would be done.  But the far greater thing that He wants took more than commanding words, it took a demonstration.... it took the death of His Son Jesus.  "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8- NIV)

God the Father loves you.  Jesus loves you.  This is not just a song the children sing; it is the truth.  Do you have that relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ the Son?  Or are you just a worker, a church attender, a religious person?

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." (1 John 3:1a) 

Have a great day.  God the Father wants a relationship with you more than He wants your work for Him.

For further reading:
1 John 3:2
Romans 8:14
Matthew 5:9
Galatians 3:26 

"Glorifying God"

"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee."  John 17:1

If glorifying God is not your greatest desire, then you need to recheck your profession of Christianity.  We were made to glorify God.  The greatest way we do this is by receiving Jesus as our Savior and following Him as Lord. 

Once we come to God through Christ, glorifying God isn't something that we just sing about, it isn't something that we just do during worship service, it is our daily lifestyle.  Our lives should daily be to the praise and honor of God.  His glory should be revealed in us through our attitude, our actions, our reactions, our conduct, our morals and in the things we say. 

How does God get glory from our lives?  How do we glorify Him?  The more Christ Jesus is seen in us, the greater glory God receives.  This happens, as we have already said, first by receiving Jesus into your life as Savior.  Then it happens as we decrease and allow Him to increase-- give Him full control.  "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30) It happens as we die to self (self-will, self-desire, self-ambition, self-centeredness) and become living sacrifices to Him.  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1) It happens as we give ourselves totally to Him and surrender to His will.  "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."  (Galatians 2:20) It happens as we allow the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of Christ.  "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)

Jesus glorified the Father in all that He did while He was on earth.  He continues to glorify the Father on earth today through those of us who put our faith and trust in Him and let Him live through us.

Have a great day.  The more Jesus is seen in us, the more glory the Heavenly Father receives from our lives.   

For further reading:
Ephesians 1:6,12
Galatians 1:27
John 17:10
 

"He's With You"

"And the Lord was with Joseph..."  Genesis 39:2a

It seems like we talk a lot about how the Lord is with us and never leaves us.  But this is so important that we get this truth deeply ingrained in our spirits.  There are times we walk through difficult places.  There are times we find ourselves in situations that look as though they will destroy us.  There are some places that we encounter that cause us to wonder if God knows where we are, or if He is still there.  We all face some "dark times" that scream at us, "Where is your God?" and try to make us doubt that He is with us. 

Joseph was in some of those places.  He was in a pit, left for dead.  He was in slavery in a foreign country.  He was thrown into prison.  Yet, more than once the scriptures tell us that the Lord was with Joseph-- He was with him in Potiphar's house and in the prison.

There is a fact that we often overlook at the cross.  Jesus was forsaken by the Heavenly Father while He was on the cross bearing our sins.  "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) The Father should forsake us because of our sins.  He should turn His back on us.  He should have nothing to do with us.  He has every right to leave us.  But He doesn't and it is because Jesus took it all for us--- even being forsaken by the Father.  He was forsaken, the Father left Him, Father God departed from Him.  Jesus took that as well so that we don't have to worry about the Father forsaking us.  He took our punishment.  He took our sins.  He took our abandonment by God. 

The absolutely worse thing that Jesus experienced on the cross-- was being forsaken by the Father.  Now you and I can have the confidence, assurance and peace of knowing that He will not leave us or forsake us in our worst times and hardest places... or any place for that matter.

Have a great day.  Even in the darkest place, the hardest place, the most difficult place you find yourself going through, you can rest assured that the Lord will not leave you.  Jesus took care of that at the cross.   

For further reading:
Genesis 39:21
Psalm 22:1
Mark 15:34

"Rate It"

"My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times."  Psalm 119:20

When you go to the doctor in pain, you are asked to rate your pain on a scale from one to ten.  When you take a survey on the performance of help you were given by some business, you are asked to rate it.  We use a rating system to determine how good or bad something is, or how well we either approve or disapprove of something.  The Palmist was "rating" his desire, his hunger, his longing for righteousness and the things of God in this verse. 

When he said his soul breaketh, he was expressing a deep passion and intense longing for righteousness, God's commandments, and the things of God.  This morning, how would you rate your desire for the Lord?  How would you rate your desire for His word?  How would you rate your hunger for righteousness?  On a scale from one to ten, would it be a one?  A ten?  Or somewhere in between?  The Psalmist's desire was "off the charts".  Would yours be too?

If you rate it anything less than a ten, or above, you could almost equate that to a zero.  Anything less is too low.  "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (Deuteronomy 6:5) That's a ten.  "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." (Matthew 6:33) That's priority- so, that's a ten.

Have a great day.  On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your desire for the Lord?

 

"Shifting Into Gear"

"And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers."  Deuteronomy 6:23

As I was praying this morning, I felt the Lord was giving me a "prophetic" word for the time.  The word is "shifting".  There is a shifting that is taking place and will take place.  This shifting may involve nations, powers, structures, and organizations, but I believe it deals with the church and body of Christ.

Yesterday, I was in my vehicle and stopped at an intersection.  I needed to back up but when I shifted into reverse, out of drive, it didn't go anywhere.  It just sat there and made a loud whining sound.  I had missed the reverse gear and had it in neutral.  There are many who are in the wrong "gear".  The Lord will be shifting you from one to another.  You are in one place when you should be in another place.  When we are in the wrong "gear", it doesn't always mean that nothing is happening-- you may be prospering, you may be bearing fruit-- but it is not the direction or place God has purposed for you ultimately.  (Joseph was doing well and being blessed in Potiphar's house, but he was then shifted elsewhere- the prison.)  On the other hand, there are times when we aren't seeing any fruit, and it is because we are in the wrong place.

I believe He is shifting us, in the body of Christ, out of neutral.  Although our vehicles have a "neutral gear", neutral is not a gear.  It is the place where the transmission and engine are disconnected. Far too many, for far too long have been in a place of "disconnect" with the "engine" (our Lord, the power source.)  This shifting will take us out of neutral-- the place of lethargy, compromise, complacency, laziness, slothfulness.  It is time the church rise up- get in gear- and go forward fulfilling the Great Commission that Jesus left us to do.  It is time we stop hiding our lights under a basket.  It is time we start being salt again.  It is time we show forth the praises of our God.  It is time to work while it is still day, the night is coming quickly.  It is time we stop being fearful and intimidated by men and be bold for Jesus.  It is time we lay aside our agendas and become living sacrifices, doing His will.  It is time to surrender to the Lord's plan and stop trying to fulfill our own. 

Have a great day.  A shifting is coming, especially to the body of Christ, so that we might get in the place God has purposed for us to be so that we can go forward for His glory.

 

"At Risk"

"And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.  So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai." Joshua 7:3,4

In any organization, be it a military, a business or a social organization, there is a plan, a chain of command, and a protocol to follow.  If these are not followed, then the whole operation is put at risk.  The plan may not be accomplished.  This happened at Ai.  God had a plan to bring His people into the Promised Land.  At Ai they did not follow the proper procedure.  They left out the "chain of command" - which was God.  They didn't acknowledge Him, they went in on their own.  They were defeated by the people of Ai and had to flee for their lives.  It put the whole plan at risk.

This is not only a pattern to follow in the military or some organization.  It is the pattern of the Kingdom of God and for our individual lives.  God has a plan for His Kingdom and its representation on earth-- the church.  He has a plan for each born-again believer individually. 

 That plan is accomplished as we follow the chain of command.  The Lord is the chain of command.  The Lord is the One we seek for guidance and instruction.  The Israelites acknowledged Joshua, their human leader, but they left out their True Leader, their King, their Master-- the Lord. 

It is accomplished as we follow the Lord's protocol.  Which is not only to acknowledge Him, but to follow His leading, to obey what He tells us to do, when He tells us to do it and how He tells us to do it.  The protocol is if He tells us to march around the city seven times, then that is what we do.  If He tells us to wait for the sound of the trumpet, we wait until we hear it.  Etc.

If we go off on our own, if we try to do it ourselves, if we don't wait for Him, if we attempt to do it our own way, then we put His plan, our destiny, His purpose in our lives at risk.  Not to mention that we have a lot of "excess" to have to then deal with-- like an Ishmael.

If we are to accomplish God's plan for our lives, and the church.  Then we are going to have to follow the chain of command-- get direction from Him.  And we are going to have to follow protocol-- obey what He says to do.

Have a great day.  We put God's plan for our lives at risk if we don't follow the procedure He has prescribed.

For further reading:
Joshua 7, 8
 

"Never, Never Alone"

"... I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  Hebrews 13:5b

Of all the Bible truths, this is one that you need to be fully persuaded of.  You need to have it written on the table of your heart, have it engraved in your spirit and daily renew your mind with it.  It is one of the greatest, most comforting promises in the Bible.  "I will never leave you."

The Lord will never leave you... no matter where you are or what you may go through.  The Lord gives you His own promise to be there with you... even if you don't feel like He is, even if you don't see any evidence of His presence. He is there.

He was there when Paul was in the boat during a storm.  He was with Joshua as he faced the walled city of Jericho.  He was with Daniel in the lion's den.  He was with the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace.  He was with Joseph when he was in the pit, in Potiphar's house, in the prison and in the palace.  He was with the baby Moses in the basket on the Nile River.  He was with Peter when he started to sink in the sea.  He was still with Adam and Eve when they sinned and made clothes to cover their nakedness.  He was with David when he faced the giant.  He was with Noah in the ark.

When you look at the condition of the world, when you see and hear of distressing things that are coming upon the land and the world, this one truth you must learn and hold on to more than anything else.  "The Lord will never leave you."  You may face difficulties.  You may face enemies.  You may face hardships.  You may face persecution.  You may face threats.  You may face financial ruin.  You may face temptation.  You may face abandonment.  You may be forsaken by all.  But the Lord will never leave you.  He will be right there with you through it all.  Don't forget it!

Have a great day.  Hold tightly to God's promise to never leave you and believe it!       

For further reading:
Acts 27:23
Joshua 5:13,14
Psalm 23:4

"In School"

"Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes."  Psalm 119:12

"Teach me Your laws, commands, boundaries, decrees, O Lord."  We tend to think that the Christian life is all about receiving-- receiving blessings, promises, good things.  That is only part of it.  The Christian life is more than about just being blessed and receiving from God.  It is also about learning.

The Christian life is a "school".  It is a training ground, as well.   We are being trained and prepared for living.  We are being trained to live as Jesus lived.  We are being trained to do the work that God has commissioned us to do. 

All that the Bible personalities went through was training them, it was refining them, it was making and remaking them, into the person the Lord had ordained them to be and do the work He had predestined them to do.  They went through much training, much molding, much shaping, much dying to self, much transformation.  Look at the life of Joseph.  The pit, Potiphar's house, and the prison was all training ground for the palace.

You may be going through some awkward, hard, confusing place at the moment.  You may feel like you are in a pit.  "Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him." (Psalm 105:19) But you may be exactly where Joseph was.  You may be in a time of trying (refining, testing, purging) until the fulfillment of the word that the Lord has spoken to you comes into fruition.   

Stay in "school".  Don't "drop out".  Let the Lord continue to train you for the purpose He has for you here and now, and in eternity.

Have a great day.  Part of the Christian life is a life of schooling and training for the purpose God has for your life. 

"Don't Go Into Hiding"

" And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."  Genesis 3:10

When you sin, what do you do?  Do you allow the shame, guilt and condemnation of it to cause you to "hide" from the Lord?  In other words, do you either run from Him or withdraw from going to Him? 

There are times when we are weak in our flesh and give into the temptation that is before us.  We made the choice to sin, but afterwards we have to make the choice to either go to God and confess our sin and allow Him to cleanse us from our sin or withdraw from Him and hide like Adam and Eve did.

The choice the Lord wants you to make is to come to Him and confess it.  He didn't allow Adam and Eve to stay in hiding.  He looked for them and called them out from where they were hiding.  Was God pleased with their sin?  No.  But did He love them?  Yes.  He called them out, confronted them and then made clothes for them to cover up their nakedness-- their sin. 

He does not condone our sin, but He loves us and wants to forgive us.  He doesn't want us to hide from Him or run from Him or withdraw from our fellowship with Him because of it.  He wants us to come and be forgiven and restored to fellowship and communion.  He wants to take away the shame, the guilt and the condemnation.  He wants to restore our peace and joy.  He wants to cover us with His love which covers a multitude of sin.

If you are the person who has sinned, and you are letting that sin draw you further away from the Lord because you are ashamed and feeling unworthy and condemned, don't go from Him, run to Him.  He is waiting with open arms, like the father of the prodigal son, ready to receive you and restore you into fellowship with Himself.

Have a great day.  Don't let the guilt of your sin cause you to go into hiding from God and draw you away from HIs presence.  Go to Him in repentance and He will restore you in your relationship with Him.

For further reading:
1 John 1:9
Proverbs 10:12
1 Peter 4:8
Luke 15:20

"Changed Or Transformed?"

"And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness." Luke 11:39

I have been concerned about the number of people who say they are "Christians".  It seems that everyone I talk to says, or believes, they are.  You have to wonder because Jesus said there would be few that would walk on the narrow and straight way, but ninety to one hundred percent of the people I talk to say they are.  Is there a litmus test to discover who is real and who isn't?  Is there some guideline that we can go by to determine who is a Christian and who isn't?  Can we know if we are being deceived into believing we are a Christian when we are not?

Yes, there is.  (By the way, before you throw the "judge not" card on me, the Bible tells us to judge righteous judgment and there is a difference in discovering the truth and making a judgment call about something.  Correct judgment is based on truth and fact.) 

The test is called transformation.  The true Christian life is a life of transformation, not just a life of change.  Some people change a few habits and consider that Christianity.  But there is a difference between change and transformation.  Here is the best definition that I have found:  Change uses external influences to modify actions, but transformation modifies beliefs, so actions become natural.

When Jesus comes into our lives (which is the only way and entrance into Christianity-- you must be born again), He doesn't just change us, He transforms us.  "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) He changes us from the inside out.  The change is internal and begins to show up externally.  He calls us into a life of transformation, which is not a "one time" thing, but a continual process throughout the rest of our lives. There is also a goal behind this transformation-- transformed to look like Him.  

Transformation doesn't just change our actions; it changes our beliefs.  Once our beliefs are changed, our actions will demonstrate that belief.  Transformation changes us into something we were not before.  Before I was a Christian, I was selfish and self-centered, now I am others and Christ focused.  Before it was all about what I wanted, now it is all about the will of God.  Before I was hateful, spiteful, bitter, mean, ill tempered, lustful, unkind, etc.  Now I have love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, etc. in my life.  That is who I am now-- not just what I do.  I have been transformed. 

There is another litmus test.  It is called love.  "By this all men will know that you are My disciples. If you have love for one another." (John 13:35) True love, Christ's love, transforming love is not selfish or boastful, puts others first, bears with others, believes for good, hopes and endures.  It does not keep a record of wrong.  It keeps on going and does not stop.

Just because a person says they are a Christian does not make them one.  Jesus Christ comes into our lives and along with Him comes transformation.  If you still act like, behave like, think like, you always did before you became a "Christian", then you may be a Christian in word only.  You better check and find out for sure, this is too important to not know the truth.

Have a great day.  The test of whether you are really a Christian is not in the fact that there has been some change, but in the fact that you are being transformed.

For further reading:
1 Corinthians 13
Matthew 7:14
John 7:24

"Your First Fruits"

"The first of the first fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God."  Exodus 34:26a

God commanded ancient Israel to offer the first fruits of their harvest to him in gratitude of the blessings they received.  They were to bring Him the first fruit that was harvested from their crops.  They were to bring Him the first, not the last, not the over ripe, not the leftovers.

Are you bringing the Lord the "first fruits" of your day?  Are you giving Him the first part, the first few hours as the day begins?  Are they set aside for Him only?  Are you giving it to Him as an offering of gratitude for allowing you to wake up and see another day?  Are you giving Him that time in appreciation for His keeping power that watched over you through the night?

Does the Lord get the first fruits or leftovers in your life?  Does He get your fellowship and communion-- time with Him in prayer-- after the day is done, when you are feeling tired and weary, after you have been spent it on everything else, when you are too sleepy to hold your eyes open?

Everything about the Lord requires "first".  Seek Him first.  Love Him first above everyone and everything else.  The first part of your offerings.  The first born.  First place.  Is He first?  Does He get the first?  Or is the last of your life and what you have reserved for Him? 

Have a great day.  Bring God the first fruits of your day... and everything else.

For further reading:
Matthew 6:33
Revelation 1:11; 2:4