Final part in a series on John 14:6
Someone has calculated how a typical lifespan of 70 years is spent. Here is the estimate:
Sleep................23 years...........32.9%
Work.................16 years...........22.8%
TV....................8 years...........11.4%
Eating................6 years............8.6%
Travel................6 years............8.6%
Leisure.............4.5 years............6.5%
Illness...............4 years............5.7%
Dressing..............2 years............2.8%
Religion............0.5 years............0.7%
Total................70 years............100%
We are defined as who we are by what we do. Jesus said that he is the Life in John 14:6, stating that he was the source of life as well as the way to a purposeful and meaningful life. Here are a few things that we have already learned about life.
We already know that Jesus is the way to life. I discussed that two weeks ago in the first part of this series. And we already know that Jesus wants to give us a full life, John 10:10, but what is life?
Now, let’s look at what life is.
Life is short, James 4:14. Think about all the things that we put off in life assuming that we may get to them at another time. Many people put off their relationship with God until they have settled down and are ready.
The problem with that way of thinking is that we are not guaranteed another today. We take tomorrow for granted but there is no guarantee that it will be there.
Living for Christ means living like there is no tomorrow, loving people and doing the right thing today. Understanding God’s love for you and living His desires for your life now, finding your purpose, meaning and value in Him at this very moment. That is understanding that life is short.
Life is sacrifice, Luke 9:24-25. Paul tells us that we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice. We allow ourselves to become selfish and indulge in our own desires before we ever think about how our actions affect our relationships with other people and God.
Living in Christ means not being selfish, it means doing the right thing, even if it requires giving up our desires.
Life is Christ, Philippians 1:21. I love this statement from Paul. He really got it! His life was a result of Christ and everything he became was a direct result of his relationship with Him.
Life is Eternal, John 3:16. Many people think that when their life ends on earth then that is all there is. This philosophy couldn’t be more wrong.
The bible is very clear about eternal life. We either spend it with God or separated from Him. The difference is what we do with Jesus, which brings me to the final point.
Life is your Choice, Joshua 24:15. During World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice. The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill that the Germans were going to bomb Coventry. He had two alternatives: (1) evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or (2) take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives. Churchill had to choose and followed the second course.
Life is full of choices, some easy and some difficult. Joshua is pretty clear when it comes to serving God. It’s a choice you make but you have to live your choice.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Biblical Confession
A fellow blogger asked me what my thoughts were on confession of sin and I wanted to reply based on what the bible says about confession and more importantly forgiveness.
The first thing we should look at is sin. A basic definition of sin is anything we do outside the will of God. I shouldn’t need the bible to back me up on this but I’ll use it here just in case. Paul tells in Romans 3:23 that everyone has sinned and come short of what God desires for them. I actually had a conversation with a man a few months ago who actually said that he never sins. If that describes you then this post won’t really help you, but I encourage you to see my previous post on Truth.
The result of the sin in our lives leads us to separation from God. Again going back to what Paul writes in the book of Romans we learn that our sin results in death. This is speaking of spiritual death or eternal separation from God but God does offer the free gift of eternal life in that same verse.
So where does confession come into play here? We need forgiveness from our sins to gain the eternal life that God is offering. In order to begin a relationship with Christ we have to confess. The bible tells us that we believe in Christ and are justified with our hearts but we confess and are saved with our mouths.
Who do we confess to? Some people believe that we must confess our sins to others in order to receive forgiveness. That is not true! The bible does tell us that we should confess our sin to each other and be healed, but that is different than forgiveness. When our sin affects other people then we should go to them and confess and make it right. We should seek their forgiveness as well but God’s forgiveness comes only from God.
The Bible doesn’t teach receiving God’s forgiveness through man it teaches receiving His forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. If you and I confess our sin to Him then He will be faithful to us and forgive us of that sin and restore us to righteousness.
How does confession work? You simply admit to God that you have sinned, done something outside of His will, and that you are truly sorry. To be truly sorry means to have a desire to no longer commit this act because you recognize that it is in violation of God’s desire for your life. That is called repentance; it literally means to turn around.
The key to all of this is your relationship to Christ. True confession only works if you have invited Him into your life as Savior. Recognizing Him as Lord of your life is what gives you the desire to repent from your sin.
I hope this helps answer your questions about confession. If I didn’t answer something or there is another question please feel free to e-mail me. My address is in my profile.
The first thing we should look at is sin. A basic definition of sin is anything we do outside the will of God. I shouldn’t need the bible to back me up on this but I’ll use it here just in case. Paul tells in Romans 3:23 that everyone has sinned and come short of what God desires for them. I actually had a conversation with a man a few months ago who actually said that he never sins. If that describes you then this post won’t really help you, but I encourage you to see my previous post on Truth.
The result of the sin in our lives leads us to separation from God. Again going back to what Paul writes in the book of Romans we learn that our sin results in death. This is speaking of spiritual death or eternal separation from God but God does offer the free gift of eternal life in that same verse.
So where does confession come into play here? We need forgiveness from our sins to gain the eternal life that God is offering. In order to begin a relationship with Christ we have to confess. The bible tells us that we believe in Christ and are justified with our hearts but we confess and are saved with our mouths.
Who do we confess to? Some people believe that we must confess our sins to others in order to receive forgiveness. That is not true! The bible does tell us that we should confess our sin to each other and be healed, but that is different than forgiveness. When our sin affects other people then we should go to them and confess and make it right. We should seek their forgiveness as well but God’s forgiveness comes only from God.
The Bible doesn’t teach receiving God’s forgiveness through man it teaches receiving His forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. If you and I confess our sin to Him then He will be faithful to us and forgive us of that sin and restore us to righteousness.
How does confession work? You simply admit to God that you have sinned, done something outside of His will, and that you are truly sorry. To be truly sorry means to have a desire to no longer commit this act because you recognize that it is in violation of God’s desire for your life. That is called repentance; it literally means to turn around.
The key to all of this is your relationship to Christ. True confession only works if you have invited Him into your life as Savior. Recognizing Him as Lord of your life is what gives you the desire to repent from your sin.
I hope this helps answer your questions about confession. If I didn’t answer something or there is another question please feel free to e-mail me. My address is in my profile.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Truth
Part 2 in a 3 part series on John 14:6
In his book which provides a statistical analysis of religious beliefs in America, George Barna cites several fascinating statistics which are based on a national survey.
In chapter four he states, "The Devil, or Satan, is not a living being but is a symbol of evil." Then asking that segment of his survey respondents who have identified themselves at being Born Again, he states, "Do you agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat, or disagree strongly with that statement?"
The Born Again population reply with 32 percent agreeing strongly, 11 percent agreeing somewhat and 5 percent did not know. Thus, of the total number responding, 48 percent either agreed that Satan is only symbolic or did not know!
His next question, "Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and others all pray to the same God, even though they use different names for that God." Again, the respondents were asked to agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat or disagree strongly.
Of that population surveyed who identified themselves as Born Again, 30 percent agreed strongly, 18 percent agreed somewhat and 12 percent did not know. That is a total of 60 percent!
It’s amazing how many people profess to be born again believers and yet they do not know the truth about who Jesus really is and what a relationship with him can actually do in their lives.
Jesus said knowing truth would set us free, but free from what? Free from our sin. Knowing that Jesus is the source of truth and that a relationship with him will open our eyes to the condition of sin in our lives is a scary and sobering to understand. But that is what knowing truth is about.
The truth is that sin does capture and enslave us. That is why we call coming to know Jesus as Lord being saved. The truth is that you and I are powerless over our sin and our only hope to over come it and have redemption is to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
So how do we know this truth? It’s actually pretty simple. We know the truth by knowing and living the word of God. Jesus is the truth and knowing truth means to know Him. In order to know him we must …
• Be honest about who we are. Sometimes we are not the person we say we are and we can even fool ourselves by pretending to be someone we are not. To know truth means to be honest about whom we really are in light of who God desires us to be.
• Be honest about who God is. Is He really Lord of your life or are you playing the God game? Do you serve Him wholeheartedly or do you make a public appearance in His house once a week?
• Be honest about our sin. We can’t hide our sin from God. We can hide it from other people and protect our little secrets but God knows and sees all. We have to be honest about our sin and let God have control.
• Be honest about our desires. Do we really want to serve Him as our Lord? Sometimes we mix the desire for a feel good spiritual moment and the desire to know the Lord. What is your true desire when it comes to God?
• Be honest about your relationship with God. Do you have a growing relationship with Him? Are you really as spiritually solid as you appear to be?
Sometimes the truth can hurt because it means seeing who we really are. We often come up way short when we see ourselves in the light of God’s truth. So the question is; what do we do then? Do we desire to change our lifestyles and habits to become the person that God desires us to be? Or do we continue to feed our selfishness?
In his book which provides a statistical analysis of religious beliefs in America, George Barna cites several fascinating statistics which are based on a national survey.
In chapter four he states, "The Devil, or Satan, is not a living being but is a symbol of evil." Then asking that segment of his survey respondents who have identified themselves at being Born Again, he states, "Do you agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat, or disagree strongly with that statement?"
The Born Again population reply with 32 percent agreeing strongly, 11 percent agreeing somewhat and 5 percent did not know. Thus, of the total number responding, 48 percent either agreed that Satan is only symbolic or did not know!
His next question, "Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and others all pray to the same God, even though they use different names for that God." Again, the respondents were asked to agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat or disagree strongly.
Of that population surveyed who identified themselves as Born Again, 30 percent agreed strongly, 18 percent agreed somewhat and 12 percent did not know. That is a total of 60 percent!
It’s amazing how many people profess to be born again believers and yet they do not know the truth about who Jesus really is and what a relationship with him can actually do in their lives.
Jesus said knowing truth would set us free, but free from what? Free from our sin. Knowing that Jesus is the source of truth and that a relationship with him will open our eyes to the condition of sin in our lives is a scary and sobering to understand. But that is what knowing truth is about.
The truth is that sin does capture and enslave us. That is why we call coming to know Jesus as Lord being saved. The truth is that you and I are powerless over our sin and our only hope to over come it and have redemption is to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
So how do we know this truth? It’s actually pretty simple. We know the truth by knowing and living the word of God. Jesus is the truth and knowing truth means to know Him. In order to know him we must …
• Be honest about who we are. Sometimes we are not the person we say we are and we can even fool ourselves by pretending to be someone we are not. To know truth means to be honest about whom we really are in light of who God desires us to be.
• Be honest about who God is. Is He really Lord of your life or are you playing the God game? Do you serve Him wholeheartedly or do you make a public appearance in His house once a week?
• Be honest about our sin. We can’t hide our sin from God. We can hide it from other people and protect our little secrets but God knows and sees all. We have to be honest about our sin and let God have control.
• Be honest about our desires. Do we really want to serve Him as our Lord? Sometimes we mix the desire for a feel good spiritual moment and the desire to know the Lord. What is your true desire when it comes to God?
• Be honest about your relationship with God. Do you have a growing relationship with Him? Are you really as spiritually solid as you appear to be?
Sometimes the truth can hurt because it means seeing who we really are. We often come up way short when we see ourselves in the light of God’s truth. So the question is; what do we do then? Do we desire to change our lifestyles and habits to become the person that God desires us to be? Or do we continue to feed our selfishness?
Monday, December 05, 2005
The Way
Paul Harvey tells the story about a family on Christmas Eve. This family had a tradition where the Mother and children would go to the Christmas Eve service, and the Father would stay home and read the paper. When the family returns home from church, they would all gather to open up their presents.
The Father was not an evil man, but he just couldn’t believe in the childhood stories anymore of God coming as a baby in a manger. As the family left for church, he opened up the evening paper and began to read by the fireplace.
Suddenly, he heard tapping on the window. It was a bird flying against the glass of his window trying to get out of the snow into the warmth of his home. The man had compassion on the bird, and he went outside, hoping to bring it in.
As he approached the bird, the bird just flew against the window even harder. Pretty soon, the bird flew into the bushes below the window, half frozen, yet too afraid to be caught by this huge man. The more the man tried to reach for the bird, the more the bird flew frantically into the snow and thorns of the bushes.
After a few minutes in the cold and seeing the bird continue to injure itself, the man yelled out in frustration, "Stupid bird, can’t you understand that I’m trying to help?" The man paused and thought, "If only you understood you wouldn’t fly away ... if only ... if only I could become a bird, and get you to understand."
Just then, the church bells rang, as they always have on the hour. But when the man heard the bells this time, he fell to his knees and began to cry, saying, "Oh, God, I didn’t understand. Oh, God, I didn’t understand."
As we rush into the Holiday Season its important that we acknowledge who Jesus is. People all over the world will celebrate the birth of our Savior without realizing or acknowledging that he is God who became man to help you and I understand completely the depth of God’s love and provide a way for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
In John 14:6 Jesus makes an amazing revelation, in response to a question from Thomas, about who he is. By telling Thomas that he was the way, the truth and the life he was telling the world how they can better know Him and the Father.
What is Jesus the way to?
He is the way to fulfillment, John 10:10. He has a plan for our lives that lead us to a full and complete life. Many people live busy lives but guilt and doubt keep them from living a full life. Jesus wants you and I to experience life through him, a full life.
Jesus is the way to peace, John 14:27. We look so many different places for peace when all we need is to know Jesus Christ as Savior. He is the ultimate peace and you will never experience a deeper peace than knowing him.
Jesus is the way to unity, John 17:11. Jesus’ desire is that we be united with other believers and with Him in the same way that He was united with God. Why are churches failing to make an impact in their communities, because there is no unity?
Jesus is the way to meaning, John 11:41-44. We should find value in the fact that God has designed us and created us with a purpose. We should find value in the fact that Jesus died specifically for us.
When Jesus told them to remove the grave clothes from Lazarus he was telling Lazarus to go live. Before we came to know Christ we were spiritually dead he resurrected us, called us from the dead, when he called us to salvation. We need to take our spiritual grave clothes off and live for Christ. Live like we have value and meaning because he validated that for us on the cross.
Next week we’ll talk about truth.
The Father was not an evil man, but he just couldn’t believe in the childhood stories anymore of God coming as a baby in a manger. As the family left for church, he opened up the evening paper and began to read by the fireplace.
Suddenly, he heard tapping on the window. It was a bird flying against the glass of his window trying to get out of the snow into the warmth of his home. The man had compassion on the bird, and he went outside, hoping to bring it in.
As he approached the bird, the bird just flew against the window even harder. Pretty soon, the bird flew into the bushes below the window, half frozen, yet too afraid to be caught by this huge man. The more the man tried to reach for the bird, the more the bird flew frantically into the snow and thorns of the bushes.
After a few minutes in the cold and seeing the bird continue to injure itself, the man yelled out in frustration, "Stupid bird, can’t you understand that I’m trying to help?" The man paused and thought, "If only you understood you wouldn’t fly away ... if only ... if only I could become a bird, and get you to understand."
Just then, the church bells rang, as they always have on the hour. But when the man heard the bells this time, he fell to his knees and began to cry, saying, "Oh, God, I didn’t understand. Oh, God, I didn’t understand."
As we rush into the Holiday Season its important that we acknowledge who Jesus is. People all over the world will celebrate the birth of our Savior without realizing or acknowledging that he is God who became man to help you and I understand completely the depth of God’s love and provide a way for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
In John 14:6 Jesus makes an amazing revelation, in response to a question from Thomas, about who he is. By telling Thomas that he was the way, the truth and the life he was telling the world how they can better know Him and the Father.
What is Jesus the way to?
He is the way to fulfillment, John 10:10. He has a plan for our lives that lead us to a full and complete life. Many people live busy lives but guilt and doubt keep them from living a full life. Jesus wants you and I to experience life through him, a full life.
Jesus is the way to peace, John 14:27. We look so many different places for peace when all we need is to know Jesus Christ as Savior. He is the ultimate peace and you will never experience a deeper peace than knowing him.
Jesus is the way to unity, John 17:11. Jesus’ desire is that we be united with other believers and with Him in the same way that He was united with God. Why are churches failing to make an impact in their communities, because there is no unity?
Jesus is the way to meaning, John 11:41-44. We should find value in the fact that God has designed us and created us with a purpose. We should find value in the fact that Jesus died specifically for us.
When Jesus told them to remove the grave clothes from Lazarus he was telling Lazarus to go live. Before we came to know Christ we were spiritually dead he resurrected us, called us from the dead, when he called us to salvation. We need to take our spiritual grave clothes off and live for Christ. Live like we have value and meaning because he validated that for us on the cross.
Next week we’ll talk about truth.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Koinonia
According to Henry Blackaby the word Koinonia means the fullest partnership and fellowship with God and other believers. The author of Hebrews gives us an example of Koinonia in chapter 10:24-25.
24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
To spur one another means to push in a direction. In this case it means to push towards love and good deeds. It is a church understanding that they are in partnership with God and each other and that partnership reaches its fullest point when the church comes together under God’s direction.
Remember there is the person that God desires us to be and the person that we are. We should constantly be striving to become the person that God desires us to be and our churches should strive for the same has well. For that to happen Koinonia cannot be an option. It has to be found consistently in our lives as well as in our churches.
When we allow sin in our lives and in our churches it breaks our fellowship with God and each other. In other words it disrupts our Koinonia. We must remember that God is faithful to forgive us for our sins and restore us to righteousness but we have to come before Him in confession of our faults.
Here are four essentials for making Koinonia a part of your every day life.
1. We must love God with our total beings. Matthew 22:37-38
At some point this becomes a struggle for all Christians. We truly desire to love, serve and follow God but we hold something back. Loving God with everything we are is just that, loving him with everything. That includes our thoughts, dreams, desires and every aspect of our lives without holding anything back.
2. We must submit to God’s sovereign rule. 1 John 2:15-16
Do you really make Him Lord of your life? That means you seek His will for you rather than your own. It means that you seek to please Him rather than yourself. It means you acknowledge God as an authority in your life.
3. We must experience God in a real and personal way. John 15:5
Do you remember that feeling you experienced the first time you recognized God in your life? When you surrendered to His will and invited Him into your life as your savior? I often wonder what happens to that feeling for many Christians. God doesn’t cease to exist we fail to continue to know Him in a personal way. Remember God is not going to force Himself upon us. We are drawn to Him and must remain in Him.
4. We must trust God completely. Isaiah 31:1
Do you think God for what He is going to do in your life tomorrow? I guess the question is, do you trust God to do something amazing in your life tomorrow? Complete trust means knowing that God is there in good and bad times and knowing that He has a plan for your life. Do you see that? Can you believe in that? Do you trust in that? Then live it!
24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
To spur one another means to push in a direction. In this case it means to push towards love and good deeds. It is a church understanding that they are in partnership with God and each other and that partnership reaches its fullest point when the church comes together under God’s direction.
Remember there is the person that God desires us to be and the person that we are. We should constantly be striving to become the person that God desires us to be and our churches should strive for the same has well. For that to happen Koinonia cannot be an option. It has to be found consistently in our lives as well as in our churches.
When we allow sin in our lives and in our churches it breaks our fellowship with God and each other. In other words it disrupts our Koinonia. We must remember that God is faithful to forgive us for our sins and restore us to righteousness but we have to come before Him in confession of our faults.
Here are four essentials for making Koinonia a part of your every day life.
1. We must love God with our total beings. Matthew 22:37-38
At some point this becomes a struggle for all Christians. We truly desire to love, serve and follow God but we hold something back. Loving God with everything we are is just that, loving him with everything. That includes our thoughts, dreams, desires and every aspect of our lives without holding anything back.
2. We must submit to God’s sovereign rule. 1 John 2:15-16
Do you really make Him Lord of your life? That means you seek His will for you rather than your own. It means that you seek to please Him rather than yourself. It means you acknowledge God as an authority in your life.
3. We must experience God in a real and personal way. John 15:5
Do you remember that feeling you experienced the first time you recognized God in your life? When you surrendered to His will and invited Him into your life as your savior? I often wonder what happens to that feeling for many Christians. God doesn’t cease to exist we fail to continue to know Him in a personal way. Remember God is not going to force Himself upon us. We are drawn to Him and must remain in Him.
4. We must trust God completely. Isaiah 31:1
Do you think God for what He is going to do in your life tomorrow? I guess the question is, do you trust God to do something amazing in your life tomorrow? Complete trust means knowing that God is there in good and bad times and knowing that He has a plan for your life. Do you see that? Can you believe in that? Do you trust in that? Then live it!
Monday, November 21, 2005
Kingdom People
On April 23, 1985 Coca Cola made one of the biggest marketing blunders in history by stopping production on their original formula and putting a product called “New Coke” on the shelves.
This move was brought on by the rapidly shrinking market share that the soft drink had. In the late 70’s Pepsi began their Pepsi Challenge Campaign and for the first time outsold Coke in supermarkets.
Coke’s market share dropped from 60 percent just after World War II to under 24 percent in 1983. So Coke execs made a huge change for their company by changing the formula to sweeten the beverage in order to compete with Pepsi.
The project failed miserably as Coke consumers rejected the new product, signed petitions and even filed a class action lawsuit demanding that Coke sell the original formula if they were not going to produce it anymore. On July 10, less than three months later, the original formula went back on the shelves as Coca Cola Classic.
The problem was not necessarily the product inside the can, which tasted a lot like Pepsi, but the name on the outside of the can. For 100 years people associated that name with a particular taste and they were not willing to accept anything else. To them, what was on the inside of the can didn’t match what was on the outside of the can.
For over 2000 years Christian people have been trying to live a Christ like life. It’s is so important that what we say as Christians matches what we do. In other words what is on the inside must match what is on the outside. We should live today as if we were living in the Kingdom of God because we are. If you are a believer in Christ and have entered into a relationship you are a “Kingdom Person.” Real quickly let’s look at Kingdom People.
What do Kingdom People do?
They are on mission with God. Notice that we are not on mission with God or on mission for God. We are on mission with God. He will send us but he will also go ahead of us. What is the mission?
John 3:16
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Our mission is to tell the world about Jesus. We should always be ready to proclaim Christ. Acts 8:26-39 tells the story of Peter being willing to follow the Lord’s direction and go where he was told. He was also willing to proclaim Christ when the opportunity came.
How do Kingdom People live?
Obviously there are different principles for living in God’s Kingdom and living in the world. The teachings of Jesus are filled with principles for living in His kingdom. A great example of this is Matthew 18:23-35. If we would actually live what we read in the Bible we would be living like Kingdom People.
How do Kingdom People relate?
The word Koinonia means the fullest partnership and fellowship with God and other believers. That is how we are to relate to others. Understand that we are in partnership with other believers on this mission with God and we should fellowship with all people with God’s grace and mercy leading us. We should approach our relationships to other people with the same attitude that God has, Koinonia.
1 John 2:9-11
9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
This move was brought on by the rapidly shrinking market share that the soft drink had. In the late 70’s Pepsi began their Pepsi Challenge Campaign and for the first time outsold Coke in supermarkets.
Coke’s market share dropped from 60 percent just after World War II to under 24 percent in 1983. So Coke execs made a huge change for their company by changing the formula to sweeten the beverage in order to compete with Pepsi.
The project failed miserably as Coke consumers rejected the new product, signed petitions and even filed a class action lawsuit demanding that Coke sell the original formula if they were not going to produce it anymore. On July 10, less than three months later, the original formula went back on the shelves as Coca Cola Classic.
The problem was not necessarily the product inside the can, which tasted a lot like Pepsi, but the name on the outside of the can. For 100 years people associated that name with a particular taste and they were not willing to accept anything else. To them, what was on the inside of the can didn’t match what was on the outside of the can.
For over 2000 years Christian people have been trying to live a Christ like life. It’s is so important that what we say as Christians matches what we do. In other words what is on the inside must match what is on the outside. We should live today as if we were living in the Kingdom of God because we are. If you are a believer in Christ and have entered into a relationship you are a “Kingdom Person.” Real quickly let’s look at Kingdom People.
What do Kingdom People do?
They are on mission with God. Notice that we are not on mission with God or on mission for God. We are on mission with God. He will send us but he will also go ahead of us. What is the mission?
John 3:16
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Our mission is to tell the world about Jesus. We should always be ready to proclaim Christ. Acts 8:26-39 tells the story of Peter being willing to follow the Lord’s direction and go where he was told. He was also willing to proclaim Christ when the opportunity came.
How do Kingdom People live?
Obviously there are different principles for living in God’s Kingdom and living in the world. The teachings of Jesus are filled with principles for living in His kingdom. A great example of this is Matthew 18:23-35. If we would actually live what we read in the Bible we would be living like Kingdom People.
How do Kingdom People relate?
The word Koinonia means the fullest partnership and fellowship with God and other believers. That is how we are to relate to others. Understand that we are in partnership with other believers on this mission with God and we should fellowship with all people with God’s grace and mercy leading us. We should approach our relationships to other people with the same attitude that God has, Koinonia.
1 John 2:9-11
9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
Monday, November 14, 2005
The Church
The church has long been an institution that contributes to the developing of the moral foundation that our nation was built on. It has been a major life changing and character developing factor to people all over the world and it continues to grow and spread today.
When looking at what God’s will is for the church it’s important to understand that the church is the body of believers who come together to worship and minister under the guidance of Jesus Christ. An amazing thing happens every Sunday morning as individuals are transformed into one body. Paul talks about this in Romans 12:5.
5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
As this group of individuals becomes a body of believers the also become responsible to each other. They are responsible for both the physical and spiritual growth of the body. They are responsible discipling each other and meeting each other physical and spiritual needs.
Most importantly the body is responsible for allowing God to be present and active among them. Henry Blackaby wrote that when a church allows God’s presence and activity to be expressed, a watching world will be drawn to Him.
A church allows God’s presence to be active when it becomes unified through understanding what Christ, the Head of the church, is telling them. Paul talks about this as well in 1 Corinthians 1:10.
10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
So how does a group of individuals become unified in one spirit so that God can use them to do amazing things? If you think about it, it just doesn’t make any sense. When you get more than one person together you have differences. The only way the church can accomplish unity is by the people of the church taking on the mind of Christ and having a desire to serve Him above all else. Again we find the words of Paul to apply to this.
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
The people who make up the church should practice daily sacrifice. That means putting aside our wants and desires daily for what God wants from us daily. When we learn to do this we find that not only is it easy to become unified with other believers but God is using us and making us effective. That’s when a church becomes vibrant and growing because the people who make up the body make themselves useable to God.
What is your mindset when it comes to your church? Do you go in search of unity? Have you made yourself usable by God? You would be amazed at how much of a difference your daily sacrifice can make in the body of believers.
When looking at what God’s will is for the church it’s important to understand that the church is the body of believers who come together to worship and minister under the guidance of Jesus Christ. An amazing thing happens every Sunday morning as individuals are transformed into one body. Paul talks about this in Romans 12:5.
5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
As this group of individuals becomes a body of believers the also become responsible to each other. They are responsible for both the physical and spiritual growth of the body. They are responsible discipling each other and meeting each other physical and spiritual needs.
Most importantly the body is responsible for allowing God to be present and active among them. Henry Blackaby wrote that when a church allows God’s presence and activity to be expressed, a watching world will be drawn to Him.
A church allows God’s presence to be active when it becomes unified through understanding what Christ, the Head of the church, is telling them. Paul talks about this as well in 1 Corinthians 1:10.
10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
So how does a group of individuals become unified in one spirit so that God can use them to do amazing things? If you think about it, it just doesn’t make any sense. When you get more than one person together you have differences. The only way the church can accomplish unity is by the people of the church taking on the mind of Christ and having a desire to serve Him above all else. Again we find the words of Paul to apply to this.
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
The people who make up the church should practice daily sacrifice. That means putting aside our wants and desires daily for what God wants from us daily. When we learn to do this we find that not only is it easy to become unified with other believers but God is using us and making us effective. That’s when a church becomes vibrant and growing because the people who make up the body make themselves useable to God.
What is your mindset when it comes to your church? Do you go in search of unity? Have you made yourself usable by God? You would be amazed at how much of a difference your daily sacrifice can make in the body of believers.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Adjusting Our Lives to God
Stephen Kuropas was born with cerebral palsy. He cannot use his hands to write, he gets around in a wheelchair, and he requires help for such day-to-day functions as eating. However, after making some adjustments to his life and daily routine Kuropas was able to graduate with an associate’s degree from Community College of Philadelphia, at the age of 41.
Signing up for one class each semester, Kuropas tape recorded lectures and had assistants who took notes for him. Because he gets migraines from reading, helpers also recorded all of his books onto cassettes. At home, he typed his assignments onto a computer, using his head. Because he cannot speak clearly he communicates through expressive gestures and he shares his more complex thoughts on paper.
No doubt Stephen Kuropas had to make some major adjustments in his life to accomplish his dream. In the same way you and I must make adjustments in our lives in order to men the men and women of God that we desire to be.
Listen to the words of Jesus in Luke 14:33.
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
You see in life you cannot stay where you are and go with God. You have to give up everything you are in order to take on the life that Christ has in store for you. Too many times we attempt to follow God while keeping our old lifestyles that we are so comfortable with. When we accept Christ as our savior and make him Lord of our lives we give up the way we spoke, the way we thought, the way we act, and the way we desire things. We take on a new identity in Christ. Basically we adjust our lives to him.
Here are a few men who made major adjustments in their lives to follow God.
Noah – Prepared for a world flood, even though there had never been rain before.
Moses – Went back to Egypt the place where he fled from.
Matthew – Gave up his lifestyle to follow Jesus.
Saul – Changed his identity and life purpose.
Even Jesus had to make major adjustments. He left heaven and came to earth. He became a man. Instead of being in complete control he allowed men to beat him and stretch him out and nail him to a cross.
Your greatest single difficulty in following God may come at the point of the adjustment. The reason why is because you are giving up something you want for what God wants. Why? Why would God want us to give something up that we want? It could be because He wants to see if we are truly devoted to Him, or it could be that He just knows better than we do.
Isaiah 55:9
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
During the terrible days of the Blitz in World War II, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a created that had been created by a bomb. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father’s voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, “I can’t see you!”
“It’s okay”, the father yelled back, “I can see you.” The boy obeyed his father and jumped, trusting that he would be there to catch him.
Life adjustments come through obedience and faith. We have to trust God, even when we can’t see the outcome. We have to be obedient to Him, even when we are scared.
Here is the question it all comes down to. Do you really believe that God is who He says He is?
Go this week and allow God to adjust your life and desires to His will and His desires for you!
Signing up for one class each semester, Kuropas tape recorded lectures and had assistants who took notes for him. Because he gets migraines from reading, helpers also recorded all of his books onto cassettes. At home, he typed his assignments onto a computer, using his head. Because he cannot speak clearly he communicates through expressive gestures and he shares his more complex thoughts on paper.
No doubt Stephen Kuropas had to make some major adjustments in his life to accomplish his dream. In the same way you and I must make adjustments in our lives in order to men the men and women of God that we desire to be.
Listen to the words of Jesus in Luke 14:33.
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
You see in life you cannot stay where you are and go with God. You have to give up everything you are in order to take on the life that Christ has in store for you. Too many times we attempt to follow God while keeping our old lifestyles that we are so comfortable with. When we accept Christ as our savior and make him Lord of our lives we give up the way we spoke, the way we thought, the way we act, and the way we desire things. We take on a new identity in Christ. Basically we adjust our lives to him.
Here are a few men who made major adjustments in their lives to follow God.
Noah – Prepared for a world flood, even though there had never been rain before.
Moses – Went back to Egypt the place where he fled from.
Matthew – Gave up his lifestyle to follow Jesus.
Saul – Changed his identity and life purpose.
Even Jesus had to make major adjustments. He left heaven and came to earth. He became a man. Instead of being in complete control he allowed men to beat him and stretch him out and nail him to a cross.
Your greatest single difficulty in following God may come at the point of the adjustment. The reason why is because you are giving up something you want for what God wants. Why? Why would God want us to give something up that we want? It could be because He wants to see if we are truly devoted to Him, or it could be that He just knows better than we do.
Isaiah 55:9
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
During the terrible days of the Blitz in World War II, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a created that had been created by a bomb. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father’s voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, “I can’t see you!”
“It’s okay”, the father yelled back, “I can see you.” The boy obeyed his father and jumped, trusting that he would be there to catch him.
Life adjustments come through obedience and faith. We have to trust God, even when we can’t see the outcome. We have to be obedient to Him, even when we are scared.
Here is the question it all comes down to. Do you really believe that God is who He says He is?
Go this week and allow God to adjust your life and desires to His will and His desires for you!
Monday, October 17, 2005
God Speaks II
We began discussing last week how God speaks and who He speaks to. I want to finish that up this week by looking at a few more ways that God speaks and then at how we should respond to Him.
Last week we said that God speaks in different ways. He speaks to us today through the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and through prayer, emphasizing that the relationship with God is the key to communication with Him stating that children recognize and hear their father’s voice. Let’s look at a few more ways God speaks to us.
God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:10-12
Only the Holy Spirit knows what God is purposing in your life. Many Christians are frustrated with what God is doing, or not doing, in their lives because they don’t have a peace about it or they are uncomfortable with the clash between their lifestyles and the holiness that God desires.
The problem is we make all the decisions regarding our lives based on what we know and what makes us comfortable and not on what God is purposing for us. Let me give you a life application of what I am talking about.
At Mayfair, the church I pastor, we are a small growing church. I believe that God is leading us to be active in missions by sending a team into the mission field. I wasn’t for sure about it, but the more I prayed about it, the more I felt that is where God was leading our church. We had a mission trip information meeting to see if anyone else felt the same way about missions. We had 20 people who showed interest in participating in a mission trip. It turns out that I wasn’t the only one who felt God leading us to the mission field.
It would have been easy for us as a church to say that we are too small to go on the mission field. We are a growing church, 28 new members in 12 weeks, so it would have been easy for us to say, “Let’s wait until we grow more.” Instead we are moving forward with God’s purpose that the Holy Spirit has shown us.
Another way God speaks is through circumstances. In John 5:17 we learn that God is always working. That means in all situations He is at work. Our lives are full of both good and bad circumstances. We have to understand that in the middle of those circumstances is the voice of God. The key to hearing Him is understanding His perspective on our situation. When we learn to do this in both good and bad situations we will also learn to hear God’s voice.
Finally, God speaks to us through the church. A New Testament church is the Body of Christ. It is the responsibility of all members to function in the capacity of Jesus Christ Himself. You have heard the phrase, “Be His hands and feet”, that is exactly what the church is about. Just as your body has many parts, with each part having its own function, the church is made of many people who each serve in different functions.
Every action that you make begins in your mind. Before you stand up your brain actually gives the command for the muscles in your legs. Before the church makes a move, it should receive a command from the head of the body. That head is Jesus Christ! How do you know, if a church is functioning properly? Is it preaching the bible? Is it doing the things of Christ? When the church functions as the body of Christ and listens to the head, Jesus, it becomes the biggest voice of God to the modern world.
Last week we said that God speaks in different ways. He speaks to us today through the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and through prayer, emphasizing that the relationship with God is the key to communication with Him stating that children recognize and hear their father’s voice. Let’s look at a few more ways God speaks to us.
God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:10-12
Only the Holy Spirit knows what God is purposing in your life. Many Christians are frustrated with what God is doing, or not doing, in their lives because they don’t have a peace about it or they are uncomfortable with the clash between their lifestyles and the holiness that God desires.
The problem is we make all the decisions regarding our lives based on what we know and what makes us comfortable and not on what God is purposing for us. Let me give you a life application of what I am talking about.
At Mayfair, the church I pastor, we are a small growing church. I believe that God is leading us to be active in missions by sending a team into the mission field. I wasn’t for sure about it, but the more I prayed about it, the more I felt that is where God was leading our church. We had a mission trip information meeting to see if anyone else felt the same way about missions. We had 20 people who showed interest in participating in a mission trip. It turns out that I wasn’t the only one who felt God leading us to the mission field.
It would have been easy for us as a church to say that we are too small to go on the mission field. We are a growing church, 28 new members in 12 weeks, so it would have been easy for us to say, “Let’s wait until we grow more.” Instead we are moving forward with God’s purpose that the Holy Spirit has shown us.
Another way God speaks is through circumstances. In John 5:17 we learn that God is always working. That means in all situations He is at work. Our lives are full of both good and bad circumstances. We have to understand that in the middle of those circumstances is the voice of God. The key to hearing Him is understanding His perspective on our situation. When we learn to do this in both good and bad situations we will also learn to hear God’s voice.
Finally, God speaks to us through the church. A New Testament church is the Body of Christ. It is the responsibility of all members to function in the capacity of Jesus Christ Himself. You have heard the phrase, “Be His hands and feet”, that is exactly what the church is about. Just as your body has many parts, with each part having its own function, the church is made of many people who each serve in different functions.
Every action that you make begins in your mind. Before you stand up your brain actually gives the command for the muscles in your legs. Before the church makes a move, it should receive a command from the head of the body. That head is Jesus Christ! How do you know, if a church is functioning properly? Is it preaching the bible? Is it doing the things of Christ? When the church functions as the body of Christ and listens to the head, Jesus, it becomes the biggest voice of God to the modern world.
Monday, October 10, 2005
God Speaks Part I
Have you seen the e-mail that goes around titled “Church Bulletin Bloopers”? It makes its way to me about every four months and it always has new additions to it. They are actually pretty entertaining. Here are a few of my favorites.
The Sermon this morning: “Jesus walks on water.”
The Sermon tonight: “Searching for Jesus.”
Don’t let worry kill you …let the church help.
This evening’s sermon: “What is hell like?”
Come early and hear the choir practice.
Obviously these statements say one thing and mean another. The problem is in communication and communication problems always lead to confusion. Many Christians today are confused spiritually because they are struggling to hear from God. God does speak to people today! The questions we are going to look at are how and to whom?
Hebrews 1:1
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways.
In the Old Testament there were several ways God spoke to people. He used prophets, angels, visions, and dreams. The list could go on but when looking at the Old Testament the key is not how God spoke, but understanding that He did speak.
When God spoke, the person was sure God was speaking to them. In Exodus 3:14, when Moses looked for assurance as to who God was, He responded by telling Moses, “I Am who I Am.” In other words he was telling Moses that He was God and there was no other word to describe Him. There would be no chance for a case of mistaken identity. Moses knew exactly who was speaking to him.
When God spoke, the person knew what God said. God speaks in detail. He leaves no doubt as to what He is asking you to do. When you look at the story of Noah you see that God told him in exact detail how to build the ark and what he was to do with it.
In the Gospels, God spoke through Jesus.
John 14:9-10
9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
When the disciples were with Jesus they were face to face with God the same way Moses was. When you and I allow Jesus into our lives we are inviting that same God to live through us.
In the book of Acts and to the present time God speaks again through various ways.
He speaks through the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
The Holy Spirit dwells within us and speaks to us and allows us to hear the voice and feel the nudging of God.
God speaks through the Bible.
Hebrews 4:12
12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
The Bible is God’s gift to you. It is His message to you, everything that is in there is there because He desired it to be. When we read it and apply it’s principles to our lives, it comes to life and we hear Him speaking to us through it.
God speaks through prayer. Prayer is about a relationship, not a religious activity. To speak to God and hear from Him requires that you actually know Him, not know who he is, but know Him in an intimate way.
We’ll talk more next week about how God speaks, but I want to close by discussing who hears Him.
John 8:47
47He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
Children hear their father’s voice. A father speaks to his child in different ways, he may speak tenderly out of love or he may speak firmly out of correction, but a caring father always speaks out of love. When we look at our relationship with God as a father/child relationship, we understand that God speaks directly to us out of love.
Have you accepted God as your heavenly father? If not, why are you waiting? He loves you with an everlasting love and He wants to give you all the benefits of being His child. Can you hear is voice?
The Sermon this morning: “Jesus walks on water.”
The Sermon tonight: “Searching for Jesus.”
Don’t let worry kill you …let the church help.
This evening’s sermon: “What is hell like?”
Come early and hear the choir practice.
Obviously these statements say one thing and mean another. The problem is in communication and communication problems always lead to confusion. Many Christians today are confused spiritually because they are struggling to hear from God. God does speak to people today! The questions we are going to look at are how and to whom?
Hebrews 1:1
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways.
In the Old Testament there were several ways God spoke to people. He used prophets, angels, visions, and dreams. The list could go on but when looking at the Old Testament the key is not how God spoke, but understanding that He did speak.
When God spoke, the person was sure God was speaking to them. In Exodus 3:14, when Moses looked for assurance as to who God was, He responded by telling Moses, “I Am who I Am.” In other words he was telling Moses that He was God and there was no other word to describe Him. There would be no chance for a case of mistaken identity. Moses knew exactly who was speaking to him.
When God spoke, the person knew what God said. God speaks in detail. He leaves no doubt as to what He is asking you to do. When you look at the story of Noah you see that God told him in exact detail how to build the ark and what he was to do with it.
In the Gospels, God spoke through Jesus.
John 14:9-10
9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
When the disciples were with Jesus they were face to face with God the same way Moses was. When you and I allow Jesus into our lives we are inviting that same God to live through us.
In the book of Acts and to the present time God speaks again through various ways.
He speaks through the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
The Holy Spirit dwells within us and speaks to us and allows us to hear the voice and feel the nudging of God.
God speaks through the Bible.
Hebrews 4:12
12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
The Bible is God’s gift to you. It is His message to you, everything that is in there is there because He desired it to be. When we read it and apply it’s principles to our lives, it comes to life and we hear Him speaking to us through it.
God speaks through prayer. Prayer is about a relationship, not a religious activity. To speak to God and hear from Him requires that you actually know Him, not know who he is, but know Him in an intimate way.
We’ll talk more next week about how God speaks, but I want to close by discussing who hears Him.
John 8:47
47He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
Children hear their father’s voice. A father speaks to his child in different ways, he may speak tenderly out of love or he may speak firmly out of correction, but a caring father always speaks out of love. When we look at our relationship with God as a father/child relationship, we understand that God speaks directly to us out of love.
Have you accepted God as your heavenly father? If not, why are you waiting? He loves you with an everlasting love and He wants to give you all the benefits of being His child. Can you hear is voice?
Monday, October 03, 2005
An Invitation of Love
By Matt Hofeld
My kids love to receive invitations. When they are invited to a birthday party or to a friend’s house they just glow with excitement. I even like to get invitations. What makes invitations so popular? When we are invited to something it means that someone wants to include us and we all like to feel included. It means that we are liked or loved.
Did you know that God gives you and me an invitation to join Him in what He is doing? He doesn’t do it because He needs us. He gives us an invitation to join Him in what He is doing because He loves us. Before we talk about joining God in what he is doing, let’s talk about the different ways we experience God’s love.
First, we experience God’s love by knowing Him.
John 14:21
21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
We show God our love for Him through our obedience and our obedience is what allows us to know Him. Notice that the Lord will show Himself to the one He loves, the one who shows love through obedience.
Second, we experience God’s love through worship.
Psalm 96:2
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
When we give our devotion to God in worship He gives back to us in love. When we stay close to Him, He will revive us. When we learn from Him and walk in his teachings, He will keep our hearts devoted to Him. All acts of worship draw a response of love from God.
Keep in mind that there are always indications of the depth of our love. Our daily choices to honor God with our lifestyles, how much time we spend in God’s word, and how much time we spend in communication with Him daily are all indications of our love for Him.
God’s indication of His love towards us is the invitation for us to join him. He is already at work and His work isn’t limited to our participation.
John 5:17
17Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."
Often we pray for God to use us or to start something with us. Instead we need to ask Him to show us where He is working. He has already started something and has invited us to join Him, it’s our responsibility to find out where He is working and get plugged in.
John 14:15-17 tells us that the Holy Spirit will guide us, but it’s still our responsibility to seek.
The bible is full of stories where God showed where He was at work to normal people and they joined Him. Moses was tending sheep in the desert when God gave him an invitation to join Him. Peter and Andrew were fishing when Jesus gave them their invitation.
What about you? What were you doing when God invited you join Him? Did you accept his invitation? God’s work will continue whether you join Him or not.
Philippians 1:6
6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It’s out of love that He chooses to invite us. That should make you feel valuable and accepted by the most important being in the entire universe.
My kids love to receive invitations. When they are invited to a birthday party or to a friend’s house they just glow with excitement. I even like to get invitations. What makes invitations so popular? When we are invited to something it means that someone wants to include us and we all like to feel included. It means that we are liked or loved.
Did you know that God gives you and me an invitation to join Him in what He is doing? He doesn’t do it because He needs us. He gives us an invitation to join Him in what He is doing because He loves us. Before we talk about joining God in what he is doing, let’s talk about the different ways we experience God’s love.
First, we experience God’s love by knowing Him.
John 14:21
21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
We show God our love for Him through our obedience and our obedience is what allows us to know Him. Notice that the Lord will show Himself to the one He loves, the one who shows love through obedience.
Second, we experience God’s love through worship.
Psalm 96:2
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
When we give our devotion to God in worship He gives back to us in love. When we stay close to Him, He will revive us. When we learn from Him and walk in his teachings, He will keep our hearts devoted to Him. All acts of worship draw a response of love from God.
Keep in mind that there are always indications of the depth of our love. Our daily choices to honor God with our lifestyles, how much time we spend in God’s word, and how much time we spend in communication with Him daily are all indications of our love for Him.
God’s indication of His love towards us is the invitation for us to join him. He is already at work and His work isn’t limited to our participation.
John 5:17
17Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."
Often we pray for God to use us or to start something with us. Instead we need to ask Him to show us where He is working. He has already started something and has invited us to join Him, it’s our responsibility to find out where He is working and get plugged in.
John 14:15-17 tells us that the Holy Spirit will guide us, but it’s still our responsibility to seek.
The bible is full of stories where God showed where He was at work to normal people and they joined Him. Moses was tending sheep in the desert when God gave him an invitation to join Him. Peter and Andrew were fishing when Jesus gave them their invitation.
What about you? What were you doing when God invited you join Him? Did you accept his invitation? God’s work will continue whether you join Him or not.
Philippians 1:6
6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It’s out of love that He chooses to invite us. That should make you feel valuable and accepted by the most important being in the entire universe.
Monday, September 26, 2005
In Hot Pursuit
A woman walks away from her family to begin her pursuit of love. Imagine leaving your husband to try to find true love, imaging leaving your children looking to be needed and wanted. This happens every day in America as people search to be loved greater than they currently are.
When Jesus spoke of love, he spoke of it in the highest regard. When asked what the greatest commandment was he responded with, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38
Of all the things we could do for God, the greatest is to love Him with all that we are. There is no higher form of human love than loving with all your heart, soul and mind. You are literally loving with all that you have. So what is it about love that makes it the greatest commandment?
First of all you and I were created for a love relationship. We were designed to both give and receive love. Have you ever watched a child love something? It could be a parent a pet or a toy; they are going to love it with all that they have. It’s the only way they know how. Why do abused children cry when their parents are removed from them? Because even in an abusive situation a small child only knows how to love, we are naturally built that way. When we grow older we sometimes lose that ability to give love but we never lose the desire to receive love.
This principle holds true spiritually as well. We have a need to receive love from God. In fact, everything in your Christian life depends on the quality of your love relationship with God. You were created to love and be loved by Him and our relationship is only as deep as our love. When you struggle with a particular sin issue in your life, that struggle becomes even more difficult because we are choosing that sin over God. We do not love God with all that we are in that particular situation. We are not giving real love.
When we look towards the party scene and immoral relationships, or drugs and alcohol for fulfillment, we only wind up living in more guilt and misery because we are only receiving a temporary fix and not real love.
How do we know what real love is? This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. I John 3:16
Real love is sacrifice. It always gives and it never takes. Jesus gave up being God to walk the earth as a human and suffer a brutal death for you. God gave up His only son and watched him suffer on the cross for you. Why? Why would they do that? It was done out of love. God understands the concept of real love. He understands that it is always giving. What about you? In your relationships with other people are you a giver or a taker. How about when it comes to God? Do you give to Him or always seek to take?
Not only were we created for a love relationship, but a love relationship with God. He does love you. It’s your purpose in life to be loved by Him. People actually look for proof of God’s love, but it is only found in a relationship with Him. You actually have to decide to accept His love.
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
You can’t serve God and be rich? Sure you can! I know some very wealthy people how are loving Christians and have amazing testimonies of how God changed their lives. There is nothing wrong with having money. This is a reference to choosing God or the ways of the world. Who is your master? Do you say you love God and yet pursue the lifestyles that the world offers? You actually have to make a choice here. You have to choose to be fully in love with God or fully in love with other things. You can’t be both! That is the point that Jesus is making in this verse.
Here is the most amazing thing of all. While we are out there looking for real love, God is actually pursuing us. He is desperately trying to catch you so that he can love you. Jeremiah paints this picture for us in chapter 31.
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3
How about that? God is actually wooing us to Him. He is trying to pull us towards Him with loving-kindness. Are you currently in a pursuit of love? Why don’t you choose today to end your pursuit be ending God’s? Turn to Him, open your life and let Him take control. Let Him give to you and then find you purpose and meaning. Make your choice today to love God with all that you are!
When Jesus spoke of love, he spoke of it in the highest regard. When asked what the greatest commandment was he responded with, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38
Of all the things we could do for God, the greatest is to love Him with all that we are. There is no higher form of human love than loving with all your heart, soul and mind. You are literally loving with all that you have. So what is it about love that makes it the greatest commandment?
First of all you and I were created for a love relationship. We were designed to both give and receive love. Have you ever watched a child love something? It could be a parent a pet or a toy; they are going to love it with all that they have. It’s the only way they know how. Why do abused children cry when their parents are removed from them? Because even in an abusive situation a small child only knows how to love, we are naturally built that way. When we grow older we sometimes lose that ability to give love but we never lose the desire to receive love.
This principle holds true spiritually as well. We have a need to receive love from God. In fact, everything in your Christian life depends on the quality of your love relationship with God. You were created to love and be loved by Him and our relationship is only as deep as our love. When you struggle with a particular sin issue in your life, that struggle becomes even more difficult because we are choosing that sin over God. We do not love God with all that we are in that particular situation. We are not giving real love.
When we look towards the party scene and immoral relationships, or drugs and alcohol for fulfillment, we only wind up living in more guilt and misery because we are only receiving a temporary fix and not real love.
How do we know what real love is? This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. I John 3:16
Real love is sacrifice. It always gives and it never takes. Jesus gave up being God to walk the earth as a human and suffer a brutal death for you. God gave up His only son and watched him suffer on the cross for you. Why? Why would they do that? It was done out of love. God understands the concept of real love. He understands that it is always giving. What about you? In your relationships with other people are you a giver or a taker. How about when it comes to God? Do you give to Him or always seek to take?
Not only were we created for a love relationship, but a love relationship with God. He does love you. It’s your purpose in life to be loved by Him. People actually look for proof of God’s love, but it is only found in a relationship with Him. You actually have to decide to accept His love.
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
You can’t serve God and be rich? Sure you can! I know some very wealthy people how are loving Christians and have amazing testimonies of how God changed their lives. There is nothing wrong with having money. This is a reference to choosing God or the ways of the world. Who is your master? Do you say you love God and yet pursue the lifestyles that the world offers? You actually have to make a choice here. You have to choose to be fully in love with God or fully in love with other things. You can’t be both! That is the point that Jesus is making in this verse.
Here is the most amazing thing of all. While we are out there looking for real love, God is actually pursuing us. He is desperately trying to catch you so that he can love you. Jeremiah paints this picture for us in chapter 31.
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3
How about that? God is actually wooing us to Him. He is trying to pull us towards Him with loving-kindness. Are you currently in a pursuit of love? Why don’t you choose today to end your pursuit be ending God’s? Turn to Him, open your life and let Him take control. Let Him give to you and then find you purpose and meaning. Make your choice today to love God with all that you are!
Monday, September 19, 2005
Trusting in God
Everyday you and I depend on things. We depend on our cars to get us to work, or we depend on others to help us accomplish various tasks. We depend on our civil authorities to keep us safe and provide protection. We depend on the roofs of our homes to keep us dry in the rain. Who or what do you depend on?
David said in Psalm 20:7,
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
We quit trusting in God as a nation a long time ago. The, “In God we trust”, that is written across every dollar bill in our country is a lie. The truth is, we trust in ourselves. As a nation we trust in our money, our people and our military might. We are the “some” that David spoke about.
So, how do we get back to being a nation that trusts in God? We must first become individuals who trust in God. What are we talking about when we say trust in God?
First, we trust in his name. Have you even seen a fake Rolex watch or a fake Armani suit? They are called knock-offs. They look just like the real things, but they are really just cheap imitations. We don’t believe in, or trust an imitation God. We believe in the name of Jesus Christ!
John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
In a world full of “knock-off” God’s do you believe in the name of Jesus Christ or have you settled for a cheap imitation?
Second, we trust in his word. It is hard to take people for their word today. It seems as if we can say one thing and then do another without even flinching.
John 17:17
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
God is not like us. He will not break or change his word at all. It is what it is. It always has been and it always will be truth. Science, history and archeology have all proven God’s word to be true.
Third, we trust in his promise. The bible is full of promises. Two of my favorites are Jeremiah 29:11 and John 3:16. I’m sure you have your own as well. We can trust in these promises because they have been proven faithful to believers for centuries.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Isn’t it amazing that God has to wait on us to fulfill his promises? Often people are waiting on God to prove himself before they believe in him. It works the other way around, God has already proven himself and you see that once you have put your trust in him.
Finally, we trust in his power. Chariots and horses were weapons of war. Much like tanks and helicopters today, the warring who possessed theses weapons of their time had an advantage.
You and I are involved in a spiritual war; it’s a war for our very souls. We are not strong enough to fight so we must trust in someone else’s strength if we do not want to be taken captive.
Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Only Christ has the power to change your life. Only in him will you find complete meaning in life. Only in him will you find complete forgiveness. Only in him will you find the power to find abundant eternal life.
David said in Psalm 20:7,
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
We quit trusting in God as a nation a long time ago. The, “In God we trust”, that is written across every dollar bill in our country is a lie. The truth is, we trust in ourselves. As a nation we trust in our money, our people and our military might. We are the “some” that David spoke about.
So, how do we get back to being a nation that trusts in God? We must first become individuals who trust in God. What are we talking about when we say trust in God?
First, we trust in his name. Have you even seen a fake Rolex watch or a fake Armani suit? They are called knock-offs. They look just like the real things, but they are really just cheap imitations. We don’t believe in, or trust an imitation God. We believe in the name of Jesus Christ!
John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
In a world full of “knock-off” God’s do you believe in the name of Jesus Christ or have you settled for a cheap imitation?
Second, we trust in his word. It is hard to take people for their word today. It seems as if we can say one thing and then do another without even flinching.
John 17:17
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
God is not like us. He will not break or change his word at all. It is what it is. It always has been and it always will be truth. Science, history and archeology have all proven God’s word to be true.
Third, we trust in his promise. The bible is full of promises. Two of my favorites are Jeremiah 29:11 and John 3:16. I’m sure you have your own as well. We can trust in these promises because they have been proven faithful to believers for centuries.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Isn’t it amazing that God has to wait on us to fulfill his promises? Often people are waiting on God to prove himself before they believe in him. It works the other way around, God has already proven himself and you see that once you have put your trust in him.
Finally, we trust in his power. Chariots and horses were weapons of war. Much like tanks and helicopters today, the warring who possessed theses weapons of their time had an advantage.
You and I are involved in a spiritual war; it’s a war for our very souls. We are not strong enough to fight so we must trust in someone else’s strength if we do not want to be taken captive.
Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Only Christ has the power to change your life. Only in him will you find complete meaning in life. Only in him will you find complete forgiveness. Only in him will you find the power to find abundant eternal life.
Monday, September 12, 2005
God's Will & Your Life
By Matt Hofeld
Perhaps you remember the Rainbow Man? If you are a sports fan like me (I think sports nut is a better term for me) then you remember Rollen Stewart’s rainbow colored wig and his ever-present John 3:16 sign during the mid 80’s. It was the wig that got him the nickname Rainbow Man.
A self-ordained minister, it was Stewart’s mission to advance the Gospel through gaining air time at major sporting events and hoisting his John 3:16 sign. However, as Rainbow man’s popularity grew so did disgust from television producers. "He's a pest, " an NBC executive once snorted. "We try to take him out of a shot whenever we can." "He got to be a terrific distraction," seconded ABC sports producer Chet Forte. "He would station himself behind home plate and our camera would view over the pitcher's shoulder and it was very annoying seeing this guy waving the signs and all."
Stewart began to be ejected from sporting events and TV time was greatly reduced by the early 90’s. Facing failure in his mission Stewart took matters in his own hands and attempted to kidnap two day laborers before holding a maid hostage for almost ten hours in a L.A. high rise hotel.
Rollen Stewart’s Rainbow Man became bigger than his message to him and his fame became so important to him that he became addicted. He is now serving three life sentences in federal prison for the attempted kidnapping and the hostage situation.
At some pointing time your life and God’s will intersect. At that point in time you have to make a choice as to what you will do with God’s will. He does not force His will upon you rather He allows you to make a choice about your life. Many people say that they desire to follow God but fail because they don’t understand the concept of abiding. Listen to the words of Jesus in John 15:5;
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
The key word here is “remain”. It means to live or to dwell or to abide. Jesus is the source of life. He has a plan for your life and desires that you follow it. The key is choosing to abide.
When it comes to your relationship with Christ, do you abide in Him? Have you chosen to live in Christ or are you just staying for a while. There is night and day difference between staying for a while and dwelling. That was the problem with Rollen Stewart. I believe he really had a desire to advance the Gospel, but I also believe that he did not dwell or live in a relationship with Christ.
Remember, you will never be more that God’s desire for your life, but you can always be less. The deciding factor is choosing to abide instead of stay for a while. What will you do when your life and God’s will intersect?
Perhaps you remember the Rainbow Man? If you are a sports fan like me (I think sports nut is a better term for me) then you remember Rollen Stewart’s rainbow colored wig and his ever-present John 3:16 sign during the mid 80’s. It was the wig that got him the nickname Rainbow Man.
A self-ordained minister, it was Stewart’s mission to advance the Gospel through gaining air time at major sporting events and hoisting his John 3:16 sign. However, as Rainbow man’s popularity grew so did disgust from television producers. "He's a pest, " an NBC executive once snorted. "We try to take him out of a shot whenever we can." "He got to be a terrific distraction," seconded ABC sports producer Chet Forte. "He would station himself behind home plate and our camera would view over the pitcher's shoulder and it was very annoying seeing this guy waving the signs and all."
Stewart began to be ejected from sporting events and TV time was greatly reduced by the early 90’s. Facing failure in his mission Stewart took matters in his own hands and attempted to kidnap two day laborers before holding a maid hostage for almost ten hours in a L.A. high rise hotel.
Rollen Stewart’s Rainbow Man became bigger than his message to him and his fame became so important to him that he became addicted. He is now serving three life sentences in federal prison for the attempted kidnapping and the hostage situation.
At some pointing time your life and God’s will intersect. At that point in time you have to make a choice as to what you will do with God’s will. He does not force His will upon you rather He allows you to make a choice about your life. Many people say that they desire to follow God but fail because they don’t understand the concept of abiding. Listen to the words of Jesus in John 15:5;
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
The key word here is “remain”. It means to live or to dwell or to abide. Jesus is the source of life. He has a plan for your life and desires that you follow it. The key is choosing to abide.
When it comes to your relationship with Christ, do you abide in Him? Have you chosen to live in Christ or are you just staying for a while. There is night and day difference between staying for a while and dwelling. That was the problem with Rollen Stewart. I believe he really had a desire to advance the Gospel, but I also believe that he did not dwell or live in a relationship with Christ.
Remember, you will never be more that God’s desire for your life, but you can always be less. The deciding factor is choosing to abide instead of stay for a while. What will you do when your life and God’s will intersect?
Monday, September 05, 2005
Blessed If…
There he stood, by the buffet line, dressed in his best suit, covered in salad dressing. You could see the anger on his face and you could almost hear the blood boiling with in him as he demanded to speak to the manager.
It was shortly after 12:30 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon when a waitress at the buffet style restaurant paused for a moment after coming out of the kitchen door to let a man pass by. It was during that pause that another worker burst out of the kitchen door hurling the young waitress and her bucket of salad dressing into the man she was politely letting pass by.
There in front of her manager this sharply dressed ban screamed about incompetence, stupidity and demanded that she be fired immediately. He also demanded that the restaurant buy him a new $500.00 suite.
Trying to be a peace maker the manager tried to explain that accidents do happen an offered to pay for the dry-cleaning of the man’s suite. The man wouldn’t hear of it and stuck to his original demands.
Here is the problem with this story. Where do you think a sharply dressed man is coming from on an early Sunday afternoon? Most likely he had been to a church that morning and heard about God’s love, grace and forgiveness. Then he went out and lived just the opposite.
Christians have to understand that God’s way usually contradicts the world’s. God’s desire is that we be very different from those who do not confess Him as Lord. In fact, if you as a Christian are no different than your friends and neighbors who are not believers, then what’s the point?
In Matthew 5:1-11 Jesus gives us in detail how we are to respond and how we are to live with the promise of a blessing with each one.
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Here is what Jesus is saying. Notice the contradictions.
To become royalty we have to become poor (vs.3). He is not speaking of monetary poverty rather spiritual poverty, being poor in the sight of God, understanding that we have nothing spiritually without Him. When we reach the point where we fully recognize that we are dependent on God and God alone to grow spiritually then we are blessed by entering into God’s heavenly family, thus, becoming royalty.
To be comforted we have to mourn (vs.4). This refers to being broken-hearted because of the sin we have committed towards God. Often sin does not affect us because we just take advantage of God’s grace. Instead, sin should break our hearts because we are hurting God and taking advantage of Jesus’ death on the cross. When we reach a point where we are broken hearted over our sin then we are blessed with the comfort of God.
To inherit we have to be meek (vs. 5). Meekness is not weakness! Meekness is understanding who and what you are in relation to other people. Knowing that you were created equal by God and stand on even ground with the rest of humanity before Him. We are blessed with inheriting God’s creation when we become meek.
To be filled we have to hunger (vs.6). Do you hunger for God the same way you do food? Do you desire to do the right thing the same as you desire to eat? God blesses us by filling us with His presence when we truly hunger for Him.
To receive mercy we have to show mercy (vs. 7). There is a general misconception of what mercy is. We think that mercy is simply feeling sorry for someone. Mercy is a sense of pity (feeling sorry for someone) plus a desire to relive the suffering. When we show true mercy we are blessed by God’s mercy.
To see God we have to be pure (vs. 8). A pure heart is a heart without defilement or contamination. We achieve this by trusting in God for mercy and forgiveness and we maintain this by looking for God’s direction in life and making choices based on what He desire for us instead of what we desire for ourselves. We are blessed by seeing God active in our lives when we commit to purity.
To be a child of God we have to make peace (vs. 9). A peacemaker is a person we pursues peace at all cost. Sometimes conflict is the result of the pursuit of peace. In World War II hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives in the pursuit of peace. The question we have to ask ourselves is, are we pursuers of peace or ignorers of conflict? There is a huge difference and we are blessed with becoming a child of God when we choose to pursue peace.
To take possession of the kingdom we have to be persecuted (vs. 10). To take possession of something means to have ownership of it. If we desire to have ownership of the kingdom of God then we have to own up to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. That means even in the face of persecution we confess Him as our Lord. When things don’t go right for you is He still Lord? When people question you, make fun of you, reject and doubt you because of your beliefs is He still Lord? We are blessed with the Kingdom of Heaven when we confess Jesus Christ as Lord even in the face of persecution.
It was shortly after 12:30 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon when a waitress at the buffet style restaurant paused for a moment after coming out of the kitchen door to let a man pass by. It was during that pause that another worker burst out of the kitchen door hurling the young waitress and her bucket of salad dressing into the man she was politely letting pass by.
There in front of her manager this sharply dressed ban screamed about incompetence, stupidity and demanded that she be fired immediately. He also demanded that the restaurant buy him a new $500.00 suite.
Trying to be a peace maker the manager tried to explain that accidents do happen an offered to pay for the dry-cleaning of the man’s suite. The man wouldn’t hear of it and stuck to his original demands.
Here is the problem with this story. Where do you think a sharply dressed man is coming from on an early Sunday afternoon? Most likely he had been to a church that morning and heard about God’s love, grace and forgiveness. Then he went out and lived just the opposite.
Christians have to understand that God’s way usually contradicts the world’s. God’s desire is that we be very different from those who do not confess Him as Lord. In fact, if you as a Christian are no different than your friends and neighbors who are not believers, then what’s the point?
In Matthew 5:1-11 Jesus gives us in detail how we are to respond and how we are to live with the promise of a blessing with each one.
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Here is what Jesus is saying. Notice the contradictions.
To become royalty we have to become poor (vs.3). He is not speaking of monetary poverty rather spiritual poverty, being poor in the sight of God, understanding that we have nothing spiritually without Him. When we reach the point where we fully recognize that we are dependent on God and God alone to grow spiritually then we are blessed by entering into God’s heavenly family, thus, becoming royalty.
To be comforted we have to mourn (vs.4). This refers to being broken-hearted because of the sin we have committed towards God. Often sin does not affect us because we just take advantage of God’s grace. Instead, sin should break our hearts because we are hurting God and taking advantage of Jesus’ death on the cross. When we reach a point where we are broken hearted over our sin then we are blessed with the comfort of God.
To inherit we have to be meek (vs. 5). Meekness is not weakness! Meekness is understanding who and what you are in relation to other people. Knowing that you were created equal by God and stand on even ground with the rest of humanity before Him. We are blessed with inheriting God’s creation when we become meek.
To be filled we have to hunger (vs.6). Do you hunger for God the same way you do food? Do you desire to do the right thing the same as you desire to eat? God blesses us by filling us with His presence when we truly hunger for Him.
To receive mercy we have to show mercy (vs. 7). There is a general misconception of what mercy is. We think that mercy is simply feeling sorry for someone. Mercy is a sense of pity (feeling sorry for someone) plus a desire to relive the suffering. When we show true mercy we are blessed by God’s mercy.
To see God we have to be pure (vs. 8). A pure heart is a heart without defilement or contamination. We achieve this by trusting in God for mercy and forgiveness and we maintain this by looking for God’s direction in life and making choices based on what He desire for us instead of what we desire for ourselves. We are blessed by seeing God active in our lives when we commit to purity.
To be a child of God we have to make peace (vs. 9). A peacemaker is a person we pursues peace at all cost. Sometimes conflict is the result of the pursuit of peace. In World War II hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives in the pursuit of peace. The question we have to ask ourselves is, are we pursuers of peace or ignorers of conflict? There is a huge difference and we are blessed with becoming a child of God when we choose to pursue peace.
To take possession of the kingdom we have to be persecuted (vs. 10). To take possession of something means to have ownership of it. If we desire to have ownership of the kingdom of God then we have to own up to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. That means even in the face of persecution we confess Him as our Lord. When things don’t go right for you is He still Lord? When people question you, make fun of you, reject and doubt you because of your beliefs is He still Lord? We are blessed with the Kingdom of Heaven when we confess Jesus Christ as Lord even in the face of persecution.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
DANCING WITH GOD
Submitted by;
Dennis Dawson
Illinois Baptist State Association
When I meditated on the word GUIDANCE, I kept seeing "dance" at the end
of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like
dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The
movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite
uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the
other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing
lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body,
moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness, and
attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the
other.
My eyes drew back to the word GUIDANCE.
When I saw "G," I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i." "God, "u" and
"i" dance." God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became
willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again,
I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies be upon you
on this day and everyday. May you abide in God as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through
each season of your life.
If God has done anything for you in your life, please share this message
with someone else, for prayer is one of the best gifts we can
receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards; so let's continue to
pray for one another.
AND I HOPE YOU DANCE!!!!!
Dennis Dawson
Illinois Baptist State Association
When I meditated on the word GUIDANCE, I kept seeing "dance" at the end
of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like
dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The
movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite
uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the
other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing
lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body,
moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness, and
attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the
other.
My eyes drew back to the word GUIDANCE.
When I saw "G," I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i." "God, "u" and
"i" dance." God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became
willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again,
I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies be upon you
on this day and everyday. May you abide in God as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through
each season of your life.
If God has done anything for you in your life, please share this message
with someone else, for prayer is one of the best gifts we can
receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards; so let's continue to
pray for one another.
AND I HOPE YOU DANCE!!!!!
Monday, August 29, 2005
Blessed Indeed
By Matt Hofeld
Some religions believe in providing a sacrifice or offering at the feet on their god’s in order to receive a financial blessing. They go on living their lives with nothing changed hoping that their god will bless them.
A blessing is the act of one that blesses. In other words in order for you to be blessed their actually has to be someone who blesses you. We can be a blessing to other people and others can be a blessing to us. When you make a sacrifice to a god who does not exist there will be no blessing to receive because there is no one there to give the blessing. Think about it for a minute, does the god you worship bless you?
A blessing by definition is something promoting or contributing to happiness, well-being, or prosperity. God desires only the best for you and that your life be to the fullest (see last week’s devotion). What I am saying is that God wants to bless you and He does not require a deposit or sacrifice in order for Him to do so. All we simply must do is ask. In 1 Chronicles chapter four is the story of a man who desired God’s blessing and got it by asking.
10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10
I would like you to notice two things about this prayer. First, notice that Jabez cried out. He didn’t approach God out of arrogance as if he was owed something, he didn’t approach God as is He were Santa Clause with a wish list. He approached God out of humility knowing that God had the power and ability to bless his life and make it even better than it was. He understood that God was bigger than he was and that the best blessings in life come from Him.
Secondly, notice that he cried out to the God of Israel. There were many gods that were worshipped in that day and the mentioning of the God of Israel is not in reference to just another god. It refers to the God of Israel because He is the God who answered the prayer of Jabez. The author of 1 Chronicles (Jewish tradition holds to Ezra) makes it clear that the only God who is able to supply the needs of his children and bring forth such an abundant blessing it the God of Israel.
Where are you looking for your blessing? Where do you go to try to find fulfillment? As in the day of Jabez there are many gods that are worshipped today, but only one who is able to be the one that blesses.
Look real quick at the very last of the verse.
And God granted his request.
Some religions believe in providing a sacrifice or offering at the feet on their god’s in order to receive a financial blessing. They go on living their lives with nothing changed hoping that their god will bless them.
A blessing is the act of one that blesses. In other words in order for you to be blessed their actually has to be someone who blesses you. We can be a blessing to other people and others can be a blessing to us. When you make a sacrifice to a god who does not exist there will be no blessing to receive because there is no one there to give the blessing. Think about it for a minute, does the god you worship bless you?
A blessing by definition is something promoting or contributing to happiness, well-being, or prosperity. God desires only the best for you and that your life be to the fullest (see last week’s devotion). What I am saying is that God wants to bless you and He does not require a deposit or sacrifice in order for Him to do so. All we simply must do is ask. In 1 Chronicles chapter four is the story of a man who desired God’s blessing and got it by asking.
10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10
I would like you to notice two things about this prayer. First, notice that Jabez cried out. He didn’t approach God out of arrogance as if he was owed something, he didn’t approach God as is He were Santa Clause with a wish list. He approached God out of humility knowing that God had the power and ability to bless his life and make it even better than it was. He understood that God was bigger than he was and that the best blessings in life come from Him.
Secondly, notice that he cried out to the God of Israel. There were many gods that were worshipped in that day and the mentioning of the God of Israel is not in reference to just another god. It refers to the God of Israel because He is the God who answered the prayer of Jabez. The author of 1 Chronicles (Jewish tradition holds to Ezra) makes it clear that the only God who is able to supply the needs of his children and bring forth such an abundant blessing it the God of Israel.
Where are you looking for your blessing? Where do you go to try to find fulfillment? As in the day of Jabez there are many gods that are worshipped today, but only one who is able to be the one that blesses.
Look real quick at the very last of the verse.
And God granted his request.
Monday, August 22, 2005
More than Enough
We talked last week about the schemes of the Devil and one of the passages of scripture that I used was John 10:10 where Jesus says;
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The focus last week was on the desires of the Devil to destroy your life and rob anything that is joyful. Today I want to focus on the second half of this statement. Jesus came to offer life and offer it abundantly.
Who’s life? Ours! He is letting us know that we have two choices. We can choose to follow God’s way or our own. While we don’t consciously make a decision to follow the Devil anytime we decide to follow anything other than is God’s desire for we are choosing to oppose him.
Why does he desire that we follow his will, because it is his desire that we live. He doesn’t want us drowning in misery and self doubt. He wants us living strong and joyful life. The word abundant means to have plenty or more than enough.
So, what does Jesus want to give us more than enough of? This first thing is joy.
10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:10-11
Our joy comes through obedience! Jesus is the source of joy and he desires to give us HIS joy. It’s not just any joy that he is offering it’s the joy of Christ! It’s the joy that keeps us living when things go wrong. It’s the joy that increases our experiences when things go right. It’s not a joy that we find anywhere else, it’s only found in Christ and he gives us more than enough.
The next thing he gives us in abundance is peace. People look everywhere to find peace. They look in all kinds of lifestyles and philosophies and they find only things that only last temporarily. There is no sustained peace. The reason why is as long as you are looking for peace you won’t find it. Like joy peace comes from Jesus Christ.
27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
The peace of Christ is something that the world (people who are not believers) cannot understand. They will refute it and deny that it exists because they don’t understand. However, there is a noticeable difference when a believer goes through troubled times as opposed to an unbeliever. Notice the difference in the family at the funeral of a believer as opposed to the family of an unbeliever. What’s the difference? Believers have the peace of Christ!
Jesus also offers us abundant grace. Grace is unmerited favor, getting something that we do not deserve. It’s grace that allows us to come into salvation.
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
We would never be able to earn our way into heaven because we are imperfect people. In fact, if we were to get what we deserve for our sin, things we do outside the will of God, it would be eternal separation from God.
It’s out of His love for us that he extends grace, giving us what we do not deserve and He gives us more than enough. What you and I have to do is accept it, even though we do not understand it. I’ve heard so many people say that they don’t understand how God could love them and accept them because of all that they have done. Well, the truth is, I don’t understand it either, because He is offering me something I don’t deserve! However, I do accept it!
God’s grace leads to forgiveness. Our forgiveness from God is based on our confession of our sin to Him.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
When we confess we do it directly to God. There has not been a person yet who has caught God off-guard when they confess a sin to him. God knows what we do and when we do it! Confession is your acknowledgement before a Holy God that you recognize what you did was wrong. When we do that God immediately releases that sin and offers to us the chance to begin again, slat wiped clean.
Everyday we choose to live at the moment that we crawl out of bed. It’s my prayer that you choose to live abundantly through Jesus Christ.
Matt Hofeld
Pastor
Mayfair Baptist Church
OKC, OK
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The focus last week was on the desires of the Devil to destroy your life and rob anything that is joyful. Today I want to focus on the second half of this statement. Jesus came to offer life and offer it abundantly.
Who’s life? Ours! He is letting us know that we have two choices. We can choose to follow God’s way or our own. While we don’t consciously make a decision to follow the Devil anytime we decide to follow anything other than is God’s desire for we are choosing to oppose him.
Why does he desire that we follow his will, because it is his desire that we live. He doesn’t want us drowning in misery and self doubt. He wants us living strong and joyful life. The word abundant means to have plenty or more than enough.
So, what does Jesus want to give us more than enough of? This first thing is joy.
10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:10-11
Our joy comes through obedience! Jesus is the source of joy and he desires to give us HIS joy. It’s not just any joy that he is offering it’s the joy of Christ! It’s the joy that keeps us living when things go wrong. It’s the joy that increases our experiences when things go right. It’s not a joy that we find anywhere else, it’s only found in Christ and he gives us more than enough.
The next thing he gives us in abundance is peace. People look everywhere to find peace. They look in all kinds of lifestyles and philosophies and they find only things that only last temporarily. There is no sustained peace. The reason why is as long as you are looking for peace you won’t find it. Like joy peace comes from Jesus Christ.
27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
The peace of Christ is something that the world (people who are not believers) cannot understand. They will refute it and deny that it exists because they don’t understand. However, there is a noticeable difference when a believer goes through troubled times as opposed to an unbeliever. Notice the difference in the family at the funeral of a believer as opposed to the family of an unbeliever. What’s the difference? Believers have the peace of Christ!
Jesus also offers us abundant grace. Grace is unmerited favor, getting something that we do not deserve. It’s grace that allows us to come into salvation.
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
We would never be able to earn our way into heaven because we are imperfect people. In fact, if we were to get what we deserve for our sin, things we do outside the will of God, it would be eternal separation from God.
It’s out of His love for us that he extends grace, giving us what we do not deserve and He gives us more than enough. What you and I have to do is accept it, even though we do not understand it. I’ve heard so many people say that they don’t understand how God could love them and accept them because of all that they have done. Well, the truth is, I don’t understand it either, because He is offering me something I don’t deserve! However, I do accept it!
God’s grace leads to forgiveness. Our forgiveness from God is based on our confession of our sin to Him.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
When we confess we do it directly to God. There has not been a person yet who has caught God off-guard when they confess a sin to him. God knows what we do and when we do it! Confession is your acknowledgement before a Holy God that you recognize what you did was wrong. When we do that God immediately releases that sin and offers to us the chance to begin again, slat wiped clean.
Everyday we choose to live at the moment that we crawl out of bed. It’s my prayer that you choose to live abundantly through Jesus Christ.
Matt Hofeld
Pastor
Mayfair Baptist Church
OKC, OK
Monday, August 15, 2005
Tricks of the Trade
A look at the Devil’s schemes
By Matt Hofeld
Pastor Mayfair Baptist Church, OKC
I know a neat little coin trick where you look at a nickel, dime and quarter and choose one in your head. After you make your choice you tell me which one you chose and then I show you where I have already written down in advance the one I knew you were going to pick. It’s a neat little trick and that’s the point. I make you think that I can do something that I really can’t.
We have an adversary who uses several tricks to try to influence, tempt and tear us away from our relationship with Jesus Christ. He is called the Devil and he is very real! I’m amazed at how many people actually try to deny the existence of the Devil when the bible is very clear on who he is. In fact, Jesus spends more time talking about hell than he does about heaven. He wants us to know the reality of eternity.
We are first introduced to the Devil in Genesis 3:1 when he is getting ready to tempt Eve in the Garden of Eden.
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
He was there in the very beginning doing what he does and that’s trying to turn people away from their focus on God. In fact, we even read about an encounter that Jesus had with the Devil in Matthew chapter 4.
Satan tempted the son of God so don’t think that he won’t try to tempt you and I away from God. In fact, that is what he does! He tries to take us away from God. In John 10:10 Jesus described him as a thief.
If we are believers in Christ the Devil tries to steal our joy and our witness.
You know those people who can find something to complain about in any good situation. That’s what the Devil does. He whispers in our ear and plants seeds of doubt and discouragement. It doesn’t matter what the situation is he wants to make it worse. Instead of having the peace of Christ he wants to fill your life turmoil.
He also wants to steal your credibility as a Christian. He is the best at bringing up the past and leading you to do things that go against what you believe and stand for. He wants you to not be able to tell people about Christ because of your lifestyle. Stop and think about your reputation at school, work and at home. Can you tell people about Christ the way you act, if you can’t you have let him steal your credibility. Get it back!
He does all this through deception. Look back at what he said to Eve in Genesis 3. "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
He knew what God had said to Eve and he used this one statement where he misquoted God to deceive the first man and woman into sinning against God.
He is still doing the same thing to you and me today, but the good news is that the Devil is subject to God’s authority. After the Devil had tempted him the third time Jesus had finally had enough and sent him away in Matthew 4:10.
10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
How do we get rid of the Devil and not fall for his tricks? Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only! Becoming a disciple of Christ means to follow Him with a desire to become like Him. The Devil will always be there and he will never give up on his task of attempting to steal you spiritual joy and witness. However when we worship and serve God only we learn to live in His authority and we are able to not only resist the Devil but also command him to go away from us.
By Matt Hofeld
Pastor Mayfair Baptist Church, OKC
I know a neat little coin trick where you look at a nickel, dime and quarter and choose one in your head. After you make your choice you tell me which one you chose and then I show you where I have already written down in advance the one I knew you were going to pick. It’s a neat little trick and that’s the point. I make you think that I can do something that I really can’t.
We have an adversary who uses several tricks to try to influence, tempt and tear us away from our relationship with Jesus Christ. He is called the Devil and he is very real! I’m amazed at how many people actually try to deny the existence of the Devil when the bible is very clear on who he is. In fact, Jesus spends more time talking about hell than he does about heaven. He wants us to know the reality of eternity.
We are first introduced to the Devil in Genesis 3:1 when he is getting ready to tempt Eve in the Garden of Eden.
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
He was there in the very beginning doing what he does and that’s trying to turn people away from their focus on God. In fact, we even read about an encounter that Jesus had with the Devil in Matthew chapter 4.
Satan tempted the son of God so don’t think that he won’t try to tempt you and I away from God. In fact, that is what he does! He tries to take us away from God. In John 10:10 Jesus described him as a thief.
If we are believers in Christ the Devil tries to steal our joy and our witness.
You know those people who can find something to complain about in any good situation. That’s what the Devil does. He whispers in our ear and plants seeds of doubt and discouragement. It doesn’t matter what the situation is he wants to make it worse. Instead of having the peace of Christ he wants to fill your life turmoil.
He also wants to steal your credibility as a Christian. He is the best at bringing up the past and leading you to do things that go against what you believe and stand for. He wants you to not be able to tell people about Christ because of your lifestyle. Stop and think about your reputation at school, work and at home. Can you tell people about Christ the way you act, if you can’t you have let him steal your credibility. Get it back!
He does all this through deception. Look back at what he said to Eve in Genesis 3. "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
He knew what God had said to Eve and he used this one statement where he misquoted God to deceive the first man and woman into sinning against God.
He is still doing the same thing to you and me today, but the good news is that the Devil is subject to God’s authority. After the Devil had tempted him the third time Jesus had finally had enough and sent him away in Matthew 4:10.
10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
How do we get rid of the Devil and not fall for his tricks? Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only! Becoming a disciple of Christ means to follow Him with a desire to become like Him. The Devil will always be there and he will never give up on his task of attempting to steal you spiritual joy and witness. However when we worship and serve God only we learn to live in His authority and we are able to not only resist the Devil but also command him to go away from us.
Monday, August 08, 2005
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
It always amazes me how God uses us ordinary people. I mean after all He is God and could easily accomplish His will without our help. He spoke the world into existence you don’t think that He could do other things with out us?
God chooses out of love and mercy to use us. It’s God’s grace that compels Him to take ordinary people like you and I and do extraordinary things through us. By ordinary I mean human. We all have physical limitations and we all struggle with sin. At our very best we are ordinary!
It was an ordinary man that God used to lead the nation of Israel out of bondage. Moses had grown up in royalty but fled into exile when he murdered an Egyptian. Then he lived as a shepherd tending to his father-in-law’s flock until God called him from ordinary to extraordinary.
In Exodus chapter 4 God has already commissioned Moses to this huge task, told him that He would be with him and that the people would respond to him. In verse one Moses shows his reluctance.
1 Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
Here we can identify with Moses because we are often reluctant to follow God as well. Our reluctance is often caused by our fear. We fear rejection. We are afraid that our friends and family will not accept us the way that they did before we started following Christ. We fear failure. That we cannot live up to the person that God has called us to be. We fear acceptance. That people will accept the person we are in Christ and then expect us to live up to a higher standard.
God quickly shows His power to Moses in a demonstration using Moses’ Rod.
2 Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.
3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."
In order for God to do extraordinary things through us a change of ownership has to take place. The staff that Moses had was much more than just a walking stick. Moses used it for protection, to carry things and as a tool. It was essential to his way of life. If you look down in verse 20 you see that the ownership of the staff changed.
20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
Moses took what he had and gave it to God and God used it. With that staff Moses struck a rock and water flowed from it. With it he also parted the Red Sea. It wasn’t Moses or the staff; rather it was God using them. We may not have much but if we give God what we do have He will use it and use us. As God does this we will begin to see our reluctance fade because we become more and more amazed at what God is doing through us.
The next thing we have to do is deal with personal corruption.
6 Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.
7 "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
A person who had leprosy was considered to be “dirty.” They had to warn people of their presence. Their desire was to be clean. When God tells Moses to put his hand back into his cloak and he pulls it our clean God is showing his ability to cleanse us. The bible tells us that when we confess our sins (our dirtiness) that God is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9).
We have to understand that our sin keeps us from being that man or woman of God that we should be. He cannot live through and make our live extraordinary as long as we are living in sin. We have to deal with the corruption that is in our lives. We need to come to Him and receive His forgiveness and then move beyond that sin.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
Psalm 24:3-4
The final thing we have to do for God to make us extraordinary is honor personal correction.
8 Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
When I was a child my father disciplined me often (deservedly so). There were times after receiving my father’s discipline I where I mocked him or made fun of him (after he left the room of course). I didn’t honor his correction and I really had no intention of altering my life.
There were also times when my father just wore me out and I learned my lesson and made a conscious choice to not do whatever it was again. It altered my life!
God’s correction should always lead to us altering our lives. My dad never disciplined me out of meanness it was always out of love. The same is true for God! He corrects us out of love and His desire for us to become extraordinary.
This is the commissioning of Moses where God shows him his purpose. You and I receive our commission in Matthew 28.
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
It’s while we are living our purpose and God living through us that He does extraordinary things through us. It’s important that we understand that our purpose is advance Christ. That is why we exist and that is how we find meaning in life.
God does not always allow us to see the big picture. Keep in mind that Moses never entered into the Promised Land. What he did do was everything that God had asked of him. You and I are without excuse when it comes to not following God’s desire for us. Because we can’t see what the future holds means that we need to follow God closer not shy away from him.
It’s also important to understand that we all fulfill the Great Commission differently. A lady once criticized D.L. Moody for the way he did his invitation. He told her that honestly he didn’t like it either and inquired as to how she told people about Christ. She said that she didn’t and Moody replied, “Well, then I like my way better than yours.” It’s alright to be different in how we live the Great Commission as long as we do live it!
Go this week and let God make your life extraordinary!
Matt Hofeld
Pastor, Mayfair Baptist Church
OKC, OK
God chooses out of love and mercy to use us. It’s God’s grace that compels Him to take ordinary people like you and I and do extraordinary things through us. By ordinary I mean human. We all have physical limitations and we all struggle with sin. At our very best we are ordinary!
It was an ordinary man that God used to lead the nation of Israel out of bondage. Moses had grown up in royalty but fled into exile when he murdered an Egyptian. Then he lived as a shepherd tending to his father-in-law’s flock until God called him from ordinary to extraordinary.
In Exodus chapter 4 God has already commissioned Moses to this huge task, told him that He would be with him and that the people would respond to him. In verse one Moses shows his reluctance.
1 Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
Here we can identify with Moses because we are often reluctant to follow God as well. Our reluctance is often caused by our fear. We fear rejection. We are afraid that our friends and family will not accept us the way that they did before we started following Christ. We fear failure. That we cannot live up to the person that God has called us to be. We fear acceptance. That people will accept the person we are in Christ and then expect us to live up to a higher standard.
God quickly shows His power to Moses in a demonstration using Moses’ Rod.
2 Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.
3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."
In order for God to do extraordinary things through us a change of ownership has to take place. The staff that Moses had was much more than just a walking stick. Moses used it for protection, to carry things and as a tool. It was essential to his way of life. If you look down in verse 20 you see that the ownership of the staff changed.
20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
Moses took what he had and gave it to God and God used it. With that staff Moses struck a rock and water flowed from it. With it he also parted the Red Sea. It wasn’t Moses or the staff; rather it was God using them. We may not have much but if we give God what we do have He will use it and use us. As God does this we will begin to see our reluctance fade because we become more and more amazed at what God is doing through us.
The next thing we have to do is deal with personal corruption.
6 Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.
7 "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
A person who had leprosy was considered to be “dirty.” They had to warn people of their presence. Their desire was to be clean. When God tells Moses to put his hand back into his cloak and he pulls it our clean God is showing his ability to cleanse us. The bible tells us that when we confess our sins (our dirtiness) that God is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9).
We have to understand that our sin keeps us from being that man or woman of God that we should be. He cannot live through and make our live extraordinary as long as we are living in sin. We have to deal with the corruption that is in our lives. We need to come to Him and receive His forgiveness and then move beyond that sin.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
Psalm 24:3-4
The final thing we have to do for God to make us extraordinary is honor personal correction.
8 Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
When I was a child my father disciplined me often (deservedly so). There were times after receiving my father’s discipline I where I mocked him or made fun of him (after he left the room of course). I didn’t honor his correction and I really had no intention of altering my life.
There were also times when my father just wore me out and I learned my lesson and made a conscious choice to not do whatever it was again. It altered my life!
God’s correction should always lead to us altering our lives. My dad never disciplined me out of meanness it was always out of love. The same is true for God! He corrects us out of love and His desire for us to become extraordinary.
This is the commissioning of Moses where God shows him his purpose. You and I receive our commission in Matthew 28.
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
It’s while we are living our purpose and God living through us that He does extraordinary things through us. It’s important that we understand that our purpose is advance Christ. That is why we exist and that is how we find meaning in life.
God does not always allow us to see the big picture. Keep in mind that Moses never entered into the Promised Land. What he did do was everything that God had asked of him. You and I are without excuse when it comes to not following God’s desire for us. Because we can’t see what the future holds means that we need to follow God closer not shy away from him.
It’s also important to understand that we all fulfill the Great Commission differently. A lady once criticized D.L. Moody for the way he did his invitation. He told her that honestly he didn’t like it either and inquired as to how she told people about Christ. She said that she didn’t and Moody replied, “Well, then I like my way better than yours.” It’s alright to be different in how we live the Great Commission as long as we do live it!
Go this week and let God make your life extraordinary!
Matt Hofeld
Pastor, Mayfair Baptist Church
OKC, OK
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