Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Someday I'll Get It

Rom 13:8, 10 "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law...Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

Sometimes I wish I just kept my thoughts to myself. In fact, I wish that I never had these thoughts. I Cor 13:5 says: “love…thinks no evil…”. That is where I get into trouble. Jumping to conclusions. Assumptions. Too many times they are not positive and they are wrong.

I experienced this recently. I heard something, read something and then assumed something. It was not a positive thought and it resulted in a frank e-mail. Two errors were made here. 1. My assumptive thought. 2. Expressing it through an e-mail. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. If I had applied I Cor 13, I would have thought the best not the worst. I would have made a phone call, not an e-mail. I would have gotten all of the facts and not jumped to conclusions. I would have been an encourager, not a discourager.

This is the truth about today’s verse. Don’t owe anyone anything. Don’t owe them money. Don’t owe them favors. Don’t owe them reciprocations. Owe them only one thing: love. Always pay back in love. Always give love. Always extend love. Agape love. Unconditional love. Unreasonable love. God’s love.

When I do this I will be fulfilling and completing what God originally wrote in the law. I won’t do harm, I will do good. I will honor my parents, I will not murder (or hate), I will not commit adultery (or lust), I will not steal, I will not lie, I will not covet. Love is the completion of all of these things and more. It is not just what I will not do, it is what I will do. I will be patient, and kind, and selfless, and true, and hopeful. I will not jump to negative conclusions but will jump to build others up.

Please God, help me think in love, help me act in love, help me talk in love, help me write in love, help me walk in love. Someday I'll get it.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Logical Worship

Rom 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

When I was a teenager I did not like these verses. (1 and 2) I wanted to do what I wanted to do and I did not want to hear about being different than the world. The problem is, I could not get away from these verses. Rom 12:1 and 2 kept coming back to haunt me. I just could not get away from their power.

Now these are verses that I embrace. They are still convicting, but they are verses that I agree need to be lived out in my life.

Paul is pleading with the Roman Christians. I beseech you…I urge you…I implore you with the heart of God. This is not just some off the cuff suggestion. This is urgent. Do this…present your bodies as a living sacrifice. That is kind of weird. A sacrifice is dead isn’t it? Yes. Here we are, back at die to live. But Paul is getting real practical and bringing it down the physical aspect of my body.

What do I do with my body? What does the heart of God want for my physical body? He wants it to die to self. He wants it to be a sacrifice. But He wants it to be alive, available, useful, breathing, active for His service.

In the OT sacrifices had to be clean. They had to be unblemished. They had to be the best that could be offered. That is what God wants with my body as well. He wants it to be holy, set apart, pure and pleasing to Him.

We don’t hear about this much. That God’s heart is for our bodies to be holy so they can be living and used by Him to accomplish His service. We need to. I need to think about what I do with my body. Is it being used as a vessel of worship or am I selfishly doing my own thing and ignoring the God who gave His body. This is not holiness. This is being set apart for self.

Really, Jesus is not asking me to do anything that He has not already done. He killed His physical body and lived. I need to kill my physical desires, urges, and self seeking will and use my body for what God wants.

This is my reasonable act of service. It is my logical act of worship. It only makes sense.

Today I need to think about what I do with my body. Is it a vessel that brings glory to God or is it a tool that I use for my own selfish gain?

Monday, February 22, 2010

Small

Rom 11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out."

Really, Paul has just spent four chapters dealing with election. Chapter 8: “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called: whom He called, these He also justified: and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” v30 Chapter 9:”So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” v17 Chapter 10: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” v19 Chapter 11: “What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.” Again, tough stuff to grasp. Difficult stuff to understand.

This is why Paul says: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.”

Some people spend their whole lives studying God. It is called “theology”. Many try to figure Him out. Many try to put Him in their own little neat box. Many try to bring Him down to where we can understand who He is. We never will…not until we get to heaven. Oh sure, He wants us to know Him. He wants us to grow in our relationship with Him, but we will never totally figure Him out. We will never fully understand this choosing thing. We will never know what He is truly like. He is too huge. He is too wise. He knows too much. His judgments and decisions are unsearchable and the way that He works can’t be comprehended. This is why we can spend time in His word and He will always reveal something new to us, because His riches and wisdom and knowledge are infinite…and we are not.

I need to remember my place. I need to remember who I am. I am small.

Louie Giglio wrote a great book: I am Not, but I know I AM. In it he says: “Sitting here, I feel so small-and small feels surprisingly good. So good I begin to wonder why it’s so surprising that feeling small feels so good.

The truth is, feeling small may not be so bad if in recognizing our smallness we come to realize the wonder of God-a God who is beyond our ability to fully describe or imagine, yet someone we are privileged to know, love and embrace.”

Face it. There are some things we just can’t figure out. Stop trying. Realize that God is God. His ways are beyond my imagination. And He calls me by name. Wow.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Life Change...Destiny Change

Rom 10:8-10 "'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we preach); that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

There is something about our mouths and our hearts…they are connected. I am not talking about the physical heart. What I am talking about is the inner man, what makes us tick inside, what motivates us, the center of all of our physical and spiritual life. What goes on, on the inside has an impact on what comes out on the outside.

In this instance, what goes on, on the inside and comes out on the outside determines our spiritual destiny. It establishes our deliverance from sin and self and Satan.

What happens on the inside? Belief. An absolute persuasion that Jesus is no longer dead…that He is alive and well. If I am totally convinced that Jesus rose from the dead, if I have this deep conviction inside that this event actually took place, it will reveal itself through my words. What will I say? That Jesus is Lord. I will declare openly that Jesus Christ is the owner, controller and Master of my life…and the sovereign of all the universe. When this happens something amazing occurs. I am saved. I am delivered. I am redeemed. I am bought back. Before this takes place I am on my way to destruction. Before this takes place I am totally lost and going down fast. Before this takes place I am destined for Hell. But…when this takes place everything changes. My destiny is changed. My future is changed. My life is changed. My motivations are changed. I am a totally new man.

What we saw recently in church exemplified this very truth. We saw many people confess with their mouths. We experienced what God does: Life change and destiny change. We saw God at work in salvation and deliverance. It is an amazing thing to watch, in my life and in the lives of others. Praise God.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Controversial

Rom 9:16 "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."

This is very controversial stuff. The question: “Does man choose to be saved or does God choose those who will be saved?” The answer: “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”

The point: We are incapable of choosing. If I can choose, then it is up to my will. It is an act of my will. It is something that I have a desire to do, something that I determine in my own mind. But this verse says: “It is not of him who wills…”

It is also not based upon my effort. It isn’t because I strive after salvation, or search for it, or because I exert my strength to get it. “Nor of him who runs…”

So, if I can’t decide and if I can’t work for it, how do I get it? It is totally dependant upon God. “…it is…of God who shows mercy.” It is based upon God being willing. It is based upon God running. It is based upon God who extends mercy to some. Ouch, to some? “Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.” v18

This is tough for us to swallow. We think we have the capability to come to this decision ourselves and the burden is on us. To think otherwise would make God out to be unjust and unfair. Paul knew that believers struggled with this when he wrote Romans. They even asked the question: “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” v19 Paul’s reply: “Who are you to reply against God?” Frankly, God is God. He is in control. He knows what He is doing and we have no clue. We humans can’t say that God is unjust. That is not an accusation that we can level against Him. He makes us to fulfill His purpose. He is God. He is sovereign. He rules over all and we have no place in questioning Him.

This is difficult stuff. On the flip side, however, it is amazing stuff. It makes me wonder: Why me? It makes me even more appreciative of what God has done and is doing in my life. It makes me take more seriously the reason God has created me, to be a “…vessel of mercy which He prepared beforehand for (His) glory…”. v23

I don’t understand it, but I accept it, for God is God and I am not.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Tranquilized

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

Assurance: All elements in our life work together for our good. Assurance: God is for us and we are more than conquerors. Assurance: Nothing can separate us from God’s love.

If we ever doubted, look at these verses. If we ever wondered if we were secure in Jesus, just look at these verses. If we ever wondered if God cared about us and holds us firmly in the palm of His hand, look at these verses.

Paul said that he was persuaded. He was convinced. He was confident. It is interesting, the word for persuaded can also be translated “tranquilized”. Paul was so sure of his position in Christ that he had total peace…he was tranquilized. This is how I should be as well.

All kinds of things have and will enter my life. I will experience life and death. I will experience spiritual forces. I will experience the present and future. I will experience this creation. It looks like Paul is trying to incorporate anything and everything that could impact my life and he is saying that nothing can separate me from God’s love. His love is secure. I don’t have to worry about whether what I do will change God’s love. It won’t. I don’t have to be concerned about what other people do because it won’t change God’s love for me. I don’t have to wonder whether this battle I am fighting will change God’s love because it will not. I don’t have to concern myself with the circumstances that enter my life because I know that God’s love is secure. It will not change. It will not waver. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever and His love remains constant. It will always be there. He doesn’t love me any less if I screw up and He doesn’t love me any more if I glorify Him. His love stays the same and nothing will ever separate me from it.

The other day I was disappointed in myself because I screwed up. Fortunately, I know that the Lord lives in me because He convicted me. I still am disappointed in myself but God has forgiven me and he says this to me: “Glen, I love you. I always will…no matter what.” Thank you, Lord.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Winning Big

Rom 8:31 - "If God is for us, who can be against us...Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (v37)

Talk about assurance. Short and sweet. Paul asks a rhetorical question: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Answer: No one. God is there on my behalf and there is no competition. Even though we can look around us and think that the world is against us (it is), and this culture is against us (it is), and some political mindsets are against us (they are), and philosophies are against us (they are), and other religions are against us (true), and Satan is against us (he is), and some individuals may be against us (most likely)…none of these things are a match for God. They all may try to raise their voices, they may all try to battle the believer, but God is on our side. The almighty God who created all things and rules over all things and is in control of all things is there on my behalf, and nothing can defeat Him.

Shall tribulation be against us, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword be against us? Yes. But, look at what comes next, even though much may come against us we are more than conquerors through Jesus. We don’t just win, we win big. We overcome everything that is against us. We will gain a “surpassing victory” over all.

I know that this is what the persecuted church hangs on to every day. People in China and North Korea and Somalia and Cuba and Iran and all over the world deal with real threats every day. Yet, they don’t give in. They don’t give up. They don’t deny their faith. Why? Because God is for them and they know that they have a surpassing victory.

When stuff hits me in the face, whether outside threats or inside threats, keep this in mind…hang on to this reality: God is for me. No one can stand up to Him. I am not just a conquerer, I am more than a conqueror through Jesus. He has already gained a huge victory for me and all of His church.

Every Detail

Rom 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. "

This verse follows the verses that state that the Spirit intercedes for us and prays according to the will of God. As a result, we know that all things work together for good. Why? Because the Spirit of God is praying for those who love God. The Spirit of God is praying for those who are the called of God. The Spirit of God is praying for me.

This is a verse of assurance. God is in control. His will and His purposes will always prevail. He sees the big picture. I only can see what is immediately in front of me but He is taking the long view and sees it all. He is working all things out in my life to fulfill His purpose for me, and it is for my good…if I am one who loves Him, if I am one who is called by Him.

God has control of every minute detail of my life. All things means each and every. Each and every detail of my life work together, partner together, labor with each other for that which is good, useful, excellent, and pleasant. This is the case for those who love God, for those who agape God, for those whose heart cares about what He wants unconditionally. This is the case for those who are called by God. The word for called means invited or divinely selected. If God has called me, if He has divinely selected me, if I love Him with all that I am, then I can have the assurance that He is working it all out for my ultimate joy.

Two question need to be asked when any circumstance (whether it is perceived to be good or bad) enters my life. They are: Do I love God? Am I called by Him? If I can say “yes” to both, then I don’t have to worry. God is working it all out for my best. On the flip side, if I am not called by Him, if I can’t say that I love Him, what happens to me is up in the air.

Thank God I can say “yes”.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Praying for Me

Rom 8:26,27 "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself make intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

The Holy Spirit leads me, He assures me and He prays for me. This last one is wild. To think that a person of the Godhead actually prays to God the Father on my behalf is amazing.

Why does He do this? Because I get stuck. Because I am not smart enough. Because I am weak. I really don’t know how to pray. Sure Christ taught us how to pray by His example and His words. Scripture tells us that we ought to do everything by prayer and supplication. It tells us to ask, seek, knock. But… But I am weak. I am human. I really don’t know how to pray effectively. The Spirit of God knows that. The Spirit of God sees my heart and He takes my prayers and molds them to come to the throne of God according to the will of God. This really is a mystery. The cool thing is that when I pray, I can have the assurance that my words get translated by the Spirit of God and arrives in the ears of God according what He wants.

The word for intercession in verse 27 is “entygchano”. It means to meet with a person for the purpose of conversation, consultation or supplication. This is what the Spirit of God does. He meets with God the Father and God the Son on my behalf for the purpose of conversation, consultation and supplication. The amazing thing is that the word for intercession in verse 26 is “hyperentygchano”. Hyperconversation, hyperconsultation, hypersupplication that is so intense that He does it with sighs that have no words.

As a result I have the assurance that my prayers make it to God. My prayers are sweet to Him. My prayers will get answered according to His will.

The point: Keep praying. There are some things that I am praying for right now that I have no clue about, yet I am praying. I am asking God to do some things that only He can do. I am also saying in some instances: “God, I really am not sure what to do next.” That’s OK because the Spirit of God will mold those prayers and I can step back and see how God works. He will accomplish His will every time.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Tuning In

Rom 8:16 "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."

More confirmation. Rom 8:14 said that if the Spirit of God leads us, this shows that we are children of God. Now, two verses later, Paul tells us that God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are His children.

Bearing witness is a legal term. It means testify. It is one who called upon to tell what they know, what they have seen, what they have experienced. It is not second hand knowledge (hearsay). It is first person, actual knowledge of what they personally know. God’s Spirit testifies to my spirit, He gives my spirit actual knowledge of what He knows, that I am His child.

If the Spirit of God lives in me, I will know it. I will experience Him. There will be something in my inner person (my spirit) that verifies that I am a child of God. There will be an inner voice that convicts me, or teaches me, or directs me. It won’t be my voice. It will be something that I would not normally think about or know. It is, right now, the Spirit of God who is teaching me right at this time.

This is confirmation. This is a verification that I am a child of God. Amazing. A child of God. I need to let that sink in. I am not just a friend of God, I am His child. His heir. Joint heirs with Jesus. (v17) I am a part of God’s family. This is huge. This is unfathomable. It really is beyond my understanding. But it is true. If I hear God’s voice it is the Spirit of God confirming with my spirit that I am His kid.

I need to be sensitive. I need to be in tune. I need to be open. I need to be quiet and let the confirmation process go on.