Digging Deeper

Bow Now

2012-02-15T03:58:00.001-08:00

Eze 25:17 I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay my vengeance upon them."

I sit here at Cleveland Hopkins Airport waiting for our flight to go to Charleston to see Elise and Austin. As I wandered around, I looked at all the people and I thought to myself: "I wonder what all these people think about God? I wonder if any of them think that they are the center of the universe and simply live their lives without any thought of the fact that there is a mighty, sovereign, powerful, awesome God who controls it all. I think the answer to my question is pretty obvious...the answer is "Yes", this is how most people live. In fact, it is how we all live, doing our thing. How do I know? "All have sinned...". We all do our own thing, not God's thing. And by doing our own thing we are ignoring, avoiding, disobeying the God of all creation.

This was the deal with the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites and Philistines. These people decided that they were going to take on Israel. They decided that they were going to bring grief to this nation. They decided that the Jews were not worthy of life, so they did what they could do to destroy them. God's response? "I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay my vengeance upon them." In other words: "You think you are going to do your own thing and play with Israel. Let's see who wins this game. I am going to play with you. I am going to execute great vengeance. You are going to be rebuked in My wrath." This is not an enviable position....but it is the position that we are all in when we turn our backs on God. If we do not surrender, if we do not bow down to this powerful, awesome Creator of all, we will also experience His great vengeance and be rebuked in His wrath. This should send chills down every human spine...but it doesn't. We think He is some benevolent Father who will overlook our rebellion. He won't.

I also think about the stupid guys who rule in Iran. I call them stupid because they think that they can take on Israel...and by taking on Israel they think that they can take on God. Dumb. To believe that you are smarter, more powerful, more authoritative than God is the height of pride...and stupidity. Some day, Ahmadinajad will know something: "He will know that I am the LORD." When that day comes, he will be on his face in front of the Almighty Lord.

The thing is, his fate is everyone's fate. We all take on God. When we refuse to listen to Him we are taking Him on, and we will eventually all know that He is the LORD. "Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father."

All the better to do it now, for "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." No condemnation. No wrath. No vengeance. Why? Because of Jesus. If only Ahmadinajad would bow to Christ now. If only Putin would bow to Christ now. If only Obama would bow to Christ now. If only I would bow to Christ now.

Promises, Promises

2012-02-14T04:22:00.001-08:00

Ez 24:14 "I am the LORD. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord GOD." ESV

The fact that God is true to His word has always brought me comfort. It has given me a firm foundation…stability. I am thankful that what He says He will do He does…that is until it comes to judgment. Then, I am not so sure. The thing is, God is true to all of His promises, good and bad. If He promises to bless, He will bless. If He promises to curse, He will curse. You can't take one and not the other. He is God and all that He says is true and will happen.

I am sure that Samaria and Jerusalem were not real happy about God's promises. His promise was that if they prostituted themselves with other nations, He would punish them. At the time, they ran after their own desires, they didn't care. Their immediate pleasure was more important to them than the ultimate fulfillment of the promise of God to bring judgment. So they ignored God's promises, they ignored God's word and did what they wanted. God's response: I am true to My word. "I am the LORD. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged…". In other words, you may want Me to let up when you are dealing with the consequences of your sin, but I am going to stay true to what I said and you will experience all that I have promised.

Decisions. We all make them. When am I going to get up? I have a choice. What am I going to eat? I have a choice. What am I going to say? I have a choice. What am I going to think about? I have a choice. What am I going to watch? I have a choice. Who am I going to hang with? I have a choice. Am I going to obey God? I have a choice. The fact that we have a choice is not the problem. The problem is that in our decision making we fail to consider the promises of God. We want what we want when we want it and who cares what God thinks, is dangerous. Why? Because God is true to His promises. He has spoken and it will come to pass. "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life that you and your offspring may live," Deut 30:19

There it is. Life or death. Blessing or a curse. Decision making time. God is true to His promise.

One Guy

2012-02-08T04:30:00.001-08:00

Ez 22:30 "And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none." ESV

One guy. Just one guy. That is all that was needed to prevent the hand of God's judgment to fall on Israel, but God looked and didn't find anyone.

Israel was a mess. Idolatry. Sexual immorality. Usury. Extortion. Violence. Power. Abuse. It was all there…and it was all encouraged. The leadership acted like they had direction but it didn't come from God. Kind of sounds familiar.

And God looked. He tried to find a guy who would repair the destruction. Who would bridge the gap so that He wouldn't destroy the country, but even God could not find a guy willing to do this. They were all interested in what they wanted. They were too consumed by their personal comfort. They were having too much fun and making too much money. No one was willing to take a stand.

As I think about this, I wonder what is going to happen in our country. As I write this our religious liberties are under attack. We have a President who thinks that he can tell religious organizations that they have to violate their long held beliefs, practices and convictions in order to fulfill his own agenda. We have a culture that is tolerant of every organization and every lifestyle with the exception of those who name the name of Jesus. I wonder how long this is going to go on? I wonder if there are men who will stand in the gap? I wonder if there are guys who will say: "Enough is enough.". Will we petition? Will we protest? Will we strike? Will we open our mouths? Will we pray? Will we act focused on eternity?

Probably a more pointed question is: What will I do? Will I stand in the gap? Will I be one guy?

Passionate Communication

2012-02-07T04:30:00.001-08:00

Ez 21:1 (8,18) "The word of the LORD came to me:" ESV

I have noticed that this phrase occurs over and over again in the book of Ezekiel. It has hit me before, but this time it really stood out. Maybe because it is said three times in this chapter, or maybe because of what I have been mulling over in my brain lately. Just think about it…"The word of the LORD came to me.". What a responsibility. What a privilege. Here is Ezekiel, a pretty normal guy, and God just keeps talking to him. God just keeps showing him stuff that he has to declare to his people. God just keeps revealing His mind. And what does God want Ezekiel to do when His word is given to him? Talk. Open his mouth. Declare His word. God didn't just give His word to Ezekiel to make him smarter or give him private insight. God gave Ezekiel His word to proclaim to his people what God was up to.

As I sit here writing this, I can't help but think that God wants that for me. I mean, I am really thankful that I get to read the Word of God every morning. I am really thankful that I get to spend time meditating on it by journaling. I am really thankful for the things that God teaches me…but what am I doing with it? Sure I send it out as a blog and people have the opportunity to read it and hopefully are encouraged and challenged, but when do I open my mouth and declare it? And when I do, how is it communicated? As something that is only an option, or do I communicate it with passion?

I get the idea that Ezekiel didn't just blandly talk about what God was showing him. I bet his heart was behind his words. I bet there was urgency in those words. I bet there was emotion and passion. How do I know? Look at verse v6. Ezekiel was to groan with breaking heart and bitter grief. This was something he felt. This was something that impacted his inner man to such an extent that it came out in how he communicated it.

Now does this mean I have to cry every time I talk? No. But it does mean that when I share God's word, it better have impacted my life first. It better be real to me. It better be something that I have chewed on so that when I share it, it is clear that this hasn't just impacted my mind but it has changed my heart so that I share it with my heart.

Why is this a big deal? Because it is the word of the LORD and nothing is more vital.

King Jesus

2012-02-06T04:09:00.001-08:00

Ez 20:33 "As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you." ESV

Yesterday was a good day at church. Pastor Todd challenged us to fight for the heart of our King. Why? Because He is King and people are desperately in need of a real Ruler, a real Leader, a real Savior. Not this political garbage that we are being fed. These guys who are running for President are just fallen sinners like the rest of us. They need a King too. We are all in this sinful state together destined for eternal destruction. That is until we embrace our King…King Jesus.

And if there is any question, just do what Israel did…the dumb thing…try to be like the other nations who clamored for a king. Try to be like the other nations who run after other things, other gods, other leaders and ignore the One True King. What will happen? "…surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out…". God is going to reveal Himself. He did it with Israel, He is going to do it again. This is why it is important for us, for me to declare that Jesus is my King now. Jesus rules over my life now. And this is why it is important for us to declare this King to others now because no one will stand when He exerts His mighty hand and outstretches His arm of wrath.

The last six words of this verse are pretty final, pretty declarative. There is really no question that remains after these words are uttered: "I will be King over you.". The only question is: When? The amazing thing is that we have an option now. We have an opportunity now. We have the privilege of bowing to King Jesus now. When we do, we can avoid the wrath of God. But, if we are like Israel and want another king, if we are like Israel and want to run after our own gods, we will experience God's wrath only to declare He is King. "I will be King over you.". No one else. Nothing else. Only One King…King Jesus.

And for those of us who have said that Jesus is King, we have to live like it. There is nothing worse than a traitor. There is nothing worse than a person who declares his or her allegiance and then backs down. I have to, we all have to fight for the heart of our King…no matter what.

No More Zombies

2012-02-05T14:38:00.001-08:00

Ez 18:21,22 "But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live." ESV

Here is the backdrop for these verses: "The soul who sins shall die.". v 4,20 We are all in trouble because we all sin. We all screw up and at some time in our life we tell a lie, take something that isn't ours, have a rotten thought…whatever. We all sin. The conclusion…we all die. Paul said it: "For the wages of sin is death…". Pretty clear. But of course, this should not come as a shock. Everyone dies. I think there is more to it than that, though. "The SOUL who sins shall die.". This is more than just the death of our physical body. It is the death of who we are inside. It is the death of our inner man. It is the death of what makes us tick.

The weird thing is, this death can be three-fold. First, a person who sins will die before they physically die. That is their conscience is killed. There is no sense of right and wrong. There is no desire for what is true. They have become zombies. Mindless walking dead. We see it all around us, people just existing and not living. Why? Because of sin. And, they don't even know it. Second comes physical death. This is the thing that we are all familiar with because we have experienced it in our family, see it in the news, whatever. Finally comes spiritual death…eternal death. Going back to what Paul said: "For the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom 6:23 Paul is comparing eternal life with eternal death. This death is eternal separation from God. Eternal punishment…forever. That is a long time and no getting out. That is death. That is final death.

This is what puzzles me: People who think that real life means depravity. Those who think that to live it up in this life means to do all the dumb stuff that they can think of. Unfortunately, these are the zombies. They are walking around empty headed and empty hearted with an empty life. I see this right now in the live of several people that I know. The end result…death.

Yet there is this word: "But". "But the gift of God…". "But if the wicked person turns…" what do you get? "He shall surely live, he shall not die." "Eternal life." Physical death? Yes. Spiritual death? No…never. And in this life, no more zombiness. With repentance comes life. With turning away from sins and turning toward what is right by faith in Jesus what do we get? Forgiveness and life. Totally clean and totally alive…forever, with purpose, and hope, and meaning and freedom. How can this happen? "None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him". Totally gone, forgiven, wiped clean….and alive…now and forever.

Trees

2012-02-04T05:36:00.001-08:00

Ez 17:24 "And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it." ESV

Is God interested in trees? Apparently. At least when the trees represent people. Ezekiel was given a story in chapter 17. In it God gave him a parable about a tree that grew as a result of an eagle taking part of the tree and planting it. This tree grew strong and prospered, but that may have been its downfall. With strength and prosperity came pride and self reliance. The result? It withered.

The point of the story? "I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree." "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6 & I Pet 5:5 "Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you." James 4:10 "The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground." Ps 147:6 And in nature: "Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low." Luke 3:5 In other words, there is no room for pride or being a big deal in the presence of God. This is back to humbled, confounded and speechless. There is no other attitude and no other position when it comes to facing God.

But that is our problem…that is my problem. When I decide that I want to do what I want to do and ignore God it is pride. It is placing myself above God. It is saying to God: "You don't know what You are talking about…I am smarter." Frankly, that is dumb, but it is what we are all like. When that happens, the high tree is made low, cast to the ground and God opposes us. Talk about a dangerous place.

The safe place? Low. Humble. Submitted. Obedient. It is in that position that God wants to help. It is in that position that God wants to honor. It is in that position that God wants to lift up, make high and flourish. Not because we deserve it because in that position we know that we don't, and that is the point. It's all God and we know it.

So, what will my heart attitude be today, and tomorrow and next week? May it be a short little tree.

Confounded and Speechless

2012-02-02T14:00:00.001-08:00

Ez 16:62, 63 "I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD." ESV

This is just unreal. As I read through chapter 16, God lays out the sin of Israel. It was nasty. It was horrible. It was really unimaginable. God said that after all He did for Israel, made them comfortable, made them profitable, made them beautiful…they used their comfort and profit and beauty to betray Him and run after other gods. They prostituted themselves with others. Not only that, but they paid others so they could defile themselves with them. God even said that they were worse than Sodom. It was bad. The result, God extended His anger and His punishment so that Israel would be ashamed and disgraced.

But God is God. He didn't want to do this. He didn't enjoy punishing His people. Instead, He wanted to draw them in to a loving covenant relationship. Why? So they could know who He was. The same lesson was being learned in living through the consequences of their sin as well as in God's desire to bring them back: So they shall know that I am the Lord. And in knowing this they would remember. Remember what? How it used to be, how it is and how it can be. How it was: Profitable. How it is: Punishable. How it can be: Pardoned. It is that last realization that would blow them out of the water. It is the realization that even in all their junk, God forgave them, He covered them, He reconciled them…made things right again. What would this do? Confound them, humble them, and leave them speechless.

Isn't that the way it is? God blesses us and we kick Him in the teeth. God punishes us and we start to pay attention. God draws us back and forgives us and we are left humbled and speechless. That is the place that I want to be: humbled, confounded and speechless. "I don't know why Jesus loves me. I don't know why He cares. I don't know why He sacrificed His life. Oh, but I'm glad, I'm glad He did."

Pompous Deception

2012-02-01T05:00:00.001-08:00

Ez 14:3 "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?" ESV

These people were really messed up. They worshipped other gods, they caused others to fall in sin as they followed them and not only did they think that what they said was from God and would be fulfilled (yesterday) but they also tried to give God advice. Talk about pompous deception. These guys had it and they didn't even know it.

Pompously deceived. That is how we can get sometimes. We think we are spiritual, we think that we are walking with God but there is this one thing that we just want to hang on to. There is this one thing that gets in the way. There is this one thing that is so important to us that we make decisions and do things that are so totally contrary to scripture that proves that we have made this thing an idol, and we don't even realize it. In our deception we think we are able to give advice, so we freely share our ideas and our values with others in an attempt to sway them. This is dangerous stuff.

In Ezekiel's day the advice came from these idolaters who tried to tell God's prophets what to do, how to live, what decisions to make. (v4) God had a warning to the advice takers: "Don't listen to them, for if you do, your end will be the same as theirs." (The rest of the chapter.)

This hits me two ways: First, am I pompously deceived? Is there anything there that is blocking my relationship with God? Is there anything there that is taking His place? Is there anything there that drives my decision making more than His word? If there is, don't try to give advice. Don't teach. Don't counsel. First, get the idol out of my life and walk with God…then maybe God will use me in the lives of others.

Second, are there people in my life who try to give me advice who think that they know the right thing to do, the right decisions to make, but things that they have done reveal that they should be the last ones I take advice from? Beware. I need to surround myself with people who are Christ focused, who make decisions based upon His word and not what is convenient.

I need to take an inward and outward look and make sure that I am not pompously deceived.

Careful

2012-01-31T04:41:00.001-08:00

Ez 13:6b "They say, 'Declares the LORD,' when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word." ESV

This is interesting stuff. There were a bunch of false prophets in Israel. I have to think that they knew that they were a group of deceivers. I don't think that they could sit there and watch what Ezekiel was doing and what God was doing and declare "peace" with all of the stuff going on around them. They apparently had visions and they declared that those visions were from God. They said: "Declares the LORD" but God was not with them. The weird thing is, even though they may have known that they were false and what they were teaching was false, they still "…expect(ed) Him to fulfill their word.".

The flip side, however, is that maybe they didn't know that they were false prophets. This is even more dangerous. Here was a group of people who were seeing visions that they thought came from God. They said that they came from God and they expected God to do what they said, but they were far from God. This is dangerous because they could act and speak with authority and tons of people could be deceived.

Why did this verse hit me today? I think because I think it is a warning to me to be careful when I say: "This is from God". When I say that I better be sure. When I say that I better know that God is directing. That God is leading. That God is the One who is behind the thoughts or ideas that I share. Taking up the authority of God is no small thing.

So how do I know? How can I be sure? How do I discern whether it is God's still small voice in me or if it is misdirection from another source? First, what I say better line up with what the Bible says. If it doesn't, it isn't from God at all. Just like yesterday's verse, what God speaks He will do. His word is His bond. If I say something that is inconsistent with something that He has already said, forget it.

But what about the grey areas where we think that God may be leading, but His word does not really address it? How can we know? I think we have to rely upon others as well. If God is leading me one way and it is truly Him, He will be leading others in the same direction. I think in this situation it is dangerous to be the sole voice of God. If God is able to speak into my life, He is certainly able to speak into other people's lives at the same time which gives confirmation. For example, if I think that God is leading my family to do something but my wife is not on board, I need to rethink it. We are one. He will lead us as one. After all, scripture teaches: "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." Matt 18:19 There is power in agreement. There is confirmation in numbers. But what about Ezekiel? He was a lone voice. That is true, but his word was God's word. In that situation, when God's word says it and I am by myself, that is all I need.

Taking up the authority of God by saying: "This is from God…thus says the Lord" is dangerous stuff. I need to be careful.

Credibility

2012-01-30T04:36:00.001-08:00

Ez 12:25 "For I am the LORD; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord GOD." ESV

Credibility. As I think about that word, I think about my job. I think about my clients. I think about me. I know that it is a lot easier to win a case if my client is honest…if my client is believable. If I have someone who comes into a hearing and all the facts line up just the way that I think that they should, but my client hems and haws and contradicts what they say, I really have no chance. I had what I thought was a perfect case one time where I had video footage that proved a certain fact. It didn't matter. My client changed her story and it killed her case.

Then I think about me. I know that my reputation is key. If hearing officers and judges know that I am honest and that I am not going to try to pull something on them, I have a greater chance of success. If I have facts that are against me, I say it. If I have evidence that can kill me, I reveal it. This does two things. It establishes my credibility and it takes the weapon out of the hands of the opponent.

And this verse brings me to God. God is credible. God is honest. God is true. What He says goes. What He promises He will do. There is no wavering with God. No hemming and hawing on His part. No changed stories. He starts immediately with a fact: "I am the LORD". Why would He say that first? Because there is authority there. There is automatic credibility there. In fact, He really should not have to say anything else. He could leave it at that and we know that there is truth. But He doesn't leave it there. He expands on it and goes on to say: "I will speak the word that I will speak". In other words: What I say you can take to the bank. There is no stuttering. There is no hesitation. My word is my bond. And if you are wondering "and it will be performed". "I will do it…it will be accomplished." And just in case you didn't get it: "I will speak the word and perform it" and once again "declares…(who?) the LORD God".

There is no one truer. There is no one more credible. What God says will happen. So when He promises eternal life to those who believe…done. When He says He will answer prayer…done. When He says His word will not return empty…done. When He says what you sow you will reap…done. When He says your sin will find you out…done. All His statements are true. All the more reason to get in the word. All the more reason to find and declare His promises.

God is credible…you can count on it.

Heart Tenderizer

2012-01-29T04:16:00.001-08:00

Ez 11:19,20 "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God."

Total transformation. That is what God is in the business of doing. Totally transforming lives and making us new again.

Here was a country that was totally messed up. They had turned their backs on God. They had gone their own way. They did their own thing. The result was death and division. But God… God does not want death. God does not want division. God wants life and unity because God's primary character quality is love. "God is love." Sure, He is also just and righteous and holy and powerful, and He uses those attributes when needed, but what He really wants is to show us that He loves us. That He cares for us. He wants to extend mercy and grace to us. He wants us to see His goodness. So what did He do for Israel? What will He do for us? "I will give them one heart." I will put within them a new spirit. I will remove their heart of stone. I will give them a heart of flesh. I will be their God. This is an act of God. He does it. We don't conjure it up…He brings it about.

I see junk going on around me all the time. People who know better. People who have turned their backs on God and their family and their church. I have not gotten to the point of sighs and groans yet, but I get impatient. I want God to do things now, in my time, according to my calendar. God doesn't work that way. He does, He acts, He works according to His timetable. Maybe He is waiting for my sighs and groans. Maybe He wants to work on my heart of stone first and then He will work on others. Maybe I am the one who needs transformation.

The thing I can take hope in is that He will do it. He will work in me. He will work in others. He is working now. He is tenderizing hard hearts so that we are unified. He is tenderizing hard hearts so that we obey Him. He is tenderizing hard hearts so that we only have one focus…Him. We are His people…He is our God. Nothing else. No one else. He did it for Israel and He is in the business of doing it today.

Conformity vs Eternity

2012-01-28T05:18:00.001-08:00

Ez 11:12 "and you shall know that I am the LORD. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you." ESV

I don't know what it is, but the pressure to be like other people is massive. We see what they do and we see what they have and for some reason we think it is how we should live. This is the key to advertising. All advertisers have to do is get you to think that you need something that you currently don't have and they have got you. When this comes to values and character and actions, many times we think that running after money or stuff or power or position is what this life is all about. It isn't. Knowing God and obeying Him is what this life is all about.

Israel was caught up in this. They did what other nations did. They saw that they worshipped other gods. They were enticed by the mystery or the glamour or the excitement that they thought other nations had and they turned their backs on God's instructions. The end result was death and division. They were more concerned about the here and now that they forgot about the future consequences. They were more interested in satisfying their immediate wants that they failed to consider the end result. They did not have a future mindset. They did not consider God or His eternal plan.

If I am not careful, I can do that too. Immediate gratification is nice. The future consequences no so much. In order to follow God and have an eternal focus I need to keep my mind riveted on Him and His word. I have to know Him and follow His instructions, His statutes, His direction. When I am enticed I need to ask myself the question: "How does this play out in eternity?". In fact, when I am enticed I need to ask myself the question: "What will be the future consequences?".

I think that it is cool that our church is going through a six week series on Heaven. It makes you think differently. It makes you consider the temporariness of this life. Not in a morbid way, but in an exciting way. I love what Ken Ungar said. He said: "I am trying to look beyond this life, not to escape this life but to ignite this life." If we have that mindset we will not run after what other nations run after. We will not be focused on what other people do or have. We will have one purpose that will change all that we do here on this earth…to Know God and do what He wants to bring Him glory. That is how I need to make decisions. That is how I need to live.

Sighs and Groans

2012-01-27T16:59:00.001-08:00

Ez 9:4 "And the LORD said to him, 'Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.'" ESV

There was some really bad stuff going on in Israel. God wanted Ezekiel to see the things that the people were doing that profaned who He was so He took Ezekiel on a tour. He wanted him to get a sense of what was going on. The idolatry. The violence. The defilement. (Ch 8) Apparently, this sickened some of the people in the country. Some of the people sighed and groaned and cried over what was happening to Israel. They weren't blind to it. It impacted them. I am sure that they wanted to do something about it, but just did not know what to do. God told Exekiel to mark these people because judgment was coming and these people were going to be protected.

If I were in Israel, I wonder if I would have received a mark? I mean, I am not blind to all of the junk that is going on in the United States today. I see that God's name is mocked. I see that our culture is going down the sewer. I see the garbage that is being fed and eaten up by people in our society. I see a system of politics that is corrupt and powerhungry and frankly, bankrupt. The question is, do I sigh? Do I groan? How many tears have I shed because of what is happening around me?

Now I realize that the United States is not like Israel. We are not the chosen people of God…so it may be a little different. So I need to break this down to a group of God's chosen people…the church. What do I see there? Does my heart break for people in the church who seemingly ignore God? People who once walked with Him, but have now gone a different way? Where is the groaning? Where are the tears? Where is the prayer?

I know one thing, my heart needs to be tenderized because I am not where I should be. Am I concerned? Sure. But it has to go beyond concern. It has to impact me so that I am begging God to do something. It has to move my heart. Look at Paul's heart for other Jews. He had great sorrow. He had continual grief. Rom 9:2 His heart was so moved that he wished that he could take the Jew's punishment to set them free.

I wonder if God is just waiting for hearts like this in me, in all of us to get going where we are at? It doesn't take some slick presentation. It doesn't require a PR campaign. All it takes are people whose hearts love those around them and grieve for them. I need to be there.

Silver and Gold

2012-01-26T14:57:00.001-08:00

Ez 7:19 "They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity." ESV

If you listen to talk radio at all you know that silver and gold are hot topics. Not only do the hosts on these shows talk about it, but the ads either encourage you to buy silver and gold or sell silver and gold. Investors have said that to have a little silver and gold in your portfolio is not a bad idea. In fact, in the Republican Presidential run Newt Gingrich has indicated that if he is elected President he would convene a gold commission in order to study returning to the gold standard. (www.forbes.com/sites/charleskadlec/2012/01/23/gingrich-the-gold-standard-and-the-florida-primary/) Why all the interest? What is the deal with gold and silver? If we rely upon paper money, all we have to do is print more and we have more. The problem with that is the more money you print the less valuable it becomes because there is more of it. When that happens, inflation goes crazy. This is exactly what is happening in our financial system now and there really is no end in sight. We can anticipate that the more money President Obama decides to print, the more inflation we will see in the future. Gold and silver are more stable.

But then we have this verse. Israel was all about gold and silver. They thought it would secure their future as well. They were so captivated by it that "it was the stumbling block of their iniquity". In other words, their lust for money and wealth started their free fall into sin. Sounds like Paul's words: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils." I Tim 6:10 Unfortunately, when we get so focused on money, gold or silver we forget other stuff, like honesty, and justice, and fairness, and equity, and time management. When that happens we experience what we have been experiencing the last few years in this country. In fact, when that happens the end result is the devaluation of gold and silver. Even gold and silver can't feed…it might as well be thrown into the streets. I think of the words in Larry Norman's song: I Wish We'd All Been Ready "A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold". Some day all of this stuff that we focus on in producing wealth is all going to be worthless.

The point? Gold and silver are nothing. When it comes to the day of the wrath of the Lord, forget it. It will not matter how much gold or how much silver anyone has. God doesn't care...and frankly no one else will care either. The only thing that will matter is where we stand with God. We can get all wrapped up in saving and investing but when all is said and done and we are facing eternity, what we accumulated on this earth is going to be the last thing on our minds.

So what do I do? Concentrate on eternity. No, I can't ignore the need to live on this earth and provide for my family and potentially others, but silver and gold cannot be my focus. My heart, my mind, my effort has to be centered on what is going to last...people and God's word. The money that God entrusts to me needs to be stewarded properly. I need to remember that it is simply a tool that God gives us to advance His kingdom and His glory. When I make my life what I make, then it will become a stumbling block worth nothing.

Hard Lessons

2012-01-25T04:54:00.001-08:00

Ez 6:7b " and you shall know that I am the LORD." 10a "And they shall know that I am the LORD." 13a "And they shall know that I am the LORD." 14b "Then they will know that I am the LORD." ESV

I don't like hard lessons, but sometimes this head is so hard that the only way that I will learn is when the hard stuff comes. I think that is what was happening in Israel. These people were so off course, so intent on doing what they wanted, that God had to bring some hard things their way in order for them to learn who He was.

Israel had turned their back on God. It really could not get much worse. They were so caught up in idolatry that they had built altars to their false gods on the mountains. God was watching all of this and it impacted Him emotionally. I know that we don't think of God as having emotions, but He does. Verse 9 says: "I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me." NASB God was hurt. After all that He had done for them, after all of the miracles and victories and provision, these people turned away from Him and worshipped other things. God was hurt. God was broken. His heart was shattered. He knew that as a loving Father He had to do something. These people needed to know who He was, so the hard lessons came. Some starved, some died, some were scattered. Why? So "they will know that I am the LORD". The word for "know" also means "learn". These people had to learn who God was again and the lesson was going to be hard. The lesson was going to result in them knowing who their Father was again.

I think of some people right now who have turned away from God. God is watching and God is hurt. His heart aches and He will not stay silent. As they learn who He is once again they can anticipate some hard lessons.

I don't want that. Like I said, I don't like hard lessons. I would rather avoid them. The only way that can happen is if I constantly turn toward God. If I fix my eyes on Him. If I stay focused on eternity. Frankly, life is easier if I obey. Tough times will still come and lessons will still have to be learned, that is just how things are…but they will not be as hard to take and I will understand that I can trust a loving God who is working.

Ignoring God

2012-01-24T05:03:00.001-08:00

Ez 5:13 "Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself. And they shall know that I am the LORD--that I have spoken in my jealousy--when I spend my fury upon them." ESV

One thing that I usually take comfort in is that God does not change. No matter what I do, He stays the same. The reason I take comfort in that is that this reminder is used so often when we talk about God's love. You know, "What can separate us from the love of Christ?...." The answer: Nothing. No matter how dumb I am. No matter how much I blow it. No matter how much I screw up, God will love me just as much as when I am walking consistently with Him.

But then I hit verses like this one that deals with God's anger and fury and jealousy. If God does not change, then guess what? I have to realize that this part of Him does not change either. Kind of sobering. Is God a God of love? Absolutely. Is God a God of justice? Absolutely. And God knows how to balance these two qualities perfectly.

Israel was in a heap of hurt. They had done some pretty dumb things to show that they did not give a rip about God, His law or His love. They committed idolatry. They listened to false prophets. They went their own way and did their own thing. This was rebellion. This was an abomination to God. The result? A prophet, Ezekiel, was sent to them to demonstrate what was going to happen to them (both Judah and Israel). The things that Ezekiel had to do were amazing. Lay bound so he could not move on his left side for 390 days, and then lay bound on his right side for another 40 days to show what Israel and Judah were going to go through. He had to eat a certain kind of bread that was cooked over cow poop. Then he had to shave his head and divide his hair three ways to reveal what was going to happen to a third of Israel. The result was going to be pestilence, war and scattering.

Why? Because Israel and Judah ignored God. This resulted in His judgment. Why? So they would eventually know that He alone was the Lord. So they would eventually see who He was, a God of love and justice.

God does not like us to play with His reputation. He is the Lord. He is Jehovah. He is the Existing One. He always was, He always will be, He never changes and He is the One who is in control. Not me. When I think that I can do my own thing, go my own way, make my own decisions and ignore what God says, I will do nothing but screw up my life. God doesn't change. He still loves, but He is consistent and expects His children to obey Him. When we don't we can anticipate some nasty results.

But when I do…blessing. That is what God wants.

No Matter What

2012-01-23T04:45:00.001-08:00

Ez 3:10,11 "Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether they hear, or whether they refuse." ESV

So here it is. God told Ezekiel to stand on his feet and he would speak to him. When Ezekiel heard from God he was to do two things: Receive the words into his heart and tell his people the things that God told him. God didn't just want this to be a mental exercise for Ezekiel. He wanted this to be something that Ezekiel internalized. Something that changed him from the inside.

That is huge. I can sit here and read the Bible and write about all kinds of stuff, but if it doesn't impact me, if it does not change me, if I don't receive the words into my heart, then I am just going through motions. I may think that I am accomplishing something, I am putting my time in with God, but if there is no impact in my life, I should just read the newspaper and forget about it. This is what James talks about when he says that we need to be doers of the word and not just hearers. I have to internalize it. It has to make a change on the inside so that it impacts what I do on the outside. If God is willing to share His heart with me, then my heart needs to be changed.

The one thing that God asked Ezekiel to do when he received the words into his heart was to take what God had taught him and tell his people, no matter what. Speak it. Tell it. Share it. Give it. These people were captives. They needed to hear from God and Ezekiel was the son of man, the normal guy who was to tell them. The thing is, when we tell someone something we would like it to have some impact. And if what we are telling them is something that we believe came from the Lord, we really want them to hear it so it can change their lives as well. This was not going to happen with Ezekiel. He was going to tell his people what God said and they were going to ignore it. He was going to talk to brick walls. It was going to be futile…but he was to tell them anyway.

This is a challenge for me. Sometimes I look at people and think "What's the use? They are not going to listen." It doesn't matter. Tell them anyway. This happens with sharing the Gospel, and unfortunately, it also happens when I have an opportunity to share with other believers. Sometimes, many times it falls on deaf ears. God says: "So what? Do it anyway. Share the truth anyway. Give what I have given to you anyway."

So God today, this week, let me share what you teach me with others. Give me the words to say. Let me open my mouth. No matter what.

Normal Man

2012-01-22T04:40:00.001-08:00

Ez 2:1b "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." ESV

Ezekiel's position was down low on his face. This was the position that he should have taken in the presence of a holy and powerful God. The cool thing is that God did not want him to stay there. Sure, God appreciated his heart. God knew that he was on his face because Ezekiel realized who he was and who God was, but if Ezekiel stayed on his face, God would not be able to use him. So God told him to do something…stand up. And God gave him a promise. "After you stand up I will speak with you." Wow. This holy, awesome, powerful, majestic God who sat on the throne in the expanse that was over the four living creatures and the wheels was going to communicate with this son of man…a normal man. Why? God wanted to use this normal man. God knew that if he stayed on his face that nothing would be done, so He told him to get up and then He would tell him what to do.

This is really how it is. When we come to God humbly, down low, acknowledging who we are…nothing, and admitting who He is…everything, then we are ready to be used. And the wild thing is, God wants to speak to us, God wants to use us…normal men and women. I don't get it really. God does not need me. He can do anything He wants, but in His wisdom and in His plan He wants to use a faulty vessel, a normal man. The first thing I have to do is humble myself. The next thing I have to do is stand up and be ready to be used. And the next thing that will happen? God will speak. God will communicate. The very God of all creation will share His mind with me. Will it be something audible? I think with Ezekiel it probably was, but that is not how God works today. He has given me His word and He speaks loud and clear through it. And He has given me His Spirit. I love this verse: "But when He the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth…" John 16:13 Jesus said: "Your word is truth." The Spirit of God wants to take that truth and guide me in it. I love the word for guide…it means to be my teacher. Teacher's communicate. God's desire is to communicate with me through His word through the Spirit of God. And this communication, this teaching is not just so I can increase what I know in my brain…it is so God can use this normal man.

So what is He teaching me? How is He communicating with me? How does He want to use me? Every time I get into the scriptures I need to ask that question because this awesome, powerful, mighty God of creation wants to talk to me and use this normal man. Crazy.

On My Face

2012-01-21T13:49:00.001-08:00

Ez 1:28b "Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking." ESV

For some reason I started studying the books of the Bible that began with "E". I had already done Exodus. Then I hit Ezra (great book), then Ephesians (amazing book) then Esther, then Ecclesiastes and now Ezekiel. So here it goes, a study in the book of Ezekiel.

Right away it starts out weird. Here is this prophet, Ezekiel, who sees unusual stuff. He sees a cloud with flashing fire coming out of it, and something in the middle of it that looked like metal. Then he saw four living creatures with four faces and four wings who looked like bright burning torches, and from them came lightening. The creatures darted back and forth just like lightening and next to each one was something that resembled a wheel with rims that looked like they were full of eyes. Wherever the creatures went and whatever the creatures did the wheels followed and did exactly the same thing. Above their heads was an expanse that was awesome in appearance. When they moved their wings, the sound was massive and sounded just like an army advancing. During all of this what did Ezekiel do? Nothing. He probably just watched with his mouth wide open.

But then he saw something else. In the awesome crystal expanse that was above the creatures heads Ezekiel saw something else. A throne. And sitting on the throne someone who looked like a human. But this was not any ordinary human sitting on a throne. This Being was surrounded by light. Everything was bright all around Him and it was a multicolored brightness that looked like a rainbow. "Such was at the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD." When Ezekiel saw this, what did he do? Stand there with his mouth open? No. Something changed. He saw all of this other stuff and just stood there, but when he saw the glory of the LORD "I fell on my face...". His reaction was totally different. He saw all this other amazing stuff and did nothing, but when he saw God...BOOM! Smack down! On his face. Prostrate. Why? He was looking at the glory of God. When this happened, there was only one way to go...down on his face.

Now I know that we don't have these experiences. I mean, I have not seen four weird living creatures full of fire, with their UFO's coming with them. I have not seen God sitting on His throne, but someday I will and where will I be? On my face. The thing is, this awesome, holy, powerful God is the One who lets me come into His presence now. I don't see Him, but I hear from Him...and where should I be? On my face. Not just on my face in my heart...but literally on my face. He is God and He lets me come into His presence. He extends His grace to me and teaches me. Crazy. Awesome. Prostrate. On my face.

Remember

2012-01-20T03:57:00.001-08:00

Ecc 12:1 "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them'." ESV

Someone once said that "Youth is wasted on the young.". What does that mean exactly? I think when you are young you can have a tendency to be carefree, thoughtless, even sometimes reckless. When you are young you think that you are invincible…that nothing can take you down. As you get older, you learn, you grow, you gain insight, and that insight leads to right decision making. Maybe the better statement would be "Age is wasted on the old". It just seems kind of backward.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could have the insight and wisdom that you obtain in old age when you are young? Dumb decisions could be avoided. Stupid stunts could be averted. Future consequences would be eliminated. Yet, it seems that when we are young we like to "sow our wild oats" only to see later that those oats grow up to be weeds.

This is why Solomon implores the young to remember their Creator when they are young. As a younger individual it is huge when you keep God in the front of your brain. Why? Because even as a young adult you are living in the light of eternity. You know that you want to do one thing your entire life and that is to bring glory to God. When this is the focus of the youth, everything else in their lives falls into place. It is promised that when we seek His kingdom and His righteousness first (remember our Creator), everything else will come (as we get older).

This, however, does not eliminate the need to remember our Creator when we get older. It is kind of interesting, as you get older you start to consider your own mortality. You realize that your eyes are dimming, your body is not working quite like used to, your hearing fades, and more. (See verses 2-7.) As you consider your mortality you have a tendency to start thinking about eternity…you start to consider God. For some, it is too little too late. It doesn't have to be. Wake up now…whether you are young or old.

Always remember, bring to mind, keep in the front of my brain who God is…my powerful Creator…and who I am…the dependent created.

Diversify Freely

2012-01-19T04:04:00.001-08:00

Ecc 11:4 "He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap."

So yesterday it seemed like Solomon was saying: Be prepared, diversify, get ready. Two verses later it seems like he is saying: "Throw caution to the wind.". What's the deal?

Most of the people who lived in the time of Solomon lived off the land. It was an agrarian society where people had to plant what they were going to eat. There was no convenient Giant Eagle or Super Wal-Mart around the corner. Because of this, people would plant in the spring and reap in the fall. Sometimes this got tricky because what they planted may not always produce a crop.

I experienced this last summer. I have a small garden behind my house and the year before was amazing. The tomatoes, the peppers, the lettuce, the basil…we had a bumper crop. Not last year. The weather was very wet and I did not get what I wanted at the end of the year. Did I reap a little? Sure. But it was not what I expected or wanted. Now what would have happened if I had known ahead of time that it was going to be wet year? What would I have done? Not planted at all…or planted more?

I should have been more liberal in my planting. That way, even though each plant may not have produced what I wanted, I would have received more than the year before…even in a bad year.

That is what I believe, Solomon is trying to get across. Don't worry about the wind. Don't worry about the rain. Don't worry about the clouds. Don't worry about the future. Don't worry about potential disaster. Sow…and sow liberally. Don't just hoard what you have now. Let giving be part of the diversification plan. Jesus said it: "Give and it will be given unto you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38 This is the law of sowing and reaping. If we are always consumed with the wind and clouds and we hang on to our seed, we will never reap a harvest. Instead if we sow liberally, we will reap liberally. 2 Cor 9:6

It is all part of diversifying freely…it is all part of planning for the future.

Diversify

2012-01-18T04:25:00.001-08:00

Ecc 11:2 "Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth." ESV

Solomon is considered the wisest man that ever lived. Proverbs is full of his insight. Yet, I never considered that Ecclesiastes is just as full of wisdom and good advice. I think that Ecclesiastes is thought to be about how vain life is…and it is. But tucked away in the middle of these thoughts from Solomon that no matter what he did, it was vanity, there are these pearls of wisdom that even in this vain life, we need to heed.

This is one of them. Solomon knew that things would not always be peaches and cream in this life. He knew that tough times could and probably would come. He knew that disaster happens and we have to be prepared for it. He didn't sit around and put his head in the sand and say: "Whatever will be will be.". He thought that proper planning was a wise thing to do. So this was his advice: "Give portion to seven, or even to eight." Spread it around. Diversify. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket. The word for "portion" actually means: "share, territory, possessions". It is the stuff we own. His advice was to spread it out into seven or eight different places. Why? Chances are, if disaster comes, it will not all be hit.

Now I think about what is happening in our world. The economy everywhere seems to be collapsing. President Obama wants authority to borrow another trillion dollars. (We are already 16 trillion in debt. Take a look at the debt clock, it will startle you: www.usdebtclock.org Frankly, this is unsustainable and ready to explode.) There is saber rattling over in the Middle East about Iran getting the bomb, and closing the Straits of Hormuz. Israel is talking about doing what they can to stop this. Saudi Arabia is saying that they will increase oil production if Iranian production stops. And Iran's response? Threats. Talk about disaster. This is a powder keg waiting to blow up and it will affect all of us. What do we do? Get ready. Prepare. Diversify.

And this does not just mean with our possessions. It means with our talents. It means with our skills. It means with our abilities. It means with what we are learning. It means what we are teaching. It means helping others get their houses in order. It means getting our own house in order. Not because we are running scared. Not because we have something to fear. But because it is wise. And it is wise because you really don't know how God will use you to help others when you are ready.

Solomon is preaching to me right now. Diversify.

Hit it Hard

2012-01-17T04:27:00.001-08:00

Ecc 9:10a "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…".
ESV

Hard work is hard. Yet, hard work is rewarding. I think that this may be what Solomon is trying to get across in this verse.

"Whatever your hand finds to do…". It almost sounds like your hands are looking for things. The way he phrases this makes me think that we are constantly on a search to keep busy, to make, to create, to form. Our hands always find things to do. Whether it is what we are doing in our jobs, or what we are doing with our families, or what we are doing in our ministries, or possibly a project we are working on…Whatever. Solomon encourages us to make sure that whatever our hands find to do, that we do it only one way…with our might. Some translations say "with all our might"…with all our strength…with all our power. Don't be a slacker. I am not to take the responsibilities that I have been given and ease up. It is just the opposite. I am to take what I have been given and I am to work hard. I am to press on. I am to pursue it with all that I am. Paul put it this way: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." Col 3:23,24 The word "heartily" actually means "out of breath".

When I was in college, I had the privilege of being discipled through a group called the Navigators. A representative from the Navs would periodically come to campus and meet with us. I can remember to this day how this guy always said good-bye. He said: "Hit it hard." He didn't like the phrase: "Take it easy.". Why? Because it was not Biblical. What is Biblical, what is honoring to God, what Solomon lived and practiced and encouraged was that whatever our hands find to do, we should "hit it hard".

As I think about my day today I need to go to work with the commitment to hit it hard. As I think about the time that I spend with my family, I need to hit it hard. As I am given responsibility at church in various areas I need to hit it hard. This life is too short to watch it go by eating cheetos on the couch in front of the TV.

At the end of the day, my head should hit the pillow exhausted because my hands found things to do and I did them with all my might. Hit it hard.

My Award from God

2012-01-16T04:20:00.001-08:00

Ecc9:9 "Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun." NASB

This verse is very personal to me. When Georgann and I were dating, I knew that I had grown to love her. Of course when that happens you ask yourself the question: "Is this the one? Is this the person I am supposed to marry?" That was the question that I was asking. Thank God I was spending time in His word and I was reading in the book of Ecclesiastes. I was in chapter nine and this verse popped out. Talk about confirmation! I truly believe that God was allowing me to see His heart for me. And now, 32 years later I am thankful for His word and His wisdom. My wife, the woman I love, is my reward in life. The word for reward actually means award from God. I have been awarded with a prize…and it is Georgann.

We just spent the weekend with our grand-daughter, Maddie. Now Maddie is an amazing little kid. Never complains. Never whines. Loves people. Enjoys our company. And energetic? I am not sure where she gets the energy. I spent the morning with her on Saturday, and by the time my wife got home, I was ready to take a nap. And my wife, my award from God? She was ready. She knows exactly what to do, how to entertain, what time everything needs to be done, and how to communicate with a 16 month old baby. She is amazing and her energy level seemed to equal Maddie's. As I come to think of it, she was like this with our girls…always one step ahead, always thinking, always planning, ready for any contingency. She was and is the best Mom that I know, and she is the best Grandmother (Gigi) that her grandkid(s) could ever have. She is a reward. And she is mine.

As far as me? She is the best. Not only was she one step ahead with our girls, she is constantly one step ahead of me. She is truly the Proverbs 31 woman in my life. I just sit here shaking my head amazed at the grace of God in my life. I sit here wondering why He would bless me the way that He has with my wife. Yet, He did. He has awarded me, and He will continue to award me because this verse says: "all the days of your fleeting life which has given you under the sun."

This is the way it is supposed to be. God wants to give each guy an award in his wife. He wants us to cherish her, and love her, and respect her, and honor her, and appreciate her. He wants us to know that she is our reward for our entire lives. Not just when we agree with one another, not just when things are going well, but at all times, in all circumstances…"until death do us part".

I have been richly rewarded in this life. Thank You God.

Discover

2012-01-15T04:03:00.001-08:00

Ecc 8:17 "then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out." ESV

It is amazing some of the things scientists and astronomers continue to find in our universe and beyond. No matter what, they keep digging and searching and discovering. At what point does the scientific community say: "Enough. We have discovered all there is to discover." I don't think that time will ever come for two reasons. First, man has an insatiable desire to know more, to understand more, to grow more. Second, the truth is, we will never ever really know all there is to know. There will always be something new that reveals itself about our world. There will always be more space to explore.

Solomon knew this. The interesting thing is that Solomon said: "I saw all the work of God." Did he really? Or did he say this with the sense that he saw all of God's work in the sense that there was the human body, and the world, and the universe…he saw it, but he knew in seeing these general things, he also knew that he would and man would never ever find out all that God has done. No matter how much time, and energy, and money, and brain power we put into this endeavor of discovering, the reality is that we will never know it all…it is too vast.

Now I think it is interesting that there are some people who claim to know it all. These people are called atheists. For you see, if a person claims that there is no God, then that must means that the person who asserts this must believe that they know everything, and since they know everything, God does not exist in their all encompassing realm of knowledge. So even though an educated person may say they know everything including the belief that God does not exist, that person is really proving how illogical they really are.

God and His creation are so massive and so huge He and all that He has made are uncomprehedable. It is admirable that people continue to search and continue to find. That search and discovery process will never end.

I wonder how committed I am in my attempt to see who God is? Do I pursue this knowledge of God with the same fervor as those in the scientific community in their search for scientific knowledge? Now, as this verse says, I will never fully know who God is or what He is like, but that should not stop the search because His character and person are so vast that my search will be never ending, always discovering, constantly growing. Lord, give me the discoverer's passion to know more about You.

Reality Check

2012-01-13T19:14:00.001-08:00

Ecc 7:20 "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins."

The reality of this verse stinks. I would love to think that there is someone, somewhere out there who is righteous and who does good. Many believe that the nature of man is basically good, but this verse kind of does away with that thought. In fact, this verse is very similar to other verses in the Bible, like: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Rom 3:23; Or, "None is righteous, no not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God." Rom 3:10,11; And, "But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness are as filthy rags." Is. 64:6; And, "There is none who does good, not even one." Ps 14:3 Pretty sad. Pretty depressing. Pretty hopeless. We all screw up. We all sin. No one that has ever lived has escaped this truth…we are all sinners. In fact, if someone says that he has never sinned is sinning because he is lying. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." I John 1:8 We all lie. We all have stolen. We all deal with bitterness and improper anger. We all place things in the placed of God. We all have stupid thoughts. The list could go on.

So, the conclusion is, and this really should not come as any surprise, we all sin. We are all sinners. So what? Well, if we agree that we all sin, then there must a standard that has been broken. There must be something that defines what sin is. What is it? Falling short of "the glory of God." The judgment of God. The splendor of God. We fall short of the character of God. If my life and my character absolutely matches up to God's character and it never wavers, it never changes, it does not deviate at all, then I am perfect. Guess what? Not. That is what sin is. My life and my character fall short of God's judgment and His character. The result of this is not pretty. The result is: "For the wages of sin is death...". Rom 6:23 Oh sure, we all die, but this is beyond physical death. It is spiritual death. It is eternal death. It is absolute separation from all that is good...all that is God...forever. How do I know that? Because of the rest of the verse: "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The payment for sin is eternal death. The gift of God is eternal life. How? Only one way, only one truth, only one life...through Jesus Christ our Lord. "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom 7:25

Jesus did it. The one perfect sinless God-man. The only One whose character totally matched the character of God because He is God. And as God, He gave it all up so I could be set free from sin and death and have eternal life. This is crazy! This is astounding! This is wild! And this is true, for any and all who will believe it.

I don't have a clue who reads this stuff. All I know is that if anyone is struggling with the fact that sin is a reality in their lives and they want to be set free, look no further. "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow."

Finished

2012-01-12T04:59:00.001-08:00

Ecc 7:8 "The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."

Finished. That is a good word. I know that when you work on a project, the beginning is tough. You have to gather all of your materials, you have to do all of your research, you have to do the planning and the thinking and the wondering if it will work. As you work through it and start to see that things are taking shape, you get excited. Then when it is finished, you have a real sense of accomplishment.

I experience this all the time. When I am at work writing a brief, I hate the beginning. I dislike even thinking about having to get it done, but when it is finished, I am relieved. In fact, I even re-read some of my stuff and enjoy it. Or when I am working in the yard planting and replanting. It takes work and planning but when it is done, we get to enjoy the fruit of our labor. Or when I am involved in practicing with the worship team at church the practice is many times rough, but the end result, by God's grace, usually leads people into a meaningful time of worship.

No wonder Solomon said that the end of a thing is better than its beginning. He was right. But then he said this: "The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." Why did he put these two thoughts together? Is there a connection?

The end of a thing – patient in spirit; The beginning of a thing – proud in spirit. Maybe I am just reading too much into this, but doesn't coming to the end of something take patience and persistence and steadfastness? Patience pays off when it comes to finishing. "Therefore be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." I Cor 15:58 Let's face it, sometimes ministry can be tiring. Sometimes the work can be exhausting. But God wants us to persist, to be patient, to wait for the "end of a thing". Then we will see that His hand was at work. Then we will see that the many beginnings, the work, the effort, the patience paid off. Heaven is going to be an amazing place. The results of all of the stuff that we do here on earth will be revealed. I don't have a clue who this blog maybe touching, but I see that it goes to Russia, and Germany, and India, and Canada and all over the place. I only hope and pray that the end of a thing will be amazing when I get to heaven. The same is true for anything that I do. May I do it with eternity, "the end of a thing" in mind.

And pride and beginnings? Maybe that is where we think that we are all that. We think: "I can do this. I can handle this. No sweat." When in reality, we really can't handle anything. The only way that God allows us to accomplish anything of eternal value is by His grace with patience and humility.

Finished. Jesus said it: "It is finished." Someday we will all see the end result of His work for us and the end result of our work for Him. Let me stay focused on that day.

Advice

2012-01-11T04:55:00.001-08:00

Ecc 7:5 "It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools."

This sounds like Solomon. There is so much in Proverbs that deals with listening to reproof. The person who listens, hears, and applies what is being told to him is considered wise. The person who turns it away is considered a fool.

This verse is just a different take on this concept. I have others who give me advice. I have many who give input into my life. I have those who feed me what they think. Who am I listening to? Who am I heeding? Who am I following? The wise person or the fool? Oh, maybe what the fool says sounds good (songs). It is pretty and maybe what I want to hear, but is it what I need? I need people in my life who are going to be honest with me and tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. I need people in my life who are wise, who are skilled, who are prudent. I need people in my life who will tell me the truth in love.

The temptation is always to avoid these people because what they have to say is not always pleasant. And that is what we want, isn't it? We just want what is pleasant. We want what is comfortable. We want what is going to make us feel good. We want affirmation. We want songs. The problem is the source of those songs. If they are coming from people who have proven with their lives that they really don't know what they are talking about, maybe we shouldn't rely upon them.

On the flip side, those who show that they know what they are talking about, who have lives that God has used and God is using, who practice what they preach, who live the truth, these are the people I need to surround my life with and listen to…even when it is unpleasant. Even when it hurts. And when that happens, I need to truly hear what they are saying. This doesn't mean saying: "Yes, I know." and then go about my same stupid ways. It means hearing, listening, heeding, obeying, applying, changing, repenting.

And then I have to ask myself this question: What kind of advice do I give? Am I wise? Do I speak the truth in love, or do I avoid it? Do I only sing songs of comfort or should I open my mouth and give solid counsel? I know I hate confrontation. It is another area that makes me uncomfortable, but I am not a true friend if I don't do it. God give me wisdom and give me words.

Fear God

2012-01-10T04:41:00.001-08:00

Ecc 5:7 "For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear." ESV

The NASB puts it this way: "For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God."

Dreams and words. It is the human condition. We like to dream and we like to talk. Dream could mean literal dream that we have while we sleep, but it could also mean a prophetic dream, an idea, a goal. We all set goals. At least we should. But Solomon says that if you have a dream about something or you set goals, they may be good and there may be a lot of them, but they are not the end. In fact they are vain. They are empty.

Not only that, as Solomon continues to talk about words (Remember, "Let your words be few." V 2) he points out that when we talk a lot, there is also vanity. In fact, it is almost like what produces words…breath. Many words are like breath. Breath goes away quickly and you need to get another. Many dreams and many words are like that…there is always a need for more and what we have never satisfies.

So what are we supposed to do? Aren't we supposed to dream? Aren't we supposed to set goals? Aren't we supposed to talk and share and communicate? Yes, but I think Solomon is laying out something that is more important than dreams and words. In comparison the most important thing is to fear God.

Now I know that I just recently wrote about what it means to fear God in Ecc 3:14. I just think that we have lost the deeper meaning of this. Respect, awe and terror all apply. God is God. He is massive. He is powerful. He is mighty. He is just. He is righteous. He is holy. And me? I am small. I am weak. I am a sinner. I screw up. I make mistakes. I say dumb things. To compare God with men is like comparing light with dark. The two are complete opposites in our nature. Yet God made us in His image. No wonder He can't stand it when we violate that image. No wonder we have verses like: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." Rom 1:18 Or: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." John 3:36 We tend to forget: "How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay.' And again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb 10:29-31 We don't want to think about stuff like this. We would rather say that to fear God is to respect Him. That is only half of it. To fear God is to fear God. And Solomon says that this is a must.

Should fear motivate me or should love motivate me? Yes. Both should motivate me. It isn't an either or. It is a both and.

Today as I walk through my day, let me keep in mind who I really am and who God really is. That should be enough.

Mouths

2012-01-10T03:57:00.001-08:00

Ecc 5:2 "Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few."

The one thing that gets all of us in trouble is…our mouths. Just think of the pain that we would avoid if we didn't say certain things. Just think of the trouble we wouldn't get into if we just didn't open our pie traps.

The problem is that we are what this verse tells us not to be…rash with our words. Hasty. Impetuous. Quick. We just let things spill out and we have to deal with the consequences. I think James, the brother of Jesus, read Solomon's work: "But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger." James 1:19. Later in his letter he deals with the tongue and how it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. Nasty stuff.

But look at where it starts, more advice: "nor let your heart be hasty…". Rash and hasty, the same Hebrew word. Impulsive. When my words are rash it is because my inner man is impulsive. That is what I have to work on. The heart. The inner man. What is going on inside. Jesus said it Himself: "For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45 Does nasty stuff come out? Nasty stuff is in. Does anger and bitterness come out? Anger and bitterness are in. Does lying come out? A lack of truth is in. Does criticism come out? A critical spirit is in. Does taking God's name in vain come out? A lack of the fear of God is in. When I am changed on the inside, it will show on the outside in my words.

Then this, don't be rash with your words, don't be hasty in your heart to speak to God. Wait a minute! I thought He wanted us to talk to Him. I thought He delighted in prayer. He does…but He wants it to be real. He wants it to be genuine. He doesn't just want flippant prayer. If that is what I am going to give Him, shut up and be quiet. If I come to Him out of a hasty heart and a quick word, forget it. It would be better to just sit and listen.

The final advice: "Let your words be few"…with God and with people. I remember sitting in meetings with leaders at church. Some of us could not wait to open our mouths and tell everyone what we were thinking. Then there was Ed Reimel. He just sat, and listened, and considered. When he spoke you knew it was with a heart of wisdom. You knew it was real. You knew it was the truth. Mr. Reimel practiced what Solomon advised. So should I.

Listen

2012-01-08T04:14:00.001-08:00

Ecc 5:1 "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil."

Back in Solomon's day, the place where people met with God was the temple. David wanted to build the temple, but God did not permit him to do this because of how he had lived his life, so David made preparation for his son to do it and Solomon built the house of God. Solomon had a warning for people who went there...guard your steps. Watch your feet. Why? Because when you are walking into the temple, you are walking into the very presence of the Holy One...so be careful. As you are walking you are coming close. You are drawing near. And why are you coming into God's presence? To impress Him with your offerings? To get God's favor because of how much you can sacrifice? This is foolish. God does not care about sacrifice. Rather God cares about a broken and contrite heart. "For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Ps 51:16,17. God was not looking for the sacrifice of fools which came from a proud, evil heart. Rather God wanted brokenness. He wanted humility. He wanted people who were willing to shut up and listen, to hear, to obey.

Things haven't changed. No, we don't go to the temple any longer because we are the temple of God. And frankly, the church is not the house of God. We are all the house of God. (I Pet 2"5). So what does this mean to me now? Should I guard my steps when I enter church? Sure because where God's people gather, He is there. And how should I draw near? To impress people with who I am? No, I need to come close to listen, to hear, to obey. When God's word is preached, I need to pay attention.

But I think it goes beyond this. It goes into what I am doing right now. I am in God's presence right now. I am His temple. He lives in me. I am His house. I need to shut up and listen to what He has to say when I spend time with Him. I need to guard my steps every day. This thing that I do, spending time with Him in prayer and in His word is not something that I should do flippantly. It is not something that I should do just for sake of doing it. I need to guard my steps as I do it. I am in the very presence of the Holy One. I need to draw near to do one thing, shut up and listen, to hear, to obey.

Come humbly. Come with a broken and contrite heart. Come to listen.

Two

2012-01-06T04:11:00.001-08:00

Ecc 4:9.10 "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"

It is interesting. I told someone the other day that I began a study in Ecclesiastes at the beginning of the year and he said: "So you want to be depressed?". Sure, Solomon talks about how all that we do in this world seems to be in vain, but there is a treasure trove of rich truth and practical advice in this book.

Take these verses. So practical. So real. So good. Two are better than one. Why? They get more done. They support one another. They help one another. They strengthen each other. They build each other up. They lift up one another. To be frank: We need each other.

Living life alone is hard. So many people try to do it. They say: "Oh, I don't need any help. I don't need your advice. I can do this myself. I can live life on my own terms. No one is going to tell me what to do." Dumb, dumb, dumb. When I work alone I have to do more work. When I work alone the results are not as effective. When I work alone I am relying on my own abilities and not getting the help and knowledge and skill that another may have that I need. When I live alone and when I fall (and I will) I have to handle it myself. I don't receive encouragement. I don't receive support. I don't receive understanding. I don't receive correction. I don't have any accountability.

I am thankful that I have many who surround me. I am not alone. I showed my wife this verse this morning and I said to her: "We are the two." I need her. She does exactly what this verse says. She works with me. We get more done together than when we work alone. Just try picking up the leaves in the fall by yourself. It is a pain. It takes longer. It isn't as fun. Now I know sometimes we can get on each other, but the reality is that she makes me better. She makes me sharper. She keeps me thinking. And she is always there to pick me up. My girls are like this too. I know that they are there for me if I need them. And I am there for them too.

I am also thankful for the guys who I minister with who I call "friend". I know that these guys have my back. If I screw up, they will tell me. If I do well, they encourage me. If I fall, they are there to lift me. We get more done together than if we try to be an island. This is why it is so important that we listen to one another and consider one another's opinion and teach each other. What others have to give is so rich. God does not want us to live our faith alone. He wants us to do it together. He wants us to live life together.

So Hon…thank you. Girls…thank you. Guys…thank you. I am grateful that I can do life together with you. I am richly blessed.

Eternal Work

2012-01-05T04:31:00.001-08:00

Ecc 3:14 "I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him." ESV

God has put eternity into man's heart and whatever God does lasts for eternity. (Same word.) So shouldn't I be in the business of watching and looking and discovering what God is doing? If God is up to something, then it is important. If God is up to something, then it is going to last. If God is up to something it is complete. We can't add to it, and we can't take away from it, because God has done it.

This says something about God's character. It tells me that He is eternal and He does eternal things. When God is moving and working it is forever. He doesn't play around. His work is significant work. His labor is significant labor. And to think that God is doing things on this earth, in the hearts of people is crazy. To think that this eternal God is doing eternal things among us a wild concept. But He is.

A while ago my wife and I went through a study called: "Experiencing God". In that study Henry Blackaby emphasizes the truth that God is always at work. He states this based upon the words of Jesus where He said: "My Father is working until now, and I am working." John 5:17 God doesn't sleep. He hasn't set things in motion and let them go. He is active. He is moving. He is at work in this world. Blackaby states that if God is working and if Jesus is working then we need to figure out where He is at work and join Him in that work. Solomon adds to that: If God is at work, and we join Him in that work then what we do also lasts for eternity. Wild stuff. It just brings me back to a quote my Mom used to say that I have not heard or thought of in years, until this last Sunday when it popped in my brain while I was praying: "Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." I don't have a clue who said that, but it is true. God is at work. His work is eternal work. I can join Him in that eternal work and see what I do last forever too.

Why? So people will fear Him. So people will revere Him. So people will stand in awe of Him. And frankly, so people will be terrified of Him. Unfortunately, I don't see a lot of that in our society. I don't see a fear, a respect, an awe, a terror for God. Why is that? If God is at work and His work is eternal work, why has a fear of God seemed to gradually creep from our culture? Could it be because those who claim to be Christ followers have abandoned doing His work?

Another goal for this year…watch and see where God is at work and get busy with Him.

The Quest

2012-01-04T04:34:00.001-08:00

Ecc 3:11b "…he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." ESV

We are all on a search. It is kind of a quest. A desire to find what life is all about. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Is this all there is or is there more? Most of the time we kind of squelch this inquiry. We don't want to think about deep things like this so we go on our day to day routine and think that our job or our family or our pleasure is all that we need to focus on. But deep down, we know that there is more. Deep down, in our heart of hearts, in our inner man, we have these nagging questions. If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that what we usually live for is temporary. There has to be more. There is…it is eternity. God has placed these questions in us. He has put this desire for more in our inner man so that if we are truly seeking, if we are really asking, He will let us find the answer. "You will seek Me and find Me, if you seek Me with all your heart." Jer 29:13

I think of a woman in our office who seems to be on a search. She has a lot of questions. She seems to be living life by floating. She knows that there is more but she has no idea where to find it. Fortunately, God has placed people around her who are helping her on this quest. There are many obstacles to overcome. There are a lot of preconceived ideas that need to be addressed, but it is our hope and prayer that she will honestly search and discover the God of eternity.

The thing is, once we have been brought into this amazing relationship with God, that is not the end. It is just the beginning. We are still on a quest. We are still on a mission. We have discovered the purpose in life, to glorify this God of eternity, but there is so much more to know. There is so much more to discover and we will never end this search until we see the eternal God. We will never find out all that God has done from the beginning of time to the end of time. God is so massive, so huge, so all encompassing that we will never end this search in this life.

The quest must go on. The quest to know this eternal God fully. To discover who He is, what He like, what He is up to, and where He is working. How do we do it? Get to know Jesus because He said: "If you had known me, you would have known My Father also." John 14:7

This is our quest, this is my quest for 2012.

It’s Time

2012-01-03T04:32:00.001-08:00

Ecc 3:1 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:"

Here we are, January 3, 2012. The beginning of the third day of 2012 and it is a comfort to me to know that God is in control. This verse is commonly translated: "For everything there is a season…". The actual translation is: "There is an appointed time for everything…". An appointed time. "And a time for every matter under heaven."

Everything…everything…every matter…not one thing escapes the notice of God. In fact, not only does one thing not escape His notice, He appoints it all. Birth, death, planting, reaping, killing, healing, breaking, building, weeping, laughing, mourning, dancing, throwing away, gathering, embracing, avoiding that, seeking, losing, saving, spending, tearing, sowing, keeping silent, speaking, loving, hating, fighting, and peace making. There is an appointed time for everything. At just the right time something will happen. At just the right time someone will say something. At just the right time a decision will be made. At just the right time something will be provided.

As I walk through 2012 I want to see the hand of God at work in everything. I want to be aware of where He is moving and doing and working and speaking and teaching and leading. I want to see Him in my family. I want to see Him in my church. I want to see Him in my job. I want to see Him in this country. I want to see Him in this year's election. I want to see Him at work in our world. I think that as I watch things happen around me, I can say with confidence: "It's time." It is time for that thing, that decision, that event…because God is in it all and He has everything planned out according to His time and His purpose.

Enjoy

2012-01-02T09:38:00.001-08:00

Ecc 2:25 "For apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?"

Solomon lists all of the things that he worked for his entire life. Pleasure, laughter, wine, houses, gardens, vineyards, parks, pools, slaves, animals, money, singers, women, greatness, wisdom. This guy had it all. He did not resist anything that may have brought pleasure to his life. His conclusion? It was all vanity. No matter how hard he worked he realized that he was not going to take it with him...he was leaving it to someone else who did not work hard for it and who may not take care of it. This is kind of a sad commentary on life.

But then he closes with this. Even though the material things that we work for here on this earth are not going to last, God still allows us to find enjoyment in this life. In verse 24 he says: "There is nothing better for a person than he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God." In other words, work hard and find that your work is good. Enjoy your job. Find that your job has purpose and meaning and gives fulfillment.

This really is a gift from God. I would hate to work in a dead end job. I would find it difficult if I did not consider that my work was more than a job, it is a ministry. It allows me to help people who really have significant needs. It is amazing the satisfaction that I get when I win a case and see relief on the face of my client. It is fulfilling for someone to give me a hug...someone I barely know, because they are so thankful for the small part I may have played in their life. And there is nothing like having the opportunity to share real hope with people who are hopeless. God has given me all of that. Did I work hard to get it? Yes. But it is a gift from God. It all came from Him.

My wife would say the same thing. To see children advance in their education, to teach a child how to read, to see the joy on their faces when they get it...and then to feel the appreciation from their parents...unreal. Georgann has a gift and it has been give to her by God. She works hard at it and God uses her.

And then the capstone...the basic reality...apart from Him who can eat? The answer: No one. The most basic of basics in life, the ability to eat comes from God. The provision of food comes from God. The physical ability to chew and taste and swallow and digest comes from God. Any enjoyment that we have in this life is a gift of God. Me sitting here with my feet up typing on my iPad is a gift from God. Him pouring thoughts into my life is His gift to me. Spending time with my wife and family and friends is His gift. Health is a gift from God. The ability to see and hear and speak is His gift. The ability to walk and run is His gift. The ability to create is His gift. Laughter and silliness and humor is His gift. All that I have is His gift. James must have read Solomon's writings because he also said "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above..."

This year I need to thank God that I can work hard and that I can enjoy my work and the fruit from my labor, because it is all from Him. Will it last? No. But God wants to give it anyway so enjoy. What grace!

So…What’s New?

2012-01-01T05:06:00.001-08:00

Ecc. 1:9 "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." ESV

Well, here we are…a new year. Fresh beginnings. 2011 is past, 2012 is coming and things can be different. Things can be better. After all, that is why we make New Year's resolutions isn't it? We think we can get smarter, or thinner, or wealthier, or more productive, or ________________ (fill in the blank). I think that. I know that there are some things that I want to change. There are some things that I would like to accomplish this year.

So, what is with Solomon? Wasn't he wise and productive and wealthy and healthy? Didn't he accomplish positive things? What is with his attitude here in the book of Ecclesiastes that "vanity of vanity all is vanity" (v2) and "there is nothing new under the sun"? Isn't this pessimistic or fatalistic? Or is it realistic?

It is obvious that Solomon was writing this in his later years. He had seen and heard and experienced anything and everything that a person could want or desire. All of the wealth, all of the recognition, all of the glory, all of the power, all of the greatness, all of the knowledge and he arrived at this conclusion…it is all "grasping for the wind". (v17) Tough stuff. Here is the wisest guy that ever lived coming at the end of his life to this conclusion.

So back to New Year's resolutions. Does this mean we shouldn't make them? Since there is nothing new under the sun, should we just float by and let things happen? I don't think that is what Solomon was getting at. I think that Solomon realized that this life does not consist in all of the stuff you can get, or all of the knowledge you can obtain. Our society seems to concentrate so much on the next best thing. The newest and shiniest. How can I top what I did last year? And Solomon is saying: "Stop." I think that he is encouraging us to get our priorities straight. I think he wants people to get their minds off of what can be accomplished on this earth and instead take an eternal perspective, because we really can't experience or accomplish anything new on this earth…but we can find our purpose and fulfillment in what is to come. This life and the junk it provides may give short term enjoyment, but it will never really satisfy.

So as I think about the New Year, I need to keep an eternal focus. A kingdom focus. A heavenly focus. Back to the basics: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else will come." Matt 6:33 (My translation.)

Truth and Personal Agendas

2011-12-31T09:27:00.001-08:00

Esther 6:13b "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him."

This was it for Haman. Even his wife and friends knew it. Mordecai had been honored in Haman's presence and before the people, and this really bugged Haman. This was the guy that Haman hated. This was the guy that would not bow before Haman. This was the guy that caused Haman to issue a decree that he and all of the Jewish people would be destroyed. And now Mordecai was being honored? What was going on? This isn't how things were supposed to work out. Haman's plan was that Mordecai and the Jews would be annihilated and he would be a big deal in the kingdom. This plan was unraveling before his eyes. What did he do? He went to his wife and wise men for advice...and their advice? You are going to fall before him. Not exactly the advice he wanted to hear, but it was the truth, and he had to hear it.

Truth is like that sometimes. We make plans. We think they are good plans. We think everyone should be on board and then things start to unravel. Something went wrong. Maybe it was our motivation. Maybe it was our attitude. Maybe it was pride or a desire for recognition. Maybe our agenda was all wrong. Maybe we really did not hear from God but our plan was all self centered. And then the truth comes. Someone is kind enough but real enough to tell us the truth and it hurts. It isn't what we want to hear, but we know that it is what we should hear. At that point we have a choice. We can either repent and turn around and change or we can continue on with our dumb, self centered plans and watch what happens. Haman probably thought that his plan was still going to work when he went to have dinner with the king and queen the second time. He should have begged for mercy immediately when he went to dinner. After all he had been warned, but he didn't. He sat there and sucked in their food and watched the total destruction of his life play out before him during dinner. (Chapter 7)

What do I do when I am confronted with the truth? What do I do when someone comes to me and is real with me? Most of the time, the truth is spoken to me by my best friend, my wife. I don't always like what I hear, but I know that she is telling me what is right. Do I respond by continuing to go my own way? Do I ignore her warnings? Do I get defensive? Do I continue on with my selfish agenda? The smart thing to do is to repent. To change. To really listen and heed. To immediately admit my wrong and go down the right path.

To do otherwise is foolish. To do otherwise is dangerous. To keep pursuing my selfish agenda is destructive. Don't do it.

Big Deal

2011-12-30T04:46:00.001-08:00

Esther 5:11 "And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king."

Here was a guy who thought he was a big deal. He had been selected by the king for a position of leadership. He had been individually invited by Queen Esther to join her and the King for dinner, not once, but twice and now he was gloating. This was it. This was the best. It couldn't get any better. So what did he do? He started to show off. He started to brag. He grabbed his wife and friends and told them how wonderful and how rich he was. He was saying: "Look how great I am. I have all of these riches. I have this wonderful family. I have been promoted and honored by the king far above anyone else. And now I get to have dinner…again, with the King and Queen."

Little did he know. He had no clue that this was a set up. He didn't consider the words of Solomon: "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Prov 16:18. He didn't have the words of Paul: "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." I Cor 10:12 No. He decided that if he had it he was going to flaunt it. He was going to tell everyone he knew just how wonderful he was.

There is danger in being honored…or, in Haman's case, thinking that he was being honored. Being honored is actually a test. How will you handle it? Will it go to your head? Will you start thinking that you are all that? "The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives." Prov 27:21 NIV Haman failed this test big time. He would realize later just how much he failed. He experienced a forever fall. He experience total destruction.

This is a huge warning to me. God has allowed me to see some very nice things happen as a lawyer. Big deal. Complements and honors and recognition are a great pat on the back, but it should not, it cannot define who I am. Who am I? Nothing. I have to remember: "God is everything, I am nothing, but He wants to make me something." And that something is not a pride filled, boasting, pompous jerk. Rather, it needs to be a thankful, humble servant of God. When I get away from that, I am doomed.

No big deal here. Just someone who wants to (going back to yesterday) accomplish His purpose and be used in any way God desires.

For Such a Time as This

2011-12-29T04:45:00.001-08:00

Esther 4:14 "For if you keep silent this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Mordecai was becoming an embarrassment to Esther. Here he was sitting outside the king's palace in sackcloth. There was a law that no one was to do this. So Esther tried to send him clothes to wear, but he refused. She really did not know what was going on because she was not politically connected to Haman. Mordecai had to tell her that there was a law that was enacted that would result of the destruction of all of the Jews on a certain day. Because of this he had one request and that was that Esther go to the king and beg for mercy for her people. Right away red flags went up in Esther's mind. She knew that if she tried to approach the king without being summoned, that one of two things could happen. Either he could extend his scepter to her and ask her to approach, or he could kill her. Frankly, she was not sure that she liked this 50/50 proposition. She reminded Mordecai of her chances and Mordecai really reminded her of her chances. It was either 50/50 that she would be killed now, or a one hundred percent chance that she would be killed later. I guess when you put it in those terms, things become clearer.

I love Mordecai's confidence in God. He reminded Esther that she and her family would not survive if she did not go to the king, but he had confidence that God was not going to destroy all of the people. He knew in his heart of hearts that God would raise someone else up to deliver the Jews.

I kind of look at my witness this way. As I studied in Ephesians 1, "He predestined us for adoption as sons thought Jesus Christ, for the purpose of His will" and He did this before the foundation of the world. (v4,5) As a result, God is not dependent on me to save anyone. God will get His work done regardless of what I do or the words that I say. Relief and deliverance will rise from another place.

But, I have to keep in mind: "Who knows whether I have come to this situation for such a time as this?"

God had everything under control with the Jews. He was not losing any sleep over what was going to happen, but he wanted to use a girl that He placed in this position at this time. The key here was not the need. The key here was Esther's obedience.

The same is true today with me. He has placed me where He has placed me for a reason. God is not only in control of my destiny, He is in control of my path getting to that eventual destiny. He wants to see whether I am going to listen and be obedient along that path. In short, He wants to use me to accomplish His purposes. Now, He doesn't have to use me. He will get done what He wants to get done regardless, but He, in His grace, wants me to be in on it. Amazing.

The question I need to answer is how I will respond regardless of the risk. Will I open my mouth? Will I say the word? Will I do the deed? Will I obey and watch God work through me, or will I sit back and watch Him use someone else?

Targets

2011-12-28T04:53:00.001-08:00

Esther 3:6 "But he distained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So as they made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

So what else is new? Here is this guy that the king promoted and gave authority to, Haman. (What was Ahasuerus thinking?) He set out a law that said that everyone needed to bow to him...and everyone did, except one guy, Mordecai.

Wild how the many will succumb to stupid and unbiblical laws. I wonder what laws we are following that God will one day say: "Why did you do that?"

I digress. So, Haman is not a happy camper. He is so teed off that he decides to issue another decree. This decree did not only apply to Mordecai, but to the entire people of Mordecai, the Jews. This new decree issued an order that all of the Jews, young and old, women and children, would be rounded up and killed on one certain day. (v 13)

Like I said: What else is new. For some reason throughout history, there has never been one people group who have been hated like the Jews. It seems like they have always had a target on their backs. Multiple nations and multiple leaders have attempted to wipe them out. Some of the noteworthy are guys like Pharaoh seeking to destroy them. Here is Haman seeking to destroy them. Then there was Hitler seeking to destroy them. And there is Ahmadinejad who is currently seeking to destroy them. There is nothing new under the sun. The Jews will always be sought out to be destroyed. Just look at Mark 13:14 and something called the "Abomination of Desolation" where the Jewish temple is desecrated, and you will see that this is going to continue until Jesus returns. I just think of Israel, this tiny little country about the size of New Jersey. Why are people so intent on destroying it? What is so special about this nation? Why don't the Swiss have a target on their backs like the Jews?

The reason the Jews have a target on their backs is because they are a special people. They are a chosen people. They are God's people...and their persecution through the ages just proves it. But then I think of verses like I Pet 2:9 that says that "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession...". Peter was writing to Christians. We too are a special people, a chosen people. We have an inheritance with the original people of God, and we too can expect that we will have targets on our backs. We already do. Look who is being persecuted across the world...Christians. Look at where an article on FOX yesterday outlined how Christians are being destroyed and driven out of Afghanistan right now. The Jewish people and Christians are both in for it.

That is why, when I pray for the world, I pray that God will strengthen and protect and allow both the Jews and Christians to endure.

There is nothing new. God's people will always be targets because we are God's people.

Empty Nest Dad

2011-12-27T04:40:00.001-08:00

Esther 2:11 "And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her." ESV

So Ahasuerus is teed off at his wife so what does he do? Banishes her from his presence and determines to find a new wife. They gathered beautiful, young virgins for a beauty contest. These virgins would be observed by Ahasuerus and he would pick one of them to be his queen. There was one, in particular, who really stuck out. The king "loved" her more than any of the others. Her name was Esther. Esther was a Jewish orphan who was raised by her uncle, Mordecai. Now Uncle Mordecai was more than just an uncle…he was in a very real sense, a Dad. I am not talking about a Dad in a physical sense. I am talking about a Dad who loves, and nurtures, and teaches, and provides and protects his daughter. This is a Dad. We have way too many Dads in the physical sense who really are not Dad's in a real sense. They ignore their responsibility to nurture, teach, provide and protect. And they don't have a clue about loving their children. Not Mordecai. This guy was on it. Even though Esther was taken to the king to see if she would be the one the king wanted to become the queen, Mordecai did not abandon his responsibility to care for his niece. Even though he was now an "empty nest Dad" he would daily walk in front of the harem and find out what was going on. Every day he would get news from the people who knew, how Esther was doing.

I am thankful to be a Dad. I am grateful to God that He blessed me with two beautiful daughters. I am thankful that they still come to me to ask questions from time to time. It is fun to see how God has worked in them and developed them into capable young adults. The thing is, even though they are out of the house, I will always be their Dad. I may not walk outside their houses every day to see how they are doing, but they know that I am always there. I am always interested. Their Mom and I are always available. That is how Mordecai was. He was not going to interfere, but he was there if Esther needed him.

Come to think about it, that is how my Dad was. When I was a kid…loving, nurturing, teaching in his own way, providing and protecting. Sure, the provision, nurturing, and protection one day ended when I left, but he was always there to love and encourage. I am thankful for that. I am thankful that God blessed me with the heritage that He did. I am thankful that God gave me a great example in my Dad.

I hope and pray that I can be the right kind of empty nest Dad that God intends.

Respect and Honor

2011-12-26T18:45:00.001-08:00

Esther 1:12 "But queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him." ESV

Well, I finished my study in Ephesians. Man, that was a good one. Then I did a short study leading up to the birth of Jesus at the beginning of Matthew and Luke. Now Christmas is over and I wondered: "What am I going to study now?" For some reason I landed in Esther. Who knows why, but here goes.

King Ahasuerus was a big deal king. He reigned over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. Now this is pretty large land mass. In fact, if you were to fly from India to Ethiopia it would take you almost five and a half hours. I am thinking that this guy had a lot of power. Not only that, but he had a lot of money. He decided to throw a party for his officials and servants for 180 days. The purpose of the party? To show off. To show the Medes and Persians just how powerful and rich he really was. This guy had it all. Fine linens, furniture and utensils of gold and silver; floors of marble, porphyry (igneous rock with large crystals) mother of pearl and precious stones (just think, you throw emerald and diamonds in your floor); and all of the finest wine and as much as the finest wine that anyone wanted to drink. And his wife, Vashti, was beautiful and "lovely to look at". This guy lived in the lap of luxury and was surrounded by beauty.

After he got done showing off all of his stuff, he wanted to show off his wife. Only one problem. Vashti wanted nothing to do with it. He summoned for her, but she refused to come. He wanted to show everyone just how lucky he was to have such a beautiful and complying wife. Beauty? Maybe. Complying? No. The result? Embarrassment. Well no one, not even his wife was going to embarrass this guy. He had it all. He could get it all. Everyone was to respond to his command and his wife did not.

Now, why did I pick this verse today? What hit me? I realize that it does not matter how much stuff I have. I does not matter how rich I am. It doesn't matter how powerful I am. It doesn't matter what accolades I receive or how impressive I am. What matters is my relationship with Georgann. Yes she is beautiful but her real beauty is her inner person. Vashti missed this. The problem is, Ahasuerus also missed some things. He probably did not respect her. He probably did not treat her well. Sure, she had it all but it doesn't matter. What matters is relationship, and these two obviously did not have this together. He only cared about status and using her. She only cared about her own personal control. These are not elements of a good marriage and when they exist, things cave in.

My question is how do I treat my wife? With respect and honor...or do I take her for granted? How do I respond to her when we don't agree? Do I get angry? Ahasuerus did. God, let me respond appropriately and let me honor her. Please allow our relationship be what You want.

Jesus’ I.D.

2011-12-25T04:41:00.001-08:00

Luke 2:11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

My imagination gets going sometime. I am thinking back around 2011 years ago when some shepherds were out in their fields taking care of their sheep. It was a quiet night. The sheep were probably sleeping. In fact, the shepherds were probably getting in a few winks themselves. In the middle of one of their snores a blast of light came out of the sky and something that looked like a person, but could not be a person because it came to them in a flash, in a blaze of glory, stood in front of them and made an announcement. Weird. An angel came to lowly shepherds. God made this major announcement to some rag-tag group of guys who watch sheep. Why didn't He tell Pharaoh? Why didn't He go to the High Priest? Why shepherds?

Anyway, this angelic being stood in the middle of the shepherds with the glory of God surrounding him and this is what he said: "There is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Now, would the shepherds grasp this news? Would they understand what this angel was talking about? Well, in case they didn't, the angel made it very clear who this little baby was.

First, where he was born…in the city of David. Wait. Isn't Jerusalem the city of David? Was the baby born in Jerusalem? No. Micah predicted that this child was going to be born in Bethlehem. How is Bethlehem the city of David? Because Bethlehem is where David was from. In I Samuel 16, Samuel was instructed to go to "Jesse the Bethlehemite…So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem" and found a king…David. The real city of David is Bethlehem…and the shepherds knew this.

Then a couple of identifiers: A Savior. A Deliverer. A Preserver. A Rescuer was born. These were tough times. Israel was in a rough situation. And the world was lost. In fact, we are still in tough times, in rough situations…we are still lost and we all need a Rescuer, a deliverer, a Savior. Here He is. No need to look anywhere else. The Savior was born.

Then the angel called Him something that had not been heard before. He didn't call this baby by His given name, Jesus. Instead the angel called Him "Christ". What's with that? Another name. Christ means "anointed" or "anointed one"…Messiah. This Rescuer was also the anointed one of God. No one else. God had placed His anointing on this One. "There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. This Savior is the only anointed One. Not Krishna. Not Buddha. Not Mohammed. Not Joseph Smith. Only this baby who was born in the city of David. He alone is the anointed Savior of the world.

And then the big identifier: Lord. Kyrios. The same Kyrios found in Luke 1:9 (the temple of the Lord),28 (when the angel said to Mary: "the Lord is with you"), 45 (what was told to her by Lord) and 46 ("my soul magnifies the Lord"). This One born in the city of David, this Savior, this Christ is Lord-God…born as a human being. This Jesus is God.

Amazing. The God of all creation came to this earth in the form of a baby, born in a manger, announced to shepherds…His name: Jesus…Jehovah is Salvation…for He will save His people from their sins.

This Baby saved this person from his sins. Thank you God.

Christmas is Coming

2011-12-24T06:55:00.001-08:00

Matt 1:21 "'And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.'"

(Written on 12-13)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The snow hasn't fallen yet, but the lights are on the houses, the trees and wreaths are up in the living rooms, and last night at our house the stockings got hung. You turn on the radio and on a great number of stations all you hear is Christmas music. And then of course, the stores. All decorated and stocked for what looks like a good shopping year.

Christmas is in the air. Very unlike what happened when the first Christmas occurred. The first Christmas? A pregnant girl, a fearful and wondering fiancé, and angels in dreams. The focus? Not lights, or snow, or music, or buying stuff. The focus was on: How? What? Why? The how? A virgin having a baby. Conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. Strange. Unlike anything that ever happened in history and has ever happened since.

The What? A Son. A little boy who would one day grow up to be a man. And His name? Jesus. This was not a family name. This was not a name that had been used in the genealogy of this child. Just look at all the names that came before Him. No Jesus in those names. What gives?

The why: "For He will save His people from their sins." The name "Jesus" actually means: "Jehovah is salvation". Built into the name of Jesus was an identifier: Jehovah. And who is Jehovah? The first time the word "Jehovah" is used in the Bible is Gen 2:4 "This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens," The word "LORD" is the word Jehovah. It means: the existing One. In this little baby boy was the infleshment of creator Jehovah, the eternally existing One. And this Jesus, whose name identifies Him as God also identifies Him as Savior.

Savior…why Savior? Because His people, the Jews needed a Savior. Why did they need a Savior? Because they had sin. They missed the mark. They failed to live up to the standard that God had set and screwed up. They needed to be rescued because sin really messes us up. Jesus' role was to save. Save means "to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue". (Strongs.) These people were in danger. They were in danger of destruction and they needed to be rescued. They were in danger of destruction because of their sin. They needed a Savior who could take care of this.

And frankly, we all need this. We are all on the path to destruction because we all sin. We have all violated God's standard. We all miss the mark. So God did something, He sent Jesus. He sent Jehovah is Salvation so that we all could be rescued from destruction. "For God so loved the world (all of us) that He gave His one and only Son, so whoever believes in Him would not perish (destruction) but have everlasting life." John 3:16 We are all on the path of destruction. We are all doomed to perish. We all have been condemned. Without a Savior we are done. We are gone. It is over.

But then Jesus came. Jehovah is Salvation came. We have a Rescuer. We have a way out. We have relief. We have safety. But it only comes through one Person…Jesus. "There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."

People may argue: "There are other ways. There has to be other ways. I can be good enough. Or, I can believe in whoever I want to believe, it all leads to God." No. No other name. No other Savior. No other Jehovah is Salvation. No other way, truth or life. Jesus is it. To think otherwise is totally illogical, for if there are other ways, then Jesus did not have to die. It was stupid for Him to die. He should have just said: "Forget the cross…go the other way." But He didn't because Jehovah is Salvation. And then I was thinking yesterday, if there was another way, then Jesus did not even have to come. He didn't have to be born. This virgin birth stuff did not have to happen. We could have gone another route if there was another route. Forget Christmas. It isn't necessary. Yes it is, because Jehovah is Salvation.

It's all about Jesus because He said that it was all about us. Doomed to destruction and given a Savior. Praise God!

Peace, Love, Faith

2011-12-22T04:18:00.001-08:00

Eph 6:23 "Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." NKJV

Once again, I thought this was it. I thought this was going to be the last verse, but it isn't. This is just setting things up for the last verse.

Look at what Paul desires for this church: Peace, love, faith. Look at what he started with: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Eph 1:2 And then Eph 3:17,18 "rooted and grounded in love…to know the love of Christ" and 4:15 "speaking the truth in love", and 5:2 "walk in love", 5:25 "husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church", and 6:16 "above all (above all…big deal piece of armor) taking the shield of faith." These are big deal qualities that I should have in my life…peace, faith and love. Just think if we all had this. Just think if the church of Jesus Christ truly possessed these three qualities, peace, love and faith, people would absolutely be drawn to what we have. We would not be able to keep people away. People would be asking us: "What is the deal? Why are you so peaceful? Why are you so loving? Why do you have this unbelievable trust in God?...I want that."

I wonder. I wonder why that does not happen? I wonder why people don't ask me those questions? Do I lack these qualities? If so, how do I get them?

"From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." This is stuff that we can't manufacture. This is stuff that we are incapable of developing in our lives. This all goes back to chapter one: "It's all God." God gives peace. Jesus gives love. God gives faith. He is the source of it all. We get these spiritual character qualities "from God our Father (there that is again…walk as children of light…spiritual DNA) and the Lord Jesus Christ."

So what do I do? How are these qualities developed? Well, "faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God"…so get in the word. And "don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." And love? "God is love"…I have to find my very existence in the God of love.

Peace, love, faith…pray for them.

Man Up!

2011-12-21T04:26:00.001-08:00

Eph 6:19 "and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel," NKJV

Today I thought I was going to wrap up the book of Ephesians. I thought I was going to hit one last verse and then move on…but no. There is more. This is the verse that hit me today. Why? I think because what Paul was asking that the Ephesian church pray for him is something that we all need to pray for one another. Because what Paul was asking for is something that we all need. Because what Paul was requesting is something that needs to be evident in my life.

Here is Paul, the Apostle. Sitting in jail. Possibly waiting for his execution. And what is he thinking about? His last meal? Is he feeling sorry for himself? Is he hoping that people would come to visit him? Does he want someone to send him some candy? What does he want? Boldness. A guy who has been bold his whole life, who has gone out on missionary journeys, who has helped establish churches,. who was in jail because of his boldness wants more. He wants to have the words to say (utterance is actually "logos") so that he may speak freely, openly, frankly about the mystery of the Gospel. Here we are, back in chapter three…the mystery…understanding the incomprehendable. He wants to tell whoever he can, whenever he can.

And I get nervous. And I hesitate. And I wonder if I should. And I…Give me a break! I need to Man Up. That is what our guys in church are challenging each other to do…Man Up. Don't be a wimp. Speak boldly.

The cool thing is we can help each other. How? By praying for one another. That is what Paul wanted this church to do for him. It is what we should ask our church to do for us. We should ask others to ask God to give us the words to speak openly about Him. That is a good first step and then watch what happens.

God, give me words. God give these guys words. Allow us to open our mouths and tell people the Good News.

Stand

2011-12-20T04:11:00.001-08:00

Eph 6:13 "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." NKJV

We have a formidable enemy. He is out to steal and kill and destroy. This is not a picnic. This is war. All we have to do is look around and we can see destruction. Destruction in culture, destruction in society, destruction in leadership, destruction in business, destruction in government, destruction in families, destruction in individual lives. Really, if you do not have something more powerful than your own smarts and energy, you are doomed. We can't fight this battle in our own strength...we need something more, and that something more is the whole armor of God.

I love Paul's emphasis on taking up the whole armor of God. He didn't want the church at Ephesis to fall because they failed to protect their heads because they didn't put their helmet on, he wanted them to cover themselves in God's complete armor, in God's protection, in God's security. Why? So they and we can withstand in the evil day.

I don't know about you, but I sure see an evil day. I don't want to sound like a negative Nancy, but when I see what is going on in our world, I just don't see it getting better. In fact, the Bible said that things were going to progress from bad to worse. Not real encouraging. But the cool thing is that God has given us the tools to withstand. To withstand means to resist. It means to oppose. It is not a wimpy "Oh no, what are we going to do?" It is a force. And then when have done everything we can, we will stand. We will be fixed. We will not move. We will be established.

I think that this is something that the church needs to hear right now. It is something all believers need to hear as we watch our world. We have to be ready for what is going to come. And how do we get ready? Take up every piece of God's armor: truth, and righteousness, and the Gospel of peace, and faith, and salvation, and the Word of God, and prayer. Every piece is vital. Every piece is needed. Every piece protects and defends. And one piece is an offensive weapon...the Word of God. Each piece needs to be firmly in place in my life so that I can withstand and finally stand firm. No moving. No wavering. No compromising. No wimping out. Stand firm.

These were Paul's final words to the Ephesian church. This is what he wanted them to grasp. It is what I have to grab and hold on to. A life of truth, righteousness, the Good News of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God and prayer. Take it all up. Live it. Walk it. Every day. Stand.

Power

2011-12-19T04:26:00.001-08:00

Eph 6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." NKJV

Paul is wrapping it up. He is coming in for a landing. He is getting ready to end his letter. He has said a ton up to this point. I have really enjoyed going through the book of Ephesians. So rich. So practical. But this is it. This is what he wants these people to remember. If they forget it all (and they wouldn't) this is the one thing that he wants them to hang on to: "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

I remember him saying stuff like this before. Eph 1:17-20 "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places," And how about this: Eph 3:20,21
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Paul is bringing these people back to the power of God. Paul is reminding these people of their dependence. "Not by (human) might, nor by (human) power, but by My Spirit says the Lord." Zech 4:6 Paul is reminding these people that they are in a battle and they cannot win this war on their own. They have to rely on the power of God's might. Our strength is not in ourselves, it is in God's Spirit.

This verse could actually read: "Finally, brothers, receive strength in the Lord and in the force of His strength and ability." It all goes back to chapter one. It all goes back to the fact this is all God. It is His choosing. It is His adoption. It is His forgiveness. It is His Will. It is His purpose. It is His glory. And it is His power and might. I can't live this life successfully on my own. I can't fight the battles, overcome the temptations, defeat the habits, eliminate the thoughts, correct the attitudes on my own. I have to receive strength from God. I have to live in the power that raised Jesus from the dead. I am totally and utterly dependent on God and His ability…not my ability.

The thing that I love about this is that Paul does not just leave it here. He tells us how. That is tomorrow.

Working for Jesus

2011-12-17T03:43:00.001-08:00

Eph 6:5,6 "Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart," NKJV

Paul is giving it to us right where we live. He hits wives and husbands and children and Dads, and now employees. He was addressing servants who gave themselves freely in the service of other people. That sounds an awful like an employee to me. When you think about it, most of us are employees not employers (Paul hits them too.). As a result, this verse applies to probably 90 percent of us.

What am I supposed to be like as an employee? What should characterize my life when I work at Bentoff & Duber? Obedience and sincerity. Obedience deals with listening and submitting (there is that submit to one another thing again). Sincerity deals with mental honesty (and I would think ethical honesty) and a generous spirit.

Now, I have been very blessed. God has given me a great job with a great boss. Doing what Michael wants is not really an issue. But I know that there are times when I can be tempted to complain. God says that complaining on the job and because of our jobs is out of the question. We have to be genuine. We have to be sincere. And this one, we have to be generous. Not necessarily with money but with our time. I know that I love to go home at the end of the day. My home is my refuge. Yet, if I need to stay and work, I need to stay and work. And while I am there, I need to use my time well. I need to be obedient and sincere and work hard.

Why? I am not really working for Bentoff & Duber. I am working for Jesus Christ. He is my ultimate boss. He is the One who calls the shots. He is the One who put me in the position that I have. I am accomplishing His will where I am at, so work hard at it.

Paul was getting this message out to other churches as well: "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men," Col 2:22,23

I wonder what it would be like if every Christian did this? I wonder how much work would get done? I wonder how productive would our companies be? How much evangelizing would get done because employers would see a different attitude in believers?

For me, today…work hard. I am working for Jesus.

Dads…Read This

2011-12-16T03:59:00.001-08:00

Eph 6:4 "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." NKJV

Wow. Before I began writing today I looked up some words in Strongs. I looked up "provoke", "bring them up", "training" and "admonition". What did I find? We Dad's have a huge responsibility. I would venture to say that if we do what this verse charges us to do, we will see our kids walking in the truth as adults and they would be doing this with their kids.

I think that it is huge that this is given to fathers to do. It doesn't say: "Mothers…bring them up". This responsibility is for Dads. This responsibility lays squarely at our feet. God expects believing Dads to do this with their kids. And what does He expect?

Don't provoke your kids to wrath. I know that when my kids were growing up, I could get impatient. I especially got impatient with Elise's study habits. One night, and I remember this like it was yesterday, she was sitting at the piano and I told her to get studying. I told her that if she continued in her study habits she could expect to really screw up in college. Now that is encouraging, isn't it? Those are words that should exit a Dad's mouth…words of edification…promoting her growth. Not! Well, who was right? Did she know what she was doing or was I just trying to squeeze her into my little mold? She graduated as the Salutatorian in High School. Then she went to college. You think that my "encouragement" would end. No. I had to keep going. She started as an art major. I thought this was cool because both she and Mich are very artistic. She went through her first year and did very well…and then something happened. God invaded. She wanted to change her major to nursing. Was I encouraging? Did I say…"Great, whatever you want"? No. I had to hassle her. What a dummy I am. Who was right? Again, she graduated with a nursing degree with honors and is working in her nursing field right now. I am sure that I could give other examples about dumb stuff I did with Mich too. I am just thankful that God protected Mich and Elise from my stupidity and they were not provoked to anger, to discouragement, to exasperation.

What are we as Dads supposed to do? Bring our kids up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Bring them up means to nourish to maturity. Training means the whole education of our kids in their mind and morals that includes cultivating the soul by correcting mistakes and curbing passions and giving them instruction that increases their purity. Admonition means exhortation. In sum, it means that Dad's need to disciple their kids. I wonder how we are doing? Are we nourishing our kids to maturity. To nourish means to feed them good spiritual food. Do we? Do we even think about it? Do we spend time nourishing ourselves so we can feed our kids? This is very similar to husbands love your wives, sanctify your wives with the word. We should be doing the same thing with our kids.

And how are we doing on the training end where we educate their minds and establish their morals. What are our kid's passionate about? Sports? Clothes? Popularity? Grades? Money? Or God and His word? What they see and hear is what they will catch and live. I hope that is what happened on my end.

Even now as I think back about how my girls were raised, I know that I should have done a better job. I thank God He is gracious and merciful and that my girls are godly women now. Apparently, I (and especially my wife) did something right. One thing I know…God is faithful.

Guys…Read This

2011-12-15T04:24:00.001-08:00

Eph 5:25,26 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,"

A couple of months ago, the guys at church had something called "Inside Without". Every year we have a retreat in March that is called "Inside Out" and the guys who lead our men's ministry thought it would be cool to start the new year with a time of prayer and fasting. As a result, we spent a weekend together "Inside Without".

One thing that came from that weekend was a discussion of these verses. What does it mean for us to love our wives as much as Christ loved the church? What does it mean that we are to sanctify her and cleanse her? And how do we do that?

So many times we reflexively say that we are to love our wives as much as Christ loved the church, and that means we have to be willing to die for her. That is true. Jesus gave His life for the church and those of us who are married should be willing to give up our lives for our wives. That is, until we have to do the dishes, or help with the laundry, or spend time talking to our wives instead of watching the game on TV. Then giving up our lives seems little in comparison. We say that we are willing to die, but then we don't die to self. We don't submit. Hey, I thought this submitting thing was for the woman? No. Eph 5:21 says to submit to one another. That means yielding what I want for what she wants...and being thankful about it. (5:20) Let's face it, sometimes death seems easier.

And this loving thing does not end with the willingness to die, it also is proactive. It is my responsibility to make sure that my wife is clean, is pure, is holy, is sanctified (set apart). Jesus did what He could do to make the church clean, we have to do what we can do to make our wives pure. How? "With the washing of water by the word." Sanctified in truth.

This is what hit me that weekend, and it hits me again today. I have to pray with my wife. I have to read the Bible with my wife. And I have to share what God is teaching me with my wife. (That is assuming that I am in the word and being taught. If I am not, then that is a real problem for me, my wife and my family.) For some reason guys are not prone to do this. When we fail to do it, we are not loving our wives like Jesus loved the church. We are negligent. And when we are negligent, our wives are on their own. This is not what God intended.

My take away point today is that I have to be more consistent in sharing what God is teaching me. It doesn't have to be a long dissertation, just a point of conversation. Watch what happens.

Filled

2011-12-13T04:07:00.001-08:00

Eph 5:18 "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,"

This is just a continuation of the thought from yesterday…the Spirit's work in our lives in having a mental understanding of the will of God. It all works together, but it only works when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

It is kind of weird that Paul would combine being drunk with being filled with part of the Trinity. Now, thankfully I have never been drunk, but I have seen people who are, and it isn't pretty. They do things that they would not normally do. They say things that they would not normally say. They act in ways that they would not normally act. Why? Because they are filled with booze. They are controlled by a substance that is foreign to their bodies and it brings about an unusual reaction. It brings about dissipation. That is a strange word. It simply means an abandoned life.

"But be filled with the Spirit." The word for filled means to be filled to the top so nothing else can get in. It means that the Spirit of God is totally in control of your life with no competitors. It means that we will do things that we would not normally do. It means that we will say things that we would not normally say. It means that we act in ways that we would not normally act. Why? Because we are filled with the Spirit of God. We are controlled by a Person that is foreign to who we are and it brings about an unnatural reaction in our lives. We are different. Not strange different. Not weird different. But godly different.

We will sing to one another and God (v19) in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Let's face it, man has created a lot of junk when it comes to music. Unfortunately, a lot of this junk creeps into our brains and we start to sing it without thinking. I have to admit, that when that happens, I am not filled with God. I am filled with other junk. I am making room for other things to control me. If I am totally and completely filled with the Spirit of God, there will be a check in my spirit. I will be drawn to sing other stuff, good stuff, godly stuff.

And I will give thanks. (v20) This is the second time in this chapter that Paul reminded this church that they needed to be thankful. Remember, the antidote to uncleanness and filthiness is giving thanks. (v3,4) When I am filled with the Spirit of God, I will naturally be grateful. Complaining will be gone. Discontent will be gone. It will be replaced by a thankful spirit.

And I will submit. (v21) I will be humble. I will yield my way and what I want. I will not demand respect or authority. I will not try to control everything. I will think of the other person as more important than me. Boy, this is hitting me.

This is not natural. This is acting differently. This is speaking differently. This is doing differently. Spirit, fill me so I see these things in my life.

Use Your Brain

2011-12-12T03:45:00.001-08:00

Eph 5:17 "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." NKJV

This verse carries on from the previous thought. Paul was telling the Ephesian church to have a diligent walk, to walk carefully…don't be fools, don't be unwise, but be wise, be skilled be learned and walk with diligence. Then he followed up with this, as a result, don't be unwise but understand the will of the Lord. Now the word for unwise actually means "stupid". And the word for understand means to "set or join together in your mind". So this verse could read: "As a result, don't be stupid, but use your brain to know God's purpose."

The amazing thing is that God wants me to know His mind. God wants me to know what is on His heart. God wants me to determine His desires. To fail to do this is stupidity. Instead, He has given me a brain. He has given me a mind that needs to be used. It isn't an emotion. It isn't a feeling. It isn't something that just comes upon me. It is cognitive. It is cerebral. It is something that I can grasp with my finite gray matter.

Sometimes I think that Christians have a tendency to minimize their ability to think. We say that we are "Spirit lead" and this means that there is this inner sense that we should do something. Well guess what? God uses His Spirit to work in our brains. He wants us to fully understand what He is up to. It isn't a guessing game. It is a mental exercise where we actually use our minds to search His mind. And how do we do that? His word. He has given all that we need to know His mind and to understand His will in the direct communication that He has given us in the Bible. Does this eliminate the Holy Spirit? No. It empowers what He does. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…".John 16 Next chapter: "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." John 17. This is why it is so huge that we get into the Bible. This is why it is so important that I spend time digging deep. Because, when you combine the power of God's word with the work of the Holy Spirit, what do you get? An understanding of the will of the Lord.

Keep digging.

Walking, Walking, Walking

2011-12-11T04:34:00.001-08:00

Eph5:15,16 "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." NKJV

Walking, walking, walking. Walk worthy, walk in love, walk as children of light, walk circumspectly. I am beginning to think that Paul is trying to tell us that the way we live is extremely important.

Walk circumspectly. Circumspectly is a word that is not used a whole lot in our culture. I have heard preachers say that this means to walk looking all around you…like circumference. Maybe. But the Greek actually means walk accurately, walk diligently, walk exactly. In other words, be careful. I remember the song: "Oh be careful little eyes what you see…Oh be careful little feet where you go…Oh be careful little hands what you do…Oh be careful little mouth what you say." That is walking circumspectly. We live accurately, diligently, exactly. And what does this look like? Well here comes practical Paul again helping us understand what this means:

Walk redeeming the time. Strongs says: "Make wise and sacred use of every opportunity." I wonder, do I do that? How do I use my time? Do I just flit it away or am I intentional about my use of time?

My kids and wife bought me an iPad2 for Father's Day (and birthday and Christmas). It is an amazing tool, but I have to admit, it can suck me in. There are so many apps, so many things that I can do to fill my time. Is it wise? Is it sacred? Am I redeeming it? Kind of convicting. The same can be said of playing games on the computer, or watching TV, or reading mindless books, or whatever. God has given me this precious thing called time. I need to use it well.

Then Paul gets down to other practical ways to walk circumspectly. Understand His will. Be filled with the Spirit. How we speak (and sing). Give thanks. Submit to one another. And then he hits family relationships. I hope to get into all of this in the future, but for now… How circumspect is my walk in using my time? How intentional am I?" God help me.

Walk…Reflecting Jesus

2011-12-10T03:47:00.001-08:00

Eph 5:8 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." NKJV

My wife asked me a question the other day on the way home from our visit in South Carolina. She asked me: "How do you look at yourself?" Now, how would you like to have a deep conversation with your wife about stuff like that? My response? "I look at myself as a child of God." Now, she had a point that she was trying to make, and she clearly made it, but my answer was a pretty good one.

How are we identified tells a lot about how we act and react. Paul told the Ephesian church that they were once darkness. He didn't say: "You were once in darkness." No. He identified them as darkness. Now by darkness he meant blind, ignorant, clueless. This is our identification…this is the world's identification. The reason we act certain ways and the reason we say certain things is because we are darkness, we are blind, we are ignorant, we are clueless. We should not expect people to respond in any other way, because they are blind. We should not expect most of our politicians to respond in any other way, because they are ignorant. We should not expect the Hollywood elite to act any other way, because they are clueless.

But at some point, something happened to these people in Ephesus. They became identified another way. They became light. They understood moral and spiritual truth. They could see. As a result, they needed to act differently. They needed to respond differently. They needed to walk (there it is again…walk…a way of living) differently. How? As children of light. This light thing didn't just happen. It came about as a result of a birth. A new birth. A birth from darkness to light because of the Light. Jesus said: "I am the light of the world." John 8:12, John 9:5. He also said: "You are the light of the world." Matt 5:14 Weird. Jesus is the light of the world and I am the light of the world…how does that happen? A spiritual birth. Spiritual DNA. Being like Jesus because I am a child of God.

Walk as children of light. Reflect Jesus. Do I?

Walk in Love

2011-12-09T03:59:00.001-08:00

Eph 5:2 "And walk in love as Christ also loved us and given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God sweet smelling aroma." NKJV

So, be imitators of God. How? Walk in love as Christ love us and gave Himself for us.

This is heavy stuff. Sure, how can I imitate God? Love. After all, God is love. So when I love others, when I agape others, when I give others unconditional love, I am imitating God.

This, however, is not just a once in a while thing. This is a constant. This is a walk. This is a way of life. This is what should characterize my life. And the thing that characterizes this love? Giving and sacrifice. Whew. This is not something that comes naturally. In fact, I know that I am pretty self centered. I am not as generous as I should be and as far as sacrifice is concerned...well...

But Jesus' love was characterized by giving and by sacrifice, and this is how Paul challenged the Ephesian church to walk, and this is how I am being challenged to walk.

Giving and sacrificing my time. Giving and sacrificing my money. Giving and sacrificing my stuff. Giving and sacrificing my abilities. Giving and sacrificing my life? Guess what? That is what Jesus did and that is the extent of His love.

I have a long way to go.

God’s DNA

2011-12-08T05:58:00.001-08:00

Gal 5:1 "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children." NKJV

God. What comes to mind? All powerful. Creator. Sustainer. Ruler. Sovereign. Righteous. Loving. Kind. Compassionate. Just. Pure. Holy. Faithful. Wise. Smart. Merciful. Gracious. Awesome and so much more.

Therefore, imitate Him? How in the world can I imitate God? This just seems to be so impossible. I mean, God is God. I am me. A human acting like God? Yes. Not in the things that are beyond me such as all knowing, all powerful, all present. But in things that His character can reveal itself in me...love, kindness, compassion, true, holy, righteous, faithful, just, to name just a few.

And how can this happen? Because I am His child...His offspring. I carry His DNA. If I carry His DNA then I should look like Him.

It is weird, we were in South Carolina for the Thanksgiving holiday, spending it with our daughters and sons in law and Maddie. When a baby is born and is growing up you always wonder who she looks like...Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa...who? Well we found out when we were going through some of Elise's old pictures. Maddie looks like her aunt Elise. The funny thing is, the same is true with me and my nephew. We look alike. Why does this happen? DNA. We have some of the same genes. Hopefully Maddie will act like her Mommy or Aunt as well when she grows up.

As God's child...and not just as His child but His dear child, His special child, in fact the word for dear means favorite child I, and all of us who claim the name of Jesus need to look like God. My attitudes, my actions, my words need to reflections of His character...His DNA. When people look at me they should see beyond what I am like, they should see the character of God.

Do they?

Antidotes

2011-12-07T05:08:00.001-08:00

Eph 5:3,4 "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." NKJV

Poison is not a good thing. Not long ago, Maddie got a hold of one of those Tide sticks that you use for stain removal and stuck it in her mouth. (Why do kids discover stuff with their tongues…weird.) Mich contacted poison control and they said that the contents of it were harmless…but it sure concerned her Grandpa. Had it been a harmful substance poison control would have told us to have her drink water, or milk, or syrup of ipecac or something to get it out of her system. I know that when a person takes in too much of a medication (Coumadin, heparin, Tylenol) an antidote needs to be given to counteract the poison…or else they could have serious physical damage or die.

That is what sin is like. We need an antidote. If we don't get this poison out of our lives, it will kill us. Jesus came and gave the ultimate antidote, His blood on the cross. This gets rid of the penalty of sin. But for some reason, we humans tend to be drawn to the junk that poisons us. Junk like sexual sin (fornication), lust or impure motives (uncleanness), wanting what others have (coveting), or obscenities (filthiness), or saying dumb stuff (foolish talking), or bad humor (coarse jesting). The poison seems to lure us and we get caught. Paul told the Ephesian church and he tells us…Don't. This stuff should not even be named among us. There should not even be a hint that this stuff is going on in the church.

How to avoid the poison? How do we get it out of our systems? What is the antidote? Giving thanks. Think about it, being thankful for my wife gets rid of fornication and lust. Being thankful for what God has given me gets rid of impure motives and coveting. And letting thankfulness come out of my mouth replaces obscenities, foolish talking and bad humor.

So the next time I am tempted to complain about a client, or cut someone down, or think improperly…give thanks. It works every time.

Put off…Put on

2011-12-06T04:40:00.001-08:00

Eph 4:22-24 "that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

Like I have said before, I love Paul's practicality. I know that some preachers and teachers don't like to tell people what to do. They say that they will preach the word and the Holy Spirit will do the work of practical convicting and convincing. That is true. That is a job of the Holy Spirit, but I also know that God has given us apostle, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip and encourage. In my mind, that includes giving people practical application of the word of God. I think Paul felt this way too

Take for example these verses. Paul tells the Ephesians that they need to put off the old man and put on the new man. I suppose that he could have left it at that, and said that the Holy Spirit would tell the people what this meant in a practical way. He could have said that, but he didn't. Instead, he went on to tell people what he meant. And what did he mean? Here we go:

Put off the old man. This was the old man, the old nature that put off lying, and anger, and stealing, and corrupt words, and things that would make God sad, and bitterness, wrath, anger (hit this twice), clamor, evil speaking and malice. He was probably stepping on some people's toes, but he did not care. He was getting down to the basics. If you want to get rid of the old man then eliminate these things from your life. This is both interior...attitudinal...anger, bitterness, malice, and exterior actions...lying, stealing, wrath (the hot working out of anger), corrupt words.

And put on the new man. This is speaking the truth, working hard, using edifying words, being kind, compassionate and forgiving. Do you think that anyone in Ephesus had any questions about what Paul meant? I don''t think so. The fact is that the Holy Spirit used those words to convict people of their rotten attitudes and actions and gave them a positive response to replace it.

I wonder how I am doing with the old man/new man thing? I don't think I lie or steal or use rotten words. My battle comes on the inside...potentially bitterness or anger. Sometimes when that happens it can reveal itself in not so complimentary words. I believe that I speak the truth and work hard, but how kind am I? How compassionate am I? How forgiving am I?

I know one thing, I have a long way to go. I have to actively put off, intentionally put off the old man and with the same intentionality put on the new man...how? By renewing the spirit of my mind. v23 and Rom 12:2. How? Saturate my mind in God's thoughts…Stay in the word. Stay in the word. Stay in the word.

Pie in the Sky? No

2011-12-05T04:11:00.001-08:00

Eph 4:16 "from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

Equipped, edified, unified mature, stable, growing. That would be an amazing church. How does it happen? Through apostles, and prophets, and evangelists and pastors and teachers...but get this, through everyone. We all play a part. The whole body, joined and knit together. This is a cool picture. It is a picture of a building that is perfectly framed. It is picture of a group of people that fit, that are close, that are connected...compacted together. Now, many times when people are this close in proximity, the thing that happens is not unity but strife. We start to get on each other's nerves. We want some space. But not the church. What happens when we live in proximity to one another is that we supply for one another. Where I am weak someone else is strong. Where someone else lacks, someone else picks up. When there is a need, someone else helps. We work together because every part does its share. No one is over-burdened. No one burns out. It isn't the 20 percent who do 80 percent of the work. The church is where every joint supplies and every part does what it is gifted to do with the end result that we edify each other, we promote the growth of each other in wisdom, godliness, happiness and holiness. And it is done because we care for one another and love each other.

Ideal? Pie in the sky? Never can be a reality? Not true. If the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers and all others are doing their part, we will see an unbelievably growing, encouraging, stable church.

Why don't we see that more often? Why is this the exception and not the rule? Now Lake Ridge is not there, but I am thankful that we are trying to get there. People who walk into what God is doing there have said that they are thankful that they found our church. They have actually said that they are experiencing something new there. This is not tooting our own horn because we have many faults, problems, issues, room to grow. I just pray that we would eventually see the encouraging, edifying, unifying, maturing, stable, growing community that God intended for His body to be. It is possible.

The key? Solid and effective communication of the Word. This is a huge responsibility for those that God has placed in positions of leadership. God help us.

Stability

2011-12-04T04:03:00.001-08:00

Eph 4:14 "that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the craftiness of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ--"

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers...communicators of the word...to equip, to edify, to unify, to mature, to stabilize. One thing that may have been a problem in the early church, and something that continues to this day are people who want to come into the church to deceive, to mislead, to trick, to confuse. Back in Paul's day it may have been the Gnostics or the Judiazers. Today it is Rob Bell or people in the emerging church. I know that this may seem harsh, but to tell people that there is no hell, or that everyone is going to have a chance, even after death is just plain unbiblical. To say that God and God's truth (theology) is all inclusive and progressive does nothing to support absolute truth. Rather it is built to confuse, to question, to make people doubt. And when that happens we are like children being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. Nothing is stable. Nothing is sure. We can't build our lives on anything. The very words of scripture are to be doubted.

This is why God placed in the church people who could clearly articulate, who could clearly communicate...apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These people should not give those in the church a reason to doubt. Rather, these gifted people need to give assurance in the truth. The need to speak the truth and do it in a loving way. Maybe part of the reason those in the emerging church, or guys like Rob Bell have responded in the way that they have is because all they did or all that they observed were people who spoke the truth, but not in love. Sure it was the truth, but it may have been the harsh truth shared in an arrogant manner. That is not what God intended for these gifted communicators. Instead, He wants them (He wants us...I include me because I have the privilege of holding the microphone on Sunday mornings) to communicate His truth, His absolutes in a loving way. In a way that tells people that God cares.

I have heard some harsh truth in my life. Guys that like to pound the pulpit or scream and yell. Are they preaching the truth? Yes. Are they communicating the truth? No. They are just alienating the hearers. We need to lay out the truth of God before people in a way that they know that God desires their best. He does not want them to get hurt. He does not want them to be punished. He does not want them to be condemned. He loved them so much that He sent His best who was willing to lay down His life. Talk about communicating the truth in love. Jesus did it on the cross. We need to remember that when we open out mouths.

And what will happen? Growth. Maturity. Stability. Christlikeness.

That is the church. That is what communicators of the word need to do and when they do they will see stable people who live like Jesus.

Gifted for a Purpose

2011-12-03T04:47:00.001-08:00

Eph 4:13 "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;"

This is a continuing thought from the previous verses. Why did Jesus give gifts to believers who would be able to use words to communicate to others so that they are equipped and edified? (I love the word "equipped". It means to promote another person's growth) So that we are unified and so that we understand the incomprehendible (there it is again) that we would know Jesus and that we would become perfect and grow to maturity to the point when we are like Jesus.

Here it is, oneness and knowledge. Unity and understanding. Not for the purpose of just head knowledge, but the purpose that we are like Christ, in His words, actions, attitudes.

When I think about the importance and the power of what Christ has given to the church, it is enormous. Jesus has given gifts to people who will bring about equipping, edifying, unity, knowledge and maturity in the body of Christ. Wow. I really don't think that we tell others the importance of the gifts that God has given. We really don't emphasize why we need one another. We absolutely need to do this on a more frequent basis. We have to open our mouths and declare this truth. We have to tell others that God has gifted them for a purpose and we have to tell them what that purpose is.

Not only do we need to tell others about gifting, we need to be thankful for those God has given us to mature us. Thank you God for Randy and Todd and others who use the spoken word to promote our growth in You.

Equipping Communicators

2011-12-02T04:13:00.001-08:00

Eph 4:11,12 "And He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,"

Here we go...Jesus keeps giving. Not only has He extended His grace to us and given us salvation, but He went one step further "and He gave...". He continues to give, not just for salvation, not just for eternal life, not just to have a relationship with Him although that would be enough. We really don't need anything else, but the nature of Jesus could not stop there, and He had to continue to give. Now you can look at this two ways: You can look at this verse and realize that Jesus cared so much for His body, the church, that He gave us people. People who would allow us to be equipped. People who would bring us to the point of ministry which would eventually edify us.

He gave apostles. Now this can be Apostles with a large "A" or apostles with a small "a". With the large "A" it is those guys who saw Jesus. These are the guys who lived and died for His message that they delivered to others who became the church. The small "a" guys are simply messengers. A delegate. An ambassador for God who gives us orders from God. Why? To equip for ministry to build us up.

He gave some prophets. Again, this can be taken two ways. These are the prophets who heard directly from God and told us what was to come. These guys wrote what we read in the NT. Then we have current prophets who are declarers of God's truth. Some pastors are prophetic. Some worship leaders are prophetic. Some teachers are prophetic. They just have this ability to take God's word and communicate it clearly so that it instructs, encourages, rebukes, stimulates other to action. Why? To equip for ministry to build us up.

He gave some evangelists. These are the people who are able to clearly communicate the Gospel to others. These are the people who take the good news that Jesus came and lived and died and rose again for each one of us. We all should do this but some people have the ability to clearly lay this out so that it clicks for the hearers. Why? To equip for ministry to build us up.

And He gave some to be pastors and teachers. Pastors are shepherds. These are people who care and manage and tend the flock.

And teachers are those people who take the truth of God's word and clearly explain it to us. Why? So we can be equipped for ministry and built up.

Jesus did not leave us helpless. Jesus did not leave us alone. He gave us the Holy Spirit and people so we can be equipped, totally furnished to do the work of service so we all can be edified and built up.

It just hit me, but much of what Jesus gave was in the area of communication. Apostles work through words. Prophets work through words. Evangelists work through words. Pastors work through words. Teachers work through words. Not their word...God's word...and it totally equips us to do those things that we need to do to minister and serve others and we all grow.

Giving Grace

2011-12-01T05:07:00.001-08:00

Eph 4:7 "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift." NKJV

Grace. What is it? Getting what I don't deserve. Amazing grace…what is it? Receiving grace that is measured by the gift that Jesus, the God of all creation gives.

This past week was Thanksgiving. I look all around me and I see grace. I look at my computer and I see grace. I look at this room and I see grace. I look at my clothes and I see grace. I think about my ability to write and I see grace. I look at my wife and I see grace. I look at my kids and I see grace. I look at Maddie and I see grace. I look at my job and I see grace. I look at my ministry and I see grace. I look at my friends and I see grace. I look at my church and I see grace. I look at life and I see grace. I look at eternal life and I see grace. I look at Jesus and I see grace. This is not an exhaustive list, but I get the idea. Jesus is full of grace. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…".

The amazing thing is this: Jesus is in the business of giving. Grace was given according to His gift. It was His gift to give and He gave it.

And I think about this: I am not more like Christ than when I extend grace. I am not more like Christ than when I freely give. I am not more like Christ than when my attitudes are gracious and when I hold my stuff loosely. This is tough. I like to hang on to my attitudes. I like to hang on to my stuff. Jesus didn't. He gave it all. Even on the cross He was extending grace to those who were still alive. The thief on the cross. His mother. The entire world. How generous am I?

The cool thing is what comes next. This grace, this giving nature of Christ resulted in giving gifts to men. Look at verse 8. He ascended on high, a pretty big deal. He led captivity captive, a huge deal. And in the middle of all of this amazing work, He gave gifts to men. And He still gives gifts to men. Sure all of the stuff that I listed earlier, but He went even beyond that and gave me a special gift. A spiritual gift. Something that I could not possess without Him. Just wait…

One

2011-11-30T04:52:00.001-08:00

Eph 4:4,5,6 "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

All of God's word is significant. All of God's word is true. If He says something even once, we need to sit up and pay attention. But I have heard people say, if He says it twice, we need to really pay attention, and if He says it three times, it is something that He is trying to drill into our heads and hearts. How about seven times? How about repeating something seven times? He does it here in these three verses. Seven times in three verses He uses the word "one". Why? Why this emphasis on "one"?

In order to grab onto this, I think we have to go back to what Paul was talking about in verse three: unity. We have to exert effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. Unity is huge in the church because it reflects the character, nature and work of God. When we, as a body, are divided, we distort who God is. We misrepresent His work.

Look at God's work: There is one body. There is only one church. It is the church universal of blood bought believers. It isn't the Baptist church, or the Methodist church, or the Catholic church, or the Lutheran church, or the non-denom church. It is the church. It is the body of Christ. Man, have we really screwed it up. The world does not understand who God is because we have decided that some of our petty issues need to divide us. Now, of course, the real church is the one whose family members all have the same lineage in them. The lineage is the blood of Christ. Only those who have trusted in Jesus' finished work on the cross are a part of this family. Anyone who is trusting on their own works, their own smarts, their own ability to get in this family is not a part of it. But if you have repented and trusted in Jesus alone, we are one.

There is only one hope of your calling. I mean what else is there? There is only one "joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation". (Strongs) Hope for anything else is useless. It is worthless. It is hopeless. And there is that calling thing again. It is only the work of God that calls us into that hope.

There is only one faith. There is only one confident conviction of truth, because there is only one truth. Sure, people can run around espousing other beliefs, other faiths, other ideas, but there is really only one faith…"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 Narrow? Yes. But truth is narrow.

There is only one baptism. This seems kind of weird in this list of things. What does Paul mean by baptism? Back then, people may have been confused. There was the baptism of John and there was the baptism of Jesus. Which one was right? Which one evidenced true faith? Only the immersion that comes after faith in Christ. I know that some people struggle with baptism. I am not sure why. I mean, it should be the next step. You get saved and you get baptized. The Ethiopian did it this way with Philip. The early church did it. Jesus instructs us to do it. What is the big deal? There is only one.

And then look at the character of God. One Spirit, One Lord, One God and Father. Kind of looks like the trinity to me. God is One. God's work is one. The church should be one. Petty squabbles need to be put aside.

Getting Practical

2011-11-22T05:52:00.001-08:00

Eph 4:2,3 "with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

I love practical application. To me, if you are filled with a bunch of truth but you can't or don't do anything about it, it is not really very helpful or real. That is what is so cool about Paul's writing. He just doesn't fill you will a bunch of information, but he gives you real, practical ways to live out what he has taught. These two verses are just an example of that.

In verse one he gives us a principle: Walk worthy. That is great. And as I wrote yesterday, this means live a life that shows God's worth, a life of worship. But what does that mean really? How can I do this an everyday way? Here come verses two and three.

Walk in lowliness. That doesn't sound like too much fun. It may not be, but it is how we walk worthy. The word for lowliness actually means that you have a deep sense of how little you really are. The understanding that this salvation that you have is not up to you, the realization that this relationship with God that you have is totally His doing, knowing that this is all God and my location in His presence is His work and that He wants me to know the unsearchable, should result in a deep sense of my littleness. "I am nothing, He is everything, but He wants to make me something." This is how I have to live my life. When the world around me is so "me centered", my worthy walk has to be the opposite.

Walk in gentleness. How do I respond when things don't go the way I think that they should go? How do I react when I see something that I think is wrong? What do I do when I can't control a situation, or direct an outcome? Am I loud? Do I scream? Do I lose my temper? Does my face get all contorted? Do I climb into my shell and give the silent treatment? To walk worthy means to walk in gentleness, to respond in a mild, calm, even way. Why? Because God has it all under control and if I am not all that big of a deal to begin with, then I should not get all bent out of shape. (Yikes…too practical. This is hitting me right between the eyes right now.)

Walk with longsuffering. I have been pretty vocal lately about faithfulness. I have told several people that the key in the Christian life is not the highs and lows, but the constancy. The consistency. This verse just hits it again. Longsuffering means constancy. It means endurance. It means steadfastness. No matter what happens, no matter what hits, be patient. Be steady. I think of the story of the tortoise and the hare. It was the constant, steady, sometime plodding tortoise that won the race. Not because he was faster, not because he was better, but because he was determined and constant. Even though he could have stopped to smell the roses and eat the grass, he didn't. He didn't get distracted. He kept going no matter what. That is another way to have a worthy walk. Junk is going to hit us, junk is going to hit me. People are going to rub me the wrong way, or an obstacle may seem to impede…be longsuffering.

Walk in forbearance. This is the KJV word. Yes, it means to endure one another…and sometimes we must. I know that my wife has to put up with a lot…but she endures it in love. But it goes beyond that. To bear means to hold up, to support. Don't just endure one another, but support one another in unconditional love. Am I irritated by someone? Bear it in love. Does someone need my help or encouragement? Give it in love. "Bear one another's burdens."

I am starting to see that these verses really indicate that a worthy walk is one that is outside myself. Little, gentle, patient, bearing and…

Walk in unity. I appreciate the fact that Paul understands that being peacefully unified takes work. It isn't easy. It doesn't come naturally. The word for endeavoring means that we have to be diligent. We have to exert effort. But, if we practice being little, if we practice gentleness, if we practice patience, if we practice endurance and support, what do you think the result is going to be? We will be bound together in peaceful unity. Can I do it myself? Nope. It has to be the unity of the Spirit. This has to be a work of God in me. No matter how much I try, no matter if I take this verse and plaster it all over my walls, it isn't going to happen unless God's Spirit does an amazing work in me.

Man I need this…and I need to keep it before me all the time. Like I said, pretty practical.

Walk Worthy

2011-11-21T04:22:00.001-08:00

Eph 4:1 "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called," NKJV

In light of all of the stuff that he just wrote about, that our choosing, the truth and the blessings are all God (chapter 1), that we have a new location (chapter 2), and that God wants us to understand the incomprehendable and beyond(chapter 3), because of all of this, Paul, the guy who was sitting in prison because of this faith was beseeching, teaching, exhorting, coming along side to urge these people to walk worthy.

I love how God uses words interchangeably. Beseech actually is "paraclete" the same word that is used for the Holy Spirit. Paul was saying that he was coming along side these people to encourage, to challenge, to urge, to spur along. I mean, if ever there was a guy who was qualified to do this it was Paul. The Ephesians all were living in their homes in their city, I am assuming with relative ease. Yet here was Paul, the prisoner of the Lord. Note, he does not say a prisoner of Rome, rather the prisoner of the Lord. He knew that this was God's desire for him. It was probably not what he wanted for his life, but he was content in it because the Lord was in it. So this guy who is very qualified, who had the war wounds of the battle, was challenging these people to walk a certain way.

Their walk was the way that they lived. Paul was urging them to walk/live worthy…worthy of the calling with which they were called. Now calling and called are two different words. The first calling means that God drew them into a relationship with Him. This was not something that they did, it was ''all God" (chp 1). And this was not a group thing, this was an individual thing because the second "called" means name by name. To think that God called me by name to be in a relationship with Him is astounding. No wonder Paul said to live worthy. Now this word: "worthy" is something to explore. What does Paul mean when he encourages these people to live in a worthy manner? It means suitably, in a way that gives worth to the calling. These people were personally invited to have a relationship with God. Since this was the case, how in the world would you expect them to live? In a way that honors God...all the time. He is the One who did the work. He is the One who engaged in the action. He is the One who did the calling. He is the One who is worthy of all of their honor.

Nothing has changed. God still personally still calls us into a relationship with Him. How should I respond? With a life that gives Him worth. With a life of worth-ship. With a life of worship. All that I do, all that I say, my every motivation should be activities of worship because He called me by name. I need to always remember that.

Ice Cream

2011-11-20T04:04:00.001-08:00

Eph 3:20,21 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." NKJV

One of my downfalls is ice cream. Right now I am enjoying a carton of mint chocolate chip…it is one of my favorites. I enjoy going to Malley's that serves something called a black and white. It is vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, chocolate ice cream with marshmallow sauce, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Whenever I go there, that is what I get. The problem is, when it is gone I want more.

That is how I am looking at these verses. Up to this point Paul has given us the great ice cream of God's truth. Now he hits us with the whipped cream and cherry.

It's amazing that how you think you know a verse. I mean, I have heard and read and memorized 3:20. For some reason I did not memorize verse 21…but verse 21 is more important than verse 20.

First, verse 20 is amazing. I am pumped because God wants me to know His mystery, His unsearchable riches, His manifold wisdom, the width and length and depth and height of His love. But then the whipped cream comes in verse 20. God wants to do more. He wants to move more. He wants to reveal Himself more…more than I can ask. More than I can think. More than I can comprehend. More than I can understand. And He wants to do it in an exceeding abundant way. Sure He wants me to know Him, but He wants to go beyond my wildest imagination…based upon the power that is in me. As I think about His power that is in me, I think of what I wrote about yesterday. Jesus is in me and since He lives in me His power is in me. That very power that raised Jesus from the dead. (1:19,20)

Yesterday morning I was praying about a bunch of stuff. One thing I prayed about was our church and our eventual need to move to a new location. I started thinking about how much money this was going to cost, and how were we going to get it and how realistic is this…and now this verse. God can, God does, God will blow me away with how He works. It may not be how I think, in fact it will not be how I think. It will be far beyond how I think. And then I think of my sister in law, Linda, who just had brain surgery. His power is coursing through her veins as well. Even though she is having a difficult time swallowing, and communicating and sitting up straight and walking, God is going to do something far beyond what we ask or think.

That is the whipped cream. Verse 21 is the cherry. Verse 21 is what the church is all about. Verse 21 is what life is all about. "To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever." This entire chapter about understanding the incomprehendable and seeing God work in unbelievable, unrealistic, blow my mind ways is not for me, it is for Him. It is for His glory. It is so He can be exalted. It is so He is magnified in this world. And then this, and this is something that I had never seen before, "to all generations forever and ever". God wants His glory to be revealed to all generations…past, present and future, forever.

I take a look at our world today and it just seems like it is going down the tubes. It seems like our society is more godless than ever, and then I hit this verse. God's glory will be revealed to all generations. It does not matter how things seem, the reality is that God will be magnified in my parent's generation, in my generation, in my kid's generation, in Maddie's generation to eternity. This is what it is all about. Every generation will see the salvation and glory of the Lord and it will revealed in the church. In this body of Christ. Through you and me. This is the cherry.

Within our Grasp

2011-11-19T04:22:00.001-08:00

Eph 3:17,18,19 "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." NKJV

I am trying to grasp all of this. I am trying to get a hold of all the truth that is contained in these verses. I mean this stuff is huge. It is massive…and it is within our grasp.

I just think about his truth: Jesus lives in my inner man. From a human perspective this is impossible. No one can live in another person. But here it is. Christ lives in my heart. Not that thing that keeps the blood flowing through my arteries, but the thing that actually motivates me, moves me, inspires me, controls me. Jesus is there through the person of the Holy Spirit. (Talk about Jesus and the Holy Spirit being one entity.)

And then this truth: My foundation, my stability, my strength is found in love. The love of God. What Paul wants these people to know and what I have to know is that God's love, the love of Christ which passes knowledge is knowable, in all of its width and length and depth and height. I enjoy how Paul says that you may know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. Knowing something that is not knowable. This is not a human thing. This is a supernatural thing. This is something that I can't understand through my tiny little brain, but it is something that I can grasp because Jesus lives in me, and if the God of all creation lives in me then I have that knowledge because I have Him.

I remember when I was in college I read a book by Watchman Nee called "Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things". The premise of the book was that I am a possessor of all of Christ's character…His love, His kindness, His mercy, His grace, His understanding, His wisdom, His knowledge…because He lives in me. This is just blow me away time. This is just shaking my head time. And these are things that reachable, comprehendable, knowable. Paul says it: That you may be able to comprehend…that you may know…even though it is beyond knowledge…that you may get it.

I just went back and reviewed Eph 1:18. There it is again. Understanding. Enlightenment. Knowledge. The revelation had been made known to Paul and he wanted these people to get it too. It is possible.

I have so far to go, but I have an amazing Teacher who lives in me, who wants to fill me to the fullness of God. Wow.

Blown Socks

2011-11-18T03:58:00.001-08:00

Eph 3:10,11 "to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord," NKJV

Now if these verses don't blow your socks off, nothing will.

What was God's intent? What has been His purpose, not just from the beginning of time but from all eternity? That through Christ, the church would make His manifold wisdom known to the rulers and powers in heaven. That through the church the various aspects of the wisdom of God would be recognized by angels and all of the authorities in heaven.

Before Jesus came and before the church was formed, even those in heaven did not understand the mystery. The angels did not have complete knowledge. They didn't understand how this was all going to work. How were they informed? By the church. I am not talking about some organization that men have created and structured and politicized. I am talking about those of us who make up the body of Christ here on earth. Jews and Gentiles. Men and women. Rich and poor. Black and white. The whole church declares the wisdom of God to those in heaven.

And this is not just a limited thing. The church is the vehicle that God uses to reveal His manifold wisdom. I love the word for "manifold". No, it isn't a part of the inner workings of a car. Manifold actually means: "marked with a great variety of colors". God's wisdom is multifaceted. It really is endless. And this multifaceted wisdom that comes in great variety is something that the church declares to angels. Do I get it? Do I understand this? Can I grasp the depth of this? No way. But it is true and it was God's plan from all eternity.

Some question the relevance of the church. Some question the importance of the church. Some question the power of the church. It doesn't matter what some do…this is the truth. The church is relevant, and important and powerful because we are the representation of Jesus on this earth and in heaven. And we declare God's unbelievable wisdom to all. We need to take this thing seriously and not just play the game of church but be the church and watch what God does as He blows our socks off.

Enlighten

2011-11-17T04:19:00.001-08:00

Eph 3:9 "and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;" NKJV

There are certain times in my life when I was totally in the dark about some things. I mean, I had no clue what was going on. I didn't understand what people were talking about. I just could not connect. Then, for some reason it clicked. I was enlightened. I finally got it. It was one of those eureka moments and it became clear.

This is what Paul said that he wanted all to get. He wanted everyone to see, to be enlightened about this mystery that had been hidden from the beginning of all time. And when this enlightenment came it brought about fellowship. The two groups became one. The Jews and the Gentiles no longer were separated but they were all brought into fellowship through Christ. This is something that the Ephesians really struggled with. I mean, here were a bunch of believers who were wondering if the division between the two groups still existed. Paul was telling them that Jesus broke down the dividing wall and now they both had fellowship, Koinonia, oneness…through the One who created everything.

Now this is kind of working on a theme. Paul was called to preach the unsearchable riches, the incomprehendable abundance of Christ and he wanted us all to see it, to understand it, to be enlightened by it. This is not unreachable. This is not unobtainable. And part of it is this unity aspect of bring all people together in Jesus. Now from a human perspective, this is impossible. I mean really, when you think about history it is filled with conflict between people groups. It has always gone on and I believe that it will continue to go on. There is only one thing, there is only one Person who is able to break down religious, racial, societal, and political barriers…it is Jesus, the One who prayed: "That they may be one…" John 17.

I wonder if this mystery is a reality in my life? Are there any walls that Jesus needs to tear down? Is there anyone that I have issues with that this mystery needs to invade?

God enlighten me.

Understanding the Incomprehendable

2011-11-16T03:49:00.001-08:00

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

As I read Ephesians chapter three, I am starting to see that maybe I am underestimating the things that we as believers are able to understand about God. The next few days will kind of lay this out, but Paul starts here, with who he was, with who that church was and who Christ is.

Who was Paul? Before he became a Christian he was Saul. A circumcised Hebrew of Hebrews. From the tribe of Benjamin. A very learned Pharisee. A teacher of the law. A big deal hotshot in his religion. So much so that he persecuted this new group of people called the church. He even said that he was blameless as it related to the law. (That is a pretty bold claim…see Phil. 3) Now who is he? A guy who was picked out by God to take his past history and his learning and teach the church. He is the guy who wrote two thirds of the New Testament. He, in my mind, was a significant part of what God was doing…but in his mind he was "…less than the least of all the saints". He knew his past. He knew what he had done. He knew how very unworthy he was to be in the position that he was in. He knew the grace of God in his life and it humbled him.

I wonder how I do? Do I start to believe my own press clips? Don't. I can't. If Paul was less that the least, I am less than that. Why did God choose me to be a part of His family? Why can I sit here and write this stuff? Why does He share His word with me? Not a clue…yet I am His poem…His workmanship. As I have said before: "I am nothing and He is everything and He wants to make me something." I stand amazed.

What was Paul called to do? Preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles. The unsearchable riches means the incomprehendable abundance of Christ. This is the stuff that I talk about so often…that we really cannot grasp what Jesus is like…what God is like. I mean, He is too huge. Too massive. Too awesome. Yet here is Paul saying that he has been called to preach these incomprehendable things. If his job was to preach this stuff, then apparently it could be known, because he had to know it and he had to communicate it to these people.

This is why I said at the beginning that I think that I may be underestimating some things. Will I in this life be able to grasp all that God is? No way. Can I grasp more than I have? Yes…and it is a never ending adventure.

A Good Mystery

2011-11-15T04:07:00.001-08:00

Eph 3:6 "the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,"

I enjoy a good mystery. We don't watch a lot of TV. I wish I was not so stuck on the Browns because they seem to draw my attention every week, (talk about mysteries) but my wife and I are kind of stuck on one TV program every week. It is a mystery. A "whodunit". They always start with a crime and then you have to figure out which of the characters may have pulled it off. The thing about mysteries is that there is this hint. There is something that whets your appetite and then you want to know what the secret is.

That is what it was like for the people who lived before Jesus was born. The knew something was coming. They had the promise of the Messiah but they had not seen it yet. They really did not know how all encompassing His life, His work and His ultimate act would be. It was a mystery. And here is Paul talking about a mystery. He uses the word three times in nine verses. And what is the mystery? Christ.

For some reason God chose to reach down and grab Paul and through special revelation, He let Paul in on the unsearchable riches of Jesus. Part of this mystery is that Jews and Gentiles who trust Jesus are all one body. There is no more separation. There is no more animosity. We are fellow heirs. We are the same body. We are all partakers of His promise.

I don't think the world sees this…but it is happening. Jew and Gentile believers are all one body in this thing called the Church. The fact that we are worshipping together should be trumpeted. The fact that there is no division should be something that is noticeable. And this should not just be for Jew and Gentile, but for men and women; and blacks, whites, Asians, and Hispanics; for those who have been given strong bodies and those who have special needs; for the rich and for the poor. The mystery of Christ is the fact that, in His death and resurrection, He has made us all one. All fellow heirs. All partakers. All one body. There should be no division, only unity…and the world should be able to sit up and take notice.

I wonder why they don't? Something to think about.

Contrasts

2011-11-14T04:10:00.001-08:00

Eph 2:19 "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God," NKJV

Last night I woke up periodically listening to something hitting our house. What was it? Snow and sleet. As I woke up this morning and looked outside, I discovered a blanket of white covering my yard…the first snowfall of the season. It won't stay. Tomorrow is going to be 55 degrees. In fact, Tuesday of this week was a beautiful and sunny 69 degrees. Talk about contrasts! That is what they say about weather in Cleveland, though…if you don't like it just wait, it will change.

Contrasts are really a big deal in life. If we didn't have them we would never know how good good can be. For example sweet verses sour. Hot verses cold. Strong verses weak. Healthy verses sick. Lush verses desolate. Happy verses sad. Right verses wrong. Truth verses error. Good verses bad. And how about this one: strangers and foreigners verses fellow citizens and members of God's household. Now that is a huge contrast.

I was once a stranger and foreigner to God and His kingdom. I was not a part of those He chose to be His special people I was an alien. I didn't belong. I had no home. I was outside looking in. I was not accepted. Talk about hopeless and helpless. But then something happened. Jesus came and invaded this world. Jesus came and invaded my life. Jesus came and took this world's sin and my sin on Himself and died making access to God available…location, location, location…and now I am a fellow citizen and a member of God's household. I am on the same playing field with the saints and apostles. I am a part of God's family. I belong. No longer on the outside looking in, but a part of what God is doing right there with the saints and the apostles…built on that foundation. And the cornerstone, the primary building block, the thing that holds this house together is Jesus. (v20)

I am not sure that I get all this. I know that scripture is true and I know that this is true, but does it really sink into this think brain of mine? Does it really communicate with my inner man? No longer a stranger. No longer a foreigner. Now an integral part of God's family. A crazy and wild and true contrast. This is who I am. A fellow citizen. A part of God's household. That should eliminate any insecurity or desire for recognition that I might want. This is my identity in Christ.

(If you want to see your true identity in Christ, just take a look at James MacDonald's study on Gripped by the Greatness of God. Powerful stuff.)

That Location Thing

2011-11-12T04:42:00.001-08:00

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

So many times we think about the death of Jesus and the blood that He shed in light of our forgiveness. You know: "What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus." This is an amazing truth that we need to hang on to, but when Jesus died on the cross much more was taking place.

Like what? This verse lays out one thing. Those of us who were far off (Frankly that is all of us, no matter who we are…but Paul was writing in terms of Jew and Gentile. The Jew was near because they had a special relationship with God. They were His chosen people. They were the ones who He made a nation through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were the ones who were rescued from Egypt to go to the Promised Land. They were the ones who were given the law.) So what about us Gentiles? We were aliens. We were strangers. We had no hope We were without God. Then that one magic word: "But". I love that word. It changes everything. 2:4 said "But God" and it changed everything. And here, "But now" those of us who were far off have been brought near. Here is that location thing again. Here we are positionally again. We who were far away are now near. We now have access to God. We are close to Him. We are in His presence. Again, location…location…location.

How did this happen? What changed? The blood of Christ. Jesus' death on the cross did this. When He died, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and God gave all of us, Jew and Gentile, free access to His throne How can I ever look at prayer differently again? How can I take this access for granted? It was paid for at a high price. And look what else the blood of Jesus did: No more separation. No more hatred. No more strangers. No more foreigners. No more law. We now have peace and reconciliation and unity…all because of the blood of Jesus. All who have trusted Jesus' death on the cross for their forgiveness, eternal destination and control are one. It doesn't matter what our nationality. It doesn't matter what our prior religion It doesn't matter what we once were, we are now new, we are brought near, we are in His presence, our location is right next to God…through the blood of Jesus.

God’s Poem…Us

2011-11-11T03:38:00.001-08:00

Eph 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." NKJV

This is another one of those verses that I love. Why? Because of the thought, because of the reality, because of the truth that says that God made me and planned things for me to do. This is just another one of those verses that verifies the sovereignty of God.

First, I am His workmanship. The word for workmanship is poiema...poem...one who has been made by God. I have been created by God. I have been shaped by God. I have been formed by God. This truth gives me purpose. It gives me value. Those who believe that we have just evolved really feed the thought that man is worthless. That we are not any better than the rock that is sitting in my garden. Sure we can think, reason and feel, but we don't have any more right to live than some animal. (See where animal rights activists get their philosophy?) This reasoning is not only false, it degrades what God has done. Genesis tells me that God formed man in His image. I am a work that God has made. Why did He choose to make me? Why did He decide to form this body of mine? Why was I born? First, to be in Christ Jesus. Not only was I born physically, but I was born spiritually. When that happened, I was created in Christ Jesus for a very specific thing...for good works. Now Paul just got done telling the Ephesians that they were not saved by good works, but now he tells them that they have been saved for good works. This kind of echos what James wrote that faith without works is dead. A verification that we have been born spiritually is the fact that we perform good works. And these good works are also special works of God. God set in place the things that I would do as a believer. He outlined that I would minister to people in my job and elsewhere. He ordained that I would serve by helping people worship Him. He prepared ahead of time the work that I would do in serving people, and hopefully teach and disciple people. These are things that God did. These are things that God prepared in advance that I should walk in them. This is my walk...this is my life...this is how I am supposed to live.

And not only that, but God is not done. He has prepared more for me to do. I don't know right now what it is, but it will happen when the right time comes. How do I know? Because it is God who planned the work. It is God who prepared the work. It is God who will bring the work. It is God who will do the work.

How cool that I can be involved in the work of God. No wonder I love this verse. God made me so I can work with Him. Amazing stuff.

All God

2011-11-10T04:27:00.001-08:00

Eph 2:8,9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." NKJV

For people who have been in the evangelical church awhile, this is a very familiar verse. In fact, it is so familiar that I think that we sometimes just quote it to prove a point and then move on without giving it much thought. Oh sure, we believe it and we rely upon it, but how much have we really dug into this verse. Well here goes.

For by grace. I have recently quoted what Strongs has written about the meaning of this word, but I think it is something that I need to look at again: "of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues." Whose grace is it? God's. Whose merciful kindness is it? God's. Who exerts His holy influence? God. Who turns us to Christ? God. Who keeps, strengthens and increases us in our faith, knowledge and character? God. The point about grace: It is all God. This is the grace of God. This is the unmerited favor of God. This is a total God-thing There is nothing that I do that gives me grace. It is all up to God.

You have been saved. Let's face it. We are a sorry bunch. We are a suffering bunch. We are a needy bunch. We are a lost bunch. We are a hurting bunch. We are a sick bunch. In short, we need to be rescued because we are on a road that will destroy us. We need to be rescued. We need to be delivered. We need to be saved. People think that we should not use the word "saved" when talking to those who do not share our faith. They joke: "You mean like saving money, ha…ha…ha." Wrong. This is a Biblical word. It must be used. It must be communicated because people know what it means to be saved from impending destruction…and those that have experienced the merciful kindness of God in turning to Christ have been rescued.

How? Through faith. I am going back to Strongs: "a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God". Where does this conviction come from? How do we get this belief? How do we know that it is how we obtain eternal salvation?

It is the gift of God. This is God's gift to us. It is something that only He can give. My wife and I have already begun our Christmas shopping. We have gotten some pretty cool things for our kids and Maddie. Now when I give a gift at Christmas, who gets the gift rolling? Who picks it out? Who buys it? I do. No one else exerts any effort…it is all up to me. This is how faith is. God got it rolling. He picked it out. He bought it. And He gives it. Any faith that I have is something that God has given to me. I do nothing to get it.

Not of works. I don't work for His grace. I don't work for this faith. It is all free and given by God. Now most of the religions of the world say that in order to go to heaven, or paradise, or wherever, you have to do something. You have to engage in good works. You have to practice the golden rule. You have to keep the law. You have to live faithfully to the tenants of the faith. You have to… No you don't…because if you do, you are saying that Jesus' death on the cross was not enough…we humans have to add to it. That is totally and completely false and is a teaching straight out of hell. It is a free gift given only by God.

Lest anyone should boast. If I can work my way into heaven, then I will get there and say: "Look what I did. I made it and this other guy didn't because I was better." "I said the Rosary so many times. I blew myself up because of my faith. I shaved my head and fasted." Let's be clear about one thing: There will be no boasting in heaven, only adoration to the One who died, who gave, who made it possible for anyone to be there.

My response: No boasting now…only thankfulness and adoration now. This does not have to wait. It should not wait. God's grace. God's faith. God's gift…all extended to me. Amazing.

Location, Location, Location

2011-11-09T03:47:00.001-08:00

Eph 2:6 "and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"

It's all about location. Another way of thinking about it, is that it is all about position. People fight for it all the time. I know that when I go to Cedar Point the place to be is the front of the line. If you can get there early and get in line first for the Top Thrill Dragster, it is a good thing. It goes beyond simple things like that, though. People work, and educate, and fight, and claw for top spots in sports, and industry, and politics. I watch the politicking that is going on right now for the Presidential race coming up next year, and these guys will say and do anything to get that position. I am not sure why they want it, but this is a coveted prize. They want to win so they spend millions of dollars to get there. Frankly, what a waste of money. Then you see the dumb things that people did at Ohio State and the way Tressel kept his mouth shut. Why? To try to win a National Championship…to be on top…to take the prize. The result? Shame, gone, stupidity. And the garbage that went on at Penn State that is being revealed now? Why keep things quiet? To stay on top, to maintain position.

The position that this world can offer in anything is worthless. You can win national championships, you can grab the ring, you can be Steve Jobs, you can become President and where does that get you ultimately? No where.

Now compare this to the position that a believer has. We are raised up. We are seated in heaven. This is not our position in the future, this is our position now. It doesn't get greater than this. It doesn't get more powerful than this. We are at the top right now because we, positionally, are in the presence of God. Now raised up can mean two things. First it can mean that we are no longer dead. We have been raised from the dead and been given life by the power of God exhibited in raising Jesus from the dead. The thing is, the term raised up is coupled with the word together. This is a plural thing. This is a community thing. It is actually the word for synergy. It is what has happened to all who have been made alive together with Christ. (v5) We are alive together, we are raised together and we sit down together in, by and with Christ. This is now. This is currently. This is our position and it is amazing.

So, when I think about this, what is holding me back from doing anything for the kingdom? I am currently in the presence of Jesus and His power and His ability and His wisdom is available for the asking. None of us should be fighting for any position here on this earth. We have it all right now.

But God

2011-11-08T03:41:00.001-08:00

Eph 2:4,5 "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)," NKJV

What was I? Dead. Verse one tells us pretty plainly. "And you who were dead in trespasses and sins…" and then it lays it out. The world, Satan, disobedience, lusts, mental and fleshly desires, wrath. Nasty stuff. This is dead. This is what I was. This is what we all are. We have no spiritual breath in us. We are consumed with stuff that is just rotten and decaying and dead. I think about the world and what it has to offer. Sure, it looks appealing for a time. But when you boil it down to its root, it is dead. It is worthless. It is a waste. We invest our time and energy and thoughts and passion is stuff that is all centered on self. It has no lasting value. It has no eternal purpose. We are dead and hopeless.

And the thing is, a dead thing cannot bring itself life. It is dead. Just ask that squashed spider that you killed in the corner of your house the other day to come to life again. Nothing doing. It is gone. It is in the Kleenex and it is thrown in the garbage. There is nothing it can do to get its legs moving again. That is a picture of the human condition. We are so dead, we are incapable of making any choice that is going to bring us real life. God has to do something. He has to act on our behalf. If He doesn't we are gonners.

Enter: "But God…". This is massive. God enters the picture. And what is God like? Rich in mercy. God's wealth is given to us poor, dead, pitiful people and He extends His mercy, His kindness, His good will toward us who do not deserve it. And He has great, huge, unconditional love. Unreal. He give us this. And even when we are dead and almost buried, He makes us alive. He breathes life into us. He extends His unmerited favor (grace) and rescues us. This is not our act. This is not our choice. This is not our effort. This is all God. He does the acting. He does the choosing. He puts forth the effort. He extends mercy. He shows love. He gives grace. What do we do? Nothing. It is all a work of God that gives us life.

I praise you God for your great love, for your mercy and grace. Thank you for giving me life.

Feet…Head…Body

2011-11-07T04:09:00.001-08:00

Eph 1:23,24 "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head of all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." NKJV

Sometimes I wonder why the translators of the Bible include certain words. You can tell added words because they are in italics. This verse is one of those wondering situations. This verse should actually read: "And He put all under His feet, and gave Him head of all to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." It isn't just things that God put under Jesus feet, it wasn't just stuff that He is the ruler over, it is all…period. Jesus is the head of all. He is the controller of all. He is the ruler of all…things and people. There is nothing that escapes His sovereignty. This is true in the world and this is true in the church. Jesus is the master and Lord of all. It really does not matter whether the world acknowledges this truth. It really does not matter whether anyone bows to His lordship. It really does not matter whether people follow Him or not, He is still Lord. He is still in control. He is still the head.

I love a couple things about this verse. First the word "all". It is used four times. I am thinking that Paul wanted to get a point across. All are under His feet. He is head of all to the church. He fills all in all. There is nothing that escapes who He is and He is the picture of total completeness. Sounds like another phrase that God used with Moses. When Moses asked what God's name was God replied: "I AM". In other words, I am everything. I am all. I am complete. I am all you need. That is Jesus.

And then I love the fact that Jesus is the head of the body. Now in a physical sense, every living creature needs a head. The head (the brain) controls all the functions of the human body and all of its movements. That is Jesus. He is the head of His body, the church. He should not only control all of our conscious decisions, He should also be in control of all of the things that we do unconsciously. When we make a decision, He is in charge. When we go a direction, He is in charge. When we talk to people, He is in charge. When we spend money, He is in charge. When we minister to others, He is in charge. When we get an idea, He is in charge. When we worship, He is in charge. When we teach, He is in charge. When we have fun together, He is in charge. When we extend grace, or forgiveness, or mercy, or help…He is in charge. In every way, in all things Jesus is in charge because He is the head…but everything and everyone is also under His feet. See how complete He is? All encompassing. All consuming. All in all.

Thank you God for teaching me.

Exceeding, Great, Mighty Power

2011-11-06T04:22:00.001-08:00

Eph 1:19,20 "and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,"

This is the last thing on this list that Paul wants these people to know, to understand, to be enlightened about…"the exceeding greatness of God's power toward us who believe". This was written to the church in Ephesis, but it was not written just for the church in Ephesis. Some believe that this was what was called a circular letter that was to be distributed to a bunch of churches. So this was probably being addressed to all believers in that area. But not only that, this is addressing all of "us who believe".

Now I have to remember who Paul is writing about. I have to remember the resource that Paul is addressing. He is talking about God. He is talking about the almighty, awesome, ruling, powerful Creator and Sustainer of everything. He is talking about the great I AM. He is talking about Jehovah, the eternally existing One. All the resources of God, all the magnitude of God, all the power of God is given to us. The word "toward" actually is better translated "to us".

And what is that power like? What did that power do? How did God ultimately display this amazing power? By the resurrection of Christ from the dead and His ascension to heaven. Sure, God's power was demonstrated at creation. And yes, it has been demonstrated through the nation of Israel and in the many miracles that Jesus did. But the ultimate demonstration of God's power is the living Christ. This is exceedingly great power. This is hyper power. And Paul wanted these people and he wants us to know it. God wants us to know it. God wants us to experience it.

How? Changed lives. That is really resurrection power. To see total transformation. How? Victorious lives. Overcoming sin. Overcoming temptation. Overcoming trials.

How? Miraculous lives. Seeing God do things that can only be explained by God. Things happening that go far beyond anything we could ever manufacture.

May I know, understand and be enlightened about all of this…my hope…my inheritance…my power in Christ.

What We Need to Know

2011-11-05T05:11:00.001-07:00

Eph 1:18 ", the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," NKJV

I have to keep going with these verses. Paul prayed that these people would get their brains around their faith. And this is what he wanted them to know: God, their hope, their inheritance, God's power.

First God. He prayed that they would be given wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. This is primary. If we miss this we miss everything. God wants us to know Him. He wants us to grow in our knowledge of Him. In short, He wants relationship. Paul said it in another letter: "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings." (Philippians) He said that he counted everything loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ. This is it. If we have to concentrate on anything in our Christian life, this is it. Know Jesus. Grow in our relationship with Christ. Paul knew this and this was a big deal prayer request for him on behalf of this church.

Then look at what else he wanted these people to know: Their hope, their inheritance and their power.

Their Hope. In my profession I have found this truth: People need hope. It is tough to live without hope. Now as a lawyer, people think that hope is found in money, or a job, or health. There are times that I have an opportunity to share with them that real hope is found in a person: Jesus. Money and jobs and health will all eventually fade…Christ never will. Real hope, real purpose, a real future is found there and nowhere else. Paul said that he wanted them to know the hope of their calling. Their hope was not in what they did. Their hope was not in what they decided. Their hope was found in the calling of God in their lives. Their hope was found in the divine invitation of God to embrace salvation. If we have this, we have eternal hope.

Their Inheritance. Paul said that this was glorious. This is the magnificence of what we will eventually receive. I know that I have no clue, but Paul wanted these people, and God wants us to get a clue. I think that if we concentrated on this, if we spent time talking about and investigating what our inheritance is then we would not be so enamored with the junk that this world has to offer. There is no way that this world's property, or power, or money, or thrills can compare with God has for us. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man all that God has prepared for us." It is so astounding. Just wait.

Their Power…tomorrow.

A Thinking Person’s Faith

2011-11-04T04:02:00.001-07:00

Eph 1:17-20 "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places," NKJV

Whew! There is a ton here. This may take a few days to digest. Paul just got done telling the Ephesian church that after he heard of their faith and love, he thanked God for them and prayed for them. What did he pray? Here it is:

That God the Father, the Source of all things, the Maker of all things, the Ruler over all things would give them something. Here is Paul going to God and he is making a specific request…that God would give these people wisdom, revelation, knowledge, understanding, enlightenment in the most important thing to know…God, our hope, our inheritance, and His power.

Wisdom. This is full intelligence. This is the ability to use knowledge in every situation. This is, in fact, supreme intelligence that can only come from God. Just think if this happened in the church. Paul wanted this for the Ephesians, and I am sure that it is something that is available today as well. Is this outside of our reach? Is this just pie in the sky stuff? I don't think so. Paul talks about it. Solomon talks about it. James talks about it. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…" "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…" "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy". This is attainable stuff. Since that is the case, we should, I should be going to God all the time and begging for it…and He will give it.

Revelation. I think that this word scares some people. They think it is something spooky and impossible to get in this time period. Not so. This is just a disclosure of the truth. This is just an understanding in knowing what is right. If this is not attainable today, then we might as well hang it up. God wants us to know the truth. "You shall know the truth (revelation) and the truth will set you free." It is simply God revealing His truth to us. And how does He do that most often? His word. I can't expect to grasp the truth unless I am in it. That is where God reveals His truth. "Sanctify them in Thy truth, Thy word is truth."

Knowledge. This is precise and correct knowledge about everything ethical and divine. This isn't just smart. This is knowing how God thinks. That is powerful. That is amazing. That is something that Paul prayed that these people would have. That is something we all should pray we have.

Understanding. This deals primarily with the mind. That God would invade these people's minds, that God would invade our minds and allow us to grasp, to understand what He is like and what He is up to. Man, if there is ever a time to crave this in history, now is the time. God gives us your mind so we can know how to live our lives in this crazy culture.

Enlighten. This is to illuminate. To bring to light. To say: "Eureka…I get it!" This has to do with instruction, with teaching, with informing. Paul was saying to these people: "I am praying that you get it. That you will learn…and then maybe take it one step further and in your instruction you instruct. In your teaching you will be able to teach, in your informing you will be able to inform.

I kind of get the idea that Paul wanted these people to really grasp what they had. He wanted them to get not just their emotions, but their brains around the magnitude of what they had in Christ.

The point: Christianity makes sense intellectually because of an intelligent God.

There is a ton here…and more to come.

Faith and Love

2011-11-03T03:57:00.001-07:00

Eph 1: 15,16 "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:"

I grab two things here: The church at Ephesis and Paul. What that church was like and what Paul did.

What was the church at Ephesis like? They were people of faith and love. They had faith. Now this was not just the faith that saved them, this was something more. It was a conviction of truth in who Christ was. I am thinking that it was the ability to speak intelligently and forcefully into the lives of people. I am thinking that it was the strong conviction that Jesus came, lived, died, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and was interceding for them. Now I don't know this for sure, but I think it was more than just: "Yes, I put my faith in Christ". It was the ability to defend the truth of the Gospel. And they were faithful. This word for faith also means faithful…steadfast…consistent. They were not up here and down there. They were not dependent on emotional experiences to sustain them. They were steady. They endured. They were reliable.

They were also people of love. This was not a superficial love. This was not just a warm fuzzy. It was agape love. It was an in spite of love. It was a sacrificial love. It was an unconditional love. No matter what, no matter the situation, these people loved all who were saints. This church loved everyone who had put their faith in Christ. It didn't matter whether they were Jew or Gentile. It didn't matter whether they were slave or free. It didn't matter whether they were male or female. They loved them all.

No wonder Paul said that he did not cease to give thanks for them. No wonder he prayed for them. This was a special group of people who consistently lived what they believed. It would seem that any leader would be thankful for people like this, those who practiced and shared their faith with confidence and loved others with the love of Christ. Yet he continued to pray for them. And what he prayed is dynamite. (That is in the coming verses.)

Now I wonder about us. I wonder about the church in the 21^st Century. I wonder about the church in the United States. I wonder about the churches in Lake County. I wonder about Lake Ridge. Can someone say about us that we have a strong, unyielding, consistent, open faith in Christ? Can others see our sacrificial, unconditional, persistent love for believers? "By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another." Can they? I think that if they did, we would not see our society going down the sewer.

And then I wonder about me? What about me…do these two qualities characterize my life? A strong, defensible, faithful faith in Jesus, and an evident love for others?

I know this: I have a long way to go. We all do.

Sealed

2011-11-02T04:38:00.001-07:00

Eph 1:16,17 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. "

Here is the order: Hearing, trusting and believing, salvation, sealing, receipt of our inheritance, God's glory. When God established things before the creation of the world, He made sure that all of these things would occur in His children's life. First we would hear. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." In order for God to give us the gift of faith, we need to hear His word. "How shall they believe in whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent." This hearing thing is huge. People have to hear. We heave to hear the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation. It is how God does things.

Once we hear the good news of salvation, something happens. Trust develops. Faith develops. Belief develops...and salvation comes. Thank God that at some point in time in my life someone opened their mouth and spoke the good news of truth to me. God used this to work in my life and save me.

The cool thing is what comes next: Sealing. Guaranteeing. The Holy Spirit is insurance. This is totally a mystery that we will never figure out until we get to heaven, but when we believe God places a part of who He is in us...the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit is there to teach, and remind, and convict, and direct, but He is also there as a promise of what is to come. Once the Holy Spirit is in the believer, He will always be there. He will never leave. And He is the guarantee of our future inheritance that we have in Christ. Since this is a guarantee, since this is a sealing, it cannot be broken. It cannot be taken away. Frankly, once saved always saved. This salvation cannot be lost. It cannot be taken away. It is guaranteed. Our inheritance is guaranteed. God is not fickle. He does not lose what is His. And all who know Him will receive their inheritance...forever.

And he is glorified.

God’s Purpose…In All Things

2011-11-01T03:32:00.001-07:00

Eph 1:11,12 "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory."

Here is that predestination thing again.
That is not what is hitting me this time, though. Rather it is God's purpose that is making an impact. The word for counsel also means purpose. So, "according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the purpose of His will." The thing that is ringing in my ears is that God has a definite purpose and plan. Everything that is done throughout all of history is being done, is being worked out according to that plan. Nothing will stop it. Nothing will derail it. No stupid decision that I make, or that my wife makes, or that the President of the United States makes, or any other leader throughout all of time has made or will make will impact the purpose of God. He "...works all things according..." to his purpose.

I love this "all things" concept. This is an all encompassing God. I just read in verse three that He has blessed us with "...every spiritual blessing...". Every is a big deal word. "All things" is also a big deal word. Everything is being worked out based upon what God wants. This reminds me of Rom 8:28 "For we know that all things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Amazing, there is that "all things" and "purpose" concept again. But that is God. He has "all things" under His control so that His ultimate purpose will prevail. And He invites us to be a part of it. Wild. "We have obtained an inheritance" "That we who first trusted in Christ". His purpose, His will, His desire is to be worked out through and for His people. No matter what we see going on around us, no matter what ugliness happens in the world, we can rely on the fact that all things are coming together according to God's plan, and we have part of it. The part? "To the praise of His glory." It seems like we have seen this before. Try verse 6 "To the praise of the glory of His grace."

God's ultimate purpose: His glory. Man's chief end: To glorify God. And when it is all said and done, God alone will be receiving the glory from all things because He is the One who planned it all.

It’s All About Jesus

2011-10-31T04:23:00.001-07:00

Eph 1:10 "that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-in Him." NKJV

As I read this morning I realized something as I read this verse: "It is all about Jesus."

When it is all said and done, when what we know as this life is over, when God determines that He is going to come and set up His kingdom here on earth, when the fullness of time is here something is going to happen. He is going to gather together in one all who are Christ's…those who are in heaven and those who are in earth. We are all going to be brought together as one. OT saints are going to be there. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be there. Moses will be there. Joshua will be there. Guys like Peter and Paul and John and all the apostles will be there. Luther will be there. Spurgeon will be there. Moody will be there. My Mom and my Dad will be there. And I will be there with my wife and kids. We will all be gathered together as one. How does this happen? Why does this happen? Because it is all about Jesus. We are "in Christ". We are "in Him".

This verse does not say that all those who did good stuff will be gathered together because of the good stuff they did. This verse does not say that only 144,000 will be there…we all will be. As I prayed this morning I thought about how it seems Islam is sucking everything up in the Middle East. The thing is, those who trust in Mohammed for their salvation will not be there. There is only one way that we will be there, gathered together as one…if we are in Christ. Jesus is the only Way. Jesus is the only truth. Jesus is the only life. No one comes to the Father and is gathered together as one except through Him.

And if we are "in Christ" we have hope. We have this assurance. We have this confidence. When the fullness of time is dispensed, we will all be together with Him, because we are in Him. It's all because of Jesus.

Predestination

2011-10-29T03:39:00.001-07:00

Eph 1:4-6 "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." NKJV

Whoa. Choosing? Predestined? This is stuff that people don't want to talk about because it is so controversial. Is it really true that God determined before the world was ever made, that some of us would be His children? I guess if you take this verse at face value, yes. But what about: "Whosoever will may come"? What about: "Whosoever believes…"? What about: "God is not willing that any should perish…"? Doesn't man have the free will to choose or are we just robots?

I think the thing that we forget about in discussions like this is who God is. Is God God? What I mean by that is, if God is really God, then He has to be in control of everything. If God is really God, then He has to have determined before the foundation of the world how everything was going to play out, both in history and in who was going to be born and who was going to repent…because He is sovereign.

It is so weird that I would run into this now, because it is the very thing that the guys are studying about God in our men's Bible study. We are going through James MacDonald's series called: "Gripped by the Greatness of God" and what did we study this week? God's sovereignty. As he says: "God made all His moves in eternity past! We're stuck in time; God is not. He's not limited to our little life calendar. He is eternal. He completely controls the universe – with His feet up! He's not stretched or stressed in any way. That's what it means to be sovereign." If this were not true, God would not be God.

So what about "whosoever will"? The better question is: Who gives us the willingness? Who gives us the ability to believe? Who puts the desire to choose there? It isn't us. We are dead and dead things can't will or believe or choose. It is the Spirit of God who makes us alive. It is the good pleasure of His will, not mine. It is all God. And His will will always be fulfilled…so when it says He is not willing, then all He wants will come to repentance.

But wait, this isn't fair! Really? We humans are going to tell God what is right…that He is wrong…that He is unfair? Give me a break. Take a look at Romans 9 to see how Paul dealt with the "unfair" complaint.

When I think about this, it just makes me fall on my face in amazement. Why me? Why would God chose me before the foundation of the world? Why would He predestine me to be His son? To the praise of the glory of His grace. He is the One who gets the praise. If I was smart enough to make this choice, then the praise would go to me and I cheapen the character of God…but I wasn't. It was all God and He gets the glory. His grace is made preeminent. I am so unworthy…thank you Lord.

Blessed

2011-10-28T03:55:00.001-07:00

Eph 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places," ESB

This blows me away. What Paul says to this church in Ephesus applies to every believer today. In Christ I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing that is available in heaven. I am not even able to comprehend that. I don't even know what that means. I really don't have a concept of what all of those blessings are. An frankly, I don't think we are going to know what they all are until we get to heaven.

But for a starter, I thought that I would try to list a few of them. How about life that lasts forever…and ever…and ever. How about grace, and peace, and holiness, and love, and adoption, and acceptance, and redemption, and forgiveness, and wisdom, and insight, and knowledge, and purpose, and an inheritance, and security, and hope, and riches, and power. These are just a few. These are the things that Paul outlines in the first chapter…and there is more to come. When I think about people, and the things that we need, I mean really need, it isn't money or stuff, it is the things that God freely gives us in Jesus, and it only come from Christ. I can't get eternal life, or forgiveness, or wisdom, or be a child of God, rescuing or any of these other blessings any other way. There is no other source. These are all blessings that come when we are in Christ.

No wonder Paul says: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." He is the One who set all of this up. He is the One who makes all of this available. He is the One who deserves our praise and adoration.

As a believer, how can I be discontent? I should be forever thankful because look at how rich I am. I have been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing. There is more to come.

Good Stuff

2011-10-27T04:13:00.001-07:00

Eph 1:1 "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:"

My wife and I have been reading Ephesians for a couple of weeks now. I think it is an amazing book. It has so much in it that is rich. As a result I decided that I was going to do a study on it again during my morning time with God. It may be that I may not do one chapter a day. It may be that I may get through one verse a day, but it has so much in it, I want to spend some significant time there because it is really good stuff.

And where better to begin than the first verse? Who wrote it? Paul. Where did he write if from? Prison. Who did he write it to? Believers in Ephesus. What was Paul? An apostle. What is an apostle? Basically a messenger who has seen Christ. So this would include the twelve disciples, Paul, Timothy, Barnabus…some of those guys. The weird thing about Paul is that he did not see Christ like these other guys did. He did not live with Jesus when He was here in the flesh. Instead, Paul was knocked off his horse on the way to Damascus. It was there that Jesus first spoke to Paul and it was after that time that Jesus taught Paul.

The point? Paul was chosen to be an apostle by the will of God. This was God's desire. This was God's decision. Paul didn't decide to do this. In fact, he was totally against it. But one thing he learned very quickly, you can't avoid the will of God. What God wants is what God wants and what God will do. This was true for Paul, it was true for the first Apostles, it has been true all through history, it is true for our world today, it is true for me. The sooner I realize that God works all things according to the purpose of His will, the better off I am. Why? Because I can rest. I can relax. I can be still in the hands of a sovereign God who has everything under control.

This letter was written "to the saints who are in Ephesus". Saint. What a cool term. There is one religion who believes that sainthood has to be bestowed on people. That you have to be voted in to become a saint by the hierarchy of the church. I wonder what they would say about the people who were believers in Ephesus? They were all saints. Saint simply means "holy one"…set apart one. This can be anyone. Anyone who is set apart to live for God and not the junk in this world…what every Christian should be. Sometimes I wonder. I believe that I am a saint, but many times I find that my mind and my desires run in the opposite direction. Sometimes I get wrapped up in the stuff that this world has to offer and my focus gets off.

That is where the next term comes in: Faithful in Christ Jesus. Consistent in Christ Jesus. Stable in Christ Jesus. Steadfast in Christ Jesus. This is a long term thing. This is a lifelong thing. The emotionalism is gone. The reality is there. Slow and steady growth is seen. This is what I want for me. This is what I would love to see in people that I have a chance to impact with my life. The thing I have to realize is that the faithfulness is not achieved by me, but it is because of who I am…in Christ. It is His work. It is His doing. It is because of who He is.

Like I said: Ephesians is good stuff.

Tough

2011-10-26T04:00:00.001-07:00

Ezra 10:4 "Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act." NASB

It's tough to be a leader. Ezra knew that a bunch of the people sinned. He took this upon himself and repented. As people saw his act of repentance, they realized that something had to be done. So they went to Ezra and acknowledged his leadership and this acknowledgment presented him with a problem. He had to do something. These people noted that this was his responsibility. He had to make some decisions. He had to figure some things out. He had to determine how to resolve this situation. What was he going to do with so many people who had intermarried and who now had to divorce their wives and say goodbye to their children? No matter what, no matter the course of action Ezra decided to take, these people said that they were behind him. They would follow him. They would be with him. They only wanted him to arise, be courageous and do something.

I think of the decision that Ezra was going to force these people to make. Divorce your wives. Give up your kids. Unbelievable. No matter how stupid it was for these guys to marry women who were not Jews, they still loved them...and they loved their kids. That is only natural. Yet they were going to have to make some tough choices. Not everyone was in favor of this decision. There were a few guys who disagreed, but the majority understood that this sin had to be eliminated. Tough stuff.

That is the way it is sometimes. Leadership faces tough situations. You hope and pray that things don't happen, but if certain circumstances play out, then leadership has to arise. Leadership has to have courage. Leadership has to act. Decisions have to be made, leadership has to take a stand, and if that happens there may be fallout. Not everyone will agree. It would always be our prayer that people would say: "We will be with you, be courageous and act.", yet I know that when unpopular decisions are made, people react. Leadership has to do what is right no matter what the consequences. When tough things hit the fan, leaders have to be leaders "for this matter is (our) responsibility".

What should go into it before then? As we saw yesterday: Much prayer. Much confession. Much repentance. Then when tough decisions have to be made, be courageous and act.

Repent

2011-10-25T04:24:00.001-07:00

Ezra 9:15 "O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this." NASB

Cool things were happening. A pagan king got a vision, shared the vision, people's hearts were stirred, they gave, they prepared, they worked as one man, they stopped, they started again, the temple was finished, the people came to Jerusalem and there was a problem. I hate that. Everything seems to be going so well, everyone seems to be on board and it seems like you can just hear the machine smoothly purring away and here comes a problem. The problem? The leaders, the rulers, the princes, even some of the spiritual leaders did not pay attention. They didn't obey. To be honest, they took God for granted and did not consider His righteousness.

Look at the beginning of Ezra's prayer: "O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous...". That is foundational. God is righteous. What God says is right. What God does is right. His word and His commandments are right and true and pure. These people lost sight of God's righteousness and when they did they disobeyed. They intermarried with women from other countries. This was something that God told them not to do. He knew that if they did, they would be divided in their loyalty. They would not seek solely after God. They would have a divided heart because they might want to please God, but only when it did not offend their pagan wife. Compromise entered and with it came sin.

Ezra's response? Repentance. Huh? Ezra didn't do this. It wasn't his sin. He did not disobey God. Why would he have to repent? Why would he have to humble himself and tear his clothes and fall on his knees and stretch out his hands and be ashamed and embarrassed? He didn't do this stuff. No. But he was a leader. He took this personally. Who knows, maybe he felt that this was a lack of his leadership that lead to this. As a result, he went to God in confession. He went to God and admitted guilt. He went to God and declared God's righteousness and his and the people's inability to stand before Him.

That is so true. God is so righteous, there is no way I can stand before Him. Even if I think I am living a holy life, I'm not. I am so inadequate in my obedience. I am so inadequate in my following. I am constantly drawn away. Repentance should always be on my lips. And if I lead anyone, either my family or a group of people, I should stand before God on their behalf as well.

Take this particular problem: Intermarriage. God told Israel not to do it and He tells us not to do it. Why? First, He is God. He can do this. Why would He do it? Because He knows what is best. I love what James MacDonald says. "When God says 'Don't' He means: 'Don't hurt yourself.'" God only loves us. He cares about us. He created us and He knows how everything works and He knows what is best for us. When He says: "Don't" He says it so we don't screw our lives up. When He says not to marry an unbeliever, He says it because He knows that it will only cause division, and compromise and heartache. God really does want our lives to be lived well. After all Jesus said that He came to give us abundant lives. When we step outside what He wants that abundance decreases.

So what do we in leadership do when people intermarry? What do we do when people date others who are not believers? Do we warn? Do we teach? Do we pray? Do we repent? Maybe we should.

Pay Attention

2011-10-24T04:18:00.001-07:00

Ezra 8:22b "The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him." NASB

This is a verse that every human needs to consider. This is a verse that can be a blessing, or it can be a curse. Really, this is nothing to play with. It is extremely serious stuff. We have to pay attention.

Ezra and the people were about to take all kinds of gold and silver and bronze up to Jerusalem for the temple. They had to go a distance to get there from Babylon. This is the distance from Iraq to Israel. Ezra was concerned about protection along the way. Things were not so different then than they are now. If you travel from Iraq to Israel, you have to be careful...especially if you are carrying goods that an enemy would want. That is what happened in Ezra's day. He was afraid to take this trip with all of these people and all of the valuable things that were to be dedicated to God. He, however, had a dilemma. "Do I ask king Artixerces for his help, or do I trust God alone to get us through?" After all, he had told the king: "The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him." Did he really believe this? You bet. As a result, he did not ask for the king's protection. He could have. It would have been the humanly prudent thing to do. The king wanted to help, but when Ezra really thought about it, he did not need the king's help. Why not? Because God's favor is on those who seek Him. And anyone who thinks that they can oppose Him or forsake Him, are just fooling themselves and they will be in a world of hurt.

This truth was not a temporary truth. This truth is truth forever. It was true then and it is true now. If we, if I seek God...if I go after Him and who He is and desire to know Him and His heart, God's favor will be with us/me. God is on our side if this is our attitude. This is the blessing found in this verse. When you think about it, who would not want this? Who would not want the favor of God? It is pure stupidity to reject this, but people do. People forsake Him. People are even bold enough to oppose Him. Man verses God. Guess who is going to win? His power and His anger are against those who forsake Him.

I do not want God's power against me. I do not want God's anger unleashed on me. I don't think any human would want this. But many humans are inviting it because they think that they know what is best and that God is either non-existent, or uncaring, or apathetic. Nothing can be further from the truth. God exists. God cares. God is involved and men need to pay attention.

And when it comes to tough situations, when it comes to challenging times, when it comes to engaging the enemy, when it comes to some of the things that I think Christians will be encountering in the not too distant future, we have to remember, we can't rely on the arm of man because the "arm of flesh will fail you, you dare not trust your own" but the arm of God is favorably disposed to all who seek Him so "let courage rise with danger, be never wanting there".

Seek, Do, Teach

2011-10-21T05:37:00.001-07:00

Exra 7:6, 10 "This Ezra come up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given...For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel." NKJV

Guys like Ezra challenge me. His life and his heart challenge me. He was a skilled scribe. The actual translation or that is a ready relater. He was always prepared to share the Law of Moses, the word of God with others. He knew what it said and he was able to relate it to others in various situations. How did he get to be like this? His prepared his heart. He readied his inner man. He established his will to do three things: Seek the word. Do the word. Teach the word. I love the progression of this guy.

First, he sought the word of God. He made personal inquiry of it. He spent time in it. He learned what it said. He knew God's heart because He knew God's word. He didn't just leave it at that, however. He did the word. He worked the word. This was not just an educational exercise for him. He didn't get into the word just to be smarter so he could impress others with his knowledge, he did it so he could do it. Ezra was an Old Testament James. "Be doers of the word and not merely hearers." He obeyed. He was an example. He practiced what he read. He didn't leave it at that, however. He taught the word. He trained others in the word. He spurred others on to get into the word and learn it for themselves so they could do it and teach it.

I would love this to be me. I want to seek the word of God. The question that I have to ask myself is "do I really?". I mean, I get into it in the morning, I dig, I study, but is one-half an hour a day really seeking the word? Sure, I go to Bible Study. I listen to it preached. But is this really seeking the word of God? How intense is this desire? I believe it needs to be more passionate. Then do I obey it? Do I do what it says? Am I an example? Forget the next step if I am not doing this. And then, when do I teach it? How do I teach it? How do I declare it? Am I a ready relater?

First step…more of it.

Start Again

2011-10-20T03:32:00.001-07:00

Ezra 5: 1,2 "Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them." NKJV

A vision is shared, hearts were stirred, people gave, they were one man, the work stopped…and then it started again. Why? Because of a couple of guys who did not forget the vision. Because of a couple of guys who kept their eye on the ball and did not let the delay impact them. Because of a couple of guys who came to the people "in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them." These guys did not come to the people in their name with their authority. I suppose they could have since they were prophets…but they did not. Instead, they came to the people in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. They refocused the people. They made sure that the people understood that this was not all about them, this was about the God of Israel who was over them.

Like I said yesterday, stopping stinks. But starting again is amazing…especially when the start is for the right reason, with the right motivation, in the name of the God who is over us. I have had a chance to experience this too…and it is a wild ride. The key, however, is to keep our eyes on the God who is over us. We have to acknowledge that it is all about Him, not about us. We have to say what our church's theme verse says this year: "We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You." God is the focal point. Christ is the reason. He is the One we need to pursue. Not a project. Not a method. Not a program. Not a building. Our focus needs to be Christ. When it is, people and prophets will rise up. The physical and the spiritual will work together to accomplish only what God intends, with the end result – His glory.

Don't forget the vision with a clear view to God.

Stop

2011-10-19T04:20:00.001-07:00

Ezra 4:24 "Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia." NKJV

The vision is shared. Hearts are stirred. People give. They come together as one man. And the work stopped? Hey, this is not how it is supposed to work. Shouldn't it be that they lived happily ever after? Not here...not always. The work on the house of God ceased. It was discontinued...for many years. History says that Cyrus died in 530 BC and Darius came into power in 522 BC. We aren't exactly sure when the work stopped, but if it stopped when Cyrus died then it stopped for around ten years. Ten more years of waiting. Ten more years of looking at an unfinished foundation. Ten more years of wishing. Why? Because of opposition. Because of intimidation. Because people did not have the fortitude to look their challengers in the eye and move forward. Where was God in all of this? Why did it have to stop?

I have asked this question before. When things seem to be going well, why do we hit speed bumps that slow us down? It seems like you have the momentum and all of a sudden you hit a wall and come to a screeching halt. What is with that anyway? Where is God in all of that?

The answer is He is right in the same place He always was: On the throne and in control. The thing that is hard when you have momentum is making sure that you don't rip control away from God. Of course, that would never happen. We humans are not that powerful. But many times we have a tendency to grab something, even a good thing in ministry and start to claim it is our own. We start to grab the credit. We start to think that we are all that. When that happens, look out. It is time for a time out, a slow down, maybe even a discontinuation. I don't know that this is what happened in Ezra's day, but I do know that it happens today. I have seen it and personally experienced it...and it is no fun. Marking time is no fun. Waiting is no fun...but sometimes it is necessary to get our attention. To bring our focus back on the One who instituted the vision to begin with. To rely on the One who brought it all together to begin with. To acknowledge the One who will make it all happen.

Sometime this realization takes time. God has all the time in the world. He knows what He is doing. He is in control of it all anyway. I have to remember that He is more concerned with our character building than building a building. I have to be open to the concept of waiting because that is when God shows up.

One Man

2011-10-18T05:02:00.001-07:00

Ezra 3:1 "And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem." NKJV

The vision is shared, the people's hearts are stirred and uprooted, and money is given for the building of the temple. Everything seems to be ready to go. What else is needed? What else is absolutely necessary for this work to proceed successfully? Unity. Everyone has to have one heart. Everyone has to have one goal. Everyone has to have one focus. Everyone has to be on board…and these people were. They were in the cities and they all came to Jerusalem as one man. This was a group of people who all came together for one purpose, to rebuild the temple.

I love the passion that is in this chapter. First, an altar is built. Even though there were threats all around them, these people were committed and they moved forward to build an altar to God and to regularly present their sacrifices on it. Then they kept going and built the foundation for the temple. When this was completed all kinds of emotion broke out. The people joyfully celebrated. They shouted. They sang. They praised God. And some of the old guys who had seen the original temple cried. These were tears of joy because they knew that this was happening again and they got to see it. They were able to experience the rebuilding of this vision.

How did this happen? Vision. Heart. Unity. If we want to see anything accomplished for God, we have to have all three components. The vision has to be shared so that the hearts of people are stirred to take action and we all have to be in this thing together. No opposition. No doubting. No undercurrent of dissatisfaction. The working out of God's vision must be done by a unified group of people who present themselves as "one man". When I think of one man, I think of seeing one individual. This one individual only does one thing. This one individual only has one body. This one individual only has one mind. This one individual only has one spirit. I mean, a man's leg can't fall off and walk over to another area and do something that is different than the rest of his body. It all works together. It all works in harmony. It all goes after the same task. When I drive to Youngstown today to argue my cases, my brain does not stay home. (At least I hope it doesn't.) It comes with me. My body will work together to get me to my destination and accomplish the task that is ahead for today.

This is the way the church must be. We are one body in Christ. That is, we are one man, with the same vision, with the same heart, running after the same purpose.

God help us to do this.

Field of Dreams

2011-10-17T05:14:00.001-07:00

Ezra 2:68 "Some of the heads of the fathers' houses, when they came to the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place:" NKJV

"Field of Dreams" is a great movie. Kevin Costner plays a guy who got an idea…who had a vision…who wanted something to happen. The guy loved baseball. He loved baseball history. Why? Because his Dad loved baseball. He was really into Shoeless Joe Jackson and some of the guys who played ball. He had one simple idea: "If you build it, they will come." Now, this is kind of goofy, but he decided to build an amazing baseball field in the middle of nowhere…in fact in the middle of a cornfield. When he did this, a bunch of the old players walked out of the cornfield to play baseball…and he got to play catch with his Dad. The concept: "If you build it they will come" meant that these old guys would return. But more than that happened. People started showing up from all over the place. Cars lined up for miles to come to this field.

Now this is just a story. It is a figment of some writer's imagination. Ezra is not just a story…it really happened. But Cyrus did not build it first…he just shared the vision…and the people's hearts were stirred and they came. When people's hearts were stirred what happened next? They started to come. In fact, this entire chapter is dedicated to outline who came and how many came. When it was all said and done 42,360 people's hearts were stirred. 42,360 people decided to uproot themselves from where they were and move. 42,360 people made the decision to get out of their comfort zone and come back to a place where God would use them. 42,360 people brought their servants, and horses, and mules, and camels, and donkeys with them. And the heads of these 42,260 people brought their gold and their silver and offered it freely to build the house of God.

Vision from God is power. That vision communicated properly is stirring. People respond. They respond by coming. They respond by moving. They respond by giving. I think that we can change Costner's line to say: "If you communicate it, they will come." It happened in Ezra's day. It can happen today.

Question: What is God's vision? What does He want? How do we communicate it? We must be sure…then we have to open our mouths.