This Truth is Huge

Luke 22:19b,20b "'This is My body which is given for you...This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you."

This stuff just blows me away. At the beginning of Luke the angel announced: "Because of you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Now Jesus, before His death is telling His guys (and us) "this is My body which is given for you…this…is…My blood, which is shed for you." For you. For me. Here is God who spoke eternal words, "invisible God (who) came in flesh from above" (Words from His Company by Daniel Renstrom) He came because of me. He suffered because of me. He sacrificed His body because of me. He shed His blood because of me. He died because of me.

I have grown up with this truth. Thank God, He gave me believing parents who taught me and took me to church where I could hear the truth of the New Covenant. It is a new covenant. Not the old covenant of the OT where the blood of bulls and goats had to be shed for the sin of the people. No. This is a new covenant where the blood of One had to be shed. One perfect sacrifice. A perfect man. God Himself. Once for all. Once for me. The result? I am forgiven. I am cleansed. I am free. I have a relationship with God. I have unfettered access to the throne room of heaven. Because of me is born a Savior. This was His body which was given for me. This was His blood which was shed for me.

And what do I do with this truth? Do I embrace it, and live it, and speak it? Or do I take it for granted because I have heard it so often? When I hear my pastor speak of it in church, how do I react? It should be new. It should be fresh every time I hear it. It should stir in me absolute adoration for the One who came for me, gave His body for me, and shed His blood for me. Unfortunately, I can't say that this is always true. God forgive me. Oh God, help me to love this truth above all others. Help me to not get enough of this truth. Help me to want to hear it, over and over again…for the power of this truth is the power of salvation…my salvation…others salvation. "Because of me is born this day in the city of David a Savior…" A Savior…Jesus. Let me hear it. Let me speak it.

Madeline

Mark 10:16 "And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them and blessed them."

Yesterday was a very special day in our lives. Michelle gave birth to Madeline Anne Underwood. The particulars? Born at 3:45pm, 8lbs 13oz (Wow), 21 inches long. Mich did great. She was in labor for over 24 hours from the beginning of contractions to the end and she pushed for almost two hours. Man, am I glad I am not a woman! My little girl was amazing! Georgann was able to be with Michelle the whole time and witness this amazing miracle. I was able to be with her up until the pushing, then Grandpa had to leave. Oh well. I stood outside the door for two hours and listened to Brenda Coleman (our good friend and Mich's personal nurse) count to 10 at least 100 times. Then Madeline popped into the world.

A couple of days ago I read this verse. I can only think how much Jesus loves Madeline and the amazing plan that He has for her life. He has definitely taken us all up in His arms and blessed us. Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful gift!

Future Shock

Isaiah 66:18,23 "'For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory...And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come and worship before Me', says the Lord."

Is there any question about what is really going to happen in the future? God has ordained it. All nations, all tongues, all people will see the glory of God. No one is going to miss this. Everyone who has ever lived is going to see the majesty, the splendor, the honor of God. It really doesn't matter whether you are a Jew, or a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Hindu, or straight, or gay, or pro-life, or pro-choice, or a Democrat, or a Republican, or an Independent, or a man, or a woman, or a child, or an American, or Russian, or Iranian, or Chinese...Do we get it? God knows our works. He knows our thoughts. He knows who we are and what we are like and His going to pull all of us together and we are all going to see what He is like. It is going to be awesome for some and awful for others.

The end result? "All flesh shall come to worship before Me." No one is going to be left out of this. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess. Every person will be flat on our faces before the God of all creation acknowledging who He is and who we are not.

If it weren't so sad, this whole cultural battle that is going on in this world would be interesting to watch. It isn't interesting, however, because it is so sobering. We have men and women all across the world, who set themselves up as arbiters, as rulers, as leaders. These people, as a general rule, have no clue. They think that they are the ultimate authority. They think that we all have to bow to their mindset of political correctness or their ideology. The thing that they don't understand is that they are not mini-gods. They are not the ultimate decision makers. They are really nothing. Oh sure, they have some authority now but in the end, they will bow. They will see who is the Ultimate Authority and they will confess that they were wrong...dead wrong...literally. The road that we are traveling in this country and in our world is the road to destruction. Turning our backs on God and failing to tremble at His word is resulting in God turning His back on us. (See verse 2.) The result will be self destruction. Finally God will intervene and we will all see Him for who He is and will fnally admit His word is true, His way is right, His Son is Lord over all, to the glory of God the Father.

The ruling made in California this week by this Federal Judge on Proposition 8 is nothing. He is nothing. The Ninth Circuit is nothing. The Supreme Court is nothing. Governor Schwarzenegger is nothing. President Obama is nothing. The United Nations are nothing. The world rulers are nothing. They will all see the glory of God and worship only Him for He is everything...He is in control and we will all admit it. This will be the world's future shock.

Danger...Danger

Is. 58:2 "Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God."

All good stuff. Look at what God's people did: They sought God and consulted Him every day. They had a heart that found joy in knowing what He was up to. They performed righteous acts. They didn't run away from God's law but ran toward it. They wanted to know what He had to say and they enjoyed coming to Him and being in His presence.

Wow. If this were true of all of us, we would be on the right track, right? I mean, how could you go wrong when you did all this stuff? As a rule, this is true. If you run after God and His heart, you want to know His ways, you do what is right and obey Him and love being with Him, it would seem that your spiritual life was right where it should be.

I guess, however, this chapter deals with the danger of doing all the right things but still being off base. Apparently, even with all of these supposedly positive things, there is still the danger of pride. There is still the danger of selfishness. There is still the danger of thinking that you are pretty special therefore God better respond to you in the way that you expect. You see it in the next verse when they go to God...see they are approaching God, a good thing, but they come to Him with an attitude. "Why have we fasted...and you have not seen?" In other words, we are doing all the right stuff and we expect to get something from it. Danger...Danger.

I wonder, am I willing to do all the "right stuff" and not see any results? Is my relationship with God so committed that I don't expect anything in return? After all, God is not obligated to do anything for me. He is God. Sure, He is true to His promises, but He will only be true to His promises when my heart is pure. If I am going through the motions just to get stuff, forget it. I would love to say that I seek Him every day, that I had joy in knowing His ways, that I obeyed Him and ran toward His word and loved being in His presence. With the right heart, this is what God wants...but with a selfish heart, I am only fooling myself.

This is a good time to examine...why do I do what I do? Why do I read and journal and pray and go to church and serve? Is it "me centered" or God centered?

Gone Because of My New Computer

I haven't posted in months because we got a new computer. Nice...but it will not allow me to cut and past from Word. Weird. As a result, I have been lazy and not posted because I did not want to re-type what I had already worked on. (If anyone has any clue how to fix this, let me know.) Anyway, I was looking at many other blogs today and decided that I need to get this going again. I have been reading in Isaiah lately. Here are todays musings:

Is 57:15 "For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose Name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

This is a picture in contrasts. God is High and Lofty. He is exalted and lifted up. (Kind of interesting that the word for lofty is "nasa". I wonder if the people who named the North American Space Agency had any clue?) This God sets His tent up, tabernacles, lives in eternity. Just in case you were wondering, this high and lofty, exalted and lifted up One who lives in eternity is also holy. His Name is Holy. His reputation is Holy. He is totally set apart from anything or anyone that we know or have experienced. He is so far out of our league it isn't even funny.

So, here is this high, lofty, eternal, holy One. There is no way we can reach Him, right? There is no way that we could even consider being in His presence. Wrong. Not only does He make His home in eternity, but he makes His home somewere else as well...He lives with a certain kind of people...those who realize that they are not Him. Those who realize that in comparison to the high and holy One, they are nothing. Those who are contrite, who consider themselves dust, whose spirit and mind are humble. With those who understand their low position. He lives there. That is where God makes His home. Sure, His home is in eternity, but it also is with those those who are truly humble before Him.

Georgann and I went out to dinner last night. It was really nice. We got to eat some great food in a hopping area in the city. Part of the fun was watching people. Now, I can't judge their hearts, but you could just tell that humility was the farthest thing from their minds. The problem is, humility can be far from my mind as well. I want to impress. I want to win. I want to prove that I am good, better, or best. When that happens, God is far from me. I am a competitive guy, but why? So I can just have fun, or because I want to prove something? If it is the later, God is not living there. I need to undertand that the way up is down. The way to truly live is to understand brokenness. This verse tells us that God will take those who are humble, those who know who they truly are before Him and He will do something extraordinary...He will revive them. He will breathe life into them. His life.

So the choice is mine: Keep tryingto prove how great I am and live away from the presence of the One who dwells in eternity, or realize how low I am and experience God's presence and life. Looks like a no-brainer.

The OT

Rom 15:4-6 "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I recently heard a person say: "I never read the Old Testament." Ouch. They don't know what they are missing. One thing that I know that they are missing is patience and comfort. The word for patience means constancy or steadfastness. The OT gives us patience. The OT gives us stability. The OT gives us consistency.

Not only that but it gives us comfort. The word for comfort also means encouragement and edification. The OT allows us to be encouraged as we see how God was at work in people's lives and how He can work in our lives today.

It all boils down to learning. What was written before was written so we can learn. How can you not get into the OT? If it is going to instruct me, if it is going to give me stability, if it is going to encourage me...I am cheating myself if I ignore or avoid it.

Why does the OT do this? Because it is from God. It is from the very heart of God. It is from the very mouth of God. ("All Scripture (OT and NT) is God breathed..." 2 Tim 3:16) and since it is from the heart and mouth of God it will reflect His character, which is also patience and comfort. Just look at this:

"May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion...May He grant your according to your heart's desire and fulfill all your purpose." Ps 20:1-4

Just a random selection from the Psalms, but look at that. God's answer, God's defense, God's help, God's strength, God's fulfillment in my life.

The end result...unity. Like minded toward one another, with one mind and one mouth all glorifying God together. Trouble in this area? Get into the word together. Don't ignore any of it. Study it together. Read it together. Meditate on it together. It will bring comfort, encouragement and unity, to the ultimate glory of God.

Here We Go

This is a departure from my regular Blog, but I think it is necessary.

On November 7th I wrote about Appeasement on my Blog. I said that we need to stay tuned to see if Congress' Health Care legislation would fund abortion. Now my prediction is coming true. There is an end around going on over abortion funding in this bill. Thank God for Bart Stupak. The poor guy is getting nailed over his principled stand. People are calling him at 2-3 in the morning swearing at him and his family over this issue. (See www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35928063/ns/politics-health_care_reform ) Unreal. Our government and country are going down the tubes fast.

It is time to call (if you can get through) 202-224-2131, fast and pray.

Footnote after the vote: Appeasement was the name of the game. I hate to admit it, but this whole charade was called in my Blog on November 7th. I don't know if Bart Stupak knows something we don't know about Executive Orders...I pray that he does. Otherwise, they pulled one over on him as well and he will regret the day that he and the other pro-life Democrats voted for this legislation.

Sprinting After Peace and Edification

Rom 14:19 "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another."

Talk about reminders. I need to be reminded that this is what I am to do. I am to pursue, to run after, to earnestly seek the things that bring about peace and tranquility, and the things that build others up.

More times than I would like to admit I am drifting the other way. Drifting is a good word. It is not a pursuit to confront or hurt. It is a gradual, sneaky drifting. It happens and I don't realize it. It happens and I call it "speaking the truth in love". That can be used as an excuse to prove a point or to show that I am right. I have a tendency to gravitate that way. I don't run after this. I don't pursue this. It just seems to happen. The problem is that this is not being controlled by the Spirit of God. It is being controlled by my flesh.

Instead, I need to make a conscious effort to pursue those thngs that are going to create peace. I need to run after those things the build others up. I need to be positive and not negative.

The word for pursue implies work. It implies discipline. It implies effort. It implies a mindset that is aware of the battle that we are in. I can't get lazy. I can't just let things happen. I must discipline myself to sprint after peace and edification. When I am tempted to think the worst, don't. When I am prone to speak a negative word, don't. Instead, quickly run after peace. Quickly run after encouraging others.

Not only that, but do this even when negativity is not an issue. Make edification a natural part of my life and speech. Just be an encourager. Speak life into the lives of thers. Speak a word that will build them up. Tell them "thank you", or "you look great", or "what you said was perfect", or "your help was what we all needed", or "I see God really working in your life", or take what is perceived to be negative and put a positive spin on it.

Pursue this. Run after this. Sprint after peace and edification.

Someday I'll Get It

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

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

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

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

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

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

Logical Worship

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Small

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life Change...Destiny Change

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

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

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

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

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

Controversial

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tranquilized

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winning Big

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

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

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

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

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

Every Detail

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

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

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

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

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

Thank God I can say “yes”.

Praying for Me

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuning In

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lead, Guide and Direct

Rom 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."

I remember when I was a kid listening to godly people pray at church. Many times they would say: “Lord, please lead, guide and direct us.” I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I just thought that this is how people prayed.

Several years later I heard others criticize this prayer saying that it was redundant. You don’t have to ask God to guide or direct you if He is leading you. I think that whoever said this was just trying to get us to think about how we pray and not just string words together. In retrospect, however, I am thinking that these godly people were not just stringing words together. They were actually praying Biblically for when you look up the word “led” from this verse it means: “lead, guide, direct”. It means taking hold of a person and bringing them to a location.

I think of when my kids needed to go somewhere when they were little. They would want to go one way and I knew that they needed to go another way, so what did I do? I took hold of their hand and brought them to the place that they needed to be.

This is what this verse is all about. Allowing God to take us by the hand and bring us to the place we need to be. Seeing that the Spirit of God can take the circumstances of our life, or that He can take His word to show us what we need to do, or He can speak to us with that still small voice and we know it is Him. When this happens, we know that we are His children. He is leading us. He is guiding us. He is directing us. He has not left us alone to flounder and guess. He has not said to us: “OK. I have relationship with you so you are on your own now.” No, he is that Father who takes us by the hand and leads us to the place we need to be.

The fact that this occurs solidifies the fact that we know Him. That His Spirit dwells in us. “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (v9)

This is the kicker: Does God lead, guide and direct me? Have I seen Him take me by the hand? If so, I am His. I know Him. I have a relationship with Him. On the flip side, if this does not happen, if I don’t experience this I need to check to see if I am in His family.

Thank God for the Spirit of God who gives us the assurance that we are His.

Where is My Mind?

Rom 8:6 "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

I am starting to see a pattern. Here it is:

Carnally minded is walking according to the flesh, it is the same thing as living for self. It is allowing our flesh to control our thoughts and purposes. It is where everything that I do is done with me in mind. The result of thinking and living like this is death. If I live for me, I will die.

The word for death means: “in the widest sense, death comprising all the miseries arising from sin, as well physical death as the loss of a life consecrated to God and blessed in him on earth, to be followed by wretchedness in hell.” (Strongs) Any takers?

In contrast, spiritually minded is walking according to the Spirit, it is the same thing as dying to self. It is allowing the Spirit of God to control my thoughts and purposes. The result of thinking and living like this is life. If I die to self, I will live and I will have peace.

The word for live here means: “life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.” (Strongs) Real life, genuine life, an active life, a vigorous life, a blessed life, and eternal life. Who is the world doesn’t want this?

Not only this, but it is peace. The word for peace means: “security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous)” (Strongs) We all desire security and safety and harmony. How do we get this life and peace? Be spiritually minded. (It seems like I have visited this theme before. Maybe Rom 5?)

There is a battle here. How do I live? Is my life controlled by me or God? If it is me, I am in trouble. The problem is, so many times I cave in. I do what I want to do. I think only about me and I don’t consider God or others. That is when I run into trouble. That is when I feel inner guilt. That is when my peace and happiness evaporate. That is when I have to pay the consequences.

Yet, when I know that I have done what God wants it results in joy and satisfaction and peace.

So, where is my mind? The answer will reveal the quality of life that I will have both now and forever.

No Condemnation

1-22-10 Rom 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

One thing I hate is being accused of something. I don’t like it when people say that I did something wrong when I didn’t do it. I like it even less when people condemn me for something that I did…because the reality of the truth hurts.

The truth is, we all can say with Paul: “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” Rom 7:19 Even when we don’t want to screw up, we still do. The result: we stand accused. It’s no fun. We stand in the presence of a holy God realizing that we don’t measure up, we have missed the mark (Rom. 3:23) and we are condemned. We are on our way to a “damnable sentence”.

Paul’s question is a good one: “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Rom 7:24 His answer is even better: “I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 7:25 He then says this: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…” No condemnation. I have to let that sink in. I am no longer destined for punishment if I am “in” Christ Jesus. If I am “in” something, it reveals my position. It shows where I am. My location is with Christ. I am no longer alone. Christ is an integral part of who I am. He is now my identity.

Beyond that, however, is the next line. “Who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit”. Really this line defines what it means to be “in Christ”. I am no longer controlled by my flesh. My life is not run based upon my selfish whims. My life (my walk) is directed by the Spirit of God. When this happens, I am no longer condemned. I am no longer guilty. I am free. I don’t have to hate being accused of anything because there is no longer any accusation available against me. I am “in Christ” and He sets me free from sin and death. Amazing stuff.

Peace

Rom 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This verse comes after a chapter break. Paul did not write a letter and include chapter breaks, these were added later. As one pastor that I had once said: “When you see the word therefore, you need to know what it is there for.” So, what lead to this verse? Rom 8:25: “who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Jesus died because of our sin. He had to. He had to shed His blood to cover our sin. But He did not stay there. He rose again. Here we have Paul talking about the Gospel again…the power of God unto salvation. Jesus resurrection brought about our justification. His death covered our sin, but His life gave us righteousness before God, purity before God, holiness before God “Just as if we had never sinned.” That is what the “therefore” is all about.

Therefore, because of Jesus death and resurrection, because we trust in Christ’s death and life alone for our salvation, we have peace with God. The word for peace means tranquility, harmony, security, safety. We can rest, we don’t have to worry, we don’t have to live in guilt, we don’t have to be concerned about what God will eventually do to us. Why? We are clean in His sight because of Jesus and we are at peace with God. No more animosity. No more barriers. Jesus has reconciled us to the Father and we are at peace.

This is great news! This is the power of the good news, the Gospel. So many people are walking around conflicted. They don’t have to be. So many are walking around in fear. There is no need. “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” ( Elvina Hall) No more dirt, no more garbage…totally clean. “Clean before my Lord I stand and in me not one blemish does He see.” (Nancy Honeytree)

Not only do we have peace and tranquility and harmony, we have security and safety. God is my Father. He makes me safe and secure. I am at peace with Him and He holds me. No more punishment, only restoration and life.

Man, the world needs this. My hurting clients need this. My neighbors need this. Let me share it freely.

Faith

Rom 4:20-22 "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore 'It was accounted to him for righteousness.'"

Old man Abraham was an amazing guy. He was 100 years old and Sarah his wife was 90 (Gen 17) when God told him that he and Sarah were going to have a baby. This was such crazy news that Abraham laughed. He thought that God was funny…but God was very serious. Obviously this guy was pretty healthy since he fathered a child (Ishmael) when he was 86. He still thought it was pretty funny though, because he questioned God about his age and Sarah’s age. God’s response? Yes. You will have a son through Sarah and you will name him Isaac.

I think it is interesting that this verse in Romans says that Abraham did not waver at the promise of God. I guess laughing at what God said was not wavering…it was just questioning. Apparently questioning God is not wavering. God is not afraid of my questions. In fact, He probably welcomes them because He is willing to answer those questions in order to strengthen my faith.

After Abraham got God’s answer, what did he do? This 100 year old guy had sex with his 90 year old wife. His intent? To have a child. This was an act of faith. At that point he was totally and completely convinced that what God said He was going to do, He would do. He was not surprised when his 90 year old wife came back with a positive pregnancy test, in fact he expected it. (Gen 21) Not only that, but Abraham new that the child that was in her was a son, and he did not have the advantage of having an ultrasound. Instead, he had the advantage of knowing a faithful and true God who would keep His promise. Abraham was “fully convinced”, totally persuaded, absolutely convicted that this was going to happen before it happened. This is faith. This resulted in righteousness before God.

How am I doing in the faith category? Oh sure, I am fully convinced about Jesus work on the cross for my salvation, but what about my day to day faith? Do I live by faith? Do I walk by faith? Do I make decisions based upon the promises of God, or do I base my decisions on my own reasoning? Would I do something that made absolutely no sense in the human realm if I was fully convinced that God was directing that way? Have I ever done this? This is faith. Don’t waver.

No Difference

1-17-10 Rom. 3:22b-24 "For there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"

There is no difference. We are all the same. Back when this was written, Paul was talking about the perceived difference between Jews and Gentiles (Greeks), those who had the law and those who did not. The perception was that the Jews were special. They were closer to God. They had special privileges. That the Gentiles were “dogs”, spiritually dead. Paul said: “No…there is no difference. You are all “dogs”. You are all spiritually dead. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” “You have all violated God’s standard whether you have the law or you don’t have the law. You all miss the mark.”

Think about the glory of God. What is it like? Here are some words that describe it in Strong’s Concordance: The splendor, the brightness, the magnificence, the excellence, the preeminence, the dignity, the grace, the majesty. Let’s face it, we just don’t measure up when it comes to comparing ourselves with God. We fall short. This is why “…the goodness (the glory, the splendor, the brightness, the magnificence, the excellence, the preeminence, the dignity, the grace, the majesty) of God leads you to repentance.” When we get a realistic view of who we are, and who God is, we fall short. We have all sinned. We have all screwed up. We have all missed the mark, we have all violated God’s standard. There is no difference. We are all bad.

The unreal thing is what comes next: Jesus. Free justification. God’s grace. Redemption. All big “Christian” words. All necessary words to get out of this pit. To be released, delivered and liberated and to be undeservedly declared right in God’s sight because of His unmerited kindness, is unreal. We are so far from God and He, on His own initiative, because of who He is makes us right…He brings us close, He sets us free. How? Through His Son. Jesus paid it all (v25 – our propitiation). He shed His blood. He gave it all up so I could be declared blameless, without sin, no more missing the mark, in God’s sight. How? Through faith. (v26) Through belief. Through the strong internal conviction that this is the truth and I am relying on Jesus alone.

Thank you Lord that one day in my life you brought this truth to me. You revealed my own garbage and You said that You would clean it up if I would only trust what Your Son did for me on the cross. I no longer fall short in Your eyes.

Repentance

1-16-10 Rom 2:4b “…the goodness of God leads you to repentance.”

Repentance is a tough word. Why? Because it is an admission. An admission and a realization that I am wrong, that I don’t know what I am doing, that what I am doing is improper, or incorrect or sinful. Beyond that, it is a turning. A turning from what I am doing to something else. A turning from the wrong way to the right way. A turning from what I want to what God wants. And it is not just crying. Genuine repentance is an actual change in attitude, a change in heart, a change in behavior.
Do you want to know if someone has genuinely repented? Don’t watch their blubbering, watch their life after the blubbering. Is it different? Is it going in another direction? If so, repentance was genuine. If not…

Repentance is a necessary word. Why? Because we all need it. We all screw up. We all make mistakes. We all sin. We all have to go a different direction, not just once in our lives but continually. I know that I hate to admit when I am wrong. I want to do what I want to do. I think that my way is the right way. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. I don’t like correction. I don’t like to be pointed in the right way. It hurts my ego and it reveals my sin. This hurts. Yet it is necessary because if I continue to go down the road I want to travel, I will eventually meet destruction. I will eventually meet the wrath of God. (v5) The only solution is repentance…a necessary action.

How do I get there? The goodness of God. The integrity of God. The character of God. Seeing who God is and comparing it to who I am. This has to lead to repentance.

Also, the kindness of God. The Gospel. The realization that God sent His Son to this world to deliver me from my mistakes. To free me from my sin. To turn me in the right direction. When I think about how much God gave up, how much Jesus gave, when I truly consider His kindness, I can’t help but turn around. His love compels change.

So don’t resist repentance. Embrace it. Do it.

Dynamite

1-15-10 Rom 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. "

The Gospel. The gospel of Christ. The gospel of the Messiah. What is it? It is that He was born, came in the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God through His death and resurrection. (Rom. 1:1-4) A very simple message. The good news is this: The Son of God was born in the flesh, He lived here on this earth where He died but He did not stay dead, He rose again and now lives. It is this message that is the “power of God to salvation”. It is this message that is God’s dynamite to bring people to deliverance.

Sometimes I think we make things too complicated. We try to convince people that they are sinners. Or we try to win arguments about truth. Or we try to shove what we think down people’s throats. This verse tells us what to do. Share the Gospel. Tell people about the simple fact that Jesus, the Son of God came to this earth to deliver people. He did it by dying, but He did not stay dead, He rose from the dead and was verified to be God’s one and only Son. That’s it. Share that message and let it work…for it will work. It is the power of God. The word for power actually means “inherent power”. It has some internal power. It has some built in power that we really don’t understand, but it works in the lives of people to bring them to salvation.

This world really is a mess. People are not content. People are restless. You can sense it all over the place. People are lost. People are stuck. They are bound. They need deliverance. They need salvation. They need Jesus. He is the only One who can deliver. He is the only One who can free. He is the only One who can bring salvation. And it is the simple message of the Gospel that will do it.

God, give me the opportunities to share it and not be quiet. Share it simply, share it confidently and let God do the rest.

Watch and Pray

1-11-10 Matt. 26:41 - "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Here is the picture: Jesus is in the garden with three of His closest disciples and friends. While there, He asks them to do something simple…watch with Him. He goes off and enters into powerful, deep, agonizing prayer with His Father. And His friends? They fall asleep. After praying awhile, He comes back and finds them asleep, wakes them up and says these words. “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He then goes back into the garden and enters into more powerful prayer and His disciples continue to sleep. The point? This is the human condition. Our flesh is weak. We can’t seem to do the right thing. Even though we want to. Even though in our spirits we have the desire to resist wrong and to make wise and right decisions, we can’t. We fall asleep.

The solution: “Watch and pray…” The word for “watch” means to pay attention, to be alert, to be cautious, to be active. Our spirits want to win this battle against temptation and sin and the only way we can do this is to pay attention to what is going on around us and in us. We have to actively guard our hearts. We have to actively guard our lives. We have to actively guard our families. We have to know that Satan wants to take us down and the most effective way that He does this is by our own complacency. Our own apathy. Our own sleep. Jesus warned against this. Actively watch and pay attention.

We don’t hear much about the need to watch. I am afraid that in our failure to watch we let our guards down and junk comes in that we, in retrospect, would never want. Junk we see on TV, or in movies, or playing video games, or people that we befriend, or a thought that we entertain, or an attitude that we develop, or a habit that seemed to be innocent when we started it. It is all so sly, so cunning, so deceptive. Then, before you know it we are sucked in. Why? Because we did not watch. We were not careful. We didn’t listen to wise counsel.

And pray. We have to pray. We have to make this a life discipline. This has to be an integral part of our lives, all of the time. If we fail to pray we fail to be sensitive to what God wants and the result is an inability to resist temptation.

Prayer is our line of defense. Prayer is our connection with the Father. Prayer is our lifeline to strength. We can’t do this on our own. We need God to intervene. We need God’s power.

Watch and pray. Two good words to apply.

Power in Numbers

Matt 18:19,20 - "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, I am there in the midst of them."

I love these verses and the promises that are contained in them. It describes the power that we believers have when we meet together and pray together in Jesus Name, as His representatives.

Just think about this, if two believers ask God for something He will do it. If two or three are together in His Name, His presence is there.

I still struggle though. I struggle because I have seen many people agree and ask God together to do things, and are still waiting to see Him move. This is being very honest. I have seen people pray together for the salvation of people. They meet in His Name, they agree, they ask and are still waiting. I have seen people pray together for their prodigal kids to come back to the Lord. They meet in His Name, they agree, they ask and are still waiting. I have seen people pray for healing, for jobs, for finances, for relationships… Are these verses true? Does God mean what He says?

Yes! My problem is that I have tunnel vision. I can only see in one dimension. I can only see the front of the tapestry. I am limited in my ability to see one piece of the puzzle, and not the whole picture. God sees it all. He is working. He is moving. He is doing what He does and it does not have to be according to my timetable. This is where my faith and trust are tested. This is where our faith and trust have to rest in our Father in heaven. God is true. God is faithful. God makes a promise and He keeps it. I would love to see these answers to prayer but I am not God and I cannot dictate when or how these things are going to happen. I simply have to believe that they will.

This is a great lesson for me. What if I started living like God was answering according to these verses even before I saw the answer? How would that change me? How would that change what I do or how I respond or the decisions that I make?

Jesus was teaching that there is power in people coming together and agreeing and asking. We need to do this more. We need to come together, agree together, pray together and then live expectantly.

Live or Die

Matt. 16:24-25 "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, be whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

Desire, will, intent, determination, purpose, delight. What characterizes my life? A determination to follow Christ, or a determination to protect myself? It is hard to think that the two may be mutually exclusive, but this verse tells me that I can’t have it both ways. I either have the desire to follow Jesus, or I have the desire to save myself. I can’t have both.

If I have the will to go after the Lord, then I will deny what I want. I will give up my selfishness. I will not be connected any longer with self interest. Rather, I will lose my life. I will entirely abolish and put an end to self. This is what it means to take up my cross. The cross is a symbol of death and Jesus is saying that if I truly want to follow Him I must give up me.

The result? I will find my life. I will actually discover and understand what my life is all about. I will see what is really valuable and I will invest my time and energy and money in the things that matter the most.

On the flip side, if I find my delight in me, if I run after only what I want, if I want to live for myself I will actually destroy myself. I will die. There will be nothing of value. There will be nothing eternal. There will be nothing purposeful. The end will be a wasted life.

This is sobering stuff. We are so inclined to go after what we want. We are so drawn to do things the way we want to do them. Jesus says: “Be careful. If you do this, you will lose it all. But, if you come after Me, pursue me, follow me and give up what you want, your life will be rich and full.” It will be the abundant life that Christ came to give. (John 10:10)

So, I have a choice. Live for me and die, or die to me and live. If my desire is to follow Jesus, the choice is clear. Die to live.

Rest

Matt. 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Rest. What an amazing word. Jesus uses the word “rest” twice in these verses. The basic same word is used which means:
1) to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labor in order to recover and collect his strength
2) to give rest, refresh, to give one's self rest, take rest
3) to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation

To stop and recover and collect strength. To refresh. To keep quiet. To be calm and wait in patient expectation. Amazing stuff this thing called rest. It really is what the people of this world clamor for. We are too busy, too frazzled, too hurried, too involved, too worried, too self absorbed, too tired, too exhausted, too burdened. We labor and are heavy laden. Jesus said that we need to get away from that and stop. We need to recover and collect our strength and refresh ourselves and learn what it means to be quiet and calm.

How? How can I do this? By coming to Him. He is the only One who can give us true peace, true tranquility, true rest. The weird thing is that He tells us to come to Him and take His yoke upon us. Isn’t a yoke something that is hard? Isn’t it something that they put on cows to make them work together? How can it be easy? How can a burden be light?

It has to be remembered that Jesus was talking to people who had been weighed down with the rules and regulations that the Pharisees had placed upon them. He was talking to those who had been kept under the thumb of unreasonable expectations. Jesus came and said: “Come to Me. I will set you free from all of that.” Yes, I have a yoke. Yes, I have a burden. But it is nothing like what has been placed upon you by these rulers and teachers of the law. I am gentle and lowly of heart. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. You don’t have to perform any longer. You don’t have to worry any longer. You don’t have to feel burdened any longer. I am taking you from law to grace. I am taking you from slavery to freedom.

So how does this apply to me? I am not under the law but many times I think that I wrap myself in a performance oriented Christianity. I wrap myself in legalism. I find my worth in what I do. Jesus said: “No. Find your worth in Me. It is not all about your performance, it is about My finished work. Concentrate on Me. Focus on Me. Seek Me first. You will find rest, you will find refreshing, you will find peace, you will find quiet.”

A timely reminder as I face a new year of demands. Focus on Jesus and rest.

First things First

Matt. 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

This is always a good verse to come back to. If there is a verse that I would say is my “life verse” this is it. This is what I want to do. This is what I want to characterize my life. That I seek. The word “seek” “zeteo” means that I look for the kingdom of God, that I look for His righteousness. That my search is always for that first. Yet it means more than this. Seek also means to aim for, to strive after. That is really what I think that this verse means. That my main aim in life, that my energy is going after God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

Oh, there are a ton of things that I could strive after. We do it all the time. Money, position, power, popularity, possessions, career, family. You name it. Everyone who ever lived has had to strive after something. The question is: “What will it be?” A successful law practice? Not a bad thing, but not the primary thing. A strong family? Again, a great thing, but not the primary thing.

What is it? Run after, pursue, strive after, aim for God’s kingdom. First, God’s kingdom in my life and God's kingdom in this world. God’s rule and control in my life. When that happens, I may be able to see God’s kingdom lived out through me and around me. Run after this.

And His righteousness. His righteous life living in me. That His character would be my character. That His love, peace, purity, faithfulness, patience, kindness, joy…basically the fruit of the Spirit would characterize my life. I need to run after this…first. Above all other things.

Then what will happen? Everything else. All the other things that I need will happen. It will naturally flow. A strong family, a God honoring profession, and the most basic of all of life’s needs met. I don’t need to worry. (v 34) if I am running after God’s kingdom and righteousness first.

A great reminder for this year. May I live it.

Jesus + Worship = God

1-3-10 Matt. 2:2b, 11, 4:10b - "For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him...and fell down and worshiped Him...You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."

Sometimes I wonder how the Jehovah’s witnesses can avoid these verses? They claim that Jesus was not God, yet here are the wise men who are coming to worship a baby. When they get there and saw him they fell down and worshiped Him. Obviously, Jesus knew who was to be worshiped because when He was tempted by the devil He quoted the OT and told the devil…”Hey, you are to worship God only.”

Now they may say that the wise guys only fell down in front of Jesus because He was a special baby and they really did not worship in the same way that Jehovah is to be worshiped. Wrong. The same word is used in 2:2 and 2:11 as in 4:10 – “proscuneto”. The worship is the same. Jesus is to be worshiped and God is to be worshiped, but God alone is to be worshiped. Get it? People who claim that Jesus was not God are missing this and they can’t explain it.

The point: Jesus is God. He claimed to be God. (See 4:7) People worshiped Him as God.

The real point: Do I worship Him? How do I worship Him? Where is my heart when I allegedly worship Him? Do my words verify that I worship Him? Do my actions bear out the fact that I worship Him? Are my attitudes worshipful? Are my songs, prayers, reading acts of worship or just going through the motions?

Jesus is God. He alone deserves my worship, my proscuneto, my falling down before Him in absolute surrender and awe. How am I doing?

God's Journal

1-2-10 I am going to start typing my journal this year because no one can read my writing...some of it will show up on the blog:

Malachi 3:16 – “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His Name.”

Pretty amazing. Here is Malachi a prophet, taking God’s word to His people. Most of Malachi is filled with questions and answers. “In what way have we despised Your Name?” 1:6; “In what way have we defiled You?” 1:7; “For what reason?” 2:14; “In what way shall we return?” 3:7; “In what way have we wearied Him?” 2:17; “Where is the God of justice?” 2:17; “In what way have we robbed You?” 3:8; “What have we spoken against you?” 3:13; “What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts?” 3:14. These people were full of questions that revealed that they thought that they were pretty spiritual. In reality, they were way off. In fact, their questions really revealed that they doubted God and His authority in their lives.

In the middle of it all, there is 3:10…a cool verse. There were still people who feared God. There were still people who revered Him. There were still people who held Him in awe and had a genuine fear. Those people spoke to one another. My guess is that they spoke to one another about the poor spiritual condition of things around them as well as God’s heart. The cool thing is this: “The Lord listened and heard them.” God was listening. God was hearing. God was paying attention. He didn’t just pay attention to the people who doubted Him, He was concentrating on the people who feared Him. Not only that but He started to write.

Interesting, God keeps a journal too. He keeps a journal of all of those who fear Him and who meditate, think about and consider what He is like.

May God write a lot about me this year.