God’s Love is Beneficial

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16

Beneficial: 1. productive of benefits; advantageous; favorable. 2. Receiving benefit.
I don’t think it should take you very long to answer this question:
Have you been the recipient of the favorable, advantageous and beneficial love of God?
Not sure?
Do me a favor -
Breathe in.
Now breathe out.
You have just experienced the beneficial love of God.
What do I mean?
Well, He breathed into us the breath of life.
The very fact that you are alive is a result of His favor, His beneficial love for you.
Listen to what Acts 17:24, 25 declares concerning this:
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
So, if we realize that our very breath is a result of His love then the list of benefits we could generate going on from that point would, no doubt, become quite long.
If I am looking for a job, sooner or later the topic of benefits will come up between me and the potential new employer. We weigh those benefits, along with the wages offered to make a decision.
Here is something to think about.
The bible tells me that the wages of sin are death.
My ‘sin wages’ earn me death!
Apart from God I don’t even make it to the benefits discussion of life.
Now do you understand better how beneficial the love of God is?
Not only does He breathe into me life, He gives me His abundant, favorable, advantageous love!

God’s Love is Not Judgmental

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16

It’s a common refrain that we have all heard.
Someone says: “I don’t go to church because it’s filled with a bunch of hypocrites.”
The next time you hear that, try this response on for size; instead of disagreement and defensive posturing simply agree. Disarm their judging by recognizing the truth of their statement. The fact is the church is full of those who have received the grace of God but nevertheless have been guilty of hypocrisy, hate, gossip,
and every other nasty sin under the sun. But now we are in the Son!
It’s not about us, it’s all about Him!
Sure, there is a process of sanctification being done in believers but we misrepresent Christ when we pretend perfection. Be quick to admit you are a work in progress and all glory and praise for any good in you belongs to Christ, but be sure to point out that He is still working on you. Paul, as great a man of God as he was, had no problem recognizing and declaring his shortcomings. Listen to what he says in I Timothy 1:15 –
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”
Note that Paul does not say – I was the worst but rather I am the worst!
I am what I am and you are what you are because of the grace of God and in spite of ourselves. God’s love is not judgmental, He is not hoping for failure on your part so that He has one more soul to doom to Hell.
His plans for you are good and His love for you is evidence of that.
There is justice in God and we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ but understand that God is not willing that any perish but that all come to eternal life.
Let me ask you something, if you are a believer did God require you to
‘straighten up and fly right’ before He would love you?
Of course not.
Perhaps we can understand it better with a simple illustration.
A fish cannot be cleaned until it has been caught.
The love of God cast a wide net and is not judgmental.
It is after His love has captured your heart that He, by His Holy Spirit
begins the cleaning process.
It is certainly a lesson to us that as His love is not judgmental then neither should we be in sharing it with others!

God’s Love is Accessible

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16


There are poor believers and wealthy believers.
There are disciples of Jesus Christ who list a doctorate after their
names and those who cannot even spell their own names.
Many profess Christ in lands where they are free to do so, and many more in nations where they would likely be killed and surely be persecuted if they openly professed Him.
Followers can be found among both male and female, young and old, white, black, yellow, brown and red. God’s love and His redemption, is not available to a select few but, as our scripture records, to whoever believes in Him.
Maybe you are reading this today right here in the United States, where it is being written, or in Russia, Germany or a host of other countries, but, wherever you are, understand that the love of God extends to you.
He does not limit it to a nation or race of people.
In the current ‘vernacular’, there is no litmus test applied to us to receive the love of God.
God loves the sinner and the saint.
He loves the atheist, the agnostic and the anarchist.
As we learned God’s love is accessible to all, but not all will accept it.
Access is not the same as acceptance.
As I write this, I am sitting at a computer next to a window looking out to my front yard and beyond. I have access to the outdoors but I must decide that I want to go out and then act on that decision. God’s love is accessible to all, but to know Him, who is love; I must repent and believe in the work of His Son Jesus Christ.
I can have access because it’s available to all but then I must accept and receive that love.
Won’t you walk in Gods’ limitless, personal and accessible love today!

God’s Love is Personal

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16


This past Sunday at His Place was a continuation of a new series on God’s love.
It was week two as a matter of fact.
We were taught seven foundational aspects of the love of God.
I would like to look at one of those today.
The love of God is personal.
Now, personal used in this regard is defined as: “done in person or by oneself
without the use of another person or outside agency.”
Our verse today, perhaps one of the most familiar in all of scripture, tells us that

God gave “…His one and only Son…”
We are told in another part of the Bible that God became flesh.
God hung on the tree for you and me.
When it came to expressing His love, there was no substitution on the part of God.
God died in our place.
You can’t get more personal than that.
Could the Creator of all things have made something or someone else to die for us?
Sure.
But the foundational truth revealed is that His love is personal.
It was not carried out by a substitute.
He took my place but no one else took His place.
There is an old song that says:
“I should have been crucified.
I should have suffered and died.
I should have hung on the cross in disgrace
But Jesus, Gods’ Son, took my place!”
What is the role of a stunt man or body double in Hollywood?
They are paid to ‘sub’ for the star to avoid that star getting hurt.
The ultimate ‘hurts’ in our lives are sin and its’ resulting separation from God.
God made His love personal.
He ‘stepped in’ to become our substitute on the cross when
the sins of the world were put on Him.
I’ll repeat what I said, you can’t get more personal than that!

Limited or Limitless?

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39


What is your view of the love of God?
How do you see it?
Is the love of God limited or limitless?
Many may answer that it is limitless but then they live as if it is limited.
We can’t fathom a love that has no limits or we say that God will one day judge sin, as if to imply that He must suspend His love to mete out justice.
Love is not an either/or proposition for God.
God is love.
It is who He is.
It is what He is.
He is not “sometimes” love or “occasional” love.
His love is not moody, fickle or conditional.
His love does not change based on our condition.
He does not love us less when we are less than lovely.
That’s another thing about the love of God; it shows no partiality.
Sometimes, I am only loved by others when I “measure up” or perform to their criteria.
They, or I, can withhold love, using it like a weapon.
My love can have limits that I can put in place.
Only when I am filled with the love of a God
whose love has no limits can I love as He does.
That love for me is not a “once-for-all-time” fill-up. Just as we fill our cars’ tank with gas when it runs low we must continually be filled with God’s love to minister in that love to others.

Read again the verses above from Romans and ask yourself a question:
Are you convinced of His limitless love?

There’s Work to Do!

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.”
Acts 1:1-2


Jesus uttered the words “It is finished” on the cross. What was finished was the work of redemption for the believers through the work of the cross.
Jesus did not say “I am finished”. In the verse above we read that Jesus ‘did and taught’ until the day He ascended to the Father. His work did not end on the cross. As a matter of fact, it continues in heaven on our behalf.
Listen to what Hebrews 7:24-25 has to say concerning this:
“but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God
through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
You see, in the Kingdom of God there is no retirement simply
because we reach a certain age.
God uses the young and God uses the old.
We often remember that God is no respecter of persons
and we frequently apply that thought to those who are young.
But it can be equally applied to those who are no longer young.
We only need to examine the Biblical record to be convinced of this.
How about Abraham and Sarah having a child in their old age or Caleb claiming his inheritance at 85 years old?
The list can go on but are you on the list?
Have you decided, rather than God, that your useful days are over?
If God hasn’t put you ‘out to pasture’, don’t put yourself out there.
Come back to work.
We need you!

Instead of Hate-Speech, Try Love-Speech!

“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
James 3:7-8

How do I love my enemy?
Let me give you three simple things you can do to move in the right direction.
Remember what we discussed earlier in the week though, you need the love of God in your life and His supernatural power to love your enemies.
That being said, how can I work with the Spirit of God to love those who, as the Bible says “…despitefully use you.”
The first thing you do is to stop bad-mouthing them.
The second thing you do is to start blessing them.
The third thing you do is to start praying for them.
I know, it is just too simple to do.
The guilt we feel for hating them demands a greater penance than that doesn’t it?
First of all, it’s not penance and secondly, if you can master those three steps you have accomplished quite a bit. The Bible tells us that:
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21
All three of the tasks have something in common and it is simply how you choose to speak of others.
How do you use your tongue?
Do you use it to gossip about and curse your enemies or do you use it to bless and pray for them?
Is the power of life coming from your tongue to your enemies or the power of death?
I agree that the steps I listed sound too simple but then when I read the words of James quoted above I realize how hard it is and how much I need the Spirit of God to change my heart and in so doing see the change it brings to my tongue.
While no human being can tame the tongue, all things are possible with God. He commands us to love our enemies and then He gives us the power to accomplish it!
Ask God to help you change how you use your tongue with regard to your enemies!

A ‘Secret’ for Winning the World to Christ

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”
John 15:9


One of the things the Gifts of the Spirit will do is attract a crowd but one of the things the Fruit of the Spirit will do is keep the crowd.
A Word of Prophecy, a Word of Wisdom or a miracle will certainly grab someone’s attention.
But as quickly as their attention has been grabbed, it can also be lost.
Now, maybe you’re thinking this blog is about to slam the gifts and only lift the fruit but that is not the case.
They are both needed in the church or God would not have given them.
Note that I wrote: “One of the things…” in speaking of both the Gifts and the Fruit.

‘Fool’s gold’ was called that because it had the ability to ‘fool’ the untrained eye.
A prospector who had been at it for a while could discern between the real and the fake.
People are hungry and desperate for the genuine presence of God.
Jesus spoke with authority and with wisdom and He performed miracles.
We, as His church, are to be filled with His Spirit.
The gifts and the fruit should be active and evident in His body and in our individual lives.
His love is attractive.
His love is better than life! (see Psalm 63:3).
I grow in the Fruit of the Spirit as I abide in Christ.
I also allow the Father to prune me so that I can bear more fruit.
The same is true of the church.
You see, it is out of a relationship with Christ that His love flows.
It flows between Him and I and the church (the vine and the branches) and it flows out to a hungry, desperate world, looking for what is real and not for fools’ gold.
How can you best present Christ to the world?
By remaining passionately, wholeheartedly in love with Him.
Offer the world something far greater than gold by remaining in love with Him!

Head or Heart?

“We love because he first loved us.”
I John 4:19


As a military veteran of the United States Navy I was once stationed on board a dock landing ship – the USS Plymouth Rock (LSD-29).
I recall a time crossing the Atlantic Ocean en-route to the North Atlantic and then Europe from our home port of Little Creek, Virginia.
It was a very beautiful day with not a single cloud in the sky but the seas were rough and the ‘rock’ of the ship was very pronounced from port to starboard.
I had a little ‘down time’ and remember laying flat on my back on the flight deck and opening my eyes to all blue sky and then briefly closing them only to open them a moment later to see only blue sea!
I will always remember that experience.
While I just described it to you it will not, it cannot, have the same impact to you as it did to me when I actually experienced it.
The same is true with God’s love.
We could exhaust our language and still not adequately describe His love.
It must be experienced.
I can study His word.
I can memorize pages and pages of it, but the knowledge in my head will never compare to the love felt in my spirit by a loving and personal God.
Have you told Him recently that you love Him?
Have you heard Him lately tell you how much He loves you?
Take the time today, not only to tell Him, but to spend enough time with Him to experience that love.
He loves you and He wants you to know that.
Not just in your head but especially in your heart.

“Tough Love”

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48


Someone coined the phrase “tough love” some time ago to indicate the type of love that isn’t just ‘soft’ and ‘cushy’.
Tough love has a little bit of resistance to it when it is called for.
When you consider the type of love Jesus spoke about you might also call it tough love.
After all, as He pointed out, it is easy to love someone who loves you in return.
To be kind to the people who are kind to you.
It is infinitely more difficult, it is tough, to love those who do not return that love.
“Tough love” that loves in that way is supernatural.
It is not soft or cushy.
So what’s the ‘resistance’ part?
That’s when you show love to someone and, not only is that love not returned to you but, what is returned is anger and hatred instead.
You show love and they dig in their heels, even more angry than before.
So what do you do then?
Continue loving them.
Continue praying for them.
Continue to let the love of God flow through you to them.
Can you expect that, sooner or later, they will turn around and bless you?
Not always.
But that doesn’t give you an ‘out’, a reason to quit.
Jesus went to the cross for all of mankind but not all of mankind will receive the work accomplished there.
You may never see your enemy turn around and bless you.
Just as not all will receive what was done on the cross, not all will accept the love of God through you.
But don’t stop loving them.
God is love and only as you encounter Him and continue in
His love, filled to overflowing in you, are you able to love your enemies.
That is supernatural love.
That is ‘tough love’!

Spur, Provoke and Incite!

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:24-25


Do you see “the Day” approaching?
“What day would that be”, you ask?
The day of Jesus’ return.
As we draw closer and closer to His return the
corruption and the decay of sin will increase all around us.
We, however, are not to despair.
There is good news in that those who trust in Christ will know an increase in the power and presence of His Holy Spirit in their lives to accomplish His will.
We are also encouraged, through the verse we are looking at today, to ‘spur’ one another on towards love and good deeds. Spurring, provoking or inciting another individual on is usually not a welcomed behavior on the part of the one at the receiving end of it!
Yet that is exactly what we are called to do.
There is no question that at times it may be easier to NOT gather together, to NOT be provoked in doing what is right, to NOT be incited to love the brothers and sisters in Christ. If it were always easy and if we were inclined toward it then we likely would not need the admonition given by the writer of Hebrews.
I don’t know about you but sometimes I do need others to provoke, spur and incite me in ways I need to behave.
I need to be around those who love me enough to challenge me in my walk.
Yesterday, we talked about standing with others in their times of difficulty. It is equally important to stand with others in their times of complacency, apathy and indifference and spur, provoke and incite them forward in the things of God.
“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
Proverbs 27:6

Help Them Until the LORD Gives Them Rest

“Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you after he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest by giving you this land.’ Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, ready for battle, must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites. You are to help them until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land the LORD your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
Joshua 1:13-15


When was the last time you “did battle” or “waged warfare”
for a brother or sister in Christ?
No, I am not encouraging you to get a pistol permit or to take

up a sword to lob off someone’s ear.
We all know the admonition of Paul in Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
So, I’ll ask the question again.
When have you fought the good fight to see someone else gain a victory?
When have you prayed, when have you fasted, when have you encouraged, strengthened or comforted someone who is in the midst of a struggle?
You say you didn’t know?
Look around, they’ll all around you!
Better yet, ask the Holy Spirit who to pray for and how to pray, because He can bring more precision to your prayers than any bunker busting bomb drilling through tons of earth to reach it’s target. He can reveal the ‘coordinates’ of the enemies location and use your surrendered life to take him out in prayer.
Our scripture today is taken from the point at which Israel was ready to cross the Jordan and Joshua is reminding those tribes whose inheritance was on this side of the Jordan that there were still battles to be fought and enemies to overcome on behalf of the rest of the nation. Maybe God’s grace has caused you to prevail in an area of your life that others are still struggling with.
It is not a time to turn a deaf ear to their needs.
Lift them in prayer.
Fast on their behalf.
Go to the battle line with them and fight for their victory as well.
Yes, the victory was accomplished on Calvary but have you ever had Calvary’s cross obscured by the tumult around you and you needed someone to remind you of that victory and to help you fight past the doubt, the fear, and the weakness?
Israel did not win the battles, God did; but He stilled called them to the front lines.
Will you stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the front lines of prayer on behalf of that brother?

Worship That Rattles Some Cages

“that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever
does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.”
John 5:23


Anybody remember the answer Moses got when he asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask me ‘What is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM’. This is what you are to say to the Israelites:
“I AM has sent me to you.
And we read in John 8:58:
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
Curious way that Jesus said that wasn’t it?
He didn’t say: before Abraham was born I was but
He said before Abraham was born, I am!
I wonder why…
I believe part of the answer can be found in who Jesus was speaking with.
He was addressing those who sought to kill Him because He had claimed God as His Father. He went on to state what is quoted above and they picked up stones to kill Him. These religious leaders were a lot of things but they were not ignorant of the law. They may have missed its intent but they got all the ‘jots and tittles’ correct.
Jesus challenged them in a way no one else before had – because He knew the Father’s heart. They had claimed God as their father but Jesus existed with the Father in eternity – long before them, long before Abraham.
They knew the Father had sent Moses. They also knew how Moses was instructed to ‘introduce’ the Father to the Children of Israel. He would call Him ‘I AM’.
Jesus used the same term and it was enough to set them off and pick up stones!
True worshippers recognize Jesus as God and worship Him.
This glorifies the Father but it also rattles the religious.
‘Rattle some cages’ today by worshipping Jesus and glorifying the Father!

Do You Worship god or Do You Worship God?

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God
that brings salvation to everyone who believes…”
Romans 1:16


Is it always adequate as a believer to simply say: “I worship God”?
Yes or no?
Sometimes when a person states that they worship God it can raise more questions than the answers their lifestyle provides. You may think to yourself:
“I hear you say you worship God but what god (small g) is it that you worship?”
Now we often may think that because either:
There is no evidence of a lifestyle that pleases God – our definition of worship.
Or
There is ample evidence of worship in their life but it resembles
nothing we find in the Bible.
Maybe their worship includes crystals, or ‘Mother Earth’ or the human body or a host of other things they have defined as “worship of god”.
We can find nowhere in the evidence of their lives that the Bible is used to set the parameters for their worship. It may be a hundred other things like self-will, peer pressure, the knowledge of man, but it is certainly not the Wisdom of the God of the Bible that informs their worship.
In today’s world and culture it may not be politically correct to say:
“I worship God”.
However, it is, at least, more politically correct to say:
“I worship God” than it is to say “I worship Jesus.”
Just the mention of the name of Jesus is offensive to so many today.
The name of Jesus, which the Bible tells us is above all other names, seems to anger so many just by its mention.
You know you can more easily get away with explaining that He is
“the big guy in the sky” or the “great spirit” or even the “father of us all”
but don’t you dare be so exclusive as to say you worship the Lord Jesus Christ.
After all, that’s not very inclusive.
You know what, you’re right, it’s not.
But we should make no apologies for the exclusiveness.
Jesus Christ is worthy of our praise and worthy to be worshipped!

WE WORSHIP JESUS

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;

all things have been created through him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Colossians 1:15-20

The word supremacy above carries the Greek meaning of being first in rank or influence.

Let me ask you something that really cuts to the heart of understanding who we worship.
If we worship the Father in Spirit and in truth and if we worship the Son to the glory of the Father, do you think that God the Father is offended or hurt when we worship the Son? (or vice-versa for that matter)
Do you think they are envious or jealous of one another?
Let’s turn the tables then and say what if we said we worshipped God the Father exclusively, with no worship to His Son. Is that to the Father’s glory? No, not according to Philippians 2: 9-11 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that

Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

God the Father is not “slighted” in any way when we acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. As a matter of fact, just the opposite occurs – it is to the Fathers’ glory!

We often project on God, or in this case the Trinity, our own human traits and insecurities believing that there is some type of competition within the Trinity to see who gets the loudest ovation and greatest credit.
Our American Idol method of voting has no relevance to the worship of God.
It is not a question settled by how many votes the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit each receives.
Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

Natural or Supernatural?

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2


Yesterday’s blog discussed the topic of self-examination and last Sunday we were given five areas to consider as you examine yourself.
One of those areas in particular is the topic of today’s blog.
The question simply is this: Are you more natural or supernatural?
Does a body ache send you to the medicine chest or to your prayer closet first?
Does a financial setback bring you to your knees or does it cause you to rack up huge credit card debt?
Maybe another way to ask the question is this:
Do you look for solutions from God or do you look for solutions anywhere else but God?
Is He your last resort or your first thought?
Not that it is always easy.
We are far too often more comfortable with our natural
responses than with reliance on God.
Not to sound cutesy (bet you know where this is going) but it is in our old “nature” to respond “naturally” while it is in our “new nature” to respond supernaturally.
Guess which “skin” we are most comfortable in?
The old man, the old nature or the flesh is most at home in this world.
In order to live that supernatural life we need the renewed mind Paul speaks of in Romans 12:2.
When I allow the Spirit of God and the Word of God to transform me through the renewing of my mind the world’s patterns and ways of thinking begin to change.
Gradually, reliance on God becomes my first thought rather than the last resort.
I am being changed from the natural to the supernatural!

Test Phobia

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.
Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
II Corinthians 13:5


Most people do not enjoy tests.
We approach them, whether we have had adequate preparation or not,
with trepidation and apprehension.
It is a rare person, indeed, who enjoys them or looks forward to them.
And yet, we read in our verse today the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the
Corinthian church – and by extension to us – to test ourselves.
I am reminded of another verse, I Corinthians 11:31 that speaks to a similar need:
“but if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.”
Judging or testing ourselves, self-examination if you will, becomes a useful tool for the believer.
But it is a tool best used in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
He is at work in our lives and as we surrender to His direction He can reveal those areas where we “pass” or “fail” our test.
The truth of the matter is, left to ourselves, we are much better at testing, judging and examining each other.
It is much easier to point a finger of failure at someone else than to
admit it may more accurately be pointed at us.
That is why we need (what the world may call) a third-party auditor.
That would be someone who knows best what it means (in this case) to be a Christian and can point out for us where we need to make corrections to get back on track.
Don’t be afraid of “self”-examination, judgment or tests as they are essential to growth.
Make it a regular part of your walk with God.
Hand your test phobia over to God!

Idle Words or Words of Value?

“he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Deuteronomy 32: 46-47

Imagine if our technology today had the capability to collect every word we spoke, as we spoke it, and immediately evaluate whether or not those words we uttered had “weight” and value, or were merely idle, wasted words.
How much of what you spoke would be worth saving?
Moses, in the verses quoted above, was addressing the Children of Israel shortly before his death and their entrance into the Promised Land. He spent most of the book reminding them of God’s commands and law and how God had delivered and led them over the past 40 years. He reminds them that the words of Gods’ law were to be obeyed and that they were, in fact, “…not just idle words…”
How often have you and I been guilty of wasting our breath by speaking idle words?
I cannot answer for you, but I know I have spoken far too many words that meant very little or had no importance attached to them.
There used to be an advertising slogan from a Wall Street firm that said:
“When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.”
In essence, Moses was saying that every word God utters has value and purpose and is to be listened to and obeyed.
So valuable are the words God declares, he says, that they should be careful to command their children to “…obey carefully all the words of the law.”
Let me ask you a challenging question.
Do you esteem the Word of God so that its value is clear to your children?
Do they know that His word is to be obeyed and carried out?
Do they know it just because they have heard it to be so or because they have seen it carried out in your life?
Do they live in a “do as I say, not as I do” home or in a home where Gods’ word is honored by obedience to it?
We are told in Romans 5:8 that “God demonstrates His… love…”
You demonstrate your love for His word, to your children, by faithfully obeying it!

A Cistern or a Stream?

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said,
rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
John 7:38


Are you a container that is filled but infrequently emptied, much like a cistern, or is your life better pictured as a quickly flowing stream which receives from the Spirit of God only to pass on to others?
A cistern is defined as a large receptacle for storing water.
A stream, on the other hand, is defined as a current or flow of water.
Which, do you suppose, is a better image of the Christian life?
Think for a moment about the Character of God.
Is God seen most often as a “giving” God or a “keeping” God?
I suppose you could argue that He “keeps” His covenants and He “keeps” us safe as we serve Him.
That would be true.
But the Bible is filled with the generosity and grace of God as evidence of His giving nature. What believer is there who cannot quote John 3:16 which says in part:
“For God so loved the world that He gave…”
God is a giving God.
He gives to us, He pours into us that His power and His nature would flow through us to those around us.
If I hear His Word but do not act on it, If I hear but do not do; I become like that cistern which collects but does not allow what I have received to flow through me.
The world needs what you have heard and received from His Word and His Holy Spirit.
What would refresh you more:
a glass of cold water from a quick flowing mountain stream
or a glass of foul, stagnant water?
Let God pour in to you and then let His Spirit flow out from you!
Hearers only become like cisterns but doers are like that flowing stream!
Be a doer.

What is the Best Way to Honor Gods’ Word?

“I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!”
Psalm 138:2 (Amplified)

With knowledge comes responsibility.
When we are made aware of the truths of God we are expected to obey them.
We do not hear the Word preached to us and taught to us so that when the service is over we can simply stroll up to the Pastor and say:
“Great message today, I managed to stay awake the whole time!”
Such an attitude disrespects (that seems like such an inadequate word) all that God, through the Holy Spirit, desires us to know and do.
Don’t walk away from your computer today and say –
“Well, I guess I am not supposed to encourage the Pastor!”
That is not my point.
Rather it is understanding and responding to the value that God places on His word.
More to the point might be this question:
Do you honor His word as He honors His word?
The verse from Psalms quoted above puts it in perspective for us.
God has magnified His word above His name.
Do we still want to trifle with what we have been taught?
Maybe you think that is a little hard to hear but I assure you that it is easier than hearing: “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:23
We were reminded today that the word translated “evil” in that verse is not necessarily addressing devil worshippers but those who disregard the commands of the LORD. Sometimes that is me.
I miss it sometimes and fail to obey what I know to do from His word.
So what do I do?
I confess.
I repent.
I move forward with God, committing to honor and obey His Word.
The best way I know to honor His Word is to obey His Word!
As we look at this topic this week ask God to show you, through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, areas where you have not honored and obeyed His Word so that you can make it right.

The Value of a Torn Curtain

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two
from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.”
Matthew 27:50-51

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,”
Hebrews 10:19-20

As we consider the subject of worship we must understand that the work Jesus accomplished on the cross by the shedding of His blood, cleanses us from sin. But, as it also reveals in the scriptures above, it also gave us access to the Holy of Holies.
What does that mean?
Verse 22 of the 10th chapter of Hebrews tells us we can now draw near to God. No longer is it necessary once a year for the High Priest to enter on our behalf.
Through the atoning work of Christ we have fellowship with the Father restored.
As we draw near in worship to God, we are assured that He will draw near to us.
You and I can know that intimate closeness with God that Adam knew in the Garden of Eden when he walked with God in the cool of the day.
Stop for a moment and consider that thought.
The God who created the universe made a way to restore fellowship with you.
He didn’t just make a way, He tore open the way!
So eager was God to restore His communion with you that His one and only Son gave up His life so that we might know eternal life.
When I think of the veil being torn from top to bottom I think of an EMT who tears the clothes of an accident victim to quickly render the necessary life saving aid.
God “tore” the veil to bring us life!
I also think of the child who knows behind all that nice wrapping paper is the gift he has been waiting for so he eagerly, excitedly and quickly tears open the gift.
God is so much in love with you and I that He eagerly, excitedly and quickly tore that barrier away for the gift He longed for – restored fellowship with you and I.
So great is His love for us!
What is the value of a torn curtain?
In this case, it is truly priceless!

Impressive, but is it Worship?

“…Eli thought she was drunk…”
I Samuel 1:13

An outward appearance or action may not always be a good indication of genuine worship.
Kneeling, bowing down, falling prostrate, lifting my hands heavenward, tears flowing down my face, all of these are found in scripture and can indeed be genuine expressions of worship.
But they are not always, on their own, reliable indicators.
In the same way that my mouth making a declaration of obedience does not necessarily mean it will happen, so too the outward expression of my body, you might say my body language, will not always reflect a heart of worship.
Genuine worship can also sometimes be expressed outwardly in ways that will be misinterpreted by others.
Listen to how a man of God, a prophet of God, misinterpreted someone’s outward appearance:
“In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly.
And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.” “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” I Samuel 1:10-17
So sometimes worship and our encounters with God are genuine but seem inappropriate while at other times they may appear very appropriate but are not genuine.
What can we learn from that?
Much! But today I want to stress two specific points for us to consider.
They are:
We must understand that God is not misled by an outward manifestation of worship that is offered by a disobedient heart.
But also that it is not our place to judge another person favorably or unfavorably concerning their worship based solely on an outward posture or action.
I am praying we all grow in authentic worship
to the only one worthy to receive that worship!