Point and Counter-Point

“But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

II Kings 17:14, 15

It has been said that “You become like what you worship.”

These verses certainly support that view.

Perhaps though the single greatest advice we can glean from these two verses are the last six words “Do not do as they do.”

What can we learn from this?

Let’s look at some of those things God said they did or did not

do as a way to understand how we ought to respond.

They did not listen

They were stiff-necked.

They did not trust in the Lord their God.

They rejected his decrees and covenants.

They followed worthless idols.

They imitated the nations around them.

That is six specific ways that they did those things displeasing to God.

Now let me give you six scriptural antidotes following the same order as above.

Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.
“I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.”

Isaiah 55:3

“Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.”

Deuteronomy 10:16

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Psalm 20:7

“My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.”

Psalm 119:20

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

I Corinthians 11:1

“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”

3 John 1:11

Prisoner

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles”

Ephesians 3:1

When was the last time you identified yourself as a ‘prisoner’?

Not a very flattering description, is it?

Yet that is exactly how Paul described himself to the Ephesian church.

Paul, more often than not, identified himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

However, in this verse he lays aside the title of the office and takes on the ministry position.

Far too often we are after the title at the expense of the ministry

What I mean is we want the label without the corresponding burden.

Paul knew what it was like to be a prisoner in an illustrative sense but also in a very real sense.

He served the Lord behind prison walls and he served the Lord outside of them but in either case he served the Lord as a ‘free man.’

You see the iron bars and the heavy, bolted door he found himself locked behind could never take away his freedom in Christ.

I am blessed to serve the Lord in a country where I am not thrown in prison because of my faith.

But I have many brothers and sisters, as you read this blog, who are not that fortunate.

Because of their faithfulness to Him, they are behind prison doors.

If you are like me, I encourage you to thank God for your freedom today but pray for those who, although they remain free in their spirit, find themselves in chains for their service.

Won’t you do that right now?

The ‘Dance’ of God

“So there are three witnesses in heaven: the Father,

the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One.”

I John 5:7

Imagine an illustration that helps us understand the role of each member of the Trinity. Recently , we had that opportunity when a couple from His Place demonstrated both unity and discord as displayed through ballroom dancing.

Now, too be sure, no human illustration can fully and adequately explain the mystery of the Trinity and yet we had a better picture of just how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit flow in perfect harmony after this demonstration.

Galatians chapter five lists for us the works of the flesh and the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Imagine a couple trying to dance a waltz when there are but just a few of those works of the flesh present, let’s say selfish ambition and discord.

 Suffice to say it would not be a ‘pretty picture’

Now picture that same couple whose dance and whose lives are infused with the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Again, if we took but a couple, say, love and self-control.

There would not be the evidence of one-upmanship or self-promotion that would characterize the ‘dance of the works of the flesh’.

Instead, as we are admonished in Philippians 2:2

“…having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

The ‘Dance of God” would be one of perfect unity, harmony and flow.

A picture of the Trinity emerges.

With the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit there is no competition or desire to ‘show-off’ to the others. Each looks to the interests of the others, doing what is necessary to make the others shine.

A dance so perfect that the three are one!

I Thought ‘Creed’ Was Just a Rock Band

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

I John 1:3

This past Sunday we were reminded of the importance of understanding both what you believe and why you believe it. We touched on this topic in yesterdays’ blog.

One of the ‘tools’ developed to help you in that understanding is the Apostles Creed.

When was the last time you read or said the creed?

For some it may be never.

It offers a concise declaration of the fundamental beliefs of a Christ follower.

Please take a moment to read through it –

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    the Maker of heaven and earth,
    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
    born of the virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
    and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
    from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
    the holy catholic (or universal) church;
    the communion of saints;
    the forgiveness of sins;
    the resurrection of the body;
    and the life everlasting.

Amen.

It may be helpful to note that some theologians place the creation of the creed to within half a century of the last biblical text.

Of course, simple antiquity does not, of itself, equate to value but the creed can offer a brief, helpful overview to those who have asked the question:

“What do I believe?”

Let it be a starting point into the discovery of your faith!

Don’t Be a Mouse in the Cookie Jar

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

 But do this with gentleness and respect,”

I Peter 3:15

Do you know what you believe?

Do you know the fundamental truths of your faith in God?

Are you familiar with the basic doctrines of the Christian faith?

For many, they may think the answer is yes, but the reality is no, they do not have a firm grasp on the fundamental differences between a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist or a host of other belief systems.

If you think that statement is an exaggeration, then listen to these statistics reported by the Barna Group:

Only 35% of those who claim to be ‘Christian’ accept the accuracy of the Bible

Only 27% believe Jesus lived a sinless life.

There were many more similar statistics noted in a recent study but I think you get the point.

Someone was once quoted as saying:

 “Just because a mouse is in the cookie jar, that doesn’t make him a cookie.”

Many, many people who have never had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ may call themselves Christian but wearing the label does not always mean the ‘contents’ are genuine.

But beyond that, there are many true disciples of Jesus Christ who just have not taken the time to know and understand the truths of the faith.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, Ignorance is not bliss and we dare not take pride in not knowing who we are in Christ.

Jesus Christ died for our freedom and to open the way to the Father

That is far too high a price to walk around in ignorance and contently remain that way. .

Dig deep this week to learn and grow and be ready to answer…

Thriving on Neglect?

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

Luke 2:52

I have mentioned before that I do not have a green thumb.

I just came indoors from the 92 degrees (F) heat where I was pruning back a forsythia bush in my yard.

It was starting to look like Don Kings hair and needed to be attended to.

 Of all the flowers, shrubs and trees on our property the ones that do seem to thrive on neglect are the forsythia.

 All I need to do for them is trim them back when they get out of hand.

 I italicized the words ‘seem to thrive on neglect’ because of course , while it sure may seem that way it is not true.  Transplant them in a different soil, another climate zone or even in a spot with a different mix of sun and shade and not only will they not thrive, they may die.

Yesterday I spoke of growth and maturity in our walk with God.

 You can be confident of this; it too will not grow or thrive through neglect.

Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and favor because He did not neglect the Father or the purpose for which He came to the earth

Like Jesus, we too must be deliberate and purposeful in our attention to our relationship.

Please understand that it is more than a habitual, routine time to pray or ‘have a devotion’ While those things are not bad in themselves, they can build a religion but not necessarily a relationship.

Relationship is built through time spent together in a trusting and intimate way.

We have talked about it in great detail in recent weeks and it is called:

 ‘abiding in the vine’ or ‘remaining in Christ’.

My growth in Him thrives, not on neglect, but on relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit and surrender to the pruning work of the Father in my life.

To top it all off, as much as you may desire your relationship to thrive,

 God desires it even more!

“They Grow Up So Fast”

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

II Peter 3:18

Are you a parent?

Have you ever faced a milestone in your child’s life and uttered these words:

“They grow up so fast!”

A friend posted a picture on Facebook today of his daughter at her graduation from elementary school and made that same comment.

It got me wondering how often God the Father makes that statement about us?

We are supposed to grow up.

But (and I speak from personal experience as well as observation of others) sometimes it seems painfully slower than it ought to be.

I cannot lay the blame at the feet of God

More often than not it is my own stubbornness or selfish desires that keep me from steady growth.

Those things that can bring spiritual growth are often avoided

while we embrace the things that stunt that growth.

Have you ever been there?

Are you growing?

Are you maturing in the things of God?

Is Christ more recognizable in your life today than He was a year ago?

Sure, we all hit those bumps in the road but growth is expected, not optional for a saint.

I know growth is a process.

I also know that some growth simply happens over time.

But if there were a way to measure the pace of growth by all believers it is probably slower than it needs to be in most.

My prayer for you today is that moment-by-moment and day-by-day you make those choices that contribute to healthy and steady maturing in your walk with God.

May God look at you and proudly declare: “He grows up so fast!”

The Peacock is an Armadillo

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.

 On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

“You are judging by appearances…”

II Corinthians 10:3-5, 7a

=

Outward appearances can be deceiving.

Remember the old adage – “Don’t judge a book by its cover”?

We often do not see past what the other person wants to present.

We only see the peacock.

We don’t see the armadillo.

They are both the same person.

The outward appearance may be all flash and glamour – like the peacock – but inwardly there is a hard shell – like an armadillo – that discourages anyone from getting too close.

Maybe they have been hurt in their past so the peacock facade is very useful in hiding the armadillo shell.

“Admire me from a distance”; they seem to say, because up close and personal there is only ‘access denied’!

I pray God gives us those spiritual eyes to see past the peacock presentation people offer and instead minister to the armadillo inside.

May the Holy Spirit open our eyes to see beyond the pretensions.

May we not evaluate or minister solely according to the outward appearances of a man.

May we minister in the strength, the anointing and the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Heavenly Father:

Make our ministry to others effective because of your Spirit working in us!

In Jesus Name.

Amen

Loyalty

“Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;
    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.”

Psalm 12:1

It seems as if the character trait of loyalty has suffered a decline in modern times.

It just doesn’t seem to be in vogue much anymore.

The loyalty once enjoyed by employers and employees has suffered.

All around we see those who have broken trust with others and if something better or more satisfying comes along, whether on the job, in our marriages or scores of other relationships we are eager to part ways with those we had previously committed too. Reading today’s verse however indicates that, in fact, the absence of loyalty is not a modern problem but has been around as long as people have inhabited the earth.  

Loyalty ought to be well represented in the Kingdom of God.

 We are not to remain loyal in a simplistic, robotic sort of way but neither do we break relationships just because we don’t feel like it is too our advantage anymore.

Loyalty tests our allegiance.

Loyalty will often require you to stand with the minority.

But loyalty to the Kingdom of God can also put you in some very good company.

No one’s allegiance was tested quite like Jesus’ was -

Remember the wilderness temptation?

And one need only look to Calvary to know how alone Jesus was and yet remained loyal to the work the Father had called Him too.

Loyalty for a believer is ultimately loyalty to God and His appointed and anointed leaders.

Sure, it will be tested.

When most everyone else runs away (as they did with Jesus),

 where will your loyalties be?

Go and Do Likewise

In our Sunday services this week we honored a family that have been faithfully serving at His Place for several years but are now moving out of state. Since it was also Fathers’ Day one of the ways to recognize their faithfulness was presented in the form of an acrostic of the word ‘father’. This acrostic served to honor them and challenge any who desire to serve the Lord by sharing some characteristics helpful in our own lives...

Faithful

“…the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord,…” Ephesians 6:21

Approachable

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone,…”II Timothy 2:24

Teachable

“The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction.” Proverbs 16:23

Honor

“…My Father will honor the one who serves me.” John 12:21

Excellence

“…a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.” Proverbs 17:27

Returnable (remembers and returns to those who have are their brothers and sisters)

“… for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions…” I Corinthians 11:2

“Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10:37b

Turbulence Ahead!

“For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.”

Psalm 27:5

What is your response to a little turbulence on an airplane?

How do you handle it?

Do you fall apart?

Are you such a spectacle that everyone else on that plane is abundantly aware that you have made a mountain out of a mole hill?

I am not belittling those who have a fair of flying.

I know it can be a genuinely paralyzing fear for some.

My point is that some amount of turbulence is not unusual on a flight.

If you have done any amount of flying I am sure you have experienced it to one degree or another.

And, if you are reading this I am sure you have survived the flight!

What about the ‘turbulence of life’?

If you have done any amount of living I am sure you have experienced it to one degree or another.

But, just because you are reading this blog, does not give me insight into how well you have ‘survived’ that turbulence.

You and God both know your reaction though.

Do the bumps in the road of life drive you to panic or to prayer?

Sometimes, on a flight you get advance warning from the pilot when turbulence is coming.

In life, it often comes without warning, seemingly out of the blue.

But regardless of how ‘prepared’ we may seem to be my question is still the same:

 Does it drive you to your knees in prayer or bring you to your feet in panic?

I don’t regularly get up in the morning with a revelation of how the day will unfold.

Do you?

I do get up in the morning to a Father who will unfold my day and strengthen me with the courage and abiding presence I will need for the turbulence I encounter that day.

Do you?

ALL means ALL

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
  in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

How do you resist fear and release faith?

One of the ways this is accomplished is by learning to resist the urge to tell God how to fix things.

I can find nowhere in scripture where God had a cadre’ of consultants on retainer for any time He got “in over His head.”

I know you think it is absurd for me to even suggest that some might think that way.

So let me take it even a bit further.

I would suggest that it is likely we have all had that attitude at one time or another.

No, we probably don’t phrase it that way but we all too often behave as if God needs our ‘infinite’ wisdom to steer us through our lives.

After all we think to ourselves, “It’s my life we’re talking about.”

Therein lies the crux of the problem.

We still lay claim to our lives and haven’t surrendered all to Him.

The last time I checked all still means all and we find it twice in today’s verse.

We trust Him with ALL our heart and in ALL our ways we acknowledge Him– not 50, 90 or even 99 and 44/100ths%

Any portion we reserve is the exact portion that concedes it is our will over His.

Is that hard to receive? Sure.

But in the long run it is infinitely harder to do it our way.

As His Holy Spirit abides in you and you abide in Christ; each day will move you closer to that 100% surrender.

If you fall, then ask for His forgiveness, stand up, turn away from the sin and continue on trusting Him with ALL your heart and acknowledging Him in ALL your ways.

Has todays’ message ministered to you and do these blogs help you to grow in your relationship with Christ? Let me know with your feedback.  Thanks!

“I will help you…”

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

Do you know that there is a love for you that is greater than any fear you will ever experience?

I know, it sounds too good to be true but it is true!

Gods love is demonstrated in the verse above with five tangible promises that we can hold on to in the toughest of times.

First- God says, “I am with you!”

Second – He declares to us, “I am your God!”

Third- The promise He gives is, “I will strengthen you!”

Fourth – We have His assurance, “I will help you!”

Fifth – Confidently we know that He says, “I will uphold you!”

Its’ settled then – when that promise is deposited in our spirit we can, as David said, “Walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death…” with full knowledge that God is with us and if God be for us who can be against us?

Many years ago my wife and I were at a point of making a decision and we needed to know the will of God concerning it. When we prayed He spoke one portion of that promise to us. He said simply: “I will help you.”

Maybe you think I was jumping up and down with joy at that word but I wasn’t. I remember saying to God – “I need more.”

His answer to me was in the form of a question but so firm I knew I had all that I needed.

He simply responded –

“Really, you need something more than the help given from the Creator of Heaven and Earth?”

That ended that conversation because I knew He was with us and would be with us.

He has.

And He will be with you too as you trust Him!

Destructive Fear

What do you suppose was the first record of fear in the Bible?

We find it in the Garden of Eden immediately after sin was

committed through disobedience to the command of God.

Please read it below:

“But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? ”The man said, “The woman you put here with me —she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Genesis 3:9-13

If you were to take the time to read all of the verses prior to this in the Bible

(don’t panic, it’s just a little over two chapters)

you would discover the story of creation including the creation of man and woman.

All that God created He declared good!

There was nothing in His creation that was bad.

The cowering fear that caused Adam to hide when he heard the voice of God was a direct result of sin.

That same theme is found throughout the scriptures:

“Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.  They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”

Revelation 6:15-16

The fear that causes us to hide from God is not from anything within God.

 Instead, it is sin which drives the wedge between us.

Just as it caused Adam to hide from God in fear, the man who commits sin will seek to cover it up.

God does not delight in His children being afraid of Him.

Yesterday I closed the blog with a portion of I John 4:18

Here is the entire verse –

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

You and I were never created for the purpose of being punished.

Punishment is a consequence of sin and is what drives fear.

God sent His Son Jesus and He took my punishment for sin.

That is perfect love.

That is the perfect love we are called to remain in; to abide in!

That is Jesus.

Beneficial Fear

The Bible speaks of two kinds of fear.

There is the fear of God which is beneficial.

That fear is described in Psalm 33:8

“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.”

And then there is the fear of life which is destructive.

We find an example of that in the parable of the talents:

“So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground.

See, here is what belongs to you.’” Matthew 25:25

We need never fear that God is arbitrary and capricious

We often refer to the sovereignty of God and I think some anticipate

that to mean God does whatever He wants.

But God will not violate His nature.

We know the declaration: “I am the LORD, I change not.”

God the Father revealed Himself clearly through His son Jesus.

In Jesus we find perfect love, mercy and compassion.

But we also find perfect justice, judgment and discipline.

 In one sense we can say that we will never be ‘surprised’ by Gods’ actions if we understand His nature.

Because God does not change, because He does not violate who He is, I can trust Him.

 I need not fear that God will act contrary to His nature.

I need not fear that on any given day God will be moody and, in that moodiness, annihilate His creation-- just because He felt like it.

I will never be omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.

But I can love and trust the one who is because He loves me

and He has good plans for me.

That is a reverential and holy fear.

That is a fear of God that is beneficial and not destructive.

A Giant Killer in Training

“But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

I Samuel 17:34-37

What trial or test might God be using today to strengthen you and prepare you for His plans for your life in the future?

Have you ever stopped to consider this point?

In David’s case, the lion and the bear were preparing him for the uncircumcised Philistine named Goliath.

Of course, he didn’t know in advance.

Why are you having such a difficult time right now?

Like David, you may not know in advance but it could just be God!

 He is using the current circumstances to prepare you as a future giant-killer.

David had a choice.

He could fight the lion and the bear – relying on God to help him as he fought

Or

He could run and hide and let the adversary have his way with the sheep.

One choice prepared him while the other choice wasted the opportunity.

Your trials and tests, struggles and troubles offer you the same choice.

What will you choose?

Will you be a ‘giant killer’ in training?

Or

Will you shrink back and miss what God wants to develop in you?

Living in the ‘Land of What-If’

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

When my son was younger (and still occasionally nowadays) he would ask many of the proverbial ‘what-if’ questions. You know the questions I’m sure. They start with the two words ‘what-if’ and are finished with the concern De jour. There was a time in his life when these questions seem to consume his entire day. Maybe it’s a method of learning that I missed somewhere in my growing up years.  Often, in my plan to re-direct his line of questioning I would simply declare to him: “I don’t live in the ‘land of what-if’.

Sometimes it worked in changing his attention and sometimes it didn’t.

I think as believers we can be like that as well.

Instead of handing our worries and cares over to God we play them out in our mind.

What if that spot is cancer?

What if I am in the next round of lay-offs?

What if my son isn’t accepted at that school?

It can become almost like a ‘faith in reverse’, a ‘negative’ faith if you will.

The next time you find yourself in the ‘land of what-if’, here’s a remedy.

Begin to speak and meditate on Philippians 4:6-7 posted above.

My prayer is that it moves you from the ‘land of what-if’ into the Kingdom of God.