Smiling or Frowning?

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,

with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Ephesians 4:30

 

The words 'do not'; what do they say to you?

They are a command.

They also tell me it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit.

How do we do that?

Is it when we violate the 10 commandments?

Is it when we hate our neighbor?

Yes it is, but it is more than that.

At its simplest, grieve is defined as: To cause to suffer; sorrow?

Do my actions or my thoughts cause sorrow for the Holy Spirit?

Ouch!

I’m remembering those lessons about sins of commission and sins of omission.

Not only what I do that misses the mark but also what I fail to do can grieve the Holy Spirit.

The incredibly good news of the cross, that the price for our sin has been paid, does not remove the sorrow, the grieving of the Holy Spirit any time we sin.

So what do I do?

I repent, and in so doing, that intimate fellowship

with God through His Holy Spirit is restored.  

Maybe it seems childish to think this way but let me ask a question:

Right now, is the Holy Spirit smiling or frowning based on your behavior?

Which Story is Yours?

    “Listen to my cry,

    for I am in desperate need;”

Psalm 142:6a

 

Desire scratches the surface.

Desperation gets to the root!

Desire wants an answer.

Desperation gets an answer!

While desire seeks results, desperation gets them.

 

A story of desire:

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked,

“Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied.

“There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

“Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,

honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples,

“Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19: 17-23

 

A story of desperation:

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,

but no one could heal her.  

She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak,

and immediately her bleeding stopped.

 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said,

“Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people,

she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.

Luke 8:43-47

 

Which story is yours?

Desperation

When we are desperate for something, we will go to great lengths to obtain it. 

How desperate are you to know God? 

Not to know ABOUT Him, but to know Him intimately, his heart, his character, and the things that are important to Him.

Matthew 13:45-46 says “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

True knowledge and understanding of God is extremely valuable and rare to find on the earth, like that pearl of great price.  But, to obtain it, we must be willing to sell everything.  No, not our material possessions, but “heart possessions.” We must be willing to give up our wants, desires and cares of this world in exchange for something of much greater value – knowing Him.

What a bargain! He asks us to trade the things of this world, which often enslave and leave us unsatisfied, for Him, who brings great joy and freedom and satisfies the deepest longings of our heart.

Do you hear God beckoning you to come away with him?  If yes, don’t delay.  Remove any obstacles that would keep you from getting alone with Him.  If you don’t have a yearning for more of God, ask Him to make you desperate for Him.  May our heart’s cry be “As the deer pants for the water brooks,
so my soul pants for You, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)

Note: Today's blog was written by David Trotta. I pray it will challenge you as you pursue God and as David uses the gifts God has given him to encourage others and glorify the Name of Jesus Christ!

Enough Said!

    “…Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”

Proverbs 4:7b

 

“Get rich quick” schemes are everywhere.

Open your e-mail account and the offers are too good to be true (because they are!).

Go out to the snail-mailbox today and an envelope is emblazoned with the warning that waiting will diminish your opportunity to earn millions!

Lawyers get in on the act too.

Have you suffered from exposure to some product in your work career?

Is the IRS, Workers Comp or that guy who plowed into you trying to get away with something?

Just call 555-5555 and they promise to take away all your problems so you can spend the rest of your days in luxurious comfort.

It is easy for our flesh to gravitate to something for nothing, isn’t it?

But the Bible has the opposite advice (go figure?) when it comes to understanding.

It may not be ‘free’ and it is certainly not cheap but we are told, though it cost you all you have, it is very much worth getting.

That, in itself, is enough to dissuade most.

After all, if a “Dollar and a dream” is all it takes to win the lottery,

why should I pay such a high price to get understanding.

Well, to answer that question, listen to these dividends –  

Blessed are those who find wisdom,

    those who gain understanding,

  for she is more profitable than silver

    and yields better returns than gold.

   She is more precious than rubies;

    nothing you desire can compare with her.

  Long life is in her right hand;

    in her left hand are riches and honor.

  Her ways are pleasant ways,

    and all her paths are peace.

  She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;

    those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Proverbs 3:13-18

Enough said?

Enough said!

I Read it on the Internet so it must Be True!

“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.

    Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”

Proverbs 4:7

 

 

 

So what can you learn off of the internet?

Many things apparently!

Some can argue that not all the information that is there is reliable.

That’s true.

Some sites, which depend on reader contributions of information, will actually warn you that not everything on their site may be accurate or has been validated.

Like most tools, the internet can be used for good or evil purposes.

For instance, passion for their cause has driven terrorists to get understanding,

off of the internet, on how to build bombs.

That is certainly not an admirable task.

What are you seeking to understand?

As a believer we should seek to understand the things of God.

They are not beyond our finding out.

But it will require some searching nor is it something the

Spirit of God gives away cavalierly.

Oh, sure there are uplifting and edifying websites from which we can learn much.

But ultimately, that understanding comes from our time with God.  

I am grateful for so much information available at my fingertips but that can never,

must never, replace ‘face time’ with God.

Are you desperate enough for the things of God to yield your

obedience to the Holy Spirit as He leads you?

As children of God we don’t have to rely on hearsay or second hand information

as it pertains to the things of God.

We can ask our Father.

He is infinitely more reliable than the internet!

His Word is true as He is true!

Truth is Truth is Truth

“Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!”

John 8:45

 

 

What makes something true?

Is it how many people accept it as the truth?

Is it whatever you are comfortable with?

Is truth defined by society ‘norms’?

Is the ‘truth’ of 100 years ago now ‘less than true’?

Of 1,000 years ago?

Does truth change?

How you answer those questions depends on who (and what) you accept as truth.

If God is truth and we accept that He is unchangeable then truth is unchangeable.

Truth is known as we know Him.

Truth is not based on someone’s feelings.

Not even when those feeling may be hurt.

I am not advocating intentionally trying to hurt others for the sake of truth.

I am recognizing though that when you stand for the truth, you may offend some.

Behaviors, attitudes and lifestyles, which just a decade ago would have been unacceptable, are now accepted as ‘truth’ and the only ones who are allowed to be offended are those who speak out against those behaviors, attitudes and lifestyles.

Perhaps of greater consequence is the church compromising truth to be seen as ‘inclusive’.

The church that dilutes the truth to be accepted by society or pop culture is the church that has lost its’ way.

That is not to say we shouldn’t be relevant.

The truth always will be.

How you present that truth may change.

For example, circuit preachers riding horseback from here to there is a thing of the past but today social media like Facebook, Twitter, etc…can be used to spread the Gospel.

Use the tools available but don’t deny, dilute or diminish the message!

Truth is Truth is Truth!

No Need To Wait

“The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind

to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”

Psalm 14:2

 

 

How hungry are you for God?

Are you hungry enough to seek Him more than one day a week?

Are you hungry enough for God that you don’t leave the seeking of Him to others?

I can’t substantiate this statistically but I suspect it may be true.

I believe that God ‘shows up’ far more often in individuals’ prayer closets than He does at the latest ‘How-To Be A Super-Christian’ conference.

For the record, I am not at all opposed to conferences or those who attend them.

But the man or woman who is truly hungry for God will, more often than not, find Him closer than the large city convention center.

He is there with you now as you read this.

Waiting.

You won’t need flight arrangements made to find Him.

He is closer than your breath.

Waiting.

You won’t even need the latest and greatest ‘star’ in the Kingdom to point Him out to you.

Can you feel His presence?

He is all around you.

Waiting.

What’s He waiting for?

You.

That you would understand He is always there with you.

He keeps His word.

He will never leave you, He will never forsake you.

You don’t have to wait until next Sunday.

You don’t need someone else to give you permission.

He is waiting with you to hear your voice.

Talk with Him now.   

Seek Him now.

No need to wait.

No need to travel to some distant location.

 

 

 

 

Understanding

 

“To God belong wisdom and power;

    counsel and understanding are his.”

Job 12:13

 

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,”

Colossians 1:9

 

Understanding is His; but His Spirit gives us understanding.

God is not a God who withholds from His children.

He gave us His best when He gave us His Son.

He will give us understanding as to the knowledge of His will!

 

“In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”

Daniel 1:20

“Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.”

Luke 2:47

 

Do you want to stand out in a crowd?

No, I don’t mean to draw attention to you.

What if you were so filled with God’s understanding that all around you took notice?

They did with Daniel.

They did with Jesus.

They will with you if you seek to gain understanding and then through the recognition that it brings you; you give all the glory to God.

That’s how to stand out and be a standout for Him!

 

Let your prayer be this -  

“Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law

    and obey it with all my heart.”

Psalm 119:34

Bumper Crops

“Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.

As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.

It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred,

 sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Matthew 13:3-9

 

The sower sows his seed…

One seed only, right?

Ask any farmer that question.

Their goal isn’t to harvest a lone plant (singular) but a crop (plural).

As a matter of fact, they would welcome a bumper crop!

Like me, you’ve probably read this parable many times and heard an untold number of messages on it.

We can easily discount the principles Jesus taught with this parable by reducing it to only pertain to a decision about salvation.

How many times in a day, a week, a month or a lifetime is the message of the Kingdom sown into your life?

How about every time you read His Word or hear a message from it?

It is a Kingdom message with the potential for a crop to be harvested from your life.

Seed is being sown into your life right now as you read this blog.

What will it yield for the Kingdom of God?

Understanding is the key!

“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it.

This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred,

sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

He who has an ear...

 

 

Food For The Spirit of a Man

“Then you will understand what is right and just

    and fair—every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart,

    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you,

    and understanding will guard you.”

Proverbs 2:9-11

 

If you want to grow physically you need to eat food.

If you want that growth to be healthy then you need to eat good food.

When I was growing up my generation was educated about the food pyramid.

We were taught the importance of a balanced diet made up of the four main food groups.

Man is a three part being; spirit, soul and body.

What is true of the body is also true of the soul and the spirit of a man.

They, too, need food to grow.

The spirit of a man, made alive through Christ, is nourished through the Word of God.

Far too often we feed our bodies but neglect our spiritual food.

Like the child who refuses to eat their vegetables, we claim the Bible can be confusing and sometimes difficult to understand so we fail to nourish ourselves on the food God provides.

Most parents can identify with the strong-willed child who is determined not to touch what is good for them on their plate only to beg for the dessert when it is brought out.

Or maybe we agree to ‘eat’ the food the Bible provides as long as someone else prepares it and serves it.

But still -

No broccoli, no asparagus, certainly no lima beans.

No sin, no discomfort, certainly no cross to bear.

I am 57 years old.

Barring any physical limitations, how ridiculous would it be for my wife to spoon feed me my meals?

And yet some believers fast all spiritual food until Sunday morning when it is fed to them.

Please don’t hear what I’m not saying.

We need the preaching of the Word.

We need to know what God would speak to us through the leadership He has put in place.

But we also need to understand that we must know how to ‘feed ourselves’.

To go into His Word and listen to His voice as He, by the Holy Spirit, instructs us.

I want to continue to grow in the things of God.

That means I feed on His Word.

That means I ask Him for understanding in areas I lack it.

God does not rejoice in our ignorance.

God wants us filled with knowledge and understanding.

Are you hungry?

Do you want to grow spiritually?

Get into the Word of God.

Smile, You’re On Candid Camera!

“You have made known to me the paths of life;

    you will fill me with joy in your presence.”

Acts 2:28

 

It seems like everywhere we go in life today there are cameras recording our every move.

It really wasn’t that long ago that banks were the only business where you expected to be caught on camera.

The 1950’s and ‘60’s television show “Candid Camera” was a funny look at

people surprised by a camera recording their unsuspected antics.

Now, whether we are passing through a city intersection, on an errand down an aisle in the grocery store or paying a toll along the thruway or turnpike;

the camera’s eyes are watching us.

Long, long before man created this “all(-most all) seeing” technology

the writer of Proverbs recorded these words:

“For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths.”

Proverbs 5:21

In God is all wisdom, knowledge and power.

There is nothing hidden from Him.

He knows are ways and examines, i.e., looks very closely at all our paths.

God loves us.

His desire is that we walk in paths that lead us to Him.

We choose our paths.

Some may choose paths of destruction.

That is not God’s desire for us.

It is our stubborn refusal to follow in His commands and the path He has for us.

Let God examine all of your paths and set your feet in the way everlasting.

 

 

 

Are You All In?

“Like a muddied spring or a polluted well

    are the righteous who give way to the wicked.”

Proverbs 25:26

 

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am

about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Revelation 3:16

 

Both of these scriptures speak of a mixture or blending.

The spring is muddied and the well is polluted.

The lukewarm is the result of blending or mixing hot and cold.

John, in writing his epistle, had this to say about loving the world:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,

and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

John 2:15-16

 A love for the worlds systems, culture and priorities can create a mixture in believers.

A blending, if you will, of two cultures and two kingdoms.

That blending or mixture will dilute the power of and passion for God in your life.

The lukewarm believer and a drink from a polluted well are both spit out.

They bring little or no value to either kingdom in there diluted and polluted state.

The current vernacular might describe it as someone who ‘sits on the fence’

or someone with ‘‘one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God.”

They are not a person ‘all in’ for the King.

As you spend time with the Lord today ask yourself these questions:

Am I a fence straddler?

Do I try to keep one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God?

Am I all in for the King?

 

Don’t Be a Warm Believer

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Revelation 3:14-22

 

 

Lukewarm?

It means ‘just slightly warm.’ It is definitely not cold.

It is not even room temperature. There is some heat associated with it.

But not enough to be of much use!

It is ‘warmth’ that lacks any passion, zeal or enthusiasm.

God help us from being ‘warm’ Christians.

They are not always easy to identify. How can you spot someone who is hot?

Listen to this parable Jesus spoke:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

 Matthew 13: 44-45

“…in his joy went and sold all he had…”

How can you spot someone who is hot? They value the eternal over the temporal.

They value the things of God and His Kingdom as greater than any of their other possessions.

They recognize the Kingdom for the treasure that it is and will gladly forsake all else for it.

Yesterday, we looked talked about the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.

Imagine being a guest at a wedding knowing that the love between the bride and groom was lukewarm at best.

Too be sure, it would not be the joyous occasion you would expect!

Lord:

We pray that you will help us to ‘raise the temperature’ of our love for you.

May we, as the old chorus says,

“… keep falling in love with Him over and over and over and over again.”

May the heat be turned up on our passion for you!

May we look forward with great anticipation to the Wedding of the Lamb and His Bride!

In Jesus Name we pray

Amen.