Bow Down

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,”

Psalm 22:27

What comes to mind when you think of the word ‘idolatry’.

Maybe you think of an Old Testament golden calf or some other image that was created by man that people worshipped.

But idolatry can be anything we allow to come before God in our lives.

Maybe it’s a career, or a person or even a hobby.

It is more than just a statue and it is more than just an Old Testament issue.

Idolatry is rampant in our culture today.

It moves us away from serving the Creator and worshipping Him to serving and worshipping whatever we choose to.

And that can change as frequently as our fickle mood does.

Idolatry is, among other things, very selfish.

It moves God out of the center of our lives and replaces Him with as many different things as there are people.

When we place God first in our lives, the idols must go.

He will not share His glory with another.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can have both.

Jesus said it well:

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Matthew 6:24

Don’t let the mention of money cause you to disregard the truth of Jesus’ words as they relate to so many others issues of life.

You can choose who you will bow down to!

Seeing the Father

“I am sending you to them to open their eyes

and turn them from darkness to light,

and from the power of Satan to God,

so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and

a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Acts 26:17b-18

Maybe this happens to you too but regularly when I read the Word of God I run smack dab into some words that convict me to my core.

They grab hold of me in ways that other passages do not and will not let go.

The words of Jesus below are an example:

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”

I have read those words many times and each time I am challenged to make them my own.

Ouch – do you see what I mean?

Oh, I know what you’re thinking –

“Those are red letter words, words reserved for Jesus!”

If only it were that easy to walk away from them.

But aren’t we each called to be a reflection of His image?

Was Jesus speaking only on His behalf or were His words also a commission and invitation to you and me?

I know some people will scratch their heads and say:

“Stephen, I’ve seen you many times and I hope that is not what God ‘looks like’”.

All I can say is: guilty as charged.

Sometimes I miss the mark.

But missing the mark does not take away the value and importance of it.

We each should have as a goal in our lives to show others the Father.

When you fail, humbly admit to it and maybe you can use that opportunity to tell others that while you and I may fail, He never does!

I, like you, am a work in progress.

A work of His hands.

Let others see His work in you.

Don’t be afraid to own your failures because God can use those as well.

Let others see the Father in you.

Opening Blind Eyes

“Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?”

John 14:8-10a

What is there is nature that you truly enjoy?

Is it the roar of a majestic waterfall?

How about the stillness of a forest trail?

Perhaps you are in awe of the oceans as the waves roll in and out.

Whatever it may be, know this - all of nature reflects its’ Creator.

We, too, as the most special part of His creation, are to reflect His image.

He is unseen, we are not.

We are to reveal God to the world.

Our actions, our words, our attitudes and behaviors can all be used to reveal and unseen God to a world that would be otherwise oblivious.

We can sometimes forget that we are called to this.

We can flippantly think that was Jesus’ role.

He certainly did do that and He did it to perfection.

But He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and He has commissioned us to reveal the Father.

So today, look for ways to reveal.

Reveal His love, His mercy, His compassion and His forgiveness through the Son.

In so doing, you will be co-laboring with the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of a blind person today.

T-I-M-B-E-R-R-R-R!

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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 12:1-2

The two-man saw slides back and forth through the tree’s trunk inching its way

little-by-little-by-little

to the point where, at long last, the two men working the saw jump quickly back and one of them shouts at the top of his lungs: “T-I-M-B-E-R-R-R-R-R”!

The large tree comes crashing down having been brought low by the hard work and determination of the men. The tree wasn’t felled by wishing. It wasn’t brought down by a person wielding a butter knife and it certainly did not drop because someone told it too. No amount of wishing or wanting, no application of the wrong tools and not a single word could have been successful in cutting down the tree.

 Sometimes we wish for things to happen in our lives. We apply some sincere effort to making it happen. We even use the tools from our tool shed but to no avail. How come? Because there is a prescribed way that God has determined it will happen. No shortcut, no matter how sincerely attempted, will work.

Worship is that way too.

 Far too often we have watered it down and whittled it down in our understanding to being nothing more than songs and music. God has a different definition and in the end guess who’s right? Not that it is a contest of one-upmanship but rather the created being instructed by the Creator. You see from our verse today that true worship, as defined by God’s Word requires a sacrifice. Guess who gets to climb up on the altar? You do; every day as a matter of fact.

Remember that tree? It didn’t have a choice as to when and to whom it would be sacrificed. It was felled by two men and a saw. You are being sacrificed every single day of your life but you get to choose whom you will fall down before? Will you fall, as a living sacrifice, before your Creator?

T-I-M-B-E-R-R-R-R-R-R!

Ear, Ear, Mouth – A 2:1 Ratio

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”

James 1:19

Somebody once said that God created us with two ears and only one mouth so that we could understand that we should listen at least twice as much as we talk. Sadly, that old saying is lost on too many of us. It is as though we are created with ten tongues and only one ear. We move through life so often talking and too seldom listening.

James echoes that sentiment to some degree when he points out in our verse for today, one thing we should be quick to do: listen; and two things we should be slow to do: slow to speak and slow to become angry. I view today’s verse kind of like a see-saw with the phrase ‘take note of this’ as the pivot point or fulcrum. On one side of that pivot point is the audience he is addressing. Just like the lesson from yesterday we find this is not addressed to “Dear Unbeliever” instead it is addressed to you and I as he says “My dear brothers and sisters…” On the other side of that pivot point is the command to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Now why should he have to tell believers to take note of those commands? Well unless you are a monk living in a monastery, you have probably been at the receiving end of someone who was quick to speak and quick to anger or maybe you yourself have done so. You were slow to listen and quick to speak, turning the admonition on its’ head. I think the truth is we have all been victimized and we have all been guilty.

So what to do?

Surrender your all to God and that includes your ears and your tongues. Ask God to help you to be that one who is, in fact, slow to speak and quick to listen. Others will take note. Even better, when you do open your mouth, trust God to fill it with His words and not your own. I would encourage you to meditate on this verse: 

“The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,

and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.”

Proverbs 17:27   

I'm No Judas!

“Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.  From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.”

Matthew 26:14-16

We were asked a pretty tough question one Sunday morning that went something like this:

“What would it take for you to walk away from your relationship with Jesus?”

In other words we ask the question that Judas asked:

“What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”

Don’t be so quick to answer. You say: “I would never do that!” 

Peter said he would never deny him and yet we all know the results of that commitment.

Peter denied him, Judas betrayed him and most of the disciples scattered when he was arrested. It is easy to talk big when you have not been challenged face-to-face as some of the Apostles were. I would like to believe I am a better man than Judas but I find an admonition in scripture that reminds me to be careful when it comes to these things. It is in Galatians chapter six and verse one:  “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

Did you see the audience?

It is to “Brothers and sisters…”.

That would be you and me.

But, it goes even further when it says: “…you who live by the Spirit…” It sure sounds to me like he is not only addressing believers but in fact he is addressing mature believers. Even this audience receives the warning: “…But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” We need to remind ourselves that we are never beyond temptation, especially if and when we find ourselves ministering to one who has struggled with a particular sin. It is often at that point that, if we are not careful, pride can creep in and cause us to believe we are better than the one who stumbled and are able, in our own strength, to withstand what they were not able to resist.  

We are not left comfortless and the strength of the Holy Spirit is there to help us in those times of temptation. But His help is quenched when we think more highly of ourselves and our own strength than we ought to think and rely on that rather than Him!

Instead of being quick to respond to the question of: “What would it take for you to walk away from your relationship with Jesus” stop and think for a moment of how much you need the Holy Spirit to keep you in that place of abiding in Christ and instead of boasting, pray that you would continue to abide in Him.

Fragrant Worship

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

John 12:1-7

Have you ever said something you really didn’t mean in order to cover your true motives? Or maybe you said it and really convinced yourself that you believed it because you did not know your own heart or were not prepared to admit what was in your heart. Our text today looks at just that with the response of Judas to a moment when Mary ministered to Jesus.  There was a dinner given in Jesus’ honor just a short time after he had raised Lazarus from the dead. Mary took a jar of expensive perfume and washed Jesus’ feet with it and then wiped his feet with her own hair.

I love that it says: “and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” Our worship, our ministering to the Lord, ought to have that kind of an impact.

To fill the air with a sweet fragrance.

The air of offense is quite the opposite. It is not a fragrance, instead, it is an odor.

Our passage tells us that Judas objected. However it makes it clear that what he said in objecting and what his true motivations were, were quite different. Judas was a follower of Jesus Christ, selected by the Lord himself to be one of the twelve. While he would betray the Lord and perhaps at some later time would pass a point of no return I don’t think this moment was it. I believe there was still opportunity for him to repent. There was still that opportunity to examine his motives, ask for forgiveness and continue to walk with the Lord.

When we examine ourselves perhaps one way to measure where we stand is to ask the question: “What surrounds me?” Is it a fragrance of worship and ministry to the Lord or is it the odor of self-deception and objection to others worship? Instead of entering into worship ourselves do we always feel it necessary to criticize the worship of others and cloak those objections in religious excuses? Ouch!

I find it interesting that there is no account of Mary defending her actions. A true worshipper need not do that. Jesus came to her defense.

Ask the Lord to help you grow in your worship so that it is less and less about anything else and more and more about Him. 

Our Good Portion

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

A woman named Martha welcomed Jesus into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.  But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

My mother in-law came to live with us recently after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Not long after being at the house she asked if her brother, her only living sibling, could come up from Florida and stay with us so he could spend time with her.

On the way home from picking up my wife’s uncle at the airport, he asked how he could help my wife and I while he was in town visiting.  I told him not to worry about helping out.  His priority was to just enjoy his sister and spend as much time with her as possible.

I’m assuming Mary knew Martha needed help serving the guests, but spending time with Jesus was much more important to her.  The other stuff could wait.

Some might think it was selfish of her to leave all the work to Martha, but I admire Mary for making Jesus a priority even in the midst of the pressures of life.

It is so easy to succumb to those pressures.  I know as well as anyone.  But if we only understood that spending time with Jesus will equip us to better handle all the stuff life throws at us.

He is our “good portion” as the above verse tells us.  The verse also tells us that Jesus protected Mary’s desire to be with Him.  Jesus declared “It will not be taken from her.”

I believe God will protect our time when we chose to make being in His presence a priority.  I believe He will supernaturally rearrange the things in our life so that all our earthly needs and commitments will be taken care of as we put Him first.

I’m sure you’ve heard this familiar verse before... “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  What a promise!  One that we should take advantage of.

Don’t let the lesser things in life keep you from a good portion of God’s presence.

Once a Week or 24/7?

“He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”

Hebrews 11:26

How do you measure how much you value something?

Is it evidenced by the amount of time you dedicate to it?

How about the dollars you spend in pursuit of something?

Is something or someone more valuable to you when it is all you can talk about?

Yes, yes and yes!

Maybe, in the past, you experienced valuing another person above all else.

 How easy it is to see how you would spend your time, your money and your words for that person.

If you are married now do you remember the days of dating and romance? 

All your money, your time and your conversation was centered on the one you loved.  

Now let me ask you an obvious question.

How much do you value being a follower of Christ?

Think for a moment before you answer. 

So how much did you say?

Really?

How much time did Christ get today?

 No, I know it’s not Sunday but it’s still a fair question to ask isn’t it?

After all, anyone who truly values their walk with the Lord must understand that it cannot simply be a Sunday morning affair but a 24/7 relationship.

I ask you how much time you had with the Lord today not for the purpose of ‘guilting’ you into valuing Christ more because that never works anyway. 

Instead, I want to provoke you to that place we’ve talked about before;

self-examination.  

It is a good thing to examine our walk with Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to turn the searchlight on an area that is weak and needs to be strengthened or an action that needs to be repented of.

The very thought that we would take the time to allow the Holy Spirit to examine our walk speaks to the value we place on it.

Allow some self-examination and some Holy Spirit examination in your walk today and respond in obedience to the areas that need to be addressed. As we move further away from Sunday morning may your walk with Him move closer to the 24/7 relationship He desires.

Attitude Adjustment

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12

The Human Cannonball!

Remember that dramatic act from the circus shows of your youth?

I don’t because, while I often heard of it, I never actually saw it happen. Imagine though being shot out of a cannon and carefully aimed for the safety net designed to catch you on the other side of the dusty circus tent.

All eyes are on you!

Now suppose, for just a moment, that all of the little decisions and attitudes of your heart were able to direct or ‘adjust’ the path of your walk in life. Every choice you made or make concerning whether or not you would walk with God, whether or not you would follow His Son, whether or not you believed and obeyed the commands tweaked the aim of that cannon to target a closer walk with God or a shot into the darkness (that would be the opposite direction). You say, “I am sure, my trajectory has me on target with God”. Good, but remember that it is not simply one choice that keeps us in communion with His Spirit but many choices over the course of our lifetime. Scripture says: “Let a man examine himself…” So don’t rest on yesterdays’ victories as there is work to be done today.

I hear the protests because you say the ultimate decision is what I do with Christ. True, that determines where you spend eternity.

What about how you spend your time here?

What kind of disciple will you be?

One who hears, listens and obeys

or

One who hears, rationalizes and walks away?

His eyes are on you!

Lighten Up!

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.

Night is coming, when no one can work.”

 John 9:4

In the part of the world where I live (and most of you reading this for that matter!) Summer is so very short it seems. We celebrate Memorial Day as the unofficial start and then, so it seems, a few weeks later and we are welcoming the first of September and in a flash the kids are back to school. As I sit at my computer writing this it is 7:10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and the days are enjoyably longer but in about a month they will begin getting shorter.

But the ‘daylight’ also seems to be getting shorter when I consider spiritual things. It seems that all around us it is becoming darker and darker spiritually. If that is true then it is no time for us to hide the light that we have under a table but to let it shine even brighter for all to see. There are so many who seem to be groping around in darkness with no understanding of the time that it is and with no purpose in their lives. There has never been a time riper for the Gospel to be shared than today. It need not be shared by hitting someone over the head with your Bible. People stumbling in the dark often are looking for a light - a way out of that darkness. It is time for Isaiah 60:1 to be declared in the church: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”

How do I make my light shine brighter?

Spend more time in the Son!

No, not the s-u-n, but the S-o-n.

Let the glory of the Lord rise upon you because you have been in His presence. When was the last time people had to shield their eyes from looking at you because of the brightness of your countenance?

But, you say, that doesn’t happen today!

Sadly, it doesn’t.

We don’t take the time we ought to in His presence so that when others see us they see His glory reflected in us.

Solution?

Take the time to ‘lighten up’

Spend more time in His presence!

Walking in Unity

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:20-23

Suppose we, as a church, walked in perfect unity. Suppose there was absolutely no division in our ranks. No division overtly and no division covertly. Every thought, every action, every motive of every individual was in complete unity. What do you suppose we might accomplish as a church? What power would be available to us as the Children of God walking in perfect unity?

Now let me ask you another question. What do you suppose perfect unity looks like? I would like to answer that question by suggesting to you that it looks just like Jesus, the Son of God, doing the will of the Father and the Father glorifying the Son for His obedience.

Perfect unity isn’t always ‘pretty’. You only need to look at the cross of Calvary to discern that. But there also is no substitute for it. Jesus declared: “It is finished”. He did not say – it is finished with a few minor exceptions. He did not say – It is finished except for those couple of times that you and I disagreed Father. He came to do the will of the Father and He did it. He did it because He walked in perfect unity with the Father. He walked with God at all times.

We all need to be walking with God. We do not defer that task to someone else. It is not simply ‘the Pastor’s job’. Look again at the words of our text today. Jesus prayed for unity and He did not pray that all the ‘Pastor’s may be one as we are one’. Rather He prayed for you and me – that all believers may be one.

Father:

I pray that we take to heart the prayer of Jesus and understand the obligation each of us has to walk with you. As we obediently follow you, may we bear witness to the world that we belong to you. May our unity not be that unity after the flesh, but a unity of the Holy Spirit bringing all who believe in you to a place of surrender and faithful commitment to walk with you each day.

I pray this in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Longing for His Appearing

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the LORD, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 timothy 4:7-8)

I only need to be apart from my wife for a short time before I begin missing her.  If it’s an extended absence, like during a work trip, my missing turns to longing.

We long for what we love most.

Which brings me to my next point.  How come I don’t long for Jesus’ appearing more often?

And, if I don’t long for Jesus’ appearing, is a crown of righteousness still in store for me?

The above verse really makes us take a hard look at where our desires lie.  As I mentioned earlier, we long for what we love most.

If you find yourself being out of God’s presence for long periods of time without missing Him, pray this prayer from A. W. Tozer with me…

 “O God, I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this.” 

Expectant Worship

“Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.”

Luke 8:40

When we, as God’s people, gather to worship what should we be expecting?

Is it a great song service?

Goosebumps?

A feeling of peace in our spirit?

How about an expectation of the Lord’s presence in our midst?

Jesus said in John 12:32 “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” To be sure, he was speaking of being lifted up on the cross and the work that was accomplished there. But I think it is also fair to say that when we worship Him, we are drawn near to Him. We are also told that God inhabits the praises of His people. That is, he literally comes into our midst and takes a seat that our worship has created for Him. We should expect to enthrone Him with our worship. He alone is the worthy one and we dare not come together to worship man or any man’s accomplishment.

You see we have an opportunity this week to fulfill the verse from above. We expect Jesus to come as we worship Him and we welcome Him into our midst. That is what our expectation should be as we gather together in worship. He is more than capable of taking it from there! Don’t you long for the time when we all come together for just that reason and nothing more? Maybe you are a little offended by that because you think to yourself: “My needs are great and I need some answers and I need some provisions and I need some comfort and I need some strength and I need…. He knows what you need even before you express it. “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 Go ahead – delight yourself in Him – worship Him and Him alone and see if He doesn’t come and meet you!

Transforming our Worship

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.”

Psalm 40:3

Are you ‘expecting’ to be transformed? How about your worship? What song is in your mouth – the old song or His new song? Worship to God originates from God. Look at the verse again; who put the new song in your mouth? As we wait on Him our worship is transformed. The old is gone and the new has come.

 I was reminded this week of an old Disney song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that was either titled or had the line in it that said: “…Whistle while you work…” and I felt God whisper to me “…worship while you wait…” Yesterday we spoke about active waiting. Today we are talking about worshipful waiting. Our active waiting, as God does His transforming work in us, must include worship.

 Do you only worship during the mountaintop experiences of life or do you also worship God during the seasons when you find yourself in the Valley of the Shadow of Death? A true worshipper, who is being transformed, is one who worships at all times regardless of where life’s circumstances find him. Jesus said that true worshippers would worship in Spirit and in Truth. True worshippers worship all the time and are not stopped by external circumstances.

Of course, we know that worship is not just singing a song. We have been taught that worship is living that lifestyle that pleases God.  But when our worship includes lifting our hearts and our voices to Him and making that joyful noise that the Bible speaks about, there is a transforming work that takes place in us and in those around us as well (read today’s verse again!). Remember what we have been taught: You become like what you worship. Worship God and He does that transforming work in us that changes us from glory to glory – causing us to be a reflection of His son in the earth. That does something wonderful – it has the power to change us but it also has the power to change those around us as well!

Your worship impacts you and your worship impacts others.

Who are you worshipping today?

Worship while you wait!

Active, Habitual Waiting

“And Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God; and he was not, for God took him [home with Him].”

Genesis 5:24 (Amplified Bible)

Are you ‘waiting’ to be transformed? Do you view transformation as something you just sit back and expect will happen by an act of God? That word ‘wait’ is too often perceived as such a passive word but it is anything but that. Ask a waiter or waitress how passive their job is. You will probably find out that a good waiter or waitress is constantly, actively working.

I appreciate the Amplified Bible translation of our verse above because it reveals a walk with God, a ‘waiting on God’ if you will, that is anything but passive. Is it fair to use the words ‘walk’ and ‘wait’ interchangeably? I think so, when our conversation is transformation. Our waiting on God should be as active a pursuit as our walking with Him is.

The verse above says that Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God. You and I both know that habits are not formed in our lives with an occasional application of the behavior but by consistent repetition. If I want to establish a good habit in my life I must repeat it consistently over time. If I want to walk with God, it is not going to happen with an occasional Sunday morning stroll into church. It is daily, passionate devotion to Him. Even when no one else is watching and even when there are no seeming rewards. Enoch made time for God. He walked with God. Not once in a blue moon but regularly, consistently, faithfully.

God is transforming you.

He is transforming His church.

He is doing it on His schedule and according to His plans. He won’t be rushed and He won’t be late, but He will be stopped by anyone who says “No, I won’t wait and I won’t walk. It is too painfully slow and much too hard!” Remember that even in the process of transforming you – His grace is sufficient.

Wait on Him. 

Waiting on Transformation

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

God is doing a work of transformation in His people. And He is not (no disrespect meant) running a fly-by-night operation with your life or mine. As a matter of fact He is taking His time to bring about lasting change.

I am not too familiar with the toy called a “Transformer” but from what little I know the toy transforms from one thing to another in a rather quick fashion. Now, to be sure, there is an aspect of our walk with Christ that is instantaneous. We are told in 11 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” We can be saved from our sins and given eternal life in an instant as we trust in Him. Salvation comes in a moment through the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross.

Transformation takes a wee bit longer. God is, by His Holy Spirit, changing us into the image of His son. Does it really take God that long? Nope, but it does take us that long. You see we don’t readily and regularly die to our flesh. We are too attached to it! Indeed the new has come but we don’t accurately and adequately reflect the new until all the old flesh is gone and that takes us a while.

Aren’t you glad God is patient? I know I am. Sometimes when we are passionately in love with God we become impatient for the change to happen more quickly. When that happens, remind yourself that He is in control; His plans for you are good and sometimes, like your mother told you, ‘good things come to those who wait’ (these are mom’s words and not expressed that way in God’s word!). But our waiting is not to be static in nature. It is a dynamic waiting process. We have things to do to cooperate with the Spirit of God as He transforms us. Over the next few days I want us to look together at that process of waiting. Can you wait?

Don’t count on it

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

My grandchildren love to show off their counting skills.  First it’s being able to count to 10, then 20, then 100.  The higher they can count, the prouder they are.

Counting is one of the first things we learn because it is such a necessary part of our everyday lives.

But, counting is not always a good thing to do.  Take King David for example.

In the book of First Chronicles, David asked the commander of his army to take a census and count the people of Israel, specifically those who could handle a sword.

Here’s what God had to say about David’s census taking…

God was very displeased with the census, and he punished Israel for it.  Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing.” (I Chronicles 21:7-8)

The people of Israel belonged to God.  David had no right counting what didn’t belong to him, especially with the desire to stroke his ego.

We should never count (boast in, put our confidence in, pat ourselves on our back) about our strengths, abilities or resources.

None of that impresses God.  All we have is His anyway and not anything we can boast in.  The apostle Paul says to boast in our weaknesses, not our strengths (2 Corinthians 11:30).

What does impress God is a humble and contrite heart.

But this is the one to whom I will look; he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:2)

Desperation

“And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.  And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.  And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,  Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.  And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.  And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.”

Matthew 18:35-43

When was the last time you truly cried out to God

in desperation for some need in your life?

What does a desperate person look like and how do they act?

More often than not desperate people are not quiet, well-mannered and shy. It is not that they are trying to intentionally be rude or loud but their desperation is pressing them to act in a manner that will get answers. In the case of the blind man, he was desperate and without sight. It wasn’t like he could just walk over to Jesus. He certainly could not press into the crowd to touch the hem of his garment as a woman had done. He was blind, he was desperate and he was loud. When he was shushed by some, his desperation would not allow him to be silent but to shout even louder. One other important point, his desperation was driven by faith. Jesus heard him. Jesus healed him. But what if the blind man was too polite to shout when Jesus passed by?

 So often our pride trumps our desperation and instead of calling out to Jesus we remain silent so as not to offend the crowd following Jesus. It is interesting that some in the crowd may have been offended that day but Jesus was not. His attention was caught by the shout and the Spirit of God responded to the man’s faith and healed him.   

Perhaps you need to be desperate enough that your faith and your desperation cannot hold back calling out to God when He passes by.

What are you waiting for?

I Dare You

I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Psalm 52:9

“I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.”

Psalm 35:18

What do you suppose next Sunday morning would be like if everyone came to church overflowing with His Spirit and with a mouth filled with praise to God? I am not talking about walking out the door that way – I am talking about coming into the House of God filled up and overflowing, literally spilling over onto others with the presence of God. No need to have someone else ‘put words in your mouth’ of praise but, you, out of the abundance of a heart filled with His love and with a desire to praise and worship Him come in to join the others who likewise are filled and have purposed long before they came into the house to fulfill the words of Psalm 122:1 “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go into the House of the Lord.” 

Do you suppose God would meet His people there in a special way? I think He would. Not that we haven’t known His presence before in our times of gathering together. But a deliberate, purposeful desire to come filled, come overflowing, come to pour out in lavish praise and worship to Him.

Too often we come to be filled, to be poured into and with something less than gladness in our hearts to be in His house. Come on, don’t pretend; we’ve all been there. He knows even if you’ve fooled others. So let’s do that. Let’s purpose in our hearts that this Sunday we come together for His benefit and not ours. You ask: “How do I benefit God?” – By offering the sacrifice of praise by fulfilling the words of Psalm 34:3 “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together.”

Don’t make every Sunday about you – make it all about Him!

Make this Sunday His day.

 I dare you!

If you will then you are well on your way to making every day His day.

Who Has Captured You?

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me

   to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

   to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD

   for the display of his splendor.”

Isaiah 61:1-3

Chains are not intended to hold the children of God in bondage.

That is true.

But it is important to understand that even now many believers find themselves, like Paul the Apostle, in prison cells for their faith in Christ.

We don’t often consider this because it seems so far removed from our world.

 We believe that it has little relevance to our walk with Christ today.

But maybe you need to stop and ponder this question; what chains truly hold you captive?

Are they literal shackles around your hands and feet?

Likely not.

But many saints now wearing those literal chains in cells in so many parts of the world can answer a resounding NO to being truly captured by them!

They may be tethered to a prison cell by iron links but their hearts and their spirits are captivated by the LORD.  They may find themselves physically bound like Joseph, Peter or Paul and yet freer than many who have no literal chains tied around their hands but instead have chains binding their spirits and binding their service to Christ. Those chains have robbed them of what they could be because of spiritual bondage which was never intended for His sons and daughters.    

God’s antidote for the chains of bondage was Calvary. His son was sent to proclaim liberty to the captives. What captivates you today?  Is it Christ or are they chains of bondage. Let him set you free from the things that have captured you and held you as a prisoner.

Heavenly Father:

We pray in the powerful name of Jesus that every chain of bondage will be broken in the lives of your children by the work already accomplished at the cross. May we walk in the freedom and the liberty that was purchased for us and not become captured again by the chains of bondage. Instead I pray we are captivated by the Spirit of the Lord and minister that same freedom to others.