“For God does speak—now one way, now another—

though no one perceives it.”

Job 33:14

 

Sometimes it is so helpful to read an emphatic statement.

Job made one and we can read it above.

God clearly spoke then and He clearly speaks now.

Listen to these words from Jesus:

“Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

John 8:47

We sometimes may not understand or may even misunderstand how or what God is speaking but that does not mean He does not speak.

Some would even say God spoke to the church at its beginning but that He has no need to speak to us now that we have the Bible.

How silly to believe that the Creator of the universe desires a relationship with us but that would not include conversation between us.

Imagine a friend saying “I want to be your best friend but I only want to talk to you through letters; none of this conversation nonsense!”

We would be right to question their sincerity.  

Listen for that still small voice today.

God delights in speaking to you and with you.

He who has ears to hear, hear it!

 

 

Affections: Set on God or Set on Self?

 

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Colossians 3:1-3

 

 

One Sunday morning the LORD

challenged our church with a couple of questions.

The questions were:

What are you filled with this week?

What is trying to occupy your heart that isn’t God?

There is so much in life that is vying for our attention.

There is so much that would distract us from the important things.

Our affections can be set on things below;

that is on things here on earth or they can be set (as they should be) on things above.

We are encouraged in the epistle to the Colossians to set our affections on things above.

Let your heart, your affections; be filled with God this week.

Not possible you say?

Hmmm, I guess God gave us a command we couldn’t keep!

Not really.

But He did give us a command we couldn’t keep apart from Him.

You see, my flesh is at war with the things of the Spirit of God.

Yours is too, by the way!

If allowed to have its’ way our flesh just wouldn’t be interested in giving God the time of day this week.

That’s why we are told to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

In a manner of speaking; my flesh is very affectionate

with those things that are contrary to God.

Our old nature is ‘cozy’ with sin.

That is why God challenged us to look at what is filling our lives up.

What is occupying your thoughts and your actions this week that is not of God?

Ask God to show you.

Then ask God to help you set your affections on Him and to empty

yourself of self that He might fill you with His Spirit.

 

The Wealth of the Book of Proverbs

 

Let’s take a look at the fact that an authentic worshipper is also

one who gives of their material blessings.

We surely can recognize that God is a giver and if we are too truly

reflect His image we, too, will be givers.

The Book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom.

And there is much in that book concerning both poverty and wealth, giving and accumulating. I would encourage you to make it a regular part of your Bible reading and to apply its principles in your daily life.

Below I have given you just a taste of what the book reminds us of.

I encourage you to read and meditate on these verses.

As you do you I hope that it also helps you to better appreciate the

relevance of Gods’ word to how you live your life today.

 

“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”

Proverbs 10:4

(Your mother put it this way: ‘Hard work pays off!’)

 

“One person gives freely, yet gains even more;

another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”

Proverbs 11:24

(Jesus said: “Give and it shall be given unto you…)

 

“Dishonest money dwindles away,

but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”

Proverbs 13:11

(They have learned the value of what the world calls “chump change”)

 

“The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;

they imagine it a wall too high to scale.”

Proverbs 18:10-11

(The world will always have a scheme to ‘protect’ your wealth)

 

“Those who work their land will have abundant food,

but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.”

Proverbs 28:19

(The world will tell you: “All you need is a dollar and a dream!”)

 

What is That in the Road Up Ahead?

 

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment,”

Luke 16:22

Suppose you had convinced a brick wall straight ahead in the interstate did not exist.

Believing that to be true you barreled ahead at the 65 MPH speed limit.

What will happen when you hit that wall?

Of course, sadly it would be destruction and death.

Denying the existence of hell has much the same result.

Some would have you believe that denial is enough to erase hell.

But hell is real and is a consequence of rejection God’s free offer of salvation.

It is just as real as heaven.

I suspect if you surveyed a multitude of people the overwhelming majority would admit to believing in heaven while claiming there is no hell.

The argument usually goes something like this:

“How could a loving God send anyone to Hell?”

Of course He doesn’t.

The truth is that we send ourselves there when we reject His way out.

As we looked at it yesterday, God never created Hell for you and me.

But to deny it exists is worse than to play Russian roulette with your eternity.

 Don’t ignore the brick wall dead ahead.

Instead, change your destination before it is too late.

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Hebrews 9:27

 

The Fat Lady Sang and it Still Isn’t Over

 

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

Luke 16:19-26

 

Todays’ post looks at a portion of what is probably a very familiar parable for many of us.

There is much which can be learned from this parable.

You, no doubt, have heard the expression: “It ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings.”

It is a phrase most often used when a situation is (or appears to be) reaching it’s conclusion.

Certainly a lesson that the rich man learned was that life does not end with the grave.

We often, as believers, speak about the reward of eternal life.

But the truth is we all we spend eternity somewhere.

That ‘somewhere’ is limited to one of two different destinations: Heaven or Hell.

Not exactly a message to write home about if your current destination is Hell.

But here’s the good news; I know you are still drawing breath so your ticket can be punched for the alternate destination.

In Matthew 25:41 Jesus said:

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

I hope you caught that last part because it assures us that hell was never created for man.

Yes, there will be men there but that will be because they chose to ignore the provision God provides through His Son.  

God does not desire anyone to perish in Hell.

God does not desire that you spend eternity in Hell.

Rather He delights in making a way for you to be welcomed into heaven.

What is that way?

Choosing to receive Jesus Christ as your savior and receiving the work He completed on the cross applied in your life.

Yes, it is that simple.

There may not be any fat ladies singing if you make that choice but I assure you the angels in heaven will rejoice over your choice!

 

Shoo, Shoo, Get Away from Me

 

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.

 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered,

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

 Then Jesus told them this parable:

Luke 15:1-3

 

The rejected and looked-down upon of society came to hear Jesus.

Would you shoo them away?

Maybe not with words, but how often are we guilty of doing just that (at least in our thoughts if not) by our actions.

We cannot know if the Pharisees and teachers of the law were muttering loud enough that Jesus heard them or if, as in other times, He knew their thoughts.

Either way, he was prepared with a parable.

We know from our past times together that parables often hide a truth within a story in order that only the hungry would discover it.

But this parable held some bitter truths that spoke loud and clear to those who had wrongly assumed their own righteousness while holding in contempt those very sinners who had gathered around Jesus.

Jesus told them the parable of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar.

It addressed, among other things, the incorrect belief we can have about those who have wealth.

Namely that those who have great wealth or success are that way because of the blessings of God while the beggar and those (like the man born blind spoken of elsewhere in the Gospels) considered cursed find themselves that way because they are out of favor with God.

Are we guilty of those thoughts as well?

We are cautioned against it over and over in the Word.

God loves sinner and saint.

He came to die for all of us regardless of our station in life and regardless of station, we all our in need of the grace He brought.

Never look down on others and never put others on a pedestal.

I know it’s overused but it is true nonetheless, we need to always treat others as we would want to be treated.

 

 

We All Have ‘Substance’ to Give!

 

“Honour the LORD with thy substance,

and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,

and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Proverbs 3:9-10 KJV

We often hear the phrase: “He is a man of substance”; implying that the individual being spoken of is “well off”. The verse above translates the word ‘substance’ as ‘wealth’ in the NIV perhaps making it a bit clearer to some what the intent is.

The writer is telling us to honor the LORD with what we have.

We all have some ‘substance’ and we all can honor him with our substance whether that ‘substance’ is a healthy bank account of seven or more figures

 – or –

if that ‘substance’ is a meager paycheck carrying us from week to week.

We may have much.

We may have little.

Whatever we have, we honor God when we give our

offerings to Him and to His work.

Essentially, our giving is one way that we worship Him.

We have been hearing much of late about the ‘have’s’ and the ‘have not’s’ in our world.

The problem is, it tends to cause us to compare ourselves with one another.

Do you want to hear some good news?

I am not called to gauge my giving by what others are (or are not) doing.

Neither are you.

We are to give, not as an exercise in one-upmanship, but out of a grateful and thankful heart to God.

If I am obedient to Him in my giving I realize two things:

Second; I will never, never, never out give God.

Not that it was ever possible to begin with.

As a matter of fact, it’s already too late for that.

Who can give more than what He gave us through His Son?

 

Delight

 

“Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Psalm 37:4

 

Delight is defined as a high degree of gratification or pleasure: JOY

There are an unlimited number of things that people may find delight in.

A well planned out day, a good book, a friends kind words or a drive down a scenic highway.

We even have a donut shop in our area called Donuts Delite!

I suppose we all are guilty of delighting in one type of food or another.

Sadly, people can also delight in evil.

It seems like so many in our culture today have a derelict delight in things we should be ashamed of.

We need not search far for headlines that bear this truth out.

But what of us as believers; what should we delight in?

Well, first and foremost our delight, our great joy, our high degree of pleasure should be found in the Lord.

We are encouraged to do so over and over in both the Old and New Testament.

But God also delights in us.

That’s right – our Creator takes great delight in those He has created.

“He brought me forth also into a large place;

he delivered me, because he delighted in me.”

Psalm 18:19

Are we sometimes guilty of placing our delight in God on the same level as we might say we delight in our pet or in a good night’s sleep?

He is to be exalted far, far above all others and is worthy of such.

Let your delight in Him exceed anything else in your life.

Not motivated by seeking a reward from Him but simply because there is no greater joy than to delight in God!

 

 

 

 

What is Your Bottom Line with God?

 

“So then it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.”

Psalm 27:14

 

Joseph had four significant address changes between the time he received a word from the LORD (through two dreams) and the fulfillment of that word several years later.

Joseph moved from the pit, to Potiphar’s house to the prison and finally to the palace.

When he spoke, in the verse noted above, to his brothers it was

with the understanding of how he got where he did.

Let me ask you something.

What significant changes have you experienced since

God spoke to you about His plans for your life?

Has your address changed?

How about your career?

Has ‘life in general’ thrown some curve balls at you?

Are you today where you expected to be when God first spoke to you?

I wonder how many times Joseph asked God if he was where he was supposed to be?

I wonder how often he questioned his circumstances.

Was the pit to become his grave; or maybe the prison?

Even Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, asked His Father if there was a different course that could be followed.

We read in Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father, he said, everything is possible for you.

Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

In today’s vernacular, Jesus made a “bottom line” statement.

Ultimately, he said “…not what I will, but what you will.”

Wherever you are today, whatever has taken place in your life from the time God has spoken to you to this day, make this your bottom line statement to Him:

“Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Inclusive or Exclusive?

 

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

 

Critics often claim, in their opposition to the Gospel, that it is exclusive.

And actually they are partially correct.

The Good News of the Gospel itself is inclusive but entrance into the

Kingdom of God is indeed exclusive.

Let’s look first at just a few verses that speak to the only entry point:

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.

They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”

John 10:9

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name

under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12

Yes, the Gospel is exclusive in that there is one way only to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ.

No other way is possible.

Not Mohammed, Not Buddha, Not good works.

Only Jesus!

But it is also inclusive in that the opportunity to be saved is extended to all.

Here is some of the evidence –

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

John 3:36

“The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe...”

Romans 3:22

So, the question is not one of whether or not God is fair.

It is not even a question of inclusiveness or exclusivity.

The real question is – What will you do with Jesus?

That is a question only you can answer.

God has provided the Lamb.

Will you receive Him?

Instruction or Sinstruction?

                                             “There is a way that appears to be right,

    but in the end it leads to death.”

Proverbs 14:12

 

Wise counsel is good.

It is advised in scripture.

Of course the operative word is that we seek ‘wise’ counsel.

Follow after those who can lead you into godliness.

There are many, many, many voices in the world.

But even some of those who are well intentioned may lead you astray.

Choose your mentors prayerfully.

Do not follow after every popular voice du-jour.

Are you faithfully attending and serving in a local church?

That is the first place to receive from God.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Ephesians 4:11-12

God has given us leaders to guide and instruct us, as you just read above,

“...so that the body of Christ may be built up.”

Follow those who follow Christ and receive instruction.

Follow those who pursue their own agendas and receive sinstruction.

Draw Near and Trust God

 

“We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright,

while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

Genesis 37:7

“Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people.

So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him

with their faces to the ground.”

Genesis 42:6

  

The two verses above paint a picture for us of Joseph receiving a word from the LORD through a dream and then the fulfillment of that word.

Despite the two verses being separated by roughly only five chapters in the book of Genesis, the time from the word being received until its’ fulfillment was actually separated by several years.

Most of us are familiar with the story so isn’t it interesting that the word Joseph received said nothing about the journey to get to the place of fulfillment?

God left out the details about the angry and jealous brothers, He failed to mention the pit, Potiphar’s house, the prison and the palace.

He was silent concerning betrayal, slavery, false accusations, and the details of promotion.

He made no mention of Egypt and Pharaoh.

 Joseph was left with a word and a choice.

In our lives, as God speaks to us, we too are left with a word and a choice.

We can choose to trust God or not!

God had a greater work to do in the heart and character of Joseph than anything external He wanted to accomplish through Him.

I would have to say that what God wanted to do in Joseph was far greater than what He wanted to do through Joseph.

The same is true of us.

God is transforming us.

Maybe He has spoken to you and you have doubted that word because you find yourself in a pit, in a prison or in a place far removed from that word being fulfilled.

Draw near to God and trust Him to complete His work in you despite any betrayals you may face; trust Him through the long seasons of testing, through the changes all around you.

Remember He watches over His word to perform it.

And, in the ‘in-between time’, do just as Joseph did, draw near and trust God.

No Other Gods

 

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

Exodus 20:3

Let’s take a heartfelt look at our need to respond, in obedience, to the Word of God.

Let me ask you something.

What things (granted some of them may be good) do we respond to that may compete with Gods’ purposes for our life?

Some of the huge ones that often draw us away from the plans of God are:

Career

When we choose career over Christ we have selected

something we only think can satisfy us.

There is no eternal satisfaction in a successful career.

Jesus asked in Mark 8:36

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

So are successful careers evil?

Not at all, only when they impede or replace my relationship with God

and obeying His plans for my life.

Money

We are cautioned concerning money:

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and

pierced themselves with many griefs.” I Timothy 6:10

So we note that money itself is not evil.

It is when we love money more than God.

We cannot serve two masters.

Family

This can be a difficult one for so many because we are certainly to love our family and to provide for them. However, when our affections and attention are given to family exclusively and God is left out of all that we do there is a problem.

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

We often bristle at this statement of Jesus’ and yet He clearly says the

words: “…more than me…” helping us to understand that it is normal and right to love family but it too can reach a point where that love keeps us from obediently following Him.

I want to reiterate that careers, money and family are not, necessarily evil.

When we magnify and exalt those, or any other things or people,

we do have a problem

Examine your values today and put first things first!

Religious Traditions

 

“While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.

Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.

Still other seed fell on good soil.

It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

Luke 8:4-8

 

Often the seed that falls on the path is correctly likened to things like a proud heart, a bitter spirit and fearfulness.

One adverse heart condition that is often overlooked is when the soil of the heart is hardened by religious traditions.

A heart that is unyielding because,

“Bless God, we’ve done it this way for five generations and

I don’t think I need or want to change!”

The man or woman who holds to their religious traditions come hell or high water is most often not a person who is sensitive to allowing the seed of God’s word to germinate in their heart let alone grow a hundred fold increase.

Some traditions are certainly valuable and worth holding on to.

But when any religious tradition stands in the way of allowing the Holy Spirit to till the Word that is sewn in your heart in order to bring growth; then that is a tradition to release.

Forget the white knuckle death hold you have on it.

Evaluate, and then jettison, those ‘traditions’ which have become bondages.

 Sit with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to identify any areas that need to go...

Time to Check the Soil

 

“While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.

Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.

Still other seed fell on good soil.

It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

Luke 8:4-8

 

In the parable above, the farmer is God.

We are told that as he went out to sow his seed, he scattered it.

Consequently, the seed fell on four different areas, a path, rocky ground, among thorns and on good soil.

The sower was somewhat indiscriminate in how he sowed the seed.

When you fertilize a lawn you can choose between a broadcast or drop spreader.

I happen to like a drop spreader because it is easier to control where the seed, fertilizer or other product is being placed.

Not so this farmer.

He scattered the seed far and wide.

The key to the seed taking root and growing well was the condition of the soil.

You and I have a responsibility when the seed of God’s Word is sown in us.

Are our hearts hard packed, rocky, thorn-filled or fertile?

Can we expect very little growth or a bumper crop?

In this parable, as in our lives, God is not stingy with the seed.

Today, it is scattered plentifully through local churches, TV and radio broadcasts, the written word and perhaps most importantly others’ conversations with us concerning the things of God.

How do you receive that seed?

Is it cherished or cast aside?

Do you appreciate that, although it is spread far and wide, it is still precious to the farmer, i.e. to God?

Is it likewise precious to you?

When was the last time you did a soil check of your heart?

Maybe it’s time once again.

 

 

Crowds

 

“While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.

Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.

Still other seed fell on good soil.

It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

Luke 8:4-8

 

A large crowd was gathering.

What did Jesus do?

He told them a parable.

A little later, in the intimate circle of His disciples, Jesus explained the parable.

Why?

Why was the crowd not given the explanation?

Was Jesus playing favorites?

No, we know better than that.

What He was doing was making the crowd choose.

“Choose what”, you ask?

How hungry they were for truth.

You see, when we are hungry enough we look for food.

There is no more nourishing food for our soul and spirit than the Truth.

Some hung with the crowd in the same way that some hang with the crowd today.

It’s the thing to do.

They aren’t interested so much in the life Jesus would call them to as they were interested in being seen with the crowd.

As a friend of mine used to say:

“The herd would have to be thinned.”

Jesus would never turn anyone away.

But the truth is we turn away all on our own.

Search the scriptures and you will find so many of the promises of God are to “...whosoever will.”

That is a door of opportunity for all of us.   

Are you hungry enough to search out the truth or is a parable alone enough for you?