Jesus was often challenged publicly by religious leaders. They would demand answers to their questions; Why was He doing what He was doing; By what authority was He doing those things? Well, when the appointed time came, Jesus stood trial before the religious High Counsel. What did Jesus do during that trial that threw the Counsel into a rage? What would cause the High Priest over all Israel to tear his priestly robe and send Jesus to the cross?
Some three years earlier, John had baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. As Jesus rose from the water the Bible records a voice from heaven saying, “You are My dearly loved Son, and you bring Me great joy.” God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, affirmed Jesus as His Son!
Fast forward again to Jesus’ trial. The High Priest asked Him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I AM.” He simply agreed with what God had said. That agreement resulted in His crucifixion. However, without His death there could be no miracle of resurrection, no forgiveness of all our sins. You can say His life and ministry consisted of two things; agreement with the Word of God and fulfillment of the will of God.
Before you find yourself in a personal trial, seek the Lord (through prayer) and read His Word (the Bible). If you’re already in a trial, and need wisdom or direction…do the same thing. “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5) There in the Word of God you will find the Will of God. And yes, He wants you to know His will.
Inevitably, our willingness to agree with the Word will be tested. When God gives you a Word, stand firm on it. No matter what anyone else may say or how desperate things may seem, stand on it. Why stand? Because, circumstances do not determine whether or not the “Truth” is indeed truth. Isaiah 55:11 declares that no matter what, you can rest assured that the Word of God will, “…always produces fruit. It will accomplish all (God) wants it to, and it will prosper everywhere (He) sends it.” Even if you find yourself standing alone in an impossible situation, hold-fast to what God has given you. Then, lift up your eyes and see what He will do.
As for me, I have been guilty of much in my life. But now, if I am to be guilty of anything, let me be found guilty of agreeing with the Word of God. No matter what!
(Matthew 3:16-17 & Luke 3:21-22)
June 29, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: faith, jesus, knowledge, listen, scripture, understanding, wisdom | Leave A Comment »
God has called us to a life of vision and purpose, not busyness. He desires more than a busy church-oriented life. A.W. Tozer wrote, “Many have laid the altar and divided the sacrifice into parts, but now seem satisfied to count the stones and rearrange the pieces with never a care that there is not a sign of fire.” What good is the sacrifice without the fire? Our hunger for God is the fire, where our life is the sacrifice.
Throughout the history of Israel and Judah it was said of the “good” kings, “He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but he did not…” There always seemed to be something left undone. Thankfully, King Josiah was an exception.
In 2 Kings 22, we see Josiah becoming king and “…doing what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight…He did not turn away from doing what was right.” Josiah was doing the best he knew to do and God WAS pleased with him. But is a clear conscience enough?
One day, the sacred scrolls (the scriptures) were discovered and read aloud to Josiah. His response to what he heard should drive us to the Word of God as well. He tore his clothes in despair and said, “Our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.”
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:4, “My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.” Yes, I can be busy doing many good things in and for the church. I can even be pleasing to the Lord. But, am I walking in the fullness of God’s favor? Am I doing everything I’m called to do? Am I living in the Word of God? What is He asking of me? What is He asking of you? Do we have the fire needed to consume our sacrifice? If not, let’s acquire the fire!
The reality today for me is that I cannot simply rely on my clear conscience, because…
“It don’t mean a thing!”
August 11, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: calling, jesus, lacking, life, righteous, sacrifices, understanding, wisdom | 1 Comment »
Most of us hate the thought of being judged by others. The truth is…it happens all the time. Right or wrong, whether by our neighbors, our co-workers, or our family members, we can rest assured judgment is being passed. Similar to a defendant in an unwanted court case, we can do nothing to keep that judgment from being rendered. However, we can examine the fruit we are producing which affects that judge’s decision.
In Luke 6, Jesus taught that a person produces out of the treasury of their heart, “What you say flows from what is in your heart.” In Matthew 3, John the Baptist challenged those who were following him to, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God!” So, the fruit seen outwardly is produced out of an abundance of what we have sown and cultivated inwardly.
In Ephesians 5, Paul said, “Be careful how you live.” In other words be careful to produce godly fruit; “Take no part in worthless deeds of darkness and evil.” Cut away any rotten thoughts, feelings, and/or desires by exposing them to the Lord in prayer. Remove them because they will lead to action. Begin to sow the seed of scripture. Speak it over your life! When Jesus was tempted to bear bad fruit, He countered temptation out of the abundance of what He had in His heart, “No! The scriptures say…”
What we secretly sow, we will visibly show! What we privately entertain (or allow), will eventually be on display. Keep in mind God sees our secret sowing. His judgment is also coming. Once again we will be defendants unable to avoid judgment. BUT He has made provision for us in advance by offering the fruit of the cross: His love, His grace and His mercy. He has also given us the Word of God. Secretly sow it and cultivate it. It instructs us as to how we are to live so we need not fear God’s judgment, but await it with hope!
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
June 28, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: christ, cross, fear, fruit, judgement, knowledge, life, scripture, secret, seed, sowing, understanding, wisdom | 1 Comment »
Read the book of Jude, it won’t let you down!
In this very short book, the writer warns us about people who divert, disrupt and destroy the work of God. These individuals are said to also “worm their way in,” perverting the grace of God. The writer goes on to describe them as dangerous reefs, shameless shepherds, empty clouds, wild waves, and wandering stars (Jude 1:12-13). Notice the underlying “form-without-substance” connotation; shepherds caring only for themselves; clouds offering no rain, waves only stirring up foam, etc. All their actions and flattery serve as a means for them to simply get what they want.
Unfortunately, when I read that I remembered I…knew a guy. The guy I knew wasn’t out to pervert the grace of God. He actually had enough understanding to be somewhat productive in the body of Christ. He never set out to deliberately divert, disrupt or destroy anything! Somewhere along the line though, he found himself almost driven to turn aside, to bring confusion, and to tear down what was holy in his life. The brother didn’t even know why! Praise God that one day the light of the Lord penetrated the guy’s spirit, exposing his hidden motives. God also began to reveal WHY those motives were there in the first place. God takes seriously anything that hinders His plans and purposes in lives of His people.
Now, I know a new guy. This guy thinks differently, walks differently, and talks differently. See, godly men chose to rescue him as though snatching him from the flames of judgment. They brought harsh rebuke, but also displayed the mercy and grace of God. They spoke the Word of God, which is Life. Now, this guy actively awaits the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ by building others up in the faith and praying in the power of the Holy Spirit (v20-21). As it is written in Jude v21-23, he keeps himself safe in God’s love by showing mercy and grace to others. He does so with great caution; hating even the clothes stained by sinful living! All this by the grace and power of God.
Let the light of the Lord penetrate down deep and expose any hidden motives. Because, I’m telling you right now, you don’t want to be another guy who can say…I knew a guy!
“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.” – Jude v24
Sing it with me…Na na na, na-na na na, Na-na na na, read Jude!
May 28, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: christ, jesus, knowledge, listen, past, understanding, wisdom | 2 Comments »
The other day I was reading in Proverbs and was struck by 5:1-2, “Pay attention” and “Listen carefully to the Father’s instruction and wise counsel.” Not knowing what was coming, I grabbed my pen and journal. Here’s what the Father had for me that day…
“Pay attention” and “Listen carefully” to the Father’s instruction and wise counsel. “THEN you will show discernment, and will express with your mouth what you have learned. ” The Lord sees clearly what a man or woman does; whether it is holy or evil. He also examines each of their paths; whether it is Godly or fleshly.
Because of God’s wonderful grace and glorious power, we are NO LONGER…
- Captive to our sins (Prv 5:22)
- Lacking in self-control (Prv 5:23)
- Lost because of our great foolishness (Prv 5:23)
I then recalled Romans 6 that had explained that when I was a slave to sin, I was consumed by it. “And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in destruction. ” However, the Lord reminded me that I have been ransomed, because of the grace of God through the blood of Jesus. I am now FREE from the power of sin and have become a slave to His righteousness. Now, I do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but…BUT…the free gift of God is eternal LIFE through Christ Jesus our Lord. (v20-23)
Due to Jesus work on the cross, we are no longer bound by sinful desires. Those desires the enemy once used to hold us back from being the individuals God originally designed us to be. Proverbs 5:22 speaks of a man’s sins as ropes that catch and hold him captive. Those ropes have been severed in Jesus name! When Jesus died, He died to break the power of sin. Now that He lives…it’s for the glory of God. We too must consider yourselves dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
The unshakable Word of God exhorts us, in Hebrews 6, to keep “moving forward to further understanding.” (v3) By the grace of God, we will “NOT be spiritually dull or indifferent” any longer. God bound Himself with an oath that we can be sure His calling, His election, His promises are SET! “He will NEVER change His mind” (v17) about us. He has given His promise and His oath, which are unchangeable.
I used to (…USED to…) ask God why He would even bother with a guy like me; a guy who would treat His love, mercy and grace (as well as some of His people) with such treachery and disregard. One day recently He became tired of being asked that question. I’m telling you it was almost audible. In my spirit I heard the Father say, “Enough. Do not ask that again. You know why.” I sat there for a few seconds then said out loud, “Because You love me.” Boom. I got it. An even greater freedom was realized at that moment.
Hopefully, I have been obedient to the Word today. As written in Proverbs 5:1-2, I pray that I have shown discernment in expressing what I have learned.
July 21, 2009 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: alive, attention, captive, christ, cross, fail, failures, faith, fear, forgive, free, Freedom, jesus, knowledge, lacking, life, listen, lost, past, proverbs, righteous, sacrifices, scripture, sin, sins, sovereign, tired, wisdom | 2 Comments »
How powerful it is to see how scripture is tied to scripture. You can have a Pastor or Teacher explain it or even demonstrate it by cross referencing the Old and New Testaments. However, it is far more impacting when you see it happening during your own readings. Here is what I mean.
I try to read the respective proverb for the corresponding day of the month. In addition, I happened to be reading through Hebrews also. So, my reading for July 9th was Proverbs 9 and Hebrews 10.
In reading Proverbs 9, the following really stood out to me:
- Wisdom says, “Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live..” (v6)
- “Fear (severe reverence) of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.” (v10)
- “Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement.” (v10)
- “Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.” (v11)
- Walk in wisdom, and “you will be one to benefit.” (v12)
As I read Hebrews 10, I found the Lord used Proverbs 9 to prepare my mind and heart for the following realities:
- Old Testament sacrifices, “actually reminded (the offer-er) of their sins…” (v3)
- The enemy will have you repenting of past sins that the Father has long forgiven.
- Instead of moving forward in freedom, we hear, “You failed and you’ll always fail.”
God “does not want…nor is He pleased with” our being held captive to (or identified by) our past failures.
Verse 10 states the Christ’s sacrifice was, “Once for all time.” He came to set us free! Go the the cross. Leave your simple ways there and live the life he has always wanted you to live.
- “He forever made perfect those who are BEING made holy.” (v14)
- “I will never…remember…sins and lawless deeds.” (v17)
According to verse 20, Christ Jesus opened a NEW and LIFE-GIVING WAY! A way into the presence of the Sovereign King and Most High God! He is sovereign enough to chose you despite your failures. Sovereign enough grant you all the rights and privileges of being a child of the king. Seek greater knowledge and understanding of the Holy One. Reap all His benefits as you embrace the cross of Christ Jesus.
Ongoing repentance (continual sacrifices) for our past sins are no longer needed. The grace of God through Christ Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice covers it all. Wisdom is found in our walking in the freedom afforded to us by the cross. Have faith that God is actually big enough and powerful enough to forgive your worst sins.
Again, wisdom says, “Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live..”
July 10, 2009 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: captive, christ, cross, fail, failures, faith, fear, forgive, Freedom, jesus, knowledge, life, past, righteous, sacrifices, scripture, sin, sins, sovereign, wisdom | 1 Comment »
