Month: October 2019

That Feeling Might Be God

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            When God calls you into His arms through Christ, you become set apart and adopted into an eternal family where love is meant to lead you and the stain of sin cannot linger anymore. You soon realize what the words of the Bible mean and how true and real they are when seen through your new spiritual eyes. Worship music sounds so different through your spiritual ears and the love of God is reflected through your softened spiritual heart. When you realize the Father has called you into His family to be one of His children the world around you feels darker and more foreign. You soon realize that you are truly not of this world.

            The difficulty lies in the fact that we still inhabit this foreign world so that we can share our new family with the lost and grow it as we seek new siblings to introduce to our perfect Father. Our old nature and the lesser things of this world scream for our attention. The comfort we use to have in temporary, earthly things calls to our fallen nature to return to what is familiar. But your Heavenly Father has a provision for you that far exceeds anything in this world. What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9) His eternal, unconditional joy and peace will sustain you as the things on earth tarnish and fade.

              First Corinthians, chapter 2 talks about the wisdom of God that becomes available to us in our adoption. We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. (1 Corinthians 2:12) We are given a view of the world that the Creator has provided to us. We must be willing to hear the still small voice that echoes in our spiritual ears, see the world though spiritual eyes, and love the people God puts in our path with our God filled hearts. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. (1 Corinthians 2:7)

           The wisdom of God will not fit into the fallen nature of this world. His wisdom will not always make sense to us or those around us. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14) We have to let our faith drive us to be strong in our difference. We have to be willing to stand out as we show the nature of our Father to the world. Allow His wisdom to lead you and He will draw His chosen to you. You will face rejection just like He did when He clothed Himself in flesh and walked the earth to be our Savior. Realize that the world will not understand a family to which they do not belong. Be strong enough to stand up for your adopted family and draw the lost in. Let God’s wisdom manifest in you and see what unimaginable things the Lord has in store for His willing children.

The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. (Proverbs 17:24)

Gifted to Bless Others

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            When we recognize Jesus as our Savior that salvation comes with more than just the gift of eternal life in Heaven. We are also given the Holy Spirit to dwell within us leading us to the unimaginable truths that the infinite God shares with us. He gives to each of us the portion designed for us and the gifts of His Spirit that allow us to show those truth s to the rest of the world as we become a part of His chosen. These gifts are all smaller parts of God’s complete work. Not only do the gifts differ but the way they are expressed through our life experience differ as well. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them… (Romans 12:6) Two individuals with the gift of teaching will have the ability to reach the people where the Lord has placed them. Two people with the gift of knowledge will have unique backdrops that develops a perspective of God that touches those hearts. Although the gifts of God help us to prosper they are also meant to prosper those around us as we share those gifts. The Bible tells us to share our gifts and the provisions of God with those around us. We are told to share our strength with the weak and in turn someone can share their strength where we are lacking. That is what the church is meant to be. Heart intertwined in love and fueled by God to show all of His amazing attributes to a world in need of His love and in need of a Savior in Jesus. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” (Romans 15:1-3)

            We are not only called to share our gifts but to bear the burdens of our fellow believers so that God can represent Himself in their struggle through us. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:2-3) We must remember that in order to truly represent God to those He puts on our path we must show His attributes. Those attributes are love, selflessness, gentleness, and all of the other Fruits of the Spirit. We have to put the well-being of others above our comfort and let the Holy Spirit guide and support us in places that the Spirit can truly draw hearts closer to God. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

            The true reward found in knowing God is in doing His work on earth. The joy that comes from God comes from being a conduit for His Spirit and showing His light to the world. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrews 6:10) Let the gifts of God prosper you as you use those gifts to prosper others. Allow God to move through you as a conduit to those He places in your influence. The more you are faithful with your gifts the more abundance you will see as the Fruits of His Spirit are reflected in your obedience. One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much (Luke 16:10).

Marks of the True Christian (Romans 12:9-21)

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9 Let love be genuine. (Truly place the well-being of others above your own.) Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. (Allow evil to cause uneasiness in your spirit. Don’t let it have a foothold, sin should not be overlooked in your life. Focus on the things of God and see His peace and joy in those things, not worldly imitations.) 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Always encourage and lift up one another as you would a best friend. Be a force that lifts up and never tears down.) 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. (Don’t be lazy in pursuing the purpose of God with your life. Let the passion for Jesus in your spirit show through as you serve the Lord and make His name known through your reflection of His nature, which He has placed in you through the Holy Spirit.) 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Seek first the Kingdom and God’s purpose, then your hope will find a foundation in Him. Allow God to work through tribulation to combat complacency. Seek Him in prayer for strength, direction and understanding.) 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Be one of the tools God uses to build up the Kingdom. Allow the gift He has placed in you to contribute to the body of believers known as the Church. Be accommodating and open to the many gifts that come together in the name of Jesus.)

            The following verses are completely contradictory to the ways of the world. This is proof that they are of God because His ways are contradictory to the ways of fallen man. His light opposes the darkness and eternal life through mercy opposes the death in sin. If our hearts and actions were to resemble the description in the following verses, we would change the world to resemble something closer to what God designed originally. Let your own well-being be laid aside for the bigger picture that is God’s Kingdom. Suffer by letting your personal satisfaction and comfort, which are temporary, become second to growing the people around you. The ways that the Holy Spirit describes through Paul below are the real way to win hearts for Jesus and truly love those that are in this world. Imagine the compassion below being shown to you at your lowest point, when you were at your emotional ugliest. How much of the darkness that had crept into your heart would have been forced out by the light of God shown through the unconditional love and self-sacrifice shown below. Sacrificing yourself isn’t always laying down your life. Sometimes is laying down your comfort, your pride, or the walls you’ve built to protect yourself from emotional pain. Let Jesus take that from you. Place your fear at His feet. Let your fearless vulnerability draw the lost to the Lord. Be different because the Kingdom you serve does not resemble the world that it is saving.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty (do not exalt yourself above another), but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. (do not be too blind to see God’s new direction) 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Even at the expense of you comfort and pride) 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Their wrong of another will be magnified in the light of your love through the conviction of God) 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Overcome the evil of this earth with the goodness of God. Be the difference you were designed to be.)

Exponential Jesus

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          It seems that some people have an easier time with obedience and their walk with the Lord. We should never compare our walk with anyone else’s because we were fearfully, wonderfully, and uniquely design for a purpose that we may not fully understand until me meet our Savior in Heaven. But since the community we are called to with other believers has us bearing one another’s burdens, I’d like to explore part of the psychology of our walk with God. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

          God begets God. When we focus on God and His design described in His Word we develop a sustaining focus on Him. That focus allows His way to permeate through us and grow in everything we do. As our focus grows the ways that God can intervene in all facets if our life become clear. The Bible talks about lineage and family trees and uses the term begets. Father begets his son and that son begets his son and so forth. The definition of beget says: “give rise to; bring about.” A focus on the ways of God gives rise to more God in you and make God more able to use you through your obedience. This works for His attributes as well. Peace begets peace, joy begets joy, love begets love, and faith begets faith. When the power of God allows the fruits of His Spirit to take root in your heart, they become your new natural, your new foundation. The more you see these attributes growing in you and manifesting in your life the easier it becomes to allow them to move in and through you. Your confidence in the power of God grows and the way He wants to use you becomes clearer. This is why Jesus gave the instruction to seek first the Kingdom. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

          Unfortunately the opposite is also true. Sin begets sin. The deceiver looks for opportunity to turn small sin into a snare and let that compound into larger sin. This can become true as we justify our sin and make it so common that its impact becomes ignored so it grows unchecked. The deceiver can also turn the conviction of sin into guilt and let sin grow through a weakened focus on the Lord. We are told not to allow the deceiver access to our minds to prevent this. Give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:27) If we allow sin to become common and don’t stand up for our conviction we let the new normal drift from God. The more slack we give to the darkness the more it will take, and the pull away from the light becomes faster and less obvious. This is true both in society and in our individual walks with the Lord. Take inventory of your heart and see what you may have been letting slide by and turn those things over to God. His love and mercy are made available to us in Jesus. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

         This idea of exponential growth in the Spirit or decay into sin is part of the way our minds work. The term that I have heard used is ‘positive feedback loop.’ What you feed back into your system will be the basis for your next steps. Letting God in will allow Him to guide your steps as He does for the righteous. The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way. (Psalm 37:23) In the same way letting the ways of the deceiver become normal will feed the darkness and dim the light God has placed into your heart. Through God’s perfect love and mercy He allows us to turn back into His arms at any place in this journey. He wants the positive cycle to begin when you are ready to let a moment in His love beget an eternity in His presence.

Jesus Centered Marriage/Relationship

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         God created us, man and woman, in His image. As men and women we are created to represent a duality in God that He has designed to be unified in covenant marriage. Man is not designed to be alone so God created a partner to sanctify him in a threefold relationship with Him. 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12) The Bible describe God’s design for marriage and also His desire for the role of the husband and wife as individuals to accomplish His bigger purpose. Each piece of God’s kingdom has a purpose that it cannot understand when isolated, but when it is woven into the tapestry that is God’s kingdom the beauty of the larger picture is undeniable. The same holds true in marriage. A spouse’s Christ-centeredness allows them to fulfill their God-designed role within the relationship. A couple with individual foundations in Jesus can grow together and support one another as opposed to requiring constant support from only their partner. Let’s look at the individual roles in marriage and how that shows itself to the world in a Jesus centered marriage.

           Men are called to be the head of their marriage. The requirement for that to function according to God’s will is his submission to Christ. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God (1 Corinthians 11:3). Submitting to Christ is following His example and making sure that your actions resemble the example Jesus gives to us. Men should be leaders with a heart that resembles Christ through submission to Him. This heart shows itself through gentleness, selflessness and understanding. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. (Colossians 3:19) Men are called to love their wives as Christ loves the church. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:25-27) If read carefully this scripture shows that the husband can directly contribute to the sanctification of his wife through the love of Jesus their relationship. A woman under the spiritual covering of a Godly man can blossom into the woman God designed her to be. She can thrive in her beauty and bring that beauty into the world through her relationship with Christ and her husband.

           Women are the most important source of support through respect for their husbands. Women can shine the love of Jesus in their relationship through grace and patience in their marriage. Just as the Christian husband is called to submit to the Lord, the Christian wife is called to submit to a submitted husband. This may be viewed as weakness but it is actually a position of strength. Christ’s power is made perfect in what the world calls weak. The heart of a good man is softened by the grace and mercy of God shown through his wife. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:11-12) Having a Godly woman as an unconditional support creates passion and power in a man. A soft and safe place to land each day renews energy to face the next. Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external… 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. (1 Peter 3:1-4) It’s through love that a wife can soften the heart of her husband made calloused by the attacks of the world, more so than any words.

                  The most beautiful part about God’s covenant is also the most difficult for humans to deal with. That part is the fact that one half depends on the other. Man’s ability to love and cherish is wife is made possible by her respect and support, and a woman’s respect and support hinders on her feeling loved and cherished. This is where a reliance on each person’s relationship with Jesus is so vital. His example of love was unconditional. While we were all still sinners He gave His life to redeem us. We did nothing to earn His love just like the actions of one spouse should not dictate the actions of the other. This is also where the selflessness of love shows its power. Nothing wins a heart like love that is undeserved and unconditional. If a man leads in love, his wife will support in love if both are centered in Christ. It is through a marriage founded in Christ-like love that we can always show God to the world. Children can see what the love of the Father looks like through their parents and these marriages become role models for the lives that the Lord allows them to impact. We are not meant to do this alone, and we don’t have to when each partner understands their role and what that looks like in the bigger picture designed by God. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

Brothers and sisters, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2) People sometimes forget that even though we are married we are still brother and sisters in Christ. Bear the burden of your spouse and restore them in a spirit of gentleness. Let God and His love for you fuel a selfless and unconditional love that makes your marriage all that God desires it to be.