Shining Light

On July 14, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 9: 5

While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Matthew 5: 14

You are the light of the world.

Jesus told us that while he was in the world, he was the light of the world, but now that he is seated at the right hand of the Father, he left us to be the light of the world.

It is not in our works that we are the light of the world though. It is in our interaction with people. We are to let our light shine and that light is Jesus inside of us. We are not supposed to labor to show that we are the light. Instead, we are just to allow the light inside of us to shine. Jesus inside of us is the light of glory. He is the fulfillment of our restoration. And we are new creatures, recreated in him. So, the hope of glory is in the blessing of Jesus. It is the resurrected Jesus shining out through us in the way we speak and the way we behave.

He is love; he is kindness. He is gentleness and patience. As we let his attributes shine out of us, he is glorified and people are blessed. In this way we shine the light of Jesus. Our effort, then, is in allowing ourselves to reveal him rather than in putting forth any certain effort or accomplishing tasks. It really is in our surrender to his nature, allowing him to express himself in us and through us.

The way we do this is to constantly allow ourselves to be renewed by the Holy Spirit. It is in the constant surrender of self. Being surrendered to Jesus is a comfortable place to be but it can be difficult to reach. It is very pleasant living in Jesus and allowing him to live through us, but it is very difficult to surrender our egos, our personalities, ourselves. We can be afraid that we will become lost; that we will cease being us, ut that is not the reality. We just become our fulfilled selves; our divine selves. We become the people that we were meant to be. Then it is easy for the light of Jesus to shine through us. Then all people will see the Jesus that transforms and makes new.

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Solving Problems

On July 7, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 3: 10

… in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be make known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

In the verses which precede today’s verse, Paul wrote that the mystery of God was not known in earlier generations but now is made known through Christ. God is not hiding his wisdom. Part of his plan in sending Jesus into the earth was that He would be able to reveal all of himself to us. We saw last week that Isaiah foretold this. All of the wisdom of the universe is now available to the children of God through Jesus.

So, what is your challenge today? Is it a big problem or something small that needs resolving? You see, you have only to ask the Father for the wisdom in dealing with it because He has now made all knowledge and wisdom available in the earth. The other thing you may need to do, though, is to learn how to hear him. Many of us are not adept at listening to and recognizing the voice of God.

Most often His answers come as a still, small voice in your head. Often, I just “get an idea.” Once I used to take credit for those ideas that just came to me from nowhere but now that I have learned to recognize the voice of the Lord. It comes with practice. Once you begin to recognize his voice, you will find it will come more and more easily.

This is part of the Holy Spirit’s job, to teach and guide us. So, avail yourself of this benefit of being a child of God. He has released His wisdom into the earth and if we will learn to ask and learn to listen, we can have it all. Don’t feel that you are alone with your problems, even the little ones. Learn to ask for His help. He has gone to great lengths to bring that help to you.

Do you want to learn more about hearing God’s voice? Sign up for coaching at Ivey Ministries.

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Isaiah Reveals

On June 30, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 30: 20 – 21

He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. And your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it.”

The book of Isaiah is my favorite Old Testament book. Isaiah had a strong revelation of the coming of Jesus. He prophesied Jesus’ coming in specific terms and described how things would be after Jesus’ coming. In this passage, Isaiah revealed that we should hear Jesus’ voice and be taught by him. Isaiah specifically distinguished between Old Testament times and life after the coming of Messiah. All of the mysteries of God that were formerly hidden are now exposed by Jesus. In the New Testament we learn that Jesus continued this pattern of revelation when he sent the Holy Spirit to lead us and to guide us into all truth.

Adam and Eve walked in the Garden of Eden and talked with God. Ever since the fall of Adam, God worked to restore His children back to Himself. He longed to again walk in the cool of the evening and fellowship with His own. Jesus’ coming to earth and giving himself in place of our sin, of actually taking our sin on to himself, was God’s master plan to allow us to walk and talk with Him again.

We’ve heard that God longs to be in fellowship with us. We’ve heard it said that Christianity is more about a relationship than about religion. Well, what kind of relationship can we have with someone if there is no communication? How close do you think you can actually be with someone if you don’t occasionally talk with one another? So much of relationship is based on sharing experiences, thoughts and dreams. So, this is an important part of our Christianity. We must believe that we can have a close, interpersonal relationship with our Dad and then embark on those things which will draw us more closely to Him.

We are living in the days that Isaiah dreamed of. He must have longed to live in these days. Let us make the most of it. Walk in the cool of the evening enjoying your Father’s presence. Talk with Jesus daily. Ask him to show you the way.

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Privileged

On June 23, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Malachi 3: 10

[T]est Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

Isn’t this what you want to hear God say?  He invites us to hold His feet to the fire.  Did you know about this?  Crazy, right?  Let me put this in context for you.

Recently I was in a small group where one person told another that I am a minister. Well, this person was immediately energized with questions. It was as though he had stored up questions and now he had a minister in a setting where he could get those answers. Here is the question I have, “If you could have a minister’s attention for a time, what question would you ask?” I was surprised by his, but perhaps I shouldn’t have been. He asked me about tithing.

People think of Malachi 3: 10 as being about tithing, but is it? Maybe, instead, it is about the blessing. Look again at today’s text. What do you hear in God’s voice? Is He demanding, stern? I hear a father who is desperate to bless. This is the part of the verse I wanted the gentleman to walk away with, that Yahweh wants to bless us. Some people hear a command. Some hear a blessing. What makes an individual hear it differently? What do you hear?

The man’s follow up question was about the distinction between the New and the Old Testament. How, he asked, is the tithe carried over from the Old to the New? I find this question dumbfounding. The answer is John 1: 1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is the Word, the whole Word. That is one of the things my book, Journey Through the Bible, was intended to show. Honestly, who among us is willing to throw out the Psalms or Proverbs? What about the book of Isaiah or Genesis? Even without this epiphany, I think that is an entirely wrong question. Here’s why.

Tithing did not begin in Malachi. Abraham (when he was still called Abram) tithed (Genesis 14: 20). This was before the Old Covenant. It predates the law. Therefore, even though we have been relieved of the curse of the law, the principle of tithing remains. Further, if you will read that passage in Genesis, you will again see a connection between blessing and tithing.

Here is what I think the real question is and what I believe lies at the root of tithing. I think that love is the basis of tithing. Because He loves me, I tithe. Because I love Him, I tithe. It is such a small honorific to give to Him to remind myself of my love for Him and His love for me. My friend, Chuck Goldberg, adds another insight to tithing. Love, he says, is one side of the tithing coin. The other is respect. Wow! Don’t you find that a powerful statement? We tithe out of respect for our God and Father.

God said, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house,” (Malachi 3: 10a). That’s enough for me. He said it, that ended any debate for me. However, I want to tithe because of love and respect. That is the real key. Do we tithe because of a law or because we want to? If one tithes out of duty or obligation, then perhaps the burden feels heavy. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11: 30). So, if tithing feels like a burden, you may need to adjust your yoke. Jesus said to go to him and learn of him, so ultimately we all need more of him, his words and his teachings. Then we will receive rest and be free of the burdens we’ve allowed to weigh us down (read Matthew 11: 28 – 30).

Please, don’t allow tithing to be a burden to you. If it is, talk with Jesus. Ask him how to make it a delight. Be blessed!

Do you want coaching? Have questions? Reach out to us, Ivey Ministries Coaching.

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Delightful

On June 16, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 37: 4 – 6

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday.

Verse 4 is often quoted but I wanted you to see it in a larger context. First of all, these are the verses which follow June 2nd’s Word of the Day about being jealous of people who seem to be enjoying life’s good things but seem to have done little to earn them. God tells us to pay no attention to evil doers nor be envious of them, but rather to trust in Him. Then He says to delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart. So, rather than looking at the prosperity and success of the wrong doers, look to Jesus, delight in Him and He will give you your desires. And yours won’t be fleeting like that of the evil doers.

Secondly, commit your plan to Him. You have things you want, goals you would like to achieve. Well, commit all those ideas and plans to Him. Lay them before Him. He has the strength and wisdom to bring them to pass. What’s more, He just may have a better plan. Trust in Him, lay your hopes and desire before Him and He will bring it to pass.

Now here is the hardest part of it. Once you have committed your way to Him, let trust have its full measure. More often than not, answers do not appear immediately. It is what you do while you are waiting for Him to bring it to pass that has the greatest influence on your outcome. Don’t wait to “see” what God is going to do. Go ahead and start declaring it from the beginning. Do not trust in your eyes. Trust in your God. Your success is going to be so great that it will be as bright as the noon sun. Those people that you once envied will be as nothing. They will envy you. And when you are enjoying the desires of your heart, remember the God of your heart who brought it to pass.

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Love Manifested

On June 9, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 John 3: 17

But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

While this verse is a condemnation of some people’s actions, its converse is a celebration of the love that has been shed abroad in your heart (Romans 5: 5). The apostle John was always talking about love. Here he’s saying, how can we be flush with the love of God and yet not be charitable to our brothers and sisters. The answer, of course, is that we cannot. When the love of God is in you, you begin to have compassion. That compassion motivates charity and giving.

John wants us to give, but it is not for giving’s sake. He expects the love that God has poured into us to rouse us to acts of kindness. When we experience God’s love, we don’t have to motivate ourselves to give. We do not begrudge the necessity of giving. And we most certainly do not give in satisfaction of “Christian works.” Love just compels us. We give because we want to and because it warms our hearts. It celebrates who we are in Christ. Because He first loved, because He first gave, we become full of his love. Then his overflowing love just wants to do for others.

I send this word to you today in celebration of you and the love that has been shed abroad in your hearts. I know many of you never pass a Salvation Army kettle without dropping something in. You have been giving to friends, neighbors, ministries and charities. You have increased your gifts this year although your income has not increased. You are not giving because you must. You give because you want to. I want to say, “Thank you” to you all. You are blessing the heart of God. When you do something even for the least in His kingdom, you do it for Him. When you feed the hungry, clothe the poor, you feed and clothe Him.

I hear plenty of stories of how tough it is for many folks this year. Your nickels and quarters do much more good than you know as God is able to multiply your gifts. May God richly bless you and may you experience the very best of God in all things.

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Doing Good

On June 2, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 37: 1 – 3

Do not fret because of evil-doers, be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass, and fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

This is such solid advice. I remember so clearly when I learned this. I saw mean people prospering and living the high life while “good” people had less in the way of material goods and “success.” I thought it so unfair. But this is when I learned the truth of Galatians 6: 7 which says that a person will reap whatever he sows.

So, while God was teaching me that verse, I was watching these people abuse others and enjoy all that life could offer. There was a great reckoning though. And they did reap just what they sowed. It was not pretty. The mighty fell and they fell hard.

God instructs us not to be envious of those people. Don’t worry and fret because of them. You just trust in the Lord and continue doing good like Jesus did. Keep your mind fixed on Jesus. Don’t even pay attention to them and their ways. And definitely don’t be jealous of them because a day will come, and it won’t be long, that you will not want to be in their shoes.

Put all of your trust in God. Don’t walk by sight but by faith. That means don’t pay attention to the way things look. God is at work and even if you don’t see the fruit of it right now, believe me, you will. You just keep up the good work and have your faith and hope firmly fixed on Jesus and his Dad.

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