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On June 19, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 25: 9

The Lord has much more to give you than this.

God has so much more he wishes to give us. The subject of this story had to have his mind expanded by the prophet of God sent to minister to him. We are all in the same shoes at one time or another. We often have low expectations of what God is willing to do for us; what he is able to do for us. Since we have such low expectations, we don’t even bother to pray. Then a servant of the Lord comes along to remind us that God is all powerful and that he loves us intensely. Then hope is reborn; our faith is renewed.

Let us all renew our hopes today. Let us make new plans and revive old dreams. Take all of your desires, wants and fervent prayers to the Lord. Take your disappointments and failures as well. And dare to believe that God can and will fix every problem you have and bless you with all the good things you desire.

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Judgment Day

On June 18, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 5: 24

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

I have already had my judgment day. How about you? Do you hear Jesus’ word? Do you believe He who sent him, i.e. God, do you believe God? Jesus said if you hear his word and believe God then you have passed out of death. You have passed into life. You have eternal life. You have it now. There is another part of this verse, though, and something we need to hear. All you hear Jesus’ word and believe God have already passed into eternal life and do not come into judgment. That is a big statement and a momentous idea. You will not face judgment. Jesus has already paid your way with his blood. Hallelujah!

Many Christians have their eyes focused on judgment day. That is not where our focus ought to be. Our focus is to be on Jesus’ word. Will there be a judgment day? Truthfully, judgment is already in the world which is why Jesus came, to save us from the judgment that was upon the world, but you have passed into life.

The thing which is most troubling about Christians who worry about their result on judgment day, is that they work to earn a good judgment. They believe that on judgment day their deeds will render them either a good judgment or a bad one. Here is the unabashed truth of that. They are hardly Christians because they are not wearing the mantle of Christ. They are actually humanists because they are trying to win God’s favor by their good works rather than the sacrifice of Jesus. They believe there is something they can do to woo God and it is, in reality, a stench in God’s nose.

The only thing that makes any of us worthy of gaining heaven is the blood sacrifice of our beloved. There is nothing you can do to make yourself one bit more saved than you are now. You will not face the judgment seat because you have already been judged and passed onto eternal life. You made a choice. You chose Jesus and that choice is the dividing line. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil,” (John 3: 19). A negative judgment is on those who love and choose the darkness. For those who choose the light, they are saved and passed on into eternal life. So, you have reason to celebrate and praise the Lord for you have been spared judgment.

There is one other thing of note in this verse. It is interesting that Jesus did not say this good news is for those who have “heard” his word. He said it is for those who hear his word. Think about that for a moment. What is the difference. Also, Jesus did not say that eternal life is for those who believe “in” God. That is what we read but not what Jesus said. Jesus said heaven is for those who “believe Him who sent me.”

I believe Jesus is communicating a dynamic relationship to us. He wants us to hear, and continue hearing, his word, the word that he is speaking today. Then we are supposed to believe it. We are supposed to believe what God is saying and believe what He has said. Satan believes “in” God. That is no big thing. We are called believers because we are supposed to believe God. We are to believe His Word and even act on it. We believe He is faithful, kind and that He is present right now in our own environment. We believe He is alive and active. We are believers in all Jesus’ words. That separates us, especially when our actions show our belief. We act on our beliefs. Everyone does, so when we act on Jesus’ words, our belief system shows.

If you believe Jesus and hear his words. If you believe God and all He has said throughout the centuries, then you have already passed out of death and into life. You are already living in eternity. Eternal life is yours. That is some good news and perhaps encouragement too.

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I am Perfect

On June 15, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 5: 48

Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I bet you have heard or read this verse before. What does it mean to you? Do you know who said it? These are words from Jesus? So here is the question we must first deal with. Did he mean that we are to be perfect now, here on earth, or is this mandate reserved for heaven?

A lot of folks will argue that this only pertains to our life in heaven. I would argue that makes no sense. First of all, Jesus was not preaching to a group of heavenly residents. He was preaching to a worldly group. Second, what would be the point of preaching this message here on the earth if he meant for it to apply in heaven. Further, why wouldn’t he say, “Someday, when you have ascended to heaven who will have to work on being perfect because your Father in heaven is perfect.” He had the opportunity to clarify himself if he meant to describe heaven. Also, look at the context of all the words around this sentence. This is taken from the Sermon on the Mount. Would you argue that the Sermon on the Mount is about life in heaven? Of course not. Therefore, we must take this verse exactly how Jesus meant it and deal with it, but this is what we often do with difficult passages. We find ways to explain them away.

I tell you that you have the ability to be perfect now. It is a choice but here is the secret, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing,” (John 15: 5). Jesus is perfect. Wouldn’t you agree? So, as long as we are in him, operating through him, obeying him, we too can be perfect. Of ourselves, yes, we have no hope. These are more than words though. There is a big difference in Christians who try hard and those who have given themselves completely over to Christ. This latter group seeks to hear Christ in every step of their day and they hearken unto the Holy Spirit. It isn’t a Sunday prayer. It is a daily pursuit. It is a devotion and dedication which is realized in every waking moment. And when any of us allows ourselves, truly, to be led by the Spirit of God and allows our lives to be hidden in Christ, then there is perfection, in him. In those moments of clarity, we are without blemish, just as he is.

Our goal, then, is not in seeking perfection but in seeking the perfect one. There is a calling to all Christians to abide in him 100 percent just as he lived in perfect union with the Father. “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you,” (John 14: 20). This life in Christ is Jesus’ wish for us but it does not come from a once uttered salvation prayer. You cannot even get it by going to church for twenty years, never missing a Sunday. As Jesus spoke these words to his disciples, he was pointing them to the deeper life. He was showing them that though they were about to be parted from him in the flesh, they could live integrated with him, the Father and the Holy Spirit. He told them the Holy Spirit was come and would lead them into all truth. Jesus is the way, he told us that, but the Spirit is like those guys on street corners holding the big signs directing shoppers to sales. The Spirit is the one who leads us and teaches us. He will teach you to live completely immersed in the Father and Son when you seek Him.

This is today’s Christianity. We are in the days when going to church even a couple of times a week isn’t enough. We need to bury our lives in Christ. Each breath is delivered by God’s Spirit. Jesus is calling us to be perfect by living completely in him. You can do it. You can be perfect, and I tell you that you are perfect because the perfect one lives in you and you in him. We have to stay in him though and that is our challenge.

Think about what you think it means to truly be in Christ. Remove all the religion for a moment and strip it down to the basics. What does it mean to be “in Christ” and how do accomplish it? I can tell you this, it has a whole lot less to do with what we do and a lot more of what we allow him to do in us. I say to you that this is the key to end time faith. This is the sweet spot and our hiding place. We need to know what it means and how to get there. Be perfect because Jesus told you to. Be in the perfect one.

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Big Worship

On June 14, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 95: 6

Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

This is a famous scripture on worship. It is a call to worship. It is also an Old Testament call and we certainly think differently on worship these days, but, do we have a good definition of worship now? Do we really know what worship is? How many of us kneel to worship? Do we consider kneeling or bowing down a form of worship? Search the Old Testament and you will find a lot of bowing down. I am not saying there is anything wrong with it. I am simply suggesting that the reality is that our ideas about worship have changed yet we haven’t fully grasped, especially in a way we can recite, what our current ideas of worship include. Today, I would like to suggest something for you to think about and perhaps include in your definition of worship.

I had the thought last week that the highest form of worship is fellowship with God. Is that a stretch? Imagine yourself as the first person on the earth. What did worship look like then? Worship to God is not what we, as humans, make it to be. When men have sought worship for themselves it usually involved a lot of bowing and kowtowing. God does not have an ego problem. He does not need people groveling on the ground before Him in order to feel good about Himself. I think there must be more to it than submission.

I had a splendid time with the Lord one day last week; you know, one of those days when His presence was just louder and stronger than some others. At the end of the day, I remarked at my journaling especially. His tone was so different from normal. He was almost childlike in His enthusiasm. Over and over I tried to capture the word for His tone. Was it more personal, more intimate? One thing that became clear is that it was less deific, less like the all-powerful God and more like a Father, even like a friend. I heard His enthusiasm, even excitement. This led me into further contemplation until I arrived at the epiphany that worship is fellowship.

There is not greater level of worship than fellowship with God, nothing He would prefer than time with you. You see, to fellowship with God is to express many things you believe and even feel about Him. First of all, if your fellowship is “hanging out with God” what does that say? It says that you believe He is real, that He is more than a far removed deity, that He cares about your thoughts, that He wants to spend time with you and that He is a personal Father, a personal friend. Can you see this? Worship can become so formal or ritualistic that it takes on the form of an idol. Even in our personal worship time, many of us have stagnated so that our worship has lost any true flavor. God is not a God of ritual. That is all us. We turn worship, praise and prayer into religion and that is not what He wants. He wants us to hang out with Him, to talk with Him as if we are conversing with our very best friend. Do you see why, then, I think this is the very highest form of worship. It is an absolute admission that God is my friend and that I want to spend time with Him. I am declaring to Him that spending time with Him is important to me. It is not something I have to do but rather something I want to do. What would you say if your kids just wanted to come hang out with you. Is there a higher compliment, especially when they don’t want anything from you?

Don’t get me wrong. There should be no reconstruction of this devotional to say I do not believe in worship. According to Wikipedia worship is “the expression of reverence or adoration.” Two comments on this definition: first, it is a human definition, second, there is no articulation of groveling in the dirt. As a human definition goes, I think it is appropriate but ask yourself how God would define worship. Secondly, even in this definition, which must fall short of God’s, the essence is being in love with God. Adoration is at the head. So, worship God with your time. Leave the religion on the altar and just hang out with your best friend.

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Heaven or Hell?

On June 13, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 3: 2

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

No, this isn’t the typical “Are you going to heaven or hell” speech we hear so frequently. I really want to pose a question. Do you want to go to heaven or do you simply want to avoid hell? What motivates you, heaven or hell? You see, I think some people just want to avoid hell, and well, that is a good motivation. Hell is not a place any person will enjoy. In fact, we should avoid it at all costs. Selah.

Some of us gave our lives to Christ because we wished to avoid the horror of eternity in hell. Somewhere along the line, though, hell became less of an issue, less of a point of focus, and heaven became the target. Avoiding hell is good but it certainly is not the prize. Heaven is the prize. What is heaven anyway? At some level we think of it as a place, but the real draw is that it is the residence of Jesus and the Father. In other words, wherever they are, is heaven, at least to me. Heaven is spending eternity in the direct company of Jesus, Yahweh and the Holy Spirit (I wish he would tell me his name).

Imagine a scenario where there is hell, a neutral place and heaven. At this point we have removed our names from the register in hell but to be forever in the neutrality without God would not satisfy. Of course, that would be hell, but the point is that the neutral space would no longer satisfy us. Our longing is to be with the Father. Our energy is focused on knowing Him. Getting into heaven is good but the heart’s desire is far beyond just getting in the gate. Don’t we long to sit at the Father’s feet and listen to His stories? Perhaps you just want to put your eyes upon Him. There is nothing so great as being in the presence of the Holy Trinity.

Repent means to change your direction, change your way of thinking. So, we continuously readjust our sights and compasses so that we are pointed straight towards the Father of heaven. We seek His presence here, true, but we are also seeking His presence in eternity.

One last thought about today’s verse, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As we reread it and think about it, thoughts about saving lost souls may surface. Additionally, it may even call into question our approach to evangelism. The first thing I noticed is that there is no mention of hell here. Jesus did not preach about the kingdom of hell. He preached the good news, the Kingdom of Heaven. He called people up to God. He did not come condemning them, or us, as sinners. Our sin was fact, but not the message. The message is heaven. The message is the greatness of a Father who loves us. Just a thought to ponder. Selah.

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Reproach

On June 12, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 13: 12 – 13

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

I am reading a book by Bill Johnson titled, When Heaven Invades Earth. In chapter 15 he refers to this verse in the course of his explanation about the unpopular position revival often has in the body of Christ. We know that the church leadership did not welcome Jesus with open arms. In fact, they persecuted him. So, Johnson’s assertion that Jesus was outside the popular group rather than inside does not come as a surprise. Still, I found myself rather taken aback by this scripture and the writer of Hebrew’s position that we, too, must be willing to endure reproach in order to meet Jesus where he is.

Of course, this verse refers specifically to the fact that Jesus was crucified “outside the gates” of Jerusalem. It is symbolic of his entire ministry. He never quite fit in with the established church which is amazing in itself. How could God not fit in with the church? Better question, does God fit in at our churches today? That is a frightening question.

Apparently, in order to fit in with God and with Jesus, sometimes you are going to suffer the reproach, or the criticism, of the church. This is not a comfortable suggestion. I don’t want people figuratively throwing tomatoes at me and I am pretty sure you feel the same way.

We all know that to the world of the unsaved, we are peculiar people. There is no surprise if I tell you that you may be estranged from your more worldly friends or that your unsaved family may shun you. The challenge in today’s scripture is that in order to follow the moves of Jesus, you may find yourself an outcast among your church friends. Following Jesus exacts a price and that may mean that you are an outcast among the saved. Jesus isn’t standing still. He has a big picture revelation he is ushering into the world but it comes in one little small revelation at a time. Jesus said, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now (John 16: 12). This scripture is so big that you just need to see it in some other translations too. Tree of Live version: “I still have much more to tell you, but you cannot handle it just now,” God’s Word translation: “I have a lot more to tell you, but that would be too much for you now,” and finally, the Passion translation: “There is so much more I would like to say to you, but it’s more than you can grasp at this moment.”

You see, Jesus has so much more to show us and tell us. That necessarily means we will have to assimilate new thoughts, new ideas. He wants to and will lead us into all truth but it is more than we can take in at the moment, more than we can absorb at one time. Therefore, he sends bits and pieces and all these are fitting together into his masterpiece. If he showed us the whole painting, it would overwhelm us. Truthfully, the little pieces tend to overwhelm us. In addition, if we truly follow him and accept the revelations he shows us, we will likely be ostracized by the church. Following Jesus tends to foil the traditions of the church. That is why the writer in Hebrews lets us know that if we are sincere about our boast to follow wherever Jesus leads, we should prepare ourselves to be outcasts even amongst our brothers.

This is a bitter pill, I know, but better to be with Jesus, even in the discomfiture of his beliefs than to be cozily ensconced in dead theology and contented church tradition. Remember how Jesus taught about not seeking man’s approval? Well, you get your chance here. As you listen to God in your heart, you are going to discover challenges to your own personal theology. You will also learn new truths in Christ and challenges to our way of doing things. We must be a people willing to follow Jesus wherever he leads and let the chips fall where they may. It ain’t easy, but it is the way!

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Riding Fire Horses

On June 11, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Kings 2: 11             Tree of Life

As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.

We have developed what, to me, is a perverted way of thinking about death. Truth be told, even using the word “death” is an admission that we do not understand or do not believe in the eternal life. I say that because we are living our eternal life now. You will never die but you are going to change addresses. There will be a transition from here to heaven. Okay sure, your body will give up its life but your spirit is eternal. Anyway, what bothers me about our concept of death is that we will die of a disease. Not me brother. That is not God’s will for me so I don’t accept it. Neither should you.

Why don’t we just ride out of here on a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire the way Elijah did? We actually see that happening in scripture, therefore, it is scriptural and you cannot say it isn’t. We didn’t see it happen often, in fact this is the only example exactly like this, but that is not to say it didn’t happen more than once. Whatsmore, Enoch went up to heaven without “dying.” “And Enoch continually walked with God—then he was not there, because God took him (Genesis 5: 24 TLV). So, who is to say this isn’t God’s preferred way of moving us from earth to heaven? Personally I would rather ride in a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire than to get sick to the point of death.

If God is the great healer, why are we all expecting to get sick and die? Does that really make any sense at all? What a lack of faith we demonstrate when it comes to life and death. We have been so molded by an unbelieving generation that we no longer think as Godly people in this area. Today is a new day though. Let’s shake up our thinking.

You should intend and expect to live a long life and be strong and able bodied for the entirety of it. Then, at a ripe old age, 120 or more, just walk out of this body and into heaven. I am not using my faith to believe for you or myself to be sick one single day of our lives. Does it happen sometimes? Yes, sometimes it does but that is the anomaly. Every once in a while the world sneaks up on us, doesn’t it, but we are people of faith, believers in the God of power and righteousness. We need to shift our minds to where our hearts reside and get our mouths in line with the Word. Then we will live a different existence here on earth and go out riding on God’s glory. That is His will for you.

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