18 = Life

On February 28, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 14: 6

I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Jesus is the source of life. Everything which has life has it in Jesus. Whether or not a person chooses Jesus as his lord or not, his life force is only because Jesus lives. What is life though?

I think we tend to have a rather narrow view of what life means. We equate life with having a pulse. However, Jesus said, John 10:10 that he came to earth to give us life and that more abundantly. I don’t think he was just talking about abundant health. I know he was not referring to eternal life only. That wouldn’t even make sense. Eternal life with the Father will necessarily be abundant. That is the only way God knows how to do life. No, this that Jesus is talking about is in the here and now and it is much bigger than just having a heartbeat. Jesus came to give us a life worth living. A life as big as him.

I have a friend who has a Jewish background. He explained to me recently that Hebrew letters, and hence words, have numeric values. For example, the word “life” has a numeric value of 18. But wait, we are living in the year 2018. That went off in me like a gun. This is a year with a numeric value of life. Ponder that a moment.

When Jesus came to give us life, he had in mind something supernatural. The people in the earth already had physical life. He came to give us life in the Spirit, a life where all is rightness. Our health should be right, our finances, relationships and everything else you can think of. He came to restore our spiritual life as well.

We were separated from God. Jesus restored our spirits, made them new and restored the connection between us and the Father so that now we can walk boldly into Father’s office and talk with Him. Jesus restored our spiritual eyes and our spiritual ears. Because we are in Christ, because we dwell in him and pursue the life of Christ within us, we can now hear and see spiritual things. Most importantly, we can hear the Father’s voice using our spiritual ears. We no longer exist on just one plane, if we choose. We have entrance to the spiritual realm. Everything that was stolen from us has been restored by Jesus including our ability to walk in the cool of the evening with the creator.

Some people are concerned about what they will have to give up in order to be a Christian. Man, that is totally the wrong perspective. It’s what you gain that folks should think about. We gain everything, including real life, not this shadow of existence that most people experience. We can walk in true light and life right now, right here. Perfect health is part of our inheritance, abundant friends, adventures, riches; whatever you want but the most amazing life of all is the life in Christ which allows us admittance into the spiritual realm. He bought our ticket. He restored our rights. He is the invitation into a life which is above and beyond mere physical life. He will have us soaring on wings if we will open our eyes and ears to what the Spirit is saying to us right now. There are so many fascinating and wondrous things Jesus wants to experience with us, so broaden your definition of life. Imagine what a Jesus kind of life should look like. There is no brokenness in Jesus, no lack and no weakness. Rise up on your wings and breathe in life. Make this the year you embrace more life and more of what Jesus offers than ever before.

Back to Top

It’s All About Me

On February 27, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 1 – 3

Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Verse one of Romans 12 is reasonably well known. We are instructed to put our bodies on the altar as a holy and acceptable offering to the Lord. Verse two is very well known – be transformed to the Kingdom way of being and doing by renewing your mind. Verse three, well, that one is less well known.

How would you expect Paul to follow verse two? I would expect him to tell us how to renew our minds or build upon the presentation of our bodies and minds to Christ. Verse three isn’t a radical departure in that Paul indicates how one with a renewed mind thinks but there is something subtle here. Paul actually goes on to talk about our hearts, our core beliefs. He addresses the issue of self-orientation.

Paul admonishes that we not think more highly of ourselves than we ought. I would add that we not think as often of ourselves as we might. Many of our problems are colored by this simple orientation. Are we thinking of ourselves; our needs and wants or are we inclined to think of others, the Kingdom and the will of God.

The epic battle of the id, ego and superego vie for supremacy. Are we simple gratification seeking beasts, or do we yield to a higher call, a higher purpose? Can we pry our attention from ourselves long enough to consider the needs, wants or even hurts of others?

Jesus was moved by compassion because he considered the other person’s needs rather than hurt or inconvenience to himself. I was re-reading Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyers today and found this quote, “[T]he proud person thinks so highly of himself that he believes he should never be inconvenienced in any way.” That describes me at the grocery store and in traffic. I believe it also describes our society. I watch as people block an entire lane of traffic because they chose the wrong lane and rather than proceed in the lane and turn or U-turn as appropriate, they hold up everyone else. Of course, my self-absorption immediately kicks in, usually with accompanying language. Jesus was not that way. As you read the gospels you see multiple examples of a person’s intervention completely changing his course of travel and conduct. How is that possible? He flowed with the Holy Spirit doing the will of the Father rather than making and following his own plan.

This is how Jesus is and how he was able to have sound judgment. He essentially removed himself from the equation. The right thinking wouldn’t have me thinking all about me and what I want or what I perceive as my needs. This isn’t about judging people even. You and I need sound judgement in everything we do. We have decisions to make and when we learn to think as we ought, those judgments will use the measure of faith God has given us to arrive at good decisions. So, sound judgment is arrived at by not thinking about ourselves more highly than we ought. The more we get ourselves off our minds, the freer we will be.

Back to Top

Tender Care

On February 26, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 40: 11

Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

This is a beautiful passage. I am sure you agree, but can we receive the depth of it and the tenderness of it? The NIV version is, perhaps, even more tender. The latter part says he, “carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”

This verse isn’t actually speaking of sheep, is it? It is an analogy. God cares for us the way a shepherd cares for the sheep. God gathers his children to his bosom and carries them (us) close to His heart. In this we see the nurturing aspect of God. It seems especially evident in the last phrase, “He gently leads those that have young.” Look at how lovingly He cares for mothers. We see the same kind of nurturing care that we associate with mothers, in the person of God the Father. That is as it should be and we need to see Yahweh in this light.

In the world, we allocate certain characteristics and behaviors to one of the genders. Then, because we call “God” Father, we subtract from His nature those things we associate with women. As we come to know Yahweh in truth, we find that we have made “Him” in our image. God is neither male nor female. In heaven there is neither female nor male (Galatians 3: 28). What this means for us is that whatever we need, it is in God. If you need a mother “He” is that. All kindness, gentleness, love and nurture come out of Yahweh. Our language requires a pronoun and those are divided by gender, but God cannot be divided by mere language. He is all in all. He is everything we need. He is tender and caring but He is also a strong fortress. Don’t let culture or language steal any part of Yahweh from you.

Back to Top

Space of Grace

On February 23, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 4: 29

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

If you do not stumble here, then you are a perfect person for this is where we usually trip up ourselves, with our mouths. That is the ultimate insight. We damage ourselves with our mouths.

At first reading, this passage is clear enough. However, as we continue to ponder this scripture, one begins to hear a lifestyle emerging through it. Paul was encouraging Christian unity in this chapter. Clearly, there will be no unity in any group if its members do not police their words. Paul leads us a step further though. His words direct us to edify one another with our words. In this he creates a distinction. He didn’t say, “Just keep your mouth shut,” which, by almost anyone’s standard, is good advice. Paul teaches us, instead, to speak words of grace. Our words can lift the hearer. They can build up the group.

Here is the hard part, Paul would have us avoid making statements that are even true if they are likely to disparage another. We are not talking here about lying, never let it be said, but some things just don’t need to be said. As a former lawyer, I can tell you that I struggle with this. Truth is truth and so often I think the scoundrel should be exposed. This is where the world’s way of thinking diverges from God’s way of doing. That is why we have to pay such close attention to the Word. The world’s teaching is engrained within us. Sometimes we have to root it out by really seeing what the Word teaches.

Everything God ever told us, or ever will tell us is for our own good. He didn’t give us a bunch of rules to steal the life from us. He gave us rules to give us life, and that more abundantly. When we let unwholesome speech out of our mouths, we damage ourselves, those who hear, and we do no great favor to the heart of God. However, since we are growing up in the things of God, let us not stop with bridling our tongues. Let’s learn to direct our language in a way which edifies others. Find the space of grace and share it with others. Words can hurt but they can also heal. Use yours to unite and console.

Back to Top

Billy Graham

On February 22, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 3: 16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

As a fellow North Carolinian, I am blessed today to honor the Reverend Billy Graham who passed over into glory yesterday. The word “reverend” has, at its base, “revere” which describes people’s feelings about Graham and his ministry. He shared God’s love to millions of people, the list of people in heaven because of his compassion and message is quite long. I, too, made a declaration for Christ at a Billy Graham function.

He was an evangelist amongst evangelists. He preached John 3: 16 in over 400 crusades in 185 countries. He literally took the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. He was a friend and confident to presidents and people of influence around the globe. He, more than any other minister, was considered the pastor of the United States. He was personal friends with Martin Luther King and long before it was popular, conducted integrated services, having personally removed the ropes that segregated blacks from whites at his meeting. He was, and is, a man of renown.

He is also a man of humility. He never forsook his rural North Carolina roots nor was he embarrassed by his humble beginnings. He also never seemed impressed by his popularity or fame. He was impressed by the life of Jesus, his savior and it was that story he told convincingly throughout his life and ministry.

When I decided to write about Reverend Graham the verse John 3: 16 leapt to my mind but what set Reverend Graham apart in my mind is John 3: 17, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.” He certainly was challenged in this stance, especially as his friend Richard Nixon admitted to misdealings in the Watergate scandal. However, he unleashed the power of John 3: 17 when speaking about Bill Clinton’s white house troubles, Graham revealed that we are not given the job to judge but rather to love.

What will be Graham’s legacy? Time will tell. However, the answer lies, at least in part, in the hearts of you and me. Can we answer the call to love without judgement? Will we live our lives to God? Can we preach John 3: 16 to people not because of what we believe they are doing wrong but because of what Jesus did right?

Each generation must be a flag bearer. The mantle has certainly passed but to whom? I believe in my heart that it has passed to you. From the one, to the many we carry forward the message of Jesus, the one who loves us enough to die for us, and of the Father, He who loves us enough to sacrifice His only begotten child, and of the Spirit who has vacated paradise to live with us. If it is true that the Reverend Billy Graham’s legacy is left to you, what would you have that legacy be?

Back to Top

Be Still

On February 21, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Exodus 14: 13 – 14          NIV

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

This is one of my favorite passage in the Bible. It is so bold and declarative. There isn’t a bit of wishy-washy in it. Reading it today, though, I saw a little something new.

The setting here is that the Israelites have fled Egypt only to become trapped between the Red Sea and the pursuing Egyptians. Moses stood before the nation of Israel and proclaimed God’s provision and greatness. He told Israel they would see their deliverance by the hand of God. They need not raise a sword in defense. Their part was to believe rather than fear, stand firm in that faith, and be still.

That reminded me of another verse. In Psalm 46: 10 we read these words, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Do you see the similarity? The thing that surprises me most about this paradigm for success is that it is a very New Testament, post-Pentecost way of thinking and yet here it is buried in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit has now been sent to dwell in the earth. Even more significantly, he lives within each one of us. So, this is our pattern of success. We pray and believe, and the Holy Spirit delivers.

This is God’s design for our lives. It was always God’s plan. He never meant for us to fight the battles. He is God, He is our Lord. The Lord cares for His subjects. Like the ancient Israelites, we only need to learn and perform our responsibilities and leave God to His work.

We need to practice the three parts of victory outlined in today’s passage: 1) Do not be afraid, 2) stand firm, and 3) be still. Be still and hear the voice of the Lord. Listen to what He is telling you. Then do it. If He says, pray, then pray. If He says sing, then sing. If He says to go dip three times in the river, then you better be getting wet. We just need to be still and allow Him to be God. No matter what challenge you are facing God has an answer. “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Back to Top

Filling Station

On February 20, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Acts 2: 4

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Back in the old days, we called gas stations, filling stations. You drove your car into the station and someone would come out and fill it up with gasoline. It was good. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a Holy Spirit filling station, a place where we could pull in and be topped off with the Spirit?

Yesterday, we looked at Ephesians 5, verses eighteen and nineteen. In verse eighteen, Paul tells us to “be filled” with the Spirit. His directive is a bit challenging. He writes “be filled” as if there is a filling station we can visit to fill us up with the Holy Spirit. It would have been good for us if he would have continued to write, how we should be filled. Was it so simple for the believers of that day that instruction was not needed?

Today’s passage is from the account of the Day of Pentecost. Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received this promised pouring out from God. The Bible says, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2: 1). The first thing we learn is that they obeyed the Word of the Lord. That is always a good starting point. Secondly, what were they doing? This was a Jewish feast day therefore, we might safely assume they gathered together to worship and honor the Lord. They gathered in his name. And they were filled. It seems the key to their being filled by the Spirit was obeying Jesus’ word.

Another good example comes from Acts 4: 31, “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” Here we find believers gathered together, praying.

God sent Peter to Joppa to the home of Cornelius, A Roman soldier. Even though Cornelius and his household were all gentiles, the Holy Spirit fell upon all of them even while Peter was still preaching (Acts 10: 44).

While I am not saying that the Holy Spirit can only fill you when you are assembled with other believers, I am saying that being in a Spirit filled environment certainly does recharge your batteries. An atmosphere of praise and worship invites the presence of the Holy Spirit. I believe the early church celebrated Christ with such enthusiasm and spoke so boldly about Christ, the anointed one, that the Holy Spirit was constantly being poured out. Praise and worship are powerful tools that many of us overlook far too often. As you immerse yourself in the Spirit you will find your faith grow stronger, your ability to hear improved and you will immerge renewed in your faith.

Back to Top