Aromatic Imitation

On September 28, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 5: 1

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ love us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We have been told that the Christian life is one of imitating Christ. The Apostle Paul told us to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11: 1). Did you ever consider being an imitator of God? Can you even wrap your head around that idea. In truth, though, to imitate Christ is to imitate God but somehow it seems easier to think about since he was a man and walked the earth. Imitating Paul puts it one step closer to us but then he tells us to imitate God, doing the things He does, thinking the way He thinks.

Children naturally mimic their parents and that is what Paul is getting at here. The first leg of the stool is that we are children of God. Paul takes that very seriously and very literally. The rest of his thoughts lean upon this premise. If we are truly the children of God, then we have His DNA and we have His heart. We are in every way tied to Him and are of Him so that we can replicate His actions and thoughts. That is a pretty huge concept.

The leading expression of being a child of God is to walk in love for God is love. Jesus, God’s first child, demonstrated the DNA of God in his love for us. He gave. John 3: 16 tells us that because God so loved the world, He gave. So, when Jesus gave all, he was imitating his father. Neither was selfish. Jesus did as he saw his father do. He put all of us before his comfort, needs or desires. Our need trumped his. That is what love does. It puts others first.

Do you see also that Jesus’ offering was fragrant? How often have you thought of the passion of Christ as fragrant? God, however, sees, smells and tastes the beautiful aroma of love. Wherever love is expressed, the scent wafts up to heaven as a fragrant aroma. When you praise God and worship Him, He not only hears your words but He tastes the delicate flavor of your love. Our praise rises to His throne room to flood His senses with joy and pleasure.

In this you see that it really isn’t that difficult to bless the Lord or to minister to Him. The expression of love fills His throne room with pleasant aromas and tickles His palate with divine flavors. As we love others the way Yahweh and Jesus love us, we color the environment with beauty and luscious aroma. It was love that created the earth and love that saved us from hell. As we imitate the Father in love, we create beauty too and when you get to heaven you will be able to fully appreciate your creation.

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Angel Up

On September 27, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 4: 11

Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

In yesterday’s Word of the Day, I referred to temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness after the Spirit impelled him to sojourn in the wilderness. As you well know, no temptation ever overcame Jesus’ resilience and faith. Obviously, though, he was tempted. He vanquished the foe with his absolute reliance on the Word of God and in so doing, paved the way for our victory in every situation.

There is an interesting note, however, after he defeated the devil. The devil fled and in came angels, plural. Angels went to Jesus and ministered to him. Ask yourself how they ministered to him. What were his needs after being alone in the desert in excess of forty days. Surely he was hungry and thirsty. Perhaps his skin was parched and he was probably filthy. So now imagine how the angels met Jesus’ needs.

We so easily and quickly read over these passages, giving them little thoughtful consideration. What does an angel look like? From this text we perceive they are not just cloud like, ethereal images which cross our minds’ eye. They must have real substance if they met Jesus’ physical needs. I don’t think they just hovered over him like a vapor speaking words of encouragement.

Satan understood about angels, afterall, he used to be one. In Matthew 4: 6 we see him quoting Psalm 91: 11 – 12, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” He knows what the Word says and he understood the angels role and power in this tableau. The word which strikes me in this passage is “hands.” You may have thought about what angels look like. Do they have substance or are they nebulous cloud like figures? In this passage we see they have hands. It was with their hands that they ministered to Jesus’ needs. They didn’t just blow a cool breeze across his face. They carried in their hands the substance of his recovery, probably food and water. Maybe one of the angels washed his face with cool water. Maybe another made a foot bath for him. The point is that they are not inconsequential, tenuous beings. They are not figures of one’s imagination and most importantly, they are not floating around in heaven doing nothing other than singing. They are real beings with real purpose.

Segue to what this means to us. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1: 14). We are comfortable with the idea of guardian angels for children. I am not sure where we get that idea unless it from the aforementioned Psalm 91 or Matthew 18: 10, but then doesn’t it beg the question, “Where does one’s angel go upon adulthood? And at what age does that happen?” It seems a little silly to me if I take the time to think about it. Why would Father ever recall an angel He assigned to one of us? My friend, Dr. Charity Kayembe, would argue strongly and convincingly that our angels are still with us. In fact, she has written a very enlightening piece on angels. Visit her ministry website at www.glorywaves.org and see her article, Everyday Angels www.glorywaves.org/angels-101.

I just read an interesting booklet by Kenneth E. Hagin in which he gave his angels specific tasks. It inspired me even as I realized that mine were probably really bored. Angels are spirits which help us. You can communicate with them. They are not fat little cherubs floating around on clouds. They are effective employees of the Almighty sent here to earth to help us. As we broaden our understanding of all things spiritual, we should include a deep knowledge of the angels and their role in the earth, as well as their role in our lives. We have a major resource at our hands that we have largely ignored. Today is a good day for us to begin to rectify that egregious oversight. Amen.

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I See You

On September 26, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 1: 10 – 12

And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heaves; “Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased.” And immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.

You know this story. It is the account of when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. There is a lot to love in these three verses but I want to bring your attention to the Holy Spirit. there is so little we know about him. However, we can glean some insights through these mentions of him.

The first observation we may make is that the Holy Spirit is not invisible. We can see him. In fact, I have. Moreover, as soon as I saw him, I knew who it was. It was not scary in the least. Honestly, seeing him seemed completely normal as if he is supposed to appear in our lives every day.

Many people associate the image of a dove with the Spirit. I don’t really. I hear the “like a dove” describing the descent, the flight rather than the image. From what I saw, the Spirit was powerful and at the same time gentle. There absolutely was a graceful power in his visage, more like a ballet dancer than a football player.

Today’s verse also shows us that the Spirit can “impel” a person. Impel means to drive, force or urge someone to do something. Urge is the closest meaning. Otherwise the author would have used the word compel, which has a stronger meaning. God does not tend to force us into courses of action. He likes to suggest positive tracks but we get to choose. Jesus chose to follow the course the Spirit directed. He went out into the wilderness where he was tempted and tried but he proved himself and he put Satan on notice that there was a new Sheriff in town.

The Holy Spirit is with us as he was with Jesus. He can suggest paths for you as well. In truth, he probably already is. We have to develop our sense of hearing and that is fine. It is okay to walk before you run. Actually, I think it is suggested to learn in that fashion. Some of us like to jump straight into the deep water but it is okay to show wisdom and wade in first. Just pay attention to those little ideas that come to you during the day. If they are impelling you to lie or camouflage the truth, it’s not the Holy Spirit. If the idea sounds like something God would tell you to do, or if it lines up with Biblical principles, then it probably is the Spirit. I can promise you this, it you feel impelled to give something, it ain’t the devil. Listen to your spirit today, you just may hear the voice of The Spirit.

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Anointed with Power

On September 25, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Acts 10: 38

You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.

God gave Jesus power through the person of the Holy Spirit so that He, Jesus, might be equipped to succeed in the matter for which God sent Him. In the same way, God has also anointed us with power so that we can perform our tasks as well. Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit for, he said, “you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Then he told them “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1: 5 & 8).

It was the anointing of the Holy Spirit that empowered Jesus so that He could go about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. He was able to do all this because “God was with Him.” In like manner, God has not called us to do anything in our own might. He has called us and empowered us by the Holy Spirit to accomplish our calling through the power of God’s might. There is plenty of good for you to do too but you need the power of the Holy Spirit just the same as Jesus did. Make sure that you have invited the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, to be a part of your life and your daily activities. Make sure that He knows He has an open invitation to be a part of all you do.

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Whose Truth?

On September 22, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 8: 17

He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases.

If Jesus took our infirmities and carried away our diseases, why do we still have trouble with them here? This verse says he carried them away. To where did he carry them?

Well, here is where the rubber meets the road, as they say. This is a great dividing line between Christians. No, it’s not whether or not Jesus heals. We all pretty much agree on that. No, the real question is whether or not we believe the Bible. I mean, I took Matthew 8: 17 straight out of the Bible. Do we honestly believe, though, what we read there? What happens when we run into a verse like this one with which our experience so greatly disagrees? What do we do? The easiest method is just to ignore them. Some people are challenged by them while others get angry and defensive. Mostly, we reduce the veracity of the Bible to our experience. That is to say, we elevate our experiences over what the Bible says. This helps us maintain our ego. It is self-preservation. Otherwise, we are forced to admit we are missing something somewhere, and that is far from comfortable.

I want to suggest that this verse is absolute truth but the rest of the story is that I am not living the fullness of it either and that bothers me. I believe Jesus took all of our sickness and disease and put them in the same bag with sin and carried them to the pit of hell when he went there and took the devil’s keys. Where else could he have carried them away to? So, if they are gone, why are we still dealing with them?

Jesus has a truth and reality he is trying to convey to us. We should be able to read today’s verse and get really happy instead of overlooking it with a cavalier, unbelieving attitude. Perhaps if we could, as a body, believe these words, then disease would stay in hell to where it was banished. It is not God’s will, and certainly not Jesus’, that infirmity and disease are running rampant through our societies.

In today’s Word of the Day I wish to challenge you, not just to believe this passage of scripture, but to look at the Bible with new eyes, to read these passages as Jesus speaking directly to you. If you are not living what the Word says, then take it to Jesus. Hold him accountable to teach you because he is the Word, and we ought to be able to believe him.

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Inheritance

On September 21, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 3: 14

Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

This is the follow up verse to yesterday’s Word of the Day. There was so much contained in the two verses that I had to split them apart. Yesterday we discovered that we are sealed in Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Today we find that this Spirit was given to us as a pledge. When you look up the word “pledge” you find that it means “a solemn promise.” We learned yesterday that the Holy Spirit himself is a promise. Now we discover that he is also the pledge, the symbol of another promise. God has given us a pledge that we are His heirs, that we have an inheritance in Him.

Normally I think of an inheritance only being effective when someone dies. In this case, the Father cannot die but He gave everything to Jesus then we became Jesus’ heirs at the cross. We are heirs to everything God has and the Holy Spirit was given as the solemn promise that we have an inheritance in Christ.

Paul also points to redemption. His writing tells us that we are the heirs of God in Christ Jesus but upon the view from our window also looks out upon redemption as God’s own possession, as His beloved. In this understanding of who we are in Christ, heirs of his bounty and the redeemed that we offer praise to the Father for the Glory He has shown us and for the radiance of His son shining upon us bathing us in the Father’s glory eternally. Did you notice, though, that redemption is not our inheritance? Paul in writing about a pledge given in evidence of our inheritance says, “with a view to the redemption.”

In the limited scope of our thinking redemption is enough. However, to God it is only the means to the other and greater things He has for us. It is a means by which we can enjoy the inheritance He has set aside for us. That is pretty big. Apparently, we are not beggars sitting at the castle gates waiting for crumbs to be cast in our direction. We are, in fact, God’s inheritance. We are what he gained through Jesus’ sacrifice. The trade has been made on our behalf and on God’s. Jesus traded everything God had for everything we are. Not much of a deal, I grant you but there you go. Parents are just that way. They will give you everything even though most of the time we are not worth it.

The inheritance is yours now. You can begin enjoying it today or tomorrow or next year. You can wait until you get to heaven to start enjoying it if you like, but why would you? You have been given a promise. Cash it in!

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Wax Seals

On September 20, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 1: 13

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the holy Spirit of promise.

I know that was a lot of text to take in so we will focus on parts of it. The first thing I want you to see is the companion word to the Holy Spirit. Paul calls him the Spirit of promise. If you look up all the references to the Holy Spirit in the Bible you will find that he is often linked with the word promise and this is not the only place he is called the Spirit of promise.

Way back in the Old testament times, God promised the Holy Spirit (see Joel 2: 28). He wasn’t the only one to promise us the gift of the Holy Spirit. In John 16: 7 Jesus said that it was to our advantage that he leave because in leaving he could and would send to us the Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit has been promised you by both the Father and the Son. Now, some people say that receiving the Holy Spirit is automatic. Maybe, but I have noticed that the gifts of the Father are not usually automatic. We have to reach out and receive them. Receiving anything from the Father is an intentional act.

Regardless of your position on that argument the end is the same. If you have any doubt as to whether you have received the promise of the Holy Spirit, all you have to do is ask the Father and reach out, by faith, or in faith, and receive. God is not withholding the Spirit from you. In the same message to the disciples Jesus said, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it “(John 14: 14). So the promise is for you and receiving the promises of God are as easy and reaching out to Jesus, believing he will give what you ask.

I also want you to see from this passage that you are “sealed” in someone. Who is that someone? It is Jesus. You are sealed in Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the sealant. Often, when I hear about seals I think of the old timey wax seals people used for letters and documents. Imagine, if you will, an envelope. On the back of the envelope there is a seal of red wax and in the center is the insignia of the one who sealed the envelope. The envelope is Jesus. The seal bears the initials “HS” and the content of the envelope, well, that is you. You are sealed in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing can break that seal. That is powerful imagery to me. We are completely enveloped in the loving, protective embrace of Jesus with the Holy Spirit making an impenetrable barrier from the world outside.

Paul’s writing can be convoluted and sometimes a bit difficult. Afterall, he was trained as a lawyer. However, I also believe he chose his words selectively, but not only that. He wrote under the unction of the Holy Spirit so when he wrote that we were sealed in Jesus by the Holy Spirit of promise, I think he used those specific words in order to reveal important elements of our life IN Christ. Sometimes you have to meditate on Paul’s writings for the meanings to become apparent but it is so worth it.

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