Chill Pill

On September 8, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Titus 3: 9

But shun foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law; for they are unprofitable and worthless.

Don’t you love how Paul minces words? This letter is to Titus who is one of the pastors trained by Paul for the work of the Gospel. Paul tells him plainly not to get involved in quarrels over the law because those arguments are worthless.

I believe very strongly that at the end of the day, we are all congregations of one. By that I mean that there may well be no other person on earth who believes exactly the same way you do on every single question of the Bible, doctrine and theology. But . . . who cares? God has called us into unity despite our differences in opinions and Paul teaches us that controversies over these differences are foolish. The word “silly” keeps coming to my mind. Some of you have heard me say this before but I imagine us all getting to heaven, running up the Father and laying our arguments before Him in a demand to know who is right. I can see Him shake His head sympathetically as He tells us we were all wrong.

That image helps me to remember not to judge another. I love to seek answers and I love to delve into the deep things but Paul said another thing that really speaks to this problem of unity or division over the things of God. He wrote, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,” (1 Corinthians 2: 2). This is the point of agreement and this is where we should hang our hats. Let there be consensus among us to agree upon that which we agree upon and give one another room to receive further instruction and revelation from God about everything else. You may think I am wrong about something. Okay. We are both learning and growing and how we think today, hopefully, is not exactly how we will think next year. I intend for us all to be more mature and further along in our Christian walk by then.

If one of your friends has a very divergent view from you about something in the Bible, it’s okay. Their theology is not going to send you to hell so don’t worry about it. Pray for God to pour out new revelation upon you both and He will. And here is the kicker, they just may be right. If so, God will teach you when you are ready. Neither being right nor being wrong is a reason for division. Neither gives us license to judge the other person. Moreover, someone else’s beliefs aren’t going to condemn you. Only your beliefs condemn you.

So, relax. Take a chill pill. Resolve to agree on Jesus as Lord and King. Determine to celebrate the life of our beloved. I think you will find that when you do, a lot of that other stuff just isn’t as important anymore.

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Love Law

On September 7, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 13: 10

Love does no wrong to a neighbor, love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

If Paul is right and love is the fulfillment of the law, then we ought to know this verse by heart. Interestingly, I don’t really hear this verse bantered around very much. Paul derived this teaching directly from Jesus’ “One Commandment” message. Jesus gave us a new commandment, that we love one another, knowing that it would fulfill all the requirements of the law. Paul synthesizes that idea for us in today’s verse.

Love is a high hurdle. There are people we don’t like but God requires us to love them anyway. What does that really mean? How can you love someone you don’t like? Well, liking them may mean that you want to spend time with them, that you enjoy their company. Love means regardless of their personality or behaviors, you still want all God’s best for them. You pray for their salvation, blessing, etc. You are going to be tested when your prayers succeed though, so be warned. God will bless them because of you even if they don’t do anything worthy of his blessing. That is how He is. You might choke a little when they begin being blessed because you have stood in the gap for them for a long time. It’s okay. Just enjoy knowing your prayers are honored in God’s throne room.

This verse should be a lesson for every avenue of life. It applies to governments and diplomacy. It applies in businesses. It applies in every organization. Love never does any harm to another. There is a better way for you to succeed than to step on another human being or their business. We don’t succeed on the backs of other people. We succeed on eagle’s wings. That is the love principle and I tell you the truth, there is no power in the universe stronger than love.

Keep today’s verse in mind. Memorize it perhaps and let it guide all of your human interactions.

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Commanding Presence

On September 6, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 15: 17

This I command you, that you love one another.

I may have mistyped today’s verse. Shouldn’t that read, “I encourage you to love one another” or “I suggest you love one another?” And yet, I looked it up in a bunch of translations and all of them say “command.” What happened to the gentle, kind Jesus or is it that we sometimes forget he is Lord?

Good things flow to us when we obey the Lord and he always has our best interests at heart. However, it seems to me that his giving us a command ought to be reason enough to do it. Where does reasoning fit in? Is there any room to question this directive?

Jesus is our big brother and our best friend. That does not negate his lordship though and I think we sometimes forget that he is Lord and king. We have been given a high status in the kingdom of God and we praise God for that but it would not hurt us to revisit Jesus as Lord. We worship him but lordship also demands obedience. Every word out of Jesus’ mouth is to be obeyed. I can tell you that his words are life and that it serves you well to obey him for that reason but I do not wish for us to lose sight of Jesus as Lord and master.

Every knee will bow before the Lord Jesus. He is to be lifted up. Yes, talk to him as your big brother. Giggle with him as your best friend but also praise him, worship him and above all obey him because he is Lord and because he is worthy. He takes his responsibility seriously and we are wise to remember that we owe him service and obedience.

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Fruit Club

On September 5, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 15: 16

You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.

I, just like every other minister of the gospel, revel in sharing the Good News. Everyone wants to hear how Jesus’ life and sacrifice will improve the quality of their lives. We are living in an age of self-interest almost to the point of self-absorption. What this means for ministers is that the message people want to hear is how Jesus helps them. The question we have attempted to answer is, “What is in Christianity for me?” Today’s verse functionally turns that question on its head because Jesus made it clear, in this statement, that it isn’t all about me. This is an uncomfortable and harsh reality for some of us but for others of you, this is a higher form of truth and reality and one that you embrace avidly.

Too often we get the cart before the horse but if we spend time with this verse, pondering the fullness of its message, we find rich revelation. Jesus makes clear that the Father will do whatever you ask of Him when you approach Him through Jesus. However, that is the second part of the equation. The first part is that He chose you. We all think we chose Jesus, almost like we graced him with our acceptance of him. We fill our salvation with arrogance as if we were some prize worthy of winning. We weren’t. There is nothing in us that makes us worthy of anything EXCEPT the Father’s love for us. His love for us has clothed us in the worthiness that Jesus won for us. The only thing we did was to accept this garment of blessed grace.

Secondly, Jesus points out that there was a reason for choosing us. Sadly, it isn’t because we are so wonderful, wise and beautiful. We have a purpose and he appointed us for this purpose, that we should bear much fruit. There is also a consequence for not fulfilling our purpose. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He (the Father) takes away” (John 15: 2).

I want to preach just the part of the verse that says the Father will do everything we ask in Jesus’ name but that would be a miscarriage of my duties to you and to the Father. The truth is what equips you and not just the candy-coated version. When you understand the Father’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice you also appreciate that everything they tell us to do benefits us. Yahweh’s love is pervasive but it is not egotistical nor meant to train you to be a spoiled, arrogant child. He wants to raise you into the vision He has of you as a mature partner in His kingdom.

The natural consequence of bearing good fruit is abundant harvest. People spend many words and thoughts trying to figure out the purpose of life when it has been “hidden” right here in plain sight for thousands of years. Your purpose and mine is to bear good fruit. As we do, the Father multiplies our seeds so that a bountiful crop is always maturing in our back yards. Christianity was never meant to be a “Bless Me” club. It is a service organization. It turns out, though, that the way to the blessings is through service.

I want you blessed and happy. I desire that your basket overflow continually. So, go serve someone else. Think about what others may need or what you could do for them. Start at home and at work. What could you do today for your mother? How about your spouse? Maybe your next door neighbor would love just to have a visit or take your mechanic a glass of tea. Do you have doorman in your building? There are people around you all day who need to see Jesus’ fruit. You are the branches on his vine. Bear much good fruit.

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Labor Day

On September 4, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Timothy 5: 18

The laborer is worthy of his wages.

Happy Labor Day everyone. I hope you are enjoying the holiday. As you celebrate, consider all the people whose contributions add value to your life. It is so easy to overlook people’s roles in society and not value them until they are gone. Let us make an effort to show people how much what they do matters to us.

Have a great day and spread it around.

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Inextricably Intertwined

On September 1, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 15: 5

I am the vine, you are the branches.

In yesterday’s Word of the Day I used the words interwoven and intertwined. I want to share with you, today, the basis for those words and why they are relevant to any discussion of Christians and Christian life.

Jesus describes us as branches of himself. That is a really powerful statement if you think about it. In fact, I think you could hang out in John 15 for quite a while gleaning the depth of meaning in it. Today’s verse is also part of the inspiration for the logo for Ivey Ministries. Being a Christian means being a part of Jesus and he being an integral part of you. I imagine an Ivy vine twining itself around a tree. Have you ever attempted to pull the Ivy from the tree? I am sure you found that the Ivy had intertwined itself with the tree. It is not readily removed from the tree. I like to see how the Ivy interlaces itself among the branches of the tree, its leaves comingling with the leaves of the tree. Inevitably the tree and the Ivy become so intertwined that it is hard to tell one from the other. The longer the Ivy abides with the tree, the harder it becomes to extricate it from the tree. There is another verse which eludes to this type of interconnectedness with the Lord. It is Isaiah 40: 31. It is the verse which is on the home page of the Ivey Ministries website. The God’s Word translation reads this way, “The strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed.” I like that translation. Another says, “Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength” (Christian Standard Bible). The NIV says that the strength of the Lord is for those who “hope” in the Lord. The reason you see all these variations in the verse is because the word and the idea contained herein is complex and rich in meaning. At its base, one of the keywords in the definition is “intertwined.” This is at the heart of our ministry. I would, therefore, communicate Isaiah 40: 31 this way, “Those who are intertwined with the Lord will renew their strength.”

I would like to help you become so integrated, so intertwined with the Lord that it is difficult to discern where one of you begins and the other ends. In fact, the amalgamation of you and Jesus can be so complete that there is no end to either of you but rather where one of you exists, there, also is the other. Everywhere you go, there is Jesus. Every word you say, Jesus speaks. Wouldn’t that be great? Every thought he has, you hear. Every desire of your heart or his, is shared completely between you. His life and light flow through your veins and strengthens every cell of your body and illuminates your mind. You will understand the deep things of God and see beyond the constraints of humanity. There is an entire universe for you and Jesus to share and explore together with no bonds to restrain you. When you hear me talking about intertwining, this is what I am thinking of. This is the vision and the goal.

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Choices

On August 31, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 14: 30

I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do.

Who killed Jesus? Some people say the Jews, other argue the Romans while the best answer may be you and me. However, the right answer is no one. Jesus gave up his spirit. He gave his life on the cross. The Jews tried many times to take him but he would disappear and they were never able to lay their hands on him. Jesus tells us in this verse that because he loves the Father and because the Father commanded him, he, Jesus chose the cross. He gave up his life out of his love for the Father, his devotion to God’s commands, but also so that all the world would see and know this love which changes the world. He sowed his life into this world so that all would see and would have the means to turn to God and be saved. What a choice.

I want you to see one other thing in today’s verse. Jesus was clear on his position with the Father. He also knew, without any doubt, that Yahweh is the benevolent Father. Jesus’ belief in the Father’s love and in His power never faltered. However, he was also cognizant of another authority, the ruler of the world. He was talking about Satan and though Satan had legal authority Jesus says, plainly, “he has nothing in Me.” You’ve got to love that.

This goes along well with yesterday’s Word of the Day. We get to choose whose back yard we play in. Jesus knew Satan had nothing in him because all the days of his life he served his father and his father alone. Jesus had to deal with hardships, he battled temptation but he knew that, although Satan had authority, position and even some power, he could not exercise any of it over Jesus because Jesus was founded in God. Yahweh was (and is) Jesus’ fortress. He is Jesus’ strength and the authority that Jesus has in the Father trumps anything Satan ever threw at Jesus. Sure, Jesus had to fight temptation. He resisted to the point of sweating blood but his Father empowered him for just such a stand of faith. Jesus exercised his partnership with the Father and he was always victorious. And, that is another way we know that Jesus gave his life rather than anyone taking it from him. No one could take his life because he was in the Father and the Father in him and they are an unbeatable pair.

Now the story gets even better. We have the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If we work with them and connect with their life within us, we can have the same power partnership that saw Jesus through the toughest of times. Really, we have an even more powerful union because we have Jesus in addition to the Father. All of the power of the trinity resides within us right now. There is nothing we need that we do not already have. The trick is for us to learn to work with the Trinity the way Jesus did with the Father.

Are you rejoicing yet? The power of the Father, the glory of the Son and the creative energy of the Spirit are intertwined with your spirit right now. I want you to practice feeling your spirit. You know how to check your body. You know how to check your emotions. We need to be experts at connecting with our spirits. What is going on in your gut right now, non-biologically? What sensation is right behind your belly button? Do you feel peace, anxiety, rushed? When you have that sense of inner calm, how does that feel? Can you sense your spirit? Get accustomed to checking your spirit routinely and then branch out into the interwoven presence of the Holy Trinity within you. This is your power source. This is the boardroom of the partnership. You will feel the Lord within you and you will hear his voice. The more you hear his voice within you, the easier it will be to navigate all of life’s adventures.

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