The First Law

On January 26, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Galatians 6: 7

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

We have the power to improve the quality of our lives. When we know and follow spiritual laws we find increasing success and happiness. The lead shot manufacturers from yesterday’s Word of the Day employed the physical laws of the earth in order to create a needed product. We can create the same kind of success by employing spiritual laws.

Today’s verse reveals one of those spiritual laws. It is called the law of sowing and reaping. Yesterday I said that it is the preeminent law. Why do I say that? Jesus intimated to his disciples that if they could not understand the parable of the sower and the seed then they could not understand any of the parables (Mark 4: 13). Besides this statement, twice Jesus compared the kingdom of God to seed being sown (v. 26 & 30). In other words, if we cannot understand the parable of the sower then we cannot understand anything about the kingdom of God. This principle of sowing and reaping is how the kingdom of God works. That is why it is so important that we recognize it and employ it. It is not necessary that we understand how it works, only that we apply it.

In Galatians 6: 7 Paul was writing specifically about money. In context he was speaking about giving good things to those who teach us the word (Galatians 6: 6). The principle of sowing and reaping, though, applies to all things. In Matthew 7, verse 1 Jesus is quoted saying, “Do not judge lest you be judged.” Why is this so? Because as you sow, so shall you reap. If you sow judgement, judgment you will reap. If you sow bitterness, bitterness you will reap. No matter what you sow, that you shall reap and more besides because one thing we know about seeds is that they produce much more fruit than is represented by their size and number.

Another truth which supports this proposition is Genesis 1: 12 which reads, “The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind”. That is to say that the fruit yield is representative of the seed sown. The seeds produce according to their own kind such that whatever you sow is what you reap. Agriculturally we wouldn’t expect to plant cucumber seeds and get tomatoes. It just doesn’t happen.

The same is true in our lives. We cannot sow discord and reap harmony. We will not reap love and respect if we sow criticism, judgment and backbiting. It just isn’t ever going to happen. Jesus taught that we could know people by their fruit (Matthew 7: 16 & 20). A good tree, he said, does not produce bad fruit and vice versa. The fruit will demonstrate what kind of seed they have sown. Jesus is talking about the harvest and the harvest is always a product of the seed. Knowing this, we can predetermine the crop which is produced in our lives by planting the correct seeds.

This is the first law of spiritual physics. Harvests are determined by seeds. Therefore, we can cultivate our crop of choice by first planting the right seeds. Understanding that the kingdom of God’s first law is sowing and reaping should help us all to live a more enlightened and fruitful life. Be blessed my beloved.

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Physics?

On January 25, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 5: 18

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

When God created this ream in which we live, He created certain physical and spiritual laws. These laws operate independently of our will or actions. The most obvious example of this is the law of gravity. Gravity operates whether or not you believe in it or whether or not you intend to trigger it. We have come to accept this law though. If I release the pen in my hand right now, I am convinced that it will fall to the desk, perhaps even to the floor. Now, whether or not I can explain the law of gravity, I understand its impact on the pen and I can, with a pretty high level of accuracy, predict the course of the pen. All of the laws of physics work in the same way. The results of their application are predictable.

Allow me to give you an example. There is a shot tower in Virginia. It is called a shot tower because early settlers used the seventy-five foot tall tower to manufacture lead shot for guns. Molten lead was dropped 150 feet from the top of the tower. During the decent, physical laws operated on the melted lead so that when it reached its terminus it was spherical and partially cooled. The shot would fall into a pool of water which would complete the cooling process. The result was smooth, round shot.

I doubt that the shot manufacturers could explain all of the physical laws which operated upon the molten lead which caused it to form the perfect shot needed for the firearms of the day. Even if the owner of the patent could offer even a portion of a scientific explanation I am sure that the people dropping the shot could not. None the less, the shot ended up being just as round and just as smooth for the most ignorant of the operators as it was for the most informed. Why? The physical laws work equally for all of us whether or not we can explain their properties. The operators understood that if they dropped their shot from the top of the tower that when it was fished out of the pool it would be smooth and round. They did not need to understand gravity, atmospheric pressure, acceleration, the impact of humidity, or any other physical laws which impacted the shot in order to predict the outcome and to make perfect shot.

Now then, there are also spiritual laws that underpin this sphere, this realm in which we live. They operate the same for everyone and with the same predictability. Unfortunately, most of us do not know these spiritual laws so we can neither predict them nor use them to our benefit. We often think things just happen but in truth there is cause and effect. The more we understand the laws which are in operation all around us, the more we can determine our destinies instead of being reeds blowing in the wind. Let us look at the most prominent of all spiritual laws tomorrow.

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The Rich Young Ruler (Part 5)

On January 22, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 10: 21

And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, “One thing you lack . . . come, follow me.”

What was the one thing that the rich young ruler lacked? I believe it was a deep abiding trust in the Holy One. I think Jesus was preaching Proverb 3: 5 to him which reads; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” We know that this young man was holy because he kept the commandments. We know that he loved God. That is why he kept the commandments. He had a deeper longing for God also. He was not prideful either. Those two are demonstrated in the fact that he ran to Jesus and that he threw himself at Jesus’ feet. He wanted to know how to come closer to God and was willing to chase down the man he thought could teach him that.

His problem was not that he had riches. Really it is not hard to get into heaven with riches. You just leave them behind here on earth. You go, they stay. No, his problem was that he had learned to trust in his wealth. He trusted in his skills. He knew how to live and be prosperous but his trust was in himself and his ability to take care of himself. Jesus called him to leave that life and his possessions behind and follow him. Peter, John, etc. left their goods behind and it did not seem to bother them much. They did not have their trust tied into their fishing nets. This young man didn’t know how to walk by faith though. This is what Jesus wanted to teach him. In the fourth chapter of Mark, Jesus compared the kingdom of God to seed which is planted and having been planted, after a time, yields a crop. He was trying to teach them all the law of sowing and reaping.

When Jesus called Andrew and Peter, he told them that he would make him fishers of men. In the rich young ruler’s case, he would have shown him how to sow and reap in the kingdom of God. He would have taught him how to make money by sowing, but also he would have taught him how he (the young ruler) could plant the seed of God’s word and reap souls saved and destiny bound. He could have become a great evangelist because he already knew the principles of business. He just needed to learn to operate as God and Jesus did. And he needed to learn what we are all still learning even to this day. Walk wherever Jesus calls you without fear or concern for your own livelihood. Do what he calls you to do and have no thought for your own needs. They are the responsibility of the Father. The rich young ruler couldn’t step out of his comfort zone and follow Christ. He couldn’t step out on that water and trust Christ to hold him up. He couldn’t go where Jesus called because of his fear and lack of faith and trust. Now the real question is, “Can we?”

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The Rich Young Ruler (Part 4)

On January 21, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 10: 17 – 20

And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.’” And he said the Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.”

Jesus wasn’t teaching about salvation in this story. He was teaching about walking according to the kingdom that God is now and in the future will establish. He is talking about learning to work and walk in the earth as God has so designed. We can see this in the first several verses. Jesus finishes dealing with salvation in verse 20 and yet the story goes on through verse 31. So what was Jesus talking about in the subsequent 11 verses?

The young man asked what he needed to do to inherit salvation and Jesus answered him, “Keep the commandments.” The man answered that he had so done all the years of his life. That’s it then, isn’t it? Jesus said, “Do this and you shall inherit salvation” and the fellow essentially says, “Ok.” That ends that conversation. But Jesus saw something in this young man that he really liked; more than liked actually. The scripture said that Jesus loved him. Jesus said, “Come follow me.” It is like Peter and Andrew leaving their nets and following him. I am also reminded of the story in Matthew 8. Jesus called someone to come with him but the man responded, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” Jesus answered him though, “Follow Me; and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

You see, nothing was more important than following Jesus. To this day, nothing is more important than following Jesus. Anything that we allow to come before our following of our Lord is a problem. Actually, it is an idol. Anything that we put in a position of higher importance than the Lord Jesus is an idol. We are serving it rather than the Lord. You see that Jesus was not going to be second place in any of these people’s lives. Jesus understands that we all have responsibilities but he wants us to put him first place in our lives. He is to be our Lord and all other things should fall into place behind him.

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The Rich Young Ruler (Part 3)

On January 20, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 10: 23 – 26

And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?”

If Jesus was teaching that rich people cannot get into heaven, then why were his own disciples astonished? Why has this come as such a surprise to them? After all, they have been following him around for some time. They were living in a totally different mindset than we are today. Wealthy people were the spiritual leaders and all of the spiritual leaders and wise fathers were wealthy. Abraham was very rich. To the disciples this was like Jesus telling them that Father Abraham couldn’t get into heaven. In their minds, if rich people couldn’t get into heaven, then no one could. Furthermore, they were men of means. Peter and his brother, Andrew, owned their own fishing business and James and John were partnered with their father in their own fishing business. Matthew was a tax collector. Tax collectors were wealthy and well educated though despised, probably because they collected taxes for the Roman authority. Because of their wealth they were not only astonished but also a bit concerned. You see that in their entreaty about leaving behind everything to follow Jesus. They apparently didn’t sell everything they had because they reveal here that they left it at home. They left their worldly goods behind. They did not give it away. Matthew used his immense wealth to throw Jesus a big party (Luke 5: 29). He must have had a big house too because the scripture says “there was a great crowd.” David was rich. His son Solomon was the richest man in history, even to this day. What sense would it have made to the disciples for Jesus to say that rich men couldn’t get into heaven? Abraham was already there (see Luke 16). 

But Jesus was not telling them that rich people couldn’t or wouldn’t get into heaven. He wasn’t even telling them that it is hard for them to get into heaven. He did not even mention heaven until the last sentence. How is this reconciled then? Jesus was teaching them about the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of heaven. These are related but different subjects and understanding that clears up the confusion evidenced by the apostles. We will see it more clearly tomorrow.

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The Rich Young Ruler (part 2)

On January 19, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 10:17-31

And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.’” And he said the Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God.” And they were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” Looking upon them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus, said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first, will be last; and the last, first.”

 “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor.”

 Above is the text for the entire story of the rich, young ruler so that you can see it in context. Try to read it with new eyes. Try to read it without the wind of doctrine blowing through it.

In this excerpt, I want you to see that Jesus did not tell the man to give away all that he had. He told him to sell it. The man did not have only money. He owned much property. That probably means real estate, but likely includes other property as well. Jesus wanted the man to follow him and knew very well that the man could not manage all that property and go out on the road too. Jesus wanted the man to convert the property into cash. Then his assets would be portable. In this more liquid form the man could have sown into many great works and projects. Jesus was not making the man bankrupt; he was teaching him how to work in the Kingdom of God. He was going to teach him wealth management and growth according to God’s financial principles. He was going to teach him the law of sowing and reaping. The man would have ended up much wealthier by far.

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The Rich Young Ruler

On January 18, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 10: 21               

And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack; go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

The body of Christ is so confused about finances. The misconceptions and misunderstandings are prolific. I find that it is difficult for many pastors to teach on the subject because they fear their congregation will misunderstand them and think that the pastor is trying to get something from them. This is an area that is important for us to understand, especially in today’s economy. We need to understand what God has to say about finances so that we can plot our course according to his way.

This story of the rich, young ruler is one of the most misunderstood and misquoted of them all. The first thing we might notice is that Jesus felt a love for this man. He was a ruler and he was abundantly rich. We have been taught that Jesus liked neither rulers nor rich people. Well, you can throw that teaching straight in the garbage because it is in direct contradiction to the word of God. This fellow was a man after Jesus’ own heart. Jesus looked upon him with love, not disdain. Jesus was so touched by the heart of this man that he wanted to fellow to follow him.

Now here we have a well propertied ruler. The guy had kept his life straight, obeying the commandments all the days of his life. This was apparently a profitable lifestyle because the chap ends up (at a young age) a ruler and very wealthy. Jesus saw in the man the very characteristics that he was trying to teach to his followers. This man was a living testament to Jesus’ teaching; except for one thing. Jesus said that he lacked one thing. What was that one thing? Jesus did not tell us. But he told the man to sell his stuff and follow Him. Apparently, Jesus intended that in following Him, the young man would gain the one thing he lacked.

We have turned this story into an anti-wealth message when it is exactly the opposite. Tomorrow we will delve further into this story and see what the Lord will teach us from it.

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