Christ’s Disciple

On February 3, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 13: 34 – 35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

This is a familiar bit of scripture. It is called the new commandment, the one commandment, or the love commandment. It is another thing too. It is the entire discipleship class. Or let us say it is the answer to the final exam. If you love one another, if you demonstrate the Jesus kind of love for one another, then you have passed the discipleship class. 

Much is written about discipleship and many churches even offer discipleship classes. It seems to me that Jesus offered a discipleship class too; it was the observance of his life, of course, but he sums up the whole thing with one little sentence. It all boils down to love. I sure wish he had said the evidence of a true disciple is faithfulness, diligence or perseverance in the faith, but he didn’t. The only way anyone will identify me as a disciple of Christ is if they see the love of God issuing from me. The apostle Paul said that without love, anything else, everything else is meaningless (1 Corinthians 13: 1-3). He got it. He understood Jesus’ message.

Stating it a different way would simply be to say that Christianity is: “loving one another as Jesus loves us.” That’s it. You can take every book on theology ever written and boil it down to that one sentence. There is your entire thesis in one sentence. I wish it was as easy to live it as to say it. 

The Apostle John said it this way, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1 John 4: 20 NIV). In other words, if I do not love my brother, then I am not a disciple of Christ. To be more accurate though, Jesus said that we must love one another as he loves us. That is to say, if I do not love others as Jesus loves us then I am no disciple of his; not a follower of the way (Jesus); not even really a Christian which means one who follows Christ.

What kind of love is this then? “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3: 16).  It is a sacrificial love. It is others centered, putting the needs of others above my wishes. That is a tall bill to fill and I cannot do it in my own strength. In fact, it is in the surrender of my strength that I can do all things. But guess what, Jesus couldn’t do it in his own strength either. That is why he sweated blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. None of us can do what God has called us to do in our own strength that is why God empowered us through His abiding presence living inside of us. We must live through the presence of God in our hearts. Jesus allowed the father’s compassion to flow through him. We don’t have to be super heroes. We just have to allow our abiding in Christ and his dwelling in us to be expressed. We learn to let go of our desperate grasp and to let God flow out of our inner being. It is a hard thing to do when we are still wedded to our flesh but as we learn to live out of our spirits we will find it increasingly easy and joyful. When Jesus told us to live this way it was because he had a revelation from God that we could. His early disciples did and we can too. As we are transformed through the renewing of our minds we discover a radical trust of God inside of us and that trust empowers us to let go and live beyond the means of mortal man. We will soar on wings as eagles and nothing, by any means, shall be impossible to us. It is the power of love.

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Class Notes

On February 2, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 13: 17

If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

How audacious of the Lord to tell us that knowing the things of God, even the things that he taught does not render blessing unto us. Jesus says we are only blessed when we do them. That is a little frightening, isn’t it? The most knowledgeable Biblical scholar in the world can live outside the blessing if he does not apply what he knows. Jesus was giving us words to live by rather than words to study and know. The Bible really is a how to manual. It isn’t just a collection of arbitrary rules. Think of it this way – imagine that Jesus gave a three day seminar on “Living the Successful and Blessed Life.” Can you imagine the copious notes you would take if you got to attend that seminar. Well, the Bible is the product of taking everyone’s notes and compiling them into one volume. Right there in your hand you have John’s class notes. Wow!

Here is the point that Jesus is making though; attending the seminar does you no good if you don’t take the information and apply it to your everyday life. You may have the best set of notes in the class, perhaps you even go home and rewrite them and organize them on your computer. That is awesome. You are a great student but it is the application of that knowledge that will make you successful in life rather than just in your studies. You are way ahead of those who don’t take notes, i.e. don’t read the Bible but that study should only be the precursor of the more important step – doing what you glean from your studies. You must begin with the knowledge. That is what Jesus says but after that comes the practicum. Apply what you have learned. 

What does Jesus tell us to do? Remember that the entire Bible is the Word of Jesus. When he tells us to meditate on the scriptures, are we doing it? When he tells us to love one another, then that is part of the pathway to excellence in our own lives. Live Jesus’ words. Therein lies the victory.

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To Catch a Thief

On January 30, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 6: 31

Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry, but when he is found he must repay sevenfold.

The devil is a thief. Jesus said that he comes only to steal, kill and destroy (John 10: 10). If he is caught, though, he also must repay seven times. That is the law by which he is bound. He is not allowed to run around stealing from you. Jesus has already defeated the devil. We are not awaiting some battle that is going to take place. It is done. Jesus went into hell and took the keys of death, hell and the grave. Everything that the devil ever had is now under Jesus’ feet and therefore under our feet. How long, then are we going to allow the devil to steal from us?

The problem that I often have is that I wait for God to do something when the power of the Almighty is alive inside me. Jesus said to speak to the mountain (Mark 11: 23); he didn’t tell us to pray about it. That’s kinda tough. I am supposed to do something about the situations of my life. I am supposed to wield this power. I would rather whine to Dad and Him do something about it but He says, “I have, I have done it all. I have given you everything you need. Now go forth and use the sword I gave you.” “Oh yeah,” I think, “I have the Word and the Word has already whipped the devil.” The Word is in my heart and now it must be in my mouth. I have to say something.

No one said there was anything comfortable about this. In fact, many of our churches don’t teach us this so we kind of look like deer in the headlights when we hear this message. Kenneth Hagin spent 50 years of ministry teaching people to speak to their mountains. I guess it is time we start talking. Speak protection over your family and belongings. Cover everything with the shed blood of Jesus. Then start telling your mountains to jump in the sea.

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Length of Days

On January 29, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 3: 1 – 2

My son, do not forget my teaching but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life, and peace they will add to you.

Proverbs is one of my favorite books of the Bible and this has long been one of my favorite proverbs. However, now that I am studying the heart I am hearing everything differently. Before when I have read or even when I have meditated on this scripture I have focused on “keeping His commandments” and the benefit that confers onto me. However, that isn’t really what this passage says. It doesn’t say for me to keep the commandments but rather for my heart to keep them. Why the distinction? Well, anything else would be a work of the flesh. Keeping the commandments might make me a good Pharisee but my heart keeping them makes me a good Christian or “friend of Christ” which is my definition of Christianity.

We can help ourselves to remember His teaching by continuing in Bible study. To keep it in our hearts requires us to spend some time with our hearts. We have learned that God has inscribed the entirety of His word on our hearts as part of the New Covenant which we have become a party to through the new birth. However, there is an uncovering or a discovery of all that is written there that must take place in order for us to actually keep His Word with our hearts. Head knowledge is not going to satisfy the condition precedent for the promise that God has given us in this passage. In order to have fullness of days and length of years we must keep the Word with our hearts. That first means falling in love with Jesus since He is the Word and then it means going into our hearts where God resides and allowing that Word to be revealed in the heart library. It must become real to our hearts and we must guard and keep it with our hearts rather than our brains for it to have power. Everything else is just, as one friend calls it, intellectual Christianity; fun for your brain and intellect but without life and power. The Holy Spirit doesn’t live in your brain.

God isn’t promising to do something for us if we will do what He says. He is teaching us that long life is the natural byproduct of keeping His statutes with our hearts. He isn’t so much giving a promise here as showing cause and effect. When you worship God through and with your heart you touch all that He is and when you do that, your life is always improved. So, open up the library vault of your heart through your discovery of the Word of God. Meditate therein until the indelible ink of God has saturated your being. Then all manner of blessing will flow from it.

You thought this was going to be a devotional on healing, didn’t you? Well, it is. To your good health ….

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The New Covenant

On January 28, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 31: 33

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days”, declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Have you ever wondered what the “New Covenant” with God is? First of all, let’s understand what a covenant is. The American Heritage Dictionary defines covenant as: a binding agreement made by two or more persons or parties; a compact; contract. 2. A solemn agreement or vow made by members of a church to defend and support its faith and doctrine. 3. Theology. God’s promises to man, as recorded in the Old and New Testaments. 4. A formal sealed agreement or contract. Our covenant with God is a sacred contract, if you will, a binding agreement between humanity and God. It is a reciprocal agreement wherein each party has its obligations and benefits. Our part is to be His people. Wow, that is an obligation which actually is a benefit in itself. If there were no terms other than that, we would win. We get to be His people. However, there are other obligations upon God which confer benefit unto us. He is obligated to be our God. If I will be His, then He has no option but to be mine. He is bound. That is powerful. You have the power to bind God to you such that He has no choice but to be your God. Do you see that? But wait, there is more. He has the affirmative duty to write all of His Word, knowledge and wisdom on your heart. Again, He has no choice. He has bound Himself by His Word and He has not the power to lie or to break His Word. Therefore, when you accept Yahweh as your God He moves into your heart and inscribes all that He is there.

Everything that Jesus is or did; everything he accomplished is alive inside of you right now. In John 14: 23 Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word and my Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.” And where do they live? Ephesians 3: 17 says that Christ dwells in our hearts. That is where the Word is written and Jesus is the Word. It really does all make sense. When Jesus said that He and the Father would come live in us He was echoing what the Father said in Jeremiah. Jesus knew what the New Covenant was. He heard God speak about the New Covenant and His plans for His people. Our only obligation is that we love Jesus. If we love Him, if we have a heart condition of affection for Jesus, an emotional response to who he is, then the entire trinity with all wisdom, power and grace will come live inside us and be our constant friend and helper. We give God our hearts and He gives us everything. That is the New Covenant. What a deal. No lawyer on earth has ever brokered a deal this good yet God gave it freely. What a Great and benevolent Father we have.

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There’s a Hole In the Bucket

On January 27, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Haggai 1: 6 -7

You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways!”

There are few of us who have not lived through a time when it seemed like we couldn’t get ahead no matter what we did. The answer to that problem is that we must look more closely at the condition of our lives.

In this story the prophet Haggai is speaking to the Jews. They have returned to their land after 70 years of Babylonian captivity and have begun rebuilding their lives. However, they have left the temple in disrepair. God is telling them that there is a hole in their lives which needs filling. Verse 4 reads, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [the house of the Lord] lies desolate?” I can well imagine that these people were praying themselves blue in the face all the while not realizing that by their own actions, or rather their neglect, they were effectively loosing locust among their harvest. I think the same is true of us so perhaps we should consider our ways.

We know that the devil is a thief. What I am finding is that we open the door and invite him to come in and steal from us. Of course, we do not realize we are doing it but that is why God says, “Wait. Stop for a moment and consider your ways.” If you are being robbed of health are there ways you are cooperating with the devil? What about finances? I wrote a devotional recently entitled, It Works, the point of which is that giving actually does create financial well-being. Although I have written on the topic numerous times over the years still people struggle with their finances when they shouldn’t. But I look at their lives and patterns and see that they are not doing those things which God said would cause them to prosper. “Consider your ways!” Give and it shall be given to you. It isn’t complicated but it requires you to do something affirmative.

The Bible teaches us to guard our hearts for from it flow the issues of life. (Proverb 4: 23). The God’s Word translation reads this way, “Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it. ” But we soak our precious hearts in television shows, music, and movies that traumatize it and then we immerse it in hours of negative news broadcasts. Of course you are challenged. Your heart cannot bear up under that and if you think it can, you are fooling yourself. I don’t mean to be harsh I just want you to have everything that you want and need and everything that Jesus died to give you but we cannot pollute our homes, minds and hearts and still receive fresh, clean water.

Look at your home. Does more enter into it that is of the light or of the dark? Don’t tell me how that TV show really isn’t that bad. I’m not your boss but God is saying, “Consider your ways!” He is only saying this to you because He wants to get blessing to you but you are blocking the way. He only wanted you to give so that He could bless you. He wanted the Jews to rebuild the temple because it was depriving them of their blessing. 

What is it that you want out of life? What does God say about how to acquire it? He has spoken to every issue. Now ask yourself this, “How can I cooperate with God so that my needs and desires are fulfilled?” God isn’t holding back on you. He wants to fill you to overflowing (Psalm 23). He just needs a little cooperation from us. I pray that God speak to your heart today and show you ways that you can plug up the holes in your life.

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Treasure Trove

On January 26, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

 Psalm 119: 161- 162

Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of Thy words. I rejoice at Thy word as one who finds great spoil.

The value of the Word of God, it cannot be overestimated. It has life and healing in it, but what, really, is the Word of God? Or stated differently, is the Bible synonymous with the Word of God?

I do not believe it is. To me the Bible is the physical replication of the Word of God. I do believe it is sacred text but the text alone is not what gives life to our bones. It is the living word that contains the miracle working power. At its most fundamental level the Word is Jesus (John 1: 14). At the highest level I would say that “The Word” is every pronouncement of God. It is every utterance that has ever proceeded from God’s lips. The question for us is what does any of this mean for my life, for our lives here in the earth? Understanding that the Bible is a recordation of God’s word is important. We actually have access to God’s diary. Think about that a moment. Now, let’s go to the next step. When we read the Bible we are just reading black text on a white page unless we allow the next level of engagement to manifest. That is where we recognize that the words that we read can be lifted off of the page. They can be ingested as the staff of life. No longer are they simple words but now they carry the voice of God. They are language but spoken language rather than written. We begin to hear the Father’s voice in our ear and in our spirits speaking life to us.

Then comes the next level of God’s Word to us. Not only do we hear His voice in the pages of the Bible but then we begin to hear His voice speaking to us about our lives. This is not a departure from the Bible or from the “Word of God” but rather an extension of same. God takes His heart, which is revealed so transparently in His word, and extends those principles to our specific life circumstances. They still are “The Word” and in a sense they still are the Bible because God will never, ever tell you anything that contradicts with the Bible. I just don’t think He has stopped speaking. He is still filling pages with His word. Maybe in the years to come, after the rapture, there will be a third testament. Perhaps some of us will have the job of compiling a new text. I don’t know but the point is that God is alive and He is still speaking. Not only that, but even the Bible is not in stasis. It breathes and speaks. God’s word is alive. Don’t think of His word as just a compiled book that we call the Holy Bible. Think of it as His breath leaving His mouth and breathing new life onto you. You can go into the pages of that book and the next thing you know it has jumped off of the page and is shouting joyous good news. It is dancing in your room and praising God.  

The Word of God is alive and it is precious. It is health and liberty, victory and life. We rejoice because God has given us His word but He isn’t done yet either. Listen to what He will speak to you today either through the Bible or whispered in your ear. Either way it is time to celebrate the Word of God.

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