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Give us Life

Ivey Rorie On August 26, 2014 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Proverb 22: 4

The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life.

A funny thing happened on the way to the . . . .

You’ve heard that old joke but it happened to me today on my way to another verse. This 22nd proverb just jumped out and caught me. I hope God caused it to leap off of the page for the Word of the Day, rather than it being a personal message for me. Eeither way, this scripture is seriously worth considering.

Most of us revere the Lord, which is what this “fear the Lord” means. So I don’t see that part as a problem for any of us. I suppose we could each take a moment and question how highly we esteem our Lord. Having done, though, I suspect that the larger problem that many of us need to deal with is humility. We have seen that humility is a pretty big issue with God. In the last couple of months we have seen half a dozen scriptures which either specifically talk about humility or which deal with the subject. It is certainly in our self-interest to be humble. First of all, people do not like arrogant people so we will have better friendships if we walk in humility but look at today’s passage. With humility also comes honor, riches and life. Well, we want life don’t we? So we need to pay attention to whether or not we really are humble.

The real question, I think, is, “Would other people describe me as humble.” You see, we are not always accurate assessors of ourselves. Think about your friends and family. Would they say you are a humble person? That is the test.

You know, Jesus, for all his power was a humble person. Do your remember this statement from Matthew 11: 29, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” That makes one think. How can anyone of us be proud and arrogant when Jesus was humble? What do we think we have that makes us so special? Well, I can tell you that the only thing that I have that makes me special is Jesus.

So, here is what you do. Pray. Ask the Lord Jesus if you ever demonstrate arrogance or pride. Wait and let him answer. Many of us will be confronted with an uncomfortable truth but that is okay. The next step is to ask the Lord to take that out of you. Pray for his help because you cannot do this on your own. Ask him to continue his work in you making you into the image of himself. He will help you. He cannot do it without you, though. You are the master of your own house and he will not violate your sovereignty. However, he is poised, waiting and wanting to transform you into that beautiful creation that you were always destined to be. Do not hesitate in having this conversation with Jesus. Do it today because the longer you wait the longer you are denying yourself riches, honor and life.

The Blessing of the Lord

Ivey Rorie On August 25, 2014 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Proverb 10: 22

It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.

Upon what are you dependent for you prosperity? I hope it is not this economy because the present economy is sure to let you down. We are blessed in the Lord with every blessing under the sun. Part of that blessing is the wealth of God. Having a hard time believing that? Look at Kind David or his son Solomon. Solomon was the richest man ever to live. He was so wealthy that he didn’t even bother to count silver. It just wasn’t worth his time or effort.

Modern day Christians have a hard time receiving all that God has to give because we have bought into the lie that it is wrong for Christians to be wealthy. That doesn’t even make sense and it certainly isn’t biblical. You are the kid of the Almighty, you should be abundantly blessed. Deuteronomy 28: 6 says that we are blessed coming in and going out.

Do not worry about this present economy. It only means that the world system is failing. Your prosperity and the provision for your needs are not in the hands of the world but rather in the hands of the Almighty. Lift up your eyes and your voice to him. Tell him that you are putting all of your trust in him for your financial well being and you will be able to look back on these times and say that in the worst economic climate since the great depression you prospered.

Barnabas and Paul

Ivey Rorie On August 22, 2014 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Acts 15: 39

And there arose such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another.

This is such a tragic story. It is an early New Testament example of a church split. Barnabas and Paul were preaching partners. They travelled together spreading the good news of Christ. In fact, it was Barnabas who, we could say, sponsored Paul.

Do you remember that Paul’s name had been Saul? He was well known in the region for persecuting Christians. He was even there when Stephen was stoned to death. Then he had that remarkable conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). After his conversion he began to preach about Jesus. He went to Jerusalem and tried to associate with the disciples but they didn’t trust him and so wouldn’t have anything to do with him. It was Barnabas who vouched for him. The scripture says “But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles” (Acts 9: 27).

Barnabas was already established in the church but Paul was a newcomer and an outsider. It appears to me that Barnabas took Paul under his wing and helped him. No doubt Barnabas was Paul’s best friend and probably his mentor. Something has gone very wrong by Acts 15 though. They had a bitter disagreement and it split up the team. Neither one, it would seem, was willing to concede the point so they, quite literally, went their separate ways.

What was at the base of this split, do you think? A conflict arose over whether or not to take John Mark with them on their trip. It seems to me, though, that the argument really isn’t over this issue. There is something deeper going on here. I found another scripture recently which may shed some light on this situation. It is Proverb 139: 18 and it reads, “Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.”

I wonder if pride had crept into their relationship. Perhaps Barnabas still perceived himself as the leader and expected to make decisions and to advise Paul. Paul clearly did not wish to defer to Barnabas’ wishes. Neither man would give in so they were forced to separate. It’s sad.

We are faced with the same situations today and it is my theory that pride is at the root. Face it. Few of us have the humility to receive advice. We all want to pretend that we have all of the answers. Pride is our calling card. This is why we quarrel and why we lack wisdom. We are unwilling to receive wisdom from those who would willingly share it with us. There are people with great wisdom and experience who keep it all to themselves because they have learned that most people would rather blindly stumble along in their own strength. And that is a shame. We should be learning from the learned. We should be sitting at the feet of the elderly, gleaning information and experience from them. But alas . . . .

Perhaps if we could learn something from this story of Barnabas and Paul we would have fewer church splits and fewer relationship splits. We’ve learned a few things about pride and humility. Wisdom is found in those who take advice and pride breeds quarrels (Proverb 139: 18). When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom (Proverb 11: 2). “Pride precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall” (Proverb 16: 18). Up ‘til now, though, all of this knowledge is just in our heads. It will only transform us and our lives when it makes its way to our hearts. For that we need at least enough humility to pray to our God and ask Him for help and for wisdom. The problem is that the people who need this most are the one’s least likely to receive this into their hearts. Those of you who are nodding your heads as you read this have already come to appreciate the truth of these verses. Perhaps, then, if you would pray for the rest of us, maybe, just maybe, those of us who have a greater challenge in this area could find a measure of humility such that we could humble themselves before the Lord. We must go before the Lord and ask Him whether we are the humble or the proud and ask Him to soften our hearts. “While you are in there, Father, remove the prideful attitude and arrogance and remake us into the image of your dear son.”

Truly, if we will allow the father to remake our hearts so that arrogance and pride are not central cast members on the stage of our lives, we will live a much better existence and the peace of God will surround us at all times. Hallelujah.

Whom Do You Love

Ivey Rorie On August 21, 2014 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

John 21: 15

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?

That was a loaded question. If you have ever heard a teaching on this passage which delves into the Greek words for “love” you know that Peter was really up against the wall because Jesus was talking about a deeper kind of love than Peter was yet able to fathom. I would like for us to look at this passage today in a similar way to the Greek word study but in a way that I think makes Jesus’ meaning even more clear. (By the way, the easy way to see what was going on in the Greek is to read this passage in the Amplified Bible.)

Let us take today’s verse and overlay it onto 1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 8a. When we do so we find Jesus asking Peter a series of questions. First let us read the passage from 1 Corinthians. “Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant. It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. Love never comes to an end” (God’s Word Translation). In many versions the last sentence reads, Love never fails. Well, you get the point but if you really want a revelation, read this passage in the Amplified translation. Actually, read it in a lot of translations. You will be enlightened. Anyway, when you read 1 Corinthians 13 together with John 21: 15 you find Jesus asking Peter (and each of us), Peter, do you love me – will you be patient with me? Peter, are you kind to me? Are you jealous? Do you brag? Are you arrogant and self-centered? Are you ever rude to me? Peter, are you thinking of yourself or of me? Are you irritable with me? Do you keep a record of past wrongs? Are you happy with unrighteousness; happy in the truth? Will you always be patient with me, believe in me, never give up, never fail and never stop hoping? That is what Jesus was asking when he said, “Peter do you love me?”

Now think of it this way. Jesus has said to you, “I love you.” When Jesus says he loves you he speaks in the fullness of the concept of love. That means that he is conveying to you all of those things found in 1 Corinthians 13. There is great richness and depth in Jesus’ love for you. This is the way the Father loves you also. They love you with their whole being for love is not a shallow word in Christ.

Think of this also the next time you tell a person that you love them. Do you mean to convey all that is found in 1 Corinthians 13? If not, then you don’t really love that person. It may be a deep form of “like” but it isn’t love if you cannot put their needs in front of your own applying all of the characteristics of love. You see, 1 Corinthians 13 defines love for us. In our society we can sometimes use the word love very casually but now that we see what it truly means we may want to curb our tongues. Don’t misunderstand me though. I am all for telling people that you love them. I just want you to mean what you say and understand what love is. If we are not patient and kind to people then we have to conclude that we really do not love them with what God calls love. We may need them, want them, etc. but we have not reached that place in our hearts where we can love as Jesus commanded. When this is the case we must look within ourselves and ask why we, like Peter, have such difficulty expressing true love.

Peter was at the infancy of his ministry when Jesus asked him this question and it really was a question that was intended to prepare Peter for ministry. As we continue to follow Peter’s life and ministry we see that he did get a revelation of what Jesus began teaching him with that simple question. Peter grew and changed and became a great disciple of Christ and a great bearer of the commission and commandment of Jesus. Jesus only gave us one commandment and that command is to love one another (John 13: 34). Our commission is to spread love. It sounds so 1960’s but it is the truth and the essence of Christian life and evangelism. Go into all the world and tell them the good news (Mark 16: 15). What is the good news? That God loves them and that Jesus has restored them to that non-failing, endless love.

So, I want to ask you this question. Who do you love? Do you love Jesus? Does your love for God stand up to the test? Are we putting our needs and wants before God? It is a tough test, to be sure, but looking inside our hearts for the answers will help us to grow as people and as Christians. Live, love and grow.

The Fountain of Life

Ivey Rorie On August 20, 2014 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Psalm 36: 9

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

I cannot help but think of Indiana Jones when I read this scripture and every other treasure hunting story and movie. I have an image running through my mind of people searching the world over for the secret fountain. Can’t you see them competing with one another and trying to beat their rivals to the prize? If only they knew.

Jesus said that he came to give us abundant life (John 10: 10). From today’s passage we learn that in God, the Father is a fountain flowing with life. When we take these two verses together we begin to understand that the life that Jesus came to give us is in the Father. Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father so that we can draw upon His life giving force. As you partake of Jesus you partake of the Father because Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. They are inseparable. In them are life and strength and the more of them you partake of the stronger and more full of life you become.

Now we also understand how our strength can be renewed (Isaiah 40: 31). Our strength really is in the Lord and if you want to run hard you need to fill up. Believe me, I can tell, and unfortunately it is also evident to others, when I have not spent sufficient time in the Word or with my Father. It shows. I have never found the point, however, where I would say, “I have spent too much time with God.” Feeding on the Word and spending time in the presence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the source of strength. Our endurance is in Him. You really can run and not get weary if you feed daily. There are so many demands on people’s time these days and I hear constantly how people are tired. With all those demands and corollary time limits it can be very difficult to get in quality time with the Lord. The truth is, though, if we will spend our time with God then he will give us the strength to do all that we must and we will do it in less time. I know this all sounds counter-intuitive but I have seen it work time and again.

There is a fountain of life and if we will drink from it we will glow with supernatural life. There is a remedy for every malady in that cool, clear water and strength for our tired bones. So, let Indiana Jones run around the world unearthing every clue while we steer straight to the fountain unhindered and drink our fill of life. Drink your fill, it’s already been paid for.

Made Strong

Ivey Rorie On August 19, 2014 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Psalm 105: 37

Then He brought them out with silver and gold; and among His tribes there was not one who stumbled.

I recently heard Pastor Joseph Prince teaching on communion. It is a brilliant teaching. The part that made the greatest impact on me was when he spoke about the Hebrew children leaving Egypt in the great exodus. He used today’s scripture in his message. The Amplified version says that there was not one feeble among their tribes. Prince ascribed that miracle to the immediate previous actions of the Israelites. They had just partaken of Passover. The people took unblemished lambs; slew them and used the blood to mark the entrance to their homes. Then they ate the meat of the lamb. You can see there the communion message because in our communion we partake of the body of the perfect lamb as represented by the bread. Since Jesus took all disease and physical ailment in his body we are able to live free of sickness and disease. The Passover looked forward to the slaying of the perfect lamb while our communion looks back to the sacrifice of our Lord. In both instances our sickness was born in his stripes (see Isaiah 53: 4 – 5, 1 Peter 2: 24).

Joseph Prince’s teaching taught about the power in communion when you understand it and it is not merely a ritual. If it is done apart from faith, then it is meaningless. When, however, you mix your faith with the giving and receiving of the body of Christ then the miraculous can truly happen. That is what the bread is. It represents the body of Christ Jesus which was broken for us. Referring back to the fact that no one among the Israelites was feeble, Prince said that the partaking of Jesus makes you strong. If, therefore, you need healing in your body, it can be found in the broken body of Jesus, so receive the communion bread in faith expecting the healing power of Jesus to touch your body.

As I wrote earlier, I think it is a brilliant teaching but I am really trying to arrive at a different message by using Joseph Prince’s message as the foundation. When I heard him say that partaking of Jesus makes you strong my mind left the thoughts of the body of Christ which was broken for our healing and went to inner healing and inner strength. Partaking of the body makes your body strong but also partaking of the Spirit of Jesus and the Words of Jesus makes your inner person strong.

Most of us have scars and injuries in the inner person and those injuries make us weak. They make us dance to other people’s tunes rather than living in true freedom. They incapacitate us and they steal life from us. However, if we will fill ourselves with Jesus we will be healed in the innermost parts and we will become strong. You can have everything you want if you will receive Jesus’ healing. It takes some courage perhaps. Too many of us are afraid to feel and afraid to make ourselves vulnerable even to the Lord. If you will let him, though, Jesus will make you strong in your body, mind and emotions. Of what are you afraid? Let him touch your heart. Partake of his spirit and his word and you shall be made strong. Of you it will be said, “Not one among them was found to be feeble.”

Holy Partakers

Ivey Rorie On August 18, 2014 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Hebrews 3: 1

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.

The writer of Hebrews addresses his audience in a peculiar way. He calls us partakers. To partake, according to the American Heritage Dictionary means to: 1. take part or have a share: participate, 2. to take or be given part or portion. Applying that definition to today’s passage means that we, each, have been given a part or a portion of a heavenly calling and further, that we take part, have a share in and participate in this heavenly calling. What, then, is this heavenly calling of which the author speaks?

Jesus is our part and portion. Jesus the Apostle, Jesus the High Priest operates in those two offices to this day. He was anointed to these offices. We see his anointing and the job classification in Isaiah 61: 1 – 3. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,” it says, “because the Lord has anointed me to . . . .” You can read on to see what the anointing was intended to do which is the job description, if you will. Obviously this passage in Isaiah was written long before Jesus entered the earth as the Messiah but not before God’s great plan and the anticipation of the great savior. So, think of this passage, if you will, as the job posting. God posted a job opening on the bulletin board listing its qualifications and requirements as well as the job duties. No one was able to accept that job until Luke 4: 18 when Jesus entered the temple and accepted the position. Beginning in verse 16 of Luke 4 we read, “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him and He opened the book ad found the place where it was written, ‘THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO . . . .’” Enter the King, Priest and Apostle of our faith.

Some years ago God gave me Isaiah 61: 1 – 3 as a prophetic word for my life. Initially I rejected it because I read it with the eyes of ego. In other words, when I read it my eyes were on me and I was overwhelmed. A false sense of humility overcame me resulting in my rejection of this Word from the Lord. I say that it was a false sense of humility rather than an honest one because I was looking at myself rather than at the Lord. A truly humble person does not have their eyes on themselves. Well, this is just proof that God can use anyone who will humble themselves which I soon did. Once having submitted my rather out of control ego to the Lord I realized that each of us is called under this same chapter and verse. Yes, it is our anointing in a sense because we are all called to partake of Jesus’ mission. The anointing I operate under, then, is not my own but rather that portion and part of Jesus’ which he has shared with me. I do not have my own anointing but I am anointed by him and of him for the equipping of the saints and for all those job duties that you read about in Isaiah 61 and Luke 4. We are all called to serve in the department of ministry under our chief administrator, Jesus.

This somewhat complex spiritual truth becomes easily understandable when I view it in these terms. We are all partakers of Jesus’ heavenly calling. Realizing that we are all a part of Jesus’ department may also take some of the self-imposed pressure off of us. We are not called to take on this assignment alone but rather as a part of a department with many others and with a department head who is all capable. Not only is Jesus super-capable but additionally he gives us his authority and power each time he assigns us a task. That means you do not have to succeed in the task in your own name or strength but rather that you proceed in the name and power of the head. Isn’t that a relief? Whatever God has given you to do you can do it because Jesus is authorizing the project in his name. Whooo Hoo!

We are partakers, co-laborers with Jesus, anointed with a portion of his anointing, empowered with his might, armed with his authority. We do not have to bring much to the table; only obedience and humble submission. We must be willing to be led and directed according to his wisdom and instructions. Success is assured when we understand this paradigm because it is all done in the power of Jesus and his anointing. The weight is not upon our shoulders but rather on his and he can well bear it. We have only to do as he leads and all will be well.

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