Consolation

On September 29, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 94: 19               NIV

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

It should come as no surprise that God can ease our souls even in times of great anxiety. What may be easily overlooked, however, is our contemplation of God’s abundant grace in our time of need.  

When we are under pressure or worried it is easy to retreat within ourselves. I call it the turtle syndrome. We withdraw into our shells in an attempt to protect our vulnerabilities. While it may be a completely normal reaction to stress or anxiety, it is the worst thing we can do. Walking with God is not always intuitive though. That is why the Bible tells us that we must renew our minds (Romans 12: 2). God is our strength and our fortress in our times of need. So, instead of drawing in on ourselves we must learn to extend our hearts to Him. This is walking in faith. It is the path of walking in the Spirit also. The very essence of walking with God is that we turn towards Him at all times. We can learn to live in a state of always looking towards Him.

Another key element of receiving the consolation of God in those anxious moments is to seek Him with your heart. How do you do that? For me it is always a matter of shutting up my mind for a few minutes. When you can get quiet in your mind and in your heart then you will find that you can hear God. In times of high anxiety, though, it feels like your insides are running on caffeine. Slow down, take some time to quiet down and look to God to be the consoler of your heart. Pick up your Bible and turn to the Psalms. God will give you peace and comfort. He always does. He will trade your anxiety for His consolation and peace. In times of great trouble, He is there with you. He has joy ready to pour into your heart. Train your heart to turn to Him and receive.

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Let it be Me

On September 26, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ezekiel 22: 30

“And I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

Many times people ask, “Why did this bad thing happen” or “Why did God allow this bad thing to happen?” Now you have the answer. God didn’t allow it, we did. God saw the inevitability of seeds that were sown and looked around for someone to stand in the gap for that family, nation or person but when He looked He found no one. God would have intervened in the affairs of man many times but He couldn’t find anyone who would pray.

Psalm 115: 16 reads, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.” You see God has given the earth to us. Recall that in Genesis 1: 28 God gave authority to rule the earth to mankind. While we know that God is sovereign we also should recognize that a sovereign has the right to give his authority to another. Once done, the sovereign must follow the rule of law that he has established. All of this is to say that god can no longer move freely in every context in the earth. He cannot make you accept Him as Lord because He gave you authority over your life and choices. We call that free will. This very principle bars God from intervening at times when He would like to. We have been given the authority in the earth so we must invite God to participate and we do so through our prayers. You can personally keep God out of your life or invite Him to participate with you. You really are the master.

In the same way, He cannot just step in any time He would like. Even when you see something like the tragedy of 9/11 you have to recognize that God wasn’t the one who was asleep at the wheel. He tells us in today’s verse that He looked around for a man to stand in the gap for the land but could find no one. Perhaps He tapped me on the shoulder that morning and asked me to pray for the land. Maybe He had been saying to many of us for months to pray for our nation but we were so full of our own lives that we never heard Him.  

There are two points I believe in this message. First, let us stop blaming God for our failures and secondly, we need to make our hearts and ears more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit so that God can speak to us and in speaking to us, commission us to pray. He wants to spread salvation but He must have someone who will pray. Let it be me.

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Disciples of Truth

On September 25, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 8: 31 – 32

Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The most telling part of these verses may be the first phrase. Jesus was saying to those who believed in him that there was more to follow. Just hearing him speak was not the answer. He told them that they must abide in his word. Some translations say to continue in his word. I believe what Jesus is saying is that it is not enough just to hear Jesus word once. Instead we must learn to live in his word. Those who stay in his word will have truth and that truth will set them free of every sort of hindrance.

Let’s close the circle on this and see how it works. From the first chapter of John we know that Jesus is the word, the incarnate word. The word was with God since the beginning but then came alive in the form of a person and dwelt among mankind. We also know that Jesus is the truth (John 14: 6). Jesus is the word and he is the truth. We also know from John 14: 6 that Jesus is the life. Therefore, if we want life we must dwell in the word and we must dwell in truth. Let’s go one step further though. In John 6: 63  Jesus tells us that the words that he spoke are spirit and life. So, life is in the word, spirit is in the word, truth is in the word and freedom is in the word. If we want to live a life worth living, really if we want any life at all then we must abide in the word of Jesus and lest we deceive ourselves, the entire Bible is the word of Jesus. Remember he was with God in the beginning so all the word of God is Jesus.

Further, if we want to be disciples of Jesus then we must abide in his word. To abide does not mean a casual glance at the scriptures now and then. It probably implies a daily residence. If you abide in your house, then doesn’t that mean that is where you live? It is the place we call home and to which we always return. While travelling we even think of that place which we call home. This is the place of habitation and rest. Jesus is trying to get us to think of his word the same way we think of our homes. His word should be the place to which we always return. It is the place of comfort and rest. It is our secure haven and only when we have learned or decided to take up residence in his word can we be his disciples.  

There are so many pieces of church life these days and it is easy to get bogged down in all of the things we feel we must do but there are only a few things that Jesus calls needful. So, when you cannot do it all do those things which are most important. Chief among them is attendance to the word. There is no truth, there is no life, there is no discipleship or freedom apart from a habitual abiding presence in the word. There is a reason why ministers beyond me send out daily devotionals. We all know that liberty and life are contained in the daily consumption of the word. The word, Jesus, is our shelter and our daily bread. It is the presence of God in our lives to bring his truth alive within us. There is no life apart from the word. It is just that simple. And do not let anyone mislead you. There is no doctrine, no 7 step program, no teaching series that can replace the Word of God. They are all complimentary, meaning that they are intended to illuminate the Word for you but it is the Word which has the power to change lives. Abide in that almighty presence of the Word of God. Receive life, truth and freedom.

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Seek and Find

On September 24, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 9: 10

And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee.

Here is some good news for the middle of the week. God has not and never will forsake those who seek Him.

I am not going to write today about “the name” of God but there is a huge message there. I will just say that learning God’s name and learning about the names He used in the Old Testament to present Himself will most definitely increase one’s assurance that God is for them. It stimulates trust which yields rest.

Honestly, seeking God is the answer to every problem you will ever face. Christian counseling would be really easy if the counselors could just get people to hear that advice and follow through on it. Every answer for every problem is in God so all we have to do is seek Him out and ask the question.  

And here is the promise from God to you today; if you seek Him you will never be forsaken. Those who seek will find. God hides in plain sight hoping that you will come looking for Him. I have likened it before to playing hide and seek with a small child. When my nephew was young I started out hiding too well. I learned that I had to hide in plain sight. It is amazing to think of now but he was overjoyed when he found me. How much greater is our joy when we “find” God? He’s not really hiding, you know? He has positioned Himself where you can find Him. You just have to lift your head and look and sure enough, there He is. I promise, when you seek you will find.

The rewards of seeking God’s face are boundless. I may speak in terms of His solving problems but that is very much the least of the benefit. Unfortunately, words fail me when I try to convey how much better and how much easier all of life is when you abide in the presence of God. It is relief, joy, hope, success, enlightenment, and on. Whatever your heart needs, whatever you are seeking in your life, they are all found in the presence of God. 

What could I offer you that would stimulate you to seek God like you never have before? How can I encourage you to pursue Him with renewed vigor? Would a million dollars do it? How about the promise of peace? The truth is that anything that would motivate you is already in the Father. Pursue Him relentlessly. Pursue Him like you pursued your spouse. And be willing to surrender the control of the reins to Him. If you will do this you will never even think again about being forsaken. You will know how precious you are to God and He will become your closest friend. That is heady stuff but it is true. The God that created the entire universe in all of its wonder and complexity wants nothing more than to be your friend. I told you that you were special.

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In Christ

On September 23, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 1: 30

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.

By the grace and the formidable power of God you have become one with Jesus. You are hidden away in him, safe and secure. In Jesus is everything you could possibly need. Do you need wisdom for a business decision; he is the wisdom of God in our lives. He provided and his blood pronounces that you are in good standing with God; that is your rightness or righteousness in him. You are sanctified which means that you have been made holy, dedicated to sacred use; consecrated. Did you realize that? That makes you very special. And that is not even the end of it. Jesus also redeemed you from the curse of the law, the shackles of slavery and the death sentence that was upon you. You have been set free indeed.

But by the miracle working power of God you are actually in Jesus. Can you fathom what that means? It sounds a little new age but most of the new age lexicon is just things which have been derived from God and then have had a twist put on them. For example, people think of meditation as New Age. In a way that is just funny. It may be “New” Age but God invented mediation before there even was an earth. He has been teaching his children about visualization and meditation for thousands of years so don’t let today’s idea upset your apple cart. The miracle of Jesus in you and you in him is completely feasible when you understand that there is a spiritual realm which is every bit as real as the physical realm. People adhere to the physical evidence because they are much more skillful with their five physical senses than they are with spiritual discernment. If, however, you can accept by faith that you are in Christ then you will gain an entirely new perspective on life. No matter what situation presents itself picture yourself “in Christ”. Wouldn’t it completely change your point of view if you knew that no matter what the matter is Jesus is every bit as much a part of it as you are? What if you were looking at your current situation through his eyes instead of through yours? Would that matter? Of course it would. Jesus has power to bring to bear on any and every situation. He also has great favor with the father. There is nothing (legal and moral) that God wouldn’t do for you but if you don’t believe that at least believe God would do if for Jesus. If you are in a mess God is interested in helping you and your big brother out of it.

Grab this idea – you and Jesus are an integral unit. When you go to the grocery store, he goes too. When he sits at the right hand of the father, you are right there with him. Your DNA is beginning to intertwine with and duplicate his. You are never without him. Even when you feel alone, you have a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverb 18: 24). In your darkest moments, he is your constant companion. You are a part of him and he wants the very best for you.

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War and Peace

On September 22, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 17: 19       NIV

He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction.

Have you ever known a person who loves to fight? I certainly have. I have known people who did not seem happy unless they were embroiled in some kind of conflict. I never understood how they could live in the midst of that turmoil. Every time I talked with them there was some new battle. To love to fight and feud with folks is to love sin. Why? Because God is peace. Hebrews 12: 14 tells us to pursue peace. We cannot operate in love with all people and at the same time be in continuous conflict.  

Ephesians 6: 15 teaches that our feet are to be shod with the gospel of peace. That must mean that we are to walk in peace. We are not told to put on the mittens of peace or the ring of peace. No, we prepare ourselves with the gospel of peace by putting on our shoes. We need that preparation because many things and people we encounter in the course of the day are going to attempt to cause angst. If we have not properly prepared then we are going to find ourselves in the tumult all day long, struggling for a breath.

Our losing our peace is only one of the casualties of this conflict though. When Jesus left the earth he left us his peace (John 14: 27). That peace was supposed to comfort us so that we would not be troubled or fearful. The other aspect of our having Jesus’ peace is that we can, and should, extend his peace to others. We are not meant to be contentious people. Instead we should be conduits of peace and blessing. We are called to be lovers, not fighters even to the point that we love, bless and pray for our enemies. We are to hold our peace in the face of trouble so that we are a source of peace for those who are in turmoil. We should live in a no conflict zone. Now, I know this is a tall order and most of us are not that advanced in our journey with Jesus but it is a laudable goal. We should shun quarrels and attempt to make and keep the peace. If we are not in peace then we have probably stepped out of God’s presence because there is always the peace that passes understanding when we are in him.  

When you find you have lost your peace, your heart is agitated or you are bothered, back up in your memory and figure out when you last felt peaceful. Then move forwards slowly and discern what event, thought or words chased the peace of God from you. Rectify the situation. Repent if it was your act that caused your peace to flee. If it resulted from someone else’s actions then pray for that person immediately. Try to see him or her from God’s point of view. See how He loves them and pray for them from that perspective. Lastly, and this is a tough one, if you find that there is a person with whom you are associated and that you just cannot retain your peace when you are with them, then give yourself some space. You must guard your peace and not be a quarrelsome person. If that person is constantly provoking you into unrest then segregate yourself from them, at least for a time. If it is a family member then try to limit the time you must spend with them and make sure you have prayed for yourself and them before the interaction. Prayer is the great peacemaker.

God likens quarrelsome behavior to sin so we must avoid it. Remember, some people love quarrels so we must guard our hearts and avoid being provoked. Peace is the calling card of the saints. Pursue peace with everyone.

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Feeding the Multitude

On September 19, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Kings 4: 42 – 44       NIV

A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.

Does this story sound familiar to you? Sure it does. In Matthew 14: 13 and 15: 32 we read the accounts of two separate times when Jesus fed great multitudes of people with meager supplies. Does it surprise you that Jesus was not the first one to perform this miracle? This shows us three things: 1) there are parallels between the Old Testament and the New Testament, 2) Jesus operated in the earth as others had before him, and 3) that what Jesus said in John 14: 12 is possible.

First, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13: 8). Jesus has not changed since the beginning of time; nor has his father or the Holy Spirit. They are unchangeable. Therefore, the power, the love and the miracles that we see from Old Testament times are just as viable today as they were thousands of years ago. Further, we should not be surprised to see parallels between the two parts of the Bible when we understand the unchangeable nature of God.

Secondly, it is important for us to realize that when Jesus walked the earth he did so as a human being. Philippians 2: 7 tells us that Jesus did not come in his godly power and authority but rather that he “stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being” (Amplified Version). The Living Bible says he “laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men.” This is a very important concept for us to grasp. Many times we hear people say, “Oh, well, Jesus was God afterall” in defense of why miracles are not happening in our modern culture. But that is an inaccurate portrayal. Jesus emptied himself of his divinity and walked the earth as a human being with all the attendant frailties. He just walked with God in a way that most of us do not. Jesus’ earthly ministry proves that we can also walk and talk with God as he did because he was a man and had to interact with the world like any other human being. His deity did not explain his close union with God nor did it account for the miracles that he performed. Today’s passage is proof of that. Jesus’ feeding of the multitudes was not from his own divine power. Instead he relied on the God of Elisha to perform the exact same work that Elisha did. 

Lastly, why is this so important? When we comprehend that Jesus had to live and work like any other person it removes the complacency and doubt from our minds and hearts. If Jesus did all that he did without relying on his divinity and instead operated in his humanity then it means that we can see the same miracles today; not only see, mind you, but perform. It makes Jesus statement in John 14: 12 palatable; “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” The uncomfortable part of this is that it also removes our excuses. Jesus performed miracles by relying on the father’s power. We have the same father and His power has not diminished a jot. Not only that but Jesus has now returned to his divinity and we have him in addition to the father. And are you ready for strike three. Jesus also poured out the Holy Spirit on mankind on the Day of Pentecost. So, we have all of the power and all of the help we could ever need. We have only to wrap our minds, and hearts, around the truth and then we too can bless people with miracles of every kind.

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