The Truth Shall Set You Free

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

Matthew 7: 1 – 2

Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

This is Jesus speaking. One might think that he could have stopped with “Do not judge.” Shouldn’t that end the conversation? And yet we really have a pervasive problem in our society and in our church body with judgment and condemnation. As we address this question of judgment we need first understand that Jesus was speaking to us as believers. Secondly, he was not protecting the people that we judge. This passage, this speech was meant to protect us.

We must understand the grace of God and the work of Jesus in order to conceptualize the meaning in today’s Biblical passage. God has endeavored throughout the time of humanity to draw us into a close relationship with Himself. When we blew it, He sent Jesus to cover our mistakes so that we could be again reconciled to Him in that devoted, personal relationship. So, it is God’s grace and Jesus’ death and resurrection that have placed us back in a place where our sin no longer separates us from God. You see, Jesus’ victory has removed us from judgment. He bore our sin right to the pit of hell so that we would not have that sin taint on us any longer. He removed the judgment that was upon us because of our iniquities. But, when you judge others you take yourself out of that grace and put yourself back under judgment. Okay, I know that is a stupid thing to do but, of course, we don’t mean to condemn ourselves. So why do we do it?

One might think that we judge others out of a sense of arrogance. Well, that may be true to an extent but the greater reason seems to be that we judge others when our soul condemns us. In other words, it seems that our critical assessment of others springs from a failure within ourselves. We see our own inadequacies but they are so daunting and embarrassing that we hide from the truth. As we shy away from the truth about ourselves we manifest that disappointment in ourselves as judgment of others. We become very critical. If you will notice, people who have a lot of unresolved personal issues tend to be critical of everyone around them. They are never satisfied with the sermon on Sunday, the choir was off pitch, the servers took too long, etc. It becomes all about everyone satisfying them because they are so dissatisfied with themselves.

But, shall we also look at ourselves. Let me be the first to say that I have been too judgmental. It seems so clear at times, “That person is a jerk.” Okay, well maybe he is but that judgment is really self-condemnation and we must allow God to free us from it. Once we are whole then we are able to accept others complete with their warts. We must learn to love the unlovely but I think the only way we can do so is to finally, once and for all, learn to love the most unlovely one of all, the chap in the mirror. We can dress him or her up, fix our hair and put on the best image we know how to create but in the end the scalawag always shows up. Hurting people hurt people. We’ve all heard that but did we know that it applies to our perceptions of others and the judgment that emanates from them?

Sure sometimes we can so easily see the flaws in others but seeing those yet unregenerated areas is not the same as judging that person. Do you ever feel or express that criticism. Are you saying to others negative things about someone else? Are you judging them or their actions as wrong? Most importantly, is this your habit? Do you find that you are often critical? What would your spouse and children say?  

Most of us still retain some of the scars and warts from the world. Hopefully we are all growing in the fullness of God’s grace for us and the wholeness that Jesus purchased for us so please do not condemn yourself if you find that you are critical and judgmental. It just means that you have identified an area where you might want to throw the door open to Jesus’ ministrations. Remember that self-condemnation is really where this all begins. Once you truly love yourself with the love of God, then you will be more accepting of others too. You will no longer need to divert attention from your own failures and short-comings. That anger that is deep within you, that self-revulsion which has been so deeply buried and hidden can finally be exposed and expelled. When you embrace that God absolutely loves you just as you are you will be free to love others. Open your heart, soul, spirit, all that is you to the river of living water which is the Lord Jesus himself. We washes clean. He covers all your short-comings with his perfection so that you can stand in the very presence of God Himself with confidence. If you will learn to love yourself and let God love you, if you will learn to accept yourself and know that you are accepted right now by God, then you can cast off that critical, judgmental nature. You will be able to get along with others and others will be able to get along with you. Look, there is freedom in Christ so let’s get free. Let us walk in the liberty and life that Jesus came to give us. 

One last thing, I understand that you are afraid. If you were not then you would never have sublimated those truths about yourself. It is okay. God is loving, kind and gentle. He wants to help you. He is not trying to punish you. It is you who punishes you. You can spend a life time of misery or a few minutes of honest self-assessment. Sure, sometimes the healing is a little bit painful but it is so miniscule in truth and it is so very short in duration. Why be miserable and make those who love you miserable forever when you can spend a little time with God being honest and healing. Don’t let your epitaph be about your untapped potential. Don’t leave people standing beside your grave grieving over what could have been. That is the saddest thing of all. Live this life God has given you wide open full of the joy of the Lord. Let Him touch you. Allow Him to breathe into you the life He ordained for you. Let Him heal you and let Him love you. Accept Him, His love and yourself. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

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Reborn, Renewed, Alive in Christ

On June 18, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 20: 30 -31

Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

John and the other writers of the gospels related some of the miracles of Jesus but John makes a point here to tell us that the miracles we read about in the gospels are by no means an exhaustive list of the many miracles Jesus performed. So, this question presents itself, “How many miracles does it take for one to believe?” We, who receive this daily devotional, are all believers in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God so somewhere along the line we must have seen enough evidence. Then John says that in our believing we should have life in the name of Jesus. What did he mean by that? He wasn’t talking to a bunch of physically dead people so he wasn’t talking about physical life. He was, however, speaking to spiritually dead people, people like us before we were saved. So this evidence of Jesus as the Messiah was supposed to infuse life into those who would believe, spiritual life.

When is salvation then? Will we be saved in the great by and by? We all talk about when we were saved (past tense) i.e. “I was saved in 1974,” “I was saved out at sea when a shipmate prayed for me,” etc. We have already been saved and given access to this life about which John writes. Salvation is not for tomorrow. We didn’t buy a ticket to salvation. We already have it today. You are living your eternal life in Christ right now. Your eternal life began the moment you received Jesus as Lord. So what is John really trying to get at in this passage? Do you think this is a simple message of salvation to the uninitiated or is there more here?  

One of the things that I think John is trying to get us to accept is that Jesus is a miracle worker. The believers of John’s time came to Jesus through his miracles. In other words, they saw and heard about the miracles that Jesus performed and through them they accepted that He is the King, Messiah and Lord. They first believed the miracles then they equated that miracle working power with his divine lordship. An interesting dynamic exists in our times. We believe that Jesus is Lord and through that confession of faith we try to believe that He is also a miracle worker. Many, however, are unconvinced of his power. They believe that He is the Christ but they do not believe in his ability to exercise miracle producing power today. Some do not even believe that the chronicles of Jesus’ miracles is a true account. They think the gospels are a fairy tale.

The third problem in our thought process is that some of us do not fully understand or appreciate that Jesus is alive. We have left him on the cross or in the grave but He is a resurrected Lord. He is alive and well. Without this revelation, by which I mean a clear and certain knowing in one’s heart as well as one’s mind, we cannot receive this life in Christ to which John is attempting to lead us. 

Jesus told us that he came in order to give us life, abundant life in fact (John 10: 10). This is what John is speaking about, the abundant life that is available in Christ Jesus to those who believe. But believe what? First that He is who He says He is, the resurrected Son of God, the promised Messiah, and second that He can do now what he did in the days before his crucifixion.

Miracles are still happening all over the world for those who believe. People are receiving sight from blind eyes just as they did when Jesus walked the earth. There are healings of every sort. Financial miracles abound, relationships are restored. All sorts of miracles are occurring, more than you can name. So I return to my first question, “How many miracles does it take for us to believe?” What is this life in Christ that John speaks of and how can we each live it. What did Jesus mean when he said, “abundant life?”

The life we live in the flesh is the low level of life but there is an abundant life overflowing with all of the blessings of God which is the free gift to whomever shall believe. This is the spiritual life, the renewed life. And with this new life in Christ Jesus every need is met, dreams and goals fulfilled, and a life of peace and joy. There is victory in Jesus, hence victorious living. All things become possible, life becomes easier and we can live a life where we feel fulfilled. Our lives are given purpose and we are satisfied even in the deep longing of our hearts. It is all available to he who believes. This life, this gift of a life in Christ, a life of abundance was the purpose of Jesus’ coming. If we are not living this life then why not? What does the body of Christ need in order to come into the life Jesus meant for us, died to give us?

The apostle John says that the secret is in our believing. We need to have our believers tweaked. Surely, the only way to do that is to renew ourselves in Jesus. We are going to have to seek him again as we did in the beginning. We need a renewal in our prayer life and in the Word. These are the two areas that we often let slide but which I am convinced are necessary for a life in Christ. It is only through communion with the Godhead that we are transformed in our hearts and in our thinking and can receive the revelations necessary for a rich, full existence in the person of Jesus. The hungry will seek and they will be fed. Jesus always fed the hungry. Do not settle for anything less than God’s best for you and He will fill you to overflowing as He has so often promised.

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It is Well

On June 17, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ecclesiastes 8: 12

I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.

We remember, of course, that when we see the word “fear” in the Old Testament related to our relationship with God, we must immediately translate that word in our heads to revere. I would go a step further, however, in this new dispensation we are under so for myself I read this passage as “It will be well for those who love God, who love Him openly.”  

What does it mean to love God openly? I can think of times in my life when my love of God was a bit of a secret. It wasn’t that I intended it to be a secret though. I think that the relationship I had with Him just wasn’t big enough. Now I don’t believe that I could keep it veiled because God has become the predominant force of my life.

Perhaps we are not always as proud of our Christian heritage as we could be. For myself, I wasn’t living in the victory of Christ to any great measure so my story was undeveloped but as with anything that positively impacts your life once your life with Christ becomes your existence then you are enthusiastic to share what is working for you with others. Then you love Him and share Him openly. People see Him on you. He becomes the gleam in your eye, the light of your countenance.

Every day we have an encounter with the Word of God. Whether we hear this question aloud or not we are everyday faced with whether or not we will choose to believe the Word. Sometimes believing what God has said requires a leap of faith. Okay, so jump! Take a chance that God is not a man that He should lie. Jump off of the end of the pier believing that He is faithful and will catch you. What if you should invest your faith, your mustard seed of believing power in the statement that if you love Him, it will be well with you? Is it a bit scary to make that leap?

There is a beautiful life out there awaiting each one of us. It is full of the riches of God’s glory and favor in Christ Jesus. God gives us all the secrets, all the answers to the test questions. He wants to give us success and beauty and riches. It is His deep desire to promote and exalt us. We need only that little mustard seed of belief. God can do so much with one life, even yours. Open your heart anew. Lift your eyes to the horizon. There is so much out there for you. Even if you think you are in the winter of your life you can get a revelation of the seeds and bulbs God has in the ground for you just waiting to bloom and grow. It is eternal spring for those who love God and who are called to Him. Let your heart grow into a new vision of what God has for you. If you can believe this little passage from the Bible, then you can experience miracles and wonders beyond your current belief level. Open your heart, receive of the Lord and live in the fullness of His blessings. Amen.

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He Cares For You

On June 16, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Peter 5: 6 – 7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

We spend a lot of time and attention on verse seven which tells us to cast our anxiety on the Lord, the King James Version says to cast our care. We devote little time and attention, though, to verse six. In that these two verses comprise one sentence it would likely behoove us to read them together on occasion so as to perceive the light which each phrase shines upon the other.

When we read the two verses together it would seem that Peter is revealing that there is a relationship between our humbling ourselves to the master and promotion as well as the cure for anxiety. He who gives his care to the Lord is wise. I wonder, though, if some of us have trouble casting that care over to the Lord because we have failed to recognize Him as Lord over our lives in the deepest part of our being. We have all said those surrender prayers and of course we mean them when we utter them but it is in the trenches of life that quality decisions are truly made. A quality decision is one from which there is no retreat. It is not wishy-washy but rather strong and determined and I find that they empower a person to walk the path elected. They do not, however, come easily. Sooner or later, though, if we are to live the lives that we have longed for we are going to have to make the big decisions. Life can be wonderful and beautiful but it is not free. We must lay aside those things which keep us in the low life and one of the largest burdens that is preventing us from rising to the heights God has determined for us is our own ego. In our heart of hearts have we really relinquished our lives to our Lord as master? Do your hackles arise just thinking of someone being your master? Don’t feel alone if you answer that question honestly and find that submitting yourself completely to another’s lordship is difficult. It is how we have been indoctrinated but we must understand that the training which has elevated ourselves in our eyes is not of God and is not going to promote us. In the beginning it appears to be effective but there is story upon story of people who have risen to a certain level of success only to find ultimate failure.  

Success truly does come from surrender. Honestly, how can we fully cast our care upon the Lord, allowing Him to carry away the anxiety if we have not released ourselves into Him? There is a huge element of trust in this surrender and if we do not fully trust God then we will be unable to give Him our burdens. Therefore, humbling ourselves to the Lord our God is an essential element of casting our care upon Him. We will be unable to do the one if we have not first done the former.

Now, here is the crux of the matter. We may find it difficult if not impossible to completely surrender ourselves to our Lord and Father without first receiving healing. Those things in our past which have made it hard for us to trust people must be healed. Growing in our relationship with our God is a process and it is all interconnected. One cannot just choose the prosperity portion of a relationship with God without it affecting other parts of their lives. Prosperity, healing, well-being, blessing and all the rest are part of a package deal that comes along with a life with God. This is not a la carte ordering. We give God our lives and He gives us a grand, abundant life. He carries our heavy burdens and supplies our needs and wants above and beyond all that we can think of or believe for. 

We have longed for a good life, we greatly desire God to take away our troubles but we must put ourselves fully in His hands. He will not, cannot, usurp your control and will. As long as you are Lord of your life, then He will have to sit in the backseat while you drive. Keep surrendering your heart to the Lord. Every time you find an unsurrendered relationship, give it to the Lord. Each time you find a strong-hold in your life, give it to God. This is a process. We don’t renew our minds just once, but rather we are in a constant state of renewal. That is good news. Let your life go and with it the anxiety. Live free, give your life more fully to God today.

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Devotional News

On June 5, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

The daily devotional will be paused for a short time resuming on June 16, 2014.
During this short break we hope that you will continue to be blessed and will rejoin us with great expectations for what God will do in your life for the remainder of this year.
God Bless you!

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Guaranteed Success

On June 4, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 16: 3          NIV

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

How would you like to know that every project you undertake is going to be a success? Wouldn’t that change your perspective? Well, it is possible. If you begin every project, every assignment by committing it to God then you are guaranteed to be successful. Now, can you believe it?  

Believing the veracity of this scripture is one of the hidden necessities to make your success manifest. If you do not believe God’s word in this context either you will not pray, submitting your work to God or you will not believe the words coming out of your own mouth. Either is shooting yourself in the foot. So, the first thing we must do if we want to see success in our endeavors is to believe this scripture. Second, we must actually commit our plans and projects to the Lord. But there is a third necessary step.

Leave it alone after you commit it to Him. Do your work but leave the success of the project in His hands. I have a visualization that I use for this and also for problems. When I have a project or problem I picture a mail tray like the type everyone used to have on their desks. I see a stack of them and the one on top is marked “In”. In my mind I recognize this as God’s inbox. I see myself walk to it and drop in whatever it is that I have on my mind. Now, here is the key. Leave it there. I cannot tell you how many times I have put something in God’s inbox only to later go pull it out. Perhaps He isn’t moving as fast as I think reasonable. Maybe I just think the problem or project needs my hands in it. Okay, I know both thoughts are ludicrous but that is the unrenewed part of my mind and exactly why I must continuously renew my mind to God and His Word.   

Once you commit your works to the Lord then it is time for you to allow Him to be the mastermind. He will instruct you and lead all of your work by His Holy Spirit. You will be surprised how much less time your work actually takes when you let Him guide your steps. And you are guaranteed success. You gotta love that. God will establish your ways and lead you into righteousness which, after all, is right-ness which only makes sense. He is not going to lead you into wrongness, now is He? So learn to stop and pray a personal prayer of committal before you commence any project. Not only will you be guaranteed success but you will find the labor much less odious. Let Jesus lead you in paths of success.

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Loving the Unlovely

On June 3, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 14

Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.

This is grown-up Christianity. We have gone into the deep water. We know that if we love Christ we will keep his commands. Paul is preaching Christ here. Besides, we know that Jesus is the word, the entire word. But if that is not good enough let us see what Jesus said when he was still in the earth. Matthew 5: 44 reads, “But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” One translation says, “… bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (KJV).

If you do not like these two verses, I don’t blame you. It is just not natural to heap blessing on those who persecute and hate us. But then, we weren’t called to be natural, were we? We are called to be supernatural through the power of Christ at work within us. These circumstances are when we most need the miracle working might of Christ Jesus ministering in us and through us. Jesus said that all things are possible with God (Mark 10: 27) so the key here is that we must be with God. We are not going to succeed in praying for and blessing our persecutors without God’s strength. The Apostle Paul received this revelation as well. In Philippians 4: 13 he wrote, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” With God all things are possible which is a really important thing to know when you believe that He has called you to the impossible like saving a country or forgiving your obnoxious brother-in-law. I wonder which is more difficult. Regardless, you are going to need God’s power and strength in order to do what you are supposed to do. We know that we are to follow all of Jesus’ teachings and obey his commands. If you have made a quality decision to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and be obedient to the calling within you including obeying all of Jesus’ ordinances then you need the power of God at work in your life. But, fear not. Father God has created a foolproof way for each of us to operate in that awesome power that can only be obtained through Him. He just comes and lives inside of us. We take off the grave clothes of our former lives and don the glory of the living God. He, God, becomes again our covering just as in the Garden of Eden when humanity was surrounded by the glory of God.  

There is nothing God cannot due and by extension there is nothing you cannot do when you are joined with the Holy One. You can even pray for your enemies and bless those who persecute you. Your glory is the Lord himself and He will lift you up and He will enable you to do all things. You are half of an unbeatable team. Now, what will you do?

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