Righteous Reward

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

Proverb 13: 21

Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.

Let’s talk about prosperity for one moment. There are some people who think that prosperity is not part of the Christian ethic or that God is against prosperity. When you read the Bible, though, you find prosperity verses all over the place. It was a given by the time of the New Testament that prosperity followed the people of God. That is why Jesus’ disciples were so surprised when he said that it is hard for a wealthy person to enter the Kingdom of God (Luke 18: 24). They were astonished in fact saying, well, if the rich cannot get into the kingdom, then who can. You see, they had an expectation that the people of God were rewarded with prosperity.

Even in our own culture we have the same underlying expectation even if we have not cognitively accepted it. We expect the Jews to be the diamond merchants, bankers and generally to be people of substance. Why? It all goes back to this verse and others like it. We understand that wealth is part of the blessing of God.

But let us go a bit further. We are so obsessed with financial wealth that we do not receive the fullness of the prosperity verses. Half of us are consumed with the hope and belief that this verse means that we can have money while the other half of us fight against the idea. Ultimately all of us have missed the real point. In God’s eyes prosperity is a much bigger idea than money alone. That is one part of it, yes, but true prosperity is so much larger. In fact, the Strong’s concordance says “in the widest sense.” In other words, prosperity touches every area of one’s life. It is wellness (the state of being well) in every area of life. In truth, prosperity is most fully recognized and expressed in “Shalom” which means everything in place, nothing missing, nothing broken. It is wholeness. Interestingly, if you look up prosperity in your Strong’s concordance and you look up the word peace you will find that both refer you to key word 7965. Looking up word 7965 reveals Shalom – well, happy, health, prosperity, peace, favor, welfare, all is well, wholeness. To be in God is to be in shalom, complete wellness. It means family, health, finances, everything is well. Nothing is sick, nothing is broken. That is the blessing of the Lord. That is the reward of the righteous. And we know that we have become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, not of ourselves, but because we are in him (2 Corinthians 5: 21).

So, we are entitled to financial prosperity. We have not been left orphans without an inheritance. We are also guaranteed wholeness in all areas of life. Don’t deny yourself any part of God provision, of His blessing. Don’t live out in the barn when God has prepared a place for you in the big house. You are an heir, a child of the king. Live like it.

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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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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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Fear Not

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

Job 3: 25

“For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.”

Boy!  We can get a revelation from this passage.  I was looking at John 14: 27 today and Jesus said that he was leaving his peace for us.  That is great but that is not all he said.  He also said for us not to let our hearts be troubled or fearful.  He left his peace here for us to have as our own but the other side of that coin is that we have to make a determined decision not to allow fear to remain in our hearts. 

Part of the reason that Jesus doesn’t want fear in our hearts is because he knows that we attract those things which we allow to reside in our hearts.  If there is something that we dread we actually end up meditating on it and what we meditate on is what we draw to our lives.  Job certainly learned this lesson the hard way but we can be wise and learn from his mistake.  Job learned that fear takes root in your life and then it manifests.  So although Jesus just made a couple of short remarks about being fearful it is really a very important lesson.  That’s the way it is with Jesus’ statements.  He wasn’t wordy so you have to pay attention the first time he says something and in these few words he was trying to teach us the Job lesson.  Do not allow fear to take up residence in your life because whatever you are afraid of you will attract.  Jesus apparently thought that we could do something about fearful and troubled hearts.  He would not have told us to do something that we did not have the ability to do.  So let us take to heart this lesson from Job’s life.  Cast the fear out of your life.  Let not your heart be troubled or fearful.  Receive from the Lord His perfect peace.

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Blessed Peace

On May 2, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 94: 19

When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, thy consolations delight my soul.

Have you ever had one of those days when your thoughts are anxious and wearisome? Sure, everyone has. In my Bible the word multiply has a footnote beside it which reveals that the writer of this Psalm is intending to convey to us that many are his anxious thoughts. Worry can eat you up. It is a very unpleasant companion. When anxious thoughts are multiplying within you even your physiology reacts. Really, this is the cause of many sicknesses. I know I used to tense my muscles in response to that stress so that my back, neck and shoulders were a mess. But the psalmist teaches us that we do not have to live with and tolerate anxiety and worry. We have a father who can dispel that anxiety and replace it with joy and delight. Is that hard to imagine? Think of one of your worse days. Do you remember how intense the worry and stress were? See yourself in your mind’s eye. Can you see the stress in your face and reflected in your body? Now change that image. See an angel of the Lord enter the room and watch your countenance change. Watch as all of your worry dissipates and you are left with the precious peace of Jesus. What does your face look like now? Has your body relaxed?

This is the way you are meant to live. When Jesus was about to leave earth he told his followers that he was going to leave his peace here. He gave us his own peace. We, much more than the psalmist, have every reason to live in peace and comfort. God’s consolations are with us at all times in the person of Jesus Christ. Even in the old days, though, before Jesus came, God consoled His people. He was the great comforter and He has not changed. Now you have God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit to comfort and console you so that you never have to live with another anxious thought the rest of your life. Grab hold of this truth and do not let it escape you. Keep it before your eyes and in the midst of your heart because as sure as the sun comes up tomorrow there will be another opportunity for you to entertain anxious thoughts. When they come just speak right out loud to the Father of Glory and tell Him that you are giving all your anxiety and care to Him and you receive in its place the peace of Jesus. Really, God’s shoulders are a lot broader than yours and mine. He can handle our tense and worrisome situations. Rest in the peace of Jesus. Claim it and make it your own.

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