In Hot Pursuit

On August 25, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 21: 21            NIV

He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

Yesterday we saw from verses 17 and 18 of Proverb 21 that the pursuit of pleasure leads to poverty. Today we are fortunate to get to see the other side of the coin. If we wish to have abundant life, prosperity and honor then we must pursue righteousness.

Now, before we fall on our faces, let us review our thinking on righteousness. Many of us were trained in the notion that righteousness equates to good works. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, that kind of “righteousness” is repugnant to God. It is a rancid odor in His nostrils. Righteousness, in a word, is Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5: 21 reads, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This means that Jesus, who is and was the righteousness of God, traded his righteousness for our sin. He became our sin so that we could become the righteousness of God. Therefore, our pursuit of Jesus, is necessarily a pursuit of righteousness.

There is an interesting passage about this very topic from the Apostle Paul. “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone” (Romans 9: 30 – 32). The stumbling stone was Jesus. I find this passage amazing. The Israelites, the chosen ones, who pursued righteousness through their works failed while the Gentiles who by faith sought Jesus attained righteousness. Wow!

Shall we, though, take it one step further? The verse for today also says that those who pursue love find life, prosperity and honor. This one is really easy, isn’t it. “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4: 8). Yeah, you don’t need a theology degree in order to knock this one out of the park. God is love. Therefore, if one pursues God, then that is a pursuit of love and thus the result is life, prosperity and honor. 1 Corinthians 14: 1 says “Pursue love . . ..” It really is that simple.

So, what is the conclusion of all this? Our happiness, prosperity, peace, joy, well-being, life, and honor are found in the pursuit of the Father and the Son, merely in the pursuit. It is not in the tracking down or even in the finding. Your Father and God does the revealing. Your only part is to pursue. “If you seek Him, He will let you find Him” (1 Chronicles 28: 9).

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Rightful Reliance

On August 8, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Habakkuk 2: 4

Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.

There are quite a few observations we can receive from the prophet Habakkuk. One of the first is that the proud person and the righteous person are not one in the same. That may seem obvious but perhaps we have not yet made that connection intellectually. We can be either arrogant or righteous but not both.

Secondly, Habakkuk tells us that an arrogant or proud person is not right on the inside. There is something amiss in their soul. This is really tragic. There is damage on the inside and this damage or unresolved injury prevents this person from being righteous. Now in the New Testament, Jesus is our righteousness so one might argue that righteousness still belongs to the arrogant or self-centered person because of Jesus. The problem with that argument is that this righteousness, which was purchased for us by Jesus, must still be received. The arrogant person can no more receive the grace of God’s righteousness through Jesus than he was able to do under the old covenant. God has always been the source of righteousness. We must die to self, take our eyes off of ourselves and live unto Christ if we want to walk in the blessing of Christ. All the blessings are provided for us but they are “in Christ” where we too are supposed to be. We cannot be into ourselves and into Christ. One might even ask how a person can be a Christian, a follower of The Way, with eyes, motivation and passion focused on oneself instead of on the Christ.

Lastly, the self-absorbed person cannot live by faith. Faith is in the rightness provided for us in Christ Jesus. That means that an arrogant person cannot also be a person of faith. This person, even if he confesses to be a Christian will be unable to live and walk under the umbrella of faith. Faith begins with Jesus. Faith comes through an end to self-reliance and a surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of Christ (Romans 10: 17). Faith, therefore, requires submission to the person of Jesus. Faith requires that we put our egos, ideas, thoughts, reasonings and truly all that we are behind the words of Christ. That necessarily means that we cannot be self-absorbed, self-impressed or self-sustaining and also reliant on the person and words of Jesus. We must take the idol of our intellect off of the throne of our hearts and ensconce Jesus there.

Not one of us wants to admit that we are arrogant because only fools are such. Whatsmore, I may find it quite easy to lie to myself in this regard, but here is the question I must consider, that is, not whether I believe or think myself to be arrogant but rather what others may say about me. If I can be completely honest with myself do I suspect that others might find me self-impressed. Oh dear God in heaven, save me from myself. Repentance brings the oil of gladness and repentance means nothing more than turning and going the other way, it means a change of heart, a change of mind. It does not mean travail or moaning and groaning. Just let Jesus and his word change your way of thinking. Be saved by the renewal of your thoughts, by the refreshing of your mind and be free from the burden of yourself.

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Rightness

On July 22, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Corinthians 5: 21          NIV

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Isn’t this just amazing?? God took the sinless Jesus and turned him into sin for us. The He took the righteousness of Jesus and gave it to us. Wow! Jesus was righteous, who would argue with that but in this substitutionary miracle we became the righteousness of God. So how does this work? 
 
Well, the key words are “in him”. Those who are “in” Christ have become the righteousness of God, but what does this really mean? We are all saved, does that mean we are all righteous? Does that mean we all act like we are righteous? Can you be saved and not be “in” Jesus? 
 
Righteousness means that we have right standing with God. It does not mean that we always act right, that we always do the things we ought to do. It also does not mean moral conduct. If you look up the word righteousness in a dictionary you will get that idea but it takes Jesus out of the equation. It is a worldly view. Jesus took (became) our burden of sin so that we could stand in the presence of God clean and pure. It is not about anything we have done or will do. You can’t act righteous. You can only “be” righteous and that is entirely about what Jesus did for us.

I am listening to a song as I type these words and the lyric speaks directly to this miracle of righteousness: “For now there is no condemnation, I am under the blood of the lamb.” That is the key, Jesus’ blood paid the price of our sin that we can stand sinless before God. That is just amazing to me. Knowing how we behave sometimes, God worked out this plan for us to be able to be with Him sinless and whole. The key is being “in Christ” and thank God for our savior.

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Lips of Abundance

On July 21, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 10: 21


The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of understanding.
In this proverb Solomon contrasts the righteous and the wicked. I am gratified to learn that the lips of the righteous feeds many. I imagine that the lips of the righteous is a blessing which flows out to the city and surrounding area. Words of righteousness create a wellspring of blessing. That is really good news. Now we just have to find a few righteous people. Righteousness is in Christ Jesus which I will explain in tomorrow’s Word of the Day.
Unfortunately, many of us are surrounded by the fools. What is the relationship between these two phrases? It must be that the lips of fools bring famine and lack. I completely believe that. So here is the problem. If you are working in an organization full of people who lack understanding then you are going to corporately experience famine. Even worse, this verse says that fools die because of this lack of understanding. What then do you think is the net effect on the organization of which they are a part? The worst part of this is that there are churches which operate under a complete lack of understanding. 
 
Why does Solomon use these words and why does he use them together? First, I think he is telling us that not submitting ourselves individually and corporately to teaching is foolishness and leads to malnutrition and ultimately to death. Fools are those who are unwilling to be educated. They know everything and no one can teach them anything. Wise leaders are constantly learning and the wisest of leaders provide learning opportunities for their people. 
 
How many people do you know who subject themselves to a program of learning? How many people defy the teachings of their bosses and even their pastors. Sure, no person knows everything but there are people with much wisdom and knowledge. No matter how much we think we know, we can still be instructed. There is always someone who can lead us into greater truth.

If you are the smartest and most knowledgeable person in your sphere then you need desperately to widen your sphere. Don’t be foolish. Don’t continue in a lack of understanding. Find teachers and voraciously consume all you can. The key question is not whether or not you agree. The key is always, “Father, what can you teach me from this?”  Be a student all the days of your life and add prosperity and abundance to your life and those around you.

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Filled

On November 12, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 33: 5 – 6

The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the LORD is his treasure.

God gives us His justice and righteousness. The Bible says that we have become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5: 21). We do not have to manufacture our own justice and righteousness. We have only to walk in His righteousness.

As we do, besides becoming our peace, he also becomes our stability. Another translation says that He becomes a “sure foundation” for us. In Him is a wealth of salvation for every situation. He saves us in all things. His salvation is more full than the salvation unto eternity with Him alone. It includes salvation anytime you need saving. We also receive a wealth of wisdom and knowledge so that we have His wisdom and knowledge for every circumstance of life.

And, as if that was not enough, we also walk in the reverence of the Lord, which is a gift from Him too. The reverence of the Lord, that relationship that we learn to walk in is a treasure trove in and of itself. Once you have the reverential love of the Lord in your heart, you have the key to unlocking anything and everything. It is the wisdom of God. The scripture says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverb 9: 10). You will not have need of anything because His wisdom, knowledge and power are on the scene to lead you into all righteousness which also leads you into all other things too. It is a cycle that keeps you filled up with all of the goodness of the Lord.

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A House Well Built

On July 21, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 22: 13, 17

13 Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness and his upper rooms without justice, who uses his neighbors services without pay and does not give him his wages.
17 But your eyes and your heart are intent only upon your own dishonest gain.

What is this really about? It is about building our lives on virtue and righteousness. We are living in a time that is very much centered on the individual. Our society tells us to get all we can for ourselves. We are actually taught to be very self-centered and greedy. And just look at the economic trouble that ideology is causing all of us right now. God wants us to have nice things but he does not want our gain to come off of the misused labors of others. God is a giver, not a taker. He wants us to behave as He does. When He wants something, He sows a seed. He gives his way into what he desires. He sowed His only child and got back many sons and daughters. That is how His kingdom works. Let us build our lives on the same principles God uses. Rather than using people for our gain and our purposes, let us bless those around us; building our house in righteousness rather than selfishness.

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Sit Down with Mercy

On June 11, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 3: 25                 (God’s Word Translation)

God showed that Christ is the throne of mercy where God’s approval is given through faith in Christ’s blood. In his patience God waited to deal with sins committed in the past.

 There is a new mercy seat and his name is Jesus. In the Old Testament we read about the mercy seat which was the top of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark held, among other things, the tablets of law which were given to Moses. God in His great love and compassion for His people covered the law with the Mercy Seat. Now He has done it a second time in the person and sacrifice of Jesus.

 We are seated in the heavens with Jesus (Ephesians 2: 6). That is what it means to abide in Christ. We are in Him and He is in us. We abide together. We are again covered by mercy. God has given us His approval because of our faith in the victory of Jesus’ shed blood. It does require our confidence in Jesus’ victory however, but once we have faith in the blood of the perfect lamb then we are seated with him in the mercy seat. No longer does our sin condemn us. God withheld judgment until He could get the perfect sacrifice into place. Now the blood of Jesus speaks for us and completely washes away our sin. God has covered us with His overflowing mercy.

Order your personal theology so that you do not perceive yourself as a sinner but rather as the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5: 21). We are saved by grace. When we embrace the truth of our righteousness in Jesus we will not be drawn to sin. We are humbled by his magnanimity and though we may make mistakes we sure don’t seek out sin. Righteousness makes you righteous. Sit down in mercy and arise in His righteousness.

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