Kindergarten

On March 20, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 13: 1 – 3

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Do you get the idea it’s all about love? Well, you would be right. God is all about love and so is the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, if there is one thing we need to learn, it is love. Paul, writing here, says that even if he had everything else down but did not learn love, then he is still a child in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I called today’s devotional “Kindergarten” because I thought it captured what is otherwise a difficult concept. People ask me about who “gets into” heaven. You may know someone who was mean all their lives but acknowledged Jesus in their last days. You may contrast that person with the one you know who has been kind, generous and caring all the days of her life. Will they both get into heaven? This, I believe, is the very essence of judgment day.

If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the risen Lord, then you are saved and going to heaven (Romans 10: 9). So, what is this about judgement day? We already know the outcome. We are saved and going to heaven. I think about this more like a placement office evaluation. We get to heaven on the basis of Jesus’ blood sacrifice, but what then? God did not create heaven so we could float around on puffy clouds and eat grapes all day. How long would it take for that to get very boring? No, we still have worlds and universes to explore and settle. Jesus came to give us abundant life not a boring retirement. We’ve adventures ahead. First, though, we must be equipped for the work of the Kingdom.

Some people have already learned much about operating in Kingdom principles. They already operate, in the earth, at a graduate school level. Others of us, may still be at a Kindergarten level. Not to worry, our Father has on the job training. He has given us the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth and that does not end when we move to heaven. At judgement day, we will be put into the right program for each of us.

Those who have learned to walk in love will move to the head of the class so if you want to go ahead and get in on the advanced class, learn love. Learn what it means to walk in love and to experience God’s love. They go hand in hand.

Back to Top

Jesus is Lord?

On March 14, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 10: 9         NIV

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Do you call Jesus Lord? Do you worship him as Lord? Do your daily behaviors reflect his lordship? Do you obey him as lord?

The first question is easy, but I find each subsequent one gets harder. First, I must ask myself what it means to worship him, obey him and reflect him as Lord. We do not live in the feudal Europe of the past, so the idea of lordship is a bit foreign to us. Add to that the high value we place on individuality and independence and we become even further removed. Yet, we are called upon to serve him as our lord. In fact, wasn’t it a prerequisite of your salvation? Didn’t we accept him and confess him as our lord?

The best tool I have is movies. I think about the medieval era movies I have watched and that adds texture to my thoughts. Jesus’ obligation is to care for me. He is to defend me against my enemies and I owe him fealty. I owe him obedience, respect and honor. In return, all my problems become his. I am his responsibility.

Jesus is certainly our brother and our best friend, and we should not lose sight of that, but he is also Lord. His lordship is weighty and should be. He takes his responsibility towards us seriously. We must bear our responsibility towards him just as soberly. His commands are life and death. They are not just wishes. He gives them to us to impart abundant life to us, but obedience is a value unto itself. We should hearken to his word even when we do not understand. His having spoken should be enough.

What is Jesus saying to you today? What has he told you in the past? What are the goals and directives he has given for your life? Has he given you something to do that is yet undone? We are all given this day to begin anew. Each day we have the opportunity to improve upon yesterday. Each day is new and carries new promise. We are not called into condemnation but rather reevaluation. Are we where we want to be in our walk with Jesus? What does he wish to speak to us? Where is he leading us?

Jesus is Lord. He is our leader. His word is command even though it is also blessing. He is a benevolent lord and that is a worthy statement. He is worthy of honor and service. We should enter his court with high praise. He is our lord and our king.

Back to Top

Speaking, Believing and Truth

On October 26, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 10: 9      (New Living Translation)

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

This verse shows how the Kingdom of God works. In order to receive salvation we must believe with our hearts and confess with our mouths. Now, how do you suppose we are to receive anything and everything else? We are to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths. You see, since this is how the Kingdom of God operates you understand that the same way you receive salvation is the exact same way you receive everything. Once you know the will of God for a situation, the methodology is the same. Keep confessing the scripture that covers your situation until the promise of God materializes in this earth. He has already given us everything in the heavenly realm (Eph. 1: 3) so all we have to do is appropriate it, transferring the blessing into the physical earth. We do that by speaking faith filled words. Our faith in God’s promise is what translates that blessing into the earth. We must continue to say out of our mouths that which God says about the situation. Then we shall have the promised blessing.

Back to Top