Transformation

And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

Renew my mind?

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. Colossians 3:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

What is my mind anyway? Watchman Nee breaks it down: we are spirit, soul and body; each having its function. My spirit is my conscience, intuition and communion (with God). My soul is my volition, intellect and emotion (the “I” factor, my mind). My body is just that; my physical self that helps me navigate the physical world.

It’s my soul that connects my spirit with my body, therefore it is the most integral part of my transformation. I must have a renewed mind so that I may see God’s glory for what it is rather than chasing after the world’s glory which is corrupt.

And the Lord will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heat and with all your soul, that you may live. Deuteronomy 30:6

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:6-7

My flesh cannot be born twice in the flesh, but my spirit can and will be born again upon believing in Who Jesus is; that is, He is Christ, He is Son of God, He is God incarnate. Once I believe, His Holy Spirit will move in and begin the work of transformation of my soul, beginning with my being born again. Only then will I be able to live according to His will rather than my corrupt, fleshly lusts.

For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 1 Peter 4:1-2

This is the renewing of my mind. To stop living for me and begin living for God. The renewing of my mind is the beginning of the transformation that Jesus started in me and will complete at the Last Day. My new glorified body will signify the margin of Heaven and New Earth (more specifically New Jerusalem).

Heaven merges with Earth when Jesus comes for the final time. All things become new and transformation is complete.

And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be written on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: they need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:3-5

For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the flory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:18-21

Gentle, Meek, Lowly & Weak

I just finished examining several scriptures that describe Christians with these adjectives; gentle, meek, lowly & weak. Being the typical arrogant human that I am, I immediately started thinking of other people who claim to be Christian but do not particularly show these characteristics. Thankfully, my spirit felt the reprimand right away and I shifted my focus from other people to myself and saw that I am no person to point fingers.

I may be gentle with a puppy or a baby, but am I gentle with another adult who is defiant or argumentative? I am very meek when I am unsure of something, but what about when there is no question that I have the right knowledge about something? I admit to being lowly when it comes to popularity and having friends (very few in my corner), but what about when I’m among those who do call themselves my friends? Finally, being weak is not something I aspire to be, after all, I just upped my strength training since the New Year. So, how can I embrace my weakness if I’m still fighting to get rid of it? (I know this strength isn’t just about muscle, but bear with with me)

The more this world is shaken by all of the growing chaos (COVID, politics, vaccines, racial tension, gender questions, etc), the more loudly we all seem to cry out to be heard. We want our input to be valued because we all value our own opinions, even if no one else does. We also want to have some attention because being ignored tends to get lonely. So, we make crazy videos and try to get as many views as possible, or we share controversial topics to engage conversation or even arguments because that’s what makes us ‘happy’. I won’t claim to be different because here I am writing about what I’m studying. What I hope to distinguish, at least for myself, is the state of my heart with my participation with any of what’s going on. Am I gentle, meek, lowly & weak? Or am I strong-willed and argumentative with anyone who dares to disagree with me? I pray to be the former and repent if I am the latter.

God calls His children to be holy. I was reminded this week that the word holy means “set apart”. So, God wants us to be different, set apart, from the rest of the world who does not follow Him. That’s a reasonable request considering He’s completely set apart from the world. His holiness cannot even tolerate the smallest blemish, so how could He accept anything and everything from the world? We must be set apart in His eyes if we want to be in His arms. Thank God for Jesus. We would never be able to be seen as holy if it weren’t for Jesus taking our place. When I picture it, I see myself standing in front of God on His throne. Well, not even standing, but more face down on my knees in shame. But then, Jesus, clothed in the brightest white, steps in front of me so that what God sees is Him, His holiness, rather than me. Thank God for Jesus.

Just this picture alone centers my heart and makes me more compassionate with the thought of other people who don’t know Jesus in this way. It’s not my gentleness, it’s His. Keeping His grace towards me at the forefront of my mind helps me be meek in the face of aggression. My flesh often still screams to be let loose and let the words fly out of my mouth with abandon, but His Holy Spirit has also given me a measure of self-control to keep my flesh in check and let Him take over.

2 Timothy 2:24-25 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

I love this scripture. It calls to those who are truly devoted to the Lord. For me, it enables me to actually be humble in my heart. Not because I think I could be the one who is able to teach and be patient and correct those who are in opposition, I think I’ve already proven to myself that I am not. No, it’s because I know that I’m not a teacher and I certainly haven’t been given the words to correct anyone in their opposition. I am humbled because I know that my calling is simply to love others, even if they don’t believe. Especially if they don’t believe, because how else will they see Jesus if they don’t see Jesus in me?

So, why write all this and then publish it for the world to see if I don’t think I have anything to teach? Short answer is I need to be accountable. One day I will be standing (or on my face and knees) in front of the throne of God and He will definitely hold me accountable for all that I’ve done. I want to own up to every little flaw that I’ve had and give it to Him, with you as my witnesses. I don’t want to hold on to any grudges or pride in myself. I have nothing to be proud of when I compare it to the glory of God. Only He has the right for glory at all, and I am learning to give it all to Him. It’s a slow-go, I tell you, but with every inch closer that I get in my learning, my appreciation and reverence for God gets immense in my heart. I think that’s all I can really ask for. The rest I will let Him handle.

Distracted, Deceived, Departed 3

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.

To a faithful Christian, the implications of this verse seem almost farfetched. Or do they?

There are lots of people who hang their hats on the ‘Christian’ hanger. Some of them grew up in church while others just seem to follow along the people who are closest to them. Some of them go to church every week and others visit church on special holidays or occasions. In reality, no one knows who is truly Christian and who is just playing along. We can only vouch for ourselves, and even then we may be wrong.

A Christian believes Jesus is the only Son of God, sent to the world to redeem whoever will believe in Him. Ok, lots of people are nodding their heads at that one.

A Christian recognizes his/her sinful nature and understands the need for redemption. He/she is convicted of that sin in his/her heart and immediately falls on his/her knees to repent to God; not just asking for forgiveness but turning his/her heart away from the sinful nature and toward Jesus.

Some people may have a hard time swallowing the full scope of what ‘sinful nature’ really is and even more so of the ‘conviction’ part. They may say to themselves, “I’m a good person. I don’t kill people and I don’t lie or steal. At least not big lies anyway.”

There are lots of variations within the perceived Christian religion that seem to allow for such assumptions. In other words, some pastors don’t preach repentance, they simply preach that God loves you. You might say, “There’s nothing wrong with that, because God does love us.” You’re right, but the whole message isn’t being conveyed to the dying souls listening. If Jesus preached repentance, we certainly need to be doing it also. This is one of the many distractions to deception that’s happening right now; arguing over whether we need to learn about sin and repentance or not.

There are some worldviews that say there is no sin at all. The New Age worldview would be one of them, all while spouting Jesus’ name as if He is a part of this worldview. Let’s be clear, He is not.

Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.

Unbelief is a sin, otherwise, why would it be called evil? Unbelief is disobedience as we are all called to believe.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Christians live to please God. That is his/her first priority every single moment of every single day. Anything else that takes focus away from pleasing God is a distraction leading to deception that, if unchecked, will lead to departure. It’s that simple. And we will all have to account for what we have said and done in this life.

Romans 14:12-13 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

Can you see it? It’s a waste of time to argue over whether we should get a vaccine or not. The government is going to do whatever it decides to do and we will have a choice. To get in line with everyone else and follow along, or to stand firm in our faith putting God first above any scare tactics of the world. I’m not saying that getting the vaccine is not standing firm in faith, but for some people that is exactly what it is and it is to those people I’m talking. You see, the act of getting a vaccine isn’t the issue. It’s the principles behind the choices we make concerning it and everything else we are contending with in this world. We must stand firm behind the principles as long as we have confirmed through Scripture that they are in God’s will.

If we make a choice that goes against what the government has decided, then we must be prepared for the consequences. Remember, if we have Jesus as our main focus, we have peace no matter what happens to us physically and socially. If we keep Him as our main focus, then we won’t be distracted by all the commotion and we’ll protect ourselves from being deceived. If we allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us as we stay focused on Christ, then we won’t depart from the faith like those in 1 Timothy.

This is a daily battle. It’s a battle for our hearts. Do we value the promises of Jesus? Or are we addicted to the life we’ve become accustomed to on earth? If we’re addicted, then we’ll be easily distracted, deceived and we will depart from the faith. It’s the “D” syndrome.

How do we prevent it? 2 Peter 1:1-11

Faith: Confidence in Jesus alone.

Virtue: Live with high moral standards according to God’s will.

Knowledge: Grow your Biblical understanding through study, prayer and godly counsel.

Self-control: Respect the boundaries God has applied and practice discipline every moment.

Perseverance: Keeping your eye on the prize you will have motivated endurance.

Godliness: Your devotion to God’s holiness will keep you righteous.

Brotherly kindness: We make no distinctions as to who we will love, just as Jesus didn’t.

Love: The only kind of love to practice is agape love: pure and wholesome, unconditional love.

Pride vs Love

It’s Pride month.

For me, this is the perfect reminder of why we should be living humbly. If we lived with real humility, we would never belittle another person. We would see that someone who chooses to live alternatively is going through the same mental and emotional anguish that we all experience every day of our lives. We wouldn’t point fingers at them in judgment. We wouldn’t discriminate and we wouldn’t allow the way they live offend us.

As a Christian, I am continually learning (sometimes not by choice) how important it is to remove pride from my heart. Pride does nothing other than elevate oneself above God because it is focusing only on that person. It blinds people from seeing and acting on real need. I know it has done that to me.

Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Am I doing that? Are you? Not to the extent that Jesus did that’s for sure. Probably, if I’m realistic, not even one tenth of it.

Matthew 7:12 “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them for this is the Law and the Prophets”.

What a simple explanation! Again, though, I can honestly say that I do not always follow this rule. Be honest, neither do you. I’ve lied with the notion that I am protecting someone’s feelings. So basically, by doing that I already decided that I know what best for that person even better than they do. In reality, what my lying to them does is protect me from any arguments or discord that I probably deserve but am too cowardly to face. That’s a small example but quite relevant because it shows my love for my flesh is higher than my love for God and His righteousness.

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to them, ” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

If I love God with all my heart, then there’s no room in my heart for selfish love of my flesh. Instead, I will see all people as God sees them, His creation and His desire for them to love Him also. If I’m a true believer, then my heart’s desire will be what He desires. I will do for other people things that Jesus would do. Like tell them the truth. Like allowing them to make their own decisions and not chastising them. If they ask my opinion, I’ll tell them, but I won’t shove my opinions in their face.

How can I be the light of the world? If I have something that you need, I will give it with a joyful attitude. It has to be something that I actually have, though. Do I have time? I give it. Do I have money? I give it. Do I have food? I give it. Do I have a smile? An ear? Whatever it is, if I have it I can and should give it if it is a need for someone else, no matter who they are.

If I don’t have it, I cannot give it, but I don’t abandon the person in need. Maybe I have a connection to someone who does have what they need. That’s what I should give.

In all instances, the main thing that needs to be given is love. Real love, not superficial love. You know, the kind where I give something but only because it’s going to win me brownie points with other people or elevate me to a status of ‘super-admired person’. Forget that, there’s no humility in that. We either do it out of love, for God and for His creation, or we don’t do it at all.

Paul wrote it perfectly:

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

v 8: LOVE NEVER FAILS

There’s no room for pride when you’re talking about love.

So, I believe we should make June national Black History month (emancipation, Juneteenth, duh). And February national LOVE month so that we get rid of pride and celebrate love the way it should be celebrated. It just seems appropriate.

Radically Different

Do you ever wonder why Christians aren’t always radically different from the rest of the world? After all, we are supposed to be new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). For many new Christians, they are radically changed immediately. I read about it all the time: miraculous healing, complete deliverance from bondage of addiction, power to overcome sexual disorientation, etc.

Everyone marvels at the immediate effects of belief in Jesus and surrender to Him. But then the curtain closes while the characters on the stage are still left to play out the rest of the story. No one wants to vocalize that all the struggles a person goes through before conversion (salvation) are just a small glimpse of the challenges/trials he or she will experience afterwards.

The devil does not want you to live in eternity resting with God Almighty. He wants you to die and He wants God to watch you die (because you chose it and God will never interfere with your heart unless you give your heart to Him). It’s not that God is helpless when you deny Him, it’s that He is honorable and holy. He will respect your choice. The devil, however, is not honorable at all and will try to influence you to change your heart away from God deliberately and nonstop.

So, once you choose Jesus, the devil steps up his work to deceive you and cause you problems. For some, he distract them with illness or disease. For others, he uses popularity or monetary success. He pokes at you with different prods to see what is most important to your heart. Remember, if we don’t love God with ALL our hearts, minds, souls and strength, then we love something else more (idolatry).

Here’s the challenge: we heard the gospel, we believed it, we received it, then we went home. Our flesh still pulls to old habits while our freshly sown hearts are excited for the thrill of Jesus. They war against each other, and if the soil in which the gospel (the seed) is sown is shallow or not fed properly, then the seed will not grow and flourish. Read the Parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-23.

Once you plant a seed, you must care for it. If it’s not planted in good ground, it’s growth is limited. That’s the key. Growth.

Yes, we are new creations, but we are not complete! How can we be if we still have to live in this sinful atmosphere of the world? We have to guard our hearts from the influence of all the distractions that want to pull us away from the Truth.

It is our responsibility to guard our hearts. To stay in the word and grow in the knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 1:5-11). We must be prepared for any trial or tribulation by wearing the armor God has given us (Ephesians 6:10-18). If we continue in this, feeding on the word and praying earnestly and continuously, then the fruit of the Spirit will become increasingly evident in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).

We will look different because we don’t participate in the petty political conversations or arguments. We will respect all people with the love of Christ (not the world). We will be bold to speak truth, even when it’s labeled as hate. We will never condemn another person for anything but we will also never participate in others’ sinful behavior.

We won’t be able to do all this at once or even all together. But we will work towards it. Not because we think that’s how we will be saved because we are confident in what Jesus has already done. But because we want to show God with our lives how much we love Him and are grateful for the salvation He provided through Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, is anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

2 Peter 5-11 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Bottom line, when we submit to Jesus by believing in Him, we are declaring that we love God with all our hearts. Once we declare that, we act on it by feeding our spirits the word of Life continually. Jesus makes us new and our thoughts and actions are focused on Him thereby growing our faith in Him. We read the word and we follow it, using our faith to propel us forward, closer to Him. This is how we live differently and it shows up in other places: like how we no longer fear death but embrace life. We don’t hang on the words of our government leaders or worry about plagues, but we continue in our faith knowing that God’s provision, His grace, is enough. We don’t let our emotions control our actions, but we take control by submitting them all to the power of Christ.

It is He alone that gives us peace and it is through Him alone that we live. That is how we will look different to the rest of the world.

The Mystery of Love

You’ve already heard this, I’m sure, but the word ‘love’ is the most overused and misused word there is. At least that’s my opinion.

I love French fries.

I love the Spring.

I love him/her.

We have a limited understanding of love. I think it’s because we use the word too much in our everyday conversations. I think when we use the word love, in most instances, we really mean that we like something or someone exceptionally. Perhaps that’s one of the many definitions Webster’s Dictionary offers. I don’t know, let’s look:

Love is A.) Strong affection from personal ties, kinship, sexual or intimate desire, affection based on admiration.

B.) Warm attachment, enthusiasm or devotion

C.) Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.

D.) A score of zero in tennis.

Those are the noun definitions of the word. I won’t go into the details of the verb examples, as they all expand on one of the noun definitions above. Except for the score in tennis, the basics of the word ‘love’ refer to affection, attachment or devotion.

But we don’t say, “I’m devoted to French fries.” It takes more energy to say, “I have affection for him/her,” and it just sounds weird to say, “I have an attachment to Spring.” Nope, we substitute it all with the word ‘love’.

I didn’t fully realize this gross misuse of the word until a few years ago when I had a dream where I experienced what love really feels like. Ok, I know. I sound nuts. A dream? Yes. I’ve told you about it before. If you’d like to read it, here it is: My Dream

If not, the short of it is I experienced what pure love feels like. I couldn’t bring myself to describe it fully because the rest of the dream was so interesting and alarming. But, now, years after I had this dream, the one thing that remains with me is that feeling of love and peace. I can’t describe it even now. Having experienced this love, I continue to strive for ways to describe it and so far I can’t. I think Paul comes the closest but even he doesn’t scratch the surface of this mystery of love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

But, I’ve decided this much, no one can truly be surrendered to Christ until he/she experiences the pure Love that only comes from Him. All other love is inferior and conditional. The love of God is unfathomable and only through the power of the Holy Spirit (receiving Jesus Christ as the only true Savior) can we even get an inkling what His love is like.

Love is much deeper than a feeling or an action. Love is a state of being. An atmosphere. It’s completely reliable.

God’s love is the bond of perfection, and it is something that we can attain through Jesus.

Colossians 3:14 But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Love is a shield of protection.

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.

Love is incredibly merciful.

Ezra 9:13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us LESS that our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this…

I have taken a good look at my life, particularly my thoughts and inward attitude. Even in my most thankful days, I have had thoughts run through my head that God despises. I just can’t meet the requirements of holiness to be able to be in the presence of God without Jesus. I think that’s the whole point. None of us can. We all need something or someone that can meet God’s holy requirements in order to survive His presence. Simple thoughts that I don’t even intend to think can and do bruise my integrity. Outwardly, I try to be who God wants me to be. Inwardly, in my heart, I know there’s so much more pride and selfishness trying to defy God even as I sit alone and pray to Him. It’s a war that I will never win.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This is why John 3:16 should be memorized and remembered every single day of our lives. I can’t do it, but God, in His infinite and mysterious love for me (and all of us!), provided the way to reconnect to Him. There is no other love like this and there never will be.

May God’s grace and mercy shine on you today filling you with all knowledge of Him and peace within.

He’s Waiting

I’ve been stuck on the story of the prodigal son for a while now, I know. I can’t help it. There are just so many layers to this story that overwhelm me with the knowledge of God’s love for us all. I will try to make this my last post about it, but if you have a moment, please read and tell me what you think.

Luke 15:10 “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

We are born into this world with sinful hearts. We want to live our own way and rebel against God, even if we don’t realize that’s what we’re doing! We fight or work hard to have the ‘things’ that please our flesh.

Luke 15:12 “And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.”

We take our ‘things’ and use them for pleasure. As long as we are comfortable, we don’t have a ‘need’ for God. These things might be material, or they might be emotional, but whatever they are, we use them for our pleasure and not to please God. We put ourselves above God (idolatry); until we use them all up and end up with nothing. We waste what God gave us.

Luke 15:13-14 “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a famine in that land, and he began to be in want.“

Most often, we automatically determine that we need to provide for ourselves. We’ve put ourselves above God, remember, and so we think we can fix our own problems.

Luke 15:15-16 “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.”

When we determine to fix our own problems, we discover that even with all our hard work, we still need help. We need someone to give something so that we can continue our work. But all people have the same type of hearts if they live by their own means, and usually will not give for fear that they won’t have enough. When we determine to live on our own, God allows us to be completely on our own.

Luke 15:17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”

Everyone has his breaking point, when he comes to himself, and realizes that for all his effort to do it on his own, he will never be able to save himself from his detriment. That’s when we have the opportunity to realize exactly where our provision really came from to begin with. We recognize that the less we relied on ourselves, like when we were younger, and the more we trusted in our Father, the more we were actually cared for. Hence, the less we needed.

This brings up the notion of how much is really enough? What is abundance? This is where we often get sidetracked and get it wrong. We determine how much is enough rather than trusting God to do that. Our pride gets in the way (again).

Luke 15:18-19 “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”

When we truly get to the end of our own means, we recognize that our effort is not enough. It will never be enough, and we must rely on the only true Provider. Until we know this fact in our hearts (not just our heads), we will continue to struggle. We have to acknowledge it, humbling ourselves in the process. We don’t need a temporary fix; just enough until we can take control again, because in reality, the moment we take back control is when we start going backwards again.

It’s so important that we acknowledge this fact and completely humble ourselves-giving God full control of our lives. Yes, we still have to work, but that work is in response to God’s guidance rather than our own. The main purpose for our work is not for our own sustenance, but ultimately to fulfill God’s will.

God’s will? What is that, anyway? How do we know what it is? Like everything else, there are mini-goals that God wants us to achieve. Things that encourage us to keep at it because He knows it’s difficult for us to keep going forward blindly without seeing any results. So, He gives us small ones that help us continue in His will. It’s how we know what His will is, after the fact. Ultimately, God’s will is that A. we are drawn into a closer relationship with Him and B. He is glorified in the sight of others so that they may be drawn to Him also.

Luke 15:20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”

Even though God allows us to decide whether we will rely on Him or ourselves, He never stops looking for us. If we go out on our own, God waits for us to return. Wow! He anticipates us coming back to Him. More than that, if/when we do return, He welcomes us with overwhelming love! He doesn’t sit us down for a ‘serious talk’ about all our mistakes. He doesn’t lay down new rules or requirements we must meet in order to secure in joining with Him. If we return to Him in humility, with all earnestness and repentance, we have met the only requirement there is. And He meets us before we get all the way to Him. He meets us the moment we return to Him, the moment we decide and repent. He floods us with His love, welcoming us with pure joy. He wraps us in His arms with the biggest hug and kisses us with His forgiveness. The angels rejoice with Him with joy!

Luke 15:21- “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.“

Not only is there now no condemnation to those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1), but He covers us with all of His provision. We are washed clean from our past. We are made new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Yes, we have the same physical bodies, the ones that have those cravings of the old life, but our spirits become new. Our spirits crave the righteousness and pure love that only comes from Jesus. Our spirits are able to receive the Holy Spirit fully because we allowed Him to convict us of our past rebelliousness and comfort us with His eternal love.

It’s a hard thing to grasp, when all we see are our outward circumstances. It’s easy to get confused when we have taken our eyes off the prize which is Jesus Christ living in us and us living in Him. That’s why we have to come to that point of the end of ourselves, so that all we can see is Jesus. Once we see Him, I mean REALLY see Him, we don’t want to see anything else.

In the meantime, He’s waiting.

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will be no means cast out.”

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

Love and peace to you all!

What Is A Christian?

What is a Christian?

A Christian is someone who professes with his or her mouth that Jesus is the Son of God. That He was with God in the beginning and that He is God in the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy spirit.

This person believes that Jesus left the Father’s side to be incarnated as a man, to live on earth among all men and be the only redeeming sacrifice for men’s sin and rebellion against God.

A Christian is born again. When he believes in Jesus wholly, he becomes NEW, exchanging all of his old ways for the pure ways of following Jesus. He renounces sin and lives FOR Jesus, rather than himself.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:9-21 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore, “If your enemy hungers, feed him, if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

A Christian will stand up and defend the innocent when they are persecuted. But when he is persecuted, he will endure it with humility. He will stand strong in the power of the Holy Spirit, never backing down from the faith. If a group calls for him to renounce Jesus, he will refuse, even to the death.

If he is told to accept or tolerate the sin of others, he will make it known that he does not accept it because God does not accept it. However, as he refuses to participate in it, he will also allow those people to make their own choices as God does. However, he will make the case for God…showing the way of righteousness in God which is the opposite way of sin.

He will do all this with love, humility and gentleness which are all gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

God has given us all the opportunity to repent. When we repent, we turn away from sinfulness and toward God and His righteousness. When we truly repent, we can truly become born again and new creatures in Christ. We no longer live for ourselves as the world does. We recognize the difference and practice the continuing task of denying ourselves and living for Him.

2 Timothy 3:2-4 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

A Christian is continually seeking God, His presence and His glory. That is our purpose, to lift Him up above ourselves and remembering that we are nothing without Him.

Humility

I think it’s funny how over the years I have studied, thought and written about pride and how devastating it is. Only to come to the conclusion that I have pride lurking in just about every orifice of my heart even now. It’s just funny. All this time I’ve seen how pride creeps in and takes residence when nobody is looking, in other people of course, all the while it’s doing exactly that within myself.

I don’t want to try to measure it, for fear of how big it may really be. The fact is, it’s a problem in every one of us. But, if I decide I need to study and write about it once more just to point it out for you, then, once again, pride has ruled over humility in me.

Nope. I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m going to study, think and write about humility. The only thing that will overcome the pride problem. Hopefully, at least, it will in me.

Humility isn’t thinking less of myself. Humility is thinking less about myself. Big difference. As I ponder that truth, as quoted by Peter Kreeft, I realize that demeaning myself, especially in front of others, will only prod my selfishness to want to be lifted up instead. The point of humility is not to lift up my heart, but to lift up anyone and everyone around me. Do I do that? Not by a long shot! At least not yet, but now I have a starting point.

Humility is the evidence of ultimate confidence in God. It’s the proof that I can endure anything, good or bad, and still only rely on God for my needs.

Humility is the state of my heart that says “I will love and serve my God with everything I have, even in the face of adversity or even death.”

I don’t have to go out into the world and make a huge impact on millions of people to call myself a successful servant of the Lord.

I have to faithfully serve the Lord by loving each individual who crosses my path.

That love will show up in many different ways if I am truly serving God first in my heart. If I am loving Him first, then I can begin to see the people around me the same way He does. How does He see us? He sees us as people who are worth dying for.

Don’t misunderstand that last sentence. We’re not worthy according to His Holiness, but according to His Love. What did His Love do?

Love made Him lower Himself, to become a man and endure not only all the temptation Satan has to throw at us but to humble Himself to the will of the Father. His humility was not weakness, but incredible strength. He humbled Himself every single day to go alone to pray earnestly for the Father’s guidance and will. He submitted Himself to let God the Father have complete control. In return, He understood the Father’s will and completed His mission with Supernatural strength.

It takes strength to be falsely accused of crimes and not defend yourself.

It takes strength to be beaten to a bloody pulp and not cry out for mercy from your assailants.

It takes strength to hang on a cross, in unimaginable, agonizing pain and ask God to “forgive them”.

I do not have, will never have, even one-tenth of that kind of strength in my own power. And if I don’t have the humility to acknowledge that fact and surrender to the only One who does have it, I will die in my sin and never know peace.

So, yeah, I’m continually confronting the pride that lurks unceasingly within my heart, learning how to submit my will to God’s will. I’m finally understanding that I will never cross that finish line until I’m in His arms for Eternity. It’s my goal to get there, even if I’m humbled over and over every day for the rest of my life.

Let it be.

What Does It Mean To Be Faithful?

Hosea 11:12 “Ephraim has encircled Me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God, even with the Holy One who is faithful.”

The Book of Hosea is beautiful. It describes how God truly loves His people, even when we don’t love Him back the way He deserves. It shows the correlation of how a relationship between a husband and wife is parallel to how our relationship with Him ought to be. Mostly, it describes God’s faithfulness to us.

In God’s word, faithful is the opposite of unfaithful, in terms of adultery. We were created to be God’s life companions; to have intimate relationship with Him every moment of our lives. But we rebelled. We sinned against Him and have become unfaithful to Him. When this happened, God essentially had to start over with us. He had to send Someone to redeem our relationship with Him, Someone to spell it out for us that we were meant to be His Bride and to live our lives as His Eternal Spouse in faithfulness.

Jesus came and showed us what true love is. He visited everyone who would receive Him, and even those who would not. He spoke only Truth, for He is Truth, and let those who heard Him decide for themselves what they would choose. He didn’t need much time, only three years. In that time, He developed relationships with people on different levels, the highest level being the closeness He had with His disciples. But with everyone, He gave His complete love and compassion for what they were enduring. He won many hearts by doing that, but He also made many enemies because of His blunt honesty against their pride.

At the end of His ministry, He gathered with His disciples to finalize His purpose before He was crucified. I kind of always knew this in my heart, but I never put two and two together until recently and I am in awe.

Luke 22:15-18 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took the cup and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

There is a wonderful video on YouTube that describes the meaning of this passage. I don’t have the link handy, but here is a basic description:

This is a marriage proposal according to Jewish custom. In order to become betrothed, both families meet, exchange gifts to make an agreement (covenant) that both parties agree to a marriage. The groom takes a ceremonial cup of wine and drinks; symbolic of his commitment to the bride. Then he hands the cup to her. If she receives the cup and drinks from it, then she is announcing her acceptance of the proposal and covenant. However, she can refuse the cup, saying no she will not marry him, and the marriage is off.

When we practice the sacrament of communion, we are essentially telling God that yes, we accept Jesus as our betrothed and we are His bride. We announce our commitment to being faithful to only Him and denying everything else as essential in our lives. We have decided and are entering into a Holy Marriage with Him. Our faithfulness to our Bridegroom is ESSENTIAL from this moment on. Otherwise, we become adulterers.

When tragedy hits, we often fall on our knees and cry out to God. Sometimes it’s because we see that we have drifted away from Him and we repent (which is always necessary). But most times, it’s because we are questioning God, “Why?”. We don’t question out of innocent curiosity but usually it’s out of pride, because we blame Him for things that are uncomfortable or even deadly in our lives. Whatever the cause of us turning to Him, if we are sincere and repent, then we begin rebuilding our relationship with Him and hold fast during those times of trial. But, how long does it last?

Granted, some of us are determined to keep our relationship with Him a priority, and we put Him first more and more each day. We do it because we really were sincere in our repentance and we realized how we had strayed. However, some of us repent, even with a sincere heart, but our determination is short-lived because once the trials are over we again allow ourselves to become distracted by things other than His glory. Oh, how I can see how I have done this in my life and am so remorseful now! Why didn’t I see it then?

I didn’t see it because I didn’t understand the covenant I made with Him. I was shallow ground! But God still never left me. Instead, He has been working on my ground, enriching it with nutrients over time so that His word could take deeper root inside and now I am beginning to understand even better.

When I married my husband, I vowed that he would be the only one. There would be no divorce, and if there were, then there would be no subsequent marriages. One and done. That was my decision 27 years ago and it remains the same today.

That is how I now view my marriage to Jesus. He is first in my life and there will be no divorce and definitely no subsequent marriages. His covenant is the everlasting covenant and simply being a part of it gives me cause to be thankful forever. I have no other needs than to be with Him all my life.

Now I can see His hanging on the Cross even more vividly and lovely. He died for me! He overcame death and rose again, for me! Only He could do it. No one else could or would. Not my husband, not Mohammed, not Buddha, not Brahma or Shiva, not the ‘Universe’, no one and no thing. Only Jesus because only He loves me that much that He would give up being above the angels to becoming a lowly human in order to be the Sacrificial Lamb.

So now I am thankful for Paul’s prayer even more.

Ephesians 3:16-19…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Amen.

Observations

Learning To Live Life In Love

Tag: love