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Friday, September 30, 2011

Visual People: For the girls...

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  Jesus, as mentioned last night tells us guys here that whoever LOOKS at a woman with lust for her commits adultery with her in his heart.  As described last night, us guys are visual people.

Visual people.  Tonight I went to a movie with a group of friends to see the movie "Courageous" which was actually a great movie.  However, I am not here to discuss the movie but something that happened while we were getting ready to go in.  We were all observing how everyone was dressed, mainly the girls.  We noticed that for the most part they were "appropriately dressed."  This of course is in contrast to how girls dress in today's culture.  This is what makes being a man, more specifically a Christian man difficult for us.  Granted this is no excuse but there are challenges we face simply because of the fact that we as guys are visual people.

Visual people.  This is probably one of the most difficult blogs I have had to write because it is a sensitive issue for girls and guys alike.  On top of that, I have had to deal with issue first hand in my ministry.  But ladies, tonight I want to speak to you.  Ladies, I repeat the point that we men are visual people.

Visual people.  Men and women both play a responsibility in obeying this command.  In 1 Timothy 2:9, Paul tells women to dress modestly.  This means that women are to dress in such a way that it does not create a distraction.  What is happening today is that culture is dictating how women should dress and they are encouraged to dress in such a way that it draws attention to themselves.  Whether you realize it or not, drawing attention to yourself in this way turns women into objects as opposed to human beings who ought to be respected.

Ladies, my encouragement to you is simply this.  More to the point my request on behalf of Christian men everywhere desiring to live as godly a life as possible is help us.  Help us by letting your beauty shine from within and not EXCLUSIVELY from without.  I emphasize exclusively because of course men and women alike need to consider their outward appearance as 1 Timothy 2:9 indirectly alludes to that but more to the point the very next verse in 1 Timothy 2:10, women are told to adorn themselves with "good works which is proper for women making a claim to godliness."  But of course if the outward appearance is all you care about in order to draw attention to yourself, remember this turns you into mere objects whether you realize it or not.  So ladies if you are making a claim to godliness demonstrate not exclusively by your outward appearance but by your good works.  Let your beauty come from the inside out.  Furthermore, I encourage you to take a look at what it is you decide to wear and consider how that might cause your male brethren to react to you.  Because fact is, we as men are visual people.  Help us protect our eyes from looking at a woman with lust for her so that we do not commit adultery in our heart.  

Much more could be said on this subject but I do not want to take more of your time.  Feel free to comment further if you wish, whether you are a guy or a girl or you can email me at davidmalleyg@gmail.com.

PRAY ABOUT IT! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! THANKS FOR READING LADIES! GOD BLESS!  

All the time: Part 2

"You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."--Deuteronomy 11:20.  Moses continuing to tell the people that God's commands need to be at the forefront of their minds all the time.

All the time.  Yesterday we talked about how we should be talking about the things of God all the time but here we find another practical application of reminding ourselves of God's commands all the time and that is to write them on the doorposts and on your gates, according to Deuteronomy 11:20.

All the time.  Now some Jewish homes probably did this literally.  However, the point today is not so much where we write them.  The point is more so keeping God's commands in front of your eyes and in front of your mind all the time.

All the time.  One thing that I have always found to be very cool is that some Christian homes actually have done this literally.  In a couple of different homes that I have been in, there have been Scriptures decoratively painted on to the wall.  At other times, there is a frame with a verse on it or even some decorative item such as a blanket or throw pillow with a Bible verse on it.  One verse I see most frequently when I enter these homes is Joshua 24:15 which says "...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  The image below is a couple of small ways that I employed this method.  The items pictured were gifts to me.  One is a little decorative item to remember to give thanks (to God of course) for all I have and for all God has done for me.  The other is a little frame given to me when I graduated High School because of my attitude and in case you can't see it, the frame has within it Proverbs 25:11 which states "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."  This reminds me to always try to have an encouraging word on my tongue.  The wording of this verse is also the reason there is an image of a golden apple in the frame.


How about technology?  Has technology not made it that much more possible for us to have God's commands in front of us at all times.  I'll never forget the assignment I was given as part of a Ministry Technologies class I took last year at the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver.  We were told to daily update our Facebook statuses with something of a spiritual nature whether it was a Bible verse or something else that glorified God.  This is one thing we can do to make sure God's commands are visible all the time. Of course, we can also use our cell phones and put a Bible verse on our home screen.  This will not only remind us of God's commands but it should also remind us to carry out God's commands in our lives all the time.

All the time.  So, in closing, my encouragement to you is this.  Apply the couple of different methods I have described here to yourself so that you keep God's commands in front of your eyes and in front of your minds at all times.  Additionally, I mentioned Joshua 24:15.  In reference to that verse, you have been contemplating giving your life over in service to Christ through obedience to the gospel, consider the statement "Choose this day whom you will serve."  Do not delay in making this choice.  Choose this day whom YOU will serve.  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 

PRAY ABOUT IT! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!   

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Visual People: For the guys...


Image courtesy of graur codrin

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."--Matthew 5:27-28.  Here we enter a section of the Sermon on the Mount which more than applies to us today.  Guys, this one is for us.  Ladies, tomorrow we will look at how this will apply to you but this is valuable information for either sex.  There is a reason Jesus says this.  Much of the reason if not the whole reason is because guys, we are visual people.

Visual people.  I will first speak to the single guys since I am still single.  Guys, be honest with yourself, what was your reaction the last time you SAW a girl you considered to be attractive?  It would be a lie to say that the girl did not grab your attention for even a second.  Guys, fact is it does not take much to stimulate our hormones.  It is just the way our Lord designed us.  Now I will say here that this is where self control is crucial because our responses to our natural desires e.g. sexual desires are to be withheld and saved for marriage.  We will get into further application of this in a moment but first I want to lay a little groundwork.

Returning to Matthew 5:27-28, notice what Jesus says.  He says "You have heard that it was said 'You shall not commit adultery'...BUT I SAY TO YOU that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Emphasis added).  Jesus is first of all establishing His authority here by making the statement "I say to you."  Second, what Jesus is doing is essentially telling the people to forget about what they have been taught about this command and understand that adultery happens long before the physical act.  Adultery begins in the heart.  Guys, adultery begins with our eyes. Why? Because we are visual people.

Visual people.  Fellas, the second point I want to consider here is not just the question of how you reacted when you saw an attractive girl but ask yourself how did you react to how she was dressed?  An issue we will address in tomorrow night's blog.   Was she dressed slightly provocatively or extremely provocatively?  This too stimulates our desires and creates a certain amount of temptation and it is often difficult to look away.  I recently experienced this for myself.  I was driving home from school the other day and some girls were running.  Problem was their sports gear was revealing forcing me to look an other direction but for a few seconds there, my attention was locked.  This is evidence that as guys, we are visual people.

Visual people.  Guys, this is no foreign struggle to Christian men, especially single Christian men.  So the question is, what can we do about it?  We know that God designed us this way so does that make it God's fault that we react the way we do and that we struggle with this?  OF COURSE NOT!!! What has caused this struggle that single and even many married men alike is the disease called sin.  Our battle with sin began in Genesis 3:1-22 in the garden of Eden upwards of 6000 years ago.  But again what can we men, who are visual people, do so that we do not commit adultery in our heart as described here in Matthew 5:27-28?

Visual people.  My encouragement to you tonight is this.  First of all by all means PRAY!!!  But one practical way we can do this is to do as Job said he did in Job 31:1 and to "make a covenant with our eyes."  Quite literally make a deal with yourself that you will no longer look at a woman with lust for her.  Believe me I know this is easier said than done but it is NOT impossible!  Also, if you are looking at woman lustfully on the internet or any other media through pornography, put some filters on your browser that will block that content such as Safeeyes or other parental control software.  You can also eliminate this temptation by accessing the internet in public places.  Parents, your kids are not immune to this either so one piece of advice would be to keep the computer in a visible place in your house such as the living room where there is a lot of traffic. Guys, God did create these desires within us but He created them so that our desire would be for our mate and our mate only within the context of marriage.  Don't let temptation (Satan) get the best of you.  Finally fellas, if you are struggling with this, talk with another male brother in Christ about your struggle.  Again, easier said then done but this creates accountability which motivates you to stop.

Adultery begins in the heart.  Don't let yourself commit adultery by looking at a woman with lust for her.  Whenever you are tempted, remember the words of Jesus here in Matthew 5:28 "BUT I SAY TO YOU THAT EVERYONE WHO LOOKS AT A WOMAN WITH LUST FOR HER HAS ALREADY COMMITTED ADULTERY WITH HER IN HIS HEART." (Emphasis added)

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!  

     

All the time: Part 1

"You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up."Deuteronomy 11:19.  Moses, giving the Israelites a very practical way to help them remember to keep God's commandments as they get ready to enter into the Promised Land.  He encourages them to talk about them when they are walking along, lying down and rising up.  This shows us that they were to be pondering on God's commands, if not doing them not part of the time but all the time.

All the time.  Much of the time this Deuteronomy 11:19 is used to show the importance of us raising our children to serve the Lord.  This is most definitely a valid verse to use for that and it is ever important for us to teach the commands of God to our children because the fact is we are losing them at alarming rates.  However, I want to take a different approach to this verse.  This verse is evidence that God's commands need to constantly be on our minds and hearts. By constantly, I mean all the time.

All the time.  Much of the reason my relationship with my best friend and brother in Christ, Kenny, got started was because more often than not our conversation would somehow come back to the Scriptures and what they teach.  We would be talking about what is going on in each other's lives and it never failed, we would always end up talking about the Scriptures because they related to the events in our lives in some form or fashion.  To this day, even though we are now pursuing our own goals, every time we talk this still happens.  Whenever we talk, somehow we talk about the things of God all the time.

All the time.  Based on Deuteronomy 11:19, we can see that this is what God expects. Granted this is the old law but the fact that we should be talking about the things of God all the time is also found in the New Testament.  Peter in 2 Peter 1:12, says he will be diligent to remind Christians that they must be diligent to be partakers of the divine nature.  He too would try to remind people all the time.

All the time.  Let me say here that I am not saying that the Scriptures should be the topic of every conversation we have with people.  What I am saying though is whatever we are talking about, we need to carry the conversation in such a way that it ultimately brings glory to God and also in such a way that it builds up the person we are talking to, not tears them down.  This is something we need to do all the time.

All the time.  So my encouragement to you this morning is this.  As I said, Deuteronomy 11:19 is very applicable to us today.  Therefore, next time you come in to contact with someone, see if there is a way you can bring the conversation back to God whether they are Christians or not.  For example, with a Christian find Scriptures that can apply to your conversation.  With someone who is not a Christian you can speak of the natural beauty and let that lead into a conversation about God and how He created all of this.  But whatever you do, as the old adage goes "let go and let God" lead your conversation.  We will be looking at another aspect of talking about the things of God all the time tomorrow.  In the meantime...

PRAY ABOUT IT! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Reconciliation...

"Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."--Matthew 5:23-24.  This verse is building on the fact that we need to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees or in modern day legalists and this includes the area of reconciliation.

Reconciliation.  This concept of reconciliation is within the context of a broken relationship with your brother (or sister).  However, being angry with our brother is compared to murder.  Jesus develops a very eye opening discussion on how holding a grudge against our brother is equivalent to murder.

Have you ever encountered a situation where you were so angry with someone, even a brother or sister in Christ that you didn't think you could ever forgive them?  I have had personal experience with this and I have also witnessed it among those closest to me.  This kind of situation is an ugly situation to say the least.  And it is in these situations that reconciliation is crucial.  

Reconciliation.  Reconciliation involves more than just forgiveness.  Reconciliation involves restoring the relationship.  Granted while forgiveness can take place immediately, reconciliation or restoring the relationship can take a little longer but it must be done.

Reconciliation.  As we look at Matthew 5:21-26 as a whole we can glean that anger builds and if not resolved, it has dangerous and in the end eternal consequences.  Anger is put on the same plane as murder.  It is no secret that in many cases, anger has led to murder.  By the time we reach Matthew 5:23-24, we find that we are to be reconciled to our brother before we present our gift to God.

Reconciliation.  Scripture is littered with the fact that God wants us to have a unified front.  My question is how can we do this if we can't be reconciled to our own brethren?  We are all going to face judgment one day and I would hate for any one of us to be kept from eternity with God simply because we were too stubborn to go to our brother and restore the relationship.

Reconciliation.  Matthew 5:23-24 puts the responsibility on the one who has been sinned against, not the one who did the sinning.  Fact is, many times when we are wronged, the people who have wronged us have no idea that they have done so.  But by the same token, Matthew 5:23-24 tells us that if we are aware someone has something against us, we have a responsibility to do all we can to restore that relationship.  If we have done our part and the other still refuses to forgive and work on reconciling, that is between them and God.

Reconciliation.  So my encouragement to you tonight is this.  If you are angry with your brother or if you know your brother (or sister) is angry with you, go to that person or persons if necessary to do what you can to restore the relationship.  Don't let something like anger which in this context is equated to murder, keep you from spending eternity with Christ.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!  

Strength...


Image courtesy of zirconicusso

"You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it;"--Deuteronomy 11:9.  Moses, giving them yet another reason they need to obey God's commands and especially now.  The reason is so that they might have strength.

Strength.  If you have ever worked out or done a regular amount of exercise, you know that even when it beings to hurt a little bit, you need to push on because that is when your strength is really being built.

Strength.  Of course the concept of strength is not restricted to exercise.  Strength is also applied when we are simply going through a hard time in our lives.  Maybe it's a difficult time on the job or at school or worse case scenario it is the death of a loved one.  Times like these all require strength.

Strength.  So how does the concept of strength fit in with our Christianity? Well like the Israelites here in Deuteronomy 11:9, we too have a Promised Land and whether we realize it or not, we too "are about to cross to possess it."  This is true because the fact is we don't know when we will go on to our reward.  It could be tomorrow, it could be today and it could even be by the time you finish reading this blog.  For that matter it could be by the time I publish this blog and only a handful of people have the chance to read it.  This is where strength comes in.  We need to have the strength to follow God's commands in order to "go in and possess the land."

Strength.  There is no doubt that during the 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelite's faith in God was challenged in all sorts of ways.  A whole generation died off and now it was time to go in and take the land.  The adversity would continue as they fought the inhabitants of the land but strength would be given them to conquer these people under one condition; that they would keep the commandments.

Strength.  If following God's commands was always easy, strength would not be needed.  If Christianity were always easy, everyone would probably be Christians.  Just like when we work out or go through a tough time, following God's commands might sometimes hurt a little bit.  But like working out or going through a hard time, we become stronger through the experience.  The same is true in following God's commands.  Following God's commands trains or disciplines us to push on.  Hebrews 12:11 tells us that "discipline for the moment is not joyful but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

Strength.  With all this being said in regards to strength, my encouragement to you is this.  Here in Deuteronomy 11:9 we see that the benefit of following God's commands was to have the strength to possess the land.  Our promised land is eternity with Christ.  I encourage you to have the strength to follow His commands as found in the pages of the New Testament.  Doing so will make this life better (1 Timothy 4:8-9) but ultimately you will reap eternal life.

Therefore, keep every commandment so that you may be strong. Go out and encourage others to do the same.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!    

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Righteousness...

"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."--Matthew 5:20.  Jesus being straightforward about what this sermon is about, righteousness.  Not just righteousness but the simple fact that if the people expected to enter the kingdom of heaven, they had to be more righteous than the Pharisees.

Righteousness.  As I said, Jesus was being pretty straightforward here.  The Pharisees appeared, emphasis on appeared, to be one of the most righteous people in society.  But the more we read through the New Testament, the more we see they were anything but righteous.

Righteousness.  I want to briefly lay some ground work.  At this point in time, idolatry in itself was not as much of a problem with God's people so we must ask the question then what was the problem?  Well as one of my professors put it, Israel was anxious to get rid of idolatry so the "pendulum" swung to the opposite extreme and created legalism.  This was a form of righteousness but not the kind God was looking for.  This is why Jesus says what He says in Matthew 5:20.

Righteousness.  How does this apply to us?  Well its no secret that legalism still exists even today and even in the Lord's church it is somewhat of a problem.  Matthew 5:20 applies to us today in that our righteousness needs to surpass that of the legalists.

So how do we do it?  Well over the next several days we are going to be looking at different passages from Matthew 5-7 which encompass the entirety of this great sermon known as the Sermon on the Mount.  Surpassing the righteousness of the legalists begins with self-examination.  Take some time to reflect on what it is you believe.  Take some time to look into the Scriptures and see if what you might believe to be law matches up with what Christ expects of us in Scripture.  On the other hand, take some time and see if what you believe to be a matter of opinion matches up with the Scripture.  You never know, you might surprise yourself as to what you find.

SEE YA TOMORROW NIGHT! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Everybody is welcome. Part 2

"So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt."--Deuteronomy 10:19.  Moses, showing that since God showed love toward the alien or foreigner so ought His people to show love toward the alien.

So here is the scenario.  Sunday morning church services.  Someone walks in that you have never seen before.  This person is sitting in the back pew.  You notice this person because he is different.  This person might have a piercing or two or three and two or three tattoos.  Furthermore, this person has long hair, a goatee and might not exactly be wearing his "Sunday best."  You had seen this person before and even heard a little bit about this person's lifestyle and it's not very good.  You never thought this person would show up to church services but now here he is.  What do you do?

Everybody is welcome.  Given the description the simple fact is there will be those that shy away from this person. As we read this passage here in Deuteronomy 10:19, we see that God was not opposed to foreigners altogether.  Yes He was opposed to their sin but when we read through the New Testament, we see how there are some foreigners that became great people of God such as Rahab in the book of Joshua and Ruth in the Old Testament book that bears her name. Might I add that both of these are in the genealogy of Jesus.  Yes these foreigners were expected to submit to God but God did not exclude them from the opportunity to follow Him.

Everybody is welcome.  In Deuteronomy 10:19, the command to show love for the alien is reinforced by the fact that Israel was a foreigner or alien in the land of Egypt as well and it is in Egypt that God demonstrated His love for them.  As we read through the Bible, when Egypt is mentioned it is used a symbol of captivity and by the time we get into the New Testament, Egypt comes to symbolize our previous bondage to sin and how God rescued us from "Egypt" through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ and through obedience to the gospel message which is for both Jew and Gentile (Romans 1:16).

Everybody is welcome.  So going back to the scenario.  As I mentioned many will shy away form talking to the person I described.  I know this because I have seen it happen and on occasion, I hate to admit that in the past I have been guilty of it myself.  However, any good gospel preacher and/or any Christian serious about reaching lost souls will tell you that it is those "aliens" that come into our church building and fill our pews that we need to reach most of all.  Why?  Because the very fact that they have showed up to church services indicates that they are searching for something.  Whether that person realizes it or not, what that person is truly searching for is Jesus Christ.  And if we as Christians do not give and confess Jesus to this person, then they no longer have any hope.

Everybody is welcome.  So my encouragement to you is this.  Next time you see someone that might look a little different and/or someone you don't know or have never seen at church services before, don't shy away.  The fact is we were all "aliens" and what we need to realize is that someone loved us enough to share Jesus Christ with us.  And most importantly God loved us enough to give His only Son to die on the cross for our sins so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).  So while talking to an "alien" does require a certain amount of wisdom, never pass up the opportunity to share Christ with that person who may have never even set foot in a church building before showing up at ours.  So finally, my encouragement to you is at your next church gathering, be it Sunday morning or midweek Bible study, look for that person you may not know or have never seen before and take the time to form a friendship with that person.  Furthermore, see what you can do to point that person toward the cross of Jesus Christ.  Why? Because EVERYBODY IS WELCOME.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!        

Monday, September 26, 2011

This is MEGA IMPORTANT!

"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."--Matthew 5:19.   Jesus building on the fact that He came to fulfill the Law.  He who annuls one of the commandments will be called least but he who keeps and teaches the commandments will be called great.

According to this passage, Jesus expects the people to keep God's commands as given in the Law of Moses.  Since Jesus has not died and been resurrected, the people are still under the Law of Moses. Whoever fails to do this and worse teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

This is MEGA IMPORTANT! On the flipside, he who keeps and teaches the commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  The Greek word used for great here is megas from where we get the suffix mega.  The Greek word is defined as something being relatively superior in importance (BDAG 624). 

Whether we realize it or not there is an innate need in all of us to feel important to someone or to something.  Have you ever been part of a team?  No doubt you wanted to feel like an important part of that team. Have you ever known what it felt like to know you were not important to someone that didn't care about you?  It is an ugly feeling to be sure. The great thing is God considers all people important and we know from 2 Peter 3:9 that humanity is so important to God that He does not any to perish but for all to come to repentance.  Given that we know we are this important to God, how are we to respond?

This is MEGA IMPORTANT! Well we know from Matthew 5:19 that the commandments Jesus was making reference to were that of the Law of Moses.  However, His point can still apply to us that are living under the New Testament.  Don't we all want to be great?  According to Matthew 5:19, we can be great or "relatively superior in importance" if we simply keep the commands of God.  Not only that but we are also considered great or MEGA IMPORTANT if we teach others to do the same.

If you are reading this, I would like to encourage you with the fact that as a Christian YOU are important to God! But also, keeping His commands and teaching others to do the same makes you MEGA IMPORTANT to God!  No, this does not make you better than anyone else and it does not in any way mean you will somehow earn your way into heaven.  What this simply means is that if you are striving to keep God's commands and teaching others to do the same God is taking a special notice of you as you strive to do His will while you encourage others to do the same.  You all of a sudden become MEGA IMPORTANT! But again this does not mean this makes us better than anyone else.  If you are struggling with doing God's will in your life, please take encouragement in the fact that your desire to be MEGA IMPORTANT to God should be your motivating factor to continue to do His will in your life.  Look at it this way, when you know you are an important part of something, you will do whatever you can to make whatever it is you are doing succeed.  Big or small, every single Christians plays a MEGA IMPORTANT role in making sure God's will is carried out and that includes teaching others to do the same.

So do you want to be MEGA IMPORTANT in God's kingdom? If so, it is simply done.  Keep His commandments.  We know from Scripture that if we claim to love God, we will do this.  This is MEGA IMPORTANT so go out, do His will and teach others to do the same because by doing this you will be GREAT or MEGA IMPORTANT in the kingdom of heaven!

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!  


Everybody is welcome: Part 1


"For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe."--Deuteronomy 10:17.  Moses, reminding the people of Israel of who God is and reminding them of His nature.  We learn from this verse that God does not show impartiality and in Deuteronomy 10:18 we find that the Lord cares for the orphan, the widow, and does not leave the alien without food or clothing.  Everybody is welcome.

Everybody is welcome. In Christianity, many times we will see two opposite extremes.  Many Christians are quick to point out the love of God whereas many focus simply on the wrath of God.  While both of these are characteristics of God, what focusing on either extreme tends to do is to cause us to fail to emphasize that everyone is welcome in the kingdom of God. When we fail to emphasize this, we can lose sight of the relationship aspect of Christianity.  A point I will explain below.

Everybody is welcome.   Before I get too far into this I do want to state that being a part of God's kingdom does mean we need to submit to what He has asked us to do to enter that kingdom but what we have to understand is that God gives us ALL the opportunity to obey the gospel to enter into His kingdom regardless of sex, gender, or race or even our walk of life.

Everybody is welcome.  To illustrate the point given above a little bit consider this.  When someone welcomes us into their house, we are expected to abide by certain rules. Therefore, if necessary we need to make changes to our behaviors and attitudes if we expect to stay in that house for any given period of time.  The same is true of those who want to remain in God's house. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:15 that one reason he is writing is so that one might know how "to conduct himself in the household of God" and from Scripture we know that the household of God is His church.  We don't have time to look at what Paul is specifically referring to but we know from this statement is that if we expect to be welcome in God's house, His church, there are certain rules we have to abide by.  This was true in the Old Testament and the same is true in the New Testament.  If people do this, everybody is welcome.

Everybody is welcome.  Please understand I am not painting Christianity as simply a set of rules.  The simple fact that everybody is welcome demonstrates the love aspect of God's plan of redemption for ALL people.  Christianity and our relationship with Christ is so much more than just a set of do's and don'ts.  It is ultimately about having a personal relationship with Christ and the point of today's blog is that everyone is welcome into God's household and into that relationship beginning by obeying the gospel and staying faithful to the commands Christ has given in the pages of the New Testament.  We know from Deuteronomy 10:17 that God does not show partiality nor take a bribe.  We can't buy or earn our salvation as it is the free gift of God given through the gospel, the power of God for salvation, for the Jew and the Greek per Romans 1:16.

So in conclusion, my encouragement to you is this.  I mentioned that being welcome into God's house requires us, if necessary, to make modifications to our behaviors and attitudes.  This is the concept of repentance. If we want to be welcome into God's house, if there is something we must turn away from we cannot delay.  If we lie, we must lie no longer.  If we steal, we must steal no longer.  If we are one that tends to show favoritism, God is impartial so we must do so no longer.  If we are looking at things we should not be looking at on the internet and on our computers, then we must do so no longer.  In the context of Deuteronomy 10:17, we also notice one more thing God commands Israel to do in response to God's impartiality.  He tells them in Deuteronomy 10:19 to show love for the alien. This is a concept we will look at in the next part of this two part blog of everybody being welcome.   Thanks for reading everyone and I pray you might be able to apply this to your life.

PRAY ABOUT IT! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!
 

Friday, September 23, 2011

Circumcision...

"So circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer."--Deuteronomy 10:16.  Moses, using the language of circumcision to make the point of how committed Israel needs to be to the Lord.  Circumcision is not only to be of the flesh but also of the heart.

Circumcision.  As most of us probably know every Jewish child had to be circumcised when he was eight days old.  In the Old Testament, circumcision was the sign that you were one of God's chosen people.  But being that one was one of God's chosen people, this meant that you were held that much more accountable to His commands.  Here Moses reminds them of this fact so they must no longer be stiff necked and not only circumcise their flesh but circumcise their heart.

Circumcision.  While circumcision was a part of the Law of Moses, the command to be circumcised was first given to Abraham in Genesis 17:10-14.  Circumcision was a work of faith.  When you followed the command, you did so believing God would justify you.  But while physical circumcision was required, circumcision also had to occur in the heart and we see this described in the New Testament.

Circumcision.  Circumcision of course is defined as the cutting away of the skin.  Of course in the New Testament, we know that physical circumcision is no longer required per Acts 15:1-35 and Galatians 2:1-21.  But we can see from Deuteronomy 10:16 and other New Testament passages such as Colossians 2:11-15.  We know from Colossians 2:11-12 that circumcision of a different sort is required and that circumcision or cutting away of the flesh e.g. sinful nature occurs by being baptized into Christ.  This of course is circumcision of the heart as Moses alludes to in Deuteronomy 10:16.

Circumcision.  In Deuteronomy 10:16, as has been mentioned, Moses not only tells the people to circumcise their heart but also to no longer stiffen their neck meaning to follow the commands of God. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 7:19 that neither physical circumcision nor physical uncircumcision in nothing but what matters is following the commands of God.  However, the command to be circumcised in heart still stands and how we are circumcised in heart is described in Colossians 2:11-15.  But again the buck does not stop there, what matters is following the commands of God which means following the commands of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We know from Matthew 28:18-20 that we are not only to make disciples by baptizing but also by teaching them to obey everything that Jesus commanded.

So my encouragement to you is this.  We know from Scripture that circumcision of heart occurs at baptism but also we know that what truly matters is following the commands of God.  So if you still need to be "circumcised" meaning baptized for the forgiveness of sins then do not delay but if you have done so and have not been following God's commands, the time is now to get back on track.  Therefore, in the words of Moses, circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

What Jesus did...

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished."--Matthew 5:17-18.  Jesus, reminding us what He came here to do without fail.  What He came here to do, Jesus did.

I may have shared this previously but recently I was having a conversation with an individual who was reluctant to give their life over to God because they did not like the idea of someone else being in control.  The question that has since arisen in my mind is if life remains in our control, do we have the ability to maintain control perfectly?  Of course the answer is no.

Let me ask you, even as a Christian, have you ever had this same attitude thinking you can do it on your own only to find out later that you can't?  Lord knows I sure have.  As a matter of fact if I had a dollar for every time this was the case, I could probably pay a year's rent all up front.  This is one reason I am thankful that I have given my life over to Christ through obedience to the gospel.  It is because I can't do it on my own. As I have mentioned before, much of the reason I am the man I am today is because of what others and ultimately God have done for me.  Only Christ can do it all and as we see here in Matthew 5:17-18, He did.

What Jesus did.  Of course it is no secret that Jesus died for our sins, He was buried and raised again on the third day according to the Scriptures as described in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 thereby putting to death the old system of law that whether we were Jews or Gentile, we were all under law of some sort.  What we need to remind ourselves of is what made it possible for Jesus to accomplish this?  

What Jesus did.  What made what Jesus did possible was the fact that He would fulfill or as Arndt & Gingrich define, Christ would "bring to a designed end" (BDAG 829) the Law and the Prophets.  As we read through the pages of Scripture, we see that God's Law as given to the Jews through Moses was impossible to uphold perfectly since the Jews were imperfect people just like you and me.  Furthermore, all humanity e.g. Gentiles could not hold up their own standard of morality.  Anyone like myself who is not of a Jewish background would fall into the latter category.

Something we have to understand here is that law by its very nature carries with it a penalty if broken.  Allow me to illustrate quite simply.  We know that if we are caught for something as simple as breaking the speed limit, we receive a ticket and depending on how fast you were going maybe something worse.  The point is we break the law, there is always a penalty no questions asked.  I can guarantee that every one of us  has broken some kind of law within the last week whether it was a government law or something that has broken our own standard of morality.  The point is when this happens this reminds us that we are not perfect. So what does this have to do with what Jesus did?

What Jesus did.  At the outset I mentioned we needed to see what made this all possible.  What made this all possible was the simple fact that Jesus would carry out the Law, namely the Jewish Law perfectly during His entire 33 years of life.  This fact would be the reason Satan would have no power over Him and thereby giving us hope to conquer spiritual death through Christ and spend eternity with Him.  Oh and not to mention the fact that Jesus was in fact God per John 1:1-14.  But realize that Jesus was also man so He was susceptible to the temptations you and I face on a daily basis.  But despite the fact that He was tempted, Jesus never sinned thereby making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

What Jesus did.  So how does what Jesus did apply to us?  Well let me ask you again, have you been in a situation where you have discovered you could not do something on your own?  You probably are saying yes.  The fact is we cannot conquer our sin problem on our own.  It can only be done by giving control over to Christ who was, is and will always be the only one who could live up to God's perfect standard.  The good news is the fact that through Christ and Christ alone we have guaranteed victory over sin if we will only lean on Him.  Does this mean that we won't make mistakes along the way? Of course not but when we do, we know that we have the grace of God to cover us through Christ.  This of course does not give us license to sin freely as described in Romans 6:1-2.

So what do we do in response?  Well first take a good look at your relationship with God if you need to repent of a sin, do not delay in giving that over to Christ because only He can make us perfect in the eyes of God.  But if you have not done so, repentance needs to be followed by baptized for the forgiveness of sins as described in Acts 2:38.  Why? 1 Peter 3:20-21 tells us that this is how we are saved.  So I don't know where you are at, maybe you have obeyed the gospel but have taken back control.  It is not too late to give control back to God.  But if you have not yet obeyed the gospel, do not delay.  The time is now and encourage others with this as well.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!    

Walking...

"Now Israel, what does the Lord God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways."--Deuteronomy 10:12. Moses, telling the people that they are not only to fear God but also to walk in all His ways.

Walking.  Ever had to walk somewhere? I am sure you have.  Maybe it was walking to school.  Maybe it was having to walk a certain distance after parking your car for some event.  This concept of walking is one of the first things we learn in life.  If you are a parent, you know how excited you get when your child takes their first steps. This is their first steps towards walking.

Walking.  When you are walking, most often you have a particular direction you are headed and you have a certain goal in mind.  Ill never forget when I was in junior high, the long story short is that me and my friends missed the local bus one night and we ended up having to walk home.  Funny thing was we were on the opposite side of town from where home was and my mom was out of town.  Therefore, we had to walk home and on foot it took us a good two hours to get home.  But we made it.  We were walking in a particular direction with a particular goal in mind.  The goal of course being in home.

Walking.  This concept of walking is something that is prevalent throughout the Scriptures.  This concept has in mind with it also walking in a specific direction with a specific goal.

Walking.  As Christians we know that the road we walk is a narrow one but we need to ask ourselves what direction are we headed?  I live in Colorado. I have gone hiking on several occasions. On some of the trails here, its easy to get off the trail.  Not only that but some trails are more rugged then others but you know what? I love it.  And it thrills me when I know I have completed a trail.

We live in a world that claims there is many trails we can walk to get to God but we know that there is only one way that is THE way, Jesus Christ who is THE way, THE truth, and THE life.  Sounds pretty exclusive doesn't it.  Well maybe but the great thing is that Jesus welcomes anyone who wants to walk in His ways no matter what gender, color, race, age, or language.  But walking on this way requires us to stay on that way which as Deuteronomy 10:12 tells us means walking in HIS ways.  As I mentioned at the beginning, when we walk somewhere we have to go a specific direction and follow the directions to get there.  As Christians, we are walking to heaven, and some may even be running.  Will we follow the directions God has given us through His Word? Will we make it a point to walk in His ways as they are found in Scripture?

Walking.  So I ask you this where are you walking?  My prayer is that you are walking towards heaven by walking in His ways.  If not, take some time to reflect on your relationship with the Lord and do not delay in obeying the gospel message.  My prayer is that we all continue to examine God's Word to make sure that we are walking in His ways because that is the only way we will be able to spend eternity with Him. So if you are a Christian, keep walking, our destination is closer than we think.  If you are not sure you are walking in  His ways, it is not too late to start walking in the way God is calling you to walk.

PRAY ABOUT IT! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Glory to God...

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."--Matthew 5:16.  Jesus, telling His listeners to let their light shine so that others may see their good works.  But this is not to make a show of it but it is so the glory goes to God.

Glory to God.  Have you ever wanted to brag about something you accomplished? But then you realize the credit really belongs to someone else?  Well I can definitely say I have accomplished a lot in order to get to where I am today.  However, the majority of what I have accomplished, if not all of it, has not been without the assistance of others.  Ultimately, everything I have accomplished in my life has not been without the grace of God.  I can honestly look back on my 27 years of life and it still amazes me that God has allowed me to come this far.  And now as I look forward in to my future, quite frankly I am excited to see what else God has in store for me.  I am also aware that many people have been witness to what I have accomplished and what I am accomplishing.  At the end of the day though, all I can say is glory to God because without Him, none of this would be possible.

Glory to God.  Take some time and reflect on what has happened in your life since you became a Christian for the better.  How many lives have been impacted simply because you chose to obey God rather than men?  But furthermore take some time to reflect on to why you do what you do in obedience to God. Are you doing what you do simply to look good or to bring glory to to God?

Glory to God.  When Jesus spoke these words, there was no doubt people of the sect of the Pharisees in the audience.  The Pharisees were notorious were showing what "godly" people they were.  But it was just that, a show.  They were more interested in bringing glory to themselves than to God.  In fact, Jesus would say in Matthew 5:20 that if the people's righteousness did not surpass that of the Pharisees, they would not enter the kingdom of heaven.  This is a passage we will look at in a later blog.  The point is whatever was done, it was to bring glory to God, not to self.

So how does this concept of bringing glory to God apply to us?  Well Matthew 5:16 tells us to let our light shine before men in such a way that they may see our good works. Good works here refer to deeds exhibiting a consistent moral character (BDAG 390).  Jesus tells us that we are to let our light shine "in such a way" that others might see our good works.  Digging into this verse we see that there is a certain way we ought to shine our light as we move through this verse we see that when people see our "good works," they should be seeing God, not us.  This is how we bring glory to God.  When we consider the definition of good works here, we know that we live in a world whose works exhibit anything but a moral character.  This among other things should be our motivating factor to be different.  When people see Christ's light shining through us, it is Christ they will see in us if it is God we are trying to glorify.  Although this has only happened once, I have never forgotten it.  One person a long time ago once said to me that she knew I was a Christian even before I mentioned the fact that I was.  This was all because of my good works.  I say this not to brag but to bring glory to God.  What I am trying to say is that if we stay focused on carrying out God's will as found in the pages of the New Testament, people will see that we are different and many times they will begin to wonder why.   This is where our opportunity to share the gospel message is at our fingertips.

All this being said, my encouragement to you is simply this.  Focus on carrying out God's will in your life by returning to the pages of Scripture.  Take some time for your own personal study and then apply what you learn in your personal study to your life.  In this way, your light will shine before men in such a way that they will see your good works and ultimately glorify YOUR Father who is in heaven.  If we focus on letting our light shine, I can speak from experience that God will open doors of opportunity you never even knew were there.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Pray to the Lord...

"I prayed to the Lord and said 'O Lord God, do not destroy Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand."--Deuteronomy 9:26.  Moses, reminding the people of the events 32:1-9 and the reaction of God desiring to destroy the people instantly for the golden calf incident.  Moses reminds the people that He prayed and God relented from destroying the people for their sin.

Pray to the Lord.  Moses prayed to the Lord that He might forgive the people of their sin.  Let me ask you, when is the last time you prayed to God on behalf of someone you know is living in sin?

Pray to the Lord.  One of my instructors at the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver stated in class the other day that too often we spend too much time praying for physical needs as opposed to spiritual needs.  Of course he did not discourage praying for physical needs but he also encouraged us to pray for spiritual needs as well.

Pray to the Lord.  As we look through the Scriptures, the majority of what is addressed in prayer is of a spiritual nature as opposed to physical.  I was at a Bible study last night dealing with Colossians and the comment was made that in Colossians and in Paul's other letters, a running theme we see is that Paul prayed for the spiritual needs of the people he was writing to.

Pray to the Lord.  Even Jesus, when instructing the disciples how to pray in Luke 11:1-4 makes mention of the physical in only one line of the Lord's Prayer aka the Disciples Prayer.  The rest of this prayer praises God and addresses the spiritual needs such as forgiveness of sins and furthermore a request that God would not lead us into temptation.

Pray to the Lord.  So Moses prayed for the spiritual needs of the people, Paul prayed for the spiritual needs of the churches in the New Testament.  And most importantly, Jesus taught us to pray for not just the physical but also for the spiritual needs of others and ourselves.

Pray to the Lord.  My encouragement to you this morning is this. Next time you go to God in prayer, try something.  If you know of someone who is living a sinful lifestyle and there is a good chance you do, pray specifically for that person or those persons in regard to their sin and additionally pray for all the spiritual needs of Christians everywhere.  Furthermore, if there is something you can do about helping that person repent of that sin and if need be also be baptized for the forgiveness of that sin(s), go to that person.

Pray to the Lord.  Whatever you do, remember it begins with prayer.  Moses prayed to the Lord before going before the people to correct them during the golden calf incident.  We need to do the same when concerning ourselves with the sins of our brethren.  This is a serious matter that is not prayed for enough. So that being said PRAY TO THE LORD.

PRAY ABOUT IT! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tools...


Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman

"Know then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people."--Deuteronomy 9:6.  Moses, reminding the people that it was not because of their own effort that God was bringing them into the Promised Land.  Quite the opposite in fact.  Deuteronomy 9:5 tells us it is because of the wickedness of the surrounding nations that God is dispossessing them of the land.  In other words, God was doing the work but the people were God's tools to accomplish His purpose.

Tools.  As we know, tools are something we use to accomplish a given purpose.  Consider the image above. We use a wrench to loosen nuts and bolts.  We use needle nose pliers to do something with with wire or something of that nature.  And of course a screwdriver loosens and tightens screws.  But of course we know that none of these tools can do their job without human effort.  Sometimes we might have the strength to do what these tools are intended to do without using them (a point we will look at in a moment) but these tools are something that can help carry out that purpose so we use them.

Tools.  So how does this tie in to Deuteronomy 9:6?  Well I mentioned in my introductory paragraph that the people were God's tools to carry out His purpose of dispossessing the nations that were in the Promised Land.  And just like physical tools, the people could not carry out God's purpose without outside assistance, namely God.  God, through His tool Moses reminds them of this.  One of the reason God reminds them of this is because they are a stubborn which can also be translated stiff necked.  If they had trusted God and done what He said in the first place, they would have gotten in to the Promised Land forty years earlier.  But because the people chose  not to trust God and do what He wanted them to do, God's purpose was not carried out as planned.  His tools did not do what they were intended to do.

Tools.  Now when a tool breaks for whatever reason, it is no good and it can't be used for its intended purpose. When the people refused to do God's will, God's tools were essentially broken and of no use to Him.  Now I mentioned that sometimes we can accomplish a given task without the use of tools. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves when we are doing a job, can we do this without tools?  Well by the same token we need to ask ourselves does God necessarily NEED us to carry out His purpose? Of course not, He is God and He could easily have destroyed the wicked nations with something as small as a spoken word.  After all, it was His word that spoke creation into existence in Genesis 1.  But like we often do, God chooses to use tools.  Not because He has to but because He chooses to.

Tools.  So how does this all apply to us?  Well as I just said, God does not use tools (people) because He has to but because He chooses to. This is one of the things I think is so awesome about being in a relationship with God is that we are in partnership with God for Him to use us as He sees fit. But again, we are simply tools and like physical tools, we too require outside assistance (God) to be used for His purposes. Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed (trusted or had faith in) in the Lord and He reckoned (credited) it to him as righteousness.  Hebrews 11:8 tells us it is by faith Abraham obeyed. This is what faith is all about.  It is trusting God to perform and use us when we choose to obey His will rather than our own. We know the trouble Israel got in to when they refused to be used by God as His tools.

Tools.  So my encouragement to you is this.  Next time you go to God in prayer, ask Him to use you for His purposes and trust that He will.  We know from Hebrews 11 that faith is always followed by action. Of course these are not works of merit but works of faith per James 2:14-17.  Put your faith into action by carrying out God's purpose by leading a devotional, Bible study or carrying out the gospel message or leading songs at church services or even helping someone in need.  You just might be that tool that someone else needs to accomplish a task.  Just like there are different tools for different purposes, God can also use you in any number of ways.  If you believe in God but have not yet obeyed the gospel as described in Romans 6:3-4, do not delay.  Obey and trust God to perform by saving you from your sins by being baptized into Christ.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Monday, September 19, 2011

The Salt Shaker...


Image courtesy of Carlos Porto

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."--Matthew 5:13.  As we move past the Beatitudes, Jesus moves from describing our relationship with God to describing our relationship with the world.  Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth.  

Salt.  Salt is not anything foreign to us.  Salt is everywhere.  It is in our ocean water.  It is often found on the dinner table.  Fast food places use it on their fries.  We will use it on all sorts of foods.  My stepmom has salt with just about everything including sweet fruit (YUCK! haha :-) ).  But what is it about salt that makes it one of the most commonly used condiments in society?  The fact is salt has multiple functions. Among them is flavoring and acting as a preservative.  

Salt.  According to the New International Greek New Testament Commentary, the function of salt during the time of Jesus was not much different at that time then it is now.  Then it acted not only to flavor or preserve but it also acted as "a purifying or cleansing agent" (212).  So the question must be asked, why are we as followers of Christ the salt of the earth? 

Salt.  Well consider the functions of salt. It enhances what it comes into contact with.  As a matter of fact, the commentary I mentioned above states also that it was sometimes used in addition to sacrifices in ancient times.  So if salt is intended to make something better, is it any wonder that Jesus uses this terminology to describe His disciples?  

Salt.  Matthew 5:13 shows us that whatever happens we need to make it a point to make this world better.  But how can we do this?  This verse is more practical than we might realize.  First, consider Colossians 4:6 which tells us our conversation should be seasoned with salt.  The very things we say should enhance someone's life, not take away from it.  Most importantly though, we can enhance life by making it a point to share the gospel message with others giving them hope that there is something beyond this life.  But there is another aspect of this passage we must look at in regards to salt. 

Salt.  Matthew 5:13 also asks the question of if salt loses it's taste, how can it be made salty again? If it loses its saltiness, it is no good "except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."  So if we are the salt of the earth and not carrying out our duty, we are like the salt that is no good.  If we lose our motivation and desire to carry out God's will in our lives, fact is we are no good to God except to be thrown out. Harsh reality to say the least.  

So consider the image above. We see salt coming out of a salt shaker.  That being said, I want to leave you with this question.  How full is your salt shaker? And no I am not talking about the one sitting on your dining room table or in your kitchen. I am talking about YOU AND ME.  Back at my apartment, I have a salt shaker but I also have a big container of salt in my cabinet to refill my salt shaker when the need arises.  As Christians, we too have a constant supply of salt when our spiritual salt shaker runs out.  That supply I hope is not sitting in a cabinet somewhere.  I hope it is not just sitting on your bookshelf or coffee table collecting dust.  Of course I am talking about the supply of salt found in God written word.  

Salt.  So we see that salt is very beneficial.  My encouragement to you is to use those benefits to benefit others.  It might be taking some time to encourage a struggling brother or sister in Christ with a spoken word.  It might be talking to that neighbor, co-worker, or friend of yours that still needs to hear the gospel message of hope.  Whatever the case, over this next week consider Matthew 5:13 and take the time to make that call, make that visit or send that email that can make all the difference in the world to one person. You are the salt of the earth and now start using the salt shaker! 

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS! 

The voice of God...

"...listen to the voice of God."--Deuteronomy 8:20.  This is obviously part of a verse so I definitely do not just want to rip this out of context.  What is happening here is Moses is describing what would happen if Israel failed to listen to the voice of God.   This morning, we will take a look at the this concept of the voice of God.

There is a song that I like by country artist Chris Young called "Voices" (Music video at the end) and what the song is about is the fact that the singer hears "voices all the time."  No, this is not to say that he is crazy :-).  What he means is the fact that all the advice his peers such as his parents and grandparents have given him have stuck with him all his life so in any given situation he "hears their voices" so to speak.  For example, he hears his dad telling him not to quit and one of my favorite parts is how he says his "mama said to drop some cash in the offering plate on Sunday." Something I think we can all learn from :-). But anyhow, the reason the singer probably "hears voices all the time" is because his peers made sure this is something he would never forget.  But what does this have to do with the concept of the voice of God?

The voice of  God.  Well often times you will hear someone say something along these lines: "God told me to do this" or "God led me to do this."  Be that as it may, we can't say for certain if God verbally spoke to a person and told them or led them to do something.  As a matter of fact I would argue otherwise but that is for another place and another time.  However, this does not mean we can't hear the voice of God. Sad to say only most and not all Christians would agree that today God speaks to us through His written inspired word.  More specifically, Hebrews 1:2 tells us that in these last days God "has spoken to us in His Son." And of course, His Son being Jesus Christ who has spoken through the apostles and prophets as described in 2 Peter 3:1-2. So it is through the Bible that we hear the voice of God.

The voice of God.  Now I want to return briefly to the statement I made about someone saying God told them or led them to do something.  I am not completely shooting this down because I can also make the same statement.  The difference however is that if I am going to make such a statement I have to make sure what I think God is telling me or leading me to do lines up with what is written in His Word.  For example, when I felt God was telling me to baptized for the forgiveness of my sins, I wound up looking at His Word to make sure this is what I needed to do and based on Acts 2:38 among other passages, I verified this is what I indeed needed to do.  I had heard the voice of God and as I have grown as a Christian, I too "hear voices all the time." And these voices are the voices of those who have guided me along the way but most importantly it is the voice of God that I hear through His written word, THE BIBLE. :-)

The voice of God.  So my encouragement to you is this.  Next time you hear someone say they feel like God is telling them or leading them to do something, make it a point to point that person back to His written word, the Bible and see if what they feel God is telling them lines up with Scripture.  But more importantly, if there is something that you know God is telling you to do based on what is written in Scripture but you have not done it especially if you still need to repent of your sins and obey the gospel, I would encourage you to consider Hebrews 3:7-8 which states "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..."  Listen to the voice of God.

Attached below is the video of the song I described at the beginning, "Voices" by Chris Young, if you have time check it out.  It's a pretty cool song.


PRAY ABOUT IT! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS! 


  

Friday, September 16, 2011

Pride...

"Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.'--Deuteronomy 8:17.  Moses, continuing to remind the people how they got to where they are today.  It was not by their own power but by the power of God.  This reminder is to make sure pride does not become an issue. Deuteronomy 8:18 reminds us that is God that gives us the power to make wealth.

Pride.  I think we have all heard the old adage "Pride comes before the fall."  This has to do with the fact that if we get cocky about what we have accomplished, what we have accomplished can taken away or destroyed from one moment to the next. Pride is a concept we should all be familiar with.

Pride.  This passage in Deuteronomy is speaking about the fact that if Israel failed to remember where there wealth came from, pride would become a very serious issue.

Pride.  It is no secret that wealth has been at the heart of a lot of the problems our nation has faced and is currently facing.  As we look back just over the last hundred years alone, we have seen the Great Depression in 1929 and ever since then there has been issues with rising taxes and inflation.  And just in the last eleven years of this century, we saw the economic effects the 9/11 attacks had on our country, Enron, the collapse in Detroit with the auto industry.  What about the collapse of the housing market and at present the debt crisis our nation is facing?  The list goes on but what is at the heart of all these problems?  Wealth and the ensuing issue of pride.

Pride. Please don't get me wrong here, I am not suggesting that being "well off" is wrong because I have known of some wealthy Christians who are some of the most humble people there is.  I am also not suggesting that it is wrong to be proud of our accomplishments.  But there is a fine line between being proud and thinking we are invincible. For many people, pride is an issue not just with wealth but with any sort of accomplishments.

Pride is a heart issue.  Often times we reach a point where we think that because of what we have accomplished thus far, we think we will never fall short.  In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus speaks about those who call Jesus Lord and make a claim of all they have accomplished in His name but Jesus will say to those people "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."  Verses like this make me wonder if pride was the reason these people will be asked to depart from Jesus.

Pride. As Christians, we must be careful not to get caught up in our pride.  It is difficult to bear the thought of standing before Jesus and one or several of us saying to Jesus on that day "Look how many people I taught the gospel to." or "Look how many souls were saved as a result of my efforts." or "Did I not preach so many sermons or lead so many Bible studies and devotionals in your name?" only for Jesus to say to us "Depart from me." The very thought gives me chills.  Pride, if we our not careful it can be our downfall.

Pride. But one final point about pride.  Pride is also at the heart of the reason that many will choose not to give their lives over to Christ in obedience to the gospel.  I was speaking to one individual the other day and this person said that the idea of someone else being in control, namely God was something this person was not comfortable with. Pride is an issue.  Pride, among other things, is an unwillingness to give up control.  Hate to use Carrie Underwood here but pride can be an unwillingness to let "Jesus take the wheel."

Wherever you are at, my encouragement to you is this.  First of all, don't let pride be an issue.  Let God take control of your life.  This process (and it is a process) begins by going back to the Bible and seeing what God expects us to do as we turn control over to Him by following the commands of commands of Christ found in the pages of the New Testament.  Commands such as loving our neighbor and putting others before self.  Pride can prevent us from doing God's will and furthermore pride can prevent us from entering into eternal life with Christ.  

Thursday, September 15, 2011

God's Stamp of Approval: The Persecuted part 2

"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."--Matthew 5:11-12.  The ninth and final beatitude given by Christ.  This one is not so much a quality we possess but it deals more with people's reaction toward us simply because we have chosen to wear the name of Christ.  This deals more with people's reaction toward us simply because we have chosen to wear the name CHRISTIAN.  Those that are persecuted for this have God's stamp of approval. 

The persecuted.  Ever since I have become a Christian, my life has changed in the most interesting of ways.  I became a Christian when I was 15.  I am 27 now.  I hate to admit that it was not long after I turned 18 and moved to California that I really took that one foot out of the world.  Those first three years, while I had been a Christian, I still did not fully understand the responsibility that entailed.  In retrospect, it was time constraints that did not allow me to get too far past the point of baptism for the forgiveness of my sins.  I was very much a baby in Christ for those first three years.  Yes I knew I had to make changes to my lifestyle but that was about it, belief in Christrepentance, and baptism was all I knew from ages 15-18.  So like I said it was my move to California and the things I was learning when I first got there that caused me to look deeper into this commitment I made called Christianity and what it truly meant to be a member of the Lord's church as described in the pages of the New Testament.  My intention tonight is not to tell you my story but simply to tell you that the more I have learned over the last twelve years, the more I have realized that persecution is real.  That being said, it is scriptures like Matthew 5:11-12 that keep me going strong because I know it is the persecuted that have God's stamp of approval.

The persecuted.  As we read throughout the pages of Scripture, especially through the prophets of old as well as the pages of the New Testament after the resurrection of Christ, we see persecution of Christians is a running theme.  This is especially true in the time of Roman rule.  This fact is much of what prompted Paul's letter to the Romans as well as the book of Revelation.  But we must remember that it is the persecuted that have God's stamp of approval.

The persecuted.  Naturally, I recognize that we here in the United States don't deal with the same sort of persecution our ancestors in the faith did.  However, what is happening in the United States today is a persecution of a different sort.  Jesus says in Matthew 9:37 "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."  These words still ring true today and here is why.  As I said, Christians today are suffering persecution of a different sort.  Those that are trying their best to stick to God's Word and God's Word alone are oftentimes the ones that are looked down upon. Those of us that are trying to carry out God's will as it is found in His word are the ones being called Pharisees or legalistic.  This is not always easy to deal with especially since its many of our own brethren that are doing this to their own. All because the few are trying to wear the name CHRISTIAN and CHRISTIAN ONLY.  Fact is in the Bible, there is only one body of believers, not several such as we see today.  Yes there were several groups of believers but they were all part of one body.  See Ephesians 4:4-5 that speaks of the oneness of the believers. Furthermore, the division that exists among believers in Christ is clearly spoken against in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17.  Us that are Christians and Christians only are simply trying to return to God's authoritative word and use that as our one and only standard of authority.  But because we are, we are being persecuted for it and being deemed as Pharisees and legalists. While persecution is not always easy to accept, we must remember that it is the persecuted that have God's stamp of approval.

The persecuted.  I realize some of what might have been said in the previous paragraph is quite a pill to swallow.  However, my intention is not to put any one down.  Quite the opposite in fact.  My intention is to encourage anyone and everyone who believes in Christ to return to the Bible, God's authoritative, complete and inspired Word as your one and only standard of authority.  Doing this will come with its share of persecution.  I can speak from experience that sometimes that persecution will come from those nearest and dearest to you.  But I encourage you to remember though that it is the persecuted that have God's stamp of approval.  If you are a believer in Christ and have obeyed the gospel, I commend you and I encourage you to look to His word and His word only for your walk with Christ.  But if you believe in Christ and don't know what to do next, click on some of the highlighted links I have given in this blog for more information. May we all strive to do God's will as found in the pages of Scripture and may we strive to follow the commands of Christ as found in the pages of the New Testament.

Thank you for taking your valuable time to read this devo.  This is a very real issue so do with it as you will.  In the meantime I leave you with the words of the apostle John in Revelation 22:9 "...I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. WORSHIP GOD." (Emphasis added).

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!  

 

Don't Forget...


"And when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."--Deuteronomy 8:13-14.  Moses, reminding the people to keep God's commandments and to not forget where there prosperity comes from or they will become proud and forget God.  He is telling them "Don't forget."

Don't Forget.  Consider the image above It is a classic illustration of how to remember something.  Tying a string around your finger as a way of a reminder of something.  A way I remind myself of what I have to do is to jot things down on my Google calendar.  It was introduced to me by a friend this last summer. With my busy schedule, this is all so I don't forget. 

Don't Forget.  This concept of not forgetting is of course found here in Deuteronomy 8:13-14.  It can also be found in the New Testament as in 2 Peter 1:12 where Peter says he will be ready to remind Christians to add to their faith the things found in 2 Peter 1.  But it is here in Deuteronomy 8:13-14 that what would cause Israel to forget God is their prosperity.  Their prosperity would cause them to become proud and basically forget where it came from.  This is one reason they are told don't forget. 

Don't forget.  Prosperity causing a people to forget God, does this sound familiar? This concept should not be foreign to us by any stretch of the imagination.  Fact is, those of us that live in the United States live in one  of the most prosperous nations in the world.  We have no idea how blessed we really are.  The fact that you have a computer and internet access for you to access this blog is one small example of how blessed we are.   We can't forget where it all came from. 

Don't forget.  You might be saying well what about the hard economic times we have fallen on? Truth is we don't have it half as bad as other parts of the world.  Even when we are suffering financial hardship due to the economy, we here in the United States have resources that we can tap into for assistance if we need it.  Many other countries don't have that luxury or should I say that blessing that God has provided this nation with?  Don't forget where it all came from.  

Don't forget.  I can't say for certain but I would like to submit to you a supposition.  Deuteronomy 8:13-14 says that the prosperity of the Israelites would lead to them forgetting God.  This was a nation with God as their king.  My supposition is this.  Many, if not all of our founding fathers of this great nation that we live in built this nation on Biblical principles with God at the forefront.  Our schools used to have the Bible as one of their primary textbooks.  It is God's grace that caused this nation that we live in to be as prosperous as it has been since then.  Problem is that because of our prosperity, our heart has become proud and we are forgetting God.  Politicians have already succeeded in getting the Bible out of most public school classrooms but the buck has not stopped there.  Legislations such as abortion rights and recognizing homosexual marriages (which Biblically is not marriage at all) have been put forth.  This is just to name a couple.  I am not trying to make a political statement here.  I am simply demonstrating the fact that our nation has forgotten God and this is probably much of the reason we are headed in the direction that we are.  But there's hope.

The context of Deuteronomy 8:13-14 gives us a way to not forget God and no it's not the tying a string around your finger method.  Deuteronomy 8:11 says "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandment and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today." Moses says the way to not forget God is to keep His commands, ordinances and statutes.  That being said, the only hope this nation has of bouncing back from the state its in is returning to God's commands.  This is where you and I come in.  No, I am not going to say go out and vote for or against such and such a legislation.  What I am going to say though is apply the method found in Deuteronomy 8:11 so that what is said in Deuteronomy 8:13-14 does not happen to you.  You can do this by writing the words "Don't Forget" and the Deuteronomy 8:11-14 on something you can stick on your fridge or some other visible place where you will always see it.  But more importantly, if we expect this nation to have hope of turning around, we have a responsibility to carry the gospel message out to the world beginning with those closest to us and to make disciples per Matthew 28:18-20.  We also have a responsibility to train others to do the same per 2 Timothy 2:1-2.  Consider the things which have been said and apply them to your own life.  But the bottom line is DON'T FORGET!

PRAY ABOUT IT! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!   

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

God's Stamp of Approval: The Persecuted Part 1

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."--Matthew 5:10.  This is the 8th Beatitude but it is connected with the 9th in terms of persecution.  However, the reason for persecution is different in Matthew 5:11 than in Matthew 5:10.  This is why I have decided to divide Matthew 5:10-11 into two blogs.  This one we are dealing with those that are persecuted for righteousness.

The persecuted.  A little over an hour ago I was sitting in our Wednesday night class here at the Bear Valley Church of Christ in a class dealing with Biblical interpretation.  One of the statements that was made was that if we as Christians are trying to do what God says, we are accused of being legalists.  Be that as it may, one of the things God expects of us is to be righteous.  Here is what I mean.  The definition of the Greek word used here for righteous means having the quality or characteristic of upright behavior (BDAG 248).  Keep this definition in mind.  If you have ever been persecuted because of your behavior (upright behavior) as a Christian, then you have God's stamp of approval.

The persecuted.  We are not talking specifically here about just being a Christian.  We are simply talking about one aspect of Christianity which involves the change of behavior that needs to come with our obedience to the gospel which also involves repentance.  My prayer is that you as a Christian have already recognized this important aspect of living the Christian life.  If you would like to more about it, click on the highlighted links.  But if you have recognized this important aspect, chances are you have been persecuted for it to some extent. Remember, you have God's stamp of approval if this is the case.  Furthermore, the kingdom of heaven is yours if this is the case.  This is not in reference to the Lord's church but to the actual kingdom of heaven in which God reigns presently and forevermore. This is a whole discussion in itself that I do not want to take your valuable time explaining at this time.  The point is tonight that if we are persecuted for our upright Christian behavior, we have God's stamp of approval.

The persecuted.  I don't pretend to be perfect and none of us should because it is only the redemptive work of Christ that has made any of this possible.  We did nothing to earn it.  But by the same token, if I had a dollar for every time I have been looked down upon for holding myself to a higher standard because of God's expectation of me, I could probably retire comfortably on an island somewhere.  The fact that God holds us to a higher standard as Christians does not mean we should pretend to be self righteous or perfect but it means we should strive to set an example among believers and the lost alike in our behavior. Paul encourages Timothy to do this in 1 Timothy 4:12 in reference to his conduct which is among 4 other areas.  Furthermore, Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12 that whoever desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. These have God's stamp of approval.

The persecuted.  What breaks my heart about this situation is the fact that many of our own brethren look down upon us simply because we are trying to do what God expects of us in terms of our own behavior.  Whatever the case, it is the persecuted that have God's stamp of approval.

In light of all this, my encouragement to you is this.  Something I struggle with but am getting better at is not being afraid to say something when I see my brethren behaving in a questionable manner.  The Sermon on the Mount is about righteousness.  Matthew 5:10 refers to having righteous or upright behavior.  No one is better than anyone else.  But by the same token we mustn't be afraid to hold ourselves to a higher standard based on God's expectations of us.  We mustn't be afraid to set an example in our behavior and conduct per 1 Timothy 4:12.  So my encouragement is for you to encourage your brethren as well as yourself to hold to a higher standard of behavior based on God's expectations of us.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!