Month: December 2015

WE SEE CALVARY FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION…


Spiritual Blog - The Cross

Genesis 3:21 – “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.”  NKJV

 

This is the first recorded sacrifice in the Bible and it comes AFTER man had sinned in the Garden.  It is a type and picture of what was to come to cover sinful man.  God supplied the animal and shed its blood using the skin to make coverings for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness.  In one short sentence we get a glimpse of what was to come through the sacrificial death of the LORD Jesus on the Cross for the nakedness (sin) of mankind.

Biblical Hermeneutics has what is called “The Law of First Mention” and affords us a powerful basis for developing a doctrine or defining a principle in God’s Word.  In this case it gives us a valuable key as to the meaning of sacrifice in the Bible and points to the Cross.  The Law of First Mention can be understood as, “the first use of a word, phrase or incident in and gives a key to the exact meaning everywhere else in the Bible.”  If we apply it to this verse we discover three basic things:

  • Salvation Must Be Of The Lord.
  • It Must Be by the Death of an Innocent Substitute.
  • It Must Be by Blood. 

Every acceptable sacrifice must meet those conditions and cannot be man’s work but God’s.  It cannot be the “fig leaves” of man’s own righteousness but the “bloody skins” of God’s providing.  Abel’s sacrifice met the condition of Genesis 3:21 but Cain’s did not.

Noah took one of the clean animals of which God had commanded him to take seven.  Abraham was prepared to slay his son when God showed him a ram in the thicket so once again God provided the sacrifice.  It MUST be God’s gift as we see in John 3:16.  It MUST be by the death of an innocent sacrifice as was Jesus as detailed in 1 Peter 2:22-24.  It MUST be by blood as Peter declares in I Peter 1:18-20.

The Blood is indispensable for salvation!  Since God is perfectly and completely holy, sin can never be passed over without a satisfaction of Divine Justice.  Sin is, in its root, rebellion against God.  That is why Jesus had to go to the Cross, He was and is our substitute and payment for sin.  His innocent blood liberates from the legal claim of the devil and through the Blood of Jesus man is bought back and entry into the family of God made possible but only by the Blood.

Remember when the Children of Israel made the Golden Calf and worshipped it?  Moses took the image, melted it, ground it to powder, put it in water and made Israel drink.  In Deuteronomy 9 there is a more elaborate detail of what transpired.  Moses took the gold, melted it, stamped it, ground it, ground it a second time, put it in a brook and made Israel drink.  He then took some of the water out of the brook and offered it to God for the Blood Atonement of the sins of Israel.   Gold is insoluble in water as it is 19 times heavier with a specific gravity of 19.5.  In fine power form it assumes a colloidal condition and water results in a coloration.  As the particles are made finer and finer it acquires an “apparent” specific gravity permitting its suspension in water and takes on a “rose colored” appearance.  All that Moses did to the gold would have resulted in a solution that was blood-red and possess purifying qualities.  Clearly a type of Christ and His shed blood.

One more thing must be said on this matter.  Moses made an atonement and God accepted it but ONLY those who, by faith, appropriated it were saved.  The others died.  That is strongly suggested in Exodus 32:26-28.  Jesus died for every man, woman, boy and girl in the world who has lived, is living and will live but ONLY those who, by faith, appropriate it receive Salvation.

The Cross is found in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and the Blood of Jesus is an indispensable element in the message of Salvation or The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  My question is simple but vital, “Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?”  If not, I urge you to turn to Him today for “now is the accepted time and today is the day of salvation.”

            God bless you as you go through this wonderful day!

 

 

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BIBLICAL LIE DETECTOR…


Spiritual Blog - Lie Dectector

Numbers 5:19-22 – “And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband’s authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. 20 But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has lain with you” —  21 then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman — “the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; 22 and may this water that causes the curse go into your stomach, and make your belly swell and your thigh rot.” 

‘Then the woman shall say, “Amen, so be it.”  NKJV

 

Some have called this the first example of a “Lie Detector” and focused on the secret bitter herb declaring that if we knew what it was and could find it today the same result would work.  I believe it worked but I believe there was something far more essential than just a particular herb drank by the accused or suspect.  Curses were a part of covenant and I won’t attempt to present a thesis on curses, rather I want to focus on this event and the fact that God knows and how the human mind and conscience works to reveal the secrets of our hearts.

It has been scientifically verified there are physiological and psychological changes that transpire in an individual when they tell a lie.  That is, in normal people not pathological liars who essentially lie so much and often they frequently believe the lies they tell.  If a person is innocent, most of the time there is no real change in them physiologically or psychologically.  If a person tells a lie, under oath, there is a measurable change and those changes affect the heart, blood vessels and blood pressure.  We have all seen evidences of this and possibly without realizing what we were witnessing.

Many things cause changes in the body such as embarrassment, fear or anticipation which causes “tachycardia” (rapid heart) as well as increased respiration.  Sudden surprises can induce vomiting and anguish may cause one to sweat.  Fits of anger can cause apoplexy and death because of the sudden increase in blood pressure.  In truth, every organ in the body is affected by conditions such as those mentioned.  I have known people whose mouth would water at the mere thought of certain foods.

The test in Numbers 5 is based at least, in part, on those things mentioned above.  God gave this test to Moses.  It was administered under OATH.  The individual taking the oath must fully believe in the validity and consequences of the test which is emphasized by a CURSE.  The individual must believe in the dire consequences that will accompany lying under oath.  This test listed in Numbers 5 is a bit one-sided because, as was reflective of the culture, the man accused the wife not the other way around.  He was suspicious or jealous but had no witnesses or proof.  He took her to the priest and her head covering was removed and she was placed under oath. The priest detailed the consequences of lying and/or guilt.  If she was innocent nothing would happen but if she were guilty or lied this potion would produce a violent poison, cause peritonitis and gangrene resulting ultimately in death.  The priest were completely serious and the person under oath took it seriously.  Over time, I am quite sure they had seen both sides and fully believed.  The woman took the oath and then said, “Amen, Amen” (So Be It!) 

I am not seeking to cause anyone to speculate on what was in the drink or potion but the fact that God knows and has conditioned our human body and organs to react to guilt and lies producing very harmful chemicals in our blood stream.  The Bible declares in 1 Corinthians 4:5 that there will come a time when “God will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart.”  There will be a time when we stand before God and attempting to lie will not be an option.  Jesus said in Luke 12 that there would come a time when nothing covered would remain covered but would be exposed.

What is the message?  You cannot fool God so why not make truth your absolute rule in life and reject lies.  I am not suggesting that you tell everything you know in such a manner as to callously bring injury but the pain of truth is far more desirable than the pain of a lie.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

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GOD IS NEVER CAUGHT BY SURPRISE…


Spiritual Blog - God Knows

Acts 15:18 – “Known to God from eternity are all His works.”  NKJV

 

I have heard preachers preach, people pray, songs sung and testimonies that make it sound like God is sometimes caught off guard by what transpires or what people do.  When I hear that I am reminded of this and other passages and the fact that God is OMNISCIENT.  If He is God, and He is then He sees everything from the beginning to the end.  He knows our thoughts “afar off” and although He knows He allows us to make the choices we make.

In Psalm 139 the Psalmist spoke of this truth of the All Knowing God.  He declared that God knows EVERYTHING.  Look at the list of things the Psalmist declares of God’s knowledge:

  • He has searched and known us.
  • He knows our sitting down and rising up.
  • He understands our thoughts afar off.
  • He comprehends our path and laying down.
  • He is acquainted with all our ways.
  • He knows every word that proceeds from our lips that He is not aware of.
  • He has hedged up about.
  • His Spirit cannot be escaped or hidden from.
  • We can find no place to hide.
  • If we ascend to heaven or descend to hell HE IS THERE.
  • He formed us and knows us. 

With that knowledge the Psalmist prays in verses 23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  That prayer is prayed in light of the things I listed above meaning the Psalmist asked knowing that is exactly what God would do and knowing that if God fully examined his heart he would be totally exposed.

Therefore, when something catches you by surprise you can be confident that it did not surprise God.  We have made choices in life (good and bad) that brought us to the moment.  Others may have made choices that brought the situation to bear and placed us in danger, not because of our wrong choices but theirs and God is not caught by surprise.  Therefore, it is not only permissible but desirable that we pray for His guidance and protection at all times and in all things.  Thus the last part of the prayer, “…lead me in the way everlasting.” 

I love the comforting words of Jeremiah when God speaks prophetically through him in Jeremiah 29 declaring, “…for I know the thoughts (plans) that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Thank you LORD.  I am not only awed by your knowledge but inspired by the fact you know giving me comfort to live life without fear.

Yes we are often caught by surprise but God, never.   So as you go through this day know that God knows giving you even more reason to call upon Him and trust Him.  Blessings abundantly is my prayer!

 

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THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS…


Spiritual Blog - Blood of Jesus

Genesis 9:4-7 – “But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. 

6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man. 7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it.”  NKJV

 

This command was part of the first commands given to Noah after the Flood.  Have you ever wondered why God would command, EAT NO BLOOD?  We find a clue in Leviticus 17:11 where the commandment against eating blood was, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”  The emphasis was EAT NO BLOOD because the life of the flesh resides in it and it is used for atonement.

Have you ever considered that the Bible declares that the “blood of Abel” cried from the ground calling for vengeance and the violence and corruption of mankind brought about the flood in Noah’s day?  If God did not spare judgment in Noah’s day do we think He will do so in our day when millions of innocents are slaughter before their birth and the other violence in our world?  Recall what Jesus said concerning the last days in Matthew 24:37, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”  One day, and I believe soon Jesus will return to put an end to the reign of terror on the earth and cleanse the world by the judgment of the Tribulation of which the Flood was a type.  He will then bring a kingdom of peace on a renewed and cleansed earth.  The Blood will cleanse!

Even a cursory reading of Scripture would suggest that God deems blood sacred because in it is LIFE.  Life is in the blood not the flesh of God’s creatures and that is an important distinction.  God permitted man to eat FLESH (animals) but it had to be WITHOUT BLOOD.  God was insistent and incredibly clear on that point.  In Leviticus 17 we find, “it is sin to eat any manner of blood.”  I know we are not under the Old Testament Levitical Laws but also realize that some things transcend the Mosaic or Levitical Law but in Acts 15 we have a record of the first Church council in Jerusalem where Paul and Barnabas appeared. They had taken the Gospel to the Gentiles.  Many within the Jewish community sought to impose on these new believers circumcision and keeping the Law.  Paul went to Antioch after much dispute and reported to the Gentile believers, “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls saying, You must be circumcised, and keep the Law: to whom we gave no such commandment.”  (v.24)  He continued in vv.28-29 saying, “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from BLOOD, and things strangled, and from fornications.” 

             Why no blood today?  I have learned that God’s commands are never arbitrary but logical and reasonable.  He has a purpose in what He commands.  There are many potential reasons for abstaining from blood including health and hygiene, but the two paramount reasons, I believe are:  The Life is in the blood and Life is sacred.  Follow me, if you will.  Since life is in the blood and flesh is lifeless without the blood God is demanding that we respect life.  Therefore, to eat blood, is to insult the life of God because, “the life… is in the blood.” 

You may choose to argue that point but if you carefully examine the directive of Scripture I believe you will concur that God considers life and blood sacred and so should we.  Thank God for the Blood of Jesus. 

            Blessings as you go through this day!

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THE BLOOD OF JESUS – A Further Look…


Spiritual Blog - Blood

Hebrews 2:14-16 – “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”  NKJV

 

Attempting to guard against going into something deeper than I should I want to address a few more things about the blood of Jesus and His relationship to Adam’s blood.  Jesus, the Bible declares, was “born of a virgin”.  He was man without sharing the blood of Adam.  That in itself is incredible.  Had he been the child of Joseph and Mary He would have shared Adam’s blood and been a partaker of all that Adam was or the depravity of man.  Therefore, Jesus had a human body but blood for a separate source. 

In the text verse we read the word “children” which clearly is human children.  Those children are said to be partakers of FLESH and BLOOD.  Then it speaks of Jesus and says that He himself likewise took part of the same.  The word “took part” as applying to Christ is completely different than the word “partakers” as it refers to the children.  The word, “took part” implies “taking part in something outside one’s self.”  The Greek word for “partakers” is KOYNONEHO and means “to share fully.”  Therefore all of Adam’s descendants or children share fully in Adams’ flesh and blood.  Then we read that Jesus “took part” and the word used is METECHO which means “to take part but not all.”  The children took both flesh and blood of Adam but Christ took only part.  He took the flesh part where the blood was a result of a supernatural conception.

Jesus, therefore was a perfect human being after the flesh.  He was the seed of David according to the flesh.  Adam’s body was made of the dust of the earth and God breathed the breath of life into him which added the blood and man lived.  Adam’s blood was corrupted in the fall and since God made of one the blood of all nations, the human race was tainted.  Of course, we are all accountable for our sins and not charged with the sins of our parents but in the Fall, depravity set in and man had a bent toward evil, came under the domain of darkness and needed a deliverer to cleanse him via the “Blood of the Lamb”.  He needed divine justice to be satisfied, Satan’s legal claim to be negated and become a New Creation in which we have the Blood of Christ applied to our souls.

Do you remember the confession of Judas in Matthew 27:4, “I have betrayed the innocent blood”?  That is powerful if you think about it.  Sin made human blood corruptible and because of sin death began its process in human beings and in death decay or corruption.  Remember that it was said of Jesus that His body would see no corruption.  It could not because it was not tainted blood in his veins.

If you are a believer and have received Jesus as your personal Savior you now have the benefit of the Sinless Blood of Jesus applied to your soul.  You have passed from death unto life and death has lost its sting.  Remember the words of Romans 5:8-9 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having been JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”  (Emphasis mine).   It is through the Blood.  What can was away my sins nothing but the Blood of Jesus!  What can make me whole again, nothing but the Blood of Jesus!  Oh precious is that flow that makes me whiter than snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the Blood of Jesus!

May you walk in the purity of His precious blood all the days of your life.  Blessings!

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THE BLOOD…


Spiritual Blog - Blood

Leviticus 7:26-27 – “Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast. 27 Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.'”  NKJV

 

The Bible is a book of blood and those who seek to eliminate the Cross, suffering and the blood from the gospel message do harm to the truth of God’s word.  The Bible clearly declares that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission”.  (Hebrews 9:22).  We used to sing, “There is Power in the Blood” and there is for in it is the very life and power of the Gospel.  The Bible is a “living” book and it lives because of the Blood of the Lamb.

Hebrews 4:12 declares, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”   The Word of God is Alive!  In the KJV the translation is “quick” which means “alive” or “living”.  When we read the Bible we are not just reading words on a page but that which we read is ALIVE.

Leviticus 17:11 declares, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood…”  Life is that mysterious thing that scientist have never been able to fully and completely explain, define or fathom.  While scientist seek to define it, God declares it is “in the blood” and flesh is alive because of “the blood”.  I am not a scientist, chemist or medical doctor so what I say is strictly from a layman’s understanding and research.  The human body is nothing short of amazing and we are told that it is made up of many different types of tissues.  Some of those are defined as muscle, nerve, fat, gland, bone, connective tissue, etc.  All tissues have a common denominator, they are fixed cells and microscopically small having specific and limited function.  The Blood on the other hand is not fixed but mobile and is not restricted to one part of the body but is free to move throughout the body and if it ceases to flow to various parts those parts die.

The blood is incredibly mysterious for it is composed of many different elements, compounds and strange chemical bodies many of which are still not understood and their function not truly fathomed.  The Blood of Jesus is also essential to the Body of Christ.  The life of each member depends on His blood and is dependent upon it for life.  His blood brings nourishment, carries off waste (cleansing) and enables the body or cells within the Body of Christ (people) to grow and develop.  We are all one by the Blood of Jesus!  We are all related by the blood of Adam but that blood was poisoned by disobedience and now we need a complete “exchange transfusion” removing the poison of Adams’ blood and replacing it with the life of the blood of Jesus.

The virgin birth was necessary because of the pollution of man’s blood through Adam’s disobedience.  If Jesus were to be a son of Adam and yet a sinless man he had to be born of a virgin.  Jesus was “born of a woman” (not man) and as a result could be a perfect human being because he did not have one drop of Adam’s blood flowing in his veins.  The entire plan of redemption rests upon the power and authority of the Blood of the Lamb.  The blood is unlimited in its movement within the body and is the only tissue that is not fixed.  There are other fluids in the body but they are not tissue, they are secretions. The blood is the only liquid tissue that can reach every single cell in the body and all the members of the body are united through the blood.  That is true in the natural and in the spiritual.

I mentioned something earlier about Adam’s blood and Christ and desire to expand on that briefly.  Medical science teaches, the blood that flows in an unborn babe’s arteries and veins is not derived from the mother but is produced within the body of the fetus (baby).  After the sperm enters the ovum and a fetus begins to develop does the blood appear!  It is completely unnecessary that a single drop of blood be given to the developing embryo in the womb of the mother.  The mother provides all the nutrients required for the baby to develop and produce its own blood and as a result not one single drop of blood passes from the mother to the child.  If you doubt this it can be researched and in Howell’s Textbook of Physiology, Second Edition, pages 885 and 886 we read:

“For the purpose of understanding its general functions it is sufficient to recall that the placenta consists essentially of vascular chorionic papillae and from the fetus (the unborn child) bathed in the large blood spaces of the decidual membrane of the mother.  The fetal and maternal blood DO NOT COME INTO ACTUAL CONTACT.  THEY ARE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER by the walls of the fetal blood vessels and epithelial layers of the chorionic villae.”   The words in capitals should sufficiently explain.

When God created woman He made her so that no blood would be able to pass from her to her offspring.  In the initial creation God was looking forward in time to the birth of Jesus and providing a “sinless savior” for mankind.  Born of a woman and yet without blood contaminated by the sin of Adam.  That does not fully explain His sinlessness but hopefully will inspire you in your appreciation of the Blood and its power!

We will address this more in the next devotional.  But for now we pause and say, “God bless you richly as you go through this day”.  Blessings!

 

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YOU CAME TOO LATE TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE…


Spiritual Blog - Fearfully and Wondrfully Made

Psalm 139:13-16 – “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”  NKJV

 

It is impossible for me to consider the human body and not believe in a creator and creation.  It is impossible for me to consider the function of the human body and believe in the theory of evolution.  When I consider what we know from medical science about the human body’s makeup and function I find it beyond my ability to believe in chance.

When I consider the human body as a finely tuned precision machine I only have to go to the heart to stand in awe.  It is estimated that the human heart beats 103,689 in a single day and the blood travels 168 MILLION miles each day.  We are told that the digestive system processes 7.8 pounds of waste and our lungs take in 438 cubic feet of air daily.  That is nothing short of incredible.  We are told that our bodies have over 200 different kinds of cells and there are 5 trillion cells overall.  Then, when I take the knowledge that it all began with a single cell, a fertilized egg, no larger than a small dot.  That cell becomes two cells, then four, eight and so on.  Each cell or group of cells performs a specific function and produces tissue, bone and all the parts of the human body.

The heart pumps the blood, the liver (which has over 500 functions) helps to rid the body of poisons, stores vitamins and the brain interprets the electrical signals and functions as a light speed computer sending commands throughout the system.  The human body has the capacity to self-heal if provided the right fuels and care and like no other creature on the planet functions, communicates and creates.

To ask me to believe this all just happened is more than I can muster faith for.  I believe the Bible that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”.  I believe that God designed our human bodies and Adam was created from the dust of the earth and became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into him.  I believe that God spoke the worlds into existence, hanging the stars, sun and moon in place, aligning the planets and determining the perfect planetary orbit for earth to cause it to be conducive for life and human existence.  I believe that God knew and determined what I would look like before my parents copulated and conception occurred.  When did I begin?  I began in eternity past in the heart of God and will live eternally in His presence. 

Yes, we are fearfully and wonderfully MADE or CREATED we did not just happen.  We live and move and have our being through Him.  Some scoff at my simplistic view of man and attempt to tell me that science does not validate my beliefs but I challenge you to consider the human body, all the works of science and the Bible.  I believe that if you do you will have much the same experience an atheistic Russian scientist who accepted Christ.  When asked what caused him to believe in God.  He replied, “My thumb.”  He went on to declare that the function of the thumb was beyond his ability to explain away and was so absolutely perfect he could see not possibility but a creator.  You may scoff at that too but if you seek to dissuade me from believing in God and Creation you have arrived too late.  For, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded…

            God bless you as you go through this day!

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THE CHRISTIAN ENTITLEMENT MENTALITY…


Spiritual Blog - Entitlement 1

Luke 17:5-10 – “And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 

6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.  7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?  8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?  9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.  10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'”  NKJV

 

I have heard well-meaning and well-intentioned Christians and some preachers speak of God being obligated to them because of their faith or obedience.  This passage is problematic to that view and while I am not suggesting that God does not commit Himself to us we should never develop the attitude that He owes us anything or is obligated to our directives.

The request was “increased faith” and in responding to that request Jesus went far beyond what one would have thought and addressed what I call a “Christian Entitlement Mentality”.  He spoke of the seeming smallness of faith but illustrated its power and potential.  He then addressed something that is often overlook regarding faith and that is “obedience”.  Jesus addressed this in the Centurion whose servant the LORD healed.  The Centurion demonstrated his understanding of authority and the chain of command and in response to that Jesus said, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.”  That is powerful.

Here he speaks of a servant after having done his daily chores and labors who coming in from the field.  The servant was being obedient doing what he was supposed to do.  Jesus asked if they thought the master would say to that servant, “Come at once and sit down and eat?”  He did not wait for their response but informed them that this would not happen.  The master would tell them to prepare him something and after he had eaten they could eat.  He concluded by asking, “Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.”  He then says, “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants.  We have don what was our duty to do.” 

Spiritual Blog - Entitlement 2

Some have made this message about the impossibility of man living before God without sin but He did not say “sinful servants” rather “unprofitable servants.”  We have earned nothing in our service.  We have not established a heavenly bank account from which we withdraw at our choosing.  If God blesses us it is “unmerited favor” not because we deserve it or have earned it.

God does not “need” our service, He chooses to allow us to participate in the Kingdom.  Our ability to live and perform His commands and our assignments is by Grace.  When we do what is right we are simply doing our “duty” not “earning” favor with or obligating God.  The best service we can offer is mingled with imperfections and we continually come short but God in His incredible grace and mercy will bear with us and He chooses to lavish His good things on us because of love not because we earned it.

Please avoid a Christian Entitlement Mentality it will pervert and destroy our relationship with God and tends to create an elitist mentality that is counterproductive to the Kingdom of God.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

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GOD DIDN’T CREATE A FICKLE FRAGILE PLANET…


Spiritual Blog - God Fickle Fragile Planet

Job 38:4-7 – “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?  Tell Me, if you have understanding.  5 Who determined its measurements?  Surely you know!  Or who stretched the line upon it?  6 To what were its foundations fastened?  Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”  NKJV

 

So much of what I hear today from politicians, newscasters, activist and even Christians regarding man destroying the planet is reflective of an attitude toward God that, in my view, is non-biblical.  God is either God or He isn’t.  God either knew what He was doing when He created everything or He didn’t.  I do not believe God created a fragile or fickle planet and it has survived a long time and will be here after most of us, if not all of us are gone.

God challenged Job to explain the creation of the earth knowing Job was completely incapable of such an exercise.  When I hear politicians, newscasters and even those in the scientific community attempt to explain or define the planet, atmosphere, greenhouse gasses, carbon and so much more I hear something that almost always discounts God.  God hung the stars in place and determined the orbit of the planets.  This is God’s creation that we are standing on and He has declared that when it is destroyed He will be the one initiating it not man.  I know, I know some say it will be nuclear war that destroys it and while God might allow that to be a part He does not have to have any help from man to do what He does.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the LORD’s, and its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.  For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.”  God did that, not man.  I have encountered the Grace of God and in my heart He lives, therefore I believe Him.  On most things, the scientific community is in disagreement.  Some of the attribute things to chance and man and others recognize the work of design and a designer.  You can find some scientist to support almost any theory you want to advance.  I had someone lash out at me recently because I believe in Creation not Evolution.  They asked how I came to that conclusion and sarcastically said – PRAYER?   Well, I base my belief on the Bible, factual evidence in science and the many unconnected dots required to believe in evolution.  So, if you believe we evolved from a single celled amoeba, crawled out of the ocean or our ancestors were tree swinging apes be my guest.  I do not, I believe the Bible.

I fully believe that God knew exactly what man would produce in technology and industry.  I am confident that when He created this planet and the universe He took into account EVERYTHING!  That is not to say that I do not believe we need to be good stewards with regard to our planet and pollution or the environment.  Litter is offensive to me for many reasons and while we can and should do things as good stewards living in fear of man destroying our planet is, in my view, a slap in God’s face and questioning of His power and ability.

If I can believe He can keep my soul and give me eternal life believing He can maintain the planet is small in comparison, at least in my mind.   God bless you and enable you to fully enjoy life to the full.  Blessings!

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WHEN YOU FEEL FORSAKEN…


Spiritual Blog - Forsaken

Psalm 22:1-2 – “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?  2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.”  NKJV

 

I’m sure those words are familiar and you recall them as the word of Jesus as He hung on the Cross, “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani?”   The Bible translates that for us as, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”  Upon crying out those words our Lord breathed His last and died.  The devil and much of the world thought it was over and despair hung over many of His followers.

Jesus had wrestled with His assignment in the days and possibly years prior to this event.  We find it recorded in the Gospels how in His agonizing in prayer in the Garden that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.  The greatest suffering Jesus could endure was the Father turning His back on Him as He became sin for mankind.  It was not turning His back on Jesus but turning His back on sin and that momentary separation was almost unbearable for our Lord.

I have experienced being forsaken by people and the pain was excruciating.  I have had times that I felt my prayers were nothing more than words falling from my lips unheard and unheeded by God.  The pain that results emotionally and physically is beyond description.  It was in those times that I had to hold firm to my confidence that God’s word is true and God is a keeper of His promises.  I could not feel Him and could see no evidence of His presence or concern but my heart and mind refused to relinquish my grip on His promise and in due time He responded.

When you are or feel forsaken that sense of hopelessness never leaves, day or night.  You are emotionally drained, relationally impaired and often find that it affects your physical body.  Sleep is often impossible.  You find yourself incapable of concentration and productivity.  The feeling or sense of isolation and abandonment is with you 24/7 as an unshakable tormentor.  It is in those times that you must determine to maintain your confidence and trust.  That is possible providing you have established a spiritual bank account from which to draw in your time of barrenness.  How do you do that?  You maintain a steady diet and habit of communing with the LORD in prayer, praise and worship as well as your intake of spiritual food from the Word of God.  You also draw from the strength that has been infused into you by the Holy Spirit, the promised Comforter.

I am not saying you will experience a time when you feel forsaken but IF YOU DO remember.  Do not cast away your confidence.  Having done all to stand, STAND!  He will never leave you nor forsake you.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

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