Month: October 2018

WHAT AM I TO PUT AWAY As a Christian?


Spiritual Blog - Put Away

Ephesians 4:29-32 – “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

 Ephesians 5:1 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  NASU

 What do we have to PUT AWAY as Christians?  What are those things that the Holy Spirit identified through the apostle Paul that we, as believers, are responsible for dealing with in our lives?

THE NUMBER ONE THING IS BITTERNESS.

That is numero uno!  It is the big boy of things that we must deal with in our lives if we are to move into the Grace of God and mature as believers.  I would suggest to you that ‘bitterness’ is less about what you DO than what you DO WITH.   Bitterness is truthfully a way of being.  It is something that has descended so deeply inside our beings that it is rooted in the core of who we are.  It is a state or a constant that too many either do not know exists or refuse to acknowledge.

Bitterness can be tied to an experience and that experience may have happened years earlier and likely did because now the hurt, disappointment, pain has become full-blown BITTERNESS!  Remember that Paul is speaking to believers!  I know that is difficult for some but he is speaking to believers who ‘still have problems’.  He is speaking to people that have brought some ugly baggage with them into the Christian experience.  He could have said, “Hold it!  You brought some things with you that are part of the old life and you are still bitter about them.’  Things that have become such an ingrained part of our being that we often do not even know they are there.  Big or small it was something that you never forgot or let go of and now it has taken root deep inside of who you are and has to be dealt with.   Remember what the Bible says about a ‘root of bitterness’ and it springs up and ‘many are defiled.’

Research has proven that ‘bitterness’ can release poisons into the bloodstream that can be measured in a test tube and those poisons can actually bring on sickness and disease.  We expect that of sin or what we identify as sin but do we really understand the danger of bitterness?

Bitterness never remains buried it has a way of being released to the tongue!  We see it in ‘wrath’ – flying off the handle and rage and it comes from a fire that burns deep inside.  We see it in ‘anger’ – you can see it in the eyes, by the body language but they are nice people and don’t let it out but it is there.  We see it in ‘clamor’ – uncontrolled shouting, loud arguing and no control over the tongue.  They will beat you up verbally.  We see it in ‘evil speaking’ – deliberately spreading gossip and harmful stories about people to hurt them.  In the Greek, it is called ‘blasphemy’.   We see it in ‘malice’ – a settle determination to hurt others.  They may have hurt you and you are ‘getting even.’ 

Paul says – – God says – – PUT IT AWAY!  You do not have to be bound by bitterness Jesus died for your victory and freedom!

May God bless you as you go through your day!

 

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I REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM, I am a Christian…


Spiritual Blog - Survivor

Ephesians 4:29-32 – “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

 Ephesians 5:1 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  NASU

 Yesterday we talked about this a little and I want us to move further in this consideration of the mindset of ‘victim’ vs. ‘Christian.’  I truly believe that one of the reasons that we fall into that trap is that we fail to understand Grace.  Sometimes it seems like we think Grace is simply God being gracious to us.  I think the schoolmaster The Law that brought us to Grace has become a problem in that in The Law or any Law says if you behave, I am satisfied.  Grace does not issue that edict but demands more.    The Law simply deals with my behavior but Grace deals with my heart.  I can ‘look the part’, ‘act the part,’ and appear to be Christian but inside be full of filth.  Grace deals with my heart and regardless of how I look on the outside, it is working on the inside or THE HEART!

Grace is not focused on behavior but the Church per se sure is.  We fulfill the scripture that ‘man looks on the outward’ to a tee!  Grace deals with our ‘want to’ and begins the process of change there at the seat of the problem and the core of our being.  Then, when the heart is changed the behavior follows naturally.  Sadly, behavior is too often nothing more than a mask that professors of Christianity wear and hide who they really are from the world but you cannot hide from God!

Notice Paul says, “The Grace has come to you….”  In other words, it has invaded who you are.  Now it is up to us to cooperate with the Spirit of God and allow change to be effected in our lives on the inside.  Grace did not just bring us deliverance from the world of sin it brings us Salvation that takes place every day of our lives.  It brings us daily wholeness!  The Grace of God makes us ‘spiritually healthy’ and ‘whole.’  There is a truth that I won’t get into here but sometimes we are sick in our bodies because we are sick in our heads and hearts.  I have heard medical doctors claim that upwards of 90% of all diseases are psychosomatic.  I don’t know that I would go that far but I do know that our attitudes can affect our health.  Please do not assume that I am saying if you were right spiritually you would not battle any physical ailment.  I did not and do not say that!

Paul tells us that there are some things that we Must Do as believers.  There are some things that we do not just pray about but take ownership of and act on.  We are to put away – malice, bitterness, and evil speaking.  That is pretty radical but the Holy Spirit emphasized the Put Away which in the Greek means ‘make a decisive choice.’  It is like saying, ‘Do it man!  Make it happen!  Don’t pray about it!  Don’t say I will try!  JUST DO IT!’

I want us to look at what we are to Put Away but time and space won’t permit adequate examination so I will stop here and say God bless you as you go through your day!

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STOP BEING VICTIMS – – We are Christians…


Spiritual Blog - Victim

Ephesians 4:29-32 – “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ephesians 5:1 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  NASU

 

The more I read and study the writings of the apostle Paul, the more I am convinced that he saw a life that most professing believers either never see or do not believe is possible.  Paul repeatedly speaks of leaving the “old” – world, way, man and everything that belongs to the realm of sin and the fallen race of Adam and moving into the “new” – creation, self, man, birth and encouraged his followers to ACT OUT or LIVE OUT the Christian experience through their new source of Life – JESUS!   His message was one that continually called for those who experienced the New Birth to BECOME who they really are in Christ!

The ‘new birth’ is about the process that happens after the experience of ‘salvation’.  In the ‘new birth,’ we were translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.  We were not and are not the finished product but are in the process of becoming!  So for the rest of our mortal existence on earth, we are moving from one experience to another and being transformed into something!  We are no longer what we were and are not yet what we will be but we are moving toward that goal.  It is time that we allow the ‘newness’ of the Life in Christ to permeate every crevice of our lives and touch every facet and dimension of our being.  It is a passage from the ‘old’ to the ‘new’. From ‘sin’ to ‘total transformation.’  IT IS SALVATION!

Tragically, most have the cart before the horse and are trying to change, shape up, get better, turn over a new leaf, and try harder or something.  It is the incredible need of humanity to ‘earn’ something and ‘deserve’ something.  God repeatedly says, “No thanks!  I accept you just as you are, where you are, and who you are because of JESUS!”  So, it is time that we comprehend and get our heads and hearts around the truth that WE ARE ACCEPTED!  It is in that state of acceptance that God steps in and begins the process of changing us or transforming us into His Image.

When we come to Christ we essentially have to ‘relearn life’ because we have the mindset of Sin in us.  That is one of the reasons that Jesus spoke of becoming like little children.  We have to develop a new way of thinking and a new way of living.  For that to become reality we have to be schooled or trained and that is the work of the Holy Spirit and those under whose tutelage we are maturing.   Too many just add Sunday to their schedule when they accept Christ but Christianity is not that.  It truthfully is RELEARNING how to live every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year!  It is allowing all the ‘distortion’ that is in us to be purged.  It is to allow the ‘bentness’ that is inherent in our DNA to be transformed by God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace!  It is literally having our MINDS RENEWED!

That is the only possible way that we can move from the human mindset of ‘victimization’ to God’s mindset of Christian.  We have to RELEARN LIFE and then LIVE that life that we have learned in Jesus!  You are a “Child of the King of Kings” not just a man or a woman.  You are God’s children and are heirs to everything that God is and has, so live like it!

May God be with you as you go through your day!  We will consider this more tomorrow!

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YOU ARE A VINE BRANCH…


Spiritual Blog - Vine

John 15:5-7 – “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.  6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”  NASU

If Christ is ‘inside’ then the life that we live in the flesh is His life.  I’ve heard people sing or preach and someone come up to them and tell them how much they were ministered to as a result only to hear the person say, “Oh it was not me it was the Lord.”  While that is true, wasn’t that you on the platform singing or speaking?  Remember that while it is truly the Lord you are the vessel that He is using so do not draw back from celebrating your uniqueness.  He made you like He made you and gifted you like He gifted you so it is “I live, yet not I….”  It is Christ in Me!  You do not trust yourself but you are totally reliant on Him.  He is the Vine and we are the branches or a vine branch!

Have you ever considered the reality that a ‘vine branch’ is utterly useless in and of itself?  If a ‘vine branch’ is not producing grapes it has no use whatsoever.  I believe that God chose this deliberately to teach us a vital truth.  What is the Vine?  Think about it because if you dig deep enough you will realize that the vine is invisible.  It is an invisible life that comes up through the trunk and inevitably produces a leaf that produces a flower that produces a grape!  I have never seen a VINE, but I have seen expressions of it.  Therefore, the Branch does nothing but receive the Life that is in the Vine!

Can you imagine a Vine in the spring and listening to the branches saying, “Man I’ve got to get this leaf out, so we can produce grapes?”  No, the branch just hangs there effortless waiting on the life that is in the vine to flow through it and do the work.  Jesus is trying to convey to us that it is the same principle in the Christian Life.  We are just the flow through vessels of the Life that is in the Vine!    He is trying to convey to us that if we will just be ‘in’ Him, He will do the work and produce the fruit!

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 when He said, “Come unto me all you that labor and are heaven laden and I will give you a rest.”  The word rest could be accurately translated vacation.  What is a vacation?  It is when you stop working and rest!  Jesus was not speaking to ‘sinners’, He was speaking to ‘believers.’  He was talking to people who were trying to ‘work enough, do enough, and please God.’  So, if you ever grow sick and tired of trying to do enough to please God He is calling ‘Come unto Me, and I will….’  

Imagine that!  Christianity that wants to deserve and earn it has a difficult time with that.  If we have to struggle to please God you have a number of choices.  You can be a Buddhist, Hindu, or any other religion in the word because they are all struggling.  But, if I am a Christian, according to the Bible, I STOP STRUGGLING and allow the Life of the Vine to LIVE and FLOW through me.  “I live, but it is not I, it is Christ.”  All the Branch does is remain IN THE VINE!  The Life that is in the Vine flows into the branch and produces the visible fruit!

So, Stop Struggling and allow Christ in you to produce the Hope of Glory!  Let God live His life through you!   Christianity is a Rest, not a Struggle!

May God bless you as you go through your day!

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MORE ON THE GLORY OF GOD…


Spiritual Blog - Hope

Colossians 1:25-29 – “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is,  the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”  NASU

 

We are continually being transformed into the likeness of Jesus!  As we behold Him we become more and more like Him.  Salvation is not just being ‘saved’ from Hell.  In the Greek [sozo] means ‘to make whole or well.’  The word means to save, heal, and/or deliver.  The Gospel is the Power of God for SOZO or Wholeness!  It is putting us back together or total healing of our mind, body, and souls!

That raises another question – “What is sin?”  Oh, I know that the standard answer is ‘missing the mark’ but can you receive that it is UNLOVE!  It is failing to love as God loves.  What does sin do to us?  What does unlove and selfishness do to us?  It literally blows or rips us apart.  That is why those living in sin are so tragic; they are blown apart on the inside!  They are not whole!  But, the Good News is that with the coming of the LOVE OF GOD which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit we are made WHOLE!  Deep on the inside at the core of who we are we are made well by the Love of God!   Life is filled with pitfalls and difficulties but do not despair because we are moving from ‘Glory’ to ‘Glory’ in God.  This is a process and it is not finished!  It is “Christ in us, the Hope of Glory!”

Remember it is not you trying to ‘get glory’ or trying to ‘love like God’ loves.  It is God coming into you and living His life and loving His love through you!  You are the vessel not the producer of that love or life!  He Is!  Some seem to have the idea that if we try hard enough and work long enough, one day we will arrive and make it.  NO!  It is Christ in you, the Hope of Glory!  If you can make it by your efforts and struggles then that places Christ ‘outside’ rather than ‘inside’ and Christianity is an inside job.

One of the greatest tragedies and obstacles that the Church has inflicted upon herself is that we have traditionally told new converts, “You go out there and love like Jesus loved.  You work out your [sozo].  You love and forgive putting aside all resentment and anger while putting on kindness and tenderness.  You go be like Jesus,” as if you could in yourself.  It is not an outside job but an inside job.  It is not you doing it it is Him living His life in you.  It is Christ in You, the Hope of Glory!

When the Bible tells us in Philippians 2:12 to “work out our own salvation…”  How does it tell us to do that?  I’m serious!  It says, “with fear and trembling…”   It is a Greek expression that means:  “You work out your own salvation, with no trust whatsoever in your own ability.”  That does not sound like a matter of willpower or an outside job but an inside job to me!  It is simply allowing God to have full control of your life and watching Him live His life through you!  Yes, you participate because you could resist and rebel but you willingly choose to flow with what He is doing inside of you and through you.  It is Christ IN YOU, the Hope of Glory!  In You!  In You!  In You!

May God help you and me to realize that this is an ‘inside job’ and walk in the fullness of what Jesus offers through the Cross and the Holy Spirit!

Blessings as you go through your day!

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THE GLORY…


Spiritual Blog - Glory

Colossians 1:25-29 – “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is,  the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”  NASU

 

We talked about HOPE and today I want to focus on the second part, GLORY!  Biblical Hope is essential for a victorious life and if the Bible is correct, and it is, “Christ in us… is the hope of glory.”  But, what is GLORY?  What is Paul talking about?  While we could strain at gnats and swallow camels in our pursuit of a definition let’s simplify it to the following:  “The outshining of God.”   I say that because if you will recall in the Old Testament one could See the presence of God.  It was like a ‘light’ or ‘brightness’ The Glory of God reflects the very heart of God.  In simple terms it could be described as, “Who God is, shining forth, reaching out and blessing man!”

Remember Moses?  From way back in his development he had a sense of the greatness of God, but it was not until his experience at the ‘Burning Bush’ that he had such an encounter with the Glory of God that his life was transformed forever.  He was driven from that time forward to know God not just Know About God!  Remember in Exodus 33 he called out for God to ‘show me Your glory.’  God’s response was, “I Myself will make all my goodness pass before you.  I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before you.”  That is important!

In the Old Testament, a name was an indication of the character and what the person would be or was.  It always indicated ‘character’, so God says, “I will reveal My Glory/My Name.”  Then in the very next chapter, we read “The Lord passed in front of Moses and proclaimed….”  At that moment the shimmering, uncreated Light, who is God passed before mortal man and out of that Moses heard God say, “This is Who I Am.”  We hear about God’s Lovingkindness and that is an interesting word which, in a great sense, means:  “I will love you, love you, love you, and will never let you go.”  When God defined His Glory to Moses He did so in the many facets of love.  Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and come short of the GLORY of the Lord.”  That is interesting!

John identified that Jesus was the Word or the Out-speaking of God that became flesh and dwelt among us.  We beheld his glory!  We saw LOVE first hand.  We saw the love that was not of this earth – – THE GLORY OF GOD!

Jesus continually demonstrated His Glory and Love.  Remember the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee.  The couple goes unnamed, they ran out of wine and that was a disaster in those days.  Jesus quietly did His miracle.  Almost no one knew what had happened.  Why?  So no one would suffer embarrassment.  John declared that when Jesus turned the water into wine it was the ‘first time’ that He showed forth His Glory!

John 17:22 – I find this incredibly fascinating and powerful.  Jesus is praying.  Listen to what He says:  “And the Glory which you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be One, just as we are One. I in them and you in me, that they may be perfected in unity.”  That is more than incredible.  Jesus is declaring that the Glory that He has He has given to all believers.  Christ the Glory of God, the Love of God has given Himself to each of us that we may be one with Him and thereby one with each other.  He is not giving this to us so that we can get to heaven.  He has given and is giving us His Glory so that we can Live Life to the Full on this Earth!

Christ in us is the Hope of Glory!  We are the expressions of God’s Love to a lost and dying world!    God help us to become lights in the darkened places showing forth the Glory of God!

Blessings as you go through your day!

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TWO PARTS ONE TRUTH – – Hope and Glory!


Spiritual Blog - Hope

Colossians 1:25-28 – “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is,  the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” NASU

 

 Paul is speaking of a ‘mystery’ which sums up his ministry and in that he says it is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  What does that mean?  He is saying this is what I do.  This is what I teach.  This is the ministry that God has given me and it is capsulized in this statement, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  We can readily acknowledge that he is speaking of something that is vital, important, powerful, and significant but do we really understand what he is saying?  I do not mean to elevate my understanding above yours but I struggled with this for a long time before the Holy Spirit opened my understanding in a way I had never before known.  I want to share that with you and you can then add what I am saying to what you know and you will be stronger as a result.  I am simply a student of Scripture as you, nothing more and nothing less!

HOPE – – What a maligned word today!  In fact, in some circles, if you say that you “hope” you will be ostracized and declared as to be lacking in “faith.”  Yet, when you examine the Bible you find that HOPE is prevalent throughout the New Testament.  What has happened is that we ‘misuse’ the word and therefore relegate it to the ‘trash heap’ of our spiritual walk when it should not be treated so.  The world’s use of HOPE is completely opposite of the Bible’s usage of the word.  So, ‘What Is Hope?’

I heard an illustration some years ago in which a little boy gave a definition of HOPE.  He said, “Hope is believing that you are going to get that, which anyone in their right mind knows you are not going to get!”  That to the world is HOPE!  People go through life ‘hoping’ and it usually means that whatever is being hoped for is HIGHLY IMPROBABLY!  So, in that sense, it borders on the IMPOSSIBLE and to the average person and many in the Church it means ‘clinging to a thread’ when all rational expectation is gone!  Another example is in the hospital.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve visited the hospital to hear someone say, “We can only hope.”  That means they have no more rational expectation and are clinging to HOPE that goes nowhere and accomplishes nothing.  In that sense, HOPE has inherent disappointment!

How many of us in our youth, teen years or early adulthood had dreams and aspirations that have been shattered and washed away in time?  How many had ‘hopes’ in entering the marriage relationship believing that they would live a life where the little bluebirds of happiness would perpetually fly around their homes and lives only to find that reality was far different than the fantasy.  HOPE, as understood by the world is filled with disappointment, because in hoping you know that what you are hoping for is not going to happen!  Tragic!  That IS NOT what the Bible speaks of when it speaks of HOPE!  Hope in the Bible means:  “The positive unshakable confidence that a specific blessing from God will without question come to pass.”  That is BIBLICAL HOPE!

Biblical HOPE has eyes that peer into the future with expectation.  It has a deep conviction that there is unshakable certainty that what you are hoping for will come to pass!  So, biblical hope has inherent in it CERTAINTY!  The hope of the world is filled with anticipated disappointment whereas the hope of the Bible is filled with certainty and expectancy!  WHY?  Because Bible Hope has GOD IN IT!  It rests upon the character, nature, and word of God Himself.  Bible Hope is not a dream, wish or fantasy it is an assurance that excitedly looks forward with expectation!

Philippians 1:20 – “…according to my earnest expectation and hope…”
[Amplified] – – – – – “…my own eager desire, persistent expectation and hope…”

THAT’S IT – – The eager desire.  Whatever God says your heart says, “I want it!”  It is persistent expectation and anticipation!  No matter what happens, how bleak the picture becomes it is persistent and filled with expectancy because God said it and any promise of God is to be EXPECTED!  You can Hope for it!

I HOPE in God and therefore I rise from sleep every morning with a tingle of excitement in my spirit.  I can hardly wait for the day to begin because today (whatever day that is) I am going to experience a little bit more of what God has for me, in Christ!  So, as I look at all my tomorrows, all my unlived futures I know that ‘this is the day the Lord has made….’  I know that in His timing He is going to bring to me all His promises!  THAT’S HOPE!

So, if you will, HOPE is ‘faith’ in a manner of speaking!  It is ‘faith’ shielding its eyes against the sunlight of adversity and saying:  “I CAN SEE IT!  I CAN SEE IT!”  Everyone around you may be a naysayer but HOPE says “I SEE IT!”   In God’s promises, I expectantly wait!

So, whatever you do – – DO NOT LOSE HOPE!  It is an anchor spiritually!  So as you go through your day go with Biblical Hope!   God bless you richly!

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THE GOSPEL AND GRACE…


Spiritual Blog - Grace and Truth

1 John 4:7-11 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” NASU

 

As with Love, the word Gospel is also almost a useless word in our vocabulary today.  The reason I say that is because most do not understand what it really means.  Many think that it means the first four books of the New Testament.  However, if you examine the whole of the Bible you find that “Gospel” means “the good glad, merry news that makes a man’s heart leap for joy.”  If God is the kind of God that loves messed up people and will come to us who do not deserve and cannot earn His love that coming is characterized by another word that we often misunderstand – GRACE!

Grace in its most simplistic form means that God gives to me that which I do not and cannot earn or deserve.  Because God IS love, He must and does deal in Grace!  Everything that God gives is FREE and cannot be earned!  Simply that means something has happened to us.  We did not earn it, do not deserve it and cannot become good enough to receive it.  If someone gives you something that you did not earn and do not deserve what is your response?  It should be ‘Thank You!’  The New Testament calls that FAITH which in simplicity is ‘to rest in.’ Our response to the Gift of God is Faith!

God gives, through nothing that I have done and nothing in me but just because He is who He is.  The only possible response I can have is to say, “Thank You!”  When we do that we find that He means it so we can rest in that truth and declare – I’VE GOT IT!  That, my friend, will cause the heart to literally leap for joy!   God is love, He acts in grace, and we respond in faith saying THANK YOU!   It is not you trying to be better or trying to do good.  It is FAITH or simply saying, THANK YOU!  When you do that a miracle takes place and you are ‘reborn.’

Okay, then what happens in the ‘rebirth?”  We are birthed into the family of God!  What is the character of the family of God – LOVE!  So when God’s love comes into me I am a new person – – THAT IS THE GOSPEL!

Just before Jesus went to the Cross to take away our sin, He said some things such as, “Except a grain of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abides alone.  But if it drops into the ground and dies, it brings forth much fruit.”  A very simple illustration that is incredibly easy to understand.  If you have ‘one grain of wheat’ and plant it, the Law of Harvest kicks in and you receive many more than the single grain that was planted and the fruit is an exact replication and representation of the original.   Therefore, Jesus said, “There is only one of Me.  No one has ever lived God’s love before.  I’m going to fall into the ground and die, and if I do not there will never be but one of Me.  But, if I do then I will bring forth much fruit.”  He was telling us that there would be millions if not billions like Him.  That has been the desire of God over the centuries.  You see, Jesus did not come just to forgive our sins.  That is only the handle on the door of the Kingdom.  He came to produce persons who LOVE like He LOVES!  The Law of Harvest is that through His sacrificial death and resurrection there will be MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS LIKE HIM.  Millions upon Millions who love like He loves!

If you can receive this, if we love like Jesus loves, then we won’t have to worry about keeping the Law.  You do not need a Law that says, ‘you shall not kill’ if you have LOVE inside of you!  You will not need a Law that says, “You shall not steal”’ if you have LOVE inside of you!  If this love comes into our hearts then we do not need the Ten Commandments!  That’s what Hebrews 8:13 is talking about.  As long as the Love of God is alive in your heart then you will not only do everything that The Law was mandating you will DO MORE!

When we truly MANIFEST Jesus through Love, the world will respond in a mighty fashion.  I’m not talking about a formula, fad, or gimmick I’m talking about the GOSPEL!  I am not trying to condemn or criticize but simply say HE WHO IS LOVE lives in our hearts and LIVES HIS LOVE through us!  When that happens ‘people are drawn to God like moths to a flame!’

God be with you as you go through your day!

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THE BIG PICTURE – SPIRITUALLY… (Continued)


Spiritual Blog - Big Picture

1 John 4:7-12 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  NASU

 

Years ago I heard an illustration that speaks volumes regarding the attitudes and understanding of many regarding God and Love.  A missionary went to a tribal witch doctor and said, “You preach to me if you will.  If I come to you with a problem and ask you how I can reach the most high God what do you tell me?  I know you have many gods but I want to find the Big One, the Most High God.”  The witch doctor replied, “First of all you have a problem.  Because the Most High God is not interested in you, because you are not good enough for him.”  Sadly, that is where the religion of many begins.  Truthfully, you have heard the same thing in America in more sophisticated language but the same message.  Many people simply believe that God is not interested and it is incumbent upon us to just deal with life trying to make ourselves ‘good enough’ for God to care.  I had a family member tell me once, that God should not be bothered by some things, that we should just deal with them and only the really big things should be a matter of prayer.  That is not my concept of God!

Once I realize the biblical definition of the Love of God I immediately realize that our human love is totally useless in describing or defining God’s Love!  God’s love is utterly different from ours.  His love is not even in the same hemisphere as ours!  When the Bible declares that GOD IS LOVE it does not mean that God reaches out to those who are ‘in his class’ – NO! NO! NO!  It means that God reaches out to all persons and more importantly He reaches down to us!  Human love reaches up to those we consider the most beautiful or the best.  It is toward those we almost half bend the knee and develop somewhat of an attitude of worship toward.  BUT, God reaches down to us.  He reaches down to people that are clearly and utterly unworthy of ever being loved by Him.  That, to the human mind, makes no sense.

If I were to say to you, “God loves good people and makes them His friends” that would be no revelation for every religion in the world does that. But If I tell you that Christianity stands on the truth and revelation that “God loves bad, messed up people and makes them His friends,” that is utterly amazing!   Imagine that truth that the Holy God of Heaven who is love makes His best friends out of unholy, bad, messed up, rotten, selfish people!  THAT IS GOOD NEWS!  That is the Gospel!

So instead of trying to become ‘good enough’ for God to love you realize that GOD LOVES YOU now!  His coming into your life is what transforms you not something you do to earn His love!  I pray that as you go through your day realize that God loves you!  You don’t deserve it, can’t earn it and will never be good enough to receive it.  HE SIMPLY LOVES YOU!  

Blessings as you go through your day!

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THE BIG PICTURE – SPIRITUALLY…


Spiritual Blog - Picture

1 John 4:7-11 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  NASU

 

The “Big Picture” that is true for every person, even though the details might be vastly different as to how that is walked out in life is – “That we become and be the manifestation and demonstration of Who He Is.”  None of us are ‘perfect’ and there is only one who is ‘perfect’ and that is God so the highest possible call would be for us to ‘demonstrate’ Him before the world.  Therefore, the Big Picture which is His Will and Design for our lives is – “That we Manifest Who He Is.  That we become the Demonstrations of Him to the Whole World!”

WHO IS GOD?  John informed us that “God is Love!”  That is the ultimate. Everything that we KNOW about God or will KNOW about God is controlled and directed by this truth.  We think about God Almighty who is and has ALL POWER.  Remember God said, “Let there be light and there was light.”  That is Power!  Can you imagine a God of such Power who isn’t Love?  He would be an unbelievable monster of epic proportions.  LOVE controls everything else that we know about God.

We think of God as Omniscient – He knows everything past, present, and future!  Can you imagine a God who KNOWS us like that and doesn’t even like us?  We are afraid to tell some of our closest friends some of the thoughts that make their way through our minds.  Can you imagine a God who KNOWS those thoughts even before you think them and does not love us?  That would cause terror to the point of suicide.  To have the God, we know from Scripture who isn’t love – – He would be an infinite monster!

I find it interesting that in studying Scripture and when it comes to definitions in the Bible we do not find the clear definition that “God is Power” but we see it in studying.  However, when it comes to LOVE the Bible clearly says – “GOD IS LOVE!”  Sadly, in our human experience, the word “love” is almost a useless word because we have to define the word by how we understand it.  What do we mean when we say, love?  I have found that, for many, it means we reach out to somebody that we consider ‘in our class.’  If you will be completely honest you will realize that it is incredibly rare for somebody to express ‘real love’ for someone that they do not consider to be ‘in their class’.

In Europe history has demonstrated that if Royalty fell in love with a Commoner they were fired!  So, when we fall in love as humans, we tend to keep within our status.  We fall in love in our ‘tribes’.  We keep within certain boundaries.  Oh, we don’t talk about it or admit it but we tend to do it.

LOVE – – If I ‘love’ a person, it’s that individual that calls forth my highest admiration.  When I look at that person all I can see – I ADMIRE!  There is a WOW factor!  When I talk about that person, they really are something and in truth, there is an element of worship involved.  Therefore, when I LOVE someone it means – They answer to what I feel is beauty which is truly in the eye of the beholder.  Beauty is something that happens inside the head and heart!  That’s what we understand love to be.

Now, when it comes to God and the Bible declares – “GOD IS LOVE.”  Then, we assume that God is love, the same way as we are love.  Every religion in the world has a concept of God that is based on human love.  In include in that, the unconverted apostate of America.  They have equated what we say love is with God who is love!  So if God loves like we love then He comes to us and what does He find?  He finds someone who in no measure is in His class.  Immediately that eliminates us!  On that basis, if God got friendly with us He would be fired!  Secondly, He finds someone who in no measure is in harmony with Him.  We are in disharmony with Him in our unconverted state.  We do not jell with His holiness and love.  We are selfish, like it that way, and plan to remain in that condition.  Thirdly, there is nothing in us that would cause Him to say – “That is the best person I know.”  So, if God were to love like we love we, as human beings, would be finished.  Thank God He does not!

I hope to address this further but go through your day go knowing that GOD IS LOVE and He has chosen to Love Us!     

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