Month: April 2020

THE BLESSING OF THE LORD – (Part Four) …


Numbers 6:22-27 – “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 24 The LORD bless you, and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’  27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” NASB

Every miracle in the Old Testament is simply one of the Blessings of Covenant being manifested in a particular situation.  Everything God does is based on Covenant and What He Has Said.  God spelled out the Blessings and any miracle in the Old Testament simply occurred because somebody said, “God You said You’d Bless, and I ask You to Do It Now!”  That’s it!

The foundation of Covenant and an integral part of Covenant are these Blessings.  Anyone in Covenant who took hold of the Promises and Provisions looked to God and said, “Thank You!”  At that point, a miracle transpired.  That’s Faith, it is simply taking God at His word and saying Thank You!

The Lord Jesus Christ was the Last Adam, the final man of the Covenant.  The New Covenant took place when Jesus rose from the dead.  He is the Grand Finale of the Old Covenant.  Every miracle that Jesus performed was simply bringing into substance one of these Blessings of the Old Covenant. 

Miracles do not just sort of happen.  No, No, No!  They happen for a very definite reason and based on a very definite provision of Covenant.  In the New Testament, just before Jesus died on the Cross, He took the cup.  He said, “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood.”  He is saying, “Everything that we did in the Old Covenant is now OLD.”  At that time, He said, “The works that I do, shall you do also, and greater works than these shall you do, because I go to the Father.”

Those are incredible words, but there is a massive problem for the church and has been for a long time.  What did Jesus mean?  After all, how could we possibly do anything greater than what Jesus did?  How could we do that?  It is Impossible, right?

I ask that you rehearse in your mind that Jesus lived under the Old Covenant.  He said, “The works that I do…”  That is, “I’m living to the fullest possible the Blessings of the Old Covenant.  You can do the same.”  That means, that whatever they had, we can and should have and do.  We have, legally, every Blessing.  That is nothing short of amazing! 

Jesus said, “The works that I do in bringing to pass the Blessings of the Old Covenant, you can do also.”  That is an incredible promise.  In the Old Covenant Blessings, there was physical blessing, economic blessing, and everything we put our hands to is to prosper.  In your secular work you can have prosperity.  In terms of enemies, you are more than a conqueror.  It covers our emotional, physical, and material lives. That is Staggering and that is Old Covenant!

Then when we call to mind the words of Hebrews 8:6 that we have a ‘Better Covenant’ that is based upon ‘Better Promises’ we should be beside ourselves with anticipation and joy.  I find it powerfully amazing that there are more Blessings in the New Covenant than in the Old and it is not all Spiritual.  Let’s be honest, when the chips are down it is more than a little nice to have healthy bodies, right?  It is nice to have some extra cash, right?  The New Testament tells us that God Blesses us in every area of life, the physical, material, and spiritual.  HALLELUJAH!

     Jesus said, “The works that I do…”  I find that in the Book of Acts there are more physical healings in one chapter than the entire Old Testament.  Therefore, God is clearly concerned with the Physical and Material as well as the Spiritual.

Jesus did not stop there, He said, “…And greater works…”  Greater?  There are works that Jesus, as man could not do because He had to die to bring them into reality in the Covenant.  He had to rise again and ascend to the Right Hand of the Father for them to become legal guarantees.  He said, “You will do Greater Works BECAUSE…”  Because of what?  I go to My Father.  Simply, “When I’ve gone to the Father, you will do Greater Works through the Power of the Holy Spirit and on the Authority of My New Covenant!”  HALLELUJAH!

The Old Covenant did not have the power to bring us into the oneness of relationship with the Father.  The Old Covenant offered a limited fellowship.  The blood of an animal was required, but when Jesus rose again that need was gone, and man could enter into a Perfected Relationship with God! 

At the risk of over laboring on this subject we will approach it one more time, but until then rejoice in Who you are and What you have been invited to participate in – THE NEW COVENANT!

Have a Great Day!

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THE BLESSING OF THE LORD – (Part Three) …


Numbers 6:22-27 – “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 24 The LORD bless you, and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’  27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” NASB

In discussing the Blessing, what the word means and the power that is inherent in it we must look at the foundation upon which this truth is established.  It is Covenant!  Covenant is the basis of all of God’s dealings and relationships with mankind.  Blood Covenant is a bond that cannot be broken short of death.  If we go back and review the cutting of the covenant with Abraham and see the various parts and their meaning we will move forward greatly in our faith and expectation.

We have all heard the term, “Blood Brothers,” have we not?  Some have made that a strong natural brotherhood, but it is more than that.  It exists today and the saying in the Arab world is germane, “Blood is thicker than milk.”  I know most of us have heard, “Water” but “Milk” is the way they say it.  Why?  It means that you might be a “milk brother” but that relationship can be shattered.  However, if you ‘cut the wrists in covenant’ and blood has been mingled, then Blood is stronger than Milk.  This is a brotherhood that is for all time and there is no back door, no exit ramp.  It is permanent!

Blood Brothers are friends with a Capital “F”.  It means that from the time of cutting the covenant on, they will live in a state or condition that is called “Loving Kindness” (Hesed).  It means a Loyal Love or a Tenacity of Love.  It means that I will spend my day planning and plotting ways to carry out the terms of the Covenant and Bond.  I won’t wait for you to ask, instead, I will think up ways to surprise you Blessing You.  This is Loving Kindness or Covenant Love.  There is nothing casual about it.

The Amazing Story of the Bible is Covenant and that truth was understood by all the Hebrews.  Sadly, in America, we have a Contract Mentality rather than a Covenant Mentality.  We have long forgotten Loyalty. 

If you examine American history, you will quickly realize that the American Indians were Covenant People.  They would enter a Covenant with the White Man only to have him break his word time and again.  The Indians could not understand how anyone in Covenant could do that.  Covenant was a Life or Death arrangement.  It was permanent not like a Contract.  All Primitive Tribes understood Covenant, but we do not. 

It is Amazing that God, the Living God, would come to man using a vehicle that everyone understood – Covenant.  Then, He would enter into Covenant with man.  God entered into Covenant with Abraham and when He did, He said, “I will Bless you and I will Bless those who Bless you.”  

God entered into Covenant with the entire nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai.  It is not simply, “I will Bless you as a greeting or salutation.”  God details the terms, blessings, and curses of the Covenant.  It is defined in Legal terms.  That is spelled out prolifically in Deuteronomy 28:1-14.  Please read it.  Please devour it.  Please meditate upon it.  There was not one area of life that was omitted.

But there is more.  Read Leviticus 26:3-12 and you discover the great emphasis on life.  It is about fertility.  They are blessed in their bodies, their flocks, and their herds.  The focus is Life!  It was a Covenant of Life and whatever God touched would burst forth with Life.

Not to spend a great deal of time enumerating each Blessing but they were Blessed in their Bodies and enjoy health, healing, and long life.  They were Blessed in their Cities, the seat of their economy and finance.  They were Blessed in their Fields, the source of their sustenance and food.  They were Blessed in their Baskets, their capacity to bring home the bacon.  They were Blessed in their Kneading Bowl, the capacity and ability to utilize that supply.  They were Blessed in their Going Out and their Coming In. 

If we understand the simple message of the terms of Covenant it is that whatever they did and wherever they went the Blessing of God was upon them.  They possessed this unusual enduement with Power.  Their enemies would flee before them and anybody that touched them would find the Power of God surging in their defense. 

This is Incredible!  They were kept and protected by the Power of God. They were the head and not the tail.  They made the choices and did the wagging of the tail, not vice versa.  They would not be ‘underneath their circumstances’ but ‘atop’ them.  That is what God offers us through His Blood Covenant.  I must deal with this at least one more time but until the next time, go with God and He will go with you. 

Have a Fantastic Day!

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THE BLESSING OF THE LORD – (Part Two)


Numbers 6:22-27 – “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 24 The LORD bless you, and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’  27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” NASB

The spoken Blessing of the Covenant is powerful and important for Christians of every age, especially today.  We have lost much of its importance and power and thereby have given an advantage to the devil. 

There is a verbal conveyance in Blessing.  We use words!  Out of our mouths are coming Words of Power!  Through these words, issued in understanding and faith, we are releasing the power to enable those Blessed to attain the stated blessing.  We are giving something to someone through words.

The question must immediately be, “What are we giving?”  We are giving Power!  We are releasing the ability for them to enjoy the work of the Holy Spirit and God’s Covenant and be successful, prosperous, healthy, and have a long life.  All of that is inside the word “Bless” and that is exactly what the Hebrews understood when the Blessed.  It was not simply a greeting it was a release of something powerful and wonderful.

When a Hebrew said, “God Bless You” it meant I endue you with the Power of God to be able to receive from God, long life, health, success, and prosperity.  It was releasing the Goodness of God into the lives of people.  That is powerful and makes me hungry spiritually.  I hope I am whetting your appetite for more knowledge and in that knowledge the release of God’s Blessing in our lives and others around us.

We must not just view Blessing but consider the Fall of man in the Garden of Eden.  Why?  Because in the Fall, man entered a state of curse.  Throughout the Bible, we have the contrast of Blessing and Curse.  It is unavoidable and vital that we see the contrast.  When man entered the state sin, he walked into the curse.  This Blessing is a word that will Reverse the Curse!

Man, in the Fall, was living in a state of curse and now God says, “I’m going to walk into that situation and condition and Reverse it!”  The result is that we are going to be Blessed!  That is incredibly drawing to my heart and makes me desirous to be able to release it to others so they too can be Blessed.

In the Old Testament God separated a people (Israel) and entered a Covenant with them.  Specifically, He entered a Covenant to Bless them.  God entered a Covenant or Relationship in which He would Reverse the Curse.  I hope you are following this train of thought.

These people are now going to Know God’s active goodness in their lives.  They will be Endued with an unusual and uncanny power to live a healthy long life.  Whatever they touch will be successful and prosperous and there is no natural explanation it is not natural it is supernatural.  It is not their ability it is God.  They have been Endued with power from God and they have been Blessed. That is what Covenant is all about!

Let me caution you.  Now that the terms of the Covenant have been given and once this Blessing has been spelled out and released there is a condition.  Unless they walk away from it, reject it, give it back to God, nobody can touch it or revoke it.  It is theirs and the devil nor man can annul it.  They would have to walk away from it for it to become null and void. 

Let me illustrate it this way and hopefully, it will resonate more deeply with you.  Remember Balaam?  His donkey had more sense than he did.  He was offered gold to curse Israel.  He didn’t seem to be able to resist the gold even though he knew there was little chance of achieving the desired curse. 

He went to a high mountain with the king that hired him to Curse Israel.  But when he opened his mouth rather than a Curse came Blessing.  He could not curse them.  Finally, he said to the king who hired him, “God is not a man that He should lie or the son of man that He should repent.  Has He said and will He not do it? Has He not spoken, and will He not make it good?  When He has blessed, I cannot revoke it.” 

That’s it, Balaam could not Curse Israel because God has Blessed them.  The Blessings of God cannot be removed by man or the devil.  Israel and we in Christ are surrounded and shielded by God’s Blessings.  That is incredibly apparent in Psalm 91 and throughout the New Testament. 

I must not stop here, but for the sake of space and time will pause and address this a little more next time.  Until then, go with God and He will God with you and Bless you!   

Have a Great Day!

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THE BLESSING OF THE LORD…


Numbers 6:22-27 – “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 24 The LORD bless you, and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’  27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” NASB

We have all read or heard this declaration countless times.  We have heard it in religious gatherings, but I have a question I want you to consider.  “Did We Catch It?”  What I am asking, is do we perceive that this Blessing is at the very heart and foundation of the Old Covenant.  It is the dynamic that made the Covenant work.  It is incredibly powerful and important.  If we grasp that reality, it will impact how we approach life and blessing.

It was at this time that God has laid out the Covenant and now He is declaring that there must be someone (the Priest), who would daily invoke this Blessing over the people.  In so doing, the Covenant would be made to work.  That is why this is so important and so powerful.  It is not just words it is power.  This prayer is what brought the Covenant into people’s lives.

This prayer was given, at least twice each day.  It would be spoken in the morning and evening sacrifice, and the Priest would lift his hands over the people and give them this specific blessing. 

This is an expression of God’s desire for His people.  This is God saying, “This is what I want for you.  I want to keep you, lift my face toward you, and give you all that I AM!!!”  Out of that reality, God instructs them to pray this prayer and it was to be from the heart and in faith believing that it was and would be or become a reality in their lives every day.

I don’t know what that does in your spirit, but it causes me to want to shout.  It is incredibly exciting to realize that this is God’s desire for me and you.  This is what God wants to be a daily reality in our lives.  I am convinced that once we know this truth we can and will pray with a renewed or discovered anticipation as we have never had.  We will expect it to come to pass because it is God’s Desire!  He says, “Invoke My Name upon the people and in through this vehicle I will Bless them!”  That is incredible.

With every promise, there is a problem and there is a major problem in today’s Christian community.  One of the most used words among many Christians today is “Bless.”  It is a terribly misunderstood word or maybe more accurately, it has never been understood. 

For most of us, one of the first prayers we were taught was to Bless.  We bless our food, our parents, siblings, friends, relatives, etc.  I have discovered that many times when people are at a loss for what to say, they fall back on the word “Bless.”  Whenever we meet someone we say, “God bless” or “Bless you.”  Nothing wrong with that, but if it is just a greeting with no anticipated or understood meaning and power it is an impotent word.  That is not God’s desire for the Blessing!

I believe that most people are largely clueless as to what the word “Bless” really means, biblically.  The world “Bless”, is at the center of understanding God’s Covenant.  I believe that for us to obtain a firm grasp on the reality, power, and meaning of the word we have to go back to creation. Remember in Genesis we are told that when God created the world and humans it says, “And God Blessed them”?  Remember?  The word shows up at the Dawn of Creation and is unique in its meaning.

In context, it means to be favored by God.  It also means to live in joy that is enviable and everlasting.  Behind that, it means a verbal conveyance and enduement with power, enabling the one blessed to be successful, prosperous, healthy, and have a long life.  That’s the word!  It is not just a “Hi, how are you?”  It is a releasing of power to bring something to being in the lives of those who are recipients of the Blessing.   That changes everything or should.

I want to dig a little deeper into Blessing but will pause here and pray that the Lord will Bless you as you go through this wonderful day He has made. 

Have a great day!

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SEEING PEOPLE, THE WAY GOD SEES THEM – (Conclusion)


Acts 10:38 – “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.”  NASB

We talked about the word “Lost” and its power and importance in our last devotional. In Luke 15 we see the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son.  The Pharisees saw people as Sinners, because of what they did.  Jesus was saying, “Go deeper and see who they are and who they were intended to be.” 

If we learn to view people as creatures made in the Image of God. If we see them as those who has gone off course, become separated from God and each other and Lost we will treat them differently.  If we view people, all people, as having great value to God that they are worth the shepherd searching for them, we will treat them differently.  If we see them as worth the woman turning her house upside down to find, we will treat them differently.

In the Lost Son, we find the father waiting for the son to come home.  He looked through the pig muck, the rags, the stench, and the filth and said, “I’m waiting for my son to come home.”  The elder brother who represents the attitude of religion and the Pharisees was not waiting for a son or a brother.  As far as he was concerned this person was unworthy to be called a son or a brother.  Remember when the prodigal came home the reaction of the elder brother?

I find his words impactful and revealing.  He did not say, “my brother, but your son.”  In his mind, the younger brother had excommunicated himself from the family.  He had become such a sinner there was no coming back.  The father saw him as LOST, but the brother saw him as a SINNER!

I hope you see the difference.  The father said, “He’s my son, therefore he can come back home.”  The elder brother said, “No, look at what he has done!”  The elder brother focused on what he had done, the father on who he was.  The elder brother’s focus was the outward, the father on the inward, the person, the heart.  The father said, “He’s my son!  He was dead but now he’s alive again!”

Jesus, in this parable, was communicating how He looks at people and giving us and pattern to follow.  The view of Jesus is communicated in His question, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?”  He was making it clear that one soul is worth more than the entire material world or the universe for that matter. 

Jesus is communicating value and the worth God places on every human being.  The Pharisees could not understand that. They focused on the outward, but Jesus looked beyond the faults and saw the need.  He saw people as Lost, Separated from God, and need to be Saved. 

It was because of that view that Jesus was never afraid of people.  The church is often afraid of the Lost.  Why?  Why is religion threatened by the Lost?  Why does the church often find it difficult to sit and talk to people like this?  Let me illustrate it this way and hope it resonates and possibly convicts us.

I had a person tell me once, “You can’t hang around those kinds of people.  They curse and swear, they smoke and drink, and do terrible stuff.”  I had a person tell me that some people that had come to the church, lost, that they didn’t act right and didn’t dress in the prescribed religious mode and needed to clean up before coming.  One said, “We want quality people.”  That caused me to become furious inside.  I calmed myself down and asked, “What quality were you before Jesus saved you?”

We can look at the outward and miss the person and the purpose of God failing to be examples of His Love, Mercy, and Grace.  If you will keep looking beyond the outward, you will discover the person on the inside and that one who is created in the Image of God.  Jesus was never offended by how people dressed or acted. He never condoned it, but he never acted religious.  I can say that because they wanted Him to come to dinner with them and they would never have invited the Pharisees! 

There is much more to say but I will end this consideration of “How Jesus Viewed People” and “How We Should View Them” by saying, can we see people as Lost not as Sinners?  Can we look beyond what they do or how they look and see their need?  Can we look, as God does, and take what we have received and share it with them in Love?  If we can learn to do that, we will win far more souls than we will ever win with our view of our personal piousness and superiority.

God bless you and may this day be joyous for you!

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SEEING PEOPLE, THE WAY GOD SEES THEM – (Part 3)


Acts 10:38 – “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.”  NASB

When Jesus saw a person, He saw them as separated from God, bent and twisted, but rather than looking at what they did and their outward presentation, He saw their potential.  He saw them as ‘persons.’  He was not focused on what they did or were doing but the inner man.  He was focused on who they were in their bentness, distortion, separation from God and man.  He looked beyond their faults and saw their need.

What did that do?  If you can receive it, that mindset is one step away from manifesting compassion.  Compassion is a very strong word in the Greek.  It is a combination of “anger” and “love.”  It is not just Love it is more.  It carries in it, almost a pounding of the fists and a stomping of the feet.  When you look upon another human being no matter their state or condition you are saying, “There is a human being.”

This is the view that the person you are looking at, regardless of what they are doing is a human being created in the image of God and you see them not what they are doing.  It is here that the anger rises up and says, “In the Name of Jesus, this shall not be their reality, because they are worth the Blood of God.”  That is compassion!  It says, “I Love you too much to leave you in this condition.”  It says, “I cannot live with leaving you as I have found you, you are worth too much to God and therefore to me.”

When Jesus looked at people and when He looks on us, He is not hung up on what we do, the outward presentation.  We are, but He is not!  He is moved with compassion and focuses on who they and we are, through God’s Grace!  He sees someone who is made in the Image of God and they are separated from themselves.  They don’t even know who they are.  They are separated from fellow humans.  What a Waste!

A person was created to contain God.  A person was created to radiate God’s Glory.  But, through sin and the fall, they have become a waste.  The ones meant to walk in the Radiant Light of God are walking in darkness.  That’s what Jesus sees and what we need to see!

That is evidenced and articulated in the parables, especially Luke 15.  Jesus talked about human beings in contrast to the Pharisees who saw people as “Sinners!”  I find it amazing that as I read through the Gospels, I never find Jesus calling anybody a sinner.  They were but His focus was on what they could be not what they were.  Jesus saw them as Lost rather than focusing them as Sinners! 

Jesus, to the disgust of the Pharisees, ate with Tax Collectors and Sinners.  The meal was probably in an open courtyard because the Pharisees were gathered close enough to see and they were mumbling that this was Scandalous.  How dare he do that?  In their minds and words, I can hear the disgust, “He is eating with THOSE kinds OF PEOPLE.”  To them, it was bad enough that He even talked to them, but now He is eating with them. 

The Pharisees always looked at what people DID and viewed what people did as what people are.  They contrasted them to what they (Pharisees) were doing.  To them, those people were SINNERS and because they are not like us, we cannot associate with them.  Jesus, on the other hand, looked beyond what people did to who they were and who they were intended to be.  The Pharisees looked at the outward appearance and Jesus looked at the heart.

Hear me carefully.  He was not saying they were not lost and in a sinful condition.  He concentrated on who they were intended to be.  He said, “They are Lost!”  He was not accusing them, as were the Pharisees, He was describing their condition and need.

The word Lost is a powerful and important word and understanding.  I was given a Mont Blanc pen, but I use cheap pens most of the time.  I have never lost a cheap pen.  They have gone missing by the dozens, but if my Mont Blanc came up missing, I would turn the office and house upside down to find it, it would be LOST!  The reason, you only lose something of great value to you.  Jesus designated these people as Lost, and in that designation, He was ascribing great value to them.  He was saying, “They have significance, worth, and value to Me.”

It was an announcement that an alert has been issued in the spirit realm – You Are Lost and must be Found!  He was saying, “I Value These People!”  I hope I am not spending too much time on this, but it is important that we learn how Jesus viewed people so we can change our vision of them and thereby become more effective in reaching them for God.

I want to pause here and take this up again in the next devotional.  God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

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SEEING PEOPLE, THE WAY GOD SEES THEM – (Part 2)


Acts 10:38 – “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.”  NASB

If we understand that Jesus went about Blessing people, we take a giant step toward victory.  However, unless we understand what Blessing is and how we Bless we will miss the point and miss the mark.  We will find ourselves following religious ritual and form rather than living and demonstrating the Power that Jesus demonstrated.  We will come short of the ministry and purpose He exampled.

Blessing must be understood as something that one gives to another with the view of that person being of Great Worth and Value.  That is one of the essential keys to understanding the Life and Ministry of Jesus.  He went about Blessing people!

That truth is easily grasped and embraced by most believers, but we sometimes fail to recognize that our LORD placed great value on those He blessed.  He viewed them as being of Great Worth and Significance.  Do we?  Therefore, I contend that it is vital that we understand how Jesus viewed people and learn to view them with the same mind and heart.  That would revolutionize not only the Church but the World including the political. 

Jesus viewed people through the eyes of a Blesser.  What I mean by that is that Jesus saw people as having value.  I believe that one of the greatest difficulties in the modern church is we do not see people as Jesus saw or sees them. 

I believe that it can be proven that most of the time the Church views people as the Pharisees did not as Jesus did and does.  Jesus never saw the outer presentation He saw the person.  He did not look at their exterior or their behavior.  He did not look at the outer presentation or form.  That is how the Pharisees viewed people, but Jesus looked beyond the faults, flaws, and blemishes and saw the heart and the true person.  He looked into their soul and spirit not just their outward presentation.

Let me offer an example or illustration from the Bible.  The Pharisees would look at a person and see a prostitute, a tax collector, a sinner.  Jesus never did.  He saw the person!  He looked beyond the outer form and outward presentation and saw the person on the inside.

The Pharisee’s mind said: “Prostitutes are terrible people, so we shun them and have nothing to do with them.  Tax collectors are corrupt people, so we shun them and have nothing to do with them.”  Not, Jesus, He got close to them.  No, Jesus did not go to prostitutes for pleasure, but He ate with and talked to ALL people regardless of their flaws.  He had meals with people considered sinners.  The church of that day (Synagogue) was scandalized by His approach.  How could He eat with SINNERS?

 This is illustrated in Matthew’s account of the conversion of Matthew the Tax Collector.  If you can receive it, this account is written about Matthew by Matthew and it is also recorded in Mark and Luke.  Matthew is writing about himself.  That makes the way it is recorded in Matthew of particular interest. 

Matthew says this, “Jesus passed by the receipt of custom and He saw a man named Matthew.”  Matthew is the only one of the three that said it that way.  The other two do not say, “He saw a man…”  But Jesus saw the man, not the occupation or the sinfulness.

In that day the religious people considered Tax Collectors as ‘non-persons’ without souls.  They considered them ‘dogs’, ‘vermin’, anything but human.  After all, what human being with a smidgen of decency would become a Tax Collector, therefore they cannot be human.

Matthew, because of his occupation, found a barrier between himself and virtually everyone else in Capernaum.  The Pharisees would not even look at him when they passed by.  They would spit on Tax Collectors and throw their tax money down when they walked by or came to pay their taxes.  Everybody cursed and hated them.  He was a dog, a filthy turncoat Jew who had sold his soul to the Romans and was not extracting the taxes from his own people.  The Tax Collectors were usually the richest men and the most despised in town.  Nobody treated them as human beings, but Jesus did.

Thus, when Matthew writes of his conversion and gives his testimony, he was very aware that Jesus saw him as a man, not an animal and rubbish.  No one else saw him that way, but Jesus did.  That is one of the reasons when Jesus said, “Follow Me” he walked away from his lucrative career.  That was powerful.  This is what I’m talking about in seeing people as Jesus saw and sees them.  He looked through them to who they really were and could be. 

How do we see people?  I am saying, “Oh me” and “Forgive me” as I write.  I want to dig a little deeper again in the next devotional but until then, I ask the LORD to bless you and make your way prosperous. 

Have a Great Day!

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SEEING PEOPLE, THE WAY GOD SEES THEM…


Acts 10:38 – “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.”  NASB

The more I study the Bible and study the ministry of Jesus, the more convinced I am most of the modern church is light years away from what He taught and did.  That may sound incredibly negative, but I hope to take that statement and propel us into a biblical way of looking at everything.  If I can be remotely successful, this endeavor will produce benefits far beyond what I or any can imagine. 

Here in Acts, Peter calls our attention to the ministry and life of Jesus.  Jesus went about.  That is about as far as some get in their consideration of the commission of the LORD to us.  They go!  But Jesus went about doing something. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.  I believe that is one of the best summations of the Life of Jesus here on earth that we can find.  This is Him living His life as a True Human being and demonstrating our purpose.

I do believe that Jesus was and is the Son of God and was manifested in the flesh.  However, I also believe that as He lived among us, He was among us as a True Human Being and never once did He draw upon His Deity in what He did.  He came as man and did what He did as and for man.  He lived and worked under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  He was our example and pattern.  I want to call your attention to several important and powerful passages of scripture.

John 5:19 – “…Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” 

John 8:28 – “…When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” 

By His own declaration, of His own self, He could do nothing.  He was dependent on the Father and it was through the Power and Anointing of the Holy Spirit that He functioned.  That is exactly how we are to live and function.  He ‘went about’, but not just haphazardly but with clear direction and as directed by the Father through the Holy Spirit. 

In that mode, whenever He came upon “needy” human beings, He “did good,” and that frequently manifested itself in deliverance from bondage and healing of sick bodies.  He healed those who were oppressed by the devil and we live in a world full of oppression.  He ‘went about’ as the one who had the ability to draw upon the Shalom of God and He was able to dispense it, through obedience.

Jesus lived among human beings with all the ills, woes, griefs, sorrows, trials, and temptations mankind is subjected to.  He was able to and did Bless them.  Wherever He came upon people He ‘did good’, He ‘blessed’, and He ‘healed.’  That sums up the Life and Ministry of Jesus.  He was a DOER!

If you recall Jesus began His earthly ministry quoting Isaiah and said that was exactly what He was going to do.  The list in the passage is a description of every way The Blessing of His Covenant is expressed in the lives and needs of people. 

Luke 4:18-19 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, 19 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” 

Unfortunately, too much of the Body of Christ today has a four-walls mentality and we are trying to get to heaven so that we can be like Jesus.  I suggest that if we do not become like Jesus here and now, we either won’t get to heaven or we will be red-faced when we get there and discover or error.

Jesus began His ministry with this view.  He conducted His ministry with this view.  When He came to the end of His earthly ministry, He commissioned His follows to adopt this view and GO and DO exactly as He did.  If we take His command seriously, we need to discover how and what Jesus did.

For us to even scratch the surface of understanding we will have to spend multiple devotionals on this subject.  I am always concerned in blog devotionals that drawn-out teaching will extend beyond the attention of the readers.  However, this is so important that I am willing to take that risk.

God bless you as you enjoy this day and we will dig a little deeper in the next devotional. 

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SUNSHINE IN A SHADY PLACE…


Mark 16:1-8 – “And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 “But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.'” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”  NASB

Happy Resurrection Celebration Day!  In my decades on planet earth, I have learned that it is easy to get into a rut. It is easy to do things in a predetermined mode becoming guilty of doing out of habit rather than with purpose.  We are frequently reminded of the various holidays through commercialization.  Each season seems to have its own gimmick or channel through with men can make merchandise on the event and largely turn our hearts from the intended purpose of the celebration.  Some people do certain things on Christmas, Mother’s Day, etc. out of habit giving little to no thought of what those days truly mean.

Today, we come face to face with one of the greatest events in human history – The Resurrection of the Messiah!  From the time of his fall until now the devil has attempted to destroy our Messiah and our Hope.  He has used every tool and device conceivable in his attempt to stop the progress and implementation of God’s Redemptive Plan. 

In the Garden, he sought to destroy what God had created and steal from it the innocence and perfection.  His attempt was thwarted by God and the Promise was given that the devil would only be able to inflict a nagging heel wound to Christ, but Jesus would deal a crushing head blow to him. In Israel, the devil attempted to stop the line through which the Messiah would come only to find that God would raise a champion to lead them through to victory. 

Here, the disciples had been hoping that Jesus, the Messiah, had come and was going to set up His earthly kingdom.  They anticipated the overthrow of the Roman government and the implementation of the Kingdom of God on Earth.  Now, the devil has moved again, and Jesus has been crucified.  All the Hope of the Human Race hung on the Cross and now lay in a tomb dead.  Fear, disappointment, and despair were gripping their hearts.  There was no sunshine in their dark world and hopelessness was gripping their hearts. 

Then it happened! Heaven’s Sunshine broke through the clouds of gloom.  Jesus was no longer in the grasp of death.  He Has Risen!  He had risen as Conqueror.  He is Alive!  Hope is restored!  Jesus had come as man for man and lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death as the payment for man’s sin.  Now that He has risen it means that the sacrifice was accepted, liberty from sin’s bondage is assured, and eternal life is not ours!  The Easter Bunny didn’t leave the prize egg, Jesus purchased our redemption and has risen to assure us of life!

Christ’s Rising Was the Resurrection of Hope.  He was Who He said He was! He did What He said He would do!  They knew that the sacrifice was complete and His words “It Is Finished” had new meaning.  He was truly Messiah.  He did hold the Key of Life.  He could do all things.  He would fulfill all His Promises.  Hope replaced despair for the Door had been unlocked and there was they were basking in the Light of the Son as the heavenly sunshine broke through their clouds of gloom.

Christ’s Rising Was the Resurrection of Courage.  Rather than hiding in fear, gripped with timidity they were now emboldened and became powerhouses for the Kingdom.  They had a Risen Savior whom Death could not hold.  The Door had been Unlocked!  He is Alive!

Christ’s Rising Was the Resurrection of Religious Activity.  Not dead formalism that is powerless, but an infusion of God’s Love and Power was coursing through their beings.  They could now point to the Empty Tomb and the assurance of Life.  They were Commissioned to Go to the Entire World. They were Empowered to Go to the Entire World.  They were assured that we have a High Priest standing before the Throne of Heaven making intercession for us.

This Event, the Resurrection of Jesus is the Unlocking of the Door of Redemption, Access to God without a human mediator, and the Church had been enabled to become the Body of Christ in this World.  The Door Has Been Unlocked – HE IS ALIVE!

May the LORD of Heaven encourage your hearts this wonderful Resurrection Day and may you never lose sight of what it means! 

God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

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THE GOD OF THE CALL…


Exodus 3:1-22

I will not copy the entire text because of its length but hope you will it carefully read in its entirety.  There is no question that there are numerous wonderful and beneficial truths that could be gleaned from these verses.  Moses is an important character in this saga because of his place in history.  However, the factor that is even more commanding is the miraculous appearance of the manifest presence of God and the Call He gave to His chosen deliverer.

Frequently, in the Church or Christian community, we have placed major emphasis on the Gifts, Abilities, Anointing, and Calls.  We have elevated to supreme status those visible gifts, abilities, and anointing.  We have often struggled, fretted over, and worried about their presence or absence and found ourselves in somewhat of a quandary regarding our own personal call.  The Call of God is important.  We must be appointed by the LORD and anointed by Him else we labor in vain.

We receive the Call, the Commission, the Revelation from Him and direct our focus on that.  I believe that if a Call is from God it will not be something you can easily shake or dismiss.  He won’t let you!  However, if you attempt to fulfill that Call in human strength, knowledge, ability, and energy you will produce a dead Egyptian and experience a stint in the desert and cow pasture as did Moses or visit a prison as did Joseph.

God has a Call for each person, but with that Call comes Preparation and the time and extent of that preparation only God can determine not man.  Only God knows when we have sufficiently died to ourselves and the flesh, enabling Him to produce the needed life in us.  That is where the ability to ‘having done all to stand and keep standing’ comes into the picture.

Moses was chosen by God from birth to be the deliverer of the nation of Israel.  He was sovereignly placed in Pharaoh’s house to be trained so that he could lead the Great Nation of Israel.  Moses came to know the Call of God and saw the oppression his fellow Hebrews were enduring and assumed.  He assumed that because there was a visible need, the time must be right to act.  (Acts 7:20-25).  Notice, if you will, Pharaoh did not recognize the call upon Moses. Secondly, Israel did not recognize the call nor understand his actions.  His timing was bad.  It was his timing, not God’s.  That awarded him a trip to the Midian desert and life in a tent rather than a palace.

Moses was not ready.  He still had too much Moses in him.  He knew too much Moses and not enough God.  He knew about God, but He did not know God and there is a dramatic difference.  Had he known God, He could have relaxed and waited for the LORD’s timing.  Why?  Because he would have known that God is Never late.  God does not Call us to Fail but to fulfill His Purposes.

Moses had the call at 40 but now to prepare his heart, he would spend 40 more years in preparation on the backside of the desert in the tents of his father-in-law, Jethro.  In the School of the Desert, Moses lost much of his self-consciousness and self-confidence.  He no longer rushes ahead at the slightest mention of the Call or the Need.  He knows that He cannot do it in his own strength, and that makes him a candidate for God’s miraculous.  He is now ready to be used.

There is an incredible passage in the Book of Psalms that most read over rather than meditating on.  Psalms 103:7 we read, that God “made His ways known to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.”  There is a significant difference between ‘Ways’ and ‘Acts.’  Ways indicate heart, character, and purpose but Acts are what is done.  Israel saw what God could do and would do, Moses knew His heart and why He was doing it and would continue to do it.  Moses learned the Heart of God and in that the Purposes of God.

God repeated a statement numerous times in the Bible and that statement helps us to understand His heart and purpose.  He said, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”  Let me suggest the following:

            The God of Abraham is the God of Covenant.

            The God of Isaac is the God of Promise.

            The God of Jacob is the God of Transformation.

Those are not reflections of three separate Gods but works, dimensions, and acts of God needed to understand God’s heart and purpose.  He binds Himself in Covenant to His word, and by His supernatural power, He performs and transforms.

If we are going to fulfill the Call of God, we must first discover the God of the Call and learn not just His Acts but His Ways.  We must allow God to empty us of us and fill us with Himself.  Lord, my prayer is, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  We need God to manifest Himself to us and transform us so that we become manifestations not simply representations of Him.

God bless you as you embark on today’s journey of being who He says you are!

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