Hebrews 11:13-16 – “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” NKJV

I do not desire to be political in this devotional. I desire to use a popular phrase in political circles, “Hope & Change” as a catalyst to a spiritual truth.  I want to talk about a Hope that will Change us spiritually and, in so doing, affect every aspect of our lives.  That is the theme of the text we used in Hebrews 11, often called the Faith Chapter of the Bible. 

In this passage and chapter we find a list of people who lived and heard the promises of God but did not see the total fulfillment of those promises during their earthly lifespan.  Yet, what they heard and saw so radically transformed their lives that they still impact us generations later.

Consider with me briefly a few pertinent points:

1. They all died holding on to their Faith. 
2. They had heard the Covenant Promises, and although they did not see them become total realities in their earthly lifespan, they could “see” them through the eyes of faith. 
3. Their faith gave them “total assurance” that they were real, and that confidence caused them to declare that they were “strangers & pilgrims” on earth.  This world was not their home, just a temporary dwelling place.
4. They were seeking a homeland that was other than the one they were living in.
5. Had they engaged in “looking back,” they would have had the opportunity to “go back.”  Back to Egypt or, in our case, back to sin.
6. Their hearts convinced them that there was a “better land” beyond the blue that they would reach at the end of their journey on earth, and they lived in “total commitment” to God focused on that country.
7. The result of that commitment and faith was that God was not ashamed to be called their God, calling them His children and prepared a city for them.

We, too, are possessors of the same promises; if we possess the same faith and commitment, we, too, are inheritors of that City!  That is why I love the old song “Looking For A City.”  I especially love the chorus: “Looking for a city, where we’ll never die.  There, the sainted millions never say goodbye.  There, we’ll meet our Savior and our loved ones, too.  Come, O Holy Spirit, all our hope renew.” 

That is precisely what Paul meant when he declared when talking about those who have passed from this life in 1 Corinthians 15:19 – “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” NKJV  We have a hope that if we really “see” it with the eyes of our spirit, it will “transform” us so that we will never be the same and will Totally and Fully commit ourselves to the Lord and seek Him “first & foremost” above all else. 

We will live in Perfect Peace, knowing that no matter what may come in this life, it is “temporary,” and we have an eternal heavenly destiny.  Just a small glimpse of the glory awaiting us should be enough to anchor us to that Blessed Hope!

It is my genuine desire and prayer that the Lord open your spiritual eyes so you can see just a little bit of what He has in store for us once our time on earth is through.  I am convinced that nothing can shake you from it and turn your heart from Him if that happens. 

That Hope will effect a Change that you will alter your forever and you forever! 

May God bless you and keep you! 

Matthew 20:1-16 – “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  2 “When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.  3 “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.  5 “Again, he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did the same thing.  6 “And about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’  7 “They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’  9 “When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.  10 “When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.  11 “When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’  13 “But he answered and said to one of them, ‘ Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?  14’Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  15 ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’  16 “So the last shall be first, and the first last.”  NASB

This is a devotional and not meant to be a political statement.  I hope you can see the spiritual truth and life truth in this devotional.  Some time ago, I posted something regarding “Fairness,” which seems to be a buzzword in many political and even religious circles these days.  If we couple that with the ideology and objective of “Redistributing the wealth,” making the “Playing field level” and everyone “Equal,” then we can see a potential problem.  This whole postulation misses something important from a biblical perspective that touches every aspect of life.  I want to address that here briefly.

This is an illustration by the Lord regarding the “first” being last and the “last” being first and the truth that Salvation is Never Earned! It is never based on performance, work, actions, deeds, etc.  We have seen the flames of class warfare being fanned to inferno heights over the past few years, and it is dangerous.  We have noticed an entitlement mentality develop and grow, depriving society of the drive and desire to achieve and excel.  It is a prescription for mediocrity in every area of life and foreign to the Bible and its teachings.

Consider this story in a nutshell.  Some were hired during the early morning hours and agreed to work for a specific wage for the day. Then at different times during the day, others were hired with only the commitment to do what was right for them.  Some were employed the last hour of the day with no specific amount of money designated. 

The money belonged to the owner of the vineyard.  It was his option to hire the workers and his privilege to pay them whatever he deemed proper and equitable that they would agree to.  Everyone had agreed to the conditions and the pay at each stage of the process, so nobody had a legitimate complaint to lodge, although they did.  Those who worked all day were paid the same as those who worked only one hour. 

This illustration exposed envy, jealousy, and a focus on “my rights.”  It revealed the human tendency to fail to understand the value of making a commitment and that a business owner’s right to offer and pay what he desired. He offered the wages and they accepted.  Jesus’ larger message was that although someone might come to Him for salvation at the last stages of their life, they would receive Eternal Life the same as someone who had come to him in their youth. 

Did that make Him unjust and unfair?  NO!  If we know the conditions, the pay agreement, the working conditions, and the contract to do the job, what we are to be paid that is what we should expect. If the owner does something different for others, that is not our concern. 

If we do not respect that right by the owner, it will cause envy, jealousy, greed, bitterness, and division between us and those we believe to have been treated better than we.  If we translate that to Salvation, then we adopt the idea that because we came to Christ early in life, we should somehow receive more Eternal Life and more Grace than someone who came to Him in the late stages of their life rather than rejoicing that they also came to Him. 

If our boss is generous, who is to say he will not, in time, be generous toward us for our faithfulness and loyalty?  But, even if he is not, we must remember that we agreed to do a job for a wage and a time frame. Therefore, we have no legitimate complaint! He could give away every penny he has; it is not our right to complain.  That is totally between God and the owner. 

If you believe that you deserve something that someone else has, for which you have not labored, you have crossed into jealousy and envy, which is sin.  If you believe that someone who has had success through their efforts or the family into which they were born should be punished and they should be forced to share that with you, you have crossed into envy and jealousy, and that is sin. 

Truthfully, your anger is not so much at them as it is at God because you are expressing that you believe He has not treated you “fairly,” and that is a dangerous place to live.  No wonder Paul said, “I know how to abound and how to be abased and have learned to be content in whatever state I find myself.” 

He knew that God was not only His Source but would Never forsake Him!  Life is not measured by what we possess, how much money we have in the bank, or the recognition we receive publicly.  It is in our relationship with Him.  I desire to learn to live free of all envy and in complete contentment with His provision at the time of His provision, knowing that He is my Source and Will Never forsake me or fail me. 

I rejoice in what I have in Him and in every opportunity, He brings before me.  If your opportunity is seemingly more lucrative, I rejoice with you.  If it is less, I weep with you, but I trust God to guide my footsteps into the pathway that I should tread and know that at the end of the day, I will be able to Rejoice in His Goodness and Provision.

May you have a blessed weekend!

Ephesians 4:23-24 – “…that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and  holiness of the truth.” NASB

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

Sometimes, when I hear teaching about the thought life, I almost feel like I am in a “metaphysical conference” and being taught “mind over matter” and other forms of “mind control.”  I have had experience with that to a degree in my training in Vietnam and had the ability to totally block out pain so I could function for a time regardless of the injury. 

As I came to Christ, I stopped practicing that technique because I considered it, at best, to border on the “metaphysical” and did not want to align myself with anything of the demonic world.

Yet, it is clear from Scripture that the Bible teaches us to take control of our “minds” or our “thought lives,” and we are instructed to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.  We are taught the importance of “renewing” the mind, which is essentially “thinking the thoughts of God.” 

We are replacing our carnal, worldly, earthly, natural thinking with thoughts inspired by the heavenly realm and from the perspective of God’s Omniscience.  It is “transforming” and allows us to “guard” our thoughts, “recognize” the intrusion of things foreign to the things of God, and exercise “discernment” when things look good on the surface but hidden beneath are elements of destruction.

A “renewed mind” is a mind that is focused on God first and foremost.  It is completely obedient to His desire, will, and purposes.  It enables us to put on the “new self” in righteousness, and holiness and walk in His truth.  It enables us to walk not in conformation to the world’s mindset but to march to a different drummer, The Holy Spirit, and walk pleasing to God in all things.  It enables us to see, know, discover, prove, and pursue the will of God and walk in a state of Peace that the world neither understands nor can provide.

Our minds are somewhat like computers, and the old adage “garbage in, garbage out” is completely appropriate.  If we feed our minds garbage, we will find our lives filled with the debris of this world and cluttered with things that hinder our walk in Christ. 

If we fill our minds with the things of God, we find that we are able to stand against and resist the temptations of this life and walk in harmony with His Word, Will, and Way.  We do this through prayer, study of His Word, listening to the Holy Spirit and actively standing against things we know and recognize to be foreign to Him, His nature, and character.

I have no interest in “mind over matter,” but I am interested in having a “spiritual mind” that honors Christ and walks in obedience to His call and purpose.  May you find that as you feed your spiritual man, your mind is renewed daily, your thought life becomes clearer, your peace becomes stronger, and your understanding of spiritual things becomes greater! 

Blessings as you pursue His purposes for your life.  Have a beautiful Sunday in the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

1 Peter 2:1-5 – “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”  NASB

I have always found this to be a fascinating passage.  I believe it is God’s Word to the Church at this hour!  I believe the Church, the Body of Christ, has come to a ‘new phase’ in its development and progress in the Kingdom!  I believe we are at a new juncture on our road to Becoming that which God has designated and desired for us to be now. 

If we are to become One Body and function as a body to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for our sphere of influence and world, we must become a Spiritual House rather than be a Stone Pile filled with individual stones.

• We MUST Realize and Know Who We Are.

We will never fully know who we are until we truly know whose we are.  I do not mean the religious cliché “I’m God’s;” I mean Him – His person, nature, character, love, grace, trustworthiness, etc.  We must come to know the Covenant Maker and Keeper, who is GOD!  I am talking about intimacy with Him, not familiarity with Him.

• We MUST Come to Know His Covenant and His Kingdom.

Covenantal Relationships are the ‘foundation for function’ in the Body of Christ and life.  They provide power, provisions, and promises of Covenant are to be walked out in daily living.  I believe that as we know God’s Covenant and Kingdom, we come to know God and thereby know Who We Are!

• We MUST Come to Know God’s Pattern for Function Locally.

I have often called this the “Jethro Principle,” revealed to and practiced by Moses in the wilderness and Jesus in the New Testament.  I believe it is the pattern for Body Ministry and the only way to successfully reach and develop the harvest.  Here, we come to know God’s Truths about Body Ministry, Team Ministry, Apostolic authority, and function rather than position.  It is here that we are able to pull down religious hierarchies and come to maturity in Christ.

• We MUST Become a Spiritual House that is FULLY FUNCTIONING. 

We must be ‘fitted and framed’ together as a unit, house, body, and family, with the parts functioning as the whole.  In this condition, we ‘reproduce’ and ‘disciple’ others, enabling them to function fully as a part of the Body of Christ, God’s Spiritual House.

We are Living Stones, and the problem with living stones is that we have minds and wills of our own.  We do our own thing; we do not stay where we have been placed and have egos, ambitions, and feelings. 

Unlike natural building stones, we present a unique problem in building.  We are not inanimate objects but Living Stones, and as living stones, we are literally ‘cells’ in the Body of Christ and linked to each other cells by the blood.  It is imperative that we ‘die to self’ in order to ‘live unto Him.’  Truly, the words of John the Baptist are fitting – “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

I urge you to make it your objective and purpose to become a Spiritual House rather than a Stone in a Stone Pile.   

May God be with you as you go through your day!

John 8:31-32 – “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” NKJV

The NASU lists it as “… if you continue in My word….”  NIV – “…If you hold to My teachings…”  NLT – “…if you keep obeying my teachings….”

It is sometimes surprising how often we fail to notice simple little phrases in what the Bible teaches and either ignore them to fit our doctrine or miss them because we are reading with a preconceived notion of what it should say or should mean.  Here is a most powerful statement by our Lord that contains an “if” or a Conditional Phrase.

Jesus said to His followers regarding their relationship with Him that IF you “abide,” “continue,” “obey,” or “continue obeying” my word, my doctrine, my teachings, my truth, you are or shall be “My Disciples Indeed.”  Then He adds an addendum without price in its value – – “You shall “know” the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

Spiritual freedom comes through relationship, and relationship comes through obedience to Him and His word.  That is inescapable!  The idea is “continued obedience,” not one-time “acceptance.”  It is a “maintained relationship,” not signing a membership card and paying regular dues like a club membership. 

It is a personal relationship maintained through communication, communion, and commitment.  In too many ways and too many situations, we seem to have lost that, and it is time for the church and God’s people to return to their “First Love” and restore that relationship and commitment to the Lord of Lord and King of Kings!

May God bless you as you continue your new week of opportunity in His service and Kingdom!  Blessings!

Luke 14:11- “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  NASB

In this passage, Jesus gave a parable as He noticed the guests picking out places of honor for themselves.  He used the occasion to highlight the fatal flaw in that tendency and thinking. 

Sadly, many today are so driven to be recognized and esteemed that they exalt themselves.  Jesus reminded His audience of this by using the scenario of the guests being invited to a wedding feast.  He warned them not to take the place of honor because someone more distinguished and recognized than they might arrive, and the host would embarrass them by asking them to move down to a lesser position.  The result would be such embarrassment that they would assume the lowest place in shame.  Public humiliation and self-pity would be the by-products of this. 

He suggested that when invited, go, and recline at the lowest place, and the host would come and ask them to move it, and the result would be recognition by everyone in the room rather than embarrassment and shame. 

Jesus told them in verse 11 that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, which is painful. I know I have tasted it.  He declared that the one who humbles himself will be exalted, and I have tasted that as well.  I like the feeling of the latter far better than the former.  We have all, at times, felt more important than we are or should feel about ourselves, which is a dangerous mindset and attitude. 

I am not suggesting self-flagellation but humbling ourselves in the sight of the Lord and allowing Him to cause us to be elevated or lifted up to the place He desires.  You are not the focus of all things, nor is it required that you be the center of attention.  You do not have to lead in every situation unless you lead by example; demonstrating humility is the leadership that you demonstrate. 

If God wants you to be the head, He will cause you to be promoted to that position.  If God wants you to develop humility, He may allow you to be given a lesser position without fanfare and notice.  Since it is His Church that is being built, the position is not what is important but obedience.  It is allowing God to place the gift required for the situation in the lead spot and placing you in the mix where you can best lend to the advancement of the Kingdom.

May God be with you as you go through this day!

James 4:1-10 – “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” NASB

In our spiritual walk, we are either moving upward toward godliness or downward toward wickedness.  This pathway is not a level plane but an incline.  If we stop, we begin to move backward, so there must always be forward progress.  Forward progress requires involvement and action on our part.  I am not suggesting in any way that we can or should try to “earn” our salvation, but I am suggesting that our faith needs our works added to it to complete our spiritual growth and spiritual development.

James identifies the reasons for conflict in the church: “carnality” and “self.”  He powerfully identifies the root problem in numerous areas, which leads him to identify why we are not getting our prayers answered, as seen in verse three. 

He further informs us that if we are friends of this world that is hostile to God, we are joining in that hostility.  He pointedly tells us that pride is destructive and divisive and a characteristic that God rejects implicitly, but to the humble, God extends grace.   He then makes an impassioned plea that we submit to God and, in doing so, resist the devil, and as a result, the closer we get to God, the further the devil flees because He knows the Power of God and fears Him. 

He calls on us to purify our hearts, cleanse our hands, and stop being double-minded.  James declares that if we submit ourselves to God in true humility, He will exalt us. 

So, the way to the top or the bottom is found in this short passage.  We can continue to allow our own selfish desires to dominate, or we can resign as the center of our universe and allow God to occupy that spot.  If we allow God top billing in our lives, we will ascend to the Holy Hill of the Lord and be exalted.  If we continue to be the center of our universe, we will descend to the bottom. The choice is truly ours.

So, as you go through this day, go through it with the realization that ascending or descending is your choice.  Choose to ascend by emptying yourself of self and allow God to be Number One in your heart, mind, soul, and spirit.  

God bless you abundantly as you go through this day!

John 15:7 – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  NASB

In His discourse on being the Vine and the Father, the vinedresser Jesus informed those hearing that He expected His followers to “bear fruit,” and if there were no “fruit-bearing,” that branch would be taken away.  He talked about cleansing the vine by pruning and told those listening that they were clean already because of His Word. 

He identified that there could be no fruit except from the life of the Vine and that since we are branches and He is the vine, our fruit is the result of the life that exudes from the vine.  Then, in verse seven, He makes a statement that far too often is taken as a stand-alone passage but must be viewed in the context of the whole – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask WHATEVER you wish, and it will be done for you.”  (Emphasis mine).

This door to the miraculous is conditioned not only upon the context of the whole but hinges on the tiny word – IF.  The two facets of the “if” are abiding in Him and His words abiding in us.  In light of drawing life from the Vine and producing fruit, He identifies that we are recipients of life, and as living branches, we produce fruit because we are Abiding IN Him, and His Words are Abiding in us! 

That is the flow to us and from us. We receive of His life, and as a result of that reception, we produce fruit, which produces seed, which produces more fruit, and the cycle is endless.  In that context, we can “Ask what we wish and receive answers to our prayers.”

Unfortunately, it would seem that too often, we either are not abiding in Him, and His words are not abiding in us to the level that He is our All-in-All.  We are living in a relatively casual relationship rather than a totally committed life in which we “seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.”  

In that life, we neither expect that whatever we wish or pray to come to pass nor are we in a condition of heart to attain faith to receive.  Contrarily, if we are abiding in Him and His words are abiding in us, His life will prod us to the level of life that we live in expectancy. We will become the fulfillment of His promise that “the Works that He did we will do and greater works because He has gone to the Father.”  We will exhibit in this life the life of Jesus, and through the fruit of that relationship, others will be positively impacted for the Kingdom. 

The operative word is IF.  If we abide in Him.  If His words abide in us.  IF is the condition and the conduit through which the life that brings the faith for the miraculous.  Lord, help me change the IF to I DO!

May God be with you as you go through your day!

Revelation 4:1 – “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven…” NASB

While there are many paths I could take with this text, I only want to pursue one: “Heaven’s Open Door.”  Just the other day, I was listening to some old Gospel Music.  One song, “I’ve Never Been This Homesick Before,” made its way into the rotation of songs, and this scripture came to mind. 

The song says, “I can see the Father standing at the door.”  That reminded me of the parable of the Prodigal Son and how the father saw the returning wayward son at a great distance and ran to meet him.  That suggests that he was always “looking” for the return of his wayward child and possibly standing in the doorway of his house looking out the window, hoping against hope that his lost son would return. 

I can imagine our Heavenly Father looking over His creation at the doorway of Heaven and longing for us to “return to Him with a whole heart.”  At times, I can almost hear the sobs of the Father and my Lord Jesus as they weep over the condition of mankind in this day that we live.

When I think of a “Door Open in Heaven,” several things come to mind.  That tells me that there is “open access” to God’s throne through prayer and how we need to take advantage of that invitation and opportunity.  It suggests that God eagerly awaits us to petition Him and is willing to dispatch help to us at a moment’s notice.

The picture that comes to my heart’s mind is that of a loving parent watching over their children and ready to protect and nurture them if there is the need and willing to let them spread their wings to learn to fly.  I sense that there is a “Door Open in Heaven,” and that God is extending a personal invitation for us to “enter in” through the vehicle of prayer, commune with Him, and receive from Him His supply.

Whatever you do as you go through this day, hold in the reality in your heart and mind that there is an “Open Door in Heaven” for you right now!  

May God be with you and bless you richly!