1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” NKJV

It is likely that each of us has lost a loved one and has known the unpleasantness of grief.  I have experienced the pain of having people I cared for deeply pass on to the other side. In some of those cases, I had a measure of uncertainty about the condition of their souls.  I had talked to them about the Lord, and some of them had assured me that Jesus was their Lord, but their lives seemed to contradict that assertion.  I made and make no attempt to judge them, for that is God’s business, and I will continue to hope that they were sheltered beneath His wings as they departed this life and entered that eternal state. 

I know the emptiness of having a loved one or a family member depart from this life and the realization that I will never, in this life, get to hear them speak or tell them the things that are in my heart concerning them again.  The pain can be excruciating and of long duration. Yet, I know that God intends for us to live, and I believe that those in heaven would desire that as well.

I know the pain of loneliness and, at the same time, the joy of knowing that they passed from a troubled world into one that knows no trouble.  They passed from a world filled with sorrow to one that knows no sorrow.  I know that they are in a far better world than those of us left behind, but missing them and grieving that loss is still natural and even healthy when done biblically.

I have been at memorial services where there was such a spirit or morbidity that one could hardly stand.  Yet in others, there was such a spirit of peace and joy that one could hardly keep from leaping to one’s feet and shouting “Hallelujah.” In one case, there was Hope, and in the other, only Grief. 

I like how Paul concluded his statement concerning this eventuality and the reality of death.  In verse 18, he said, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  What words? 

• That we do not sorrow as those who have no hope.
• That our loved ones who have died in the Lord are with the Lord. 
• That those of us who remain will one day also be with the Lord.
• That Jesus is coming back for us all.
• That we will one day leave this world behind, giving it a permanent wave and entering into the eternal presence of the Lord.

Those words!  Losing a loved one when there is Hope is a type of Grieving that can be endured and even be a source of rejoicing, as well as giving us a purpose and determination to live in such a way as to see them again.

I ask that the LORD God will be with you as you go through this day!  May He turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into joy in all things and at all times!  Blessings!

Hebrews 9:27-28 – “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”  NKJV

My purpose is not to get into a debate about differing beliefs about the “Coming of the Lord” and how that will affect us who are alive on Earth at that particular moment in history.  I simply take this passage and state that according to Hebrews, we will all die.  It is an appointment established by God due to the fall in the Garden. 

Job said of us humans that our days are short and filled with difficulty.  The Bible tells us that we are like the flowers that grow by the way we will fade and die.  But natural death is not the end. There is eternity to follow, and that affords two distinct possibilities.  Eternal Life or Eternal Damnation or (Death)! 

The writer here describes, and as the Bible is replete with passages concerning this truth.  The way to ensure that you only die once and are not a part of what the Bible calls the “Second Death” is you must be “Born Twice.” 

One birth is natural, and the second is spiritual.  As Jesus told Nicodemus, a man must be “born-again.”  That new birth is what we call Salvation or Redemption and occurs when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  It is when we recognize, acknowledge, confess, and repent of our sins and receive God’s forgiveness for our transgressions.  It is what Jesus came for, lived for, died for, arose for, and will return for.

If you have only experienced the natural birth, then I urge you to look to the Cross and ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins and receive His grace, mercy, and pardon and allow the work of the Spirit of God to transform you into a “new creation” where old things are passed away, and all things are new. 

That event will inscribe your name into the “Lamb’s Book of Life.”  An event that will translate you from the kingdom of darkness into God’s Kingdom of Light and make you a member of the family of God.  An event that will cause “death” to lose all its sting and ability to cause fear and trepidation in your heart!  An event that will allow you to live life to the full and live every day as if it might be your last and do so knowing that if it is, you will spend eternity in the presence of God in a state the Bible calls Eternal Life!

Do not die twice!  May God be with you as you go through this day!  Blessings!

James 3:13-18 – “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”  NKJV

Most of us have either seen or been in a church that underwent conflict and possibly division to the point of splintering into separate congregations.  It was not a comfortable situation.  It was not a pretty picture and most assuredly did not enhance the church’s testimony in the community.  James addresses this situation in the passage I have chosen for today’s consideration.

James considered it, and so does God “wisdom” to walk in “meekness.”  He also pointed out that if a spirit of “bitterness,” “envy,” and “self-seeking” arises, it is the exact opposite of True Wisdom and Godliness.  He went on to say that it is not only not of heaven but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.  Then he explains that this condition is the “open door” for more problems than you can shake a stick at.

Consider verse sixteen – “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”  Whoa, Nellie!  If we as individuals, families, businesses, or churches allow “envy” and “self-seeking” to gain a foothold, we have just opened the door and invited in Confusion and Every Evil Thing. 

Why would anyone want to go there?  Nothing good can come from that condition.  The Gospel cannot be advanced under those circumstances and those conditions.  It would be hell on earth, and one would have to wonder how that individual, family, business, or church could continue to exist in any semblance of productivity.

Then James tells us something positive beginning in verse seventeen when he tells us that the Wisdom that is from above, which is PURE, PEACABLE, GENTLE, WILLING TO COME INTO AGREEMENT, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUITS, REJECTS PARTIALITY AND DISPLAYS NO HYPOCRISY that Wisdom is where you find the Fruit of Righteousness sown in peace and it produces a harvest of peace.  It produces an atmosphere where spiritual babies can be born, nurtured, and developed.  It is a place of Life!

So, if you want to have a home, a life, a business, or a church that is a place of Life, follow these verses’ biblical prescription.  

God will enable you, and you will reap the harvest of Peace!  Blessings!

Hebrews 11:16 – “Without faith, man cannot please God: for he who comes near to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.”

As we begin today, I feel compelled to declare, “What a Difference a Day Makes!” Today is a new day with new opportunities, victories, and revelations.  The blessings of God are new every morning, every afternoon, and every evening.  The flow of God’s Love never ceases.  He IS and IS a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Sometimes, when I read passages like that in Hebrews 11:6, I ask, “What about those who do not?”  I do not want to be one who does not diligently seek God.  I do not want to be one who does not believe in the Is-ness of God.  I want to believe, and I do believe!

God IS!  That is a powerful thought that is all-encompassing.  He IS! 

• 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God IS Faithful. 
• 1 John 1:5 tells us that God is light and there is no darkness in Him. 
• 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is not slow in keeping His promises and is patient with us. 
• Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God, which is God, is ALIVE. 
• James 1:17 tells us that God is the giver of good gifts.
•  John 4:24 tells us that God is Spirit. 
• Numbers 23:19 tells us that God is not a human being and has no capacity to lie or fail. 
• Psalm 116:5 tells us that God is gracious, righteous, and full of compassion.
• Psalm 84:11-12 tells us that God is our sun and shield. 
• Job 12:7-10 tells us, “In His hands is the life of every creature.”

GOD IS!  He is with us and has promised never to forsake us.  Tragically, we sometimes envision Him as over there, up there, or out there rather than being here and in us!  We are IN Christ, and Christ is IN us, and He Never Ever Changes! 

My prayer today is, “LORD, enlighten our hearts to believe in the presence of God!  Help us to see what You are doing and hear what You are saying.  Help us to have a renewed deposit of awareness of the IS-NESS of God and walk in the confidence, assurance, hope, and power of Your Presence.” 

We do not serve an abstract but The Living God!   God is with us All the Time!  He knows everything in our lives: our hearts, minds, and hands. He desires to guide us and has promised to do just that.  He wants to protect us and has promised to do just that.  The Father wants us to have the Kingdom and be anointed and empowered to do the works of Jesus and the greater works He planned. 

Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, and Jesus identified that the prophecy was about Him.  He has given us the authority and power to operate in His Name.  Therefore, if He is IN us and we are One with Him, then this prophecy also applies to us.

We must allow it to become part of our consciousness that The Spirit of the LORD is on me and you, BECAUSE…  Because?  Yes, because He has anointed us to proclaim the Good News to the poor.  He has sent us to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.  He has sent us to bring recovery of sight to the blind.  He has empowered and anointed us to set the oppressed free.  He has anointed us to proclaim the Ultimate and Total Victory of the Cross.

Jesus sent the disciples out with power and authority.  He confirmed that this is for all who believe and will obey.  We are to bring the sick to His healing, the dead to life, the lepers to cleansing, and those possessed and demonized to liberty.

Mark 16:15-18 – “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my Name, they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Wow!  It is time to believe in the “ISNESS” of God and, rather than preach and testify of theory, become Doers of the Word.  If God is the same past, present, and future, Why Not Now?  We have a world to win, and the world is not interested in our theories about God; they want to see the Living God Living in Us! 

God Is, God, Does, God Can, and God Will.   We need to ask the Father to help each of us see Him as the Living God and the Present God.  We need Him to enable us to see ourselves as He sees us, not as the devil says we are, nor as the world says we are, nor even as we think we are, but as He sees us!   We need Him to clothe us with the Holy Spirit and free us from limited thinking and defeatism. 

Although some live in pessimism, some in optimism, some in what they call realism, and others in fatalism, I challenge you to make the choice to in GOD-ISISM.  Our God IS!  Our God Lives!  Our God Reigns!  Our God is The Living God!  Shake yourself, put off the old thinking, put on the new view of God, and live as if He is telling the truth because He is!

Make this day a day of rejoicing and victory in total surrender to the LORD!

John 13:12-17 – “So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” NKJV

For a long time, I have had a bad taste in my mouth for the clerical hierarchy that exists in the church.  Oh, I believe that there is a “first among equals” and that there is a “Moses” or a “point man” for each local congregation, but lording it over people is not the biblical way.  Jesus demonstrated that truth in this passage and gave us an example of “True Leadership,” which comes through serving. 

Too often, I have seen people who wanted to be served rather than being willing to serve.  I have seen those who felt it was beneath them to get their hands dirty with a menial task (so to speak) because of their position or place.  I have cleaned toilets in the church while serving as the “senior pastor,” and it did not bother me to do so.  It was not always because it was expected, but sometimes because it was needed or just because I chose to do so to demonstrate that I was willing to serve. 

I have put on my nail apron and worked alongside others on a church workday or helping some needy family in the community. I thought nothing about it and never felt nor allowed it to diminish my ability to speak authoritatively as the need presented itself on a biblical matter.

It has long been my contention and conviction that if a person cannot follow, they are not qualified to lead.  They should not be allowed to occupy a leadership position regardless of so-called credentials or qualifications.  In my years of ministerial leadership, I almost always chose the person with a servant’s heart over someone with seemingly more impressive qualifications who did not exhibit that same spirit and attitude. 

We do not need a hierarchy. We need a community of people joined together in Jesus Christ, functioning according to God’s “gifts and callings” upon their lives.  I have taken the follower’s role even when the lead man when I recognized a gift operational in a person’s life that fit the situation and made them more qualified than I. 

Allowing people to function in the talents and abilities that God has given them is far more efficient than trying to be Moses “pre-Jethro.”  Study and you will know what I mean.  Moses was trying to be the Sole Leader of the entire nation, and his father-in-law gave him wisdom that could only come from God and experience that gave us an example of what the local church should look like.

If you find yourself in a leadership position, be willing to serve; if you are not in a leadership position and have a desire to lead, be willing to and actually serve.  If you do so with a cheerful heart, God will promote you to whatever position and place He deems is where you need to be and serve. 

After all, it is His Church, and we are members of His Body!  He chooses what part we play and when we play it; one role is not more important than another.  The physical body needs all its parts to be a fully functioning and complete unit, and so does the Body of Christ.

May God be with you as you serve Him and others!  Blessings!

2 Kings 5:9-14 – “Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”  NKJV

This account of Naaman, the Syrian Commander, is one of several in the Bible that reflects ‘unrealistic’ or ‘unfulfilled expectations’ and the problem therein.  Naaman had leprosy, which was a virtual sentence of death.  His wife had a slave girl from Israel, and she said to her Master’s wife, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria!  For he would heal him of his leprosy.”  Naaman’s wife relayed the information to Naaman, and he, in turn, to his master.  The story begins with a letter sent to the king of Israel to heal Naaman. 

Imagine, if you will, receiving a directive from a powerful enemy to do something you were not capable of doing.  How would you view it?  He considered it a provocation to war and was distraught.  Elisha heard of the King of Israel’s hysteria and directed that Naaman had been sent to him.  Naaman followed the king’s directive, and his entourage proceeded to Elisha’s house; the problem opened in a major way and revealed the “Problem of Human Expectations.”

Elisha told Naaman to go to the Jordan and dip himself seven times.  Naaman was furious, for he considered it an insult for someone of his stature to be instructed to do this.  He expected pomp and ceremony with Elisha standing before the great general, waving his hands over the leprosy and healing him in a dramatic fashion that fit what he considered worthy of someone of his stature. 

He left furious, and one of his servants took his life in his own hands and approached Naaman, asking if Elisha had instructed him to do something great, difficult, or monumental, would he not have attempted it?  As a result, Naaman realized he had nothing to lose and obeyed.  The result was a complete cleansing of leprosy and a restoration of his flesh.

Had he allowed his ‘unrealistic’ and/or ‘unfulfilled expectations’ to rule, he would have died in Syria a Leper!  I wonder how often we fix in our minds how things should be and proceed to reject everything that does not fit that image and fulfill that expectation.  Could it be that we fail to receive answers to our prayers because we ‘predetermine’ how we expect things to be, and when they do not satisfy those expectations, we reject all else? 

Isaiah 55:9 reminds us that God’s ways are higher than ours, and when we attempt to subrogate our ways over God’s ways, we are doomed to the realm of ‘unfulfilled expectations.’  I see it in relationships, businesses, churches, and spiritually that ‘unrealized, unfulfilled and unreasonable expectations’ bring disappointment and failure.  We do not have to live at that address, for we can subject our expectations to God’s will and ways and allow the Holy Spirit to birth the purposes of God in us. 

Demanding that others meet our expectations can and often is both unrealistic and a catalyst to difficulty.  I am human.  You are human.  We are flawed vessels, and to expect perfection from flawed vessels is unrealistic. 

We need to be like the Naaman who went down into the Jordan, not the Naaman who drove off in a huff, wounded because his expectations were not satisfied.  I am learning more daily how Paul could say that he was content wherever he found himself.  His expectations were God, not his preconceived ideas of how things should be.

God bless you as you go through this day!

Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” 

A song comes to mind, “What Am I Living For,” and the questions the singer asks are: “What Am I Living for if not for you?”  It then declares that nobody else will do. The object of affection is the total focus and desire.  I ask that regarding our spiritual lives.  What are we living for if not for Christ?  What are we long for if not for Christ?  If anything else will do, I suggest that our lives come up short of the prize God has set before us.

Steven J. Cole wrote in a blog post in 2013 asking my question and related a story from English history and lore. 

A young man came to W.E. Gladstone when he was Prime Minister of England and said, “Mr. Gladstone, I would appreciate your giving me a few minutes in which I might lay before you my plans for the future.  I would like to study law.” 

“Yes,” said the great statesman, “and then what?”  “Then, sir, I would like to gain entrance to the Bar of England.” “Yes, young man, and what then?”  “Then, sir, I hope to have a place in Parliament, in the House of Lords.”  “Yes, young man, what then?” pressed Gladstone.  “Then I hope to do great things for Britain.” 

“Yes, young man, and what then?”  “Then, sir, I hope to retire and take life easy.”  “Yes, young man, and what then?” he tenaciously asked.  “Well, then, Mr. Gladstone, I suppose I will die.”  “Yes, young man, and what then?”  The young man hesitated and then said, “I never thought any further than that, sir.”  Looking at the young man sternly and steadily, Gladstone said, “Young man, you are a fool.  Go home and think life through!”  (Told by Leonard Griffith, this is Living [Abingdon Press], pp. 48, 49.)

What are we living for?  How much thought have you given to your life?  The past, present, future, and eternity must be brought into focus.  Paul addresses this issue in the text above, saying, “To live is Christ…”  I am living to Live Christ!  I am living to Manifest Christ!  I am living to be an Epistle known and read among men!  My focus is Christ!  My hope is Christ!  My life is Christ!  For in Him I live and move and have being!

• If I am living primarily for me, my focus is wrong. 
• If I am living primarily to have financial success, my focus is wrong. 
• If I am living to advance a particular cause, my focus is wrong. 

Jesus instructed us in Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” If I have God first in my life and actively and diligently seek Him, He will care for all else in my life.  I am Living to Live Christ!

I do not want to be remembered for my activism, speaking or writing, or accomplishments in life (whatever they might be).  I want to be remembered for Living Christ!  I want to be remembered as one who manifested and demonstrated Christ in my words and deeds.  I do not care if anyone remembers my name so long as they remember the Christ of and in my life.

May God be with you as you go through your day!  I encourage you to begin Living Christ!  Blessings!

Mark 16:15-18 – “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  16 ” He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved, but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.  17 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  

I have never understood limiting the Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent God of all creation, but many do, and I have.  Sometimes, we limit Him through our errant theological beliefs and by our actions.  Most of us would say, “All things are possible with God.”  If all things are possible, why are so many things, in our minds, not probable when it comes to God and His power?

I have been told that God no longer heals today because we have doctors, science, and medicine and that the miracles of healing were only to help establish the fledgling church in the 1^st century.  Where does it say that in the Bible? 

Some quote the verse about tongues passing away and omit the rest of the quotation that ‘knowledge’ also passes away.  If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, why do we not expect Him to perform His works in our present day?  Yes, we have science, doctors, technology, and many modern advancements, but He created us and has the power to touch all the dimensions of our lives, does He not?

Sometimes we pray, ‘If it be Thy will,’ and too often, that is a prayer of faithlessness rather than submission to His will.  It is often a prayer with no expectation.  Of course, anything must be in His will to be realized.  I readily acknowledge that and do not mind that addendum to a prayer if it is submission but charged with faith and expectation. 

I am not trying to be critical, and I know I am treading on thin ice with some, but I suggest that along with that addendum, we might add, “Unless it is not your will, I will eagerly await the answer with expectation.”  I have had people say, “Well, we can only pray,” and hear others asking, “Has it come to that?” as if prayer were a last resort in a hopeless cause.

We do not get everything we ask for, but that should not stop us from asking and seeking, for God is God, and He always will be God.  Hebrews tells us that a Better Covenant was established on Better Promises, and the Old Covenant was not too shabby!

May God bless you as you go through your day and provide whatever you need from Him!  Blessings!