Romans 7:7-8 – “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the  contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.”  NASB

When I consider the Ten Commandments, I find some interesting truths interwoven in those declarations, directives, and prohibitions.  I have studied them individually and collectively and concluded that the last commandment is the heart of all the other commandments.  I believe that this commandment is the summation of all the others.  That may sound strange and you may insist that it is nothing of the sort. 

I suggest that if covetousness could be defined as the ‘want to’.  We can keep all the commandments, in a measure, by willpower, but not the last one.  Covetousness deals with our wanting to do something.  We may want to bear false witness but resist because we know it is the right thing to do.  We may want to steal but refrain because it is wrong to steal.  We may be tempted with lust and want to engage in adulty or fornication but refrain because we know it is a violation of God’s moral code.

I do not believe you can truly deal with the matter of covetousness by willpower.  It is a matter of the heart!  It is a matter of the ‘want to.’  If I want what you have, lust after what you have whether it is your possession, position, or wife, I have violated that commandment.  I may not steal, lie, or engage in inappropriate and illegitimate sexual behavior but I ‘wanted to.’  Therefore, I have coveted.

I may not acknowledge any God but the LORD.  I may not create an idol and worship it.  I may not take God’s name in vain.  I may honor the Sabbath with perfection.  I may use all the right words and do the right things concerning my parents.  I may not kill anyone, commit adulty, steal or lie.  That is great and commendable but if I had it in my heart to do any of those, I have fallen short in Covetousness.

Remember Jesus said in Matthew 22:40 that the two commandments referring to loving God and our neighbor was the foundation for the entire Law and Prophets.  Simply, if I LOVE YOU, I will not covet what you have.  I will not kill you if I love you. In fact, I will not want to kill you.  I may disagree with you and be the polar opposite on issues, but I will not want to harm you.  I will not lie about you or to you if I love you.  I will not desire to have an illicit affair.  If I love God, I need no prohibition about idolatry, the Sabbath, or honoring Him.  If I love Him, I WANT TO do those things. 

Covetousness has to do with the WANT TO not the ability to restrain myself.  That causes me to contend that Covetousness is the Root of Sin.  That is the base cause of Wars between nations.  Covetousness breeds jealousy and greed and those engender a willingness to commit acts against others that violate God’s moral law. 

It is a heart issue and only God can change the heart.  I believe that one of the signs that a person has been born again is revealed in their WANT TO!

God bless you as you enjoy this day in Him!

Joshua 21:43-45 – “So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. 44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”  NASB

If anyone questions the reality of God and the faithfulness of God, even a cursory examination of the Promises He made to the newly formed nation of Israel in the Old Testament should dispel that.  I love the declaration of (v.45) – “Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”

I am inspired when I read passages like Isaiah 55:10-11 – “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”  ESV

God has never failed and will never fail.  We read in Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus is the same past, present, and future.  We know that God is the Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient God.  He is the Creator of all things.  He is the Living God!  In Numbers 23:19 we read, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it?  Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Amplified).

The amazing reality of the fulfillment of the prophecies about Jesus coming in the flesh are astronomically improbable but they transpired.  The mathematical and statistical probability of those many prophecies being fulfilled in one person is off the charts, but they did. 

The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.  I have people tell me that it ‘contains’ the Word of God and I say, “Yes, it does but it goes beyond containing some of the Words of God and some of the Truth of God IT IS THE WORD OF GOD!”  If God says it, you can take it to the bank.

Do not become discouraged because God is Alive, and His Promises are “Yes and Amen!”  This God, our God, is the one who spoke the world into existence.  Everything is held together by His Word, Power, Person, and Provision.  Colossians 1:17 declares, “And He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together.”  He is the glue that keeps everything intact.  In Him is life and in that life is the fulfillment of Word.

I choose to believe what God has said and as I discover His promises in His Word and in Prayer I rejoice.  I know that My God shall supply all your and my needs according to His power and out of His love.

God bless you as you rest comfortably in the promises of God.  If He said it, He will do it!  Have a great day in Him!

Deuteronomy 1:8 – “See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.”  NASB

I am sometimes concerned that I and too many Christians fail to grasp our responsibility in the process of becoming all that God desires and acquiring His blessings and promises.  Too many seem to be like the song we used to sing in youth camps, “Here we sit like birds of a wilderness waiting to be fed.”  It was humorous as the kids waited for lunch to be served but in the Christian walk that is a faulty philosophy.

Here, God told Israel, “I have placed the land before you…”  We could render that, “I have set the Promises before you…”   God’s job is to make the objective, the promise, the provision available but it is not always a one-sided affair.  There is His part and our part.  He said to them, “…go in and possess the land.”  It is your responsibility and mine to appropriate the promises and press in, to the place of promise.

God gives us grace, authority, and power through the Holy Spirit and the Spiritual Weapons He has provided.  We are seated with Christ Jesus in the heavenly places.  John said, “as He is so are, we in this world.”  We have great and precious promises and weapons of warfare that are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.  It is our job to ‘bind the strongman’ and then spoil his house. 

Israel was given the title deed to the land by the owner of the land.  However, there were squatters on that land or promise that did not recognize God’s authority or ownership.  They were unwilling to vacate the premises simply because Israel declared that God had given them the inheritance.  No, they believed that possession was ownership and trusted their false gods or their own power.  Their view was the same as Pharaoh expressed in Exodus 5:2, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey?” 

We fail to possess the promises if we do not know the promises.  Hosea 4:6 declares, “My people perish because of a lack of knowledge.”  It is impossible to fully possess or press into what you do not know exists.  If you are like the birds in the wilderness waiting to be fed and waiting on God to do it, you may have a very long and disappointing wait.  Knowledge is powerful and inspirational.

We fail to possess the promises if we allow doubt, and unbelief to be the most prominent in our hearts.  If we see it as impossible, it is to us.  I like the rendering of Hebrews 6:12 (NCV) says, “do not… become lazy. Be like those who through faith and patience will receive what God has promised.”  We must not only know it in our minds but believe it in our hearts. It is through the heart that the mind is convinced.

We fail to possess the promises if we focus on the negative and speak other than what God declares.  We need to agree with God.  Paul told us in Romans 4:17 that we are to “call those things that are not as though they were.”  I am not saying engage in metaphysics or mind over matter but even though you do not see it in the natural if it is a Promise of God, declare it by faith.  You are not declaring it to make God do it but agreeing with God that that is reality not what you see with the natural eye.

We fail to possess the promises we allow fear to grip our hearts and paralyze us.  I love what the writer declares in Hebrews 10:23, “It is through faith and PATIENCE that we possess the promises of God.”  The enemy will try to steal your Promise, your Vision, and your Hope.  He will attempt to tempt you to give up and resign yourself to waiting on God rather than pursuing the Promises and Purposes God has set before you.  Galatians tells us that we are not to become weary in well doing for in due season (at the time of harvest) we will reap if we do not give up and quit.

Remember the account of the twelve spies and how the two, Joshua and Caleb believed God and saw the promises as possible rather than focusing on the obstacles.  It is time that you and I determine to cross over our Jordan (difficulty or obstacle) and Possess the Promise Land.  Never, never, never, never Give Up!

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

1 Samuel 15:17-19 – “And Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel, 18 and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said,’ Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’ 19 “Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD?”  NASB

How we see ourselves is reflected in what we do.  The statement of Samuel to Saul is very interesting.  He spoke of a time when Saul was ‘little in his own eyes.’  That could be negative and speak of a person that is so defeated they do not think they can do anything.  It could also speak of a positive character trait where the person was humble and did not have an overinflated view of themselves.  I believe that Samuel was referring to the latter in Saul.  The fact that when Samuel came to publicly announce him as king he was hiding, and they had to bring him forth.

In Romans 12:3 we read the warning or directive of the apostle Paul that no believer should think of him or herself more highly than they ought, but to have a sober evaluation of who and what they are.  He addressed that again in Philippians 2:3 saying, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”  The apostle James spoke of this condition saying, “But He gives more grace.  Therefore, it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

I do not believe that Samuel, James, or the Paul was suggesting that a believer view themselves in a self-deprecating downward manner.  I believe they were saying that we should think of ourselves with an upward view.  By that I mean we should think of ourselves as highly as is proper in our calling.  We are ‘more than conquerors’ in Christ Jesus.  Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “…All things are possible to him who believes.” 

In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus is giving some powerful life instructions to those following Him.  His message was pointing out the contrast between things of earth, and the things of the Kingdom of God.  He was encouraging them to make the right choice.  He was conveying the idea that heaven is not simply a place awaiting us when we die but it is more than that.   The Kingdom of Heaven is the realm of God’s presence, through His divine grace that every believer has access to now!

Paul’s words in Romans 12 need to be rehearsed, ‘Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you’.  If we compare ourselves with others, we will develop a wrong view of ourselves and others.  Our only comparison is with Christ, not other people.  Long ago, I prayed and told the LORD that I did not desire to be an echo but wanted to be a voice. 

I was given some powerful advice by a seasoned elderly minister when I first acknowledged the call of God to preach.  He said, “Son, do not imitate anybody but Jesus.  Be who you are and use what God has given to you.  The Holy Spirit will develop the style God wants for you.”  I tried and failed numerous times but finally realized that the only way I was truly comfortable doing what I felt God had called me to do was to just be myself. 

I have had professors and other preachers tell me that I needed to be more this or that.  Some suggested more homiletical in style, others to be more expository, etc.  I tried three points and a poem and that did not work for me I felt constrained and my message felt canned, reheated, warmed over, and cold.  I tried various styles but when I finally realized if I was genuine in what I heard in my heart of hearts and spoke from my heart, God would bring about the desired results.  I did, I do, and He has, and He does.

I do not consider myself better than anyone but by the same token, I do not consider myself lesser.  It matters not if your gift and call are to nations or to a local congregation both are valuable to God.  It matters not if you are the CEO of a major corporation or an hourly worker, both are valuable.  There are parts of the human body that are more notable and visible than others, but all of the parts make up the whole and have an important role in the function of the body.  God created these bodies to function with some of the parts missing but He did not create worthless or unnecessary parts.  The optimum function requires all the parts to function as they were designed to function.  The same is true in the Kingdom. 

Do not think of yourself higher than you ought to think but do not think of yourself lesser either. 

God bless you as you enjoy this day in Him!

2 Samuel 22:1-4 – “And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 And he said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 3 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, Thou dost save me from violence. 4 “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; And I am saved from my enemies.”  NASB

The Book of Samuel records one of the songs of David that reflects the Power of Praise and how much Praise was a part of the Life of David, the man God identified as being a man after His own heart.  David had been delivered from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul, his chief enemy.  As he mused on what had transpired, he was inspired to write this song of praise.  I will only use a portion of it but would like to call to our attention several things found in these few verses. 

David said, “The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer.”  The Rock is reflective of a foundation that is stable and sure.  The Fortress is a place of protection and Deliverer is expressive of power and might.  God is David and our sure foundation our place of protection and security and He has the Power to deliver.  He is our conqueror!

He reminded himself and all who would hear that our Rock (God) is a place of refuge.  I am reminded of Psalms 91 and Psalm 23 as I think of that.  He said that God was his shield and the horn of his salvation.  The shield speaks of protection from the arrows of the enemy and the horn of salvation speaks of the completion. He speaks of God being his savior!  Hallelujah!  That savior also rescues us from violence and those seeking our destruction, both human and demonic. 

Then he brings home the reality of the Power inherent in our Praise to God.  In Psalms 100:4 we are instructed to enter the gates of God with a thankful heart and the courts of God with praise.  We come with the High Praises of God in our mouths and those praises become a two-edged sword in our hands and in our mouths. 

In (v.4) we read, “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; And I am saved from my enemies.”  Let me challenge you to break that down just a bit.  There can be no question of God’s worthiness of our praise.  In fact, our feeble attempts to magnify Him and properly honor him with our lips appear anemic.  However, David inserts something that we must not overlook.  He adds the word “and” after that declaration.  The “and” is the connector or the launching pad for an understanding of the inherent Power in Praise to God.  “And I am saved from my enemies.” 

It is as I praise God that there is a Power loosed in the heavenlies that frees the angelic hosts of Psalm 91 to move into action.  God is the deliverer from the snares of our enemies human and demonic.  He covers us with Himself and shields us from the attacks of forces seeking our destruction.  His presence banishes fear.  The angels are released to guard us in all our ways.  They bear us up in their hands so that we don’t even get stone bruises from the cobbled paths of life.  It is through God’s Power, Provision, and Protection that we enter into through Praise enables us to tread on the lions and cobras of life.

If we would learn the secret and benefit of Praise and from our hearts truly be thankful in everything and voice our thanksgiving and praise to God, we would move into a higher realm in life.  It is as we turn our focus inward and outward on a horizontal plane that we restrict ourselves from His person, presence, and power. As we lift up our eyes heavenward, we discover that we are able to view life through His eyes, and in that view, we find peace, confidence, and comfort.

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

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  NKJV

Most of us are aware of the declaration of James that we are to rejoice in trials and few of us consider the benefits that come from our trials and tribulations.  I am not trying to advance a doctrine that encourages or desires trouble. God does not put sickness on your to teach you a lesson. What I am suggesting is that trouble is going to come and if we can embrace it keeping the faith there is a benefit to be gleaned.  God turns that meant for evil to our good when we allow Him to have full control.

Paul declares that our Heavenly Father is the Father of mercies and comfort!  Our Heavenly Father comforts us in All our tribulations with an objective in mind beyond enabling us to make it through the trial.  He comforts us so that we may be able to comfort others who are experiencing trials and tribulation. 

Therefore, when the enemy comes in like a flood and God raises up a standard against him and brings you through to the other side of the trial rejoice.  Rejoice in the deliverance and comfort of God and rejoice in the reality that because you have experienced you will be better able to comfort others facing trials.  A man or woman who has been through battle can comfort those enduring trials far better than one who has lived in an ivory tower with no difficulties. I am far more drawn to a person with a limp than a novice in a time of trouble.

We comfort others with the comfort we received from God.  We communicate His love, patience, longsuffering, guidance, wisdom, and mercy.  We testify of God’s keeping power. We testify of God’s undying love.  We testify of God’s fulfillment of His promise to never leave nor forsake us.  We are living epistles known and read among men examples of God’s love, grace, and power.

Therefore, next time the enemy targets you and it seems that everything that can go wrong does lift up your voice and your eyes and Rejoice!  Rejoice knowing that God will not fail and rejoice knowing that one day in the future you will be able to extend that comfort you are receiving from God to a brother or sister in this life.  Philippians 3speaks of the ‘power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.’  We want the resurrection power without the suffering.  We want the crown without the cross, but it will not come. 

I do not know what you are experiencing at this time but if you are suffering consider the additional benefit of that suffering that you will be able to comfort another along the way.  If there is a lesson to be learned in the trial diligently attend to it but above all rejoice in God’s provision and protection and rejoice in the joy that you will be able to be a helping hand to another along the journey.

God bless you as you go through this day!

John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  NKJV

I know believers who are constantly seeking a “New Revelation.  I believe I understand what they are seeking, but I sometimes feel like the new pastor who went into a church and preached a masterpiece.  The next Sunday he preached the exact same sermon almost word for word.  He did the same every week for the next few weeks.  Finally, after many complaints from the congregation, the Deacons approached him and said, “Pastor, the message you have been preaching was a masterpiece the first time and okay the second but you need to get a new sermon.”  He looked at them and calmly said, “Do something with that one first.”  If we have a Bible filled with the written revelation of God, His Kingdom, and purposes should we not be about doing something with what we have before we try to find something no one else has found?

Jesus spoke the Gospel with extreme simplicity here and elsewhere in Scripture.  He gave four extremely simple but profound truths in this short verse which would be well to examine.  I will hit the high points for time and space will not permit (if I could) giving an exhaustive exegesis of this passage.  Consider the declaration of the LORD:

• I Am the Way.

Is that the route or path?  Remember our LORD declared in Matthew 7:14, “…straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life…”  In today’s politically correct world that strives for “tolerance” and “acceptance” of everyone and everything, this is anathema, but Jesus repeatedly declared, “I AM THE WAY…”  He did not say, “I am A way but THE way!”

• I Am the Truth.

When He stood before Pilate, the earthly potentate asked, “What is truth, but did not wait around for the real answer.”  I have heard some nationally known and recognized preachers declare that a person can be a participant of various religions and still make heaven following their beliefs.  That is totally contradictory to the Bible and I will stand with the Bible.  God does say, “Whosoever will let Him come…”  However, that coming must be to Christ and must include repentance of sin.  It is by Grace that we are saved, through faith and it is not earned.  Jesus is THE TRUTH!  He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  He is the sacrifice for the sin of the world. 

• I Am the Life.

He is not speaking of natural life although that could be included for should God remove His finger from our lives we would cease as the notes on an organ once the finger is removed from the keys.  He is Eternal Life! 

• No one comes to the Father except through Me.

He is the Door to the sheepfold.  He is the gateway to the throne room of the Father.  He is our High Priest who makes intercession for us.  If NO ONE can access the Father except through Jesus what would make anyone declare that believing in Allah or Buda or any of the myriad of gods, man has concocted gain access?  The Gospel according to our LORD and His word is incredibly simple.  Jesus is our Hope!  Jesus is our Way, Truth, and Life.  Jesus is our only door to the Father and the only gate through which we can enter into eternal life.

            May the LORD richly bless you as you go through this day!

1 John 3:18 – “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” NKJV

If you have ever dealt with a person who demonstrated an obvious dislike for you, did things to hurt or hinder you, and spread rumors or half-truths about you but would publicly say, “I love you”, you will understand.  That is one scenario in which words do not match actions or attitudes and it is often painfully obvious.

Through the years of ministry, I have encountered marital situations where the marriage was hanging by a thread and both parties would tell the other, “I love you!”  I believe they believed what they were saying was true to the degree they understood the truth.  If a husband/wife verbally declares, “I love you,” but belittles the other, is unfaithful, fails to provide for the family as is needed their words are hollow.  I’ve observed parents telling their children, “We love you,” and then proceed to berate, belittle, badger, and torment them publicly and privately.  Their actions speak so loudly the words are muted.

I have worked in ministerial alliances where some within the group continually sought to drive wedges in efforts to build a coalition. They sought to elevate themselves to a position of prominence or the advancement of their personal objectives.  Honey would almost drip from their lips as they declared in group settings their love for those they were tearing down and those who had heard the words from both sides of their mouths knew the hypocrisy with which they spoke. 

LOVE is not simply verbal it is an action! If I love you, I will seek to do you harm.  I will not allow envy to shadow my view or relationship with you.  I will not self-promote or behave rudely.  I will not be self-serving or self-seeking.  I will not rejoice openly or in my heart when you experience setbacks or problems.  I will be patient, kind, gentle, trusting, and willing to help. I will do that which I can, to help you succeed even if it costs me.  I can declare how much I love the poor but if my effort is limited to words is that love?  LOVE is never passive and never without corresponding actions.  I would rather someone know my love by my actions rather than just hearing my words. 

A man or a woman that tells their spouse, “I love you,” then is unfaithful has rendered those words meaningless.  A person that says, “I love you”, but spreads gossip, rumors, and half-truths about another has transformed those words into meaninglessness.  Jesus said, there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for their friends.  I read in John 3:16 that “God loves the world!” I do not have to read far to see His corresponding actions that demonstrate that love.  When I read Job’s words that he made a “covenant with his eyes not to look on a woman with lust…” I understand that when he says to his wife, “I love you” he is committed to demonstrating that love.

I have had people tell me, “I love you,” and knew that it was incredibly superficial. They deemed those words the proper thing to say under the circumstances.  I have always resisted saying, “I love you,” unless I truly meant it.  Understand that I desire to Love Everyone and manifest the nature of my LORD in all that I do.  Do I succeed?  I wish but sadly, I am still pressing toward the mark and still find myself repenting.  I never want to allow my words to become superficial meaningless chatter but have them backed by the character of my heart.           

God bless you as you go through this day!

Mark 12:31 – “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” NASB

It is very interesting to me that the Greek word used here for ‘love’ is (agapao) which comes from a word that means much and can be seen in contrast to (phileo) or brotherly love.  It is a deeper love than just a casual social appreciation of someone.  It was not (storge) which is a fondness through familiarity or (philia) which is friendship or (eros) the romantic attraction but (agape) which is unconditional love or a God-kind of love.

That being said, if everyone were to take this passage literally from a personal viewpoint regarding how they regard themselves the world would be in a world of hurt.  Why do I say that?  Because some people have anything but LOVE for themselves and then others have nothing but LOVE for themselves. 

Some have an unhealthy un-love, and some have an unhealthy love for themselves and to love others as they love themselves would be dangerous and difficult.  Yet, if we are ‘in Christ’ and His love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit and we do not think higher of ourselves than we should then we can love others in a wholesome and balance the way that produces a beautiful interaction and relationship.

Imagine a world where people viewed others through the eyes of the Spirit of God.  Imagine a world where people realized that we are all creations of the Father.  Imagine a world where people followed what is called the Golden Rule and truly reacted and responded to others like we desire to be treated.  I am convinced that we would find more peace than turmoil in our relationships. 

It is when we attempt to love others without first coming to grips with who we are and having the who we are settled in Christ we have difficulty.  For most of my life, I have heard people say, “You have to look out for old number one” to justify whatever it was that they did and the way they treated or took advantage of others.  That is not ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’ that is disregarding your neighbor for yourself.  It is contrary to what Jesus called the 2^nd Great Commandment of God.  If we get the 1^st one right the 2^nd one is easy but until we get the 1^st one right the 2^nd one is almost impossible.

I cannot love you on an equal plane with myself if I have not first learned to be comfortable with who I am in God.  It is only as I find myself in God and know that I can trust Him, that I can make myself vulnerable and love you as I do myself.  The self-defense part of our nature prevents that, and it is only as we move from the survival mode to a life hidden with Christ in God that we can move out of our inner sanctuary of self-protection and LOVE biblically.

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

Matthew 4:4 – “…It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”  NASB

Did our Lord have anything to say on political matters during His time on earth?  That depends on whether you read His teachings for specific direct quotations regarding political matters or His implied statements in what He taught.

An example would be ‘fair wages’.   In Matthew 20 our Lord told of the conscientious vineyard owner who was concerned about his crops being harvested and hiring idle laborers.  He, at different times of the day, went to the marketplace and hired laborers.  At the end of the day, he took those he had hired last and paid them but when he came to those who had worked the full day he paid them the same amount and they were furious shouting and murmuring ‘unfair’ or in today’s world they would be calling for ‘wage and salary’ laws to be mandated to any employer. 

Notice what the business owner said, “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?” (v.15) Our Lord was, by telling this story, implying that it is the right and privilege of the laborer and the employer to come to an agreement as to wages and no outside entity should legislate differently.

The Bible speaks about caring for the poor, the widows, and orphans as well as giving a clear directive regarding laziness and idleness.  Therefore, indirectly, and directly He speaks of the entitlement world’ and gives a biblical directive on how we should operate regarding those in our family and communities.  He did not mention, nor did any of the New Testament writers, a government program of welfare but a personal and community one.  Jesus spoke of unjust weights and measures speaking of unjust trade and there was a prescription for each of those and it always came back to the church, the community, and the individual to police.

Jesus did say to Peter regarding the taxes that were mandated, “Render to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and to God that which belongs to God.”  We are told to pray’ for those that rule over us.  Yet, our Bible speaks to every aspect of life and teaches that our lives should not and cannot be regulated or legislated into holiness or morality.  That is a matter of the heart not a matter of some man-made law. 

Of course, we need laws and yes mankind is morally bankrupt enough that we cannot be a law unto ourselves with regard to life and property.  But with regard to how we earn our livings, care for the needy, and do business we have a guidebook that is impeccable and if followed by individuals and the Church our world will dramatically turn from the present path of decadence and depravity toward a godly way.

Before you adamantly proclaim that Jesus was never involved in politics you might want to read what He taught and realize that He dealt with life and politics is a part of life.  I trust what Jesus said not what man thinks about what He said.           

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