James 1:19-20 – “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”  NKJV

I find the Bible a most incredible book for frequently we will find in a very short sentence key instructions that are guaranteed to produce victory and help us avoid many of the pitfalls of life.  The tragedy is too frequently we fail to heed the instructions and this passage is a case in point.

I’ve been told all my Christians experience that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason:  He wanted us to listen twice as much as we spoke and most fail miserably in that.  In fact, most are not good listeners for as they listen they are contemplating their opportunity to put in their two cents worth and fail to fully hear what is being said and that often produces misunderstanding and difficulty.

Consider what James offers as a guidance for life:

• BE SWIFT TO HEAR…

The word most assuredly means prompt and ready to hear.  A Hebrew rabbinical adage is:  “Talk little and work much.”  We read in Ecclesiastes 5:6, “Do not let your mouth lead you to sin.”  If we gear ourselves to ‘hear the conclusion of the whole matter’ before rendering a decision or comment we will find that we are following the directive of Scripture in setting a guard at our lips.  HEARING is vital to communication for until we have HEARD what is being said we cannot properly respond.

• SLOW TO SPEAK… 

We are taught in Scripture that we are never to vow a vow to God and fail to keep that promise therefore we should weigh our words carefully before allowing them to be released into the atmosphere.  Once words are released they cannot be retrieved.  Growing up we were told, ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me’.  That is absolutely false as we have all come to realize as we matured in life.  Words can do incredible damage and that is another reason that James describes the tongue as the most destructive member of the power and compares it to a bridle in a horse’s mouth or the rudder on a ship.

•  SLOW TO WRATH…

We are told to be angry but not sin and too often what we call ‘righteous indignation’ is nothing more than full blown rage and carnal anger.  We may attempt to justify it but we cannot and find that the Bible gives warning to avoid people that are quick tempered for they are dangerous and destructive.  They are given to vindictiveness and often seek vengeance rather than producing the fruit that Proverbs speaks of “a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

If we are to be the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus we cannot allow the fleshly anger or wrath to take charge of our lives.  Rather we must seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and in so doing will find that our thoughts are brought into captivity to Christ and the Holy Spirit is able to place a guard at our lips and keep our hearts.  Becoming angry at sin and the destructiveness of it is not a bad thing but to succumb to carnal wrath and anger is.  Therefore the directive is for us to discipline ourselves and seek the help of our Helper in learning to LISTEN, maintain our peace and rejecting the wrath of flesh.  As we do we will find that we diffuse many situations in life without becoming doormats in the process.  There is strength in being in control of your emotions.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

John 12:27-33 – “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.  28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”  33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.”  NKJV

It has long been a thorny issue for me observing and hearing ministers and ministries lifting up something other than Christ and Him crucified to the world.  Jesus did not say, “If you lift up your ministry, your marketing, your functions or services people will be drawn”, although they may well be drawn to you and what you are doing.  The drawing will not be eternally redemptive but will link them to you, your ideology, philosophy or personality rather than bring them into the presence of the Savior and thereby bring them through the Door of Salvation.

The issue is not attracting a crowd but bringing them into the presence of the Savior!  The issue is not having a large church but bringing people to the place of redemption so that their sins are forgiven, lives changed and their names in the Book of Life.  Having a large crowd or church is not negative but it is about HIM not our egos or elevation to prominence or view of success.  The disciples were focused on the singularity of their purpose rather than the development and growing of their ministries or churches.  They wanted to introduce people to the ONE who had paid the price for their redemption and provided the ONLY access to the Father.  As John the Baptist declared in John 3:30 – “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  John understood that he was simply a voice or messenger.  He was a sign post on the highway of life pointing to the entrance ramp of eternity.

Paul grasped this truth as he spoke in 2 Corinthians 4 saying, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” NKJV 

Jesus gave the disciples and all who would come afterward a commission in Matthew 28 as He instructed them regarding His authority and delegation to them the authority and power to perform the task set before them.  That task was to take the ‘Good News’ to the entire world and in so doing to LIFT HIM UP so that people could receive the redemption and be born again into the newness of life.  The writer of Proverbs warned in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction…” 

I have had the pleasure of hearing and working with some men and women who are incredible orators with magnetic personalities that naturally drew people to them.  I rejoice in their gift and talents UNLESS or UNTIL they become focused on ‘self’ more than ‘self-effacing’.  Through the years I have had people tell me, “We will follow you anywhere” and I always stopped them saying, “Do not follow me except as I follow Christ.”  NEVER make me the focus of your loyalty and if I ministered to a congregation and their focus became me I felt I had failed for if I have not solidly linked them to Christ they foundation is shifting sand and they will fail.  If, however, I have successfully helped them to become focused on Him and rooted in biblical principles they will be like the house built upon the rock and will weather the storms of life.

The question is and has always been, “What or Who are we lifting up?”  I urge you to examine your purpose, message, ministry, and focus.  Whatever you do make it about HIM not about you or anything else.  If it is all about HIM He will draw people to Himself and in so doing the church will progress, grow and become strong and a light shining into darkness.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

Isaiah 54:17 – “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD.”  NKJV

Recently during a time of prayer contemplating some issues that I am facing, this verse came to mind.  As I mused on it that inner voice inside my heart and head said “CONTEXT.”  I thought about that and again that voice said, “CONTEXT.”  That caused me to pause and consider the passage as completely as I could and once again I heard “CONTEXT.”   It was at that point that I sensed there were three things I needed to consider:

• CONTEXT of the Passage.
• CONTEXT of Application.
• CONTEXT of Appropriation.

While it might take a book or two to attempt to fully cover the context of the passage it appears to be speaking with the view of Chapter 53 in mind where we were told of the coming Messiah and His ministry.  Therefore, if we view this passage in light of the Redeemed it has a relevance to any generation and that includes us in 2015.  It has an application to the nation of Israel but it is my contention (argument) that it applies to ‘the servants of the LORD’ of all times and peoples.  If it can thusly be viewed then it is a promise to you and me for today and one that we should carefully consider.

The application of the passage contextually must cover the words “No, Weapon, Tongue and Judgment”.  We must also consider to whom it is addressed – “Servants of the LORD.”  It is speaking to and of people who belong to God through the process of redemption and by inference walking in His righteousness.  It is considered by the Most High our Heritage and is a part of our Covenant Promise in Christ Jesus.  Therefore, it applies to whatever we face, whenever we face it and from whatever source the attack comes.  It is incredibly broad in its application.

The appropriation is a bit more difficult for one must ask is this addressing an attack against us regardless of our actions!  Simply, if we brought about the attack by our sin, wrong or bad judgment can we claim this promise and appropriate it into our circumstances?  If we are wrong can we expect to use God as a defense or shield against the enemy.  Remember the Bible says a ‘curse without a cause does not come.’ (Proverbs 26:2)  The indication it is to be appropriated by those who are both servants of the LORD and walking in righteousness or manifesting Him in our lives, actions, words and deeds.  It is there that we can readily and expectantly appropriate this promise and expect God to become our SWORD and SHIELD.  It is here that we can confess and profess that NO WEAPON formed against us can prosper and EVERY TONGUE that rises against us in judgment we can condemn.  God can and will destroy the plans of the wicked against His people as we stand in righteousness and truth.

I would never want to suggest that God is our genie or candy store for if we are corrupt in our actions, hearts, deeds or words expecting God to automatically come to our defense would be an insult to His Holiness.  This is a POWERFUL PROMISE but not a blanket defense against all things with no consideration for our hearts or lives and personal responsibility or accountability.  That being said, if one is walking in God’s Righteousness, seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness we can and should expect and stand on this Promise.  God is watching over His word to perform it and it will NEVER return to Him void.

May He be with you and bless you as you go through this day!

Ephesians 2:11-13 – “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh — who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands —  12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” NKJV

I am painfully aware that a portion of modern Christendom either does not place real value on the Blood of Jesus or considers it nonessential in the biblical plan of salvation.  Either way is tragic and we must remember that as Paul declared in Hebrews 9:22 – “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”  The ATONEMENT is not optional but essential for salvation. 

The apostle Paul and the rest of the New Testament writers clearly state that the Cross, whereupon Jesus paid the price for our sin, is a focal point in Christianity.  Jesus, the Door, the Way, the Truth and the Life willingly went to the Cross to satisfy divine justice for the SIN of mankind and purchase us back from the legal claims of the enemy of our souls.  He did not deserve to die for He had not sinned.  We deserve to die because we have sinned.  He became our substitute and His innocent blood paid the price for our redemption.

Some consider that reprehensible and I have been told so by some who profess to be Christians. They want to move from the blood to something less gruesome and offensive and thereby have offered a gospel that is foreign to the Word of God and the Plan as revealed therein.  The Penalty for Sin is death.  Jesus our mediator and redeemer stood in our place and paid the awful penalty for the sin of man.  The application of the blood to the door posts of our hearts enables God to see nothing but the blood of Jesus when He looks at us.  Our sins are covered, washed away and cast into God’s sea of forgetfulness never to be remembered again.  They are removed as far as the East is from the West and we are pardoned.  That is not something we could have ever accomplished in our human efforts for as Isaiah 64:6 declares, “…our righteousness are like filthy rags…” 

We read in Revelation 1:5-6 – “And from Jesus, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.  Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sin in His own blood and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen.”  Hebrews 13:20-21 reveals, “Now may the God of peace brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”  He is the propitiation of our sins: and not us only but for the whole world.  (1 John 2:2)  Jesus Himself declared in Matthew 26:28 that the communion they were taking represented the blood of the New Testament (Covenant) and was shed for the remission of sin.   Without the blood there is no remission so know that you cannot omit the Blood and also be assured the Blood WILL NEVER lose its power.

May God be with you as you go through this day and keep you covered with the Blood of the Lamb!   Blessings!

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

This passage is a much quoted passage.  I recall having a person say to me once, “You Christians quote scripture about love but do not demonstrate it much.”  That hit me squarely in the face and the Holy Spirit took me to the spiritual woodshed to apply the board of education more fully.  LOVE is from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God as per the above passage.  Therefore, I must conclude that love is more than we typically understand for we all know some lost people who demonstrate what we call love.

Two things come to mind as I consider this and wish to share.  LOVE is from God. The imagery is that you are standing before a living spring and see it bursting out of the earth. John stands before God and says:  “Love is from God!”  It pours forth from who God is.  It comes from His nature.  Then, he backs up his first assertion saying, “For God IS Love.” 

That is incredibly important to note.  It does not say:  “God has love.”  It says:  “God IS Love.”  I may have money but I am not money. I may have water but I am not water.  I may have food but I am not food.  I may have health but I am not health.  Out from God comes LOVE!  Therefore, if you KNOW God, if you say you LOVE God we will know that because you LOVE!  It is impossible to KNOW God and not LOVE!  That is not up for discussion it is not debatable and there are no exceptions to the rule.  You do not have to try you will because of Who He Is!

If God IS Love and Love is FROM God and I say I KNOW God then I LOVE!  I did not say “know about” God I said “know” God.  The word is the biblical word for intimacy and carries the understanding of penetration. So, if we say we KNOW God it means we have PENETRATED God and He has PENETRATED us.  At that point of intimacy we LOVE for it is the most natural thing to do.  Therefore, we can readily declare that the mark of the Christian is LOVE!  Jesus said:  “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, that you LOVE ONE ANOTHER!”

Most or many Christians are overly fascinated with finding the will of God for their lives.  Many seem to think it is some highly veiled hidden secret that God keeps from us rather than thinking it might be incredibly obvious and easily found.  Oh no!  It has to be mystical and maybe even weird right?  God would surely never tell us to do something that was obvious and what we wanted to do would He?   He would never tell you to minister to your neighbor next door rather He would send you to the bush of Africa.  Nothing wrong with that if that is what God desires but it might be more obvious and closer to home.

Before God springs His will on anyone He prepares the heart and a heart that is not attuned to LOVE cannot possibly fulfill the purpose and destiny God has for that life.  God wants us to become a demonstration and manifestation of HIM.  He wants us to convey Who He Is to the world around us.  So, Who Is God?  He is LOVE!  He is Almighty.  He is Power but first and foremost He is LOVE!  If He were not none of us would have access to Salvation and the Cross would never have been an option.

God is Love and Loves us!  That is a most incredible and amazing truth and one that should put a spring in your step, a song in your heart and a smile on your face.   Let’s look at this a little more but pause for now.  May the Lord be with you as you go through this day!

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  NKJV

This is one of the most powerful and seemingly often misunderstood passages in the New Testament.  Realizing that I cannot do it justice in such as short space I want to break this down and hit the high points of the truth being presented for our edification, encouragement and comfort.  One sentence that carries life changing truth if we can grasp it, receive it and apply it in our daily lives.

• AND WE KNOW…

That makes it a family matter and somewhat a family secret or for those who are initiated into the family of God.  WE is speaking of believers for that is the audience to whom Paul was speaking or writing.  It is a collective ‘WE’ and applies to ALL BELIEVERS of that era and every generation to follow.  It is a message to family, fellow believers or The Body of Christ.

• ALL THINGS… 

How much is ALL?  What does that encompass?  All things would cover everything that comes into our lives and we encounter.  I do not know how much more comprehensive you can get than that.  So WE KNOW something about ALL THINGS, but what?

• WORK TOGETHER…

The believer knows that all things work together or in harmony for a purpose in our lives.  The composite of ALL THINGS are working toward a specific purpose and has a determined objective.  God is using ALL THINGS to produce something for the believer, but what?

• FOR GOOD…

Now we are getting somewhere.  The believer knows that all things are being formed together or compiled together for good.  Please understand it did not say that ALL THINGS were GOOD but that ALL THINGS were WORKING TOGETHER for GOOD.  The finished product is what should come into view here.  The end result will be good not that each individual item is good in and of itself.  Truthfully, we know that some things in our lives and our experiences are anything but good in themselves but when mixed together will every other thing the finished product is GOOD.

• TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD… CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE… 

Now we are getting to the nitty gritty of this nugget of truth.  If we love God and are called of God (all believers are) then we can know that everything in our lives and experience are being mixed together by the Spirit of God for good.  That is powerful.

If you can receive it I like to illustrate it in this manner:

It is like mother or grandma baking a chocolate cake from scratch.  She carefully takes the various ingredients for the purpose of producing a moist delicious chocolate cake.  In that process there are some individual items that by themselves would be less than tasty or good.  I personally would not want to sit down to a bowl of flour, baking powder or soda, the bitter baking chocolate, eggs or even the sugar used to sweeten the cake mix.  The milk might be okay to drink by itself but just the salt would not.  So we find that there are numerous ingredients that are less than desirable but she would take the flour blend in the eggs, milk, chocolate, baking powder or soda while adding a pinch of salt, etc. and once the ingredients are in the bowl she would beat them until they blended together.  (Remind you of life?)  Then once she had blended them thoroughly where they were indistinguishable from each other and no longer isolated individual items she would place them in a baking pan and put it in the oven and bake it a high heat for a period of time.  (Isn’t that just like life?  Just when you think you can’t take any more the heat is turned up.)  Then once the proper time has transpired she removes the cake from the oven and applies the icing and you have a wonderful chocolate cake.  That is what God is doing in our lives.  The FINISHED PRODUCT IS WHAT HE IS AFTER.

All things are working together for good!  Therefore we can take heart that no matter what we are facing we can know that this with all the other things that have and will transpire in our lives are being used by God to bring us to that place of ultimate victory He calls GOOD!

            God bless you as you go through your day!

Psalm 116:15 – “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.” NKJV

Most of you are aware that recently my mother passed from this life into her eternal reward and as with most who lose a loved one there is a heavy loneliness and a certain emptiness that comes to our hearts.  The knowledge that they have, as Paul declared, “…fought a good fight, finished their course and kept the faith” does not totally alleviate the sense of grief or loneliness but it most assuredly helps.

I have talked about my mother’s passing to some and been told, “Don’t go there death is too morbid to talk about.”  I can understand the desire of some to reject the reality that this experience will come to all of us but I feel compelled to turn our attention to how the Bible describes God’s view of the death of His children and it is anything but morbid.  If God considers the death of one of His children precious how can we call it morbid?  Could that mean our view of death and our own mortality is flawed? 

In tribute to my mother she lived 95 years 5 months and 3 days on planet earth and her life was not just long but good.  She had a full life and her faith never faltered nor did her love for her family.  I have stated that she was truly a Proverbs 31 woman and I say that without fear of contradiction and she nor my father feared talking about their ultimate encounter with that experience.  She did not view death with finality or as a morbid experience or topic but as what the Bible rightly terms ‘sleep’.  She believed, as do we, that you go to sleep in this life and wake up in Eternity in the Presence of God and there continue our eternal existence but in a changed state from the present deteriorated fleshly condition.

My family misses her incredibly but we rejoice that she has completed her race or fight and we now must continue ours and one day join her in the eternal presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Solomon made a statement in Ecclesiastes 7:1 that many have difficulty with as he declared that the day of death was better than one’s birth.  WHY?  It is rooted in the Psalm listed above and the teachings of the Bible as to what death really is for a believer.  It is not the end but the beginning.  When Jesus prepared to ascend to Heaven He comforted those with Him and all generations to follow by saying, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if I were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know… I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  

We should all reach the point in our understanding and confidence that physical death for those who believe is simple a transition from one realm to another and the new realm is free of pain, sorrow, sickness and sin.  It should be a time of excited anticipation and when a loved one crosses over we will have sorrow but we should also have joy knowing that they have finished their earthly journey and found the City that is made without human hands the City of God.  They truly have arrived and we must yet wait for our change to come.  Therefore if we view the death of a saint the way God does we will find an incredible source of comfort in the midst of our personal pain.  I am rejoicing today in that confidence while my heart is hurting missing my mother and I’m sure that I speak for the rest of the family in that. 

So no matter what your loss know that God’s plan does not fail and Jesus’ promise is an absolute guarantee and our loved ones are enjoying the reality of that promise now.  We can join King David in the knowledge that we cannot bring them back but we can go where they are.  One day our change will come and we will enter into the joys of our Lord.

Thank you for your prayers, support and love.  God is truly our comfort, strength and refuge.  God bless you as you go through your day!

Psalm 23:1-6 – “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.  4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the  shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.  6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.”  NKJV

This Psalm has long be one that the Lord frequently takes me to for ‘refreshing’ and ‘correction’ .  In this Psalm we are brought face to face with the truth that my personality, outside of Christ resists fervently.  We are SHEEP!  A sheep is noticeably a dumb, docile and dependent creature and outside of Christ that is the highest level we reach.  No matter how much we protest and argue differently that is about it.  This Psalm also reminds us that He is our ‘provider’ and ‘provision.’  He gives us ‘rest’ and ‘restoration.’  He leads us through the Valley of the Shadow Death and is our TOTAL SUPPLY.  We are reminded that ‘without Him’ we can do NOTHING!  In Him we live, move and have our being for truly we are dependent creatures!

But there is another aspect of this Psalm that I have found incredibly refreshing.  He ‘restores’ my soul.  That is both wonderful and difficult.  It is wonderful that he does restore my soul and difficult that my soul needs refreshing.  Everything in God begins in REST and if we are to truly and fully enjoy the provisions of the LORD in our Christian walk we must come to know that we are SHEEP.  We must come to the place that we truly and fully realize that we are ‘dependent’ upon the shepherd.  We have to grow to the place that we develop a mentality and lifestyle that ‘looks through circumstances’ rather than ‘looking at them.’  We do that by BEHOLDING HIM! The I AM is our source, strength, enabler, provider and life.  As He IS we ARE (1 John 4:17) The life we NOW LIVE in this flesh we live by the faith of the Son of God.  (Galatians 2:20)

We live in a world that is a complete mess and God is not one bit worried.  We worry and fret but He is not standing looking over the banister of heaven’s balcony with white knuckles gripping the rail in anxiety.  So as we gaze upon God and receive Him for who He is in our lives we enter into that peace that is beyond human comprehension and rest.  The Peace that passes human understanding keeps our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.  (Philippians 4:7)  As a sheep we enter into that peace by beholding Him who is peace.  Our minds are ‘fixed’ upon Him not the circumstances or the Devil’s activities.  We do not focus on circumstances, people, situations, or potential problems we focus on HIM, the Shepherd.  (Isaiah 26:3)  That is the beginning point of our walk in Christ.  We must begin in REST! 

The question then becomes, “How do we move from REST into ACTIVITY?”  Clearly you cannot rest forever and eventually you do have to act.  He ‘restores’ our souls.  You must catch the picture that something happened.  We were in the lush green pastures drinking from the quiet still stream being refreshed but now something has caused the soul to need refreshing and restoring.  If you study the life of a shepherd you will realize that at noon the dew has burned off the meadow and if the sheep are left exposed to the heat of the sun they will die.  The shepherd has to move them from pasture to pasture and when the heat of the sun comes he has to have them in a position to be ‘restored.’

If we learn to ‘rest’ and ‘fix’ our eyes upon Him we will move from pasture to pasture, problem to problem, answer to answer and find RESTORATION as it is required.  The LORD is our shepherd and in the difficult times He IS.

            May the Lord be with you as you go through your day!