John 11:40-44 – “Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”  41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”  43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”  44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” NKJV

I love the story of Lazarus.  I have little doubt there were those in the crowd who believed Jesus could do all things, some believed had He been there Lazarus would have lived and others who were just curious.  He instructed them to take him to the tomb where Lazarus had been buried for four days and the smell would permeate the atmosphere should they roll away the stone.  Jesus was undeterred when they protested and instructed them to take away the stone. He prayed an incredibly simple prayer and then commanded loudly for Lazarus to come out of the tomb.  Lazarus was dead!  He had been dead four days!  In the natural mind he wasn’t going anywhere he was dead and decomposition was setting in.

Amazingly, when He issued a commanded that was probably a shock to many of those present, Lazarus came out of the tomb wrapped in the burial linens.  I can only imagine the sight of a figure emerging from the tomb bound head to foot with the cloths they used to wrap the dead.  What a sight that must have been and I would not be surprised if some wanted to turn and run even if they resisted that urge.

In many ways, Lazarus is a picture of us when we first come to Christ in salvation.  We are still bound with the grave-clothes of a life of sin and cannot fully function in that condition.  We are alive with the newness of life and our names are now in the Lamb’s Book of Life but we are not ready to fully function.  That is why we need the Holy Spirit to do what Jesus commanded, “Loose him, and let him go.”  Take the extraneous trappings from his life.  We need the wise master builders to mold and shape us fitting us into that role and function we are designated in the Body of Christ.  We need to be taught and allowed to mature spiritually from infancy to adolescence to adulthood.  We need to be LOOSED from the baggage that still tries to attach itself to our lives.

God help us to not only hear the call to life but to allow those instructed of the Spirit of God to LOOSE US!  May we be those who are teachable!  May we realize that we have not arrived but are pressing toward the mark and to reach that goal effectively and be vessels meet for the Master’s use we need to be LOOSED!

            God bless you as you go through this day!

Proverbs 21:2 – “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts.”  NKJV

I recall a discussion with an individual about a particular matter of faith and that individual proclaimed something that was, in my view, completely foreign to the precepts and principles of God’s word.  In fact, their belief was in direct conflict with several passages in the Bible that would be difficult to interpret differently.

It was when I reminded this person of those passages he said, “But it’s what I believe.”  In short, he was declaring that it did not matter how many passages from the Bible I could present to them, he had decided that what he believed was right and nothing else mattered or would sway him.  That is an incredibly dangerous position in matters of faith or in matters of life generally.  If we ignore revealed truth in defense of our particular belief or ideology we are not just being foolish we become potentially dangerous.  We are dangerous to the faith of the weak, newbies, susceptible and our own faith.  We are allowing ourselves to become tools of the enemy of our souls and demonstrating a stubbornness that is akin to witchcraft.

Most of us, believe that what we believe is right and most of the time believe that what we are doing and how we are living is right.  It is almost impossible to look at self objectively for we all have blind spots that we are totally unable to see and often reject when they are revealed or suggested.  However, God is not subject to our view or inability to see truth about our lives or conduct.  He sees everything and the end from the beginning.  He knows our thoughts afar off.  He knows when we get up, sit down, or lay down.  He is OMNISCIENT, OMNIPRESENT, and OMNIPOTENT.  He sees and knows and desires, through the Holy Spirit, to guide us into all truth.

God weighs our hearts and if we are weighed in the balance and found wanting we should desire Him to lead us into rightness and righteousness.  If we are in error we should desire to find truth.  In my years of living the Christian life and Christian service I have found that some things I initially believed I no longer believe because I have gained knowledge, from His Word, and my doctrine and beliefs have been modified to accommodate the word not the word modified to accommodate my beliefs.

Just because we believe something does not make it truth it makes it our belief or opinion.  If the facts, the revealed word of God and the Spirit of God pull back the veil of understanding and expose us to a greater revelation we need to incorporate truth into our beliefs.  I know some who search the Bible to find isolated passages they can use to solidify their argument or belief rather than seeking to KNOW TRUTH and adapt their beliefs to truth. Just because we think we are right does not mean that we are it means we think we are!

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

Proverbs 18:10 – “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.”  NKJV

The apostle Paul echoed that truth in Romans 14 when he was talking about how we viewed various things in life and how we set aside time to worship.  He said in verse 7, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.”  Simply, we are not islands isolated and alone in life.  We may opt for that condition but it is not a wise thing for as Ecclesiastes 4:11-12 reveals we need each other and “…a threefold cord is not quickly or easily broken.”

We are members of the Body of Christ and individually we are not the body.  As the human body needs all the other members to function completely and efficiently so does the Body of Christ.  We are “living stones” fitted and framed into a spiritual house.  We draw strength, wisdom and hope from each other.  When one is down another can pick him up as Ecclesiastes 4:10 reveals.

I have had people tell me, “I don’t need anyone.”  I do and so do they!  Iron sharpens iron and if we come together and I deposit my light or understanding and you deposit yours we have more than either had separately or alone.  Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 18 that if “…two or three gather in His name…”  HE IS THERE!  He also said that if two of us AGREE on anything it will be done for us.  There is tremendous power to be drawn from others who are of like precious faith.

I have experienced the reality of this passage in dealing with people over the years and found that some who want to isolate themselves do so because they do not want any push-back to their opinions or desires.  They want to do what they want, when they want and how they want and want no one’s input.  If for no other reason, fellowship would be enough to reject becoming a hermit or isolating oneself in life.  Remember that God said in Genesis 2, “It is not good that man should be alone…”

You may find yourself feeling alone and even rejected by others around you but know that you are NEVER alone for we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother, our LORD.  I know that in some of my darkest times having others as a support group was invaluable.  In times when I had to make critical decisions having the insight and input from others of the faith helped prevent my making some very bad decisions.

You are not an island in life and should never desire to be one.  All of us need time when we pull back or come aside and have some alone time with the LORD but that is not a permanent condition to be desired.  If I am facing battles in life I do not want to stand alone but want the warriors who will go into the trenches with me.  I want the other members of the Body to function providing that which I need and can draw from in the LORD.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

John 8:31-36 – “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”  NKJV

So often in life and in search of eternal life we complicate matters beyond the reasonable.  Jesus was speaking to those who believed and declared, “IF…”  When we see “if” it should immediately demand our attention.  If what?  He said, “If you ABIDE in My word…”  The Greek word translated (continue) in the KJV and (abide) in the NKJV is ‘meno’ which means:  abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand or tarry.  It is a word that implies taking up residence and living in a particular place or state.  Jesus is telling them that if they make His word their permanent residence THEN they will be His disciples.  It is more than just believing and repenting of sin it is ABIDING or CONTINUING in the precepts and principles of His word.

He continues by telling them that if this condition exists it will result in them KNOWING the truth and that truth they know will make them free.  It is knowing absolutely or being totally convinced.  When we review the verses which follow we realize that the KNOWING is a revelation of sin and the ravages of sin.  It is an equipping to stand against sin for Jesus revealed that the person who commits sin is a SLAVE, a slave to sin.  The slave does not have longevity to abide in the house but the son does and if we are SET FREE by the Son we are TOTALLY FREE. 

Spiritual freedom is not belonging to a church, although that is good.  It is not attending services, although that is good.  It is FREEDOM from the dominion of sin.  It is FREEDOM to live a life that is in perfect harmony with the will and plan of God.  It is FREEDOM to manifest the true heart and nature of the Living God through Jesus Christ.  Abiding in His word produces discipleship and discipleship pulls back the veil of darkness and allows us to walk into the light where we see truth and truth breaks the chains of sin liberating us.

It is more than a Bible reading plan it is ingesting the word of God so that it becomes part of our lives.  It is more than knowing doctrine it is having the Living Word of the Living God produce life within our hearts and spirits.  It is becoming one with the Word and with He who is the Word of God.

            May the Lord be with you as you move forward in becoming….  Blessings!

Psalm 30:5 – “…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  NKJV

Kris Kristofferson wrote a song title, “Help Me Make It Through The Night” and it speaks of the human need for comfort, companionship and compassion.  It speaks of the horrors of being alone and how we as humans need someone to help us make it through difficult times in life.  That is so true of life in general and while reaching out to another human in what could be an illicit relationship attempting to dull the pain through a night of passion might give a temporary respite and please the flesh it will not solve the problem.

When we are facing difficult times and weeping is our state we need something or someone who can truly take away the pain and make us whole again.  The Psalmist declared that “…weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  Joy, not happiness or the euphoria of pleasure but JOY!  Joy is not conditioned upon circumstances it is a condition of heart and mind that looks beyond circumstances into solutions.  In the spiritual realm it is conditional upon our relationship with God and our attitude toward Him and His promises.  It grows out of trust and faith. 

I have had times when I was not sure I could last the night and my cry was, “Lord, help me make it through the night.”  I relied on His promise that He would NEVER leave me or forsake me but would be with me at all times and through all time.  I relied on His promise that if I called upon Him He would come to me and not cast me aside.  I relied on His provision of grace and His demonstrated love.  The devil had come in like a flood, people had deserted me, I had been abandoned and left to drift on the sea of life alone and was desperate and in despair.  I cried to the Lord and He heard me and as the Psalmist declared, “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”  (34:4)

There are times when the comfort of another human is woefully inadequate and we need the One who has been tempted in all points as we to console us.  We need the One who has overcome hell and the grave to reach out to us.  We need the Shepherd to walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death and comfort us.  We need the LORD to help us make it through the time of weeping so that we can emerge in the light where JOY shines like the noonday sun.

If you are facing a time in which you feel the entire world is on your shoulders and the walls are closing in call to Jesus and He will comfort you.  He truly feels your pain, understands your sorrow and desires to lift you above the dark pit facing you.  Do not pray in doubt but in optimistic faith, “LORD, help me make it through this plight or night.”

             God bless you as you continue your journey through this thing called life. 

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 – “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.”  NKJV

I have dealt with people all my life including my Christian life who were busybodies, self-ordained fruit inspectors and incredibly nosey.  They always had a word of advice and felt the need to meddle in other people’s affairs.  They could never understand why other’s viewed them as meddlesome.  They genuinely believed it was their duty to set others straight, put in their two-cents and comment on virtually everything.  They failed in the directive of Paul in the above passage to “mind their own business.” 

There is an old country song by Hank Williams entitled, “Mind Your Own Business” and in the lyrics is the suggestion, “Why don’t you mind your own business ’cause if you mind your business, then you won’t be mindin’ mine.”  Good advice and biblical.  The writer of Proverbs captures it perfectly saying, “He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears.”  (26:17). Then a few verses further he says, “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.”  (26:20). Peter speaks to this issue saying, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.”  (1 Peter 4:15). Imagine lumping meddling in the same category of murder, theft and general evil doing.  That suggests that God considers it an important activity to cease from.

Even if your observation is accurate and your counsel correct if it is unsolicited it can easily become a source of contention.  Rather than making the matter better or resolving the issue it may aggravate it.  Although we are not islands and it is a valid biblical principle to warn the wicked to turn from wickedness and to warn of danger it is also biblical to mind your own business.  If it is not ‘life or death’ we should walk very carefully before grabbing the dog by the ears and meddling.  I have observed parents of grown children meddle in the lives and affairs of their children and the result is usually negative.  Sometimes, in matters not life or death, a person needs to make their own mistakes and learn from them without someone attempting to coerce them toward a particular decision or action.  Most of us resent or resist when someone is perceived to be meddling in our affairs.  A principle of Scripture comes to mind, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  

I have found that I have enough issues to deal with in my own life that adding the weight of the problems or perceived problems of others is more than I can or need to bear.  If the Holy Spirit truly directs us to intervene or offer our ‘wisdom’ He will also provide an appropriate opportunity.  If we charge in like a bull in a china shop to right the wrongs and save the day we will likely be viewed negatively and our counsel however wise will fall on deaf ears and possibly harden the heart.  It is always appropriate to take the matter to prayer.  When I find something in another that I perceive as error and in need of wise counsel, I pray.  In my prayer I ask God to bring into the pathway of that individual events and things that will cause them to either seek advice or alter their direction.  In those times when, after prayer, a person asks my opinion or counsel I feel completely free and frequently will find them receptive and open to a view they had not before seen.  I never want to be meddlesome or a busybody.  If I am busy minding my business I have little time to mind yours.

            God bless you as you go through this day! 

James 1:2-4 – “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  NKJV

I remember as a brand new Christian realizing I needed to learn patience so I prayed for patience.  WOW!  I prayed for patience and everything that could go wrong went wrong.  I had more problems than I could handle and became frustrated.  I went to my pastor and said, “But I prayed for patience!”  He laughed and said, “How do you think patience comes?  It is not a gift that God deposits in your heart without tests it is LEARNED!”  That was a revelation for a new Christian and since that day I always put a warning label on the topic when I talk about patience with people.  If you pray for patience expect opportunities to demonstrate patience.  Now, I am not suggesting you do not pray for patience for it is a much needed character trait in our spiritual development but understand how it comes and is learned.  Patience is usually on the job training and is learned in the midst of opportunities to be impatient.

Patience is a fruit not gift of the Spirit.  It is a learned commodity not necessarily an inherited one.  I readily acknowledge that some people have a temperament much more conducive to exhibiting patience than others.  I believe we can help our children learn patience and impress upon them the need and value of patience and thereby help them to become more patient and less impatient.  Unfortunately, we live in a world with a micro-wave mentality and with the computer technology of fast, faster and fastest we want everything yesterday if not sooner.  Sadly, sometimes that is reflected in our relationship with God and our prayers.  We submit a quick memo to God and expect an immediate response.

Paul prays for those in Colossae, “May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience.”  (Colossians 1:11)  We are told in Lamentations 3:25, “The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him.”  Abraham learned patience through experience and although it took years for the promise to be realized it came.  He could have cast away his confidence in God through impatience and he and Sarah did take matters in their own hands through impatience and the world is still paying for that act.  Jesus, speaking of the Last Days instructed those listening, “By your patience possess your souls.”  (Luke 21:19)

If you want to be strong you have to do things to become strong.  In the natural you have to exercise and in the spiritual strength comes from spiritual exercise.  Albeit quite different approaches but the same principle.  In the natural you tear down the muscle to build the muscle and in the spiritual you tear down the old man to build the new man.  One does not become adept at things instantly.  I know that some are more naturally gifted than others thus we identify them as ‘natural born athletes’.  Learning to deal with people is not automatic, for most, and the more we learn what works and does not work and the varying personalities we must deal with the more proficient we become.  Parenting is a learning process and often we are much better with the 2nd or 3rd child than the first in many things.  Skills are developed they cannot be purchased or downloaded.  Patience is also a learned quality and to develop patience requires the existence of conditions in which it is challenged.  Patience is easy when things are going good and we are not negatively impacted but difficult when they are not good.

So, if you prayed for patience you need to realize that YOU ASKED FOR IT and God is giving you opportunity to develop that for which you prayed!   May the LORD continue to help you develop that which you desire and need to develop and mature in Him.   Blessings!

Ecclesiastes 9:10-12 – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. 11 I returned and saw under the sun that — The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.  12 For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.”  NKJV

First, let me address the issue of FAIRNESS and state that as defined by man “fairness” is a perception of what the individual determines to be fair.  It is not always based on reality, logic, evidence or facts but perception, preference and desire.  Therefore, if we do not get what we want we cry UNFAIR.  Was it unfair?  Many factors come into play in making that determination but I truly do not find a promise in the Bible that life would be fair rather that God would be and is just.

As the writer of Ecclesiastes says the fastest does not always win the race, remember the fairy tale of the tortoise and the hare?  The strong do not always win the battle sometimes it is the fortunate, the wise, the planner or schemer that wins the battle.  Just being wise does not put food on the table or money in the bank.  Having skill does not automatically mean you get the job.  Sometimes the chips fall your way and sometimes they do not.  Sometimes you are the windshield and sometimes you are the bug.  Sometimes life catches us in the cruel net of the devious and we fall prey to the schemes of those who are less than honest and trustworthy. But God is always faithful and just.

The parable of the man who owned a vineyard and through the day hired laborers to work was considered unfair by some and wonderfully fair and just by others.  It was perception not reality.  Was it fair for him to pay everyone the same?  The vineyard and money belonged to him and he had the right to do what he did.  Do we want God to be fair in His treatment of us?  I SUGGEST YOU TAP THE BRAKES ON THAT!  I want Him to be merciful and in that mercy just but if I got what I deserved…  NO THANK YOU!

The expressed desire of many in our modern world to make everything fair is based on a false philosophy that life was meant to be fair and fairness can be mandated.  If one person works diligently and goes above and beyond in doing the job should they be compensated the same as someone who does not.  Is that fair?  Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people.  It rains on the just and unjust and the wheat and tares grow in the same field.  There will be a day when we stand before God and if you want to call it, FAIRNESS will be demonstrated but it will not be FAIRNESS by the definition of man but Mercy and Justice by the definition of God.

Therefore, stop crying about FAIRNESS and realize that you are more than a conqueror through Him that loves you.  You can do all things through the Jesus Christ.  You are a child of God and no matter what the enemy sends your way you have the weapons of warfare, the armor of God and the power of His Spirit to STAND FIRM and RISE VICTORIOUS.  Life is not fair so get over it and begin to LIVE.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

Hebrews 12:25-29 – “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”   27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.”  NKJV

No I’m not talking about the song of yesteryear by Jerry Lee Lewis, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” I’m talking about the shaking God is about to and in some cases is doing.  The writer of Hebrews quoted a prophecy from Haggai 2…

6 “For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts. 9 ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.”  NKJV

The warning is as clear as the solution.  He refers to previous judgments of God and plainly stated that those who rejected God did not escape nor shall we.  The people of Noah’s day did not escape.  Those building Babel did not escape.  Sodom and Gomorrah did not escape.  They all had a common thread, they rejected God unlike the city of Nineveh which repented upon hearing Jonah’s preaching.  The warning is clear, if we reject God we will not escape and I am totally convinced we are about to see a “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On” here in this present world including the United States of America.

This shaking will remove that which is not rooted and grounded in God’s Eternal Truth.  If we modify the Bible to fit our politically correct world interpretation that will be shaken.  If we dilute the message of the Cross to make it anything other than a foundational element in the redemption of man that will be shaken.  If we reject the truth that Jesus is the way, truth, life and the only door to God that will be shaken.  If we make our churches and ministries more of a social experiment than a spiritual hospital and university that will be shaken.  If we promote self that will be shaken.  I have talked with many today who are expressing being ‘fed up’ politically and political correctness and I usually say, “Do you think God is getting fed up with us?”  Have we become complacent and compromised our convictions for the sake of acceptance?  God is incredibly longsuffering as has been demonstrated over the generations but the Bible warns of a time when He will say ENOUGH and then look out for “A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Is Going to Happen.”

Can you be shaken?  Will you be shaken?  Will you find that what you have set your hand to is something that cannot be shaken?  All questions we cannot fully answer until the shaking but things we should be considering as we move through life.  Shaking is coming and if we have run with the footmen and the minor wearied us what will we do when horses come and shaking begins?  I plead for each of us to make it our ambition to only do what we see Him doing and only say what we hear Him saying.  Let us SEEK FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  May God be our Lord and our Savior!

            God bless you richly as you go through this beautiful day!