Malachi 1:6-8 – “A son honors his father, and a servant his master; if then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. And if you say, in what have we despised thy name?⁷ In that you offer polluted bread upon my altar; and if you say, in what have we polluted it? In that you say, the table of the LORD is contemptible.⁸ And when you offer a blind animal to the altar, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick animals, is it not evil? Offer it now to your governor; will he be pleased with you or accept your person? says the LORD of hosts.” 

As I read this passage, I was forced to ask myself some questions connected to the questions God asked these people.  In it, I am forced to reexamine my personal relationship, commitment, and actions toward God and His Word. 

As I prayed over this, it was as if the veil over my understanding was lifted, and my heart was challenged and drawn to the Lord.  Here, God asked some challenging and even chastening questions.  I have had people tell me that God does not chasten us because He loves us too much.  That is diametrically opposite of love, and that is not God.  He even declares that the one He loves He chastens.  Chastening is a sign of being a daughter or a son.

His questions are germane to us today.  His first question was, “IF,” and that is the big issue “IF, as you declare, I your Father, where is the honor you should be giving Me?”  It is easy to say words that we do not mean in our hearts.  God was not looking for affirmation via words but an affirmation of that truth via actions and the condition of the heart.  These people said the right words but kept their hearts back.  God was only Father in their verbiage, not their lives.

Then, God said, “IF” that pesky little word reappears.  “You call me LORD (master); IF I am, then why don’t you have reverential fear and respect for Me?”  They were dumbfounded. After all, they attended synagogue and went to the temple.  They prayed their prayers and offered their offerings.  Yet, God revealed that something was missing.  It is not enough to attend church or even be actively involved.  God is after the heart, not words or busyness.

They evidenced their lack of honor, fear, respect, and commitment in their offerings.  God revealed that they were offering defiled food on the altar.  What is that?  In the simplest terms, it was giving God the second best or leftovers.  It was the spare change in money and heart.  It was what I call “Tipping Living.”

They were allowing the profane to thrive.  They were feasting at the tables; they should have been overturning.  God will accept no offering that is not pure (whole-heart commitment).

Malachi 2:17 – “You have wearied Me with your words.”  Wow!  That alone would be devastating, but He did not stop there. He said, “You say evil is good, and everybody and everything is okay.”  Calling evil good and good evil incurs God’s disfavor, not His blessing.

Chapter Three deals with the tithe, which is far more than a percentage.  It is about commitment, love, faith, and revelation.  God invites us to put Him to the test and allow Him to prove to us His faithfulness.  It is also a means to prove to the world God’s faithfulness.  It becomes a light shining into the darkness.

I have learned that obedience, like nothing else, opens heaven to us.  The promised blessings that He would bless UNTIL “it was beyond enough.”  Are you experiencing God’s blessings, provisions, peace, and power UNTIL “it is beyond enough?”  That indicated lavishness and abundance beyond human ability to comprehend.  It is talking about far more than the material things of life.

Then, the promise is that God will rebuke and restrain the devourer.  That sounds good to me!  Having protection from corruption is inviting and appealing.  That means we must ensure that our offerings to God (self and other things) are pure, not just our spare change or tips.  God’s promise is a perpetual cycle of blessing and protection for His Glory!  Money is not the focus; God is.  God’s purpose is.  The harvest is.  Functioning in the fullness of God is. 

We have a commission and a mission, and God, through Malachi, reveals a pathway to a greater measure of God’s presence, person, provision, and power.  Therefore, we need to determine that we will give God nothing less than our best and our whole selves.  Then, the promise kicks in that God, in return, gives us Himself, all that He is and has.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, will be impossible for us. 

What is our part?  Faith and obedience.  We need to train ourselves to expect God to do what He says He will do.  We need to expect God’s promises to be realities NOW!  We need to address our problems with God’s Word and give God our best – His Best is seen at the Cross.

Have a wonderful day, and walk in His fullness. 

Romans 6:1-7 – “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also being the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.”  NASB

A preacher recently told me, “I’m dead to sin.”  That is wonderful, and it should be our ambition, spiritually.  However, during the conversation, he began complaining about how some situation was troubling him with the temptation to sin.  He related how another problem was causing him grief and offense. 

I waited until the conversation had continued a bit more and said to him, “You said you are dead to sin, right?”  He very piously said, “ABSOLUTELY!”  I asked, “How many dead people have you seen tempted, offended, or grieved?”  He looked stunned, and I continued, “If you are truly dead to sin, then temptation should have no impact on you, nor should things offend.” 

The problem is that this is a goal or prize we should aim for and attain, but it is often just that for most of us.  We are pressing toward the mark but have not arrived.  My experience in my own life and what I see in others is that we aim for it, strive for it, and work toward it, but too often, we find that it is not a fulfilled reality in our lives, at least on some level.

Maybe we need to rethink our understanding of salvation. Perhaps we need to ask the Holy Spirit for discipline and determination to walk out in life what the Bible declares about us.  Once we come to Christ and have our sins forgiven, we enter into the newness of life.  At that point, we are not perfect but find that our spiritual life is a progression and growth experience.  We mature, develop, encounter, overcome, fail, succeed, and become more like Christ as we move through this dimension called time. 

We should not now or in the future be slaves to sin because we have been set free from its bondage and chains through the Blood of Jesus.  When we find that we are not quite as dead as we professed, it is time to head to the prayer closet, shut the door, and cry out to God for His help.  It is time to allow the Holy Spirit to identify areas of our life that need radical spiritual surgery and those areas in which we are anything but dead so we can rise to the newness of life in Jesus through death to sin.

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

John 17:17 – “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” NASB

Psalm 119:160 – “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.”  NASB

Several years ago, a dear child of God declared to me, “Jesus said it, I believe it, and that makes it so.”  I did not challenge the individual then, but I have often thought about that statement.  Is something true because Jesus said it, and we believe it? 

I contend that a word is not true because God says it but that God says it because it is True!  I also maintain that because we believe something has little to do with its veracity.  Many people believe things that are quite wrong, so this person’s statement may comfort us, but it is erroneous in its beginning and, therefore, would end up in an erroneous destination.

The Bible tells us to be capable of giving a reason for the Hope within us and to be able to do so with calmness and reason and do so grounded in truth.  Jesus’ declaration to the Father that Your Word is Truth is the basis and foundation for us. 

Paul instructed Timothy to ‘rightly handle the Word of Truth’ in his ministry and life.  We have an unshakable foundation to build our lives and faith when we conclude that God’s Word is Truth!  It is not just because something is in the Bible that we depend on, but we depend on the truth that it is in the Bible because it is Truth that we anchor our hope and faith upon.

I have complete confidence in God and His Word and believe God only speaks what is True!  I realize that some will say that I’m splitting hairs here, and maybe so, but in dealing with unbelievers, atheists, and agnostics, my approach has had more impact on them than the declaration I was told years ago. 

When I approach it from the point of fact that God only speaks what is right and true, there has been a greater openness to my argument than when I declare, “It is in the Bible!”  If a person does not believe the Bible, that declaration has little value. Still, when you begin to present your argument using the factual, scientific reason that what God has said is True and then rise to the point that God only speaks what is True, there is more ground to reason with them.

When I came to this way of thinking, my faith grew stronger, and my confidence in God became more pronounced.  It has helped in some challenging times and times when everything around me was designed and directed at shipwrecking my confidence in God.  The foundational conviction that God Only Speaks What is True gives me a foundational rock that life’s events cannot shake.

This may help you, and if it does, fantastic. Please consider this point of view as you face the many events of life and reach out to those who do not believe.

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

John 13:5-20 – “Then He poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.”  8 Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, ” If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”  9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”  11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason, He said, “Not all of you are clean.” 

12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.  14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.  16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.  17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.  18 ” I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’  19 “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.  20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” NASB

The account of Jesus “washing the feet” of the disciples is incredibly powerful and meaningful both then and now.  I can easily understand their reaction and wonder at what he was doing.  They were still in a mindset of Jesus setting up an “Earthly Kingdom” and becoming “King.” 

They envisioned positions of importance in that Kingdom he would establish as he threw off the yoke of the Sanhedrin and Rome, and here The King was assuming the role of a servant.  That was more than their human nature could grasp.  It tells me also that they had lost some of their understanding or had not yet achieved the level of understanding that in this Christian Walk, we are to “serve others,” not just be the lead and out front.  We are not just to be “receivers” or “takers” but “givers” in every dimension.

I look around the church today, and too often, I hear the Lead Pastor saying, “My Church.”  When I hear that, I cringe a little on the inside because it is not his church, my church, your church, their church, or any human’s church. It is God’s Church!  Jesus said, “I will build MY CHURCH!”  

Servant Leadership was his method and should be ours.  There was never a question about his position or authority. Still, He refused to be placed on a pedestal and develop some kind of religious hierarchy that has invaded the church world of our time.  It appears that we have lost some of the vision of the Church being The Body of Christ, and a body has many parts, with each part playing a particular role and having importance for the body to function to perfection. 

When I see men of God appearing to lord, their position over people, I run the other way from that group.  I have never felt that I had to demand people recognize my position because I knew and know that whatever gift I have from God will bring me before whomever I need to be brought before. That gift will be recognized and as I walk humbly before the Lord respected.

I do not like “titles” because they tend to separate or inflate.  If you want them, that is between you and God; I will not trouble you with my personal belief.  If Christ is exhibited in my life and the gift, He has placed in me is exercised under the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, it will be recognized and given what place of respect God deems appropriate.  

Does that gift make me better than anyone else?  Absolutely Not!  It makes me unique only because it is my niche in God’s program, and you are unique in yours, and together we sow, water, nurture, and God gives the increase.  We are a Body connected by every joint and sinew spiritually, with the Blood of Jesus flowing to every individual cell bringing life and health!  That is the Glorious Church that Jesus is Building!

I pray that God will bless you as you go through your day, and I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to rekindle the “Spirit of Serving” in your heart in a new measure today. 

Blessings abundantly as you go through the remainder of your week in Him!

Proverbs 15:30-33 – “The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy.   31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life Will abide among the wise. 32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. 33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.” NKJV

We are told in Scripture that when your eyes are good, your whole body is full of light and that the light of the body is the eye (Luke 11; Matthew 6).  We have all heard that the eyes are the window of the soul, and here in Proverbs, we are told that the “light of the eyes brings joy to the heart.” 

Light is Truth, and Truth brings Liberty, and Liberty brings Joy, and Joy brings Freedom and produces Rejoicing!    The result of walking in Truth and hearing not only the “Good Report of Jesus” but getting “Good Reports in Life” causes health to flow into the bones, and from the bones comes the marrow, which is crucial to health in the body like the blood.  Isn’t it amazing how powerful the truths of God’s word are?

The writer did not stop there but when on to say:

• The person who will hear life’s rebukes will abide among the wise.
• The one who disdains instruction despises his own soul.
• The one who heeds rebuke gets understanding.

It is from “understanding” that we gain “knowledge,” and from “knowledge” that we come to know the Lord, and as we develop a “reverential fear” of the Lord and follow His Instructions, we gain wisdom! 

From the position of walking in “wisdom,” we gain “humility” because we know who we are and who He is.  Out of that position comes Honor!  Everything in God is a progression. 

It is a process.  It is line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.  You do not wake up one morning a fully developed adult from an infant, nor do you instantly become a fully mature Christian from a babe in Christ – – It is a Process!  Involved along the way is “Believing the Good Report” and receiving “Good Reports of Life.”

A Good Report is invaluable in our Christian Experience, which is one reason I believe sharing our “good reports” with those around us is essential to encourage them.  When I hear what God has done in the life of another, I have several options:

• I can become jealous because He has not done the same for me.
• I can dismiss it as some delusional thought about coincidence.
• I can rejoice with them and allow that “good report” to inspire my faith and confidence in God.

I choose the latter!  So, bring on the “Good Reports” I want to rejoice with you!  I am Forgiven, and what better report could one give than that?  

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

John 14:1-6 – “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.   3 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.  4 And where I go, you know, and the way you know.”   5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”  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 do not know how anyone could fail to recognize that the hour in which we live is a “time of trouble,” or “troubling times.”  It seems that in many ways, mankind has slipped a little farther down the slope of depravity, become more vile, and the violence and corruption are reaching epic proportions all over the world. 

The Bible and our Lord identified the characteristics of these Last Days and gave us numerous warnings and precautions.  Here we find one of the most pertinent passages regarding “troubled times” in the Bible. 

Consider what Jesus says:

• Let not your heart be troubled…

That is an action that each of us is responsible for.  It is a choice, a decision based on a fact that is indisputable and unshakable.  It is based on reason and hope.  It is a direct command for all the followers of Christ.  Instead of succumbing to the temptation to “fret” and become “fearful,” we are to dismiss our “troubled hearts.”

• You believe in God, believe also in Me…

That is the foundation upon which the command is given – Our Faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ.  If we genuinely believe God, then “fear” has to depart because “perfect love casts our fear,” and God is Love in Perfection.  He has and will never fail to keep His promises.  His words are more sure than anything we see or know in the natural realm.

• His Promise extends or adds to our confidence…

“In My Father’s House are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you….” The eternal abode awaits us, so what do we have to fear in this life?  Nothing! 

• “I go to prepare a place for you…”

What a promise we have that Jesus is now in preparation of our Eternal Bridal Chamber to spend eternity with him as His bride.

• “And If I go… I will come again… That where I am, there you may be also…”

The ultimate diminishing of fear and trouble of heart.

Jesus identified that to access this promise and provision, we must come “through Him.”  He is the WAY….  He is the TRUTH…. He is the LIFE…. He is the ONLY access to the Father.  There are not many roads to heaven and salvation; it is through the Blood of Jesus alone.  It is through the Atonement, the work of Christ on the Cross.  No other religion, philosophy, or act of penance, NOTHING BUT JESUS!

If you are troubled today, look inside your heart, and ask yourself if you put your entire trust and confidence in Jesus.  If not, then run to him.  May the Lord bless you as you go through your day!

Psalm 61:1-2 – “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” NKJV

I love the Psalms!  Every time I read this passage; it moves me more than words can describe because I have been there many times.  We have all faced those moments when we were overwhelmed by life or the events and circumstances of life. 

There have been those times when the news that came was so earth-shattering that we did not think we could take another step.  There have been those times when we were unsure how to survive the situation, and disaster appeared imminent.  There have been those times when we were so battle fatigued that we hardly felt that we could pray, much less that there would be an answer to our prayers.  It is in those times that this Psalm rises within our hearts!

Listen to the Psalmist – “From the end of the earth, I will cry to You!”  Wow!  That is an expression of desperation and confidence we all need to maintain in our hearts.  Our dependency must be so wholly upon God that no matter what transpires, our first inclination is to ‘Cry Out to Him!’

“When my heart is OVERWHELMED, lead me to the Rock that is Higher than I.”  In my moment of total despair, I need You, Oh Lord, to have Your Holy Spirit come, take my hand, and lead me to YOU!  I need to ascend above my trials, troubles, and tribulations and sit at Your feet so I can see not only Your hand working but that there is a place above the fray!  I need to know that You are my strength, sword, shield, sustainer, and life! 

Lord, You know my frailty and humanity.  You know that I will sometimes despair and show signs of losing heart, so I cry out to You that in those times, You Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.  You, Oh Lord, are my Hope!  I know You are my keeper and shade on my right hand.  I know that You will never leave or forsake me and will always be there whenever I need You, even when I do not know I need You.

My continual cry is, “Lord, help me always remember that I need you every hour.”  My continual prayer is, “Lord, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”  I give you praise and thanksgiving, for not only are you worthy of all praise, but you have never and will never fail me!

My dear friends, whenever your heart is Overwhelmed, the Lord is there to lead you to the Rock that is higher than you! 

May the Lord bless you richly as you go through your day!

Galatians 6:7-10 – “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. “NKJV

I have often been asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?’ I have also been asked, “Why do some people live wicked lives and never seem to have any problems?”  I will not attempt to address the first one at this time other than to say the Bible tells us that the rain falls on the just and unjust alike, and we know from studying the scripture that it never says life is fair, only that God is just!  God will take the bad in our lives and work “all things together” for our ultimate good, which is the wrong question.

As for the second question, I have frequently replied, “Payday Someday!”  There will be a day of reckoning in which we will all give account of our lives and actions before God.  We may go through this life seemingly untouched and unaffected by our actions, but there will be an accounting.  I would rather have God’s chastening hand now than hear His judgment then!  I would instead be disciplined now than face the ultimate judgment then! 

That being said, God is far more interested in redemption than punishment.  He is far more interested in bringing us into the family of God than seeing us spend eternity in Hell.  Had that not been the case, Jesus would never have gone to the Cross.  Sadly, many have been coddled for so long and so many excuses made for their behavior that they have been anesthetized to the pricks of conscience and somehow believe that they are immune or even justified in their lifestyles and actions. 

That is another reason parents should “train up their children in the way that they should go.”  Godly training as a child may not be something that the child or teen appears to have any interest in whatsoever, but those seeds will germinate as life goes on, and they will never be able to escape those pricks to their conscience.  They may continue to reject God, but at least there will be the seed in their hearts that is an open door for the Holy Spirit to walk through to bring conviction and challenge to their lives. 

Life is somewhat like farming. 

• We reap what we sow.  The farmer will not get green beans or watermelons if he plants corn. 
• We reap later than we sow.  The crops do not rise instantly from the soil but take time to germinate, grow, develop, and produce fruit. 
• We reap more than we sow.  If you plant one kernel of corn, you get a corn stalk that produces multiple ears, each with many kernels, so the harvest is many-fold more than the initial planting. 

The same is true in life.   

• If you want to reap Love, you must sow Love. 
• If you want to reap Blessings, you must be a Blessing. 
• If you want to reap Compassion, you must demonstrate Compassion. 

The question is, “What is the harvest you need right now?”  My advice is to begin planting the seed for that harvest!

May God richly bless you as you go through your day in Him!

Romans 12:1-2 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” NKJV

Much is said in today’s political world and even in religious circles about compromise.  There are some things in both those arenas that “compromise” is not acceptable, and in this passage, we find one of those cases.

Notice that the apostle Paul is telling the Roman Christians to present their bodies as “living sacrifices” to God.  He then tells them a two-fold bit of instruction that I want us to consider:

Be not conformed to this world.  If we follow political correctness to its full desired goal, we will abandon all the basic principles of our Faith and the Bible and Compromise.   We would use the other world that is rampant today as a guide to the detriment of our core beliefs – Tolerance. 

Many non-religious and even some so-called religious people believe that we should accept every religion and teaching that comes down the pike and that there are many roads to heaven.  The Bible differs from that view and identifies that JESUS is the Door and is the only access to the Father. 

Paul tells those listening and those of us reading today, whatever you do, refuse to be “conformed” to this world and its philosophy or ideology.  You are in this world but through Christ, not of it.

He then takes the second step and tells them to be Transformed by the renewing of their minds.  The mind plays a much more significant role in the Christian walk than most are willing to acknowledge.  It is not a mindless following of Christ that the Bible asks us to do but a well-thought-out evaluation and examination of Truth.

Our minds can be compared to a computer, and sometimes when viruses, malware, and spyware infiltrate, we need to reprogram to eliminate them.  Sometimes we need a Holy Spirit purging of the philosophy of Egypt or the World and return to the core foundational principles taught in God’s Word.  In that place, we come to know the “will of God.”  The will that is “good, acceptable, and perfect.”

So instead of being intimidated into casting away your principles in the interest of “Political Correctness,” hold on to your convictions, for they are worth dying for.  Hold on to the basic principles of God’s Word; they are worth living for.  Allow the Holy Spirit to reprogram or renew your mind so that you are so in tune with the Spirit of God that you quickly and clearly hear the still, small voice saying, “This is the way walk in it.”

May God bless you as you go through your day!