Spiritual

AND GOD SAID – Guilty…


Spiritual Blog - Eyes on Jesus

Matthew 5:27-30 – “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”  NKJV

 

Some of the modern language translations do not use the word LUST in this passage but use a more sanitized word DESIRE.  Although the word means desire it means more than just wanting something in a mild or superficial sense but rather an intense longing for.  I am reminded of a couple that I counseled once over the husband’s infidelity.  The wife longed for a resolution of his adulterous ways and in the course of counsel, he explained his justification.  I could not believe what I heard and this is what he said.  He referenced verse 28 above and said that since he lusted in his heart and God counted that as guilty he might as well commit the physical act.  All attempts to address personal restraint and discipline had no effect.  All attempts to point out the incredible harm to his marriage through his physical acts had no positive outcome.  To him, if he was guilty because of what was in his heart he might as well do what he was judged guilty of. 

That logic, if followed to its ultimate course, would plunge our world into total chaos.  If a person allows hatred in the heart as 1 John 3:15 declares is a ‘murderer’ then this logic would be if you are guilty in heart you might as well commit the act.  Imagine that world!  If one lusts, for another’s property in their heart then this logic would make it acceptable to actually steal.

LUST in the heart is sin and must be dealt with but to complicate it further with actually carrying out the act is not what the Bible is talking about.  In fact, if you take the root of this thought in Scripture you can see it functioning in the good and the bad.  If one defines LUST as the earnest wish or desire of the heart and a person wishes to commit an evil act in their heart but for whatever reason cannot God still judges them guilty.  The converse of that is also true for if a person wishes to commit an act of goodness but cannot God credits them as having done the act.  Truly out of the abundance of the heart!

I find it disturbing that many who profess to be Christians would be appalled to actually commit acts of adultery, murder or theft but entertain those thoughts in their hearts with no equal remorse or aversion.  They would never commit the acts in the flesh but are not disturbed at having committed them in their hearts.  Man, looks on the outward but God looks beyond the outward and reads the heart.

May God help us to be as disturbed by the lust of the eyes and heart as we are the physical acts!  I pray that our LORD creates in us such a repulsion for sin that we are smitten in our conscience and brought to repentance over our thoughts as much as we are our outward acts.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

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UNFULFILLED EXPECTATIONS…


Spiritual Blog - Expectations

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

 

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

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

Elisha told the Commander to go to the Jordan and dip himself seven times.  Naaman was furious for he considered it an insult for someone of his stature to be instructed to do this.  He expected pomp and ceremony with Elisha standing before the great general, waving his hands over the leprosy and healing him in a dramatic fashion that fit what he considered to be worthy of someone of his stature.  He left furious and one of his servants took his life in his own hands and approached Naaman asking if Elisha had instructed him to do something great, difficult or monumental would he not have attempted it?  As a result, Naaman realized he had nothing to lose and obeyed.  The result was a complete cleansing of leprosy and a restoration of his flesh.

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

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

Demanding from others they meet our expectations can and often is both unrealistic and a catalyst to difficulty.  I am human.  You are human.  We are flawed vessels and to expect perfection from flawed vessels is unrealistic.  We need to be as the Naaman who went down into the Jordan, not the Naaman that drove off in a huff wounded because his expectations were not satisfied.  I am learning more daily how Paul could say that he was content wherever he found himself.  His expectations were God not his preconceived ideas of how things should be.

God bless you as you go through this day!

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YOU QUESTION GOD But What If He Were To Question You?


Spiritual Blog - God Asks

Job 38:1-3 – “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:  

2 “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.”  NKJV

             In a very real sense Job allowed himself to drift into a self-righteous mindset and questioned God.  The LORD, as He often does, allowed it to continue for a time then made His presence known in the situation and placed Job in the interrogation room and informed Job that God Himself would be the detective in this case and ask a few questions.  I can only imagine how Job felt, especially after God in all His Holiness asked the first question or two.

Job had been proclaiming his righteousness and now God steps beyond man’s righteousness and reveals Himself as the Sovereign Creator of Everything.  In that light He causes Job to understand the fallacy of Job’s argument and the wrongness of questioning God.  How would you answer God were He to ask?

  • To Explain Creation to Him.
  • To Explain Gravity, Planetary Balance, Sea Waters, the Waters above and beneath the earth or Nature in general.
  • Light and Darkness and their result and effect on everything.
  • Where Light and Darkness come from or Snow for that matter how each snowflake is different.
  • The Stars, Lightning, or other natural occurrences.
  • Animal behavior and habits.
  • God’s Rule over all Creation.

          What if God were to demand that you explain all those things to Him?  Clearly, Job could see the occurrences in nature but could he control or even explain them?  By the time God was through interrogating Job the heart of this man was filled with wonder and he recognized his wrongness.  He recognized the sovereignty of God and confessed that he had spoken ‘words without knowledge’.  I wonder how many times we, through our petty pet doctrines, do the same.

It was out of Job’s repentance that God had him pray for his so-called comforters which were truly physicians of no value and then restored to Job ‘double’.  Job, came to a place that He would no longer trust his righteousness or personal perceived goodness but would fully rely on God.  That is the place we must come if we are to walk in the fullness of God’s Abundant Life that Jesus came to bring.  There is a place in God that is above the ability of humanity and we can enter that realm through faith with humility and in obedience.

          God bless you as you go through this day!

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IS GOD WRITING ‘ICHABOD’ OVER THE DOOR???


Spiritual Blog - Ichabod

1 Samuel 4:21-22 – “Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”  NKJV

 

The word Ichabod literally means “inglorious” or “there is no glory.”  When Israel rebelled against the Laws and Precepts of God they experienced times of the “absence” of God’s Glory and the dire consequences that followed should be lessons never forgotten.  Sadly, they continued to forget after being restored and as in the wilderness, they had to repeat the same lessons over and over again.

Are we any different today?  In America, we have a strong heritage and history suggesting the Providence of God and as President George Washington declared “God’s Propitious Smile” was upon us.  We have made mistakes along the way and drifted from our moral and spiritual foundation.  Over the past few decades, we have seen an erosion of our foundational moral and spiritual moorings and allowed God to be kicked out of our schools and public institutions.  We have transitioned from a moral society to an amoral one and in some ways an immoral.  We have allowed our laws, elected officials, activist, and courts to police thought, speech and conduct to the point that, in too many instances, we call evil good and good evil allowing things societally that God’s calls abominations.

Today there seems to be a hesitancy in denouncing sin and major denominations, churches, and ministries striving to be seen as tolerant to avoid anything deemed controversial and condemnatory.  Some have even reached a place in the doctrinal views they believe that there is no hell and that a loving God could not and would not allow anyone to go to such a place.  They seem to have forgotten that the Cross is a reminder of how vile sin is and the Divine Holiness of God would be destroyed were He to do anything but judge it.

God’s love is so encompassing that He has provided a means of escape, a pathway into Life, and a Door to Salvation.  God is not willing or it is not His desire that any should perish but if we reject His Grace we cannot expect His Mercy.  If we trample the Blood of Jesus underfoot by denouncing Him, rejecting His Grace and living in rebellion practicing abominable acts He must judge us.  I fully believe that it breaks God’s heart when we reject His love, mercy, and grace.  The Blood of Jesus satisfied God’s Divine Justice and that blood and only that blood which was untainted by sin can cover us and free us from the penalty of sin.

In this nation as a nation we appear to continue to move farther and farther away from the fundamental principles of God’s Word and in so doing are almost taunting God.  How long will He be longsuffering?  How long before He writes “Ichabod” over the door of this land and turns the nation over to a reprobate mind in which people become a law to themselves and do what is right in their owns eyes?  How Long Lord?  How Long?

I am deeply troubled by the state of my nation, the state of much of the organized church world and the overriding societal mindset of today.  I believe that the target of our prayers should shift from the nation to the church and we need to pray that revival come to the church and when it does it will come to the land.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

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THE INCOMPARABLE LOVE OF GOD…


Spiritual Blog - Love

John 15:13-16 – “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  NKJV

 

There is an overriding reality that is inescapable as we study Scripture.  It leaps forth in the 66 Books of the Bible and is visible on page after page and passage after passage.  It is something almost impossible to explain and almost inexplicable.  That of which I speak is the Incomparable Love God has for mankind.  Yes, we are His creation but our history has been one of rejection and rebellion.  He would have easily been justified in smashing the race like bugs and virtually did that saving only Noah and his family.  He has demonstrated His incredible patience and willingness to give us second, third, fourth and fiftieth changes and yet mankind continues to seek something other than Him.

The work of Christ on the Cross is a testimony of the depth of God’s love for mankind as is revealed in John 3:16.  Jesus, in our text, testifies that He considers us His friends and in laying down His life He has demonstrated the “no greater love.”  Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:9 that God “… is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  Paul wrote in Romans 8:37-39 regarding God’s love for mankind and declared that NOTHING could separate us from God’s love.  In Ephesians 2:4-5 he reminds us of the depth of God’s love

God’s love is unconditional whereas human love is conditional.  If others reject us, spurn our demonstrations of love, disrespect, disappoint and turn their backs on us love would not be the descriptor for our feelings toward them.  But with God, He loves us regardless.  Make no mistake His unconditional love will not vacate His holiness or judgment.  He has promised that if we ‘come to Him’ He will not reject us but if we reject Him and die in that condition He cannot overlook our sin.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem because of the continual rejection of the inhabitants and I believe God weeps over our world today.  There have been at least three times in my life when, in a time of prayer and meditation, I heard God weeping.  It was one of the most disturbing experiences I have ever had and as I sensed His heartbreak I was broken.  The Omnipotent One could crush us like aluminum cans and with the stroke of His finger remove us from the planet and yet He chooses to LOVE US and demonstrates longsuffering beyond human ability to comprehend.

We can never merit that love but through grace, He extends it.  As I mediate on this today I tremble realizing the times I have taken His mercy for granted.  How could anyone reject such incomparable love?  How?  I believe that to reject God’s love we must become so self-absorbed that our love for ourselves overpowers our reason.  I believe that to reject God’s love we must believe the Lie of the devil and elevate ourselves to be equals with God in our minds.  Jesus said in John 8:32 – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  If we SEE truly SEE the finished work of Christ on the Cross and the Love of God we will respond and be made free.

I pray that if anyone is teetering on the fence undecided about God, His mercy, grace, nd love you have your eyes opened and SEE.  I pray that each of us gain spiritual sight to a greater measure and SEE God’s Great Love!

            God bless you as you go through this day!

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REVEALING THE HEART…


Spiritual Blog - Heart

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 – “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”  NKJV

 

I have long believed through my study of Scripture and watching people that generosity or the lack thereof reveals the heart of a person.  I am convinced that if God does not have our pocket books He does not truly have our hearts for where the treasure is there the heart is also.  I know the context of this passage is focused on money but I want to press it beyond that and do not believe that I am violating truth in doing so.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping goes far beyond monetary consideration and the principle of reaping ‘what’ we sow, ‘later’ than we sow and ‘more’ than we sow applies whether it is money, time, patience or love.  In this truth, the Promise of God is that He will cause ALL GRACE abound to us so that we have ALL SUFFICIENCY in ALL THINGS and have an abundance for EVERY GOOD WORK.  That is an absolutely incredible promise.

Sadly, some have taken it as a promise of personal wealth and attempted to manipulate God through their giving.  God is interested in the gift and the motivation behind the gift and His blessings are in accordance with that principle.  It would behoove us to examine what we are giving and why we are giving or what we are not giving and why.  It will reveal our heart either good or flawed.

I have personally experienced times when I desperately needed finances and had no means of acquiring those needed funds.  I recall one such incident in which I had a $500 need and had $55 dollars to my name.  I do not mean had that amount of ready cash I mean that is ALL I had in this world.  The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said tithe on your need.  My response was “What?  God, I have $55 to last me a full week a wife and two small children to care for.  If I give the $50 you are asking for I will have $5 left.”  Three times I heard ‘tithe on your need’.  I took the $50 and planned to put it in the offering on Sunday morning and as the plate came around I tried but could not turn it loose.  I spent a miserable Sunday afternoon and on Sunday night when the offering took place I literally threw the $50 into the plate as though it were a hot potato that I had to get out of my hand.  I believed God would care for us but my humanity kept me awake all night battling thoughts of my failure in my responsibility to my family and they would have little to eat this week if…  That is the problem IF…  

I was in the condition of the man that said to Jesus, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”  The next day after a time in prayer I went to town to run an errand for the church and a person walked up to me on the street and said, “The Lord spoke to me last night to give you this.”  They placed an item in my hand and walked away.  I sat in my car and opened my hand and it was a check for $550.00.  God met the need I had and gave me back the $50.00 above the need.  My family was cared for, the need was met and my faith given an adrenaline shot that has never been forgotten.  God responded to my obedience and blessed in spite of my fears, questions and even doubts.  From that time on my giving has been cheerful and I have not given out of necessity since that day but out of a desire to honor the Lord and help others.

I have faced times when I desperately needed someone to assist me, comfort me, love me or counsel me and found that the return on my investment in others came back to me many fold.  God NEVER fails to send help in the time of need and if we allow Him to have our control of our time and treasure we will find that Grace will Abound to us in a mighty manner.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

 

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DO WE REALLY BELIEVE THE BIBLE???


Spiritual Blog - Faith

Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”  NKJV

             David said in Psalm 37:25 – “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.”  In verse 24 he speaking of the righteous he said, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.”  I do not believe there is any conflict in the three passages cited here or in the remainder of the biblical message.

Is this a guarantee that we will not have problems or that we cannot as Paul described in 1 Corinthians 9:27 become a ‘castaway’ or ‘disqualified’?  Is this a guarantee that we will not or cannot as described in Hebrews 10:35 – “…cast away our confidence…”?  Is it a compilation of the promise in Romans 8:28 that “all things” are working together for our good?  I believe, strongly, that God has promised to keep us against that day and NOTHING can separate us from His love.  Although I am very aware that circumstances, conditions, events, and assaults on our lives can bring us to the brink of despair that God has promised to NEVER leave us nor forsake us.  I also believe that this is descriptive that IF we ‘cast our burden on the LORD’ He will sustain us.  Do you see one small caveat or possible problem here?

The instruction is to CAST our burden on the LORD and that is a requirement for the remainder of the promise.  If we refuse to gather under the shelter of his wings as Psalm 91 describes and we trust the Arm of flesh rather than coming to him, taking His yoke upon us and allowing Him to be supreme in our lives we place ourselves outside the scope of the promise of the second portion of the verse.  BUT, if we do CAST our burdens on Him then we are assured that He will not permit us to be moved!  That is a powerful promise!

Therefore, IF we believe the Bible then would that not be an encouragement for each of us to be obedient in casting our burdens on the LORD?  In my humble opinion, IF one believes that by turning to the LORD, rolling our cares on Him and allowing Him to engineer the course of our lives according to His plan would afford security, safety and victory what sense would it make to not do so?  The only reason we would not is that we do not truly believe the Bible nor do we truly trust God’s promise.  I know that is a bit harsh and strongly stated but examine it before rejecting it.

When I consider the life of David I can readily understand how he would have developed a mentality of trust toward the LORD.  God repeatedly demonstrated His faithfulness to David and David either trusted or repented for failure and ran to the LORD.  Most of us, if not all of us, have experienced God’s faithfulness.  I know that in the times I have truly cast my burden on Him He has proved His Promises!  It did not always transpire as I thought it should or even in the timeframe I had in mind but God NEVER FAILED and He NEVER WILL.

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

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CONSIDER A BENEFIT OF DIFFICULTY…


Spiritual Blog - Comfort

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 give consideration to the benefits that come from our trials and tribulations.  I am not trying to advance a doctrine that encourages or desires trouble but suggesting that trouble is going to come and if we can embrace it, there is a benefit to be gleaned.

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

So when the enemy comes in like a flood and God raises up a standard against him and brings us 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 the 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 of 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 3 speaks 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!

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AS GOOD AS THE NEXT FELLOW…


Spiritual Blog - Short

Proverbs 20:6 – “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?”  NKJV

Through the years I have met many people who, when asked about their relationship with Christ, declared, “Well, I am a good person.”  They usually then tell me what they do not do and some will tell me their acts of benevolence, civic contributions or something of the kind.  Some will tell me that they go to church regularly and others relatively regularly.  I have found this passage to be incredibly true that most people view themselves as basically good or as good as the next fellow, as I was once told.  The man was a regular in church but had a propensity to hit the night spots and cavort with the ladies while his wife and children remained at home.  He made little secret of his lifestyle but because he considered himself “as good as the next fellow” he felt little reason to change.

In the many conversations with this individual, he would point out the flaws in other people in the community and church and especially those in leadership.  It was mostly comparing apples with turnips but nonetheless, it was his justification for allowing his conscience to become calloused guarding against conviction.  I understood his argument for I too held those views at one time.  The rural church I grew up in had flawed people (as to all churches) and I wrongly determined that if some of those people were going to heaven God could not send me to hell for I was “as good as the next fellow”.  I went to Vietnam with that mindset.  It was terribly wrong but it was the view I adopted because it allowed me to not deal with the pricks of the Holy Spirit.

I had many opportunities to talk to this individual and in the course of conversation the account in Mark 10 came up and I read to him the words of Jesus when He was called “Good teacher or Good master” and Jesus stopped the individual and said, “Why are you calling me good?  No one is good except God alone.”  He was shocked and I continued the account of how this rich individual had proclaimed his personal goodness when Jesus told Him to keep the commandments.  Jesus then informed the rich young man that he still came up short and this individual was a captive audience at that point.  I read to him the words of Jesus, “One thing you lack, go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. THEN come, follow me.”  The ruler was heartbroken and turned away because his possessions held his heart and his personal goodness was insufficient to save him.

While many if not most of us would like to compare ourselves with others and declare that we are “as good as the next fellow” if we are honest we know that is insufficient.  Salvation is never earned it is by Grace through Faith.  God does not measure my life against your life but His standard is Himself, the Lord Jesus and His Holy Word.  In that light, everyone knows we have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.  If we understand the standard we know all have sinned and come short of God’s glory.  If we understand the standard we know that the invitation of Jesus to “Come unto Me” is our only HOPE OF SALVATION!

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

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THE ONLY TRUE FREEDOM…


Spiritual Blog - Freedom

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

 

You can be in chains and not be a slave or be without physical bonds and be enslaved.  Chains do not determine FREEDOM the heart and mind do.  Unfortunately, nothing we do will eradicate human bondage and men will enslave other men against their wills in the natural.  I can only imagine the physical, mental and even spiritual torture that being captive brings.  My heart breaks for anyone who has endured that condition either as a prisoner of war, a human slave against their will, a hostage or anything of the like.

I know two men who though captives were never ENSLAVED in their hearts and minds.  One was a Japanese prisoner during WWII and escaped the other held in Hanoi by the Vietnamese and endured years of horrific inhumane torture and abuse.  Both professed that their faith in God and believe in the Word of God kept them FREE though in chains.  They were and are examples of TRUE FREEDOM.

The only TRUE FREEDOM is through the shed blood Jesus and the Grace of God.  If we receive the forgiveness of sin and are born again we experience TRUE FREEDOM.  A person that is thusly free can be imprisoned, chained and otherwise enslaved physically but they will NEVER be a Slave in their heart or mind because the Son has set them free!

Today, in America, we celebrate our Independence and yet multiplied thousands are still enslaved in some form.  Enslavement of the mind is possibly worse than being enslaved in the flesh for if a person’s mind is captive the attitude and actions will reflect that condition.  Breaking free and living life to the full is virtually impossible because the mind is in chains to wrong thinking, victimization and false premises.  But if we receive the FREEDOM that Jesus came and brought we CANNOT be enslaved.  Remember, if God is for who can be against us or as a friend always says what difference does it make who is against us if God is for us.

God bless you and BE FREE in Jesus. 

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