Spiritual
The Golden Rule Link
Luke 6:31-38 – “Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, numerous things challenged me. We know what we call ‘The Golden Rule,’ but do we connect it in the context of Luke 6?
In Luke 6:31, we have the Golden Edict. In verses 35-36, we find the directive on how to relate to and respond to others, especially those who dislike us and have wronged us. We see those but seem to miss the context and connection of verses 37-38.
The Law of Harvest or Sowing and Reaping is powerfully revealed in these verses. Judging provides the platform for our own judgment. Forgiveness offers the doorway to our own forgiveness. Then we come to verse 38. We make it an isolated, stand-alone promise, but it is connected to the Golden Rule and God’s Law of Life!
One word outshines all the others in verse 38. That is the two-letter word “IT.” Yes, IT. The IT is the object. Whatever IT is, or no matter what IT is, it is returned to us multiplied.
If we live by the Golden Rule, we also enjoy the Law of Harvest. If we live the Golden Rule, God is always first, and we always focus on others, which opens heaven for us. It opens the hearts of people and opens heaven to bless us.
The Law of Life is found in Luke 6. Our objective should be total surrender, which brings total transformation, which enables us to live the Golden Rule, which produces the Law of Harvest in us.
That Harvest is not only our blessing but brings others into the kingdom. It is a perpetual cycle of love and mercy! It comes to us, then through us, then to us so that it can go out through us. We will reap what we sow, so choose your seed wisely.
Father, help each of us to become linkers, linking the Scripture into the Full Message!
The Set Heart
Ezra 7:10 – “For Ezra set his heart to study the law of Yahweh and to practice it, and to teach His statute and judgment to Israel.”
As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, the Holy Spirit brought something to my attention that resonates powerfully.
Although Ezra was a priest, this applies to everyone. Notice his objective and the systematic progression. He set his heart, made up his mind, and committed to this purpose. He set aside designated time for the Word. He was on a mission of discovery. He was conducting a mining operation. He was searching for answers.
He wanted to know in order to practice the truth he discovered. Then, his desire and purpose were to teach that to others, disciplining them.
The words of Jesus exploded in my head and heart. “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you…” Out of that saturation with the Word, the Holy Spirit makes it alive and empowers! Remember that on the day of Pentecost, they became spiritual dynamos! Think about who they were. The Jews who were saturated with the Word but not the power. Once the energeia of the Holy Spirit saturated them, that Word implanted in them germinated and exploded with life and power.
Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” It’s not just truth but truth, you know. Truth given life by the Holy Spirit. Remember that no scripture is of private interpretation. We must interpret the Bible in light of every verse within it. Do we know and have instant recall of every verse? Of course not. That is why we must continually study and eat and drink the Word of God. We give the Holy Spirit ammunition and seed to produce an ever-expanding harvest in us.
Let’s set our hearts to study the Word, then practice what we learn, and in life and words teach others. The Living God has given us His Living Word to make us alive! Armed with the Word, no enemy or obstacle can stand. Study is not plucking an isolated verse from a promise box; it is an investment of time, heart, and mind. The reward is beyond imagination.
Lord, help each of us to ‘Set Our Hearts’ on You!
Acting on Faith
Romans 4:3 – “For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
The story of Abraham and Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage is fascinating. In Exodus 12:7, we have God’s directive, “Take some of the blood (of the slain lamb) and put it on the two door posts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it (the sacrificial lamb).”
The blood marked them and kept them. They had to have Faith in God and His promises. They had to act on that Faith in obedience. Paul recounted Abraham’s faith journey in Romans 4 and, in verse 3, declares, “Abraham believed God.” It began in Faith, and the result of His believing his faith-filled obedience was viewed by God as righteousness. Faith acts in loving obedience and is motivated to do what is right while shunning evil.
Romans 4:13-25 provides an incredible revelation. God’s promise was to give Sarah a son. Their bodies had become reproductively non-functional. Abraham contemplated that. He realized the impossibility of the Promise. In the natural, it was impossible. Then verse 20, “YET, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God.”
That is incredible! He knew that the promise was naturally impossible. YET… Yet? He weighed his physical incapability against God’s capability and chose God’s promise over his own ability. Faith!
Romans 4:21 – “And being FULLY ASSURED that what God has promised, He (God) was able to also do.” In verse 20, we are reminded that he GREW STRONG IN FAITH. How? He contemplated his and Sarah’s bodies’ non-functionality and God’s inability to fail. He kept reminding himself of who God was and trusted Him totally.
It is this kind of trusting, obedient faith that Paul is referring to in Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Then in verse 2, “through whom (Jesus), also we obtained our introduction by Faith into this Grace in which we stand…”
In Romans 6, we see the power of this faith. In verse 2, Paul asks, “How shall we who died (by faith) to sin still live in it?” Faith produces a change on the inside, which is reflected in a changed life!
In verses 4-11, we see the evidence and results of this newness by faith. Faith and total surrendered obedience in submission produce a life of demonstrated righteousness that introduces us to this storehouse of grace!
Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It begins and ends with the blood of the Lamb by faith that brings us grace! If we have died to ourselves by surrendering to Him, we live free from sin’s power to control. If we truly see Him and what He offers, sin has no power, and as we contemplate the contrast between our ability and His, we know the truth that liberates and empowers us to live free!
Jesus offers freedom. Faith is the key, and grace is the vehicle to get us there! You are free, so live free!
LORD, help us to have Faith, not faith in faith, but faith in You!
Just Shut Up and Listen
Matthew 17:4-8 – “Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. 7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” 8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.” NASU
I realize that is not exactly how this is phrased, but the meaning is clear. In his exuberance and ecstasy at the moment, Peter was blabbering about what they could and should do. His ramblings and exhortations were heard in the Throne Room of Heaven, and it is clear that the Father was not particularly overjoyed with Peter at the moment, so He spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
Before you protest, notice that He said of Jesus, ‘with whom I am well-pleased,’ and that is in contrast to Peter’s ravings. He also said, “LISTEN TO HIM!” In East Texas vernacular – “Hush up and listen!” So, to me, it is clear that the Father was essentially telling Peter and the other disciples, “Shut Up and Listen!”
You have heard it said, “God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we speak.” There is a great deal of truth in that adage, and one that we would do well to adopt in our lives. Most of us, too frequently, want to be heard rather than hear! We have our revelation and want others to hear it. We believe that our importance and need for significance must be validated, and we feel that we must be heard, so we speak.
I have been in many conversations where the other person was anticipating their opportunity to speak, so they failed to hear what was being said as they planned their response. That negates effective communication and opens the door for misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Here God is telling Peter and the others – “Hearing what Jesus has to say is far superior to anything that you might say or think at the moment, so LISTEN!”
It would behoove all of us to be calculated in our speaking and careful in our listening. I believe that to communicate truth effectively, we have to be willing and adept at listening. It is essential to HEAR what is being said, not what we think about what is being said. There can be and often is a world of difference between the two.
It reminds me of the saying that I heard once in a conference on communication, where the person speaking said, “I know you believe you think you understand what you thought you heard me say, but I am not sure you realize that what you thought you heard is not what I said or meant.”
Do you see where there could be a problem if we assume or presume that we know what is being said without actually HEARING what is being said? That is so true with the Word and things of God – We need to HEAR GOD, not what we thought or wanted Him to say!
Therefore, learn that sometimes you need to just ‘be silent’ and ‘still’ and LISTEN. The Holy Spirit will effectively communicate God’s Word, Will, and Way to your heart if you LISTEN!
God bless you as you go through your day!
Addendum:
I know that God doesn’t speak to you, saying, ‘shut up and listen,’ but He has to me before, and when I asked why, He told me to put on my big boy britches and listen. I protested more, and He asked, “Did I get your attention?” I said, “Yes, sir.” To which He responded, “Do I need to explain more?” God does not speak to me in King James English, use flowery language, or sound like He is a professor at Oxford, Yale, Harvard, or Cambridge. He speaks to my heart in the language I speak. Just as the Holy Spirit did not divest the writers of the Inspired Scriptures of their own personalities, God speaks to us in a uniquely personalized way. He knows what will get your attention and speaks thusly—I just wanted to add that!
What Is The Root of Strife?
James 3:13-4:3 – “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.”
James 4:1 – “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it the whole army of evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can’t possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong — you want only what will give you pleasure.” NLT
Most people have experienced arguments and disagreements. Many of us have been in “wars in church.” I call them that because the result was such a division that there was a “church split,” a parting of the ways, marked by bitterness, anger, and resentment, which continues to this day for some, with no reconciliation. WHAT CAUSED IT?
Let us take this even further. The arguments in the home, at work, in various relationships, what is the root cause? James presents a less-than-ideal picture of the situation and its satanic-inspired roots.
Consider what he has to say:
- If there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is no wisdom from above involved in the decision-making process. Those things do not descend from God above but are belched out of hell.
- Where those things exist, in any relationship, there is disorder and lurking evil of every kind. The doors are open to a frontal assault by the devil and a total disruption of any sense of unity.
- God’s wisdom is pure, peace-loving, gentle, and willing to see the other person’s point of view. It is full of mercy and good works. It shows no partiality and is completely sincere in its actions and decisions. It produces a harvest of peace, harmony, and unity.
- The cause of quarrels and fights, according to James, is:
- An army of evil desires within the individual.
- Scheming and conniving to get what you do not have but want that somebody else has. That can even be applied to a ministry or a gift from God.
- It results in social and spiritual murder (if not actual physical attacks).
- Its root is “jealousy,” which produces “envy” and leads to many destructive things.
- James even goes on to tell us that even when a person in this state asks God for the things they desire, they do not come because the motive behind the request is wrong, and God will not honor it.
That demands the question, “What are we to do?
- First, follow the basic prescription in scripture and “Seek God first and above all….”
Make Him the center of your universe. Make His will and purpose your will and purpose. Be willing to bloom where you are planted and with the ministry, talent, or gifts you have been given. He may give you more, but give 100% to what you have and do so with a thankful heart.
- Second, be willing to be the first to seek reconciliation and forgiveness.
Proverbs tell us that “a soft answer turns away wrath.” Too often, “soft answers” are foreign to our tone, and we want to hurt the other person just as much as we perceive we have been hurt.
Vengeance is mine! We omit the part where God said it was His and assume His role. But the root is “jealousy” and “selfish ambition.” Nothing wrong with wanting to succeed; it is wholesome, healthy, and desirable, but “selfish ambition” is not and should be taken to and left at the altar of repentance.
Think about your latest conflict. Can you see any part where you might have been wrong? If so, take immediate action to bring about reconciliation or attempt to do so. You cannot force someone to reconcile, but you can remove their (misguided) justification for harboring resentment.
May the Lord bless you as you proceed on your journey through this maze called life and learn of His wonders day by day!
