LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

            A.W. Tozer wrote, “The happiness of all moral creatures lies in the giving of obedience to God, the Creator.  The angels in heaven find their complete freedom and highest happiness in obeying the commandments of God.  They do not find it tyranny – they find it a delight! Here is something that we should know and realize: Heaven is a place of surrender to the whole will of God, and it is heaven because it is such a place.”

            The Garden of Eden was a perfect place.  But when the surrender to the whole will of God was broken there, darkness entered the souls of mankind, and peace was lost to them.  Sin ruled in their hearts and they were evicted from the Garden. They found themselves outside the presence of God.  That sinful state was passed on to us, the seed of Adam. 

From that root of sin in us, acts of sin spring up everywhere, like weeds multiplying at an uncontrollable rate.  We have no means to remove it. A perfectly sinless sacrifice was the only way to save us from the destruction set in motion by the devil, and that excluded all of us.  We are completely helpless to save ourselves, and hell was our destination until Jesus changed that for us at great cost to Himself, the shedding of His blood.  Why did He take our place?  Because He loves us and He wants what is best for us. He wants us to have all that He planned for us in the beginning.  Adam brought sin on us all.  But Jesus brought righteousness to all who will receive Him. “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:18-19, NKJV)

We now have a choice to enter the kingdom of God or remain rooted in this world.  “God has made it plain that hell is a real place, a final abode for people who do not want to love God and serve Him!” (A.W. Tozer)  God doesn’t force us to live in His kingdom. He doesn’t force us to love Him or serve Him. If we so choose, we can stay rooted right where we are in this world’s kingdom until we face God in the judgment, at which time hell will become the “final abode”.  We are free to reject Jesus’ sacrifice, but we will never live free without Him.

Heaven is not the home of those who reject Jesus Christ. However, we can choose to live in the kingdom of God. If we do, our roots must to be taken out of the soil of the world and transplanted into the good soil of God’s kingdom.  From roots planted deep in the rich soil of God’s kingdom, the fruit of righteousness will prevail.

Jesus always operated in the realm of God’s kingdom while He walked in human flesh on this earth. That is why He remained sinless and unmoved in the face of opposition, temptations, danger or confusion.  He was never swept into camaraderie with this world. Nor was He caught up in the drama of circumstances.  He simply took charge of them.  Jesus stayed firmly rooted in the kingdom of God.  He was free to hear the voice of the Father and obey Him. We can be, too.

            A kingdom is “the territory subject to the rule of a king.”  We can submit ourselves to Satan, the prince of this world’s kingdom, or we can be born again into the kingdom of God, submitting to the King of kings. These two kingdoms are diametrically opposed.  We cannot live in both.

            The world as we know it is full of evil and has a ruler, Satan.  Yet Satan has his boundaries that God will not allow him to exceed.  Many people, some knowingly and others unknowingly, listen to Satan and try to find fulfillment through other avenues of spirituality, but they remain outside of God’s Kingdom.  There is only one Truth, one way to God and one way to receive eternal life.  His name is Jesus. 

Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came into the world to “destroy the works of the devil” and “to seek and to save that which was lost.” What was lost?  Our right standing with God that allows us to live, move and have our being in His kingdom. We, as Adam and Eve, were standing outside the Garden. But when we enter a covenant with God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we can move into the kingdom of God with the living Word and the light of God’s Spirit within us to reveal the will of God. Our part of the covenant is to “surrender to the whole will of God”. By His grace we are free to surrender to His will and walk in the Spirit.  There we will find freedom, power and wisdom beyond anything this world has to offer.  It is a delight to walk in the will of God.

Jesus came preaching and teaching the kingdom of God, inviting us to enter in.  “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed or with a visible display; nor will people say, “Look! Here it is!” For the kingdom of God is among you [because of My presence].” (Luke 17:20b-21, Amplified Bible)  The King James Version of the Bible says, “the kingdom of God is within you.”  Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, His presence, to live in us. He will not reside in us if our hearts, minds and actions are still submitting to the world.

We need to carefully comprehend the words of Jesus when He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) It is very clear that insubordination to the will of God has no place in the kingdom of God.  Those who choose to reject His will also reject His grace and salvation. 

Recently I have felt God calling His people to become more aware of His kingdom and more responsive to His presence.  He spoke to my heart one day to ‘listen’ to Him, then repeated the message from two other sources.  Since then, I have found that God is speaking to many of His children to ‘listen’.  Not to listen to just any voice, but to listen exclusively to the Spirit of God. We need to be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit to know the mind and will of God.  He has something significant to say to us.  When we hear what the Holy Spirit is saying, we are being led by the Spirit.  As we follow what we hear from Him, we are walking in the Spirit.  In that way, we are living in the realm of the kingdom of God although we are physically very much in this world. He may speak to us about something in our lives that needs to change, a person we need to speak to, or a place we need to go. I have found the more I listen, the more He reveals to me of His Word, His will and Himself.  There are times I feel overwhelmed in His nearness.

The most precious part of the kingdom of God is that the presence of the King is there.  And that should be our greatest delight. There is perfect peace and harmony in the presence of God, and in releasing our will to His will. That is where Jesus found strength to completely humble Himself to the will of the Father, even unto death – in the realm of God’s kingdom.  There we have access to the throne through prayer. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Jesus instructed His disciples to pray differently than the long, showy public prayers offered by the Pharisees. They were all performed so other people would see and hear them. Jesus told His disciples when they prayed to ”go into your most private room, close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6 Amplified Bible)  What is our reward?  The presence of God.  He wants us to really know Him, to leave the world behind and come close to Him. One on one.

Remember what God told Abraham?  “Fear not Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”  God had promised Abraham a country and descendents as the stars of the heavens and the sands of the sea.  But the greatest reward Abraham received was God Himself.  How could Abraham stand in God’s presence?  Abraham “believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)  His faith led to obedience. Obedience led him closer to God. Abraham made some mistakes, but he believed God and acted accordingly, and he was called the friend of God.

To submit to the Word and will of God is evidence of our belief in Him. Disobedience is evidence that we do not really believe.

To those who believe, God has given “exceeding great and precious promises.” But our greatest reward is to know Him and to live now and forever in His presence.

“Heaven is a place of surrender to the whole will of God,

and it is heaven because it is such a place.”

THE BOLDNESS OF HUMILITY

            In last month’s article, we explored the humility of Jesus Christ and how we are to follow in His footsteps by being emptied of self and filled with God’s Spirit.  But what does the humility of Christ look like in our daily lives? Most people think of humility as being quiet and never doing or saying anything to rock the boat.  If you have read the gospels and the book of Acts, you know that is not what humility looks like.  Jesus said to learn from Him, so let’s look at the lives of Jesus and His followers.

We already know that Jesus was humble and submitted to the Father.  However, it did not mean He was quiet, passive and apathetic.  It meant He was not self-oriented.  His whole purpose was to do what the Father did and say what the Father said – no self agenda.  And the results of this submission were powerful deeds and powerful words!  Deeds that brought healing, made the blind to see, cleansed leprosy and even raised the dead. And teachings that delivered truth with authority the people had never heard before.

Jesus’ words were not always popular.  Especially when He warned the scribes and Pharisees of their pride and hypocrisy saying, “ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”  He spoke clearly and plainly to them to show them the error of their ways, not to condemn them.  (See John 3:17)  People need to hear the truth if change is to be initiated. This wake-up call could have released them from the trap of pride and freed them to follow God.  Instead, it made them angry to the point of plotting to kill the Messenger.  The disciples, on the other hand, eventually heard Jesus’ words with their hearts and followed them. Again, speaking to His disciples and the multitude about the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said, “But all their works they do for to be seen of men…and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren…But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23) Jesus was teaching His disciples and the multitude the right voice and the right example to follow. He was telling them not to follow the example of the religious leaders or fall in step with their motives. They were to follow His example and His voice.

Henry David Thoreau said, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.  Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”  If we step to the music of the Pharisees, it will lead to emptiness and religious bondage.  But if our heart is open to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, He will lead us into all truth, power and freedom.  When we have ears to hear the rhythm of God’s kingdom, we will not be in step with this world.  We may be considered fanatics, narrow-minded, dreamers or trouble-makers.  But that is okay if we are following Jesus.  He challenges us to listen, then “step to the music” of His Spirit, “however measured or far away”. Jesus was bold because He was humble. He simply carried out the will of the Father with no thought for self. He calls us to do the same.

Remember how the disciples were afraid right after Jesus was arrested and crucified? They were afraid to be identified with Him because they did not want to suffer the same fate.  They were protecting self until Jesus appeared to them, alive from the dead.  He was with them for forty days teaching them the things of the kingdom of God. His promise to send the Holy Spirit was fulfilled not many days after His ascension.  When the disciples received the Holy Spirit, self was forgotten. They began to listen and follow the Spirit’s leading. They began to do what Jesus did and say what Jesus said because they had the same power living in them, and the same voice guiding them.

They received the power of the Holy Spirit.  The word is dunamis from which we get the word dynamite.  It is the force of God’s Spirit changing us and working through us with His energy and force.  The word dunamis means “inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature (God’s nature in us), or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth.”  The power within them became the river of living water that poured out of them and changed the world forever. We can be world-changers, too, when we receive the power of the Holy Spirit and keep in step with Him.

After the infilling of the Spirit, Peter stood up and addressed a huge crowd of people including the religious leaders who killed Jesus and the crowd that had called out “Crucify Him”.  His message was all about Jesus.  Here are a few of his words.  “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know- Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it…Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Peter had no guarantee that those words would not cause the crowd to do to him what they had done to Jesus.  But he boldly proclaimed the truth with no thought for himself because the people needed to know the Truth that would set them free. And the Spirit brought in a harvest. “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”…Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:22-24, 36-40, NKJV) 

Bold! Selfless! Purposeful! Dynamic! Would we have been bold enough to plainly tell the religious leaders and the people that they were murderers of the promised Messiah? But Peter and the others were filled with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and they had a holy boldness to speak the truth Jesus spoke.  Have we received this Spirit?  We have the same Holy Spirit available to us today, right now!  We can ask and receive.

            After Peter’s message, about 3000 people believed in Jesus, were baptized and joined with the disciples. On another occasion, Peter and John went to the temple to pray.  Outside the temple a lame man was asking for money.  Peter told him he had no money, but what he did have he would give him. What do we have to give? The things of this world will pass away, but if we are filled with the Spirit, we can pour out spiritual blessings on others.  They will last forever. That man was healed in Jesus’ name and began to walk, leap and praise God.  Once again, a large crowd gathered and Peter took the opportunity to preach Jesus to them.  The number of believers grew to 5000. This time the religious leaders arrested them, and demanded to know by what power or name this man had been healed.

            “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8-12 NKJV)

            The rulers were highly upset because they were preaching and healing in Jesus’ name.  But a notable miracle had been done and witnessed by the whole crowd, so they just threatened Peter and John and told them not to preach or speak in “this name” again. “But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20 NKJV)  That is listening to the Holy Spirit and keeping in step with Him.

                        Peter and John left the rulers and elders and reported what had happened to the other followers of Jesus. Then they all began to pray. “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:29-31)

            They prayed for boldness, not self-preservation or even a change of heart from the religious rulers.  Notice they immediately received the boldness they requested and continued to speak in Jesus’ name, just like Jesus had told them to do.  What happened to their meekness and humility?  Shouldn’t they have kept quiet? No! Were they not being defiant? No!  They would have been defiant if they had disobeyed Jesus’ command.  Jesus told them to preach the gospel to everyone regardless of what happened to ‘self’, and regardless of whether they were rejected or accepted. Meekness is bold as a lion proclaiming the Word of God and doing His works, yet it is quiet in proclaiming self and never tries to use the power of God for selfish causes. It is not showy, arrogant or vindictive.  We need to pray for boldness to keep speaking God’s Word. In this day of political correctness imposed by those who hate and deny Jesus, it is easier to stay quiet, but the world needs the light of truth now more than ever in this present darkness.  We are to speak the truth plainly and point others to Jesus Christ in love so they can repent and be baptized.  Souls depend on us.

            Listen!  Do you hear the music of the kingdom?  When you do, be sure to “step to the music” you hear, “however measured or far away.”

Be Humble - Be Filled with the Spirit - Be Bold

BELIEVE IN THE ONE WHOM HE SENT

            What do you believe?  I mean really, really believe…enough to base your life on? Do you believe Jesus is truly the Son of God Who lived, died and was resurrected so we can be saved?  Do you believe He really meant what He taught? It seems many professing Christians do not believe everything He said. Instead, they are trying to make his teachings more acceptable to our society so more people will “accept Christ”. But have they really accepted Christ, the real Jesus? When we change what He said by giving our interpretation of what Jesus “really meant”, we have ceased to share the truth Jesus taught.  Oh, that instead of trying to change Jesus, we would allow Him to change us and transform us to His image.  Oh, that we would allow the “hardness” of His teachings to draw us closer to the Christ of the teachings.  When we really know Him, His “commandments are not grievous (burdensome).”

I fear we have become too much like the crowd who said, “This is a hard saying”, and walked away from following Jesus. If the first century Christians had softened all the “hard sayings” of Jesus, Christianity would have disappeared before it ever began.  But God always has a remnant of those who truly know Him, who will take Him at His Word and submit to Him. When the crowd left, Jesus asked the twelve disciples if they would leave too.  Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68, NKJV) They stayed because they believed. They believed because they knew Him.

Some of the crowd that Jesus had fed asked Him, “What are we to do, so that we may habitually be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered, “This is the work of God: that you believe [adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith] in the One Whom He sent.”  (John 6:28-29, Amplified Bible) We cannot do the work of God without a belief in Jesus Christ that we base our lives on. If we don’t trust Who He is and what He said, we cannot do the work of God, because we will not follow Him.  Jesus loves us so completely and undeservedly that He not only gave His life for us, but boldly told us the truth.  He never backed down to gain a convert because compromised truth ceases to be truth and loses the power of truth.  Yet real truth is there for anyone who wants it.  And only the truth can set us free.  We need to explore the teachings and examples of Jesus and begin to do the work of God.  Let’s look at His humility, because we find that many other teachings are also understood and accomplished through humility.

            Jesus was selfless.  He had no interest in fulfilling the dictates of His flesh. He wasn’t seeking fame, position or money.  His whole purpose was to do the will of the Father.  1 Peter 2:21-24 tells us that is to be our purpose also. “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:  “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself [His cause]  to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed.”  We are to follow His example even unto death.  This is the humility that Jesus taught and lived.  He wasn’t setting His own agenda.  He listened to the Father.  Then He said what the Father said, and did whatever the Father told Him to do.  It was not always easy.  He proved that in the Garden of Gethsemane when He struggled against His flesh, but obeyed the will of the Father.

            Jesus was completely submitted to the Father. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19, NKJV)  We do well to follow Jesus in His humility and submission to God.  God can do great things through a submitted vessel.

            Andrew Murray said, “I feel deeply that we have very little conception of what the Church suffers from the lack of this divine humility, the nothingness that makes room for God to prove His power…Let us consider deeply how far the disciples were advanced while this grace was still so terribly lacking, and let us pray to God that other gifts may not so satisfy us, that we never grasp the fact that the absence of this grace is the secret cause why the power of God cannot do its mighty work.  It is only where we, like the Son, truly know and show that we can do nothing of ourselves, that God will do all.”  He goes on to say that humility is the “place of entire dependence on God” and is the “root of every virtue”.

            If we want God to do great things through us, we must stop trying to do it on our own.  The effort we expend is to be in carrying out what God says, not in using our own wisdom and power to accomplish our will.  The hearts of those who have a real desire to follow Jesus, are broken when we learn how far we are from His humility.  But it can also create a stronger desire to cut off self to make room for God alone.  That is what Jesus did to His flesh.  He gave it no voice, no thought, no chance to act of its own accord.  Allowing self to dictate even part of our lives is to allow pride to have its way. 

            Think of the purity of heart Adam and Eve had when they were first created and placed in the Garden of Eden.  They simply fellowshipped freely with God and obeyed what He had told them.  Why?  They believed Him.  That all changed when Satan entered the Garden and they listened to him.  They believed him and began to distrust God.  Satan had the root of pride in him, and he was able to transplant part of that into Adam and Eve through His deception and cunning. He said they could have so much more, but, instead, he caused them to lose the best and trade it for sin, sorrow, pain, lies and eternal death.  That is what pride does to us.  It strips us of our belief in God and causes us to believe in self. It removes humility and purity.

            It was pride that caused the downfall of Satan.  He was thrown out of heaven because he tried to usurp God.  He tried to be God.  He didn’t succeed.  But he still tries to sow the seed of pride in every human heart.  He told Adam and Eve that they could be like God through their own wisdom, and power.  He lied and they lost out.  Pride binds us and kills us.  Humility raises us to new heights with God.  Remember how Satan tried to pull the same scam on Jesus?  He promised Him instant comfort, fame, and worship.  Everything that appeals to the pride of the flesh. He will try that scam on you, too. But Jesus showed us and told us the way to all these things is humility, emptying ourselves of self and allowing God to fill us.

            How do we attain this humility?  Ask Jesus.  He said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls.  For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”

            When some of Jesus’ disciples asked for the seats of honor in Jesus’ kingdom, the other disciples found out and were angry.  Then Jesus called them all to Him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but, whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  (Matthew 20:25-28, NKJV)  Jesus said if you want to be great in His kingdom, you have to learn to be the servant of all.

            Serving God is one thing, but serving others? What about the other “disciples” who are not as important as we are?  Let’s see what Jesus said about that.  “So when He [Jesus] had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:12-14, NKJV, emphasis mine)

Take note that Jesus even washed the feet of Judas.   Which brings us to another question. What about our enemies?  I believe Jesus had something to say about that, too.  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48, NKJV)

            What do we do when someone does something “unforgiveable” to us? What did Jesus do when He hung on the cross?  “And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:33-35, NKJV)  Jesus also told us, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15, NKJV) Hard sayings?  Yes, but they are truth that will free us!

            Humility frees us from bitterness, plotting revenge, anger, jealousy and hatred. It empties our souls of self and leaves room for the Spirit of God to fill us, lead us, comfort us, and work miracles through us. 

Believe Jesus

Learn His humility

Empty of self

Filled with God

THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US

            It’s the first month of a brand new year. At 12:00 midnight on December 31st, a shift took place and we landed in another year in a second’s time.  This shift into something new usually causes us to look back at all that happened in the past year.  I suppose it is a salute to it as we leave it behind and embrace a fresh start. Or maybe it’s to glean a little wisdom from its experiences – both good and bad, losses and gains.

            God told His people to remember all He had done for them. His instructions were to repeat it often to make sure their children knew of His character, power and the miracles He performed on their behalf.  God also reminded them that He alone is God.  There is no other. Some things we don’t need to forget.

            1 Corinthians 10:11-12 tells us that all the events recorded in God’s Word about His dealings with His people are there so we can learn from them.  We can be encouraged and warned by them.  “Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

            We can also learn from our own relationship with Jesus.  Our failures can teach us how to avoid snares in the future.  The times we go through trials can serve as future encouragements when we remember how God walked through them with us.  Or when we stepped out in faith and God made a way in the wilderness.  The past can be a wellspring of inspiration and encouragement, but we are not to get stuck there and refuse to move ahead.  The present and the future are vital parts of God’s plan too.

            In Isaiah 43:18-19, we read, “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” (NKJV)   Here God is telling us to step out into the “new thing” He is doing.  He has a fresh anointing, a new song, a new direction, a new season for our lives.  The Spirit of God is constantly moving us forward. Will we step out into it by faith, or will we stay in the shadow of yesterday, holding on to what was. Take the lessons learned from the past with you as you press into the path God is leading you into now.

            As we remember God’s mighty acts in the past, it should give us courage and confidence to boldly follow Him into the future.  It should help us better understand His purpose and join with Him in bringing it to pass. Never let the voice of the past keep you from hearing what God is speaking now.  It is meant to be a springboard from which we continue to see His miracles and His power at work in the present.

Just as God provided for His people in the past, He will provide for us.  Just as He used ordinary people in the past who were listening and obedient, He will use us if we are listening and obedient.  We have to keep moving along with Him and keep pace with where He is leading us today.  The kingdom of God stretches before us, and He wants to do a new thing. He cannot use us to carry it out if we refuse to move forward.

Our God is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.  He is not limited by time.  He is in the past, present and future all at the same time.  That is hard for us to understand because we have limitations, but God knows the future as well as the past and present.  We can trust Him and confidently follow His leading. We can move beyond what is known and comfortable to us, because the future is known and comfortable to our God.  In following the vision He shows us, we fulfill the work He has called us to do in His kingdom.

What God determines to do will be done.  The question is, are we going to be part of it?  Are we going to look at life from our own narrow perspective, or are we going to catch God’s vision and run with it?  We need to ask God to show us His perspective. Ours is usually skewed by the world system or what we already have experienced.  We cannot follow God’s vision and our own, too.  It is time to press ahead and stop looking back, except to use the past works of God to encourage ourselves to move forward against all odds and trust Him completely.

What are we going to do today?  Paul said, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 3:13-14)  Paul knew he had not arrived.  There was more work to do in God’s kingdom.  And he was determined to do his part.

What are you reaching for?  What goal are you pressing to accomplish? What vision has God placed in your heart for today? We can look to the past at all the men and women of faith who were godly examples and be strengthened to press on ahead.  Each one seized the moment and followed the way God told them to walk. For many of them it was something new and even frightening.  But they obeyed in faith.  That is how we, too, can work with Him to fulfill His purposes.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Wherefore seeing we are also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

A weight is a burden or anything that is a hindrance to us.  It may not be sinful, but if it is keeping us from reaching God’s goal for us, we need to lay it aside. What is keeping you from accomplishing God’s direction?  It could be an attitude, the things of this world, fear, pride or even seemingly good things.  A lot of things are good, but they are not the things God has called us to do. Sometimes it may be possessions that we label as “mine” that keep us from following Jesus.  Jesus did not allow weights to attach themselves to Him. He did not become entangled with the things of this world. He remained free to finish the work He started, our salvation!  He kept His perspective and knew when to say ‘no’.  He is our perfect example.

This passage also speaks of sins that beset us.  When we allow sin in our lives, we throw the door open wide to the power of evil.  And it will act as a opponent in a race or an enemy who thwarts us in every direction.  Have you ever tried to walk through a large crowd and everyone seemed to cut you off from your destination.  You try to find a space to push through, but doing so takes you farther from your goal because you have to make so many turns. After awhile, you lose where you are in relation to your goal.  You are just trying to find a place where you can walk without being crowded out of space, regardless of where it leads. The sins that beset us do the same thing.  They will turn us away from the race.  They also cause us to completely lose sight of the goal. We need to make sure we can see Jesus from wherever we are.  If we cannot see Jesus, we are in the wrong place, and need to get back in right relation to Him.  So, instead of being bent down by weights, and turned aside by sins, we are told to look to Jesus, to keep our eyes steadfastly on Him. In order to do that, we have to turn our eyes away from other things and fix them on Jesus. 

We are also told to run the race that is set before us.  Notice it is not behind us. That part of the race is over.  There is nothing we can do to change any of it or to bring it back.  We can, however, choose to start from here and run this race without sin and without weights, looking ahead and allowing Jesus to guide us through the course.  If we allow hindrances in our lives, we will bow under the weight and be unsuccessful.  If we open the door to sin, we will never make it to the finish line. The race is in front of us.  Jesus is going before us, so keep focusing on Jesus.  If we are always looking behind, we won’t see it.  If we keep our focus on Jesus, He will lead the way. 

Look to Him and reach for His goal.  Jesus had a fixed goal – the joy of completing the will of the Father.  We have that same goal.  We can pursue the way God puts before us just like Jesus did.  He finished the work and is now “set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” God’s race has everlasting rewards.

Start out fresh this year determined to run the race that is set before you.

FOR UNTO US A SAVIOR IS BORN

            What is the definition of a “good person”?  Is it someone who has high morals, takes good care of their family, is honest, loving and gives to others?  Those are certainly good qualities, but they do not constitute a good person.

THE BAD NEWS:  Jesus said no one is good but God. (Matthew 19:17)  So, that leaves us out. Romans 3:10-12 tells us “There is none righteous, no, not, one; There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside [gone out of the way]; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.” What God calls good and what we label as good are two very different things. That is a problem. The fact is we are all born into this world with a sin nature that is a barrier between us and God because He is holy, righteous and good.  There is nothing we can do to rid ourselves from this sin nature no matter how hard we try.  It calls for our death and eternal punishment.

THE GOOD NEWS:  Although we have no way to remedy the problem, God has made a way, an astonishing way!  The good news was delivered by the angels to the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth.  Remember the words of the angel?  “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord…  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Did you grasp the magnitude of the angels’ announcement? First, this message is for everyone!  The shepherds, the innkeeper, Mary, Joseph, you and me.  Everyone!!  The good news is that God has not set His will against us. His will and intentions toward us are good. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” So, Jesus, the Christ, came to bring peace between us and God, to remove the barrier. We had no means to broker that peace, so He did it for us. God took on human flesh, lived a perfect life and died a brutal death on the cross in our place, taking our sin upon Himself so that we can be freed from our sin nature.  He rose from the dead so we can live our lives on this earth as He lived His, then be with Him forever when this life is over.

            “For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

            Imagine God, the one true God of the universe Who is perfect in holiness, taking our sin for us, so that we can be like Him.  What love the Father has for us!  He loved us when we didn’t know Him, didn’t love Him and were steeped in sin inside and out.  He provided the remedy for us to receive eternal life instead of eternal death.

THE RESPONSE: It is up to us to respond to this incredible, eternal gift.  Our response determines the life we will live on this earth as well as our eternal destination, whether it will be heaven or hell.  To receive this great gift, we must come into agreement with God to the fact that we are sinners.  Then we can turn from sin and surrender our lives to Jesus, allowing Him to change us to bear His image of righteousness rather than our image of sin.  With His Spirit in us, our desires change and we will choose to live the way He lived, sharing this “good news of great joy” to other people, putting others before ourselves, being sold out to do the will of the Father. Jesus provided the way, but we must make the choice.  We can come to Him or walk away and reject His offer of peace.

            After the shepherds saw the angels and heard their message, they had a choice to go back to life as usual or to pursue Jesus above everything else.  They responded with believing hearts. True believers act on what they have heard, and that is exactly what they did. The shpherds found the Messiah just as the angel said, as a baby in a manger.  They met Mary and Joseph face to face. They were not content to only hear the good news.  They acted on it. Once they did, they made this news “widely known”.  They aggressively shared the good news. That’s what it means to believe.  “And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.” (Luke 2:18, 20) The news is still good – the best we could ever have! Once we have heard, it is time to meet Jesus face to face and surrender our lives to Him.  The provision of our salvation was up to God.  Our response is up to us.

Just to think!  We were not seeking God, but He was seeking us!  He made the first move.

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6

“We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

LEST I BECOME A CASTAWAY

            I have started a lot of things in my life that eventually fell by the wayside.  I have begun and ended diets, running or walking for exercise, sticking to a strict time-management system and a few other things.  I was excited about the ideas in the beginning and wanted to do those things.  I had good intentions, but they were clearly not a priority in my life.  Other things took precedence, and they were abandoned. 

            There is one thing I never want to let go by the wayside, and that is my relationship with Jesus Christ.  He has been my priority since I was eleven years old, and He still is.  All healthy, growing relationships require time, loving and giving.  If we do not make our relationship with Christ top priority, it will fall by the wayside.

            The apostle Paul was determined that his relationship with Christ would be foremost in his life.  In 1 Corinthians 9:26-27, he said, “Therefore I do not run without a definite goal; I do not flail around like one beating the air [just shadow boxing]. But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service].” (Amplified Bible)  The King James Version says, “lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”  Paul wasn’t talking about training to become a great athlete.  But he knew if he allowed his body and mind to dictate his life, he would lose out in his relationship with Jesus.  So, he determined to make his body serve his spirit instead of the other way around.

That is easier said than done. There are times we know we need to draw aside and be with Jesus, but the busyness of life says we don’t have time, not right now.  Or when God speaks to us to do a certain thing and we put it off because we are afraid.  Doing what we know is right will cost us physically, financially, and emotionally. Sometimes it is difficult.  Those are the times we need to tell our bodies and our minds that they will serve the Spirit.  They cannot have their own way. 

It’s easy to give ourselves a break and rationalize how the demands of this life keep us from fulfilling the things of the Spirit. Paul was ruthless in keeping his spirit strong, and he was always ready for whatever lay ahead.  He knew how easy it could be to get soft on himself and lose his spiritual strength.  We need to be careful, too, not to relax our guard and become unfit for the kingdom of God.  It doesn’t happen all at once.  It is a gradual decline when we let our relationship with Christ take second place.

Paul knew the temptations and faced them head-on.  And he knew the time to prepare for service in the kingdom of God was not fifteen minutes before a “ministry opportunity”. Sometimes he didn’t know fifteen minutes in advance where he would be or what he would be doing.  He seldom knew just when an opportunity would present itself, so he had to stay spiritually fit.  That means “working out” during private times.  Prayer, worship, reading and meditating on the Word of God to keep spiritually strong and in tune with God. Without becoming one with Jesus, we cannot follow His directions. Paul also knew “ministry” took on many different manifestations.  One day it may mean preaching to a small, obscure group of women who were meeting at the river bank.  Another opportunity could bring him before a king to plead His case and share the gospel. Yet again, he could find himself in jail.  Whatever occasion presented itself, Paul had to be ready.  And the only way to be spiritually fit is to deprive the body and soul so the spirit can be strengthened.

Paul faced much opposition in his life, but his earthly life wasn’t his priority, so he could call them “light afflictions”. His connection to Jesus and obedience to Him was top priority.  His body had no choice in the matter, but to follow Christ.  Paul said, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)  He went on to list some of his afflictions. “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”  (2 Corinthians 11:24-28)

Paul did not set out to become a well-known, celebrated person in the kingdom of God. Those who do will seldom be selfless and commit themselves to the conditions Paul often found himself in for the sake of Christ.  Paul was not trying to impress people with all his knowledge of Scripture, his pedigree or the numbers who came to hear him preach.  He had already gone down that road and found it empty and leading him in the wrong direction.  He considered it all garbage once he came face to face with Jesus Christ.

Serving in the kingdom of God is full-time, regardless of who we are. We either serve Christ or we don’t.  It’s not enough to obey Him only when it’s convenient.  A true disciple gives their life to follow Jesus. You may have a secular job, but as a Christian you are called to be serving in God’s kingdom on that job.  Every minute of every day, we are ambassadors.  Our lifestyles, our words, our attitudes, all reflect the One we are representing, Jesus Christ.  We have to be ready at a moment’s notice to share our faith.  That requires a relationship with Jesus that transcends all other priorities in our lives.

Many times God chooses someone for a particular work.  He sets them aside for that work and places His Spirit in them in a distinctive way.  They may begin to operate in that work with joy and humility, following the leading of the Holy Spirit.  But the humility and eagerness to serve can be tainted if the focus turns from the glory of God, to the glory of self.  Paul knew that.  That’s why he was so determined to keep himself spiritually fit and close to Jesus. 

Just as Paul gives us a strong example of one who gave himself up to serve God in complete obedience, King Saul is an example of failing to remain humble, obedient and true in his service to God.  He was chosen to be king of Israel, the very first king.  He ruled well for a time.  But when he placed his position and prestige before the glory of God, the prophet Samuel reminded him of the time he was not full of pride, but of humility before God. He said,  “Is it not true that even though you were small (insignificant) in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel?” (1 Samuel 15:17, Amplified Bible)  Now Saul had turned to a pattern of rejecting God’s Word.  He listened to the Lord’s voice through Samuel, but then took matters in his own hands, what he thought was best.

            After yet another act of disobedience by taking part of the spoils of battle, Saul tried to cover for himself by rationalizing the reason he disobeyed.  He placed his human reasoning above God’s instructions, and when he was faced with his disobedience and rebellion, he treated it as nothing.  He was more concerned how he looked before the people than the fact that he had defied God.  He had disobeyed before, but this time Saul learned the drastic consequences of his rebellion.  Samuel said, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”  (1 Samuel 15:28) 

God may choose to use us greatly at some point, but we must be watchful that we don’t allow it to cause us to place ourselves on a pedestal and rob God of His glory. When the Holy Spirit works through us, we cannot take credit.  We are only earthen vessels.  He is the Treasure.  The vessel is disposable.  The Treasure inside is eternal.  Saul discovered when the Spirit of God left him, he was helpless and hopeless.  It had not been his wisdom, valor and strength that brought him success.  He had seen success because God was with him.  Now he was destitute.  He had no one to give him directions.  Yet he still tried to keep up his image as king of Israel.  He even went so far as to go to a witch for help.

If we feel as though we have to keep up our image, we may resort to means outside the leading of the Spirit.  If we are purely following Jesus, we will do whatever He says regardless of how it affects us.  God knows better than we do.  We don’t have to warn Him about the pitfalls that may lie before us.  He already knows. Our part is to trust and obey, to be one with Him and His purpose.

Oswald Chambers said, “It cannot be stated definitely what the call of God is to, because His call is to be in comradeship with Himself for His own purposes, and the test is to believe that God knows what He is after.  If we are in communion with God and recognize He is taking us into His purposes, we shall no longer try to find out what His purposes are.  If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the leisureliness which ought to characterize the children of God.”  Oh, may we trust the wisdom of God!

“…lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”