Fear or Trust

 

The LORD Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy. He is the One you are to fear; He is the One you are to dread. Hosea 8:13 (NIV)

Let me be perfectly transparent; deciding to return to South Africa (SA), where we have lived and worked, has been a very hard decision. I would like to say it was not and that my walk with Jesus has grown me so I always decide at once to do God’s will. But, let me tell you, I am human. Like you, I have senior-aged parents, adult children, grandchildren, and friends in America whom I miss terribly and whom I cannot help, especially my mom, stepmom, and stepfather. Life is easier here in America. I generally can find anything my mind can ever think of wanting. (That does not mean I need it!) I am now vaccinated against COVID-19 here. I would not be in SA. The variants in South Africa are more virulent so I do not trust that I am safe from them. Let me say it again; this has been a very prayerful season in America. Each time we go on stateside assignment, we are prayerful. This one was, for me, a wrestling with God to figure out His will exactly and to bring myself in alignment with Him.

God and I have been having deep and long conversations about returning to South Africa (our home) since I arrived here in October for my third child’s wedding. This conversation became more desperate by the end of March when I had not heard from Him definitively if we can stay in America or must go back to SA. Since becoming a Christian, when I professed saving faith in Jesus when I was fourteen years old, I listened to my ministers teaching that unless you hear from God to change what you are doing, keep doing what He last told you. As I asked God if He wants us to go back to SA, I heard nothing from Him in my first months in America. I understood that meant, “Yes.” God wants me to return there. But being human and hoping for a new direction, I asked and kept on asking. I asked prayer-sisters to pray as I battled with God about this. Understand this, God did not battle with me; I battled with Him. My battle was seeking to understand for sure if I must return to SA. It was a battle of my will against God’s, though I already understood what He wanted me to do.

Sunday, I told God, I recognized you want me to return to SA, but please, as I read Isaiah 8-11, show me explicitly. (I hate to admit that because that shows I am still weak. We all are. Hopefully, we are growing to be more like Jesus each day.) God honored my request and showed me His answer explicitly in His word. He taught me as He taught the Israelites, through His prophet, Isaiah. How I wish I were not comparable to the Israelites. Really, we all are like them. Our spiritual graphs go up and down like theirs did. Remember this, I never doubted God wanted us back in South Africa. I wished He wanted us in America. That point is where God met me.

The first thing we must know about Isaiah 8:1-18 is these are the words God spoke to Isaiah telling him what He will do to the Israelites and why. Isaiah’s written words were his response to God’s foretelling His disciplining the Israelites. Isaiah is like each Christian. God calls us to be His messengers and tell the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We each must remember He is Almighty. God is the only one who is Holy. Holy means He has never sinned. Can any of us say this? He is the standard for our lives.

In Isaiah 8:12, God told Isaiah not to fear or dread anything or anyone except Him. This fear is the reverence and awe of God and the fear for my life. Basically, God said, “Do not be afraid of what they may do to you but know I will discipline you, like them, if you do not obey Me.” Since God is holy, we need to fear, revere, and live in awe of Him. Because He is holy, no one is like Him. Paul wrote about this sinful state. He said, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” in Romans 3:23 (NIV). We do not need to fear anything or anyone else because God is Almighty. He destroys false Gods and reigns preeminent over all created things. As God’s messengers, those He calls to tell other people about Jesus, we do not have to fear other people or created things. Because God is holy, we should obey Him in fear and awe.

What does Isaiah 8:12 have to do with my situation? Well, God pointed out to me what caused me to ask for clear confirmation of His will for me to return to SA-fear. Fear was my excuse. I checked my heart and mind and determined of what I feared or dreaded (Is. 8:13c). I noted two things: having to leave family and friends and facing the third wave of Covid-19 in South Africa, where most recent cases are the Delta variant. Mentally, I did not want to face that crisis again. (I said I am human, remember.) Physically, I did not want to get the virus. I know doctors there with Covid-19 patients and they were afraid. Of course, other doctors are not afraid. God used Isaiah 8:13 to help me understand what caused my need for confirmation instead of just trusting Him. He reminded me He is holy and Almighty, and I do not need to fear or dread anything. I should fear only God with awe.

God told me one other thing in this speech to Isaiah. He said I should revere and be in awe of Him by being gratefully obedient to His will for my life. That means I need to “cheerfully” prioritize His will over my family and friends. Remember that verse in 2 Corinthians 9:7 where Paul wrote, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (NIV) Being a “cheerful giver” comes from our trusting God. We should give our tithes, our offerings to God, whether of our money, time, family, friends, and life, cheerfully, not reluctantly. We should give Him all we are and have each day because His love never fails. We can trust Him. God’s calling of us to be about His business never stops. He calls each of His children to tell the gospel to all people. God wants each person to know this, just like He did the Israelites. Our telling the gospel is one way to tithe of our time and self. If we truly love the Lord, we will want to give back to Him that which He has given to us for His purposes, our lives in obedience to Him. Does that mean there will not be tears when you say goodbye to friends and family or when you must bury your parents at whose side you could not sit when they died? No, there are tears. God gave us tears to help release the emotions of sorrow and joy. (Aren’t tears wonderfully refreshing?) With this part of the passage in Isaiah 8, I needed to decide if I would dread returning to the people of SA or if I would cheerfully go because they are the people whom God loves and to whom He sends me to witness and minister. Instead of dreading or fearing my return to SA, I can be like Isaiah was when he said in verse seventeen, “I will wait for the LORD. I will put my trust in Him.” We can completely trust God. If you are honest, He has never failed you. And He will not fail you. He loves you and loves the people whom He puts in your path daily.

When we completely trust God and not fear or dread what might come, we can experience the hope God gives each of His children. He gave us this hope when we professed Jesus as the Messiah, God’s Son. Yet, many of us allow fear and dread to overshadow that hope. Nothing ever can overshadow God or anything from Him, even hope. Nothing can hide the Truth and Light. What is this hope? Isaiah tells the Israelites this hope from God in Isaiah 9:2, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great Light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a Light has dawned.” (NIV) This hope is for the near future and the distant future. The Israelites had seen a great Light. They saw the fire lighting their way in the darkness when they left Egypt. And they would see this same light again. God was telling them to have hope because He would lead them back to the Promised Land after they became captives to Assyria and Babylon. God is faithful and will keep His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For the Israelites, the distant future held the hope of the Messiah, who One would come from a virgin and would be “God with us,” Immanuel. This hope God gave to the Israelites through Isaiah’s prophecy is a hope we Christians can hold on to even today. When we completely trust God and allow His hope to shine a Light for us and lead us, we do not dread or fear. We align our hearts with God to be cheerfully obedient, so the entire world will know about Jesus.

What have I relearned from God’s loving compassion and forbearance with me during this stateside assignment time? I can allow dread and fear to keep me from walking in the peace God gives through the hope He gave to me when I became a Christian. I can allow my excuses to keep me from serving God and have no peace about it. Lack of hope affects the heart, mind, soul, and strength and keeps me from loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. God spoke of this through Moses in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Jesus spoke of it in Matthew 22:37, too. Jesus added one other commandment. It sums up the last six of the Ten Commandments. He called it the second greatest commandment when He said, “And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” I cannot do either of the two greatest commandments if I allow the fear and dread, which comes from Satan, to keep me from trusting and loving the Lord with my whole being. And do not get me wrong; I love God to the depths of my being. My commitment to Him 44 years ago when I became a believer in Jesus and 21.5 years ago when I first left America to go to South Africa show the depth of my love for Him. I have made this same decision every time I returned there after our stateside assignment times. Does my heart want to stay in America? Yes! But my heart longs even more to follow God. He continues to lead me to South Africa.

Ask that same question to yourself? Do you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? If you do, then you will have no problem saying yes to the next question. Do you love your neighbor as you love yourself? Do you love them enough that you will do whatever God asks of you, go where he tells you to go, and live with and minister to the people He loves and has called you to serve? See, that is the rub. We must love God enough that no matter what He asks of us, we will not dread, fear, or offer excuses for not “being able” to go. I am still learning, but I can say God is my everything and my family falls in line right behind Him in my consideration. It does not mean I love my family less. I love them enough to show God means everything to me. It shows them just what everything means and becomes an example to them of love for God.

In the Chronological Life Application Study Bible (page 792), a commentator wrote this statement. “Although God may not always spare us from troubles, He will lead us safely through them if we follow Him wholeheartedly.” That is my God and I trust Him completely.

Will you trust the Lord today with your life, the lives of your loved ones, and your future? 

With God, there is no more fear or dread. 

For unto us a Son was born and given whose name is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And there will be no end to the greatness of His government and peace. With justice and righteousness, He will reign on David’s throne forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty accomplished this. (Isaiah 9:6-7, my interpretation)

God is still in control.

We have security in Him for our rapidly changing world.

Will you trust God?

Forsaken

They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. 2 Chronicles 24:18a (NIV)

Dust on Bibles,

Calluses on knees,

Tear stains on faces,

Confidence with ease.

 

Paint peeling, falling,

Gutters askew,

Litter uncollected,

Dust on the pews.

 

Beggars left pleading,

Cries heard through the night,

Kids’ hungry bellies,

What is their plight?

 

Eyes wander back,

Minds filter with dew,

Hearts recognize,

Spirits remember who-  

*Who left the altar 

*Who walked away 

*Who chose new paths* 

Who said, “Another day.”

 

Tears streak down faces,

Knees callused again;

Hearts fully repenting,

Spirits sway back to Him.

 

Dust blown from Bibles,

Paint fully renewed;

Litter now collected,

People in pews.

 

God recollected.

His love never gone!

People again sought Him,

Voices raised in song! 

**Sing Hallelujahs, 

**Praise to the King! 

**Our Savior, Redeemer. 

**Ring heaven’s bells and sing!

 

Let history remind us,

Let it teach and lead.

Let God be our Master!

Praise I AM, our King!

Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to Him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. 2 Chronicles 24:19 (NIV)

Will you listen to God calling you to return to Him?

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. Matthew 16:24 (NIV)

It's not too Small a Thing

 

Jesus answered and said to him [Peter], “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” (John 13:7-8 [NASB])

            When we read John 13:1-17, we realize Jesus, God’s Son, did not consider himself too exalted to do the lowest of tasks-washing dirty feet. He took off his outer tunic and wore just what a servant would and wrapped a towel around his waist as a servant would. Next, he knelt beside Peter to put his foot in the basin and wash and dry it. Peter and the other disciples recognized this action for what it was, a servant’s duty. To him, Jesus was Teacher and Lord (vs 13). Jesus wanted His disciples to see He was more than what they thought they knew about Him. Yes, He is God’s Son and is divine. Jesus also humbled Himself to come down to earth from His throne in heaven, to be incarnate. Paul spoke of this humility of Jesus in Philippians 2:6-7. Jesus made sure the disciples realized His work comprised more than just being recognized as a Teacher and the Lord, the Son of God. His life was to be a humble servant to the Father and humanity so each person would come to know Him as his or her Savior.

            Isaiah in Isaiah 49:1-13 recognized the different facets of the Messiah. Through Isaiah, the Messiah prophesied of His coming humility by birth as a human (vs. 1). He would come to speak the words of God with protection from the shadow of His hand (vs. 2). Jesus would come to toil as if in vain to bring Israel back to God (vs. 4-5). God deemed His Son’s work too important for just the Israelites. The Messiah said He would be a light to all nations. He would come to speak for God and toil for His purposes so all may see the Light of God and come to know Him as their Redeemer (vs 6-7a). Though the Messiah said He people would despise and abhor Him, He would serve people. Kings would rise to their feet and princes would bow to Him because the LORD God chose Him (vs. 7). He said He would release the captive, bring light to those in darkness, feed the hungry, and give drink for the thirsty (vs. 9-10). Jesus the Messiah would make the roads straight and people would come from near and far to be with Him (vs. 11-12).

            Jesus prophesied through Isaiah that He would come to earth for the Israelites to restore them to God. He said He would come for people everywhere, too. Jesus’ ministry on earth was almost exclusively to Israelites. Yet, we know He came for each person who lived during and after His life on earth. Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19 [NASB]). In Acts 1:8, Luke wrote what Jesus told them in the upper room. He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

John, in John 13:1-17, told of Jesus preparing His disciples for ministry beyond what they understood. He prepared them to be like Him. Isaiah 49:1-13 foretold the Messiah’s work on earth-speaking to and toiling as a servant for the people of Israel and other nations to receive salvation. Jesus came to serve the Father. That required being a servant for people, too. Jesus showed this to His disciples while He walked with them. He healed, taught, fed, proclaimed, and raised the dead. For the disciples, He did the miraculous. How else could a poor carpenter’s son have taught with authority, though uneducated? How could he have done miracles of healing, feeding, and raising people from the dead? With John 13, Jesus showed His disciples a deeper understanding of His miraculousness. He came to serve, to cleanse people-from dirt and from sins. Jesus served in whatever way was necessary so each person would come to know Him, believe in Him, and receive salvation from sin and death. Jesus modeled this to His disciples. He instilled righteous leadership with righteous servanthood. Jesus instilled servanthood with righteousness so they could be His leaders, too. Only through the righteousness of Christ imparted in each believer through the Holy Spirit can a person fulfill God’s purposes as God foretold in Isaiah 49, Luke shared in Acts 1, and Jesus lived as relayed by Paul in Philippians 2. A servant cannot be greater than the Master and the one who is sent cannot be greater than the One who sent him. Yet, a servant and a leader can live the life of a Christian by Jesus’ Spirit living within them upon faith in Him for salvation.

            It took Jesus, incarnated and fully divine, to transform the actions of people to always be actions of righteous service. Without His indwelling a person, righteous serving cannot happen. It took divine Jesus to redeem serving and leading so they would be useful for God’s purposes. It was too small a thing for Jesus to come just to save Israel (Isaiah 49:6). Just as it was too small a thing for Him to come to redeem only one aspect of life. Jesus came to redeem each person wholly, including each action. He came to redeem every action, bringing it back into alignment with God’s purpose. God’s purpose is that we glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. His purpose is that we live in an eternal, loving, and righteous relationship with Him. It is not too small a thing for us to live righteously and tell other people about Jesus. It has everlasting consequences.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11 [NASB])

Is there something you think is beneath you?

If you think that, then you have not had your feet washed by Jesus.

True Success Defined

Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you… LUKE 10:20

What do we hold up to prove we are successful in the spiritual realm? Do we say we must visit a certain number of people? Do we hold ourselves up as casters-out of demons or healers? Do we put ourselves forth as ones who speak in tongues? Do we count how many people we've saved? Do we keep track of the meals we've taken to people or the number of people we've taken to the doctor? Do we keep record of these things to show ourselves as better than others or to prove we are doing a lot of good things?

There are so many things we do, for which we feel pride about, yet, these are not the main task. These are "markers" for worldly estimation of success. True success, if we dare use that word when considering our work for God, is being in a growing relationship with Him, leading people to Him, and discipling people.

We don't count the numbers of people. We don't parade ourselves as the greatest healer or the most fluent spiritual-tongues speaker, or the most prolific caster-out of demons, or that we have driven the most miles to help people, or, or, or. Those are all manmade standards placed upon a spiritual realm. The two do not mesh. One does not fit the other.

A life hidden with Christ in God is not a statistically visible life. It's a meek life of obedience and relationship to God made possible through Christ, not through man. The world's standards don't determine the heavenly servant's worth or work. How can it, when the world is sinful and so much less grand than heaven? Man's standards are tainted with sin; heaven's is not. Would we dare to tell God He had not saved enough people, get back to work? Ridiculous! Applying the earthly idea of success to heavenly work is ridiculous. The measure would never fit the grand scale, the grandeur and almighty-ness of who God is, and what He has, is, and will do.

Discipleship under Christ (to those who have been given a new self by Christ's Holy Spirit), grows the mind, heart, and spirit of each person to the standard of heaven by gradual growth in relationship with God, which leads to obedient discipleship. It is the growing into the new life Christ has given us, becoming less of self and more of Christ. ("He must increase, and I must decrease," as John the Baptist said.). It is as Paul said to the Colossians in Colossians 3:3, "For you (your natural life) have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. "Your old, natural life would never have done enough good or been good enough to earn eternal life. Your new life, given by Christ through His death and resurrection, is fully made for heaven. It is to this new life in Christ that we learn and grow more like Him. When Christ appears, then you who are made new through belief in Jesus will appear with Him in Glory. (Colossians 3:4)

The two do not mix. One is sinful and thus, it's standards are sinful, since made by men. The other is righteous and justified since Jesus Christ gives new life to all who believe in Him for salvation. "Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you." (Colossians 3:5). Seek God's standards and turn away from the earth's standards and ways of measuring success.

May God continue to grow you into His image so that your standard is always Christ and not that made by His creation, humanity.

Stagnant, Stingy, or Streaming

Jesus said to them, ‘My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its deeds are evil.’ (John 7:6-7 [NASB])

As you read this conversation between Jesus and His brothers, did questions arise in your mind? Was your heart pricked? Did what Jesus say to His brothers hit home for you? Let’s consider this passage and a few others. First, let’s consider a metaphor.

Have you ever been in or heard of a boat that sprung a leak? What emotion do you think the people on the boat felt? Fear? Panic? Confusion? Doubt? Security? Faith in the boat’s ability to get you to shore? If we allow waters to flow into us that are not Living Water, we will sink. If we allow things of this world, deceiving teachers and preachers, and other religions to invade our mind and take residence there, we will sink.

After Jesus told His brothers He would not go to the feast in Jerusalem because it wasn’t His time yet, He stayed in Galilee a while longer then made His way to Jerusalem in secret. When Jesus went to Jerusalem during the feast, He entered to the temple to teach. The Jews were astonished at His teaching because the Rabbis never educated Him. Jesus challenged the religious leaders on why they wanted to kill Him. The crowd thought He had a demon. Jesus challenged both these groups of people. Others in the crowd questioned among themselves why the religious leaders had not killed Jesus yet. After that, Jesus began to teach He was from God and sent by God. The religious leaders became more fervent to seize Him while some of the crowd believed in Him. This latter caused the Pharisees to send officers to capture Jesus. Jesus challenged them again when He said, “You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” His proclamation perplexed them even more.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus told the people if anyone was thirsty to come to Him and drink. He then proclaimed, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:38) This Living Water, John explained, was the Spirit of God who would live in everyone who believed in Jesus. The questions from above about the boat with a hole fit with this idea. Do we have Living Water flowing through us, keeping us buoyant, giving us direction, teaching and guiding us, and encouraging us? Or, do we have water flowing into us, overwhelming us, and causing us to sink? If the answer to the first question is yes, then we won’t sink, but what the Spirit, the Living Water, does in us proceeds from us to others. This Living Water is not from a stagnant, non-flowing pond or lake. It comes from a continually flowing source of water, from the throne of God, and it brings nourishment to us and to others we meet. Jesus meant this when He said “rivers of living water” will flow. Will flow is a continuous verb. It starts at a point in time when a person believes in Jesus and continues forever from God.

What are we doing with the water that arises in our lives? Are we grabbing a pail to bail it out of our boats? Or, are we allowing the Living Water, not the world’s idea of water, complete reign in our lives so when people see, listen to, or receive help from us, they recognize God and see, hear, and receive from Him? If we don’t believe in Jesus, all we have is stagnant water by which we can quench our thirst, but not grow or have eternal life. If we believe in Jesus, we will have Living Water and eternal life with Christ. Our water, the Living Water within us, will stream. That stream won’t be stingy, but vibrant and flowing.

Consider John 7:6-7 again. Jesus told His brothers who did not believe in Him as the Messiah their time was always opportune. The people of Jerusalem would not harm them because they did not hate them; they did not testify about Jesus being the Messiah. The world could not hate because they did not testify about Christ with their words, thoughts, or actions.

It is our time to go to our Jerusalem and proclaim Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Do you believe in Him? Do you have Living Water living in you? Or, do you just have ordinary water? If the latter, the world will not hate you because you are of the world and, like them, you do not have eternal life. If you answer yes to the first two questions, what is keeping you from allowing the Living Water to continue to flow through you?

Are you stagnant, stingy, or streaming?

Be a living witness of Jesus Christ as your Savior

by allowing the Living Water to flow inside and from you.

Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.   (Colossians 2:6-7 [NASB])

Lord, so many times I have failed to be a living witness to You as I go through my days. I allow my to do list to keep me from seeing You work or obeying You. I’ve allowed my plans and agendas to master me instead of allowing You to be my Master. When this happens, I become easily frustrated in the day and my emotions become my master. Lord, help me continually to be aware of You each day. Grow me from the root You planted in me so I continue to walk in You. Establish my faith in You so nothing formed against me will make me fall and fail You. Lord, build me on the foundation Christ became for me so I stand strong for You. Use me as Your instrument to share the Living Water to other people so they will come to know You and grow in their faith in You. I have failed You, Lord, but make me grow so I fail you less with each new day coming. Thank you for Your love, grace, and mercy. Without these from You, I would fall. Thank you for being Creator, Savior, and Master of all things. In Jesus name, Amen.

Peace, I Give

Things which eye has not seen

And ear has not heard,
            And which have not entered the heart of man,
             ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit;

for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?

Even so, the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 

Now we (Christians) have received,

not the spirit of the world,

but the Spirit who is from God,

so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 

which things we also speak,

not in words taught by human wisdom,

but in those taught by the Spirit,

combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God,

for they are foolishness to him;

and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 

But he who is spiritual appraises all things,

yet he himself is appraised by no one. 

For who has known the mind of the LORD, that he will instruct Him?

But we have the mind of Christ.

                                                            1 Corinthians 2:9-16 [NASB]

Why do Christians have the mind of Christ?

When we became followers of Jesus, His Holy Spirit came to live in us. In John 14:18-30, Jesus said He did not leave His disciples as orphans. Even though they (and we) will not see Him on earth again until His return, He will live in us through His Spirit and we will live eternally with Him. We have the mind of Christ because Jesus loves us and we love Him, just as He and the Father love and abide with each other. For this reason, followers of Jesus can always have peace, His peace, not the worlds, since the Spirit lives in them. Christians do not have to fear. Jesus is always with us through His Spirit and so we can have His perfect peace, a heart peace which nothing can alter or destroy.

How does this mind of Christ, which Jesus gave, help us?

In Matthew 10:24-25, Jesus reminded His disciples a student is not above his teacher nor a servant above his master. If a person would deign to malign a leader, that person would have no problem maligning the student or servant either. We are no greater and should expect nothing less than what our Master and Teacher experienced. Yet, we need not fear what may happen. Why? We don’t need to fear because we have the mind of Christ, the Holy Spirit, within us and can live with true peace recognizing that though our bodies and spirits may be tormented in one or many ways, nothing can take our salvation and hope from us. We each are more valuable than sparrows. So, be brave and courageous, and continue to confess, teach, and preach about Jesus to the world. (Matthew 10:26-32)

Peace Jesus gives to each of us who believe in Him as Lord and Savior.

Peace we can have as we live each day of our lives whether in joy or trial.

Peace we must choose to hold on to when storms batter and fray.

Peace is what Jesus gives.

His love gives peace.

When the din of the world assaults our ears, we can go to our quiet place within ourselves and hear Jesus’ voice anew,

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:27 [NASB])

We have the mind of Christ because Jesus loves us, and we love Him.

Faith-Grown

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 [NASB]

After you have lived a while, you realize our greatest opportunities of growth and learning come through our experiences. If we read and learn, the lesson becomes head knowledge. Only when head knowledge is tested, can it become life knowledge and grow and strengthen us.

James expressed this same thing in James 1:2-3 when he said, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” [NASB] Paul taught similarly in Romans 5:3-5 when he said,

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. [NASB]

These disciples of Jesus taught going through hard times produces growth, or rather, it can, depending on how we respond and react to the difficulties.

Jesus taught much about growing in a relationship with God and told His followers how they can endure hardships. In John 16:33, He spent some time walking with and teaching His disciples before Judas betrayed Him. He told them, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Jesus’ primary teaching about living through difficulties was to ask the Father for anything in His name (vs 23). Jesus’ followers can have peace, God’s heart peace, while facing difficulties because God will be with them and will help them. God doesn’t leave a person when times get tough. He stays with them, gives them the strength to get through trials, and grows the person to be a stronger believer in Jesus Christ. As a person takes each small step toward growing more Christlike, that person’s belief in God and His desire and ability to strengthen him or her in and through the trial grows. That person becomes stronger.

Consider Matthew 19:16-26 when the rich young ruler asked Jesus a question. This rich young man asked Jesus, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (vs. 16) Jesus answered him by saying, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (vs. 17) The man’s reply to Jesus was he had kept all the commandments. Then he asked, “What am I still lacking?” (vs. 20b) This rich young man thought doing good would give him eternal life. Jesus told him only One is good. He told the young man, if he wanted to be complete (fully grown as can only happen by God), not just good, then he must not rely on what he can do such as making money and buying himself things. The completeness of which Jesus spoke can come only by God when He makes a person fully grown through stages. These stages of gradual strengthening take a person to the end goal of being completely Christlike. This strengthening comes through trials and difficulties, daily Bible reading and study, and prayer and communion with God. The rich young man chose not to go through this trial. He kept the commandments instead of giving himself to God. We can note this from his reply to Jesus. Recall what Jesus told this rich young man after he said he kept the commandments. Jesus said, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me.” (vs. 21) He, in essence, said stop relying on your own strength and plans, and rely on God instead. Give yourself to God totally and trust in Him. This rich young ruler heard Jesus’ statement, but went away grieving because he owned a lot of property. He didn’t want to give it up. This rich young ruler chose to rely on himself rather than follow God and trust Him for all his needs.

This moment in time was the rich young ruler’s chance to grow in his relationship with God. He could have gone from knowing about sins and Yahweh God to knowing God and being in a redeemed relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. This young man did not trust God to provide all things for him and so he did not grow in his faith. He wanted to be a follower of Jesus, but he didn’t rely on God’s strength and provision or his own learned understanding of I AM, the eternal One. At that moment in time, the rich young ruler could have come to know God personally through His Son, Jesus. He chose possessions over a relationship with God.

We each come to these places in our lives. Will we trust the God who created us and all things to take care of our needs? Will we trust Him enough to give us the strength to endure when we obey Him to go where He tells us to or do what He tells us to do? Will we believe what Jesus told Paul? In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul wrote saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

Jesus gave the rich young ruler the opportunity to grow in his understanding of God and his relationship to Him. He encouraged him to step out in faith in God. Jesus gives each of us the opportunity to grow in our understanding and faith in God and to become more like Him. Each day we learn something and have the chance to trust God more, and to gain strength, endurance, and peace. Only you recognize what God is trying to teach you now. You understand of what God asks from you to learn that lesson fully and become even more like Christ.

Will you let go of your own understanding and grow in God?

Will you be home-grown or faith-grown?

Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ And He said, ‘Come!’ And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (Matthew 14:28-29 [NASB])

Lord, You have been patient with me. I don’t understand how you have that much patience waiting on me to trust you, but You do. You love me more than I realized. You are loving and gracious and keep calling me to follow You. Please forgive my doubts and lack of faith. Forgive my weaknesses and fears. Help me see and hear You only. Help me step out of my self-made boat and walk on the storm-tossed sea with You. Only by walking with You will I grow stronger. Lord, I want to be made complete and to have Your peace. I don’t want to be home-grown anymore. I want to be faith-grown by You. Please be patient with me. I love You.

Salt-Giver

“So then any of you who does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33 [AMP])

In Luke 14:26-33, Luke wrote of Jesus speaking to the crowd who followed Him. Jesus spoke about what a person must do to be His disciple. The things Jesus said a disciple must do sound harsh-hate your mother, father, wife, husband, children, and yourself (vs. 26-27). When one looks at the original text, the intention is that you love Jesus more than these. Put your relationship and devotion to these people in your life lower than your devoted love to Jesus. Jesus said His followers must persevere, carry his or her own cross, and follow Him. He spoke to the heart of people in this part of His teaching.

These sound like difficult, negative things. How can Jesus speak about hating people when He loved humanity enough to die for it?

In verses twenty-eight through twenty-nine, Jesus said a follower who doesn’t count the cost of following Him is like a man who began to build a farm building but ran out of funds. He said people would mock and ridicule this man for not counting his cost well enough to see if he had the funds to pay for the building (Luke 14:29-30). Jesus spoke to the pride, the emotions, of a person in this part of His teaching.

This, too, sounds difficult. No one wants people to ridicule or laugh at them. So many people considered Jesus to be a cult leader and when He died, the people would point fingers at His followers and laugh at them for being gullible. How could Jesus stand up to this ridicule Himself as He faced religious leaders and others wherever He went?

In Luke 14:31-33, Jesus used the idea of one king confronting another in battle. He said His followers need to count the cost by preparing and understanding they and their personal resources are less than God’s. One king realized he had half the soldiers the other king did. When this realization came upon him, he sent an envoy to seek the terms of peace. A person’s resources end at death. God’s resources continue throughout eternity. If a person begins to follow Jesus but not with his or her whole being, then he or she wasn’t a true believer at all. That person’s resources will end; whereas, if the person was a true believer, he or she would have had access to the greater King’s resources and would have gained righteousness and eternal life. Jesus spoke to the mind and spirit of a person with this part of His teaching.

A follower of Jesus is not just one who physically follows today and tomorrow, but next week has another leader or another plan. A follower of Jesus is one who counts the cost, the cost of loving Jesus more than anyone or anything one has whether family, self (heart, soul, mind, and body), or possessions. Jesus compared the fickle follower to unsalty salt. Salt keeps its flavor when undiluted. Comparatively, followers of Jesus continue to follow Him when they do not seek to add other things to their lives and so dilute the teachings of Jesus and their devotion to Him. Jesus said to these people, “Salt is good, but if salt has become tasteless (bland and flat), with what will it be seasoned?” (vs. 34 [AMP]) If salt has lost its strength and become flat, how will its saltness be restored?

Being a follower of Jesus requires a commitment of heart, soul, mind, and strength. It’s not just a physical (bodily) following of Him by going to church on Christmas and Easter, or for those who are more “religious”, every Sunday morning. It’s a daily devoted following of Jesus by going to your quiet place, giving your heart to God each day, humbling yourself by recognizing your feebleness and sinfulness, supplicating for forgiveness, and recognizing who God is, His greatness. It is a moment-by-moment seeking God’s will and plan for each event that happens in your days and years. This is loving God with your whole being-heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).

Jesus taught in the Sermon on the mount, “First and most importantly seek, aim for, and strive after His [God’s] kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right], and all these things will be given to you also.” (Matthew 6:33 [AMP]) When we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, we seek God and His attitude and character. We are enabled to love Jesus more than our family members. We’ve counted the cost and know we are unable to finish the task, but the Master has all the resources we need to finish the building. We recognize our finiteness in time, power, and strength and recognize God’s omnipotence (power). With God’s strength, we can do anything. We can continue walking in the ways of Jesus. We continue to think of honorable and right things. We have pride in Jesus and not ourselves-who we are and what we can do. We recognize the greatness of the salvation Jesus gave us and don’t take it for granted. Jesus paid the ultimate price-His life.

With this understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, devotedly loving Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength more than ourselves, our family and friends, and our things, we can persevere resolutely, carry our cross determinedly, and follow Jesus persistently. With this mindset, we can join Joshua and say as he did in Joshua 24:15,

“If it is unacceptable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” [italics added for emphasis, AMP]

Lord, I find myself wanting to falter in following You. I come to a point to make a decision and I want to take the easy way. Often that means not following You. Please forgive me for my laziness and disobedience. Forgive me of making myself my own god. After each time I choose my own way, I realize my sinfulness and insufficiency then I remember Your righteousness and greatness. Lord, I do not deserve Your love and forgiveness and I am humbled each time You give these to me. You are so much greater than I could ever think or imagine myself to be. You are almighty and awesome, and I am feeble and disappointing. Thank you for Your forgiveness. Thank you for your devoted love. Thank you for continuing to call me to follow You and for your strength and resources to do that. I renew my commitment to follow You with the strength of Your power. I commit to take up my cross, forsaking all I have and all I love, to follow You. Amen.

God Causes Good

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 [NASB]

Let me begin with a studied paraphrasing of this famous passage. We know because we see and hear God, acknowledge what He says, and act upon what He says that God causes good to come from things He causes to work together. God is the Originator of this good and thus the Definer of good. Good comes from God’s being. He is the one Who causes good to be and to happen in thought, action, and word to each person who loves God, a love of God that becomes part of the heart of the person and leads to active obedience of God’s commands, His will, not just simply admitting God exists, for evil Satan admits God’s existence. These people who love God with their whole being so they live out their love to Him in obedience to His commands are those whom He called to receive salvation, just like He calls all people to come to Him, and these are the ones He calls to His service. These are the people who love God with their whole being; they hear God from His throne, recognize His voice, acknowledge it, accept His purpose for their lives, and live out their lives in obedience to His call, His purpose. These called people – called for salvation and for service to Him – are the ones for whom all things work together because of God causing them for the good of His children, the ones who love Him with their heart, mind, soul, and strength.

We each must decide for ourselves if we are the people about whom Paul wrote in this passage. Are we each a person who loves God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength? Are we actively loving God in thought, word, and action? Do we truly know God so we see and perceive Him, acknowledge and admit to His love, call, and purpose, and then act upon His calling?

Now we get to the hard stuff. Do we forget God is great and causes good to occur for us who love Him with our whole being or do we become beaten down by our struggles? As Christians active in this world, we will have struggles. We will fall down with beatings. We will have temptations. But God…God causes all things to work together for good…for us who love Him with our whole being and are living according to His purpose for our lives.

God is good! God causes good. He is the source of good and nothing can stop it from happening. When God calls you, He also causes good for you. You are not alone with no good thing and only struggles. Look up. Look around. Look inside your spirit, heart, and mind. Perceive God and His good for you. He called you to salvation. God calls you to eternal life. He calls you to this time and for this purpose. God has not left you. The Lord went before you and provided salvation for you. He is with you and provides hope and strength for you because of His love for you. God goes ahead of you to prepare a place for you in His kingdom.

Don’t forget! God causes all things to work for good for you, the one who loves Him totally, the one called according to His purposes. God’s good is all around you. Look. God is there now. Call out. Reach out. Grasp Him and hold on tight. If God is for you – and HE IS – then nothing can go against you. Nothing can defeat you because God has been before you, is with you now, and has gone ahead of you. Paul said in Romans 8:38b, “If God is for us, who is against us.” In all our struggles, trials, troubles, and temptations, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us!! (vs. 37) That is God’s good to us. He works all things for our good. To paraphrase Paul, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord!” (Romans 8:39)

God is almighty, and He works all things together for our good, we who have accepted His call of salvation, who love Him with our whole being, and who serve Him according to His purpose. God’s good is all around you. His good triumphs over evil. Since God is for you, nothing can defeat you.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. See His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT]

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world – our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

1 John 5:3-4 [NASB]

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.”

2 Corinthians 5:20 [ESV]

Lord, God, so often I take my eyes off you, then I stumble, or my faith grows weak as I live in the middle of the battle. Forgive me for not seeing You and for not seeing Your good for me. Forgive me for forgetting you are the conqueror and so we, too, conquer. Help me keep my eyes on You and to tell others about You no matter what I face. Help me to always remember Your promises and love for me so I can stand strong not matter what comes against me. Nothing I will face is greater than You, Lord. Lord, You are almighty and You have all understanding and wisdom needed to face today, and tomorrow, and a thousand tomorrows more. Help me to always remember to abide in You, to stay deeply devoted to You, and not lean on my own understanding. True wisdom is reverence of You, God. You alone are God. Amen.

Heart to Heart

Luke 9

           

            We have all seen and known people who become emotionally attracted to a project, human need, or cause and then not follow through on the commitment they made to the cause. We find this circumstance throughout life and it is not limited to any one age group. We also see this occur in religious organizations. Each week, people walk forward to commit themselves to give money or pray or they commit their lives to Christ. We see people from all walks of life get attracted to these and other things because of an emotional pull. We have also seen people not follow-through on their commitment.  Jesus encountered people like this, too. 

            In Luke 9, Jesus empowered the disciples to go out and heal people and to cast out demons.  He fed 5000 people.  He met with Moses and Elijah at His transfiguration.  He also dealt with two brothers, coaxed by their mother, who were seeking the seats of honor by Him.  Finally, He encountered three men who, upon seeing all that Jesus was doing and hearing all He was saying, decide they wanted to be followers/disciples of His.  Jesus knows all men’s hearts; He knew the hearts of these three men.  

            Jesus’ confrontation with the first two men involved Him explaining to one man that being His follower meant that he did not have a home or human comforts he could call his own. To the second man, Jesus explained that being a follower meant that he had to give everything to Him. He had to love Jesus more than his mother, father, sister, or brother. Both of these men changed their minds about being His disciple when their emotions were faced with the fact that following Jesus came first. 

            The third encounter Jesus had was with a man who decided he wanted to follow Him but did not seem determined and was distracted in his mind and heart. The third man went to Jesus and told Him he would follow Him, but He first needed to go home and tell his friends and family goodbye.  Jesus countered Him by saying that once a person begins to plow, he does not look back to what he is leaving behind or else he is not fit for God’s kingdom. Several commentators compare this to exactly the person Jesus does, a plowman or farmer. If a farmer is busy looking behind him to see if he is doing his work right, he will not be plowing a straight furrow; he will be going astray of his goals. Jesus seemed to be saying that once you make the decision to follow Him, if you take your eyes off of Him, you are distracted and your walk will not be straight. You will begin to falter in your walk and possibly in your faith. A person who is not totally dedicated to the purpose of Jesus, is not doing proper work for God’s kingdom. The person service to the Father and Son becomes worthless.  

There are times in life where, after we have given our lives to Christ, we get caught up in the affairs of our families, friends, or the world. We become susceptible to influences from society by not staying 100% focused on God. Gradually, this little change of focus becomes bigger until eventually, our eyes are not focused on the path that God has set before us. We become swayed to consider another life than that which God has called us. Maybe this life would be one of more financial ease. It could also be a life where we are considered more highly and are more popular. It is so easy to lose our focus when we begin to consider other things. It is a gradual occurrence and, before you know it, you have stopped looking to God to guide you. Sometimes it may seem easier if you were closer to family so that you could take care of aging parents. That seems like a worthy cause for a person to spend a few years, to take care of parents. It could also be that your children are starting college or beginning their careers and they are not located near you, so you want to move closer to them. Unless these things worthy of consideration are God’s purpose for your life at the time, they are some of those things that make you look away and cause your farming to be in vain.   

            Jesus calls all people to come to Him. He even calls some to be close disciples and follow Him to another place in the world. He might just be calling his close disciple to change his or her vocation. Unless we are determined to be absolute followers of Christ and willing to change vocations and locations for His purposes, we are not determined to give our whole selves for His service. We then are like these three men who had to bury a parent, see how his planting was going, or live knowing where he would sleep and eat. We must determine if we are wholly willing to follow Christ no matter what occurs, where we will be, or with what we will live. Christ does not ask all of us to give up everything to follow Him. He does ask that we be willing to give up everything to follow Him. If we cannot even make this statement that we are willing to give up everything, then what we do in our lives will not testify to the glory of God or preach the Gospel. We must be willing to commit 100%. God can then use us for His kingdom purpose; otherwise, our lives become a distraction to those who are watching. Are you willing to give up everything so that the world can know God’s salvation through His Son, Jesus?

Follower-Discipler

          While teaching children, I led them to look at our calling as Christians. We recalled the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20. In it, Jesus tells us, His followers, to "go make disciples.” Jesus does not say, “Go save souls” or “Go hit them on the head with the Bible.” Many of us see that as a command to go out and do. If we go and do in our own strength or lose sight of the source of our calling, going and doing becomes a task and becomes wearying. We cannot go and make disciples unless we are disciples ourselves. The challenge is to have a relationship with Jesus every day, gain sustenance from Him, hear His command, and see as He sees the children He created and wants to follow Him, too. If we focus too much on our calling, our attention upon God wanes. We lose sight of the source of our strength and our heart's desire. We become weary. This loss of strength from inattentiveness to Jesus is not the same as wearying from running the race or from persecution. Our Lord says well done to those of us who ran the race for Him throughout our lives and have become weary in His service. God says well done to those persecuted for His sake. Notice though, He does not say we will not be persecuted. Through Peter, Paul, and other writers, God says we are called to this persecution. Persecution is inseparable from our vocation as the called of Christ. Christ also suffered for us, leaving us this example so we could follow in His footsteps (1Pet. 2:21). The questions follow: Are you a disciple of Christ? Are you in a daily relationship with Him? Are you living a life worthy to be persecuted for Christ? Would anyone even know you are a Christian? I challenge you not to become so busy with the task God has given you that you run off and forget your Lord. Be tuned in to Jesus and talk with Him each day so you can be a genuine discipler for Christ.