Psalm 42:1 says, “As a deer pants for water, so does my soul pant for the book I wrote to be published.” Wait, that’s not right. I think it’s more like, “so my soul pants for my company to be successful.” No, that’s not right, either. Oh, yeah. “As a deer pants for water, so my soul pants for You, oh God.”
I was recently reminded that it’s all about Jesus and not about my vision to serve Him. It’s never about our vision, but it’s always about His love. I know this is not some new revelation, but it became very clear to me over the last couple of days. I must be willing and able to praise God with joy in my heart, even if I give everything I have and still don’t see my vision come to pass. If I can’t do that, then it’s better to lay down my vision and walk away than to give everything I have and walk around disgruntled, angry, bitter, grumbling, and complaining because things didn’t work out the way I thought they were supposed to.
I’m not saying to walk away from God, just my expectations of what I think God is supposed to do through my vision. 1 Timothy 1:5 reminds us that the cause of any vision should always be the love of Christ. If my unfulfilled vision leads me to a place where people see anger, frustration, and bitterness in me, then I have the wrong vision, or worse, the wrong cause. My cause needs to be so strong that it must still be achieved, even when the vision fails.
Here’s where brutal honesty comes in. I need to be able to answer this question before I take one more step. Can I give all I have and still praise Him if it doesn’t work out like I thought it would? If I can truly answer “yes” to that question, then what am I waiting for? It’s time to get up and get going. If I’m not so sure then I need to be very careful about how I proceed. Although some good may come from the vision I pursue, I may do more damage in my frustration. Who wants to follow a Savior whose people are angry, bitter, or depressed?
Really think about this. Don’t take the easy way out and say what you think you’re supposed to say. Can you give everything you have to the cause of Christ and still praise Him if your vision does not come to pass? If yes, go and do it. If not, find a new vision, but let the love of Christ remain your cause. His love never fails, though our visions might.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Total Deliverance
How often do you feel oppressed by the enemy? If you’re like me, you probably hate to admit that you feel that way all too often, especially when you consider that we should know better than that. The enemy has no authority or power over those who are in Christ, but, it’s still easy to fall into that trap. So, what can we do to avoid oppression? Become true disciples of Jesus until we think as He thinks, walk as He walks, speak as He speaks, and do as He does. Consider the Word of God from Judges 4.
The Israelites were being oppressed by a ruthless king. They cried out to the Lord and in His faithfulness He delivered them, though they didn’t deserve it (I can relate to that.) In this story from Judges 4, there was a day, a single point in time, when the Lord delivered Israel from the captain of the army who had oppressed them so cruelly. But, total deliverance from the king came as Israel grew stronger. There was a process in place to get from the point of victory to the point of total deliverance.
This story can serve as a metaphor of the victory and total deliverance we have in Christ. There was a day, a single point in time, when Jesus said, “it is finished.” On that day, the victory over Satan was complete. We can’t share in that victory, though, until we come to the cross of Christ and freely receive what He has done for us. On the day we receive Christ, we have the victory over all things that oppress us. But, just like total deliverance came as Israel grew stronger, so does our total deliverance come as we grow stronger in the Lord. This happens as we move past the cross, through the empty tomb, and become a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we study His Word, get to know Him, and enter into an intimate relationship with Him, we become stronger through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we do so, Satan becomes weaker. When we have become so strong so as to be like Jesus, Satan has no choice but to leave us alone. Think of Jesus in the wilderness. God had already publicly declared Jesus to be His Son, but Satan came to tempt Him, anyway. As Jesus continued to resist and, some might say, grow stronger, the devil had no choice but to leave Him alone.
If you have already received Christ, then I rejoice with the angels in Heaven over you. But, I urge you to not stop at the cross. There’s so much more the Lord has for you. I encourage you to take the time to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus. You can do it by reading His Word, spending time in prayer, praising and worshiping Him daily, and just talking with Him. As we become true disciples of Christ, our deliverance becomes more complete until we are with Him in Heaven. We must be careful, though, not to confuse religion with relationship. It’s not about being religious in the activities of reading His Word, praying, and worshiping Him. It’s all about the relationship we have with Jesus as a result of reading, praying, and worshiping Him.
The Israelites were being oppressed by a ruthless king. They cried out to the Lord and in His faithfulness He delivered them, though they didn’t deserve it (I can relate to that.) In this story from Judges 4, there was a day, a single point in time, when the Lord delivered Israel from the captain of the army who had oppressed them so cruelly. But, total deliverance from the king came as Israel grew stronger. There was a process in place to get from the point of victory to the point of total deliverance.
This story can serve as a metaphor of the victory and total deliverance we have in Christ. There was a day, a single point in time, when Jesus said, “it is finished.” On that day, the victory over Satan was complete. We can’t share in that victory, though, until we come to the cross of Christ and freely receive what He has done for us. On the day we receive Christ, we have the victory over all things that oppress us. But, just like total deliverance came as Israel grew stronger, so does our total deliverance come as we grow stronger in the Lord. This happens as we move past the cross, through the empty tomb, and become a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we study His Word, get to know Him, and enter into an intimate relationship with Him, we become stronger through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we do so, Satan becomes weaker. When we have become so strong so as to be like Jesus, Satan has no choice but to leave us alone. Think of Jesus in the wilderness. God had already publicly declared Jesus to be His Son, but Satan came to tempt Him, anyway. As Jesus continued to resist and, some might say, grow stronger, the devil had no choice but to leave Him alone.
If you have already received Christ, then I rejoice with the angels in Heaven over you. But, I urge you to not stop at the cross. There’s so much more the Lord has for you. I encourage you to take the time to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus. You can do it by reading His Word, spending time in prayer, praising and worshiping Him daily, and just talking with Him. As we become true disciples of Christ, our deliverance becomes more complete until we are with Him in Heaven. We must be careful, though, not to confuse religion with relationship. It’s not about being religious in the activities of reading His Word, praying, and worshiping Him. It’s all about the relationship we have with Jesus as a result of reading, praying, and worshiping Him.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
It Is Written (so do something with it)
No matter what level of maturity I may consider myself as a Christian, I must spend time in the Word of God if I’m ever going to grow closer to the Lord in my relationship with Him. Whether it’s an in-depth time of Bible study, a daily devotional, or a quick verse-for-the-day, I have to make it a priority to read what God wrote to me in His Word.
However, at some point I’m going to have to put the Book down and go out and do something with what I’ve read. It says in Romans 15:4 that everything was written to teach and encourage us so that we may learn to have hope through endurance. What is it, exactly, that I’m suppose to endure if all I do is sit around with a head full of Book knowledge and never venture out into the world to bring the love and light of Christ to a lost and dying generation? Think of it in terms of someone learning to ski. I can read a book about skiing so that I understand the concept and mechanics of skiing, but I won’t really know how to ski until I go up the mountain. Once I’m out in the snow I can apply what I learned in the book. I may fall a couple of times, but instead of becoming discouraged, I will recall what I read before I went up the mountain. Then I will get up and try again. By the time I’ve conquered the mountain I will know how to ski. Only then will I know it to be true in practice, not just theory.
It’s the same with God’s Word. We can read it and have a foundational understanding of His precepts, but until we go up the mountain and apply it, we won’t really know it in our heart. We will certainly fall, but the Holy Spirit will remind us of what His Word says so we will get up again and press forward. Only then will we be able to attest that what we read in His Word is True and applies to our life.
This is important because we must understand His Word to be Ture in practice, not just theory. Knowing those parts of scripture that we can experience to be True gives us hope in those parts of scripture that we have not yet experienced, namely, our eternal life in Christ at the end of this age. That is the hope of our faith, being glorified and resurrected with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, spend time in the Word of God, but, take the Word planted in you and go forth into the world and live it. Prove it to be True through endurance as the Holy Spirit encourages you with what you have read. Then your hope will be sure as you look ahead at the glory set before you.
However, at some point I’m going to have to put the Book down and go out and do something with what I’ve read. It says in Romans 15:4 that everything was written to teach and encourage us so that we may learn to have hope through endurance. What is it, exactly, that I’m suppose to endure if all I do is sit around with a head full of Book knowledge and never venture out into the world to bring the love and light of Christ to a lost and dying generation? Think of it in terms of someone learning to ski. I can read a book about skiing so that I understand the concept and mechanics of skiing, but I won’t really know how to ski until I go up the mountain. Once I’m out in the snow I can apply what I learned in the book. I may fall a couple of times, but instead of becoming discouraged, I will recall what I read before I went up the mountain. Then I will get up and try again. By the time I’ve conquered the mountain I will know how to ski. Only then will I know it to be true in practice, not just theory.
It’s the same with God’s Word. We can read it and have a foundational understanding of His precepts, but until we go up the mountain and apply it, we won’t really know it in our heart. We will certainly fall, but the Holy Spirit will remind us of what His Word says so we will get up again and press forward. Only then will we be able to attest that what we read in His Word is True and applies to our life.
This is important because we must understand His Word to be Ture in practice, not just theory. Knowing those parts of scripture that we can experience to be True gives us hope in those parts of scripture that we have not yet experienced, namely, our eternal life in Christ at the end of this age. That is the hope of our faith, being glorified and resurrected with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, spend time in the Word of God, but, take the Word planted in you and go forth into the world and live it. Prove it to be True through endurance as the Holy Spirit encourages you with what you have read. Then your hope will be sure as you look ahead at the glory set before you.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Great Expectations
As Paul wraps up the 9th chapter of Romans, he talks about Gentiles obtaining righteousness, though they did not pursue it, while Jews failed to obtain it even though they pursued a law of righteousness. The difference is that the righteousness of the Gentiles is grace-based grounded in faith whereas the Jews pursued a works-based righteousness grounded in religion.
When I consider God’s promises, I find that I too often expect them because of what I do for the Lord as I serve Him. It’s like I somehow think I deserve His promises because I’ve tried hard to be faithful and diligent to follow His Word. That type of thinking comes from a religious spirit that says I will see God’s promises because He owes me for doing all the right things. If that’s the case, then all I have is a works-based expectation that’s no different than the Jews who pursued a law of righteousness, yet did not attain righteousness. Instead of a works-based expectation, I must renew my mind to have a grace-based expectation of receiving God’s promises. I didn’t deserve His forgiveness and salvation, but Jesus died for me, anyway. His promises are no different. They are not based on a check-list of what I did and didn’t do; they are based on His love, righteousness, faithfulness, and grace. Romans 11:29 says His Word is irrevocable. He will do what He has promised to do, but not because of a religious works-based expectation. Only out of a grace-based faith will I see God move in mighty ways in and around my life.
When I consider God’s promises, I find that I too often expect them because of what I do for the Lord as I serve Him. It’s like I somehow think I deserve His promises because I’ve tried hard to be faithful and diligent to follow His Word. That type of thinking comes from a religious spirit that says I will see God’s promises because He owes me for doing all the right things. If that’s the case, then all I have is a works-based expectation that’s no different than the Jews who pursued a law of righteousness, yet did not attain righteousness. Instead of a works-based expectation, I must renew my mind to have a grace-based expectation of receiving God’s promises. I didn’t deserve His forgiveness and salvation, but Jesus died for me, anyway. His promises are no different. They are not based on a check-list of what I did and didn’t do; they are based on His love, righteousness, faithfulness, and grace. Romans 11:29 says His Word is irrevocable. He will do what He has promised to do, but not because of a religious works-based expectation. Only out of a grace-based faith will I see God move in mighty ways in and around my life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)