I was reading a book online this morning, and the author said something that hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. We forget who we are. Believers, I mean. Followers of Jesus. Those who have been redeemed by the blood that was spilled when He suffered and died on the cross. We forget who we are. And when we do, we live very ordinary lives. We follow the spirit of the world, and the lusts of the flesh and mind as though we had not been brought into the kingdom of heaven. We forget that we are now called sons and daughters of God.
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.
Think about that. The Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe has called you his child. You were separated from Him by your selfishness and rebellion, and He made a way to righteously forgive you, and then adopted you as His child. Its who you are.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light... Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
But we forget. We live like ordinary worldlings. Lord, help us live in the conscious awareness of who we are. Open our eyes to see that we are seated in the heavens with you, in training to rule and reign with you. We are called to walk in your perfect love; to receive it and experience it and live it out toward You and the world. We are called to put your kingdom on display for this world to see. There is no higher purpose in life on earth.
King of kings, Lord of lords... help us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling You have placed upon us.
Its the least we can do.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
blessed
I was thinking a lot about my family this morning. They are truly the riches of my life on earth... hence, all the pictures.
Just sharing the wealth. (smile)
Just sharing the wealth. (smile)
Monday, May 15, 2006
imagine
I have been reading in the sermon on the mount this morning. I dont think there is a more deeply challenging message in the Scripture. Popular christianity makes practical righteousness and obedience options available for the truly spiritual. You can be saved and receive your "get out of hell" pass by simply praying "the sinner's prayer" without even thinking about making any life changes. All you have to do is "believe". If that is true, why did Jesus spend so much time describing what it would look like to follow Him and walk in His ways? I am not advocating a life of religious works to earn a right standing with God. "The just shall live by faith". In the letter to the Phillipians and many other places, Paul makes it really clear how foolish and misdirected it is to try to depend on our own righteousness to stand before God. But the pendulum has swung so far the other direction that we have lost sight of reality. How can we possibly think that He wants to forgive us for our sin and rebellion, but its okay for us to continue to willfully live in it? Let me get this straight. When I get a chance to talk with someone about Jesus, the big issue is hell. The goal is to find out if they want to go there when they die (duh), and then to offer them an easy "free pass" if they will only "believe" that He died on the cross and will forgive their sin. Pray a prayer asking for forgiveness, without necessarily experiencing any regret for how you have lived, or any desire to change that, and you are home free. So we can be "saved" and continue on in our selfish rebellion. Thats quite a deal. I dont see it in the Bible, but it ought to sell like ice cream on a hot summer day.
Lord, forgive us for dishonoring your sacrifice with such a superficial, ego-centric interpretation of the good news.
You deserve better...
Lord, forgive us for dishonoring your sacrifice with such a superficial, ego-centric interpretation of the good news.
You deserve better...
Thursday, May 11, 2006
our boxes
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
This is an amazing verse. Think about it....
Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness
to be tempted
by the devil.
This verse doesn't fit too well with the "feel good" version of Christianity so common here in western culture. Now, I realize that this verse is talking about Jesus. Its doesn't say that the Spirit led Joe Blow into the wilderness to be tempted. Still, based on what you hear from many pulpits today, God would NEVER do such a thing to anyone. How could a good God lead someone into a situation of temptation? Paul might wonder what that question is all about. He wrote to the church at Corinth...
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you… Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison...
Peter, and most of the other apostles, dying a martyrs death, might wonder why we would question whether a good God would lead us into spiritual warfare. The trouble is, we usually pre-define the terms of the discussion according to our cultural norms, and then evaluate God and His word by our standards.
Gods ways are pretty incredible... Our western theological boxes can't quite contain Him.
wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
This is an amazing verse. Think about it....
Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness
to be tempted
by the devil.
This verse doesn't fit too well with the "feel good" version of Christianity so common here in western culture. Now, I realize that this verse is talking about Jesus. Its doesn't say that the Spirit led Joe Blow into the wilderness to be tempted. Still, based on what you hear from many pulpits today, God would NEVER do such a thing to anyone. How could a good God lead someone into a situation of temptation? Paul might wonder what that question is all about. He wrote to the church at Corinth...
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you… Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison...
Peter, and most of the other apostles, dying a martyrs death, might wonder why we would question whether a good God would lead us into spiritual warfare. The trouble is, we usually pre-define the terms of the discussion according to our cultural norms, and then evaluate God and His word by our standards.
Gods ways are pretty incredible... Our western theological boxes can't quite contain Him.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
reality
Its so easy to lose sight of the awesomeness of God's love. A seemingly infinite array of distractions parade before us each day. And not all of them are innately evil. Some are just normal, legitimate stuff of life. Nevertheless, they draw the eyes of our heart away from Jesus, making us vulnerable to the "deceitfulness of sin". We must train ourselves to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit to wait upon the Lord. Oh man, how religious does that sound? I just cant think of another way to say it. I cant think of a "seeker-friendly" way to say that God wants to interact with me, one on one. That information just doesn't sound normal, no matter what kind of words you use to say it. We are not of this world. Thirty years ago, I closed my eyes to pray for the first time, and when I opened them, I was in another place. It looked like the same place I had lived in for almost twenty years, but it was different. Really I was different. My eyes were opened to the reality of God, and His incredible love for me. I was introduced to the purpose for which I was created. I lived in a new world. I couldn't... I wouldn't go back for anything. This is reality.
He is the truth... He is reality.
Any life lived outside of a relationship with Him is a deception.
The world hates that sort of language. It sounds so closed-minded. They call it arrogant, among other things. It cant be helped. Its true. And when He opens our eyes to that reality, and draws us into His loving embrace, He calls us to help Him reach out to those around us to bring them into the same experience. He calls us to a life of loving servanthood. He calls us to lay down our lives to demonstrate His love. And every day, the kingdom of darkness does its very best to distract us from fulfilling that calling. The spiritual forces that run this present world are committed to keeping us from drawing near to God, and from expressing His love to those who don't know Jesus. Its a war. Good and evil. God and satan. That doesn't sound very sophisticated in our modern world of scientific discovery. But its true.
Its reality.
So, as Paul said, we must fight the fight of faith. We must treasure our time with God, learning to recognize His presence, and hear His voice. The more clearly we see Him, the more fully our hearts will be set free to serve Him fearlessly in the world. The realization of His love for us will ignite that same sort of love in our hearts for others.
Lord... we pray, open our eyes.
He is the truth... He is reality.
Any life lived outside of a relationship with Him is a deception.
The world hates that sort of language. It sounds so closed-minded. They call it arrogant, among other things. It cant be helped. Its true. And when He opens our eyes to that reality, and draws us into His loving embrace, He calls us to help Him reach out to those around us to bring them into the same experience. He calls us to a life of loving servanthood. He calls us to lay down our lives to demonstrate His love. And every day, the kingdom of darkness does its very best to distract us from fulfilling that calling. The spiritual forces that run this present world are committed to keeping us from drawing near to God, and from expressing His love to those who don't know Jesus. Its a war. Good and evil. God and satan. That doesn't sound very sophisticated in our modern world of scientific discovery. But its true.
Its reality.
So, as Paul said, we must fight the fight of faith. We must treasure our time with God, learning to recognize His presence, and hear His voice. The more clearly we see Him, the more fully our hearts will be set free to serve Him fearlessly in the world. The realization of His love for us will ignite that same sort of love in our hearts for others.
Lord... we pray, open our eyes.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
United 93
Saw the movie tonight. Deeply impacting on many levels. We are at war. Like it or not, we have had war declared on us by radical Islam. We can't escape this reality. We can't turn up our stereo a little louder and drown it out. We can't drink ourselves into a stupor, or take some Sominex and crawl into bed, and hope that we will wake up in the morning and find it was all just a bad dream. These people hate us. They hate Israel. And they sincerely desire to see us wiped off the face of the earth. That is not going away. But we continue to play politics with the situation, and try to use it to further our short-sighted agendas. This is not an anti-Muslim rant. Those people believe they are totally justified in their hatred and destructive intentions. I believe they are grossly mistaken, but I don't hate them for it. But... I also don't think that we can just sit back passively and let them run rampant with their plans to cleanse the planet of the infidels. Truthfully, I don't see a realistic earthly answer. At least I don't see one that I can reconcile with my faith. I am painfully aware that I am not of this world. I don't fit. I am not supposed to. I think that this is part of what being "born again" is about. We have been awakened to a greater purpose. We have been spiritually transported into another kingdom. One foot on earth, one in heaven.
Wow...
It just hit me. The scripture says, "Heaven is His throne, and earth is His footstool." It also says that we as believers are "seated in heavenly places with Christ." Now I obviously still live here in the material, earthly realm, but my heart longs for someplace better. So... reality is this, I have touched heaven, but my feet are on earth. Incredible. And painful. We see the earth as it is, but we have been shown what it shall be. We see the pain, and suffering, and brokeness of this present time. And we have been given a glimpse of the beauty and glory to come. We live as sojourners, "strangers and aliens" in the world. We are here for a purpose, but our heart is in another place. We yearn for a kingdom "where righteousness dwells." We look forward to that time when He wipes away every tear. Sometimes its genuinely painful. Paul talked about groanings that come from deep within. We earnestly long for that for which we were created.
Come Lord Jesus....
But on the warfare theme, I left the movie deeply convicted. The country we live in is in a war. Its a war that is probably much bigger and more significant than we realize. As disciples of Jesus though, we are to live in the awareness of an even bigger and more important war. There is a long drawn out war to the death going on between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of God. We know that Jesus will ultimately win, but he calls us to join Him in the conflict. We were drafted into His army when we responded to the call to follow Him. Look at the words of Paul,
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus… Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
And Paul tells us to follow his example, even as he follows Jesus. We have been entrusted with the truth and power that will set people free from the power of sin and darkness. We need to live like we believe that.
Help Lord...
Wow...
It just hit me. The scripture says, "Heaven is His throne, and earth is His footstool." It also says that we as believers are "seated in heavenly places with Christ." Now I obviously still live here in the material, earthly realm, but my heart longs for someplace better. So... reality is this, I have touched heaven, but my feet are on earth. Incredible. And painful. We see the earth as it is, but we have been shown what it shall be. We see the pain, and suffering, and brokeness of this present time. And we have been given a glimpse of the beauty and glory to come. We live as sojourners, "strangers and aliens" in the world. We are here for a purpose, but our heart is in another place. We yearn for a kingdom "where righteousness dwells." We look forward to that time when He wipes away every tear. Sometimes its genuinely painful. Paul talked about groanings that come from deep within. We earnestly long for that for which we were created.
Come Lord Jesus....
But on the warfare theme, I left the movie deeply convicted. The country we live in is in a war. Its a war that is probably much bigger and more significant than we realize. As disciples of Jesus though, we are to live in the awareness of an even bigger and more important war. There is a long drawn out war to the death going on between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of God. We know that Jesus will ultimately win, but he calls us to join Him in the conflict. We were drafted into His army when we responded to the call to follow Him. Look at the words of Paul,
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus… Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
And Paul tells us to follow his example, even as he follows Jesus. We have been entrusted with the truth and power that will set people free from the power of sin and darkness. We need to live like we believe that.
Help Lord...
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Amazing love
Reading again in Jeremiah this morning, it hit me. Not a new revelation, not some original twist on an obscure passage, just a fresh realization. He loves us... He really loves us. Now... if you read the chapter I just read, you might come away with something a little different. He is taking Israel to task for their disobedience and unfaithfulness. He is expressing displeasure at their willful wickedness. He is not happy, lamenting their history of rebellion. The question is, why is He unhappy. He loves Israel. He loves you. He loves me. And He knows that our sin will ultimately destroy us. He looks across the world every moment of every day, and sees the devastation. War, poverty, disease, murder, crime of every kind... sin and its consequences. So He reaches out to us. He sent the prophets from Moses to Isaiah to Zechariah. Calling us back to Himself. Calling us to faith. If we would only trust Him, and obey Him out of the trust, He desired to bless us and pour out the riches of His love. But for the most part, we wouldn't. And we don't. We walk in our own way. We trust in our own wisdom. We cling to our sin, and love this present world. But He loves us with an everlasting love. He never stops reaching out to touch us in the depths of our being. The uncreated, infinite, eternal Creator and Sustainer of all that exists is constantly reaching out to tiny, weak, broken, rebellious little creatures who live in a greatly exaggerated delusion of their own inherent importance. The Infinite took on flesh and blood to show us just how much He loves. He was both making a way to restore us and winning our hearts in one magnificent act of sacrificial love. He didn't need us. He will forever be great and awesome beyond any human comprehension. But He loves us. He created us to walk in the experience of that love, and to share in the incredible plans of His heart. God loves me, and will go to almost any length to prove it to me, and to convince me to rest and trust in that love.
Words just can't express the awe in my heart...
Words just can't express the awe in my heart...
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Why?
Luke 6:46-49
"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? " Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. "But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."
If there is anyone out there actually reading this blog, they probably think I need a prescription of some strong anti-depressant meds. My last few entries have all been apocalyptic, end of the world, conviction of sin stuff. Not exactly "feel good" material. There are a couple of things going on.
One, the Lord has been opening my eyes to the compromised, spiritually asleep condition I have been in. He's not beating me over the head... He hasn't condemned me. He's just been shaking me out of my slumber.
Two, He is reminding me that from the beginning He has called His people to live in the expectation of His return. This world is not my home. This world will ultimately be judged, destroyed, and re-created. A new heaven, and a new earth. A new beginning. My roots have been going way too deep here. My longing gaze had dropped from heaven to my bank account. If only I could make more money and retire comfortably some day. Then I would be happy, complete. Actually, my conscious thoughts never went quite that far, but that was the life I have been living. And really, for me, it was mostly a matter of fear. What if I wasn't able to save enough to retire? What if I got to be 70 years old, and I was broke? I cant work forever. What am I going to do? The devil was having a great time tormenting me. And killing my life in God. Now don't get me wrong. I think its prudent to save and invest. We need to be good stewards with what we have. But we have to remember that it all belongs to God. And, we need to maintain an utter and complete dependence on Him. I cant trust in that savings account, or my IRA, or my 401K, or any of the other plans we make. On the practical side, those things can disappear in a heartbeat. Anyone ever hear of the Great Depression? But even more importantly, what does it say to God when me make every effort possible to avoid trusting Him for our provision? His faithfulness is not subject to the fickle turns of human economies. He calls us to seek first His kingdom, and all our earthly needs will be taken care of. He invites us to look at the birds of the air, the flowers of the field. He gives them all they need. And He wants to set our hearts free from every other object of trust. He wants to be our all in all. Anything else we put our heart's trust in is simply an idol. But its hard at times to find the balance. We work hard to be faithful with the resources He has given us, yet always trust only in Him. That requires great diligence and brutal honesty. And complete surrender. What if He asked you to donate the bulk of your savings to an orphanage in Africa? What if He asked you to invest it all in an inner city outreach in Chicago? What if He asked you to pay the medical bills for a family in your church where one of the parents was struck with cancer? What if God asked you for His money? Do we have the faith to believe that He is our source? I believe that this is the number one stronghold of the kingdom of darkness in western culture. The cares of the world, the fear of poverty. And the lust for more. A bigger house, a nicer car, and on and on. Two sides of the same coin. Fear of going without what we need, and the insatiable desire for more. Lord, set my heart free. I want to hunger and thirst for You, and You alone.
So yea... my heart has been a little heavy lately. Its been a season of soul searching and repentance. I want to find that place of peace and freedom in Him. So, I confess my sin and brokenness as I see it, and set my heart to seek His face. And He has been faithful to meet me when I seek Him. He is true to His promises. He's a real God who has a real desire to reveal Himself to us. He wants to draw us into an amazing, loving friendship. Incredible.
God spoke to His people, Israel, about His desire to see reality in their lives,
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, " Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house and proclaim there this word and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the LORD!'" Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, " Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. " Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ' This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.' "For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
Now Jesus asks His followers,
Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say...
"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? " Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. "But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."
If there is anyone out there actually reading this blog, they probably think I need a prescription of some strong anti-depressant meds. My last few entries have all been apocalyptic, end of the world, conviction of sin stuff. Not exactly "feel good" material. There are a couple of things going on.
One, the Lord has been opening my eyes to the compromised, spiritually asleep condition I have been in. He's not beating me over the head... He hasn't condemned me. He's just been shaking me out of my slumber.
Two, He is reminding me that from the beginning He has called His people to live in the expectation of His return. This world is not my home. This world will ultimately be judged, destroyed, and re-created. A new heaven, and a new earth. A new beginning. My roots have been going way too deep here. My longing gaze had dropped from heaven to my bank account. If only I could make more money and retire comfortably some day. Then I would be happy, complete. Actually, my conscious thoughts never went quite that far, but that was the life I have been living. And really, for me, it was mostly a matter of fear. What if I wasn't able to save enough to retire? What if I got to be 70 years old, and I was broke? I cant work forever. What am I going to do? The devil was having a great time tormenting me. And killing my life in God. Now don't get me wrong. I think its prudent to save and invest. We need to be good stewards with what we have. But we have to remember that it all belongs to God. And, we need to maintain an utter and complete dependence on Him. I cant trust in that savings account, or my IRA, or my 401K, or any of the other plans we make. On the practical side, those things can disappear in a heartbeat. Anyone ever hear of the Great Depression? But even more importantly, what does it say to God when me make every effort possible to avoid trusting Him for our provision? His faithfulness is not subject to the fickle turns of human economies. He calls us to seek first His kingdom, and all our earthly needs will be taken care of. He invites us to look at the birds of the air, the flowers of the field. He gives them all they need. And He wants to set our hearts free from every other object of trust. He wants to be our all in all. Anything else we put our heart's trust in is simply an idol. But its hard at times to find the balance. We work hard to be faithful with the resources He has given us, yet always trust only in Him. That requires great diligence and brutal honesty. And complete surrender. What if He asked you to donate the bulk of your savings to an orphanage in Africa? What if He asked you to invest it all in an inner city outreach in Chicago? What if He asked you to pay the medical bills for a family in your church where one of the parents was struck with cancer? What if God asked you for His money? Do we have the faith to believe that He is our source? I believe that this is the number one stronghold of the kingdom of darkness in western culture. The cares of the world, the fear of poverty. And the lust for more. A bigger house, a nicer car, and on and on. Two sides of the same coin. Fear of going without what we need, and the insatiable desire for more. Lord, set my heart free. I want to hunger and thirst for You, and You alone.
So yea... my heart has been a little heavy lately. Its been a season of soul searching and repentance. I want to find that place of peace and freedom in Him. So, I confess my sin and brokenness as I see it, and set my heart to seek His face. And He has been faithful to meet me when I seek Him. He is true to His promises. He's a real God who has a real desire to reveal Himself to us. He wants to draw us into an amazing, loving friendship. Incredible.
God spoke to His people, Israel, about His desire to see reality in their lives,
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, " Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house and proclaim there this word and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the LORD!'" Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, " Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. " Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ' This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.' "For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
Now Jesus asks His followers,
Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say...
Friday, March 24, 2006
Growing old
Turned 50 a few months ago. I dont usually get too worked up about birthdays, no matter which one it is, but this one made me stop and think. I have thought about the past few years of my life, and honestly I have some regret. I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a loving and faithful wife, and four incredible children. God has blessed our business in many ways, and we have all the stuff I could possibly want. He has been very good to me. Thats where the regret comes in. There are many warnings in the scripture about allowing this world's system to draw us into its tangled web.
Along the way, the cares of this world have slowly but surely grasped my heart, causing the Word to be unfruitful in my life. Oh...not completely. I can see some of the ways that God has worked in me and through me. And He has never stopped drawing me to Himself. He is always faithful to meet me when I seek Him. But I also know the cares and concerns that weigh down my heart each day. I just gathered a little sampling of what the scripture has to say about this world. Its actually pretty long, but I challenge you to read through it. Even better, I encourage you to study and meditate on these words. They are in no particular order. They are quite sobering...
James 4:4
4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Matt 16:24-26
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
Matt 18:7
7 "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
John 15:18-20
18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
John 18:36
36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
Rom 12:1-2
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
1 Cor 1:20
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1 Cor 7:29-31
29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
1 Cor 11:32
32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Gal 3:22
22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin,
Gal 4:3
3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
Gal 6:14
14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Eph 2:1-2
2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Eph 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
2 Tim 4:9-10
9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me
James 1:27
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
1 Peter 1:1
1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God's elect, strangers in the world,
1 Peter 2:11-12
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
2 Peter 1:3-4
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 5:19
19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
John 16:33
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Wow...
Along the way, the cares of this world have slowly but surely grasped my heart, causing the Word to be unfruitful in my life. Oh...not completely. I can see some of the ways that God has worked in me and through me. And He has never stopped drawing me to Himself. He is always faithful to meet me when I seek Him. But I also know the cares and concerns that weigh down my heart each day. I just gathered a little sampling of what the scripture has to say about this world. Its actually pretty long, but I challenge you to read through it. Even better, I encourage you to study and meditate on these words. They are in no particular order. They are quite sobering...
James 4:4
4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Matt 16:24-26
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
Matt 18:7
7 "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
John 15:18-20
18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
John 18:36
36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
Rom 12:1-2
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
1 Cor 1:20
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1 Cor 7:29-31
29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
1 Cor 11:32
32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Gal 3:22
22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin,
Gal 4:3
3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
Gal 6:14
14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Eph 2:1-2
2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Eph 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
2 Tim 4:9-10
9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me
James 1:27
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
1 Peter 1:1
1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God's elect, strangers in the world,
1 Peter 2:11-12
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
2 Peter 1:3-4
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 5:19
19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
John 16:33
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Wow...
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
another question...
The psalmist asked a question. "Who is this King of Glory?"
We must not answer too quickly.
We must take time to ponder.
We must take time to watch.
He will show us.
And when He does... we will be changed forever.
We must not answer too quickly.
We must take time to ponder.
We must take time to watch.
He will show us.
And when He does... we will be changed forever.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
simple question
This question if for those who are followers of Jesus.
Do you hate sin? Not the pleasures of sin. Pleasure is pleasure, and most sin gives us some measure of pleasure. Some sin gives us huge amounts of pleasure. But, if we trust the wisdom of God, we know that sin is ultimately destructive. Its bad for us. That's why He doesn't want us to do it. He hates it. He hates it because it hurts us. He loves us so much that He went to unthinkable lengths to free us from sin in every way.
So, let me ask again. Do you hate sin?
I need to think about that for a while.
Do you hate sin? Not the pleasures of sin. Pleasure is pleasure, and most sin gives us some measure of pleasure. Some sin gives us huge amounts of pleasure. But, if we trust the wisdom of God, we know that sin is ultimately destructive. Its bad for us. That's why He doesn't want us to do it. He hates it. He hates it because it hurts us. He loves us so much that He went to unthinkable lengths to free us from sin in every way.
So, let me ask again. Do you hate sin?
I need to think about that for a while.
Jeremiah
One of those sober mornings. How easily we are blinded. In my youth, it was easy to see how evil and degraded our nation had become. Sexual immorality and perversion, covetousness and materialism, violence, injustice… these were rampant in our society. Twenty five years later, things have only become worse. The media is probably the clearest window into our rebellion against what we know in our hearts to be true. We love to entertain ourselves with the things that God declares to be evil. The progression of what we deem acceptable fare for prime time viewing is extremely revealing. (no pun intended) This was all clear to me when I was young. I carried the burden of it in my heart in prayer every day. I continually asked for God to have mercy and to raise up prophetic voices who could awaken our nation and lead it to Him. And then I got married, started having kids, started a business… all the normal stuff of life. My days got busier and busier. My earthly responsibilities and concerns grew steadily. And along the way, my heart started to grow hard. The darkness wasn’t as dark as it used to be. The gray area between black and white grew continually larger. My love for Jesus and truth was growing cold. Somewhere along the way, I lost my first love. It wasn’t a conscious turning away from Him. I didn’t decide one day that I know longer wanted to follow Jesus. Its a long slow process, almost imperceptible. Its a gradual dullness that works its way into your soul. Its like falling asleep. That’s the best way to describe it actually. You dont know it when you fall asleep. It just happens. You only know you have been asleep when something wakes you up. Fortunately, the Lord is extremely patient and merciful. It feels like I am being awakened. At this point its like a gentle shaking. And I want to be responsive, so it doesn’t need to turn into a stronger shaking. But… I want Him to do whatever it takes. I want Him, and His kingdom above all else.
So… Jeremiah. I sat down to meditate in the Word, and I felt like the Spirit said to turn to Jeremiah 4. I can't begin to write down all that I see there. The bottom line is, His merciful judgment is coming to awaken us, and we are invited ahead of time to repent from our selfishness and sin, and come under His grace and protection. It doesn’t mean we wont be touched by the things that are coming, but we will be enabled to stand strong in Him. Not only that, but He will be glorified in His people who will return to Him.
Jeremiah 4:1-2
"If you will return, O Israel," declares the LORD,
"Then you should return to Me.
And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,
And will not waver,
And you will swear, 'As the LORD lives,'
In truth, in justice and in righteousness;
Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they will glory."
Our repentance is salvation to us and to those around us who, "see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16). He loves us, and in that love He pursues us and calls us out of our sin. He knows that sin will keep us from His good and kind purpose, and eventually destroy us. That’s why His judgment is by nature merciful. Its like spanking a small child who is intent on playing in the street. There is no pleasure for the parent in the spanking. His love requires him to teach the child wisdom.
Later He says, "Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. " God has one purpose in mind, that we may be saved. He loves us in a way that we cannot fully comprehend. He only desires to bring us to a place where we can experience all He has for us.
Lord, help me hear your voice, see your goodness, love, and wisdom, and surrender my heart fully to you.
So… Jeremiah. I sat down to meditate in the Word, and I felt like the Spirit said to turn to Jeremiah 4. I can't begin to write down all that I see there. The bottom line is, His merciful judgment is coming to awaken us, and we are invited ahead of time to repent from our selfishness and sin, and come under His grace and protection. It doesn’t mean we wont be touched by the things that are coming, but we will be enabled to stand strong in Him. Not only that, but He will be glorified in His people who will return to Him.
Jeremiah 4:1-2
"If you will return, O Israel," declares the LORD,
"Then you should return to Me.
And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,
And will not waver,
And you will swear, 'As the LORD lives,'
In truth, in justice and in righteousness;
Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they will glory."
Our repentance is salvation to us and to those around us who, "see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16). He loves us, and in that love He pursues us and calls us out of our sin. He knows that sin will keep us from His good and kind purpose, and eventually destroy us. That’s why His judgment is by nature merciful. Its like spanking a small child who is intent on playing in the street. There is no pleasure for the parent in the spanking. His love requires him to teach the child wisdom.
Later He says, "Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. " God has one purpose in mind, that we may be saved. He loves us in a way that we cannot fully comprehend. He only desires to bring us to a place where we can experience all He has for us.
Lord, help me hear your voice, see your goodness, love, and wisdom, and surrender my heart fully to you.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
the end, pt. 2
So… the Lord seems to be stirring a fresh hunger in the hearts of His people for understanding of things pertaining to the "end times". I have always been one of those "pan-millenialists". In my mind, if you were serving God with all your heart, He would make sure that you were enabled to endure to the end. Everything would "pan out." I probably still basically believe that, but I also believe that we should be knowledgeable of the scriptures on this subject. He included it in His word for a reason. He has given us many, many chapters throughout the Bible that deal directly with the final unfolding of His purposes. I can see two of the reasons He has done this. One… He wants us to be aware of what is coming, and to be prepared. There are many warnings about being caught unprepared at His return. Stern warnings, that should be taken seriously. The second reason is perspective and motivation. The conscious awareness that Jesus is going to return to the earth and bring the ultimate conquest of light over darkness should keep us in the eternal perspective on our lives. Its so easy to get buried in the mundane affairs of everyday life. Jobs, bills, school, family life, football games and movies; all of these morally legitimate concerns cry for our attention every day. In the parable of the sower, Jesus warns about the dangers of "the cares of this life." They can kill the effectiveness of the Word of God in our hearts. The normal everyday affairs of life can ruin us spiritually. It doesn’t have to be gross sin. You don’t have to be an adulterous drug addict to miss the purpose of God. It happens to well meaning soccer moms, plumbers, pastors, and bank managers every day. The noise of this life drowns out the still, small Voice. He is speaking, calling out to us, but we can't hear. We’re too busy to listen. The awareness of His return helps us to remember to pursue attentiveness to Him. The knowledge that this world as we know it is going to be brought under His righteous judgment helps us to remember to "seek first the Kingdom of God." It helps us maintain that eternal perspective. We are told many times that this life is like a mere breath in the light of eternity. It doesn’t feel that way, but its true. He wants us to see this life the way He does, and the expectation of His return helps us to look at life from that angle.
Which brings us back to Matthew 24 and 25.
Next time…
Which brings us back to Matthew 24 and 25.
Next time…
Monday, March 13, 2006
the end
I am a little slow. It takes me a while to catch on sometimes. My friends and I have been taking a closer look at the scriptures that deal with the end times lately. The Book of the Revelation, Daniel, Isaiah, etc.. I was in a class last night that a buddy of mine is teaching on the Revelation, and at the end of the class a thought entered my mind. "Now what? How do I respond to this information?" I felt prompted by the Spirit to go to the parable of the ten virgins. As I looked for it, I realized that it immediately follows Jesus teaching in Matthew 24 about the end times and His return. Then I realized that it is actually a part of the same message that begins in chapter 24 and ends in chapter 25. This was His answer to the question He dropped in my mind, "Now what?" The reason I started by saying that I am "a little slow" is that I have been studying the scriptures for over 30 years, and I am just now figuring out that Matthew 24 and 25 are all one message. Duh. Almost embarrassing. Annnnyway....
I will continue this later. Its pretty serious stuff there...
I will continue this later. Its pretty serious stuff there...
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
an invitation...
I am struck this morning by a very simple verse of scripture. Jesus had just spent 40 days fasting and praying and being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. When He comes back to town, He finds that John the Baptist had been arrested. He takes off to Capernaum where He will begin His public ministry, fulfilling messianic prophecy. And the introductory statement for His message and purpose is this,
"Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand."
Simple, concise, powerful. I don't have much to say about it. I just have a sense of awe, as I consider the creator of heaven and earth, appearing in our midst in flesh and blood, calling us to turn from our selfishness and sin. The uncreated, infinite, all-powerful God of the universe inviting us to leave the kingdom of this world, and to enter into His kingdom. Perfect Love, reaching out to us in our rebellion, and brokenness, and deception.
Incredible beyond words...
"Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand."
Simple, concise, powerful. I don't have much to say about it. I just have a sense of awe, as I consider the creator of heaven and earth, appearing in our midst in flesh and blood, calling us to turn from our selfishness and sin. The uncreated, infinite, all-powerful God of the universe inviting us to leave the kingdom of this world, and to enter into His kingdom. Perfect Love, reaching out to us in our rebellion, and brokenness, and deception.
Incredible beyond words...
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Perfect
Matt 5:48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
This verse has been the cause of great struggle for many sincere believers. Perfect? As your heavenly father is perfect? Did someone hit Matthew over the head with a bag of denari? God is infinite, uncreated, omni-everything you can think of. How could I possibly be perfect, let alone perfect in the same way He is? Just the thought of it is making me tired already. Oh, wait a minute. Look at the first word in the sentence. Therefore. I once heard a very wise man say that when you see a verse start with a "therefore" you need to find out what it is "there for". I know... I don't really care for "cute" either, but its true. The word therefore means that the meaning of that sentence is tied to the passage it follows. When we look back a few verses we find that Jesus gives some clarity and definition to the perfection He is talking about.
Matt 5:43-47
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? "And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Therefore you are to be perfect....
It appears that the perfection Jesus is talking about has to do with the way we walk out the love He calls us to. He loves all men equally and freely. Nature declares it. The sun and the rain fall on all indiscriminately. His love is perfect. Its not based on performance. He doesn't love the obedient and hate the disobedient. He loves all people. He values them all equally. We know that men and women don't naturally love that way. We each have a checklist, even if we don't realize it. The people who are most pleasing to us receive the most value and the best treatment. People who don't score well on our invisible checklist don't generally get the same quality of care. Jesus is calling us to something higher, better, more perfect. He is calling us to partake in His perfect love. He is calling us to love people just because they are His creation. He is calling us to see them as He sees them, and love them as He loves them. He loves His enemies. He died for His enemies. We were all there. We were all on the enemy team. His love captured our hearts, and we switched teams. We joined His team. By His grace we have been brought into a new life in a new kingdom.
Col 1:13-14
For He delivered us from the domain(kingdom)of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
So how is he defining "perfect" here? It seems pretty simple. Its love that shows no favoritism. People have inherent value simply because God made them, and He wants to teach us to walk in that kind of love. Perfect love.
I do want to clarify something. Perfect love, unconditional love is not the same as unconditional acceptance. God is love. Everything He does is an expression of that love. But that love and His perfect wisdom require that His acceptance be conditional. Sin is inherently destructive. Its terminally bad for us. He can't just let us freely live in sin. He can't just look the other way. That would not be love. You don't just stand back and let someone you love destroy themselves and hurt others. That's why He sent Jesus to the cross. He made a way to justly forgive us, and deliver us, and reconcile us to Himself. If we will repent and believe in that offer of a new life in a new kingdom, we find love and acceptance. He has always loved us, and always will. He loves Mother Teresa, and He loves Adolph Hitler. But he cant accept us unless we respond in humility to His conditions. Perfect love. Perfect wisdom. Awesome God.
This verse has been the cause of great struggle for many sincere believers. Perfect? As your heavenly father is perfect? Did someone hit Matthew over the head with a bag of denari? God is infinite, uncreated, omni-everything you can think of. How could I possibly be perfect, let alone perfect in the same way He is? Just the thought of it is making me tired already. Oh, wait a minute. Look at the first word in the sentence. Therefore. I once heard a very wise man say that when you see a verse start with a "therefore" you need to find out what it is "there for". I know... I don't really care for "cute" either, but its true. The word therefore means that the meaning of that sentence is tied to the passage it follows. When we look back a few verses we find that Jesus gives some clarity and definition to the perfection He is talking about.
Matt 5:43-47
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? "And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Therefore you are to be perfect....
It appears that the perfection Jesus is talking about has to do with the way we walk out the love He calls us to. He loves all men equally and freely. Nature declares it. The sun and the rain fall on all indiscriminately. His love is perfect. Its not based on performance. He doesn't love the obedient and hate the disobedient. He loves all people. He values them all equally. We know that men and women don't naturally love that way. We each have a checklist, even if we don't realize it. The people who are most pleasing to us receive the most value and the best treatment. People who don't score well on our invisible checklist don't generally get the same quality of care. Jesus is calling us to something higher, better, more perfect. He is calling us to partake in His perfect love. He is calling us to love people just because they are His creation. He is calling us to see them as He sees them, and love them as He loves them. He loves His enemies. He died for His enemies. We were all there. We were all on the enemy team. His love captured our hearts, and we switched teams. We joined His team. By His grace we have been brought into a new life in a new kingdom.
Col 1:13-14
For He delivered us from the domain(kingdom)of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
So how is he defining "perfect" here? It seems pretty simple. Its love that shows no favoritism. People have inherent value simply because God made them, and He wants to teach us to walk in that kind of love. Perfect love.
I do want to clarify something. Perfect love, unconditional love is not the same as unconditional acceptance. God is love. Everything He does is an expression of that love. But that love and His perfect wisdom require that His acceptance be conditional. Sin is inherently destructive. Its terminally bad for us. He can't just let us freely live in sin. He can't just look the other way. That would not be love. You don't just stand back and let someone you love destroy themselves and hurt others. That's why He sent Jesus to the cross. He made a way to justly forgive us, and deliver us, and reconcile us to Himself. If we will repent and believe in that offer of a new life in a new kingdom, we find love and acceptance. He has always loved us, and always will. He loves Mother Teresa, and He loves Adolph Hitler. But he cant accept us unless we respond in humility to His conditions. Perfect love. Perfect wisdom. Awesome God.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Worthy
I am reminded again this morning of the question, why do we serve God? There are many motivations that people can live out of. The lowest is probably the fear of hell. Many people go to church, give some of their money, and do other religious activities because they are afraid that if they don't, they will spend eternity in a very hot and unpleasant place. The fear of hell is probably not a bad place to start. Unfortunately I can think of numerous times in my life when I refrained from bad behavior because of the potential negative consequences that could be a result. Its a possible starting point in our pursuit of God, but not a good place to spend our lives.
Then there are the people who are following the Lord because of the benefits involved. They live in the hope and expectation that their pursuit of a good life of obedience to His ways will bring blessing on their lives. Financial prosperity, physical health, good relationships... all you have to do is read Deuteronomy to see all the great things that we can enjoy as a result of an obedient life. Its right there in black and white, so it cant be a bad thing, but I think there is something more, something higher. Look at these glimpses of heaven from the Revelation to John.
Rev 4:9-11
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
"Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."
Rev 5:11-12
And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
Worthy... those beings who are in the direct presence of Jesus say that He is simply worthy of our love and devotion. They have seen in Him qualities that make Him deserving of our worship. They make no reference to any form of reward or punishment. He is simply worthy of our love. I believe that this is where the Lord wants to take us. He wants to open the eyes of our hearts to see His goodness and His greatness with such clarity, that we serve Him for one primary reason. He is worthy. Oh... the benefits are there. His word is full of great and precious promises of all He will do for those who sincerely follow after Him with all their hearts. But those are just that, benefits. When you take a job, it is primarily to get a paycheck. If the company offers health insurance or a retirement program, those are considered benefits. They are an extra blessing for being part of that business, but they are not the main reason you are there. When we really see Him for who He is, then He Himself becomes the very reason we follow Him. When we see His great love for us, we fall in love with Him. All the blessings that go along with that are great, but He Himself becomes the object of our affections. When we really see how awesome He is, we would serve Him if there weren't any benefits at all except for the honor of knowing Him. Our lives become an offering of gratitude. That seems to be the mindset of those who are before the throne. They bow and worship Him night and day because He is worthy of that worship.
Lord, capture my heart with that reality...
Then there are the people who are following the Lord because of the benefits involved. They live in the hope and expectation that their pursuit of a good life of obedience to His ways will bring blessing on their lives. Financial prosperity, physical health, good relationships... all you have to do is read Deuteronomy to see all the great things that we can enjoy as a result of an obedient life. Its right there in black and white, so it cant be a bad thing, but I think there is something more, something higher. Look at these glimpses of heaven from the Revelation to John.
Rev 4:9-11
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
"Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."
Rev 5:11-12
And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
Worthy... those beings who are in the direct presence of Jesus say that He is simply worthy of our love and devotion. They have seen in Him qualities that make Him deserving of our worship. They make no reference to any form of reward or punishment. He is simply worthy of our love. I believe that this is where the Lord wants to take us. He wants to open the eyes of our hearts to see His goodness and His greatness with such clarity, that we serve Him for one primary reason. He is worthy. Oh... the benefits are there. His word is full of great and precious promises of all He will do for those who sincerely follow after Him with all their hearts. But those are just that, benefits. When you take a job, it is primarily to get a paycheck. If the company offers health insurance or a retirement program, those are considered benefits. They are an extra blessing for being part of that business, but they are not the main reason you are there. When we really see Him for who He is, then He Himself becomes the very reason we follow Him. When we see His great love for us, we fall in love with Him. All the blessings that go along with that are great, but He Himself becomes the object of our affections. When we really see how awesome He is, we would serve Him if there weren't any benefits at all except for the honor of knowing Him. Our lives become an offering of gratitude. That seems to be the mindset of those who are before the throne. They bow and worship Him night and day because He is worthy of that worship.
Lord, capture my heart with that reality...
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