NO FOOLING

 

NO FOOLING

Luke 6:45 “A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” NLT

Some people are very good at masquerading what is in their heart. Some show all the signs of having a godly heart, but sooner or later they do or say something that reveals what their heart is really like. If a person's heart is really right with God, then it will be evident in the consistent living of righteousness. Godly people simply do not do what the world does. They separate themselves from what is obviously sin. The good deeds that they do flow from a genuine heart of love for both God and man.

When people do what they want, when they want to do it, and how they want to do it, it is a strong indicator that their heart is not right with God. Sinful deeds and words flow from a sinful heart. God's children do not say and do what evil people do. Period. Those who do evil either never knew Christ in the first place or they have wandered away from Christ and His grace into the cesspool of sin.

It is the heart's relationship with God that determines behavior and talk. No one right with God will act like they don't know God. What comes out of a man is determined by who is in the man. We must always carefully stand guard over our souls so that what comes out of us and what we do are right before God and pleasing to Him.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying a child of God is a perfect little angel. We do mess up and sin, but not as a habitual way of life. When we sin, we are convicted of it and seek Christ’s forgiveness. We are more like Christ than we are the world. Christ is our master and character, not the world.

LOOK INWARD BEFORE OUTWARD

 

LOOK INWARD BEFORE OUTWARD

Luke 6:42 “How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” NLT

It is easy to judge another without first judging ourselves. In fact, we do it most of the time. We seldom stop and pray about our own sins before we point out the sins in others. I wonder what would be different if we were to do as Jesus instructs us to in this verse today. I imagine that things would be quite a bit different. I believe we would be a whole lot less likely to point fingers at one another and much more willing to let some things go that we latch onto.

When was the last time you actually paused to take a serious look inward before you looked outward at others? Have you paused to pray about your sins before you talked to others about theirs? Have you ever considered what you might have done if you had been in the other person's shoes? What have you done that you have not confessed to the Lord about yet?

The Lord makes it very clear that when we judge others without first purifying our own souls of sin, we are nothing but hypocrites. I suspect many church disputes and church discipline issues would be resolved much more quickly and amicably if we were to remember this instruction and practice it.

SPECK AND LOG

 

SPECK AND LOG

Luke 6:41-42 "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, 'Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye, then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." NLT

We can be our own worst enemies. The Lord clearly tells us how to live. We are to treat one another with a godly love. We are to strive to live peacefully with each other, helping each other to become more like Christ so that together we may bring Christ to the world. We are to practice what we call agape love (see I Corinthians 13:4-8a) with one another so that our witness for Christ will not be tarnished. We, however, so often don't act like we should. We are easily prone to judge others for what we perceive to be true about them and we criticize them, whether it's justified or not. We in essence play God with them. We think we can determine what is in their heart.

Jesus forewarns us about what we need to do before we jump in as judges over others. We must first examine our own hearts and present ourselves honestly to God. We must not attempt to judge the motives of others with anything less than a pure heart before God. We must understand our own sinfulness and repent of it. We are in no position at all to judge someone else when we harbor sin in our hearts. All of us are sinners and deserve to be judged for our sins. Yet, God is merciful and doesn't do that to us. Everyone should be treated in the same way we want to be treated by both God and man.

Granted, there are times in which sin must be confronted and dealt with, but it should never be done with anything but love and mercy. The goal is always reconciliation and not alienation. Bathe all your attitudes and actions towards others first in prayer---for yourself and for others. Be sure your heart is pure before God before you sit in judgment over others.

STOP JUDGING OTHERS

 

STOP JUDGING OTHERS

Luke 6:37 “Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven.” NLT

If there is any one verse of Scripture that we mess up the most, it is probably this one. No matter how hard we try, we just can't seem to stop it. We judge and criticize others a lot. We seem to take delight in looking down on others for what they do wrong. Some of us are a lot better at it than others, but we all find ourselves doing it. We always want to make ourselves look better than others are, and judging and criticizing are the easiest ways to do it.

Jesus warns us that when we do it, it all will come back to us. In other words, we will always find ourselves on someone else's agenda to down. Others can find fault with us just as easily as we can with them. It's a vicious circle we get ourselves into. Jesus tells us a much better way to deal with each other.

We must learn to exercise grace towards each other when we mess up. Instead of getting on their case, we need to forgive them and move on. We know we all mess up; just accept the fact and don't make a big deal out of it. When we take the high road and forgive one another, God then exercises grace towards us and forgives us. Instead of strife, we now have peace.

Really, there is no other way to have peace with God and one another. We need to learn how to forgive and be forgiven. And the only way to really learn how to be forgiving towards others is to just do it. Don't make a big production over others' mess ups. Back off, let it go, forgive and move on. With practice, you actually can become pretty good at it.

LORD OF YOUR SABBATH

 

LORD OF YOUR SABBATH

Luke 6:5 And Jesus added, “I, the Son of Man, am master even of the Sabbath.” NLT

Who is Lord of our Sabbath? Think about it for a moment. Take a look at what you do on the Lord's Day on a regular basis. What you do says a lot about who is Lord of your Sabbath Day. Do you spend most of your time rejuvenating your soul or do you spend it exhausting your soul?

The Lord instituted a day of rest for us in our week because He knows how exhausting life can be and our tendency to fill our days up with exhausting activities. He knows that we are prone to focus more on our activities than we are our souls. He knows that left to ourselves, we would not be spiritually refreshed enough to survive spiritually.

So much of our spiritual struggles stem from our lack of proper attention to our souls on the Lord's Day. In order to get the most from the Lord's Day, we need to stop doing all the things we do the other days of the week. We need to refuse to use the day to "catch up" on all the things we do not find time for the rest of the week. We need to make a real effort at letting the Lord be our focus and purify our souls before Him.

If Jesus is not the Lord of your Sabbath Day, you are missing out on the best of what the Lord has for you. You are depriving your soul of essential time with the Lord that you need for spiritual growth. You are depriving others of seeing you at your best instead of your worst. You are settling for far from the best of what the Lord wants to do in your life.

THE OLD SELF HAS TO GO

 

THE OLD SELF HAS TO GO

Luke 5:37-38 "And no one puts new wine into old wine skins. The new wine would burst the old wine skin, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be put into new wine skins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the fresh and the new. 'The old is better,' they say." NLT

Two interesting observations come to my mind as I think about these verses. I have never really thought about it much before, but I think I can understand a little bit better what the Lord wants us to know by his using this illustration.

You don't put your new self into your old self and expect it to survive. Our sinful nature will soon take over and cause our godly nature to be ruined. The two cannot co-exist. We cannot expect to live lives pleasing to the Lord and still live in sin. It simply will not work. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we take on His nature. We allow Him to remove from us our sinful attitudes and desires. We pursue a life of godliness and get rid of the old life as quickly as we can.

You by nature like the old self better than the new self. Let's be honest. Sin is very pleasurable, for a season. There is an immediate rush in sin. We like the feelings that sin often brings to us. We don't want to give up those things that once brought us immediate pleasure. We are blinded by the moment and fail to grasp how not sinning can bring us greater joy and pleasure. It takes effort and determination to stay the course of faithful living. We are easily prone to wander away from it. We resist the changes the Lord wants to make in our lives.

In order for us to keep our faith fresh and new, we must put on the new self. We must get rid of the old so that the new can flourish and grow. The new will be smothered and die if we don't.

What are you clinging onto that you are trying to fit into your new life in Christ that has to go?

WHO JESUS CAN HELP

 

WHO JESUS CAN HELP

Luke 5:31-32 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor---sick people do. I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think they are already good enough.” NLT

Jesus did not come to help those who think they don't need any help; He came to those who knew they needed help. There are so many people in our churches today who do not think they need any help with their faith walk. They see themselves as being just fine and they will not listen to anyone who would suggest otherwise. They hear the Gospel preached and taught and it goes in one ear and out the other. They play the part of a Christian life well, but have closed their minds to the possibility that they have more growing up to do. The Lord cannot help those who won't admit or recognize the fact that they are not perfect and still need to learn much and grow more in their faith and understanding.

It is only when we see ourselves in need that we are able to be helped by the Lord. We must guard our minds and souls carefully in this area. We must always understand our need for God's help. We must be honest about our sinful shortcomings. We must be honest and humbled when we know we have sinned. We must be willing to admit that we are far from perfect. We must want to do better, to be better, in our walk with the Lord.

Jesus won't waste time hanging around with those who do not see themselves in need of Him. Spiritual pride and self-righteousness are soul killers. If our hearts are right with God we will know that we are works in progress and never finished products.

Our need for more of the Lord's holiness will never go away. We will never get to the point where we no longer are susceptible to sinning. We will never become so holy that Satan will give up on us and quit trying to lead us into sin. Until we get to heaven, we will always be in need of the Lord. We will always have to deal with our spiritual weaknesses. We will always need to be students of the Word and prayer. We will always have to be humbled in spirit before the Lord. We will always need more and more of Jesus in our lives.

BECAUSE YOU SAY SO

BECAUSE YOU SAY SO

Luke 5:5 "Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, we'll try again." NLT

Sometimes hard work does not pay off. We can put all of our energy into a task and still not be rewarded for our efforts. Simon and his fellow fishermen had just spent the night fishing and didn't catch a thing. I have never fished for a living, but I have done a lot of fishing over the years. Sometimes, the fish won't bite, regardless of how long you fish or how hard you try.

Jesus told Simon to try one more time. Even though the fishermen were tired and frustrated at their lack of success, they obeyed the Lord. We must never give up doing what the Lord gives us to do. We may not get the results we desire, but we must remain faithful. We never know when the reward for our labors will come. We may see it in our lifetime and we might not. It is not up to us to determine the results or when it will happen. The Lord will reward our faithfulness in His perfect timing and way. If we give up too soon, we may hinder the work the Lord seeks to accomplish through us. Someone else may be rewarded instead of us. Our lack of obedience will not keep the Lord's will from being done, but it will keep us from being rewarded for the accomplishment of the task.

Simon did what Jesus told him to do, even though he may have thought there was no use to do it.. When he did obey, the catch was so great that the fishermen could barely haul the catch into shore. Never doubt what the Lord can do through you if you are faithful to the end. Never quit doing what the Lord has given you to do. Great is your reward in heaven and perhaps even on earth.

Is there something the Lord wants you to do but you aren’t doing it because you threw in the towel before the task was done?

MINISTRY AT HOME

 

MINISTRY AT HOME

Luke 4:24 "But the truth is, no prophet is accepted in his own home town." NLT

How true it is! I have been in the ministry for over 50 years of my life and I can testify to the fact that it is much easier to minister amongst a people who don't know you really well as it is to those who do. It's not too hard to understand why. Public figures have a certain image they portray. It is not usually the same image they have in their personal lives. When out of the public eye, we often act and speak differently. We aren't as careful in how we come across. Those who are a part of our personal lives see us as we are, warts and all. They judge us by how we live amongst them. They see us through different lenses than do those who follow us publicly. Therefore, it is harder for those closest to us to value our public ministry for what it is.

The best way to win over those who know us best is to strive to live consistent lives before them as much as possible. We must always strive to be the godly character we portray ourselves to be in public. We must strive to keep our motives pure so that whatever we do in public will be for the glory of Christ and not our personal gain. We must always stay in a right relationship with the Lord so that we can be the godly people He wants us to be, whether we are in the public eye or not. It is not an easy thing to do, but it is the thing the Lord wants us to do. It is the thing we must do if we are going to please Him.

In reality, there should be no such thing as putting on our Sunday best. If we strive to be righteous on Sunday and are not so careful the rest of the week, we are not right with God. If those who know us outside of church can't see the faith that those inside the church see, we are not right with God. We do not showcase righteousness; we live it every moment of our lives.

DO NOT TEST GOD

 

DO NOT TEST GOD

Luke 4:12 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'Do not test the Lord your God.' " NLT

I suspect that we do a lot of testing of the Lord. It seems to me that instead of yielding to Him and putting into practice what He has taught us, we do our own thing much of the time. We plow ahead and expect the Lord to put His stamp of approval on what we do. We carelessly go through life without giving serious thought to growing into spiritually mature and productive servants. We spend so much of our time involved in the things that don't matter and little time on the things that do. It is a good thing the Lord is patient and merciful.

We sometimes test the Lord when we see how close to sin we can get without taking the plunge. We sometimes let down our spiritual guard and come face-to-face with tempting situations without turning to the Lord first before we act. When was the last time that you actually prayed for the Lord to keep your mind pure before you turned on the TV set, went to the movies, or whatever else you do for entertainment? When was the last time you asked the Lord beforehand to keep you pure when you went out socially with someone? I suspect that probably most of us have to plead guilty of testing the Lord.

If you find yourself testing the patience of the Lord, isn't it about time you changed your ways? Take it to the Lord and first ask for His forgiveness. Thank Him for His patience with you and loving you anyways. Ask Him to give you a plan on how to better live for Him and serve Him and then resolve to put your plan into action. You will never live in victory until you do.

ONLY THE LORD

 

ONLY THE LORD

Luke 4:8 Jesus replied, "The Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.' " NLT

Do you believe the Scriptures or not? Do we worship the Lord our God and serve Him only? We worship that which we give our devotion and energy to. We worship that which captivates us and drives our passions in life. We can worship our jobs, possessions, sports, people and ourselves.

Are we captivated and driven by our love and devotion to the Lord? Is He the reason we look forward to living? Is He the reason why we do what we do in life? Do we really live for the Lord or is He more of an afterthought in our living?

Do we serve the Lord? If so, do we serve Him primarily or as an afterthought? Do we fit Him into our schedules, or does He drive our schedules? Do we give Him our time and energy when it's convenient for us to do so, or do we seek to honor Him in all we do in life? Do we allocate time for Him, or is all of our time His?

The Scriptures give us no slack here. It says we MUST worship the Lord our God and serve ONLY Him. If we fail to obey the Scriptures, it is sin. How are you doing? Do you need to get your priorities straight? The longer you put it off, the less likely you are to do it.

MORE THAN BREAD

 

MORE THAN BREAD

Luke 4:4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People need more than bread for their life.' " NLT

We act as if bread was enough. We spend our entire lives working for bread to sustain us. We make careers out of it. Everything we live for flows from our need for bread. We become so engrossed in our pursuit of that which sustains our lives that we confuse our need with our wants. We act as if nothing else matters.

However, Jesus reminds us that life is more than the pursuit of earthly things. Life is not just what we can provide for ourselves. Life is more than our temporary existence on earth. Life is eternal. From the moment of our conception onward, we have eternal life. The part of us that thinks, feels, and moves us into action, will never die. Whether we like it or not doesn't matter. We are souls in human flesh. Life is determined by the choices we make. Each decision we make regarding our souls is an investment in eternity. We choose whom we serve, where we will spend eternity, and how we will spend eternity.

He who squanders the opportunities Christ gives him to repent will suffer the most when he rejects Christ. And, He who serves Christ in love and humility will be rewarded the most. We need much more than what we can find in the world for life; we need Christ.

Yes, we need bread for our physical lives. We need to take care of our basic needs for life. But, do not neglect your most important need, a right relationship with Christ. If you are able to take care of everything you need for this life and lose your soul, you have lost everything. The most basic need of life is our relationship with God.

TRUST GOD

 

TRUST GOD

Luke 1:38,45 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.” And then the angel left. “You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” NLT

Mary was a young teenage girl engaged to be married. She was a very devout young woman and the Lord was very pleased with her. He sent Gabriel to her to inform her that she was going to be carrying Christ in her womb. She was taken aback with this news at first, but then yielded to what the angel had said. She was willing to be the vessel in which God would become man.

I am sure that Mary did not fully understand all that this would mean for her. She wasn't yet married and there surely would be gossipers to deal with. She didn't know how Joseph or her parents would act. She didn't know what she would have to do differently to raise the Christ-child. She didn't know if she would have to make drastic changes in her life as the child grew; after all, He would be God in the flesh.

Yet, Mary knew that whatever was going to happen, everything would work out because this was of God, and He was in control. She believed the message and trusted God in what He was about to do. As a result, she was blessed by God. I am sure that in spite of all the uncertainties that lied ahead, she had an overwhelming peace in her soul. She put it all in the Lord's hands.

Just like Mary, we need to just put the uncertainties ahead of us in the Lord's hands. We have to believe and trust in what the Lord leads us to do. We will never face the future alone when we rest in Him. God will bless you with peace and joy as you learn to lean on Jesus every moment of every day.

UP TO THE TASK?

 

UP TO THE TASK?

Luke 1:38, 45 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.” And then the angel left. “You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” NLT

Mary, the vessel the Lord chose to be His earthly mother, had a tender heart for God. When God came to her and told her that she would be the mother of Jesus, she humbly yielded to the will of God. I am sure that a lot of questions would come to mind. “Why me? Am I up to the task? In what ways would raising Jesus be different than raising other children? What will His life be like? How can I nurture Jesus in God’s ways and not be an unhealthy influence on His life?”

Mary probably thought about such things, but her immediate response was, “Okay.” She did not cower away at the task God gave her to do. She trusted God and knew that it would be okay, that He would help her and show her how to be the mother of Jesus. Mary simply submitted to the will of God, even though she had every reason not to rise up to the task.

How about you? Are you living submissively to the Lord, trusting Him to help you do what you cannot do alone? Do you have enough confidence in the Lord to just simply say, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever He wants?”

The Lord never gives us a task to do that is beyond our ability to do through Him. Trust Him completely and see what great things He will do through you.

OBEDIENCE, NO MATTER WHAT

 

OBEDIENCE, NO MATTER WHAT

Luke 1:6-7 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were very old. NLT

It wasn't easy for a couple to live life in Jesus' day without children. There was a social stigma associated with a childless couple. It was thought to be an indication that God was not pleased with them. Children were looked upon as being a sign of God's favor. It was therefore a very confusing time for Zechariah and Elizabeth. They both were able to trace their heritage back to Aaron. Zechariah was a Jewish priest, serving faithfully in the Temple. Yet, they were not blessed with children. Why?

Zechariah and Elizabeth were deemed to be righteous in God's eyes. They were known to be a couple who carefully obeyed all of the Lord's commandments and regulations. If you know anything at all about the law of God, you know that it was very demanding and very difficult to keep. This couple did not take the easy road and live in disobedience. They willingly did what God told them to do, and thus, they were found to be righteous before both God and man.

I wonder how many of us take obedience to God as seriously as what they did. They did not have the day-to-day help of the Holy Spirit like we do. They did not know what it was like to live in Christ like we do. Yet, their hearts were right with God because they knew enough about God to fear Him, love Him, and serve Him. They did not let their circumstance in life keep them from obeying God.

As we learn from reading on in our text, the Lord honored their faith and obedience and touched Elizabeth's womb so that they did have a son, even though they were old and past the age when a couple would normally have children. Their son was John the Baptist, the one who rose up to prepare the way for Christ's public ministry.

Never stop trusting the Lord and obeying Him. He moves in mysterious ways and blesses His children in ways that no can imagine or expect. God honors those who honor Him.

Blessed are those who submit to the Lord and obey Him no matter what the circumstances of life may be. They are the true unsung heroes of the faith.

TRUTH PREVAILS

 

TRUTH PREVAILS

Mark 14:55 Inside the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would testify against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But their efforts were in vain. NLT

Two things really strike me about today's verse. One is that it was the religious leaders who were trying to get rid of Jesus. And the other is that no one could find fault with Jesus without lying about it.

The world is full of very religious people. It is ingrained in us to believe in something and devote our lives to it. God made us this way. There is no such thing as a non-religious person. Everyone believes in something or someone and bases their life on what they believe to be true.

The problem with religion is that it can become so obsessive that it blinds us to truth. Obsession shuts the door to any truth beyond our own understanding of it. We KNOW we are right and zealously defend what we believe to be truth. It is good to be zealous about truth, but we must be certain that what we are defending is indeed true.

The church leaders of Jesus' day shut Him out and had Him crucified. They refused to open up their minds to a different understanding of what was true. They went so far as to find someone who was willing to publicly lie about Jesus and defame Him so that He could be crucified according to their religious law. We must be students of the Word and not interpret it through the lens of our understanding. We must let it speak to us from what it says and let it change us and our thinking as needed. The Spirit will never lead us to believe wrongly if we are open to His leading.

Don't base your beliefs solely on what others may say is true. Examine the Word for yourself with an open heart before God and ask Him to guide you into all truth. If you approach the Word daily in this way, you will know the truth and it will set you free.

Our understanding is always filtered through the lens of our personalities and upbringings. However, truth never contradicts itself. It is absolutely true for all people at all times. If there is a wide range of difference in our understandings, we had better be on our knees and ask the Spirit of God to guide us and teach us what is truly true. And, we must always allow for the possibility that we may have to change in our understanding of that which is truth.

It is never okay to read the Word with closed minds. We must always seek the Spirit's guidance in our understanding. No church body or individual perfectly interprets and understands the whole truth of God's Word. Open your heart and mind to the Lord and He will satisfy your longing to know the Truth.

ARE YOU ASLEEP?

 

ARE YOU ASLEEP?

Mark 14:37-38 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. “Simon!” he said to Peter. “Are you asleep? Couldn’t you stay awake and watch with me even one hour? Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak.” NLT

Are you asleep? Have you been lulled into a state of inactivity regarding your soul? Are you kind of coasting along without really going anywhere? Are you growing in your love for Christ or are you in kind of a stalemate? Have you lost your sense of diligently taking care of your soul?

It is imperative that we not fall asleep spiritually. We must stay awake and stand guard over our souls. If we don’t, temptation will overpower us and cause us to sin. We don’t want to sin, but we will sin whenever we get lazy and not stay awake guarding our souls. Don’t think that you are strong enough to withstand temptation on what you know already. Don’t think that your past strength will sustain you in your present situation. Strength that is not fed and maintained will soon weaken and go away.

If we are not diligent in watching over our souls, we will be of little use for Christ. He needs us to be strong. He needs us to be vigilant in our prayers. He needs us to be strong witnesses for Him. If you are not taking care of your soul, you will fail when temptation comes your way. If you want to please the Lord and be a witness for Him in the world, you will keep alert and pray.

So, what do you need to do in order to take care of your soul? Read your Bible daily with an open heart to God, listening to what He is telling you. Pray daily in close fellowship with the Lord, listening as well as talking to Him. Actively serve the Lord, finding things to do daily that bring Him honor and glory. Share your faith often with others. In other words, don’t be a bump on a log. Live out your faith in a meaningful way in the world where the Lord has planted you.

STAY SHARP; BE SHARP

 

STAY SHARP; BE SHARP

Mark 14:37-38 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. "Simon!" he said to Peter. "Are you asleep? Couldn't you stay awake and watch with me even one hour? Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak." NLT

How alert are you? Are you on guard, watching lest you fall into temptation? Are you standing guard over your soul and protecting it from danger? Are you fighting against the allurements of sin so that your soul will be healthy and fit for our King?

So often, we want to stay strong and healthy. We don't want to fail in our battles with sin. We want to live in victory. But, we find our flesh is weak. As much as we may want to not sin against God, we find ourselves doing it. All it takes is letting down our guard for a moment and Satan will find our weakness and exploit it. He is very patient and will pounce on us at any given moment. He can't do anything to us as long as we are under the protection of Christ, but we are fair game when we are out of His protection.

Keep alert and pray! You must pray if you want to stay alert. You must pray if you want to be able to not sin. You must pray to keep Jesus as your defender and protector. You must pray in order to keep yourself strong in your weaknesses. If you don't pray, don't be surprised at Satan's victories over you.

Oh, and by the way, how alert are you when it comes to others: your loved ones, friends, and even your church family? Are you asleep or are you watching and praying? I suspect that the reason why so many people and churches have fallen asleep or drifted away from God is because those who are on guard duty have fallen asleep. Don't let Satan rock you asleep; stay alert and vigilantly pray.

STAYING PRAYED UP

 

STAYING PRAYED UP

Mark 14:35-36 He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground. He prayed that if, it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, I want your will, not mine." NLT

Jesus knew exactly what He was about to face. He knew the awful price He had to pay physically, emotionally, mentally, and most importantly spiritually, in order for Him to obey God. He knew that He was not up to the task alone. As godly as He was, He knew that this was too much. He had to have God's help if He was going to face the task before Him and not waver in doing it. He knew that not only could God help Him, He knew that He would. How did He know that God wouldn't let Him down? Jesus lived close to God all the time.

Over and over again we find Jesus alone with God talking. We aren't told what they often talked about but we do know that often they talked about His disciples. He often prayed for their strength and growing understanding of His ways and words. And, I suspect, as the time drew closer and closer to His death, the Lord would draw upon God for His strength and resolve to face what lied before Him. Jesus knew from personal experience that His prayers would not go unanswered. He knew that God would enable Him to do what He came to do.

I wonder how often we plunge headlong into a task without first praying it through. I wonder if we spend sufficient amount of time talking things over with the Lord so that when it comes crunch time we have the confidence to know that God will not leave us hanging. I wonder what might be different in our lives if we were to spend sufficient amount of time with the Lord. I wonder what we might do differently in our lives. I wonder.

GRIEF STRICKEN

 

GRIEF STRICKEN

Mark 14:34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me.” NLT

Why? Why was Jesus so heavy hearted that it was as if He was almost dying? It was because that was exactly what was happening to Him. He was facing the certainty of His death on the cross. It was why He came to earth and now it was time. He knew what He had to do, but as a man, it was something He didn’t want to do.

Most of us can understand the heaviness of His heart. Death is something we don’t welcome with a light heart most of the time. He knew the excruciating agony of the cross that awaited Him. He had predicted it 700 years before through Isaiah the prophet. He was going to suffer greatly, and the pain was going to be nearly unbearable.

What was even more pressing on Jesus was that He knew that in just a few hours He would be facing hell head on. Jesus knew the horrors of hell. He knew that it was the home of the worst evil that ever was. He knew that He had to face Satan in order to overcome him. It was not going to a very enjoyable experience. As God, Jesus had never known evil in the way He was about to know it. Yet, He knew He must. There was no other way for us to be able to be saved. Sin had to be conquered.

Jesus knew that He had to pray this through. It was not something He could do without all the strength and power He could get from God. He could not do it by sheer willpower as a man; He had to be totally committed to it as God.

He took with Him the inner circle of the disciples to pray alongside of Him. He wanted them to support Him as He sought to be totally yielded to God’s will in carrying out the will of God on the cross and in the pits of hell. Yet, His most trusted friends let Him down. Not only did they not pray, they slept through it all! May it never be said of us that we fell asleep on duty when someone asks us to pray with them and for them during their time of great need.

NEEDING PRAYER SUPPORT

 

NEEDING PRAYER SUPPORT

Mark 14:32-34 And they came to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, "Sit here while I go and pray." He took Peter, James and John with him, and he began to be filled with horror and deep distress. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here with me and watch with me." NLT

Jesus was facing the most terrifying hour of decision history has ever known. He knew what He had come to do and what He must now do. He didn't want to face the cruel death He was about to face. More than that, He knew He was about to take on His own heart all the sins of mankind--past, present, and future. He had never sinned and didn't know the guilt and shame of it. And now, He was being called upon by God to do it for everyone. He was in excruciating anguish and needed someone to stand by His side while He wrestled with His will to submit to God's will. The spirit was willing, but He was still in the flesh, and the battle had to be won. Just knowing that He had someone close to support Him while He struggled would help.

Our struggles may not be as severe, but we too need each other to come alongside of us to support us in our struggles. We need others to care enough to show an interest in us and help pray us through our tough times. We need to learn how to reach out to others and let them into our troublesome times.

Our pride often closes the door and prevents others from knowing what we are going through. We get the idea that making our need for prayer known makes us look weak when in reality, it’s a sign of strength. We should never get the idea that we are weak when we struggle. It’s a normal part of living.

We learn to love each other best through the struggles of life. We learn how to love and be loved best when we enter into the deep recesses of each other's lives.

When you are in need, let others come alongside of you and help you through your time of need. And when others are in need reach out to them and help them through their hour of need. It is how the love of God works amongst men.

ALL IN?

 

ALL IN?

Mark 12:29-31 Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. Any you must love the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." NLT

God commands it, so why don't we do it? I don't believe there are too many of us who can honestly say that we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. If we love God that much, everything about us would show it. It would show in our actions, attitudes, activities, and aspirations. We would seek the Lord above and before all things. We would not step out on our own without first knowing that it is okay with Him. He would so influence our lives that we could not function without Him.

Loving God in this way is not an easy road. It requires great effort on our part. We cannot slack off in our pursuit of Him. We cannot neglect our time in His Word. We cannot neglect our prayer life. We cannot neglect investing our time and energy in serving Him where we are planted.

Equally important is to love each other as much as we love ourselves. We cannot love God passionately and not love others. We cannot take care of ourselves and not do something about the needs of others around us. We are channels of God's love. God's design is that His love would be poured into us so that it can pour out through us into the world.

We cannot love others unless we also love ourselves. Whatever else it means, it means that we take care of ourselves. We invest time and energy in ourselves, especially spiritually. We cannot love ourselves properly unless we first love Christ. It is only when self-love is filtered through God's love that we can please God with the way we love. God's love is a giving love and not a self-centered love.

THE LEFTOVERS

 

THE LEFTOVERS

Mark 12:17 "Well then," Jesus said, "give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God." This reply completely amazed them. NLT

Do we give to Caesar only what belongs to him, or do we rob God and give him what belongs to God as well? So often, we give God the leftovers. We withhold from Him the best of what we have to give and convince ourselves He understands and that it is good enough. Or, we give to whatever cause we may think is worthy of our support because "God understands." Oh, He understands alright. He knows your heart and just how much you think of Him. Actions do speak louder than words.

We may not put it in the way Jesus did, but whenever we fail to give the Lord the best of us and our resources, we are giving to Caesar what belongs to the Lord. It is our duty to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but not at the expense of robbing God of what belongs to Him.

What about your time and energy? Do other things crowd God out of your daily life? How much of our daily lives do we really give to the Lord?

If you truly love God more than anything else in life, you will give Him the best of your life and resources. He will never lower himself to being an afterthought or leftovers in our lives.

Imagine how you would feel if all you ever got from those who say they love you was nothing but the leftovers of their lives. How would you feel if they never spent time alone with you because they were “too busy?” What if they said they loved you but never did anything to show you love? Would you believe it when they professed a love for you?

God is no different. He knows if you really love Him or not by how you act towards Him. Give Him your best and not the leftovers of your life.

GOD'S TEMPLE

 

GOD’S TEMPLE

Mark 11:17 He taught them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a place of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” NLT

What we think of God is reflected in how we think of His Temple. I believe that we have for the most part gone too far in our comfort with being in church. We ask the Lord to be in His house. We long for the Lord to dwell with us as we gather for worship. We do things that we hope will draw us near to God. And yet, the Lord often seems so far away. Why is that? Could it not be that we have lost the sense of the sacredness of being in the presence of God? Could we be going through the motions of worship without really worshiping?

I suspect that if we gathered for worship with more of a sacred mindset that a lot of changes would be made. When we approach God we need to do so with a higher regard for what it means to be in His presence. How we conduct ourselves in church does reflect the respect we have for Him. How we think about Him matters. If we don’t have an overpowering sense that we are approaching God in His holiness, majesty and glory, can we really say we are worshiping Him? I wonder.

What about our daily worship of God in our living? Does our living reflect our devotion for God or what we think about Him? The Scriptures tell us that it does. We should live always with a sense of God is in us and with us in all we do.

All of us fall short in this. None of us pause like we should and regard God as being holy like we should. None of us embrace like we should the awe of being in God’s presence. None of us show the Lord the respect He deserves.

May the Lord help us to be better worshipers. May the Lord help us to take more seriously what it means to be in His presence. May He help us to recapture the sense of what worship is really all about, both in His house and in our daily homes. May our lives be living houses of worship where God dwells and is seen.

The Apostle Paul calls us the Temple of God, God’s dwelling place. We are to present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him. It’s who we are if we are living right before Him.

SAVING FAITH

 

SAVING FAITH

Mark 10:23-27 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for rich people to get into the Kingdom of God!" It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" NLT

One of my greatest challenges is to thread a needle. I have to really work hard at getting that little, tiny thread into that little hole. If I do manage to get it done, it's purely by chance after a period of great frustration and effort. My inability to do it keeps me from being able to get done what I need to get done in repairing a garment. If I have such a hard time with a tiny piece of thread, how much harder would it be if I were to try to push a camel through the needle's eye? It would be impossible!! I would never ever dream of trying such an impossible task. Jesus said that it would be easier for a camel to do it than for a rich person to be saved. He said that it is very hard to make it to heaven.

Wait a minute. This is not what we are used to hearing from our pulpits. Hard to make it to heaven? Why, all we have to do is mouth a few words right? If we believe the right message we don't have to worry about making it to heaven once we profess Jesus as our Savior, right? We may not live like a Christian should, but heaven is assured for all who believe, right? What is so hard about that? Perhaps Jesus was saying something we aren't accustomed to hearing.

Saving faith is a growing faith. It is a faith that is nurtured and exercised. It is an unending quest for the Lord's growing influence in, and control of, our lives. It is an unending pursuit of holiness. It is a passionate zeal for God. Saving faith is a fixation on Jesus, wanting always to please Him in all we do.

Saving faith is hard work. It occupies our living 24/7. There is no vacations allowed. Saving faith is a way of life. It is on the front burner with the heat constantly being turned higher. It is a relentless quest for grace and knowledge of our Lord. Don't buy into the lie that says that it's an easy road to heaven. It takes all the time and energy we have. But the wonderful thing about it is that the Lord gives us the strength and resources we need in order to do it. What is impossible with man is possible with God.

In fact, God says that anyone can be saved who wants to be and is willing to put their trust and confidence in Christ alone for their salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, no one can earn it, it can only be obtained by accepting Jesus as Savior and then Lord of one’s life.

SALTY CHRISTIANS

 

SALTY CHRISTIANS

Mark 9:49-50 “For everyone will be purified with fire. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” NLT

Everyone will be purified with fire. That is, everyone will be put underneath God’s microscope to determine whether or not what they profess to believe is really what they live. God knows exactly who we are and what we are, and He will judge us accordingly. We will be under the microscope of His Word. Anything that He finds that is not right will be burned away. If there is anything left, we will be deemed acceptable to Him.

Just like salt, if we lose what we have, we become essentially worthless. We need to be careful about how we live and think. We need to not wander away from the Lord and become useless to Him. We are created in Christ to serve Him. We are to impact our world for Him. We are to be His ambassadors in the world, representing Him well.

Jesus poses a very sobering question. If we get careless and no longer serve as Christ’s ambassadors to the world, we no longer are deemed worthy of serving Him. How can we think that we can no longer live for the Lord or serve Him and still be okay with Him? I struggle with the thought that we can neglect our salvation, do what we want, and still be in His good graces.

Jesus said we must retain our saltiness. We must diligently take care of our souls. We must not take for granted His grace. We must not let sin take root in us and control us. We must strive to be holy, even as He is holy. There can be no peace with God or others unless we do.

Being a salty Christian means that we diligently take care of our soul, feeding and exercising it properly, so that we will always be useful servants of Christ making a difference in the world for Him.

BE FIRST BY BEING LAST

 

BE FIRST BY BEING LAST

Mark 9:35 "He sat down and called the twelve disciples over to him. Then he said, "Anyone who wants to be first must take the last place and be the servant of everyone else." NLT

We like to be out front. We like the attention. There is that natural desire in us to be noticed. We want the respect of others. We want to be highly thought of. We often seek out opportunities to make it happen. We let our craving for attention drive us and it often determines our lifestyle.

Jesus makes it clear that His children don't live like that. We are to be driven to serve others not lord it over them. No matter what position in life we may have, if we are not driven by service, we are not living right with God. There is no other way to say it. Do not seek the attention, power, authority, wealth and fame available to you in the world. Don't gloat over whatever you may have done or become in life. Don't look upon yourself as being privileged. Understand that whatever blessings you have received from God is so you can serve others. Understand that if you want to be right with God, it’s not about you.

If you want to please God, you will serve others rather than yourself. You will use what you have been given for good. In fact, to not use what we have for good is sin. It is withholding from God what He desires to do through you for His honor and glory. Be a servant-leader and you will be blessed.

It’s okay to be blessed with much, but it’s not okay to hoard it and deprive others of what they need while you live comfortably. A true child of God has a compassionate heart with a desire to show love for those Jesus loves.

Salt left in the saltshaker doesn’t do anyone any good, especially he who owns the salt.

INTENSE PREPARATIONS

 

INTENSE PREPARATIONS

Mark 9:30-31 Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus tried to avoid all publicity in order to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” But they didn’t understand what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant. NLT

Jesus knew that He was going to go to Calvary very soon. He knew that He had to spend as much alone time with the disciples as He could to help prepare them for His departure and life without Him with them physically. He did not want His ministry of helping people to get in the way of His finishing His discipleship training.

Jesus told them very clearly about His death and resurrection. It was important that they understood this core belief of the Gospel. If they did not get this, then there would be no Gospel for them to share after He had left them. Even though they did not yet understand what Jesus meant, the seed was sown and they did get it after it all came to pass.

Two things of interest grab me as I think about this. Unless we understand and own the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have no message to share. And, people don’t often understand what we say right away, but if we plant the seed in them, they will understand later on. It’s not our role to convince people of the truth of the Gospel, only the Holy Spirit can do that. Our role is to just share what we understand and commit the rest to God’s working in the heart and mind of others.

Also, if you don't understand some things the Lord is teaching you, don't sweat it. Those things you need to know you will know in time. Those things you don't need to know just accept them by faith. Know that they are true because God says it and He cannot lie.

MISUNDERSTANDING

 

MISUNDERSTANDING

Mark 8:33 Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and then said to Peter very sternly, “Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” NLT

Peter was impulsive and very loyal. His understanding was that Jesus would establish His kingdom on earth. He thought, like everyone else did, that Jesus was going to put an end to the Roman’s oppressive government and that Jesus would rule over the earth in peace. When Jesus told the disciples that He was going to die, Peter quickly tried to remind Jesus that it wasn’t going to happen. Jesus had often talked of eternal life and how could it be eternal if the giver of life were to die?

Jesus, however, knew exactly what was going to happen and why. He sternly told Peter to be quiet, that what he was saying was of Satan and not God. Jesus did not want Peter or anyone else to try to persuade Him that the cross was not necessary. What Jesus was about to do was God’s plan and it had to be done for the salvation of Peter and everyone else.

We need to strive to line up our ideas and plans with God’s. Before we say and do, we need to wait before the Lord to be sure that we are not doing things contrary to what God wants us to do. The reality is that most of us don’t do this very well. We are far more like Peter than we are Christ in this area. We would be much better off in life if we were to discipline ourselves to wait on the Lord to discern His way before we proceed with our way.

Ask the Lord to help you be more aware of God’s plan before you say and do.