Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
We serve a God of seasons. We see it in creation. God created the four seasons that are based upon the rotation of the Earth as it orbits the Sun. The seasons change as the earth moves, but the sun in our planetary system remains constant, and everything revolves around it.
In many ways we see the signature of the same artist in our lives. Much like the earth, our lives should revolve around the Son, Jesus Christ. Our lives will change, and we will enter and exit many seasons, but the Son remains constant yesterday, today and forever.
God doesn’t measure seasons with clocks and calendars, but through truth and revelation. Whenever God gives you a fresh word, you’ve just stepped into a new season. But just like our scripture says, to everything there is a season. Every aspect of our lives is as to a season. And there is a purpose for those seasons. There is a reason for the season. There is a purpose for the process.
There are seasons you didn’t want to go through. But through those seasons you learned some things. And you wouldn’t have learned them if hadn’t gone through some things. There are seasons you’ve gone through, that you don’t know why you had to. But there is a reason for that season. And just because you are going through some stuff, or have gone through a rough season, doesn’t mean God is finished with you because “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” It’s not just any old work, but a good work. You’ve just stepped into a new season.
Stepping into a new season brings new changes. Change is inevitable. It’s going to happen. We look outside at the world around us and notice things are different today than they were 10 years ago, last year or even yesterday. Each season is different than the others. Some are meant for things to grow and others for things to die off. In some seasons the days are longer, in others the night.
Some times it seems your days, your mountaintop experiences with God last a long time, but then there are those seasons when the nighttime seems as if it will never end. In those long nights when the tears seem like they will never stop flowing, it might have taken a little longer, but the morning did come, and the tears ceased and joy returned to your spirit. But God gives us revelations and truths to propel us into new and different seasons. Why? Because we are creatures of habit and if he didn’t change things we would become complacent in one place.
I am convinced that we will never move on to the next season of our life until we are able to learn the things that God is trying to teach us. In this, we face two choices. We can be open to the voice of the spirit. We can desire to hear from God and to be transformed by his truth. We can allow his leading to make us into person we are destined to be. This choice will lead us into the next season or higher level of our life. Or, we can be rigid and stubborn. We can spend all of our time complaining about our present circumstance. We can lose sight of God’s sovereignty in our life. This choice will keep us bogged down in apathy and indifference and may rob us of God’s best plan for us.
Remember, God is a God of seasons. Life moves from one season to another. Be open. See God’s hand in every season of your life. Allow him to do in you everything that he desires. You will find yourself getting the most out of every moment of your life.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
CARRY YOUR CROSS
Mark 8:35 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
There’s the story of a soldier frantically digging in during battle as shells fall all around him. Suddenly his hand feels something metal and he grabs it. It’s a silver cross. Another shell explodes and he buries his head in his arms. He feels someone jump in the foxhole with him and he looks over and sees an army chaplain. The soldier thrusts the cross in the chaplain’s face and says, “I sure am glad to see you. How do you work this thing?”
This moment in scripture demonstrates a critical moment for Jesus and his disciples. Whatever the disciples might be thinking, he knew for certain that an inescapable cross lay ahead. Jesus had to teach Peter and the others what Messiahship really meant, because Jesus’ role as Messiah stood in stark contrast to the first century Jewish ideas of Messiah. As time went on, it became clear that this dreamed-of greatness would never come about naturally through the passage of time, for they came under Assyrian rule and Babylonian rule and Persian rule and Greek rule and Roman rule. They began to believe that it wasn’t likely that someone would simply emerge politically. More and more they began to dream of a day when God would intervene in history and unveil the Messiah. They had dreams of a Messiah being ushered in by God in a nationalistic, conquering style, in which the perfect reign of God would come about through a great military struggle.
The Messiah that Jesus was prepared to be was not what they were expecting. That’s exactly why Jesus laid it out as plainly as he could: “If any want to become my follower, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” Self-denial is not easy. We all have things we want. We all have goals, but Christ is clear that when we choose to freely follow him, we must first deny ourselves. That means you can’t always do what you want to do. This means that you will face tough, life-changing decisions that need to be made in the shadow of the cross, and not the desires of the heart. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be deprived of joy and happiness; rather it means that you find fulfillment and joy and happiness through dedication to Jesus Christ. Denial of self is placing yourself in the hands of God at all times, no matter where his hands might lead you.
Jesus also said, “Take up your cross.” In other words, pick it up yourself. He didn’t say, “Grab hold of a cross to provide protection.” He didn’t say, “Wear this cross as a fashion statement.” He said, “Pick it up.” This means that there is a choice. Christ had a choice as to whether he was going to pick up his cross. He could’ve said “No,” and we have a choice whether to pick ours up and bear our cross.
Bearing the cross is a choice. It is a voluntary form of sacrificial obedience that identifies us completely with Jesus Christ. Bearing our cross is not making the best of a situation or circumstance. It is something we deliberately take up and bear. We don’t usually like that, for we would rather wear a cross than bear a cross.
The cross is an emblem of Christianity that holds special meaning for every one of us who identify with Jesus Christ. Whenever we see a cross, it speaks to us of Christ’s tenacious determination to do his Father’s will by dying for us on Calvary. The cross is all about making a choice. The cross is about discipline, hard work, obedience, and commitment. It isn’t easy, but it draws us closer to Christ and makes us more Christ-like, for never has a symbol of such pain and torture been resurrected into a symbol of ending love and hope.
If anyone wants to be a follower of Jesus Christ, let them deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him.
There’s the story of a soldier frantically digging in during battle as shells fall all around him. Suddenly his hand feels something metal and he grabs it. It’s a silver cross. Another shell explodes and he buries his head in his arms. He feels someone jump in the foxhole with him and he looks over and sees an army chaplain. The soldier thrusts the cross in the chaplain’s face and says, “I sure am glad to see you. How do you work this thing?”
This moment in scripture demonstrates a critical moment for Jesus and his disciples. Whatever the disciples might be thinking, he knew for certain that an inescapable cross lay ahead. Jesus had to teach Peter and the others what Messiahship really meant, because Jesus’ role as Messiah stood in stark contrast to the first century Jewish ideas of Messiah. As time went on, it became clear that this dreamed-of greatness would never come about naturally through the passage of time, for they came under Assyrian rule and Babylonian rule and Persian rule and Greek rule and Roman rule. They began to believe that it wasn’t likely that someone would simply emerge politically. More and more they began to dream of a day when God would intervene in history and unveil the Messiah. They had dreams of a Messiah being ushered in by God in a nationalistic, conquering style, in which the perfect reign of God would come about through a great military struggle.
The Messiah that Jesus was prepared to be was not what they were expecting. That’s exactly why Jesus laid it out as plainly as he could: “If any want to become my follower, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” Self-denial is not easy. We all have things we want. We all have goals, but Christ is clear that when we choose to freely follow him, we must first deny ourselves. That means you can’t always do what you want to do. This means that you will face tough, life-changing decisions that need to be made in the shadow of the cross, and not the desires of the heart. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be deprived of joy and happiness; rather it means that you find fulfillment and joy and happiness through dedication to Jesus Christ. Denial of self is placing yourself in the hands of God at all times, no matter where his hands might lead you.
Jesus also said, “Take up your cross.” In other words, pick it up yourself. He didn’t say, “Grab hold of a cross to provide protection.” He didn’t say, “Wear this cross as a fashion statement.” He said, “Pick it up.” This means that there is a choice. Christ had a choice as to whether he was going to pick up his cross. He could’ve said “No,” and we have a choice whether to pick ours up and bear our cross.
Bearing the cross is a choice. It is a voluntary form of sacrificial obedience that identifies us completely with Jesus Christ. Bearing our cross is not making the best of a situation or circumstance. It is something we deliberately take up and bear. We don’t usually like that, for we would rather wear a cross than bear a cross.
The cross is an emblem of Christianity that holds special meaning for every one of us who identify with Jesus Christ. Whenever we see a cross, it speaks to us of Christ’s tenacious determination to do his Father’s will by dying for us on Calvary. The cross is all about making a choice. The cross is about discipline, hard work, obedience, and commitment. It isn’t easy, but it draws us closer to Christ and makes us more Christ-like, for never has a symbol of such pain and torture been resurrected into a symbol of ending love and hope.
If anyone wants to be a follower of Jesus Christ, let them deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
THE ACCUSER DEFEATED
Revelation 12:11 “And they have defeated him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony.”
When I was a young Christian I belonged to a church that worked through control and fear. Fear that we would miss the mark, fear that we weren’t saved and so on, In hind sight I can see that the leaders didn’t have a good concept of the love of God themselves and were just projecting that into their congregations.
The enemy, Satan, is the accuser of the brethren. He causes us to accuse one another in order to bring division, and also he attempts to divide us away from God by making us feel we are not good enough, or we don’t fit the mold, or God could never love us. He does this in order to convince us that we, in some way have disqualified ourselves from the race. There are two basic reasons that we were created - 1) To have fellowship with God and 2) To be a representative for God on Earth and to show his glory.
Through the fall in the Garden, Satan was able to break the link and he interrupted the plan. But in and through Jesus God has restored the potential to fulfill these callings again. All who have been born again through Jesus can again experience the reality of fellowship with God, and the privilege of showing off his kingdom, and demonstrating his glory.
Satan fights against all who walk in these callings in different ways and at different levels. He deceives the unbeliever by binding their minds from the truth of the gospel, which would restore them to God. The primary message that God communicated to man through Jesus is “I LOVE YOU". The realization of God’s love for us was lost when our soul was awakened to the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. It was at this point that our soul became susceptible to the accusations of Satan. Until we are secure in God’s love we are vulnerable to attack from the enemy because our confidence is in ourselves. When our confidence is transferred to God’s love, which is expressed in Jesus we are made secure.
No wonder the enemy wants to accuse you all the time. He can’t stand the fact that God in Jesus is covering you in his glory. Although God’s love endures forever, many of us go for long periods of time feeling separated from his love, because of the accusations leveled against us by the enemy of our souls. I am reminded that even in the most severe storm the sun is still shining above the clouds and the truth is that the clouds will roll away and the sun will shine on us again. We just need to remind ourselves that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Remember, our confidence is in the blood of the Lamb - not our own strength. Remember the enemy’s war is waged with words of accusation and our war will be won with words of testimony of what Jesus has done for us. The glory of God is about to breakthrough from behind the clouds. He loves you and it is an explosion of this love that will set you free again.
When I was a young Christian I belonged to a church that worked through control and fear. Fear that we would miss the mark, fear that we weren’t saved and so on, In hind sight I can see that the leaders didn’t have a good concept of the love of God themselves and were just projecting that into their congregations.
The enemy, Satan, is the accuser of the brethren. He causes us to accuse one another in order to bring division, and also he attempts to divide us away from God by making us feel we are not good enough, or we don’t fit the mold, or God could never love us. He does this in order to convince us that we, in some way have disqualified ourselves from the race. There are two basic reasons that we were created - 1) To have fellowship with God and 2) To be a representative for God on Earth and to show his glory.
Through the fall in the Garden, Satan was able to break the link and he interrupted the plan. But in and through Jesus God has restored the potential to fulfill these callings again. All who have been born again through Jesus can again experience the reality of fellowship with God, and the privilege of showing off his kingdom, and demonstrating his glory.
Satan fights against all who walk in these callings in different ways and at different levels. He deceives the unbeliever by binding their minds from the truth of the gospel, which would restore them to God. The primary message that God communicated to man through Jesus is “I LOVE YOU". The realization of God’s love for us was lost when our soul was awakened to the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. It was at this point that our soul became susceptible to the accusations of Satan. Until we are secure in God’s love we are vulnerable to attack from the enemy because our confidence is in ourselves. When our confidence is transferred to God’s love, which is expressed in Jesus we are made secure.
No wonder the enemy wants to accuse you all the time. He can’t stand the fact that God in Jesus is covering you in his glory. Although God’s love endures forever, many of us go for long periods of time feeling separated from his love, because of the accusations leveled against us by the enemy of our souls. I am reminded that even in the most severe storm the sun is still shining above the clouds and the truth is that the clouds will roll away and the sun will shine on us again. We just need to remind ourselves that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Remember, our confidence is in the blood of the Lamb - not our own strength. Remember the enemy’s war is waged with words of accusation and our war will be won with words of testimony of what Jesus has done for us. The glory of God is about to breakthrough from behind the clouds. He loves you and it is an explosion of this love that will set you free again.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
CALLING ALL WHO ARE SICK
Mark 2:17 “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Once there was a church that had prayed fervently for God to give them growth. It happened that one Sunday at worship a known prostitute entered the building and took a seat in the back of the building. Everyone ignored her. After hearing the sermon, she felt the call of the gospel and responded. The preacher and the congregation didn’t know what to do, much less say. After a very long and uncomfortable silence one well respected man in the congregation stood up, breaking the silence, and suggested that they all pray. He prayed, “Oh Lord, we know that we have prayed that this church would grow and that we prayed that many would hear the gospel and believe. But when we prayed we didn’t know that you would be sending such sinners as this. Don’t you know that we don’t allow people such as this in our church?”
Have you ever heard a star athlete or other famous individual say, “I don’t want to forget where I came from” or “I want to give back to the community”? Sure you have. It’s a pretty common saying among the privileged in our society. It’s touching to see NBA superstars feeding the hungry on Thanksgiving or movie stars that help clean up depressed areas. It’s a sign that they acknowledge that they are blessed and that they have something to offer. I can’t imagine Lady Gaga taking up a collection to help pay for Justin Bieber’s new yacht. That would be ridiculous because, he obviously doesn’t need assistance in paying for things like that.
As Christians, we too have been given something of great worth. We have been introduced to the love of Jesus. We have been touched by unbelievable mercy. We realize just how much he loves us and how much he loved us while we were living as sinners. That’s what we have to offer. Although we should desire to lift up our fellow believers, it would also be misguided to only share our experiences with the saved. You see, there is a world full of “sick” people. Some are physically sick and many more are spiritually in need of a healing. Christ left us with a non-negotiable mandate to reach out to the lost – to share the facts of hope and renewal to all who don’t know Christ.
But here’s the thing about “sick” people -- they are sick. They won’t be whole. They won’t look as we think we do. They won’t live like we think we do. They will come from places that we don’t want to go. They come to us because of our mandate. We should look for them because of our mandate.
Beginning tonight, I have the honor of being a part of the greatest evangelistic event that I have ever seen - “Blink – The Door”. Over the next eleven days, thousands will give their heart to Christ. We will see people from all walks of life come forward to accept Christ. Why? Because they are sick and in need of a physician. This is their moment. It is their opportunity to become well and find the love and acceptance that they so desperately need.
As believers, we must put away all preconceived ideas and notions that cause us to look upon people and see them as anything short as someone who is loved by God. The easiest way to do so is to remember that the only difference between them and me is that I was sick and have already been touched by the great physician. Remember the example that Christ left for us in scripture. He sat down to eat with sinners. Because they needed him.
Be on guard of your heart. We should welcome the most sick and the most hurting into our midst. They may spill their drinks on our seats. They may write their girlfriends name on our walls. They may be viewed as the “riff-raff” of society. They may even remind us of where we came from. I hope they do.
Once there was a church that had prayed fervently for God to give them growth. It happened that one Sunday at worship a known prostitute entered the building and took a seat in the back of the building. Everyone ignored her. After hearing the sermon, she felt the call of the gospel and responded. The preacher and the congregation didn’t know what to do, much less say. After a very long and uncomfortable silence one well respected man in the congregation stood up, breaking the silence, and suggested that they all pray. He prayed, “Oh Lord, we know that we have prayed that this church would grow and that we prayed that many would hear the gospel and believe. But when we prayed we didn’t know that you would be sending such sinners as this. Don’t you know that we don’t allow people such as this in our church?”
Have you ever heard a star athlete or other famous individual say, “I don’t want to forget where I came from” or “I want to give back to the community”? Sure you have. It’s a pretty common saying among the privileged in our society. It’s touching to see NBA superstars feeding the hungry on Thanksgiving or movie stars that help clean up depressed areas. It’s a sign that they acknowledge that they are blessed and that they have something to offer. I can’t imagine Lady Gaga taking up a collection to help pay for Justin Bieber’s new yacht. That would be ridiculous because, he obviously doesn’t need assistance in paying for things like that.
As Christians, we too have been given something of great worth. We have been introduced to the love of Jesus. We have been touched by unbelievable mercy. We realize just how much he loves us and how much he loved us while we were living as sinners. That’s what we have to offer. Although we should desire to lift up our fellow believers, it would also be misguided to only share our experiences with the saved. You see, there is a world full of “sick” people. Some are physically sick and many more are spiritually in need of a healing. Christ left us with a non-negotiable mandate to reach out to the lost – to share the facts of hope and renewal to all who don’t know Christ.
But here’s the thing about “sick” people -- they are sick. They won’t be whole. They won’t look as we think we do. They won’t live like we think we do. They will come from places that we don’t want to go. They come to us because of our mandate. We should look for them because of our mandate.
Beginning tonight, I have the honor of being a part of the greatest evangelistic event that I have ever seen - “Blink – The Door”. Over the next eleven days, thousands will give their heart to Christ. We will see people from all walks of life come forward to accept Christ. Why? Because they are sick and in need of a physician. This is their moment. It is their opportunity to become well and find the love and acceptance that they so desperately need.
As believers, we must put away all preconceived ideas and notions that cause us to look upon people and see them as anything short as someone who is loved by God. The easiest way to do so is to remember that the only difference between them and me is that I was sick and have already been touched by the great physician. Remember the example that Christ left for us in scripture. He sat down to eat with sinners. Because they needed him.
Be on guard of your heart. We should welcome the most sick and the most hurting into our midst. They may spill their drinks on our seats. They may write their girlfriends name on our walls. They may be viewed as the “riff-raff” of society. They may even remind us of where we came from. I hope they do.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
WORTH THE FIGHT
Genesis 32:26 “But Jacob panted, I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
Unlikely as it may seem there are many people who wrestle with God everyday. Some win and some lose. Those who win arise from their experience with a stronger, fuller, faith. Those who choose to refuse God’s will in their lives, walk away as losers. As Christians we can reflect on Ephesians 6:12 which reminds us that we "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." As we wrestle with this we should resolve that we will not let go until we are victorious and receive our blessing from God.
Sooner or later, no matter who you are, the Lord is going to speak to you. Perhaps he comes in the silence of the night. Perhaps his words leap from the pages of a manuscript and embrace you or they simply ring in your ears. The call is for every child of God to "come home"
When Jacob asked the Lord for a blessing before he went home, he wasn’t asking for a material blessing because he already had that. What he wanted was the confidence of knowing that God’s spirit was with him. In essence he said I’m going home, "but I can’t go home like this," without your presence in my life.
Remember, up until that point, Jacob’s life was filled with short cuts and cheating. He was deceitful in so many ways. The very moment described in our scripture is brought on because Jacob is fearful that Esau will destroy him due to an earlier transgression committed by Jacob in which he tricked Esau out of his birthright. On so many other occasions, Jacob would have ran away to hide. He would have looked for the shortcut – the easy way out. But not this time. There is a profound amount of resolve in Jacob’s cry. “I will not let you go until you bless me.” Even Jacob, “the deceiver”, knew that there were no quick fixes to God’s blessings.
A great lesson should be taken from this account. It can be so tempting to run away – to throw your hands up and say, “It is way too difficult”. Maybe you have been tempted to settle for something short of God’s ultimate plan. Perhaps the struggle has seemed just too tough and not even worth it.
The key question that comes from Jacob’s wrestling match with the Lord is, “Are we willing to put in the time and fight for what we desire from God?” You must first determine if the things that God has spoken into your heart are significant to you. You must decide if you really want them and if you believe that God is the one who can give them to you. Once that realization has been achieved, you must set your heart to be persistent. It takes true faith to be persistent. Let us have the faith that pushes us to press on in expectation that God will bless us when we seek him.
Unlikely as it may seem there are many people who wrestle with God everyday. Some win and some lose. Those who win arise from their experience with a stronger, fuller, faith. Those who choose to refuse God’s will in their lives, walk away as losers. As Christians we can reflect on Ephesians 6:12 which reminds us that we "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." As we wrestle with this we should resolve that we will not let go until we are victorious and receive our blessing from God.
Sooner or later, no matter who you are, the Lord is going to speak to you. Perhaps he comes in the silence of the night. Perhaps his words leap from the pages of a manuscript and embrace you or they simply ring in your ears. The call is for every child of God to "come home"
When Jacob asked the Lord for a blessing before he went home, he wasn’t asking for a material blessing because he already had that. What he wanted was the confidence of knowing that God’s spirit was with him. In essence he said I’m going home, "but I can’t go home like this," without your presence in my life.
Remember, up until that point, Jacob’s life was filled with short cuts and cheating. He was deceitful in so many ways. The very moment described in our scripture is brought on because Jacob is fearful that Esau will destroy him due to an earlier transgression committed by Jacob in which he tricked Esau out of his birthright. On so many other occasions, Jacob would have ran away to hide. He would have looked for the shortcut – the easy way out. But not this time. There is a profound amount of resolve in Jacob’s cry. “I will not let you go until you bless me.” Even Jacob, “the deceiver”, knew that there were no quick fixes to God’s blessings.
A great lesson should be taken from this account. It can be so tempting to run away – to throw your hands up and say, “It is way too difficult”. Maybe you have been tempted to settle for something short of God’s ultimate plan. Perhaps the struggle has seemed just too tough and not even worth it.
The key question that comes from Jacob’s wrestling match with the Lord is, “Are we willing to put in the time and fight for what we desire from God?” You must first determine if the things that God has spoken into your heart are significant to you. You must decide if you really want them and if you believe that God is the one who can give them to you. Once that realization has been achieved, you must set your heart to be persistent. It takes true faith to be persistent. Let us have the faith that pushes us to press on in expectation that God will bless us when we seek him.
Monday, September 13, 2010
DO YOU KNOW HIM?
Hosea 4:6 “My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.”
Do you know God? There is no more important question in all of life than that very question...Do you know God. It is the secret of true success...the source of wisdom beyond our understanding...the strength to endure in hard times. It is the one thing that should demand our constant attention and the focus of our lives. It is of more value than power or position. Yet nothing is more needed in Christianity today than knowledge of God.
Hosea was called to prophesy to the nation of Israel because this quality of life was lacking. The sins of the nation came from the absence of it. The people had been destroyed because they had rejected it. And the people of God today are no different. Look at the church today and you have to agree that the lack of the knowledge of God is the cause of wavering spirituality...inconsistency between the walk and the talk of believers...ineffectiveness in prayer...and even social righteousness, the way we act toward others, those outside our "group".
What does it mean to know God and to live with knowledge of him? To experience the kind of relationship with God that he meant for us requires us to open up our innermost being to him just like he revealed his innermost nature to us. In fact the word intimacy means "proceeding from within - inward - internal.”
And so knowledge of God is more than an accumulation of facts. It is more than ideas about him or some broad concept we've developed. Knowledge of God involves the total person: intellect, emotion, and will. And the beginning of our knowledge of God and our relationship with him comes when we know that we are known by him. Our understanding and our awareness of God are met in response to our being known by him...absolutely and thoroughly.
We should be willing to open ourselves to God. He knows are innermost thoughts and feelings anyway. A vain attempt to hide from God will only lead us into spiritual darkness. Just ask Adam and Eve. And knowing him openly will drive us to a life of integrity in him. Integrity is consistency of behavior. It is consistency between what we believe and what we do. If we are Christians and we claim to know God, then his character and his commands should be intertwined with ours. Knowing God requires integrity and a consistent life of faithfulness. And what it boils down to is obedience. Obedience is the secret of a growing knowledge of God.
Hosea addresses the lack of both intimacy and integrity in Israel. And what is said is just as true for the world today. We must strive to live in a daily intimate relationship of being searched and known by God. Opening ourselves up and daring to be real with God is very difficult for us, but it will truly lead to a life of peace and fulfillment.
The good news is...God always makes the first move. Every discovery about God and his nature is just our response to his revelation. The people of Israel were destroyed because of a lack of teaching by the priests about God.
Today we do not lack the information. Guard against a lack of knowing him as he has revealed himself to us. Our knowledge and our relationship with God begin with Christ. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life...no man comes to the Father except through Me"
Do you know God? There is no more important question in all of life than that very question...Do you know God. It is the secret of true success...the source of wisdom beyond our understanding...the strength to endure in hard times. It is the one thing that should demand our constant attention and the focus of our lives. It is of more value than power or position. Yet nothing is more needed in Christianity today than knowledge of God.
Hosea was called to prophesy to the nation of Israel because this quality of life was lacking. The sins of the nation came from the absence of it. The people had been destroyed because they had rejected it. And the people of God today are no different. Look at the church today and you have to agree that the lack of the knowledge of God is the cause of wavering spirituality...inconsistency between the walk and the talk of believers...ineffectiveness in prayer...and even social righteousness, the way we act toward others, those outside our "group".
What does it mean to know God and to live with knowledge of him? To experience the kind of relationship with God that he meant for us requires us to open up our innermost being to him just like he revealed his innermost nature to us. In fact the word intimacy means "proceeding from within - inward - internal.”
And so knowledge of God is more than an accumulation of facts. It is more than ideas about him or some broad concept we've developed. Knowledge of God involves the total person: intellect, emotion, and will. And the beginning of our knowledge of God and our relationship with him comes when we know that we are known by him. Our understanding and our awareness of God are met in response to our being known by him...absolutely and thoroughly.
We should be willing to open ourselves to God. He knows are innermost thoughts and feelings anyway. A vain attempt to hide from God will only lead us into spiritual darkness. Just ask Adam and Eve. And knowing him openly will drive us to a life of integrity in him. Integrity is consistency of behavior. It is consistency between what we believe and what we do. If we are Christians and we claim to know God, then his character and his commands should be intertwined with ours. Knowing God requires integrity and a consistent life of faithfulness. And what it boils down to is obedience. Obedience is the secret of a growing knowledge of God.
Hosea addresses the lack of both intimacy and integrity in Israel. And what is said is just as true for the world today. We must strive to live in a daily intimate relationship of being searched and known by God. Opening ourselves up and daring to be real with God is very difficult for us, but it will truly lead to a life of peace and fulfillment.
The good news is...God always makes the first move. Every discovery about God and his nature is just our response to his revelation. The people of Israel were destroyed because of a lack of teaching by the priests about God.
Today we do not lack the information. Guard against a lack of knowing him as he has revealed himself to us. Our knowledge and our relationship with God begin with Christ. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life...no man comes to the Father except through Me"
Sunday, September 12, 2010
SOMETHING GREATER
Hebrews 11:10 “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
I read a story about a man who was dying. He asked his Christian doctor to tell him what was waiting for him on the other side. The doctor struggled to think of something. Just then, his dog, which he had locked in the basement, began to scratch at the door. And the doctor told the man; I never let my dog in here. He has never been inside this room. And yet, he is scratching eagerly at the door. Why? Because, he knows that I’m here in this room. And the same is true of heaven. We don’t know exactly what waits for us there. We may have descriptions and ideas, but our minds aren’t even capable of comprehending it. Yet we ought to yearn and desire to go there. Why? Because we know that Christ is there.
This story rings true, not only of our final destination in heaven, but also of every stop along the way. No matter what our course in life, be it storm or calm, peace or trouble, sickness or health, no matter what we go through, we can look forward to tomorrow with joy, because we know that Christ will be there with us. Surely he is the one who said, Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (NKJV)
When you look at the story of Abraham leaving his home in Genesis you’ll notice something. Wherever Abraham goes, God meets with him. And I’m sure that this was a big part of the reason that Abraham was able to venture into the unknown. He wasn’t going alone, but God was going with him.
The other reason that Abraham was willing to live in a tent and not make a permanent home is that he knew God’s plan was always greater than his own. He didn’t want to settle for this old world. He wouldn’t settle for the pleasures, and wealth, and security of this life for one reason: he knew there was something better. He knew that he would be foolish to sell out for so little. Not that this world has nothing to offer at all. Sometimes this world seems grand. It is, after all, the handiwork of God. But it pales in comparison to what is ahead.
This life, especially our life in Christ, is much more grand than when we were dead in our sins. However, it’s only the gateway. The next world holds beauty and grandeur that is up to now incomprehensible to us. We can become convinced that things like wealth, and fame, and power, and knowledge, or anything else in this world is the climax of our existence. However, we would be selling ourselves short. It isn’t that we give up and forsake this world, and miss out on something. On the contrary, we reject the pull of this world, only because we know that something far greater waits for us on the other side. The great author and thinker C.S. Lewis said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” And this is precisely the thing we must realize. We were not made for this world alone. And the things that we need to have true satisfaction are not found in this world. This world cannot bring us fulfillment, because we were not designed to be fulfilled in this world. We must look for something more than this world has to offer. We must look for something we can never find here. At that fulfillment will only come when our focus is not on this world, but on the next. And then we will find not only fulfillment for this life, but the life to come. When we understand the purpose for this life as a journey, it becomes so much easier to find joy in all circumstances, because we know it’s not here forever. We, like Abraham must look for the city whose builder and maker is God.
I read a story about a man who was dying. He asked his Christian doctor to tell him what was waiting for him on the other side. The doctor struggled to think of something. Just then, his dog, which he had locked in the basement, began to scratch at the door. And the doctor told the man; I never let my dog in here. He has never been inside this room. And yet, he is scratching eagerly at the door. Why? Because, he knows that I’m here in this room. And the same is true of heaven. We don’t know exactly what waits for us there. We may have descriptions and ideas, but our minds aren’t even capable of comprehending it. Yet we ought to yearn and desire to go there. Why? Because we know that Christ is there.
This story rings true, not only of our final destination in heaven, but also of every stop along the way. No matter what our course in life, be it storm or calm, peace or trouble, sickness or health, no matter what we go through, we can look forward to tomorrow with joy, because we know that Christ will be there with us. Surely he is the one who said, Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (NKJV)
When you look at the story of Abraham leaving his home in Genesis you’ll notice something. Wherever Abraham goes, God meets with him. And I’m sure that this was a big part of the reason that Abraham was able to venture into the unknown. He wasn’t going alone, but God was going with him.
The other reason that Abraham was willing to live in a tent and not make a permanent home is that he knew God’s plan was always greater than his own. He didn’t want to settle for this old world. He wouldn’t settle for the pleasures, and wealth, and security of this life for one reason: he knew there was something better. He knew that he would be foolish to sell out for so little. Not that this world has nothing to offer at all. Sometimes this world seems grand. It is, after all, the handiwork of God. But it pales in comparison to what is ahead.
This life, especially our life in Christ, is much more grand than when we were dead in our sins. However, it’s only the gateway. The next world holds beauty and grandeur that is up to now incomprehensible to us. We can become convinced that things like wealth, and fame, and power, and knowledge, or anything else in this world is the climax of our existence. However, we would be selling ourselves short. It isn’t that we give up and forsake this world, and miss out on something. On the contrary, we reject the pull of this world, only because we know that something far greater waits for us on the other side. The great author and thinker C.S. Lewis said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” And this is precisely the thing we must realize. We were not made for this world alone. And the things that we need to have true satisfaction are not found in this world. This world cannot bring us fulfillment, because we were not designed to be fulfilled in this world. We must look for something more than this world has to offer. We must look for something we can never find here. At that fulfillment will only come when our focus is not on this world, but on the next. And then we will find not only fulfillment for this life, but the life to come. When we understand the purpose for this life as a journey, it becomes so much easier to find joy in all circumstances, because we know it’s not here forever. We, like Abraham must look for the city whose builder and maker is God.
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