Matthew 25:15 (ESV)
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
When God gives us “talents” (which was equivalent to 20 years of laborer wages), He gives them according to our ability. There are 2 things that this tells me:
#1 God gives different people different amounts
#2 God gives the different amount according to what people can appropriately handle with their God given abilities
Firstly, why are we jealous of others when it is God who gave them the talents? Some people are up front people and some of those earn a lot of money – why be jealous? It is God who promotes? Instead of asking why we aren’t up there doing such and such and getting all mad about it, why don’t we concentrate on what we have since we are really upset at God?
Secondly, further on in the parable Jesus illustrates a principle of the Kingdom – if you manage what you have well, you will be given more! The enemy wants us to focus on what other people have been given and envy instead of focusing on the gracious gifts we have been given and multiplying them. If we multiply them (please notice that they can be multiplied which will give us as much other people who got more in the first place), then we will be given more! Do you want more? Then steward what you have with precision and never look at another gifts and envy.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
June 16
Matthew 24:42 (NIV)
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
I have never much cared for the whole rapture – end of the world teaching or debating. It just hasn’t interested me nor have I thought (in the past) that it has been effective in bringing people to, or preparing people from meeting Christ. However, in light of recent events, I must admit that I have changed my tune a bit. I see the value in this message being preached more than ever. There have been times in history when it would seem like things were being “ramped up” for things to be brought to a final culmination, but now it does seem like it is very close to the end. Having said that it may be another 100 years before the end comes. The point, in my opinion, is the urgency in which we conduct our lives.
The verse above speaks directly to that and gives us a clue to why Jesus talked about indicators at all. Throughout history people have believed that the “signs” have indicated that Jesus return was close. Did you ever think that was on purpose? There is something about the Word of God that is urging us to stay urgent! It is our task to live as though Jesus would return tomorrow, or as the popular church campaign put it, live like you have “one month to live”. It is our task to remain watchful, alert, eyes wide open so we don’t get “hoodwinked” into thinking that it is o.k. to live life like the world – for ourselves. We constantly have to be on guard against the insidious and pervasive evil of this world working it’s way into our life. It happens so subtly at times that we don’t even realize it, and before we know it, we are a carnal as a person who doesn’t know Christ. May it never be! May our lives reflect the urgency in which Jesus himself dropped into our hearts. Live life like you will meet him later tonight – and take some people with you to the meeting!
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
I have never much cared for the whole rapture – end of the world teaching or debating. It just hasn’t interested me nor have I thought (in the past) that it has been effective in bringing people to, or preparing people from meeting Christ. However, in light of recent events, I must admit that I have changed my tune a bit. I see the value in this message being preached more than ever. There have been times in history when it would seem like things were being “ramped up” for things to be brought to a final culmination, but now it does seem like it is very close to the end. Having said that it may be another 100 years before the end comes. The point, in my opinion, is the urgency in which we conduct our lives.
The verse above speaks directly to that and gives us a clue to why Jesus talked about indicators at all. Throughout history people have believed that the “signs” have indicated that Jesus return was close. Did you ever think that was on purpose? There is something about the Word of God that is urging us to stay urgent! It is our task to live as though Jesus would return tomorrow, or as the popular church campaign put it, live like you have “one month to live”. It is our task to remain watchful, alert, eyes wide open so we don’t get “hoodwinked” into thinking that it is o.k. to live life like the world – for ourselves. We constantly have to be on guard against the insidious and pervasive evil of this world working it’s way into our life. It happens so subtly at times that we don’t even realize it, and before we know it, we are a carnal as a person who doesn’t know Christ. May it never be! May our lives reflect the urgency in which Jesus himself dropped into our hearts. Live life like you will meet him later tonight – and take some people with you to the meeting!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
June 15
1 Chronicles 9:22–23 (NIV)
22 Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer. 23 They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the LORD—the house called the tent of meeting.
The gatekeepers did other things besides guard the tent of meeting as outlined in the following verses and elsewhere. They were in charge of protecting and taking care of the dwelling of God. I think we need some gatekeepers today.
Ephesians 1:22–23 (NIV)
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
The church is more than a building - it is a "gathering" an "assembly". Somebody needs to be a gatekeeper for the church! The church is His body - which means you and I together represent Christ on the earth! Crazy! We need some gatekeepers who will position themselves to guard the dignity of the church and its unity. Without unity we can't function properly! Will you become a guard of Hope Chapel OC AND the church abroad? Will you stop the thieves who want to steal, kill and destroy the church? In the day and age of people hopping from one church to another to fit their fancy, we need gatekeepers who wouldn't dream of leaving their assignment. How about it?
22 Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer. 23 They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the LORD—the house called the tent of meeting.
The gatekeepers did other things besides guard the tent of meeting as outlined in the following verses and elsewhere. They were in charge of protecting and taking care of the dwelling of God. I think we need some gatekeepers today.
Ephesians 1:22–23 (NIV)
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
The church is more than a building - it is a "gathering" an "assembly". Somebody needs to be a gatekeeper for the church! The church is His body - which means you and I together represent Christ on the earth! Crazy! We need some gatekeepers who will position themselves to guard the dignity of the church and its unity. Without unity we can't function properly! Will you become a guard of Hope Chapel OC AND the church abroad? Will you stop the thieves who want to steal, kill and destroy the church? In the day and age of people hopping from one church to another to fit their fancy, we need gatekeepers who wouldn't dream of leaving their assignment. How about it?
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June 14
Matthew 22:3 (NIV)
3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
Maybe you have, like me, been so taken with the story of the wedding feast and the guests that refused to come that you missed a simple fact. He sent his servants to those who had been invited. That’s us! God is sending us to go tell people that the King is ready for them to come to His table. It is our task, our role, our partnership and our pleasure to tell others that God wants them to eat at His table. That has so much meaning! He wants to relate to them, He wants to feed them, He wants to bring them security and the list goes on. He doesn’t want to be their butler, but He does want to be their provider! It is ours to tell them.
It isn’t ours to convince them. Many of those who were invited and summoned didn’t come, but the King didn’t get mad at the servants, He just told them to go get more people. If people reject God’s offer, that is on them. It is our responsibility and privilege to invite people – to tell them that God wants to be their friend, King and forgiver. It is our task to tell people that there is hope in Christ, healing in Christ, salvation in Christ alone. It is our role to tell them that Jesus has the power to set them free from their addictions and vices and everything else that holds them back.
I am challenged today. I hope you are too.
3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
Maybe you have, like me, been so taken with the story of the wedding feast and the guests that refused to come that you missed a simple fact. He sent his servants to those who had been invited. That’s us! God is sending us to go tell people that the King is ready for them to come to His table. It is our task, our role, our partnership and our pleasure to tell others that God wants them to eat at His table. That has so much meaning! He wants to relate to them, He wants to feed them, He wants to bring them security and the list goes on. He doesn’t want to be their butler, but He does want to be their provider! It is ours to tell them.
It isn’t ours to convince them. Many of those who were invited and summoned didn’t come, but the King didn’t get mad at the servants, He just told them to go get more people. If people reject God’s offer, that is on them. It is our responsibility and privilege to invite people – to tell them that God wants to be their friend, King and forgiver. It is our task to tell people that there is hope in Christ, healing in Christ, salvation in Christ alone. It is our role to tell them that Jesus has the power to set them free from their addictions and vices and everything else that holds them back.
I am challenged today. I hope you are too.
Monday, June 13, 2011
June 13
Matthew 21:41 (NIV)
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
This is within the parable of the vineyard owner and tenants. The thing that stood out to me was the last half of this verse; “who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time”. We realize that Jesus is talking about giving salvation to the Gentiles because the Jews are going to kill Him, but then there is this part of giving him his share. That is what interests me.
It was the practice of the Jews to give their tithes. I am sure that Jesus is talking about more than that although that is part of it. We know in Malachi that God is indicting the Jews for not tithing, so it makes sense that money may well be included in this meaning, but I think it goes far beyond money – it goes to ALL the fruit of the vineyard!
We don’t want to be the like people who killed the prophets and Jesus, right? However their attitudes were to KEEP God’s share. They wanted it all! God is asking us for a “share” or a portion of the fruit, which I think is talking about our offerings. Yet there is more because it is God’s vineyard! We are tenants and He deserves more than just an offering or tithe, He deserves all of the vineyard! Every fruit of the Kingdom of God in our lives belongs to God. Why not just surrender all of it and whenever God wants something, give it to Him? It is the least we can do for Him who purchased, built and planted.
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
This is within the parable of the vineyard owner and tenants. The thing that stood out to me was the last half of this verse; “who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time”. We realize that Jesus is talking about giving salvation to the Gentiles because the Jews are going to kill Him, but then there is this part of giving him his share. That is what interests me.
It was the practice of the Jews to give their tithes. I am sure that Jesus is talking about more than that although that is part of it. We know in Malachi that God is indicting the Jews for not tithing, so it makes sense that money may well be included in this meaning, but I think it goes far beyond money – it goes to ALL the fruit of the vineyard!
We don’t want to be the like people who killed the prophets and Jesus, right? However their attitudes were to KEEP God’s share. They wanted it all! God is asking us for a “share” or a portion of the fruit, which I think is talking about our offerings. Yet there is more because it is God’s vineyard! We are tenants and He deserves more than just an offering or tithe, He deserves all of the vineyard! Every fruit of the Kingdom of God in our lives belongs to God. Why not just surrender all of it and whenever God wants something, give it to Him? It is the least we can do for Him who purchased, built and planted.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
June 12
Matthew 20:31 (NIV)
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
The crowd looked down on these men. I would imagine it was because they were blind and because they were loud. They were blind, which meant in that culture that they were kinda’ cursed of God. They were the down and outers of society – the low lifes. They were crying out for a hand up. Not only would did they want their blindness to be healed, but they wanted Jesus to care about them. They got both!
Why did they get both? Because they persisted and they did it loudly. The crowd wanted them to shut up, but they wouldn’t be denied. They had an attitude that all of us need in life – an “I won’t be denied attitude.” We give up too easy! The Messiah was right there – within ear shot of them – and they weren’t going to waste that opportunity! So they cried out until they were heard and then plainly told Jesus what they wanted – their sight. They got it! May we tell the world to shut up while we continue to cry out to God – He is near! He asks us the same thing – “what do you want?”
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
The crowd looked down on these men. I would imagine it was because they were blind and because they were loud. They were blind, which meant in that culture that they were kinda’ cursed of God. They were the down and outers of society – the low lifes. They were crying out for a hand up. Not only would did they want their blindness to be healed, but they wanted Jesus to care about them. They got both!
Why did they get both? Because they persisted and they did it loudly. The crowd wanted them to shut up, but they wouldn’t be denied. They had an attitude that all of us need in life – an “I won’t be denied attitude.” We give up too easy! The Messiah was right there – within ear shot of them – and they weren’t going to waste that opportunity! So they cried out until they were heard and then plainly told Jesus what they wanted – their sight. They got it! May we tell the world to shut up while we continue to cry out to God – He is near! He asks us the same thing – “what do you want?”
Saturday, June 11, 2011
June 11
Matthew 19:21 (NIV)
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
This is the context verse for the Word of the day that I will get to. Jesus had just busted the righteous bubble of this man who thought he was all that and a bag of chips. He had done all the righteous things from his youth but his heart still had some ugly stuff. Jesus told him what is quoted above and the man went away sad. Then there ensued a conversation about the difficulty of rich people to enter heaven. It is super hard because of what riches do to the heart. He didn’t ask him to become poor, he told him to give to the poor. Hmmm… Here is our verse for the day:
Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Memorize this and put it on your tongue often! Although the context is about people coming to Christ, this verse can be applied in all of life. It is a universal principle and key of the Kingdom. Maybe it seems like it is too obvious, but I would contend that if we had it in the forefront of our minds as we navigate life, we would be filled with faith!
Mark 9:23 (NIV)
23 “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
First we get the principle that God can do what man cannot do, which although it is obvious it is still a life changing principle when applied to life. Then we get the opinion that we are able to access the possibility for everything through faith. We are able to transverse and overcome every impossible situation as God does – through faith (trust) in God’s ability to overcome. We have living within us the very Spirit of God who is able to make the impossible possible and we access that ability through trust (faith). We have to believe that “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of a man he should change His mind that he will do what he says and fulfill his promises”. (Num. 23:19)
What are the impossible things that you face or are facing now? Put these words on your lips and get them into your heart. You have no barriers! God is well able to overcome the impossibilities in your life, and the ones you have yet to face. Start saying it and believing; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me – everything is possible for me because I do believe God can make every impossibility or improbability a sure thing for me.
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
This is the context verse for the Word of the day that I will get to. Jesus had just busted the righteous bubble of this man who thought he was all that and a bag of chips. He had done all the righteous things from his youth but his heart still had some ugly stuff. Jesus told him what is quoted above and the man went away sad. Then there ensued a conversation about the difficulty of rich people to enter heaven. It is super hard because of what riches do to the heart. He didn’t ask him to become poor, he told him to give to the poor. Hmmm… Here is our verse for the day:
Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Memorize this and put it on your tongue often! Although the context is about people coming to Christ, this verse can be applied in all of life. It is a universal principle and key of the Kingdom. Maybe it seems like it is too obvious, but I would contend that if we had it in the forefront of our minds as we navigate life, we would be filled with faith!
Mark 9:23 (NIV)
23 “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
First we get the principle that God can do what man cannot do, which although it is obvious it is still a life changing principle when applied to life. Then we get the opinion that we are able to access the possibility for everything through faith. We are able to transverse and overcome every impossible situation as God does – through faith (trust) in God’s ability to overcome. We have living within us the very Spirit of God who is able to make the impossible possible and we access that ability through trust (faith). We have to believe that “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of a man he should change His mind that he will do what he says and fulfill his promises”. (Num. 23:19)
What are the impossible things that you face or are facing now? Put these words on your lips and get them into your heart. You have no barriers! God is well able to overcome the impossibilities in your life, and the ones you have yet to face. Start saying it and believing; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me – everything is possible for me because I do believe God can make every impossibility or improbability a sure thing for me.
Friday, June 10, 2011
June 10
Matthew 18:21–22 (NIV)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It is a bitter pill that will infect other relationships in your life, even between you and God. There is another relationship that it will affect as well, and that is the one you have with yourself. Unforgiveness turns into bitterness which is a root that will “defile many”. Jesus tells us to “forgive” infinitely. It’s like having a Teflon offense shield! But what does forgiveness mean?
The number one meaning in the New Testament is to “let go” or “send away”. Other meanings of the word (aphiemi – translated forgiveness), are to release from legal or moral consequence, to pardon, to move away with the idea of separation, to divorce, to leave… Are you getting the idea? We are to divorce the offense from our lives and release the person from consequence. You might be saying, hey, that’s not fair and that’s too hard! It doesn’t matter how we think or feel about it. Is that too blunt? We have an opportunity to be like Jesus by forgiving people and releasing them from our little prison cell and to restore them to rightful relationship with us and ACT like we told Jesus we wanted to act, like Him.
Some will worry that we will be taken advantage of and hurt again and again. That will happen from time to time, but it will happen at our decision. We are nobody’s victim and we are not to let people victimize us. Releasing someone’s guilt does not mean we need to let them abuse us – far from it. Jesus was never victimized by anybody and neither should we be.
This is not too tough because we have Jesus living in us – His Spirit – the Spirit of forgiveness is living in us – release Him and release those who have sinned against you! Not only will they be free, but you will be free.
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It is a bitter pill that will infect other relationships in your life, even between you and God. There is another relationship that it will affect as well, and that is the one you have with yourself. Unforgiveness turns into bitterness which is a root that will “defile many”. Jesus tells us to “forgive” infinitely. It’s like having a Teflon offense shield! But what does forgiveness mean?
The number one meaning in the New Testament is to “let go” or “send away”. Other meanings of the word (aphiemi – translated forgiveness), are to release from legal or moral consequence, to pardon, to move away with the idea of separation, to divorce, to leave… Are you getting the idea? We are to divorce the offense from our lives and release the person from consequence. You might be saying, hey, that’s not fair and that’s too hard! It doesn’t matter how we think or feel about it. Is that too blunt? We have an opportunity to be like Jesus by forgiving people and releasing them from our little prison cell and to restore them to rightful relationship with us and ACT like we told Jesus we wanted to act, like Him.
Some will worry that we will be taken advantage of and hurt again and again. That will happen from time to time, but it will happen at our decision. We are nobody’s victim and we are not to let people victimize us. Releasing someone’s guilt does not mean we need to let them abuse us – far from it. Jesus was never victimized by anybody and neither should we be.
This is not too tough because we have Jesus living in us – His Spirit – the Spirit of forgiveness is living in us – release Him and release those who have sinned against you! Not only will they be free, but you will be free.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
June 9
Matthew 17:6–7 (NIV)
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”
What were they afraid of? God hadn’t come to judge them or harm them. In fact God’s presence had come to testify of His great love for His son, but it did include the command to “listen to Him”. That doesn’t sound very scary to me.
When the manifest presence of God shows up – in any way – it can be a very scary thing. There is this tension within me to have a close and intimate relationship with the Father, hanging out with Him and talking to Him casually, yet if He revealed Himself, His full presence to me, I would die – literally! It would be too much for me according to the scripture. So it goes to figure that His presence would cause one to fall on their face – terrified! It would be both wonderful and horrible because of the grand magnitude of the effect of His presence. I think we need to never lose site of the fact that the Father is the creator of all and is so grand we can’t conceive of His fullness. In other words, we need to keep the tension there, not allowing ourselves to become so casual with Him that we cease to honor His awesomeness.
So what does Jesus do? His says, “get up, don’t be afraid.” Easy for you to say! Think about it, he came and touched them and told them not be afraid. We are not suppose to be terrified of the Father as in He wants to hurt us. Jesus shows us the Father, who loves mercy and wants relationship with us. We approach Him boldly because of our confidence in the work of Christ. So go to the Father – run to Him – embrace Him and don’t be terrified of Him. Enjoy your relationship with Him and never forget who He is.
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”
What were they afraid of? God hadn’t come to judge them or harm them. In fact God’s presence had come to testify of His great love for His son, but it did include the command to “listen to Him”. That doesn’t sound very scary to me.
When the manifest presence of God shows up – in any way – it can be a very scary thing. There is this tension within me to have a close and intimate relationship with the Father, hanging out with Him and talking to Him casually, yet if He revealed Himself, His full presence to me, I would die – literally! It would be too much for me according to the scripture. So it goes to figure that His presence would cause one to fall on their face – terrified! It would be both wonderful and horrible because of the grand magnitude of the effect of His presence. I think we need to never lose site of the fact that the Father is the creator of all and is so grand we can’t conceive of His fullness. In other words, we need to keep the tension there, not allowing ourselves to become so casual with Him that we cease to honor His awesomeness.
So what does Jesus do? His says, “get up, don’t be afraid.” Easy for you to say! Think about it, he came and touched them and told them not be afraid. We are not suppose to be terrified of the Father as in He wants to hurt us. Jesus shows us the Father, who loves mercy and wants relationship with us. We approach Him boldly because of our confidence in the work of Christ. So go to the Father – run to Him – embrace Him and don’t be terrified of Him. Enjoy your relationship with Him and never forget who He is.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
June 8
Matthew 16:23 (NIV)
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
At first when I read this verse I was thinking that Jesus was talking to Peter because of the last phrase, “but merely human concerns”, but on closer examination I see that the addressing of the enemy is continued by “alla” in Greek (but) which is a word of contrast. This makes it even more interesting. Satan “ponders” or “considers” or “carefully weighs” the concerns or issues of mankind.
All of satan’s tricks can be summed up in getting us to be concerned about mankind’s issues. C.S. Lewis in the Screwtape Letters does a marvelous job of illustrating this when Uncle Screwtape, (a senior demon) advices his nephew Wormwood, (a junior demon) to not allow his subject (a person who God is trying to save) to argue right and wrong with Christians. He tells him to have him think about how hungry he is, to get him to dwell on a human appetite that needs fulfillment. When we are thinking about all of our concerns which are human, not even evil but human, we CANNOT think about God’s concerns. Doesn’t the scripture say to put the Kingdom first – to seek it – to think about it and pursue it and all the human concerns will be added (given in addition to the things you are pursuing (Kingdom concerns)) to you! Is it any wonder that the battle is in our mind? It is the thoughts and imaginations that must be cast down in order for us to operate in a freedom that allows us to focus ALL of our efforts on the Kingdom of God. That doesn’t mean we don’t work or clean the house, but it does mean that we work and clean the house for the sake of the Kingdom! Whatever you find your hands to do, do it unto the Lord and for His sake.
The way to NOT think about something (human concerns) is to think about something else (God’s affairs). You can’t have two thoughts running through your head at once. When you are anxious, worried, depressed or anything else, start thinking (anyway you can – worship music, reading the Word, listening to teaching…) about the God and His Kingdom.
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
At first when I read this verse I was thinking that Jesus was talking to Peter because of the last phrase, “but merely human concerns”, but on closer examination I see that the addressing of the enemy is continued by “alla” in Greek (but) which is a word of contrast. This makes it even more interesting. Satan “ponders” or “considers” or “carefully weighs” the concerns or issues of mankind.
All of satan’s tricks can be summed up in getting us to be concerned about mankind’s issues. C.S. Lewis in the Screwtape Letters does a marvelous job of illustrating this when Uncle Screwtape, (a senior demon) advices his nephew Wormwood, (a junior demon) to not allow his subject (a person who God is trying to save) to argue right and wrong with Christians. He tells him to have him think about how hungry he is, to get him to dwell on a human appetite that needs fulfillment. When we are thinking about all of our concerns which are human, not even evil but human, we CANNOT think about God’s concerns. Doesn’t the scripture say to put the Kingdom first – to seek it – to think about it and pursue it and all the human concerns will be added (given in addition to the things you are pursuing (Kingdom concerns)) to you! Is it any wonder that the battle is in our mind? It is the thoughts and imaginations that must be cast down in order for us to operate in a freedom that allows us to focus ALL of our efforts on the Kingdom of God. That doesn’t mean we don’t work or clean the house, but it does mean that we work and clean the house for the sake of the Kingdom! Whatever you find your hands to do, do it unto the Lord and for His sake.
The way to NOT think about something (human concerns) is to think about something else (God’s affairs). You can’t have two thoughts running through your head at once. When you are anxious, worried, depressed or anything else, start thinking (anyway you can – worship music, reading the Word, listening to teaching…) about the God and His Kingdom.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
June 7
Matthew 15:36 (NIV)
36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.
Notice how this went. Jesus broke the bread down and gave it to the disciples. Then the disciples gave it to the people. Where the miracle of multiplication took place we are not told, but there is a pattern here that we need to see. Jesus did the blessing. Lest we think that we don’t have a blessing, Jesus said that we do! The Spirit lives in us so when we bless, things multiply! Then Jesus gave the broken down bread to the disciples. We are the ones with the bread in our hands, not Jesus! He gives it to us to give to the world. Sometimes we act like we get it all for ourselves. That is consumerism Christianity! We are given, so we can give – period! (By the way, they disciples got the left over, and there was plenty!)
This happened before, this multiplication of things. I believe that the Kingdom multiplies, it doesn’t add! That is because the Kingdom is miraculous! However, we will never see the multiplication until we start serving the world the Bread of Life. Ask God for a place to serve up some hot Bread today! If God knows you will serve it up, He will bring someone who needs it.
36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.
Notice how this went. Jesus broke the bread down and gave it to the disciples. Then the disciples gave it to the people. Where the miracle of multiplication took place we are not told, but there is a pattern here that we need to see. Jesus did the blessing. Lest we think that we don’t have a blessing, Jesus said that we do! The Spirit lives in us so when we bless, things multiply! Then Jesus gave the broken down bread to the disciples. We are the ones with the bread in our hands, not Jesus! He gives it to us to give to the world. Sometimes we act like we get it all for ourselves. That is consumerism Christianity! We are given, so we can give – period! (By the way, they disciples got the left over, and there was plenty!)
This happened before, this multiplication of things. I believe that the Kingdom multiplies, it doesn’t add! That is because the Kingdom is miraculous! However, we will never see the multiplication until we start serving the world the Bread of Life. Ask God for a place to serve up some hot Bread today! If God knows you will serve it up, He will bring someone who needs it.
Monday, June 6, 2011
June 6
1 Samuel 24:4 (NIV)
4 The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
There has been much said about this verse:
1 Samuel 24:10 (NIV)
10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the LORD’s anointed.’
I would like to draw our attention to what David called Saul – his lord. Yes because Saul was God’s anointed David didn’t kill him when he had the chance but there is more than that here. The Lord surely delivered Saul into David’s hands. David had the choice to get rid of his enemy who is pursuing him all over the land, who has killed the priests of God and who knows how many others to find David, but he CHOSE not to. Many have used this verse, and I think properly, to say that we shouldn’t mess with the Lord’s anointed. As I read this today I see that David still thought of Saul as his lord, his king and he was subservient to him. As much as it was about not killing “the Lord’s anointed”, it was about not killing his commander, his king and Jonathan’s dad. He dealt with him how he wished, he proved that he had no hatred or angst against him, but good will. He took a big risk in coming out of the cave and talking to him because if Saul wanted to attack, David was stuck. David trusted in the Lord and thought that God would take care of Saul without him. He didn’t think that he was God’s chosen instrument of judgment and destruction.
In our lives we have the opportunity to “kill” people with the words that we speak. We would all agree that God would have us speak life and not death. There is something here from David that is within the heart of men and women of God. It is the simple yearning for the good of our leaders and the respect and honor that moves us to never harm them. Even when our leaders are doing an evil thing, we CAN choose to not harm them.
4 The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
There has been much said about this verse:
1 Samuel 24:10 (NIV)
10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the LORD’s anointed.’
I would like to draw our attention to what David called Saul – his lord. Yes because Saul was God’s anointed David didn’t kill him when he had the chance but there is more than that here. The Lord surely delivered Saul into David’s hands. David had the choice to get rid of his enemy who is pursuing him all over the land, who has killed the priests of God and who knows how many others to find David, but he CHOSE not to. Many have used this verse, and I think properly, to say that we shouldn’t mess with the Lord’s anointed. As I read this today I see that David still thought of Saul as his lord, his king and he was subservient to him. As much as it was about not killing “the Lord’s anointed”, it was about not killing his commander, his king and Jonathan’s dad. He dealt with him how he wished, he proved that he had no hatred or angst against him, but good will. He took a big risk in coming out of the cave and talking to him because if Saul wanted to attack, David was stuck. David trusted in the Lord and thought that God would take care of Saul without him. He didn’t think that he was God’s chosen instrument of judgment and destruction.
In our lives we have the opportunity to “kill” people with the words that we speak. We would all agree that God would have us speak life and not death. There is something here from David that is within the heart of men and women of God. It is the simple yearning for the good of our leaders and the respect and honor that moves us to never harm them. Even when our leaders are doing an evil thing, we CAN choose to not harm them.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
June 5
Matthew 13:15 (NIV)
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
What an incredible revelation! There is so much here. The people became unable to have a spiritual sensitivity (they became “thick” or callous). It happened to them (passive). Isn’t that the truth! By the way we live spiritual insensitivity happens to us! They are not able to hear (listen to the Word of God) and not able to see (see the spiritual realities) because of the “thickening” heart. Otherwise they might see and hear and be able – with their HEART – to understand spiritually! If they did understand then they would change their manner of life and go towards God. If they did that, they would be healed, changed and renewed!
Isn’t that what we want? We want to be healed, changed and renewed! When we are in desperate need we turn to God and ask Him what is taking so long. Maybe the answer is us! We operate our lives in such a way that dulls us. Let’s stop that! Let’s open our eyes to the spirit realm, our authority and the fantastic love God has toward us! Let’s open our ears to the Words of God so our heart can understand. Then we can get what we long for!
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
What an incredible revelation! There is so much here. The people became unable to have a spiritual sensitivity (they became “thick” or callous). It happened to them (passive). Isn’t that the truth! By the way we live spiritual insensitivity happens to us! They are not able to hear (listen to the Word of God) and not able to see (see the spiritual realities) because of the “thickening” heart. Otherwise they might see and hear and be able – with their HEART – to understand spiritually! If they did understand then they would change their manner of life and go towards God. If they did that, they would be healed, changed and renewed!
Isn’t that what we want? We want to be healed, changed and renewed! When we are in desperate need we turn to God and ask Him what is taking so long. Maybe the answer is us! We operate our lives in such a way that dulls us. Let’s stop that! Let’s open our eyes to the spirit realm, our authority and the fantastic love God has toward us! Let’s open our ears to the Words of God so our heart can understand. Then we can get what we long for!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
June 4
Matthew 12:1 (NIV)
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
This struck me. It wasn’t Jesus who was picking the grain, it was His disciples. Some of His disciples were “unlearned” guys, but all of them knew what was right and what was wrong to do on the Sabbath. Nobody was in the dark in all of Israel on what was permitted to do on the Sabbath, yet here they were picking grain, which was unlawful on the Sabbath. So where did they get the idea that this was o.k. to do?
Jesus of course! Although Jesus was a Rabbi and very skilled in the knowledge of the law and all the traditions of the “church fathers”, He set the example of what was o.k. and what was not o.k. to do – especially on the Sabbath. The disciples learned from Jesus what permissible. That is why the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him why the disciples were picking grain. He was responsible for their actions because of His manner of life and His teaching. (Not all of their actions, but certainly this one).
What do people learn from you? They are learning whether you are teaching them with lessons or just with example – they are learning. You have disciples, lead them to life.
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
This struck me. It wasn’t Jesus who was picking the grain, it was His disciples. Some of His disciples were “unlearned” guys, but all of them knew what was right and what was wrong to do on the Sabbath. Nobody was in the dark in all of Israel on what was permitted to do on the Sabbath, yet here they were picking grain, which was unlawful on the Sabbath. So where did they get the idea that this was o.k. to do?
Jesus of course! Although Jesus was a Rabbi and very skilled in the knowledge of the law and all the traditions of the “church fathers”, He set the example of what was o.k. and what was not o.k. to do – especially on the Sabbath. The disciples learned from Jesus what permissible. That is why the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him why the disciples were picking grain. He was responsible for their actions because of His manner of life and His teaching. (Not all of their actions, but certainly this one).
What do people learn from you? They are learning whether you are teaching them with lessons or just with example – they are learning. You have disciples, lead them to life.
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