Victory from Above

1Corinthians 15:57 – But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    In this section of Paul’s letter, He is dealing with the terrible effects of sin and death, and as he ponders the things that Jesus has done to reverse the damage, he bursts into praise and thanksgiving. Thankfulness and gratitude are the appropriate responses of one who has been graciously given an undeserved gift, especially one of immense value. When you are raising children one of the fundamental things you want them to learn is to be thankful for everything that they receive in life and, also, to communicate that gratitude. It is difficult not to get a little upset with people who are ungrateful, particularly when they have received a gift that was totally undeserved or called for.

    If I receive a gift, not only am I to be thankful, but I am to thank the one who gave it to me. If my wife gives me a wonderful gift, I don’t thank my son for it. No! I thank the one who purchased it for me, and all wise husbands will do the same. Thanks be to God! He gave me a gift that is beyond price or calculation. It did not cost me a dime, but it did cost. It cost Jesus everything. He gave His all, even His very life to acquire this gift of victory.

    Victory is never free; it always comes through a struggle and the conquest of an enemy. Victory in war comes after a long and intense effort and, most often, at a dreadful price of the loss of many lives. Victory in the boxing arena comes after years of gruelling training, many cuts and bruises and intense fighting. Jesus obtained complete and total victory over satan, sin and hell; indeed, He dealt them a death blow. There is nothing now that can remain standing in the way of any person coming into the experience of Jesus’ victory.

    The victory of Christ was not given to Him, it was procured through His blood, sweat and tears, but now, for us, it is a sheer gift. There is not one thing we could ever do to earn it. Thanks be to God for this gift of victory. He gives it to us. If something is given, then it must also be received for there are always two parties in the transaction. Notice, too, that God doesn’t just give me the victory; He gives us the victory; it is corporate victory; it is federal victory and it belongs to the whole human race.

    Victory is given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the channel through whom God gives that gift. We appropriate the victory of Christ by placing our faith in the work of Jesus on the cross. His death was your death. His burial was your burial. His quickening was your quickening. His resurrection was your resurrection. His triumph was your triumph. Through Him and what He has done, we now can reach out by faith and receive the gift that He offers us. It is a gift that is beyond the calculation of price and it is freely given. Therefore all those who accept this gift and appropriate its power are, in a very real, eternal sense, invincible. There is no weapon formed against us that can ultimately succeed for we are recipients of the gift of Jesus’ victory. He is eternally triumphant and victorious and we are in Him. Thanks be to God for this great gift!

Hide and Seek

Isaiah 55:6 – Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He 

                        is near.

    We are commanded to seek the Lord. In other words, we have a part to play in it, and, so, we must be intentional about seeking the Lord. To seek something implies that it is not obvious and apparent; you must go looking for it. When our granddaughter wants to play hide and seek, I do not remain directly in front of her when she opens her eyes. No! I hide so that she must seek, and the process of seeking is all part of the fun. This is kind of an interesting analogy because God declares in another place of Scripture that He is a God that hides Himself. Why does He hide? One reason might be that he knows that we need to experience the process of discovery and the joy of finding Him. He doesn’t hide from us; He hides for us; like I do for my granddaughter.

    The original word underneath our word translated seek means to tread a path. As we develop a consistent and regular devotional time, we trample down the weeds, and kick aside the rocks, creating a well-worn pathway to Him. We must seek Him in prayer, that is, talk to Him and listen to Him. We must seek Him through the Word, that is, read slowly and think deeply about what He says. Seek Him, not just His answers. Seek Him, not just His blessings. Seek Him and get to know Him who has all the answers and all the blessings we will ever need.

    Why does he say to seek the Lord while He may be found? It is because, though He always wants to be found, there may be something in us that is open right now, at this present moment, but may not be open later. Seek Him now because you are thinking about it now, don’t put it off. Isn’t it strange how we can forget important things? Our spouse may ask us to do something and we say, okay, but then we get busy with something else and forget all about it. When we finally remember, they may have already done it themselves and we miss out on the blessing. Seek God when you think about Him. Do it right away, don’t procrastinate because as someone has said, ‘Procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin’. Procrastination kills creative ideas and desires. It murders initiative and motivation.

    We are to call upon God while He is near. Again, we know that God is not the one who is distancing Himself. We might have a close friend that lives nearby with whom we regularly enjoy times of laughter and companionship. A busy season might come into our life and time slips by, and we don’t return calls, we don’t take time to text, we don’t get together and so, we begin to sense some distance between us. That person may even live right next door, they were near all along, but we were the one that changed and created the break in our communication. God is always near, just as oxygen is always near and the time to seek Him is now because, like that oxygen, we need Him now. We need air now. We cannot procrastinate or put off breathing. To inhale air is vital to our life and following God is so much more vital than the air I breathe.

    Those who are serious mountain climbers tell us that if they want to climb any of the taller mountains of the Earth, they will have to spend time in altitude training. This training at a higher altitude climatizes the body to the lower levels of oxygen which exist at that height. A person, no matter what shape they are in, cannot simply decide to climb a high mountain without first preparing their body for the shock. One day we will breathe our last breath and will depart out of this body and rise into the rarefied atmosphere of His presence. Wise people will begin training for that moment right now. Seek Him now. Train now. Prepare yourself now. Call upon Him now, for He is as close as the air you breathe!

Are You Happy?

Proverbs 3: 13 – Happy is the man that finds wisdom and the man that gets understanding.

    The world is searching for happiness and unfortunately, it may be more elusive than people would like to admit. God, however, offers happiness to us as a result, not as a goal. The man who finds wisdom is happy because wisdom solves problems; it brings answers to perplexing situations. Wisdom gives insight into the why of a thing. Why am I in this trouble? Why is my financial situation like it is, or my marriage and family? Why do I keep making poor choices? Wisdom answers the question of why and it gives insight into reasons and causes. It also answers the how of a circumstance, or situation. How am I going to resolve this difficulty? How are we going to overcome this challenge? How am I going to change?

    Notice that this verse does not say, wise is the man that finds happiness; it says, happy is the man that finds wisdom. Wisdom is to be our life quest, not happiness. Like anything of true value, wisdom must be found; it must be discovered, but first, it must be desired. Wisdom comes to those who desire it and have the right motive for wanting it. Wisdom isn’t just going to bring a change to our circumstances; it will bring a change to us first; it changes our thinking, our values, and our choices.

    Instead of pursuing what I think is the answer or the solution, I need to pursue wisdom and then let wisdom dictate to me the steps to take which will solve the problem. Someone has once said that all problems are wisdom problems, meaning that we usually get into them through a lack of wisdom and conversely, wisdom will lead us out of them. God’s wisdom answers every need of man and it goes right to the root of the trouble. Most people only want relief from the pressure of a difficult situation and God is indeed merciful and will bail us out, however, if we are bailed out once, we will most likely need many more instances of rescue from our continued poor choices. If we want any kind of lasting change, we, ourselves, must change. Diets alone don’t work; a change of eating patterns does. Simply attending a rehabilitation program doesn’t work; a change in thought patterns does. Financial consolidation, by itself, doesn’t work; a change in spending patterns does. Joining a gym doesn’t work; a change in exercise patterns does.

    The man that finds wisdom is happy because he finally feels like he is on the right path and even though things may be hard and the road may be uphill, he is happy because he is heading in the right direction and knows that he will eventually get to where he is going. To pursue God’s wisdom is to align ourselves with His plan and purpose and that gives great meaning and fulfillment to our everyday lives. His wisdom puts us on the journey of a higher destiny and produces a sense of peace and contentment which no amount of money or worldly treasure could give us.

    You may not be able to see your wisdom-answers because they are hidden, but just as parents hide things before their children go on a treasure hunt, they are not hidden from you, they are hidden for you. Wisdom-treasures await all those who seek. Happy is the man that finds wisdom. Are you happy?

God's View of Greatness

Matthew 18:4 – Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.

    God’s idea of greatness and the process for obtaining it are vastly different from this world’s idea. First, it is important to realize that He is not against greatness. The disciples asked Him, ‘Who is the greatest?’ If aspiring to greatness were wrong, He would have immediately corrected them. He might have said something like this, ‘Now boys, you should know better, everyone is equal in the kingdom of God, no one is greater than another.’ However, He did not correct them. He did not brush off the idea of greatness. The kingdom of Heaven is not a uniform, bland and mindless community, but it is a progressive, innovative, and productive society. Please do not misunderstand me; we are all precious to God and equal in value, but we are not and never shall be, equal in roles, function, or capabilities. We all have amazing potential, but those who are the greatest are those who accept responsibility, take the initiative, and use what they have been given.

    This verse is teaching us that even though the idea of greatness is not wrong, quite often our definition of greatness and our motives for greatness are wrong. The prophet Jeremiah once asked the question, ‘Are you seeking great things for yourself?’, and then he commanded, ‘Seek them not.’ Jesus said that humility is the pathway to greatness. So, instead of focusing on being great and our status in life, we should focus on humility and our service in life and give that a place of priority in our lives.

    Humility is one of those qualities that we do not hear much about, even though it is essential for building a solid foundation for life. What is humility? Among other things, it is surrendering to the will of God and His plan no matter what process it takes you through. Joseph’s life is a good example of that. His humility and the will of God took him from the deep pit to the harsh prison and then to the luxurious palace. Joseph surrendered and accepted subservient tasks, but he also must have had the humility to accept the huge responsibility of promotion, when it finally came. Someone has said that our greatest fear may not be failure but success, because with success comes larger responsibilities. With failure comes sympathy from others and our own rationalization that says, ‘Oh well, I tried.’ When God spoke to Moses about approaching Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to demand the release of the Israelites, Moses resisted out of some form of what we might call humility, but God was less than impressed. Moses had to surrender his own agenda and accept with humility the high place of responsibility that God had asked him to take.

    Childishness is a trait that holds us back from growth and it desperately needs to be removed from our lives, but childlikeness is the key to the kingdom of Heaven. Little children have much to teach us, they are open to new ideas and suggestions; they do not say, ‘I know that already.’ Children are teachable which means that they are without pride. If humility is the path to greatness, then pride must be the path to diminishment and destruction. Pride is the great hindrance to our advancement in God’s plan and purpose. Pride is resisted by God, humility is reinforced.

    I once heard the story of how a man drove into a small town and inquired of an older man who was sitting outside the general store, ‘Were there any great men born in this town?’ The old man didn’t even look up as he responded, ‘Nope. Only babies’. Greatness is not something you are born with; greatness is developed. Just as a seed carries within it possibilities of growth and productivity, so, God has given each of us the potential to be great. Use what you have been given, no matter how small it may seem. Sow the seeds that you have in your hand. Plant it. Nurture it. Trust God and watch it grow into something great!

Guarding Against a Deadly Virus

Proverbs 14:30 - A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

    When the Bible refers to the heart it is referring to the inner being, which would include the spirit, the mind, the will, and the emotions; basically, everything that is within and unseen. The New Testament further describes the heart when it speaks of the inward man or the hidden man. This verse revealed long ago what medical science only recently discovered; the condition of the man on the inside affects the condition of the man on the outside; spirit affects flesh.

    A sound heart is a healthy, contented heart, one that is filled with peace and free from strife; it may not be free from occasional trouble, but it is free from constant turmoil. People that do not compare themselves with others and are happy with what they have, also seem to be the healthiest people. Our attitudes affect our emotions which, in turn, affect our bodies. That is not to suggest that all sick people are unhealthy on the inside, by no means. Everyone is susceptible and will be challenged with some form of sickness in their life, or in the lives of their loved ones, however, there appears to be a priority laid out for us if we are seeking a long-term answer for our condition.

    When something is of great value to us, we are vigilant and diligent in keeping it safe. Likewise, we must guard the greatest treasure, which is our heart and must always be alert to its condition. In today’s world, we are very aware of keeping our bodies fit. We understand the value of eating nutritiously and exercising regularly, and most of us agree with that. However, if we do not maintain peace and soundness of heart, our steady intake of whole foods and our daily vigorous workouts may be in vain.

    Envy is the type of thing that needs time to become entrenched in a person’s life. It does not simply show up one day and ruin one’s life; it is very subtle and initially appears as something much less dangerous than it is. Envy is lethal, and, like poison, it functions best when undetected. It silently searches to gain entrance and then slowly suppresses the life of its host; it is indeed a cunning and ruthless predator.

    Many times, we confuse envy with jealousy and rightly so, because they are close cousins. It is important, however, to discern the difference. Jealousy is a trait that wants what another person has, and it seems to be satisfied once it possesses what it desires. If a jealous person sees that someone has gotten a new car, for example, then they are happy once they too, get a new car. Envy, on the other hand, goes much further; it doesn’t care to have what another possesses; it just cares that the other does not have it. Envy does not care to have the new car; it only cares that the other person does not have it. Jealousy may curb and deter a person, but envy corrupts and destroys a person right to the core; indeed, as our verse says, they become bad to the bone.

    Envy is a malicious enemy that destroys all in its path. It attacks your spirit and consumes your vitality. It is a deadly, invisible and highly contagious virus. Beware and be alert, because many strong people have been infected and have succumbed to its power.

    The answer, friends, like all of God’s answers, is simple; maintain a sound heart. A sound heart is a heart that is free from envy, and what a wonderful freedom that is. Those who have obtained and enjoy this freedom understand what it takes to preserve it because the enemy once driven out must also be kept out by posting alert sentries at the door of our hearts.

Breathe in His Strength

2 Samuel 22:33 - God is my strength and power: and he makes my way perfect.

    Someone has once said that when you come to the end of yourself, you find the beginning of God. If that is true, then when we are the weakest and feeling the most powerless, we may just be in the best position to experience God as our personal strength and power and, by so doing, we will embrace another aspect of His character and enjoy a closer relationship with Him.

    The ancient Hebrew word for God, in this verse, means the strong and mighty one; He is all-powerful and all-mighty; He is ultimate strength. He is the Creator. He is the One who created the heavens and the earth and set our existence in motion. He is the God of the billions and the One who cares for all and sustains each of us. He is the Almighty One, the Father and Source of life, and because of this, He is worthy of our praise.

    It is always good to focus on God; however, David is not focusing on God alone; he is also focusing on his personal relationship with God. He is my strength. He is my power. He makes my way perfect. The Almighty God is my God. It is possible that this is one of the reasons God spoke of David as a man after His own heart; he made God his God; he made faith in God an intimate matter.

    Many times, we might look at others and think of how faithful they are, or how disciplined they are, or maybe, how kind they are, and we have no problem believing that God will bless and help and strengthen them. In contrast, we sometimes look at ourselves and remind ourselves of how many times we have failed or fallen, but we mustn’t fixate on ourselves, we must get our eyes on Him and His willingness to use His power on our behalf. He is my strength; mine, not just another’s, but, my strength. I, with all my failings, with all my flaws, have the offer of God’s personal touch. He is my God, my strength, my power, and He is with me, as close as the very air I breathe.

    God is. Notice that he did not say that God was. No! God is, and He will always be. As we age, we may hear ourselves speak of things that we used to do. I used to lift hundreds of pounds at the gym. I used to work hard and never grow tired. I used to be able to eat anything and never gain weight. We may also speak of how we used to be strong in the Lord. We used to read and enjoy the Bible. We used to be active and involved with others. Sadly, however, that is the language of regret and lament and it remains stuck in the past. That is also the language of despair and hopelessness; it is trapped; repeating its cycle of history.

    The language of faith, however, brings everything up to date. God is. He is my current strength. He is my present power. He is, right at this moment, making my way perfect. He is not the strength of yesterday or that of tomorrow. Like the oxygen, which we cannot re-use, or store up, He is only available right now, and, identical to the oxygen, He is needed right now.

    Go ahead, friends, breathe in the fresh air of God’s grace and strength. Inhale His mercy, exhale your failings. Inhale His acceptance, exhale your rejection. Inhale His strength, exhale your frailty. Inhale His hope, exhale your despair. And just like the inhaled oxygen courses its way through our bloodstream bringing health as it flows, so God’s strength is coursing its way through your spirit, your mind, your emotions and your body. Whisper it every day and shout if you need to; God is my strength and power!

Are You Well-Adjusted?

Proverbs 1:8 – My son, Hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother.

    God speaks to us as His own sons and daughters, and because He does, our hearts are reassured of security for the future. A father is one who initiates a life but also inspires that life toward the future. My son, you are uniquely connected to a family. You have been born into protection and provision and you have been given a place in the home which is filled with love.  You do not need to struggle for identity, or clamour for attention; you have it. You are my son. You have a wealth of privileges. However, you also have a great responsibility because of what you have. To whom much is given, much is required. You are my son and that means that you are to be the builder of the family name. As sons and daughters, we are to build the family of God; that is our great calling. To build takes time and it takes tact and skill. We are builders of people, not destroyers.

    To hear the instruction of your Father is to pay great attention. It is so easy to be within the sound of someone’s voice but not truly hear. We might hear, that is, our eardrum may have vibrated with sound, but our mind has not caught the meaning of the sound. We must train ourselves to hear; to listen very closely and pay great attention. If we never actually hear and listen to God or others, there will never be any change in our life. Good counselors those who have trained themselves to hear what people are saying. If we get this listening part right, we are covering a lot of ground on the right path.

AS SONS AND DAUGHTERS, WE ARE TO BUILD THE FAMILY OF GOD; THAT IS OUR GREAT CALLING.

    

What is it that we are to pay attention to? We are to hear the Father’s instruction. When we hear the term instruction, we most often think of teaching and education, but it includes so much more. A skillful parent is one who not only teaches the child but trains the child. The time comes when the little ones must stop wearing diapers and so we train them, we do not just instruct; truly, it is not called potty-teaching. Training is the important thing, both in child-rearing and in life, and all of us must be continually trained in the ways of our Father.

    The instruction of the Father also includes warnings, which, if heeded, can save a person from a lot of unnecessary trouble. Warnings are always given ahead of time so that the one being warned can slow down, make the necessary adjustments, and thereby avoid harm. There are extreme weather warnings and there are construction-site hazard warnings; there are health warnings on the cigarette package and there are labels warning us of flammable material. Wise and rare is the one who heeds God’s warnings.

THE TIME COMES WHEN THE LITTLE ONES MUST STOP WEARING DIAPERS AND SO WE TRAIN THEM, WE DO NOT JUST INSTRUCT; IT IS NOT CALLED POTTY-TEACHING.

    

Can we receive the instruction and accept the correction of our Father? If we are being corrected by God, it is because He loves us and wants us to mature and learn to make better choices, thereby creating a better and more stable life. Are we teachable? Or do we think we already know? We live in an uncorrected society. Many adults of today did not have proper training by correction and so, do not know how to respond when being corrected. This is quite tragic because these very same adults are now in positions of authority in government, workplaces and, yes, even churches; we have uncorrected leaders and so the cycle of diminishment and depletion continues.

    Let us settle this fact; we will never outgrow the need to be instructed, corrected and re-directed. Indeed, our progress is qualified by our response to God’s correction; if we constantly defend ourselves and make excuses, we will never change. Correction is normal to any life; the captain of the airplane makes constant corrections to the speed and route of the aircraft so that the passengers will arrive safely at their intended destination. Be encouraged, friends, because the Captain of our salvation also makes constant corrections to our demeanor and direction so that our lives will fulfill His intention and we will arrive safe and sound, welcomed with open arms at the door of His house.

Wisdom is Calling You

Wisdom is Calling You

Proverbs 1:20 – Wisdom cries without, she utters 

her voice in the streets.

    God offers His wisdom to all people, regardless of their station or status in life. It is available to all, but its procurement is conditional. Wisdom is offering herself to us but, like a beautiful, secure woman, she doesn’t chase after love, fishing for compliments, she waits to be pursued and chased after. The Wisdom of God does not randomly or erratically fall on people, it is given only to the hungry. Do you and I truly desire wisdom? Whatever we desire is what we will pursue, in fact, the pursuit is the evidence of desire. We may say that we want wisdom, but it does not come to lazy and lethargic people; it does not come to dreamers who sit down and put their feet up and merely hope for a better day.

    Wisdom cries and that cry must be responded to. The cry of hunger and the cry of humility must come up out of us to meet the cry of wisdom; indeed, the deep and hidden longings of God are crying out to the deep and hidden longings of man. The supply of wisdom in God’s heart is calling out to the need for wisdom in man’s heart.

    Wisdom cries without; which means it cries from outside of us. We do not have it internally, or naturally, it is separate from us and we must go get it. It is outside of our natural ability to produce true wisdom. Sometimes people in business might say that they need outside help; meaning that they need someone else to come from outside the organization and give an impartial perspective. Wisdom is just like that in that it is an uninfluenced and separate power being offered from an outside source.

    If it is not randomly given, then, who gets the wisdom? Those who hunger and seek for it. Those who are humble enough to realize that they need it. Those who desire it and are determined to acquire it. Those who make it a life-long quest. They are the ones who will benefit from the wise insight of the Almighty.

Are you and I included in that class of rare people who have enough humility and sense to know that they need higher wisdom? Are we that kind of people who intensely hunger for this wisdom and seek it out at the only true source? Wisdom is calling, are we answering the call?

Are You the Author?

1 Corinthians 14:46 - What? Came the word of God out from you? Or, came it unto you only?

    Human nature has not changed since the beginning of time or, shall we say, at least since the fall of Adam. That is why the Scriptures are continually current. God's word will never be out of date because it simply states things as they are, and its’ true principles always correlate to our circumstances and our condition. It has been said that we do not actually read the Bible, it reads us. The word of God cuts through all the facade of our self-confident arrogance and self-imposed ignorance and pierces the heart with truth.

    In Paul's letters to the Corinthians, we learn much about human nature and certain tendencies which are our collective and continual struggle today, as well. If we read and study closely, and listen with humility, we can gain wisdom and avoid falling into the same traps as they did.

    The Corinthians had many problems, but one major recurring nuisance was the issue of pride. Paul, in his distinctive fashion, deals directly with the trouble like a surgeon with a scalpel cutting out cancer and his words apply very fittingly to us today.

    Paul uses questions to shock them and arouse thought; What? He seems surprised and almost appalled. What? How dare any of you to think this way. How audacious. How impudent. You obviously have a short memory as it was only a few years ago that I came to you bearing the Word of God. Have you forgotten? All parents understand the use of this question. What? What did you do? What did you say? What were you thinking?

    How arrogant of us to imagine that the Word of God originated with us, or that we are somehow more special than others, but isn't that exactly what we do when we portray ourselves as the only group that is being used of God to reach people and bring about change in our land? Now, granted, we do not vocalize that terminology because we know that to speak that way would be the peak of self-exaltation, however, we certainly do imply these things in the way and the manner which we conduct ourselves. The message is received loud and clear without verbalizing it. We are the ones among whom the revelation has come. We are the ones whom God has entrusted with this message and we have been chosen for His use. We might not say it but, by that attitude, we look down our noses at our poor brothers who obviously do not have the light. Apparently, they simply are not able to receive the truth that we have been entrusted with.

    To believe that the Word of God has come out from us only, would be as ridiculous as believing that the alphabet originated with us. No, the alphabet is a gift from God to us and it is the building blocks with which we build. We did not create it and we cannot assume authorship of it. The raw materials are God's, in fact, He is the Alpha and Omega; He is the alphabet. There are no other letters that exist, we don’t need any other ones, in fact, it is vain and useless to look for more. He is ultimate completion and we are complete in Him. The only thing that we need to do is to creatively assemble the letters and prayerfully combine the words to bring His Word and His Message to our culture and the people around us.

    The Word of God is given to us through many different channels, but it does not originate in the channel; it originates with God. He has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His Word. He has mercifully disclosed His heart to us and because of that we can know Him and walk with Him. Instead of being prideful about the portion of truth we have, we should simply be grateful; grateful that God has opened our eyes and allowed us to see Him and to hear His voice. No, the Word of God did not come out from us and it did not come to us only. It is His Word that comes from His heart and it is for all people; every nation; every culture; everyone.

    Thank you, Father God for bringing your Word to us; you have radically changed our lives, and thank you for allowing us to be channels of your message of grace and healing to others!