I used to wonder why God had to send Jesus and thought “Of all the ways to save us, couldn’t He think of a better plan of redemption?” I just didn’t get it, I was ignorant. I accepted the truth for most of my life, but I did not understand why His plan went the way it did. I also thought about why He waited so long before He sent Jesus. It was those kinds of thoughts that had me question God’s master plan.

But then I read passages such as these and it helped me understand:

Romans 16: 25 … This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time.

Ephesians 3: 9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

2 Timothy 1: 9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but these verses blow me away. Jesus wasn’t some kind of “last ditch effort” to save mankind from judgment, He was the plan all along!

Now I get it.

What a grand mystery! How in the world did God have this plan all along, from the beginning of time through Jesus birth and no one on earth knew exactly how it would unfold? Did we even have a clue?

Let’s reveal some of the clues that God gave us about His grand plan:

Genesis 12: ¹ The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. ³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 49: ¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor.

Isaiah 9: ⁶ For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!

As most of you know, the list of these Old Testament prophecies goes on and on. There are over 300 prophecies fulfilled regarding Jesus, by the way. It is incredible how God told us almost everything about Jesus long before His arrival.

So what is the big deal of Jesus’ arrival, and what is the big picture?

Read this passage from Ephesians carefully…

Ephesians 3: ⁶ And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. ⁷ By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

⁸ Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. ⁹ I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

¹⁰ God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹² Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

Wow, that is a grand plan!

It’s something I really can’t comprehend, but I know that I want a be a part of it, how about you? And how can we be part of it?

Matthew 28: ¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Each one of you, the ones who are regularly reading His Word and seeking Him are either disciples or becoming disciples (If you’ve committed your heart to Him). How do you “make disciples”?

John 1: ⁴⁵ Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

⁴⁶ “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

“Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.

For Philip, it was pretty simple and although his brother Nathanael was skeptical, that didn’t stop Philip. Philip’s reply was simply “Come and see for yourself”. Invite others to know Jesus and walk along side them.

So I say, “come and read the Word for yourself”. How can we invite people to get to know Jesus? The best way I know is by reading His Word and seeking the Spirit for ourselves.

Will you get to know Him better?

“Dear Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to this earth to show us who you really are. Thank you that you made a way for us to know you personally. Please help me to get to know you more. Please teach me your ways so that I can become like you. In Jesus’ name, Amen”

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

This is the third and final post in the series “Are You Pleasing God?“. Thank you for reading!

As the crowd of people gathered at Golgotha, Martha was standing beside her sister Mary and brother Lazarus. She glanced over at Mary and noticed the tears streaming down her face. Lazarus appeared empty, staring into space with a glassy look in his eyes. He was truly perplexed and despondent. 

Martha didn’t know what to think, she was numb. As she was watching the Roman soldiers nail her friend’s hands and feet to the cross she couldn’t help but think of the recent events that led to that day. “What on earth is happening? How did we get here?” she thought. “It was just last week that Jesus was in our home and we were having dinner.” She started to reflect on that day. She recollected the people there and the hope they all shared after having Lazarus back and in good health.

Then, she remembered the perfume…

John 12: 1 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

“What was Mary thinking anyway?” she pondered. “That smell filled the whole house!” Then she thought of Jesus’ rather strange rebuke of Judas. “He knew this was going to happen. What? How could he know? Why? I don’t understand.” She said to herself.

It was then that they raised Jesus on the cross.

Jesus’ face was barely recognizable. Mary started weeping uncontrollably as Lazarus took her in his arms. It was a gruesome sight as they heard some onlookers scoff. “I can’t believe what they are saying?” Martha thought.

Mark 15: 31 The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself!

“How could they do this to such a humble and gentle man? What did he do to them? After all, he called Lazarus out of the grave.”

Immediately she thought about the day Jesus finally came back to Bethany, too late to heal her brother Lazarus…

John 11: 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”

Later, when Jesus arrives at Lazarus’ tomb…

39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Jesus wasn’t late, after all.

“What a glorious day that was.” She thought, “Jesus wasn’t late, after all, he was right on time!” A tear started rolling down her cheek. “I was so angry and upset with him for not being there for us. It didn’t make any sense to me. But now as I look back, it was perfect timing. Even our cousins in Jerusalem came to believe in him. But now this?”

John 19: 28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.

“It can’t be!” Martha cried out. “Why has this happened? What happens now? Where do we go from here?” she screamed inside. Then she thought of an earlier time when Jesus was in her home. She recalled the first day they met, “I was so busy preparing that meal…”

Luke 10: 38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

It was then that a rush of indescribable emotions flooded her body. “Mary got it, she truly appreciated Jesus and I missed it! I was so concerned about having things ready and ‘perfect’ and I even interrupted Jesus and Mary in the process. “Her emotions overcame her. She started wailing as she realized it was too late. “Jesus is gone.” she thought. She then felt deep regret. “I missed the one thing worth being concerned about. I was a believer all along, but I didn’t fully experience Jesus.” After spending a seemingly long time weeping together, the three of them left the site for their home in Bethany. They were drained and devastated over what just took place. All they had now was each other for consolation.

Did Martha regret not spending more time with Jesus?

I don’t know if Martha was there to witness Jesus’ death or not. I believe it’s likely. It is clear from these passages that she was a woman of service, and had a gift of hospitality. She seemed to take responsibility and made sure that her guests were taken care of. I can’t say for sure that she felt regret, but I believe she probably did. I like to think she met with Jesus after His resurrection. Oh, what joy that would have been. I can only imagine Jesus restoring her soul as Jesus restored Peter’s. (John 21: 15-19) 

Do you have any regrets? Have you been spending time at Jesus’ feet, spending time in His presence and listening to what He’s teaching? Jesus’ Spirit is there for us, just as He was then. Mary got it and was deeply blessed, Martha was a believer, but missed the main message, the person, and presence of Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 11: 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Just one last thought as I close, because none of us want these regrets:

2 Peter 3: 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief…”

Did you receive the Teacher’s lesson?

“O Holy God, you are the bread of life. Apart from you, I can do nothing. Please help me to understand this same lesson Jesus taught while on earth. Help me to commit to spending time with you daily. For my life is but a breath and a whole year passes by before I know it. Thank you so much for not only sending your Son to die for me but also for the capability to know you on a personal level. You are incomprehensible and nothing compares to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen”

In my last post, “Are you pleasing God? part 2“, we began our discussion of growing our faith, which we learned is essential to pleasing God.

First, let’s give credit to the One who makes our faith grow:

1 Corinthians 3: ⁷ It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

How has your faith endured this year so far? Were you able to stand firm by putting your trust in God knowing that He is always there for you? Or was it a difficult year, one without peace? Would you like knowledge of how to grow your faith?  Knowledge that is based on Biblical truths backed by God’s steadfast promises that will rely only on your efforts to seek Him? If this is the case, then read on…

I love this definition of faith:

Hebrews  11: ¹ Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

When someone first comes to God it makes sense that there are few basic requirements which are stated very well in this verse:

Hebrews 11: ⁶ And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

We only need a little bit of faith:

Matthew 13: ³¹ Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

We are learning how to grow that mustard seed. Isn’t this exciting?

Listen to what the Apostle Peter wrote to the newly converted:

1 Peter 2: ² Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, ³ now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

What I love is the words “grow into a full experience of salvation” which I take to mean that salvation is not only a gift, rather it is an experience and something to look forward to when I continue to grow.

Continue seeking, growing in faith

I hope that by now you’ve learned that we all share a common purpose of growing in spiritual maturity so that our faith will develop and we will live up to our potential in God’s eyes. Let this purpose be the driving force that causes you to continually seek Him. This is why Jesus says:

John 6:27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

Speaking of perishable things: Let go of your bills, family issues, tax issues, job issues, school issues, money issues, marriage issues, and every other “fill in the blank” problem of your life and cast these cares on Him. Let go of all of it so that you can focus all of your attention on the One that can truly deliver you into a greater peace. Which leads us to the next practical way to grow your faith. Last week was reading the Word of God and this week is prayer:

Don’t worry about anything

Philippians 4: 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

This is verse is most worthy of putting on your wall, dashboard, nightstand and book marker until it gets burned onto your heart.

It goes without saying that prayer is absolutely essential to develop our faith. We need to continuously turn to God in prayer in order to develop our relationship with Him. This will grow our faith.

Are you praying about everything?

“Dear Lord, you know my heart. You know that I have a great tendency to worry. You are the One who gave me life. You created heaven and earth, and here I sit worrying about you not taking care of me. Help me to grow up, Lord. Change my heart and teach me your ways. I want to look at my life and those around me through your perspective, not mine. May your will be done, not mine. Thank you for the wonderful things that you will be teaching me. In Jesus precious name, Amen.”

Photo by Liane Metzler on Unsplash

Before we discuss pleasing God, I just want to share something personal.

It is my goal to encourage and inspire millions of people to seek God through the Spirit and regular Bible reading. Will you join me in this vision? If I haven’t shared this before, my passion is to help people develop their own faith.

2 Corinthians 1: 24 But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.

Do you stand firm in your faith?

In other words, it’s like teaching people to fish rather than serving baked fish. Instead of inviting people to church, why not invite them to get to know your God personally by reading the Bible and prayer? Why wait until Sunday (or Saturday) when there’s something you can do today?

The main question is not “Are you living without sin?”, “Are you serving in a ministry?”, or “Are you in a Bible study?”. The main question is “are you pleasing God?”

What is essential to pleasing God?

Hebrews 11: 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

So at the very least, we know that we need faith. I can personally testify that you can play the part of being a Christian, say all the right words, and go through the motions without having faith. I’ve done it.

Here’s my favorite example of faith…

Daniel 3:  14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Can you imagine? This is amazing! God did not promise that they would live but they stood firm in the face of death.

Let’s discuss how we can stand firm in our own faith, are you ready? This is the first of at least three messages on how to grow your own faith.

Are you eating enough?

If you buy a plant and the plant expert tells you to water it every day, what will happen if you water that plant only one or two days out of the week? What results would you expect? Will the plant be strong, able to withstand the sun? Will it develop a strong root system so that a strong breeze won’t affect it?

In order for anything to grow, we need to take the time to care for it and give it nourishment. Time is something that we can control, and we recently spent 3 messages discussing time. Care is treating it carefully or being serious about it. This is commitment.

Nourishment is feeding it. Let’s see what Jesus had to say about this:

John 6: 32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”
35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me.

In verse 34 the people said, “give us that bread every day”. Jesus then makes it clear what that bread is in the next verse. So how do we consume this bread and living water?

What other word describes Jesus?

John 1: 1 In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

To summarize this I think that we can say that consuming the Word of God, whether it be through reading or listening to it is how we feed ourselves in order to grow spiritually. It is my opinion that daily devotionals, Christian books, and sermons are NOT substitutes for the daily Bread. They may contain a crumb or two or maybe even a half a slice, but is that enough? Even if it is enough, it is relying on the sermon, devotional, or book which are human sources. Add to that those sources are not necessarily divinely inspired (they might not be Spirit-led). There are plenty of “universalist” churches out there that serve up heaps of garbage on your plate. Sure it will fill your stomach, but with what? Did you ever eat a whole package of Twinkies?

Learn to feed yourself.

The real problem with other people spoon feeding you is that you are relying on a fallible person to process the bread for you and they put their own “spin” or perspective on it. While this may provide you with nutrition, I believe that when we choose to go directly to the Source and eat the organic Word of God with enough faith that He will speak through His Word, then it becomes a feast. When we’ve developed a habit of feasting on a daily basis, what started out as “I need to read the Bible” turns into “I’m really hungry and I strongly desire to read the Bible”. But let me explain something so that you are not misled. This growth that we are talking about is not visible from day to day. Growth takes months and years and it’s not always obvious.

Keep reading or listening!

The foundation we are building takes time and this is why we need a commitment. When we get to a point when we’ve been reading daily for a long period of time, the sermons, the books, the devotionals no longer satisfy. They are not enough. Our appetites have grown and we are hungry for more, day in and day out. The growth of this daily habit is seen here:

Psalm 1

What side of this equation are you on right now? Are you delighting in the law of the Lord every day? Notice that the trees bear fruit all season as their roots are getting fed from the river. (See also Josh 1:8, Ezek 47: 1-12)

Compare that to this passage which basically says the same thing:

John 15: 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

Are you a true disciple?

“Dear Lord, I choose to be your disciple. I will commit to seeking you with every fiber of my being. I know that I do not feel spiritual and that I am mostly a casual follower. But you’ve called me to love you with all my heart and that’s what I would like to do. Please forgive me for not taking your Word seriously. Thank you, Jesus, for what you have in store for my future, for I believe that you will lead me to truth and everlasting life as long as I continue to follow you. In Jesus’ name, Amen”

Would you like to get the most out of your reading, check out the website for reading tips: theBibleTeam.com/Tips.asp

Photo by Liane Metzler on Unsplash

Today I’d just like to discuss some things that I think we, as Bible believers, can be truly thankful for.

I understand that there are around 7,000 promises mentioned in the Bible and they are all reasons to be thankful for, but today I just want to present what I consider to be the greatest promises.

Before we get to that, what comes to your mind when you think of a promise? Do you think of a promise that was broken or one that you kept? Have you known someone that is good at keeping promises? Do you know people that don’t keep promises?

Are you good at keeping promises?

Do you follow through with what you’ve committed to? Do you casually tell people “Sure I’ll be there at 6:00” or “I’ll call you tomorrow” and later think of little reasons why you shouldn’t show up at 6:00 or call them?

I must confess that my actions have not always been consistent with my words and I still catch myself not doing as I’ve said, being late, or just “flaking out” altogether. I’m still working on it. You see I like to please everyone which makes me want to say “yes” to everyone and not always thinking about what I’m “signing up” for.

The very fact that I am more aware of the promises I make and more sensitive to it tells me that I am making progress. That is just one way that God has been changing my heart and I am thankful for that. God has revealed to me that it is another “inadequacy” that I need to give over to Him.

The more I learn about God as I read His Word, the more I realize how great He is. Remember the hymn “Great is thy faithfulness”? Well, I’d much rather talk about His faithfulness than my unfaithfulness.

I know He’s made thousands of promises, way too many to list here, but I have come up with three that I think are some of the greatest promises we have to be thankful for.

Promise 1 – We can get to know Him

This promise is found throughout the Bible. I find it truly incredible that the Creator of the universe desires for us to know Him. Of course, that was the point of creating us, to begin with, so it makes sense.

Hosea 6: 6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

1 Chronicles 28: 9 “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

Psalm 14: 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.

And more from the New Testament:

Matthew 7: 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

John 17: 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Promise 2 – We can be reconciled with Him

Not only can we get to know Him, but since being separated from God in the Garden of Eden, we can be forgiven for our sins and we can be declared righteous before Him.

Psalm 103
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
…
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.

2 Corinthians 5: 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Galatians 4: 4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

Promise 3 – We can have eternal life

Psalm 49
15 But as for me, God will redeem my life.
He will snatch me from the power of the grave.

Daniel 12: 2 Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace.

Isaiah 26
19 But those who die in the LORD will live;
their bodies will rise again!
Those who sleep in the earth
will rise up and sing for joy!
For your life-giving light will fall like dew
on your people in the place of the dead!

John 6: 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

Romans 2: 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.

Titus 1: 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began.

How is that for promises? Doesn’t that get you excited? Isn’t it wonderful that in a world where it is hard to find someone to count on, we can always count on God wherever we are?

Just one more promise:

Matthew 28: 18 “… And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

What are you thankful for?

“Dear Lord, Thank you for the many promises you’ve made. Your love for me is overwhelming and I pray that I can love you back. Please teach me your ways and help me to understand and get to know you better. In Jesus’ name, Amen”

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Matthew 11: 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

 Now for the rest of the message…

 Luke 17: 31 On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.

Luke 22: 19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”

 Hebrews 10: 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

Hebrews 10: 35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

And then in chapter 12 the author has this to say…

Hebrews 12:  5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,

“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

Who wants to live forever? Count me in!

I’ll leave you with just one more verse on remembering:

3 John 1: 11 …Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.

If we can only remember what we read, we can then meditate on it and that leads to a life changing process.

What will you remember?

“Dear God, Please help me retain your Word so that I will follow you more closely. You are the Bread of life and I never want to take you or your Word for granted. Thank you for leading me into your Truth and for the grand journey ahead. In Jesus’ name, amen”

Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash

Do you remember things well? While I have problems remembering where I put something or what my wife said to me 10 minutes ago, I can remember phone numbers and baseball statistics very well. As a kid, I memorized words to songs and scripture verses fairly easily, but I seem to have the hardest time memorizing either today.

If there’s one thing I learned from reading God’s Word it’s that he wants us to remember Him and what His Word has to say.

I really do want to memorize Scripture but I think remembering the promises God has kept and God’s character is just as important. Memorizing the order of the books may have value but remembering how God came through for the people of Israel and for the individuals is invaluable.

Reading and knowing the history of God’s people builds our faith in Him. On a more personal and meaningful level, remembering the history of God in our own lives also helps to build our faith.

What has God done in your life?

Although Psalm 107 is rather obscure and I encourage you to read it. This is last verse:

Psalm 107: ⁴³ Those who are wise will take all this to heart;

they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

If you took a poll I think most people would describe the “God of the Old Testament” as “an angry and vengeful God”, as opposed to the “Loving and caring God” of the New Testament. If this is the case, God is getting a bad rap. Recently I was sharing with someone who was not a believer about reading the Old Testament and all they could say about it was that there was a lot of “blood and guts” in it. That was her impression.

What comes to your mind when you think about the Old Testament?

Let me suggest to you that if the faithful love of the Lord does not come to mind, maybe you should read it again.

You can read in these verses the importance God has for His people to remember. Although they were originally meant for the Israelites, there is much we can learn from these verses today:

Esther 9: ²⁶ …Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, ²⁷ the Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. ²⁸ These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants.

Can you imagine? The events in Esther took place around 2,500 years ago and Jews still celebrate Purim. Isn’t that incredible?

Joshua 4: ⁵ He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁶ We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

Can you see how important to God it is that we remember?

I love how God had the Israelites build this memorial so that they could remember that God stopped the Jordan river from flowing so that they could cross.

Deuteronomy 4: 9 “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.

What has God done in your life that you can pass down to your children and grandchildren? What miracles or answered prayers can you remember that you can rely on when you need it?

Deuteronomy 4: ³⁹ “So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. ⁴⁰ If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.

It’s always good to remember how good your Father in Heaven is

Feel free to replace “land the Lord your God is giving you” with eternal life/heaven. This is very good to remember, maybe I should put it up on my wall somewhere, hmmm…

Deuteronomy 8: 18 Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

If I ever feel prideful, this is a good thing to remember.

The Bible is full of these verses that give life and lead to eternal life. The key is to read it and meditate on it so that it will “come to mind” when we are faced with choices and/or are asked for advice. This is what being a believer in God is all about, knowing who He is and how we can live a life that is pleasing to Him.

This wraps it up for this post. I’ll have more to remember from the New Testament next time.

What will you remember?

“Dear God, I thank you for your Word. I thank you that we can learn about you and that you’ve made a way for us to know you on a personal level. Please help me to know you more and remember what you have to tell us. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash

This is the third and final installment regarding the use of your time. For those of you that received the first two messages, I’ve got great news for you. Those two messages cover the three foundations required for spiritual growth. The first message, part 1, addressed spending time alone with God in prayer and reading the Bible. The second message, part 2, addressed spending time in fellowship. I realize that there are many more aspects to Christian living, but I like to keep things simple.

This is simple: reading the Word, prayer, and fellowship. These three activities are foundational and will lead you down His “good, perfect, and pleasing will” if followed wholeheartedly.

This week I want to discuss time in general. The time that is not for the specific purpose of meeting with or serving God and/or His people.

When we have the strong conviction that our master and employer is the person of Jesus Christ, we do all things in an effort to please Him. Meditate on these verses:

Colossians 3: ¹⁷ And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
…
²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. ²³ Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ²⁴ Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

Be the ambassador you are meant to be!

When our “regular work” is seen as a place of service where God has appointed us to be His ambassadors, it changes everything:

2 Corinthians 5: 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Even if you currently loathe your work, this new understanding of Divine appointment will change your attitude. I’m not saying that you will instantly love your work, but you will have found purpose in it, which makes a substantial difference.

Psalm 105: 4 “Search for the Lord and for his strength;  continually seek him.”

Don’t stop seeking Jesus

When you continually seek Him, your purpose and the work He gives you will become more and more clear but it takes time and commitment. Keep in mind that if you truly want to pursue those God-given desires that you have, continue asking Him to lead you in that direction. He will either take you there or change your desires altogether.

If you desire to be in “full-time” ministry act like you already are. God is not looking for “part-timers” anyway. God has put people in each of our lives that we can serve today. Do not wait for that “full-time” ministry position to miraculously appear if you are not already serving with a servants heart to begin with. God works on refining the servant’s heart first, then promotes His people and puts them to work at His perfect timing. Our ministry is right in front of our eyes and our primary and most obvious task is to abide in Him so that we can hear and know His voice.

John 6:29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

Believing in Jesus always comes first and after we’ve believed in Him over a period of time, we get assigned different tasks. Our hearts change because of our deepening relationship with Him, then we have the same burdens that He does such as for the sick and oppressed people, which leads to service. So then it’s no longer a service out of obligation, but out of pure desire and sincere burden.

Learn to be content

Philippians 4: 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

If we can learn this secret our lives and circumstances will be less and less important which will open us up to greater levels of service. At that point it is no longer about “my needs”, but about “their needs”.

I’ll leave you with this:

Matthew 6: ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Are you working full-time?

“God, you are wonderful. You’ve taken care of me in ways that I cannot even express. Thank you for your Word and all that it teaches me. Please change my heart and show me your ways, for I truly desire to serve you with all my heart. I choose to give you my best in my service to others and will strive to put you first in all areas of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen”

Last time, in the post: “How Do You Spend Your Time? part 1“, we discussed giving God our best in regards to our time. I specifically addressed the “quiet time”, or “alone time” with Him. I believe that this “alone time” is the most important and primary element to obeying the greatest commandment:

Matthew 22:  37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

Ideally, it’s also best not to put a limit on this time. When I start reading His Word and I have to keep looking at my watch it becomes a great distraction and I’m not able to focus on what I’m reading. Just like listening to my wife and continually watching a ball game or checking my watch. If it’s disrespectful and dishonors my wife, isn’t it the same for God? Just because the Living God is invisible doesn’t mean we should treat Him any different than a person in the flesh. When we are spending time with Him, take it as seriously as being with someone you deeply respect.

This week I’d like to focus on not only the first but also the second commandment which should not be overlooked:

Matthew 22:  39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Reading the Bible and spending time alone with God is not enough

God has wired us for relationships and the process of spiritual growth is no different.

One practical reason is to learn from a mature believer, read this incredible account:

Acts 8: 30 …Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. [They read from Isaiah]…
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” 35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

You see, the eunuch needed instruction (verse 31) and he was obviously eager to learn. God called Philip to meet him so that he could understand and come to know God in the flesh, Jesus. I don’t know how many times that I thought I understood a passage only to find out that I had no understanding when talking to a mature believer. God was gracious enough to put people, mature believers, in my life that I can discuss the scriptures with regularly and this keeps me on a good path. They do not know everything, but they typically understand things more than me. They have been invaluable to my growth.

We teach each other

Colossians 3: 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

I experience this every week on our Bible Team calls, with the exception of singing. The idea is that the individual reads the Bible, God will reveal a truth or make it plain to the reader, then they will share that truth with their brother or sister (in Christ) and there can be an even exchange between two people regarding what they have been reading and what they received from it. Two people will read the same verse, yet have two different perspectives of it, this is very dynamic and is exciting. In effect, everyone is a teacher and/or counselor in some aspect.

Proverbs 27: 17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

As the believer continues to grow, with the acquired knowledge comes responsibility:

Luke 12: 48 But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

I know that this is a general concept, but it certainly applies to wisdom and knowledge gained. You may be just starting out in studying the Scriptures and not much is required of you. Your assignment is to continue learning (Josh. 1:8). As the learning progresses there is a time to apply it or teach it.

Personal/informal beats impersonal/formal every time

Maybe it’s not teaching in a formal sense, but when discussing the Scriptures with others, this knowledge can be shared to encourage and equip the saints. I believe just like we love God through the investment/offering of our time, we also love each other by giving our time. This blesses the teacher even more than the student:

Acts 20: 35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Another element of these special, godly relationships, other than getting to know God, is getting to know each other. In that process, we learn about each other’s fears, weaknesses, strengths, desires, and backgrounds. This is true fellowship where we can build each other up and pray for each other. These relationships become safe havens where we can discuss things that we can’t share with most other people. Formal Bible studies are great, but I find these types of meetings to be much more fruitful and enjoyable. Where we not only discuss the Bible and what we learn but about each other.

Very small, intimate meetings are essential

If you are not enjoying a relationship or a meeting time with a small group or an individual then you are missing out on a most crucial element of being a believer. Where else can we exercise this command:

Galatians 6: ² Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Let’s face it, we all have baggage from abusive relationships, heretical doctrines, past mistakes, etc. These essential relationships which should be regular Divine Appointments are where we truly develop into mature believers, in combination of course, with our “alone time”. These meetings, which God sets up, should be taken as seriously as any meeting scheduled with a client or your boss. If we are truly seeking to please God, we should treat this time as serious as any other time.

Without Discipleship, our service will dry up

I am convinced that this time, spent in regular fellowship, is more important than time spent in ministry. This is where we get our bearings, restoration, and encouragement. If we miss out on this time, then any time in ministry or service becomes less and less effective. The more time in this intimate fellowship the more driven we become to minister to others and that’s the way it should be. The disciples hung out with Jesus and spent time learning about the Kingdom of God before they started ministering to others. Even beyond the three years of Christ’s ministry, the fellowship never stopped.

Here is a great verse that illustrates this beautifully:

Acts 2: 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

If you have no one to spend this time with, feel free to get on our call on Monday evenings. Details are on the theBibleTeam.com. I realize that it is over the phone and we focus mostly on Bible Reading, but it would be a start and for those of you that are isolated, it’s a great start.

Will you spend time with others?

“Dear Lord, I praise your name. Thank you for leading me. Lord, please guide me to the person or small group that you want me to be involved with. Open my heart so that I can receive new friends and see opportunities for friendship. Help me to balance my schedule to that I can figure out how to make the time for fellowship and change my heart in the process. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Let’s talk about time, our most precious commodity. In my last message, “Are You Being Careful?”,  we discussed being careful when it comes to obeying God. When it comes to being a disciple of our risen Lord, if we take the calling seriously, we choose to be more careful when it comes to following Him.

This message will help you learn to be more careful.

The time we decide to spend with God, whether it be reading His Word or praying, it should never be considered “spare time”. I’m sure you know about spare time. That’s time not already allocated. The time in between meetings, maybe the time after eating and before returning to work. Maybe it’s time before going to bed.

Before I go any further, I want to make this clear. The decision to pray or read the Bible during spare time is ALWAYS a good decision, that is a precious use of any extra minutes to get caught up or to pray for a friend, or call a friend to reach out. That will keep us in touch with what really matters. What I am getting at is on a regular basis, schedule time with God, time that is not “left over”.

God desires our best

Gen 4: ³ When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. ⁴ Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, ⁵but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

Why didn’t God accept Cain and his gift? I think that the difference is “Cain presented some of his crops” where “Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock” There was clearly nothing special about Cain’s gift, lackluster “some of his crops”. While Abel brought the “best”.

In the Old Testament…

Leviticus 23: ¹² On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect

And in the New Testament…

Romans 12: ¹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

This verse reminds me to put Him first. Not only with the “first fruits” of my wages or profit, but also with my time.

The purpose of this message is to discuss the “quiet time” or “God time” as Jesus modeled:

Luke 5: 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

So if we strive to be like Jesus, let’s learn from this. Where do you think He got His power? And where do you think He got His direction? This is where the action happens. You can only live your life at work, or around family so long before needing to tap into the One that gives us strength and direction. When you daily decide to give Him your most precious gift, which is time, that is what leads to true change.

Never equate time with money.

This belief drastically devalues time. Try telling the life-long workaholic on his deathbed “Time is money, gotta go!” How ridiculous! This idea is one of our cultures greatest lies. Try telling a child that time is money as they wait alone for their mom and dad to come home from work. My point is that time is something we can never get back and until we understand that, life will leave us short changed. For those of you that find yourselves out of work, take this extra, most precious commodity to seek God. For you’d be much better off finding God than just another job that will consume your time. After all, if we are to work at anything:

Luke 13: 24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.

and to keep things in perspective:

Matthew 6: ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? ²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

God, I really want to know you more

I could never tell you how much time you should spend alone with God. I can tell you a little about my daily time and maybe that will help. When I set out to read through the Bible on January 1, 2007, I did not have a good relationship with God at the time, but that was my desire. Along with trying to read every day, I would start with prayers such as “God, I really want to know you more”, which I still pray, and I would also pray, “God, please reveal yourself to me in your Word today.”

So for me, the Bible reading came first, along with my desire to seek Him. So my prayer life at the beginning was not much to speak of, but my reading kept me in touch with Him and eventually my prayer life began to develop. I have no set amount of time per day, but after seeking Him for a length of time, it is much easier for me to spend quality time with Him daily.

Daily quiet time doesn’t happen overnight.

Please do not compare yourself to me. But consider what you can do and pray that God will lead you in meeting with Him on a daily basis. This is where you will encounter spiritual warfare, this is the LAST thing the devil wants you to do. You’ll think of everything else you could be doing when you want to meet with God. At first, it might feel weird and you might not know what to say to God other than asking Him to take care of your current needs, which is fine. It might also feel like it is out of obligation as if you “have to do it”. But if you want to get to know Him, you do “have to”. There is no other way around it.

Have you ever had a relative or maybe a friend that at first you did not know them real well, and you didn’t know what to say and you did not feel comfortable around them? But later after hanging out with them and getting to know them better, you really enjoyed the time? God is no different. My life is a testimony that we really can get to know God personally. It used to be that I prayed most times just because I knew I needed to pray, but more recently I pray because I strongly desire to pray.

As pleaded from King David, the one who was “a man after God’s own heart”

1 Chronicles 16: 11
“Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.”

It is my prayer that you’ll take God as serious as King David did.

Will you make time for God?

“Dear God, I realize that I haven’t been spending the time with you as I probably should, please forgive me. Lead me to spend more time with you. It is my desire to get to know you more. Thank you for your Word and helping me to understand where my priorities should be. Thank you for your patience with me. In Jesus name, Amen.