For the last two posts, part 1 and part 2, we’ve been discussing Samson and how He was prepared to “begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines” (Judges 13: 5)

The action started in Judges 14: 2 when Samson says “A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.”

But wait a minute! The law clearly states that the Israelites were not to marry foreigners:

Deuteronomy 7: ³ You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters

Just hold on, we’re about to read a truth that only the New Testament reveals.

Galatians 5: 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

Just so you know there are more than a few episodes in Scripture that we can see this happen.

It is no wonder Samson’s parents were so upset.

What Samson wanted to do and ended up doing was strictly forbidden by Mosaic Law. Imagine, if Samson wasn’t “filled with the Spirit” or “led by the Spirit” he probably would’ve kept in line with his parents. But it was God’s plan to use Samson to “work against the Philistines” and God is sovereign.

You can say all you want about Samson’s character and activities, but the fact that he made it into the “hall of faith” says a lot:

Hebrews 11: 32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.

If the Scripture writers didn’t condemn or put Samson in a negative light, why should we?

And now for Samson’s final act

What God was able to do through Samson’s death, after losing his strength and being enslaved, is nothing short of miraculous. Take a look at the end of his life:

Judges 16: ²⁸ Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” ²⁹ Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, ³⁰ he prayed, “Let me die with the Philistines.” And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.

And now, a reminder from the Apostle Paul…

Galatians 5: 1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Need I say more?

There is much more to be learned in Galatians 4 and 5.

Will you allow His Spirit lead you?

“Dear Lord, Please help me to learn all that you have to teach me. Lead me in such a way that I will desire more of you and recognize that I am on your path. This excites me Lord, but I don’t know what to expect. Please help me with my fears and thank you for all you are doing for me and leading me into truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

photo by Josh Marshall

If you recall from my last post, “Is The Spirit Guiding Your Life? part 1“, we started comparing Samson with John the Baptist. I know, an unlikely pair, right? Let’s continue…

We already mentioned the first fact:

1. Both mothers were advanced in age and were unable to conceive.

Here are two other similarities between the two men…

      2. An angel appeared to both sets of parents.

Judges 13: 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.

Luke 1: 11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.

What is a Nazirite? (Numbers 6: 1-21)

      3. The Lord set apart Samson and John as Nazirites from birth:

Judges 13: 4 So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. 5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”

Luke 1: 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.

Both Samson and John the Baptist are set apart as Nazirites

At this point, Manoah and his wife have got to be pretty excited knowing that their baby is to be set apart and used by God in a mighty way. I mean, what if you (as a couple) couldn’t conceive and an angel appeared to you with this news?

After given a few instructions (for being a Nazirite), they asked for more:

Judges 13: 12 So Manoah asked him, “When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy’s life and work?”
13 The angel of the LORD replied, “Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her. 14 She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food.”

Of course, they want to raise Samson right and ask “Do you have any instructions that come with this special delivery?”.

It’s reasonable, right?

They want to know what rules they should enforce. But nope, just raise the boy as a Nazirite, “I’ll do all the rest”, is basically what God is saying here.

So Samson was born and sure enough, the Spirit begins to work in him:

Judges 13: 24 When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the LORD blessed him as he grew up. 25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol.

Samson’s parents are shocked!

Judges 14: 1 One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. 2 When he returned home, he told his father and mother, “A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.”
3 His father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?” they asked. “Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?”

But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.”

Can you imagine?! After the Lord sets apart your son that he starts lusting after some Philistine woman! What went wrong? Keep reading…

Judges 14: 4 His father and mother didn’t realize the LORD was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.

God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55: 9)

Nothing went wrong. God tells us what happened and why. Yet I hear many teachers using Samson as an example of what not to do. He was fulfilling His divine purpose, albeit unknowingly. This was prophesied in Judges 13: 5 and in 14:5 we know that God was at work in this.

To say that the direction Samson took (seeking foreign women) was a failure (or sinful) would be like saying God really screwed up. As if the Spirit didn’t guide him correctly or maybe God should have given rules.

But it’s not a failure because his whole life accomplishes what God intended to do. Following the Spirit of God won’t always makes sense to us and many times it’s counter intuitive.

There’s more to this story and the Bible has more to say about this issue, so stay tuned.

photo by Josh Marshall

This week I thought I’d highlight one of the more interesting characters of the Bible and tie his story to a New Testament truth. The whole message is quite lengthy so I decided to split it into 3 or more parts. Being led by the Spirit is something we each need to be learning to do daily, but it’s a difficult task while living in the flesh.

I remember learning about Samson in Sunday School. All I remember learning is that he had supernatural strength because of his long hair and he had a girlfriend named Delilah. Delilah gave him a hair cut and then he no longer had his strength. At least that’s what I remember.

I have learned that nothing replaces personal reading and study. When someone explains the Bible to you, without you reading it, it is from their perspective and their thoughts alone. When the “seeker” reads, with the expectation of hearing from God it leads to personal revelation, which is life changing. This is where the action happens. This is a far superior method of digesting God’s Word as opposed to devotionals and Christian books and magazines which are from the author’s perspective. For the individual to understand that God is the “only Teacher”, is invaluable.

1 John 2: 27 But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

Matthew 23: 8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters.

What does this say about teachers of the Word?

They have their place, to help us learn, but it is always the Holy Spirit that teaches through them and so the glory always goes to God. The problem with pastors, authors, and Sunday school teachers, including myself, is that they can be off base. The listener can accept this “false teaching” as truth, which is problematic. This is why we need to continue reading the Word and taking new ideas back to God in prayer. He will help you discern what to do with the new teaching.

Take this word of advice from the Bereans:

Acts 17: 11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

And now, back to our main topic, Samson and being guided by the Spirit

When I read the account of Samson today I realize that there is so much more to be learned about his life than what I was taught as a youngster.

The story of Samson’s birth is very similar to that of John the Baptist:

Samson’s parents could not conceive:

Judges 13: 2 In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children.
and neither could John’s:

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

Next time we’ll continue comparing the early days of Samson and John the Baptist. It’s amazing how similar their lives started out.

photo by Josh Marshall

As we discussed being misfits last week I couldn’t help but think about some of the more popular misfits in the Word of God. So with a little “baseball” humor, let’s take a close look at some of the most famous misfits:

Let’s start with Joseph, our first misfit:

I classify Joseph as a misfit for two reasons:

1. Because of the favor, he received from his father.

Genesis 37: ³ Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. ⁴ But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

2. Because of the dreams he had and the way he shared them.

⁵ One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. ⁶ “Listen to this dream,” he said. ⁷ “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”

⁸ His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.

Even his father scolded him:

¹⁰ This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?”

Joseph, son of Jacob, lines a single up the middle, runner on first.

The next misfit that comes to mind is Gideon:

Judges 6: ²⁸ Early the next morning, as the people of the town began to stir, someone discovered that the altar of Baal had been broken down and that the Asherah pole beside it had been cut down. In their place a new altar had been built, and on it were the remains of the bull that had been sacrificed. ²⁹ The people said to each other, “Who did this?” And after asking around and making a careful search, they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash.

³⁰ “Bring out your son,” the men of the town demanded of Joash. “He must die for destroying the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah pole.”

It seems as though the whole town wanted to worship Baal, including Joash, his own father.

They wanted to kill him, but God had other plans for his life. Where did he get this boldness? You should read verses 1-27.

Gideon, son of Joash, hits a blooper into left field, runners on first and second. (organ plays: duh duh duh da da! charge!)

John the Baptist definitely fits into the misfit category:

^{Matthew 3: 1} In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, ² “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

…

⁴ John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food, he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.

Where do I start? This is strange, here is a man that went to the wilderness, away from the people, and told everybody to repent, that’s not going to win any friends. If that wasn’t enough, he certainly wasn’t trendy when it came to fashion and he ate weird food.

But yet, he attracted the masses! If this isn’t the power of God I don’t know what is. People today try to make themselves trendy, fit in and hang out with the crowd. Not John the Baptist.

John the Baptist, son of Zechariah, bunts and gets an infield single, the bases are loaded. Batting cleanup, Jesus, son of God! (the crowd roars)

Now for the Sinless One, the ultimate Misfit:

Matthew 26: ³ At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, ⁴ plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.

The Jewish leadership didn’t accept Him.

Matthew 9: 24 “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”But the crowd laughed at him.

Crowds laughed at Him.

John 6: 51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;”

He said the strangest stuff.

Luke 23: 18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!”

The crowd turned on Him.

John 6: ⁶⁵ Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”

⁶⁶ At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. ⁶⁷ Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

His disciples left Him.

Matthew 26: ⁵⁵ Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. ⁵⁶But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Eventually, even the faithful 11 disciples left Him.

He was such a misfit that they had Him crucified:

Mark 15: 25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

And if that isn’t enough, when dead people normally stay dead, Jesus didn’t even stay dead!

John 21: 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

With one swing of the bat, that ball is long, long gone. It’s a home run! a grand slam! All runners are saved at home. (the crowd praises God)

Just a few thoughts on these four men:

1. People around them wanted them killed, 2 of them were.
2. They were each set apart for God’s special purposes in their own times.
3. They were all very different. Joseph was simply favored and shared his dreams. Gideon was shown a few miracles and then was ready to obey the Most High God. John the Baptist had the spirit of Elijah. Jesus is God in the flesh.

If people don’t like you because you love Jesus, good. If you feel weird because you’d rather discuss the Bible rather than last night’s game, good. If your friends stop asking you out to the clubs so that you can watch them get drunk together, God is changing you and that is an awesome thing.

If God is calling you to be different, don’t think twice about it. Maybe He just wants you to be your true self and excel at the talents and gifts He’s already blessed you with. If He wants to give you new talents, that can happen. Like writing, for instance, I was not a writer until earlier this year and God has been giving me things to say.

So step up to the plate and get on base. The risen Savior has hit the home run that allows those that trust in Him to be safe at home (Paradise)!

To close us out, let’s hear from another famous misfit, Paul the Apostle:

Galatians 1: ¹⁰ Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Who are you pleasing?

“Dear Lord, I really struggle with wanting to please people more than you. It’s hard for me to be different. Please change my heart, Lord. Make me want to follow you at any cost. I desire to win your favor, as your servant Moses had. Thank you for leading me and teaching me new things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Photo by Frantzou Fleurine on Unsplash

I don’t know about you but I like to fit in and I don’t like being a misfit. I never wanted to be the last choice in a pickup football game and at times I’d laugh at jokes even if I didn’t think it was funny, just to “fit in”.

We all belong to groups, even beyond grade school. We are in groups for work, hobbies, Bible studies, church, school, networking and the list goes on. As our relationship with God grows, things start to change. The more we recognize our Lord’s voice the more we desire to change:

John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Deuteronomy 30:6 “The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!

So the more we love God, the less we love the world.

1 John 2: ¹⁵ Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. ¹⁶ For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. ¹⁷ And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

As we continue to remain in Him, transformation happens

Our values change, habits change, friendships change, thoughts change, and desires change. If they’re not changing, then there’s no growth. Habits and long-time desires, of course, do not change overnight, so this is not necessarily evident in some areas but other areas should show it.

For me, I may pray for change in a specific area of my life that never seems to change, but I can see changes in other areas that I hadn’t realized needed changing. What this shows me is that God will change me on His terms, the way He prefers, not mine.

Jeremiah 18:6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.

So what impact does this have on the relationships in our groups? We become a misfit. Simply meaning that we no longer “fit in”. The desire to talk about real estate, work, baseball, TV all the time will change. The desire to hang out with the guys that disparage their wives will disappear. Instead of agreeing with people and sharing in their despair over the poor economy, you’ll want to share the hope we have in God and not participate in the meaningless, unconstructive conversation.

You may see this in your church as well. I remember as a young man there were the “good” kids and the “bad” kids. The bad kids did not take Sunday School seriously, and the good kids enjoyed church and had respect for instruction. So when I’d repent during a revival meeting (remember those?), the next week I’d be hanging around the good kids. I know there are adult versions of these groups as well.

It’s OK to be disliked.

As we change, some people in those groups may start disliking you. Some may keep their distance simply because “you’re not the same anymore” and they’re right. A few may be attracted to the change and may inquire about it.

These are good signs. For me, I remember feeling like going through a second adolescence. I felt weird, uncomfortable and not really sure of myself. Instead of being influenced, we are becoming the influencers:

Jeremiah 15:

¹⁹ This is how the Lord responds:

“If you return to me, I will restore you
so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
do not let them influence you!

This is awesome. Isn’t it great that we can use this ancient passage that was meant originally for Jeremiah and use it for ourselves?

Misfits in the world, at home with God

I discovered that this is all a part of the process of being set apart.

Leviticus 20:26 You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.

I don’t know about you, but I can not relate to being holy, at least I don’t feel holy anyway, but I know that only through the blood of Jesus we are made holy, and that is a wonderful thing to remember. And I most certainly desire to be holy, at least on most days. 🙂

1 Corinthians 1:2 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

I love to see New Testament verses that seem to directly relate to Old Testament verses.

And now for one of my favorite verses

Romans 12: 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

How will this transformation happen? Only through “reprogramming” our minds. Replace novels and/or TV with Bible reading, exchange gossip with going out with godly friends, and pleading to God to change your heart on a daily basis. If you truly want to change, seek the Lord with all your heart.

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.”

Will you seek change?

“Dear Lord, I can begin to see the changes in my life and I thank you for putting me on this path. Please keep me from falling away and help me to understand what being set apart really means for me. I praise your name. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

I hope you enjoyed the last two posts on the Old Testament and why it is relevant to the 21st century believer. I think it is quite incredible, and an obvious sign that the Text is Divinely inspired. When events written several millennia in the past can teach us how to live our lives today. Today let’s talk about the will of God for you.

Do you think about what God’s called you to do? Do you ever think about a ministry you’d like to pursue if you got compensated? Maybe if the circumstances were different? What about what you’re doing right now?

Have you ever considered that God has you right where He wants you? One of the most frustrating things for me is that I don’t know what God has planned for me. I know that’s what faith is all about. If I only knew what He had in store for me then I wouldn’t need faith. And we cannot please God without faith, right? (Hebrews 11:6) I have to reflect at times and say “OK Lord, I don’t know what’s happening or where you are taking me. I’ll just be still while you continue to work on me.”

Consider the prophet Elijah

 1 Kings 17:  ¹ Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”

² Then the Lord said to Elijah, ³ “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. ⁴ Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”

⁵ So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. ⁶ The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. ⁷ But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.

⁸ Then the Lord said to Elijah, ⁹ “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”

Elijah was quite bold when speaking to one of the most evil kings (Ahab, vs 1). I think God’s way of protecting His servant was by leading him to Kerith Brook to get “out of Dodge” for awhile. Or maybe in addition to that, it was to teach Elijah how to wait.

Are kidding me, fed by Ravens?

While by the brook Elijah was fed by ravens until the brook dried up. We don’t know exactly how long this took, a few weeks, months? That’s wild, isn’t it? Hanging out by a brook, being fed bread and meat by ravens morning and evening? Do you think he might’ve been wondering what he was doing there or what would happen if the ravens forgot about him? I don’t know. I’d like to believe that Elijah was perfectly content and didn’t have those questions. I look forward to asking him someday. 🙂

The widow does what God said she’d do

We read further in verse 9 that he was told to see a widow in Zarephath. Let’s read on:

 1 Kings 17: ¹⁰ So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”

¹² But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”

¹³ But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

Can you imagine?

Her reality was that this was going to be her last meal, but God had other plans. God sent Elijah to minister to the widow in her time of need, just in time, God’s time.

Taking a step back and looking at the big picture, we know that Elijah was a much-revered prophet, in fact, other prophets bowed before him (1 Kings 18:7). We also know that he had the respect of kings and performed many great miracles.

So what is a great man of God doing in such a remote place with a widow?

A great prophet who is accustomed to being in the presence of kings is now living with a widow? This is his ministry for this season of his life. He is in the will of God for certain.

Only if you are familiar with the Old Testament or familiar with this next verse you might understand exactly why this new ministry for Elijah is near and dear to God’s heart…

James 1: ²⁷ Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

He was exactly where God wanted him.

The widow in this story could represent an aging parent, a sickly child, or maybe a person that needs special attention. I love how this story demonstrates that it doesn’t matter what you think you should be doing or what you are qualified to do, but as long as you are doing what God asks of you, whatever that is, it is exactly where God wants you. The time spent by the brook tested his faith and prepared him for his time with the widow. I think if I experienced ravens feeding me for a period of time, it would certainly build my faith, how about you?

If I can only keep focused on Jesus

Do you ever think, “What about that other guy, the one that has a flourishing ministry?” Be careful not to compare yourself with others. I am guilty of this, but I’m always reminded of this exchange:

John 21: ²¹ Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”

²² Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

This verse is like the Shepherd’s staff pulling me back from the treacherous ditch I’m heading for. If I can just keep focusing on Jesus and following Him. I know I’m on the right path and that will be more than sufficient for me.

Will you continue to follow Jesus?

“Dear Lord, thank you for continuing to teach me your ways. Your ways are not my ways. I know that you have a perfect plan for my life and that you know what’s best for me. You are the Creator of heaven and earth and I will continue to put my trust in you. Thank you for leading me.”

I want to share with you a revelation that has totally changed my understanding of God and what He wants from us.

Did you ever read a verse that got under your skin? I mean a verse that really bothered you. A verse that you felt you could never live up to and if only you could cut it out of the Bible, then things would be OK?

This particular verse was one of those for me:

John 14: 23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching…” (NIV)

What bothered me about this was my inability to obey Him. I thought, “If I could only obey more, or be more righteous, I could be a better Christian”. I actually thought “I must not love God because I can’t obey Him”. Of course, I lacked understanding.

So, I knew that I should love God, but I really didn’t know how. This was something that I did not want to share with anyone. I did not understand how to love God. I thought I loved Him, but to be honest… I didn’t have a clue. I was really a Christian in name only. I might’ve had salvation, but I’m not certain about that.

My point is that I focused on obeying Him, rather than loving Him. Trying to obey God without loving Him is pointless. Now I get it.

John 14: 24  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Keep in mind that I was not regularly reading the Word, was not being discipled, and did not know how to have a relationship with God.

Now that I have been regularly reading the Word, this concept of how to love God becomes increasingly clear as He reveals Himself to me. Prayer is most helpful in this as well as spending time with mature believers and those who genuinely love Jesus.

I also understand the two greatest commandments more than ever:

Matthew 22: 36“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 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. 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.”

Furthermore, while reading Hosea I found this verse:

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

Little did I know that this was no ordinary Old Testament verse, but one that Jesus quotes Himself, not just once, but twice.

Matthew 9: 13 Then, he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Matthew 12: 7 But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’

Just what did King David understand?

Psalm 69: 30 Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
31 For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.

Doesn’t this make things simple? Just focus on loving and knowing God. Spend time with Him by reading His Word daily, be in prayer and intimate fellowship with others who love God and you can’t go wrong.

My friends, this is HUGE. It is my prayer that if you did not already understand this, that this will hit home for you.

Do you get it?

As I consider the account of Jesus on the cross, between the two thieves, I can’t help but think that Jesus missed an incredible opportunity by not witnessing to the other thief. You know, the one that was not repentant? Didn’t He have all the reasons to convert him, especially when he was about die?

A verse that I read many times before was brought to my attention changed my view of Jesus and my relationship with God entirely when I finally understood it:

John 14: 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.

Whoa, when I finally understood that Jesus did not say anything that He was not told to, that blew me away. Apparently, Jesus was not supposed to say anything to the other thief. Of course, He did talk to the popular thief, the one who pleaded in Luke 23 “42 … “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus hears his plea and assures him in the next verse: “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

We cannot ask ourselves WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) because the decision we have to make is what is God telling us. 

With the woman at the well, it was a different story. Jewish men did not even associate with Samaritan women, yet Jesus initiated that conversation: John 4:7 “Please give me a drink.”

What Jesus did was rely on the Father:

John 5: 19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

And verse  30 

“I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.”

So we clearly cannot base our decisions solely on what Jesus did when He walked the earth, but what God is telling us to do or say today. Of course, there is much to learn and model from reading about our Master, but if we are to imitate Christ as Paul suggests in 1 Cor 11: And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. then we should seek and submit to the Father’s will as Christ did: Luke 5: 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. 

Prayer and knowledge of God’s Word are keys to knowing the Father’s will. Consider the famous prayer in Gethsemane:

Matt. 26: 39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

This show’s Jesus humanity and that He sought God during this time of crisis to seek God’s will and of course soon after this He allows Himself to be taken captive, clearly the will of the Father, but not what the disciples had in mind.

I’ll leave you with this verse:

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.

Are you remaining in Him?