Instructions for Life.

Last night my landlord and good friend Bob came to say goodnight and share some of the verses he'd read in 1Thessalonians 5:16-28 NIV.  What a wealth of information and praise God for a godly landlord.

 ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

This can be hard.  When trials come to our lives it's easy to pray "God get me out of this."  However I have learned more through trial than through comfort.  I have learn to be content in all circumstances (Philippians 4:10-42) and I do thank God for trials.  I've actually begun to view them as a chance to learn.

 ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.

When the Holy Spirit moves, go with Him.  When you don't you miss the opportunity to work with God.  You see that person on the street and you are prompted to speak, SPEAK. That person and you were put together as a divine appointment.  Don't make God have to send another.

I was raised in a church the says that revelation is closed and prophesy has ceased.  The basis for the belief is found in Revelations 22:18-19 NIV.  It was my actual belief as well.  Yet I am meeting REAL Christians who disagree and I find verses like this in scripture.  Have I ever met one who claims to be a prophet?  No.  If I ever do I merely test what they say.  If they truly have a prophesy from God it will come true 100%.  There will be no doubt.

We know the good things and we know the evil things.  In our flesh we somethimes want to play in the edges of what is evil.  We are to reject it.  Stay away.

 ²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

To sanctify is to set apart or make holy.  Holy itself means to set apart for a special purpose.  The liberating point in these verses is that GOD is the one who does the sanctifying.  Verse 24 promises that he WILL do it.  Any child of God will continually be sanctified here on earth till our final sanctification when we see him face to face.

²⁵ Brothers and sisters, pray for us. ²⁶ Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.²⁷ I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

 ²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Pray for your leaders and teachers.  Pray for me that I would continue to learn and live this blog.

As a teen I loved verse 26.  I believe this is a cultural thing for the church at the time.  I don't recommend you go around kissing folks this Sunday.

Instead of my usual "God Bless" I shall quote vs 28.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

Forgiveness for All

Romans 3:21-26 NIV
²¹ But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵ God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

We live in a society that is being further divided by race, income class, social status, political opinion and many more.  That is not so with the Church when you look at God's plan.

Vs 21 and 22 tell us God's righteousness comes "through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile."  In Bible time the Jews view was there were Jews and non Jews called Gentiles.  The Jews had been chosen by God to bring the Word and His plan of Salvation to the world.  It was through the Jewish Nation that Jesus came into the world.  Up till Christ's death Gentiles had to convert to Judaism and follow the Law to have a relationship with God.  Now all anyone had to do was believe in Christ.

Vs 23 "for ALL have sinned" no exceptions.  But we weren't left to rot in hell because we missed God's mark.  Vs 24 "...all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus".  Forgiveness is available to ALL.

Vs 25 tells us the cost was the shedding of Christ blood.  The penalty for sin had to be paid and Christ paid it for us.  He did not just write a check from his bank.  He suffered for us.  The cost to Him was more than we will ever understand.

God does not care who you are or what you have done.  He loves you and wants to forgive you so much he let his son pay the price for your sin.  If you never have before pray to God.  Tell him the truth.

1 Admit you've sinned.
2 Accept Christ payment for your sin.
3 Tell someone.

Romans 10:9-10 NIV
⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

That's it.  If you meant it, you too are now saved.  Now it's time to grow.  I encourage you to start reading you Bible.  I encourage you to pray that God will help you find a church to grown in.  If I can be of help in anyway send me a comment.  None of them get published without my approval so send me your contact info and we can email one another.

God bless.

Paul's testimony

Galatians 1:11-17 NIV
¹¹ I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ¹² I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

 ¹³ For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. ¹⁷ I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.

Paul's life was headed in one direction.  When he was received his instruction from the Holy Spirit there was a change in his life.  He used to persecute the Church and then he instructed and lead the Church.

This is the pattern the we Christians need to follow.  First we read God's word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us God's ways.  Second we need to allow the Spirit to change us.  Finally we are to tell others of what God is doing in our lives through the Holy Spirit.  

That's all that being a witness is.  You don't need to be a preacher.  All you need to do is share with others what you found in scripture and how that has changed your life.  The challenge is, to surrender and allow the change.

God Bless.

All my heart.

Psalm 9:1-2 NIV
¹ I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; 
   I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 
² I will be glad and rejoice in you; 
   I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

What struck me this morning was the phrase "all my heart".  Even now as I write this my mind is racing with things to do that I don't want to forget and I'm convicted of my lack of full concentration.  Even on Thanksgiving I did not give my entire heart to thanking God.

Need to take some time and thank God and I don't need a national holiday to do it.

God Bless.

Affliction can be good.

Psalm 119:65-72 NIV
⁶⁵ Do good to your servant 
   according to your word, LORD. 
⁶⁶ Teach me knowledge and good judgment, 
   for I trust your commands. 
⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray, 
   but now I obey your word. 
⁶⁸ You are good, and what you do is good; 
   teach me your decrees. 
⁶⁹ Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, 
   I keep your precepts with all my heart. 
⁷⁰ Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, 
   but I delight in your law. 
⁷¹ It was good for me to be afflicted 
   so that I might learn your decrees. 
⁷² The law from your mouth is more precious to me 
   than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

I want to focus on vs 67 and 71.  Before my wife filed for divorce and told me to leave, scripture was not of a high importance.  Yes I was a Christian, but the things of God were part of my life and not my life.  I have grown more since March of 2001 than the previous several years.

As I continue to put God first, I pray that His word really will become "more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold."

God Bless.

Don't know what to thank God for?

How about EVERYTHING?

Colossians 1:15-20 NIV
 ¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

So look around.  Everything you see, feel, eat or use today was made by God.  Thank him.

Happy Thanksgiving.

God Bless

Alive

When tempted by sin and we give in we feel Alive.  That void we had in our soul is filled, but only for a short time because the pleasures of sin are fleeting. Heb 11:25 NIV   In my experience once fed, that craving comes back worse the next time.

The answer is found in Ephesians 2:1-7 NIV ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 

Sin does not satisfy because it is part of my old life.  The new life in me battles with the old life and I cannot please two masters.

⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

God loved me and had mercy on me.  He made me "alive with Christ".  By His grace I have been saved.  Not only that, but as far as God is concerned I am already seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.  It's a done deal.  As if it already happened.

Why did he do this?  So that we might show it.

In this Thanksgiving Season are we showing the world the "incomparable riches" of God's grace or are we so wrapped up in our family and the big meal we're going to eat?  With the Christmas season already in full swing at the retail stores are we a light or are we just one of the crowd filling our desires with temporary things that will satisfy?

God Bless.

Peace with God

Today's lesson revisits Romans 5:1-2 NIV which I blogged about here.  However the focus this time is on where do you get your peace.

Some seek peace through chemical abuse, some through unhealthy relationships, some through money and wealth.  When you seek peace in places other than Christ you will end up empty.

Our peace starts and ends with God's grace through Christ.

God bless.

Spirtual Pride

Today's passage from Dr Stanley is Matthew 6:8-13 NIV  he points out this the first place where Jesus used the term "Our" father instead of his usual "My" father.  He goes on to point out different aspects of our earthly fathers can effect how we view our heavenly father.

When I read the words "Do not be like them..." I went back in the text to find out who I was to avoid imitating. Matthew 6:1-7 NIV ¹ “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

   ² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

 ⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

So often I have to check my motives for writing Lessons form God.  I know it started as a way to share a lesson that God had given me, but there are days when I take great pride in the people who follow this blog and those days I have to catch myself and confess.

This lesson was confirmed when I read my weekly devotional from John Piper.  His entire message today involved the dangers of pride even in the good things the Lord does in our life.

So I warn my fellow Christians that minister to others.  Check your motives for your ministry and serve God for His glory alone.

God Bless.

The Father

John 5:19-20 NIV
¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

Jesus did nothing of his own will.  He always looked for where he saw His Father working and joined him in His work.  Because of the Fathers love for the Son, He showed Him all for our benefit.

Am I better than Jesus?  No way.  Therefore I will look and see where the Lord is working and join Him in that work.

God Bless.

Grace plus nothing.

Acts 15:6-11 NIV
 ⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question.⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

This took place during the council at Jerusalem.  The "Church" was still very young and let's face it they were human and had their own opinions.  The Gentiles were entering the Church.  Jews and Gentiles just did not associate with one another and now they're of the same faith.  Some were insisting the Gentiles be circumcised. Others were insisting that Gentiles fulfill the whole law.

Peter asked the question in verse 10 "...why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?"  He goes on to say Gentiles are saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So now the question come to me.  Why do I put an extra burden on myself?  Why do I try and live by my own version of the Law.  I need to live each day by Grace.  I loved the way Dr Stanley put it this morning.

"Too often believers rely on Christ for their salvation but then try to go solo. If God’s grace was needed to save us, then logic says we would also need it for the rest of our days. Only through a continuous infusion of His sustaining power can we live a victorious Christian life."

God Bless.

God's Grace is sufficient.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV
⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

One of the disservices of the chapters and verses in our Bibles is that sometimes the verse breaks up a sentence or thought. Please note the chapter/ verse divisions are not inspired by God.  At one point man put those in to help us find portions of scripture quickly.  So when I see a passage of scripture that has a broken sentence I treat it like a "therefore" and I go back to find the context of the passage.  Here the apostle Paul had just spoken of the time he "was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell."

Paul had a thorn in the flesh.  Some church scholars believe it was poor eyesight because of Paul's reference to "large letters" in Galatians 6:11 NIV.  Truth is, we don't know.  God in his wisdom did not reveal the thorn in scripture.  However the principle is there for us to learn from.  The thorn kept Paul humble so he had to rely on GRACE.

I think of my struggles right now.  Jobless and can't afford to pay to house mortgage or feed my kids when they come here for Sunday.  I'm still in the midst of a divorce that I do not want.  Yet I hear the Lord say, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I know that I have a roof over my head, a warm place to sleep,  I have a little food in the fridge of my landlords, some gas in my car, a place to shower....  I could go on.

Most important I have God's word to turn to and I have have the Holy Spirit to guide me.  God's grace has  gotten me this far.  I will keep trusting Him.

God Bless.

Work for the Lord

Day three of my, "No Bible. No breakfast.", policy.

It's very strange for me having gone from High school, to college, back to parents with a job, back to college, back home with another job, to married with a job, to separated with a job, to separated without a job.  For the first time in my life I have no day today structure.  With the lax unemployment expectations of only 3 job searches a week, I could potentially have LOTS of free time on my hands.

Today's passage is Colossians 3:23 NIV ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

So here I go Blogging as unto the Lord.  I will go eat breakfast as unto the Lord. As an aside, if I were to really eat all my meals and snacks as an act of worship and thankfulness to God, I'd bet I'd make better choices and perhaps even lose the weight I need to.

One of the practical aspects of what I take from this verse is my job search.  I need to continue looking for a job that will not only make the money I need to feed my children, but one that will be pleasing to God.  It's not just about money.  When I get hired I need to be a servant to my employer and my fellow workers.

The gym.  Having this belly hanging over my belt is not healthy.  I need to start exercising as a form of worship.  Many of the problem my dad deals with now are a result of not caring for himself during his younger years.

Bottom line:  God is ultimately the only one I do anything for.  Yes, he give us bosses and other humans to  to nudge us in the right direction, but they are yet another opportunity to serve Christ by obeying them AND allowing Christ to love them through us.

Guess I need to get to it.  I have worship (breakfast) and service (the gym) and obedience (job search) to get to.

God Bless.

Scripture for comfort

Last night I received some upsetting news.  I prayed with those that were hurt, but I was worked up and did not think I would sleep.  I asked my landlady to pray for me.  She told me to read my Bible.

I was shocked.  Turning to scripture was not even on my list of things to do.  My pattern has always been to pray and ask others to pray...then worry myself sick over the issue.

So I grabbed my Bible and the first thought was Psalms 37 because that is a powerhouse of a passage.  Then I remembered I'm listening to Proverbs on my Ipod.  Before long I had to open Biblegateway so I could cut and paste the verses our God was providing.  I share them with you below without commentary.
Proverbs NIV

 18: 10 The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; 
   the righteous run to it and are safe.

 19: 21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, 
   but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

20: 22 Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” 
   Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

21:

1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; 
   he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

2 All a man’s ways seem right to him, 
   but the LORD weighs the heart.

3 To do what is right and just 
   is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

15 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous 
   but terror to evildoers.

16 A man who strays from the path of understanding 
   comes to rest in the company of the dead.

25 The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, 
   because his hands refuse to work. 
26 All day long he craves for more, 
   but the righteous give without sparing.

30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan 
   that can succeed against the LORD.

31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, 
   but victory rests with the LORD.

23:

4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; 
   have the wisdom to show restraint. 
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, 
   for they will surely sprout wings 
   and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

9 Do not speak to a fool, 
   for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.

24:

29 Do not say, “I’ll do to him as he has done to me; 
   I’ll pay that man back for what he did.”

33 A little sleep, a little slumber, 
   a little folding of the hands to rest— 
34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit 
   and scarcity like an armed man.

25:

7^b What you have seen with your eyes 
 8 do not bring hastily to court, 
for what will you do in the end 
   if your neighbor puts you to shame?

16 If you find honey, eat just enough— 
   too much of it, and you will vomit.  

28 Like a city whose walls are broken down 
   is a man who lacks self-control.

26:

11 As a dog returns to its vomit, 
   so a fool repeats his folly.

18 Like a madman shooting 
   firebrands or deadly arrows 
19 is a man who deceives his neighbor 
   and says, “I was only joking!”

27:

14 If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, 
   it will be taken as a curse.  

28:13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, 
   but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

29:

1 A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes 
   will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

6 An evil man is snared by his own sin, 
   but a righteous one can sing and be glad.

22 An angry man stirs up dissension, 
   and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.

25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, 
   but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

26 Many seek an audience with a ruler, 
   but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.

30:

20 “This is the way of an adulteress: 
   She eats and wipes her mouth 
   and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’

32 “If you have played the fool and exalted yourself, 
   or if you have planned evil, 
   clap your hand over your mouth! 
33 For as churning the milk produces butter, 
   and as twisting the nose produces blood, 
   so stirring up anger produces strife.”

31:

2 “O my son, O son of my womb, 
   O son of my vows, 
³ do not spend your strength on women, 
   your vigor on those who ruin kings.

This morning's devotional was in Ephesians 3:19-21, but I've added more verses for context. Ephesians 3:16-21

⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

This is a prayer prayed over 2000 years ago, yet it is still being answered today.  I've been a Christian for 32 years and still just starting to grasp the length, breadth, height and depth of Christ's love.  

His love surpasses knowledge.  That means I will NEVER understand it.

If God is all powerful and he is everywhere and he knows everything, how full is the "fullness of God"?  And just as important a question, how does one measure it?

God can do more than we can imagine.  

These truth need to be meditated on the next time I fear my situation and start to "take control"

God Bless.