God’s Spiritual Discernment

 

1 Corinthians 2:13-14 “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

 

The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “Illumination” as: Infusion of intellectual light; an enlightening of the understanding by knowledge, or the mind by spiritual light.  Inspiration; the special communication of knowledge to the mind by the Supreme Being. 

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

 

Pastor J. Vernon McGee says that since you and I have a God book and human book, written by men who were writing down the Word of God in the living Bible, only the Spirit of God can teach it to us. Although we can get the facts of the Bible on our own, the Spirit of God will have to open our minds and hearts if we are to understand the spiritual truth that is there. There are a lot of things on this side of Heaven that you and I can’t learn through natural means. The Holy spirit has to be our teacher. 

 

You see, we are studying a book that is different from any other book. It is not that McGee just believes in the inspiration of the Bible. He believes that it is a closed book to you unless the Spirit of God will open your heart and make it real. In John 14:15-17, 26-26 Jesus tells us, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” 

 

In Luke 24:44-45 Jesus said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

 

Note in the above passage that Jesus believed that Moses wrote the Pentateuch; He believed the prophets spoke of Him and the Psalms pointed to Him. And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. And friend, if He doesn’t open your understanding, you’re just not going to get it, because they are spiritually discerned. That is the reason that we ought to approach this book, the living Word of God, with great humility of mind, regardless of how high our IQ is or the extent of our education. 

 

In John 3:3,5 Jesus answered and said to a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

 

Dr. McGee was never disturbed when an unbeliever comes along and says that they do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God. After all, if he or she is not a believer, they cannot understand it. Mark Twain, who was no believer, said that he was not disturbed by what he did not understand in the Bible. What worried him were the things he did understand. There are things an unbeliever can understand and it’s those which cause many to reject the Word of God. It was theologian Blaise Pascal, author of “Pascal’s Wager”, who said, “Human knowledge must be understood to be loved, but Divine knowledge must be loved to be understood.” 

 

Only the Spirit of God can open your mind and heart to see and to accept Christ ad to trust Him as your Savior. How wonderful! How helpless we are, but not only are we weak, we are mighty – not mighty in ourselves, but mighty in the knowledge that the Spirit of God can take the words of the Bible and make them real and living because as you read or hear the Word of God, you’re not alone. The Holy Spirit abides in you, ready to stir your heart, illuminate your mind, and direct your life.

 

Lord, please give me a deeper desire to read Your holy Word. Increase my ability to understand Your sacred Word. Show me more of Jesus Christ in Your living Word. Make me a doer of Your blessed Word and produce genuine godly change in my life. Amen

Ablaze with Passion – Part 2

Michael continues that righteousness can only be evaluated according to God’s righteous standard of His holy Word. Jesus Christ is “the Word of God” revealed. Our righteousness is not in our flesh, but only in Him. Without Christ, we are men and women of unclean lips. Jesus Christ, who was without sin, became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. In him we live and move and have our being. 

Jesus said that unless you have the meekness of a little child, you cannot see the kingdom of heaven. When the rich young ruler said, “what must I do to be saved?” Jesus replied, “you’re still lacking something even though you keep the letter of the law of the Ten Commandments … you must sell all your goods, give the proceeds to the poor, and come and follow me.” You cannot serve two masters. Jesus understood that the rich young ruler lived for his riches and his possessions. He had another god than the one true God. The first and great commandment is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Every moment is a moment of conscious decision. The Bible tells us, “for the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that you cannot do the things that you would.” Every moment is a “come to Jesus” moment. Disappointment is the result of missing our divine appointment to walk in fellowship with Him.

The Bible says that you are slaves to whom you obey. There is a difference between a regular slave and a bond-slave. A regular slave is bound by the law to serve his master by obligation. However, a bond-slave serves his master by the bond of love. Why do you do what you do? Is it because of the law of obligation? Is it because you fear the consequences? If this is the motivation then you are a slave to the flesh and the spirit of fear. However, there is no fear in love for perfect love casts out fear, for fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. 

To serve the Lord from a heart of love, we must take up our cross daily and follow Him. Love is not a fleeting feeling. Love requires deliberate, intentional, and purposeful action. Do you say that you believe the first and great commandment to love God above all? Jesus said, in that you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me. Therefore, be kindly affectionate one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. God has set us within the body of Christ as members in particular, harmoniously-fitted together to serve one another to the building up of the body in love. Jesus said, a new commandment have I give you, that you love one another.

God commands us to delight ourselves in the Lord. When our delight is His delight, only then He will give us the desires of our heart. When our passion and good pleasure is aligned with God’s, then it is God that is working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. Therefore, according to 1 Thessalonians 5, Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you. Quench not the spirit … set yourself ablaze with the power of the Holy Spirit … let your light so shine before men and women so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

May God richly bless you,
Your brother in Christ, Michael

Ablaze with Passion – Part 1

 

Yesterday, Palm Sunday begins “Holy Week” in the Christian church. This week, Michael writes that if the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true, then the Word of God is truth. If the Word of God is truth, our challenge is to align the purpose of our life according to the Word of truth. Men and women often think that they can rest in their own accomplishments and on their own laurels. However, our life is not our own … that which endures is that which counts, not for this moment, but for eternity. Only Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life … without Him there is no life. God doesn’t want your promises and your praise … He wants your heart and your life demonstrated by obedience to His Holy Word. 

In the midst of the crisis, God expects His people to rise to the occasion. Edward McKendree Bounds (August 15, 1835 – August 24, 1913) prominently known as E.M. Bounds, was an American author, attorney, and member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South clergy. In his book “A Fiery Church”, EM says that God expects us to be on fire, white hot with zeal about our God given faith. According to John Wesley, English cleric, theologian, and evangelist, who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism, if you set yourself ablaze for Jesus Christ, people will gather from miles around to watch you burn. In Revelation 3, the Bible says that Laodiceans were neither hot nor cold. They were tepid, lukewarm and ineffective. However, the effectual, fervent, white hot and passionate prayer of a righteous man  or woman avails much. A fiery soul is the soul who conquers in the day of the spiritual battle and besieges the strongholds of evil with unshaken zeal.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Jesus’ commission in the Christian mission.

 

What is your mission purpose statement? What’s your goal in other people’s lives? For what are you passionate? Love is kindled in the flame and passion for our Lord. Therefore, quench not the Holy Spirit. For we have this treasure of the Holy Spirit in an earthen vessel that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. To fan the flame of the Spirit of God in Christ in us, we must link with likeminded men and women who walk in the light as He is the light. You are most like those with whom you associate. The question is: Who are your three and who are your twelve? With whom are you at your best? I’m here because the Lord makes me want to be a better person. For our fellowship is with our Father, His son Christ Jesus, and one with another in the household of faith. We associate with our Band of Brothers and Sisters, so that we can run the race and choke in the dust of those in hot pursuit of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Passion is the soul of prayer. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Blessed is the person whose delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law do they meditate day and night. Prayer is energized by the Holy Spirit as we set our affections on things above. Our culture says that mankind is basically good. However, according to Romans 3, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In my flesh dwells no good thing. 

Let's continue Michael's message on passion for Christ in the next post. 

In Christ, Brian 

Confession Unto Forgiveness - Part 3

  

Haggai 1:5-7 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!

 

Pastor Herk summarizes that having lost everything, the prodigal son finally reaches bottom and heads home, ready and willing to confess his sins and apologize. That tells a lot about his character. When he hit rock-bottom, what really mattered became really clear to him. His father’s house called him home. I wonder if any of us needs to confess some sin against God or man, and return to the Father? The Apostle Peter was at times lost, impetuous, and outspoken, yet the Lord Jesus never gave up on him. All-seeing God knows the end from the beginning. He knows our past, how we are in our present, and what we are going to be like in our future. The Lord knew who Peter would become (the Rock – a leader in the faith). The Apostle Peter was faithful to Jesus Christ until the day that he died because the given Holy Spirit got a hold on him. 

 

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified.”

 

How about you? Does the indwelling Holy Spirit have a hold on you? When we truly confess that we are sinners and sincerely ask for forgiveness, then God’s grace comes into play in our lives; He forgives us and He welcomes us into His kingdom with the free gift of eternal salvation. What can be confessed, repented of and healed today for you?       

 

Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

If you have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, it is a simple thing; just a matter of confessing, repenting, believing and receiving. Father God sent His Son Jesus Christ to live the life that we couldn’t yet were meant to live, to die a death that we were meant to die for our sins, and resurrected that Easter Sunday, defeating sin and death, so that we could be raised with Him to glory with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. God extends grace and is quick to forgive the sins of a repentant sinner. Repent is defined as: To change the mind in consequence of the inconvenience or injury done by past conduct. In theology, to sorrow or be pained for sin, as a violation of God's holy law, a dishonor to his character and government, and the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, so why don’t more people confess, repent and turn to God for forgiveness through Jesus Christ? 

 

Revelation 3:5 “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”

 

Forgive us Lord. You are the Way, the Truth and the Life. Turn our life around.

In Christ, Brian

Confession Unto Forgiveness - Part 2

 

Ezekiel 18:27-28 “When a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”

 

Pastor Herk reassures us: You are not broken beyond repair, can be forgiven and reconciled to God, sanctified and washed clean in the blood of the Lamb of God. Jesus Christ is the reason that we can confess and experience complete forgiveness and restoration in our lives. It is Divine forgiveness and truly amazing grace; much different than what we experience here on earth, on this side of eternity. Forgiveness is defined in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary as: 1. The act of forgiving; the pardon of an offender, by which he is considered and treated as not guilty. 2. The pardon or remission of an offense or crime; as the forgiveness of sin or of injuries.

 

It is common that each generation, when young with a lack of knowledge and experience, believes they know how to live their lives better than their parents, and even better than God. We take all that they are willing to live and waste it on careless, reckless, decadent, extravagant, lavish, wild, hedonistic living; thinking that they are smarter. We hurt ourselves and others with bad decisions based on prideful selfish desires for personal pleasures, popular trends, and playing with ambitions to lack and miss out on nothing. This is a “I see it, I want it, I get it, I have it … even if I cannot afford it or have to go into debt, or sacrifice a necessity to possess it mentality, void of wisdom and investment. When the money runs out, the party comes to an end. Yet, this materialistic, live-for-the-moment,  life-squandering mentality is nothing new.

 

In the parable of “the Prodigal Son” in Luke 15:11-24, Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

 

There needs to be a time in each one of our lives, when we simply come to our senses, humbly confess the depravity of our sin against heaven and honestly realize that our life is never going to be what it was supposed to be apart from the Father. God has a plan for each one of us and He wants us to live that plan to its fullest. The good news is that you can get up out of that pig pen and come home any time you ddregret, repent and feel like going. Some of us have come to the end of our worth and realize that only through Christ are we worthy in our heavenly Father’s eyes. It is not based upon anything that we can or cannot do, but based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, His resurrection from the dead, and His ascension to the right hand of God in Heaven. The prodigal son’s sin reached both his earthly father and his heavenly Father as well.  

 

“But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. The father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” This is one of the most compassionate scenes and a favorite passage demonstrating reconciliation and forgiveness, in the entire Bible. 

Let's conclude Pastor Herk's message of confession and God's forgiveness in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

 

Confession Unto Forgiveness - Part 1

This last Sunday, my father’s Pastor, Herk continued in his current sermon series leading up to Easter’s Good Friday and Resurrection Day. He states that confession equals God’s forgiveness. Confession is defined in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary as: 1. the acknowledgment of a crime, fault or something to one's disadvantage; open declaration of guilt, failure, debt, accusation. 2. Avowal; the act of acknowledging; profession. 3. The act of disclosing sins or faults to a priest; the disburdening of the conscience privately to a confessor; sometimes called auricular confession. Confession is a process of recognition of sin with the intent of turning from it and experiencing God’s forgiveness, free from shame and guilt. 

 

Lamentations 3:40-41 “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord; Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven.”

 

We need a regular practice of searching our lives and taking time to look inside can cultivate a life of grace and mercy as we work towards improving our walk with the Lord, overcome the sins of our past, and correct the poor decisions that we’ve made in our lives. The Bible calls every Believer to practice confession as disciples of Christ for the forgiveness of sin. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word “confession” as: 1. A formal statement admitting that one is guilty of a crime. 2. An acknowledgement that one has done something about which one is ashamed or embarrassed.3. A formal admission of one's sins with repentance and desire of absolution, especially privately to a priest as a religious duty. In order to confess, we have to admit that we are wrong. 

 

Psalm 32:3-5 “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.” 

 

Do you find it easy to admit when you are wrong and confessing it? Difficulty arises from our pride, indifference, or fear of showing weakness, of disappointing someone close, of discipline or of punishment. James 5:16 tells us to, “confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Confessing our sins and coming clean to someone can take us out of our comfort zone, seeming risky to image, reputation and ego. But, the greatest fear is, out of pure reverence, “letting down” and disappointing our heavenly Father, more than our fellow man. That is the meaning of “the fear of the Lord”. 

 

1 John 1:8-9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 

With God, we are promised that remorseful and repentant confession equals God’s forgiveness. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” It is because of Jesus’ sinless life and His humble sacrifice on the Cross in our place for our sins that we can experience that forgiveness of the Father, Almighty God. 

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on confession and God's forgiveness in the next post.

In Christ, Brian 

Glory Be To God – Part 2

 

The story in Mark continues, “Which of you fathers, if one of your children asks for a fish, will instead give him a snake that looks like a fish?” Children trust their fathers to make decisions that are good for them. A child has the persistent audacity to keep on asking his father for what they want. If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your own children, how much more will a loving heavenly father give good gifts to his children who ask him? We who are parents know the joy of giving good gifts to our own children. Take that feeling and multiply it ten times infinity and you’ll approach the joy that God feels to give good gifts to his children. 

 

Abraham had the audacity to ask God to save the city of Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of only five righteous souls. He kept on asking because he knew the heart of his God. Like Abraham approaching a loving God, I once was a stranger, but now I am a son. John 1:12-13 tells us that “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” This is the essence of God’s “adoption.” Adoption is a legal term that means that we have access to intimacy and freedom from guilt before our holy father. An adopted son or daughter has legal standing before his father to ask for his needs to be supplied. 

 

When God’s children pray, he always gives them what’s best for them in the long term, even though it may not be what the son or daughter asks for at the moment. Children don’t know what they really need. Like the stone mason who was asked what he was doing, we need to understand our upward calling. The stone mason pointed to the cathedral’s spire and said, “I’m chiseling this stone down here so that I can set it up there in the spire to glorify God.”

Our job when we pray is to sort through the chaff of our life. God will open our eyes so that we can see to appreciate the harvest that God has set in our lives not only in the here and now but also in the hereafter. Prayer is persistence … we need to keep on repeating the Word of God in our lives to understand what really matters and to walk humbly with our Father one day at a time.

 

Mark 9:35 “He [Jesus] sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” On the night before Jesus was crucified, the disciples were arguing who would be the greatest. In the upper room, they walked past the foot washing basin and took their places at the table. Jesus Christ with a heart of love and humility gladly took the role of the lowliest household servant and washed the disciples’ feet. This was an example to the disciples that he who is greatest shall be servant of all.

 

How can we be sure that God will answer our prayer? After supper, Jesus took Peter, James and John to the garden of Gethsemane to watch and pray. Jesus prayed to his father, “if there be any other way, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” The cup signified the wrath of God against sin … the righteous sentence of death for the sin and iniquity of fallen man. Prayer is not aligning God’s will with my will. Rather it is aligning my will with God’s will. 

 

How did Jesus align his heart with his Father’s will? The scripture does not reveal the answer in Matthew 22. However, the Word of God is its own best commentary. The answer is in Hebrews 12:2: Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. On the cross, Jesus Christ satisfied and balanced the scale of God’s righteous judgment for all of our transgressions. God revealed to Jesus, those of us who would be made righteous by the shedding of His innocent blood. Therefore, He endured the pain and suffering of a shameful death because of His joyous expectation of your salvation and mine. As a result of His answered prayer, Jesus Christ voluntarily drank the cup of death as full payment for our sin and iniquity against God … for He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. Glory be to God!

 

May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ, Michael

Glory Be To God - Part 1

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in highest heaven.”

This week, Michael writes that according to the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1646, the chief aim of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Glory is defined as: Praise ascribed in adoration; honor. Brightness; luster; splendor, magnificence. In scripture, glory means the divine presence. It is the divine perfections or excellence of Almighty God. Glory is weighty… it describes something of significance that has “gravitas.” Glory is consequential. A glorious man has substance. He is substantial, and he matters. Because we have been created in Christ Jesus, we are weighty, significant, substantial, and valuable in God’s eyes. However, in the eyes of the world we are inconsequential because the world cannot perceive the things of the spirit. 

 

1 Corinthians 2:14 “the natural [unbelieving] man does not accept the things [the teachings and revelations] of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness [absurd and illogical] to him; and he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated, [and he is unqualified to judge spiritual matters].”

 

When our prayers take the form of petition, we acknowledge that God is the source of our significance and glory. Prayer also tells us about the origin of our own heart. Prayer is the involuntary reflex of the human soul. 2 Corinthians 4:7 tells us that “we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves.” Communion and communication with God are hard wired into our earthen vessel. Even those who are unbelievers pray when confronted by death. The old saying is “there are no atheists in foxholes”. When his death was near, even Mark Twain, an avowed non-Christian said, “I prayed like never before.” When we stand at the threshold of death and glimpse our own mortality, these are “come to Jesus moments.” There is a “Judgment Day” for all.

 

In Luke 11:5, after Jesus had taught his disciples the “Lord’s prayer.” He gave them an illustration about the benefits of persistent prayer. Jesus said, when a friend who comes to you at midnight, knocks on your door, and says “I have a guest and have no bread to serve him,” will you say to him, “Go away, don’t bother me. It’s too late and my wife and children are already in bed.” However, because of your neighbor’s persistent knocking, won’t you simply get up and give him what he needs? 

 

Luke’s story about a cranky neighbor is an illustration of asking and receiving. In Jesus’ culture, neighborliness and hospitality were in vogue. The culture placed a high value on hospitality and considered it an honor to host a sojourner who needed a place to stay for the night. They believed that taking care of strangers was “entertaining angels unawares.” The host was obligated to fix a hot meal for the stranger. A stranger arriving at a house was considered the guest of the entire community. However, this particular host wasn’t prepared to feed his honored guest, resulting in a shameful situation and a bad reflection on the neighborhood. 

 

When the host knocked on his neighbor’s door a literal translation of his request was, “I have nothing to uphold the honor of the community.” The neighbor’s first reaction was, “get lost, my kids are already asleep and in bed. I can’t get up and help you.” In Jesus’ day, this was not the appropriate response and was unthinkable. Jesus said, the solution to the problem is to keep on asking. The parable is a contrast between a cranky neighbor and a loving God who is eager to meet his children’s needs. The key is persistence. If you have the persistence to keep on asking a cranky neighbor, he will accommodate your request. Likewise, keep on asking a benevolent and loving God. Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.

Let's continue Michael's message about "Glory to God" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Image is Everything

 

Retired pastor and author Tracy Hearnsberger wrote a topic article that I'd like to share today on the standard of truth for life in a world where image is everything, the question is who's image? 

A favorite life slogan 
Andre Agassi, a famous tennis star back in the 1990’s, did a Canon camera commercial in which he said, “Image is everything.”  The pitch was clear:  Buy this camera and your pictures, your images, will look more like the subject of the pictures than any from any other camera.  This saying has since been used by many groups whose purpose is to produce images that best reflect the original subject.  It also became one of my “life slogans” a couple of years ago and is still one of my favorites.  I agree with Andre Agassi on the value of image.
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Original intent
1.  Genesis 1:26, 27 (NASB): 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

2.  Genesis 2:22-25 (NASB): 22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

God’s creation of man in His image, His creation of the genders of male and female, and then His declaration, “for this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” is found in Genesis 1 and 2 which of course comes before Genesis 3 where we have recorded the fall of man into sin.  God’s original intent and purpose for every human being is to bear, reveal, show, and express His image so He can be “seen” in the earth.  God decided His image would be seen distinctively as male and female and then His image would be seen when a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife to become one flesh which reunites together male and female as one. 

Blurred image restored
This beautiful, original, and intentional purpose and plan found in Genesis 1 and 2 became “blurred,” “warped,” and “distorted” in the fall of man into sin which is found recorded in Genesis 3.  We see many examples of this every day all around us.  Yet, Jesus came to “restore” the image of God.  (Please read Romans 8:29, 1 Corinthians 15:49, and 2 Corinthians 3:18.)  “We were created in God’s own image, now in Christ to be transformed into the same image, so that we might bear His image.” (Another of my favorite life slogans.)  Jesus came, lived, died, and rose again to restore all things back to their original condition, especially all things concerning the image of God.  In Colossians 3:10 we are instructed to “put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--…”   

Image understood
To understand a thing one must understand the origin, the beginning, of the thing and understand the conclusion, the end, of the thing.  Genesis 2:24 is found 3 times in the Bible in Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5 and Ephesians 5:31.  Again, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”

Genesis 2:24 gives us God’s original, created, intent and purpose for marriage.  (See above.)  Jesus Himself quotes this verse in Matthew 19:5 when answering the Pharisees’ question about divorce and remarriage.  In Matthew 19:4 He even says, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,” and then in Matthew 19:8, concerning divorce, He says, “…but from the beginning it has not been this way.”  Jesus was getting everyone back to “the beginning.”  It is “in the beginning” where we find what we must understand and believe about the image of God; the creation of man; the creation of gender distinctiveness as male and female; and the intent, purpose, and plan of the marriage of one man and one woman.

Ephesians 5:31 is where Paul quotes Genesis 2:24, and I might say, quotes Jesus from Matthew 19:5.  In Ephesians 5:22-33 (Please read it.), God is instructing the church in Ephesus to understand that the example, the picture, the image of a husband and wife living their lives in Christ together in the earth is revealing, bearing, portraying, “unveiling” the amazing picture of Christ and the church.  Again, Ephesians 5:31, quoted from Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19:5 says, “FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”  Then, Ephesians 5:32 right after it says, “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”  

Image to come
In Ephesians 5:22-33 is where we begin to understand “the end of the thing.”  Ephesians 5:27 says, “that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”  This is referring to the future, second coming, return of Jesus Christ.  Revelation 19:5-9 speaks of “the marriage supper of the Lamb.”  Revelation 19:7 says, "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."  Revelation 21:2 says, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” 

All these Bible verses in Revelation (the book about “the end of the thing”) and Revelation 21:9-11 and 22:17 make reference to the great mystery found in Ephesians 5:22-33. "This example or picture, the image of a husband and wife living their lives in Christ together in the earth, is revealing, bearing, portraying, and unveiling the amazing picture of Christ and the church.”

In summary
1.  Genesis 1:27: “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

2.  Genesis 2:24: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”

3.  Matthew 19:4,5:  4 And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 5 and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'?”

4.  Ephesians 5:31-32: “FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”  32 “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” 

A final word of urged encouragement
Romans 12:1-2 (NASB) 1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

“Image is everything!” – Tracy Hearnsberger

In His Image

 

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

 

An American Family Association feature film states that when we struggle with thoughts, feelings, words and actions in our life, it is worth the struggle to do things God’s way and try to honor God in that. Yet, know that all of the Christian life is a struggle; obeying God is a struggle, holiness is a struggle. The fact that there is a struggle doesn’t mean that you are on the wrong path. The fact that it is hard doesn’t mean that you should give up. The fact that it doesn’t feel “right” doesn’t mean that you should put your feelings above the Word of God and say: “Well, I’m going to going with my feelings instead of what God says.” It is when we feel that we are at our wits end, can’t help ourselves and we feel that we are at a loss that as to what we are able to do that we become candidates to opening ourselves up to experience the power of God.

 

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 

God is clear that we are created in His image. An old Puritan prayer reads: “God, help me to honor You by believing before I feel, for great is the sin if I make feeling a cause for faith.” Romans 6:16-18 explains, “Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)? But thank God, though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed. And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action).”

 

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

 

God took the excruciating, ignominious atoning death of His Son Jesus Christ and makes it the means by which He saves the entire world. Do we need any greater demonstration of His love? Because we have that great sacrificial love unto salvation, we can give up having to control our own life and allow Jesus Christ, living in us with through the indwelling Holy Spirit to be our primary control and influence in our lives because God is strong enough, wise enough and loving enough to take our sinful desire from our fallen nature and using it as a means of shaping Christ in us. 

Galatians 5:25 “If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]”

Be Still with God – Part 2

 

Pastor Herk continues that we should carry on a daily conversation with God over your daily life. It is of inestimable value. Don’t worry about proper praying, just talk to God freely and openly about the daily stuff in your life because He wants to hear from you and what you have to say about your day. Share your thoughts in prayer. Your heavenly Father listens to you with compassion and love, while He delights in our presence. By praying, we are learning how to pray better. The more we pray to God, the better we get at it, because we learn most by doing and gaining experience.     

 

Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

 

Lift up your eyes to heaven and give God your full attention. There are times, each and every day, stop what we are doing, look up to the Lord and contemplate. We can get so “laser-focused” on distractions of this busy life, monopolizing our attention so much that we forget about our relationship with our Maker. We forget about how compassionate the Lord is to take care of every detail of our lives. That little act of lifting up our eyes changes our perspective, as we focus on Someone else, the One truly in control. Psalm 121:7-8 tells us that the Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.” This reality is comforting. 

 

If you are feeling anxious or stressed and need some space to process a situation, get up, get out and take a walk and have a talk with the Lord, inviting Him in. Also, set aside some time daily to put away distractions, and sit in silent devotional prayer. There really is no excuse to not be able to have some quiet time daily with our heavenly Father and get refocused. When and where do you feel at peace? Psalm 62:1 says, “Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.”

 

You may even find a trusted brother or sister in Christ that could help you be accountable to daily stillness before the Lord. These regular times of quiet and stillness are incredibly powerful for our overall health. We cannot be running all out, “full blast” all day long. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” We subconsciously switch off the busyness and cares of this world when we lift up our hearts and contemplate upon the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of all. Our soul, our innermost being, is at rest when we are quiet and still before God. Silence is golden and silence is sacred, but it is hard to find it in the fast-paced, busy world. The Lord is in the gentle whisper. We have got to slow down from our chaotic lives, so that we have the space to entertain that gentle whisper. It takes intentional effect to carve out that time that we need to connect with the Lord, but how powerful it is.

 

We may think sometimes that all the hundreds of things that we are doing during the day are what is most important and what is most valuable (some of them are very important and some are very valuable), but we have to prioritize. God is waiting; are you willing? Let’s be brutally honest about something: Is all of your striving, all of your hustle, all of your activities, all of your appointments, and all of your actions making you a peaceful and relaxed person? There is so much going on around us in our lives. We all long for a peaceful life, grounded in faith. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Be still with God.

 

In Christ, Brian

Be Still with God - Part 1

 

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

 

This last Sunday, Pastor Herk continued in their church’s preparation for Easter’s Cross and Resurrection celebration. He states that with all the concerns of global health threats, economic uncertainty, social unrest and political turmoil, it’s easy to get distracted and forget or neglect our connection to the source of life and how important it is. Drawing near to God through contemplative prayer is a way in which we can experience the nearness of God. Contemplative prayer does not happen by accident, but is something that you have to carve out the time necessary in your life to work at and develop, intending to get closer to your heavenly Father in a deep and abiding relationship, as a part of having a focused desire to know God more and to make God known to others around us. We need a time of devotional prayer each and every day. 

 

The Lord Jesus’s life and ministry here on earth must be studied to learn exactly how, as disciples, we should live our lives; the abundant life possible to us if we just focus on Christ. One of Jesus’ most powerful habit was contemplation. Contemplation is defined as: The act of the mind in considering with attention; meditation; study; continued attention of the mind to a particular subject. Contemplation is keeping the idea, brought into the mind, some time actually in view. 2. Holy meditation; attention to sacred things; a particular application of the foregoing definition. Be still with God. 

 

Everyone desires a more devoted, more powerful, most purposeful prayer life. It does not matter how good we may be or how faithful we are in our prayer life, we all want it to be better, speaking to our Lord on a personal level and know His will for our lives. The major issue that we struggle with is busyness and a fast-paced lifestyle. There is so much that is loud, busy and frantic in this world that competes with our attention and our thoughts. We have to slow down, quiet ourselves, clear our minds and be still. It can feel awkward. It is a challenge to be still, contemplate and pray. But, it is when you are quiet and still that you hear the Lord. We ‘ve grow accustomed to the noise that is there all the time, and feel out-of-place when it stops. We have to force ourselves into a quiet situation. Contemplation is a peaceful, silent time and a calm place of prayer in the life of a Christian Believer. 

 

Mark 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He [Jesus] went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” 

 

The Bible has a fulfilling way to do that with principles that we can put into our lives. When Pastor Herk thinks about stillness, he thinks about this Bible verse [above]. When we genuinely pray, the condition of our heart is revealed. Pray is an amazing avenue and essential part of our life journey and walk with the Lord on this adventure in connection and relationship. Prayer is direct communication with our Lord God Almighty Creator of heaven and earth and He is hearing us. The Divine Creator of the universe and cosmos communes with you and I. … let that sink in. We talk with God.  

Let's continue Pastor Herk message on being still with God.

In Christ, Brian 

No Time for Business as Usual

 

This week, Michael writes that in the midst of a crisis, we respond as we have been trained. These are the days that try a person’s hearts. Crisis situations are characterized by an attack causing acute pain in the midst of an emotionally significant event or life changing situation. In a crisis situation there is a distinct possibility of an undesirable outcome. A crisis is a situation that has reached critical mass. Today, there is a crisis in our culture where the “politically correct” call evil good and good evil. When the crisis comes, God expects his men and women to respond as they have been trained as disciples of Christ. Satan, the Adversary, has a goal is take the culture captive and hold it against its will. 

 

“Business as usual” is to carry out normal activities as if there is no crisis. However, a crisis requires immediate corrective action. William Bennet writes that people in our culture have been marginalized and relegated to a position of dishonor and insignificance in our politically correct culture. The danger is that men and women aspire to succeed in things that do not matter in the light of eternity. According to George Gallop in “The Search for Faith in America,” never before has the Gospel of Christ made such inroads, yet at the same time making so little affect in the lives of men, women and children with no requirement that people repent, turn around, and turn from their wicked ways. A time when people think they are in the light of righteousness before God, yet living in the dark. This was the same situation in Leviticus chapter 33. The people came before God and listened to the Word of God and the songs of praise and worship, but did not put them into practice.

 

Jesus, during an urgent time in Matthew 26, just before His crucifixion, asked his disciples to watch while He prayed. Jesus prayed, “If it be possible, allow this cup to be passed from me, nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” Though He had asked His disciples three times to watch and pray, He found them sleeping in the crisis of the spiritual battle.

 

The story of Noah is the warning about the flood of God’s judgement. The Ark was a symbol of God’s way of deliverance. However, the people disregarded God’s way of salvation and perished in the face of the flood of the judgement of God. They performed their business as usual and did not understand the urgency of the crisis situation. The times are similar today. The warning signs are all around us as the culture is imploding into the darkness of sinful pagan political correctness. Jesus himself cried over Jerusalem … he lamented that only if Jerusalem had known the things that God had meant for peace. He came to minister unto His own … the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus had said, my peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.

 

A disciplined soldier performs as he or she has been trained in the crisis of the battle. The freedom and the joy in the midst of the crisis is to turn your eyes upon Jesus and not on the things of the God-rejecting world. The training of a Christian disciple is to walk in fellowship with Christ. A disciple is a disciplined follower, walking in his master’s footsteps. The disciple’s heart’s desire is to walk in the dust of the Rabi. Casual Christians are casualties of war in the crisis of the spiritual battle. A disciple is disciplined to follow his Commander in Chief intentionally, deliberately, purposefully and whole heartedly. Therefore, set your affections on things above, not on the things of the world. Our battle cry is David’s battle cry when he confronted Goliath: “Who are you to defy the armies of the Living God.” 

 

We have not been called to “business as usual.” Jesus has called us to watch and pray. Though Peter, James, and John fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. The spirit is the power of God in manifestation. We have this same power as men and women of God. Therefore, be strong in the Lord, in the power of His might. For it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. When we live in the light as he is in the light, we shall have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness. 

 

This is no time for business as usual. God has called us to be His photomultipliers (metaphoric instruments used to detect and amplify the light from very faint sources) : Therefore, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. In the midst of the crisis of the spiritual battle, God has called His people for such a time as this.

 

May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ, Michael

A Time For Comfort

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to throw away; A time to tear, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.”

 

The late Pastor J. Vernon McGee wrote that Ecclesiastes 3 illustrates the circles of life, describing different seasons. He says that you may feel a season with a big gaping hole in your life, and you need something to fill it. Pastor McGee tells us about how to fill that hole in our life with God’s comfort from “the God of all mercies”. 

 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 proclaims to us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.” To equip the Corinthian Christians for hard times, the Apostle Paul taught them about God Himself. He is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. Did you know that about God? When you are convinced of the truth of God’s Word, you can live it out with enthusiasm even when you are traveling through loss. Believe it today.

 

John 3:16a “For God so loved the world that he gave ...”

 

Pastor McGee reminds us of God’s love, grace, and mercy. First, it is true that God loves us. It would break our hearts if we could grasp just how much He does. But, it’s sloppy theology to say God saves us by His love – we’re saved by God’s grace. Ephesians 2:8 explains that, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Appropriately, grace is the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him. 

 

We call the grace of God unmerited favor, which means that God saves us on a different basis than merit. Why? As “the Father of mercies”, God provided a Savior for us. Out of mercy, He provided what we didn’t have but totally needed. Do you need mercy today? When you need help, go to Him. After all, anything and everything you have today is a mercy from Him. We don’t deserve any of it, but He gives it all to us freely.  

 

Our heavenly Father is also “the God of all comfort”. Comfort means “to come alongside of” to strengthen the mind when depressed or enfeebled; to console; to give new vigor to the spirit. The same word describes the Holy Spirit, the paraclete, the Comforter, the One called to our side. In John 14:15-17, 25- 26 Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

 

The Spirit of God is called to help you, to strengthen you, to relieve the loneliness, ease the grief, and calm your fears. He is your advocate in time of fear and trouble. He will be with you in the desperate hour of life. Psalm 30:10 prays, “Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!” When our soul cries out for the Comforter, He comes alongside us. When we know for sure that God is with us in all life’s troubles, we can live by faith and not by fear.

 

God Will Provide - Part 4

 

1 Timothy 6:6 “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”

 

Continuing, Pastor Kyle states that the second thing we need to get through the desert wilderness of life is the ability to count your blessings, when it is easier to focus on life’s burdens. There are blessings in every wilderness, if you are willing to count them. Every cloud has a silver lining, meaning that when a situation seems to be desperate there is always hope for better things to come. The best recipe to building up your faith in desert seasons is to count your blessings. You shouldn’t dwell on what you don’t have, but should be grateful for the things in your life that God provides and has done for you, solidly based on an eternal perspective of the kingdom of Heaven. 

 

The problem occurs when we stop focusing on the goodness and faithfulness of God, then get over-whelmed by our current problems. Many don’t need a hot desert wilderness like the Israelites to question God; we just need a few things in our life to not go the way that we want them to go. Today, our society gets way more frustrated over way less, when we have way more in life than we could ever dream of. 

 

The third thing we need to get through the desert wilderness of life is a reminder of God’s delivery system: it’s just enough, just in time. God’s provision is infinite, but He sent His provision just a little of just what we need at the time. The Israelites need food, so God sent daily supernatural bread from the sky in a barren land. They needed water, so God supernaturally provides water from a rock in a dry desert to meet their need. Not their way, but God’s way. He made them wait until they ran out to test them and see if they trusted Him. It was a learning experience to teach trust of God and to count their blessings. For the “born again” Believer, you are His redeemed child, bought with the price of His Son Jesus’ blood. God provides “daily bread” sustenance to meet our needs to all that trust in Him; He knows them all. Jesus is our daily bread.      

 

Deuteronomy 8:11-17 says, “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end—then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’”

  

The fourth thing we need to get through the desert wilderness of life is a wise plan for tomorrow. What does the whole counsel of God’s Word tell us? The diligent prosper; they are hardworking and plan for the future. Money doesn’t grow on trees. The time when planning becomes a problem is when we believe that we provide for ourselves and forget God. God gifted us with the ability to plan ahead, but we must always and forever trust and know that the Lord, our God, is our Provider. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways are higher than our ways, and His plans are higher than our plans. We need dependence on God to provide our daily bread. 

 

In Christ, Brian