"For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God." (Romans 10:3)
The Bible clearly lays the case against trying to establish our own righteousness by our own works. Well meaning believers fall into the trap of trying to relate to God based on their own deeds. Unbelievers who acknowledge that they do believe in some sort of "god" fall prey to believing that God will accept them because they are a good person. The problem lies in the concept of righteousness. Romans 3:10 tells us that "There is none righteous, no, not one." Good deeds can't cover unrighteousness. If they could we wouldn't need a savior. 99 percent righteousness is still unrighteousness. The line is formed hard and fast.
Bur thanks be to God our Savior has made a way for us! Through Him we have the righteousness of God imparted to us by faith (Romans 3:22, Philippians 3:9). But what do we see in the human condition? We see such pride, arrogance and conceit formed in an unfounded and historically inaccurate view of the goodness of man. A view that manifests itself in people who believe that God must accept them because they are good. They refuse to submit to the righteousness of God. From the perspective of one who has been saved by the grace of God that is mind-boggling. Jesus has lovingly laid down His life and paid the price for us, but we refuse to accept the free gift He so willingly offers.
Christians who don't get this will live a Christian walk with a certain level of frustration, but thankfully it's not an eternal life and death decision for them. The grace of God is willingly extended to those who receive it by faith. We are saved by what we believe, and we're not disqualified by error in doctrine or belief in other matters. The grace of God is powerful. The true tragedy lies with those people who believe there is a God, but refuse to submit to what God has said. Those are the people who will try to pass muster by holding up their good works and will be tragically disappointed when told "I never knew you." In some ways those cases will be sadder than atheists who willfully argue against and reject God, but simply believing there is a God is just not enough. Even demons believe that.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
An Abundant Heart
"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45)
We've all been around people who are cynical and negative. I don't know about you, but a little of that goes a long way. I've had co-workers, friends and relatives who, because of that particular trait, I could only do in short doses. That kind of conversation tears at our souls and brings us down. It readily leads to sin as it frequently involves gossip and hard judgments against others.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that "the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The Bible has much to say about our mouths and how they ought to be used, but in Luke 6 Jesus brings it all into sharp focus by targeting the real culprit -- our hearts. The original word for heart in Luke 6:45 and Hebrews 4:12 is the Greek word kardia. In this context it refers to the soul. The soul is the seat of our mind, will, and emotions.
People are sometimes good fakers, but given enough time hearts are exposed. I've met folks, who at the start, seemed to be really great people, but as time went on their heart issues began to show. People can fake it in the short term, but given enough time what is really in their hearts will come out. The abundance of their heart, or lack thereof, will be revealed. You really can't maintain what you don't have to give out. This is actually a good thing because it reveals needs and wounds and can open up real opportunities for healing and growth.
I love the statement in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word of God is "a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The Word of God is like a mirror we can hold our lives up against to see how we line up. Maybe I have been holding onto unforgiveness against someone and in reading the Bible I discover that Jesus commanded us to forgive (Mark 11:25). At that point my heart has been revealed and I have a choice -- I can either continue to do things my way or submit to what the Lord has said.
The car and feeding of our souls is critically important. If you desire an abundant heart it matters what you are reading, watching, talking about and thinking on. God's Word is vitally important in this process. Reading and meditating on it and applying it to your life will transform you. Of course, that has to take place in the context of our relationship and fellowship with the Lord or we can turn it into dry religion, in which case, it will avail us little.
We've all been around people who are cynical and negative. I don't know about you, but a little of that goes a long way. I've had co-workers, friends and relatives who, because of that particular trait, I could only do in short doses. That kind of conversation tears at our souls and brings us down. It readily leads to sin as it frequently involves gossip and hard judgments against others.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that "the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The Bible has much to say about our mouths and how they ought to be used, but in Luke 6 Jesus brings it all into sharp focus by targeting the real culprit -- our hearts. The original word for heart in Luke 6:45 and Hebrews 4:12 is the Greek word kardia. In this context it refers to the soul. The soul is the seat of our mind, will, and emotions.
People are sometimes good fakers, but given enough time hearts are exposed. I've met folks, who at the start, seemed to be really great people, but as time went on their heart issues began to show. People can fake it in the short term, but given enough time what is really in their hearts will come out. The abundance of their heart, or lack thereof, will be revealed. You really can't maintain what you don't have to give out. This is actually a good thing because it reveals needs and wounds and can open up real opportunities for healing and growth.
I love the statement in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word of God is "a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The Word of God is like a mirror we can hold our lives up against to see how we line up. Maybe I have been holding onto unforgiveness against someone and in reading the Bible I discover that Jesus commanded us to forgive (Mark 11:25). At that point my heart has been revealed and I have a choice -- I can either continue to do things my way or submit to what the Lord has said.
The car and feeding of our souls is critically important. If you desire an abundant heart it matters what you are reading, watching, talking about and thinking on. God's Word is vitally important in this process. Reading and meditating on it and applying it to your life will transform you. Of course, that has to take place in the context of our relationship and fellowship with the Lord or we can turn it into dry religion, in which case, it will avail us little.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Intrinsically Organic
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. (Colossians 4:6).
Jesus was an awesome conversationalist. He was able to speak the truth in love without feeling the need to make sure everyone always agreed with Him. He was never fearful or intimidated. He spoke out of the reality of who He is. It is so easy for us to get intimidated in sharing our faith because we have fallen into the traps of thinking we have to give someone the formula for salvation or of being afraid that we are going to offend. We are robbed of being able to share incredibly good news!
In Christ we have entered into this awesome wonderful love relationship with the Lord. He has become the biggest person in our lives. In normal conversation we talk about the things and people that are most important to us, but somehow in our current climate of political correctness, we are expected to keep quiet about our relationship with Jesus. That is a trap of the enemy that we have allowed ourselves to fall into. We get intimidated into not sharing the thing that people most need to hear. Will some people be made to feel uncomfortable? Obviously. That's just part of it. People don't like things that challenge what they believe, and yet, there are people dying to hear what we have to say.
I think that one issue we have is that we have made "witnessing" so formulaic. We've turned it more into winning a debate or presenting a sales pitch than something that is intrinsically organic to who we now are. In doing so we have taken something that should come naturally and made it something artificial. How many times have you argued with someone that the outcome was them changing their position and agreeing with you? Pretty rare I suspect. We like to win and hate to be proven wrong. How many of us really like to be sold? Do you really like when someone pops into your life with some plan or thing that you weren't interested in and proceeds to try to get you make a commitment to it? Most of us find those kind of encounters unpleasant.
There is a better way though, and that is to take Jesus from a sales presentation to the very real, living person that He is. He is "King of kings and Lord of lords" and yet He is also "the friend who is closer than a brother." His love for us is beyond belief. If He is the biggest person in our lives He ought to be a big part of our conversation. The reality of that relationship is something that should challenge the people around you. As we cultivate our relationship with Him and grow in His grace then there will be an outworking of that in our lives. It really does change us and transform us. Because He is love our actions and attitudes begin to reflect that love more and more. Our conversation will reflect that love more and more too!
Jesus was an awesome conversationalist. He was able to speak the truth in love without feeling the need to make sure everyone always agreed with Him. He was never fearful or intimidated. He spoke out of the reality of who He is. It is so easy for us to get intimidated in sharing our faith because we have fallen into the traps of thinking we have to give someone the formula for salvation or of being afraid that we are going to offend. We are robbed of being able to share incredibly good news!
In Christ we have entered into this awesome wonderful love relationship with the Lord. He has become the biggest person in our lives. In normal conversation we talk about the things and people that are most important to us, but somehow in our current climate of political correctness, we are expected to keep quiet about our relationship with Jesus. That is a trap of the enemy that we have allowed ourselves to fall into. We get intimidated into not sharing the thing that people most need to hear. Will some people be made to feel uncomfortable? Obviously. That's just part of it. People don't like things that challenge what they believe, and yet, there are people dying to hear what we have to say.
I think that one issue we have is that we have made "witnessing" so formulaic. We've turned it more into winning a debate or presenting a sales pitch than something that is intrinsically organic to who we now are. In doing so we have taken something that should come naturally and made it something artificial. How many times have you argued with someone that the outcome was them changing their position and agreeing with you? Pretty rare I suspect. We like to win and hate to be proven wrong. How many of us really like to be sold? Do you really like when someone pops into your life with some plan or thing that you weren't interested in and proceeds to try to get you make a commitment to it? Most of us find those kind of encounters unpleasant.
There is a better way though, and that is to take Jesus from a sales presentation to the very real, living person that He is. He is "King of kings and Lord of lords" and yet He is also "the friend who is closer than a brother." His love for us is beyond belief. If He is the biggest person in our lives He ought to be a big part of our conversation. The reality of that relationship is something that should challenge the people around you. As we cultivate our relationship with Him and grow in His grace then there will be an outworking of that in our lives. It really does change us and transform us. Because He is love our actions and attitudes begin to reflect that love more and more. Our conversation will reflect that love more and more too!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Dwelling In The Shelter
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1)
The Hebrew word for dwell in this passage is yashab. Yashab means to sit down, to remain or stay or to make that place your abode. It is where you live. Psalm 91 is a wonderful picture of God's protection and care. The outcome of sitting down is rest in his presence. Rest is a real good thing. I read an article today by Greg Laurie that talked about how 50% of Americans are constant worriers, but only about 8% of the things they worry about are actually legitimate.
Life can be stressful. but we have a place of refuge in the Lord. It is a place of rest and peace. We access it by our fellowship with Him. We do that by time in the Word, prayer, worship and a heart attitude that cultivates His presence. What do I mean by that? We learn to live in an awareness of His presence. In 1st Thessalonians 5:17 Paul tells us to "pray without ceasing." If we think of prayer as a religious exercise that would be impossible, but if we think of prayer as communication (communion) with the Lord then it can become a reality.
There are times when how we pray will be more intense than others. Sometimes we will withdraw to a quiet place, just as Jesus did. Sometimes though, we will find ourselves in a place where we just can't do that. Does that mean that God won't hear us or we can't receive His wisdom and help? Absolutely not. He is always near, but we need to sharpen our awareness and understanding of that. It really starts with a mindset that God is with me wherever I and we are having a constant conversation.
There is rest in this constant conversation with him. Stop striving and chasing. Psalm 91 is a wonderful place to start.
The Hebrew word for dwell in this passage is yashab. Yashab means to sit down, to remain or stay or to make that place your abode. It is where you live. Psalm 91 is a wonderful picture of God's protection and care. The outcome of sitting down is rest in his presence. Rest is a real good thing. I read an article today by Greg Laurie that talked about how 50% of Americans are constant worriers, but only about 8% of the things they worry about are actually legitimate.
Life can be stressful. but we have a place of refuge in the Lord. It is a place of rest and peace. We access it by our fellowship with Him. We do that by time in the Word, prayer, worship and a heart attitude that cultivates His presence. What do I mean by that? We learn to live in an awareness of His presence. In 1st Thessalonians 5:17 Paul tells us to "pray without ceasing." If we think of prayer as a religious exercise that would be impossible, but if we think of prayer as communication (communion) with the Lord then it can become a reality.
There are times when how we pray will be more intense than others. Sometimes we will withdraw to a quiet place, just as Jesus did. Sometimes though, we will find ourselves in a place where we just can't do that. Does that mean that God won't hear us or we can't receive His wisdom and help? Absolutely not. He is always near, but we need to sharpen our awareness and understanding of that. It really starts with a mindset that God is with me wherever I and we are having a constant conversation.
There is rest in this constant conversation with him. Stop striving and chasing. Psalm 91 is a wonderful place to start.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
God With Us
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23)
I read recently where some atheist organization had put up a billboard in New Jersey claiming that the nativity is a myth and appealing to "reason." It is truly sad how insecure someone must be to attack a cherished celebration in that way, but then, as Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God."
Atheists firmly believe that if they can just appeal to reason we'll lay this God foolishness down. They can't see the reality of "God with us." Jesus didn't come and die to make us religious but to bring us into a relationship. Relationship with God is an awesome wonderful thing. By faith, we lay hold of the reality of that relationship. By faith, we walk and talk with Him and hear His voice. By faith we receive what He has for us. By faith, we live in this wonderful fellowship with Him.
We are in an age where access to information has exploded exponentially. The internet is a wide open opportunity for argument. People who, face to face, would have kept quiet now have a vehicle to broadcast any ignorant opinion they like. You can search online and find a million arguments for or against God. People can argue with your theology and mock your beliefs, but they cannot take away your relationship with God. I see Christians online trying to argue with unbelievers. It rarely works.
But something different happens when you live in relationship with God. Sadly, many believers rarely grasp the fullness of that walk. There is nothing like it. His very presence now dwells within us. God is truly with us! That is the only antidote to an age of skepticism. If we truly desire to walk with Him and know Him He will oblige. The man or woman that knows the Lord is never at the mercy of an unbeliever with a bunch of arguments.
God is with us! As we enter into this Christmas season I pray that the reality of that will be manifest more and more in each of our lives. Jesus came to bring us into fellowship with God. Let's grab hold of what He has provided for us.
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23)
I read recently where some atheist organization had put up a billboard in New Jersey claiming that the nativity is a myth and appealing to "reason." It is truly sad how insecure someone must be to attack a cherished celebration in that way, but then, as Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God."
Atheists firmly believe that if they can just appeal to reason we'll lay this God foolishness down. They can't see the reality of "God with us." Jesus didn't come and die to make us religious but to bring us into a relationship. Relationship with God is an awesome wonderful thing. By faith, we lay hold of the reality of that relationship. By faith, we walk and talk with Him and hear His voice. By faith we receive what He has for us. By faith, we live in this wonderful fellowship with Him.
We are in an age where access to information has exploded exponentially. The internet is a wide open opportunity for argument. People who, face to face, would have kept quiet now have a vehicle to broadcast any ignorant opinion they like. You can search online and find a million arguments for or against God. People can argue with your theology and mock your beliefs, but they cannot take away your relationship with God. I see Christians online trying to argue with unbelievers. It rarely works.
But something different happens when you live in relationship with God. Sadly, many believers rarely grasp the fullness of that walk. There is nothing like it. His very presence now dwells within us. God is truly with us! That is the only antidote to an age of skepticism. If we truly desire to walk with Him and know Him He will oblige. The man or woman that knows the Lord is never at the mercy of an unbeliever with a bunch of arguments.
God is with us! As we enter into this Christmas season I pray that the reality of that will be manifest more and more in each of our lives. Jesus came to bring us into fellowship with God. Let's grab hold of what He has provided for us.
Monday, November 15, 2010
No Other Name
"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
Jesus Christ is still "the way, the truth, and the life" and no one comes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). Salvation is by no other. It was only Jesus Christ who made a way for each of us when we could not make a way for ourselves. He paid my blood debt and bought me eternal relationship with God. It's not cool to believe that anymore. We like to believe that all paths lead to God, but that's just not the truth according to God's Word. Jesus Himself said that the person who doesn't believe is "condemned already" (John 3:18). No amount of monkeying around with scripture can change that. As His follower it's not my job to change the message to make it palatable -- if I were to do that it would, in fact, prove that I am not much of a follower of His. I live according to what He has said, not according to what I think or want to believe.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
This salvation comes by faith, in other words, we receive it by believing God. In Romans Paul writes that we must confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). God has purchased our salvation for each of us, but we must receive it by faith. In Galatians 3:22 we read that "the scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." Hebrews 10:39 says that "But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul." Perdition means destruction.
Judgment is not a popular topic anymore, but the Bible is clear that judgment awaits those who reject Jesus. 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-10 makes that abundantly clear: "in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed." There's that belief again.
In Matthew 28 and Mark 16 we read where Jesus commanded us to go into the world as His witnesses. We carry the most wonderful news in the history of mankind. The word gospel, literally means "good news." We carry the good news because there is bad news for those who reject the Jesus. We are salt and light in a messed up world.
Salvation is by no other.
Jesus Christ is still "the way, the truth, and the life" and no one comes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). Salvation is by no other. It was only Jesus Christ who made a way for each of us when we could not make a way for ourselves. He paid my blood debt and bought me eternal relationship with God. It's not cool to believe that anymore. We like to believe that all paths lead to God, but that's just not the truth according to God's Word. Jesus Himself said that the person who doesn't believe is "condemned already" (John 3:18). No amount of monkeying around with scripture can change that. As His follower it's not my job to change the message to make it palatable -- if I were to do that it would, in fact, prove that I am not much of a follower of His. I live according to what He has said, not according to what I think or want to believe.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
This salvation comes by faith, in other words, we receive it by believing God. In Romans Paul writes that we must confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). God has purchased our salvation for each of us, but we must receive it by faith. In Galatians 3:22 we read that "the scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." Hebrews 10:39 says that "But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul." Perdition means destruction.
Judgment is not a popular topic anymore, but the Bible is clear that judgment awaits those who reject Jesus. 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-10 makes that abundantly clear: "in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed." There's that belief again.
In Matthew 28 and Mark 16 we read where Jesus commanded us to go into the world as His witnesses. We carry the most wonderful news in the history of mankind. The word gospel, literally means "good news." We carry the good news because there is bad news for those who reject the Jesus. We are salt and light in a messed up world.
Salvation is by no other.
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