Monday, June 28, 2010

Merely Human?

There was an captivating question jumped out at me last week as we were reading and discussion I Corinthians. Paul asked the Christians in Corinth a pointed question. After discussing several specific issues, he asked the "are you not acting like mere men?"

It was so important of a point that he made the statement and question twice.

So, what do you suppose were is expectations?

Today, too many Christians, act like mere men and women. There is no joy, there is no power, there is no adventure, there is no seeing of the enemy, much less attacking the enemy.

We are God's personal representatives in this world. And, it was His choice, not ours. Jesus told His followers "these things you see Me do, you shall do also, and greater things shall you do because I go to the Father".

So, when was the most recent time that you did something greater than Jesus?

Are you content to be just a mere man or woman?

Monday, June 21, 2010

Burdens Are Released

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation.
Psalm 68:19

So ask yourself this: why do you keep carrying the burden that He earnestly desires to carry?

We have become so accustomed to our stress that we are afraid to let it go. We are comfortable with the load and would feel undressed if we ever let it go.

Well, scripture tells us where that fear comes from:

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:15


"Abba Father, strip away my fear, decimate my burden, release my joy".

Monday, June 14, 2010

A Walk in the Garden

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.

God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.

Imagine this setting from the first chapter of Genesis. God had created everything for the joy and the benefit of the choicest of His creation.

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." Genesis 2:16

The vast forest of trees were give to man with only one single tree being set aside as unavailable to them.

They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8

In addition to all of man's physical needs being met, God's presence was consistent and obviously available.

How is it that our world has ended up where is has when so much was provided to the advantage of maintaining the spiritual nature of mankind?

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" Genesis 3:1

OK, so here is the real question. Adam personally knew his Creator; had an intimate relationship with his God but, nevertheless, listened to the liar!

How did this happen?

A better question perhaps is: if Adam couldn't resist what chance do I have?

It is vitally important for us to see the entire picture painted in the beginning chapters of the history of God's dealing with man.

What do you think enabled Satan to "get a word in edgewise" with one so aware of God's presence and provision?

What more could Adam have wanted if totally left by himself, with no outside influence?

Allow me to bring this home personally.

Adam had acres and acres of provision.

How often do you thank God for the things and the people he has given you? Adam had lost his gratitude for the things and the people that he had had. This left a huge opening for the enemy to present additional options.

Adam had immediate and real access to the Living God on a current basis. He grew in-sensitized to the ready presence.

When was the last time you treated your God like He was treasured and that His current presence made a difference for you?

Adam listened to the enticing discussion.

What do you listen to the most? Do you ever hear from Him? Are the enticing invitations of fame, wealth, success, happiness, security louder than the sweet, soft voice of the Great Lover of your soul?

Adam choose to try the tree!

What is your tree? God has given you acres and acres of permissible "trees" but there is always that one!

I encourage you to hear His voice, walk with Him continually and offer to Him the thanksgiving due!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Choose This Day

You are probably familiar with the parable told by Jesus often called the Parable of the Sower; some prefer the title Parable of the Soils.

In either case you remember that Jesus discussed four types of "soil" that the good seed has planted with. The first two "soils" had issues that kept the good seed from germinating or if germinated, had no possibility of growth.

I would like for you to focus on the third type of "soil" for this discussion. Here is the discussion about this third "soil":

And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Matthew 12:22

Have you ever noticed how much the concept of fruitfulness is addressed in the Bible? It would seem that there are several levels of importance that apply to producing fruit in one's life.

"the worry of the world"

There exists many, many individual worries that this world offers for us to pick up. As sure as we let go of one, we will find another waiting for us. What is you current worry?

"deceitfulness of wealth"

Volumes could be written about this topic. In our society, wealth and the false security and tinseled pleasure that it promises yet fails to produce are the norm. Tragically, the Bride of Jesus has been duped into this scam too readily.

Here we must be very careful and very aware of our self-justification proclivity. It is so easy to look at those who seemingly have more and apply this statement to them. The honest truth is that this statement is true of all of us. Where is you security?

Fruitfulness is connected to hearing and living the Word of God. Undiminished by the worries and the deceitfulness of the false gods the faithful son or daughter lives a life that is a living testimony to God's splendor!

We cannot serve two masters! Joshua issued a challenge to his family: Choose this day who you will serve; as for me an my house, we ill serve the Lord!

Choose this day whom you will serve!