Why is it that the human race finds if incredibly difficult to just keep things simple? We tend to think the more twists, turns, regulations, and instructions the better the end result will be. We may not really want to admit this altogether, but if we take an honest look at our lives we may be surprised where we have complicated things.
One of the reasons why God told Adam and Eve to not partake of the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil" was to keep things simple. Simple in terms of where our focus lies.
In 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 the apostle Paul draws a parallel to Eve in the garden. This verse says, 3"But I fear, lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted-you may well put up with it!NKJV
I have been challenged lately to keep things focused on the simplicity of the Gospel. We need to be struck again with the wonder and amazement of the depth and riches hidden in the very person of Jesus. If you look at what Paul was also saying to the Church in Corinth, simplicity in where wisdom and knowledge is found. Look at this, Colossians 2:2-4 "being knit together in love, and attaining to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words."
We have this treasure in our earthen vessel. Christ is in us, the hope of realizing the glory He has imputed to us at the cross. As Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert on a pole for the Israelites to expectantly gaze upon, a constant gaze upon Jesus will bring manifestation for you today. Amen?
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wow! What a Gift....Fullness!
This morning I was spending a little time with the Lord and asked Him to show me something I had not seen before or realized. I was led to John Chapter 1:16 which says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace."
To think that when we realized the gift of His son and accepted what He did for us, He gave us His FULLNESS!? I looked up the Greek word used here for "fullness" and found that it literally means: power, agency, riches of Christ, of those things a ship carries for its' journey and is filled with all merchandise-manpower-and supplies needed for the journey! The root word of fullness in the Greek means: to make full, filled to render perfect, to accomplish, and to bring into realization!
All we need to realize is that the Gospel is a receiving kingdom. Out of our revelation of what He has given us we are then able to manifest Him. If we still think we are striving to become something for others and God, then we have stepped into the religion zone. That's a dead end my brothers and sisters!
His "fullness" is a much much better option than beating ourselves up and trying to "obtain fullness" by our efforts and mindless religious activities designed to make us feel better about ourselves. Receive the ongoing gift of His fullness and you will see the fruits of the Spirit manifest and not the works of the flesh, Amen?
To think that when we realized the gift of His son and accepted what He did for us, He gave us His FULLNESS!? I looked up the Greek word used here for "fullness" and found that it literally means: power, agency, riches of Christ, of those things a ship carries for its' journey and is filled with all merchandise-manpower-and supplies needed for the journey! The root word of fullness in the Greek means: to make full, filled to render perfect, to accomplish, and to bring into realization!
All we need to realize is that the Gospel is a receiving kingdom. Out of our revelation of what He has given us we are then able to manifest Him. If we still think we are striving to become something for others and God, then we have stepped into the religion zone. That's a dead end my brothers and sisters!
His "fullness" is a much much better option than beating ourselves up and trying to "obtain fullness" by our efforts and mindless religious activities designed to make us feel better about ourselves. Receive the ongoing gift of His fullness and you will see the fruits of the Spirit manifest and not the works of the flesh, Amen?
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
"How do I know I'm loved?"
At our core, we all cry out to absolutely know that we are loved and desired. It is the greatest need of humanity and always will be. Not how much money we make, how many good friends we have, getting the perfect career, or even having the perfect family life. There is something embedded in our DNA that yearns for intimacy with the One who formed us and made us with an eternal destiny in mind. The truth is, if we find it and then nurture that relationship...it enhances and makes everything else all begin to fall in place.
Many people, weather you are a Christian or not frequently say things outwardly or inwardly like, "God, if you really loved me you would ............." right? I have too my fellow sojourners. Here is what I have found and have seen to be helpful. First off you need to be determined to not just have an "engagement" with Jesus and actually get married and joined to Him. If you are not interested in learning the heart and character of God, the rest of this might not gel with you.
I spent the majority of my Christian life relying on a prayer and "good moral" behavior and found that to be a dry dead end...I started hungering for more of the real thing(about 2004) and boy am I getting more and more evidence of what I had been missing out on! LOL
If you have not really spent time in the word of God lately or ever for that matter...now is a great time! Take a look at how wonderfully Romans 8:32 tells you how you can KNOW He loves you and desires an intimacy with you that may seem impossible where you are at right now in life....It says, "He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?" WOW! In fact Romans chapter 8 is probably one of my favorite chapters in the entire bible to read....consider doing a slow, methodical "soak" there and I guarantee you will see a side of God you might not have really experienced before!
Beloved, I think we in North America need to get back to the raw, powerful message of the cross. What I mean is that God made the greatest love move in the history of mankind when He sent His Son to become "sin" so that we could become the "righteousness" of God through Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).....Romans 5:8 says, "But God shows and clearly proves His own love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ the Messiah (Anointed One) DIED FOR US!"
The bottom line is that the sole expression (Hebrews 1:3 AMP version) of His Glory and majesty paying the penalty for our sins is proof of His love for you. As you continue to ask for revelation and and develop a personal, intimate relationship with Him by spending time and just enjoying His presence...You will KNOW you are loved. This love tank filling will be so superior to anything else available on the earth that anything someone or some thing gives you on earth will just be a nice bonus! Chew on that today and ask the Lord if what I am saying is truth. Blessings to you!
Many people, weather you are a Christian or not frequently say things outwardly or inwardly like, "God, if you really loved me you would ............." right? I have too my fellow sojourners. Here is what I have found and have seen to be helpful. First off you need to be determined to not just have an "engagement" with Jesus and actually get married and joined to Him. If you are not interested in learning the heart and character of God, the rest of this might not gel with you.
I spent the majority of my Christian life relying on a prayer and "good moral" behavior and found that to be a dry dead end...I started hungering for more of the real thing(about 2004) and boy am I getting more and more evidence of what I had been missing out on! LOL
If you have not really spent time in the word of God lately or ever for that matter...now is a great time! Take a look at how wonderfully Romans 8:32 tells you how you can KNOW He loves you and desires an intimacy with you that may seem impossible where you are at right now in life....It says, "He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?" WOW! In fact Romans chapter 8 is probably one of my favorite chapters in the entire bible to read....consider doing a slow, methodical "soak" there and I guarantee you will see a side of God you might not have really experienced before!
Beloved, I think we in North America need to get back to the raw, powerful message of the cross. What I mean is that God made the greatest love move in the history of mankind when He sent His Son to become "sin" so that we could become the "righteousness" of God through Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).....Romans 5:8 says, "But God shows and clearly proves His own love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ the Messiah (Anointed One) DIED FOR US!"
The bottom line is that the sole expression (Hebrews 1:3 AMP version) of His Glory and majesty paying the penalty for our sins is proof of His love for you. As you continue to ask for revelation and and develop a personal, intimate relationship with Him by spending time and just enjoying His presence...You will KNOW you are loved. This love tank filling will be so superior to anything else available on the earth that anything someone or some thing gives you on earth will just be a nice bonus! Chew on that today and ask the Lord if what I am saying is truth. Blessings to you!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
"You Need the Steak & Ice Cream"
When we take an honest look at our lives, do we ever wonder why our Christian life looks hardly any different than the world? I know, I know kind of a tough question to start things off ...sorry :)
Really though: If we are supposed to reflect the loving heart of our heavenly Father and the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23...something is missing as a corporate whole.
The other day I was ministering to someone and trying to get across the need for the necessity of walking in a revelation of the unconditional love our Father God has for us. What transpired was an explanation from heaven that at the time really touched us both! It may bless you as well....here it is.
What would happen if you put a plate or a bowl in front of someone you were preparing food (in this case a steak or ice cream) for and started pouring steak sauce, marinade, seasonings, or any other "add on" seasoning or flavoring? In the case of the ice cream: whipped cream, syrup, cherry, etc....
Now imagine just starting to eat the toppings, seasoning, and or flavorings without having the steak/ice cream there? Kinda weird right? Well, getting a revelation and ongoing meditation on the Fathers' unconditional love for you is like the steak/ice cream. If you don't have it and walk in it, you will be trying to feed and get your "satisfaction" from the things of this world like money, jobs, other people etc.....All you get from your husband, wife, kids, job, etc.... is icing on the cake....seasoning on the steak.....toppings on the ice cream....it won't satisfy you-feed you-or bring absolute fulfillment to your life! But, if you are "fed" by the steak of His great love...all the other "things" will be a wonderful bonus to the fulfillment you already have in His love for you! Otherwise, you will always be frustrated-upset-and inwardly unsettled because the "condiments" of the world will never satisfy. This is one of the main reasons I think the Church has fallen short as a composite whole in reflecting the love of God to a fallen world...Let's receive the fullness of His Fatherly love and we will see changes happen!!!..take it to Him yourself today and ask Him what He thinks?
Really though: If we are supposed to reflect the loving heart of our heavenly Father and the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23...something is missing as a corporate whole.
The other day I was ministering to someone and trying to get across the need for the necessity of walking in a revelation of the unconditional love our Father God has for us. What transpired was an explanation from heaven that at the time really touched us both! It may bless you as well....here it is.
What would happen if you put a plate or a bowl in front of someone you were preparing food (in this case a steak or ice cream) for and started pouring steak sauce, marinade, seasonings, or any other "add on" seasoning or flavoring? In the case of the ice cream: whipped cream, syrup, cherry, etc....
Now imagine just starting to eat the toppings, seasoning, and or flavorings without having the steak/ice cream there? Kinda weird right? Well, getting a revelation and ongoing meditation on the Fathers' unconditional love for you is like the steak/ice cream. If you don't have it and walk in it, you will be trying to feed and get your "satisfaction" from the things of this world like money, jobs, other people etc.....All you get from your husband, wife, kids, job, etc.... is icing on the cake....seasoning on the steak.....toppings on the ice cream....it won't satisfy you-feed you-or bring absolute fulfillment to your life! But, if you are "fed" by the steak of His great love...all the other "things" will be a wonderful bonus to the fulfillment you already have in His love for you! Otherwise, you will always be frustrated-upset-and inwardly unsettled because the "condiments" of the world will never satisfy. This is one of the main reasons I think the Church has fallen short as a composite whole in reflecting the love of God to a fallen world...Let's receive the fullness of His Fatherly love and we will see changes happen!!!..take it to Him yourself today and ask Him what He thinks?
Monday, July 23, 2012
Slave or Son?
Sometimes I think the understanding and definition of our current role in partnership with God gets muddled. There is a fine line between viewing ourselves as lowly servants of the Master and joint heirs with Jesus as sons of the Living God. The word of God is very clear that when Jesus came and shed His royal blood for us on the cross and rose to the right hand of power and authority, we are to join Him (1 John 4:17, Ephesians 3:6, Romans 8:14-17). Do you think Jesus serves the purposes of the Father and heaven with a servant mentality that resembles a slave? Now, when I say slave, I am referring to someone who is in bondage to a harsh taskmaster as the Israelites were in Egypt. No way-He served as a humble "son" who knew His rights, privileges, and authority given to Him to enforce the agenda of the kingdom. There is a stream of false humility that runs through some teaching out there that says we ought to see ourselves as lowly "servants" of the mighty Master...A false humility is when we claim to be humble and talk about our low position under the premise that we should, "serve" from a slave mindset. This is very dangerous ground as is a pompous, haughty position that God "owes" me something! He neither wants us "lowly thinking like a slave" or "sticking our chest out and demanding a handout". There are always extremes of teaching and attitudes that bring confusion. The enemy is the author of confusion while the Spirit of the Lord and Wisdom brings freedom. Hosea 4:6 says that "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
Galatians 4 is pretty clear of our position in Christ and from what mindset we should approach God. Verse 6-7 say it beautifully, 6-"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba Father!"(Which literally translates to Daddy God in the Hebrew). 7-Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Then in Romans 8:14-17 is says,14- "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. 15-For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba Father." 16-The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17-and if children, the heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Adopted sons and daughters in our world are not "slaves" of their parents are they? No, they grow in a nurturing parental environment and ideally "obey" and "submit" to their parental guidance from a position of love and respect, not of fear and intimidation. A healthy, loving and intimate relationship produces obedience and respect as a by-product of knowing and receiving unconditional love from the parent. If we do not see and have a revelation of the fatherly, "Daddy" side of God-we will always be measuring ourselves by our performance and ability to "earn" our love from God. God sent Jesus to restore us back to our created value and the intimacy Adam and Eve experienced in the garden prior to them falling into a twisted mindset. He came to put heaven back into us, not slave away to get to it someday by our efforts. Our efforts flow from a loving relationship and intimacy from spending time with Him getting to know His heart and agenda for His children, not man's ideas and knowledge.
Believe you are seated with Him in heavenly places-put on the robe of righteousness purchased by Christs' blood, receive the ring of authority, put sandals back on your feet, receive the hugs and kisses of Daddy, receive the sacrifice of the fattened calf along with the party! You are "Accepted in the Beloved" (Eph 1:6)...this does not produce an" Entitlement attitude", but a gratitude that empowers to live out the sonship Jesus grafted us into! (See Luke 15:20-24 for proof of these claims), matter of fact if you read the whole story, the "older brother" was mad and wanted his younger brother to be treated as a "slave". He thought the father "owed" him and yet he couldn't see it was there for him all along. It might be time we get truly humble and evaluate if we think God "owes" us because we have "served" tirelessly all these years and still have not gotten what we are "due". I think if we come alongside and start agreeing what His word says about our identity, we will see that we have all things that pertain to life and godliness now, because of what Christ already accomplished at Calvary. Amen?
Beloved, we are to serve alongside of Jesus with joy knowing that we are put into Christ not by things we do for God and our fellow man. We are saved and maintained by the Grace of God and knowing our acceptance because of His sacrifice will cause us to humbly serve from a position of joint authority. These are not my thoughts and ideas, but the thoughts and ideas of a loving Father that simply wants to pull as many children to His side as would receive Him. Will you?
Galatians 4 is pretty clear of our position in Christ and from what mindset we should approach God. Verse 6-7 say it beautifully, 6-"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba Father!"(Which literally translates to Daddy God in the Hebrew). 7-Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Then in Romans 8:14-17 is says,14- "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. 15-For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba Father." 16-The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17-and if children, the heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Adopted sons and daughters in our world are not "slaves" of their parents are they? No, they grow in a nurturing parental environment and ideally "obey" and "submit" to their parental guidance from a position of love and respect, not of fear and intimidation. A healthy, loving and intimate relationship produces obedience and respect as a by-product of knowing and receiving unconditional love from the parent. If we do not see and have a revelation of the fatherly, "Daddy" side of God-we will always be measuring ourselves by our performance and ability to "earn" our love from God. God sent Jesus to restore us back to our created value and the intimacy Adam and Eve experienced in the garden prior to them falling into a twisted mindset. He came to put heaven back into us, not slave away to get to it someday by our efforts. Our efforts flow from a loving relationship and intimacy from spending time with Him getting to know His heart and agenda for His children, not man's ideas and knowledge.
Believe you are seated with Him in heavenly places-put on the robe of righteousness purchased by Christs' blood, receive the ring of authority, put sandals back on your feet, receive the hugs and kisses of Daddy, receive the sacrifice of the fattened calf along with the party! You are "Accepted in the Beloved" (Eph 1:6)...this does not produce an" Entitlement attitude", but a gratitude that empowers to live out the sonship Jesus grafted us into! (See Luke 15:20-24 for proof of these claims), matter of fact if you read the whole story, the "older brother" was mad and wanted his younger brother to be treated as a "slave". He thought the father "owed" him and yet he couldn't see it was there for him all along. It might be time we get truly humble and evaluate if we think God "owes" us because we have "served" tirelessly all these years and still have not gotten what we are "due". I think if we come alongside and start agreeing what His word says about our identity, we will see that we have all things that pertain to life and godliness now, because of what Christ already accomplished at Calvary. Amen?
Beloved, we are to serve alongside of Jesus with joy knowing that we are put into Christ not by things we do for God and our fellow man. We are saved and maintained by the Grace of God and knowing our acceptance because of His sacrifice will cause us to humbly serve from a position of joint authority. These are not my thoughts and ideas, but the thoughts and ideas of a loving Father that simply wants to pull as many children to His side as would receive Him. Will you?
Sunday, July 22, 2012
"Giving Gods' Way"
I was awakened early this morning (as is common lately if the Lord really seems to want to share and show me something) and immediately recalled a short conversation I had with someone yesterday while at my sons' soccer game. We discussed how putting emphasis on getting assists (giving the ball away) instead of goals when going into the game was a good strategy for his soccer development.
As I recalled this conversation this morning, the Lord began to encourage me to write this morning about giving from a position of overflow and not of need. Then I clearly heard Him say "Teach them about My way of giving" and immediately several scriptures began to flash in front of me that were very relevant to this topic.
Interesting that one of the first scriptures, which is probably the most quoted and memorized in John 3:16 came to mind. "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" Notice how from the position of fullness of love-God gave to us heaven's best, Jesus. God is a giver and His motivation is always a position of massive love towards us. He is the focus-His greatness, goodness, and compassion on those He created allows us to receive of His loving heart so that we are empowered to give. See, in 1John 4:10-11, 18-19 it clearly tells us that love is defined as God first loving us and not us loving Him and that Him sending Jesus to wipe away our sin is the measuring stick of Gods love. It also indicates that perfect love casts out fear and fear is unfortunately the position that a lot of us "Give" to others from. If we give from a position of fear (most of us don't even realize when we do it) and do kind, nice, courteous things for people we unintentionally expect something or some reaction back from that person. This is why giving out to people has to come from a heart of unconditional love (like the Lord gives) or else it is a set up for disappointment, resentment, and hurt feelings. John 1:16 says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." When we spend time to get recharged and filled up by concentrating on His love for us, His fullness will be imparted to us and the grace that is flowing towards us because of the cross will empower us to give to others. Giving to other people whether it is God, your spouse, kids, friends, co-workers, or strangers with an agenda behind it is treading on thin ice. I know I spent years and years trying to give just to get from people and it caused nothing but heartache for all parties involved. What I have found in growing towards a permanent shift in this mindset is His love for me is so much more infinitely reliable that when focused on, fills me to overflowing so that I can give.
In Matthew 10:7-8 Jesus told the disciples, "And as you go, preach saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand", "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give". Wow, we give and serve others because we have been given from Him freely! Sound familiar? "We love (God-not here in the original Greek), because He first loved us 1 John 4:19.. in the Greek the word God is not actually there...so we love and give period because God first loved us! Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Giving is done freely-sounds obvious right? But I think if we really were to get before the Lord and receive more of His love and recharge our batteries only on His love for us....we will see our motivation change from a position of bankrupt hearts that love to be loved - to hearts that love others because He first loved us and gave of His fullness all the grace we need to love others. Loving others is a grace that the blood of Jesus provides for you to love others. One of the greatest examples of love motivation transformation (is that a real phrase? LOL) is the apostle Peter. Before Christ was crucified he boasted quite frequently in His love for the Lord and did a lot of great things and good deeds for the Lord. At that time his heart was more filled with passion and desire to do good and be good for Jesus but it got him in trouble. John was more focused on Jesus' love for him and he ended up being the one at the foot of the cross in Jesus' greatest time of need. In fact Jesus entrusted John with the care of his earthly mother Mary.
The point is that once Jesus completed the work at Calvary and the Father sent Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost everything changed. Has it changed you? Or are you satisfied with a ticket stub to heaven and a give to get system of giving and receiving that leaves you and those around you frustrated, behavior focused and judgemental? I lived that "American religion" for too many years and am now experiencing another side of the gospel that quite frankly is liberating! This transformation is ongoing and we never "arrive" fully on this earth but we should be moving forward from one glory to another by His grace. If you are stuck not progressing forward, receive freely more of what is available to you from the Father God (James 1:17) who loves you!
Beloved, there are many places to find evidence in the Word of receiving His love and that alone empowering you to, "Give Gods' way". Here is one that came to mind this morning as I pondered this topic with Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:12 says, "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." Love this verse! The spirit of the world is a spirit that gives to get, measures and quantifies their giving, and has ulterior motives when they give--do we? This is what I think the Lord is trying to teach us this morning. It is incredibly liberating and freeing to give from a position of: "Hey, I was freely given all things by a loving Heavenly Father, matter of fact He gave me heaven's best-Jesus-so I'm going to give to others because I have been freely given all things!" Amen? Otherwise we measure the giving of our time, money, efforts by some made up standard in our mind that we ourselves and others rarely if ever measure up to! Guess what happens next? Condemnation and guilt come and start accusing us of not hitting the standard we set for ourselves and others. See what a crazy, vicious cycle that is?
One last thought, remember our buddy the Apostle Peter? Well, after He was transformed by Holy Spirit filling him in Acts 2, he preached an amazing sermon and he and John ministered to a lame man begging for money in chapter 3. Interestingly verse 6 says, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." Peter now gave from what he had received and it was the powerful love of God that gave the man not what he wanted but what he needed! Beloved, give Gods' way and you will experience the life of giving you have desired to have--Only this time you will be giving from the motivation of love, not to get back what you gave.
Blessings.
As I recalled this conversation this morning, the Lord began to encourage me to write this morning about giving from a position of overflow and not of need. Then I clearly heard Him say "Teach them about My way of giving" and immediately several scriptures began to flash in front of me that were very relevant to this topic.
Interesting that one of the first scriptures, which is probably the most quoted and memorized in John 3:16 came to mind. "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" Notice how from the position of fullness of love-God gave to us heaven's best, Jesus. God is a giver and His motivation is always a position of massive love towards us. He is the focus-His greatness, goodness, and compassion on those He created allows us to receive of His loving heart so that we are empowered to give. See, in 1John 4:10-11, 18-19 it clearly tells us that love is defined as God first loving us and not us loving Him and that Him sending Jesus to wipe away our sin is the measuring stick of Gods love. It also indicates that perfect love casts out fear and fear is unfortunately the position that a lot of us "Give" to others from. If we give from a position of fear (most of us don't even realize when we do it) and do kind, nice, courteous things for people we unintentionally expect something or some reaction back from that person. This is why giving out to people has to come from a heart of unconditional love (like the Lord gives) or else it is a set up for disappointment, resentment, and hurt feelings. John 1:16 says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." When we spend time to get recharged and filled up by concentrating on His love for us, His fullness will be imparted to us and the grace that is flowing towards us because of the cross will empower us to give to others. Giving to other people whether it is God, your spouse, kids, friends, co-workers, or strangers with an agenda behind it is treading on thin ice. I know I spent years and years trying to give just to get from people and it caused nothing but heartache for all parties involved. What I have found in growing towards a permanent shift in this mindset is His love for me is so much more infinitely reliable that when focused on, fills me to overflowing so that I can give.
In Matthew 10:7-8 Jesus told the disciples, "And as you go, preach saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand", "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give". Wow, we give and serve others because we have been given from Him freely! Sound familiar? "We love (God-not here in the original Greek), because He first loved us 1 John 4:19.. in the Greek the word God is not actually there...so we love and give period because God first loved us! Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Giving is done freely-sounds obvious right? But I think if we really were to get before the Lord and receive more of His love and recharge our batteries only on His love for us....we will see our motivation change from a position of bankrupt hearts that love to be loved - to hearts that love others because He first loved us and gave of His fullness all the grace we need to love others. Loving others is a grace that the blood of Jesus provides for you to love others. One of the greatest examples of love motivation transformation (is that a real phrase? LOL) is the apostle Peter. Before Christ was crucified he boasted quite frequently in His love for the Lord and did a lot of great things and good deeds for the Lord. At that time his heart was more filled with passion and desire to do good and be good for Jesus but it got him in trouble. John was more focused on Jesus' love for him and he ended up being the one at the foot of the cross in Jesus' greatest time of need. In fact Jesus entrusted John with the care of his earthly mother Mary.
The point is that once Jesus completed the work at Calvary and the Father sent Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost everything changed. Has it changed you? Or are you satisfied with a ticket stub to heaven and a give to get system of giving and receiving that leaves you and those around you frustrated, behavior focused and judgemental? I lived that "American religion" for too many years and am now experiencing another side of the gospel that quite frankly is liberating! This transformation is ongoing and we never "arrive" fully on this earth but we should be moving forward from one glory to another by His grace. If you are stuck not progressing forward, receive freely more of what is available to you from the Father God (James 1:17) who loves you!
Beloved, there are many places to find evidence in the Word of receiving His love and that alone empowering you to, "Give Gods' way". Here is one that came to mind this morning as I pondered this topic with Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:12 says, "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." Love this verse! The spirit of the world is a spirit that gives to get, measures and quantifies their giving, and has ulterior motives when they give--do we? This is what I think the Lord is trying to teach us this morning. It is incredibly liberating and freeing to give from a position of: "Hey, I was freely given all things by a loving Heavenly Father, matter of fact He gave me heaven's best-Jesus-so I'm going to give to others because I have been freely given all things!" Amen? Otherwise we measure the giving of our time, money, efforts by some made up standard in our mind that we ourselves and others rarely if ever measure up to! Guess what happens next? Condemnation and guilt come and start accusing us of not hitting the standard we set for ourselves and others. See what a crazy, vicious cycle that is?
One last thought, remember our buddy the Apostle Peter? Well, after He was transformed by Holy Spirit filling him in Acts 2, he preached an amazing sermon and he and John ministered to a lame man begging for money in chapter 3. Interestingly verse 6 says, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." Peter now gave from what he had received and it was the powerful love of God that gave the man not what he wanted but what he needed! Beloved, give Gods' way and you will experience the life of giving you have desired to have--Only this time you will be giving from the motivation of love, not to get back what you gave.
Blessings.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
"Don't Come Out From Hiding"
Hiding can be a good thing right? At first glance we might think that hiding is not necessarily the best thing for us most of the time. Well it depends on the context of what we are discussing. For our purposes today we will see that staying hidden is the best thing for us!
In Colossians 3:3-4 Paul by the Holy Spirit says, "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears (or is revealed NAS), then you also will appear (be revealed) with Him in glory"
This word "hidden" in the original Greek is the word, "krupto" which means" to conceal that it NOT become known." The world and most Christians are trying to become known in so many ways but I think sometimes we have it in reverse because if we realize it is about Christ and His character that needs to be manifested in this world change happens. We have been crucified with Christ--you are dead---the new life of Christ wants to manifest--you are a son of God--die to your old self and align with the life of Christ...Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been Crucified with Christ; it is NO LONGER I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith OF the son of God, who LOVED me and gave Himself for me." Amen? Our lives will come together more and more in all areas as you submit to this reality: Your REAL LIFE is hidden in Christ!
Now...my brothers and sisters, this word "Appears" from verse 4 of Col 3 is interesting in the Greek because most of us think of this(appearing of Jesus) when ,"Oh glory He comes back to take me to heaven" when the reality of the true life of a Christian is that Christ came back to restore your created value back and put heaven back into you as was in the garden pre-fall! Back to the Greek word for appears...It is, "Phaneroo" which means to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown to manifest, whether by words, deeds, or any other way!" In other words, the more you get "hidden" with Christ--- the more His life is made manifest and visible in your visible outward actions and attitudes, which in turn reveals to others the REAL JESUS..You and me are individually so precious to the Father that He sent Jesus to make it possible to get us back on track by "restoring" us back to our God given purpose!...the word MUST become flesh, but it cannot unless we get out of the way and rest in the finished work of Jesus! If we simply agree with God, change in our lives will manifest as a by-product of our believing and meditating on the loveliness of His accomplishments on the cross! So, "don't come out from hiding" and rest in the shadow of the Almighty...Stay in the "secret" place and Jesus will shine through in your life...and He is much more lovely than we could ever be ;)
In Colossians 3:3-4 Paul by the Holy Spirit says, "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears (or is revealed NAS), then you also will appear (be revealed) with Him in glory"
This word "hidden" in the original Greek is the word, "krupto" which means" to conceal that it NOT become known." The world and most Christians are trying to become known in so many ways but I think sometimes we have it in reverse because if we realize it is about Christ and His character that needs to be manifested in this world change happens. We have been crucified with Christ--you are dead---the new life of Christ wants to manifest--you are a son of God--die to your old self and align with the life of Christ...Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been Crucified with Christ; it is NO LONGER I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith OF the son of God, who LOVED me and gave Himself for me." Amen? Our lives will come together more and more in all areas as you submit to this reality: Your REAL LIFE is hidden in Christ!
Now...my brothers and sisters, this word "Appears" from verse 4 of Col 3 is interesting in the Greek because most of us think of this(appearing of Jesus) when ,"Oh glory He comes back to take me to heaven" when the reality of the true life of a Christian is that Christ came back to restore your created value back and put heaven back into you as was in the garden pre-fall! Back to the Greek word for appears...It is, "Phaneroo" which means to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown to manifest, whether by words, deeds, or any other way!" In other words, the more you get "hidden" with Christ--- the more His life is made manifest and visible in your visible outward actions and attitudes, which in turn reveals to others the REAL JESUS..You and me are individually so precious to the Father that He sent Jesus to make it possible to get us back on track by "restoring" us back to our God given purpose!...the word MUST become flesh, but it cannot unless we get out of the way and rest in the finished work of Jesus! If we simply agree with God, change in our lives will manifest as a by-product of our believing and meditating on the loveliness of His accomplishments on the cross! So, "don't come out from hiding" and rest in the shadow of the Almighty...Stay in the "secret" place and Jesus will shine through in your life...and He is much more lovely than we could ever be ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)