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EFP Part I: How NOT to Pray (c)

2010-05-30T20:09:00.002-05:00

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)

Today we continue our series on EFP - “Effectual Fervent Prayer”. The last two weeks we have been teaching Part I, How NOT to Pray, and today we will finish this part up. As a reminder, let’s review our dictionary definitions about “Effectual Fervent”:

Effectual: 1. Producing, or able to produce, the desired effect. 2. Having legal force; valid.

Fervent: 1.hot; burning; glowing. 2. having or showing great warmth of feeling; intensely devoted or earnest; ardent. SYN – passionate

Remember that these are actually one word in the Greek: energeō (en-erg-eh'-o) - to be active, efficient. The goal of this series is to get to the point that our prayers become like Jesus’ prayers – active, efficient - producing the desired effect. So, let’s go back to Matthew’s Gospel to get back to Jesus’ lesson on how NOT to pray:

And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Truly I say unto you, They have their reward. But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly. But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like them: for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him.

After this manner therefore pray: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:5-13)

Two weeks ago we discussed verses 5 & 6, addressing our key point that Hypocrites Love to Pray, and we stressed that Motives Matter! We concluded that praying for the wrong motives, praying for visibility and/or human response is NOT going to be effectual fervent prayer. Last week we discussed verse 7, with our key point being Much speaking does NOT produce much. We discussed how vain repetition and long wordy prayers for the sake of being long and wordy will also be ineffectual.

To repeat a question I have asked several times in this study: Am I saying that God will never answer your prayers if you pray the wrong way? No, God is bigger than that, but there is such a thing as Effectual Fervent Prayer, active, efficient - producing the desired effect. So, let’s continue where verse 7 left off, in verse 8:

Be not therefore like them: for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him. (Matthew 6:8)

Have you ever thought about how much of your prayer time is spent in running down your list of needs? Or how much of your time is spent running down the list of other people’s needs? Let me ask another question - do you really think that you need to inform God of what is going on? Here’s today’s Key Point: God Knows! There’s no point in spending a lot of time trying to inform God what is needed – He already knows what is needed, and He knows it better than you do (as a matter of fact, what you think of as a “need” might not be a “need” in God’s eyes).

Here’s a potentially radical truth: petitioning God is NOT the primary purpose that God gave us prayer! It is A purpose for prayer, and the Bible does tell us to let our request be made known unto God (Philippians 4:6), but the primary purpose for prayer is simply communication with God (but we’ll address this more in future lessons…).

Looking back to verses 7 & 8: what are most Christians doing when they are praying their long lists? Generally they are listing for God all of the negative stuff going on in their life. DON’T DO THIS! If you spend thirty or forty minutes speaking out and rehashing all of your problems, and troubles, and the evil going on around you, you are just magnifying the problems! Proverbs 18:21 says “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” – if you are spending any amount of time in “prayer” speaking out all of your negative circumstances and problems, you are speaking out doubt and death. Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. So where does doubt come from? It ALSO comes by hearing, hearing anything that is counter to the word of God. So, instead of speaking out all of your negative circumstances, all of your troubles, it will be more effective to spend your time stating all of the promises God has given to you about those situations in His Word.

Let’s put this into human terms that we can all relate to – how much do you like it when a friend spends all of their time with you griping and complaining about everything that is going on in their life? Now, hopefully you are as gracious with your friend as God is with you, but let’s realize that there is a better way of communicating and relating with people and with God than griping and complaining. Instead of magnifying your problems, use your prayer time to magnify God. Or to put it another way: Don’t tell God all about your problems, tell your problems all about your God! This may sound trite, but it IS effectual!

Prayer is all about communion with God – it isn’t meant to be a time of griping, complaining, murmuring. Here’s a simple way to evaluate your prayer time – are you better off when you finish your prayer time than when you began? Are you more depressed coming out of your prayer closet than when you went in? Then you were NOT in prayer with God. Or are you energized, excited, and built up in faith as you exit the prayer closet? If you are truly in communion with God you will be built up! You can’t help but be built up when spending time with God.

One last thought on how NOT to pray - you don’t need to impress upon God how important your prayer is. A lot of prayers sound like a debate with God or perhaps an election campaign, stating or justifying all of the reasons that your prayer needs to go to the head of the line. God is NOT reluctant to bless you, but He is also NOT going to be manipulated by you – not by your words, not by your actions (or your holiness), not by what position you choose to pray in. He is ONLY going to be impressed with your faith in Jesus, and in your acceptance of and reliance upon Him. Again, am I saying that God will never answer your prayers if you pray the wrong way? No, but there is such a thing as Effectual Fervent Prayer, active, efficient - producing the desired effect.

So let’s avoid all of the time wasters from Matthew 6:5-8, these things that Jesus taught us NOT to do, and then let’s go to prayer and RELAX! After all, God is “Our Father” in heaven, NOT “our judge” (but more on that in next week’s lesson)…

Join us next week for our lesson entitled: Effectual Fervent Prayer Part II: Our Father.

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:
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EFP Part I: How NOT to Pray (b)

2010-05-23T21:42:00.002-05:00

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)

Today we continue our series on EFP - “Effectual Fervent Prayer”. Last week we started with Part I, How NOT to Pray, and today we continue where we left off. As a reminder, let’s review our dictionary definitions about “Effectual Fervent”:

Effectual: 1. Producing, or able to produce, the desired effect. 2. Having legal force; valid.

Fervent: 1.hot; burning; glowing. 2. having or showing great warmth of feeling; intensely devoted or earnest; ardent. SYN – passionate

And as we noted last week, these are actually one word in the Greek: energeo¯ (en-erg-eh'-o) - to be active, efficient. The goal of this series is to get to the point that our prayers become like Jesus’ prayers – active, efficient - producing the desired effect. So, let’s go back to Matthew’s Gospel to get back to Jesus’ lesson on how NOT to pray:

And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Truly I say unto you, They have their reward. But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly. But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like them: for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him.

After this manner therefore pray: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:5-13)

We spent all last week’s lesson going over verses 5 & 6, addressing our key point that Hypocrites Love to Pray, and we stressed that Motives Matter! We concluded that praying for the wrong motives, praying for visibility and/or human response is NOT going to be effectual fervent prayer. Just a reminder, I am not saying that God will never answer your prayers if you pray the wrong way, but there is such a thing as Effectual Fervent Prayer, active, efficient - producing the desired effect. So, what else did Jesus point out to us as being ineffective? Let’s start today’s lesson in verse 7:

But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (Matthew 6:7)

I used to repeat what is commonly called the “Lord’s Prayer” over and over again, thinking that it was having some sort of positive spiritual effect. What I didn’t know at the time was that just two sentences before Jesus taught this model for prayer he specifically instructed us to NOT use vain repetitions! Jesus stated that you will NOT be heard based on your much speaking. Here’s today’s Key Point: Much speaking does NOT produce much.

Let’s take a look at some of Jesus’ prayers:

“Peace, be still.” (Mark 4:39)

“Lazarus, come forth.” (John 11:43)

“Go.” (Matthew 8:32)

“Hold your peace, and come out of him.” (Matthew 1:25/Luke 4:35)

Go ahead and look up the complete accounts of each of these – every one of these prayers were totally effectual (as were all of Jesus’ prayers, to state the obvious). We discussed it as we went through The Believer’s Authority series, and we’ll spend more time on it in future lessons in this series, but the most effectual prayers are when we are simply speaking out and enforcing the authority God has already given us (as a matter of fact, unless God has already provided for, or given us authority in an area, our prayer isn’t going to force God’s hand!). There’s no need to be long winded – just speak The Word in faith. A lot of times, the shorter the prayer, the stronger the faith!

As we discussed last week, how much time you spend in prayer isn’t what is critical – one minute spent speaking in faith with the correct motives will be far more effectual that spending one hour filling time reciting a laundry list of needs and wants. Back when I first became a Christian, I used to set a cooking timer to one hour, and then struggle to fill the time. Although it did help me to develop a discipline to pray, it was not the comfortable, joyful, relationship building communication that God intended prayer to be.

Again, am I saying that God will never answer your prayers if you pray the wrong way? Not necessarily – God is bigger than that. But let’s be aware that vain repetitions and idle words to just fill time will not be active, efficient prayer – producing the desired effect. Vain repetition and much speaking is a time waster – it is NOT going to be Effectual Fervent Prayer.

Join us next week as we continue this lesson: EFP Part I: How NOT to Pray (c).

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

EFP Part I: How NOT to Pray (a)

2010-05-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)

Today we begin a series on EFP - “Effectual Fervent Prayer”. I don’t know yet how many parts this series will take, so let’s just say that today is Part I (actually it will be Part 1(a), since we were only able to cover one aspect of “How NOT to Pray” in the classroom). Let’s start by looking at the definitions for those first two adjectives:

Effectual: 1. Producing, or able to produce, the desired effect. 2. Having legal force; valid.

Fervent: 1.hot; burning; glowing. 2. having or showing great warmth of feeling; intensely devoted or earnest; ardent. SYN – passionate

Actually, in the original Greek “effectual fervent” was just one word: energeō (en-erg-eh'-o) - to be active, efficient. My desire is to see our prayers become like Jesus’ prayers – active, efficient - producing the desired effect. So, what better place to begin that discussion than with Jesus’ lesson on prayer? Let’s go to Matthew’s Gospel:

And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Truly I say unto you, They have their reward. But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly. But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like them: for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him.

After this manner therefore pray: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:5-13)

Sometimes when you are “laying a foundation for life” you have to start by tearing down a shaky or unstable foundation that may already exist. We see that Jesus did exactly that in verses 5 through 8 – before he gave his model for prayer, he had to teach on how NOT to pray. Am I saying that God will never answer your prayers if you pray the wrong way? Not necessarily – God is bigger than that. But remember that "man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). So let’s get to the heart of the matter - Jesus taught that there is a wrong way and a right way to pray, so we will begin today like Jesus did, by looking at how NOT to pray.

Verses 5 and 6 have today’s Key Point: Hypocrites Love to Pray

Hypocrites love to pray – they love to pray in public – they love to be seen by men as they pray. They love to impress people with their knowledge of Scripture. They love to show off how spiritual and/or holy they are. And what does Jesus say about these folks? “They have their reward.” One way to be truly ineffective in prayer is to pray in a manner that is more concerned with what other people will see, hear and think about you, rather than what God is concerned about. I’ll come back to this truth in a moment, but let me address verse 6 first: Is Jesus saying that we should never pray in public? No, not at all – as a matter of recorded fact, we only need to look at the start of Luke’s account of this same event to see that Jesus had been praying in public, and that is what led the disciples to ask Him how to pray:

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When you pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (Luke 11:1-2)

So it isn’t public prayer that Jesus is teaching against, but our motive in prayer – if our motive is to have people notice us, that people would be impressed by how “spiritual” or “religious” we are, then that is all that we should expect. People may be impressed with us, but our prayers are going to be ineffectual. We say it in these studies over and over again: Motives Matter!

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Matthew 6:6 does tell us to enter into our closets and shut the door – that is a good way to eliminate the possibility of being motivated by being seen by others. Again, I don’t believe that this was meant to be a formula or an ordinance or a law – instead it was meant to teach us that when we pray in secret, not to be seen of men, God will reward us openly.

I could put it this way: God is more concerned about your Motives for prayer than in your Methods in prayer! Does it really matter how many minutes or hours you pray each day? Do we need to measure up to some other human’s standards for prayer? Do we need to bow our heads and close our eyes when we pray in church? Are we doing it out of reverence for God, or just to appear reverent to other people that may see? I’m not saying that any of these methods is bad, but if the motives are bad, to impress people, remember that Jesus says “they have their reward”.

Again, am I saying that God will never answer your prayers if you pray the wrong way? Not necessarily – God is bigger than that. But let’s be aware of our motives as we go to prayer, recognizing that if our desire is for Effectual Fervent Prayer, prayer that is active, efficient – producing the desired effect, then we need to keep our motives pure. Praying with the wrong motives, praying for visibility and/or human response, is a time waster – it is NOT going to be Effectual Fervent Prayer.

Join us next week as we continue this lesson: EFP Part I: How NOT to Pray (b).

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Our Declaration of Dependence

2009-07-04T15:15:00.007-05:00

Today I would like to pay homage to our nation’s birth, and to the document that openly declared the reasons for separation from Great Britain. With relatively few changes, we can adapt this wonderful document to apply to our own personal and spiritual freedom, to openly declare the choice that we have made as to whom we shall serve. Here is my personal declaration, and I pray that you can sign it yourself.

Our Declaration of Dependence

IN ONE ACCORD, July 4, 2009.

The unashamed Declaration of a New Creation,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the spiritual bands which have connected them with another, and to assume their proper station among the powers of the earth, the station of joint-heir with Christ ^{(Rom 8:17)}, to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes ^{(1Pe 3:15)} which impel them to the separation from their adversary, the devil ^{(1Pe 5:8)}.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, their Creator has provided a Lamb ^{(Joh 1:29)}, His only Begotten Son Jesus ^{(Joh 3:16)}, that through Him we might have Life, and that more abundantly ^{(Joh 10:10)}; that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty ^{(2Co 3:17)}; that we may be counted Happy which endure ^{(Jas 5:11)}. In the beginning, their Creator had instituted that Men should be Free to give their consent as to by whom they be governed, yielding themselves as servants to obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness ^{(Rom 6:16)}. All we like sheep had gone astray; we had turned every one to his own way ^{(Isa 53:6)}, and therefore we had chosen to permit ourselves to be governed by the prince of this world ^{(Joh 12:31)}.

Whenever any governor becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to separate from him, and to submit to a new Governor, receiving the benefits resulting from His principles and His powers, so as to affect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governors long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such governor, and to submit to a new Governor for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these people; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to separate from their former governor. The history of the present prince of this world is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these people. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made ^{(Gen 3:1)}
He hath corrupted God’s creation through deception and lies ^{(Gen 3)}
He hath possessed people, keeping them blind and dumb ^{(Mat 12:22)} to the truths of their Creator
He hath used religion to bind heavy burdens on men’s shoulders, but not move them with one of their fingers ^{(Mat 23:4)}
He hath used religious tradition to make the Word of God of none effect ^{(Mar 7:13)}
He hath taken away the Word out of men’s hearts, lest they should believe and be saved ^{(Luk 8:12)}
He hath bound people with sickness and infirmities ^{(Luk 13:16)}
He hath entered into people to cause them to betray others ^{(Luk 22:3)}
He hath desired to have people, that he may sift them as wheat ^{(Luk 22:31)}
He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it ^{(Joh 8:44)}
He cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy ^{(Joh 10:10)}
He hath filled people’s hearts to lie to the Holy Ghost ^{(Act 5:3)}
He, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour ^{(1Pe 5:8)}
He sinneth from the beginning ^{(1Jn 3:8)}
He deceiveth the whole world ^{(Rev 12:9)}

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

In choosing to separate from the former governor, we have further chosen to accept and to submit ourselves to a new Governor, our Creator, in His three persons of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ^{(Mat 28:19)}. Further, we acknowledge our Dependence upon Him, as He clearly stated: without me ye can do nothing ^{(Joh 15:5)}, and we rejoice that He has also promised: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee ^{(Heb 13:5)}. In submitting our will to His, and in declaring our dependence upon Him, we acknowledge, proclaim and receive all of the blessings that He has promised:

That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal Life. ^{(Joh 3:15)}
That He would heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, and set at Liberty them that are bruised ^{(Luk 4:18)}
That if we be reproached for the name of Christ, Happy are we; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon us ^{(1Pe 4:14)}
That His divine power hath given unto us All things that pertain unto Life and Godliness ^{(2Pe 1:3)}
That He hath come that we might have Life, and that we might have it more abundantly ^{(Joh 10:10)}
That He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life ^{(Joh 14:6)}
That He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his Life a ransom for many ^{(Mat 20:28)}
That He hath called us Friends; for all things that He hath heard of His Father He hath made known unto us ^{(Joh 15:15)}
That whatsoever we shall ask of the Father in His name, He may give it to us ^{(Joh 15:16)}
That He wisheth above all things that we mayest prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospereth ^{(3Jn 1:2)}
That if we shalt confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in our heart that God hath raised him from the dead, we shalt be saved ^{(Rom 10:9)}
That whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved ^{(Rom 10:13)}
And there are also many other things which Jesus promised, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen ^{(Joh 21:25)}

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Human brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their governor to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us and over them. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here in the Kingdom of God. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. However, as our new Governor instructs us, we will Love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them which despitefully use us, and persecute us (Mat 5:44).

We, therefore, the children of the most High God ^{(Psa 82:6)}, in General Congress, Assembled, thankful to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, solemnly publish and declare, That these undersigned are, and of Right ought to be Free and Dependent Friends of their Creator; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world ^{(Rev 12:9)}, and that all spiritual connection between them and the power of darkness, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Dependent Friends, they have full Power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt them ^{(Luk 10:19)}. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Frank H. Burmesch
Plainfield, Illinois

I pray that this has blessed you. If you too have freely made this same decision and would like to add your name to this Declaration of Dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ, please add a comment below to affix your name or initials to this document. And then please share this web page with your friends and relatives so that they too can make their declaration.

And if you have not yet made the decision to become a Free and Dependent Friend of our Lord Jesus Christ, I strongly encourage you do to so now! Not doing so will ultimately result in death (For the wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23a), but doing so will result in ETERNAL Life (but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord - Romans 6:23b). And how do you become a Free and Dependent Friend of Jesus? Here is what God said on the topic:

If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. … For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:9 & 13)

You can have a personal, spiritual relationship with Jesus, a relationship that transforms you here and now in this life, and also results in eternal life with Him in heaven for ever! Just call upon the name of the Lord, and you shall be saved! (For a more complete explanation of God’s Gift of Salvation, go to http://www.sharethelemonade.net/2394.html). And then you too can add your name or initials to your Declaration of Dependence, and MORE IMPORTANTLY your name will be written in the Lamb's book of life! (Rev 21:27)

To read the original Declaration of Independence of the United States, go to
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:

To make a one time donation through PayPal, click here.
To Partner with us through a regular $25/month subscription through PayPal, click here.
To send a donation by check, mail it to:

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Which Way? (Part III): Personal Integrity

2009-06-28T14:44:00.003-05:00

Better is the poor that walks in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. (Proverbs 19:1)

Last week we discussed our “spiritual integrity”, our integrity as it relates to the spiritual relationship we have with God, and how it drives (or should drive) everything that we do. We asked ourselves two Key Questions:

Are you being honest with yourself?
Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?

Today we will be discussing our “personal integrity”, our integrity as it relates to going through life and relating to other human beings. And the main point I want to make from the start is this: if our spiritual integrity is intact and in sync with what Jesus did and taught, our personal integrity will take care of itself! But since we probably aren’t perfectly there yet, let’s discuss some practical matters that we need to be mindful of as we go through life. Let’s start again this week by looking at our words, or more accurately, our “word”, as in being people of our word. How does God view His “word”?

I will worship toward your holy temple, and praise your name for your loving kindness and for your truth: for you have magnified your word above all your name. (Psalms 138:2)

This verse states that God magnifies His word (meaning His speech, His words, His commandments) above His name (His character, His reputation). We could phrase it like this: if you take care of what you say, keeping your word, to a large degree your reputation will take care of itself! The Bible is full of verses about keeping your word – let’s look at one such passage from Deuteronomy:

When you shall vow a vow unto the LORD your God, you shall not slack to pay it: for the LORD your God will surely require it of you; and it would be sin in you. But if you shall forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in you. That which is gone out of your lips you shall keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as you have vowed unto the LORD your God, which you have promised with your mouth. (Deuteronomy 23:21-23)

Once you make a vow or a promise, it is critical, it is required, that you perform it. To not perform it is sin. This sounds harsh in this day and age when declaring bankruptcy is considered a “right”; when nearly every high profile athlete who has a good year demands to “re-negotiate” their contract; when politicians change their positions to follow the polls. After all, don’t we all need to be “looking out for number one”? What does The Bible say?

LORD, who shall abide in your tabernacle? who shall dwell in your holy hill? He that walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. He that backbites not with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honors them that fear the LORD. He that swears to his own hurt, and changes not. (Psalms 15:1-4)

Look at this last sentence – “He that swears to his own hurt, and changes not”! That is the way that a Godly person honors his word. Let’s repeat it as today’s Key Point Number 1: Keep your word, even when it hurts!

Let’s be aware that the commitments we make are truly that – commitments, not just noble ideas or good intentions! Let’s remember that how we keep our word will go a long way in determining our personal integrity, and the reputation that we have before others.

Let’s continue to ask ourselves the tough questions - are we dealing with people honestly in all areas of our relationships with them? Or are we following the “world’s” ways when it comes to trying to get what we want? I’d like to share some personal experiences of mine in this area, as I’ve had some battles in this area, and I know how strong the temptations are. Let me first point out – I am not perfect in this area, and I am not trying to say I do everything right. As a matter of fact, a lot of these battles occurred because I wanted to make things happen, and at the time I wasn’t so interested in maintaining personal integrity. But when God’s Holy Spirit lives inside of you, He won’t let you rest when you are considering doing something that is wrong (and that is a very good thing)!

Example 1: Back when I was running my business, I was talking with the “business coach” that my franchisor had assigned to me. He told me that in order to close more sales I needed to “guarantee a 500% increase in profits” to my prospects. That statement took me by surprise, since it struck me as something that would not only be unattainable, but it would be out of my control – how can I guarantee any increase in a company’s profits? So, I asked for clarification on what he meant by making a “guarantee” – did he mean that I promise to give back my client’s money if they didn’t increase their profits? He was surprised that I would even ask the question, and he told me “you just tell it to your prospect to make the sale, and don’t worry about it after that”. That was the point at which I knew I had signed up with the wrong franchisor, or at least I was talking to the wrong business coach.

We’ll summarize this as today’s Key Point Number 2: Don’t make promises that you can’t guarantee to keep! And how can we best do that? Let’s look at what Jesus taught, regarding the verses we read from Deuteronomy:

Again, you have heard that it has been said by them of old time, You shall not forswear yourself, but shall perform unto the Lord your oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shall you swear by your head, because you can not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil. (Matthew 5:33-37)

Let’s move into another area of personal integrity, what I will call “transactional” relationships:

A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride comes, then comes shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. (Proverbs 11:1-3)

So, do we try to trick people into giving us what we want? Do we overcharge them for a product or service? The answers to these questions seem obvious as we sit in our Bible Study classroom reading from Proverbs, but do we apply them as we go through life? Here’s a question that one of my mentor’s asked me, and I’ll ask it to you all. I realize that it might be difficult for those of you that never worked in sales to relate to, but it really does come into play in nearly all of our lives at some point in time. Here’s the question: How do you sell a defective product? I’ll wait here as you think of some answers…

Some folks are probably saying that you highlight the positive features, and/or you focus on the needs that it will still fulfill for the customer, or other such practical answers. But here’s what my mentor suggested, and which I fully believe is scriptural: You DON’T! You either get the product fixed, or you find a different, non-defective, product to sell!

Example 2: I had to deal with this exact issue as I was contemplating closing my franchise business. I was struggling with selling our services to clients, knowing full well that the suppliers of the franchise would not be able to meet the needs of my clients. That is when my mentor and I had our discussion on how to sell the defective product, and I chose to attempt to fix things by providing the services myself. And to a certain degree that worked, as I was able to get things done at a price point that my clients were happy with, and within the timeframe that was necessary to meet their needs. But it left me with no time to spend with my family, which was the main reason that I had decided to leave the job that I had before I started the business.

Example 3: So, as a result, I decided to close the business and take a job elsewhere. But this left me with a dilemma – I had this franchise that on paper had some value that I could sell. The world would tell you that you go ahead and find a buyer, and get back whatever money that you can. But I KNEW it was a defective product, and I had absolutely NO peace about attempting to sell it to someone else. Thankfully, God provided another franchisee, already involved with the business that wanted to expand his territory, so I just signed my franchise over to him (he agreed to take over my franchise fees in exchange for being able to provide services in my geographic territory).

So, you say you don’t own a business or sell any type of product? You want to know how does this lesson apply to you? How about selling a house? I love this old episode of the Andy Griffith Show, where Andy is considering selling his house and buying another person’s. And we see all of the parties attempting to hide, mislead, or subtly lie about flooding in the basement, and cracks in the ceiling, and other defects. But it ultimately concludes with everyone agreeing to not sell the houses, and to get the defects fixed instead.

So, let’s conclude our lesson about personal integrity with Key Point Number 3: Do the right thing! And let me be specific – do that which is right in God’s eyes, not the world’s – after all it will keep you healthy:

And said, If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that heals you. (Exodus 15:26)

Join us next week for our lesson entitled: Our Declaration of Dependence.

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Which Way? (Part II): Spiritual Integrity

2009-06-21T17:39:00.004-05:00

Better is the poor that walks in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. (Proverbs 19:1)

We have been studying about God’s Economic Plan, and seeing how God’s plan for our economic prosperity differs from what the world presents. Last week we moved on from that study and started looking having a “good name”, a “good reputation”. Let’s review the three Key Points:

There are only two ways to do anything: God’s way, and the Wrong way!
Methods matter!
Motive is everything!

We concluded that we needed to be doing everything God’s way, motivated by love for Him and for His people.

Today we are going to continue teaching in this direction, as we take a look at “walking in our integrity”. Actually, we are going to break this lesson into two parts. Next week we will look at our “personal integrity”, our integrity as it relates to going through life and relating to other human beings. Today I want to look at our “spiritual integrity”, our integrity as it relates to the spiritual relationship we have with God, and how it drives (or should drive) everything that we do. Let’s start by looking at some definitions for the word “integrity”:

Webster’s Definitions:

the quality or state of being complete; unbroken condition; wholeness; entirety
the quality or state of being unimpaired; perfect condition; soundness
the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity – SYN see HONESTY

My Practical Definitions:

Being the same when nobody is looking as you are when somebody is looking.
Being the same when only God is looking as you are when other humans are looking.

When it comes to spiritual integrity, my second practical definition applies. Let’s remind ourselves of this key passage:

Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. (Psalms 139:7-8)

We need to be aware at all times that no matter where we are and no matter what we are doing, God is with us and watching us. We can’t hide from Him and we can’t fool Him (you can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you CAN’T fool God) – we CAN deceive ourselves, but we can’t deceive God. And if we realize that God is always watching we’ll find a better place to make our bed! So, today’s lesson is going to be one that challenges us. To do this, we are going to ask a series of key questions instead of stating key points. And why is this? Because it is too easy to just say that you are good:

Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? The just man walks in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. (Proverbs 20:6-7)

So, let’s start with today’s Key Question Number 1: Are you being honest with yourself? The Bible tells us to find out:

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV)

The Bible gives us some tests that we can conduct, as we examine ourselves:

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. 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. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10)

Are we saying one thing and doing another? Then the truth (God’s truth) is not in us! When I think of “spiritual integrity”, I think of our actions being consistent with our words, and our words being consistent with our actions, no matter where we are and no matter who we are with. Let’s ask ourselves some more questions, and let’s be honest with ourselves:

Do you speak and behave one way in church, and a different way at home? Humans have this strange tendency to be nicer to strangers than they are to their immediate family. If you behave differently in church than you do at home, then you are lacking in spiritual integrity. As you examine yourself in this area, ask yourself: are you are being honest with yourself?

Do you speak and behave one way in church, and a different way at work? People can talk of honesty in church, but then lie and deceive to get ahead at work. If you behave differently in church than you do at work, then you are lacking in spiritual integrity. As you examine yourself in this area, ask yourself: are you are being honest with yourself?

And here’s my personal favorite when it comes to examining ourselves:

If you were arrested and accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Keep in mind, just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you a Big Mac! Ask yourself, and be honest with yourself: Are you producing good fruit?

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:15-23)

So, it is important that we be consistent in our words and actions, in order to bring forth good fruit. But beyond that, let’s ask ourselves another key question, which I take from Del Tackett from The Truth Project (http://www.thetruthproject.org/): Key Question Number 2: Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?

Let’s spend some time thinking on this question, because if we really do believe it, it will show in everything that we do!

Do you really believe that The Bible is the inspired Word of God? (2 Timothy 3:16) Then you will read it and study it! If you are not actively reading it and studying it, do you really believe that what you believe is really real?

Do you really believe that Jesus is who He said He is, the Son of God? (John 10:30) Then you should be living your life in obedience to everything that He told us to do! But if you aren’t seeking to know Him, if you are not growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, do you really believe that what you believe is really real?

Do you really believe that Jesus is the ONLY way to have eternal life with God, and to avoid eternity in hell? (John 14:6) Then you should be telling your loved ones about Him! I realize that this is an area that we need to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16) – I have done some harm as a new Christian by trying to force the truth on people that I love. But if you are not sharing Jesus with people, do you really believe that what you believe is really real?

I realize that this type of lesson can make you feel like a failure, like you are not measuring up. But I want to encourage you that if it IS your desire to love and to serve Jesus, and if you have made the commitment to Him as your Lord and as your Savior, HE will complete the work in you:

Being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience 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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

And if you have examined yourself, and you have honestly determined that you haven’t ever made a personal commitment to Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do it now! The Bible says

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. … For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:9 & 13)

You can have a personal relationship with Jesus, a relationship that transforms you here and now in this life, and also results in eternal life with Him in heaven for ever! Just call upon the name of the Lord, and you shall be saved! (For a more complete explanation of God’s Gift of Salvation, go to www.sharethelemonade.net/2394.html, and when you make a commitment to Him make sure that you tell someone that can rejoice with you!)

So, let’s establish and maintain our spiritual integrity, so that everything that we say and everything that we do is consistent with being a Christian, consistent with being like Christ!!

Join us next week as we examine our Personal Integrity.

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:

To make a one time donation through PayPal, click here.
To Partner with us through a regular $25/month subscription through PayPal, click here.
To send a donation by check, mail it to:

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Which Way?

2009-06-14T17:22:00.001-05:00

Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not thither, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:6-11)

We have been studying about God’s Economic Plan, and seeing how God’s plan for our economic prosperity differs from what the world presents. We embarked on that study because Jesus pointed out that how we trust God for financial needs was the least area, the starting point, for living by faith. Let me summarize by quoting a verse on what is even better than riches:

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold. (Proverbs 22:1)

Today I want to start looking at having a “good name”, having a “good reputation”. We saw that God’s way for finances are at odds with the world’s way, and today I want to continue looking at this variance between God’s way and the world’s way. Let’s refer back to our opening verses from Isaiah chapter 55. In verse 6 we see that we are to seek the Lord – the Lord isn’t going to force Himself on us. Verses 7 through 9 point out that God’s ways are better than the world’s, higher to the same degree that the heavens are higher than the earth. Verses 10 and 11 point out that His ways go forth through His word, the same word that we seek and study through The Bible. As we get started today, let me make this real simple in today’s Key Point Number 1: There are only two ways to do anything: God’s way, and the Wrong way! And that is why it is critical for us to read and study The Bible. After all, let’s look at what we are called to do from Romans chapter 12:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not 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. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:1-3)

We are called BOTH to be a living sacrifice, giving up our will to God’s, AND to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We need to be doing BOTH, renewing our mind through knowing God’s word and therefore His will, and yielding our will to His. And why is this critical? Because we will be tested constantly! Unless you are a hermit living alone, you will be tested, since it is in our human relationships that many of the battles occur. So let’s take a look at how we are to deal with these battles. Let’s start with one of Jesus’ teachings on dealing with issues between “brothers”:

Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you; Leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

Does your brother have some issue against you? Have you trespassed against your brother in some way? Don’t expect your offering to God to be accepted until you reconcile with your brother first. How can we bless God if we have not been a blessing to our brother? What did John teach on this?

If a man says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1 John 4:20)

Today’s lesson is our opportunity to examine ourselves, to see if we truly love God by seeing if we truly love our brothers (and sisters). What about the times when our brother trespasses against us? Jesus taught on this too:

Moreover if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone: if he shall hear you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear you, then take with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto you as an heathen man and a publican. (Matthew 18:15-17)

Here’s today’s Key Point Number 2: Methods matter! How do we deal with a brother, when there is an issue? Step 1: go to your brother directly, alone. Try to address it out of the public arena, but openly and directly between the two of you. If that doesn’t work, step 2 is to take with you one or two people, but again out of the public arena and openly and directly with your brother. Only after that do you bring the issue before the church.

What is the opposite of this approach? How often do we come across gossip, things like “do you know what so and so did to me?” Stories spread from person to person accusing and condemning one individual and often that individual doesn’t even have a clue that they have offended the person! Or here’s another example: have you ever come upon two people talking between themselves, and as soon as they see you the conversation instantly stops? Later on you discover that you were the primary topic of their conversation, and that conversation was not of a constructive nature.

Examples like this are common in the world – we start to experience them as children, especially within nearly any school environment. As we get older, they tend to become more discrete, but in the world the use of “backroom” discussions and meetings to attempt to achieve a desired goal has in many ways become an art form. But we need to realize that the world’s ways are not God’s ways, and as Christians we need to follow God’s ways. And this means that we go to our brother, and discuss things honestly and directly. The word “transparency” is very prevalent in the media these days, due to the scandals that have rocked the financial and business world. As Christians, we need to be even more transparent in our human relationships – openly letting people know who we are and were we stand, not trying to hide, or mislead, or deceive, or manipulate in any way.

As in all things spiritual, and in all things relational, what matters most is the attitude of our heart. Let’s look at how Jesus’ disciples responded when they were informed of an offense that had not even occurred yet:

Now when the evening was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Truly I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? (Matthew 26:20-22)

What was their response? “Lord, is it I?” What do you suppose the world’s way would be? Probably something like “I’ll bet it’s so and so – he seems like the betrayer type?” We see it in the news media constantly – speculation, innuendo, and accusation, even before all of the facts have been gathered. We need to be quick to examine ourselves first, to make sure that our heart is right, before going to address an issue with anyone. Let’s look at another teaching from Jesus:

And why do you behold the mote that is in your brother's eye, but perceive not the beam that is in your own eye? And how can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in your eye, when you yourself behold not the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then shall you see clearly to pull out the mote that is in your brother's eye. (Luke 6:41-42)

One of the reasons it is so critical to be living by God’s ways, by His word, is because it will help us to know when there is a beam in our own eye. We need to constantly be renewing our mind through God’s word, so that we can see clearly. If we are not reading and studying God’s word, if we are not removing beams from our own eyes, we need to avoid trying to correct others – we’ll be doing more harm than good.

So let’s consider our human interactions, and how we handle issues between ourselves and our brothers. Let’s examine our hearts and our attitudes, and let’s make sure that we are handling things in God’s way and not the world’s. And let’s remind ourselves of one last Key Point Number 3: Motive is everything!

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

You can do all of the right things, you can know all of the right things, but if you do not have charity (unconditional love), it is nothing. So let’s be learning God’s ways, and doing things God’s way, motivated by a love for God and for God’s people, and we will see God’s word living and working and prospering in and through our lives!

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:

To make a one time donation through PayPal, click here.
To Partner with us through a regular $25/month subscription through PayPal, click here.
To send a donation by check, mail it to:

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Living by God’s Economic Plan (Part VII)

2009-05-31T17:21:00.003-05:00

Session 7: Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Jesus says WHEN you do alms, not IF!
Give alms to those who CAN’T, not those who WON’T!
Do not fear being taken advantage of!

So, if I were to summarize the previous sessions I would say they were presenting the heart of God’s Economic Plan – trusting God, living by faith, and giving cheerfully and generously. Starting with today’s lesson, I am going to start addressing specific economic topics that we deal with day in and day out. And in our present day world what better issue to address than credit?

Actually, credit isn’t the problem – being credit worthy is a good thing. It means we have demonstrated faithfulness in paying our bills. The problem occurs when we use our credit to go into debt. Our present day society encourages us to use credit to get everything we want now - don’t waste your time saving up for what you want, just put it on the credit card, or use the installment plan to pay it off a little at a time for the rest of your life. And by doing so we build up debt to the point that we suddenly find ourselves paying interest on the interest, and fees on top of fees, to the point that we find ourselves drowning in debt. Is this God’s plan? Let’s see what He says in The Bible:

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7)

Let me make a quick observation here, since some Christians believe otherwise: God does NOT say that going into debt is a sin. There are a lot of verses defining guidelines and rules about borrowing and lending, and if it was simply a sin to borrow, The Bible wouldn’t waste time talking about the guidelines. In Proverbs 22, the comment explains the change in relationship as one party borrows from another – the borrower becomes servant to the lender. The lender is placed in a position of calling the shots, and the borrower becomes subservient.

Let’s take a look at another set of verses that provides some more detail on borrowing:

At the end of every seven years you shall make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lends anything unto his neighbor shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD'S release. Of a foreigner you may exact it again: but that which is yours with your brother your hand shall release; Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it: Only if you carefully listen unto the voice of the LORD your God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command you this day. For the LORD your God blesses you, as he promised you: and you shall lend unto many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you. If there be among you a poor man of one of your brethren within any of your gates in your land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother: But you shall open your hand wide unto him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he lacks. Beware that there be not a thought in your wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing; and he cry unto the LORD against you, and it be sin unto you. You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give unto him: because that for this thing the LORD your God shall bless you in all your works, and in all that you put your hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command you, saying, You shall open your hand wide unto your brother, to your poor, and to your needy, in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:1-11)

Here we see a lot of the guidelines that God gives regarding borrowing. The first thing I want to point out is that God’s guidelines would limit borrowing to a maximum of seven years. Long term debt results in very high costs over the life of the loan. If everyone followed this guideline, we would have much more manageable debt, and would save a ton of money from interest charges.

The second thing that I want to point out is that when God is blessing us, we will be lending, NOT borrowing. We will be ruling, not being ruled. And again we see that we are to be willing to give, even when the seventh year is at hand. Lending is one more way in which we bless our brothers and sisters that are in need. And while we are on the topic, let’s look at one more set of verses on this:

If you lend money to any of my people that is poor by you, you shall not be to him as a creditor, neither shall you charge him interest. If you at all take your neighbor's cloak to pledge, you shall deliver it unto him by that the sun goes down: For that is his covering only, it is his cloak for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he cries unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious. (Exodus 22:25-27)

When we loan to other believers that are in need, we should not be charging them interest. And as we look at verses 26 & 27 we see that we should not be taking advantage of people as we lend to them. Do you perhaps see a reason that banks and credit card companies are struggling these days? They have been taking advantage of their borrowers for years, through high interest and high fees. Now that the borrowers are so deep in debt that they are declaring bankruptcy, the leeches - oops, I mean the lenders - are reaping what they have sown (but I digress…).

So, here is today’s Key Point Number 1: It’s better to be a Lender than a Borrower.

And I am going to immediately follow it up with Key Point Number 2: Borrowing isn’t always Wrong, but it often isn’t Wise.

I am going to share four rules about borrowing from Ron Blue, from his book Faith-Based Family Finances:

Rule 1: Common Sense – The economic return must be greater than the economic cost. Put another way, when we borrow money, the thing that is purchased needs to grow in value or pay an economic return greater than the interest and fees we pay on the loan. Following this rule in itself would cause us not to put anything on a credit card that we can’t pay off when the bill comes – it’s pretty much impossible to get a 15% to 25% return on anything, unless YOU are the credit card company.

Rule 2: A guaranteed way to repay – Let’s take a look at Psalms 37:21:

The wicked borrows, and pays not again: but the righteous shows mercy, and gives. (Psalms 37:21)

The main thing we need to remember is that even though the bankruptcy laws in this country might make it legal to not pay back our loans, God expects us to pay them all back. So rule number two says that we do not borrow if we cannot guarantee paying it back. Using a credit card is perfectly fine if you have enough money in your checking and/or savings account to pay the bill when it arrives. A home mortgage is a bit trickier – if you follow the conventional worldly wisdom that says finance it to the max, having no equity built up in it, you had better have a lot of savings available in case you loose your job, are unable to make payments, and are unable to sell it for more than you owe on it.

Rule 3: Peace of heart and mind – This is where you examine your motives. Ask yourself these three questions:

Why am I doing this?
Am I violating any ethical or spiritual principles?
Do I have peace in my heart and spirit about this?

Too often we get caught up the emotion, the “but I want it now”, and can find ourselves buying things that we don’t need with money that we don’t have to impress people we don’t even know. A good way to keep yourself honest is to explain what you are doing to your spouse or a trusted friend, someone who loves you enough to be totally honest with you.

Rule 4: Unity – If your spouse does not understand what you are doing, or if they are not in agreement with doing it, DON’T.

And let me now share today’s Key Point Number 3: Borrowing can deny the opportunity to see God’s Provision. You’ll notice that I have no verses to provide for this last point. The reason is that you would be hard pressed to see a Biblical example of God arranging a loan for anyone as His means of provision. The closest would be the Exodus, where God tells the Israelites to borrow from the Egyptians, but that was more likely payment for 430 years of slavery than a true loan.

On the other hand, we see numerous examples of God’s miraculous provision. Let’s consider Jesus feeding the multitude – if this happened in our current day, ask yourself what you would have done if Jesus asked you where to get bread to feed the people? Most people in the United States would run to the store and put it on the credit card. But where is the miracle in that? We need to show enough patience and trust to receive God’s provision.

Similarly, taking out a loan because you believe that God will provide really isn’t stepping out in faith. Actually, it is tempting God. If you are taking out a loan with no guarantee to pay it back, your creditors are the ones living by faith, not you. Likewise, if you are not making payments on your debt, but you continue to give tithes and offerings expecting God to bless you, I would suggest that you are NOT living by faith, your creditors are. And I would suggest that you will not be blessed for your giving - God doesn’t bless us when we are giving other people’s money.

So, let’s make sure that if we borrow that we are doing it for the right reasons and that we can guarantee repayment. And better yet, let’s get ourselves into position to be the lender and NOT the borrower. That is where we are when we are living in God’s blessing, by God’s Economic Plan.

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:

To make a one time donation through PayPal, click here.
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The Halls Of Power

2009-05-24T17:46:00.003-05:00

Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

For the past several weeks we’ve been talking about God’s Economic Plan, partly because of the current economic condition, but primarily because Jesus referred to how we use money, the “unrighteous mammon”, as being the “least” area of living by faith. That is the starting point. We will be going back to continue the series next week, but today I want to take a step up the ladder in living by faith.

We often hear the phrase “the Halls of Power” referring to government – the White House, the Congress, the leaders of the nation, those who shape policy and the direction of a nation. Today I want us to take a look at the true “Halls of Power”. To do this, we are going to take a look at two Greek words from the New Testament most often translated as the English word “power”. First, “exousia”:

1849 exousia ex-oo-see’-ah
AV-power 69, authority 29, right 2, liberty 1, jurisdiction 1, strength 1; 103
1) power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases, leave or permission

This word was translated as “power” 69 times, and as “authority” 29 times. It refers to having permission or authorization to do something, what I’ll refer to as “delegated power” or “authority”. To illustrate, here are a few of the verses using this word:

For I am a man under authority[1849 delegated power/authority], having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. (Matthew 8:9)

The Roman Centurion whose servant was ill and then healed helps us understand this word – he was under authority, delegating power to those under him in rank, and having delegated power from those above him in rank. He tells someone to do something, and that soldier or servant has not only the authority to do it, but also the responsibility to do it. So as we look at this word exousia, let’s remember two words: authority and responsibility.

For he taught them as one having authority[1849 delegated power/authority], and not as the scribes. (Matthew 7:29)

This same word exousia is used to describe the manner in which Jesus taught, which was markedly different than the normal teachers of His day.

And the devil said unto him, All this power[1849 delegated power/authority] will I give you, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. (Luke 4:6)

We see this type of power is not only used to describe God; the devil also offered to give Jesus this form of power (although as we will see later, he really had NOTHING to offer Jesus…).

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power[1849 delegated power/authority] of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (Acts 26:18)

Here we see Jesus telling Saul/Paul what his mission is to be, taking people out of Satan’s power/authority and turning them to be under God’s power/authority!

So I hope you understand this form of power. Now we will look at another Greek word, this one “dunamis”:

1411 dunamis doo’-nam-is
AV-power 77, mighty work 11, strength 7, miracle 7, might 4, virtue 3, mighty 2
1) strength power, ability, inherent power, power for performing miracles, moral power

This word was translated as “power” 77 times, and as “mighty work” 11 times. It refers to having the inherent ability to do something, and quite often it refers to supernatural or miraculous power. Here are a few of the verses using this word:

Jesus answered and said unto them, You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power[1411 inherent/miraculous power] of God. (Matthew 22:29)

Jesus answers the Sadducees, who do not believe in the resurrection after death, that they do not know the inherent and miraculous power of God to raise the dead.

And Jesus returned in the power[1411 inherent/miraculous power] of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. (Luke 4:14)

And Jesus, after spending forty days in the wilderness being tempted of the devil, returns in the inherent and miraculous power of God’s Holy Spirit.

And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue[1411 inherent/miraculous power] had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? (Mark 5:30)

And he did not many mighty works[1411 inherent/miraculous power] there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:58)

And in these two verses we see this same word “dunamis” referring specifically to the miracle producing power that surrounded Jesus as he went about His life on this Earth.

So, we see these two aspects of power: the delegated power or authority; and the inherent ability and miraculous power. Which leads me into today’s Key Point Number 1: ALL power comes from God! (which is why I said the devil had NOTHING to offer Jesus – Jesus already had ALL power)

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, and the power[1411 inherent/miraculous power], and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:13)

“THE power” is God’s.

And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power[1849 delegated power/authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18)

“ALL power” has been given to Jesus in heaven AND in earth, following His death & resurrection.

Then says Pilate unto him, Do you not speak unto me? Do you not know that I have power[1849 delegated power/authority] to crucify you, and have power[1849 delegated power/authority] to release you? Jesus answered, You could have no power[1849 delegated power/authority] at all against me, except it were given you from above: therefore he that delivered me unto you has the greater sin. (John 19:10-11)

And here we see Jesus specifically speaking to Pilate, that the ONLY authority given comes from God above! And to reinforce this perspective on the source of power, let’s read from the book of Romans:

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers[1849 delegated power/authority]. For there is no power[1849 delegated power/authority] but of God: the powers[1849 delegated power/authority] that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resists the power[1849 delegated power/authority], resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Will you then not be afraid of the power[1849 delegated power/authority]? do that which is good, and you shall have praise of the same: (Romans 13:1-3)

And why am I spending all of this time on these two types of power? When we want to enter in to the true Halls of Power, we need to realize today’s Key Point Number 2: God has given us BOTH! Both His delegated authority (and the corresponding responsibility) and His inherent miraculous power:

Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power[1411 inherent power] and authority[1849 delegated power/authority] over all devils, and to cure diseases. (Luke 9:1)

Behold, I give unto you power[1849 delegated power/authority] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power[1411 inherent power] of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

But as many as received him, to them gave he power[1849 delegated power/authority] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12)

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power[1411 inherent/miraculous power] from on high. (Luke 24:49)

I especially want you to notice those last two verses, as they apply to all who have received Jesus and His Holy Spirit! So, since God has given us His power, it is time for today’s Key Point Number 3: Let’s ACT on the Authority and Power that He has given us!

Truly, truly, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12)

And what are some of those “works” that Jesus was referring to?

And they were all amazed, and spoke among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority[1849 delegated power/authority]and power[1411 inherent/miraculous power] he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out. (Luke 4:36)

Behold, I give unto you power[1849 delegated power/authority] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power[1411 inherent power] of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

So, although we need to be diligent and active in all that is going on in our Government, let’s not be fearful! Let’s realize that the true Halls of Power originate in the Spiritual realm with God our Father! And let’s be diligent in applying His power as He directs through His Holy Spirit:

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power[1411 inherent/miraculous power] toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power[1849 delegated power/authority], and might[1411 inherent/miraculous power], and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:19-23)

Today’s lesson has really just been an introduction. We will be coming back to discuss it in more detail in the near future.

Join us next week we as we return to our series on Living by God’s Economic Plan, in a lesson titled Giving Credit Where Credit is Due.

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:

To make a one time donation through PayPal, click here.
To Partner with us through a regular $25/month subscription through PayPal, click here.
To send a donation by check, mail it to:

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Living by God’s Economic Plan (Part VI)

2009-05-17T18:32:00.002-05:00

Session 6: When You Do Your Alms

We sow where we are fed!

We sow in fertile (i.e., Godly) soil!

Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing!

Last week we talked about two methods of giving, tithes and offerings. This week we are going to talk about giving alms. Let’s start in Matthew chapter 6:

Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when you do your alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Truly I say unto you, They have their reward. But when you do alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does: That your alms may be in secret: and your Father which sees in secret himself shall reward you openly. (Matthew 6:1-4)

Let’s start today with our Key Point Number 1: Jesus says WHEN you do alms, not IF!

And notice that like we’ve said before, motive is everything – we do alms not to be seen of men, not to receive glory from men, but instead we do them quietly and secretly. So, what exactly is Jesus talking about by “alms”? Let’s take a look at the word from the original Greek:

1654: eleemosune el-eh-ay-mos-oo’-nay
1) mercy, pity
1a) esp. as exhibited in giving alms, charity
2) the benefaction itself, a donation to the poor, alms

Alms giving is taking pity on or showing mercy to someone – what I like to call “purely charitable” giving. Tithes and offerings are means of sowing seed into Godly ministries, used to provide meat for God’s house, where we can directly benefit from the fruit. We see the results as the ministry grows. Alms giving produces fruit that is often less visible. When we give quietly and secretly to provide a charitable gift to someone in need, any reward is going to have to come from God directly – the beneficiary will not be able to give back to us in any natural way. And that is why God promises His supernatural reward, and why alms giving is special. Let’s read more from Jesus on giving alms:

And seek not what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, neither be of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows that you have need of these things. But rather seek the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that fails not, where no thief approaches, neither does moth corrupt. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:29-34)

We have referred to the “seek first the kingdom of God” verses several times in our study of God’s Economic Plan, but I want us to see how these verses connect our trusting God for our provision to our alms giving. Most people quoting from this passage stop after verse 32, stopping before they read “Sell what you have, and give alms”. But in the complete context, Jesus reveals that our giving of alms is an indicator of the state of our heart – where our treasure is, there will our heart be also. So God expects us to be giving alms, where only God can repay us. But like we saw with tithes and offerings, we again need to be cautious not to just throw our giving anywhere or any way:

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how you ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But you, brethren, be not weary in well doing. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)

Here’s today’s Key Point Number 2: Give alms to those who CAN’T, not those who WON’T!

Giving to someone who can’t work is one thing, but Paul commands us not to be giving to people that won’t work, those that are looking for handouts instead of looking for a “hand up”. One of the shortcomings of welfare systems is that they can have the effect of encouraging recipients not to work, making people slaves to the system. They become fearful that if they do find a job, they will lose their handout and they might not have enough. God never intended for alms giving to put people into this type of bondage.

But this point has another danger – the danger that the fear of giving to the wrong person paralyzes people into not giving alms at all. I’ve heard many people make statements (or excuses) like “oh, if I give them something they’ll just spend it on alcohol”, or something similar. Yet, what does the Bible say about seeing people in need and doing nothing? Let’s read:

What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith, and has not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit? Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:14-18)

Just saying “I’ll pray for you, Brother”, and not helping to provide things that are needful, is dead faith. Our faith becomes alive when we back it up with good works. I learned about a church this week that has really gone to the next level when it comes to giving alms. Waterfront Community Church (www.Waterfrontcc.com) in Schaumburg, Illinois actually has structured their church in such a way that they take 100% of their offerings and give it away to someone in need. They are getting the attention of the people who have been turned off by ministers living millionaire lifestyles. They do it wisely, making sure that they are blessing people in need and not contributing to bad lifestyles. And I find this intentionally setting up a church to be able to minister in this manner incredibly intriguing.

Now, getting back to our verses from James, we see that he specifically refers to “a brother or sister” in need. But do we only help other Christians? Allow me to answer that – No!. Let’s read what Jesus taught:

Give to every man that asks of you; and of him that takes away your goods ask them not again. And as you would that men should do to you, do also to them likewise. For if you love them which love you, what thank have you? for sinners also love those that love them. And if you do good to them which do good to you, what thank have you? for sinners also do even the same. And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thank have you? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:30-38)

Jesus says give to every man, not just your brothers and sisters. Jesus says give to every man, including your enemies. So, as we give to every man, is it possible that we will be taken advantage of? Of course! But Jesus says “love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”

So here is today’s Key Point Number 3: Do not fear being taken advantage of!

A friend of mine related a story of how a single mother of two young children started coming to his church. She was about to be kicked out of her apartment for not paying the rent, so he paid the rent for her. And that was the last time that he saw her. He asked the question “was I wrong”? This is the question that got me to thinking about all of the verses that we discussed today. And after spending some time studying this I answered my friend that I don’t think that he was wrong. Providing a month’s shelter for a single mom is not wrong. Giving to others as you would have men should do to you is not wrong. Giving to others, hoping for nothing again, is not wrong. Jesus promises that his reward shall be great.

I can better relate to this young mother, having recently gone through a difficult period where I was the recipient of others giving alms to support me and my family. It was a blessing, but it also hurt to be in that position. I now have a powerful revelation on Jesus’ statement that “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. I don’t know the motives of the young mother, or what her actual feelings were, but I do know that she could have been feeling a certain amount of guilt or embarrassment. And let’s face it, if her motive was purely to take advantage of my friend, she wouldn’t have had any problem with continuing to come to the church for her next month’s rent.

So, let’s do our alms, let’s help people unable to help themselves, and let’s not be paralyzed into inaction by fear of being taken advantage of. God promises to bless:

He that gives unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hides his eyes shall have many a curse. (Proverbs 28:27)

Next week we will be taking a brief break from our series on Living by God’s Economic Plan. Instead we will take a look at The Halls of Power.

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:

To make a one time donation through PayPal, click here.
To Partner with us through a regular $25/month subscription through PayPal, click here.
To send a donation by check, mail it to:

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Living by God’s Economic Plan (Part V)

2009-05-10T16:31:00.002-05:00

Session 5: Where to Sow

1, 2 & 3: Our J.O.B. is our Joy-filled Opportunity to Bless!

As we discussed, we labor in order to be able to provide for the needs of others. So, how do we go about doing that? As in all things, there tend to be right ways and wrong ways, and we take our direction from God’s instruction manual, the Bible. Where exactly do we sow our seed? Let’s start in the Old Testament:

Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now herewith, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, says the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for you shall be a delightsome land, says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:8-12)

We discussed last week how God blesses us, and we bless others. Here we see two means of blessing others: tithes and offerings. Tithes refer to 10 percent of our income given to the work of God, and offerings are additional gifts given for God’s work (and a third means, giving alms, we will discuss next week).

We touched on tithing a couple of weeks ago, and let’s go into a little more detail here. As a reminder, as New Testament Christians we are no longer under the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13), but we continue to tithe as God still promises his blessing as we do so. So, do we just sow our seed anywhere? What do we see in Malachi, when it comes to our tithes? It says “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house”. A storehouse is a place for building up a stockpile, and in this case it is a stockpile of “meat” for “God’s house”. I’d like to summarize this thought in today’s Key Point Number 1: We sow where we are fed!

I believe that this is critical, because God doesn’t just hand out cash. He encourages us to bless those that bless us, to supply for the physical needs of those that feed us spiritually. And we need to realize that if we are simply consuming, letting people feed us without giving back, what is going to happen when the storehouse is empty? We give our tithes to replenish the storehouse!

Let me elaborate on where the tithe should go. In the ideal world, this should be your local church. In the ideal world, why would you attend any local church that isn’t feeding you spiritually? Allow me to be blunt: if the church that you are attending is NOT feeding you spiritually, I strongly encourage you to move to one that will! And as you are being fed, make sure that you are sowing into that church, so that they continue to have “meat” for God’s house. But if for some reason you are attending a church that is NOT feeding you spiritually, one that is not fulfilling its role in God’s kingdom, I would encourage you not to support it. Why would I say that? To answer that, I’m going to share a little bit of a Greek word study, starting in Galatians chapter 6:

Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teaches in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:6-10)

The first verse here talks about those who are taught “communicate” to him that teaches, and the remaining verses discuss sowing and reaping. These verses taken together are discussing giving, in response to being taught. I want to focus on the word “communicate” from verse 6. The New Testament was originally written in Greek, so using the concordance (reference to original language) from my Bible software, this is the Greek word “koinoneo”. The definition refers to “sharing in” with, or “partnering” with someone.

2841: koinoneo koy-no-neh’-o
be partaker, communicate, distribute;
1) to come into communion or fellowship with, to become a sharer, be made a partner
2) to enter into fellowship, join one’s self to an associate, make one’s self a sharer or partner

So we see that Galatians 6:6 is specifically teaching that those who are being taught in the word of God should be partnering/sharing with those that teach. So we see that God is once again focused on relationship, in this case a partnering relationship between those that teach and those who are taught.

What did Jesus teach about partnering?

He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, truly I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. (Matthew 10:41-42)

Here’s today’s Key Point Number 2: We sow in fertile (i.e., Godly) soil! When we give to Godly ministries, ministries that are producing fruit, we become partners with them and share in their reward! We can’t just sow seed into any old soil – that would be wasteful, that would be poor stewardship. So we want to find Godly ministries that are producing fruit, and join in with them through giving of our money, our time, and our support. As we are partnering with them, we are sharing in their reward.

I want us to continue looking at verses that use this Greek word “koinoneo”. In the next four sets of verses, the bolded word(s) is actually this same word “koinoneo”.

Now you Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. (Philippians 4:15-17)

Paul tells the Philippians that because they are partnering with Paul, fruit will abound to their account. Do you want fruit to abound to your account? Find Godly ministries to partner with, and as God blesses them God also blesses you! Sow your seed in fertile ground, and watch the fruit come into your life!

But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it has pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It has pleased them truly; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. (Romans 15:25-27)

So again we see Paul teaching of partnering and sharing, giving of our carnal things in return for receiving spiritual things.

But why did I say DON’T sow into a church that is not feeding you, that is not fulfilling its role in the kingdom? Partnering does not only apply to Godly pursuits. Let’s look at two more verses that use this same Greek word “koinoneo”.

Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep yourself pure. (1 Timothy 5:22)

Did you know that by providing support to those involved in ungodly pursuits, you are entering into their “reward” as well? Here’s another verse using “koinoneo”:

If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that bids him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. (2 John 1:10-11)

You can be partaking of the evil deeds of another, when you support unGodly ministries. Do you recognize the phrase “giving aid and comfort to the enemy”? What about “aiding and abetting a crime”? We recognize that you can be an accomplice to a crime, and face prosecution, when you support another person in a criminal act. And yet how often to Christians give to an unGodly ministry without thinking, just because they get a letter in the mail begging for money, or see a tearful appeal on TV?

Here’s today’s Key Point Number 3. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing!

You may not realize it, but Christians seem to be an easy mark for unscrupulous con men and women. All someone needs to do is put together a letter or an email, add some images of starving children, address it personally using the recipient’s name, state that God gave them the name in a dream, and people start shedding tears and reaching for their wallet! Let’s face it, Christians are taught to be giving, even as we’ve taught in the previous sessions. But we need to be wise, sowing seed strategically, as God leads us, into fertile soil, into Godly ministries, and not be reacting to all of the emotional and manipulative attempts that the enemy uses to steal our seed.

Money can be your most important vote! Where you spend your money helps determine what industries survive and thrive. If people stopped buying drugs, the drug industry would disappear. If people stopped buying pornography, the porn industry would disappear. Every time that you reach into your wallet or write a check, you need to realize that you are casting a vote for the type of world that you want to live in! So let’s stop supporting any and all unGodly businesses. One last verse:

Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Let’s bring all of our tithes into the storehouse, supporting our local, Godly church, so that there is “meat” available to feed us and our families. Let’s sow our seed in fertile ground, partnering with fruitful, Godly ministries. Let’s watch out for and avoid the wolves, protecting our seed from theft. And let’s remember that every dollar that we spend is a vote cast for the type of world that we want to live in.

Join us for our next step in Living by God’s Economic Plan: When You do Your Alms

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:

To make a one time donation through PayPal, click here.

To Partner with us through a regular $25/month subscription through PayPal, click here.

To send a donation by check, mail it to:

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Living by God’s Economic Plan (Part IV)

2009-05-03T18:41:00.003-05:00

Session 4: The J.O.B.

Today we are continuing a series that I am calling “Living by God’s Economic Plan (a Christian Response to the Global Economic “Crisis”)”. We are discussing the foundational truths of the Economic Plan that God has established and documented in His instruction manual, the Bible. We will be looking at what we see out in the world, and comparing it to what we see in God’s Word, and then putting into action the steps that God gives us to establish a sound fiscal policy within our own lives. Our last lesson was called Sow, Now What?, and we discussed three key points:

God gives to Givers!

Motive is Everything!

God is enough, and more than enough!
Well, let’s move on to today’s lesson – The J.O.B. So, if God wants to be our supplier for everything, why are we supposed to work? Haven’t we all been taught that we need to work to make a living for ourselves? And haven’t we all heard things like “work is a four letter word”? How often do we hear people exclaim “TGIF – Thank God It’s Friday” as they look forward to being away from their jobs for two whole days? And how often have we heard people say (or perhaps we say it ourselves) “I hate my job”, and then they explain that they only work because they need the money? Is this really the way God wants it to be? Let’s take a look at the first job ever given:

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (Genesis 2:15)

What do we see here? We see that after God made man, even before He created Eve, God gave Adam a job – to dress and keep the garden of Eden. And here’s the really important point – this was before Adam and Eve sinned and brought on the curse! So anyone who thinks that work itself is a curse, a result of living in this sinful world, is missing something important here from the very beginning of mankind. Let’s take a quick look at the curse that came in Genesis chapter 3:

And unto Adam he said, Because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and unto dust shall you return. (Genesis 3:17-19)

After Adam and Eve sinned, the resulting curse wasn’t that Adam now had to work. The result of the sin was that his work was going to be more difficult because the ground was cursed – the earth had been corrupted by sin. So the first thing I want us to note is that work was given to man while he was still in his perfect, innocent state in the garden of Eden! We also want to remember that as Christians we are no longer under the curse (Galatians 3:13 - Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us), so we don’t even have to accept that our work needs to be difficult! OK then, what exactly should be our attitude regarding our jobs? Let’s look at what Solomon wrote:

He has made every thing beautiful in his time: also he has set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God. (Ecclesiastes 3:11-13)

And again:

Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor that he takes under the sun all the days of his life, which God gives him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answers him in the joy of his heart. (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20)

So, the first thing I want us all to consider is that God wants us to be rejoicing in our work, in our jobs! He has established that man needs to have something to do, something he can rejoice in. I would like to suggest that if you are one of those people that is NOT rejoicing at your job, if you can’t wait for the end of the workday, you are probably in the wrong job. But then you’ll probably want to point out that you need the job to provide for your needs. In response to that, I want to look at the second thing that I want us to consider:

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needs. (Ephesians 4:28)

What? Am I reading this correctly? Haven’t we all been told most of our lives that we work a job in order to provide for our own needs? But this verse is saying that we are supposed to labor so that we can give to others that have needs!?

The Bible is perfectly consistent – it only appears to be contradictory when we fail to understand it, or when we fail to accept it. We have been discussing for several weeks now that when we give, when we seek first the kingdom of God, when we trust in Him, then He promises to supply our needs. Let’s review:

Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (2 Corinthians 9:7-8)

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:31-33)

So, why would we think that we need a job to supply our needs? If we accept that God is supplying our needs, and wants us to be motivated to be givers, why wouldn’t we be working in order to be a blessing to others? As a matter of fact, isn’t being a blessing what your job is all about? If you are not being a blessing to your employer, or to your customers, they will quickly find someone else who is!

Today I am rolling into one all Three Key Points: Our J.O.B. is our Joy-filled Opportunity to Bless!

We need to get out of our self-centered mindset, thinking that “I have to supply my need”, that “my job is all about me”. God put us on this earth to bless, and to be blessed. Living a life of faith, living by God’s Economic Plan, is all about blessing – let’s look at Abraham, our father of faith:

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, unto a land that I will show to you: And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curse you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)

God promised to bless Abraham, and he instructed Abraham that he was to be a blessing to others – as a matter of fact, ALL the families of the earth have been blessed through him!

So, if you have been thinking of your job as your chore that you have to do to put food on your table, to provide for your needs, you are missing out on one of God’s gifts to you! Your job should be filling you with joy! Your job should be giving you opportunities to bless – to bless your employer and/or customers through the excellent work that you do, and to be able to bless others through your giving! And who will take care of your needs if you aren’t “taking care of number one”? God will! And that is another blessing that you get to enjoy as you take on the Joy-filled Opportunity to Bless that God has given you!

I would like to share how God has impressed this lesson on me. When I was a sophomore in high school, about sixteen years before I became a Christian, I decided I was going to become an “Architect”. I liked drafting house plans, and I liked the sound of the title – “Architect”! So, after completing high school I spent eight years in college getting my Master’s degree, and I then took a job at an architectural firm. I spent several more years preparing for and ultimately passing the licensing exam to finally officially become an “Architect”. I had achieved my goal! There was only one problem – I didn’t enjoy architecture! What I really loved doing was computer programming. My first experience with computer programming had come during my freshman year in college, as I took the required introductory course in programming. This skill perfectly matched how I was wired, and I loved the challenge of getting the programs to work, and I was quite good at it. But my goal was to become an “Architect”, and I was either too focused, or too stubborn, or too dumb to face the facts. I kept taking programming courses because I enjoyed them, and they helped my grade point average, but I was dead set determined on becoming an “Architect”.

So, not too long after I became a Christian, God was able to get me to be honest enough with myself that I decided to drop the charade of being an “Architect”, and to focus on computer programming. But then I allowed myself to be pushed up the corporate ladder, first becoming a supervisor, then a manager, and then the director of the IT department. It again sounded great – Director of IT, but again there was a problem – I hated going to work each day! I hated dealing with budgets, with meetings, with personnel issues. What I loved to do was computer programming!

So once again God had to convince me to be honest enough with myself to admit I wasn’t being blessed by my job and I couldn’t be a great blessing to my employer if I hated going to work each day. And I knew that I would be happiest if I worked as a computer programmer. But again I let my natural mind get in the way, saying that a computer programming job would be far too big of a pay cut for me to support my family, so instead I embarked on starting my own consulting business. Once again, I was doing work that I hated doing in order to feed my family, and now it wasn’t even doing that – the business was at best treading water, paying for its own bills with nothing available to pay its sole employee, me. I was working very long hours for very little income, and hating every minute of it.

So finally I allowed God to direct my steps, and to take a computer programming job. And do you know what? I am thrilled to get up every morning at 4:10 am to get to work by 6:00 (the job is about an hour’s drive from home). I am blessed that I get paid to do what I love to do every day! And my employer is blessed that I am there every day, doing what I am skilled at and doing what I love to do, to help the company to be a blessing to its customers!

So, let’s start looking at our job as our Joy-filled Opportunity to Bless! It may require us to rethink our careers, but that’s ok – it will be worth whatever it takes to be in a position where we love what we are doing. After all, that is the way God intends it to be!

Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him? (Ecclesiastes 3:22)

Join us for our next step in Living by God’s Economic Plan: Where to Sow

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:

To make a one time donation through PayPal, click here.

To Partner with us through a regular $25/month subscription through PayPal, click here.

To send a donation by check, mail it to:

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Living by God’s Economic Plan (Part III)

2009-04-26T21:37:00.003-05:00

Session 3: Sow, Now What?

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)

But this I say, He that sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He has dispersed abroad; he has given to the poor: his righteousness remains forever. Now he that ministers seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) (2 Corinthians 9:6-10)

Today we are continuing a series that I am calling “Living by God’s Economic Plan (a Christian Response to the Global Economic “Crisis”)”. We are discussing the foundational truths of the Economic Plan that God has established and documented in His instruction manual, the Bible. We will be looking at what we see out in the world, and comparing it to what we see in God’s Word, and then putting into action the steps that God gives us to establish a sound fiscal policy within our own lives. Our last lesson was called In God We Trust (or Do We?), and we discussed three key points:

Money is the least area, the starting point, of living by faith.

How you view riches reveals where your heart is.

Trust in the Lord, and He will be your God.
We said if you haven’t given God your wallet, you haven’t given Him your heart! And we are about to find out why this is important to our study. Today we are ready to begin delving into the details of God’s Economic Plan. And you might be surprised that we are not going to talk about budgeting. How does God’s Economic Plan work? It’s all about the seeds that we sow. Let’s look at our opening verses from 2 Corinthians chapter 9, one step at a time:

But this I say, He that sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6)

In this chapter the Apostle Paul was writing about giving for the ministering to the saints. And what happens after we sow? We reap. And what we reap is a direct result of what we sow. Did you know that you don’t need to watch somebody planting the seeds to know what they planted? All you need to do is look at what grows! If you see carrots, you know that they planted carrot seeds. Did you also know that you don’t need to see how much seed they sow? You just need to see how much grows. If someone reaps bountifully, you know that they sowed bountifully. If you see someone reaping sparingly, you know that they have been sowing sparingly. Now, I’m NOT talking about amassing money – there are many un-Godly people accumulating wealth, but also receiving leanness to their souls. But when we are living by God’s Economic Plan, we will see that what and how much we reap is a result of what and how much we sow.

Today’s Key Point Number 1 comes from verse 6: God gives to Givers! Let’s take a look at something Jesus stated along these lines:

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38)

Again, God gives to Givers – as you measure it out, it will be measured out back to you. Do you want abundance? Give abundantly. Do you want to see the economic flow stop? Start hoarding what you have. But as we seek to live this principle, we need to be very aware of our next key point, as illustrated in the next verse from 2 Corinthians 9:

Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Here’s today’s Key Point Number 2: Motive is Everything!

Are you giving grudgingly, or out of obligation? You might as well keep your money. We are going to be blessed according as we purpose in our heart. I remember reading a book by Billy Graham, who tells of a time when he was speaking at a church, and an offering was taken. He had two bills in his pocket, a one dollar bill and a fifty dollar bill. He reached into his pocket thinking that he had the one dollar bill, and he had already thrown it into the basket when he realized that it was actually the fifty! Not wanting to reach back in for it, he let it go and later told his wife “well, at least I’ll get a fifty dollar blessing”. His wife immediately corrected him – “no, you intended to put in one dollar, so you will only get a one dollar blessing”. And she was right – we will reap according to how we purpose in our heart. Let’s look at one more verse on this topic:

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (unconditional love), it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3)

Motive is Everything – are you giving out of a sense of obligation? Are you giving in hopes of getting something in return? Either way, it profits you nothing! We need to be givers out of Love – out of our love for God, and our love for others. Then and only then will our giving profit us.

We need to understand that God’s Economic Plan is in many ways opposite to Man’s. How do earthly Governments generate income? We call it Taxation – we could also call it taking other people’s money by threat of force. God’s plan works on a volunteer basis – He encourages us to give money with His promise of blessing! You may find it hard to believe, but I guarantee that God’s plan works! Yet few people are willing to put this truth into action. Why is that? Let’s look at the next verse from 2 Corinthians 9:

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Let’s talk about the idea of “enough”. From verse 8 we see the promise of always having all sufficiency in all things. God promises that as we sow abundantly, as we sow cheerfully, he will make sure that we will have all sufficiency in all things, abounding to every good work. Man’s mindset says that when I have “enough”, then I will give. God’s system reverses it – God tells us to give, and in response He will make sure that we always have “enough”

Here’s today’s Key Point Number 3: God is enough, and more than enough! Here’s some more proof:

Now you Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:15-19)

Here we see the true context of the promise that “my God shall supply all your need” – it is not a global, blanket statement, it is a promise directly related to the Philippians giving! And this is not an isolated promise:

Honor the LORD with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase: So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10)

Let me share a quick Testimony: for the past couple of months my wife and I have been shifting our mindset to match this teaching. We have always been faithful in tithing (giving 10% of our income to our local church – more on this in a future lesson), but it had been out of a sense of obligation, from the sense that it was a requirement. I actually used to think of tithing as “God’s tax”. I have always maintained a budget (which included 10% for tithing), but it was always a struggle to make ends meet. Since we changed our mindset, and began giving out of our love of God and not out of obligation, the windows of heaven have opened up – there has been a steady increase in income, in spite of the fact that my salary has been frozen. In fact, after our basement flooded at the end of February, and we were hit with some unexpected (and unbudgeted) bills to restore it, we were able to pay off all of those bills with cash – no insurance money, no borrowed money – we just paid the bills as they came in out of the new income that God provided.

As we honor the Lord through our giving, then he will make sure that we have enough, and more than enough. He will make sure that we have enough for ourselves, and more seed to keep the economy growing – look at how our verses in 2 Corinthians 9 conclude:

(As it is written, He has dispersed abroad; he has given to the poor: his righteousness remains for ever. Now he that ministers seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) (2 Corinthians 9:9-10)

So, let’s do our part in God’s Economic Plan, sowing out of our love for God, trusting Him to be the one that supplies our needs, knowing that as we are sowing, we will have plenty to eat, and our seed shall be multiplied!

Join us for our next step in Living by God’s Economic Plan: The J.O.B.

If you have been blessed by this lesson, and would like to sow where you have been fed, you can make a tax deductible donation to Cornerstone Church using any of these methods:

To make a one time donation through PayPal, click here.

To Partner with us through a regular $25/month subscription through PayPal, click here.

To send a donation by check, mail it to:

Cornerstone Church
1433 N. Main Street
Naperville, IL 60563

Visit our main site at http://www.sharethelemonade.net/

Living by God’s Economic Plan (Part II)

2009-04-12T19:51:00.001-05:00

Session 2: In God We Trust (or Do We?)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The LOVE of money is the root of ALL evil.

Christians need to LEAD the change.

Our thoughts need to be GOD'S thoughts.

God didn’t create us to worship money. God created us to worship Him. So, let’s start in on today’s lesson - do we worship God, or do we worship money? Do we trust in Him, or do we trust in our money, our job, our stock portfolio? Our opening verses from Proverbs tell us that we need to trust in the Lord with ALL of our heart, and NOT trust in our own understanding. Face it – if we COULD trust in our money, most people would think that they didn’t NEED God. But God wants us to trust in Him:

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:38-39)

God created us to live by faith – faith in Him. God wants us to trust in Him, and in His provision for us. So, how do we begin to live by faith? How do we begin to trust in the Lord? Let’s start in Luke chapter 16:

And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of you? give an account of your stewardship; for you may be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord takes away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much do you owe unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much do you owe? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take your bill, and write eighty. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Luke 16:1-13)

There is a lot we can discuss in these verses, but I want to focus on Jesus’ summary. Note what Jesus states as he summarizes this parable about the unjust steward – “He that is faithful in that which is least”. How we use money, how we manage money, the “unrighteous mammon”, is the least area – the starting point, for our faithfulness! If we are not faithful in money, “who will commit to your trust the true riches”? Have you given this any thought? Do you think that you are living by faith if you are not trusting God in the area of money?

Let’s consider Jesus’ statement regarding “the true riches”. Are you trying to minister to people in the area of healing? Are you trying to trust God for the salvation for family members? And yet you don’t trust God to provide for your financial needs? This is backwards – Jesus says that if you are not faithful in the area of money, in that which is least, God won’t commit to your trust the true riches. If you are trusting in money for satisfying your financial needs, you will be serving money – you can’t serve God if your trust is in your money.

So, here’s today’s Key Point Number 1: Money is the LEAST AREA, the STARTING POINT, of living by faith. I am thinking of today’s lesson as “God’s Economics 101” – the simple introduction to God’s Economic Plan - , and this point is the first necessary concept that we need to understand and embrace before we can really get into the details of Living by God’s Economic Plan. Now let’s go a little deeper by looking at an experience from Jesus’ life:

And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why do you call me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. You know the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor your father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing you lack: go your way, sell whatsoever you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and said unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again, and said unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them said, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:17-27)

Let me start by clarifying something – Jesus wasn’t telling all of us that we need to sell all that we have in order to follow him. This was a specific instruction to reveal the state of this person’s heart. He went away grieved – and note that Jesus didn’t go running after him to apologize for offending him. The man made a choice – he trusted in his riches more than he was willing to trust in God. And we know this because this is how Jesus explained it - “how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God”. Again, the problem isn’t that he had riches – the problem was that riches had him! And it was his trust in riches that prevented him from entering in to the kingdom!

Here’s today’s Key Point Number 2: How you view riches REVEALS where your HEART is! Do you want proof of this? Let’s read what Jesus taught:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Where your treasure is, what you desire, what you store up, reveals where your heart is. It reveals who your God is – it is either God, or it is money, but it can’t be both. Let’s put it another way – if you haven’t given God your wallet, you haven’t given Him your heart! Just like we discussed last week, the problem is covetousness:

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses. (Luke 12:15)

Let me summarize today’s lesson in this manner: God isn’t really interested in your money, He’s interested in your heart! Why? Because when He has your heart, He knows that you’ll have faith to trust in His promises for you. In the coming weeks we will be looking at the specific details of God’s Economic Plan, and you will see that all of it requires faith in Him – it is not going to line up with your natural understanding! Let’s take one last look at today’s opening verses, in their complete context:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to your navel, and marrow to your bones. Honor the LORD with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase: So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine. (Proverbs 3:5-10)

Trust in the Lord with all your Heart – Honor the Lord with your substance, and your barns will be filled to overflowing. Key Point Number 3: TRUST in the Lord, and He will be your GOD!

Join us in the next lesson as we look at the next step: Sow, Now What?

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Living by God’s Economic Plan (Part I)

2009-04-05T15:36:00.002-05:00

Session 1: When a Nation Worships Money

Today we are starting a series that I am calling “Living by God’s Economic Plan (a Christian Response to the Global Economic “Crisis”)”. In the coming weeks we will discuss the foundational truths of the Economic Plan that God has established and documented in His instruction manual, the Bible. We will be looking at what we see out in the world, and comparing it to what we see in God’s Word, and then putting into action the steps that God gives us to establish a sound fiscal policy within our own lives.

For starters, I want to discuss the current situation that our world is in today. Looking at the state of the U.S. economy today, one can easily wonder: “what happened?” America was prosperous, the stock market was climbing, and people were filling their garages with new cars, their homes with new high definition televisions, and other new “toys” and luxuries. Then it seemed like overnight the bottom dropped out. How could this drastic change take place? Well, let’s take a look at one of God’s truths:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7-8)

So, we see that we simply reap what we sow – a simple law of cause and effect. What can we expect when a nation is focused on seeking, acquiring, consuming, and accumulating “stuff”? What happens when a nation worships money? Let’s try this scenario out for size:

People, seeking ways to accumulate large amounts of money quickly, start using the stock market like a slot machine, seeking to hit it big on the new hot stock. Instead of “investing” in the stock market, diversifying and seeking long term growth, they start buying and selling stocks based on every tip, whim, or news event that comes along.

Companies, seeking to please the fickle “investors”, need to turn a quick profit and start buying from the lowest cost suppliers (i.e., from overseas) without concern for what the impact might be on their nation as a whole. As a result, their manufacturing jobs have been sent to fuel another nation’s economy, at the expense of their own.

The resulting short term profits please the “investors”, stock prices begin to rise, and people are encouraged to borrow money at low interest rates to invest in more stocks, since they are told that the stock market returns will more than make up for the rate of interest they need to pay.

Companies now need new ways to please the fickle “investors” and start sending their engineering and technology based jobs overseas, again fueling those nations’ economy instead of their own.

More and more people start finding themselves either out of work or taking lower paying jobs than they had, and start spending less money, making the economy “nervous”.

Fortunately (or so it seems at the time), the nation’s government can step in and “encourage” banks and other financial institutions to make it easier for people to borrow more money, through higher interest credit cards and through borrowing more money on their homes than the people can afford to pay back.

Banks profit from this for a while, as people are paying them interest on the loans and credit cards. But eventually reality sets in, and people without enough income start reaching the point that they can’t pay off their debt. And then what happens?

Lawyers start encouraging people that are buried in debt to declare bankruptcy – after all, they deserve a new start, they were only victims of the big bad credit card companies and banks. After all, bankruptcy laws have made it legal for people not to pay for the things that they have acquired (a.k.a. stealing).

Debt relief companies start encouraging people that are buried in debt to hire them to re-negotiate a lower settlement for them, because they “know the rules that the credit card companies don’t want you to know”. After all, you can often negotiate a lower payment to a company if you threaten to declare bankruptcy (a.k.a. extortion).

Banks are then left with either no money in return for their loan, less money in return for their loan, or having to foreclose on mortgages on homes that people are unable to pay for. The result is a banking industry in distress, and unable to extend more credit, the same credit that was artificially fueling this nation’s economy in the first place.

With no new credit, people have no choice but to stop buying, so the housing market is flooded with mortgaged homes that people can’t or won’t buy. The automobile market has more inventory than buyers, so their suppliers suddenly have no demand for their supplies. And all other industries take a hit, as people are forced to stop spending money.

Companies that were able to use the tool of short term cost cutting to produce the profit that the fickle “investors” were seeking are now hit with a double whammy – they hit the limit of what costs they can cut, AND they no longer have buyers for their goods and services.

And the stock market that was riding high during the boom that was artificially and temporarily fueled by the exporting of jobs and the infusion of borrowed money is going to have to take a nose dive as borrowed money can no longer support it.

Have I over simplified all of this? Probably. Do I have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight on this? Definitely. But I believe that it is easy to see that as this nation continues to worship money, this nation will continue to reap economic troubles. When people worship money, they seek self gratification, even at the expense of, or without any regard for, what the impact on their neighbors is. When a nation worships money, you have a nation out of control. Every man does what seems right in his own eyes.

This nation’s economy has been one fueled by covetousness – a lust to “get it all, and get it now” – borrow money now, get your stuff now, and don’t worry about the fact that you’ll end up paying for the stuff two or three time over as you make your interest payments. Do you know what covetousness really is? Let’s read what the Bible calls it:

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience: (Colossians 3:4-6)

Covetousness, which is idolatry! Covetousness takes our eyes off of God. Covetousness results in us worshipping money, worshipping stuff, and sometimes even worshipping the jobs we have that produce the money and the things. What does that Bible tell us that the root of all evil is? The Bible starts its discussion on this as it discusses godliness - let’s read:

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof comes envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:3-10)

So let’s summarize this as today’s Key Point Number 1: The LOVE of money is the root of ALL evil. Note that money in itself is neither good nor evil. It is simply a tool, available to be used in any manner. But when we let the love of money rule our lives, it is this covetousness that will produce all evil. Coveting after money, not money itself, will cause us to err from the faith, and produce many sorrows.

There is an answer for this nation, and that answer isn’t going to come from Congress. That answer isn’t going to come from the Supreme Court. And that answer isn’t going to come from the White House, or from some gathering of world economic leaders. After all, what solutions do you hear offered up in the news each day? “Let’s bail out the banking industry so that people can borrow more money again.” Let’s keep throwing money at the problem (money that we as a nation have to borrow), in hopes that it will get people spending again.

No, the real answer to this and every other situation that human beings will ever find themselves in has to come from the original source: the God who created us humans, the God who created this world in the first place. We are going to have to start living according to God’s Economic Plan, if we are going to have a healthy, prosperous nation. And where does this change need to start?

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Do you see this? We need to realize that if we want our land, our nation, to be healed, we as God’s people must turn from our wicked ways. The reason this nation has been able to get as far away from God’s Economic Plan as it has is because God’s people have not been living by it. So how will it turn around? Here’s today’s Key Point Number 2: Christians need to lead the change.

And this is the primary reason that we are embarking on this series on Living by God’s Economic Plan. Pointing out what God’s Economic Plan IS NOT is quite easy – all we need to do is watch or listen to the world’s media to see what isn’t working. Turning it around is going to be a bit more difficult. Why? Because it is going to require us to think and live in a way that goes counter to the natural way of thinking:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not 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. (Romans 12:1-2)

The world’s ways and the world’s will are the things that we need to be transformed from. God’s good, and acceptable and perfect will is what we truly need. And God’s will is that we DO prosper, and the Bible is His primary tool for teaching this to us:

Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3)

Here is today’s Key Point Number 3: Our thoughts need to be God’s thoughts. And God’s thoughts are for our prosperity!

Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not thither, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. (Isaiah 55:6-13)

Today’s lesson has been simply an introduction. In the coming weeks we will look at specific aspects and instructions from God’s Word that we all can apply to our lives as we endeavor to live by God’s economic plan. So, let’s spend this coming week renewing our mind, and searching our hearts to see who we are worshipping – are we seeking money, or are we seeking God? Are we making decisions based on human, natural logic, or are we making them based on God’s truths? Realize that the first step in Living by God’s Economic Plan it that you will have to accept and live the plan!

Join us next week as we take the next step: “In God We Trust (or Do We?)”.

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That Settles It!

2009-04-02T20:04:00.001-05:00

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Hebrews 6:17-18)

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it”? I believe that we all need to be a little careful about the middle part of that phrase. I prefer to state it this way: “God said it, and that settles it”! Whether or not we believe it has no bearing on the truth of anything God says. If God said it, then it is true, end of discussion. The Bible tells us that it is impossible for God to lie, so that really needs to be the most important step in everything that we think and do – what did God say about it? Let’s take a look at Abraham for a moment:

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (Romans 4:20-21)

So then, how does our belief fit in? Our belief doesn’t affect the truth of what God has stated, but it will affect whether or not we walk in and prosper from His truth. Consider gravity for a moment. Whether or not you believe in gravity has no effect on whether or not gravity works. Let me ask a question: if someone sincerely believes that there is no such thing as gravity, will they start floating around? Of course not – gravity still has its hold on you whether you believe it or not. However, if you allow your belief that there is no gravity to lead you into stepping off of a mountain, your belief WILL have a major impact in your life (or in ending it).

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31-32)

Face it – the world is full of lies. Our adversary is the father of lies. If we don’t immerse ourselves in God’s truth we will fall prey to the deceiver. Keep in mind – it’s not just knowledge. It’s not just belief. It’s having that one on one personal relationship with God through Jesus that gives us abundant life.

You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:19)

So what is the main point for today’s lesson? God has given us an entire Bible full of promises and truths for how he works and for how we can be blessed. The more we get those truths into our belief system, the better chance we have of walking in God’s blessings. Or let’s put it another way – the more we get our belief system synchronized with God’s truths, the better off we will be. So let’s start renewing our mind by learning or reminding ourselves of some of God’s promises: So, what do ya need?

Wisdom:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given to him. (James 1:5)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye. (Psalms 32:8)

For God gives to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: (Ecclesiastes 2:26)

For the LORD gives wisdom: out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. (Proverbs 2:6-7)

Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part you shall make me to know wisdom. (Psalms 51:6)

Finances:

But you shall remember the LORD your God: for it is he that gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto your fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. (Psalms 9:18)

He that trusts in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. (Proverbs 11:28)

A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that makes haste to be rich shall not be innocent. (Proverbs 28:20)

Blessed is he that considers the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. (Psalms 41:1)

Healing:

For I will restore health unto you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says the LORD; (Jeremiah 30:17)

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

And you shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless your bread, and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you. (Exodus 23:25)

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:14-16)

Deliverance from Sin:

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Romans 6:6-7)

Likewise reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:11)

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43)

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Help:

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivers him out of them all. (Psalms 34:19)

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive me: you shall stretch forth your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand shall save me. (Psalms 138:7)

There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. (Psalms 91:10-11)

Well, that’s enough for today. Let’s get and keep God’s word in our minds, in our hearts, and active in our lives. Let’s continue to get our belief systems in sync with God’s truth.

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Remember and Rejoice

2009-03-31T20:30:00.001-05:00

O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk of all his wondrous works. Glory in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvelous works that he has done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth (Psalm 105:1-5)

So, where did this week’s Sunday school come from? Recently I was at my high school reunion. And for various reasons, it has been twenty years since I last attended one. So after spending just a few hours (and regretting that I didn’t stay longer) reminiscing about old times, and hearing what people have been doing since high school, I had to leave. I found myself pondering on several questions: Why did so many people I would have expected to be there not even respond to the invitation? Why did others that I never would have expected, go out of their way to be there? And why did I let so many years go by without even attempting to keep in touch with these people?

I’ll continue to consider those questions, and perhaps save them for a future Sunday school. But today I’d like to address the main point that I pondered: how much I really enjoyed the celebration! I had been looking forward to it, but I was concerned that the years would dampen things. I knew that we are very different people today than we were back then. I knew some people had gone through some major traumas in their lives that I couldn’t begin to identify with. But after a little while it all became natural again, as we started remembering past events and catching up on how far we’ve come. And I think that is the main blessing that comes from this type of celebration, as we see in Psalm 105. God calls us to remember the good things of the past, and rejoice in them. The psalm is specifically referring to our relationship with God, but I think I learned last week that it applies to human relationships as well.

Let’s look at three examples where God specifically instructed Israel to celebrate specific events annually:

Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD your God: for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night. You shall therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shall you eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for you came forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that you may remember the day when you came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. (Deuteronomy 16:1-3)

In the Passover, God calls Israel to remember and rejoice in the good things of the past. It is repeated each year so that they may remember all the days of their lives.

Seven weeks shall you number: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as you begin to put the sickle to the corn. And you shall keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give unto the LORD your God, according as the LORD your God has blessed you: And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite that is within your gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD your God hath chosen to place his name there. And you shall remember that you were a bondman in Egypt: and you shall observe and do these statutes. (Deuteronomy 16:9-12)

In the feast of weeks God calls them to remember where they used to be, and that they have things better now.

You shall observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that you have gathered in your corn and your wine: And you shall rejoice in your feast, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within your gates. Seven days shall you keep a solemn feast unto the LORD your God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD your God shall bless you in all your increase, and in all the works of your hands, therefore you shall surely rejoice. (Deuteronomy 16:13-15)

And in the feast of tabernacles again calls them to rejoice in their current and ongoing blessings from God.

Now, I know there is far more significance in these three feasts than I have mentioned, but I’d like to focus on one point for today. God wants us to remember and rejoice where we have been and where we are going. And I figure if God requires it for our relationship with him, then it applies to all relationships that we want to maintain.

Here’s the main thing I learned last week: “out of sight, out of mind” is a very bad thing in relationships. Sounds obvious now that I say it, but how often do we let the cares of life get in the way? We need to make the time to maintain and grow our relationships.

So, God calls us to celebrate regularly. He also gives us some other tools to help us remember. Let’s look at some examples:

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. (Genesis 9:12-15)

Here we see how God established a token, as a reminder to us all that he will no more allow a flood to destroy all flesh. The token was given, and passed on to all generations to encourage us of one thing we do not need to fear ever again.

Let’s look at another device for remembering:

And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that you shall give me I will surely give the tenth unto you. (Genesis 28:18-22)

Here we see Jacob established the token, the pillar, as a point of remembrance. And how did God later respond to this token?

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, and where you vowed a vow unto me: now arise, get out from this land, and return unto the land of your kindred. (Genesis 31:13)

God used this reference point to confirm the relationship, and to reinforce his instruction to Jacob. Later on, we see that God also gave instruction to Joshua to build a similar pillar:

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, Take twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command them, saying, Take out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where you shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said to them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What do these stones mean? Then you shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. (Joshua 4:1-7)

So God also wants us to have memorials so that not only we can remember, but so that we can pass the lessons on to future generations.

So, as we go through this life, let’s make sure that we make time to remember, to rejoice, to celebrate the good times. Let’s establish and maintain these relationships, and not let them be choked out by the cares of this life. Let’s establish and watch the memorials and the milestones, and keep marking the progress as we travel through this life together.

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My Father’s Business

2009-03-29T21:50:00.001-05:00

And he said unto them, How is it that you sought me? Didn’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business? (Luke 2:49)

So, let’s get down to business - God’s business. As I like to tell my children, if we call ourselves Christians, that carries with it the responsibility of living our lives like Christ. And what is the earliest statement we have from Jesus on what he must be doing? He said he must be about his Father’s business.

So, how do we begin to go about our Father’s business? What was Jesus doing when he said this?

And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why have you dealt with us like this? Behold, your father and I have sought you sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that you sought me? Didn’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business? (Luke 2:46-49)

So, we see that Jesus is in the house of God, listening to and asking questions of the religious teachers. So, I would conclude that if Jesus needs to be in God’s house involved in teaching and learning more about God, then we probably need it even more so. What instruction did Paul give to Timothy?

Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

After all, the Bible tells us that one of purposes of Jesus coming to us was so that we might have life, and that more abundantly (John 10:10). And how does Jesus define eternal life? Let’s read:

These words spoke Jesus, and he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you: As you have given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:1-3)

Knowing the only true God is eternal life. Let’s begin to go about our Father’s business by becoming and staying students of God and of His Word.

Now, is this the entire scope of our Father’s business? What do we see from Jesus later on, as he begins his public ministry?

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. (Luke 4:16-21)

So, what is Jesus anointed to do? Preach the gospel, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, give sight to the blind, and so on. So, what should we be doing? You got it – we are to be about our Father’s business. As we’ve said before – it’s not all about us. It’s all about God and letting Him use us to minister to others.

So, how do we get started in ministering to others? Let’s look at the example of Saul of Tarsus:

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you persecute: it is hard for you to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what will you have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told you what you must do. (Acts 9:3-6)

It starts the minute we come to Jesus, and works best when we have the attitude “Lord, what will you have me to do”. So, not only do we need to learn and know God, we also have to get into the game – we have to be doing the Father’s business. We need to realize that it’s not a spectator sport. What did Paul write to the Romans?

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not 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. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:1-3)

Now here it gets interesting...

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching; Or he that exhorts, on exhortation: he that gives, let him do it with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:4-8)

What is Paul pointing out? This isn’t a one man show. Our Father’s business requires teamwork. It’s a team sport! We don’t go it alone, trying to save the world by ourselves. God designed this to be many people working as one body. What do we see from Jesus, our example?

And he goes up into a mountain, and calls to him whom he would: and they came to him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: (Mark 3:13-15)

Even Jesus gathered others to him, to share the workload and to establish into a powerful team - one that would turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6). So, let’s get active in being about our Father’s business. Let’s

Study, to know God and His Word
Get in the game, doing the works of Jesus
Fulfill our role on the Team, continuing to turn the world “right side up”

Remember our commission that Jesus gave us:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

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The Power of Obedience

2009-03-28T21:44:00.001-05:00

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him (Hebrews 5:8-9)

I’m fascinated by these verses: Jesus, who is God in human form, needed to learn obedience? And “being made perfect” was the result? Note that this implies that He wasn’t automatically perfect as I used to assume – the obedience was the thing that made Him perfect. As we note from the fact that He was tempted of the devil, He had the opportunity to choose disobedience. But he always made the right decision and as a result He was made perfect.

Now, I know that it is too late for any of us to achieve the same perfection (Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”). But we ALL have the opportunity from this moment forward to choose obedience over disobedience. No matter what bad decisions we may have made in the past, we have many new opportunities for obedience every day, giving us more and more opportunities to grow in perfection!

So, I really want to look at examples of people stepping out in obedience, and at what resulted. Let’s start with something simple, as Jesus begins his ministry:

Then Jesus comes from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I need to be baptized of you, and you come to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:13-17)

So here we have John, thinking that it is not appropriate for him to baptize Jesus, yet he obeys Jesus anyway. And what is the result? John sees the Spirit and hears the audible voice of God! Let’s look at another example:

But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason you in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto you, Arise, and take up your couch, and go into your house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. (Luke 5:22-26)

Now I know that the man with the palsy was expecting a miracle (why else would his friends have dug through the roof to lower him down to Jesus?), but think of the faith he showed by obeying Jesus. Here he was, bedridden, and Jesus says Arise, take up your couch, and go home. I might have thought: What? Arise? I’m sick and bedridden – DO something to heal me. But notice that it doesn’t say Jesus healed him and then he got up. Jesus told him to get up, and then he acted in faith and got up.

What is obedience to God? Isn’t it really just acting on the faith that we have? We can say we have faith, but do we really have faith if we are not willing to step out and act on it? (Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying we should tempt God by doing whatever strange idea comes into our head. But when we know that it’s from God and lines up with what the Bible teaches, let’s not argue with Him.)

Let’s look at the power of obedience as it transforms a man. We’re going to take a look at the life of Simon Peter.

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at your word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish: and their net broke. (Luke 5:4-6)

So Simon, the professional fisherman, defies his knowledge of the situation and obeys Jesus anyway. The result – an incredible catch, more than their net could hold. Now think of what would have happened if Simon had been stubborn and refused to obey. Can you recall a time in your life when you heard someone say something like “look, I know fishing (or any other trade, skill, or profession) and this will never work. Forget it.” Think about how easy it can be to ignore an instruction that goes against your natural understanding of what is possible.

Thank God, Simon responded by obeying. And what happened next?

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fish which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth you shall catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. (Luke 5:8-11)

Simon Peter, James and John walked away from all that they had to follow Jesus. That is how powerful this miracle was in their lives. And through their obedience God used them to help transform the world! Let’s look later in Simon Peter’s life:

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spoke unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be you, bid me come unto you on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O you of little faith, wherefore did you doubt? (Matthew 14:24-31)

Peter acted on his faith, and he DID walk on the water! But when he allowed himself to be distracted, doubt entered in and he started to sink.

Now, let’s not be hard on Peter – he didn’t wallow in this, he learned from it. What do we see later in his life? First, let’s look at what Jesus said in John 14, and then look at an example in Peter’s life.

Truly, truly, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12)

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3:1-8)

So we continue to see the evidence of Peter’s faith, as he walks in obedience to Jesus, doing the works that he saw Jesus do! And we should also expect to do the same works as Jesus, as we step out in faith, obeying what Jesus tells us to do.

So, is there something that God is asking you to do that defies your natural understanding? Be careful that you are not tempting God, but if you truly believe that it is God, act in obedience and see what great thing he does for you!

Is there some area in the past where you failed to obey? Don’t let it hold you back – repent and move forward. Today is a new day, with new opportunities to obey and be made perfect through obedience.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (Philippians 3:13-15)

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Assembling Together

2009-03-25T21:04:00.002-05:00

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Technically speaking, today’s blog is not a Sunday School. I am not able to be at the church today, as it is my turn to cover the IT Help Desk phone over the weekend for my job. Fortunately, that just means I need to stay online and be available in case someone calls for help. So, even though I can’t be at the church to teach a Sunday School, I can still add a brief message here online.

So, what better topic than “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is”? I often hear people talk about how “I don’t need to go to church – I can worship God wherever I am”. And that is true to a point – we are to worship God in everything that we do, no matter where we are. After all, we really can’t get away from Him:

Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. (Psalm 139:7-8)

But are we really better off on our own? I really think that it is critical for us to not try to go it alone. After all, what did God say after creating man?

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18)

Even better, Jesus promised that when two of us agree in prayer, anything that we ask will be done. And when we gather together in His name, He is there:

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:19-20)

Proverbs give many statements about the company that we keep. Let me share two:

Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. (Proverbs 27:17)

He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. (Proverbs 13:20)

God made us to be together, to work together, to build each other up. And it is best to be together with those that can sharpen us, those that can make us wise. Let’s consider a regular Sunday School lesson, as presented in a classroom setting, for example. I present the lessons and ideas on this website each week, but you really are missing out when you only read the lessons. When we share and discuss these lessons in the classroom with other people, there is far more LIFE in them. People share their experiences, and people ask questions to further the understanding of everyone in the class, including me. It is a much more effective method for teaching and learning.

The same is true of attending regular worship services and prayer meetings. What a wonderful opportunity to exhort one another, encouraging each other unto love and good works. We really aren’t living that abundant life that Jesus promised if we are only keeping to ourselves.

So, as I am missing out by not being able to be in church today, I want to encourage anyone that has not been assembling together in a church home regularly that you are missing out! Please, find a body of believers that can build you up, and that you can build up in return. As we actively stay involved with Christians, it will strengthen our own relationship with God.

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Whatsoever you do...

2009-03-24T21:50:00.002-05:00

And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (Colossians 3:23)

Today we’re going to talk about ‘doing’. We’ve talked about thinking, we’ve talked about attitude, let’s spend some time talking about actions. So much of our lives are done on auto-pilot – we do it because we’ve always done it. For example, I get up, I clean up, I drive to work, I do my work, I drive home, I eat dinner, I talk with my family, I do things that need to be done around the house, I read, I pray, I go to bed, I repeat it all the next day. If we’re not careful, we find ourselves just existing. What does the Bible say about the things that we do? Let’s look at three passages:

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:12-17)

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:22-24)

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. … If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and you be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that showed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof: Conscience, I say, not your own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:23, 27-31)

So, what do we see in these verses?

We see that we do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus
We do ALL heartily, for the Lord and not ourselves or other men
We do ALL for the glory of God

Doesn’t this make you stop and think? As you think about your day, are you doing ALL in the name of Jesus, are you doing ALL heartily, for the Lord and for His glory? Thinking about this for this week has really made me shift a lot of the focus of my daily routine. What is our motive as we go through our day? Is it about ourselves, or is it about God?

Let’s consider our level of effort - are we doing it all heartily, as unto the Lord? Let’s look at some verses about the Lord expects in terms of our level of effort:

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, you shall love thy neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:28-31)

Don’t you know that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

For if you love them which love you, what reward do you have? do not even the publicans the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:46-48)

So, what should our level of effort be? ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our mind, ALL our strength. The goal isn’t just to run (or exist), but to win the prize! So often people, especially religious people focus on the commandments, the “do this and don’t do that” of the Bible, and fail to realize that its about all that they do.

Now, what about Jesus telling us to be perfect? Does this statement make you feel uneasy? Or does it make you feel condemned? I have come across a couple of extremes among people who call themselves Christians. On the one hand, there are those that live openly in what the Bible clearly calls sin, claiming that God is a God of mercy and grace, and all things are lawful to them. On the other hand, there are those that feel condemned over every mistake that they make. When something doesn’t go well, they think that they have committed the unforgivable sin and that they need to get saved again.

Both of these extremes are dangerous. For today, I want to address those that feel condemned. Let’s look at some Bible truths:

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (Philippians 3:9-15)

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. (Micah 7:8)

I figure if Paul can say he hadn’t already attained, that he wasn’t already perfect, we shouldn’t feel condemned if we are not already perfect. If Micah can admit that he still falls but he will arise, let’s not feel condemned if we fall. Let’s forget those things that are behind, let’s just get back up and press on toward the mark for the prize! But let’s not forget that we do NOT take the grace of God lightly – the Bible does say “God Forbid” to the question of “shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound”.

So, let’s start thinking about ALL that we do, and who we do it for, and how we do it - heartily, as unto the Lord.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

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What About The Change?

2009-03-22T15:16:00.002-05:00

Today we began by listening to a Steven Curtis Chapman song, “The Change”. Click here to read the lyrics.

I love how he sings about all of the external “stuff” – the T-shirt, the bracelet, the necklace, the Bible magnet, the welcome mat, the bumper stickers, and my favorite, the fish stuck on his car. It can be so easy to use these things. But is that really what we want people to see? “What About The Change?” What is “The Change” that he is talking about? Let’s read:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

When we are born again, we are immediately changed into a new creature – all things become new. After all isn’t that why Jesus said you must be “born again”? We go from being simply flesh and blood beings into spiritual beings. Let’s read another passage from the Bible:

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1 Corinthians 15:45-49)

We are transformed from natural, earthy beings into heavenly. But is this the end of it? Or is it just the beginning? Let’s read one more passage:

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Here’s today’s Key Point Number 1: We Are Being Changed into HIS Image! And “The Change” is good! We are continually being changed into this same image, the image of our Lord Jesus! We sing the song “Just As I Am”, and that is a wonderful truth of how we come to Jesus. And after that it gets even better, as we are transformed into the image of Jesus! We need to recognize that the Holy Spirit desires to do this work in us, and we need to embrace The Change!

So how do we go about embracing The Change? Where do we start? Let’s see what Jesus said:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23:25-28)

Let me ask a question: What do “Religious” Systems, Prison Systems, Dictatorships, and Totalitarian Regimes all have in common? They try to control human behavior from the outside. Just like the Pharisees that Jesus chastised, they try to clean up the outside – “for man looks on the outward appearance” (from 1 Samuel 16:7). So, how is true Christianity different? “but the LORD looks on the heart” (the conclusion of 1 Samuel 16:7). Here’s today’s Key Point Number 2: The Change works from the Inside Out! Like it says in the song: “If God’s Spirit lives inside of me, I’m gonna live life differently.” It WILL happen! The Holy Spirit works on us from the inside, gently revealing the truth about ourselves to ourselves, as much as we can handle. And as our interior is cleaned up, the exterior takes care of itself.

So, what is our part in this change? We get to “put off” and “put on”:

But now you also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. (Colossians 3:8-14)

Now, I probably haven’t said anything Earth shattering in this lesson. And I do know that many people understand that there is a need for change. Here is the main point I want to leave us with today – Key Point Number 3: Don’t be Discouraged – God Loves You! As the Holy Spirit is transforming us into the image of Christ, it is a sign of God’s love for us! Let’s look at the Old Testament:

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

And from the New Testament:

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:19-20)

So the only question is: do you want to be wise, or a fool?

The ear that hears the reproof of life abides among the wise. He that refuses instruction despises his own soul: but he that hears reproof gets understanding. (Proverbs 15:31-32)

God wants us to be like Jesus. He wants to transform us. Do not be discouraged if you make a mistake. Do not feel condemned when He points out something that He wants you to give up. If we love God, it will happen:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28-39)

God loves you, and wants to see you change into the image of Jesus. Let’s embrace The Change! Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in our heart! Let’s put off the old man and put on the new! And let’s not get discouraged when it gets difficult – it WILL happen:

Being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)

So let’s be eager and willing to hear the Holy Spirit guide us into The Change, changing us into the image of Jesus!

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Let This Mind be in You...

2009-03-19T22:56:00.004-05:00

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)

I got to thinking about this verse as I was reading recently. I finally picked up my Christmas present from last year - a secular ‘success’ book that claims to divulge the secrets of a certain type of mind (no need for specifics at this time…). The book has some good points and ideas, but I got to wondering about whether or not that type of mind was really worth pursuing. Which is when the above verse came to me, and got me to wondering exactly what “this mind” is, “which was also in Christ Jesus”. So, as we’ve discussed before, when we look at a verse in the Bible, we really need to look at the whole context. Let’s read:

¹ If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
² Fulfill my joy, that you be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
³ Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.
⁴ Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:1-8)

So, what mind does Paul want for us to have, to be likeminded with Christ? Verse 2 tells us to have the same love as Christ, being in unity with Him and His Spirit. Verse 3 tells us to do everything in lowliness of mind, esteeming others better than ourselves. Please note: we are NOT to be in competition with other Christians. Verse 4: look not to our own things (or interests or needs), but to the things of others. It sounds to me like we need to start by getting self out of the way and focus on others first.

And then take a look – Verses 6 & 7 point out something really amazing – in spite of the fact that Jesus was equal with God, he set that aside and became a servant. Just like we saw in the earlier verses, we set aside anything that would puff us up or put ourselves above others, and we instead become their servants. And how far do we carry this? Verse 8 – unto death.

Wow! I know we know all of this about Jesus. But how often do we really consider that we need to have ”this mind”? How does this passage fit in with the Bible as a whole? Do we see any other verses to support this point? Let’s look:

⁶ Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
⁷ But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
⁸ Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
⁹ But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.
¹⁰ But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.
¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.
¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
¹⁴ But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
¹⁵ But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
¹⁶ For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)

Verses 6-9 reinforce what we saw earlier – those who exalt themselves (the princes of this world) cannot see the wisdom of God. It is hidden from them. Verse 10-12 shows the contrast – those of us that have the Spirit of God see the wisdom of God, that we may know what God freely gives us. We need the mind of Christ to discern the things of God. We need the Spirit of God to discern spiritual things. As we humble ourselves and exalt Him, we receive what the Spirit has for us.

So, what did Jesus have to say on the topic? Let’s read:

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:34-38)

So, we see it again – self denial, take up the cross, and obey the Lord. The true, eternal profit comes from living for God, not for your self. Let’s face it, this is a hard saying, one that goes against our natural mind, but that’s why we call the things of God supernatural, isn’t it?

In conclusion, let’s look a passage from the book of Romans:

For who has known the mind of the Lord? or who has been his counselor? Or who has first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not 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. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching; Or he that exhorts, on exhortation: he that gives, let him do it with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. (Romans 11:34-12:16)

I think this passage is a great summary of what we are discussing. We are all members of one body, and when we are obedient to God’s will for us we will be fulfilling our role in the body. One member is no better than any other member, when we are all doing our job. It is the ultimate team sport! So, let’s have this mind of Christ, esteeming others above ourselves, and be totally given to obedience to God. Then we will have true, lasting success!

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Excited, Expecting!

2009-03-17T20:41:00.003-05:00

And seek not what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, neither be of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows that you have need of these things. But rather seek the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:29-32)

As a father, I got to witness something special this week – my kids had earned some free gifts through our health insurance provider, so we ordered them Last Saturday. The website said to allow 5 to 7 days for shipping, so from that moment on, it was a constant “when is it going to get here, Dad?” from both of them. Each day they were excitedly watching for the mail to arrive, and each day they would be asking how many more days until 5 to 7 days was here. They were excited, expecting to receive what they had been promised!

So Thursday came, and the first gift arrived; a Lego set for my son. Immediately he opened it up, pulled out the instructions and began putting the set together. It has become his new favorite toy. And then my daughter starts to constantly ask when her gift will arrive, with a new repeat question: “did the doorbell just ring?” Finally on Saturday morning the doorbell rang and my daughter ran to the door. Her gift had arrived and again the box was opened and the gift enjoyed.

And do you know what the best part of all this was? I as their father got to witness the excitement and joy in them as they anxiously anticipated the arrival of the gift. It filled me with the same excitement! And that’s when it hit me – our father God feels that same joy and excitement when he sees us excited, expecting to receive His promised gifts!

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)

We were created for God’s pleasure! In my prior life (before I became a Christian), I used to think of God and religion as just a bunch of rules and regulations to restrict my fun. But I have come to learn that God really wants us to have fun, true fun and joy in Him. Not the way the world defines fun, but through our relationship and fellowship with the God that created us.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matthew 7:7-11)

What is your attitude while waiting on God? Are you excited, expecting God to do good things for you? Or are you constantly worrying and trying to work things out in your own strength? I find myself from time to time forgetting that my heavenly Father wants to give us good things. All he wants is for us to ask.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:10-14)

Is there something in your life that you are seeking? Is there something that your heart desires? Let me give an example of God’s heart. During the last half of 2007, I really wanted to find a way to take my family to Disney World. We had gone there two years before, and it had been a wonderful time for us as a family. I could have taken things into my own hands and borrowed the money for the trip, but I really didn’t want to go that route.

So, as I would be paying bills each Saturday morning I would have this repeat comment to God – “you know Lord, I would really like to take the kids back to Disney World, but I can’t see any way to make that happen.” This went on every week for about six months, not exactly a prayer, more of an expression of a desire. And then in February of 2008 we got the word – my wife had won the grand prize in a contest. And the grand prize was a trip for four to Orlando Florida! And I know God delighted in watching us as we excitedly prepared for and enjoyed that trip!

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and truly you shall be fed. Delight yourself also in the LORD; and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (Psalms 37:3-5)

God loves it when we seek Him. He loves it when we trust in Him. And God loves to show his pleasure by granting our prayers and desires. And God especially loves to deliver on His promises to us, watching the excitement as we anticipate and the joy as we receive.

Is there anyone you know in need of God’s transforming power? God has given us His promise:

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

So, let’s be excited, expecting to see God reach the people we love with the Good News of what Jesus has done!

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That your Joy might be Full

2009-03-16T22:00:00.006-05:00

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. (John 15:9-11)

And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:23-24)

From these two excerpts comes today’s main point: Jesus’ desire for us is that we be FULL OF JOY. Maybe it’s just me, but have you ever noticed how few truly joyful people you come across in life? Finding people that whine and complain is pretty easy, but finding truly joyful people seems to take some effort.

Now, if Jesus’ desire is that we be full of joy, why do there seem to be so few around? Well, what do we see in the above verses? John 15 points out the need to keep His commandments, and to abide in His love. John 16 points out the need to ask the Father in Jesus’ name. Putting these together I conclude true joy is a result and reflection on our relationship with Jesus. Let’s look at another excerpt from the Bible:

I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in hell; neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:8-11)

So again, we see that joy results as we spend time close to God: in His presence is fullness of Joy. Actually, as we see in Galatians, joy is one component of the fruit of the Holy Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against these there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17)

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:13)

So, if we lack joy in our life, I believe it is time to check our spirit, or more accurately our relationship with the Holy Spirit. If a “fruit” is the mature state in the life of a tree or plant, a lack of it in our life indicates a level of immaturity on our part. Not that we should feel condemned by that, but we should seek to grow in that area. A lack of joy indicates we need to get closer to the joy giver!

Now, what about when we are facing difficult circumstances in our life? What does the Bible say about those situations? Let’s read:

Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9)

Wow! You mean that even when we need to be in heaviness due to trials and temptations we should be greatly rejoicing? Maybe this is just a stray verse, right? Wrong:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. (James 1:2-3)

Again, wow! First it was Peter, now James is telling us that we should count it all joy when we fall into different temptations, as it will build our faith. What about Jesus? Did joy affect his life during the hard times? Let’s read:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience 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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

In Jesus’ case, we see not only was joy a result of His obedience to the Father (remember what John 15 said about keeping His commandments?), but joy was the thing that motivated Him to endure the cross! Looking toward His future joy carried Him through the pain and suffering of the cross.

In our church, there is a woman who has been battling for her health for years (fighting against cancer). And yet, when we see her in the Sunday morning and Wednesday evening services, she exhibits extreme joy as she worships and praises the Lord. As I see how she experiences and exhibits joy through her circumstances, I find myself feeling convicted over the relatively minor things that can set me off.

Now, don’t get me wrong – there is a place for weeping and mourning:

Sing unto the LORD, O you saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endures but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:4-5)

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:5-6)

So, in spite of the trials, tribulations and circumstance, we can and should expect joy. By keeping ourselves in the presence of God, and in the power of His Holy Spirit, we can experience the fullness of joy. One last thought: joy is a fruit, but it is also a choice:

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

So, let’s choose to go forth in the fullness of joy this week, as we dwell in the presence of the Lord!

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