Friday, November 08,
2013, 7:34 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with this song:
Believe Him / An
Original Work / July 15, 2013
My heart cries: Lord,
won’t You hear me
Seeking You for the
answers
To my heartache and
questions
I have concerning my
life?
Speak, Lord, to me
right now.
“Oh, dear one, why
don’t you trust Me
With your life’s
circumstances?
Give your all on the
altar
In submission of your
will
To My purpose for you.
“Surrender your life
completely
To your Lord and your
Savior.
He has all things
planned for you
For His glory and
honor.
He’ll work all things
for good.
“Believe Him. He will
fulfill all
Of His promises to you
For your life and your
future.
Trust Him. Rest in His
love.
He’ll give you peace
from above.”
Oftentimes in our lives we are faced with situations which
are confusing. There may be more than one possible right choice, not speaking
here of our salvation, but of decisions we must make in life, especially with
regard to our relationships with others. Sometimes we face hardships and heartache,
and we truly don’t understand what is going on. There are times when we need to
be given specific answers to our questions or instructions concerning which
path we should take next, and other times it is merely a matter of just resting
in Jesus and of trusting his word to us. Yet, in all of these cases, what is
true is that we must surrender our lives to God, trust him with our life’s
circumstances, believe that he knows what he is doing, even if we don’t see it,
and we must submit to his will and to his purposes for our lives. Speak, Lord,
your words to my heart. I read Philippians
2:1-18 (NIV).
Being One in Spirit
Therefore
if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort
from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and
compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same
love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the Spirit of God
living within us to give us counsel, encouragement, comfort, love, peace, joy
and sympathy, too. Because we have the love of Christ within us, and we know
and experience his love, grace, and mercy in our lives on a daily basis, we
should all show that same love and kindness to others, especially to those in
the family of God with whom we share the fellowship of the Spirit. Therefore,
in the Body of Christ, we should have unity of spirit, and we should be
like-minded with regard to matters of the Spirit of God.
This does not mean we will all think alike, or that we won’t
have differences of thought and opinion in some maters, because without
diversity, most of us would not be necessary. What I mean is that we each bring
something unique to the table. We are each given different gifts, talents,
passions, and callings, but the same Lord and the same Spirit works them all in
all of us. There is no competition. We should all be working together toward
the same common goal and purpose, which is to live holy lives pleasing to God,
to love others, and to be effective witnesses for the gospel of Jesus Christ,
and in that, we can unite.
The Mindset of Christ
Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value
others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to
the interests of the others.
In
your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who,
being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage;
rather,
he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And
being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore
God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every
name,
that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and
every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
When we read this passage of scripture, I think we can
easily fall into the trap of interpreting these instructions in light of humanistic
thinking and reasoning, the culture of our day, tradition, and/or according to the
way we were taught as children. Yet, the main thrust of this passage is that we
have the same attitude and mindset of Christ, especially in our relationships with
others, and in particular with the Body of Christ (believers). So, we need to
read this, thinking about what Christ’s true mindset was and is, and then we
can apply this knowledge and understanding to our specific situations and
relationships.
Suppose you are having difficulty with another brother or
sister in Christ, i.e. you are having a difference of opinion and/or a
misunderstanding, and communication between the two you has broken down. You
have prayed for wisdom and direction. You believe you have taken the
appropriate and Biblical steps, but with no results. You believe you have acted
in love and in honesty and integrity of heart and mind. Yet, the relationship
is not yet healed. So, you begin to question whether there is something you
missed, or if you truly did do the right thing, and so you seek God, again, because
in all truth you want to make certain that you have taken the right approach
and that you have done all you can do to reconcile.
Then, you read Philippians 2. And, so you take a
step-by-step look at what it means to truly have the mind-set of Christ in this
situation, and you prayerfully go through these various points, and you ask God
to show you if what you did or are doing matches his mind-set. And, so you ask:
1) Lord, am I being selfish? 2) Am I truly valuing this person above myself? 3)
Am I looking only at my own interests here, or am I truly looking to the
interests of this other person? To answer the questions, though, we need to
have the mind-set of Christ. So, what was/is his mindset?
He didn’t use his own position of power and authority to his
own advantage, but for the true good of others – good, meaning what is truly best
for the other person. He didn’t try to make a reputation for himself. He allowed
himself to be thought of as a criminal, crazy, radical, etc.; and he allowed
himself to be despised, rejected, and mocked. He became a servant with the goal
and objective of serving the true needs of others, primarily to meet their
(our) need of salvation. He frequently looked beyond what human needs appeared
to be on the surface, though, and he looked to the greater need within, but
then he did have the advantage of knowing what was in people’s hearts. He knew
what they really needed, and he supplied it for them, like for the woman at the
well. And, then he humbled himself to death on a cross. Why? – So that he could
deliver us out of slavery to sin, could save us from eternity in hell, and so
he could free us to walk in His righteousness and holiness.
A Crooked and
Depraved Generation
Therefore,
my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now
much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and
trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to
fulfill his good purpose.
Do
everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and
pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then
you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word
of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not
run or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering
on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with
all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
So, here is where we get the application, I believe. We must
continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. This might be
confusing to some people. The Bible says we are saved, we are being saved, and
we will be saved. Some people call this the process of sanctification, or they
give the three phases these names: Salvation, Sanctification and Glorification.
The point is, though, that our Christian lives and our relationship with Jesus
Christ is a process of a lifetime, and it does take work, not self-effort based
upon the works of the flesh, but rather daily choosing to yield control of our
lives moment-by-moment and situation-by-situation to the working of the Spirit
of God within us, trusting him that he knows what is best for us, and believing
that he will fulfill his good purpose in us. And, we do this with all honor,
respect, adoration and praise for our Lord Jesus Christ, too.
Going back to the scenario of a troubled relationship, we
are to not allow our differences to turn into heated arguments. That solves
nothing. In some cases, the differences we face may come about with professing
Christians who participate in and who have the mindset of this warped,
deceptive, perverted, disingenuous, immoral and libertine generation of our
time. We should not compromise with the sinful world to make nice with people,
though. Instead, we are to shine among them like a light-house which warns
those on the sea to avoid the rocks, and which directs them in their course to
safe haven. The most loving thing we can do is to do just what Jesus would do,
and that is to speak the truth in love to them, to show them where they are
off-course, and to help direct them back on track, by showing them the truth of
the gospel. Yet, this might get us hated, rejected, misunderstood, and
persecuted in return. Yet, even if that happens, we should rejoice. And, we
should trust the Lord to work everything out in our lives and in the lives of
others all according to plan.
Unless You Are Born
Again
An Original Work / November 3, 2013
Based off John 3:1-21
Nicodemus came to
Jesus.
He acknowledged God
was with Him.
Jesus said, “You can’t
see heaven
Unless you are born
again.”
“How can a man be born
when he’s old?
Can he enter into his
mother’s womb?”
Jesus answered, “Flesh
is flesh,
So of the Spirit, you
must be.”
Jesus said to
Nicodemus,
“You’re a teacher, and
yet you don’t
Understand of what I
tell you,
Because you will not believe.
“For God so loved the
world that He gave
His one and His only
Son for your sin.
So, whoever believes
in Him
Has eternal life in
heav’n.
“Light has come into
the world,
But human beings love
the darkness,
Because their deeds
are so evil,
So in truth, they
stand condemned.
“Everyone who
practices evil
Fears that the Light
will expose his sin.
Yet, whoever lives his
life by the Light
Does so through his
God.”
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