For Freedom!

Thursday, October 09, 2014, 6:45 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind this song:

Saved by the Blood / S. J. Henderson and Daniel B. Towner

Saved by the blood of the Crucified One!

Now ransomed from sin and a new work begun,

Sing praise to the Father and praise to the Son,

Saved by the blood of the Crucified One!

Glory, I'm saved! Glory, I'm saved!

My sins are all pardoned, my guilt is all gone!

Glory, I'm saved! Glory, I'm saved!

I am saved by the blood of the Crucified One!

Amen! Hallelujah! Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Galatians 5 (NIV84).

Stand Firm!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. ~ Gal. 5:1-6

In the culture in which I live today, and in the church here in America, unless one has come from Jewish upbringing, the problem that the church of Paul’s day faced is probably not applicable to us, at least not with specific regard to circumcision. Yet, there is a Biblical principle present here which can be applied to our lives. What this situation is symbolic of in our lives is the problem of dependency on the flesh in order to have or to gain a right standing with God, or else it is a crisis of reliance on the flesh in place of dependency on God, thinking we already have a right standing with God by faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ died on the cross, taking upon himself the sins of the entire world, so that he could free us from the curse of sin, but also from our enslavement to sin and from our own sinful flesh (See Ro. 6-8). When we rely upon our own fleshly works to gain approval from God, or when we rely upon our own fleshly works in place of dependence on God, and on the working of his Spirit within us, then we have permitted ourselves to be burdened again to the yoke of slavery.

So, this is a reminder to us that Jesus died to set us free from sin and flesh, so we should no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us (2 Co. 5:15). And, we should no longer think we can earn our own salvation by good works of the flesh, because we are only saved by God’s grace through faith. As well, we must realize that we cannot walk in the flesh and walk in the Spirit at the same time, because the two don’t mix! So, the encouragement here is for us to stand firm on the truths of God’s word so that we are not led astray back to reliance upon our own human flesh, thinking we are still pleasing to God.

A Little Yeast

You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? ⁸ That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” ¹⁰ I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. ¹¹ Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. ¹² As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! ~ Gal. 5:7-12

When we are running a good race, it means we have entered into relationship with God via faith in Jesus Christ. We have been forgiven and set free from slavery to sin. Now transformed of the Spirit of God, we are walking in Christ’s holiness in the power of the Spirit within us. We are in daily fellowship with our Lord through prayer, through the study of his Word, through listening to his Spirit speak to our hearts, and through walking in obedience to the Word of truth in surrender of our wills to the will of God for us.

So, if we allow others to cut in on us and to keep us from obeying the truth, that means we have listened to other voices in place of the voice of God, we have believed these other influences, and we have decided to go with them instead of to go with God. So, we must learn to recognize the Voice of Truth as well as to distinguish the voice of Satan from the voice of God, and to discern lies from truth. The only way this is going to happen is if we test everything we hear against the Word of God, and we make it top priority in our lives to walk in daily fellowship with our Lord, listening to him speak, and then obey what he says.

In a thesaurus, other words for “yeast” are: ferment, mold (fungus; decay) and mildew (rot; rust). Those are not good words. Fungus is parasitic and lives off of others or on dead and decaying things. Biblically this is used to mean “the spreading of influence of what is typically concealed (but still very dramatic). Leaven (yeast) is generally a symbol of the spreading nature of evil” (Source: biblehub.com).

So, we must stop the spreading of evil within our lives and within the church by refusing to yield to other voices which are working against the voice of God in our lives.

Called To Be Free!

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. ¹⁴ The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷ For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. ~ Gal. 5:13-18

There are many folks today in the institutional church who equate freedom in Christ to freedom to live how they want without guilt and without punishment. They see God’s grace as a free license to continue in willful sin, claiming that God’s grace covers it all. And, yet God’s grace is NOT a free license to continue in sin! No! God’s grace teaches us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age while we wait for Christ’s return (See: Tit. 2:11-14; cf. Ro. 6-8; 1 Jn. 1-5).

Instead, we are to serve one another in love. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (v. 6). If we truly love God, and we love our neighbors as ourselves, then we will no longer live to please ourselves, and we will no longer walk in sin, but we will live to please God, and we will do what is loving toward others, but not by human standards of love, but by God’s definition of what love is. To truly love God means to obey him, to walk in his love, to do what his word says, to love others, and to not live in sin or walk in the ways of this world (See: 1 Jn. 1-5). To love others means to give of ourselves to their legitimate needs and to do what is truly best for them in the eyes of God, not in the eyes of human beings. It is not loving to lie to people just to make them feel good. It is also not loving to withhold the truth from them which is necessary for them to know so that they can be saved and so they can also walk in daily fellowship with their Lord Jesus Christ.

Keep In Step

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. ~ Gal. 5:19-26

So many professing Christians within the institutional church today have bought into a lie which tells them that if they just “believe” in Jesus that their sins are forgiven, they are bound for heaven, and nothing can take that away. And yet, “believe” is not really explained to them. The way it is presented sounds like all we have to do is to have some intellectual assent to the fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, and he died to save us from our sins, and that by faith we can have this forgiveness of sins and this hope of heaven. And yet, belief in Jesus Christ is more than just an intellectual acceptance of those facts, and it is so much more than just an emotional decision at an altar.

Believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives means we leave our old lives of sin behind us, we are transformed (via metamorphosis) from darkness (sin) to light (truth and obedience), and we now walk in the Spirit, in truth, and in the holiness of God within us (See: Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24 & 1 Jn. 1-5). All this is the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we cooperate fully with that work.

So, what this means for us is that if we believe we can continue in living for sin and self, we need to think again. If we live for sin and self, like what is described in this section of scripture, then we WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God! This is taught by Jesus and by the apostles, and this teaching is all throughout the New Testament. How we live our lives, whether for self and in our own flesh, or whether in the power and working of the Spirit within us, demonstrates whether or not we have been genuinely saved.

Although none of us will live perfectly while we are still in these flesh bodies, this should NEVER be an excuse for continued and willful sin. We should daily put off the misdeeds of the flesh and put on Christ and yield to the Spirit. And, we should walk in truth and in holiness, and we should submit to the Spirit within us in allowing his fruit to be what rules our lives, what guides our decisions, and what motivates our hearts toward loving God and loving others. Since, as true followers of Jesus Christ, we live by the Spirit, and not by the flesh, we should move in rhythm (in conformity) with the Holy Spirit who is within us.

Remain in Him / An Original Work / September 23, 2011

Based off of John 15:1-17

Walk in fellowship with Jesus, Savior and friend.

He’s invited you to be His servant again.

Obey all His commands, and do all that He says.

Sit at His feet each day. Worship Him for always.

Call Him master and King. Obey Him in all things.

Turn from all of your sins. Live in vict’ry again.

He’ll restore you today, if you call Him and pray;

Forsake all of your ways; take up your cross today;

Follow Him for always.

Follow Jesus your friend where He leads you today.

Abide always in Him. Let His words dwell within.

If you remain in Him, bearing fruit from within,

God will answer your prayers, because for you He cares.

Be His followers now. Remain in Jesus’ love.

You will know peace within; comes from heaven above.

Love your neighbors and friends, and your enemies, too.

God will call you His friend. He will ne’er forsake you.

He has appointed you.

http://originalworks.info/remain-in-him/

Devotional on audio: http://originalworks.info/for-freedom/

Weak and Miserable

Wednesday, October 08, 2014, 6:11 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Only In Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Galatians 4 (NIV84).

We Are Heirs

What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. ² He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. ³ So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. ⁴ But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵ to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. ⁶ Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. ~ Gal. 4:1-7

In Bible times the sons were the heirs, not the daughters, so that is why the children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, are described here as sons of God. In other places in scripture we are described as the bride of Christ, so whether we are called sons or daughters should not be a sticking point for us, because the point is that, whether male or female, we are all children (offspring) of God by God’s grace, and through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As his offspring, we are thus heirs (beneficiaries or recipients) of his promise to us of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God in heaven.

Turning Back

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? ¹⁰ You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

…Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. ¹⁸ It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. ¹⁹ My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, ²⁰ how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you! ~ Gal. 4:8-20

Paul compared himself here to a woman in labor, so great was his suffering and concern over his spiritual children in the Lord, because they were being led astray from the truth by those outside of genuine faith in Jesus Christ who were perverting the gospel of salvation. Since this was the illustration given here in this passage of scripture, the Lord Jesus put in my mind an understanding of what Paul expressed here in terms which I could identify, since I am a mother, and I have given birth to four physical children whom I nursed each one of them. Yet, I also identify with Paul, because I am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I do feel and am presently experiencing the emotions expressed here over concern for the children of faith who are presently being led astray to what is false.

The natural milk coming from the mother is breast milk. It is the milk God has provided for the mother to feed her infant. It can be paralleled over to the unadulterated word of God - the full gospel of salvation, containing many hard truths which many do not want to accept.

Those outside of Christ, even those who claim to know Christ and who are leaders within our churches, are offering the mother (the Body of Christ) a plastic bottle to feed her infant (babes in Christ and/or immature followers of Christ), but since she is of the freewoman, she will reject the cheap (plastic) substitute. So, then, those outsiders – those who are zealous to win us over, but for no good – placed a plastic device onto the nipple of the mother’s breast for the child to suck on, thus not entirely replacing the real thing for what is fake, but as an add-on and as an intermediate between the child and the genuine milk coming from the mother. And, the “sons of God” are sucking on this fake add-on to the true gospel of our salvation, but they are coming away empty, because they are not getting to the true milk of the word and to the FULL gospel of salvation. Not only that, but they seem disinterested or only slightly interested in the true milk of the word, and so they barely even nibble on what is true. So, the mother (God/Christ/his servants) is concerned greatly.

The reason the immature followers of Christ are not latching on to the breast of the mother is because the breasts are full and hard, which represents the full gospel and the hard truths contained within. If you have ever been a mother who has nursed infants, and you had one who was a nibbler, you would understand how the breasts can become full and hard and even painful because the child barely takes in any of the milk. So, the children prefer to opt out for what is fake, added on, and as a go-between them and the full gospel of salvation, or else they prefer that the gospel (the full breast containing milk) would be smaller (reduced in size) or softer (more pliable and moldable), like the pacie. The Lord Jesus also showed me this fake add-on to the gospel as a blank page inserted between the cover (Jesus Christ) of a book, representing the true gospel, and the gospel pages contained within. What is blank is what is empty, and it is used as another covering over top of the true word of God and again as something which comes between us and the truth.

The practical reality of this illustration is that, although the Body of Christ may easily reject what is obviously fake (the plastic bottle) they have allowed an add-on to the true milk of the word (to the true gospel), but this add-on keeps the children of God from getting to the truth (the milk) of God’s word. This add-on is a false grace teaching which gives its listeners the idea that they don’t have to repent of (turn from) their sin, and they don’t have to follow Jesus Christ in obedience and in surrender to his will for their lives, but they can just “believe” and have their ticket into heaven, and nothing really has to change in their lives, because they are now under grace and not under the law, or so they have been told.

And, yet scripture contradicts this false grace teaching when it teaches us that we must die with Christ to our old lives of living for self and in sin, that we must be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and that we must walk daily in Christ’s righteousness and holiness (See: Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14 & 1 Jn. 1-5).

Get Rid Of…

Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. ²³ His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.

These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother…

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹ At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. ³⁰ But what does the Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” ³¹ Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. ~ Gal. 4:21-31

I will not, at this point, go into a full explanation of this passage of scripture only to say that this is teaching that the nation of Israel, who were at one time God’s chosen people and heirs of the promise, if they have rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah, are now numbered among the Gentiles and they are no different from the Arab nations, because they are all of the slave woman and not of the free woman. Only those who are believers in Jesus Christ are of the free woman and are heirs to eternal life with God in heaven.

Yet, the reason here for Paul to explain this is because it was the Judaizers who were trying to lead those, who were the sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ, astray to a false gospel. So, the “slave woman” is also to represent this false gospel coming from those who are outside of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, but who have come in among us, and who have pretended as though they are one of us. They have perverted the gospel, and have convinced immature followers of Christ to accept a flesh-driven cheap add-on to the true gospel, but which hinders the babes in Christ from getting to the true milk of the Word.

And, so God is saying we must “get rid of” this “slave woman,” i.e. we must rid the church of this false gospel of salvation which is an add-on to the true gospel, and which will never satisfy the thirsts of our souls, because it is empty, useless, weak and miserable. We must remove the pacifier added on to the genuine nipple which gives us the true milk of the Word, and we must remove the blank page which was inserted in between Christ and his word, but which is void of truth. We must get rid of this empty and useless fake gospel so that the sons of faith can get right to the genuine full gospel of salvation. And, yet, the church in the west, at this point, does not seem willing to do that, so I believe God is going to have to bring in a “lactation specialist” to assist the “mother” with getting her infant to take hold of the breast (the true and full gospel of salvation), and that is going to involve forcing the nipple into the child’s mouth, which means divine discipline is on its way.

ONLY IN HIM / An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face.

http://originalworks.info/only-in-him/

Devotion on audio: http://originalworks.info/weak-and-miserable/

Apart From Faith

Tuesday, October 07, 2014, 5:55 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Unless You Are Born Again.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Galatians 3. I will quote selected verses in the NIV.

According to Self

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?  ~ Gal. 3:1-5

Paul was addressing the issue here of the Galatian Christians returning to man-made (of human origin) religion after having begun their Christian lives by faith in Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of God. They were guilty of deserting their Lord, and they were turning to a gospel of the flesh of humans, which was no gospel (good news) at all. They were being led astray to follow after religion of human origin (of the flesh) by false brothers and sisters in Christ who had come in among them and who were perverting the gospel of Christ. So, Paul was appealing to them to come to their senses. Thus he set before them an argument (a discussion) on the topic of flesh-driven religion versus genuine faith in Christ Jesus.

In the context of this passage of scripture, the Greek word translated as “flesh” here means: “referring to making decisions (actions) according to self – i.e. done apart from faith (independent from God's inworking). Thus what is ‘of the flesh (carnal)’ is by definition displeasing to the Lord – even things that seem ‘respectable!’ In short, flesh generally relates to unaided human effort, i.e. decisions (actions) that originate from self or are empowered by self. This is carnal (‘of the flesh’) and proceeds out of the untouched (unchanged) part of us – i.e. what is not transformed by God” [Res: biblehub.com].

In Today’s Church

This switch from faith to flesh is a HUGE problem in today’s modern church movement here in America. They make bold claims (boasts) that they are now under grace and that they are no longer under the law, and yet so many of them do not follow the Biblical teachings on grace at all, and they are almost entirely flesh-driven, instead. So, they are being hypocritical in that the very thing they say they have rejected is what they embrace.

A true understanding of God’s grace instructs us that God’s grace is NOT a free license to continue in willful sin while excusing sin away under the guise that the believer, who is now under grace and not under the law, is no longer required to do what is right in God’s eyes. The truth of the matter is that God’s grace teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age while we wait for Christ’s return (See: Tit. 2:11-14). As well, we must understand that Jesus Christ died so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for HIM who gave himself up for us to die on the cross for our sins (See: 2 Co. 5:15). Jesus Christ died to set us free from slavery to sin, and to free us to walk in Christ’s righteousness, so how can we live in sin any longer? (See: Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; & 1 Jn. 1-5). We must die with Christ to sin!

The way in which today’s modern church is being flesh-driven is multi-faceted. The first and foremost way is through this dilution and twisting (perverting) of the gospel of Christ to make God’s grace out to be a free ticket into heaven absent of the necessity of the believer to die with Christ to his or to her own sin, and to walk daily in the power of the Spirit in the holiness of Christ within us. Added to that is that today’s modern church relies heavily upon the teachings and philosophies of humans, human marketing schemes for how to grow their churches, and modern and worldly means and methods for bringing the world into their meetings. So many of their meetings, though, are not Spirit-led at all, but are entirely driven (orchestrated) by the flesh of humans who want to appeal to the flesh of other humans so that they will feel comfortable in their meetings, and so they will want to come back. In reality, the Holy Spirit has no freedom of movement in most of these churches or in the individual lives of those who profess Christ but who are walking according to the flesh.

Baptized Into Christ

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ~ Gal. 3:26-27

What does it mean to be “baptized into Christ”? I believe the best understanding of this phrase comes from Paul’s teaching in Romans 6 where he said that we, who are in Christ, have died to sin. When we were baptized into Christ, in salvation, we were baptized into his death. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life… For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin… You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness… But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

I fully understand that scripture teaches about both spiritual baptism and physical baptism. I am well aware, as well, that there are varied understandings and teachings on this subject. So, I will just share here what I believe scripture teaches.

First of all, the word translated here as “baptize” means: “To cleanse; to make clean; to immerse; to submerge; to dip under” (Res: biblehub.com). To immerse means: “To become completely occupied with something, giving all your time, energy, or concentration to it” (Res: Encarta Dictionary). Combining these two definitions together, I believe we can get a good understanding of the meaning of “baptize.” It means to give ourselves wholly to the cleansing of our sin via faith in what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on the cross for our sins. And, this commitment of faith involves giving ourselves in death to sin so that we can now live new lives in Christ free from slavery to sin, and free to walk in his righteousness. This baptism, thus, is a spiritual baptism of the heart and of the flesh nature, and it is symbolized in physical baptism in water as a testimony of the transformation which has already taken place of the Spirit in our hearts, via being baptized with the Holy Spirit, in transforming our lives away from living for sin to walking in Christ’s holiness.

When we are baptized into Christ, in salvation, we have thus clothed ourselves with Christ. To be clothed means: “To put on; in the sense of sinking into a garment; to invest with clothing” (Res: biblehub.com). To sink into something means to become absorbed in it (similar to becoming immersed). To clothe ourselves thus means to provide or supply ourselves with some quality; to cover completely; to slip into;” and/or “to wear” (Res: Encarta Dictionary). So, to be clothed with Christ means that we are completely occupied with him, giving all of ourselves to him – our time, energies, personalities, gifts, resources, passions, desires, possessions, etc., in submission to him and to his will and purposes for our lives, forsaking all others (other gods), and to be faithful to HIM ONLY.

Unless You Are Born Again

An Original Work / November 3, 2013

Based off John 3:1-21

Jesus told Nicodemus that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. When Nicodemus questioned how this could be done, Jesus answered him that people are born of the flesh when they are born from their mother’s wombs, but they must each also have a spiritual birth if they want to have eternal life with God. In other words, we must be reborn, not physically, but spiritually. Still Nicodemus did not understand, yet it was not for lack of knowledge. He knew the scriptures, and he taught the scriptures, yet he chose not to accept what he heard, i.e. he chose not to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

God the Father gave his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already.” And, this is the verdict of the trial in God’s heavenly court: Jesus Christ, the Light, came into the world to save sinners, but people loved darkness instead of the Light because their deeds were evil. Those who practice evil hate the Light, and will not come into the Light for fear that their evil deeds will be exposed. But, whoever lives by the truth comes to the Light, “so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out by God.” [Res: John 3]

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.”

http://originalworks.info/unless-you-are-born-again/

Devotional now on audio: http://originalworks.info/apart-from-faith/ 

Not Man's Gospel

Monday, October 06, 2014, 6:51 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “What The Lord Says.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Gal. 1:11-2:10 (ESV).

The Gospel Preached

For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. ~ Gal. 1:11-14

Paul was called to be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, are we all called to be ministers of the gospel? I believe we are.

We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (See: Matt. 5:13-20). The salt of the earth and the light of the world are synonymous in many respects. So, for us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world would suggest that by our lives, our actions and our words we should be spreading throughout the earth the teachings and godly principles of scripture. As well, we should be safeguarding, upholding and defending the truth of God’s Holy Word against all evil and opposing forces. We should also be maintaining and continuing in our walks of faith with Jesus Christ, and we should not be guilty of straying from his word or our pure devotion to him. Our very lives, as well as our words, should be influencing the world around us away from lifestyles of sin, and to faith in Jesus Christ – to repentance and obedience to his commands – all in the power and working of the Spirit of God within us (cf. Ac. 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20).

In our sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ with others we must, like Paul, make certain that what we are following, living, believing and sharing is the gospel as taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles and not a gospel of human origin. So, this calls for much study in God’s word, much discernment of the Spirit, and also much testing of everything we hear, read and see, especially in relation to that which is passed off as the word of God. Just because it looks like truth does not mean it is truth. There are many lies and deceptions being spread around in today’s church here in America which are disguised as truth, and which many undiscerning individuals are buying into hook, line and sinker. So, study the Word of God and don’t become followers of humans. Check it out before you believe it, and especially before you pass it along to others.

Before I Was Born

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. ~ Gal. 1:15-17

Paul said here that God had set him apart (for God) before he was born, and that he had called him by his grace, and was pleased to reveal his Son Jesus Christ to him, in order that he might preach him among the Gentiles. God told Jeremiah that before he had formed him in the womb he knew him, and that before he was born God had consecrated him and had appointed him as a prophet to the nations (See: Jer. 1:5). The psalmist David said something similar to this when he stated that God had knit him together in his mother’s womb, and that the days that were formed for him were written in God’s book before any of them came into being (See: Ps. 139). John the Baptist was also called of God even before he was conceived or born (See: Luke 1).

So, is this true of all of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, that God called us even before we were conceived and born?

Predestined of God

I believe scripture teaches that all who are in Christ Jesus by faith, or who will yet come to faith in Christ have been predestined, chosen and selected by God to follow Him. I believe that God has a specific plan and purpose for our lives, and that we were created (conceived) and born for that purpose. Yet, I admit that I certainly do not understand it all, nor am I skilled in being able to debate such an issue. So, I will just share what I understand.

The word “predestined” means: “Foreordained; predetermined; marked out beforehand” (See: http://biblehub.com/greek/4309.htm). It means: “To decide, agree, ordain, or arrange something in advance” (Encarta Dict.).

So, before we were even conceived, I trust that God had prearranged who we were to be, the parents we were to have, what the circumstances of our lives would entail, and what the calling of God on our lives would be. Yet, I also believe in free will, so I deem that we have the free will to refuse God or to choose him, as well.

For me personally, I believe very much so that what I am doing right now was God’s plan and purpose for my life even before he formed me in the womb of my mother. As I look back on my nearly 65 years of life, I can see his hand upon my life all the way in preparing me for this ministry to which he has called me.

I believe scripture teaches and gives us multiple examples showing that God has a general will and purpose for all whom he has called, as well as he has very specific missions for each and every one of us. More generally speaking, scripture says that we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, to be adopted as God’s children, to be holy and blameless before God, and to be for the praise of his glory – according to his plan, purpose and will (See: Ro. 8:29-30; Eph. 1:5-11). More specifically, it speaks of how we are given gifts of the Spirit and we are assigned particular parts (roles; assignments) in the Body of Christ.

I know without a doubt that what I do each day in writing out what God teaches me through his word and in posting it on various sites on the internet is what God has called me to do, and it is my assignment (role; part) within the Body of Christ. I take that very seriously!

We Did Not Yield

…Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. ~ Gal. 2:4-6

Just as there is teaching within the church which is of human origin (man-made), and is not of God, even though it is passed off as the Word of God, or of God, there are people within the church who pass themselves off as followers of Christ, but who are not truly saved.

They are false brothers and sisters in Christ because they are Christian by profession only, but they have never truly been transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God. They live, work, fellowship, worship and minister among us, disguising themselves as followers of Christ, oftentimes because their goal is to turn us away from our pure devotion to Jesus Christ and to try to get us to follow after the teachings of humans, instead. Many of these false brethren are our leaders (pastors, elders & deacons) within our churches. Their goal is to get us to follow their goals, objectives and mission for their specific organizations, and to get us to back down from sharing the true gospel, because they don’t want to offend people. They want the people of the world to feel “at home” in their “churches” so they will want to come back. So they dilute the gospel, turn “worship” services into big entertainment sessions, and replace the word of God with movies and with books written by mere humans. Their bible then becomes the marketing schemes of big business.

Yet, we are not to yield to them. We are not to give in to them for a moment, no matter how hard they pressure us, no matter how hard they may try to shame us into agreement with them, or not matter how much they may ostracize, persecute, falsely accuse and reject us because we stand on the truth of God’s holy word, and we hold to the truths as taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles – the pillars of our faith. We must not listen to those voices which are not of God and which are working against the word of truth, but we must hear, and we must listen, and we must obey only what the Lord says.

What the Lord Says / An Original Work

February 24, 2014 / Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5

This is what the Lord says to you:

Fear not, for I have chosen you.

I have summoned you by your name.

You are mine. I died, you to save.

When you go through your trials, so deep,

I will be with you; you will not sink.

You are so precious always to me.

Trust in your Lord, Savior and King.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who gave salvation to you;

Who delivered you from your sin;

Takes your burdens now upon Him:

Forget the former things of your life.

Give of your heart not now up to strife.

See all the new things I have for you.

Walk in vict’ry. Trust in what’s true.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who made you; who will help you:

Do not fear what humans may do.

Walk in freedom. Follow what’s true.

Drink of my Spirit given for you.

Trust in my mercy, for I love you.

I have a plan for all of your life.

Follow my ways. Do what is right.

http://originalworks.info/what-the-lord-says/

Devotional now on audio: http://originalworks.info/not-mans-gospel/

All For You

Sunday, October 05, 2014, 12:30 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Unless You Are Born Again.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians 12:11-13:10 (NASB).

I Want You

I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

Here for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I do not seek what is yours, but you; for children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself; nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I took you in by deceit. Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I? I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps?

The Apostle Paul had come under attack from those who were false apostles. Evidently there was serious concern on his part that the Corinthian believers, who were his children in the Lord, were being (or might be) persuaded by these false teachers to believe these charges against Paul. Yet, Paul’s concern was not for himself, but for the believers, that they might be led astray from their pure devotion to Jesus Christ. If the false teachers could convince the believers in Corinth that Paul had false motives for what he was doing, then perhaps they could discredit Paul and could thus get these believers in Christ to follow them and their false teaching instead. So, it was essential that Paul defend himself in order to protect the believers in Christ from being led astray to a false gospel.

So, in some cases here, he utilized the figure of speech called “irony” (or sarcasm) to make his points, frequently making mention of the charges of these false teachers against him.

Paul worked hard among the believers in Christ, sacrificing his own time and energies, and not working for financial profit, although he had a right to earn his living from the gospel. Yet, he did not claim that right. He was not slack in fulfilling the call God/Jesus had placed upon his life, but he persevered in the ministry to which he was called, proving himself to be a true apostle of Jesus Christ. He didn’t work among them so that he would get rich. He was not interested in their possessions. His desire was for them and for them to walk holy lives pleasing to Jesus. He wanted them for Jesus, and for no other reason, and because he knew that walking in daily fellowship with their Lord, and in his will, was what was best for them. So, he gladly gave of all he had, and of his life, as well, for them because he loved them.

They should have commended him for all that he did for them, but the implication is that they did not show their appreciation. I don’t believe Paul was looking for the praise of humans. He didn’t work to get praise. Yet, their lack of recognition of his apostleship was a serious issue in that it set them up for the potential of falling prey to false teaching, and thus he mentioned this slighting of him perhaps to shame them into the reality that he was indeed who he said he was, so that they would not be caught off guard and be led astray.

I believe a similar situation exists today, only the one needing to be defended here is Jesus Christ. There are many false teachers within the church today who give off a false image of Christ, only not usually in a disparaging way, but rather in a complimentary way, yet false all the same. Their purpose is to give off this false understanding of who Jesus Christ is so that they may lead people away from the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to a false gospel. They will often present Jesus as someone who just went around doing good all the time and who said nice things to make people feel good about themselves. Yet, he was not hung on a cross to die for being nice. They hated him because he told them the truth about their sin. Jesus didn’t mince words. He was a straight shooter. He told it like it was.

Not Repented

All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved. For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every fact is to be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses. I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone, since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.

Jesus Christ died for our sins, not just so we could escape hell and gain heaven, but so we would die with him to our sins and live with him and for him by daily walking in his righteousness and holiness – all in the power and working of the Holy Spirit, who now lives within us (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24 & 1 Jn. 1-5). He died so we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (See: 2 Co. 5:15). In fact, his grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age while we wait for his return (See: Tit. 2:11-14). And, yet so many preachers today do not even mention the need to repent of our sin and to walk in Christ’s holiness, because that would not be “nice.”

Jesus Christ is not weak in dealing with us, but is powerful among us. He doesn’t wink at sin. He died to free us from the control of sin, so how can we live in it any longer? Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is not about cleaning up our old lives a little at a time as suits us. It is about death to sin and self, and it is about being alive to Christ, walking daily with him, living holy lives pleasing to him, obeying his teachings, listening to him, following him wherever he leads us, and inquiring of him daily, etc. He died to eradicate our old fleshly lives and to give us completely new lives in Christ, free from slavery to sin, and free to live for him. He wants for us to repent of (turn from) our sins and to walk in obedience and surrender to him and to his will for our lives.

Test Yourselves

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.

So, we should test ourselves to see if we are truly in the faith. Did we accept a false grace gospel which teaches us that turning from our sin and following Christ in obedience are not necessary components of genuine faith in Christ? Have we believed this false image of Christ that so many are presenting of him today, which pictures him as just a “nice guy” who just “loved on” everyone and didn’t make anyone feel bad about their sin? Did we accept that all we had to do was “believe” in Christ, and yet “believe” was never explained to us in terms of death to sin and of being born of the Spirit of God in transformation away from sin to a walk of faith in his holiness?

Remember, he died so we would no longer live for ourselves but for him, and his grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives. His grace is not a free license to continue in sin and to still have the hope of eternity with God in heaven. Don’t believe that false image of Christ and of his grace.

God the Father gave his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already.” And, this is the verdict of the trial in God’s heavenly court: Jesus Christ, the Light, came into the world to save sinners, but people loved darkness instead of the Light because their deeds were evil. Those who practice evil hate the Light, and will not come into the Light for fear that their evil deeds will be exposed. But, whoever lives by the truth comes to the Light, “so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out by God.” [Ref: John 3]

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.”

http://originalworks.info/unless-you-are-born-again/

Are You Troubled?

Saturday, October 04, 2014, 6:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Wait!” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NASB).

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

To Torment

Paul was an apostle (messenger; servant) of God who was given great spiritual revelations from God. Because he was still human, and he was still in a flesh body, there was the potential for pride and conceit to take hold in his life. So, in order to keep him from becoming conceited (puffed up), God gave (or allowed) him a thorn (sharp and piercing affliction, irritation, or annoyance) in his flesh (body; humanity). This affliction was in the form of a messenger (representative) of Satan, and its purpose was to torment him in order to keep him from exalting himself.

There are many theories as to what this messenger of Satan was, but I will not attempt to make a guess, because I don’t think the “what” is important. Instead, I will share what I believe are the essential elements of this situation, and how this can be applied to our lives.

From God

First of all, I would like to cite the example of Job. Job was a godly and upright man who feared God, and yet God allowed him to be afflicted of Satan. Not only did he allow this, but God instigated it. Satan presented himself before God, and the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?” (Job 1:8) Satan responded by presenting to God the fact that the Lord had a hedge of protection around Job, and that nothing could touch him but what God permitted it to take place. So, the Lord told Satan that all Job possessed was in Satan’s power, only he could not touch Job himself.

So, Job’s livestock, servants, and his sons and daughters were all put to death. Job grieved over his loss of animals, servants and children, and yet he did not curse God. His attitude was that it was the Lord who gave all of that to him, and it was the Lord’s to take it all away, and so he blessed God. “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (Job 1:22). Certainly this must have enraged Satan. Yet, it did not end there. This happened again, only this time Satan suggested that God should “touch his bone and his flesh” (2:5) and that Job would curse God, so God gave Satan the power to touch Job, but he could not take his life. God always set the limits on what Satan could do.

Now, going back to this situation with Paul and his thorn, although there are those who would disagree with me about this, I believe it was God who gave (or allowed) Paul that messenger of Satan to torment him because only God would have the purpose to keep Paul from being conceited, and because I believe Satan cannot touch us who are the Lord’s without permission from God to do so.

For me, this gives me great comfort and security to know that when bad things happen to us that they are not without purpose, that God is absolutely and completely in control and sovereign over all things, that he is completely trustworthy and faithful, that he sets limits on what Satan can do to us, and that our Lord will carry (see) us through it all; as well as he will accomplish his purposes in and through it for the praise of his name, for his honor and glory, for the salvation of souls, the encouragement and strengthening of his servants, and for our spiritual growth, maturity, perseverance, and endurance, as well as to develop within us godly character (See: Jn. 16:33; Ac. 14:22; Ro. 5:3-5; 8:17-18; 2 Co. 1:5-7; Phil. 1:29-30; 3:8-11; Jas. 1:2-12; 1 Pet. 1:6-9; 3:14-17; 4:12-19; 5:6-11; 2 Tim. 1:8).

As well, I believe this is paralleled over into Revelation 13 where it speaks of how Satan’s emissary, the beast, is given power to make war against the saints. Although the dragon gave the beast his authority, the dragon only has authority as much as what God allows (permits). If God does not have power over Satan, and he cannot set limits on Satan and on what he can do, then he is not our all-powerful and completely sovereign God. And yet, scripture teaches us that our Lord is completely sovereign, all-powerful and that he is in control over all things, “with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him” (See: Eph. 1:15-23; Col. 1:15-20; 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:21b-22; & Rev. 3:14). Amen!

Thus, I believe that, not only can Satan not touch us unless God allows it, and that our God is all-powerful and completely sovereign over all that happens in our lives, but when God does allow trouble, hardships, persecutions, difficulties, and even physical ailments within our bodies, that he has a purpose in it all, and that it is for our ultimate good and for the good of other people whose lives we touch. Amen! In that, I rejoice!!

Sufficient Grace

Awesome! Not only are the troubles of our lives not random, but for a purpose, and limited by God’s protecting power, but his grace to us is totally sufficient to help us during those times of need, for his power is brought to completion in our weakness. I don’t know about you, but I find enormous comfort and encouragement in these words!

I know that even when my body is weak and my strength has failed, that he will give me all I need to keep going. I have seen him do this in my life on a consistent and regular basis, as I know that I don’t have what it takes, in my own flesh, nor can I do what God has called me to do apart from his grace. I am weak, fearful, and lacking in knowledge and understanding apart from God’s all-sufficient grace to me, and apart from his power which so wonderfully works in and through me on a daily basis so that I can complete the assignments he has given to me to do.

So, I must learn, and I am learning to be content in whatever circumstances he has me in, as well as I am still learning to count them all joy, for I know that for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ, and for my testimony for him, and for the sake of his gospel, of which I am a minister, that insults, persecutions, weaknesses, distresses and difficulties of various kinds are part of my life, and are part of the plan and purpose God has for my life, and that they are for my ultimate good as God works his will in and through my life for his glory.

The other thing I know with great certainty is that because God allows these difficulties in my life, and he allows Satan to torment me, at times, that all this that is good that is produced in and through me for his glory is not of my own doing or of my own flesh, but it is the strength and power of the Spirit of God working his will and purpose in and through my life. So, all praise, honor and glory belong to him and to him alone always and forever!

Wait! / An Original Work / February 8, 2014

Wait for your Lord. Be of courage.

Be strong, and take heart today.

God is always watching o’er you.

Trust Him with your life always.

Sing of your Lord. Praise His blessings.

Believe in His sovereignty.

He delivered you from your sin;

Gave you life eternally.

Rest in your Lord. Know His promise.

Beneath His wings rest secure.

Your God has a plan and purpose.

Let your faith in Him endure.

Trust in your Lord. He’ll not leave you,

Because He is faithfulness.

He will lead and guide; protect you.

In His love you can find rest.

http://originalworks.info/wait/

The Grace of Giving

Thursday, October 02, 2014, 5:22 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “I Sing of His Mercy.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians 8 (NASB).

In this section of scripture, the teaching is on the subject of the grace of giving, more specifically giving monetarily, from what I understand, and yet the gospel of Jesus Christ is presented throughout this passage, too. So, today I will be looking at the broader subject of giving, which includes what Jesus Christ gave to us, and what we are to give as a heart response of love to him and to others, in return.

The Grace of God

Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, 5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. ~ 2 Co. 8:1-5

But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. 8 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. ~ 2 Co. 8:7-9

The grace of God was made known to us by the writers of the New Testament (as inspired by God), who told us the story of how God sent his Son Jesus Christ to earth to take on human flesh, to suffer as we suffer, and then to die on the cross for our sins. By God’s grace Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on the cross. When he died, our sins died with him, and when he rose from the dead, he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin. By God’s grace, through faith, we can be forgiven of and delivered from slavery to sin, be set free from the ultimate punishment for sin, and be given the hope of eternal life with God in heaven.

The way in which Jesus Christ was rich is that he, being God himself, was in heaven on a throne, yet he willingly gave that up for us by coming to earth, by taking on human flesh, and by him being willing to suffer and to be tempted as we are tempted, though without sin, so that he could become our compassionate and merciful high priest, and so he could become our perfect sacrificial Lamb given for us for the forgiveness of sins.

Through his poverty, i.e. his willingness to humble himself by becoming obedient to death on a cross, we are made rich spiritually, by faith in Christ, in that we have been freed from the penalty and control of sin over our lives, and we have been freed and empowered to walk daily in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, as well as we have been given the hope of heaven. We have so many spiritual blessings in Christ that it is difficult to even begin to name them all. Jesus Christ, through his Spirit within us, fills us with his love. He counsels, guides and directs us in the way we should go. He empowers us to walk in holiness. He comforts us and encourages us in times of trouble. He meets our needs and gives us purpose for our lives. He is awesome! We are made complete (whole) in him. He heals our diseases and he purifies our hearts from all unrighteousness. Praise his holy name!

Abundance of Joy

This grace of God, i.e. this giving spirit, is thus transferred to us via our faith in Christ, and via his Spirit dwelling within us. Since we, by faith, have the living God dwelling within us, we also have his love, compassion, mercy, kindness, and giving spirit within us and available for us to tap into. He gives us the desire and the ability to give, even out of extreme poverty, and even during times of great opposition and persecution. And yet, this grace of God, i.e. this grace of giving stretches far beyond just giving money to help those in need, for what God gave us was forgiveness of sin, the gospel of salvation, and his love and compassion. And, that is what we are to share with others, too, and with joy!

So, how can we, who are selfish creatures by nature, be so giving of ourselves to others? It says here that first of all they gave themselves to God (the Lord) and then to those in need, via the apostles, by the will of God. When we give our lives to the Lord Jesus as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, no longer conformed to the ways of this world, but transformed in the renewing of our minds, we give everything we are and have to God, and so we don’t consider anything our own – not our reputations, what people think about us, our possessions, money, etc. It is all his to do with what he wills. And, so when we submit our wills to his will for our lives, and we surrender in obedience to his word, then we can joyfully give of our time, resources, energies, money, possessions, etc. to the will of God.

Equality

For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality— at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality; as it is written, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.” ~ 2 Co. 8:12-15

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matt. 6:19-21

“For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! …But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! ~ Luke 12:22-28

For those of us in America, this idea of equality may seem foreign to us, yet this is the Biblical principle set down for us by God. We are not supposed to hoard wealth in order to make sure we have enough to live well in our senior years, and thus deprive the needy of what we could give to them if we are willing. Yet, the principle here is that we, too, should not feel so pressed to give to others that we suffer in want of what is needed in our own lives. I believe we should pay our bills, and not give to the point to where we don’t meet our own financial obligations, but I also believe we should give beyond what is comfortable for us sometimes, too, i.e. not just out of our surplus, but maybe sacrificing some things we would like to have in order to help others whose need is greater than our own.  

I believe, as we are able, that it makes sense to keep a reasonable amount of money on supply to meet our budget needs, including a supply for items which may not occur every month, so that we do not have to go into debt for emergency situations or for large expenditures, and so we do not become a burden to others because we are not able to financially provide for ourselves. Yet I think that, as Americans, this Biblical teaching goes against what is taught to us from early on about saving, investing, and making sure we have plenty of money, possessions, etc. to live comfortably on this earth until the day we die. Yet, we can’t take it with us. So, we need to understand that our God will supply all that we need, and so we need to have the attitude that our Lord owns it all, and so we should help others in need knowing that God will take care of us when we are in need.

Yet, this grace of giving is not to be limited to or confined merely to giving monetarily to people in need. This grace of giving should carry over into every aspect of our lives to where we willingly share our possessions (wisely and responsibly), our money, resources, talents, spiritual gifts, time, and energies, etc. with those in need physically, emotionally and spiritually. For, in so doing, we are laying up treasures in heaven and not on this earth. We need to be more selfless and not be selfish with all that God has given to us, and that includes most especially with his gospel of salvation. Many need to know Jesus, and we should be sharing the grace and mercy of God with them so that they, too, can be set free from their sins, and so they can have eternal life with God, beginning right now and forever.

I Sing of His Mercy / An Original Work

Based off Psalm 32 / April 10, 2014

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven

By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does

Not count against them; freedom found.

When, in silence, I did not confess

My sin to You; had no strength.

Then I owned up to my sin and

You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;

Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.

They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,

But in Christ peace abounds.

Lord, You are my hiding place.

I find my refuge in You secure.

You protect me from all evil.

You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;

Counsel me in love, I know.

Help me to not be stubborn and

Unwilling to follow in Your truth.

Thank You for Your love and mercy.

I put my trust in You always.

I rejoice in my Lord and

I sing of Him throughout all my days.

http://originalworks.info/i-sing-of-his-mercy/