Time's End is Nearing

Sunday, February 15, 2015, 9:56 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Tick Tock.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Luke 10:1-16 (ESV).

Pray for Laborers

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

A harvest is a crop, yield or produce a farmer receives from his plowing of the soil, and his sowing of the seed, and his nurturing of the ground and the plants until they reach maturity and are ready to be harvested. A harvest is what the farmer reaps and gathers from his toil out in the field.

Our field is the world, and the seed we sow is the Word of God, which is sown into human hearts, and it reaps a harvest when humans turn their lives over to God via faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of their lives.

There are plenty of people in the world who need to hear the Word of God and the gospel of our salvation so they can be saved from their sins, but the workers are few even today, as so many who profess Christ as Savior of their lives are not fulfilling the great commission to go into the whole world and to make disciples of Jesus Christ of people of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded us.

So, not only do we need to pray for laborers to go forth with the gospel of Jesus Christ into his harvest field, but we need to be going, too, if we are not already involved in regularly sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people of this world in need of the Savior.

Lambs among Wolves

Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

When we do go out into the harvest field with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we go out as lambs in the midst of wolves. A wolf to a lamb is his enemy for wolves kill lambs. Jesus’ sheep are his followers. He said his sheep know him, they listen to him and they follow him in obedience (See: John 10). There will be many “wolves” (humans) who are enemies of the cross of Christ who will come against us, who will hate and reject us, and who will persecute and may even kill us for our testimonies for Jesus Christ. They will fight against us because they don’t want us to give out the full gospel of Christ to a dying world. We must know this ahead of time so that we are spiritually prepared to stand strong in our faith, bold in our witness, and determined to keep sharing the gospel despite all opposition.

The Bible also talks about wolves in sheep’s clothing. These are those among us who appear to be sheep from all outward appearances, but they are really wolves disguised as sheep. They are false teachers and preachers who want us to believe they are sheep so that we will trust them and will believe what they tell us. They dilute and kill the gospel of salvation in very subtle ways so that many naïve and unsuspecting sheep fall prey to their trickery, their deception and their manipulations of scripture.

Since their tricks and manipulations of scripture are not obvious to a vast number of people, but are sneaky and crafty in their twisting of truth in order to make their clever lies sound like truth, many naïve people follow them unknowingly. These wolves in sheep’s clothing may begin by telling the truth, and then slowly and surely they begin little by little to slip in the lies, which go largely unnoticed, and eventually the lies are so well blended in with the truth that it takes much spiritual discernment to spot the lies so they can be rejected. We must also know this before we go out into the harvest field so that we are spiritually prepared to test what we hear against the truth of scripture, and so we pray for spiritual discernment to spot the lies and to expose them, and so we teach only what is true.

Need to Repent

…Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.

Not everyone is going to like us and to receive us and our message with joy. So many have bought into a false grace gospel which does not require repentance and obedience to Christ as necessary components of genuine faith in Jesus Christ. They are being taught that all they have to do is pray a prayer and they have their ticket into heaven and no one can take it away. But so many people are not being taught the crucified life or that we have to die with Christ to sin and self, that we must be born anew of the Spirit of God, and that we must walk in the Spirit and not according the flesh once we have been saved from our sins. So, if you try to teach what Christ and the apostles taught, you may be rejected even by those who profess to have faith in Jesus Christ, and even by church leaders who have watered down the gospel to make it more appealing to the people of this world.

Thus, if you share the gospel of salvation, and those who hear it reject it, then move on. We can’t force anyone to believe in Jesus Christ. All we can do is share with them the truth, but it is up to them whether to accept it or whether to reject it. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts hearts and turns people to faith in Jesus Christ. His word will never return empty. It will fulfill its purposes. All we can do is share with people the truth of God’s Word and trust that the living Word of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts of sin and that they will humble themselves before God in turning from their sin and in turning to faith in Jesus Christ and to living for him by faith in the power of the Spirit of God within them. If they do repent of their sins and trust in Christ as Savior, then we must commit ourselves to discipling them to maturity, i.e. to also teaching believers in Christ what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to help them to grow in their faith.

Hears or Rejects?

“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

When we are rejected for teaching the truths of scripture and for sharing the full gospel message of salvation, as was taught by Jesus Christ and by the apostles, we must know that it is not just us they are rejecting, but they are rejecting Jesus Christ and God the Father, too. Yet, if they hear what we have to say and they accept the gospel message, then it is because they hear the Savior speaking to their hearts via the living word of God and via the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and thus they respond to the Spirit’s voice.

Today, if we have not already done so, we must all make a choice to either accept Jesus Christ and his gospel message or to reject it. One day Jesus Christ is coming back to judge the earth and to take his followers to be with him forever. When that day comes, if not before, many people will die in their sins, having never believed in Jesus Christ and having not made that decision to repent of their sins and to walk in obedience to their Lord who died for them so they would no longer live for themselves but for him who gave himself up for them. They will spend eternity in torment, punishment and eternal separation from God. Yet, if they hear the Word and receive it, repent of their sins and turn to walk in fellowship with their Lord, as his followers, then they have the hope of eternal life in heaven with God.

Time is running out. None of us knows what tomorrow holds for us. Don’t put off until tomorrow to make that decision, because you don’t know when you will breathe your last breath. Make the choice right now to bow before God, to turn from your sins, to allow the Spirit of God to transform you in heart and mind, and then to follow Jesus Christ wherever he leads you. You will never regret it!

Tick Tock / An Original Work / May 1, 2011

Tick tock, tick tock, time is a passing.

The time on the clock keeps ticking

While the church is fast a-sleeping.

Satan’s on a rampage

‘Cause his time is running out.

Will you worship God the Father,

God the Son and Holy Spirit?

Will you obey all of His

Commands for you today?

Jesus died to pay your ransom,

So that you could be forgiven.

Won’t you come to Him in truth

And penitently pray to Him?

Tick tock, tick tock, time is a wasting.

The cross of our Lord awaits you.

Won’t you come and share His table,

Drink the cup and eat the bread

In memory of Him?

Take a heart examination,

And accept our God’s salvation.

Humbly bow in adoration

And proclaim His name.

He wants for you to believe in

Him who interceded for you

When He died for your sins

And He rose from death in victory.

Tick tock, tick tock, time’s end is nearing.

How He longs to take and keep you,

In His arms He wants to hold you,

If you will but come to Him

And call on Him today.

His desire is that you please Him

In all of your life’s ambitions;

Be a living sacrifice

And be transformed today.

Let Christ’s love and grace sustain you,

And His promises prepare you

For His soon return to earth

To gather all His saints to Him.

https://vimeo.com/119270762

http://originalworks.info/tick-tock/

The Crucified Life

Sunday, February 15, 2015, 1:55 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “For By Grace.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Luke 9:18-27 (ESV).

He Was Crucified For Us

Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Jesus Christ often referred to himself as “The Son of Man.” I wanted to understand the meaning behind these words, so I did some research on this subject. What I learned from more than one source is that Jesus’ self-description was the “New Testament designation for Jesus as God incarnate in flesh and agent of divine judgment.” It appears that this reference to Jesus was primarily in the context of his humanity, his earthly ministry, his suffering and death, and his coming again to earth to judge, and to receive his bride (his saints/the elect) to himself (See: http://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hbd/view.cgi?n=5959).

Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit. He left his throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human flesh, suffered as we suffer and was tempted in like manner as we are tempted, yet without sin. While on this earth he healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sinners, comforted the sorrowful, and he preached freedom to those captive to sin. He also preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins and obedience to him and to his commands as necessary for receiving our eternal salvation, i.e. as an essential aspect of genuine believing faith (See: Lu. 5:32; 13:5; Jn. 14:15, 21; 15:10), for we are saved by God’s grace through faith (See: Eph. 2:8-10).

I also wanted to understand the meaning of “The Christ of God,” so I looked that up, as well. The Greek word “Christos” means: “Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ” (source: biblehub.com). As “Christ,” Jesus Christ is prophet, priest and king. He represents God to us and us to God, and he is ruler over all things, completely sovereign and in control over all that he has created. He was both the priest who offered the sacrifice for our sins as well as he was the sacrifice. He shed his own blood on the cross, taking upon himself the sins of the entire world, so that we would have the chance to receive forgiveness of sins and the hope of life eternal with God. He is our Savior who paid the price so we could go free.

We Must Die With Him

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

In Ephesians 2 we read that we are saved by God’s grace through faith. This salvation is not from ourselves, but is a gift from God. Even the faith to believe is a gift from God, but it is one we must decide to appropriate to our lives. We can do nothing in ourselves or of our own fleshly works to earn or to deserve such a great salvation. Jesus Christ was the only one who could secure this salvation for us, and it was through his death on a cross that he did so. Yet, we must receive this gift of grace by faith. This faith is not generated by ourselves, though. God has provided the faith we need to believe. We just have to apply it to our lives through humble submission to the cross of Christ and to our Savior.

There are many preachers and teachers of the Word today who are teaching a faith that is no faith at all, but is a mere outward confession of Christ, or is words that are mouthed only, or is an emotional experience or intellectual assent to who Jesus is, to what he did for us, and to our need to have him save us from our sins. Many of them teach salvation as though it is merely an escape from hell and a promise of heaven when we die. And, they teach that a mere prayer to ask Jesus into our hearts secures heaven for us no matter how we live our lives from this point forward. Yet, what they are missing is that genuine faith, which is required for salvation, involves turning from our sin (repentance) and turning our lives over to God/Christ in obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives. Grace that is absent of repentance and obedience is no grace at all, for God’s grace frees us from sin.

Jesus said that if we want to come after him, we must deny (disallow) ourselves (our self-life) and take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow him (in obedience). He said if we want to save our old lives of living for sin and self, we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (die to sin and self) for him, we will save them for eternity. Some people think this no longer applies to our lives, since it was before Christ died for our sins, and yet the apostles taught the same truth. They taught that we must die with Christ to our old lives of living for sin and self, that we must be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and that we are to be given new lives in Christ, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; & 1 Pet. 2:24-25).

It is not true GRACE if it does not free us from slavery to sin, and if all it does is just promise deliverance from the punishment of hell and promise the hope of eternal life in heaven. True grace is not a free license to continue in willful sin free from guilt and remorse. We read in Titus 2:11-14 that the grace of God that brings salvation teaches us to say “No” to “ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,” while we wait for our Lord’s return. Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” True grace transforms human lives away from living for sin and self to living for God/Christ in his holiness and righteousness, in the power of the Spirit of God now living within us. Jesus Christ died, not just to save us from our sins, but so we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15).

If we say that we love God, that we know him, and that we are walking in fellowship with him/Christ, yet we continue to live sinful lifestyles and we do not walk in obedience to his commands, then scripture teaches us that we are liars, that we don’t really know God, and that he does not really know us (See: the book of 1 John). This does not mean we will live in sinless perfection, as the Word also teaches that our salvation is a process of sanctification, i.e. we are saved, being saved and will be saved. We are in the process of being made holy; of being purified; and of being conformed to the image of Christ. Our salvation will not be complete until Jesus Christ returns.

Yet, we should never use the excuse that we are not perfect, or that we are in process, to excuse away willful sin or to justify continuing to live sinful lifestyles after we claim to have been saved. Daily we should die to sin and self, and daily we should surrender to Christ, to the cross, and to our Savior’s will for our lives.

For By Grace / An Original Work / January 27, 2012

Based off Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace we’ve been saved

Of all our sins,

So that with Christ Jesus

Our lives begin.

Cleansing us from sin,

He made pure within

All who trust in Him

As their Savior, friend,

So that with Christ Jesus

Our lives begin.

We’ve been saved through faith;

This not from ourselves,

Lest that we should boast

In our fleshly works.

Our salvation is

A gift from our God,

Who loves us so much

That He gave His Son

To die on the cross

For all of our sins.

So repent of all

Of your sins today,

And He’ll forgive you;

Wipe your sins away.

Obey all of His

Teachings given you,

So that you can walk

With Him now in truth;

So that you can walk

With Him now in truth.

http://originalworks.info/for-by-grace/

http://youtu.be/HyyilFhyssQ

Love and Devotion

Thursday, February 12, 2015, 9:44 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Trust Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Luke 7:31-50 (ESV).

Of This Generation

“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

    we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

There will always be people in this life who will think that we, who follow Jesus Christ with our lives, should think and behave just like them, and who will continually find some way to criticize or persecute us just because they don’t like something about us – what we stand for, what we do, and/or what we believe and practice. These are people who judge us by human standards, by traditions of men, and by worldly culture, philosophy and practice, and even by religious norms and customs which exist within the church.

They will mock us because we are different, and for the reason that we are unlike the world, and because we do stand out in a crowd, since we no longer conform to the ways of this sinful world. They will think us strange or crazy or disconnected from reality because we don’t do what “normal” people do. Even fellow Christians will be among those who may be our fiercest critics and opponents because we have not compromised our faith and we have not blended in with the society around us just so we can be accepted.

Yet, those who act wisely by God’s standards will one day be vindicated, if they are not already validated in the eyes of other humans for their love and devotion to Jesus Christ. What these wise servants do out of love for Christ and for their fellow humans, if not correctly understood now by everyone, will one day be confirmed that it had its purpose when the evidence is revealed by God concerning the lives that were changed for the good because of these servants’ love and devotion to Christ, and due to their commitment to following him in obedience to his will for their lives, despite all opposition.

For She Loved Much

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

I love this story! It is one of my favorites in the Bible. This woman was rejected because she had lived a sinful lifestyle, and probably because she was a woman, and because she did something that seemed weird, different, impractical and just plain senseless in the eyes of at least the host, Simon, the Pharisee. Yet, she did not come into the home of the Pharisee to cause trouble or to seduce anyone into sinning with her. She came with a repentant heart and out of love for Jesus – the one she had obviously heard about, or whom she had heard teach, or whom she had watched heal the blind, the sick and the lame. I believe she came because she wanted to be healed, too, and because she wanted to express her love for the Savior of the world, because he first loved her.

This woman was not concerned in the least what everyone might think of her, or else if she was at all, she rejected that fear and stepped out in faith and did what she knew she must do anyway, even knowing the kind of reception she might receive from some of the people there at that meal. Yet, she had a divine appointment with her Lord, and so she went, not knowing what might face her there. She did what she felt prompted to do, even knowing that her actions might be met with ridicule and with rebuke. Yet, her love for her Lord and her desire to express her love to him in this way overcame any fears she may have been feeling at the time.

Jesus’ host, Simon the Pharisee, responded to the woman and her actions with disdain. He looked down on her because of the sinful lifestyle she had lived. He obviously didn’t understand that Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not to reject them and not to turn them away in disgust.

Jesus didn’t think like the Pharisee. Although Jesus was fully God and fully man when he walked the face of this earth, and he did not have to come to the earth to save us, he loved us so much that he left his throne in heaven, took on human flesh and eventually died on the cross for our sins so that we could be free of the curse of sin. He certainly did not pacify anyone’s sin, and he did not shy away from confronting sin and calling for repentance, nor did he avoid the subjects of obedience and judgment. Yet, he was merciful to the lost, and had compassion on them, and thus called them to faith in Him.

Jesus Honored Her

And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Jesus told a parable to Simon in which he taught him that those who have sinned much and thus have been forgiven much will also love much, because they have a greater understanding of their true sinful condition (their debt) and thus a greater appreciation for the true grace and mercy of God in forgiving them and in saving them.

I love this next part in particular. It says that Jesus turned toward the woman but he spoke to Simon. He was giving honor to the woman for her act of faith and for her unadulterated love for her Lord. Basically, all the things that Simon should have done for the Lord, but did not do, the woman did.

Sometimes those who think they are so religious look down upon those who are true servants of the Lord and thus are critical of them and even reject and discard them as worthless, because they don’t get it. Their religion is just a bunch of rules and regulations (human-based), and forms and rituals and going through the motions of religious thought and practice, but they lack child-like faith as this woman obviously demonstrated. And, this goes back to the thought expressed early on in this writing concerning people who think we should be like them and who criticize us for being different, and it is because they don’t get it. Simon didn’t get it, either.

So, in conclusion, we should be encouraged by both of these stories to be the people of God whom our Lord created us to be, even in the face of great opposition, and even if the resistance we face comes from those within the church who don’t get it, either. We should have the courage and determination of this woman to do for our Lord what he has called us to do no matter what kind of response we get in return. Now, we should make certain it is the Lord we are hearing, and that our actions are consistent with the teachings of scripture and with the godly examples of Christ, the prophets, the apostles and other servants of the Lord talked about in scripture. Yet, we should not be afraid to be different and to do what may seem out of the ordinary by human standards of what they think is “normal.” We should be bold and courageous in our service to our Lord, but also humble and merciful to those who are in need of the Savior and of his saving grace.

Trust Him / An Original Work / August 15, 2012

Based off Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be of courage;

Be strong and take heart today.

Do not fear when foes attack you.

Trust in God always.

He will rescue you in times

Of trouble and distress,

He’ll comfort you in all ways

As you trust Him with your life today.

Trust in Him always.

God is with you; He’ll not leave you.

You can always count on Him.

He will fulfill all He promised

Before you began.

His word teaches you

All that you need for this life.

Let Him lead you. Open your heart;

Let his truth envelope you today.

Listen and obey.

Love your Lord God; follow Jesus.

Repent of your sins today.

Make Him your Lord and your master;

Trust Him and obey.

Follow Him where’er He leads you

In His service; be His witness,

Telling others about Jesus’

Price that He did pay

For your sins always.

http://originalworks.info/trust-him/  

https://vimeo.com/115369887

Our Words and Actions

Wednesday, February 11, 2015, 8:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “My Jesus, I Love Thee.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Luke 6:43-49 (NASB).

Each Tree is Known

For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.

There are certain passages of scripture, which on the surface, may seem to be so black and white, until understood in their proper context. The point of this scripture, I believe, is not to say that, if you are a Christian, that you will never have anything bad in your heart and that your speech will always be pure and good. Then we would be perfect, but we are not yet perfect, as Paul so wisely expressed, as is recorded for us in Phil. 3:12. That is why we are BEING transformed into Christ’s likeness (See: 2 Co. 3:18), because we are a work in progress. We have not yet arrived, but we press on in our walks of faith in Christ so that the purpose for which Jesus Christ died for us on the cross might take hold (have its effect) in our lives, which is that we would forsake our former lives of living for sin and self and that we would now live for Christ in his righteousness, in the power of the Spirit within us. Yet, we should never allow lack of perfection to be an excuse for continued willful sin!

For instance, in 1 John we read that if we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk in darkness, we lie and we do not live by the truth. It says, as well, that if we say we love God, but we do not do what he says, we are liars, and we don’t really know God, and he doesn’t know us - in an intimate (personal) relationship. Yet, it also acknowledges the fact that, even though we have been saved by grace, that we are still able to sin and that we will still sin at times, though the goal is ultimately that we would not sin, which is why Jesus died for us, to free us from the control of sin over our lives and to free us to walk daily in his holiness. So, in the context of the whole of 1 John we must reach the conclusion that these verses are talking about lifestyle. If our lifestyle is one where we continue in willful sin, thinking we have the freedom to do so, then we are not in true fellowship with God. If our lifestyle is such that we do not believe we have to do what God’s word teaches us, and so we live how we want, then we don’t really know God and he doesn’t really know us.

I believe the same is true with regard to this passage of scripture in Luke 6. If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, and his Spirit lives within us, this should be evidenced by how we live our lives (by our lifestyles). We should desire to know our Lord Jesus and to walk in his ways and to do what is right and just and pure, and we should back up that heart desire with our actions, i.e. we should live like this is true in our lives. Spending time with our Lord each day in prayer and in his word should not be a drudgery for us, but we should long to be with Jesus and to listen to him and then we should willingly obey him and do what he says. It should be evident by our lifestyles that we love Jesus, that we love his word, and that we live to serve and to please him, as well as it should be evident that we love his children and the people of this world, and that we care deeply about what God cares deeply about it. If this is not true at all about us, i.e. if this doesn’t represent how we live our lives, then we are most likely not true servants of the Lord. So, this calls for a heart examination.

His Mouth Speaks

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

The Biblical principle here, I believe, is that our mouths speak from that which is filled up in our hearts. Christians can sometimes have bad things in their hearts, perhaps due to abuse they suffered as a child or even as an adult, or due to unforgiveness towards others, or because of sin they have given way to, or perhaps because of bad things they have allowed to enter into their thoughts, eyes and ears due to being slack in their commitments to Christ and in their walks of faith. When we are put under pressure or when our guard is not up, out can come from our mouths what is buried down deep in our hearts, some of which we may not have even been aware was there until it surfaced. When this happens, though, our immediate response should be to call upon our Lord in sorrow and in repentance, and to pray for God to deliver us from what has gotten buried in our hearts, which requires our full cooperation with the work of the Spirit in purifying our hearts and in making us holy.

Yet, it is also true that the lifestyle of one who is committed to Christ should have stored up in his or her heart what is of God, and this is what should mostly be what comes out of that person’s mouth, as well as it should normally produce in deed and in action what is godly and loving toward God and toward others. Yet, again, not one of us has yet reached absolute perfection. We are all works in progress, yet again this is never to be used to excuse away willful sin against God. The flip side is true, as well. Sometimes the ungodly of this world can actually say and do more in the way of good than many who profess to know Jesus Christ, at least by what many might call “good.” Yet, by lifestyle, it should be evident that the ungodly do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, that they do not honor him as the holy God he is, and that they are not committed to obeying his word, and to following him in his ways and in his truth. Thus their words and actions will not be godly and holy.

Actions Louder Than Words

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

There are many people in this life who make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but they do not do what God says (in lifestyle). They are still in control of their own lives, i.e. their flesh and Satan still have full reign over their lives. They live how they want without concern for God’s plans and purposes for their lives, or else they live with little regard for what God wants and requires of his followers. Some of them have been taught this, and they have bought into the lies, because the lies promise them heaven when they die, yet requires nothing of them at all other than to “believe,” but a belief absent of true Biblical faith.

This false grace and false belief and false hope have permeated much of evangelical Christianity here in America, because they tickle itching ears and tell people what their flesh wants to hear. Those who teach this false grace have so twisted the scriptures to say what will make people feel good, and which makes the “gospel” much more palatable and acceptable to the people of this sinful world. They so manipulate God’s word so as to give people the impression that repentance and obedience are to be equated with works-based salvation and thus should be discarded as untruth, even though much of the New Testament teaches repentance and obedience as necessary requirements for salvation, i.e. for true relationship and fellowship with God/Christ.

The point of these words of Jesus is to reinforce for us that he cannot be “Lord” of our lives if we do not do what he says. As Lord, he is our master (owner) and we are his bond-servants. He purchased us with a price, his blood shed for us on the cross, so that we are no longer our own to do with our lives what we want. Jesus died so we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (See: 2 Co. 5:15). He died to free us from slavery to sin and to make us slaves of righteousness (See: Ro. 6-8); so that we might no longer walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. His grace is not a free license to live however we want, thinking his grace covers it all. His grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age while we wait for his soon return. He died to “redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (See: Tit. 2:11-14).

Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is not just words we say or an emotional experience we go through once in our lives. It means death to sin and being alive to Christ, to walk in his ways. We not only must hear his words, but we must do them. Jesus said his sheep listen to him and they follow (obey) him. When we understand this, and when we put into practice into our daily lives what the Word of Christ teaches us we must do as his followers, then when the storms of life come at us, and they will, our faith will remain strong and steadfast as will our commitments to our Lord to live holy lives pleasing to him. Yet if we listen, but we do not do what his word teaches us, then when trials and difficulties come our way, our faith will come crashing down and we will not be able to withstand them but will give way to our flesh and will do what our sin nature desires instead, and it will be to our ruin.

So, don’t be hearers of the word only, but be doers of the word. Love Jesus with all your heart, and do what he tells you. Follow him wherever he leads you, and walk in his ways.

My Jesus, I Love Thee

William R. Featherstone / Adoniram J. Gordon

My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine;

For thee all the follies of sin I resign. 

My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou;

If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now. 

I love thee because thou hast first loved me,

And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree;

I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow;

If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now. 

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,

And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;

And say, when the death-dew lies cold on my brow,

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight;

I'll ever adore thee in heaven so bright;

I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;

If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now. 

The Same Way

Tuesday, February 10, 2015, 10:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Broken and Contrite.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Luke 6:27-36 (NASB).

Love Your Enemies

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

What is an enemy? An enemy is an antagonist, i.e. “one that contends with or opposes another: adversary, opponent” (M-W Dictionary). To oppose someone means to “to act against or provide resistance to; combat; to stand in the way of; hinder; obstruct; to be hostile or adverse to” (Dictionary.com).

The Bible says that Satan is our adversary, so we are to “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). It also teaches us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but is against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (See: Eph. 6:10-20). So, this is a spiritual battle we are in, and we must fight it with the spiritual weapons of warfare God has provided. Yet, we do have flesh and blood enemies who contend with us who serve the devil’s purposes in coming against us, too. Thus, we must understand our true enemy is Satan, and we must respond to our physical enemies in the way in which Jesus taught us.

Who do we consider to be our enemies, i.e. our opposition? In what ways do they oppose us, combat us, hinder or obstruct us, or how are they hostile to us? Do we think of enemies as only those who are of other religions, or who are atheists, or who are among the unsaved of this world? Could another who professes faith in Jesus Christ act as our enemy? Remember when Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan”? He told him, “You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (See: Matt. 16:23). Why did Jesus say this to Peter? It was because Peter rebuked Jesus when he told his disciples what must soon take place, i.e. concerning his death. Peter served Satan’s purposes by proclaiming this would never happen to Jesus.

Satan loves to whisper in our ear, “God did not really say that. You don’t really have to do that.” And, so we must put on our spiritual armor and answer back with the truth. This IS love! And, it is doing GOOD to our enemies when we tell them the truth and we don’t lie to them. It is not love to placate or enable sin or to give in to our enemies by allowing them to defeat us spiritually and to get us to back down from following our Lord Jesus in obedience. When they curse us, we should answer back with kindness, yet there are times when a strong word of rebuke or correction is called for, and that is also loving and kind and is doing what is good for others, such as Jesus did when he spoke strong words of rebuke to the Pharisees and teachers of the law. It was for their good that they were told the truth.

How to Treat Others

Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

I admit I struggled with this passage of scripture in understanding its true meaning, so I spent some time this morning in prayer, seeking God’s face, inquiring of him as to what this means and how it is to be applied to my life. I believe what he showed me is that this is a picture of forgiveness. When we truly forgive those who hurt us and who mistreat us, we make ourselves vulnerable to be hurt again. It does not mean we enable others to sin against us or that we never confront sin or speak the truth in love to them. Jesus surely told people the truth, he confronted sin and he rebuked those who were acting wickedly. Yet, when we forgive, and we give people another chance, we also risk being hurt again, and again, and again. This IS love! This is how Jesus loves us, too. He has forgiven us. When we sin against him, he restores us, and he gives us another chance, even though we may sin again and again and grieve him greatly. So, how can we not love others like he loves us?

I believe the best way to make certain we are interpreting these words in this passage correctly is to look at the meaning of this last sentence. If I treat others the way in which I want to be treated, what does that mean? Well, if I am truly loving myself and I am acting in full consideration of what is truly best for me, then if I am doing what is harmful or wicked to others I would want to be told the truth and not have someone just avoid me or lie to me just to make me feel good. I would want someone to tell me to “Stop” doing what is wrong and to do what is right. I would hope they would be kind and not too harsh with me, but at the same time I would not want someone to ignore my sinful condition and to just let me go on that way without hope or without recourse for changing my behavior. I also would not want them to just walk away from me just because they couldn’t be bothered with my mess.

Be Merciful

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Admittedly it is much easier to be kind to those who are kind to us. I think that is just human nature. It is much harder to keep loving those who mistreat us over and over again. Yet, how did Jesus love us? Scripture says that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He didn’t go to the cross, taking upon himself the sins of the entire world, because of our goodness. He died for us when we were dead in our sins; when we were his enemies. And, how does he love us now that we know him, when we fall into sin’s deceitfulness again? He won’t pat us on the back and tell us it’s ok and not to worry about it. He will tell us the truth about our sin. He will speak gently to us unless we are persistent in stubborn rebellion, and then he may have to speak with more force to get our attention, but he won’t reject us and he won’t desert us. He will patiently and gently call us to repentance and renewed faith, and he will restore us and will put us back on our feet. He will give us another chance. And, that is how we are to love others, too. If Jesus loves us like this, how can we not love others like that, too?

So, if we have been hurt by another who has come against us as an enemy would, and we desire to have our wounded hearts healed, then we must practice loving our enemies as this passage teaches us, and we must put on our spiritual armor with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us. We must forgive, and we must make ourselves vulnerable to be hurt again. We must speak the truth in love, do what is truly good (best) for others, say what is truly kind to them, pray for them, and love them the way Jesus loves us.

Broken and Contrite / An Original Work / May 13, 2012

I come before You, Lord, my Savior,

With humble heart and crushed in spirit.

I bow before You, I implore You,

Heal my broken heart, I pray.

Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,

You are the King of my heart.

Lord, purify my heart within me;

Sanctify me, whole within.

Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully

The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.

I pray You give me grace and mercy,

Strength and wisdom to obey.

Father God, my heart’s desire,

Won’t You set my heart on fire?

Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders

My walk with You, now I pray.

Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,

My heart cries out for understanding.

I want to follow You in all ways,

Never straying from Your truth.

Holy Spirit, come in power,

Fill me with Your love today.

Lord, mold and make me;

Your hands formed me;

Live Your life through me, I pray.

http://originalworks.info/broken-and-contrite/

https://vimeo.com/118841304

Who Weep Now

Monday, February 9, 2015, 1:17 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Broken and Contrite.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Luke 6:17-26 (NASB).

A Great Throng

Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say…

Jesus had just healed a man on the Sabbath. The Scribes and the Pharisees were watching him carefully so they might find a reason to accuse him. After he healed the man, the Pharisees and Scribes were filled with rage and discussed what they might do to Jesus. So, Jesus then spent the night on a mountain in prayer to his Father in heaven.

In the morning he gathered together his twelve disciples whom he had chosen. He came down from the mountain with them and stood on a level place. Although there was a large crowd of people who had come to hear him speak, it appears that he directed these thoughts specifically toward his disciples. A disciple is a follower, believer and a student. So, these were people who believed in Jesus Christ, who were following after him, and who were being taught by him.

The Poor in Spirit

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

This word translated here as “poor” can mean those who are physically poor with regard to not having much at all in the way of material wealth, or it can mean those who are “poor in spirit,” i.e. those who are humble, who realize their need of a Savior, and that they have nothing in themselves whereby they could ever attain heaven or gain God’s approval. They realize their own righteousness is as filthy rags, that they are lost, that they are sinners, and that they need Jesus Christ to save them from their sins.

I believe the context of this passage favors this latter meaning of the word “poor,” and thus this is to be understood that it is those who have humbled themselves before God, who have acknowledged and have repented of their sins, who have believed in Jesus Christ to be their Lord and their Savior, and who have trusted in him to meet all of their needs who have the promise and hope of eternal life with God both now and forevermore. His kingdom, nonetheless, should not be viewed merely as the place we go when we die, but it entails the life of the church here on earth, as well, and all that is promised to us by God for those who believe in him in the way of spiritual blessings, ministry, and spiritual fruit and harvest, etc.

Who Hunger Now

“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.”

Again, I believe the context here favors that we translate these words, not in the natural sense, but rather in a spiritual sense. In other words, this is speaking of those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. We will be satisfied. So, what does that mean exactly? I believe to hunger and thirst after righteousness (after God) means to desire intimacy with God and to want to be in fellowship with him and to crave his Word as one would hunger after food or thirst after a cool and refreshing cup of water on a hot day. Most of us would not think about starving ourselves to death, in a natural sense, but how many who profess the name of Jesus spiritually starve themselves because they do not hunger and thirst after righteousness but only have a casual or passing interest in God/Jesus?

Yet, when we long to be with our Lord, to spend time with him daily at his feet listening to him speak his words to our hearts, and we yearn to learn from him all that he has for our lives, and we desire to please him in all that we do and say and are, we will not come up empty. He will fill us to overflowing with all that we need to live godly and holy lives in this present age while we wait for his return. He will comfort us when we are downcast, he will bring joy to our hearts when we are sad, he will instruct us in the way we should go, and he will teach us and guide us and encourage us, too. We will never be lacking any good thing.

Who Weep Now

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

This is speaking to Jesus’ followers. Jesus said his sheep listen to him and they follow him (in obedience). So, for those of us who are following the Lord Jesus, I believe there is a promise for us of joy now and joy yet to come in heaven when he wipes all the tears from our eyes. First of all, I believe this weeping has to do with our weeping over sin, not just feeling badly that we sinned, but the kind of sorrow that leads to repentance and to changed hearts and lives by the grace of God. That sorrow is turned to joy when we accept God’s great salvation into our lives and we are set free from slavery to sin and we are now able, by the grace of God, to walk daily in Christ’s righteousness and holiness. Being delivered out of that pit of sin and being set free brings so much joy! Amen!

In this life, though, we will also face many sorrows. I just recently lost a sister to death, and that was a sad day in some ways, because she is no longer with us, but it was also a happy day in that we know she is with Jesus, and thus we rejoice. As well, we face sickness, injury, personal loss, concern over unsaved loved ones, hardships, persecutions, rejections, betrayal, etc. And, all those hurt. Yet, Jesus sympathizes with us in our weaknesses, and he brings much comfort and encouragement into our lives, and so that fills us with joy.

Who Are Persecuted

“Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”

Jesus said that if we are his followers we will be hated and mistreated just as he was hated and mistreated, and even put to death. He was hated because he claimed to be God, who he is, and because he told people the truth about their sins. When we preach the full gospel message, and we tell the truth about sin, and we call people to repentance and obedience, we will not gain many friends in this life, but we may gain many enemies, even within the church, and even among church leadership in churches where they water down the gospel to make it more palatable and appealing to human flesh. We may even be asked to leave certain church congregations because we hold to the truths of scripture, and because we teach the full gospel message, and we don’t bow to the wisdom of human flesh.

Yet, we are in good company, for that his how they treated Jesus and the prophets and the apostles, too. We should consider ourselves blessed to be treated thus for the sake of Christ and for the sake of his gospel, not that we go about purposefully trying to incite people, but because we speak the truth of God’s word in the hope that it may bring healing, comfort, encouragement, hope and salvation to all who will listen and who will heed its counsel. As well, we are to be glad and leap for joy when we are treated thus, because God is using us in other people’s lives for his glory and for their good to bring them to faith in Jesus or to help them to grow and to mature in their faith, so we should rejoice!

Woe To The Self-Sufficient

“But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

Nonetheless, if we are self-sufficient, live for the moment without regard to our future, don’t even acknowledge our need of God or our own sinfulness, think we can make it on our own, live to entertain ourselves and live for self-pleasure and self-gratification, and have little to no concern at all for others’ eternal destiny or for their deliverance from sin’s deceitfulness, then the kingdom of God is not ours, we will never be fully satisfied, our happiness is only temporary and fleeting, and we have no eternal rewards awaiting us in heaven. Jesus’ sheep listen to him, not just with their ears, but with their hearts, and they follow him in obedience and in surrender to his will for their lives, not in absolute perfection, and not without fault, but they are consistent in their thirst and hunger after God and his word.

Since Jesus said that if we follow him and we do what he says and we are like him in thought, word and deed, we will be hated and persecuted, if nearly everyone likes us and speaks well of us, then I would question why that is so. I realize that not everyone who is liked is liked because they live only for themselves, nor is everyone who is hated treated so because they are followers of Christ and they walk in obedience to him. Yet, if nearly everyone likes us and speaks well of us, and if we are generally not hated at all, then I think we should search the scriptures and seek God’s face and ask him why. Perhaps it is because, although we claim to know Christ, we are not really walking in fellowship with him, and we are not truly his disciples, and we are not different from the world and set apart for God and for his service, and so the world has no reason to hate us because we are too much like them. If this is true of you, I pray you will allow God to change your heart today.

Broken and Contrite / An Original Work / May 13, 2012

I come before You, Lord, my Savior,

With humble heart and crushed in spirit.

I bow before You, I implore You,

Heal my broken heart, I pray.

Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,

You are the King of my heart.

Lord, purify my heart within me;

Sanctify me, whole within.

Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully

The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.

I pray You give me grace and mercy,

Strength and wisdom to obey.

Father God, my heart’s desire,

Won’t You set my heart on fire?

Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders

My walk with You, now I pray.

Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,

My heart cries out for understanding.

I want to follow You in all ways,

Never straying from Your truth.

Holy Spirit, come in power,

Fill me with Your love today.

Lord, mold and make me;

Your hands formed me;

Live Your life through me, I pray.

http://originalworks.info/broken-and-contrite/

https://vimeo.com/118841304

Send Me

Sunday, February 8, 2015, 6:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “He Touched My Mouth.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Luke 5:1-11 (NIV).

Out Into Deep Water

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Some people like to paint the Christian life as all fun and games. They think the meetings of the church, which now targets the unsaved of the world, too, should be entertaining, fun, comfortable, non-threatening and appealing to the unsaved world. They avoid words such as sin, repentance, obedience, judgment and hell. They teach that coming to Christ is merely saying a prayer or just asking for forgiveness, but they leave out the part that requires that we die with Christ to sin and that we walk in purity and righteousness in the strength of the Lord, and empowered by the Spirit. They teach that God is pleased with us no matter what we do, and so people get the idea that they can have the hope of heaven and still live like they did before, except maybe some things might change. This type of teaching gives free license to continue in willful sin. The Word of God, though, does not.

When I think of Jesus saying to Peter, “Put out into deep water,” I can’t help but see a spiritual parallel to this story, especially since this story ends with a spiritual parallel. Ultimately Peter and the other disciples were being called to fish for humans, in the sense that they were to share the gospel of Jesus Christ so that people could come to true faith in Jesus Christ. So, if we think of fishing in these terms, what would it mean if Jesus told us to “put out into deep water”?

Symbolically speaking, deep water can mean a difficult or hard-to-handle situation. Deep water can also involve hardship, distress or trouble. As well, the word “deep” can mean well below surface level, serious, complex or profound. When we think “surface level,” what comes to mind? I think of those who are shallow, pretentious or superficial or those who choose to deal with life at an external level only because they don’t want to get too serious or because they like life to be about just having a good time. So, they don’t really dig deep down into thinking or talking about or considering serious matters of the heart and conscience. As well, they don’t want to think or talk about sin, repentance or obedience, because they want to keep things light and fluffy so that no one is offended.

Spiritually speaking, though, when Jesus sends us out into the world to make disciples of Christ of people of all nations, and he sends us out as sheep among wolves to be his light in the darkness, and to call people to repentance, so that people can be set free of their prisons of sin, he is sending us out into deep water. This is not light and fluffy stuff. This is not surface level stuff he is sending us out to share. He is asking us to tell people about sin, judgment and hell as well as to tell them about salvation, freedom and heaven. And, we will not be liked and even hated because we tell people the truth, and because it makes them uncomfortable. So, are we willing to get deep and to go beyond the surface level and to endure persecution, rejection and betrayal for the sake of sharing the gospel of Christ?

A Great Catch

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

Jesus wanted to perform a miracle in Peter’s life and in the lives of these other fishermen. Yet, Peter’s first response was to think in human terms. How often do we do that? How often does God ask us to do something or tell us what he wants to do through us but our response is to look at the situation through human eyes and to see the impossibilities rather than the possibilities? We see all the reasons why it won’t work instead of believing God to make a way where there seems to be no way. We focus on the external rather than the eternal. Or, perhaps we initially respond with faith, but when things don’t happen the way we expect or as fast as we had hoped, we easily give up and withdraw. I know I have been guilty of this, have you? Why is it that we get in our minds that if we can’t see a way for it to happen then it can’t happen? Our God is the God of miracles. Amen!

Yet, Peter did not stop at just looking at the circumstances on a surface level. Even though he didn’t see, from a human standpoint, how anything would change, yet he trusted the Lord, and he did what he said on faith, just because Jesus said so. So, what keeps us from having that type of faith? We don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have to see how everything is going to be worked out before we step out in faith. Faith is believing in what we cannot see with our natural eyesight. And, it is believing in the God of miracles, trusting in his power, might, grace and mercy, and believing that when he says he will do something that he will do it, even if it looks impossible from a surface evaluation. Faith is going out into the deep, not knowing what will face us out there. It is believing God for the impossible, and it is a willingness to step out in faith even when all looks hopeless.

So, what was the result of Peter’s faith? They caught so many fish their boats were not able to hold them all. So, what if we all did like Peter? Jesus has sent us into the world (our deep water) to catch fish, i.e. to make disciples of Christ of people of all nations. What if we all took Jesus at his word and did what he said just because he told us to do it? I believe so many people would come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ that we would not have enough places to meet to hold all those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. That would be a wonderful problem to have. So, what keeps us from putting out into the deep? Are we afraid of rejection and persecution? Are we afraid of what he might ask us to do? Are we just lazy and self-centered? Or, do we lack concern for the lost? Is there something the Lord has asked you to believe him for, but you have given up because it looked too hard? Will you choose to trust him today and say with Peter, “Because you say so I will…”?

A Sinful Man

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Peter was humbled by this miracle Jesus performed on their behalf. He realized he was not worthy to have the Lord do such a miracle in his life. None of us are. We are all born into sin. There is no one righteous in himself or herself. We have all sinned and come up short of attaining God’s approval. We can do nothing to earn or to deserve such a great salvation. It is only by the grace of God (the miracle Christ performed on our behalf in dying for our sins) and through faith in Christ that we can be forgiven of our sin and have the promise of heaven. Peter just needed to believe and then to act on that faith by doing what the Lord said, and Jesus performed the miracle. It is the same way with our salvation. Jesus died so we could be free from bondage to sin. This is a miracle of God’s grace to us. He asks that we forsake our lives of sin and that we follow him in obedience. This is faith.

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow him (in obedience). He said if we hold on to our old lives (of sin) we will lose them for eternity, but if we willingly die to our old lives (of living for sin and self) we will gain eternal life (See: Lu. 9:23-25). Some people think these words no longer apply to us, and yet they are repeated by the apostles. A parallel passage is Eph. 4:17-24 where it teaches us that coming to Christ means forsaking our lives of sin, being changed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and putting on our new lives in Christ, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Paul taught that coming to Christ meant no longer walking according to the flesh, to gratify the cravings of our sinful desires, but to now walk in the Spirit, living to please God (See: Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20). So, if we want the miracle of salvation, we have to do this that Jesus said to do, by faith.

When Peter humbled himself before the Lord, and he recognized his own unworthiness to be the recipient of Jesus’ miracle, Jesus told him what he wanted him to do next. He was to fish for people, i.e. to share the gospel so people could be saved. Yet, this calling is not just for a select few. Jesus wants all his followers to be lights to the world and to be the salt of the earth and to lead others to follow Jesus Christ with their lives, teaching them to obey all his teachings and instructions (See: Matt. 28:18-20). Will you go? Will you share the gospel of Jesus Christ to a world who needs him? Will you believe God for a miracle in people’s lives? Will I? I pray God will renew my faith to believe him for miracles of grace in other’s lives so that they can be his followers, too. And, I pray I will be willing to go wherever he sends me.

He Touched My Mouth / An Original Work / June 13, 2012

Based off Isaiah 6:1-8; Jeremiah 1:4-9

Oh, I saw the Lord

Seated on His throne,

High and lifted up;

Holy is the Lord!

The earth is full

of His glory.

“Woe to me,” I cried,

“I’m of unclean lips.”

My Lord touched my mouth

With His cleansing pow’r;

Removed all my guilt,

Paid for by His blood.

He asked, “Whom shall I send;

Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here am I.

Send me!”

Before I was born,

God set me apart;

He appointed me

To His servant be.

I said, “I don’t know

How to speak.

I am but a child.”

Then, the Lord replied:

“Do not say to me,

‘I am but a child.’

You must go to all,

And do what I say.

Do not fear them,

For I’m with you.”

My Lord touched my mouth;

Gave me words to say.

http://originalworks.info/he-touched-my-mouth/

https://vimeo.com/114929183