Jesus was not a Hippie

 

 

Jesus is not a freethinker, who advocates multiple sexual partners, broad mindedness, and if it does not hurt anyone else, go ahead and do it. Jesus’ words will give you a much different view of who He really is. He equates lust with adultery and hatred with murder (Matthew 5:27-28). He tells us that pursuing His Kingdom is more important than our family (Matthew 19:29). He did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). He promised that following Him would separate parents and children (Matthew 10:35).

Jesus said that no one goes to heaven except by believing in Him (John 14:6). He denounced divorce (Mark 10:1-12). He says that the person who changes his/her mind from following after Him is not worthy of heaven (Luke 9:62). He cleansed the temple with a whip (Mark 11:15-19). The Gospels are full of accounts of the real Jesus. If you care to take the time to read them, you will see that Jesus drew a line in the sand and pronounced that anyone who does not come over to His side is condemned already (John 3:18).

Many people believe in God, but not in Jesus whom He sent (John 3:34). They think Jesus is a “cool dude”, but they ridicule true Christians for following the teachings of Christ according to His Word, rather than according to the humanistic interpretation they put on His Word. The sad state of affairs in the world today is that too many so-called Christians live according to their own agenda and in chasing satanic pursuits in the world and of the flesh, than in living for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (John 10:10). They give authentic Christians a negative reputation.

The Bible shows that Jesus constantly confronted humanistic, self-serving, unholy practices in both the religious leaders and the Jewish people (Matthew 12:34). He was not some peace-loving hippie that went around preaching free love! He taught about love in His parables and He showed us His love by His death. He brought us peace and hope through His resurrection. He said that every work of our flesh would burn up under His scrutiny. However, as we follow the leading of God’s Spirit we do good works that will withstand the fires of judgment (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Prayer:

Father God, You are not pleased with our sacrifices, but only by a humble spirit and a repentant heart. Help us to renounce our self-centeredness and to humbly submit to the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. Without faith in Your faithfulness, we cannot please You (Hebrews 11:6). You created each one of us for Your purpose (Ephesians 2:10). You have a perfect plan for each life that is conceived. Help those who do not believe to come to know Jesus for who He really is (John 3:16-18).

Thought for the Day:

As God works in and through us, He accomplishes His will for our life and for everyone we touch.

Shining Like Stars

Jesus is the first born of God’s children (Revelation 1:5; Romans 8:29). Our hope of resurrection comes through Him (1 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 1:1,5; Romans 6:11). He laid down His life for His brethren and conquered death, so that He could provide us with the life of His Spirit through His resurrection (John 5:24, 6:63, 11:25; 1 John 3:14; Acts 2:24; Philippians 2:8: 1 Corinthians 15:4). God separated the light from the darkness during creation and now He uses His Word as a sharp, two-edged sword to separate the carnality of our soul and our union with Christ in our spirit (Hebrews 4:12).

Even the good that is in our human heart must be laid at the altar of God, so we do not take pride in it or count on it for our salvation (John 1:13). We work out our own salvation only through the desire and power given to us by God (Philippians 2:12–13). It is through the regenerative work of God’s Spirit that we are renewed; separated from the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil; transformed into the likeness of Christ; sanctified in our soul and eventually glorified in our body.

God leads us to live in a realm of life deeper than our thoughts and emotions, which is influenced by His Spirit within our spirit. We move beyond the petty, superficial existence and concerns of this world and into the profound reality of life in the Spirit. He creates for Himself a holy habitation within our spirit in which He dwells. Now we are actually dead to sin, and united with Him in His resurrection (Ephesians 2:6; Romans 6:5; Colossians 2:12). Jesus gives us newness of life forevermore (Romans 6:4; 1 John 5:12).

He slowly manifests Himself through our regenerated soul. He heals our mortal body by His abundant divinity within us (2 Corinthians 4:10-11; Romans 8:11; John 10:10).  His Spirit gives us a new perspective on life and we start to do everything without complaining or arguing. We display the fruit of God’s Spirit and the peaceful fruit of righteousness to the world around us as we submit to His cleansing work each moment of the day (Galatians 5:22-23; Hebrews 12:10-11).

He transforms us into shining stars and makes us blameless and pure as His dear children, even in the midst of a depraved sea of humanity surrounding us throughout our daily life (Philippians 2:14-15). We lead as many of these drowning people to Christ as will humble their pride and surrender their life to Him (Philippians 2:16-18). We add to our prayer list those who refuse to accept Jesus, and until our dying breath we pray for them to find this unity with Christ.

Prayer:

Father God, we find rest for our soul only in a life lived for You. The trials of life discourage us. The tribulation of life threatens to overcome us. Without You, we are hopeless and undone. Thank You for salvation in Christ and encouragement from Your Spirit. Lead us by Your Spirit moment by moment throughout the day so that we can shine as stars in Your universe, as we walk in victory as overcomers because of Christ within us.

Thought for the Day:

Surrounded by the trivial concerns of life, we stand the chance of losing our perspective of eternity. Guard it with your life.

The Spirit and the Word

The Bible is a gift from God that gives us everything we need to live a fulfilled life in a godly manner, through our knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter1:3). This Word of God is the sharp, two-edged sword of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). The profound revelation of the nature and wisdom of God written within its pages builds our faith and guides us through life. We can feed our body with the grain of the earth, but our spirit needs the food that is found only in the Word of God (Matthew 4:4).  All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us His truth (2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Bible also allows us to recognize what is wrong in our lives by correcting us and teaching us what is the right course of action to take and equipping us with everything we need for success (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Since the Bible endured through the centuries of time and because it is such an encouragement to us, it gives us hope (Romans 15:4). Believers do not draw our nourishment from secular advice, but from the Spirit and the Word, which give us true life (John 6:63). The Word of God is full of life-giving power. It acts as a surgeon’s knife and dissects our innermost beliefs and feelings and exposes our true motives and desires (Hebrews 4:12).

If we love the Lord, we will cherish His Word. If we neglect the Word, it proves that we do not love the Lord (John 14:23-24). If we continue in God’s Word, we prove that we are His disciples. We learn the Truth and His Truth sets us free (John 8:31-32). We meditate on the Word night and day, so we can carefully live what it teaches. This discipline allows us to flourish and thrive in life (Joshua 1:8). The wonderful words of the scripture build our faith and give us the inheritance of those God calls out for the Bride of Christ (Acts 20:32; 2 Corinthians 11:2). Even Jesus used the scriptures. After His forty day fast in the wilderness, He defeated the devil by quoting scripture and standing upon God’s Word (Matthew 4:11).

Our finite thoughts confuse and throw a shadow on the wisdom of God’s truth. Every doubt that Satan whispers to our mind is counteracted by the comfort, direction, rebuke, instruction and admonition, which we receive from the Bible. We can trust in the absolute truth of God’s Word. Even when we are not aware of it, He is working behind the scenes to prove to us the truth of His goodness and His faithfulness to His children. We come to the Father and make our home in Him.

The writers of the Bible refer to it by many different titles:

The Book of the Lord (Isaiah 34:16)
The Law of the Lord (Psalm 1:2)
The Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:25,44)
The Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17; 11:13; Acts 13:15)
The Scripture of Truth (Daniel10:21)
The Scripture (Mark 15:28; John 7:38; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
The Scriptures (Luke 24:27,32; John 5:39; Acts 17:11)
The Holy Scriptures (Romans 1:2; 2 Timothy 3:15)
The Lively (living) Oracles (Acts 7:38)
The Oracles of God (Romans 3:2; Hebrews 5:12; I Peter 4:11)
The Promises (Romans 9:4-5; 15:8)
The Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)
The Old and New Testament (Luke 22:20; 2 Corinth 3:6-15; Hebrews 9:15)
The Word of God (Mark 7:13; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:12)
The Word of Christ (Colossians 3:16)
The Word of Life (Philippians 2:16)
The Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15; John 17:17)
The Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16)
Gods Word and Statutes (Psalm 119:16)
A Lamp unto our feet, Light unto our path (Psalm 119:105)
(Partially taken from: The Dake Annotated Reference Bible)

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we stand upon Your Word. We use it as a lamp to light our way in this dark and dreary land in which we live. It gives us courage, peace and strength to do Your will with our life. We want to thank You for not leaving us alone on this earth, and for giving us Your Spirit and Your Word to encourage us and give us hope.

Thought for the Day:

God's Word is alive; and the more you read it, the more your life changes for the better.