Growing Weary

If we live an honorable life, God will use it to silence the foolish accusations, which ignorant people make against us (1 Peter 2:15-16). We know the truth that will set them free, but they do not want to hear it. They label us as intolerant for insisting that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Do you ever get weary of witnessing to people who will not listen? I recently grew weary and prayed about what to do.

The Lord reminded me that when we plant a seed in a garden, it takes a great deal of work and care before we reap the fruit. We rope off an area, remove the weeds and till the soil into rows. We fertilize the soil and then plant the seeds. It takes weeks for the plants to sprout and then a few months before the plants produce any fruit. We continue to water, pull weeds and keep the plants safe from obstacles to their growth. Yet, only God can give the increase.

The Lord pointed out to me that witnessing takes the same care and labor of love as gardening. A one time or another, we are tilling the ground, or planting a seed, or watering; however, only God gives the spiritual increase too, and only a few can actually harvest (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). This gave me the faith to continue sharing Christ with everyone around me. If we do not give up, we will eventually reap a plentiful harvest in God’s timing (Galatians 6:9). God resists the proud, but has mercy and gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).

God calls everyone to take part in His gardening process. If we liberally sow God’s truth in the lives of our friends, relatives, associates and neighbors, we will reap a hearty harvest; however if we sow stingily, we will reap sparingly (2 Corinthians 9:6). We are not obligated to share God Truth with anyone; but as a good steward, we cannot help but invest in God’s Kingdom, which brings us His rewards (Matthew 25:14-30).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us not to become weary of working in Your Kingdom, because You promise that we will reap a harvest if we keep on sowing (Galatians 6:7). Help us to follow Your gardening laws. Give us the wisdom and strength to continue with patience as we ready the ground, fertilize and water, plant the seeds, and then wait for You to give us the harvest. We know that You do not desire that anyone should die in their sin, but that everyone should come to know You in an intimate, personal relationship (2 Peter 3:9).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us His grace to allow Jesus to accomplish His work in and through us (2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 2:10).

 

 

 

God's Direction and Promises

God’s representative on the earth was Jesus. He is still God’s ambassador as He lives in and through each authentic, Born Again Believer. When we put on the mind of Christ, we walk according to our Father’s will each moment of the day. We live a Godly life in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23; 2 Timothy 3:12). We do not look at life at face value anymore, but we follow the direction of God’s Spirit for each moment of our day (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Due to both our spiritual discernment and our faith in His promises (Philippians 1:9; Colossians 1:9; 2 Timothy 2:7), we appreciate all of God’s provision, both that which we see and that which we do not see. We expect it as if it is already here - even that which has not yet happened or what does not yet exist, (Romans 4:17; 11:33; Hebrews 2:10). Filled with His Spirit, we follow God’s will and perform the works, which He prepared for us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2:10).

Our heart’s desire is to make sure that God’s salvation spreads around the whole world. Witnessing the glory of God, birthed in the souls of those whom Jesus saves, is the epitome of joy in heaven and on earth (Luke 15:7,10). God opens a myriad of doors for us to enter, in order for us to share His simple Gospel message. We walk through each door and share God’s Truth, regardless of how the other person receives it or rejects it.

We rebuff the draw of the devil, the world and our flesh, and we follow Christ instead. Our weaknesses are swallowed up by His strength. Daily, we decrease so that He may increase within us. Our union with Christ deepens as we walk in the promise of His divinity (2 Peter 1:4). If life pulls us away from God’s course, God is not surprised. He saw this happening before we were ever born.

We just listen to His voice for instructions in this new situation. We rely only on God’s wisdom, peace, joy and direction for each moment of our day. We live in prayer without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Seeking His will, we fulfill His purpose for us on the earth (Ephesians 2:10). We forget our sinful desires and grow ever deeper into a child of the King (John 1:12). We forfeit our dependence on our human abilities; and instead, as a grafted branch, we totally depend on our connection to the Christ Vine for our life (John 15:1-17).

Prayer:

Father God, Your chosen nation, Israel, looked forward to the promises of salvation, which You gave to them. As Born Again Believers, we recognize that Jesus already fulfilled all of Your promises (2 Corinthians 1:20). In fact, due to Your promises, we can now experience the divine nature of Christ in us, working through us to promote Your Kingdom in the earth (2 Peter 1:4). We rest in the fact that You will continue to faithfully fulfill Your promises for us all. We thank You for who You are and what You do for us both now and in eternity.

Thought for the Day:

Human effort has a form of godliness without God’s power and anointing. – 2 Timothy 3:5-7

 

God's Gardening Laws

If we live an honorable life, God will use our life to silence the foolish accusations, which ignorant people make against Christians (1 Peter 2:15-16). We know the truth that will set them free, but they do not want to hear it. They act as if our words are disgusting to their ears. They label us as intolerant for insisting that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Do you ever get weary of witnessing to people who will not listen? I grew weary and prayed about what to do.

The Lord reminded me that when we plant a seed in a garden, it takes a great deal of work and care before we reap the fruit. We rope off an area, remove the weeds and till the soil into rows. We fertilize the soil and then plant the seeds. It takes weeks for the plants to sprout and then many months before the plants produce any fruit. We continue to water, pull weeds and keep the plants safe from obstacles to their growth. Eventually, the time of the harvest arrives (Genesis 8:22).

Witnessing takes the same care and labor of love as gardening. Sometimes we till the ground, or plant the seed, or water; however, only God gives the increase, and only a few can actually be part in the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:5-9). This gave me the faith to continue sharing Christ with everyone around me. If we do not give up, we will eventually reap a plentiful harvest in God’s timing (Galatians 6:9). God gives us His grace to enter His rest and to allow Jesus to accomplish His work through us (2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 2:10).

God calls everyone to take part in His gardening process (Matthew 28:18-20). We are not obligated to share God Truth with anyone; but as a good steward, we cannot help but invest in God’s Kingdom and reap His reward (Matthew 25:14-30). God resists the proud, but has mercy for and gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). If we liberally sow God’s truth in the lives of our friends, relatives, associates and neighbors, we will eventually reap a hearty harvest; however if we sow stingily, we will also reap sparingly (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us not to become weary of working in Your Kingdom, because You promised that we will reap a harvest if we keep on sowing (Galatians 6:7-9). Help us to follow Your gardening laws. We know that You do not desire that anyone should die in their sin, but that everyone should come to know You in an intimate, personal relationship (2 Peter 3:9). Give us the wisdom and strength to continue with patience as we ready the ground, fertilize and water, plant the seeds, and then wait for You to give us the fruit of the harvest.

Thought for the Day:

A wise person reaps what they sow. - Galatians 6:7

There is a River

"Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” - Revelation 22:1-2

Coming from the throne of God is this river of delights (Psalm 36:8). It comes from springs of life giving water (Revelation 7:17). The streams of this river provide for the inhabitants of the city of God, and it is situated in the holy place where the Most High dwells (Psalm 46:4). Water from this river will continue to flow on into the new world, when New Jerusalem descends from heaven (Revelation 21:2). Before the throne, there is also a sea as smooth as glass and crystal clear (Revelation 4:6).

God’s love also flows like a river from His throne, out into the nations. While our spirit was still dead in unholy living and sin, God loved us so much that He became man to pay the penalty of our sins on Calvary’s cross. He does not want anyone to perish in hell, but to live gloriously and eternally with Him instead. God’s mercy planned that Jesus’ death would restore our relationship with Him forever (Acts 15:11). We did nothing to earn this privilege (Ephesians 2: 8-9). It is a free gift (Romans 3:14; 6:23).

Yet, some people never repent of their sins. Therefore, they condemn themselves forever, because of their stubborn, insistent unbelief (John 3:16-18; Romans 5:8). It is only by God’s grace that we are saved, through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8). Out of our love for God, His Agape love flows out of us to the rest of the world. Jesus proved His love by His actions. We also carry on that witness by allowing God’s river of love to flow through our life as well. We go out into the world living the example of who Jesus is and what He did for us all.

We never judge a person by their conduct in the moment, because God is their judge (Romans 14:4). We do however, have discernment to know whether someone is living by the Spirit of God or not (1 John 4:1; Matthew 7:151 Thessalonians 5:1; 2 Peter 2:1; 2 John 1:7). We pray for our friends, relatives, associates and neighbors constantly. We are ready in a moment to give an accounting to them of our faith and the reasons behind our beliefs (1 Peter 3:15). 

Jesus example is the only life we should follow. Everyone else, even those in our church family, are merely sinners and not very good examples on which to base our life. However, Jesus teaches us to love our neighbors and church family with the same sacrificial love that He gave us when He laid down His life on Calvary’s cross (Matthew 22:37-39; John 13:34). Some of us are better at this than others. Some people never even take the time to get to know their neighbor’s name. How can we win them for Christ unless we have a relationship with them?

God puts us in people’s lives to be able to help them in their time of need. If we care for a person’s physical and emotional needs, they will be more open to us when we tell them that Christ is the answer for their spiritual needs. Jesus also referred to this river as the moving of His Spirit (John 7:37-39). If we take time each day to drink of the living water of the Word and the Spirit, we will thirst no more and have the Spirit of God living within us, guiding and encouraging us throughout our life (Ephesians 5:26).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, whomever drinks of natural water will thirst again; but whomever drinks of the water or Your Spirit and Word will never thirst again. Remind us to read Your Word and to be led by Your Spirit; so that we will become in You a fountain of water springing up and flowing out into the world around us. Help us to drink of and to share Your living water with everyone You bring our way. (John 4:13).

Thought for the Day:

God’s love, His Word and His Spirit in us are all part of God’s river of life to the world.

Dichotomy or Trichotomy?

Read: I Thessalonians 5:23


“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Gen 2:7

There is a distinct difference between the topics of the Dichotomy of man, which limits man to a body and a soul; and a Trichotomy of man, which states that man possesses a body, soul and spirit. There are Bible verses, which imply that the soul and spirit are the same entity (Matthew 10:28; Luke 1: 46-47; Acts 2:31; 1 Corinthians 5:3; 6:20; 7:34; 2 Peter 2:11). Then other verses distinguish between the soul and spirit (Proverbs 25:25; Luke 1: 46-47; Romans 8:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12; 3 John 2). This is another one of those mysteries of the faith, such as the Trinity, which represents three persons in one God.

I believe that God made man as a Trichotomy...Spirit, Soul, and Body. Created in the image of God, we are a trinity also, just as He is the Father, Son and Spirit. We have a spiritual nature that is separate and distinct from the body, in which it dwells; and from the soul through which it thinks, feels and decides upon an action. We experience life through our Body, we acknowledge life through our Soul, and we influence life through our Spirit. God formed man of the dust (body), and breathed into him the breath of life (spirit); and man became a living soul (soul) (Genesis 2:7). This is His original plan for mankind.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they brought death into the world. Every baby is born with a body and soul, but their spirit is dead because of this original sin. Their spirit remains dead until they come to Christ and their spirit is Born Again. The spirit of the unsaved person is dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13). They do, however, have a body and also a soul. The soul contains our mind, will and emotions.

There is another reason that I believe in the Trichotomy of man. In Luke, Jesus tells a story about two men who lived at the same time. One was a very rich man. The other was a beggar named Lazarus, who ate crumbs from the rich man’s table. The beggar ended up in Heaven and the rich man saw him there from hell. He asks Abraham to allow Lazarus to minister to his physical needs (Luke 16: 23-24). Since the rich man’s body is still in the grave, how could he see, hear, feel and identify these torments?

Simply put, the rich man’s soul is experiencing everything the body would experience. In the resurrection, the rich man’s immortal body will join his soul in hell, and he will experience double torments for eternity. This is one reason Jesus gave the church the imperative to win souls; in order to keep people from experiencing this intense anguish in hell forever.

We care for our Body with proper rest, exercise, and nutrition. We care for our Soul through developing our mind, submitting our will to God’s will, and by meeting our emotional needs through our interactions with people, pets and some physical aspects of life. We care for our Spirit through Bible study, church attendance, prayer, fasting, Christian fellowship, service, and sharing our faith with others.

What we do with our body affects what we think and feel in our soul, and how we receive God’s direction through our spirit. What we allow ourselves to focus on, or to act upon, affects us in our body, soul and spirit. Without fully developing all three parts of our being, we live as handicapped individuals. Unless we acknowledge and nurture each entity, we will never reach wholeness within ourselves or be able to completely nurture others in our life.

Our spirit is instantly Born Again through Justification. Our soul is transformed through the life long Sanctification process. Eventually, our body will be instantly immortal, when we see Jesus and go through Glorification. The Body is our existence, the Soul is our expression, and the Spirit is the essence of our life.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to use our body, soul and spirit to make a difference for You in our world. Help those of us who are not in touch with their emotions, who do not care about developing their mind, or who are not Born Again in their spirit to spend time meditating on these aspects of our humanity and allowing You to transform each part of them. Help us to take Your Word seriously and to realize that You intend for us to be witnesses for You to everyone we meet.

Thought for the Day:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires (Hebrews 4:12).

Christian Landmarks

Read: Revelation 18: 4-5

"Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set" (Proverbs 22:28)

Have you ever noticed that you can tell exactly where the scene in a movie is taking place because of the landmarks the director includes in the opening shots? The Golden Gate Bridge, the Liberty Bell, Central Park, the Lincoln Memorial, the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, the Gateway Arch, Washington Monument, the Alamo, Niagara Falls and Old Faithful, just to name a few.

Then we have a score of city skylines, such as the Seattle Space Needle, Chicago’s Skyscrapers, New York’s Empire State Building and the Las Vegas Casinos. We also have Biblical landmarks such as the Tower of Babel, Golgotha Hill, the Eight Gates of Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, Mt. Sinai and the Sea of Galilee.

In the context of the Bible, landmarks show ownership. In Canaan Land, a landmark showed each of the tribes where their land was located, and where the land of the sons of the head of each tribe was situated, and to the grandsons and so on down the line of descendants.

In our day and time, of course, there is also a spiritual application to landmarks. God gave us landmarks that we are not to move. The Bible is one Christian landmark that proclaims that God’s Word belongs to the children of God. Within the Bible there are also landmarks of our faith that God does not want us to move. The virgin birth of Jesus, the resurrection of Christ from the tomb, the inerrancy of the Bible and the second coming of Christ to name a few. Holiness, faithfulness and walking in the Truth are also some of them.

In the modern church, however, many heritage landmarks of our faith are removed. The cross is taken down from the sanctuary. The preacher no longer stands and proclaims God’s Word; but instead he sits on a stool and tells stories. The Christmas tree replaces the Nativity set during the holiday season. Some Christians are even forsaking the assembling together with other Believers because it is their only day off from work or because they had a bad experience in a church and never want to go through that again (Hebrews 10:25).

Christians no longer tithe, they just give God whatever change they happen to have on Sunday. Christian women dress provocatively just as the women of the world do. People work on Sunday rather than gathering to worship with other Believers. New Bible translations leave out important portions of Biblical truth. Some churches preach that everyone will eventually be reconciled to God, even Lucifer; forsaking the landmark truth that the only way to get to heaven is by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Christians we are called to conduct our lives differently than the people in the world. We are called by the Lord to be separate and to come out from among them (2 Corinthians 6:17). Our actions, speech, values, attitude and character are different because we have the Holy Spirit residing and reigning in our spirit. There is also a landmark of being fishers of men, of giving people the opportunity to trust their life to Christ. When we win people to Christ, however, let’s not leave out any of the Lord’s landmarks when we disciple them.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, the princes of Judah moved the landmarks and upon them You poured out Your wrath like water (Hosea 5:10). Help us to be mindful of the important landmarks that You placed in Your Word for us to keep and to honor. Help us to watch the path of our feet, so that all of our ways will be established in Your ways. (Proverbs 4:26).

Thought for the Day:

“Come out from the world and be separate,” says the Lord, “and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my children.” - 2 Corinthians 6:17