Word/Spirit/Fire/Light

We need to be in the Word of God. In it, we see what God accomplished for us through Jesus. We will also see what it says about God's long-suffering and endurance with man. The word reveals the tendencies of humans and our forgetfulness. 

In the Word of God, we recognize the flawedness of humanity and our need for help, rescue, and resuscitation. This Word points us to an answer for what ails us. Many never accept this condition and spends their life trying to prove this reality wrong. However, it is a reality. We are incapable of being in a correct connection with the One who created us. We long for it, but we cannot make it happen. The Creator had a plan. He told us if we live our lives according to these instructions, it will go well with us. He longed for it to go well with us. He designed us to have full lives. Lives of hope, joy, and love. We fall short and need help to be right. He made a way for us to be right through Jesus. This is the answer to humanity's frailty. 

Be in the Word of God so that the Word of God can be in you. It will transform you. The Word is where you will find out about the answer which is the Best News Ever for us. 

As you read the Word of God, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you as you read. Allow Him to set the words ablaze in your soul so they truly come to life within you. This is where the Word of God transforms you from the inside out. You become a "living word" to those around you. The world begins to see the glory of the Lord demonstrated through you. This is how we bring light into the darkness of this world. What a magnificent privilege we have to be a vessel for the display of our Creator and Father.

So as we go about our day today, let's be the light!!!

What is Next After Conversion?

What is next after you have converted to Christianity? What does that even mean? 

There are many opinions. 

Jack Hibbs is a pastor from California who said the church is called to make disciples not converts.  I loved that so much. Why? It is not enough to convert. That is simply step one. We are to Grow Up. The last thing Jesus said before leaving his disciples on earth to start the Christian church was to go and make disciples, teaching them to obey all my commands. Conversion is just the start.

So, to begin with, let's clarify the bad news, good news, and the rest of the story. The bad news is the human condition, the church calls it the fall or sin. We are not able to make ourselves right with God which the church calls righteousness without His help. The good news is that He made a way to rectify this through receiving His Son, Jesus to be the payment we need to set things right and the church calls this justification and redemption. When we turn from our sin church calls this repentance and chose to go in the direction of our Creator, seeking Him and His guidance, accepting His solution for our condition the church calls that salvation. The rest of the story is where we live the rest of our saved, converted, Christian lives.

If we spend time learning what He commanded, we will begin to grow up in our relationship with God and others. This is a process the church calls sanctification. This is a lifelong process that will refine us. The great thing about that is it is with the help of the Holy Spirit. He doesn't save us so we will refine ourselves. He even sets us up in an imperfect family of believers who make up the church. We are not alone.

If you want to learn more about this process, Grow Up is a study intended for those seeking what is next after salvation. It is a companion and guide to encourage you to get into the Word of God so that the Word of God can get into you and transform you.

Are you ready to step into the "what's next" for your journey with God? Take the journey. Call others to join you. Doing it together is much better. Encourage a small group of family, friends or neighbors to do it with you.

Grow Up Website for details

Purchase Grow Up Study Use this link if you are interested in purchasing the study.

Grow Up Blog announcing the latest updates now available.

The Sweetest Love Story

John's love for her began before he knew who she was. It was the mere idea of her that created the love that he had in his heart.  There was nothing to compare to it. He longed to share his life with the idea of her.

From the beginning, he had dreamed of a person who would know him, I mean REALLY know him. Someone who would be a witness of his life, and with whom he could share everything. He dreamed of the day that they would share such a deep knowledge of one another that they would in essence become one due to the deep intimacy they would share.

His longing for her ran deep. It would remain on his heart and in the back of his mind continuously.

Then the one day, after all his searching, he met Beth.  He knew without a doubt that he had encountered the "one".  She was all his heart had hoped for and so much more. She would be the one that would complete him and make him fulfilled and satisfied. The longing and emptiness would finally be filled.

Yes, he was certain she was it. But there was only one problem, Beth was not convinced. John now would need to win her over, show her that he was what was best for her and persuade her that he was what she had been searching for all this time. 

Unfortunately, she was not easily convinced. She had come to believe that her happiness would come from her independence, personal pursuits, gaining personal fame and glory for herself.  All Beth would give John was friendship and kindness. She relegated him to a place of consultant in her life when she needed him.  He would try to give her advice and even warn her at times of unhealthy connections only to be met with her look of scorn.

Although he longed to hold that special place in her heart, he would settle for being a part of  her life as her friend.

For years, John watched as Beth would go from one relationship to another. Always, choosing the wrong guys. The way she chose them was so bizarre to him. He would observe as she would be drawn to the bad boy, the star athlete, the emotionally aloof guy, or any guy that just needed her to rescue him and reform him by her love. 

It was so painful for him to watch, and he could see how each one of them would never be worthy of her. Eventually each guy would wound Beth and break her heart.

As he would watch season after painful season, the only thing John could count on was that each one would drive her back to him. He was the faithful friend that was there to pick up the pieces when the bad boy broke her heart because he dumped her for another (because that's what bad boys do; that's why they are called bad boys). He was there when the star athlete never had time for her. He was there when she realized the emotionally aloof guy made her feel more alone when she was with him than when she was by herself. He was there when the guy who needed to be rescued didn't want to be rescued, and she couldn't handle his unhealthy behavior any longer. He was always there for her.

John also saw that with each painful relationship a little piece of Beth was tarnished. She developed unhealthy attachments, behaviors and desires. The sweet purity and innocence of Beth was fading.

He ached in his heart as he watched her make one bad decision after another; season by season and year by year. Every year she spent chasing after these failed pursuits was one less year they would have together; one more year wasted. He knew that what she was longing for was right in front of her, and all she had to do was accept it and say yes. Oh it was so simple but yet, what was it that drove her to this mindless and empty pursuit? Why was she so determined to go after all of these options that brought her so much pain and emptiness, when love is waiting right in front of her.

John's love for Beth is available to her at any time she chooses to receive it. He is even willing to forget all of the other guys, all the wasted years and start fresh. All she has to do is turn around and agree with John in order to be happy.

What makes Beth so determined to go after all of the other guys?

We want this story to have a happy ending, but Beth gets to choose how it will turn out. It is up to her to continue down the path that not only causes her pain, but also the path that she thinks will satisfy her longing, make her happy and remove her loneliness. 

As you read this story, what do you think she will choose?

Will there come a point where she surrenders to John and finally enters into a relationship with him?

Will she instead, keep him at a distance in the friend zone; only consulting with him when life is just too painful?

Will John ever leave her, stop longing for her or finally give up on her?

This story demonstrates the heart of God toward man, but it also demonstrates man's heart toward God. We run after our own gods. We pursue all the things that we believe will fill our void and make us happy. We chase after the things of this world and relegate God to a place of bystander and consultant on an "as needed" basis just like Beth does to John. 

We see the great love that John has for Beth, but the greatest love story ever written is in the Bible. It is a story of unaltered love and sacrifice to a "Beth" that will never be fully faithful. A "Beth" that will chase after other loves.

The story from beginning to end, is a beautiful story about a loving and perfect God who longs to be with his creation even before they are born. He has such a strong desire to know them and be known by them. He longs to connect with His creation. He created mankind to be a witness of His existence, to connect in close communion with Him to produce intimate togetherness and oneness. The relationship is intended to meet all of our needs, to satisfy our desires and to make life worth living. 

This is why  we were created. Yet often, we choose to go it alone, or do it our own way. Just like John and Beth, what we are looking for is right before us, and all we have to do is accept it and say yes. 

The Bible is a story of God and man. God being perfect, man being imperfect. However, the imperfection of man is the very thing that separates him from a perfect God. 

Throughout the stories, the common theme is God and man together. God sets parameters and warns man of the dangers for man's sake, man doesn't believe God, man does what he thinks is best, and man and God separate...  Man realizes that God was right, begs for reconciliation,.. so the cycle repeats.

But through it all, the deficiency and inadequacy was always within man. The perfection and completeness was within God. 

The story of redemption throughout the history of mankind and God is that man cannot remain in relationship with God without God. God has to equip, enable, and establish him.

We are flawed and imperfect, but a perfect God wants and desires to be in a relationship with us. We are His Beth and He is our John. John was ready to do whatever it took to be with Beth, but Beth had to be willing. 

God is willing and scripture says that He wants all to come to repentance and that none would perish. It also says that if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. We believe with the heart and it is counted as our right standing with God, and we confess with our mouth resulting in our salvation.

So the imperfectness of man is made right by God so that we can be in that perfect relationship, we can commune with God as we were created to do, and the Holy Spirit will dwell richly within us and in essence we will be one with Him.  His thoughts will be our thoughts.  Our minds will be transformed so we will be able to know the will of God. 

It is truly the sweetest love story ever told.  He loves us so much that He made a way for us to be together even with all of our imperfections and sins.  All that was falling short of His standards in us, He made up the deficit Himself.  He was willing to pay for our deficiency in order for us to be united in relationship with Him. He did it by sacrificing His only son who was a perfect spotless lamb. His blood was shed and poured out to cover our deficiency. That was the payment, and it is done; finished. The blood is enough to cover all our deficit so that we can be united with God in wholeness as it was designed to be. He knows that He is what we need and that He is best for us.

So what makes us so determined to go after the things of this world instead of God?

We all need this story to have a happy ending, but WE gets to choose how it turns out. It is up to us to continue down the path that not only causes us pain, but also the path that we think will satisfy our longings, make us happy and remove our loneliness. Oddly enough, the world never delivers on its promises. We end up more dissatisfied, unhappy and even more lonely than before. 

What will you choose?

Was there a point in your life where you surrendered to God? Or will there come a point where you will surrender to God and finally enter into a relationship with Him?

Will you instead, keep Him at a distance, chase after the things of this world and relegate Him to a place in your life where you consult with him when life is just too painful or on an "as needed" basis. 

Will God ever leave us, stop longing for us to choose Him, or finally give up on us? The answer is ... No and Yes! Eventually He will but it will be "ONLY WHEN WE ARE DEAD!"

Just like John and Beth, what we are looking for is right before us, and all we have to do is turn to Him, accept Him and say yes. 

Remember: The Greatest Love Story ever told is in the Bible. It is a story of unaltered love and sacrifice to a "Beth" that can never be fully faithful. But if she says yes, it is about a wonderful life of love, joy, peace, hope, and fulfillment.

The Law's Purpose

The law instructs us but doesn't save us. The law does not make us righteous. See blog Being Righteous or Acting Righteous Christ makes us righteous by our faith in Him and by our confession we are saved. Once we get to know Christ, we can't help but love him. That love equips us and spurs us on to surrender to obey his leading, instruction, and orders. The law is dead without Christ, so we follow Christ out of love and thankfulness, gratefulness, in an attitude of thanksgiving we desire to follow the law. The love we have fulfills the law in us. The law in its self does not save but mere adherance to the law does bring about order. We need Christ to fulfill the law in us. We are not capable by ourselves to keep the law.

I for one am so thankful that God made a way and it is by faith in God's provision of Jesus Christ on the cross for us. It is by our relationship with Him by the Holy Spirit in us and by the Word of God guiding and directing us we grow in love. The love will fulfill all the requirements of the law.

I hope this makes sense. It sure does to me.

Jesus paid it all and all to Him I owe. Sin left a crimson stain but He washed it white as snow. I just have to believe.

No Pain; No Gain???

Oh my head is full as is my heart. I am recovering from my time at church in a good way. 

If you have ever felt the touch of the Holy Spirit, you know what I mean. I have been slightly heavy hearted by many things. I see pain around me, I see sin, I see the decay of creation, and all of it saddens me. I think on the reality that with life comes pain in many versions. I see both believers and non-believers all suffering in the same ways.

Truth is, no one is immune. There is no guarantee that we will forego the suffering of this world because we have received eternal life in Christ Jesus. What sort of ministry could we offer the suffering world, if we never experience it. But we have the assurance of knowing that God will be with us, and that according to scripture what the enemy intended to harm or destroy us, God can use it to mature us and reveal His glory in and through us.

Honestly, my greatest times of maturity and seasoning has come amidst struggle, strife and suffering. Trials become like an olive press that squeezes out the best in us all. Studies show that in times of difficulty, people are kinder, reach out to one another and tend to be the best of themselves.

As I think over this very real fact, I am staring at the reality of my oldest daughter leaving to head off to college in the fall. I constantly am aware of my longing for her to embrace my God as her own God. I long for her to know Him as I do, I want her to desire Him as I do and I ache for her to be matured by Him. I long for her to cling to His word, seek His counsel and embrace His precepts. I want her to have the relationship I have with Him and then some. Then I think on all that I have gone through, and the pain I have experienced that brought me to this place. I stupidly longed for her not to go through any of the pain. Can she know Him as I do without the suffering? Do I long for her to know Him enough to desire that she suffer in order to know Him deeply? That is a message that will never gain in popularity. But isn't it grounded in truth?  The suffering of this world cannot compare to the all surpassing glory of knowing HIM!

There is a way that seems right to humanity, but it truly leads to destruction. However, many must find this out themselves. There is truth that can be learned by study, and by trusting those who teach us, but unfortunately many of the lessons I learn and keep as my own are those that I learned by my mistakes. Mistakes, consequences of our mistakes, and loss of opportunities can be a high price to pay, but if it leads us right into the arms of the wonderful savior, then it is all worth it.

Again, there is a way that SEEMS right to man, but it leads to destruction. Then God's way is what is best. It is not a list of do's and don'ts, but it is a way to live life in victory. A way that will lead to restoration, rejuvenation, revival, renewal and healing. 

I long for my children to embrace His ways by faith, but I live with the knowledge listed above. There is a way that SEEMS right to man, but there is a way that IS right. It is faith in Jesus Christ as our righteousness. 

We will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. We do not have a righteousness of our own by keeping the law, but one that is in Christ because it is the gift from God and we get it through faith. My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection, to fellowship with His suffering and to be conformed to His death. Not that I have attained this goal, but I forget what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead. (Jer. 29:13, Phil. 3:9, 10, 13) Remembering that God counted Abraham as righteous because he believed.  

Yes, much of the last paragraph is a combination of my memory verses for the year so far. I am working on truly memorizing the word, and it is really becoming a part of me. The Word is become alive and active through me.

Although I have studied the Word for years and even tried to memorize for years, this year I have been able to actually find a way to memorize that is working for me. Thanks to the Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2015, I have found a way that works for me. Because it is only one verse that I pick to memorize, and I have two weeks to learn it, I have finally been able to do it. Like eating an elephant; one bite at a time.

Road Map to Freedom

God doesn't make us think like Jesus.  It is my responsibility to take all of my thoughts and make them obey (or line up with) Christ and what He says in the Word of God.

Jesus displayed in the Word a well laid out road map for life.  So if we study the Word of God and put it into action through our obeying the word (thoughts and actions); we will abide with Christ (Remain in Christ). We walk in the word or walk out the word.  We will do the will of God and not abide in our own fleshly desires, sin, and nature.  We will be free.  This will bring us peace with God!

We must be in the word to do this.  We also need to be studying the word so we will know the Father.  We need to know who He is, what He says He can do and what His will is.

When you have walked with God for a time, you find that the true evil that is overcome, is the evil within yourself.  The kingdom of God comes not through this world, but it comes within us, as we surrender to our heavenly Father.  Praise God!  I am ready to be set free from this body of sin and death.  (check out Romans chapter 7 and hear Paul's similar cry)

We cannot do the following list below in our own strength  (or if we can, it is only temporary)  We my allow God to do His work of Jesus Christ in us by surrendering to the leading of the Holy Spirit within us and by being in His word for guidance in obedience and surrender.  So we will recognize the Holy Spirit's leading and be able to test it.  The Holy Spirit will not lead you to act contrary to God's Word.

1. Walk in the light.
2. Love one another
3. Think Jesus' thoughts
4. Treat others as Jesus did
5. Embrace Jesus' desires
6. Depend on Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Some of my thoughts are prompted by Oswald Chambers.

Simplicity of the Gospel

Gospel Simplified!?!?

According to the scripture, I am in right standing with God because I believe Him and accept what He says.  He is the creator, He made the rules, and He knows how His creation operates.  So if I believe Him, then I will obey Him by following His commands.  When I  follow His commands, I will be purified.  As I obey, I grow up, I mature in my spirit, and I love other believers; so that by that love, the world will know that I follow Christ.  As the body, we are joined together to become a place for the Lord to dwell in His Holy Temple.  This is true individually also.  We are able to go to war against the enemy of our soul.  We can even take our own thoughts captive and make those thoughts line up with what Christ says in the word.  We dress ourselves up in Christ with the full armor for our battle against the evil in this world, and we put on our shoes of peace so we can GO into the world that sees who we belong to by our love for each other, and draw them out of darkness(world) into the light(love/peace).  We then teach and immerse them in all that God is.  We teach them the commands and encourage them to obey them.  Then as they grow up in their faith, they will GO and draw others out of darkness to light and so on and so on….

See all the scriptures referenced below.

Belief >> Righteousness:  God decided to accept Abraham's belief as his righteousness. (Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Gen 15:6; Gal 3:6)

Belief >>  Salvation:  God decided even though we don't deserve it, to save us because we believe.  (We are saved by grace through faith. Eph 2:8)

• How can I let the word dwell in me?  By reading it. By obeying it, and obeying it is doing what it says. (Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Col 3:16a; Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says. Jas 1:22 If you Love me, you will obey me.  Jn 14:15)

Obedience >> Purification: We are able to be purified when we obey the truth/word.  Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere...

When we obey the truth we will love one another.  ... Love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart...   We get rid of all the things that can hinder our purification.  Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.   And we are to grow up in our salvation.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.  1Peter 1:22-23; 2:1-2

The world will be able to see we belong to Christ by our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  Jn 13:35

Christ is like the mortar that holds all the living stones together in a bond of unity.  In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.  Eph 2:21-22

Remember that the weapons are spiritual.  We are able to conquer our thoughts that pretend to be bigger than God by making our thoughts line up with the what Christ says.  We need to make our thoughts obey Christ.  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Cor 10:3-5

Scripture tells us to put on love, put on Christ and put on armor of God etc. If we just deal with getting rid of our sinful behavior, yet do not take the time to put on all we are commanded, we will stand naked before our enemy and be very vulnerable. Therefore put on the full armor of God... with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Eph 6:13-17

As our feet are fitted and ready, we go to the world with our good news not just on our lips, but also demonstrated in our actions.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you... Matt 28:19-20

Delayed Blooms

Along the lines of abiding and producing fruit, I was walking my dog and noticed that a dogwood tree in my yard had blooms on it.  You may say, "No big deal, that's what they do" but for those aware of my tree will already know where I am going with that.

You see, I live in Huntsville, AL which is in Madison county.  Several years ago during a road widening project, there was a beautiful OLD dogwood that was blocking progress for the project.  After lots of public opinion, the tree was carefully uprooted and moved to the botanical gardens.  A few years later, I purchased a baby from that tree.  At the same time, I purchased a Japanese Maple.

Years have gone by since then, and the dogwood has never bloomed.  Recently, my family went to the botanical gardens where we discovered the old tree had died, but there were babies of the tree circling where the tree used to be.  They were in bloom.  This restarted the ongoing conversation between me and my husband, Marc, regarding our poor little dogwood.  You see to date, that darn tree has NEVER bloomed.  We began to think that either it was a poser and not really a dogwood, a dud or needed something to help it bloom.

The funny thing about all this is Marc just said if the tree doesn't bloom, he was going to yank it up and get something else in its place.   Well as I said, today as I was out walking the dog, I looked up and saw this on that tree.

I cannot tell you the weird emotions that I began to experience.  I even had a few tears come to my eyes.  It was as if I could hear the Lord speaking to me through those blooms.

The lesson I took away from it was not to give up hoping.  Even when it looks like all the time, effort, tending, pruning has not produced anything; some things take more time to bloom than others.  If there is someone in your life that you have been pouring into, and you are wondering whether it is an investment or a waste of time, be encouraged by this late blooming dogwood.  Our investment into other's lives may not produce fruit in our timing.  Be patient and hopeful.  Never give up!  Maybe they are just late bloomers.

Another lesson to be learned regards authenticity.  We wondered if the tree was even a dogwood because there was no evidence other than the leaves and someone telling us it was a dogwood.  As is true with those who proclaim to be Christians yet we see no evidence or fruit.  Yes, the fruit is the proof or evidence of who we are.  Yet, instead of judging one another, let's pray for one another to bear much fruit.  We bear much fruit by abiding in Christ. (click on the link to see my blog on abiding)   Pray that we stay connected to the vine.  Be patient, maybe those blooms are coming!!!!

Abiding in Christ or Boot Strap Obedience?

Oh how we hear these churchy expressions and yet do we know what they mean or better yet, how to execute them or put feet to them.

I have been praying and pondering about some pretty heavy stuff.  Things like bad behavior in the Children of God, morality, bad choices, sin in the lives of the believer and the damage it does to our testimony, how many non believers are turned off to Christ (the one true hope) because of those of us unwilling to walk the path of righteousness; and then how we don't seem to be heartbroken and moved to change because we cause others to stumble.  We make excuses, justifiy and rationalize  our actions (Then we "yeah but" it to death).

So I kept asking the Lord about all of this.  I believe I am beginning to get a glimpse of His response.  One message after another keeps adding to His answer until it all seemed to come together in the last week or so.

I was listening to a message from James McDonald and then again the following day, "The Secret to a Joyful Life".  The message was playing in the car and I ended up downloading it and listening to it fully.

I will be referencing some of his message mixed with our Sunday School lesson, and my prayer time while listening through this message.

I began with the question "Lord why do we see so much world in the lives of believers?"  The believers of Christ should be going out into the world to affect it positively with the light and love of Jesus.  Instead we are going out and being infected by the world.  I asked God to open my eyes and my ears so I could see and hear His answer.  I believe He poured forth a fountain, and I will attempt to share what I believe He has shown me.

In John 15:1-17, we are told that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.  If we REMAIN in Him we will bear much fruit.  But that apart from Him we can do NO thing.  We are to REMAIN in Him and He will REMAIN in us.  WE cannot bear fruit by ourselves. So we must REMAIN in Him.  (Remain - abide, lean into, dwell.)  We are to FELLOWSHIP with Him.  Remain is to abide; to abide is to remain  

• to remain, abide
  • in reference to place
    • to sojourn, tarry
    • not to depart 1a
  • to continue to be present 1a
  • to be held, kept, continually
  • in reference to time
    • to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure 1b
  • of persons, to survive, live
  • in reference to state or condition
    • to remain as one, not to become another or different
• to wait for, await one

So I asked Him what does it look like to ABIDE or REMAIN in Him, and he quickly began to show me that it is abiding in His word and in His love.  We must rest with Him, live with Him.  The last words from Jesus before leaving this earth were this "go, and make disciples of every nation, and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach them to observe all I have commanded and I will be with you always, until the end of the age."  So if we are to go make disciples by immersing them not just in a one time water bath but immersing them in who the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are.  This is how we come to KNOW Him.  As we do this for ourselves first, and then to the nations, we are motivated by the love that will emerge within us to obey His commands.  The obedience will be an expression of fullness, gratitude and devotion.  It will spur us on!

As I was listening to the message, James McDonald said the secret to bearing fruit is to abide in Christ  (walking and living with Christ)
As he said that, I wrote down "Lord teach me to abide"  and the next thing in the message was this:
The secret to living is Joy.
The secret to joy is abiding in Christ
The secret to abiding (fruit bearing) is obeying
We are told in John 15:9 to remain in His love, but vs 10 says that if we obey His commands we will remain in His love.

I asked God why is it so hard to obey?  We cannot be good enough by shear determination, concentrating or focusing because it is just too much.  According to Romans 7 because of grace should we sin all the more so grace can be displayed even more so.  Paul said "heaven forbid".  I say of course not.  We are incapable of keeping the law, yes.  For apart from Christ we cannot do it.  But in Christ it is possible.  He said he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it.  If I am REMAINING in Him all day, I can obey.  His love will compel me to obey.  I will want to love my neighbor as myself and my heart will break if I have caused him to stumble.

So here's the thing.  Moses said if you will not go with me into the Promised land then I will not go.  He also said how will they know you sent me if you will not go with me.   This needs to be our cry as well.  (Lord I do not need to go into the world to represent YOU unless you go with me.)  We need to sit at the feet of Jesus long enough to be filled with His love, which will motivate us to love others, and obey His commands.  We will be a true walking testimony not misrepresenting Christ and causing others to turn away from Him.

The world doesn't need me to be obedient for the sake of rules, regulations and legalism.  According to McDonald, our passion and desire for obedience will come from love.  Obedience is not a to do list.  (or a to don't list)

In Jude 24 it says, "to HIM who is able to keep us from falling".    It is HE who keeps us from sinning.  It is HE who enables us to obey.

McDonald said that if we try to obey without abiding, we will fall short.  In order to keep blameless and not stumble, we must learn to lean into Jesus, listen to Him, fellowship with Him, ABIDE in Jesus.  Jesus in us is the power to obey and also the will to obey.    Jesus is the energy to obey.  Obedience without abiding is conformity. Abiding that leads to and motivates obedience will produce transformation.

The secret to obeying is LOVE

McDonald said that there are 3 false reasons we obey:
1. Ball and Chain -  I have to obey as if I am in a prison (this is considered the adolescent Christian)
2. Electric Shock- if I don't obey i will suffer (when we choose to sin we choose to suffer)  (this is the High School Christian)
3. Boomerang- if I obey I will get blessed

He said the one true reason to obey is in 2Cor 5:14 "the love of Christ compels me" (that is Christ's love for me)  McDonald said that all Christian failure is a failure to love, being motivated by self love above love for Christ and others.  He said that the secret to loving Christ is knowing Him.  The more we know Him the more we love Him.  As we get to know Him more, we must guard against allowing this knowledge to puff us up.  Instead as we grow in the knowledge of Him, we can grow in our love for Him and for others.  As we grow in our love for Him, we will grow in obedience.  

Galatians 5:19-21 is a list which is not exhaustive, of what we look like in sin, disobedience and apart from Christ; or at the least we see what flesh is capable of doing.  In contrast, we see in the next verses, a list of the FRUIT of the Spirit.  Verse 14 "the entire law is summed up in this, Love your neighbor as yourself."

If I see evidence of Galatians vs 19-21 in my life or in the lives of others, I need to not condemn myself or them, but use it as an indicator of the need to abide, lean into, live in Christ.  Just go spend time with Him.  Concentrate on His greatness.  Think on the price He paid for you and for me to have freedom FROM sin, a hope, a future and eternal life with God.

Lets stop trying to do bootstrap obedience where we just try to be good by our own strength.  We need obedience motivated by the Love of Christ.

If we see that a brother or sister in Christ is dwelling in the sin list of Galatians 5:19-21, according to Galatians 6:1 we are to restore them gently and warned to watch ourselves so we are not temtped or fall ourselves.  Ephesians 4:15 speak the truth in love Luke 17:3  So watch yourselves! "If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive.
2 tim 4:2  Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.

To wrap this all up, I read my devotion this morning which was authored by Billy Graham.  I have included it below.  I was blown away by a NEW word for my vocabulary.  You will see ANTINOMIANISM is defined and then a link for you to read further on the matter.

Christianity is Serious

Jesus indicated that there will be a permissive society just before He comes back. “As in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the coming of the Son of man.” The world today is on an immoral binge such as has not been known since the days of Rome. We are in a hedonistic society, and what we are seeing is human nature expressing itself without God.

Many have fallen into an antinomianism in which they believe intellectually, and then go out and live like the devil, imagining that God will forgive them and take them to heaven. I believe there is an obedience to the Gospel, there is a self-denial and a bearing of the cross, if you are to be a follower of Christ. Being a Christian is a serious business.

Daily Prayer

Teach me to deny my selfish desires and obey Your commandments, Lord Jesus. Cleanse me so that I might be used to penetrate society deeply for You.

The word antinomianism comes from two Greek words,anti, meaning "against"; andnomos, meaning "law."Antinomianismmeans “against the law.” Theologically, antinomianism is the belief that there are no moral laws God expects Christians to obey. Antinomianism takes a biblical teaching to an unbiblical conclusion.
Antinomianism - Click on this link for more indepth study of this word

Read 1Jn 2:3-6  This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”

LORD and Savior or Just Your Savior?

I have been agonizing over a matter that I just cannot get my mind fully around.   I believe every single believer seems to have a slightly different take on this matter, and I have found numerous resources that conflict with each other on the matter.  Even though each is using the scripture in their argument. 

Carnal Christianity vs. Surrendered Christianity.  Is Jesus just your savior or is He becoming your LORD?  I believe we are saved in an instant, but we are transformed in His likeness over the rest of our lives as we make the choice to surrender to Him.

Colossians 3:5-17

God has been talking to me about it everywhere I turn partly because I have been asking Him about it.  I have been struggling with the body of Christ looking like the world to such a degree that the world doesn't want to be part of Christ.  I struggle with the misrepresentation of Christ to the world.  It breaks my heart that the version of Christ that is being represented is so distorted that it is giving the world every excuse to reject Him.  I do not think it is done intentionally to keep others from Christ.  I believe it is done for lack of knowledge of the truth.  But my heart breaks at the idea of my life being the reason another would turn from Christ.  My heart aches to think that my misrepresentation of Christ could cause someone to say "if that is what it is all about, I want nothing to do with Jesus."  This weighs heavy on me.  Does it you too?

If we are the body, we need to love each other.  (That includes the carnal Christian)

If we are part of Christ, we need to be concerned for the eternal destination of the lost.  

We each are in ourselves, capable of doing all manner of sin.  We have each been plagued with a disease at birth that is keeping us all captive, it is called sin.  If you can imagine the WORST sin man has ever committed according to man, it is only by the grace of God we do not each find ourselves in the middle of that very sin.  We need to see that apart from God, we are all capable of all manner of sin.  We can stay in that condition, but Jesus died on the cross to break the power of that disease in our lives.  He is the cure for our sinful state.  We can enter into that cure by receiving Him as our Savior first and then by surrendering to His will for our lives on a daily basis.  That is what we call making Him our LORD!!  He is the Master and we are His servants.  

So here is where the full agony lies for me.  As a world full of lost and hopeless people look upon the body of Christ to see "where is the Hope",  are we demonstrating our freedom from sin by our surrender to obey Him, or are we squashing the hope for others by our Profession to be His yet living like the world?  (which puts us right back in bondage to sin)  

You see according to scripture, we purify ourselves by obeying the truth.  The truth is the word of God.  

Ephesians 4:14-16 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

1 Peter 1:22-23 & 2:2  Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[a] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

2:2 so that by it you may grow up in your salvation

What I believe the world is observing is a large number of baby Christians. Let's not beat each other up. Yes, the Pharisee in me wants to scream at these babies in Christ, but there is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus.  So if you are with me as a recovering Pharisee, would you join me in praying for the babies to grow up into their salvation.  Pray that they will develop a burden in their hearts for their part in discrediting the gospel message, but not so they will feel beat up or condemned, but instead they will be moved to repentance.  Pray with me that they will begin to obey the word in order to purify themselves.  Pray with me today that each one of us would live a life that honors God and draws many to Christ by our witness.  (The way we live)

In addition, to all recovering Pharisees, let’s love fervently and passionately with a PURE heart.  The biggest problem with the Pharisee is there is typically pride, lack of humility and compassion.  According to scripture, God draws near to the humble and resist the proud.  Also pride goes before a fall.  So remember your sin, thank God for your deliverance and fall to your knees on behalf of the babes in Christ.  Cover them in prayer and love.  Walk beside them and lead them in the way they should go!!!!

Babies need to grow up and Pharisees need to repent of pride.  

Be blessed today!