In Matthew 14, we have the story of Jesus sending the disciples to the other side of the sea ahead of HIM. As HE comes walking on the water, the disciples become terrified of what they are seeing. "It's a ghost", they said. But Jesus tries to assure them that it is HIM, walking on the water. Suddenly Peter speaks up and says, in verse 28, "Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water." Jesus says, "come on!".
Peter climbs over the side of the boat and walks on the water to Jesus! It doesn't say how far Peter got. Maybe 2, 3, or 4 feet. Maybe 20, 30, or 40! Maybe farther! It doesn't say. But it does say, Peter walked on the water! After a ways, he began to look down at the waves and became afraid. Then, he began to sink. But not before he looked away from Jesus!
Peter's step of faith was not when he stepped on to the water and it held him. His step of faith was when he swung his leg over the side of the boat! That was his step of faith!
As I already said, Peter did walk on the water! That must have been exciting for him, and completely shocking to the other disciples in the boat! He started toward Jesus, and was moving across the top of the water. No problems, no worries, no fears! Things were going great! He was heading toward Jesus. Right where he wanted to be. With his Master and Lord!
But something happened. Something caught his attention and drew it away from where it had been all this time, on Jesus. Peter looked down at the waves, then, he became afraid, then he began to sink. But it wasn't until he had taken his eyes off of the goal, which was Jesus!
He got his eyes off of the goal, then began to sink. Have your eyes gotten off of the goal? Are you finding yourself sinking in an ocean of troubles, fears, anxieties, frustrations, jealousy, anger, hatred, hurts, on and on?!?! Peter got his eyes off of Jesus, and on to the waves, then he began to sink. I wonder how far he would have walked with the Lord if he had kept his eye on HIM? I wonder what all he would have accomplished had he not looked down at the waves splashing and crashing all around him?
Everyone has heard of Henry Ford, the father of the automobile industry. Henry Ford said, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off of the goal".
Are there obstacles in your way? Are there things trying to slow you down from pressing forward into Christ? Keep your eyes on Jesus! Don't look down at the waves. Keep your eyes on HIM. In Hebrews 12:2, it says we are to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..." The Amplified Bible says it this way, "Looking away, from all that will distract, to Jesus..."
We can't afford to be distracted. It's the difference between walking and sinking! Don't let the enemy of our souls distract you with his lies. Phillipians 4:13, in The Message, says, "Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."
Even if we have gotten distracted, Jesus is right there in HIS awesome grace and mercy to pick us up from sinking in the waves, setting our feet back on top of the waves, and finishing the walk to the boat! HE is so awesome and great!
You and I are either walking on the water, or sinking in the water! It depends on what we are looking at! HIM or the waves! I choose HIM!
Jesus just might say it this way today, "Come on, let's do this!"
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Are You Walkin' With A Limp?
In Genesis 32, we have part of the story of Jacob. At this junction in his life , he is getting ready to see his brother, Esau, for the first time in many, many years. Jacob isn't sure what will happen, because the last time he saw Esau, he had stolen Esau's birthright as the older brother (Gen. 27). Esau had swore to kill Jacob next time he saw him. But Jacob heard about it, ran away, and never came back.
Now he is getting ready to meet him. So he has brought all kinds of peace offerings that, hopefully, will calm Esau down if he is still angry.
Now, it is the night before the big meeting. Jacob is still very afraid. Also, very restless. So he sends all his family and some possesions, over to the other side of the brook, as a safety precaution. Then in Genesis 32:24, the Scriptures say, "Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak."
See, here is where the real struggle begins, when we are left alone! Our thoughts, emotions, fears, worries, concerns, all these things begin to rise up from within, and they will do one of two things in our lives. They will either direct us toward God, or direct us away from God! But these are things that we must deal with, and bring them under subjection to the Lordship of Jesus Christ! HE is right there to speak peace into all of those things!
The majority of people don't like to be alone. Even God said in the beginning with Adam, that it was not good for man to be alone, so HE created a helper, or companion, for him. That is why there are so many support groups in the world today. Every kind of thing you can imagine, has a support group for it. Bottom line, no one likes being alone.
Most people believe that the Man Jacob wrestled with, was The Angel of the Lord. As the story continues, it is getting toward morning, and this Man, strikes Jacob in the hip area. The results are that Jacob's hip is knocked out of joint, or dislocated! But Jacob continues to wrestle. Finally, the Man asks Jacob what he wants and Jacobs says he wants HIM to bless him. So The Man blesses Jacob with a name change! HE says his name is now Israel, because he persevered and prevailed!
Now, in the Bible, a person's name also described the nature of that person. So, the blessing The Man gives to Jacob is really a change of his nature, not only a change of his name! The same way The Man changes our nature when we come to HIM, and ask HIM to forgive us and come into our hearts, HE gives us a new nature, HE makes us a new creation in Christ Jesus, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
But, do you remember the part where HE struck Jacob in his hip? No where in the rest of the Bible does it ever say that Jacob was ever any different after that strike! It gives me the impression that the rest of his life, he walked differently than every one else! His hip was knocked out of joint! How would you walk after that?
But it's the same with you and I. When we turn to the LORD, HE touches us, and we walk differently than we did before! As a general rule, it is a significantly different walk. One that is noticeable to everyone! It may even look strange to some. But we remember the night we were touched by God, and how HE changed our walk. We don't walk the same old way we used to. It's different now! Thank GOD!
So, are you walkin' with a limp?
Now he is getting ready to meet him. So he has brought all kinds of peace offerings that, hopefully, will calm Esau down if he is still angry.
Now, it is the night before the big meeting. Jacob is still very afraid. Also, very restless. So he sends all his family and some possesions, over to the other side of the brook, as a safety precaution. Then in Genesis 32:24, the Scriptures say, "Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak."
See, here is where the real struggle begins, when we are left alone! Our thoughts, emotions, fears, worries, concerns, all these things begin to rise up from within, and they will do one of two things in our lives. They will either direct us toward God, or direct us away from God! But these are things that we must deal with, and bring them under subjection to the Lordship of Jesus Christ! HE is right there to speak peace into all of those things!
The majority of people don't like to be alone. Even God said in the beginning with Adam, that it was not good for man to be alone, so HE created a helper, or companion, for him. That is why there are so many support groups in the world today. Every kind of thing you can imagine, has a support group for it. Bottom line, no one likes being alone.
Most people believe that the Man Jacob wrestled with, was The Angel of the Lord. As the story continues, it is getting toward morning, and this Man, strikes Jacob in the hip area. The results are that Jacob's hip is knocked out of joint, or dislocated! But Jacob continues to wrestle. Finally, the Man asks Jacob what he wants and Jacobs says he wants HIM to bless him. So The Man blesses Jacob with a name change! HE says his name is now Israel, because he persevered and prevailed!
Now, in the Bible, a person's name also described the nature of that person. So, the blessing The Man gives to Jacob is really a change of his nature, not only a change of his name! The same way The Man changes our nature when we come to HIM, and ask HIM to forgive us and come into our hearts, HE gives us a new nature, HE makes us a new creation in Christ Jesus, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
But, do you remember the part where HE struck Jacob in his hip? No where in the rest of the Bible does it ever say that Jacob was ever any different after that strike! It gives me the impression that the rest of his life, he walked differently than every one else! His hip was knocked out of joint! How would you walk after that?
But it's the same with you and I. When we turn to the LORD, HE touches us, and we walk differently than we did before! As a general rule, it is a significantly different walk. One that is noticeable to everyone! It may even look strange to some. But we remember the night we were touched by God, and how HE changed our walk. We don't walk the same old way we used to. It's different now! Thank GOD!
So, are you walkin' with a limp?
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Well, Shut My Mouth!
Quite often, when we read the Scriptures, we read across something and we assume that we understand what it is saying. For example, Psalms 37:7 says "Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes." I specifically want to focus on the first part of this verse, it's all good, but just the first part for this blog.
When we think of resting, most of us think about the word relax, or vacation, huh? My mind goes to the cruises that Sheila and I love to go on. Enjoying the view of the water, the wind blowing through my hair, uh, across my scalp! No hurry to get anywhere, just taking it easy. Sounds good, huh?
Well, let me share this with you. In this scripture we are looking at today, rest doesn't mean what I just described. As a matter of fact, it has quite a different meaning from the Hebrew language. In this particular verse, the word "rest" means "to be or grow dumb, silent or still." Please, don't anyone get offended at me for using this term, but that it what the term from the old Hebrew meant. To speak of someone as being dumb was to mean that they couldn't speak. And with our perceptions, we presume if one is deaf, they also are mute. Not always the case though. With the slang in our language, it takes on a whole different meaning though. Just wanted to explain for clarification.
In a nutshell, it is saying to be silent in the Lord, or in words we better understand, TO KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT!!
After we pray, we need to learn to keep our mouths shut, from the complaining we do because it hasn't happened already. We get anxious and in a hurry, then we want to complain about how long it is taking for our prayers to be answered. Or, we become convinced that God needs a little instruction from the deep wells of our own wisdom! So we start telling HIM how HE needs to handle things.
Zechariah 2:13 says, " Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD...". When we are in the Most Holy Place of the throne of GOD, it is no place, or time, for flesh to speak. There are many scriptures that verify this.
See, if we are not being silent, we are making noise. Now, don't get me wrong, there is a noise that is good and right. That is the sound of praise coming from our hearts and mouths. Psalms 100:1 says, "Make a joyful noise to the LORD...". That is the only "noise" that is acceptable in HIS presence. Not the sound of our flesh, or the sound of our complaining, or could I say here, the sound of our understanding, or lack thereof.
In the Scriptures, we find there is an instruction for us, Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." In The Message it says, "Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own." Also in the Good News Bible it says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know." What is true, or truth, can be very different from what we think! Here we are told to "trust". Most of us have some difficulties in that area, do we not?
So then, to rest in the Lord means to trust HIM and keep my mouth shut! So in the context of out thought today, the real proof of our faith, trust, and confidence in HIM, is our silence! Don't misunderstand me, praise is always good and right! That keeps our mind in a proper place of being on HIM. Lately, I have heard some saying, "Don't tell God how big your problem is, Tell your problem how big your God is!" That's really good stuff!! That goes right in line with what we are saying here.
So, how about it. Are you going to say it with me? Come on.
Well shut my mouth!
When we think of resting, most of us think about the word relax, or vacation, huh? My mind goes to the cruises that Sheila and I love to go on. Enjoying the view of the water, the wind blowing through my hair, uh, across my scalp! No hurry to get anywhere, just taking it easy. Sounds good, huh?
Well, let me share this with you. In this scripture we are looking at today, rest doesn't mean what I just described. As a matter of fact, it has quite a different meaning from the Hebrew language. In this particular verse, the word "rest" means "to be or grow dumb, silent or still." Please, don't anyone get offended at me for using this term, but that it what the term from the old Hebrew meant. To speak of someone as being dumb was to mean that they couldn't speak. And with our perceptions, we presume if one is deaf, they also are mute. Not always the case though. With the slang in our language, it takes on a whole different meaning though. Just wanted to explain for clarification.
In a nutshell, it is saying to be silent in the Lord, or in words we better understand, TO KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT!!
After we pray, we need to learn to keep our mouths shut, from the complaining we do because it hasn't happened already. We get anxious and in a hurry, then we want to complain about how long it is taking for our prayers to be answered. Or, we become convinced that God needs a little instruction from the deep wells of our own wisdom! So we start telling HIM how HE needs to handle things.
Zechariah 2:13 says, " Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD...". When we are in the Most Holy Place of the throne of GOD, it is no place, or time, for flesh to speak. There are many scriptures that verify this.
See, if we are not being silent, we are making noise. Now, don't get me wrong, there is a noise that is good and right. That is the sound of praise coming from our hearts and mouths. Psalms 100:1 says, "Make a joyful noise to the LORD...". That is the only "noise" that is acceptable in HIS presence. Not the sound of our flesh, or the sound of our complaining, or could I say here, the sound of our understanding, or lack thereof.
In the Scriptures, we find there is an instruction for us, Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." In The Message it says, "Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own." Also in the Good News Bible it says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know." What is true, or truth, can be very different from what we think! Here we are told to "trust". Most of us have some difficulties in that area, do we not?
So then, to rest in the Lord means to trust HIM and keep my mouth shut! So in the context of out thought today, the real proof of our faith, trust, and confidence in HIM, is our silence! Don't misunderstand me, praise is always good and right! That keeps our mind in a proper place of being on HIM. Lately, I have heard some saying, "Don't tell God how big your problem is, Tell your problem how big your God is!" That's really good stuff!! That goes right in line with what we are saying here.
So, how about it. Are you going to say it with me? Come on.
Well shut my mouth!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
"In The Flesh" - We've Had It All Wrong!
As a boy growing up in church, I can remember a lot of talk about not wanting anyone to be in the flesh. We didn't do things because we were afraid it might be the flesh. It seemed that people were quick to "discern" someone was in the flesh if they did something in church that we didn't think was "in the Spirit". There were sermons about it. There were exhortations about staying out of the flesh. On and on and on. As I became an adult, and began looking into the scriptures for myself, I could see where we got into that frame of mind.
Can I tell you something? I've seen some flesh at church! But you know what? I've seen WAY MORE flesh away from church!! Let me show you what I'm talking about.
Gal. 5:19-21, the New American Standard Bible says it this way, "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
vs.20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
vs.21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Every one of those things are contrary to the Holy Spirit. And those are things that can be seen in everyday lives of people!
Now I would like to share those same scriptures from The Message, vs.19 "It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness;
vs.20 trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits;
vs.21 the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom."
Here is the flesh in all of it's glory!! This is the flesh I am most concerned about, not what may show up in a church service! The real show of the flesh comes out in our every day actions, thoughts, and words!!! Please don't think, "man he must be mad or something!" I'm not! Except at the accuser of the family of faith. He had us convinced, and still does to some degree, that it is more wrong to get in the flesh at church than it is to get in the flesh at home with the spouse and kids, or work with other employees, or on the ballfield with our teamates, or at the coffee shop, or at the beauty shop, at the grocery store, in the traffic, wherever we are! We watch our "P's and Q's" at church, but many times after we get away from there, we excuse, or overlook, the way we act or live our lives. The flesh that reveals itself in a church service or worship time, is not anywhere near as distructive as the showing of flesh away from that setting!
Romans 8:8 from the Amplified Bible says, "So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him."
God has given us the ability we need to not live in the flesh. But we must allow that power of the Holy Spirit to fill us full and keep us full. Christ in you, is the hope of glory. HE is so wonderful! HE is full of mercy and grace. Romans 8:37 in the Good News Bible says, "No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!"
Can I tell you something? I've seen some flesh at church! But you know what? I've seen WAY MORE flesh away from church!! Let me show you what I'm talking about.
Gal. 5:19-21, the New American Standard Bible says it this way, "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
vs.20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
vs.21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Every one of those things are contrary to the Holy Spirit. And those are things that can be seen in everyday lives of people!
Now I would like to share those same scriptures from The Message, vs.19 "It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness;
vs.20 trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits;
vs.21 the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom."
Here is the flesh in all of it's glory!! This is the flesh I am most concerned about, not what may show up in a church service! The real show of the flesh comes out in our every day actions, thoughts, and words!!! Please don't think, "man he must be mad or something!" I'm not! Except at the accuser of the family of faith. He had us convinced, and still does to some degree, that it is more wrong to get in the flesh at church than it is to get in the flesh at home with the spouse and kids, or work with other employees, or on the ballfield with our teamates, or at the coffee shop, or at the beauty shop, at the grocery store, in the traffic, wherever we are! We watch our "P's and Q's" at church, but many times after we get away from there, we excuse, or overlook, the way we act or live our lives. The flesh that reveals itself in a church service or worship time, is not anywhere near as distructive as the showing of flesh away from that setting!
Romans 8:8 from the Amplified Bible says, "So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him."
God has given us the ability we need to not live in the flesh. But we must allow that power of the Holy Spirit to fill us full and keep us full. Christ in you, is the hope of glory. HE is so wonderful! HE is full of mercy and grace. Romans 8:37 in the Good News Bible says, "No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!"
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