Working Your Faith

"Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)

It is the work of the interior that matters most to God, for the Kingdom of God is within us. Faith is serious business to God, and it ought to be more serious to us. Walking by faith is the work we are called to do, but it is also the work most neglected. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves immersed in a myriad of worldly enterprises and poorly invested in the Kingdom of God.  We are to walk by faith and not by sight. 

 

What is this faith the Lord hopes to find when He returns? It is the conviction that God's Word is true, and He is Lord regardless of the sin that dominates the world around us. Even if some of the elect falter, God's faithful ones look to Jesus, refusing to look to another.

 

Faith triumphs over fear, and faith-filled saints wait on the Lord and renew their strength. Faith rejects the chains of law and religion, and it walks in the liberty of the Spirit. Faith and grace alone save and keep us, and may Jesus find us full of that grace and faith when He returns. 

 

Let's Pray - Dear Lord, may I be found in You. I realize I cannot work for You, but I must surrender my life that You might work through me. Help me keep the attitude of a servant. Use me as You see fit. Amen.

Love Never Fails, pt. 2

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

 

Love does not look and act like we think or expect, but like God thinks and expects. It always supersedes, always succeeds, always overcomes, and always wins. The reason every other person pales in comparison to Jesus Christ is His flawless expression of love. Pure love can only be found in Jesus, for God is love, and Jesus is God.

 

Jesus was not the Messiah Israel expected, and they rejected Him out of hand. The same is true today, as Israel still rejects her King — but God's love is undeterred. He has a plan for Israel, and that plan will succeed, because it is rooted in His love.

 

There is nothing anyone can do to keep God's plan of redemption from succeeding, because His love is everlasting, it overcomes, and it endures forever. He has the same love for us all, and He will not stop until the Gospel is preached for all to hear and receive. He is willing to bear, believe, hope and endure all things, by the power of His enduring love. God's love overcomes, no matter what might hinder and oppose — and yes, it wins every time.

 

It's true. God’s love never fails.

Let's Pray – Father, help me to meet the unwavering standard of holy love that I see in Jesus Christ. I realize only the Holy Spirit can give me that kind of love, so I ask You in all humility to pour out Your Spirit on me today, so I can love like I have been loved. Amen.

Love Never Fails, pt. 1

Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8) 

God is love, and therefore love never fails and is never bested, or defeated. Love cannot be bribed or compromised, for it is the purest of all motivations. Love is the only absolute proof that we know God and that the Holy Spirit abides in us, our families, and our fellowship.

 

Love is the most universally valued and respected currency in the world, and the Church of Jesus Christ should do more and more to spend it at every opportunity. Love is how we are known. So, let your love shine brightly today, because God is love and you are God’s.

 

Love is the best revenge, because it wins every time. Love always exudes the fragrance of Jesus Christ, and that is its truest test. Christ is glorified when we love, and He is not when we don't. Therefore, He is exalted by love, and when He is truly lifted up, all men are drawn to Him by His sacrificial love.

 

God's love is honest and enduring, spiritual and gracious, extravagant and holy. It is not reckless, romantic, or emotional, for Christ is none of those things. His love is holy and true — and remember, His love never fails.

Let’s Pray – Father, thank You for loving me more and better than I can repay or comprehend. I will love others according to the Holy Spirit who lives in me, and may You be pleased and glorified in that love. Amen.

 

Seeking the Loss

“. . . for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Could it be that God is reaching out to the sinners we reject? Could He be moving among people we've disdained? Could it be that God wants to use us to touch the people, neighborhoods, and nations we've abandoned? Was Jesus Himself not accused of consorting with prostitutes, hated tax-collectors, and a whole assortment of undesirables? Are we, then, right to condemn and refuse to even show kindness to those He loved and died for? Lord, forgive us!

It is a sad thing to witness a church which as lost its first love — that is, its ability and willingness to love the way Jesus loved. Without love, the church is a sad caricature of herself, having strayed far from the One who called her and keeps her.

The true church is the body of Christ, with arms outstretched to a lost and dying world — where the least and last find a place of refuge and security.

As long as we are mired in worldly culture and controversy, we cannot fulfill the Great Commission; for we cannot make disciples until we are disciples — disciples of Jesus Christ. We must remember that we are the exclusive messengers of the New Covenant, and Jesus seeks and saves the lost by His ministry through us!

May we turn back to Him, and may He once again find us faithful and useful for His divine enterprises, not our religious ones. Amen.

Let's Pray - Dear God, please forgive me for a judgmental attitude toward others. I long to take advantage of every opportunity to show the love and compassion You showed me. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Amen

Manner of Spirit

But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. (Luke 9:55)

 

Jesus Christ is not a conservative, a moderate, or a liberal. He is not an American, nor is He limited to or by any nationality. He is not pro-this or anti-that, for the Kingdom of God is not a matter of pros and cons — but a Kingdom of righteousness and truth. He is God Almighty, who cannot be contained in any of the politics, principles, theologies, doctrines, or systems we build.

 

The Lord simply won't conform to our constructs, our religion, our buildings, denominations, or programs — and certainly not our principles or convictions (no matter how sincere). Beware of the temptation to mistake your passionate beliefs for His. His ways, His thoughts, and His words are higher than ours, and that will never change.

 

Jesus did not come to give us Christian principles or convictions, but to give us abundant life — and His life does not flow to us from laws and rules, but from the Holy Spirit. We do well to remember that.

 

Let’s Pray — Lord, teach us what it means to come to you sincerely and worship You in spirit and in truth. In Jesus alone, Amen.

Our God and His Word

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

 

The Word of God is the only defense we have against our tendency to create our own god and our own spiritual narrative. God's Word alone gets to the true heart and spirit of every issue; and if we are to get to the truth, we must get there by His Word. 

We sometimes do not know what manner of spirit we are of, because we have strayed from the Bible. This is a trap that so many have fallen into in this ambitious religious age, and it has resulted in the perverted form of godliness we too often witness. Some are consumed with their own good works and programs, while possessing none of the raw power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and that is why Christians are known by everything except love.

 

If Satan can get us a few degrees off the center of God's Word, he has succeeded in robbing us of the fullness of God in Christ, and we become the blind leading the blind. Unfortunately, he has been far too successful in doing so. May the Lord open our hearts and eyes to the scriptures again, and may He pour out His Spirit upon us afresh and anew.

 

Let’s Pray – Father, forgive us for making things about us, and not about Jesus. We need Your Holy Spirit, if we are to have abundant life. Refresh and renew us today! In Jesus, Amen.

Do Not Doubt

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:21-22)

When Jesus speaks, He speaks out of faith in His Father. Therefore, His words move mountains and accomplish His will — and if we believe, so will ours. Jesus is not telling us to have faith in our words, or to have faith in our faith (as so many erroneously teach). We are to be one with the Father, as He was, and the Father will give us the same Spirit He gave Jesus. We have what we ask, because we ask in Jesus' name, and all authority, power, and dominion has been given to Him. So, ask again — and this time, truly ask in faith and in the name of Jesus.

 

Some of us never rise above asking for things from God, and our prayers center on ourselves — "me, me, me." But the Lord longs for us to draw near to Him, and He answers the prayers of everyone who desires to see His will done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus knew the Lord would give Him what He asked, and His prayers reflected that confidence — "And I know that You always hear Me . . ." (John 11:42) If you are in Christ, the Father will always hear you, too. Are you in Him? When it comes to prayer, that is the only question that matters.

Let’s Pray – Father, we know that there is power in the name of Jesus, and it is in His name we pray. Let it be granted to us accordingly, and we will give You the glory and praise You deserve. Amen.

 

Righteousness Over Rightness

And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.” And they went to another village. (Luke 9:54-56)

Being righteousness and being right are two completely different things. Christians are not called to be right about men, but to show the world the love and righteousness of God. Loving God and our neighbors as ourselves are the greatest commandments, and by them, God's love flows through us to the world — a world in desperate need of that love. That is how righteousness expresses itself through us — not by winning arguments, but by winning souls. We do well to remember this.

 

What a shame for Christians to hold up legal standards for others, while basking in the grace of God! How sad and hypocritical are those who sing "Amazing Grace," while judging and condemning "those sinners!" It is all too easy to fault others when they fall short of God's full purpose and standard, forgetting the times we came before the Lord and begged for His mercy and forgiveness. Yet, the Lord listens for the prayers and intercession that reflect His desire to see all men saved, and He blesses the saints and churches that welcome sinners and lead them to the Cross.

 

May every Christian remember we were not saved or sanctified by works of the law or our own goodness — For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8) May God be able to use us to offer that same gift to the world.

Let’s Pray – Father, forgive me for displaying a self-righteous attitude. I stand in the righteousness of Christ, not my own. I will be sure to let His light shine through me today. In Jesus alone, Amen.

Faith and Figs

Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it. (Mark 11:12-14)

Jesus was hungry, and the fig tree had no figs to satisfy His hunger. The Lord has little tolerance for fruit trees with no fruit, even when it is out of season. Spiritually speaking, seasons do not have to do with the time of year, but with faithfulness and fruitfulness. In other words, the season for fruit is whenever Jesus is looking for fruit, and that may be at any moment. Therefore, the fig tree failed the most basic test of being ready in and out of season.

 

Is there fruit hanging from your branches today? Is it the fruit of the Spirit?

 

Jesus teaches us a tree is known by the quality of its fruit, and the fruit is determined by the root. If we are not rooted in Christ, our fruit will be unripe, sour, and unpleasant. Those who eat it will be sickened and repulsed by it, and we will leave a bad taste in their mouths as it pertains to our Lord and His church. However, if our hope is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and if we are filled with His Spirit, then our branches will bear the peaceable fruits of righteousness, and everyone who eats of it will experience refreshment, joy, and health as a result. Men and women who encounter us will "taste and see that the Lord is good!" 

 

Therefore, our lives are valued by what we feed others through our words and actions. So, once again my friend, what's on your branches?

Let’s Pray – Dear Lord, may I be found ready when You call. May there be abundant fruit of the Spirit on my branches and may many receive nourishment and refreshment from the life I have surrendered to You. In Jesus, Amen.

 

Riches, Honor, and Life

By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4) 

Humility is the only disposition in us the Lord can trust. He cannot rely on our love or devotion, our passion, our sincerity, our talents, our expertise, or our herculean efforts to do or be good (apart from Christ, we can do nothing good). Humility recognizes and rejoices in the fact that everything belongs to Him, nothing belongs to us, and He is Lord of all.

 

The only person on earth God can trust is the Holy Spirit who is given to His children. Humility yields to the Spirit, moment by moment, word by word, deed by deed; therefore, the Lord can invest Himself confidently in the person or fellowship that is Spirit-filled. In the Spirit are the riches, honor, and life the Lord pours out on those who please Him. He pours out because He knows His humble saints will share all they receive with others. That is how the kingdom of God works — and it works through humility and the fear of the Lord.

 

Godly fear generates the kind of confidence in the Lord that allows us to trust Him with every outcome — and we trust that He will lift us up, exalt us in due time, and reward us with riches, honor, and life.

Let's Pray – Father God, teach me to walk in the Spirit of Jesus Christ; to humble myself and serve Your interests instead of mine. I willingly submit myself to You anew. Amen.

 

Fear the Lord

The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.  (Proverbs 15:33)

The only good fear in the Bible is "the fear of the Lord." This fear is the acknowledgment of a holy, omnipotent, omniscient, and immutable God — and giving homage, honor and worship to Him. This is a righteous and healthy fear by which we walk in obedience to every word the Lord speaks, being deathly afraid of the consequences of sin and falling short of His glorious expectation.

 

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31)

 

In the Kingdom of God, patience and humility are of the greatest value. Once we bow our hearts before the Lord, He can draw near to us in ways He never could before. Our Father is building godly character in us, and that can only be brought forth through seasons of quietness, faithfulness, and abiding in His goodness. That is where patience has its perfect work in us and where we receive the instruction of wisdom. That is where we learn the fear of the Lord.

Let’s Pray – Dear Lord, I will walk humbly and in the fear of the Lord all the days of my life. Help me by Your Spirit, and I will respect and honor You in all my words and deeds. Amen.

The Only Way

“The heart is deceitful above all, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

We must not get caught in the lie that we can change ourselves or reach higher levels of spirituality, even by our most sincere efforts. Nothing we do in our own strength can bring us closer to God. If we try to control our sinful impulses and improve our habits, we are simply sitting on a powder keg of pride that will explode under us sooner or later. We must draw near to Him by accepting what Christ did for us on the Cross of Calvary, and that is the only way.

 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is too straightforward and simple for some. There are those who succumb to the temptation to add good works, philanthropy, and cultural sensitivity to the Good News. Some believe churches and Christians need to emphasize good and moral practices and do all they can to attract people or meet the needs of their communities. The Bible never teaches those things, but it stands on the shed blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ alone. He is the greatest lover of mankind, and He alone is the answer for every worthwhile question one might ask; and if He is lifted up, He will draw all men to Himself, not to us, our church, or our cause. That is the uncompromising truth of the Gospel — unmixed and unmarred with any human goodness or wisdom. Let us not deceive ourselves into thinking that there is anything God has to say to men other than, "Jesus." He is the Word, the Message of God. Hear Him!

 

Let’s Pray – Father, I am powerless to change myself (or anyone else), and it is only by Your mercy and grace that I am saved and sanctified. I humble myself under Your mighty hand, and I ask that You make me pleasing in Your sight today. In Jesus alone, Amen.

The Whole Armor

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

The whole armor of God is an absolute necessity for every Christian who is a fully devoted soldier in the army of the Lord, and no one needs that armor unless he is fighting the Lord's battles. Satan will not bother to oppose us until we forget about ourselves, sell all, pick our cross, and follow Christ. Why should he bother? As long as we are concerned about ourselves and the world, the devil has us right where he wants us. God doesn't care about our political, religious, cultural, or social concerns one bit — and our commitment to "Christian liberties and principles" is a nuisance to Him. He cares about Christ and nothing else, and Christ is the whole armor of God.

Professing to be a Christian means little in the spiritual realm but living like one will cause all hell to come against us. Once we are living for Christ, we are sure to meet the fierce resistance from Satan and all his wily forces. The Apostle Paul knew all about this, because the demons went mad every place he went. His very presence threatened worldly powers and principalities, whether political, religious, cultural, or any other realm not submitted to Christ. The same is true of you and me; and we, like Paul, will experience intense challenges in the world according to the depth of our identification with Christ. That is why he implores us to put on the full armor. If you are truly in Christ, you will need it.

Let’s Pray – Father, I will daily put on Jesus Christ, the Armor of God. He is my covering, my protection, and my strength. He is my rock and my salvation, and I stand victoriously on Him and in Him. Be glorified in me today, Lord. Amen.

 

Perfect and Complete

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-3)

We not only rejoice in times of abundance and favor, but also in times of trials and hardships. Rejoicing is joy in action, and it is the response God expects from us when we are visited by difficult circumstances. It is doubtful any of us would choose joy through suffering, but the Lord has chosen it for us; it is His most useful tool for purifying our hearts. This is where the Spirit of God gives us the blessing of an overcoming and victorious life. Remember, it is impossible to please God without faith, and we must be purified through trial and fire. So, rejoice. Perfection and completion await.

 

Patience comes from God's expert use of time, and if we allow, He uses that time to produce glory and perfection in us. Through time and wisdom, we are rightly fitted for every good work. This is not born out of any human effort or ingenuity, but by our growing appreciation of God's goodness through every season. He desires that we lack nothing, and that we feed on His faithfulness always. 

The Lord trusts us with these "various trials," and His reputation hinges on how we handle them. So, we must prove worthy of that trust. 

Are you trustworthy?

 

Let's Pray – Dear Father, thank You for challenging me to grow through my trials. Purify my heart, and lead me in the everlasting way, even through difficulty. If Jesus learned obedience through suffering, so must I, and I do so gladly. Amen.

Let It Shine

"You are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:14)

No, this wasn’t someone speaking to Jesus. This was Jesus speaking to us, the people of God. What a charge! We are called to light up the world and illuminate the path to God for all men to see. Though none of us are sufficient in ourselves for such a task, we have been given the pure light of the Holy Spirit to enable us. God does not need us, but He chose us -- and we should be eternally grateful for the unspeakable honor of beings witnesses to our Lord. Hallelujah!

 

With this grace comes a sobering reality. We must choose to live in such a way keeps us available to house the presence of a holy God, and allow Him to employ us as “lamps” that chase the gloom and darkness of the world around us. We must fight every thought or action that veils the light, and we must make the moment-by-moment decisions that promote and protect the purpose of the Savior. When we do this, the power of God beams from us into the mean circumstances around us, and men see the unmistakable hand of God at work. Then, even those who don’t know Him will acknowledge His works and give Him glory. Here’s how it works – I shine, men see the light, and God gets the glory! 

 

It safe to say that men who would never glorify the Lord will be compelled to do so when we live and speak like the children of light. The atheist, skeptic, agnostic, and wayward will not be convinced by our intellectual arguments, but by our love for them and one another! There is no phenomenon comparable to the sacrificial fragrance of agape -- the love of God in Christ. As we keep our lamp aflame, the demons must retreat, and the unbelievers will shout a praise they never knew was in them! Now doesn’t that make you more determined than ever to shine your light?

 

Let's Pray - Dear Father, I will let my light shine, and men will see You clearly through my worship. Lead me by Your Spirit today. In Jesus, Amen.

I’m 

Put on Christ

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 

(2 Corinthians 13:5)

 

Some of us think we are in Christ, but we are not. We have never "put on" anything, and our devotion is based on what we believe, not what the Bible reveals. That is why we hear such hateful, small, and unloving words from those who claim be Christians; they are ignorant of who Jesus really is. Christianity is a good idea to them, but they have never truly had a conversion experience, never been born again in the Spirit, and it tells in ungodly words and deeds which misrepresent the Lord they claim to serve. Let it not be so of you. Put on Christ. It is the most important thing.

 

Every believer is charged to "put on" spiritual things, for those things make us fit for the kingdom. There is an energy we need in order to live according to God's purpose, and that energy is from the Holy Spirit who clothes us in righteousness and fits us for the divine journey ahead. Our testimony depends entirely on obedience to the command to put on Christ (Romans 13:14). He Himself is the whole armor of God, and He fits us for victory over every enemy our faith will ever face.

Let’s Pray – Heavenly Father, may we not deceive ourselves, but take heed to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We will put on Christ, and we will do so today. Amen.