"I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is." Gal 5:10
Ever find yourself wondering, "How do I receive God's favor?" I know I've wondered that question. Is there something more I should be doing? Am I doing something wrong? Not praying enough, studying enough, serving enough, giving enough? What's a sister gotta do to see things go her way sometimes?
The thing is we can't do ANYTHING to earn God's favor. It's called GRACE and it's given freely to his children. Oh, we'll try, by golly, we'll try to earn it. Just like the Galatians that Paul was speaking to here.
Paul starts this part of his letter with one of my favorite verses in all scripture. "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Jesus did not die on a cross to FREE me from the bondage of having to DO things (the Law) so that I would eventually put those chains back on again. He died to set me free FOREVER.
The law was created in the OT to ultimately show us that there was no possible way we could ever live the holy life God requires--NO way. There were over 400 of them (ck out Leviticus and Deuteronomy) I have a hard time with keeping the main 10! The Law points to our need for a Savior, a Messiah, who would fulfill the Law on our behalf, sacrificing HIMSELF for all our sin, ultimately freeing us from the burden of all those laws. When we accept Jesus' sacrifice was meant for us and ask him to lead our lives as Lord, that freedom is ours!!! Hallelujah!!!
But, too often, we feel we need to contribute to our salvation. So, we go to church hoping God sees our efforts and will look kindly on us or show us favor in some area we think we need or want. We do all the "religious" things all the while missing the relationship (vs. 2-4).
Instead of trying to earn God's favor by DOING things, we should "eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us." (vs 5) God's favor expressed through making us totally holy and righteous is coming-when we one day get to Heaven, otherwise called Glorification, the removal of sin from our midst...Hallelujah again! Until that day, what's important is "faith expressing itself in love." (vs. 6)
Does God want you to go to church to worship Him with other believers?
Absolutely
Does He want you to read your Bible and pray?
Absolutely
Does He want you to serve others and give tithes to his kingdom?
Absolutely
He just doesn't want you to do it to earn points with gain or gain favor that's already yours. He wants those acts to come out of relationship. A NEED in you to spend time with Him and get to know him better. A desire to give yourself and what money He's given you back to him out of gratefulness for what he's done for you.
Now, that's FREEDOM...
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
The Greatness of Love
"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." 1 Cor. 13:11
Today's passage of Scripture might be one of the more recognizable in the Bible. It's used at countless weddings every day...and if some of the couples that used it actually put it to practice, the divorce rate might not be so high...just sayin.
The verse containing the word phroneo is not the main focus of what God had to say to me today. Sometimes He speaks through a specific verse...more often then not, it's the whole chapter. Today is no different.
LOVE
The word gets misused and thrown around way more often than it should. We fall in love so easily and out of it just as fast. To God, it is his character. He IS love. He can't NOT love. Satan, the father of lies, of course, has rewritten it's definition over and over. Thankfully, though, God wrote down his definition lest we forget it. Here in 1 Cor 13, he is VERY clear on what true love is.
Let's do a little chart comparison of God's vs Satan's definition, shall we?
Love is:
GOD SATAN
Patient until... you are tired of this person
Kind they make you mad
Not Jealous they have something you want
Does Not Brag you have something they want
Not Arrogant you feel you deserve more attention
Act Unbecomingly you feel consideration has gotten you
nowhere
Does Not Seek It's Own your needs are being met
Not Irritable you are "having a bad day"
Doesn't Hold A Grudge your feelings are hurt
Doesn't Rejoice in Unrighteousness you feel they are getting what they deserve
Rejoices in the Truth you feel they should get what they deserve
but God shows them mercy and it makes
you mad
Bears All Things it becomes unbearable
Believes All Things it becomes ludicrous
Hopes All Things you figure there is no hope
Endures All Things you are tired of trying
NEVER Fails you decide to quit
When writing out this list, I began to see that God's list doesn't rely upon EMOTIONS. It deals in absolutes. I don't FEEL love, I DO it. Satan's list is ALL about how you feel at the moment. Emotions lie...everyday, all day.
Paul starts this part of his letter to the Corinthians by saying (my paraphrase of course) "You can be the most spiritually gifted person on the planet, but if you ain't got love, you ain't got nuthin!" You can spout of Scripture all day or have the faith to tell a mountain to move or give everything to the poor, but if we don't practice LOVE, we are just noisy, bankrupt people. And then he gives us the list.
This the Message paraphrase of the last verses in this chapter, it is just beautiful:
12 We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
ONE DAY we will be complete before God but until then, let's love extravagantly those around us. Choosing NOT to let the Enemy use our emotions to drive wedges but instead to actively choose to love each other.
On a side note...there is no clause here that says to only love those that are loving you back, is there? Those are the hardest people to show love to...
and the ones who need it the most...
Today's passage of Scripture might be one of the more recognizable in the Bible. It's used at countless weddings every day...and if some of the couples that used it actually put it to practice, the divorce rate might not be so high...just sayin.
The verse containing the word phroneo is not the main focus of what God had to say to me today. Sometimes He speaks through a specific verse...more often then not, it's the whole chapter. Today is no different.
LOVE
The word gets misused and thrown around way more often than it should. We fall in love so easily and out of it just as fast. To God, it is his character. He IS love. He can't NOT love. Satan, the father of lies, of course, has rewritten it's definition over and over. Thankfully, though, God wrote down his definition lest we forget it. Here in 1 Cor 13, he is VERY clear on what true love is.
Let's do a little chart comparison of God's vs Satan's definition, shall we?
Love is:
GOD SATAN
Patient until... you are tired of this person
Kind they make you mad
Not Jealous they have something you want
Does Not Brag you have something they want
Not Arrogant you feel you deserve more attention
Act Unbecomingly you feel consideration has gotten you
nowhere
Does Not Seek It's Own your needs are being met
Not Irritable you are "having a bad day"
Doesn't Hold A Grudge your feelings are hurt
Doesn't Rejoice in Unrighteousness you feel they are getting what they deserve
Rejoices in the Truth you feel they should get what they deserve
but God shows them mercy and it makes
you mad
Bears All Things it becomes unbearable
Believes All Things it becomes ludicrous
Hopes All Things you figure there is no hope
Endures All Things you are tired of trying
NEVER Fails you decide to quit
When writing out this list, I began to see that God's list doesn't rely upon EMOTIONS. It deals in absolutes. I don't FEEL love, I DO it. Satan's list is ALL about how you feel at the moment. Emotions lie...everyday, all day.
Paul starts this part of his letter to the Corinthians by saying (my paraphrase of course) "You can be the most spiritually gifted person on the planet, but if you ain't got love, you ain't got nuthin!" You can spout of Scripture all day or have the faith to tell a mountain to move or give everything to the poor, but if we don't practice LOVE, we are just noisy, bankrupt people. And then he gives us the list.
This the Message paraphrase of the last verses in this chapter, it is just beautiful:
8-10 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the completeness arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
11 When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.12 We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
ONE DAY we will be complete before God but until then, let's love extravagantly those around us. Choosing NOT to let the Enemy use our emotions to drive wedges but instead to actively choose to love each other.
On a side note...there is no clause here that says to only love those that are loving you back, is there? Those are the hardest people to show love to...
and the ones who need it the most...
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Navigating through the Grey Areas
"The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God." Rom. 14:6 (NET)
Let me start by thanking all of you who have been following this journey of mine for all of your encouragement. I have been blessed by those who have told me that this blog has helped them on their walk. That anyone cares about what I have to say enough to read this absolutely astounds me!! I am the least equipped to teach anyone anything, but God sees fit to work through the least of these. I know that it's been almost a month since my last post. In truth, I have battled and struggled over the content of this one.
The Grey areas...dun, dun, dun...
The subject matter is very controversial...in the church body, in my own family. What do you do with the issues of conscience (as the header in my Bible puts it)? Those subjects of conviction that can cause families to divide, churches to split, judgmental attitudes to soar, and people to act downright mean to each other. For newbies, "grey areas" are things not marked out in scripture as clearly right or wrong.
In the time of Paul, the early church members were arguing over eating meat vs being vegetarian and what day is the right day to observe Sabbath. Both were hot topics as there was a mixture of converted Jews and Gentile believers in the body at this time. The infighting was so awful Paul states, "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food." (vs 20).
Oh, do we do this today too! We judge each other all day long over the grey areas like music preferences, whether women should wear pants or makeup or teach men, if you mow your yard on Sunday or rest all day, and the most controversial one....whether or not to drink any strong drink aka alcohol. If we don't do these things, we can get a "holier than thou" attitude. If we do do them, we can get an attitude of superiority because we live in freedom from legalism. Both which break God's heart!
Let's break down the whole chapter to see how we are SUPPOSED to treat each other regarding these convictions:
vs. 1-10- Don't argue over differing opinions. If you are convinced that it is wrong, then don't do it. If you are convinced it is not, then do it. Whatever you do, do it for the Lord. Quit judging each other! That's God's job and we will all stand before him one day and give an account of our lives.
vs. 14- Nothing in itself is unclean (or wrong), BUT...if it is your conviction that it is, then to do it is sin.
vs. 15- If you use your freedom in Christ to hurt another brother, you are wrong.
vs. 16-17- If you do not have the same conviction as another, do not let them call it evil. God's kingdom isn't about these trifling things but about living in the Spirit.
vs. 18-19- You are acceptable to God when you respect each other. Pursue peace and edification of the body.
vs. 20-23- Keep your eyes on the goal...the work of God. Be careful what you press on others. The Holy Spirit will convict you on what areas of your life you need to lose and those you need to keep. Pressing what is free for you to do onto one who has an opposite conviction is wrong and could lead them to stumble before God.
The bottom line is this:
No matter what the grey area is
1. Stand by your convictions. They are your plumb line with the Lord. If you are easily swayed to change them...they aren't convictions.
2. Don't press your convictions on another brother or sister. That's their business with the Lord.
3. Listen to the Spirit's lead on the areas you need to put aside. Things that are free for you to do but to help a weaker Christian, may need to go away for awhile. For more on this, read II Cor. 9.
It's all about setting your mind to put others before yourself. The Golden Rule. Simple, huh??
Let me start by thanking all of you who have been following this journey of mine for all of your encouragement. I have been blessed by those who have told me that this blog has helped them on their walk. That anyone cares about what I have to say enough to read this absolutely astounds me!! I am the least equipped to teach anyone anything, but God sees fit to work through the least of these. I know that it's been almost a month since my last post. In truth, I have battled and struggled over the content of this one.
The Grey areas...dun, dun, dun...
The subject matter is very controversial...in the church body, in my own family. What do you do with the issues of conscience (as the header in my Bible puts it)? Those subjects of conviction that can cause families to divide, churches to split, judgmental attitudes to soar, and people to act downright mean to each other. For newbies, "grey areas" are things not marked out in scripture as clearly right or wrong.
In the time of Paul, the early church members were arguing over eating meat vs being vegetarian and what day is the right day to observe Sabbath. Both were hot topics as there was a mixture of converted Jews and Gentile believers in the body at this time. The infighting was so awful Paul states, "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food." (vs 20).
Oh, do we do this today too! We judge each other all day long over the grey areas like music preferences, whether women should wear pants or makeup or teach men, if you mow your yard on Sunday or rest all day, and the most controversial one....whether or not to drink any strong drink aka alcohol. If we don't do these things, we can get a "holier than thou" attitude. If we do do them, we can get an attitude of superiority because we live in freedom from legalism. Both which break God's heart!
Let's break down the whole chapter to see how we are SUPPOSED to treat each other regarding these convictions:
vs. 1-10- Don't argue over differing opinions. If you are convinced that it is wrong, then don't do it. If you are convinced it is not, then do it. Whatever you do, do it for the Lord. Quit judging each other! That's God's job and we will all stand before him one day and give an account of our lives.
vs. 14- Nothing in itself is unclean (or wrong), BUT...if it is your conviction that it is, then to do it is sin.
vs. 15- If you use your freedom in Christ to hurt another brother, you are wrong.
vs. 16-17- If you do not have the same conviction as another, do not let them call it evil. God's kingdom isn't about these trifling things but about living in the Spirit.
vs. 18-19- You are acceptable to God when you respect each other. Pursue peace and edification of the body.
vs. 20-23- Keep your eyes on the goal...the work of God. Be careful what you press on others. The Holy Spirit will convict you on what areas of your life you need to lose and those you need to keep. Pressing what is free for you to do onto one who has an opposite conviction is wrong and could lead them to stumble before God.
The bottom line is this:
No matter what the grey area is
1. Stand by your convictions. They are your plumb line with the Lord. If you are easily swayed to change them...they aren't convictions.
2. Don't press your convictions on another brother or sister. That's their business with the Lord.
3. Listen to the Spirit's lead on the areas you need to put aside. Things that are free for you to do but to help a weaker Christian, may need to go away for awhile. For more on this, read II Cor. 9.
It's all about setting your mind to put others before yourself. The Golden Rule. Simple, huh??
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