LEARNING DAILY

John 12:23-24, But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone’ but if it dies, it produces much grain”.

The sequence of events might be important to understand. Lazarus has been called out of the tomb by Jesus. This is the final straw for the religious leaders and they resolve to kill Jesus. Later, Mary takes the opportunity to anoint the feet of Jesus with expensive oil and Judas said the oil should have been used to feed the poor. Jesus enters Jerusalem, knowing it is time to fulfil what God had sent Him to do; He now declares the time to be glorified has come.

John’s writing now centers on Jesus speaking about His death and resurrection. Many times before Jesus has said His time had not yet come; that has changed. He is following the time table established for Him. Again, it is God’s timing! One of the disciples, Philip, is approached by some Greeks wanting to see Jesus. Perhaps they approached Him because the Pharisees were beginning to understand they were losing their control (v. 19).  We are not told what the Greeks said to or asked Jesus but the conversation prompted Jesus to say what He did. He had to die in order for His ministry to bear fruit. He was responding that they needed to look at Him as He who was to lay His life down as a ransom for sin. Perhaps He was telling them they needed to see Him as laying down His life for their sin.

I believe it is good to remember and be very thankful for Jesus fulfilling His mission for His glory brought the offer of salvation and the opportunity to be reconciled to the Father. The reference to the grain of wheat falling to the ground certainly refers to Himself and the fruit refers to all who would believe in Him. His love for sinners, like you and me, wanting all to come to the Father through His suffering and death is hard to comprehend. Consider that “much grain” or “much fruit” means the multitude who have believed and walked a narrow way since His death and resurrection.

There is another meaning to the grain of wheat that needs to be planted to produce “spiritual” life and fruit. Believers “can only experience life and joy when they decide to die to their self-centered existence and give control over their lives to Jesus (Matthew 10:39; 16:24; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24)” (David Jeremiah Study Bible). Would you agree that surrender is difficult because we want to be in charge of our life. We want to fulfill our desires and our dreams, in our way. But, the words of Jesus about His death apply spiritually to ours. When we give our dreams and desires to Jesus, when we die to self and trust Him to guide our lives, then we bring forth fruit. That means we can be used for His glory. Through our lives He adds to the kingdom of God by the change He brings in the way we live; His light shines forth through the way we live as His faithful followers.

 

LEARNING DAILY

John 11:4-5, When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus, was sick. They wanted Jesus to come and heal him. But Jesus stayed for two more days where He and His disciples were. Read the entire story about Lazarus and you will see that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days by the time Jesus and the disciples got there. Jesus told the disciples that Lazarus had fallen asleep, maybe into a coma, and He would go and wake him up.

I found a really interesting tradition in Judaism that states the soul does not immediately leave the person who has died; it floats around and over the body for three days. The thought is during that time there is hope of the person coming back to life – a resurrection. Jesus arrived in Bethany on the fourth day when resurrection as this tradition considered would no longer be possible. If that is so, the arrival of Jesus was all about His timing and meeting the need in His way. A response to the last page of the blog was sometimes “He has allowed something in our lives to make us stronger or to depend on Him more”. Another response was a reminder of Jesus saying, “Not My will but yours be done”. Jesus told His disciples the Son of God would be glorified through this.

The point being that delays to prayers being answered are not only because of what we have done that separates us from God. If Jesus had come in time to heal Lazarus it would have been a wonderful healing. To get there within the three days of the Jewish belief about the resurrection, God would not have received the glory He desired. On the fourth day, Jesus brought Lazarus out of the tomb, and no one could say anything, but the resurrection was a miracle.

Think through your situation. If God just took it away, just healed you, just improved your situation, would God receive the glory? I mean would you just praise Him and tell others about what He did for you? Or, would you just explain it away as if it had never really been a problem? Do you understand what I am writing, this morning? God wants to be given the credit, the honor, the glory for meeting your need, walking through your situation with you.

Read in verses 20-32 in chapter 11 what Martha and Mary said to Jesus when He got there. Their faith said Jesus could heal Lazarus, if He had been there before he died. Their faith was also mixed with Jesus being able to resurrect him in the “last day”.  Jesus’ response to them (and to each of us) was to trust him; have faith in their hearts and minds that He was able to do all things!

The writing about Lazarus is about Jesus resurrecting him from the dead. In talking to Martha, Jesus uses the statement “I AM”. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of every need, every desire, every hope anyone can ever have. He does not just speak of life; He is the life (verse 25). In John 1:4, John wrote that Jesus was “life, and the life was the light of the men”. The reason for the death of Lazarus was for the glory of God.

I believe what James wrote is appropriate to conclude with. James 1:2-3: "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”. I doubt anyone goes searching for trials but when they come, know Jesus is with you. As you go through the trial or situation, keep your eyes on Him, knowing He will search your heart when You seek in order to show you areas you must deal with. Also know when you get through the trial, you must give Him the glory He is seeking for walking with you.

 

LEARNING DAILY

Isaiah 59:2, But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

I had thought I might not write about the weekend’s message because it was difficult for me to listen to. However, when reviewing my notes and what was said I decided there might be someone who might be encouraged by what was said. The message concluded twenty-one days of fasting and prayer. The church membership had been challenged to give up something important to them in order to draw closer to Jesus. Many chose to give up what they chose in order to seek God and have specific prayer answered by the lord. The message was to encourage those who may not have had their prayer answered.

The takeaway statement at the end of the Listener Guide was: God may not give the breakthrough to you (yet), but God has begun the breakthrough in you (now). One of the thoughts I have learned over the years I have walked with the Lord is he does what He wants or knows best, when He wants or knows best, and He does it in the way He wants or knows best. I have also learned that there is no formula to try to get God to do what a person wants Him to do. God simply does not need our help or suggestions as to how a person can be used by Him or how He needs to deal with a person’s situation. He just wants His people to follow Him in faith and trust. That does not mean we do not pray nor do our best to please Him in our walk; it means He will not be coerced into doing what we want and when.

That being said, waiting for God to move in one’s life in a situation that was not chosen is difficult. Yet, James 1:2 tells us that we are to face our situation with joy because of what it produces in us. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that the only way olive oil is produced is for the olive to be crushed in the press. (Found in the Listener Guide.) But sometimes the reason for not having prayer answered lies within the one praying. That is what the takeaway statement is reminding us of. The answer or the breakthrough may not have come yet but during the time of prayer and fasting God is beginning to break down things in us that might be preventing God from moving in our lives.

Pastor Newton asked the congregation the question Jesus asked when preaching the Sermon on the Mount, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do the things which I say?” The prophet Isaiah said, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear”. Prayer and fasting can be a time to consider our own lives, to allow God to search and try your heart to bring those things to your mind that are hindering you from receiving from Him (Psalm 139:23-24). The Listener Guide had five things that prevent us receiving from God. I am going to use them to answer the question regarding what God wants Believers to do as they follow Him? He wants Believers to have no bitterness or unforgiveness in their heart (Ephesians 4:31-31). He wants Believers to confess sin in their life (Psalm 28:13; 1 John 1 :9). Make sure Believers are thankful for the forgiveness of sin through Jesus. God wants Believers to walk in obedience to Him (Luke 6:46). He wants Believers to walk the narrow way believing He can do all things (James 1:6-8).  And He wants Believers to ask with pure motives (James 4:3). When one fasts and prays, he/she must ask God to search their heart to see if any of these are present and remove what God reveals; that is an important part of the process for receiving from God.

As I studied this message and wrote this this morning, I became more and more encouraged. God loves His people and desires to give them the desires of their heart. Those desires need to line up with His Word and His desires. Never stop praying! Never lose hope or give thought to God not caring! Keep asking; it will be given to you! Keep seeking; you will find! Keep knocking; it will be opened to you! (Matthew 7:7). Whatever we are walking through, we place our hope, our faith, our trust in the One who sees and knows all; do not ever waiver, do not ever give up! Trust in Him to do whatever we need in His time and in His way. Keep walking with Him on the narrow way into eternal life in His kingdom.

 

LEARNING DAILY

1 Corinthians 2:14, But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.

The “natural man” is one who does not have the Spirit of God in him/her because he/she has not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. In other words, he/she is still in their original (sinful) state; he/she is led by their natural instincts rather than the Holy Spirit and will choose sin over righteousness. God’s desire is to change the natural person into a spiritual person where he/she walks with the desire to please God and walk a narrow way in righteousness.

To the “natural man” God’s righteousness and to walk in righteousness is foolishness; what God does and requires of His faith followers is not understood. Wednesday night my wife and I watched two churches prayer services on television. At the NorthRock Church a guest pastor preached a sermon on Gideon. He made the statement that God called Gideon to fight against a Midian army (135,000 strong according to Judges 8:10). Gideon gathered an army of 32,000 men and God said it was too many. Eventually 22,000 went home, but that was still many. Eventually the number of men to fight the great Midian army was 300 men. To the natural man that does not make any sense at all. But this small army defeated this great army due to their obedience to God.

I began to think about other times God gave directions that might not make sense to the natural mind. One incident that came to my mind was God’s instruction for the army of Joshua to walk around the city of Jericho each day for six days. Then on the seventh day, they were to walk around the city seven times. To the natural man this is foolishness. Yet, again, obedience by the people to God’s command, the walls tumbled to the ground.

I thought of the explanation of God as Creator of all things, Abraham being told by God to sacrifice his son, the son of promise, actually most of the book of Genesis, is to the natural man all foolishness. I thought of a donkey used to speak to Baalam, and Jonah swallowed by a whale as he ran from God only to be spit out on the shore of where God wanted him to go. All foolishness to the unsaved person. Consider the beliefs today about abortion, homosexuality, gender identification; all is foolishness to the natural person, the person who does not have the Holy Spirit of God living in them.

Nonbelievers cannot be expected to believe as Believers do. It is not a moral issue; it is a spiritual issue. Without the Holy Spirit one cannot have God’s perspective on issues. God uses the Holy Spirit to communicate truth to His people. Gideon’s defeat of the Midianites is to show us the need to depend on God to fight our battles in this life. We need to be obedient to truth as He reveals it to us. In the other examples, God showed He will get our attention one way or another in order for us to understand His direction, His truth.

The natural person is going to reject as foolishness anything that comes from the Spirit of God! The natural person will never be able to comprehend God’s truth about sin, salvation, or about Jesus Christ because they do not process spiritual issues the same way as Believers.

 

LEARNING DAILY

John 9:25, He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

This entire chapter in John is about the healing of a man blind from birth by Jesus. Jesus spit in the dirt, made some mud and put it on the eyes of this man. Jesus instructed him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man did as he was told and received his sight. Those who had known the blind man took him to the Pharisees because Jesus had once again done this healing on the Sabbath. They questioned him about what had happened and who had done this. He answered their questions as best he could. “Who healed you?” “I don’t know. I could not see Him because I was blind. He put mud on my eyes, told me to wash in the pool of Siloam. I did that and now I can see!”

Of course, the Pharisees went all out to get the answers they wanted in order to accuse Jesus of violating their rules and because He was a threat to their power. These religious leaders could not accept that Jesus had performed a miracle – those who rejected Jesus had to reject His miracles. They believed that God would not give the ability to perform miracles to the One they rejected. Therefore, they began to make accusations that the man had really not been blind from birth. Intimidation was used against the parents regarding the question of being born blind.

Again, the Pharisees questioned the man who had been blind. “Give God the glory! We know this Man is a sinner.” Again, intimidation to get the man to say what they wanted him to say. This man is no trained theologian. There is no indication that he has known anything about what Jesus has done before he met Him. He gives them the only answer he can give, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” He certainly challenged the Pharisees! “I know”! The healing of the blind man was not second-hand faith. His healing was the direct result of an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not up for debate! “I was blind, now I see.” The statement is important because this man was not only healed but he was a different man. He stood up the Pharisees without fear of being “put out of the synagogue”.

This statement should be at the very center of every Believer’s testimony. When one asks Jesus Christ into their heart, their testimony should be about how He has changed you. “I was like this, but now I am like this.” Some changes might be instant as in the case of the blind man. But other changes may occur over time and more changes even later. That is called sanctification or the process of being cleansed from sin; it occurs while we walk the narrow way into heaven. It occurs because of the influence of Jesus in our lives, a direct encounter with Jesus just as the blind man had. One does not need to be a Bible scholar, well read, or have grown up in church. One just needs to know that once you were dead in your sins, but now because of your encounter with Jesus, you are made alive in Him, destined for eternal life in His kingdom.

Each of us has a testimony; it is enough to be able to tell other others how Jesus has changed us. It is enough to tell others about how the gospel has changed our lives. It is enough to tell others, “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9). “Jesus gives each person a measure of grace and understanding in order that they may freely accept or reject His message of salvation. Apart from this, there is no other light by which we see truth and be saved” (The Life in the Spirit Study Bible).

Are you willing to tell others about Jesus changing your life?

 

LEARNING DAILY

Exodus 14:13-14, And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.”

The people Moses was leading out of Israel found themselves backed up against the Red Sea with the army of Pharaoh coming after them. The army was huge with 600 chariots that carried two people – one to drive and one to fight (David Jeremiah). Stuck between the army and the Sea. Can you feel their desperation? Can you put yourself in their situation; it certainly looked impossible.

I read somewhere, “You are either going through some trial/difficulty, or just coming through some trial/difficulty, or about to enter into some trial/difficulty”. Consider that statement to be accurate. How do you respond? As I get older, I find more and more situations I cannot control. Like the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7, I continue to do the things I don’t want to do and do not always do the things I should do. There are situations around me that change and I don’t care so much for change. I see this country divided and a world full of evil. Trials/difficulties all around and I don’t know what to do to make things okay.

I was thinking the other day about some of the situations I had gotten myself into and asking our heavenly Father for His favor in a particular situation. It was one of those situations I got myself into and now I need You to get me out of situations and I was led to once again read this situation at the Red Sea. I had written in the margin of my Bible, “Fear causes one to look at the situation. Faith causes one to look to the One who is in control of all things!” I remember telling some of my fellow teachers to stop worrying; God is in control. And now those statements are right back at me. It’s interesting how God works, right?!

Moses told the Hebrews following him: “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.” God instructed the people to “Go forward”! The people wanted to run; God instructed them to trust in Him because He was about to do the miraculous for them. He was going to fight for His people. He was going to defend them and meet their need. The Red Sea was no problem for God! He was in control! When their trial/situation seemed impossible, with no solution, “the people needed to obediently follow Him in faith, leaving the outcome to Him” (David Jeremiah).

My situation might not be like being caught between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea but God cares about it just as much. He told the people to “stand still” or watch Me work in your situation. He indicated in His instructions to stop trying to figure everything out and let Me do what I know is best for you. Let Me do it My way and in My time (that’s for you and me!).

I am writing today, sharing what I believe the Holy Spirit is speaking into my heart. It might be just for me. But, if one of you reading this needs to be encouraged in the midst of a trial or your situation, know that God is with you and He desires that you be still and see what He will do for you – in His way and in His time. Keep your faith in Him; do not look at your situation and be fearful. By the way, we keep ourselves centered in Him through our worship and praise and by being obedient to Him as we walk a narrow way!

 

LEARNING DAILY

Ephesians 2:4-7, But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

I had the opportunity to watch the service at NorthRock Church this past Sunday. Pastor Jonathon Moore spoke about “God’s goal for His people is to be unshakeable with all the shaking going on around us”. He continued saying, “the people of God must build on the foundation of God’s Word because doing so keeps us unshakeable”. He added to this the need to be “in community” or building relationships with other Believers to help each other remain focused on walking with God as He desires.

During his message he used the scripture from Ephesians as a reminder that “all” have sinned; “all are dead in their sins and all need Jesus”. Allow me to add this: from the words of Ephesians the difference between those unsaved and those saved is not one’s effort to be saved. No, the difference is God’s great love and mercy being in those who have accepted it and are saved because they do. Jesus Christ has made those who accept His salvation alive together with Him.

When I reread these verses this morning the pronouns, we and us jumped out at me. Pastor Moore used Ephesians 2:4-7 to explain the importance of Believers to surround themselves with the right people. He said, “Jesus brings people into our lives to bring us to Jesus in our need – to go with us; that is community”. I have thought about that statement a lot since Sunday; perhaps that is why the pronouns we and us stood out to me. All Believers need to have those people in their lives that will pray with them when needs arise. There are those situations that needed to be faced with the support and encouragement from others, that is too difficult to face alone. All of “us” need to have those who will speak into our lives and warn us that doing something or going somewhere might not be wise. All of “us” need to be able to encourage each other or help another when help is needed.

Both Pastors I listened to this weekend said almost the same thing word for word. The church is people – it is not a building! Believers need each other. It is a privilege to be asked to pray for another’s needs. I do not take it lightly when a brother tells me I need to do something for God to move in my life. But I do make sure it lines up with God’s Word. It is an honor to be able to encourage another when encouragement is needed and to help with a need when I am able.

The result of being involved in the community of Believers is to be raised up and sit together with Christ someday in heavenly places. Paul writes like it has already happened or will happen soon. He wrote with confidence that those who have truly placed their faith in Him can be confident of spending their future eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ. We must encourage one another with that hope. We must continue to pray one for another with that hope. We must continue to encourage one another with the Word of God as we walk a narrow way into eternity with Him in His eternal kingdom.

 

LEARNING DAILY

2 Kings 4:4, Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors – empty vessels; do not gather just a few.

The weekend’s message was about Elisha helping a widow in a time of need. Her husband had died and the debt he left was about to be met by the creditor taking her two sons. She cried out to the prophet Elisha for help. He asked her what he could do for her, asking what she had in the house. All she had was a jar of oil. His reply was to go to her neighbors and get as many empty vessels as possible. When that was done, he instructed her to go inside and close the door, and pour the oil from her jar into the empty vessels. She did that and God filled all the empty vessels brought to her; when the vessels were full, the oil stopped flowing.

Dr. Ed Newton stated, “God specializes in empty vessels”. The target statement on the Listener Guide was, “The overflow of God’s anointing over your life is determined by what you’re willing to empty from your life”. The church has been involved with a 21-day of fasting, a giving up of something in order to allow God to fill your desire for what was given up with His presence. I have given up my wasted time playing computer solitaire and filled it with time spent doing things centered in God. I honestly can say that I have not missed playing solitaire. I will probably continue this “fast” when the twenty-one days are over as it “is something I am willing to empty in my life to receive more from God’s presence”.

Dr. Newton said, “Sometimes God empties the vessel (one’s life) so that He can pour into it a double portion of ability to experience more of Him in order to do more for Him”. I think I would rather I give up “the stuff’ I fill my life with that is centered around me and that which adds nothing to my walk on the narrow way, than have God begin to remove that “stuff” for me. Think about getting rid of that which occupies your time, that which takes away time with God.

Consider doing what Elisha instructed the woman to do, “Go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons”. Take time to be alone with God to let Him direct you in what you need to get rid of in your life. When we ask and seek Him, He will be found by us and answer our prayers. Is that not His promise in His Word? Sometimes the miracle, the answer we are seeking, and “the filling” with the oil we seek is not for everyone else; it might be just for the one seeking (Dr. Newton).

There is one more key element. As long as there was an empty vessel, the oil flowed. If the oil had continued to flow, it would have fallen on the floor and would have been wasted. I doubt any faithful follower of Jesus Christ will ever become so full of the oil (the Holy Spirit) that the oil stops flowing. With every heart that longs to walk with God, His oil continues to flow. Adam Clarke’s Commentary states, “If we find in any place or at any time the oil ceases to flow, it is because there are no empty vessels, no souls hungering and thirsting for righteousness” (from Matthew 5:6).

Believer, stop filling your vessel with worthless stuff that does nothing for your spiritual walk with the Lord. Instead, allow yourself to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit to guide and sustain you as you walk the narrow way into eternal life in God’s kingdom!

 

LEARNING DAILY

Mark 9:24, Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief!”

Today you need to read the entire passage this verse comes from, Mark 9:14-29. Jesus and a few of His disciples were coming down from the place Jesus had been transfigured. When Jesus came to the disciples and a great multitude, He found them in a discussion about one’s son who had an issue; the disciples could not cast out of the boy, the evil spirit causing the problem. It is obvious that the father was greatly distressed and wanted help. As soon as Jesus appeared, the father went right to Him for a solution that the disciples could not provide. Jesus told the father that his son could be healed if he believes. As you read in the verse above, the father shows his weakness by his statement that he believes; but he puts that belief a long side of his doubt.

Jesus sees the problem right away by the statement He makes, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I be with you? Bring him to me.” In Matthew 17:17, Jesus calls those who were there a, “faithless and perverse generation”. Who knows how many miracles of healing, the casting out of evil spirits that they had seen Jesus do. They had seen the works of God but still did not believe and the indication is He was very disappointed in them. Jesus is telling the disciples that their doubts caused them to be unable to cast out the evil spirit. Could their doubts have been passed on to the father?

The father’s words to Jesus were really a prayer, a simple but really great prayer. It is a prayer that places his dependence totally on Jesus, acknowledging that without Him, he could not believe the way he needed to believe. The father had just a little faith – mustard seed size faith of Matthew 17:20 – and it was enough faith to heal his son.

The disciples came to Jesus later and wanted to know why they could not heal this boy and Jesus told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting”. Spending time in prayer is a very important part of spiritual warfare and is a weapon always available to every Believer. Fasting helps us to get out of our prideful selves and become more dependent on the Lord in every situation. “Pray without ceasing” (Ephesians 6:18) helps us to be ready for each situation we face because it helps us fight spiritual enemies and battles in God’s strength and not on our own. In prayer, we ask God for His strength, His mercy and to ask for whatever we need as we battle spiritual forces. Doing so on our own results in failures.

Nothing is known about the father. What we do know needs to be applied to the life of every Believer. He may not have understood much about the theology of Jesus’ power and authority, but he trusted Jesus, his son was healed. Walking on the narrow way with Jesus is a matter of faith. One showing up to church on Sunday, does not mean one trusts God enough to direct his/her walk the rest of the week. A Believer’s walk can be strengthened, just like the father in this example. It is just about a guarantee in life that there will be times of doubt in a Believer’s walk on the narrow way. What do you do? You put whatever faith you have in the hands of the One who is the true source of your faith. The father did not create greater faith by his own will power or by trusting in His own abilities to change his heart. Instead, he gave his heart to Jesus and asked Him to strengthen the faith he had. The way to strengthen weak or little faith is to fix our eyes on Jesus and remember that when we do, He can take even faith the size of a mustard seed and move mountains.

“Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief!”

 

LEARNING DAILY

Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  Jesus

“Love God. Love people” (Dr. Ed Newton, Lead pastor at Community Bible Church). Jesus’ response to a lawyer’s question is important to understand and follow because it will help Believers to stop following Jesus with their lips and following vain ideas of worship. Once again, a question is asked in hopes it will trip Jesus up. These religious leaders have not a clue that the questions they are asking are being asked of the very Son of God: He was there when the Law was given to Moses. Jesus gives the answer to the question from Deuteronomy 6:5.

Nothing has changed since this interchange between Jesus and the lawyer. God has always wanted His people, those who have given Jesus their lives, to love and follow Him from their heart, with all their mind and every part of their being. That means those who follow Him are all in, totally committed to doing what He desires, totally committed to being obedient. For emphasis, Jesus added that this is greatest and the first Commandment. For emphasis, I write again that putting God above all else is God’s highest priority and He wants nothing to get in the way of this. Each time a Believer does something out of obedience, every time one acts in faith or acts because of their belief in what God’s Word says, it is because he/she has believed this commandment.

Sometimes that might require a public identification with Him even to the point of people resenting our declaration of faith in Him. The love God wants Believers to have for Him is to walk the narrow way regardless of resentment or mocking others may have toward us. It is a dedication to the righteous standards that He has established for His faithful followers regardless of the rejection from those who do not know Him and therefore, do not understand their commitment to Him.

That brings us to the second commandment Jesus spoke of – Love others as you love yourself. It comes from the idea that humans naturally love and care for themselves. Followers of God are to love all people! All people include our enemies, those who will make fun of you for your faith in Jesus Christ. As the days become more and more evil, this is going to play out more and more because Christianity is the enemy of evil. Evil is growing and the love of Believers is going to be tested.

Loving others included loving all Christian brothers and sister as God does. If we love God as we are commanded in the first commandment, we love all people as God does. We are to never compromise what He tells us to do and how to live and how to love in His Word. His love for His followers is unconditional; because of that our love for others must be unconditional, especially other Believers. I have said some unkind things about others and called some people some not so nice names. When I haven’t said it, I’ve thought it. Our governmental leaders have received many of those thoughts and words. I need to stop and spend some time discussing this with my Heavenly Father!

Anyone else need to spend some time with your Heavenly father?

 

LEARNING DAILY

Matthew 15:1-2, Then the scribes and Pharisees who were in Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

Traditions are being broken again! Oh no, the disciples of Jesus did not wash their hands before eating; that’s poor hygiene. Can we all agree that washing your hands before you eat is a good idea and a recommendation we should follow? However, the scribes and Pharisees are not concerned about hygiene; about once again trying to discredit Jesus for not following the rules, man-made rules.

Jesus replied by calling them hypocrites. He said, “You have made the commandments of God of no effect by your tradition”. Jesus went on to quote from Isaiah 29:13. “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching the commandments of men.” God had given these words to Isaiah to the people he faced. Now, Jesus is calling those He faced hypocrites and making it quite clear these words apply to them.

The scribes and the Pharisees put on a great show, appearing to honor God with their words and religious performances. Saying all the right words for people to hear and doing all the right things for people to see without doing it from one’s heart is only a religious performance. It does not honor God. Those who do this today are as much hypocrites today as those Jesus called hypocrites face to face. Look at the last part of the quote from Isaiah. Jesus declares to those hearing Him that their worship is in vain; it is useless and ineffective. Their traditions may show outward appearance of being religious but are only teachings centered on man.

The true and faithful followers of Jesus Christ know that true worship is not a matter of standing or sitting at the right time or saying the right words or singing the right songs. Worship and living the way Jesus demands them to live is about every aspect of their life responding to God the way He desires. It is about obeying the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Word! Walking the narrow way is not about checking off things on a “To Do List of Religious Things” each day. It is not about vain repetitions of meaningless words and repetition of prayers. It is not about making sure God’s Word is read for a length of time each day so one can say the Bible was read. That is the way of the religious leaders of Jesus’ time on earth. Any motive one has that does not come from a living and active faith in Jesus Christ, the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, and the sincere desire to obey and please God is only an outward act of following rules and speaking empty words; “drawing near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me”. It is worshipping the way we want and not the way God has told us to worship Him – in spirit and truth.

God’s faithful followers must not follow the traditions of men instead of Biblical principles of walking with Him on the narrow way into eternal life in His kingdom. What are the Biblical principles to follow? Check out the next page of the blog.

 

LEARNING DAILY

John 5:16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.

Jesus had healed the man who had been by the Pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight years. He happened to heal him on the Sabbath. In healing the man Jesus demonstrates His authority over sickness; this continues to demonstrate His relationship with the Father in heaven. Continue reading in the verses to follow and you will see the Jewish leaders are becoming more and more threatened by Jesus. Jesus is “becoming a greater threat to their position in the community and their ability to lead, influence, and control the Jewish people” (Dr Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg). Lizorkin-Eyzenberg continues, “With His growing threat the Jewish leaders decide they need to do something that will discredit Jesus before He becomes too strong, too dangerous”. Healing on the Sabbath is one excuse they use to discredit Jesus as a legitimate Rabbi because everything He does, does not follow the many rules and traditions the Jewish spiritual leaders have established.

The online Bible reference I like to use, Bible Ref.com, suggests that Jesus has a reason for doing miracles of healing on the Sabbath. He seems to be provoking the Pharisees into examining the hypocrisy of their rules and teachings. When he healed the man on the Sabbath, He broke their rules. Jesus told them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” He is stating that God is working even on the Sabbath and He is doing so as well. Verse 18 states that they sought to kill Jesus because He was implying God was His Father, making Him equal to God. Break the rules and it caused the religious leaders to want to kill Him.

This brings up a question in my mind. How much evidence or proof does a person need to see before they believe something? In this case, how much evidence did these religious leaders need to see before they believed Jesus to be the Son of God? How much evidence do people today need to have when they can visibly see the changes in the life of one who accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The religious leaders show that no matter what proof God provides for them, all they see is someone who does not follow the rules. What was meant to bless someone only caused further blindness in those who did not want to see or accept the knowledge of a blessing.

It is so important that people see the changes the Lord makes in us as we walk with Him. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that His followers are the “light of the world”. He told every follower of His to, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”. Let them glorify your Father not you! As Christians, you are to allow God’s light in you so others may see the reality of Christ in you. Why? The answer seems to me to draw others away from darkness and to the light of Jesus – to be saved and changed. You can’t open the eyes of the blind, like the religious leaders. That is the task of the Holy Spirit who draws people to the Father. Your task is to show the love of Jesus and be ready to give the reason for the hope you have within you. I believe the days are coming when the light in you will draw people to you wanting to know about the light.” Be ready, stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready!’ (Dr. Ed Newton)

 

LEARNING DAILY

John 4:14, “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Jesus

Not long ago, I wrote on John 7:37-38 where Jesus said at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles that anyone who thirsts should come to Him and drink. On a different occasion He spoke to a woman at a well in Samaria, saying the same thing. I use this verse of Scripture to discuss thoughts spoke in Church this weekend. The verse spoken in church was 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [anyone who drinks the water He gives] is a new creation. Old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new” (from the Listener Guide).

 A guest speaker, Pastor Danny Sinqufield, talked about the nature of the Gospel. If it is okay, I want to present the gospel as the living water that cleanses and purifies every Believer, through the Holy Spirit. Pastor Sinqufield said it is important to see that the Gospel includes “whosoever” as written in John 3:16 and elsewhere in Scripture. “It does not matter about your past – everyone is welcome to come to the table and partake of the salvation Jesus offers”; to drink the water He gives! Let me add here, that this water is only given by Jesus. Not one person can obtain this living water in any other way.

He brought out an important thought about the nature of the Gospel – it is relational. This blog has tried to emphasize the importance of developing a relationship with Jesus Christ. By spending time in the Word of God and spending time in prayer one gets to know Him in a personal way, like one gets to know each person he/she wants to know better, to draw closer to. It is trying to please that special person in your life; the only way to do that is to know him/her better.

Hebrews 4: 12 describes the Word as living and powerful. As it is read/studied/meditated on it begins to change the believer into the person Jesus wants them to become. The big word for this is sanctification. It is a process as one walks the narrow way, being obedient to the Word and the Holy Spirit. By accepting the salvation offered by Jesus, one is a “new creation”; “the power of the chains of sin and past sin is broken” (Pastor Sinqufield). He added, “once the goodness of Jesus is tasted, one will not want to go back to being that old self”.

He made one other statement I thought was excellent, “This is no time to play religious games. We must allow Him to transform us to be like Him”. The days are perilous, and evil seems to be growing every day. Deception is all around causing us to find trust difficult when it comes to our leaders and even those close around us. All the warnings and signs the Lord Jesus gave us regarding His return for His faithful followers and His return to establish His kingdom are more and more apparent as they grow in frequency and in intensity. Allow the living water to flow in and through you, transforming you into who God wants you to be! By doing so, we can fulfill the purpose of serving and worshipping Him as He desires.  

 

LEARNING DAILY

Luke 12:15, And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist of the things he possesses”.

A crowd had gathered around Jesus and His disciples. At some point someone in the crowd interrupts Jesus saying He needed to tell the man’s brother to share “the inheritance with him”. Without knowing the real circumstances, it appears this man believed an inheritance has not been divided fairly and he wants Jesus to settle the dispute. Jesus refused to get involved with this matter; settling this sort of thing is not on His agenda.

 What Jesus does do is tell a parable about a rich man who has plenty. In fact, his harvest is so great that he could store it and have plenty for several years. However, the rich man chooses to pull down his barns, build larger and greater ones in order to store more and more grain. The man has a problem with covetousness; he wants more than he needs. It is appropriate to save, Jesus is teaching that it is also appropriate to use the wealth one has for God’s purposes. This man does not mention God at all or using it to help the poor and needy around him. He thinks the wealth he has been given is a reward in itself.

What is Jesus teaching?  Jesus is teaching people should fear God and men are to confess Him before others – this is the most important aspect of life. When the subject of possessions is brought up, He takes advantage of it, telling the crowd that obsession with wealth and possessions is covetousness and they are nothing when compared to the treasures of heaven.

For some reason God has blessed this farmer. It may have been because of the fertility of the land, or perhaps there was just enough rain and sunshine that the crops yielded a great harvest. Jesus did not look upon the results of the harvest in a negative way. Jesus was looking at the attitude of the man’s heart – he valued the wealth gained more than a relationship with God, the Creator of all things. Sadly, the man does not know he will die that night. His wealth will go to another, and the man will have nothing to show in eternity.

John wrote in his first letter a warning about the “pride of life. Be careful of wanting recognition that draws attention to you, without recognizing the One who gives in abundance. Be careful of the desire to gain more and more, beyond what you need or is your due. Be careful of greed that causes you to believe you never have enough. Paul gives warning in Colossians 3:5, “Therefore put to death your members which are on earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry”. Paul is telling the Colossians to put to death their old lives and put on the new lives as they walk on the narrow way into eternal life with God. Believers today must make a clean break with their way of life before they came to know Jesus Christ as Lord in order to live the way He demands as we walk with Him. I wish this was a one-time decision; I have learned it is a decision to be made every day.

Jesus is still reminding us that as Believers our most important task is to be sure our relationship with Him is to be the most important aspect of our daily life. Our hope is not the treasure or abundance we store up in this life; it is the treasure we store up in heaven.

Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

 

LEARNING DAILY

Matthew 11:19, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.

Luke 7:35, But wisdom is proved right by all her children.

The Israelites just did not understand who Jesus was. John wrote that Jesus had made the world, was in the world but His people did not recognize Him (John 1). Matthew and Luke wrote that neither John the Baptist nor Jesus fit their idea, their expectation of how a prophet should look like and act. In Matthew 11:18, Jesus said that people believed John the Baptist was possessed by a demon because of how he dressed, because of what he ate and because he called people to repent of their sins.

Jesus, on the other hand, ate with sinners, attended parties, and evidently would drink some wine. The people did not want to hear the message Jesus brought, so they made up stories, false accusations about Jesus. Notice the things people said about Jesus was just the opposite of what they said about John. Because Jesus did not abstain from wine and did not fast (an accusation made in other Scriptures), He must be a “glutton and a drunkard”. But neither of these accusations were true!

You know the phrase “guilt by association”. Jesus hung out with tax collectors – Matthew, a former tax collector, had been called to be a disciple. Jesus and His disciples often ate in homes of people the religious leaders considered to be sinners. Don’t forget about former prostitutes who were forgiven by Jesus and followed Him. Those religious leaders would have nothing to do with the people Jesus hung out with; they wanted nothing to do with those who needed them the most. Jesus let them know about this whenever He had the opportunity, condemning them for not helping those who were (spiritually) sick. Jesus said it was not the people who were (spiritually) healthy that He came to help. It was the sick who needed the doctor.

 Jesus compared the people of His day to children who are not happy with any game or activity being played. That is what these verses are referring to. People rejected John the Baptist for His lifestyle and rejected Jesus for living His lifestyle. It was a generation of people who lacked consistency in their judgments. It was if they wanted to control what their children did but were not able to do so. They acted like they had the wisdom to judge correctly, but in their attempts to do they failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah they wanted to come so badly. Jesus challenged them saying, “But wisdom is proved right by all her children”. He wanted them to look at what their wisdom was producing – failure to recognize the one who speaks of the coming Messiah and the coming of the Messiah Himself.

Be careful of spiritual pride and arrogance when looking at others. May wisdom produce the right living God desires as we walk the narrow way into His kingdom. May wisdom produce obedience to His word and demonstration of right living to others. May wisdom produce greater light in our lives so we might shine brightly in this evil, dark world each day! May wisdom enable us to be alert and ready when the trumpet sounds that will call us to meet Jesus in the clouds.

 

LEARNING DAILY

John 7:37-38, On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of His heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Jesus is in Jerusalem for the celebration known as the Festival of Tabernacles. This festival was a week-long celebration that was for remembering God taking care of Israel during their time in the wilderness. As part of the festivities the priests would carry water from the Pool of Siloam to the temple altar to reflect God’s provision of water during the time of wandering. On the last day of the festival the priests would then recite Psalm 118:25, “Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity”, as they made seven circuits around the altar (from an online Bible commentary Bible Ref.com). The site goes on to stress the importance of what the priests were doing in understanding what Jesus was saying. Previously, Jesus had said He was the bread of life and all who would believe in Him would never hunger and would never thirst (John 6:35).

The activity of the priests was symbolic of God’s provision. For seven days they looked back on this historic time when God provided for the people of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. It was in this context that Jesus stood on the last day of the festival and proclaimed that He was the true Rock that gives living water to any and all who would believe in Him. He was proclaiming this to anyone who thirsts; these people were spiritually thirsty because they had become so far away from the God who had rescued them from their bondage in Israel and provided for them during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. He may have been speaking to the people of Israel specifically but when He said anyone, He gave the opportunity for both Jews and Gentiles to come to Him and drink. “Jesus quenches every thirst – He is knowledge to the thirsty mind, love to the thirsty heart, peace to thirsty conscience, and holiness to the thirsty spirit (Isaiah 55:1)” (David Jeremiah Study Bible).

What did Jesus mean when He stated living water would flow from those who believe in Him? How does that happen? First, it must be noted that he referred to Scripture as the authority for these words. Scripture is the Word of God and because it is, it is the supreme authority of His life and teaching. Scripture must also be the authority of the Believer’s life; Scripture directs Believers as they walk on the narrow way. Scripture is the standard by which every believer must live their life; it is the authority by which God reveals His truth. Because of this anything said by a person regarding new revelation, doctrine, or any human ideas must be tested against what the Scriptures say. Never place what another person, preacher, teacher, or blogger says or writes in equality to the authority of the Bible!

When a person accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit is given to him/her and that person will experience living waters begin to change their words, their behavior, and even the way he/she thinks. Don’t think this happens overnight – it is a process as one walks the narrow way.

We live in a world where People need to see the people of God live the way He desires. There is a dryness due to sin, evil, deception, anxiety, and depression. There is a need for a source of “living water” to flow in dry places, to give spiritual life that comes only from Jesus. You can be that source by allowing the “living water” to flow from you through your words, your actions, and your way of life. Be “that Bible that others read” by asking the Lord to fill you to overflowing with the water this dry and dying world needs to receive. The invitation is as open and true today as it was when Jesus spoke it to those on the courtyard in Jerusalem. There is life in them that will sustain each Believer as he/she walks the narrow way into eternity with God. Why not bring others with you!

 

LEARNING DAILY

Psalm1:1, How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

Jeremiah 17:7, Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord.

Psalm 33:12, Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen to receive His inheritance.

Psalm 34:8, Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

Matthew 5:3-11, Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn…. Blessed are the meek…. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…. Blessed are the merciful…. Blessed are the pure in heart…. Blessed are the peacemakers…. Blessed are those who are persecuted…. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you….

Revelation 1:3, Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 22:14, Blessed are those who obey His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates of the city.

Did you see the key word in these verses? Yes, it is blessed. I looked the word up to see how many times “Blessed” is used in the Bible – 356 time and the word “blessing” is used around 67 times. To be blessed means someone who received “good words”; they are in a sense fortunate to do so and are joyful and happy. The Psalms speak often of being happy and joyful because of doing or not doing something. The New Testament blessings refer to being on the receiving end of favor because of their relationship to God.

The Beatitudes describe the inner workings or qualities of a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. They describe a spiritual well-being that comes from a contentment that is not shaken when faced with difficulties that come such as poverty, famine, wars and rumors of wars, trials and tragedies. Look at the beatitude closely and they are not what any of us consider parts of life that make us happy; the true blessing is that the Lord is with us as we go through these situations. His presence with us helps us face these difficulties and that blesses us.

Because the Lord Jesus died for us, we have accepted His offer of salvation through His death, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Psalm 32:1-2 tells us we are blessed because our sins are forgiven and will not be counted against us. James 1:2 tells us we are blessed when we persevere under the testing that comes our way.; in fact, James continues that because we persevere, we will receive a crown of life promised by Jesus to those who love Him. Romans 8:35-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God!

Being blessed is knowing we are well off in our spiritual relationship with the Lord! Being blessed comes from an uninterrupted fellowship with Him through those spiritual disciplines of being in God’s word, prayer and times of fasting. Being blessed is knowing the presence of God in our life as we walk on the narrow way now and as we walk through the gate into his eternal kingdom.

“It is well, it is well, it is well with my soul!”

 

LEARNING DAILY

Matthew 6;6 “But when you pray, go into your secret room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your father who sees in secret will reward you.”  Jesus

The church services have been going along very well and I have been learning a lot! But this past weekend Pastor had to preach a sermon that I knew was coming. Yes, he had to begin the new year with a message about discipline. Let me write this – I feel it is okay for me to write in the blog about discipline for you to read about. However, when I listen to the message about discipline in my life, it is different! All kidding aside, the word discipline can have a negative vibe to it because it can suggest rules to follow. In the Bible, the Pharisees had a lot of rules the people had to follow in order to get into heaven. Their rules placed a heavy burden on the people. Here was the target statement for the message this weekend; Spiritual disciplines don’t add burdens; they lift them. Pastor talked about several disciplines that I often mention in the blog – reading/studying/meditating on God’s Word and prayer – and he also included fasting. I want to summarize his thoughts about each and hope you consider making these disciplines a part of your daily walk on the narrow way.

He mentioned three Greek words for the Word of God. Graphe means the written word.; there is power in the written Word of God. Logos means the spoken word; there is power when the Word of God is spoken. Rhema means God’s word applied; when we face temptation and trials, we need to use Scripture to come against these things as Jesus did. I have heard people say that the Lord does not speak to them; The Bible is God’s Words to His people. Hebrews 4:12 tells us “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,” which tells us God speaks to us from His word (listener Guide). Pastor said that “we cannot make the Bible say what we want it to say; we must use other verses to help us understand or interpret what it is saying”. When we read the Bible, we must never take a verse an apply it without looking at the context of the passage or what other verses of scripture say about the subject matter. It is important to ask the Holy Spirit to open our minds to teach and help us understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45) and to help us walk in the Truth of what it says (Psalm 86:11) (from the Listener Guide). Pastor Newton said an important statement about reading God’s Word, “If we say we love God, we must value what He says”! In other words, READ/STUDY/ MEDITATE on the Bible!

Prayer goes hand in hand with Reading the word of God. Believers are not to pray so others can see how great a Christian you are; find a place you can be alone with God. Take your Bible with you. When you pray give God adoration when you begin – God is your heavenly Father and His name is to be hallowed or sanctified (Matthew 6:9). Ask Him to search your heart and thoughts to see if there is anything that grieves Him and then confess it (Psalm 139:23-24). Pastor commented that as Believers, we need to be different in how we live our lives.  Then before we ask Him to do anything be thankful for what He has already done in our life (Psalm 103:2). Last, we begin to ask for our needs and the needs of others (Matthew 7:7).  Know that God desires for you to come into His presence just as you are and commune with Him and He with you! Do not take this discipline lightly!

The last spiritual discipline he talked about is one I must take more seriously – fasting. Jesus said in Matthew 6:16, “when you fast”. Notice the word “when”; He did not say “if”. Fasting is “giving up something good for something greater” (Listener Guide). At this time of the year, pastor suggests each person to consider fasting for twenty-one days. He suggests we give up something important to us in order to draw closer to the Lord. When the craving for that food or drink item or a particular distraction you have given up happens, the idea is to draw close to the Lord and give Him that time. It is a time of spiritual renewal, a time for a specific spiritual purpose, a time when believing for a victory, a breakthrough, a revival, a miracle, for wisdom or for spiritual success (from the Listener Guide).  

My hope in participating in these spiritual disciplines is to draw closer to the Lord as I walk on the narrow way into His eternal kingdom. I’ll let you know from time to time how I’m doing!

 

LEARNING DAILY

John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  John the Baptist

John came to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus. The angel told his father, Zacarias, that he would have a son who would be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb and would be great in the sight of the Lord. Read about this in Luke 1. The gospel of John explains John’s mission was to be a witness of the Light that would come and people would believe through Him. John the Baptist made it clear that he was not this light. He did identify Jesus as the Messiah and did baptize Him in water.  John the Baptist preached one message – repentance – and his one purpose was to bear witness to the true identity of Jesus.

Eventually John made the statement, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. As time went on, more people began to follow Jesus than John; that was not a problem for him. His message, his preaching was to encourage others to follow Him. When this started to happen, John was filled with joy. Both John and those who followed him had to come to the realization that the promised Messiah had come into the world and He needed to be followed. This is what amazes and encourages me. John had a following but he resisted the temptation to disregard the revelation about the Lord Jesus and keep his followers. He could have downplayed who Jesus was in order to build on his own reputation to keep his followers. But instead, he chose to decrease in importance. John declared the truth about Jesus. His disciples had to hear and believe in their hearts that Jesus was the Light, the Messiah John had preached about. People needed to follow the Messiah and not John; he knew people could not follow them both.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this statement by John. There are those who try to hold on to their positions or roles; they spend too much time trying to protect their position in life. John shows a gracious or tactful way to step aside in order to allow others to fulfill the roles God has for them to fulfill. I was pretty impressed when the founding pastor of the church we attend retired after twenty-five years as the lead pastor. He cited Numbers 8:24-26 that states a Levite should retire after twenty-five years of service and allow others to serve. It is amazing to have watched how the one replacing him has been able to build on the foundation established.

John the Baptist has been given as an example for people to get out of the way and allow God to accomplish His will. When that happens, it is amazing to see what is accomplished. It is the proud who do not accept this, trying to help God and in the end actually work against Him. James 4:6 tells us, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”.  When Jesus is given the right place in the lives of Believers, they can be sure that they are in His will and serving where and how He desires. Is not the point of ministry helping others to come to the saving grace offered through Jesus Christ and then helping people to walk on the narrow way as they grow and mature into who He wants them to be?

My prayer is that each of us would be less concerned about ourselves and become concerned with exalting the name of Jesus in the days ahead.

 

LEARNING DAILY

Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

So often I write this blog as a reaction to something I hear or read, about something that catches my attention. Just before writing this morning, I was browsing the news headlines and saw an article that was titled 15 Reasons people are Turning Away From Religion. The list included science/skepticism, individualism over institutional religion, rigidity issues, diverse spiritual options, freedom in spiritual exploration, scandals and broken trusts, free flowing information, negative experiences with religion, focus on individualism (self), rise of atheism/agnosticism, changing morality, inclusivity, a secular society, and busy lifestyles. Whew! That is quite the list.

Here is what I read as I read that list. “Did God really say….?” I read these and remember what God commanded the Israelites to do when they entered the Promised Land – destroy all those who live there so you are not influenced by their pagan, ungodly beliefs and way of life. I read choices involving self being made over following the priorities of God. I read the choice of walking on the broad way instead of choosing to walk on the narrow way. I “hear” those mocking the increasing the return on the Lord Jesus Christ because He has not done so – yet.

The deceiver, the liar, the devil is certainly at work in the world today. I have written often about the deception of the last days and Timothy’s description of the “perilous times coming in the last days”; those days have certainly come upon us. Review the list above and see how self-centeredness is at the center of almost every item. The individual’s priorities have become more important than God’s. People are going to do what they want, when they want even if it means putting the Creator of all things, the One who is sitting on the throne of heaven at the end of their “To Do” list. People choose to follow any whim that comes around that makes them “feel good” and helps them “justify” their beliefs regardless of how far it takes them from following God.

When Jesus walked the earth with His disciples He encouraged (Perhaps it was an admonishment!) them to watch, be alert, and be ready for His return. That encouragement is even more important as time goes on, as the time for His return for His Church is drawing closer. I have just written about our priorities; I am so impressed to once again encourage you to make sure your priorities center around walking the narrow way into God’s kingdom. Read and remember this: The kingdom of God is a way of life right now! It is not something we do once we get to heaven. Yes, some consider walking the narrow way to be a “rigid’ way of life. By following it the only thing a person misses out on is sin. You might want to meditate on that thought. Go back the list and notice how many items are about fulfilling the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Instead of focusing on one’s self, walking with Jesus becomes about the needs of others, loving and praying for others, and spending time reading/studying/meditating on God’s Word and being obedient to it.

I often pray the words found in The Revelation 22:20, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” My desire is that the Lord Jesus comes soon and takes His Church out of this world. I pray that the last person to be written in His Book of Life says “yes” to His offer of salvation. I also know far too many people are walking with the ideas in this list - turning away from God. God’s priority is that all would be saved and walk a narrow way. Believers must continue to pray for the lost to be saved and still be alert and listening for that trumpet to sound that will call us to be with Jesus!

 LEARNING DAILY

Haggai 1:5-7, Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts; “Consider your ways! You eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.: Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!” (Darkened words are my emphasis.)

The Israelite people were returning from their time of captivity in Babylon. They had been busy clearing the land where the destroyed temple had been and had completed the foundation for the second temple in Jerusalem when their neighbors, the Samaritans and others who had moved onto their land in their absence saw what they were doing and began to be very aggressive in getting the Israelites to stop. Those opposing the work were successful and the rebuilding of the temple was stopped. The Israelites then turned to building their own houses; in this process they stopped seeking the Lord and did what only pleased themselves. This is paraphrased from the introduction to the book of Haggai in the David Jeremiah Study Bible.

The efforts of the people to rebuild their houses left the temple, God’s house, unbuilt. None of the efforts of the people to please themselves succeeded; their efforts only caused their vision of God to be unclear and they suffered in all areas of their lives. Read the verses above again and now notice that their lives became focusses on more, their work, their effort resulting in “not enough”. It is necessary to know that this message was not just for the leaders. It was for all the people. Haggai accused the people of being indifferent and neglecting God in order to indulge themselves by putting their priorities before God.

Another term for this is being apathetic. The dictionary would define apathy as a lack of feeling or emotion; a lack of interest or concern, indifferent. It is a sense of one not caring; in this case it is simply putting one’s interests ahead of God’s. Author, Tim Keller states, “The greatest threat to the church today is apathy from within”. The Bible tells us that when we received Jesus Christ as our Savior and then He becomes the Lord of our life we receive everything we need to live the life God wants us to live (read 2 Peter 1:3-8). It becomes the Believer’s choice whether or not he/she will use the tools God gives us at our salvation to grow in, Him and to place His priorities before our own.

Haggai certainly speaks to each Believer today: what happens in their heart affects every aspect of life. The people of Israel became selfish and the result was the loss of God’s blessings. He told them to reflect on the consequences of not doing what God had instructed them to do and to reconsider the priorities. “Consider your ways!” Haggai wrote.

The word from Haggai certainly is important today. Matthew wrote it differently in Matthew 6:31-34, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘what shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

“Consider your ways! As we begin 2024, perhaps each Believer might consider their own priorities and see if they are being thought as more important than God’s priorities. God’s priorities are for each Believer to seek Him and His righteousness before everything else. Believers must diligently seek to have the rule and power of God demonstrated in their lives (a note I have written in my Study Bible). God’s presence, power, and provision are always available when He is the priority of Believers (David Jeremiah Study Bible).

Let me write the rest of the story. The people heard and considered what the prophet said. They feared God, responded tohis appeal, and went to work on completing the temple. When they began to fear God, He was with them.

 

LEARNING DAILY

Mark 4:9, And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let them hear!”

Jessus said these words six times in the four gospels and said it to each of the seven churches in the book of The Revelation. Interesting, right!? If He said this so often, we better understand what He meant by the phrase. It is also interesting to me that He said these words at the end of a parable or a difficult saying. Jesus is saying to listen carefully to what is being said; then process the words or analyze what has been said.

Everyone has ears so everyone of all ages, ethnicity, language, status – everyone who hears His words – needs to process what the words mean. It does not exclude those with hearing impairment, the deaf or the those of young age. However, there is a difference between those who have ears and ‘having ears to hear”. There are those who “accept” the words of Jesus and those who don’t. Those who don’t may accept them at a different time, but for the moment they may choose not to hear what Jesus (or His Word) has to say about salvation or some other topic. There are those who want nothing to do with the gospel message at a given time who may later decide to hear what it is all about.

In the Parable of the Sower Jesus explains that His words will pass right on through some because they do not allow the words to take root in their lives. Others allow deception and lack of understanding to choke out the words, so they lose their effect on the lives of the hearers. Still others allow the cares of the world – wealth, careers, prestige – to overcome the words of truth. Others hear the words of truth, of life and accept them allowing them to change and transform their lives.

In Mark 4:24-25, Jesus has another warning about what we hear. He speaks about the size of the measure or the container we use to determine how much truth we want to hear and accept. This is important to get ahold of. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, a Hebrew scholar, has written about this verse, “To hear means to obey; to obey is to overcome”. David Jeremiah writes in his Study Bible, “Those who apply Jesus’ words to their lives are given more spiritual truth, making their lives richer. Those who do nothing with His words, lose what little spiritual understanding they already possess (Galatians 6:7-7)”.

This tells me that each Believer chooses to decide how much of the words of Jesus they hear (through personal Bible reading/study/meditation, through Biblical based sermons for example) and how much he/she is going to accept. The more one comes to know and accept the words of truth and of Jesus, the more that person is going to grow and mature spiritually.

Each believer needs to take an honest look at their spiritual growth to see if there is anything that is stopping them from hearing and doing the words of Jesus and the truth of His Word. Who has been given “ears to hear”? All have. The words of Jesus to His original audience ring true for each of us today. Listen and pay close attention to what He has said. Use your eyes to see, your ears to hear and walk on the narrow way He demands to enter eternal life in His kingdom. Jesus told this way would not always be the easiest or fun way, but it is the best way. Seeking God’s truth takes time and energy; it demands that you focus on doing so. It is not always convenient in our busy schedules. It also takes a willingness to change the things we are doing.

Are you ready to accept the challenge to have ears to hear?