Tag Archives: Knowing God

What is God revealing?

 

Revealing Hidden Things

As stated last week, secret things belong to God.  Revealed things, however, belong to us and to our children so that we may follow God’s law.  They are truths which God has communicated through the Bible and His Holy Spirit. These also include those things revealed through the whole counsel of God.

This truth, found in Deuteronomy 29:29, falls in the fourth address to the children of Israel by Moses.  It is a summary of the covenant demands and an appeal for covenant obedience (Deut. 29:2-29).

For the Israelites, the secret things of the LORD probably referred to future details that God had not revealed to Moses.  Yet what He had revealed (e.g., future judgment for disobedience, future blessing for obedience, His requirement for holiness, etc.) was enough to encourage the Israelites to follow all the words of the Law.[1]  

Is God’s revealed truth enough to encourage 21st century believers to trust and obey the LORD?  To answer this question, let’s consider four (4) tenets of faith currently revealed by God in His Word and through His Spirit.

These are not meant to be exhaustive, but have proven to anchor one’s faith during tumultuous times (Heb. 6:19).  As we look at our current world situation, it is easy to become weary.  Hopefully, these revealed truths will encourage us not to “lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:16-17).

What has God revealed?

Our Knowledge of Him (2 Pet. 1:3-5).  Jesus came not only to acquire our salvation but to also manifest (reveal) the Father’s name (nature) to His children (John 17:6; 26).  Armed with that knowledge, we believers have access to divine power and precious promises.  God has also provided us with spiritual wisdom and insight through His Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

Our Identity (Eph. 1:3-4). Identity is defined as the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognized or known.   God chose us to be adopted as sons, heirs and joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).  Our identity also connects us with other believers in God’s universal Church.  Because of our identity we have access to everything we need to accomplish God’s purpose for our life and His kingdom. (Eph. 2:10)

 Our Salvation (2 Cor. 5:17).  We are new creatures in Christ.  Because of Christ’s substitutional death on the Cross, we have been set free from the penalty and power of sin in our life.  This freedom will be fully experienced once in heaven where we will be delivered from the presence of sin (Rev. 21:4).

Our Hope (Rom. 4:18-21).  Hope is simply defined as the expectation of future good.   “Biblical hope is the anticipation of a favorable outcome under God’s guidance. More specifically, hope is the confidence that what God has done for us in the past guarantees our participation in what God will do in the future. This contrasts to the world’s definition of hope as a feeling that what is wanted will happen.”[2]

What keeps us from trusting what God has revealed?

One reason we may not trust what God is revealing is because we fail to recognize it.   In the 2020 Barna study, Signs of Decline & Hope Among Key Metrics of Faith”, it is noted that there are fewer “faith engagements” occurring among both believers and non-believers.  These include Bible reading, prayer, and church attendance.  These activities are critical to gaining an understanding of what God has revealed in the past and what God is revealing in the present.

The U.S. population is undergoing major religious, social, demographic and digital change. The rise of digital life, including social media, the economic crisis, changing attitudes about social issues and the emergence of younger generations on the scene are some of the factors that are likely to form undercurrents recalibrating Americans’ connection to faith and to Christianity.

Another reason we may not trust what God is revealing is because we choose not to believe.  One’s disbelief may be tied to the feeling that religion and the Bible are no longer relevant to 21st century living.  Such beliefs are not new.  The Apostle Paul warned the young minister Timothy that the time would come when people would not endure sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3-5).   People are choosing other forms of spirituality that “better accommodate” their chosen life style and worldview.

Finally, we may not trust what God is revealing because we choose not to obey God.  Have you ever noticed that when a person is auguring over a specific teaching from the Bible, it is often connected to a personal obedience challenge they are facing in their life?  Obedience is more than just following the letter of the law.  It is discerning what God would want and then seeking that outcome.

So where do we go from here?

As we discover things revealed (and the list is infinite), we gain access the very mind of God (Rom. 11:33-36).  Things revealed may be answers to those persistent questions concerning God’s purpose for our life.  Our receptivity to things revealed may be our entry to God’s power, presence, and provision.

Our life and the current challenges of 21st century living may seem impossible, but with God’s grace and favor, nothing is impossible.   In the midst of this health pandemic, strained human rights, and cries for human justice, we need only to seek Him in the things revealed.

[1]  The Bible Knowledge Commentary , Old Testament

[2]  Holman Bible Dictionary

The foolish message of the Cross?

 

The foolish message of the Cross

Am I foolish?

Have you ever been accused of being foolish?  I remember as a child when I would do something that rejected what I knew was the right action, my mother would ask me, “why would you be so foolish?”  It was my mother’s responsibility to correct and redirect me, especially if my choices were leading me in the wrong direction.  That was the Apostle Paul’s intent when he pinned 1 Corinthians 1:18.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

My paraphrase is this:

Unbelievers think that the belief that Jesus Christ died and rose again is stupid and irrational.  But to us, who are believers and followers of Christ, it shows the awesome power of God.

The definition of foolish is to lack good sense or judgmentIt is something that is unwise. My question to you is this.  Is the message of the Cross foolishness?

What is the Message of the Cross?

As we read our bibles, it’s important to know that in most contexts, the “message of the Cross” is the same as “the gospel”.  Last week, I shared a description of the gospel message.

We believe Christ has paid the price and penalty for our sins.  Jesus was crucified, dead and buried.  He rose from the grave victorious over sin and death.  Jesus the Christ is now ascended to heaven and sits exalted at the right hand of God the Father.  We too have been raised with Him and will spend eternity with Him. 

Do we really understand what the gospel message means?  If we relate to it only on Easter/Resurrection Sunday, we are missing “the power” of the Cross.  It is more than a story about a piece of wood on which Christ was crucified.  It is the power to save (Rom. 1:16).   In addition, it represents the power behind the Cross, God Himself.

Why is the message seen as foolishness?

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth responds to several doctrinal questions about their new faith.  In 1 Cor. 1:18-2:5, he takes time to address what the Cross (the gospel message) means.

Christ’s resurrection is the demonstration of God’s power and wisdom.  This power is revealed in His victory over both sin and death.  His wisdom is seen in His eternal plan of redemption for lost man.

Who considers the message of the Cross as foolishness in the 21st century?  Those “who are perishing”.  These are individuals who seek pleasure in the things of this world versus the things of God.  The current worldview is grounded in the message of self:  self-indulgence and self-gratification.  Media and marketing entice them to satisfy (versus abstain from) their fleshly lusts (1 John 2:16,17).  These individuals are unwilling to give up lifestyles and habits that conflict with living a Christ-centered life.

At the heart of this disbelief is Satan.  He blinds people from seeing the glorious blessings and promises available to them through the Cross (2 Cor. 4:3,4).  Furthermore, without the presence of the Holy Spirit, unbelievers are unable to understand the truth revealed in the message (1 Cor. 2:14-16).

Without Jesus, unbelievers remain in their sin and spiritual blindness.  However, their disbelief does not nullify the reality and the truth of the Cross (The Gospel).   The message of the Cross silences Satan.

The believer’s view of the message

Belief in the message begins at the Cross (Eph. 1:11-13).  We are those “who are being saved”.  The verb “saved” is in the present passive tense, which means this.

“Present” means that the work of salvation is continuous.  We were initially saved when we first accepted Jesus as our Savior.  We are now being saved as we daily walk in submission to the Holy Spirit.  This enables us to resist sin’s presence as we live in our fleshly bodies.  As we do this, we become conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).  We will celebrate our glorified salvation when we transition to heaven.

“Passive” means that we are recipients (versus participants) of the work of salvation.  This “heavy lifting” is accomplished only by the Triune God—God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.   “To us who are being saved it (the Cross-the message of the Cross-the Gospel) is the power of God to them that believe.”

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17).  Our focus shifts from what we want, to what God wants (1 Pet. 4:1,2).  We live “in the presence of, under the authority of, and to the honor and glory of God.”

Moving forward

It is the gospel message, the message of the Cross, that gives us both confidence and boldness, to operate in this fallen world.  When we are challenged for our beliefs, we know who we are and whose we are (Rom. 8:16-17).  “We are a chosen people. We are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, we can show others the goodness of God, for he called us out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Pet. 2:9, NLT).

Whenever I read 1 Corinthians 1:18, my mind returns to my mother’s chastisement and her intent to guide me in the “right direction”.  It reminds me that I must continuously remember my identity in the message of the Cross (Rom. 10:9-11).

Though opposed by the current worldview, I will choose to follow Jesus Christ.  I am ready to share the reason for my hope (1 Pet. 3:15).   I will witness to the power and reality of the message of the Cross.  Christ crucified, died, but now alive and ascended in victory.  That’s not foolishness, it’s a fact.

What does the Cross mean to Me?

 

What does the Cross mean to Me?

A time for reflection

The week before Easter is designated as Holy Week.  We join Jesus as He journeys to the Cross.  We experience His “human nature”, up close and personal.  The Gospel writers invite us to listen in on the conversations and vicariously join the activities that will ultimately end on Good Friday on a cross.

Hopefully this week, we will engage in activities that expand our understanding of the sacrifice and suffering that Jesus experienced (Is. 53:5).  It is also a time in which we can examine our obedience in following God’s will. Are we willing to sacrifice our life on the cross that lay before us?  What does the Cross mean to me?

The Cross and I

What does the Cross mean to me?  Is it an object on which Christ was crucified? Or is it a piece of jewelry that you wear? Our view of the Cross is critical in that it establishes the basis of our Christian belief and personal walk of faith.

In the routine of daily living, we often forget Christ’s work of grace on the Cross.  Unfortunately, some believers are only superficially drawn to the Cross.  We give attention to it only during the sacrament of communion or at Easter.  It is critical that we clearly define the Cross’ significance so that we might re-engage its purpose and power in our life.

At the Cross

Christian doctrine is founded on “the Cross.”  Our belief about sin and salvation begin and end at the Cross (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).  Our identity as children and heirs of God are established by our knowledge of what Christ accomplished on the Cross (Eph. 1:7; Rom. 8:17).

To Jesus Christ, the Cross signified lordship and commitment to Him.  He told those who would follow Him that unless they were willing to bear His cross, they could not be His disciple (Luke 14:27). Christ has not altered His requirement for discipleship in the twenty-first century. The Cross demands commitment. 

To Paul and other New Testament writers, the Cross represented the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ.  This gospel was to be clearly articulated to those identified in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).  Jesus Christ died for sin, He rose from the dead, and “whosoever believeth in Him” shall have everlasting life.  The gospel message remains the same in the twenty-first century.  The Cross is salvation.     

To Christians, the Cross recounts God’s extraordinary act of love.  “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).  George Matherson penned in his hymn these words:

O Love that will not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.

God’s plan of salvation did not come as an “after thought” but was formed in eternity (Eph. 1:4-7).  Before the Fall, God set in motion His plan of salvation to return beloved man to Himself.   

Return to the Cross

Jesus was the decided Victor on Resurrection Sunday.  He disarmed and shamed Satan by His victory over death and over sin (Heb. 2:14-17).  Knowledge of this strengthens our faith and confidence in Him.

As believers in Christ, let us reverence the Cross, not as a material object seen in isolation, but as the instrument of Christ’s triumph and love (Col. 2:13-15).

Return to the Cross and Christ’s life-transforming love.  Re-discover its power that will never pass away.

Jesus, keep me near the cross

There’s a precious fountain

Free to all a healing stream

Flows from Calvary’s mountain

In the Cross,

In the Cross,

Be my glory ever,

‘Til my raptured soul shall find

Rest beyond the river.

Have a blessed Easter.  Hallelujah, He is Risen!

Listening Prayer: Engaging in a Prayer-filled Life

Listening Prayer: Engagaing in a Prayer-Filled Life

The Needful Thing

Last week, we discussed the prayer-filled, contemplative life.  The contemplative life acknowledges the importance of a personal relationship with God and the intimacy gained through focused attention on Him.  Fulfillment of this life involves both love for God and the desire to be in His presence continually.

For many believers, such a pursuit necessitates a return to our First Love (Rev. 2:4) and the desire for “the needful thing” (Luke 10:42).  Both can only be found in fellowship with Infinite God.  So today we will spend time looking at a key practice in the prayer-filled life—listening prayer.

Listening Prayer

Listening prayer is about joining with God at the “heart”.   By heart, I’m not speaking about the emotions only, but that “intuitive part” which instructs the mind and the will.  It is a place of union with God.

In listening prayer, we exchange our “intermittent” requests for “continuous” dialogue with the all wise, all-powerful God. Through the eyes and the ears of the heart we see and “hear” God—who He is and how He operates.

Listening prayer was a new experience for me.  I admit my prayer life was one-sided—asking, seeking, and knocking (Matt. 7:7).  I invested much time in learning what I thought was the “right way” to pray.  I followed the PAPA prayer formula.  I prayed the Scriptures.  I employed the ACTS model (adoration-confession-thanksgiving-supplications).  While I wanted to better communicate with God, I failed to realize what God wanted.  God was not concerned with “correct communications” but God did desire “attentive conversation” with me.

Barriers to Listening Prayer

Hindrances to listening prayer are generally found in two areas:  the desire for an “experience” versus the “presence” of God and the modern split between “head and heart” knowledge of God.

In our society, we are accustomed to being “stimulated” by what we are doing. Unfortunately, that is how we judge whether something has really happened.  We expect to hear God speak in a loud, audible voice.  That is not necessarily how God may choose to communicate.  Remember Elijah (1 Kings 19:11-12).

Most Christians today suffer to one extent or another from “post-enlightenment” mindset—the split between thought and experience.  This split in most Christians is characterized by an acceptance of their conceptual knowledge about God as reality while they simultaneously deny the primary ways of knowing, loving, and walking with God. This is more intuitive than rational. As a result of this split, even committed Christians, do not believe in Christ’s real presence with and within them.[1]

We must be careful to guard against these hinderances to true intimacy with God.

Where to begin?

How do we begin to incorporate listening prayer into our life?

First, we must believe that God desires to communicate with us (Gen. 35:13).  God is not some distant deity disinterested in His children.  We cry “Abba Father” (Gal. 4:6) knowing He hears our every word.  `

Secondly, we must know that God wishes to be in relationship with you (James 4:8a).  By instituting His plan of salvation, He created the means to restore that which was loss in the Garden of Eden—fellowship with mankind.

Thirdly, we must declare our intentions and ask to hear His voice. Hearing God is not natural (remember we loss that in the Garden), so we must be intentional (Matt. 11:15).  Initially, we may need to set aside time, to listen for His voice, perhaps during our morning or evening devotional time.

Finally, we must invite God into time with us and expect to hear (1 John 5:14).  We may receive a fleeting impression, an image, even a scripture or a song.  Don’t ignore it!  Write it down, then ask God to explain what we experienced.  This is where our journal comes in handy.

Time to begin!

Listening prayer is not a method, but a walk with God where we intentionally listen for His voice.  It’s more than “doing”, it is about “being” aware of His presence.   Listening prayer is about inviting God into the daily rhythm of our life knowing that He speaks to us continuously.  It is an exciting time of fellowship and discovery.  It is what God has always wanted.

[1] Listening Prayer:  Learning to Hear God’s Voice and Keep a Prayer Journal, Leanne Payne

 

 

Desperately Seeking God: A Prayer-filled Life

 

Desperately Seeking God

“Desperately seeking God”

What would we think if we saw this request in the personal column of our local paper?  Desperately seeking God for ___.   We can fill in the blank with those things that reflect the needs of the human heart—financial security or emotional wholeness, food and lodging or creature comforts, our daily bread or deliverance from evil.

All these qualify as valid requests we can make known to God (Phil. 4:6).  Today, however, we are invited to move from our “needs-based” method of prayer to a more robust and satisfying “prayer-filled life” that will lead to greater intimacy with God (James 4:8).  What exactly is the prayer-filled life?

The Contemplative Tradition and the Prayer-filled Life

In Streams of Living Water by Richard Foster, the prayer-filled life is called the Contemplative Tradition.  Foster describes it as “a life of loving attention to God.”  Imagine, “loving attention to God.”

It includes not only the activity of prayer but also periods of solitude and meditation in which the presence and fellowship with the Lord is nurtured.

It can be likened to the Lord’s encouragement to His disciples to “abide” in Him (John 15: 4, 8).  Jesus describes His intimacy with the Father through the image of the “vine and the husbandman”.  It was through Jesus’ union with His Father that He was able to do all things (John 5:30).  Jesus desperately sought God.

Practicing the Presence and the Prayer-filled Life

Father Lawrence described the prayer-filled life in Practicing the Presence of God.  “Practicing” is the recognition of God intimately present with us and addressing ourselves to Him every moment.

Prayer is considered “divine conversation” that occurs throughout the day—not exercised as an isolated activity or relegated to a specific place.  Prayer is continuous and never ceases (1 Thess. 5:17).   Father Lawrence desperately sought God.

David and the Prayer-filled Life

David serves as our biblical example of one who sought the prayer-filled life.  Throughout the Psalms we can experience the passion and appreciation David had for his private time with the God of Creation (Psalm 19).

As a shepherd boy, he experienced extended periods of solitude and fellowship with the Great Shepherd (Psalm 23).  In the wilderness of Judah, David’s soul “thirsted” for the Lord and longed for the time he could return to the Temple to reunite with Him (Psalm 63).   David desperately sought God.

Which description is right?

Descriptions of the prayer-filled life differ in method and experience.  “Loving attention to God”. “Divine Conversation”. “The soul’s thirst for the Lord”.

However, what these descriptions do have in common is the results—greater intimacy with the Lord.  This is the offer of a prayer-filled life; one that is more relational and less transactional.

Unfortunately, the distractions of this life, our weakened flesh, and the deceitfulness of Satan continually draw us away from a prayer-filled life.  Left unchanged, we will continue our intermittent prayer routine while Jesus invites us to return to our First Love (Rev. 2:4).

Psalm 42:1-3a offers an excellent illustration of what the prayer-filled life looks like.

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night.” 

Let us learn from the deer and seek God. It is in pursuing and lingering in God’s presence that the prayer-filled life is experienced. It is in Him, that our desperate seeking ends.

A New Thing for 2022

Is it time to do a new thing?  Can we maintain status quo in the wake of the coronavirus, a shrinking economy, and social unrest?   These realities have changed each of our lives.  This new normal appears to be here for the long haul dictating our daily routine and our future plans.    Is it time to change?

It is human nature to resist change.  Change is hard especially if it is the result of something we had no say in.  As we attempt to move to some sense of normalcy in this nation, we are being asked to do something new.

“Hell no!  We won’t go!”

Local and state mandates have been issued in order to guard public health.  These instructions are not only being challenged but most often totally disregarded.  This is especially true among our young people.  I wonder who they learned that from.  Even when we’re told lives can be saved and the economy restored, we refuse to change.   Is it time to do a new thing?

From the hallways of our state Capitols to local school board meetings, resistance is seen as a rallying cry and badge of honor.  But is it?  Or is it really evidence of our inability to accept change?  Is resistance to exercising safe distance, wearing masks, and avoiding large crowds symptomatic of our unwillingness to do a new thing?   

God’s “new thing”

In the Old Testament, the use of “new thing” is cited in only three (3) texts:  Isaiah 43:19, Numbers 16:30, and Jeremiah 31:22.  Here they describe situations where God’s greatness and sovereignty is on display.  God invites man to join Him in accomplishing His divine purpose.

I will not conclude that the challenges we face are part of God’s divine purpose.  I do believe, however, that God throughout man’s history continually exercises His sovereignty and His authority.  This time in history, 2020, was viewed long before today.  God saw it from eternity (Is. 46:9-10).  Pandemics, politics, and problems in this world never catch God by surprise.

In the New Testament this concept of a “new thing” was manifested in the fulfillment of the Messiah who came to save us and to restore man to God’s original purpose. God was unable to fulfill His purpose through families, tribes or kings; through prophets, mediators or priests.  God brought salvation to earth through Jesus Christ—“God’s new thing”.

God’s new thing resulted in:

  •     The Kingdom of God coming to earth. (Matt. 4:17)
  •     Mercy, grace, and truth. (Ps. 85:10)
  •     Man becoming a “new creation”.  (2 Cor. 5:17)
  •     Freedom from the penalty and power of sin.  (Rom. 8:1)

God’s new things always result in our good and His glory.   As we seek stability during these tumultuous times, know that God is more than able to sustain and keep us (Ps. 46:1-3; 7-10).

Things are changing

As we move through the challenges we face as a nation, know that God is still doing new things.  The world we knew a year ago has changed.  The life we cherished 6 months ago will never return.  Our reality this week may be different than it was last week.  Things are changing.  How can we prepare for change—the new thing?

  • Trust God—believe in His ability and willingness to guide us to a new thing.
  • Position yourself to hear God—pray and read His Word.
  • Look for areas needing change in your life—be honest.
  • Identify and confess sin in your life—what’s interfering with God’s new thing?
But God

God is the key to change.  Most importantly, God can do a “new thing” even in the midst of change.  This includes COVID-19, financial downturns, and social injustices.  He invites us to join Him as we do a “new thing.”  When we trust God with our life, we can look forward with purpose and not fear (Jer. 29:11).

What I Learned in 2021

Where to Begin

In past years when I did this exercise, I would go to several sources for input.  This includes my daily journal, and scripture memorization cards.  They were reminders of the paths I walked with Jesus throughout the year.

My journal included my thoughts during my time of inquiry of the Lord.  Bits and pieces of this and that:  theologian quotes, bible study notes and miscellaneous thoughts about life and the world I live in. Topics that caught my attention, would later become personal studies, WordBytes or Morning Reflections.

My scripture memorization cards, with date recorded at the top, would remind me of how the Spirit renews my mind with God’s Word.  His Word would prove to either strengthen my heart or tell again of God’s inexhaustible grace: grace that covers my human weakness and brokenness.  It most often than not encouraged me to be more patient and longsuffering.

As I reviewed my information, I came to this realization.  It is vital that believers continually develop a personal relationship with God.  Not religion but relationship.  It should be our goal to be “intimately connected” with the Lord.

Relationship with God

God has always desired to be in relationship with man.  Adam was first to experience the joy and freedom of an intimate connection with God.  Imagine daily walking and talking with God about the events of the day, your hopes, and fears, and hearing His plan for your life.  Guess what?  We can experience that in our life right now!

Today we, as believers in Christ, have continuous access to that same intimacy Adam experienced in the Garden but with even greater privilege.  We have His Presence, through the Holy Spirit living within us (John 14:16-17).

As I read God’s Word, pray, and exercise the different spiritual disciplines, I become one with Him.  Jesus invited His disciples to abide in Him (John 15:4).  That invitation is extended to us today.

F.B. Meyer writes about the privilege of being one in Christ and the intimacy that comes with that relationship.

We must be one with Christ: we must be in Him as the sponge is in the ocean.  We must be in Him, not only in our standing, but also in our daily walk.  We must be in Him as the branch is in the vine and the vine-sap in the branch.  This must not only be in theory, but an hourly experience.

My 2021 Epiphany

I became a Christian when I was nine-years old.  I bought the “fire insurance” and knew I wasn’t going to hell.  However, as I grew older, I still didn’t feel the connection I thought believers were supposed to have.  Although I went to church weekly and served in various church functions, something was missing.

I was a carnal Christian until I was 40.  Then something happened.  I rededicated my life to Christ.  No more “hooky pokey” Christian life for me.  What happened?  Why the change?

A student from my Senior High Sunday School class had chosen to become a minister.  We were excited to welcome him back to his home church where he was to bring the Sunday morning message.

This was especially exciting for me in that, as a teenager, he hated to review the lesson on behalf of our class.  He would grumble and groan and swear never to come back to Sunday School if I made him do it.  He eventually agreed to my request.

In his morning sermon, he shared his personal witness of how his intimacy with God led him into ministry.  It had nothing to do with my teaching or my coaxing him to review.  He found what it meant to be IN RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS.  It wasn’t religion.  It was relationship.

That was it for me.  My Sunday School student helped me understand what it meant to have a “personal relationship” with God.  So even today I seek a deeper and closer relationship with Jesus.  And every day with Jesus is “sweeter than the day before”.

Go deeper in 2022

Most interesting about my epiphany is that Jesus just recently revealed this memory to me.  Why now?  I don’t know.  Maybe He felt it was time to share it with you.

Daily we have the opportunity to practice His presence as we daily address the challenges of 21st century living.  In God’s presence we experience His love, power, and wisdom.   As we go deeper in our relationship with God, we can better understand His ways and see with spiritual eyes.

Let us deepen our trust in Him.  When we do, we aren’t shaken by the latest news stories or the challenges we face in 2022 and beyond.  We know whose in control!

As members of God’s family there is nothing that can separate us from His love.  And we have the blessed assurance that our relationship with God will extend into and throughout eternity.

I invite you this year to go deeper in your relationship with God.  Become “like the sponge in the ocean”.  Live and abide in Him.

No extra reading this week so please share with us what you learned in 2021.  Thanks for reading.

Throwback Wednesday for the New Year

Throwback Wednesday for a New Year

It’s that time again.  Throwback Wednesday.  It’s the time when we choose  a favorite WordBytes from the past.  It’s also a time for remembering  that God never changes (Mal. 3:6).   It doesn’t  matter the year, God’s message is still one of hope, promise,  and possibility for  everyone who will hear it.

To align with the New Year, we’ve chosen a WordBytes that will encourage us to lay hold in 2022 to our rich inheritance in Christ.

Let’s begin this year knowing that we have everything we need to be successful in addressing the challenges we face (2 Pet. 1:3-4).  May this “blast from the past” move us confidently through the year.

Our Inheritance with Christ

Don’t get it twisted!

 

Don't Get it TwistedWe love superheroes.

I love to watch movies about superheroes. Whether it’s Wonder Woman or Iron Man, I like to see them in action.  They offer themselves unselfishly as they battle intruders from space, another dimension, or the giant mushroom that mutates into some incredible threat.

I am especially drawn to those who band together to save the world. The Marvel superheroes including the Avengers and the X-men hold my attention for hours. Every month it seems a new movie is released highlighting new superheroes who appear to save the world from some horrific ending.  This month’s offering is The Eternals. 

We often seek ways to escape the stress of everyday living. We retreat to a world where “superheroes” share our humanity yet possess mystical abilities to overcome the monsters that threaten the world. Unfortunately with superheroes, we must be careful not to believe their “hype”. It is important to keep reality separated from fantasy.

Health pandemics, economic uncertainties, and erosion of social consciousness leave us longing for someone to “fight our battles”.  If we aren’t careful, we may be misled to believe that superheroes will appear to save the day. But “don’t get it twisted”. Translation:  don’t mistake fantasy for reality. There are no superheroes. But there is, however and more importantly:  The King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God. (1 Timothy 1:17)

Who is God?

To avoid getting it twisted, it is important that we first possess a correct understanding of who God is.  This can be accomplished through learning about His attributes.

Attributes are a window through which we can think about who God is. God’s attributes are first introduced in the biblical record through His mighty act of Creation.  Triune God banded together to create the world!

God ultimately reveals Himself through Jesus who was made, “a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death…that He might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9).  Jesus came to save the world from a horrific ending!

Understanding God is more than “head knowledge”.  God desires that we have a personal relationship with Him.  As we experience the challenges of 21st century living, we learn more about who God is.  Through His presence and His power, we learn to trust and depend on Him (Ps. 89:13).

Eugene H. Peterson writes in Practicing Resurrection, the importance of keeping our focus on the reality of God and His work in the life of the believer.

When we squander life on anything less than the God revealed in Jesus, and made present in the Spirit, we miss out on life itself, resurrection life, the life of Jesus.

Keeping it Real

Once we know who God is, it is then critical that we develop a Christian worldview. The term worldview is used to describe a core set of values and principles through which the world is understood.  It is our reality. 

Our worldview consists of our beliefs (what we view as true) and our values (what we view is good).  Our worldview impacts every decision.  It will ultimately determine our behavior (what we will do).

As Christians, our worldview is seen through Jesus’ eyes (John 14:6).  It is the determining factor in all we do, how we live, and how we react to life.  We form our worldview based on His life and teachings.  It is the only way to navigate through this world.

Don’t get it twisted

When we know who God is and develop a Christian worldview, we are less likely to “get it twisted.”

God’s Word, His promises, and His Spirit help us keep it real.  While we love superheroes we never are confused “where our help comes from” (Ps. 121:1-8).  The King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God is our real Superhero.

Fear and Knowledge of the Holy

 

Fear and Knowledge of the Holy

Fear me!

In last week’s WordBytes, Mike Glenn, in The Fear of God, shared how his father helped him understand the “true meaning” of fear.

Now, son. You’re getting into a new phase of your life. You’re becoming a man. You’ll be going places where I won’t be. You’ll be doing things I won’t see. You’ll be pressured by your friends to do some things, and some of those things, you know, are things I don’t want you to do.”

 “And in that moment, you’ll have to make a decision. You’ll have to decide. Are you more afraid of your friends? Or are you more afraid of me?”  

Then he leaned across the table, put his eyes directly on mine and said, “You’d better be more afraid of me.”

This exchange was not only a lesson about fear, but also an object lesson on knowledge.  Mike Glenn knew his father’s expectations.  These expectations coupled with fear guided Mike Glenn in making good decisions and wise choices.  The same can be said about our fear of the LORD and our knowledge of the Holy One.

That is why Solomon penned, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Prov. 9:10)

Fear-> Wisdom->Knowledge

Man has always searched for the best method to assist him in making good decisions, right judgments, and sound pronouncements.  In primitive times, groups would cast lots and dice, leaving the outcome to the proverbial “fates” (Lev. 16:8; Joshua 18:8).

In Israel’s early formation, decisions were informed by the High Priest who consulted the Urim and Thummin (Exo. 28:30).  As the nation grew, Israel deferred key moral and political decisions to God’s chosen representatives.  Judges and kings, counseled by wise prophets and priests, became the source of national decision-making.

The fear of the Lord offered motivation to seek “God’s face” (Num. 6:25-26).  However, it was the knowledge of the Holy One that established the critical link to God.  God was (and still is) the source of all knowledge and wisdom.

Knowledge of the Holy One

The true source of wisdom is identified in the parallel statements found in Proverbs 9:10:  the fear of the LORD and knowledge of the Holy One.  Knowledge provides insight and discernment based on personal experiences.

It involves the process by which one can recognize, classify, and organize information gained from varied experiences and use them to develop an appropriate response.  This “process of knowing” is illustrated in the story of Moses.

Moses’ early knowledge of God came vicariously through others in Pharaoh’s court.  He, personally, knew little about God.  Therefore, God had no part in his thinking or planning.  However, forty years later, Moses experienced God for himself at the burning bush (Exod. 3:2).  In seeing that the fire did not consume the bush, Moses recognized God’s power and holiness.  Moses’ response to knowing God was awe and reverence (Exod. 3:5).

After witnessing the ten (10) plagues against Pharaoh and Egypt, Moses’ knowledge was exponentially expanded.  As Moses observed (classified) the different ways God dealt with Pharaoh’s resistance, he knew that God was more powerful than any god worshiped in Egypt.

Moses’ knowledge of God through his various experiences resulted in the organized deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt.  Their collective response to God was worship and praise (Exodus 15: 1, 11).   On the other hand, Pharaoh’s disregard of what he knew of God, led to the destruction of his army (Ex. 14:18).  Pharaoh refused to factor in his knowledge of the Holy One.

The Revelation of God

Knowledge of the Holy One is the revelation of God (Ep. 1: 17-18).  It shapes our reality so that we conform to the will of God and respond appropriately to the events of life.  This knowledge is gained through our personal experiences with Him, through His revealed Word, and through the Holy Spirit.

What shapes our key decisions and choices?  What knowledge do we turn to regarding our family, our profession, and our relationships?  Are we like Moses or like Pharaoh?

Knowledge of the Holy One reminds us of three things: (1) whose we are (our relationship with God), (2) who we are (our identity in Christ), and (3) how we are to live (in obedience and service to God).

Fear of the Lord (respect, reverence, and obedience) will lead us to wisdom (a disciplined and holy life).

Knowledge of the Holy One (personal experience) will give us godly insight and discernment to navigate 21st century challenges.

When wisdom enters your heart,

and knowledge is pleasant to your soul;

Discretion will preserve you;

understanding will keep you.

(Prov. 2:10-11, NKJ)