Month: April 2019

Contentment

LynnLeave a comment

Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

  have the wisdom to show restraint.

Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,

  for they will surely sprout wings

and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Proverbs 23:4-5 | NIV84

Finding contentment in whatever circumstance you find yourself in can be quite the challenge, especially when it’s so easy to see others not struggling so much. It’s hard not to look upon earthly wealth as a means to solve many of the problems you face. Solomon, the richest man in the world at the time, wrote. “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,”.  Those are wise words because what seems like a temporary solution to a problem invites other unwanted troubles later on down the road. Having a vision of the whole picture, the purpose of your life, is a good way to keep your focus on what truly matters and a way to find the peace you are seeking. The purpose of this life is to find God, to know Him intimately, and to learn how to model your life after Jesus. Such things are impossible without a personal relationship with Jesus and having the union of the Holy Spirit to guide you.

If you want contentment, look to where your heart is leading you.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matthew 6:21 | NIV84

If your heart leads to you worldly desires, then the world becomes your treasure. If knowing Jesus is your greatest treasure, then your heart will lead you to Him. The difference is, one is temporary, the other is eternal. One heaps on trouble, the other sets you free.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:6 | NIV84

When you read Paul’s words, keep in mind that the main focus is contentment. People associate gains with worldly wealth, but Paul says, godliness with contentment is great gain. Why is that so? Contentment is based on trusting the Lord, on putting your heart where your treasure is. It’s all about keeping the right mindset. It’s good to loosely hold on to things so that when someone else needs it, you can give it away. This world is temporary and so is the physical life you have been given, but your soul is eternal. Put your heart on seeking the Lord, the One who created your soul, and you will find great wealth that does not fade away or sprout wings and fly off like an eagle.

Sunset

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This past week I was able to see, probably, the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen while living in the North. The sun filled the sky with brilliant purples and pinks… it was truly remarkable. When the sun kissed the horizon, the horizon blushed, and turned bright red. What a precious gift God painted in the skies. He truly is the Master Artist, but what made this sunset even more special is that He knew I needed encouragement and something beautiful to reflect upon.

Image

God cares about the little things in our lives and knows just when to intervene. A smile here, a kind word there, and even a beautiful sunset. He knows that we are human and sometimes our needs are more human-based than spirit-based. Like, take a hug for example. Sometimes we just need a hug, to feel comforted and protected. Sometimes we need to laugh to ease the burdens we carry. Sometimes we need to feel loved and we need to be encouraged. God cares about those things, because He cares about you.

He may bring someone your way to offer up words of encouragement, or perhaps a child to wrap to their arms around your neck. Or, maybe He will paint the skies, to display His love for you in a glorious and grandiose way.

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 | NIV84

Remember to look for the small moments when God is reaching out to you, extending His hand, and giving Himself to you. Time is the most precious gift a person has to give, and when God takes the time to display His love for you, cherish it. If you look closely with your heart, you will see that God is always, somehow, someway, reaching out to you. Let Him love you, by giving in to Him. By doing so, He will give you freedom in return. May God bless you with eternal hope and joy within your heart.

Spiritual Maturity

LynnLeave a comment

1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3And God permitting, we will do so. Hebrews 6:1-3 | NIV84

Winter came early last year and quite unexpectedly. There just wasn’t enough time to gather up all the leaves that had fallen and were scattered all over the lawn. By the time it was possible to get outside and finish winterizing the lawn, it was simply just too cold. It didn’t matter how many leaves covered the grass because the grass had gone dormant and wouldn’t start growing again till Spring anyhow. Winter not only came quick last year, but it has held its grip rather tight too, almost unwilling to give any sign of relief. This past week, the temperatures rose and even the sun poked it’s head out of the clouds for a few days. No winter coats or gloves required!

I’ve been so used to being cooped up in the house, that when the sun broke through the grey clouds, I was eager to go outside, even though it was only 43°F. 43°F is not 34°F and when the sun is shining, it’s actually refreshing. I couldn’t wait to get outside in the yard and cleanup last year’s leaves. Upon getting outside and surveying the yard, I found it was littered with broken branches scattered everywhere coarsely decorated with a massive amount of pinecones too. Then I remembered there had been an unusual amount of wind these past two years. After scouring the yard and hunting down every pinecone, I ended up with a 5 gallon bucket full of them. Why so many pinecones, I thought while glancing up at the huge pine tree. 

As I was raking around the garden, gathering up dead branches and old leaves, I began to think about the growing season. In no time mowing will happen, flowers will bloom, and suddenly everything will simultaneously take off, and look absolutely beautiful. The warm air will sooth away the chill of winter. The birds will return and the sounds of nature will fill the air with the promise of additional little creatures roaming the backyard. Winter has grabbed it’s coat and left, at least, for the time being, that is.

Nature does its growing thing naturally which was put in place the moment God spoke way back in Genesis. From the moment God spoke, nature will continue to go through it’s cycle until the end of time is sealed up and thrown away. Nature doesn’t have to force itself to grow, growth is instilled inside it’s DNA. No matter what, nature always finds a way to grow. Just look at how a plant can cause concrete to crack in its pursuit of seeking sunlight to grow.

The human body is much like nature in general. Meaning, the human body grows regardless too. Babies are born, and they grow into children, then adults, and then eventually into elderly people. At first glance, it would appear that people and nature have similarities, after all, they both physically grow. Although they are somewhat similar, there is a drastic difference between the two. A person has an eternal spirit living within them and nature, even animals, do not. The spirit was given to man by the act of God ‘breathing’ a part of Himself into the body of a man. The part God breathed into the man was His eternal nature, the spirit-being that lives within the human body. So people really comprise of two different things. A body and a spirit. What’s interesting is, the spirit has a will of its own unlike the growth the body performs. The spirit can choose to grow or it can choose to remain stagnant whereas, the body grows regardless.

While I was clearing away the dead leaves and branches from the backyard garden, I thought about how often people, in general, do not clear away old habits, but rather, they choose to remain the same as they have always been, or in another words, they choose to remain stagnant. A static soul is a sorrowful soul. This is why there are people who are physically classified as adults, but still emotionally act like children. This is also the reason why many Christians never actually grow-up spiritually. They learned what they consider ‘enough’ to navigate church and maybe even enough to slide through life, but they never really get to experience true growth and enlightenment of who God really is.

It was back-breaking work, cleaning out the dead leaves, branches, and pinecones out of the flowerbeds, yard, and garden. My soft hands got blisters and my lower back ached. It was not only a physical challenge, but it took me between 2 days, 6-8 hours… and I’m still not fully done. I still need to clean out the flowerbeds on the northeast side of my home and prune the rose bushes. Not to mention edging, planting, and distributing mulch. In fact, the yard is an endless job. There is always something that needs to be done. It’s a lot of work and even though it may appear as if I’m complaining, I actually enjoy having something to do; something to occupy both my mind and my body. And when I’m doing these, my spirit grows.

While living upon the Earth, work is technically never finished. While we are alive, we are always still physically growing and/or changing. It should be the same with our spirit. Jesus completed the work of Salvation through death on the cross and rising from the dead, but it wasn’t until He sat down at the right hand of the Father that the work of Salvation was finished. He is still at work, interceding in Heaven for His brothers and sisters. We have been set free by having faith in what Jesus did on the cross in our place, but there is still work to be done while we are still here on Earth. The ‘work’ I’m referring applies to the growth and maturity of your spirit. I’m not talking about doing good deeds, going to church, and trying to be a better person. I’m talking about rolling up your sleeves, opening up the Bible, and digging into the Word. I’m talking about prayer, fasting, and listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And then, of course, when God does speak to you, that you obey and/or do whatever it is He has shown you. This is the ‘work’ I am referring to. This is the kind of work that will mature your spirit so it can catch up to your physical body. 

Leave the way of immaturity and only knowing simple Truths of Jesus Christ, and press on to clearing away the dead leaves and the old branches so new growth can begin. New growth that will lead you to the Living Well that never runs dry. New growth that will nourish you through the winter and provide food for your soul. God is never interested in the short term of anything. He is very interested in your long term growth toward maturity.

It’s time to clean out the old stuff, and throw away the things that hold you back, to make room for new growth to develop that will lead you to spiritual maturity. Don’t let last year’s leaves get in the way of new flowers that want to bloom in your spirit.

Do You Know Jesus?

LynnLeave a comment

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21-23 | NIV84

Have you ever read these Scriptures and became concerned about your own salvation? I have. In fact, these Scriptures kind of scare me, actually. I’ve heard all kinds of different explanations of what these Scriptures mean, but it seems to me those explanations didn’t really set my heart at peace. I’m not going to get into discussing doctrine and the different theories of where each denomination stands as I believe those are empty arguments. I will, however, remind you of these words spoken by Paul:

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8 | NIV84

So, all I really want to say is I believe in order to truly understand those words spoken by Jesus, but we must first look to the nature of God. Who is God and who is Jesus?

“God is Love.” 1 John 4:16b (NIV)

Scriptures says that God is love. That was easy. So, if I use that explanation of who God is, let’s take a look at what love is or what His character exemplifies:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a | NIV84

Wow… God gives of Himself to the benefit of others and is not about Himself one bit. Now, let’s look to who Jesus is.

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Hebrews 1:3a | NIV84

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15 | NIV84

Jesus is God personified. Now what about Jesus’ character? What is He like?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

  did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

  taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

  and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:3-8 | NIV84

Jesus was completely humble and obedient to God. Jesus fully trusted God and loved God with all of His heart. So, what does that have to do with us? Jesus tells us to do the same:

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 | NIV84

Jesus basically explained that the entire Bible is all about completely devoting yourself to God and loving others above yourself… to become like Him. The Bible was written to teach us about God’s love and His Spirit helps enable us to live a selfless life as Jesus did. All throughout Scripture, God directs us to be humble, kind-hearted and loving. (I have only included two scriptures, but there are many more to consider).

Be completely humble and gentle;

be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Ephesians 4:2 | NIV84

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

   And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

   and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 | NIV84

God directs us to be obedient to His way and the most wonderful thing that He has done is that He has given us His Spirit to dwell within us to give us the ability to do such things.

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Romans 8:10-11 | NIV84

So, what does all this have to do with Jesus telling those who prophesied in His name and performed miracles to depart from Him? I assume that those who were doing such wonderful things thought they knew Jesus, but ended up in fact not truly knowing Him at all. How can that be? I believe it’s connected to a prideful and selfish heart… two things that are completely opposite of who God is. God is humble and selfless.

Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor. Proverbs 18:12 | NIV84

Pride and selfishness are traits that can be hidden under the surface of a person rather easily. In fact, they can be hidden so well that the person may actually come across as humble and selfless. Their self-centeredness can be wrapped up in the middle of performing good deeds for others, but the motivation of their heart is not ultimately for the good. The believer, however, walks in humility and within their heart, they are truly selfless. These traits tend to also be hidden as well, but they are not hidden to God who knows everyone’s heart.

I could include every single Scripture in the Bible that talks about humility, but I don’t for two reasons; one, I don’t know them all and two, there are too many. I believe there are a great number of people who proclaim Christ as their savior and do in fact, perform many wonderful and amazing miracles, who don’t really know who Jesus is, but that’s not really all that important. It doesn’t matter that they don’t know Christ because what’s truly important is that you know Him personally.

Lots of people get all up in arms about false teaching and whatnot and I’m sure there’s a good reason to, but I want to present just two Scriptures about such things to you:

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Philippians 1:15-18a | NIV84 (underline mine)

“Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:28-29 | NIV84

You see, God can use His Word to reach those who are truly seeking Him in any way necessary. God’s Word is strong and powerful and will ultimately crush the false teachers and their malicious motives. Those who teach for selfish reasons will suffer in the end, but what you need to be concerned about is, where is your heart? Do you know the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Are you living a humble life in complete obedience to the Lord God?

You see, it’s all about Love and loving others. This life is all about something that does not naturally come from a self-centered human being, but if you humble yourself before the Lord, He will lift you up and give you the grace and ability to walk in His way out of His great love and mercy. God is all about helping others, but they must first humble themselves and seek Him wholeheartedly because without willingness, God will not impose Himself upon anyone. He is not a taker. He is a giver.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10 | NIV84

This life is about learning how to walk in love, humility and obedience to the Lord God.