Friday, April 18, 2014

Rights vs. Responsibilities

Studying The Success Journey by John C Maxwell inspired me to do some studying of what the Bible says about our rights and responsibilities.  I know my generation definitely felt inspired to fight for rights rather than responsibilities.  Now I’m seeing the next generation taking this even further by insisting the world is made right by allowing self satisfaction and getting everyone to agree we can live however we want.  I have never seen more confusion on how to live in my life.  I will admit I did not find this as an issue until later in my life because our culture inspires us to get our just rewards and that we have the right to these rewards.  Seeking fulfillment of our rights has become our goal.

We live in an imperfect world and know it.  Despite this, we always want to make things right.  Nothing entirely wrong with that, but we make ourselves miserable trying to think we can always get our rights or be rewarded justly.  Most times when fighting for our rights we wind up full of hate, anger and bitterness.  We get resentful of the system because it cannot supply our rights.  This makes us negative people and who really wants to hang out with negative people?  Most of us don’t even when we tend to be feeling negative ourselves.  I cannot stand myself when I’m in a negative funk.

To quote John Maxwell from his book, “When you focus on your rights, you’re often looking backward rather than forward.”  We cannot make any success in our lives unless we are moving forward.  We need to learn to forgive the wrongs done to us and move on.  We will not always get restitution for the wrongs in this imperfect world.

So if we are not fighting for rights, what do we fight for?  We should be fighting to fulfill our responsibilities.  We can control our responsibilities.  We can chose to do what we should or not to.  No one but ourselves can fulfill our own responsibilities.  When fighting for your rights you are usually neglecting your responsibilities because your energy is going to something you cannot control and leaving none for what you can.

I did mention I went looking through the Bible to see what it said about rights and responsibilities.  Now I’m of the impression what we should be fighting for is to be children of God the way God intended.  Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV says, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”  But wait, we do not have to fight for this.  It is not a right, it is a gift to us by God through his son Jesus.  It comes back to a choice we can make.  We are responsible to chose to be part of the family or not and once in the family we are responsible as one of its members.  So even this is really a free gift ,but being a true child of God and a part of His family is a responsibility we can and must claim.

When we go off fighting for rights, many times what we are really doing is judging the other person.  We are not supposed to do this.  James 4:11-12 NIV says, “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.  There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you — who are you to judge your neighbor?”  We are to walk in love and when we want to judge we are failing to do so.  We were not given the right to condemn others who may not be walking the way God intended us to.  Our responsibility as Christians is to love the world and help it learn about God by emulating the works of Jesus.  Sure we need our court systems and some list of rights in this imperfect world, but we should be walking in love first of all.  We should work to make things right with another person, not by fighting for our own rights, but in order to reconcile a difference or what we may have seen as an offense.  We are responsible for how we chose to treat our neighbor, that is, anyone we meet.  What if God never showed his love by sending Jesus to take our punishment on the cross and freeing us from the power of sin and Satan?  We would not have a true example of how to love through adversity and unfairness.

Galatians 6:4-5 NLT says, “Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.  For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”  No matter what, we are responsible for what we say, do and think.  It is the attitude we chose to have in life that will make a difference, not getting someone to pay for what they did.  If we do what we know we should, we can be sure of ourselves and it will not matter what the other person is doing.  Sure bad things are going to happen, but God did not make them happen.  We have no control over the bad things that can happen to us, but we are responsible to know how to handle them when they do come.

To sum up, do you want to have a life that feels full and enjoyable?  Take responsibility for the things you can control in your life and start moving forward.  Stop fighting for rights that are making you bitter and angry.  Forgive and move on from those things you know you cannot reconcile.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Do Not Delay

I have felt like I delayed in what I was supposed to be writing for God.  I even felt distracted with too many ideas at once.  This led me to doing a study on how we should respond to God in all parts of our life.  Then, of course, God does step in while I'm pondering all this and has the pastor preach about how Zacchaeus responded when he knew Jesus was coming by.

I would like to start off talking about the various ways we can respond to God and his Word.  Jesus used the parable of the seeds to teach this to the people and in Mark 4:14-20 he explains it to his disciples.  Jesus explained, "The farmer I talked about is the one who brings God's message to others.  The seed that fell on the hard path represents those who hear the message, but then Satan comes at once and takes it away from them.  The rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy.  But like young plants in such soil, their roots don't go very deep. At first they get along fine, but they wilt as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because they believe the word.  The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for nice things, so no crop is produced.  But the good soil represents those who hear and accept God's message and produce a huge harvest — thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted." (NLT)

Even if you have not accepted Christ yet or have been a Christian for years, this parable applies to all of us.  We must decide how we will respond when we hear Jesus calling and the Word telling us how to stay on the right path.  Based on what phase of life we find ourselves in, we may find ourselves open to one thing in His Word and other times closed.  Maybe we are open to him about our future, but still closed to him about how he would like us to steward our finances and possessions.  Maybe we do well with worship, but are picky about helping others using our own criteria of who to help.  We should be striving to be like the good soil in all areas of our life, great or small.

Zacchaeus was a hated tax collector and definitely known as a great sinner amongst the Jews; however, he knew what he had to do when he learned Jesus was coming his way along the road.  His story is told in Luke 19:1-10.  Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town.  There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich.  He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds.  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today."  Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.7 But the crowds were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner," they grumbled. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!"  Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham.  And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost." (NLT)

Zacchaeus did not need someone to tell him how to get to Jesus.  He knew he had to climb that tree to see and that also allowed him to be seen.  It had to be embarrassing because he was a rich guy and here he was climbing a tree.  He also caused much ridicule to be thrown his way and at Jesus because no one wanted Jesus to associate with a sinner such as he.  However, Zaccaeus got it and did not delay in what he had to do.  He accepted Jesus and immediately made restitution for all his sins in a very costly way to himself.
If we delay there is a chance for us to change our mind and not accept Jesus.  Or maybe God is telling us to do something and we do not want to.  Many times the idea seems even larger and harder to swallow if we decide we need to think on it further.  We get worrying about what other people will think.  We wonder how it will change our lives and if we really are ready to get out of our comfort zone.  Maybe we have some dirty laundry we are still trying to hide under our beds. 

The thing is, God already knows what we are hiding.  He gave us free will to chose him and his ways.  He is not trying to force us into anything, but no matter how crazy your logic may want it to be, God will show us why we should have listened to him.  In the end, I would rather go with God and his Word because if the Bible is right and the world is wrong, I do not want to end up in that fiery lake for eternity.  Of course, this is the least of my reasons for following Jesus, but where do you want to be for eternity?

The writer of Psalm 119:58-60 also understood how to respond to God.  With all my heart I want your blessings.  Be merciful just as you promised.  I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your statutes.  I will hurry, without lingering, to obey your commands. (NLT)

I rather be a Zacchaeus or the Psalm writer in how I respond to God.  How do you plan to respond when Jesus calls?


Thursday, March 20, 2014

True Spirituality

We all feel the need to fill something deep within us.  It calls out for some greater connection than worldly things can fill.  It is our spirit wanting a connection with what created it.  There are many spiritual things out there, but what is the true one?  I tried several myself and then settled on following the Holy Spirit, which was sent to the followers of Jesus Christ on the day of Pentacost. 

Let me first explain why I feel we desire to fill a spiritual need.  Gen 2:7 (NKJV) says, And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.  God actually breathed the spirit of life into man upon creating him.  Jesus duplicated this before he left his disciples in John 20:22 (NKJV).  And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.”  It was days later that they received the Holy Spirit, but he first breathed on them and told them to do so.  The breath of God is what brings the spirit to life.

Jesus knew we would be thirsty spiritually.  John 7:37-39 (NKJV) says, 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."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  This message in his earlier ministry foretold of what was to come with the Holy Spirit.  Now we can receive the Holy Spirit and have the Counselor that will help us live a life the way God intended.  A life that is fulfilling on the spiritual side that will allow us to even overflow with rivers of life and help others still looking for what will truly feed the spirit.

The real war is on the spiritual side.  It is what is going on inside of us where the real war occurs.  Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) says, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  What spirits are you letting in to live with you?  Are they helping you to live a better life that will be a beacon for God so others may know the way?  Or are you just looking out for number one and trying to get the spirits to do what you want them to do?  1 John 4:1 (NKJV) says, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  Following the wrong spirit will not lead to the peace we want to feel deep down in our spirit.  If we follow the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to not only be at peace and feel fulfilled, but we can overflow to others the spirit, the living waters.

God wants us to participate in his kingdom.  We are to be witnesses for Christ and help build up his church.  He wants us on the spiritual level, not only the physical.  1 Peter 2:5 (NKJV) says, You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Never forget to be active in the spiritual things of God.  Simply doing the physical things at church will not fill that emptiness deep inside.  You must connect spiritually in order to gain those living waters of the spirit.  So when working at those physical things we must do as Romans 12:11 (NIV) says, Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

We must be careful even if we believe we are strong Christians.  Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 2:13-16 (NKJV) with the following words:  These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 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. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.  Peter sums it up well in 1 Peter 2:2 (NLT).  You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation.  


Your spirit is craving to be connected and filled with good things no matter who you are.  What are you connecting with? Why are you doing so?  Does it really fulfill you internally like you truly desire?  I know nothing worked for me until I accepted Jesus and the Holy Spirit he sent to help us in this life.  Everything else I tried was nothing and could do nothing to help.  In some cases I am quite sure it hurt me and those around me instead.  Do not take the spirit world lightly.  It is a warzone wanting to rip you apart if you let it.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Our Words Have Power

In the beginning God spoke and it became as he said.  He spoke our world into existence.  His words are power.  Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV) continues:  Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  We are made in his image, so we also speak words of power.

This is where we immediately get into trouble.  We tend to fall on the side of error with how we talk rather than the way God would have us talk.  Our words must line up with his words.  Instead we put ourselves down.  Say stupid things when we get angry.  Gossip, rumor mongering and negative words come out instead.  We like to complain about how hard life is as if our woe can out do someone else’s woe.  Your words are going to tell the truth about you whether you want them to or not.

I cannot stand myself when I’m in a negative funk.  I definitely do not want to be around people who are being negative with their talk.  I do not need any help in making myself have a bad day, if I so chose.  See it comes back around to us choosing again  We can chose how we want to feel about something.  We can chose how we speak to a problem.  We may think we have firmly made a choice and then we open our mouths and the truth comes out.  Are you saying negative things about your life or are you speaking God’s Word against all those problems you see?  The problems are going to happen, but how we speak about them will make a huge difference.

James nails this issue squarely in verses 3:8-10 (NIV) of his book.  But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.  I do this.  We all do this.  We praise and curse out of the same mouth and think we are doing all right.  Well, we are not!

We need to be aligned with God’s Word in order to even have a chance of knowing the right way to go with our words.  However, we want to gloss God’s words over because they hurt, they go against what we want, and we really don’t want to admit our faults.  Let’s hide them over here in the dark where no one can see them.  Sorry, light comes even in the darkest place.

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) sums up how God’s Word works.  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  So if God’s Word can do this to get us thinking the right way, how much more should we watch our words?  We slice ourselves and others up so easily with the tongue and this is why.  Words hurt. 

We do not even want to have to deal with offense in our society anymore.  You must talk to me the way I want you to and say only what I want to hear or you are being mean to me.  Ouch!  Really?  We cannot even politely rebuke someone when they cause an offense without people getting defensive.  Worse, it is our loved ones we bash on the most and share the most negativity with as if that will make our lives better.  Sure we need to talk about things, but we need to allow some correction in our thinking, too.  We spew out all our woes and do not allow some help on the matter.  We like to wallow in misery and then we wonder why we never see the sun.


So every day we must ask ourselves, “Where are my words leading me today?  Towards good or towards evil?  Towards blessing or towards cursing?”

Friday, February 14, 2014

God Lets Us Choose

We can find plenty of scriptures that tells us God chose us and he knows our destiny.  There is no way to change his mind about us.  He will love us no matter what.  He shows mercy to the repentant heart.

Many people haven't grasped this about God.  It took me until I was thirty-three to even accept Jesus and a few months in a spirit filled church to understand it for myself.  Jesus wants to be our friend.  Not someone we get all silly with, but a friend we can talk to about anything.  We are to be his brothers and sisters.

God lets us chose if we will love him back.  We know his will by reading the Bible and gain knowledge through prayer, open communication with God.  If we are claiming to be Christian, we better be in the Word and in prayer daily. This is how Jesus beat the devil in every challenge presented.  One that is very important, we do not live on bread alone, but on the Word of God.  Without that food we are losing out on the knowledge God supplied to help us know him.  If we are not praying in a way that is communicating with God, we are not going to see or hear any answer to prayer.

Even the strongest Christian can be slammed by the storms of life and Satan to the point of falling.  We all are going to stumble in our walk with Jesus.  It is how we get back up that matters.  Are we going to be repentant and confess to God what we did in order to gain his mercy?  Or are we going to stay mad about it and play the blame game?  The blame game got Adam and Eve evicted from the Garden of Eden.  Trying to use an excuse for what he did caused Cain to be sent out to an even harder life off the land.

David, on the other hand, repented for how he had claimed Bathsheba as his own and then had her husband, Uriah, killed in battle when he would not go home to his wife while back in the city and the war still waged on.  He lost the child that was conceived in sin, even after he repented, but later his son, Solomon, born to Bathsheba, became the greatest and wisest king ever seen on earth.  The continuing bad side was much strife in the family with it leading to further sins by his children.  God does forgive and forget our sincerely repented sins, but sometimes the sin still has effects and circumstances further in our lives.  You can find the story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. 

Joshua had it right even near the end of his days when he challenged the Israelites to chose.  Joshua 24:15 (NIV) says, "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Jesus challenges us in John 7:16-19 to prove if his teachings are from God by saying, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him."

In order to have a blessed life and many years in the Promised Land, Moses challenged the Israelites to chose life.  Deut 30:19-20 (NLT) says, "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live!  Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life. Then you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."


So we can chose to do things our own way and not bother with God at all, but what good will that do?  It just keeps us from his love.  We can live a life that feels cursed because God is not with us or we can chose to accept him for a blessed life.  I am not talking about a smooth sailing life, but of one in which we are overcomers in Jesus as our blessing.  I'll echo Joshua by saying, "I will serve the Lord."