Reading Psalm 49 reminded me of a trip that we took to Monterey. We made it down the coast to Carmel-by-the-Sea and to the famed 17 Mile Drive. On this road you could see many different mansions of every size and design, some of them were not only marked with an address, but with a name as well. One was “Stone briar”, another was, “Wellingham.” These were obviously the estates of very wealthy people, and more than likely they were not their only homes.
The bible teaches that a man’s dwelling place is nothing, for just like sheep we are all on the short road to death. It sounds bleak, but what the psalmist is saying is that when we die we take nothing with us. Men may think that their possessions will last from generation to generation, but in reality they don’t. So if we take this seriously then why does it matter where we live?
The Lord works in each of us in His own way, and leads us to where He wants us to serve. It doesn’t matter where we serve, it just matters that we are available to serve. And with this mindset the greatest of tasks can be accomplished for the kingdom. We would be free to mobilize wherever God wanted us, doing His work and taking prisoners for Christ. God bless the man with the courage and the faith to follow the leading of the Spirit and to go where he is called, regardless of the worldly possessions he may leave behind.
February 24, 2007
February 23, 2007
Transition to Maturity
As I sat down tonight to read the Word I thought to myself how bland my time in the Word has become. I don’t get the deep insights that once had, and verses don’t jump out at me like they used to. Not lately, at least. But as I thought to myself why this might be, the Spirit stuck a thought in my mind. I am not a baby anymore. The Lord doesn’t have to hold my hand at every turn and make the Word appear to me as if it were written on a billboard. I must study the Word, I am responsible for searching its profound wisdom. The Holy Spirit will teach me, but I hold the discipline to carry it through.
Isn’t it awesome to serve a God that doesn’t baby us, even though we expect it most of the time? How would we grow as Christians if He spoon-fed every lesson to us? When I was child I did childish things and ate food fit for children. Now I am passing through adolescence and into adulthood, and the mantle has been placed on my shoulders. As a man of God I am responsible for learning His Word, and for seeking His truth. And I am glad to do it. Just as He is glad to meet me and teach me.
Isn’t it awesome to serve a God that doesn’t baby us, even though we expect it most of the time? How would we grow as Christians if He spoon-fed every lesson to us? When I was child I did childish things and ate food fit for children. Now I am passing through adolescence and into adulthood, and the mantle has been placed on my shoulders. As a man of God I am responsible for learning His Word, and for seeking His truth. And I am glad to do it. Just as He is glad to meet me and teach me.
February 6, 2007
From Comfort to Faith
Breaking out of your comfort zone is necessary for your Spiritual life. To put it another way, if you follow the Lord’s leading you will eventually end up out of your comfort zone. It’s just the way He works. God wants you to experience all the things that will help you become a better servant and a better worker for the Kingdom. We are not called to sit back and let the world rot away from under our feet. We are called to go and to preach and to love.
Your comfort zone might be your job, or your friends, or where you live. It could mean exile for you and your family or it could mean that your friends will desert you. What you have to come to terms with is that Jesus Christ didn’t call us to be sedentary, and he certainly didn’t call us to be comfortable. To find an example just look at Jesus and the disciples. What was their focus? Was it to make money in the next town? Was it to find a great place to set up shop? No, in fact Jesus said that even the fox’s have a hole to go to at night, but He had nothing.
A Christian’s concern about being comfortable is detrimental to his faith. Listen to Him and let Him guide you. Have faith that the God of the universe knows what He is doing when He tells you to “Go!”
Your comfort zone might be your job, or your friends, or where you live. It could mean exile for you and your family or it could mean that your friends will desert you. What you have to come to terms with is that Jesus Christ didn’t call us to be sedentary, and he certainly didn’t call us to be comfortable. To find an example just look at Jesus and the disciples. What was their focus? Was it to make money in the next town? Was it to find a great place to set up shop? No, in fact Jesus said that even the fox’s have a hole to go to at night, but He had nothing.
A Christian’s concern about being comfortable is detrimental to his faith. Listen to Him and let Him guide you. Have faith that the God of the universe knows what He is doing when He tells you to “Go!”
February 5, 2007
A Great Opportunity
The Mind of Christ.
The Apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians chapter 2, “Now we have received…the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God.” The Spirit of God dwells within us if we are truly born-again Christians. And since a person’s spirit knows every intimate part of that person, Paul deduces that we have the mind of Christ.
So what does this mean for us? It means that God has revealed His thoughts to us through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Later Paul explains to the Corinthians that he did not preach to them out of his own wisdom and clever speech, but he let the Spirit work in their hearts. This is why the people were drawn to his teaching.
You have an opportunity to share the Lord’s thoughts with others. When a co-worker is telling you about how hard life has been for them, your first reaction is not to comfort them and tell them about God’s eternal love. But that is the Holy Spirit’s reaction, and you need to be ready to follow those feelings as they arise. We were put here to help others, so we must be ready to give help to those in need as the Spirit directs us. That is the mind of Christ.
To know God’s mind is like having a window into the inner-workings of the universe. This is why, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Let’s take every opportunity that God gives us, and let’s apply His awesome mind to helping others.
The Apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians chapter 2, “Now we have received…the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God.” The Spirit of God dwells within us if we are truly born-again Christians. And since a person’s spirit knows every intimate part of that person, Paul deduces that we have the mind of Christ.
So what does this mean for us? It means that God has revealed His thoughts to us through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Later Paul explains to the Corinthians that he did not preach to them out of his own wisdom and clever speech, but he let the Spirit work in their hearts. This is why the people were drawn to his teaching.
You have an opportunity to share the Lord’s thoughts with others. When a co-worker is telling you about how hard life has been for them, your first reaction is not to comfort them and tell them about God’s eternal love. But that is the Holy Spirit’s reaction, and you need to be ready to follow those feelings as they arise. We were put here to help others, so we must be ready to give help to those in need as the Spirit directs us. That is the mind of Christ.
To know God’s mind is like having a window into the inner-workings of the universe. This is why, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Let’s take every opportunity that God gives us, and let’s apply His awesome mind to helping others.
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