Ever Thought That God Has Faith in YOU?

I have people ask me all the time, “How do you know good steel from inferior steel when making a knife?” The answer is relatively simple – the one that has the most purity of steel, that contains the least alloys, the one that has the dross removed – that is your best blade steel.  It is material that is pliable enough to be worked, molded, shaped and honed.

The same is true regarding a Christian.  Peter wrote, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Pt.3:21).”  The first step is admitting my sin and state of loss without Christ, then professing Him in answer to my heart’s cry for salvation by being immersed into His death (Rom.6:4). While this is indeed the first and best step, it is by far not the end. The difference between faithful people and unfaithful people is unfaithful people give up at the first sign of difficulty. Faithful people are persistent. Faithful people don’t know how to quit.

   

God is more interested in what you’re becoming than what’s happening to you. God often allows trials, troubles, tribulations, and problems – not to torment us but to bring out of our lives those things that we do not need in an eternal soul and to teach us diligence, determination, and character. That problem you’re going through right now? It’s a test of your faithfulness. Will you continue to serve God even when life stinks?  When you feel like you’re ready to toss in the towel, here are a couple of scriptures to keep close by your side:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

“For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”(2 Cor.4:15-18)

When it comes to you, and Satan comes before God and accuses you and says, “God - you’ve put a hedge around _____ I can’t get to him/her. But I bet if I could, they would deny you to your face!” remember that God is not “betting” that you will lose. He is confident, that YOU will remain faithful, true, and come out on the other side better than when you began. God – has faith in you!

Jim

NOW? or THEN?

There was a famous Harvard study once, that proved a direct connection between long-term thinking and success. If you had an ultimate goal in mind and paced yourself to that goal, you would achieve it, if it was practical. “For a Christian, this should be easy,” you might state. Yet, we must remember that it the persistence that wins. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Endurance is a key word here, because without it the race isn't won. Many think that because eternity is so far distant, we need to focus on the here and now. To an extent, this is true. We do have to live every day. However, we should not make the mistake of the barn builder in Lk. 12:20, to whom God stated “This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ The more focused on short-term gain, the more likely they were to fail. Those who focus on right now without a healthy respect for what is striving to be achieved in the distant future are doomed to be unsuccessful and fail.

Living with eternity in mind you can handle the momentary problems that come your way. It is the focus on the prize ahead, that makes your current pain and problems but petty interferences to be overcome. It’s not easy to be a believer, to do what’s right and definitely at times not easy to tell others about Jesus. But the benefits of following Jesus and obeying what he teaches will far outlast the pain. Paul reminds us, “Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him; for if we share Christ's suffering, we will also share his glory. I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:17-18).

Use your talents, time, treasure, and influence for God’s purposes, and you’ll be rewarded for those choices both now and in eternity. Paul says we’ll be rewarded in Heaven for what Jesus did: “We will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him.”

Think about it. If you change your thinking from the clutter of the day to the rest of Heaven, what is really important in life? I believe you will find a lot of things not as important as we make them, and that where eternity is concerned it is the things of spiritual value both now and in the world to come that are important.

Jim

Book Review: Companion To The Old Testament, by:Ted Leach

Book Review: Companion To The Old Testament, by:Ted Leach

This book reminds me of Halley's Bible Handbook, a neat quick reference guide to have in a library. This book I found to be a brief yet interesting guide to the Jewish concept of the Bible, it's customs and times. I've been studying these things deeper, especially in review for classes I do currently O. The Old Testament. I wish that I had this guide sooner in that process. While I found myself wishing that this book went into more detail , I had to remind myself that it is a companion book. This said, don't go away thinking that this book isn't without it's resources. It is well referenced, footnoted, and thought out. I found these extremely valuable, almost as interesting as the book itself. There were quick questions at the end of the chapters so it can be used as a study guide for a class, or personal study.

Negatives? Only in trying to make the book more than it is designed to be. I recommend the book for a quick reference. It is good for your library and I don't  think you will be disappointed.

DO IT SELF!!! - NOT!!!

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,  and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Eph.4:20-24

Willpower! Do it myself!  Ingrained within us from babyhood, it controls us the majority of our lives. When a youth with someone to guide us, it can be a good thing. Yet when we start to get into adulthood,  willpower while still good can become a detriment. There will be times, when you need more power than just willpower in your life. You are going to need God’s power.  This is why God has given us His Spirit, fulfilling his promise of John 14 (Rom.5:5, 8:15-16,26-27, 14:17; 15:13; Gal.5:22; Phi.2:1) so that we do not  have to do it alone. 

How does God produce the fruit in your life? Not by willpower. You don’t go out and say, “I’m going to be a more patient person!” You and I both know that doesn't work. Ask any addict and they will tell you at some point they tried to quit and couldn't.  It was only when they surrendered their desire for God's with the express wish that God do it because they couldn't, that they could quit and get their lives back to normal. The Holy Spirit has to grow it on the inside. You try to say, “I’m going to be more loving. I’m going to be better at not losing my temper.”  It doesn't work that way.  Fruit can only come from the inside (Mt.15:11; Mk.7:15) — his Spirit living through you.

The natural question here, is how does the Spirit do this? How does the Spirit of God work in our lives. Many would say, "by the written word of God dwelling in you."  This is crucial and true.  The actual answer is gradually, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18 )." You didn't collect your hurts, habits, and hang-ups overnight. It took you a long time to get where you are and the way you are!  When you've had a problem, attitude, mind-set, etc. for YEARS, it is going to take time and God's Spirit to overcome.  A "PAT" answer to a question that everyone wants to hear, even the quotation of a bible verse is not necessarily the best answer. Until you peel the layers back to find the root cause and let God help you in doing that, you will never truly surrender to God (Mt.11:28-30).   The Holy Spirit works within us to become gradually more and more like him. Your character is the sum total of your habits. Your responsibility is to develop new habits to change the old, so that the fruit you bear is not of yourself, it is because God is living in you (Gal.2:20).

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?   Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.  - Rom.7:15-25

Jim

A Man Learn's Peter's Lesson

Peter was a man of natural curiosity that at times got him in trouble. This, as well as his mouth, were constant stumbling blocks for him. Even after Jesus' resurrection, Peter wants to know, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus has to remind Peter, that the status of others is not important. What is important is that WE follow Him (Jn.21). 

Once, there was a man who worked in a large nuclear facility, where his job was to micro inspect piping and tubing that carried contaminated liquid under extremely high pressure. These could be used only for short periods, and in the days before robots,  this man had to examine by eye and camera ever surface interior and exterior of the pipe for any flaws. He was a master at his job, often seeing and catching the most minute things that others often overlooked. Everyday, 8 hrs. a day, 6 days a week he did this. Nothing would get by him on his watch, his job was extremely important. Unfortunately, he carried his job home with him. Nothing got by him there either.  He was a master at pointing out flaws, and his family was certainly full of them. From keeping house to table manners, everything was subject to micro-inspection, down to the flaws in any character trait. After all, he was a master. It was his job to point out such things so they could be repaired, so that everything could be perfect, so that the machine could function perfectly on his watch.  Even down to his diet, everything had to be perfect. A perfect balance of vegetable and protein, no cholesterol laden fats, artificial anything was allowed. Perfect portions, perfect times, everything had to be by the standards, there could be no flaws. Even at work, he told his friends about the flaws in their diets and how they should not be eating the things that they were because they would die early, cause damage to their hearts, or some other malady. 

One day he had gone to work as usual. Today was his time to "walk the line," as they called it. To visually inspect the lines, and there was over a mile of them. Hard hat, and safety gear on, everything perfect - he set out on his inspection. Just a quarter of a mile into the inspection, something began not to feel right. He tried to make it to a call box for help, but didn't make it. If it were not for a friend who had seen him on a monitor, he would not have made it. He woke up in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. After some time, the doctor came in and told him that he was fortunate. He had a main artery that was clogged and a simple stint surgery was all that would be required. However, rather than be relieved, he was aghast. "How could this be," he asked the doctor. "My diet is perfect, everything is portioned, only eaten at certain times! he protested." "What about those fools that eat fried chicken, thinking it's healthy when its laden with chemicals and fats that will kill them?"  The doctor smiled and replied, "It is your health about which you should be concerned, not theirs. Yes, they have their flaws, but you see, I'm a master physician. I see all the flaws and I know how to fix all of them - including yours.  The man protested with an indignance, "I watch my diet sir! I exercise regularly, I do everything RIGHT and by the book!"  The doctor replied, I would expect nothing less from a flaw finder such as yourself. However, where as you can only see the flaws on the surface, you cannot see the ones hidden within your own cells. Your own body's tendency to react to the things you eat, even by the book has caused your problem. It is not with others you should be looking for flaws, it is within your own self. It is not important what they do, it is important what you do. 

"...the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"

Rom.3:22-24

Jim

Book Review: Rhythms of Grace Discovering God’s Tempo for Your Life

Book Review:

Rhythms of Grace 

Discovering God’s Tempo for Your Life

By Kerri Weems

This has been an interesting book, especially from the light of realigning yourself with God in your life. I was anticipating a book for women, but was pleasantly surprised at how Ms. Weems wrote the book. I had never considered the Sabbath, or the Lord's day as a heartbeat for the believer. I knew it to be expected, but I missed the rhythm aspect. So, Kudo 1. I followed the rest of the book with interest, and having been in both the ministerial world as well as the secular world I could relate to how the world gets us out of rhythm. Her introduction in the chapters to the main points, invites the reader to investigate further at their own pace. Kudo 2! Finally, the end of the book lists additional resources so that the reader can investigate further. Kudo 3!

Negatives? Only minor. There were parts of it I did consider dry and I guess because I have read dozens of “self help” books there were parts that followed this format. That said, she kept to her point of keeping rhythm to God's beat.

My recommendation – its a good book and the reader would do good to have it in their library. And with that, I bid you Shabbat Shalom!