Restoration

Yesterday I wrote about fellowship with God, and how He likes us to “enter in” to His presence by reviewing our works with us. We don’t need to wait until the end of the day to fellowship with God, however, if we set this time aside for His input we will find ourselves built up and refreshed instead of worn out and stressed.


Today I am writing about another of God’s ways; restoration. He always has our ultimate good on His mind and works to restore people, families, and nations to Him. God loves His people and longs for our fellowship. Also, when we are restored to Him we find that there are many changes awaiting us.

In the book of Obadiah we find that the prophet is addressing a nation who had oppressed Israel during her time of God’s judgment. The message to this nation was that God had intended to restore Israel, and they should not have been cruel to her. In fact, the Lord would give His people the kingdom (Ob :20-21). Even during the times of judgment for Israel’s sins, God still had her restoration on His mind.

In Isaiah 54 we find a similar message. The nation of God’s people felt “as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit – a wife who married young, only to be rejected.” (Is 54:6). Indeed, all discipline is painful (Heb 12:11). During these times it is hard to imagine any good coming out of our circumstances. But God calls us back, returning us to right-standing with Him. He does not reject us forever, but has compassion on those He disciplines. “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.” (Is 54:7)

The Lord gives us clues in Isaiah about how our lives will look after He restores us. God wants to prosper us (Is 54:11-12). These verses talk about earthly riches, and while it may be a financial blessings coming our way, we should not ignore the fact that spiritual blessings may have a more favorable impact on our lives after a time of discipline. Growth, and fruit-bearing is God’s purpose, and He will bring this about in our lives.

Another way that our lives will change is that our own seed, our children, will prosper. God’s intention is to build a legacy for His name’s sake. He will teach our children His ways (Is 54:13). Instead of the shame of sin being present in our lives, the glory of overcoming will be in us for all our family to see.

Though the hand of the Lord brings discipline that we cannot avoid, after restoration will come trials that you can overcome. “If any one does attack you, it will not be My doing: whoever attacks you will surrender to you.” (Is 54:15). It’s as if the Lord sends enemies our way so that we will eliminate them, for His strength and the riches of His Spirit are in us to do so. Our “battlements (will be) of rubies . . . “ (verse 12). They are trials with victory as their purpose, and that’s always a good thing.

The Lord knows it is hard to maintain victory when we feel ashamed of our behavior. Satan knows this too, and sends fiery darts of accusations against us. But it is our heritage in the Lord to overcome what our enemy says about us. “No weapon formed against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me,” (Is 54: 17). We are not to let satan use our past to steal our present. In Revelation it is written that we overcome our accuser (Rev 12:11). That is our heritage, our strength in the Lord.

God will restore those He disciplines. And He disciplines all whom He calls His sons and daughters (Heb 12:7,8 & 10). It is His purpose that through those things we suffer, just like Jesus, we are made perfect. But above all, the Lord wants to make us strong and prosperous, give us a legacy through our children, and defeat our enemies by our own hand. Let us remember God’s goodness and compassion, for He knows the dust we are made from yet chooses to bestow the riches of His kingdom on us. Amen.

Entering in

Have you ever wished you were in God’s company? Nothing fancy . . . just wanted to hear His voice and talk to Him? Today was a long day with so many different parts that when I finished dinner, all I wanted was to sit at His feet and hear Him.


Two scriptures came to mind. The first is contained in the parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30). It was the reward for the faithful servants. Not only were they given more talents, they were invited to “share your Master’s happiness.” Some translations say “enter into your Master’s joy.” This kind of fellowship with the Lord is based on having used our talents during the day.

The second scripture was also about entering in; “Anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His” (Heb 4:10). Clearly, our fellowship with God has to do with the labors of the day being completed and set aside for a time with Him. “Entering in” is like a mini-sabbath where we take our mind off the busyness of this life and take time for God.

We find that the purpose of the first “rest” was displayed by God Himself. After God completed His creative work, He rested (Gen 2:2). But before the rest, He looked at all He did and said that it was very good (Gen 1:31). We should follow this same order. At the end of our work, we should reflect back on our day and find the good that we did. This brings thankfulness and is a great time for God to enter in with His thoughts about your day also. Finally, it is a setting aside of our efforts and entering into God’s joy.

“Entering in” means we were outside, and that is by God’s design. Remember that in the parable of the talents the Master had gone away. It was when He returned that the servants were rewarded and entered into His joy. Though God never forsakes us He does give us periods of time where we are to do what we know to do without Him having to stand over us and tell us what to do. In other words, it is as if we’re on our own for a period of testing. Then He draws near to review what we’ve done with us.

Some people find it hard to believe that God could be happy about their day. It is easy for them to find fault with the work they do, and perhaps find fault with others as well. Yet, even in a flawed world, we are the light . . . and we do good. That is what the Lord loves to share with us as we “enter in.” God is actually proud of our works in Him.

Those who harden their hearts against the Lord do not enter His rest (Heb 4:11). They are like the “wicked” servant in the parable, accusing the Lord of being harsh (Mt 25:24). Knowing that his labors should result in good, it was a shame for the servant to bury his talent. In Luke’s recording of the parable of the talents we learn that many of the servants did not want the Master to rule over them (Lk 19:14) and perhaps the 3rd servant, who hid his talent, was one of these servants. The Lord was unable to review this servant’s labors with him, for he had none. Therefore the servant had no fellowship with the Lord.

Sitting in God’s company is available to us, and is designed to be a part of our lives. Today, come aside after your work and spend time with the Master. He loves to look at your day with you. He loves to be with you! Enter in.

worship in Spirit and truth

“Yet a time is coming and now has come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in sprit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24


When Jesus talked with the woman at the well (verse quoted above), He was comparing the old worship style of giving grains and animals to the new worship style done in spirit and truth. “God is Spirit” and desires to be communicated with in spirit because that is the way we can understand and become like Him.

In the Old Testament we find that worship is often accompanied by acts of sacrificial giving (Deut 26:10). Men and women came to the temple prepared. Sometimes we find in ourselves the attitude that our worship is a spontaneous pressing into the Holy Spirit, and an uplifting participation of music and songs. Although God loves our spontaneous expressions of gratitude and love, the worship He seeks is not something we can press into during a short worship session at church; it is a life style filled with His preparations.

New Testament worship requires us “to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Rm 12:1). Instead of offering grains and animals to God, we now offer ourselves. This new style of worship is powered by the enabling of the Holy Spirit in our lives and is only possible to those who are willing to leave their own image behind to become like God.

There are 3 sets of verses which tell us what our sacrificial worship to God looks like;

• Do not be conformed to t his world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Rm 12:2a)

• Put off your old self and put on the new self, becoming God-like (Eph 4:22-24)

• Put to death your corrupt earthly nature and put on your new self (renewed by the knowledge of the image of the Creator) (Col 3:5-10)

This preparation allows us to enter into the kind of worship God is seeking, where He reveals those things which are of Him to us, through His Spirit (1 Cor 2:9-10). And here is where worshipers in the Spirit are separated from those who have not walked with God throughout the week by His Spirit; “the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:14).

God wants communion with His people during worship. If we walk with Him daily, laying our bodies down as a living sacrifice unto Him, we then can enter into meaningful worship of the Lord at any time. But if we do not give the Lord our sacrifice in our daily life then our songs sung in church on Sunday will not bring communion with Him, because we have not been yielding ourselves to Him.

God is seeking a people who want Him, more than they want to be themselves. He is seeking people who love the truth about Him and desire to be in His image. And He is seeking those who yield to the nudges and leadings of His Spirit in their everyday lives, laying aside their own preferences for His. These are they who worship God truly and He delights to find them.

prayer

What is it about prayer that moves the heart of God? Jesus’ passionate prayers are recorded for all eternity. How does one learn to pray like Him?


Jesus sought to do the will of the Father. In fact, He only did what He saw the Father do, and spoke the words He heard from the Father (Jn 8:28 & 12:49). Jesus knew the Father’s purpose in His life. When we read Jesus’ prayer for His disciples and those who would believe on Him (Jn 17:6 – 26) we are reading about the Father’s purposes for them, realized on the earth through the ministry of the Son. These are the kind of prayers that move God and are prayed from a heart full of the purposes of God, and our interaction with those purposes. James calls them the effectual fervent prayers of the saints (Jm 5:16b). They are born from the intimacy of fellowshipping with God.

Jesus encouraged the disciples to trust the Heavenly Father. He also trusted in God, through favorable circumstances and unfavorable circumstances. He knew that His Father was working for not only His reward, but for the good of all humanity. Paul also trusted God. His prayers were passionate, compact and inspired. They gave us a glimpse of the work of God in Paul’s heart towards the saints he prayed for (see Eph 1:15-23). Paul’s unfavorable circumstances became the basis for his fellowship with Christ (Phil 3:10-11).

Many times we pray for people we feel we ought to pray for. Some are in the habit of praying for salvation to come to a list of countries they have been given. These types of prayers can become a religious exercise. They lack intimacy with God because they are born from a sense of obligation.

Sometimes we use prayers like magic, as if saying the right words to our Lord will get Him to do something for us. This is child-like thinking and lacks intimacy because it is born from our mind, wanting to “try” God.

The intimate prayers of Jesus and Paul came from the maturity that is born of fellowship with God coupled with the passion of their hearts for His purposes to be fulfilled. They did not let their negative circumstances put them in a place of desperation but trusted the keeping of their lives and souls to the One whom they loved.

The sacrifice of Jesus sends a sweet fragrant incense up with His prayers, as does the sacrifice of our lives (2 Cor 2:15 & Rev 5:8). These prayers move the heart of God. Come aside to Him today and seek Him for His purposes in and through your life. Your prayers will be the fellowship of the Bride to her Bridegroom, which He covets. Amen

shepherds

Have you ever wondered what God wants the church to look like? Lately I’ve run across passages of scripture about body ministry, and the equipping function of the 5-fold ministry. Last night the Lord led me to a passage about pastors.


In Jeremiah 23 we read about “shepherds”, which in our translation is the same word for our pastors. Israel’s shepherds were not taking care of their sheep, and the Lord was dealing with them through His prophet Jeremiah. The first 4 verses show the Lord’s heart for His flock and can be summarized in what His shepherd-heart would provide for them. He wants care given, and for the people to be fruitful and multiply. God does not want any to be terrified or afraid. And He says “nor will any be missing.”

Some of this sounds familiar, doesn’t it. In Jeremiah the continuing verses of Chapter 23 are about the Messiah and that His people will “live in safety.” (verse 6). Jesus is our example of a good shepherd, and the reason some of the verses from Jeremiah seem familiar is that Jesus performed them, or spoke of them.

Jesus tells us that, as the “good shepherd”, He cares for, or “lays down” His life for the sheep. (Jn 10:11). The model to follow is that of preferring the needs of others, and their safety, before the desires of those who are leading.

Jesus’ desire is that we are fruitful. In fact, it is the Father’s glory that we “bear much fruit,” (Jn 15:5 & 8). This lines up with the call of the 5-fold ministry to “prepare God’s people for works of service,” (Eph 4:12a).

If sheep feel secure they will not be afraid. Jesus asks us to trust our heavenly Father and “let not your hearts be troubled,” (Jn 14:1). Just as a shepherd would cause his sheep to trust him, so a pastor will cause God’s people to put their trust in the Lord.

When Jesus prayed to the Father on behalf of His disciples He revealed more of His shepherd’s heart. “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that the scripture would be fulfilled.” (Jn 17:12).

I believe that God is still setting shepherds over His flock; men and women who care, protect, cause people to trust in God, and work with them to bear fruit and multiply. He has not changed His standard. He looks for those who stray from the flock, and we should too. He ministers to His flock so that none are lost, and we should too. God is profoundly caring, to the end that we all are built up into Him in maturity and unity.

God’s standards for each one of us have not changed with the times. Let us not see His people casually, nor work amongst them carelessly. Our fruit is His glory. As shepherds and other members of God’s 5-fold ministry let our hearts be about bringing the fruits of others to perfection. Amen.

Inner healing

If you had a brother in Christ in front of you who needed ministry because of a problem he was experiencing, which would you do first?: seek inner healing for his woundedness, or counsel him so that he can understand what part he played in the problem? Have you personally had a problem for which you were counseled and yet left unhealed?


There is a proverb which reads “Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.” (Prov 14:10). No man truly knows another man’s heart, yet we each experience our own heart through our thoughts and emotions and this is where inner healing takes place. When Hannah sorrowed over being barren, Eli, the priest, did not understand her heart because he looked at her behavior (1 Sam 1). Eli felt the need to correct the behavior and did not truly “see” Hannah’s need for ministry until she revealed the sorrow that lived in her heart.

Besides knowing our own hearts, there is One Who searches hearts; the Lord (Jer 17:10a). Through the Holy Spirit the Lord gives us the ability to minister to others, seeing with His eyes into the sorrows of another’s heart. Indeed, one of the purposes of prophecy is to show the secrets of another’s heart (1 Cor 14:25). Through Word of Knowledge this gift is manifest also, and by Word of Wisdom a man can be counseled.

God holds the hearts of men as precious and does not entrust their “secrets” to us until we have learned how to love people. A minister who judges, or is offended at a man in need of ministry will not “see” how to minister God’s inner healing to that man. Jesus explains this principle in the parable of the man seeking to pull the speck of sawdust out of his brother’s eye (Lk 6:41-42). The speck was small in comparison to the plank in the observer’s eye. He could not help the brother with the speck until he himself removed his plank so he could “see”. Yet, once he could see, he was able to help his brother.

Seeing is representative of spiritual sight. Paul calls our understanding the “eyes of your heart” (Eph 1:18). When we set aside our own thoughts and offenses at our brother’s problem, then we can receive spiritual sight from God. Jesus demonstrated this when He ministered to Peter after His resurrection. Peter had denied Jesus three times. In the past, Peter had shown himself to be impulsive, sometimes getting on the wrong track. Peter had all appearances of having left his discipleship to return to his trade of fishing. Yet Jesus’ words restored Peter to his calling and he became a mighty apostle. Jesus saw His investment in Peter, and Peter’s giftedness. By affirming Peter’s calling to “feed My sheep” (Jn 21:15-17) Jesus brought out his ability to love Him, and the brethren.

People may not know their hearts completely, and may indeed be in need of counseling. However, when we draw attention to the person’s reaction or emotions concerning their problem, we are ministering to their head instead of their heart. If we dig for dirt, there is bound to be mistakes we will discover. This kind of ministry will leave a sense of incompleteness and invalidation in the person. If the issue is not received in an unjudgmental fashion, a man, knowing the pain in his own heart, will then experience negligence concerning his inner pain, or feel that he is required to erase the problem before it is really dealt with. This invalidates his sense of personhood, for the heart is meant to feel, and the emotions, no matter how they offend us, are meant to express the attitudes and pains living in a man’s heart.

There is healing balm for the inner pains of men’s hearts. It consists of love, working through compassion, and the clear truth that comes with the “sight” of the Spirit working within us. This brings healing and restoration to men. Let us bring inner healing through the ministry of the Holy Spirit first, restoring those who are brokenhearted to who they are in Christ. Our counsel, if needed, will then bring completion to the work of the Lord. Amen.

Eternal Gospel part 3

For the last 2 days I have been writing about the eternal gospel (Rev 14:7) which contains these three phrases; Fear God, Give Him Glory, and Worship God (the true God our Creator). I wrote about the first element, Fear God, and the second, Give Him Glory. I will conclude with the third element, Worship God. There are many saints who are more qualified than I am to write about what worship should look like. Please read their material if you want to know more about this subject. I will share with you what part the Lord gave me.

Worship of God should be present in our hearts on a daily basis. It comes as an expression of having our affections set on Him. Jesus shared this love with His heavenly Father (Jn 15:9) and described it as abiding in each other, and concerning the saints, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”(Jn 17:21) This “oneness” or “unity” is what our affections should produce, and is the purpose of worship. When our hearts are set on Jesus, we “live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness “(which is a form of worship) (Col 2:6-7). The oneness that results from our heart of worship towards God reveals His glory in us also (Col 3:1-4).

We have opposition from our flesh, our heart and our enemy, satan, who seeks to turn our hearts away from oneness with God. If our affections are set on the things of this life, we will not be able to worship God. John writes “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 Jn 2:15). John breaks the “love of the world” down into “cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does.” (1 Jn 2:16).

Satan tempted Jesus to set His desires on the world. He said to Jesus “All this I will give you . . . if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus replied “Away from me, satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” (Mt 4:9-10). Jesus showed that His love of God was directly linked to worship and service. The worship of God will result in love and service to our fellow man, and so fulfill the greatest commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mk 12:30-31).

Love of God brings unity through our worship of Him. Love of the world separates us from God and inhibits true worship. In the end times, which I believe we are now living in, the dragon, who is satan, will have find people to give “power and his throne and great authority” to (Rev 13:2). The temptation is the same. Unlike Jesus, some will set their affections on their own advancement and what they can gain in this life. Men will worship both the dragon, and this spirit called the beast (Rev 13:4). Though the interpretation of Revelation may be controversial, we see a repeated theme in the 13th chapter; wrong worship! This must be the reason why we read about the angel with the eternal gospel in the next chapter, proclaiming, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” (Rev 14:7).

Yes, let us worship God, and set our affections on Him, setting aside the world for service to Him who is eternal. Amen.

Eternal Gospel part 2

Yesterday I wrote about the eternal gospel (Rev 14:7) which contains these three phrases; Fear God, Give Him Glory, and Worship God (the true God our Creator). Living out these principles bring us a successful walk with God and are the ingredients of a successful church. Disobedience to these principals will cause men to lose sight of their faith and what Church is about. Obedience to the gospel is our responsibility concerning salvation. Though trials come, Paul admonished us that, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Phil 1:27). Though our salvation is a free gift, our conduct should reflect the great worth of our redemption. Our enemy uses misguided teachers to target the elements of salvation in order to take our eyes off the Champion of our faith, Jesus (see Gal 1:7). Yesterday I reviewed the first element, Fear of God. Today I will write briefly about the second element of the eternal gospel; Give God glory. Though much more could be written, my purpose is to let the Holy Spirit minister Himself to you in hopes that, through your own gifts, you will minister what He has worked in you to others. We are to give God credit for all the good works He enables us to do, and for those works He does independent of us. If we take credit for what God has done and for who we are in Him, we fail to give Him glory. Jesus plainly told people that He could not do anything by His own will or efforts, and He gave all the glory to God (Jn 5:19 & 30). Paul wrote “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you did not?” (1 Cor 4:7). To brag, or glory in what God has given in us and done through us is to rob God of glory. Independence and self-determination are born out of wanting credit for the successes in our lives. James corrected people for this kind of boasting and bragging (Jm 4:13-16). He admonished them to preface their actions with the phrase “If it is the Lord’s will”, and therefore show submission to the One who gives guidance and ability for our good works on this earth. When we act out of self-determination, independently from the Holy Spirit’s leading, we may ignore small acts of grace in order to perform the mightier acts of power and glory. Therefore James concludes his admonition with “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” Our minds can be a source of pride also, and it is not uncommon to glory in our own thoughts. This will lead us to rely on our own understanding to determine the truth. In speaking about false teachers who talk from the wrong spirit, John states that they “speak from the viewpoint of the world and the world listens to them.” (1 Jn 4:5). For some brethren, these men seem to be speaking sensible things. However, they are not presenting the truth but glory in their own thoughts. The trouble with being misled by our trust in our own understanding is that it will cause us to value the wrong things, and disvalue those things precious to God. Jude writes “these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals --these are the very things that destroy them.” (Jd :10) Truth is established by the Spirit of truth and therefore does not come from our own understanding. The ultimate end of taking glory that is due to God is self-exaltation and eventually, belittling or speaking against God. Satan set the example of self-exaltation, and his conversation is written in Isaiah 14:12-14. He thought himself God’s equal, and sought to place himself above God. Many who have become wise in their own eyes have done the same. Yet there is another force at work in the world which seeks to influence men to speak against God Himself. In both Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 13:5-6 we read about the spirit of pride and blasphemy at work. This spirit works through men to speak boastfully; “This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully,” (Dan 7:8b). Paul writes about the “eyes of our understanding” in Ephesians (1:18). The pride of loving our own thoughts and glorying in our own understanding will become a wedge between us and the light Christ gives us, and the result of that pride will become an open door for this spirit of blasphemy and spiritual pride we are warned against.

The Eternal Gospel

Yesterday I was asking the Lord what He wants His Church to look like. The “eternal gospel” came to mind. It is found in Rev 14:6-7, which reads “Then I saw another angel flying midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” Three phrases from this scripture seem to be our focus, and the enemy’s target during the end times; Fear God, Give Him Glory, and Worship God (the true God our Creator). Simply put, those who fear God obey Him. Those who give God glory give Him credit for the good works He enables us to do. And those who worship God have their highest affections set on Him. These are the ingredients of a successful walk with God and a successful church. Disobedience to these principals will cause men to lose sight of their faith and what Church is about. These three areas become the target of satan who, simply put, wants to get all men to make themselves into their own image, be satisfied with themselves, and become their own gods. This is known as the “self-made man.” In scripture the man who is perfected in his own image is the one who receives the number of a man, 666 (Rev 13:18). Today we will look at the first part of the eternal gospel; Fear God. The opposite of fearing God is to be casual, on a friendship basis alone with Him. This allows one to take God’s commands as suggestions from one friend to another, therefore eliminating the need to obey what they contain. However, Jesus states that it is necessary to obey His commands in order to remain in His love (Jn 15:10). In fact, Jesus set the example by obeying His Father’s commands. Lack of fear of God may also cause one to reserve the right to disbelieve Him. Our unbelief then becomes a convenient excuse to not do God’s will, and in fact, to remain in our own will. But God does not reward our unbelief, and when we shrink back from doing His will, we are destroyed (Heb 10:38-39). Our knowledge of God and His ways becomes a witness against those who refuse to do the good they know is required of them (Jms 4:17). Jesus found that some men feared men more than God. His advice was “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him, who after killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him.” (Lk 12:4-5) It is interesting that pastors seldom want to mention fear of God in their sermons, however, Jesus mentioned it in His. Why? Because He was dedicated to telling the truth, doing His Father’s will, and He did not fear men. Fear of men will eventually lead one to consider the opinions of men as more valuable than God’s. When addressing the Pharisees, who loved men’s praises, Jesus told them that they actually justified the wrong they did by using the acceptance of those who praised them as validation of their righteousness (Lk 16:15). What is heart-breaking is that some of the Jewish leaders actually believed in Jesus, but because they feared the Pharisees, did not confess their faith; “for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” (Jn 12:42-43). The acceptance they coveted from their fellow man undid their faithfulness to God. If men do not fear nor obey God, they eventually they will make the rules and guidelines of their religious beliefs to be reasonable to their own understanding. They will be easier to achieve, and these men will therefore become confident in their own righteousness. Paul was faced with choosing between a man-pleasing righteousness, or the righteousness that “is by faith” (Phil 3:7-9). But Paul chose to know God through the suffering appointed to him. Jesus also chose submission to God’s will over having an easier road to follow. “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and he was heard because of His reverent submission.” (Heb 5:7). Reading further, we see that Jesus Himself learned obedience from what He suffered (vs 8). Jesus set an example for us of obedience to God at the cost of personal preference. That is why He could invite obedient saints to sit on the throne with Him; “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Rev 3:21) I reviewed many scriptures that uphold the admonition contained in the first part of the eternal gospel; fear God. Next, I will review the second admonition; give Him glory. My hope is that, in studying God’s commands, we will better realize how to please God with our faith, and will avoid the pit falls common to all men who disbelieve. God bless, Helen

Parable of the Shrewd Manager

This lesson is a companion to the word of encouragement posted earlier today. God bless, Helen In Luke 16:1-13 we read a parable my Bible calls the “Shrewd Manager.” It is about a steward placed in charge of his master’s possessions. This manager “wasted” the possessions, and so was called into account by his master. Before losing his job the manger decided to act wisely so that “people will welcome me into their houses.” If we view this parable as being about God (the master) and his servants (the steward/manager) we might stumble across the concept that people can owe a debt to God. But consider that God entrusts us with gifts and a calling, which He expects us to use for His glory. There are other parables that speak to this concept as well. We as God’s servants, then, incur debt towards God if we do not use His gifts for his glory. In this parable we see that the manager used the gifts and his calling to benefit himself. Though he was entrusted with the ability to impart gifts, he never called men to use them. We in like manner can use our gifts and ministries to benefit our positions. There is great temptation to use position and fame to exalt ourselves and gain popularity and monies. One insight we have about the heart of the manager in this parable is that he wanted to be received by other men. He not only sought benefit from serving God, but in the coming future when he would be on his own, wanted the acceptance of men. He could conceivably continue to minister, without the “possessions” of His master. The manger wanted to create an entrance into the hearts, homes and ministries of by doing the right things for the wrong reasons. He should have been encouraging his fellow servants to serve God with their gifts all along. However, it did not bother the manger that servants were incurring debt towards God, just as he was. The principle is that, when allow sin to live in our hearts, it may be a relief to see others who likewise allow sin to live in their hearts. Yet we see by the manger’s delayed obedience that the other servants could have been brought to repentance earlier if he had encouraged them to use their gifts for God’s purposes. God knows the good we can do in our faithfulness to His purposes. But if we fail to encourage our brethren to do good, and if we enjoy the benefits of fame and fortune by keeping our ministries acceptable before men, we will ultimately lose our reward. All we do is “wasted” efforts. If we feign righteousness by encouraging our brethren in order to create friendships, even if those same brethren receive us into their ministries, God will not receive us. He knows that, “whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. . . . No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or her will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Lk 16:10-13) The ones who have been entrusted with the management positions in God’s Church are in the position to encourage all the members of God’s Body, his servants, to use their gifts for His glory. Let us be found doing so today, not looking at our own ministries, but as stewards of God’s riches. Amen.

Jesus' ministry imparts glory

I’m reading Isaiah 61, the ministry of our Christ. What glory resides in this chapter, waiting to fall on those who believe in His name! I’ve always believed Jesus lives in us to, in this dame way, minister through us to others. He binds up the broken-hearted, sets the captives free, and releases prisoners from darkness. Besides beginning this work at salvation, Christ continues to do this work through the members of His body. We are called to be priests and ministers. 1 Peter 2:9 states we are a priesthood to “declare the praises of Him Who called us out of darkness into His glorious light.” We can’t help but open our mouths to minister in the manner He has called us. Each one who uses his or her gift for the benefit of others brings a bit of the glory of God to earth. God encourages us through scripture to use our gifts according to our faith. We don’t need permission from others to minister, for we don’t belong to one man, but “each member belongs to all the others.” (Rom 12:5-6). The more I read scripture the more I become aware that Jesus’ beautiful ministry described in Isaiah 61 is meant to reside in a body, His Bride. If we in the 5-fold ministry do not bring people up in their gifts, we fail in what God placed us in the body for (see Eph 4:11-13). Let us yearn to see each member in the body of Christ function in their gifts . . . setting captives free, healing broken hearts, dispelling the darkness & bringing prisoners to light. When we see our brethren ministering as Jesus would minister through them, then we know we have walked as Jesus walked, imparting the glory of Christ to men and women who will impart His glory to others. Amen.