Revelation 8

Good morning my friends,

From all predictions it is a good day to stay tucked up at home with a nice cup of hot chocolate and the Word of God. Do not feel defeated because you could not make it out for worship. We have had it good for too long. We need to remember that we live in Canada and more specifically, we live in Montreal. This used to be normal, 40 to 60 cm of snow with high winds is a blizzard and blizzards are as dangerous to life as tornados.

It is good that we have forecasters who can give us warning about such storms. They save many people from a lot of heartache, or, at least those who heed their warning. There are always those odd individuals who think they have a “Get Out Of Jail” free card and can avoid any danger to life in the midst of such storms. Most of us who are intelligent and wise listen to the police when they are telling us to stay home. It is a shame that more of us do not heed the warnings God has given us as well.

As we read through Revelation, especially this mornings reading, it is hard for us to relate what we are reading to this wonderful time of Christmas. Christmas is such a great celebration of love, joy, hope and peace. One of the problems is we have relegated it to a time of celebrating childhood, trying to make Christmas as special as possible for them. And why not? It is the celebration of the birth of a baby. Mind you, not just any baby, but the Son of God, who had come to open the door for our rescue.

We would like to keep the time of celebration a joyous event with lots of music, lights, colours and an almost magical time for children. Yet, this is also a very serious time; deadly serious. Just as the weather forecasters tell us what is likely to happen before it arrives, giving us time to prepare, so the Word of God tells us what is going to happen with certitude. So why are we not preparing? Why are we not warning people? Never before in our history are we seeing the world change so quickly when it comes to the predictions of global doom. The debate should no longer be about what caused this. The scientists are now saying that it is too late. Changing our habits may lessen the effects 100 years from now but our course is set for the next fifty years. It is going to happen. What we are reading in Revelation is going to happen.

If this is the case for the events that will take place in nature, earthquakes, floods, famines and such, can we not also accept that the predicted political situation will also unfold? This is no longer happening in the future, it is happening in our life time. We look at our government and think everything is stable but it is not. Things can change rather quickly overnight. Look at what happened in Quebec during Trudeau’s time. Look at what happened globally after 911. Things can change quickly.

These events that are revealed to us in Revelation should not be the things that concern us, at least not the disastrous things. They will just lead to physical death. The thing that should concern us is what takes place at the end of this time; the great judgement. As we googoo over the baby in the manger we have a major “storm” about to hit the world and people are ignoring the forecast. This “storm” will be bigger than any tornado, blizzard or hurricane and it is now within sight. Are we prepared? Are we warning people?

I am not suggesting that we do away with our wonderful Christmas celebrations. The feasts, the music, the colours are all a great reminder that the Father did not leave us to our own demise but laid out a plan for our rescue. Yet, Jesus, the one we celebrate at this time of year, told us that we are part of the rescue mission. We have a job to do. Worship refreshes us and renews us. It renews our relationship and reminds us of our purpose. We need this constant renewal because we have a job to do. But it seems we want the renewal without the responsibility.

Keep in mind the letters to the seven churches. Which one do you identify with? Where are you in this relationship with Jesus? Where are you in understanding purpose? Are we making disciples? Very few of us are. It requires relationship and we are not very good at relationship. Yet, that is what Christmas is about, relationship.

Read over these last couple of chapters in Revelation again. Go ahead and read the one that follows. Look outside and see the blizzard that has hit our city. Use it as an object lesson this morning. Let’s get to work.  

Enjoy!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness …”

It is strange how our English language has changed and evolved with the words we use and how we lose the understanding of their usage. Have you ever used the expression, “Thank goodness”? My mom used it all the time. Goodness used in this manner is a euphemism for God. What about the expression, “Goodness gracious”? Maybe these expressions are too mild in today’s blunt language but at one time they were widely used. My point here is that goodness was used in substitution of the use of God because goodness is part of the character of God. Good is the opposite of evil.

The Random House dictionary describes goodness in this way:

Some synonyms would be integrity, honesty, uprightness. Goodness is the fifth fruit of the Spirit which should tell us that we are not capable of it without the Holy Spirit. Again, the Fruit of the Spirit is a work of the heart and not simply an external act.

There are many people who desire to lead a good life and are often referred to as good people because of the acts of kindness and generosity. Yet, inside, they struggle with the same darkness as everyone else and their heart condition is no better than others, because they are without Jesus Christ.

Until we grasp the understanding that there is no redeeming quality in us before Christ Jesus we will continue to try to obtain our own virtue. We will try and fail a thousands times and more in our lifetime because there is no goodness in us. A single act of conscience does not make us virtuous. You can have unkind people doing kind things and evil people doing good but these acts do not change the condition of their heart. It is the heart that matters. When the heart and mind of a believer are changed than all other things follow. It is a shame that we have taken the work of the Spirit upon ourselves because we can do nothing but mess it up. It is only when we are possessed by the Spirit that the fruit is produced in us.

Consider this passage in Romans 13:

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (8-10)

We go back to the root of it; love. Without it there is nothing else. So remembering this we read this next passage:

“And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (11-14)

“Let us behave decently”, “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ”. In other words, clothe yourself in the goodness of Jesus. This is the same goodness that was revealed to Moses and clarified the statement, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion:

"I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” (Exodus 33:19)

The goodness of the Lord was the first thing that was revealed because it would assure and comfort Moses. This same goodness is the goodness for which the psalmist expressed praise:

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

“How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.” (Psalm 31:19)

This is the same goodness they leaned upon in the assurance of God’s love for them:

Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. (Psalm 69:16)

Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me. (Psalm 86:17)

This is the same goodness that is suppose to be existing in all believers. Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.”  (Ephesians 5:8-10)

Consider the opening of Peter’s second letter:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3-11)

So we are called by his glory and goodness and the first fruit that is mentioned by Peter is goodness. This is a central part of God’s character that must become a central part of our character through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. And look what Peter says; if these qualities are increasing is us, if we are growing in maturity they will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in Christ. He also adds that if we do these things we will never fall.

As we continue to examine our foundation let us consider carefully the essential need for goodness. Could people refer to us as being:

-         morally excellent

-         virtuous

-         upright

-         honest

-         a person of integrity

God had his goodness pass before Moses before anything else as a way of assuring Moses. I wonder if God desires to reveal his goodness to others through the work of the Spirit in us? Are we being the light of the goodness of his love?

Good morning my fellow sojourners. I hope your week was somewhat better than mine. My week held many difficulties that mounted up on me and threatened to block out the “Sonshine” in my life. Tiredness, overwork, poor diet, lack of exercise, crowded prayer time were the circumstance that left cracks in my armour, leaving me vulnerable to the many deceptive attacks of the enemy.

This was a week that would demand much patience and endurance. How unfortunate that my supply of patience was wearing thin affecting my determination to endure. Perhaps this is a foreign thought to you, the desire to run and hide. Perhaps it is a relentless thought that invades every activity of your life. Perhaps no one in your circle of friends has noticed this in you, but the greater chance is that everyone not only sees it but feels it from you. These struggles in our character always affect our actions. We can hide it for a time but eventually the things of the heart bubble to the surface in the form of our actions.

Some would say that I am a patient man. I would never agree to this assessment of my character. However, I do know that one of the signs that things are not well with me is when I become less patient and allow it to affect my response to circumstances and people. In fact I no longer respond but instead react. Being a father of nine and running a school filled with growing children, patience is the one thing I cannot do without. However, that is exactly what happened to me this week; my patience ran out.

What a funny phrase that is, “running out of patience”. It sounds like patience is a type of fuel. Maybe it is. Can you imagine what verses the Spirit pressed in upon me this weekend?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience …”

“Love is patient …”

People joke about being careful about asking the Lord for patience because he will put us in a situation to develop it in us. The fact is patience is much more important than many of us understand. Consider what wisdom says about it. We can recognize these scriptures and identify with them:

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
       do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
       when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:7)

We have all lived this truth:

A patient man has great understanding,
       but a quick-tempered man displays folly. (Proverbs 14:29)

How about:

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension,
       but a patient man calms a quarrel. (Proverbs 15:18)

Consider what is prized here:

Better a patient man than a warrior,
       a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32)

Now consider the instruction we have received concerning patience.Paul’s instruction to the Ephesians concerning matters of character:

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)

Be patient, bearing with one another, with that wonderful secret ingredient of love. So, losing control over my temper because of foolish people, Christian or not, is a really bad sign for me. What about you? Paul repeats himself in a rewording of the same instruction to a different church:

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

Notice how he clarifies it so that we cannot be narrow-minded about it. We must be patient with everyone. Paul put it to the Colossians in such a way that it is difficult for us to ignore:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

“As God’s chosen people” is the clue that we are suppose to be different from those who have not yet entered into that incredible relationship with Jesus. The scripture that continues to be a sign post for my own spiritual condition is a simple instruction Paul gave to his friend and apprentice, Timothy:

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2)

James also noted that it is something we must possess but for a different reason than something we have to have with each other. We also need to have patience with God:

You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. (James 5:8)

Sometimes, as we face what we must face, we may allow a thought into our head; “Is it worth it?” This is when we also must remember that God’s ways are not ours and his perspective is so much different than ours:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9)

This is who our God is. This describes his wonderful character: “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish.” Peter also explains:

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. (2 Peter 3:14-15)

This speaks of God’s character and how it has benefited us but understand that we are to be “imitators” of God. This means that our patience with people may also bear fruit:

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12)

What kind of example are we setting? Are people seeing the patience of God in us?

So this gives us the frame work of biblical understanding and instruction on patience. But what are those things that block its growth in us? What prevents the Spirit from developing this Godly character in us in a way that Jesus is glorified through our lives? I named a few at the beginning. Imbalance in our lives always has a destructive nature and usually takes the light away from us instead of pushing us more fully into it. However, there is also another thing that destroys much of the work of the Spirit in us; judgment.

It is difficult for us to have patience with someone who we have also condemned. It is a matter of perspective once again. What is our place of orientation? From what direction are we approaching life? How do we see and understand people and circumstances. The best advice I can give in this is, remember where you come from.

It is amazing but when I want to understand geography and direction I usually relate them to where I grew up. It is my place of orientation in this world, even though I have lived in many different places. For someone out west, down east is Ontario and Quebec. But Ontario and Quebec for me is Upper Canada. I am an Easterner, but for someone in BC I am from the Atlantic region or the East Coast. If I want to understand people and circumstances I must first start at where I came from; I am a sinner saved by grace. Sin is where I was born. If we can remember this than it is amazing the amount of grace and patience we can show people. Consider what Paul wrote to the church in Rome in this regard:

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:1-4)

There is no room for boasting, for feeling superior or looking down on anyone when we remember that phrase, “a mere man”. We have done nothing to gain our salvation. He has done all the work. His love is no different for my neighbour than it is for me. The only difference between me and an immature Christian is that, hopefully, I have gained some wisdom in my experience in the Lord but it makes me no more saved or any better in service than anyone else. There is no room for me to be found judging anyone. Yet, this judging will reveal itself in my lack of patience toward that person.

We need to keep a proper perspective to our place of origin when it comes to dealing with people:

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written:
   "There is no one righteous, not even one;
      there is no one who understands,
      no one who seeks God.
 All have turned away,
      they have together become worthless;
   there is no one who does good,
      not even one."
 "Their throats are open graves;
      their tongues practice deceit."
   "The poison of vipers is on their lips."
    "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
     ruin and misery mark their ways,
 and the way of peace they do not know."
    "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:9-18)

The thing that keeps us straight in all of this is remembering that the Father loved us all so much that he gave up his Son for us all. Not just for a select few but for anyone who would believe. Instead of considering the lost as our enemy we should see them as brothers and sisters who have yet to find the way. Thus we are patient with them. Instead of impaling the “young in the faith” we should be like older brothers and sisters, bearing with their silliness; being patient for their maturity.

Like joy and peace we cannot isolate patience from the total package; it must begin with love. Patience cannot and will not exist where there is no love, joy and peace. The best place to start our examination of the problem of our patience is with our relationship in Jesus Christ. Is it what it ought to be? 

Good morning my friends,

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ – that is the greeting of the ancients, of Paul, Peter and John. But of which peace did they speak? The peace of the “body” or the peace of the Spirit? We find both teachings throughout the Christian text. An example is found in Ephesians 2:

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (2:14-18)

Paul is addressing the issue of the unity that should be found in the Jew and Gentile through the bond of peace which we find in Jesus Christ. Paul states simply, “For he himself is our peace…” So that without Jesus there is no peace, in the flesh or in the soul. Those who seek after world peace are on a fool’s errand because peace is a matter of the mind and heart not political will. The only one who holds any sway over the heart and mind of man is Jesus Christ.

So here we have two types of peace; of the Spirit and of the flesh. Of the Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” (Galatians 5:22)

Of the flesh:

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” (Romans 14:19)

So, again, just like love and joy, we get it backwards. We cannot possess any form of peace in our flesh unless we first possess the peace of our soul which comes through our relationship in Christ Jesus.

So let us make this clear and establish it from the very beginning of this discussion. You can do nothing to produce peace within yourself. You may try hot baths with candle light; quiet moments with a cup of tea; avoidance of people and situations; yoga and other such dangerous “emptying of our mind” methods. Often our pursuit of peace includes lack of people and quiet. But we live in a noisy and crowded place. What we may set aside for 30 minutes will eventually catch up to us. Something is going to come crashing in to destroy whatever little peace we managed to produce in that bubble of time. This is not the peace that Jesus Christ has offered us.

The peace of Jesus is designed for where we live and what we experience. In other words it is a battlefield peace:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

What Jesus gives to us he will not take from us. If we have a weak relationship with him then troubles and fears will strip us of that peace but we have done that to ourselves. Peace comes from that confidence and trust in Jesus Christ which is only found in a growing relationship with Jesus. If we stop growing decay will set in and we will find our peace eaten away until we are filled with fear and doubt.

Keep in mind that we are not talking about a world peace. That will only happen if every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord and each one enters into that glorious relationship with him. Remember what Jesus told plainly to us:

“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” (Luke 12:51)

Peace cannot be achieved by political means. In the world peace can only be achieved by brutal force and it is not a real peace but instead a simple absence of violence. Real peace is only found in a relationship of love:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)

However, what do we do when we have confessed Jesus Christ and we are doing our best to live a righteous life yet we lack peace? There is a real absence of peace in our lives and we know it. Why is this our reality? If this is true for you then ask yourself, “Where is my mind?”

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.” (Romans 8:5-7)

That sounds a bit severe. What does a lack of peace look like? It is dissatisfaction with life in general. You find it hard to be content. You always seem to be searching, aching, like an itch that you can’t scratch. Things irritate you quickly. You are short tempered. It causes you to have a lack of satisfaction in the relationships around you. It causes you to be critical of others. It really is another marker in our relationship with Christ because we know that peace is a fruit of the Spirit:

“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 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 8:9-11)

Ask yourself again this week, “What is my orientation in this world?”

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.” (Romans 14:17-18)

Are we seeking the Kingdom first? Are we seeking things for ourselves first? The wonderful thing is that this first peace leads to the second peace, peace in the body of Jesus Christ:

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.” (Romans 14:19-21)

Paul was dealing with unity issues. As long as people were touting their rights and freedoms there was division. Our orientation changes all of this so that our inner peace also affects the outer peace and we are willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to live in peace within the body of Christ.

We cannot do much; the Spirit cannot do anything unless our orientation is correct. Our eyes must be fixed on the author and finisher of our faith. He is the source of everything for us and without him we have nothing:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Seriously, be honest with yourself and the Lord today. Where has your mind and heart been focused? It may not be on anything terribly sinful but if it is on anything other than Jesus it is the wrong thing and damaging to your desire for peace.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9)

Now, have you noticed how these three – love, joy, peace – are woven together throughout the scriptures? Joy springs out of God’s love for us and out of this joy we find peace hard at work:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

The other thing about peace we need to keep in mind is that it is the Father’s design for us. Consider this:

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)

We were called to peace! If you want it, truly want it, it’s yours. It means letting go and letting the Spirit do his work. Surrender to him, trust him, live a righteous life and he will produce this peace in you; a peace that goes beyond all understanding. But it must first start with Jesus; it must be found in a growing and loving relationship with him.

Now I leave you with this simple prayer:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Amen! 

Reading: 2 Chronicles 27, 28; Acts 19:1-20

Good morning my friends,

The name of the Lord is not a thing to be trifled with, even in the age in which we live. As I watch society around me today I cannot help but subscribed to the theory of de-evolution. Instead of advancing our culture seems to be shrinking. Technology is growing so there should be more available with which to educate ourselves. The great works of art, great literature, great music is all one or two (maybe five) cliques away on the Internet. Technology is great. However, we do not employ it to increase our culture but instead for our self entertainment. We will watch videos of people doing stupid things or of people have accidents and we will find it entertaining.

We are a people who could enrich ourselves in our own language or in the countless languages available on the Internet. Instead, we use the crudest forms of language to express ourselves. It is not due to environment but instead from laziness. In this we find the most precious name of Jesus used and misused to the point where it ceases to be a name and becomes simply a word used to express frustration, anger, shock. Yet, it is at the sound of this name that demons flee, illness is cured, that knees bow. But, is it the name or is it the person the name represents?

When we consider the incident with the seven sons of Sceva we may discover something a bit different. Some may look at this and quickly conclude that it was a misuse of power that back-fired on these men. Remember they were doing legitimate work in casting out demons. This was being done long before Jesus arrived. However, when these men saw the effectiveness that using the name “Jesus” had they figured they had found a more effective tool. What they failed to understand was that it was not the name that held the power but the relationship with the one to whom the name belongs. That was their mistake. It is the same mistake that is made today.

The demon said to these men:

"Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"

To know the name of Jesus is nothing. To know only the name is like knowing the name of your neighbour. You may be able to call to him but just because you know his name will not make you one of his buddies or part of his family. To know is not to be known. To be known is to be possessed by the Spirit of God. This is why Paul had to deal with the 12 men at the beginning of this chapter. These men knew of Jesus but they were not known. It is by the Spirit that we become “in Christ” and “Christ in us”. Without the Spirit we only know the name and not the person of Jesus. To “confess” the name of Jesus is simply to say that we accept Jesus for being who he says he is. His name is precious to us not because it is a more beautiful name than any other but instead because he himself is beautiful.

We do not want to make the same mistake that these seven men made. We do not want to make a religious thing out of the name or out of any ceremonies or acts of our celebration of Jesus. We must always remember who Jesus is by remaining in the Spirit. To the Corinthians Paul had written this reminder:

“He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

So I encourage you, when you pray, do not simply speak the name of Jesus, speak to him. Do not think that he is “out there” somewhere, but if you are possessed by the Spirit then Jesus is actually part of you. With this, always keep in mind that the one who you are in and who is in you is the instrument of creation. This is the reason demons flee and illness is cured when the name is spoken by those who belong to him. Remember, it is not so much the name as it is the one whom that name represents. 

Good morning my friends,

How are you feeling as a Christian? Is it all that you thought it would be? Is it less now than it was at the beginning? How is your strength; your resolve? Any disappointments lately? Any questioning lately? How is that joy thing going?

The reality is that most of us are not where we should be in our relationship with the Lord and we continue to get it backwards. We figure if we fix some external problem that it will fix the internal or eternal one. The reality of the Christian walk is that the heart condition matters the most. If our heart is not aligned properly nothing we do will matter.

We have been examining the foundation of love off and on for the last little bit. Without it nothing else is possible and nothing else matters. Yet, again, we act as if it is something we can treat. The only thing that can deal with our heart condition is a complete surrender to the love of Jesus Christ. Until we can accept this, deal with this, and surrender to it, all our efforts and work will come to nothing. Probably most of you are agreeing with me because you see it in someone else. Stop it! Regardless of how someone else’s actions impact you, your heart condition is dependant only on your relationship with Christ.

The first thing we must do is understand and accept our spiritual condition. Often we can take our spiritual temperature by looking at our actions. When Paul was dealing with the immature Corinthian church this is what he pointed out to them:

“Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.” (2 Corinthians 12:19-20)

Paul could see the spiritual condition of this church by the actions of the believers. It should not be this way but the reality of most believers and thus most churches is that we are very immature spiritually. As a result we find quarreling, jealousy, anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and even disorder. But instead of dealing with this in ourselves we are quick to point out the deficit in others. I must deal with the reality of my own condition in Jesus.

Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians was straight forward:

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

The reality is that we are to live a surrendered life. The signs of such a life are the fruits of the Spirit. As we examine ourselves do we find these in abundance or is there an awkward absence. We know the first of these fruits is love. We have been looking at this for a while. Again the fruits are not produced by us but instead by the Holy Spirit when we leave ourselves open to his direction. It is from love that everything else then becomes possible. Love is the fertilizer. Not our love, but Jesus’ love. Consider the next fruit that is produced:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy…” (Galatians 5:22)

The reason Paul is writing this to the Galatians is not because they already possess this understanding. In fact, it is the opposite. They had lost their first love and were falling back into the law and the worship of idols. How is your joy these days? Abounding in it? Is it flowing out of you in a way that it is affecting everyone around you? Would people consider you a joyful person? If so, is this an everlasting joy or does it come and go depending on your mood and circumstances? If so, then you and I, along with millions of others are pursuing the wrong joy. There is only one source for the everlasting joy:

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:10-12)

We know this reality: the source of real joy is the love of Jesus Christ. It is as we continue to fall in love with him, allowing his love to wash over us again and again, that our hearts are put right and our love for him flows. It is in this reality, in unashamed love, that joy is produced in the relationship. The fact of this joy is told to us by Jesus:

“Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:19-22)

When the source of this joy is Jesus Christ there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that can rob you of it. It is based on a relationship that no one else is responsible for but you. No one else can affect that relationship. If this is true then no one has the power to rob you of that joy. There is no one and there are no circumstances that you will ever face that can rob you of this joy:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:1-5)

It is our daily relationship with and in Jesus that makes this truth a reality. It is failing to understand the mind of Christ that will get us all messed up emotionally and spiritually. It is our lack of fortitude in Christ that allows for spiritual immaturity? Do we live by the philosophy that we deserve to be happy? Or do live in the hope of Christ, with the flow of joy?

Again, it is our point of orientation that gets us in trouble:

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit…” (Romans 14:17)

Stop and consider the point of orientation for Jesus:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

What does Paul mean, “for the joy set before him”? It means that Jesus was not focused on the cross but what was to come after. You don’t think he was thrilled at the prospect of seeing the work completed, of seeing us coming into the kingdom, of returning to the Father? The cross was only something that had to be endured but the joy was after. Imagine if we were able to live in such a reality. Stop focusing on the things that we may have to face in this place for the sake of the mission and get our eyes focused on what is important, Jesus Christ.

The real joy killer is not circumstances or people. The real joy killer is found in ourselves. Jesus described it for us in one of his many parables:

“Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” (Mark 4:16-17)

Shallowness in our relationship with Jesus Christ will prove to be the real joy killer. If we are not madly in love with Jesus and daily seeking greater fellowship with him, all things spiritual will die in us. Not only will our joy be gone but true love will dry up in us. We will become an empty shell that will slowly fill up with bitterness.

If we find ourselves in this condition there is only one thing for us to do. We need to allow the love of Jesus Christ to wash us all over again. We need to get back to making him the focus, the point of orientation. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to cut away anything that has no value in this relationship. We need to allow passion for Jesus to take root again. It means we need to be healed again. Allow the Spirit first to break us, to melt away anything that takes away from Jesus’ love. Allow him to burn it off. Then we must allow him to remold us again. So, we examine ourselves and allow the Spirit to take us to that place where only Jesus matters.

“I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” 

No matter where a person lives in the world we have all heard the words of Thomas Jefferson penned so long ago, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Words that make up part of the United States of America’s idea of man’s unalienable rights. This idea of “the pursuit of happiness”, which is at the core of the American psyche, has also had a profound effect on the world.

There is nothing wrong in pursuing those things that give us pleasure and great joy. We have plenty of activities that bring a wonderful balance to the mind, body and spirit. We read for the pleasure of reading. We play to balance the effect of work. We enjoy games because they relax us. Exercise can be pleasurable and beneficial for us. If we do not find joy in one activity of exercise we should try another because without the joy it is bereft of any real benefit. Food is another pleasure but too much of any good thing can destroy the benefits.

These are things that can bring us much pleasure and joy but if that is all there is to life it becomes the “pursuit of emptiness” not “happiness”. Unfortunately the way most people have interpreted the idea of the “pursuit of happiness” has led to a lot of emptiness in our societies throughout the Western world. Look around; do you see many happy people? Do you see many smiles? Do you hear much laughter in a crowd, on a bus, in the office? Most people have cut themselves off from others. Their faces show concentration and determination but it is usually about themselves. Consider a simple thing like the popularity of the Ipod. You see them everywhere as people lose themselves in their music. There is nothing wrong with music but in the pursuit of happiness people use it to cut themselves off from others.

This idea of pursuing happiness has turned our nations from communities of people to collections of individuals. Right now people are struggling with the idea of soldiers dying in Afghanistan. They consider those soldiers being cut off from their future, losing everything they love. They consider them doing this for a country that is not really connected to us, for a people to whom we find it hard to relate. They consider this and then they get upset at such a waste of a life. It is because we would argue it from the fact that the soldier had the right to pursue his future; he had a right to his happiness. They fail to understand him paying the ultimate prize for the betterment of humanity. We are too busy pursuing our own interests to consider the happiness of the world. It is no better in the Church.

Consider a simple question just as an illustration: Why do people leave their church? Because they are not happy or because there are things that dissatisfy them? They see the church through the same thinking as the “pursuit of happiness”. I have heard it often: “the teaching was great but there just wasn’t enough other things to satisfy me”. It is our own fault. We are the ones who have been trying to market the church, selling church programs and other such things. We are the ones who have turned the sheep into consumers. So what else should we expect? If a church does not provide enough entertainment to make people happy then they will shop around for another product.

Consider this: why do we possess so much stuff? Even Christians are collectors of “stuff”. We are looking for satisfaction, happiness in things. We keep hoping that this new and improved product is going to be satisfying, helpful and give us a sense of happiness. Yet, such an idea of pursuing happiness turns into a “pursuit of emptiness”. We have becoming unbalanced, looking to our own happiness, desiring our own pleasure, taking care of our own interests. Yet, the Word of God stands out as a beacon to anyone who would possess true joy.

The teaching of the Word flies in the face of the current sense of “pursuit of happiness”. Consider the attitude of Paul toward the Church as he took up his great collection for the believers in Jerusalem. To the Corinthians, in chapter 16, Paul simply wrote instructions on how to prepare the collection, he did not justify the need. He did not have to. One of the keys to our life should be the simple instruction of Jesus:

“Do to others what you would have them do to you.”

This was once known in my school days as the “Golden Rule”. The unfortunate thing is that it was taught as a law instead of as a reaction to love. Love compels us to live in such an attitude. Without love it is just one of those dusty wise sayings that people quote from time to time. If we consider the context of it found in Luke (6) you may be surprised at the full teaching:

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

The attitude of doing to others what you would have them do to you is not found in the context of a loving family but instead in an atmosphere of hatred and violence. “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.” It flies in the face of the idea of being paid back for the good you do. It is the attitude of Christ. It is the love of Christ. Consider the wording Paul used:

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 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.”

Allow me to play with words here for a moment:

“Each of you should look not only to your own happiness, but also to the happiness of others.”

Now let us back up a bit here and move from Luke’s context to Matthew’s as we look at the golden rule. Matthew has included it in his collection of Jesus’ teaching that we refer to as the “Sermon on the mount”. Matthew (7):

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

When I quickly read this it would appear that the last line does not relate to the subject of asking, seeking and knocking but in my haste I am wrong. In fact, it is a beautiful balance. Consider it this way:

“Pray for others, as you would have them pray for you.”

“Ask for others, as you would have them ask for you.”

“Seek for others, as you would have them seek for you.”

How often are we guilty of self-centeredness in our prayers and petitions? We pray for those things that really only have an impact on us or on those whom we love. However, we are suppose to go beyond ourselves and understand that we are a part of the whole. What we do, what we say, what our attitude is like impacts the whole. We have lost this sense if we ever had it to begin with. Remember Jesus’ prayer for us:

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

That we all may be one just as the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father. Meditate on that for a while. It may just blow your mind. But we have lost that sense of oneness as we have spent generations pursuing our own happiness at the cost of our neighbours.

We need to get beyond ourselves again. From the foundation of love we need to allow the interests of others to overwhelm us. We need to be occupied with one another, with our neighbours, with our community. We need to become philanthropists once more, so the world can see that we love mankind as much as our God does. We need to recapture the practical pursuit of what Paul conveyed in his words:

“Each of you should not only look to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Instead of coming away empty we will come away with the joy of Jesus Christ as his love flows through us and into the world around us. “Do to others, as you would have others do to you.” 

I haven’t touched this subject of love for a few days. The reason is simple: I don’t think I am sincere about it yet.

I believe that our biggest problem with learning to love like Jesus is that we believe we already do. Oh, in our words we will admit that we fall short and ,even in the insincerity of our hearts, I think we admit we fall short, but in that inmost place where thoughts become action I think we believe we are “there”. Perhaps we notice a few faults and errors but we quickly white wash over these. For the most part I think we really don’t get it.

I believe when someone wounds us with their words or their perceptions of us we forgive them with words (it is the Christian thing to do) but in our hearts we hold on to resentment. I think we are very much caught up in self-preservation. Don’t believe me? Consider the scripture from Galatians again:

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:…hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy …”

Again I omit the items we all readily agree are from our sinful nature, but what about these ones which we may consider part of our “human” nature (just another name for sinful nature)? What about these? How have they figured in your week? Remember I am not accusing you of anything but instead I am softening the blow in my self-examination by including you. Terrible, isn’t it? Perhaps my ego is too fragile to face a full frontal blow. So allow me be honest by using a few objects of my love: my children.

My children are both a great source of delight and frustration in the same breath. I love them dearly and yet fail to show that in my response to them. Mind you, I have been involved in a ministry that has left me exhausted almost every day for the last four years. My response tends to be a reaction born out of that exhaustion. Sound like an excuse to you? Yeah, to me too. Every time I try to use this excuse the Spirit brings to mind this passage:

“So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

John had just been beheaded, his disciples had just returned, Jesus wanted some time alone with them, he must have been exhausted, yet when he arrived for rest there was a crowd waiting. Jesus looked at them and was moved by compassion, so great was his love. People have said to me, “But he’s God, you aren’t. Your reaction in your exhaustion is normal. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” But one scripture destroys all of that: “Love each other as I have loved you.” Can I say that I have loved my wife, my children, my parents, my brothers and sisters, my friends with this love this week? If I can’t answer this in the affirmative how can I say that I love God? John argued:

“If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”

Let’s be as honest with ourselves as we can manage. Do we honestly know the love of Jesus Christ? Have we honestly experienced it? Until we are able to call black black and white white we will not be able to explore the incredible depth of this love:

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Jesus cannot deal with this until we recognize it and confess it. I here and now publicly declare that I lack the love of Christ and being found in this condition often fail the two greatest commandments:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 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."

Again, please be patient as I draw the same conclusion over and over again. This is my journey and I am desperate for these truths to come alive in me. Jesus said, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Paul wrote:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

Nothing. Is it really a matter of nothing? Did everything you do this week flow from that river of love? Did you have any wicked thoughts against anyone? Did you allow the things in your heart to take flight in the spoken word? Did you judge anyone? Criticize anyone? (We always find a reason to justify that). Did you reject anyone? Did you fail to respond to someone’s need? Did you try to explain something outside of love? Did you become angry and frustrated? Did anything happen in your week that did not flow from the life of Christ? If so, then what you did counted for nothing.

“If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”

Hatred is really the absence of love. To fail to help someone in need is a form of hatred. But we are not the only ones to struggle with our failure to grasp the love of Jesus. Continue in this sacred passage:

“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

Do you understand this? I didn’t for the longest time. I understood it in theory but until I confessed my lack of love I did not see the struggle that was conveyed here. With spiritual maturity comes the correct placement of priorities. In the light of love prophecies, tongues, knowledge all take a backseat. This whole passage must be understood in the growing understanding of the love of Jesus. Let me take a bit of liberty with the last sentence: “Now I love in part; then I shall love fully, even as I am fully loved.” I do not believe this means when we stand in the full measure of his grace but instead as we enter into a fuller understanding of his love.

Consider Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians:

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

There is obviously more to this incredible prayer but this is the part I want us to read over and over again. For me it starts at that place of faith where we become “rooted and established in love”. It is painfully obvious to me when the Church, and thus I, have gone wrong. It has become too easy to follow the program. It is too easy to allow actions to take priority over heart. It has become too easy to allow busyness and noise to crowd out silence and holy communion. Do we even know how to allow Jesus to speak to us? We all enjoy the music. We all are spoken to and express ourselves in the deep place through songs that express our longing and which melodies seem to carry us to the throne of God itself. Yet, the deeper things, the greater things, the real changes often take place in those quiet moments when we allow God to speak to us directly. These are those moments when Father often picks us up in his arms and holds us while he sings and whispers over us.

The spiritual secrets of great people of faith such as Hudson Taylor, John Bunyan, Andrew Murray and a host of others is the assurance of God’s love in action conveyed in those moments of being “rooted and established”. They were able to “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” and as a result were able to fulfill the second commandment of loving our “neighbour”. But if we think we are already there how will this ever be?

I need to practice the abiding presence of my Jesus if I ever hope to grasp his love. I must grasp his love if I ever hope to love as he has loved me. I must find the quiet times throughout my day. I must make him the absolute center of every action and every relationship, of every thought. I must die so he may live.

I part with this warning ringing through my heart:

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” 

Words, words, words. That’s all some people experience. None of us ever want to be accused of being merely a “talker” but often that is what we are, that is what I am, when it comes to the subject of love. Oh, some people are very good at expressing love in action but often it is from a source of duty. That duty always grows thin and it leads to bitterness and anger. Perhaps it would have been better not to love at all than to allow bitterness to grab our hearts.

“Love never fails”. We are often willing to judge other people’s love or lack of it but we are not willing to examine our own condition. We are to love as Jesus loved us, right? Did he only love those who returned his love? Was his love conditional, depending on the response of people? Or is God’s love unconditional and it is with this love that Jesus tells us to love each other as he loved us? Remember this?

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Talk about difficult, wow! Just a couple of things to point out. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Hmmm, this type of love is an indication of sonship. And note this: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” What is this perfection? Love.

Okay, let’s bring this into our lives. Perhaps we do not have any enemies. Perhaps we have five minute enemies. What do I mean by that? I mean, what about when we get angry at someone we are supposed to love? What about when a Joshua takes a knife to the living room furniture? Or when Ty colours all over the new gift of a 32” HDTV? Is it unconditional love we feel or is the correction directed by our anger? Anger comes from hatred.

What about when our roommate does the same annoying thing for the 100^th time or the spouse refuses to respond as he should? What about when our boss demands too much or our pastor disappoints us by his decisions? What about when your staff fail in their duties or any number of a million negative things that would pound against our desire to love?

Now, before we all throw our hands up in the air and give up I want us to consider the only way this is possible. In fact it is the only way anything is possible for Christians. Failure to understand this will relegate us to a terrible image and understanding of God. We slip into this horrible cycle of trying, failing, repenting. The reason is because we try to do everything in our strength. Oh, I know we think we are doing it in the strength of our Lord but then explain the failures? Do you know the reason why the priests were not allowed to wear wool? Because wool makes you sweat. God told them he would not have them perspiring in service to him. Why? When do we first hear of sweat in the Bible? Is it not when the curse is pronounced over Adam? Sweat represents our own effort and there is no good thing in us, in our own effort that we can offer to God. Even love must come from him.

This is the reason why we cannot prevent sin in us. It is the reason it remains so attractive to us. Those of you who are still enslaved, who still are controlled by the power of sin, you need to hear this. Sin is powerful. It is beautiful and destructive all at once. It is a false love. It wants to distract us from the only true love. Why does it still have power when Jesus set us free? The same reason why so many people find church boring, why there is a growing dissatisfaction in the church. It is not the music. Some of the current worship is beautiful love ballads to our God which spring from very sincere hearts that desire to express love to our God. No the problem is not with the songs, it is with us, the singers. It is with our hearts that try to love God in the insincerity of our own love. We can’t love God. We can’t love anyone, not in the degree that God desires.

Then is it all a lie? Words, words, words! Did God lie to us? Has he made it impossible for us, set us up for a fall? Are those impossible words, “Love each other as I have loved you”? Are we all getting frustrated over nothing? No.

The truth is that we are a people who have lost sight of the source of all things. In our desire to please him we have turned everything around. We have lost sight of the source and have made our actions to be the greatest importance, our appearance, our words. We have turned the beautiful thing of holiness into an ugly law and because we cannot live a perfect law, we cannot live a perfect love and we are controlled by our natural nature. We have lost sight of the source.

First:

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

John knew that no one could be healed unless they first recognize their need for healing. An illness cannot be cured without first admitting you are ill. That is what has started me on this journey, the Spirit showed me the condition of my heart and it was ugly. It lacked love. It lacked his love. First, let us recognize our condition. Then:

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

We acknowledge that Jesus is that source. He is the only source. He is exactly what we all need. He is the reason for our desire. He is the only satisfaction. Perhaps we have tried to fill that desire with other things, alcohol, work, drugs, sex, people but he is the only satisfaction that we will ever find for our soul. But knowing this is not enough:

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

Now stop! Wait a second here. Don’t get this backwards. John does not say if we claim to live in him we must walk as Jesus did. It may look that way but look at it careful:

-         if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.

-         This is how we know we are in him:

-         Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

It is being in Jesus that makes God’s love complete in us. When this love provokes us to walk as Jesus did then we know we are in him. Living like Jesus does not happen by our effort. It happens naturally when we allow God’s love to be made complete in us; when we fall madly and passionately in love with Jesus. Worship is not a duty; it is an expression of our love. Service is not a duty; it is an expression of our love. Obedience is not a duty; it is an expression of our love. Acts of righteousness are not a duty; they are a delightful expression of our love. Actually, it is God’s love being poured out through us. It is God loving himself through us.

This is why the church has failed for centuries to prevent sin in the world, in the hearts of people. We try to legislate righteousness which is a complete waste of time. We cannot turn a person’s heart by rules or fear. Remember this:

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

The teenaged boy sitting at his computer is not going to avoid certain web sites because of fear. He may for a time but the attractiveness of sin will prove to be too strong. However, if the love of God has been made complete in him, if he has fallen in love with Jesus then he will be too attracted to Jesus to ever be attracted by such a false and ugly love. This is true of anything that tries to take possession of us. Fear will not do it; only love has that kind of power. Only the beauty, the strength of Jesus has that power.

We are liars and manipulators without God’s love made complete in us. We try to scare and manipulate and cause people to feel sorry for us to get what we want. Pastors are some of the worst people at this. There is nothing holy or beautiful or loving about it. It is the complete opposite of God. It is ugly. The Father does not force or manipulate. He has revealed the truth to us and has said, decide. When God’s love is made complete in us this too becomes our attitude. We love without the manipulation. As we accept love from the true Source then we are able to love without receiving love from others because the love of God is more than sufficient to meet our needs. We find we can love the unlovable, we can love our enemies, we correct and rebuke in love.

So again it comes back to the how. How can God’s love be made complete in us?

“We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.”

We live in him and he in us! We know and rely on the love God has for us! The only way we can be who we have been created to be is to be madly and passionately in love with Jesus, to understand that we are the Bride and to acknowledge the depth of his love for us. We are involved in an incredible dance with the Groom. It is not a static relationship but a vibrant growing together. It requires us to continue falling madly in love with him so that our lives are passionate about our lover. The secret continues to be:

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you.”

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

It is so much more than we have ever made it or allowed it to become. The harder I have worked the further from the vine I have grown. In my own life I have allowed my “sweat” to replace God’s love. I have brought my family, my marriage to the brink of disaster. In my zeal in service to my King I have lost sight of his greatest commandments. I have forgotten how to love. Sacrifice is not a problem for me but love is: “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

The Spirit is making me look long and deep at the ugliness of my heart. This is the purpose of my journey. So why have you tagged along?

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” 

That statement does not go away so easily; “Love each other as I have loved you.” It refuses to fade. Oh, I understand that there are different kinds of love that touch us on different levels. There are much more intelligent scholars who have explored all that and who have written a great many books. But I believe Father’s love is both profound and simple and is as practical as Jesus demonstrated. I think we must explore beyond this one statement. Let’s put it in context.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.”

There is a lot here and I want to examine it all. In fact, I think to have a true understanding of how Jesus has loved me and how I am expected to respond to this love I must examine this entire section of John’s gospel. But for just this moment I want to meditate on what follows “as I have loved you”. And that is this: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Obviously the cross comes to mind but I think it is very much what I was looking at yesterday. Yes, our physical death is the ultimate sacrifice but I think this cannot be given without the greater sacrifice of our heart and attitude. The easiest thing would be to die physically and not have to live with the consequences of it. But what about the living death that we are commanded to live every day of our life?

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Are these not all the same statements pointing to the life Jesus lived as an example for us before his death? He set us an example, did he not, of what it was to live a living death? This attitude seems to be the living testimony of Father’s love:

“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!”

Okay, okay, I am just rehashing yesterday’s consideration. Let’s get on with it; connect the dots. Let’s consider this statement; “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” It’s interesting that John is the only one who did not record this statement. Is this not the very definition of a living death? We use that term in such a negative light yet it is the term that best describes a believer, one who is dead to himself but is alive in Christ. I think it is only in this state of being that Father’s love is able to flow freely in us and through us.

Again, let us contrast our life, our attitude in the light of Father’s expectations of us. Expectation is not a strong enough word. Jesus told us that it was a command that we love each other with the same love that he loved us. A total giving, sacrificial, self-denial love that not once allowed concern for self to get in the way. People say it is impossible and yet Jesus commanded it of us. However, look at our pathetic lives today. Is there any other word to describe us other than selfish?

So I come back to that question again, how can I love as Jesus loved? I can’t, unless I give up absolutely everything and I mean everything so that I may be possessed by Jesus. It is a relationship we do not fully understand. Father is madly in love with us. He has pursued us, romanced us and given us as a bride to his son, Jesus. But it is not a relationship as we see it in this world. Jesus lives in us and us in him so that he is in us and over us. It is a thing of great and small proportions. It is a thing of romance; a thing of trust. It is a choice Father made and if we ever want to follow that command of love we must understand and act upon this simple fact: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

We do not produce the fruit. It is impossible. We can’t. But it is our responsibility to bear it. The Spirit produces the fruit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Love! You see that? Top of the list; love.

Now let’s get honest here. We may get a bit sweaty and dirty over this. Does this describe us? Can we say that we walk in Jesus’ footsteps? Can we say that we are great lovers as Jesus is a great lover? If we are not living by the Spirit than what are we living by? Our human nature of course. I find some of the items on Paul’s list of the fruit of our human nature interesting: “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy”. Recognize any of that? I do. I do every day in my life. And I wonder why I struggle to love as Jesus loves.

Let’s consider how involved he is with us on this level of relationship. First, he is always with us. It is what he promised. Is that our attitude toward people? Do we want to be part of their life? If they invite us in do we enter in freely and gladly, giving over our desires for them? Do we place limits on the type of people we will associate with? Did and does Jesus? It seems he liked to hang out with the unlovable and they responded to him because of it. In fact, he seemed quite comfortable with them. Are we like that every day of our lives, at work, at home, at play, at church? Am I like that? I see that I seemed to have moved away from that and moved toward a more private life. Of course I have legitimate reasons. I give of myself all the time so I deserve some “me” time. Isn’t that what any good counselor would tell you, Christian and other wise? Hmmmm. The only “me” time I see Jesus took was to have intimacy with Father and that was usually at times when everyone else was busy doing things like sleeping.

I learned my lesson from yesterday. Today the door to my study is open. I have been interrupted about seven times. I have chosen to allow a change and a difference to take place here. My children need to know that my love for them elevates them above my own desires. I am responding in this way because I have seen that in Jesus. The Spirit has prompted it in me and because he has he has also given me the grace so that peace remains. That is a partnership that works beautifully. He shows me the truth. I respond to the truth. He makes the changes in me to enable me to live according to the truth.

Now, Jesus is not just with me, he loves me intimately. Because he loves me in such an unselfish manner he has come to know everything about me? Perhaps we can’t know everything about everyone who we have been given to love, but are their interests as important to you as your own? In this I fail miserably. My wife has pointed that out a number of times. Whatever I consider to be important becomes the priority. It doesn’t matter what her interests are or those of my children, mine take priority. It wasn’t always that way. So why the change? Understand I am being brutally honest here. To answer this question let’s consider this scripture:

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

“Now remain in my love.” We don’t enter his love through obedience. His love is freely offered by grace, not dependant on us. He will always love us no matter what we do to him. But, in order for us to remain “in” his love we must obey his commands. Ironic that the command we are looking at is loving each other as he loved us. So, failure to obey this command causes us to step out of his love. We are able to step back into it through acknowledging what we have done and receiving his forgiveness, but the idea is to always remain in his love.

The fact is, I have longed to be his greatest servant. That has always been my desire, not out of pride but out of love. In the same way John longed to respond to Jesus’ love so have I, with complete obedience and an honest desire to be the greatest servant to others. Wow, have I changed. I have changed by becoming disobedient in many lesser areas of my life. The natural reaction is to mimic proper behaviour to try and get back to what once I was and beyond. But you can’t get anywhere with God by human effort. It’s like a drowning man: the harder he struggles to save his life the greater the chances are he will lose it. A drowning man must become relaxed and make minimal effort and allow himself to be rescued. Spiritually, the harder I try the more I block the Spirit. The more I surrender, the more I die, the greater his ability to bring me life. Hmmm … sounds familiar: Trying to save my life I lose it, willing losing my life I save it.

How can I love as Jesus loves? By dying as Jesus died. Jesus came as a servant, obedient to Father’s will. Obviously we need to examine this more. I think we need to consider what John recorded in this section. Perhaps we will look at that tomorrow.

The fact is that we all seem to be unproductive in this matter of love. We cannot impact anyone for Jesus without it. It is the essence of all things. We run after prophecies, signs and wonders, great sounding orators, fantastic music, crowds, great social programs and all this and we forget what Paul said:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

Some think they do it with love but if they are honest they will discover that it is a self-seeking natural love. It lacks the power of transformation. No, most of what we do will not last the cleansing flames of eternity. It is a shame. A simple glass of cold water offered from the love of Jesus will have more impact than a hundred multimillion dollar church programs. Every writer in our new testament touched on this. I will leave us today with Peter’s words on being productive through Jesus’ love:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 

If I am ever to figure this thing out I will need to start with a proper question. To figure out a proper question I need to get myself oriented to our Father’s perspective. My premise is that I do not really know His love. I know a love but not His love because the love I know has always failed, yet he has never failed me. I cannot find this love in anyone else because everyone I know is as selfish as I am. When there is selfishness there is imperfect love.

“Love never fails.”

I think I need to start with those words again, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” I think I can understand the significance of this statement by Jesus. The importance of it is seen in the context:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

A command. To love. Can love be mandated in this manner? Is this the reason Paul had written at the conclusion of his great discourse on love, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”? Everything hinges on our understanding of this love that transforms lives. We are to be imitators of this love. So then why are there such contradictions in the Church? Forget the Church. The more honest question is why are there such contradictions in my life?

I think I have the question. Jesus said very clearly a second time: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” I think John had it right. John knew there was absolutely nothing religious about this matter. John knew that it all came down to knowing Father’s love and acting on it. So, my first question is, “How has Jesus loved me?” Simple. Perhaps too simple for some. I am going to take a shower and ask the Spirit to open my heart to this question. BRB.

Interesting. Children. Spilt cereal. Spilt milk. A big mess. Frustrations. Words spoken in haste. Would the love of Father impact this? How?

How has Jesus loved me? Millions of people would all yell together, “Look to the cross!” I believe in Jesus. I believe in the redemptive work of the cross. I believe in the covering of the blood of Jesus. I believe. But those words of James often haunt me. Countless demons believe as well, and shudder. Believing and taking right actions based on that belief are two separate things as James correctly pointed out to us. We all agree, do we not, that love is an action? Yet I can mimic the actions of love without it impacting the core of my being. The world looks at the cross and says, “So what?” Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and politicians have died for their people. No, the cross is the climax to something much bigger. If it had just been about the cross then Father would have just skipped everything and gone right to that.

The cross cannot be understood by anyone outside of the context of the relationship with Jesus, of what Jesus did before the cross. We need to work up to the cross. Ha! A knock at the door. An uninvited interruption. Words spoken in frustration. Boy, do I need to discover the truth of Father’s love, and quickly.

So, how has Jesus loved me? I guess I would need to examine his life. He showed a great deal of compassion. Compassion comes from a place of love. Compassion is when love moves our heart to feel for someone because of their situation or circumstances. Again, there is a difference between my compassion and Jesus’. Mine is limited to those I feel deserve it. I have prejudices that will block my compassion toward individuals or groups of individuals. Jesus seems to have no such prejudices. Before we look at this let’s get one group out of the way; the teachers.

I accept that Jesus knows the language of the heart and thus knows each person’s heart, their motivation and such. I see this in the way he dealt with the young rich man who wanted to feel justified yet knew he was falling short. Jesus knew his heart and loved him. But this did not mean that this young man was able to respond to this love. It was available to him, offered to him but he still walked away. Yet, Jesus never seemed to hold this same attitude out to the teachers of the people. I should say this as a generalization. There was Nicodimus. Yet, Jesus still got after him for not understanding the basic truths of the Kingdom.

Jesus had a problem with the teachers because the teachers refused to understand. I think Father has a problem with people who are given clear understanding and yet choose to turn away. They are refusing his love. I guess it falls under the same sort of rebellion as Satan’s, knowing the truth of Father’s love and turning their back on it. In the terms of the church, their hearts were permitted to go cold. Only the acceptance of Jesus’ love can bring warmth and life to the heart of man. But is it just refusing the love of Jesus or is it also a failure to love others with Jesus’ love? Is this the same form of hardening the heart? Back to the compassion.

We know that Jesus’ desire was to teach everyone about the true kingdom of Father and to take on the enemy. He wanted to take on the enemy to give everyone a fair chance to make a decision for or against Father’s love. He had compassion on the people because they had no one to teach them and to show them. This was his highest priority. He gave up everything for it. He left his family. He gave up his work. He gave up any desire for possessions. He slept in the fields. He became dependant on the charity of others. He walked great distances. He spent all his time giving, giving, giving. In this context we can understand what Paul was writing to the Philippians:

“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!

Note the words, “but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant”. Yikes. Love as I have loved Jesus says. Attitude says a lot. Am I being resistant in this part of the transformation? A servant has no concern for himself. Jesus showed no concern for himself. I cannot recall any time where Jesus put his needs above anyone else’s.

Remember when he had received the news about his cousin John? He tried to get away for some alone time with his disciples, but the crowd raced him to where he was going. Tired, spent, filled with emotions he looked at the crowd and still he had compassion. He got out of that boat and ministered to them. His needs did not matter.

My son knocked on the door a little while ago. He was looking for his skateboard. It is clearly understood among my children that when my door is closed I am unavailable. Many a time they have broken my concentration and I have lost my train of thought. He wanted his skateboard from the man who claimed to love him and he was met with harsh words. A servant’s attitude? Before Paul wrote the above words describing Jesus’ attitude he wrote something else:

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 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.”

Spirit, help me discern the importance of this. Allow these words to come alive, destroying the dead flesh of my heart and bringing new growth. Burn. Burn deep.

Consider the first part:  “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion…” He is describing what I am suppose to have with Jesus, that oneness. I want to examine that oneness, but not right now. I need to be united with Christ to have this attitude. I need to have a greater, more profound understanding and experience of his love. I need to be enveloped in the Holy Spirit every moment of my day and night. I need all of this to destroy the hardness of my heart so that it is tender and able to know compassion. Why? So that I am able to respond to this love:

“… then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” This is the response of a heart possessed by the love of Father. There is no hurt, no pride, no selfish thinking. There is nothing of self in it at all. This perfect love unites our attitude. It is not of various kinds but is the perfect love of Father. It is the only source of unity in all things. It is also practical:

“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.”

Is it any reason the world isn’t listening? I can’t speak for anyone else but just these few things reveal how much I am not possessed by the love of Father and how much I am not a servant in attitude and how much I am not united. Selfish ambition? What did Jesus receive for all of his time with us? All those people who were healed? All his teaching? All his sacrifices? Yet, in almost everything I do I expect some kind of return, some benefit. I either become angry or disappointed when it doesn’t happen. Disillusioned I believe is the term we use. Obviously Jesus never became disillusioned. He went all the way. Maybe that’s why we have so many quitters now in the church. We won’t even touch conceit.

Selfish ambition is the great destroyer of humility. Do any of us really believe that others are better than ourselves? I don’t mean in the sense of people being better than us at doing things but do we believe that others are more important than us? Are we really willing to pursue their needs, even if there is no direct benefit to us personally?

How has Jesus loved me? He put my needs before his own. He put my eternity before his own. He put my desires before his own. He put my life before his own. He considered me more important than himself. Can I love in this same way? Not with the weak and sickly love I possess in myself. Oh, the world may think it can love in this way but just listen to the frustration in those angry words. People who want to “save” the earth are ready to take lives to do it. There is no respect for anyone. Can a believer consider himself a servant to those who offend him. Is he willing to love those who offend him the most? What has our attitude been toward the homosexual person? Don’t give me any jive about hating the sin but loving the sinner. The words are true but few are able to separate the two. That’s just an example. There are plenty of others. Are you prepared to wash their feet? Am I?

I don’t have to go that far. Am I prepared to put the interest of a seven year old boy knocking on my door above my own? I can’t with my love. But by remaining in Jesus and him remaining in me can I respond to that seven year old boy with Jesus’ love? Can I do it 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Can I do it without thinking about it? Can I live as Jesus lived? Can I love with Jesus’ love?

“Love each other as I have loved you.”

“Love never fails.”

That’s enough for today. 

Hello my friends. I have missed this.

Forgive me for my absence. I have been far too busy and far too tired. Now is a time of backing off from the busyness; a time of self-inspection; a time of re-aligning my heart to that of the Master’s; a time of “circling the wagons” around the family; a time of renewing our relationships. My daughter is taking me out on a date today, and it feels good.

In this time of slowing down for a breath and an opportunity to “smell the flowers” I am also preparing to depart for a horrible voyage that I would rather avoid; a mis-adventure fraught with pain and discovery. By the means of this note I am extending an invitation to you to attend me on this voyage. Do not feel obligated to join in and you may want to hear the details before saying yes. There is a cost.

It seems the more years I accumulate the more I realize my own deficiencies in many of the areas of my life but there is no greater deficiency than that of my heart. I know the love of this world. I know its limits. I know its failures. I also know that I have always mistaken this love to be the same as God’s. I have seldom marked the difference between the holy and the common in this thing of love and as such have failed to love as I need to love. In truth, I do not know what love is; not the Father’s love.

Oh, do not misunderstand my words. I know all the proper terminology, I know the language of the Bible, I know all the religious talk but I also know enough to know that this does not qualify me as one who knows what love is. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son”… Fine sounding words that we shout at the world while we crucify each other with hurtful words that strip away any significance that the former may have had. The reality of our condition, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” However, I want to try to keep a good distance between what we are and what we could be. I desire with all my heart to stay away from criticizing because criticizing is a form of judgment and none of us can afford to stand in a position of judgment.

I desire more than anything to understand the significance and impact of these simple words, “Love each other as I have loved you”. Jesus has set for us the pattern of love we are to follow. Do you understand the significance of this? Do I? I need to switch from the invitation to the actual voyage. I may speak to you but understand it is not from the point of lecture or even teaching but instead the working out of things by “talking” out loud. I am weak and I approach this voyage from a point of weakness. I need to discover the secret of these words, their depth and their power to transform. I need to know …

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Paul’s words. Paul’s desire. A desire I share. Lord, be my guide. Strengthen me that I will set aside my fears. Help me, please, to open my heart to hurt, pain and sorrow that I will discover the reality of the intimacy of your love. Open my eyes that I can see, see you, see your love, see the truth, see the real beauty. Help me to let everything else fall away.

“Love each other as I have loved you.”

I know this is significant beyond my current understanding. I can walk around the edges of this. I can see it. I have heard and read many wonderful and eloquent things said about it. But what are words without action? What is faith without action? What is life without your love? Not just without love; without YOUR love. “As I have loved you.” How have you loved me? Oh, I know, I know; the Cross. I do not downplay the significance of the greatest moment in the history of man, but is it real to me? Do I understand what this means? Do I understand the significance of the garden?

Let me tell you where I am in all of this:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

So I can at least recognize that there is no significance to my life and service at this moment; but I want there to be significance. I can at least be honest about my deficiency. I am not sure many of us are. I do know that what I have mistaken as your love is nothing more than a polished form of the love we find in the world. I know this because I am still trying to love with the sickly love I find in myself. I appreciate what you have done for me, my family and my friends but I think I am failing to respond to you in the depth of what you are hoping I will discover. I know this because when I look at your form of love, perfect love, love without self, I know that I can’t recall seeing that in anyone else that I know. I think we draw close but as the intimacy begins to overwhelm us we allow fear to take over and we bring up our version of your love.

I hear this and I know it is the depth you hope we will respond to you with:

“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.”

People tell me this is impossible because this is a feeble attempt to describe your perfect love. Then why these words? “Love each other as I have loved you.”

And the words that haunt my every step: “Love never fails.” Oh how I have failed. This is how I know that I am not possessed by your love. I will never be satisfied with anything other than a full possession. As I seek greater understanding of these things I ask that you would transform the words so that they will become more than they have ever been; that they would explode in me, transforming me, recreating me; every bone, muscle, blood vessel, thought. Give me a new language; a language born in the intimacy of you. It is my desire …

“Love each other as I have loved you.”

To be honest, I do not think I will believe I am truly possessed simply by how I show you this love. I think the proof I am looking for is in my love for those you have given me to love; family, friends and strangers. Until I have learned how to allow your words to transform my love for them I do not believe that I am honestly in love with you. I may be in love with the idea of you. I may be in love with the significance of what you have done. But what about the intimate you? Is it even reasonable to ask? I think so. In fact, I think it is the most significant thing you want us to do; to discover; to know; to imitate.

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

So let me begin with this desire. Make it my only desire. To love you is not a difficult thing. To love you in the manner of this world is easy. But the emptiness of my heart tells me that this is not the love you want. You want something more; something greater; something familiar. You want us to love you with the same love you have loved us with. And we know we are possessed by this love when we live, not talk, as Jesus lived; “live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

The desire is a beginning. Don’t let me go!

Reading: Judges 9, 10; Luke 14:1-24

Good morning Church,

Have we become too familiar with God? Do we know too much about him? Has he stopped being relevant in our day? I doubt this can be true. Our God is so mysterious and fascinating that it would be impossible for us to grow tired of him even after an eternity. So if this is not the problem we have in the boredom and dissatisfaction with our spiritual walk, what is?

How about the religious systems that we have built around our simple faith? We are not unlike the Pharisees who tried to bring in religious structure to help people in their observance of the Law. We as well have built our systems of preaching, worship, Bible studies and prayer meetings. Yet, as we look around at the lack of interest and at how these are often a stumbling block to us drawing near to God we have to wonder if they have served their purpose.

Do not get me wrong, I am a stance believer and teacher in the vital necessity of studying God’s Word every day, but I believe this must also be lead by the Spirit who will teach us directly, and write in upon our hearts. Jesus must be the center of our existence and the Word is the foundation of our understanding of this relationship. I believe we need to worship daily, but this takes on many various forms, not just the ever popular form of singers and bands. I believe we need to be in deep conversation with our God throughout our day. I believe we need to see him in everything true around us; in relationships, music, art, dance, literature, nature. I think our religious form makes God one dimensional and rather boring after a while. Yet our God is far from boring.

My fear is that we are losing our focus as much as the Israelites did during Jesus’ day. My fear is that we have wondered so far from the narrow way that we have forsaken the invitation to the banquet. We are too concerned about titles and positions to even pay attention to the table that has been prepared for us. Now, when we are invited to join in with the things of God we find all kinds of excuses; I have guests coming so I need to clean my house; I have to get my car into the garage; I have no transportation; I need to work. We have begun to lose the beauty and awe of our God. We have begun to become deaf to the symphony all around us:

The heavens declare the glory of God;
       the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
       night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language
       where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,
       their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

We must learn to breathe again with our God. Jesus promised us that we would worship in spirit and truth. This to me is the key: spirit and truth. As the Church we have found a form that we have become religious about yet we are told by Jesus that we would worship in truth. Jesus Christ is the definer of truth and this is revealed in the written Word, so we have our measuring rod. Truth is the key. Not everything in the Church is based on this truth as we have fallen into tradition, even new tradition when it comes to worship. Remember this verse:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

You notice that Paul begins with “whatever is true”? Everything must be measured against the truth of our God. But do not discard the word “whatever”. We cannot afford to bore people in their spiritual journey. Our God is far from boring. Look to the diversity and beauty of what our God created. He placed this desire for truth in beauty deep within us. I think the Church needs to explore again what Jesus meant when he said “spirit and truth”. I think we need to rediscover the majesty, beauty and wonder of our God and draw close to him again so that we do not find ourselves on the outside of the great banquet.

Let us seek the face of God with everything we have so he may recapture our hearts and minds. Let us pray for a real revival of God’s children.

Reading: Joshua 7, 8; Luke 13:23-35

Good morning Church,

I think we take our salvation too much for granted. Seriously, I think we do not give it enough consideration. We accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and we go on with life. We assume all is well with our soul and do not give it much more thought. Yet, Jesus warned us:

"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
      "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' (Luke 13:24-25)

The first part of that should give us some clue to how things are, “Make every effort”. Salvation takes no effort at all except the effort of bowing before Jesus and receiving what he freely gives. Then why does he tell us to make every effort, and why does Paul tell us:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)

So if salvation is a free gift what could they possibly mean by this? Salvation comes via our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not a simple matter of saying the right words. It is a relationship that we become engaged in. Jesus is more than just Lord in words, he becomes our Lord and we his subjects and it is a thing of relationship. Without this relationship there is no salvation.

This is the reason that Jesus says these words would be spoken to those who are without relationship with him, “I don’t know you or where you come from.’ How could we ever expect to enter someone’s home to live if we do not know them? This is why so many are now saying that Christianity is not a religion. It is not a thing of systems and ceremonies but instead a relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Every relationship requires work but especially this greatest relationship. It is not a matter of simply praying a magical prayer and all is well. Once we accept Jesus as Saviour we need to make him Lord. Everything in our lives must be put into submission to him. We have to learn to live the prayer, “Not my will, but yours be done”. This takes work. We have to become intimate with Jesus, spending time to get to know him better every day. It means doing what he told us to do not matter the effort and the cost. This is not always an easy thing. It requires the allowance of the examination of the Holy Spirit every day, that he would reveal any thing is us that does not honour our Lord. Once revealed we must be willing to deal with it.

Thankfully this is a pleasure as we come to know Jesus better. It certainly sounds worse than it is but we must be aware of those who bear the name but do not carry the cross. There are many of us who have allowed this relationship to die and yet we still cling to the false hope that all is well with our soul. Jesus warned us:

"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”

I am convinced that we are desperate for a revival of this relationship. Revival is sometimes seen as something that happens to the unsaved but revival is when those who believe are revived from their slumber. Join with me and pray that those who have slipped back to death will be revived in this relationship and all of us will passionately work out our salvation daily. Are you sure of your salvation today?

Reading: Judges 4, 5, 6; Luke 13:1-22

Good morning Church,

Most of us have unanswered questions about life. Typically many of them are concerning why God allowed a certain tragic events to take place in our life or in the life of someone we love. These questions do not normally have answers and so we struggle to justify the “why”. We always seem to need a “why” to find some peace about these things.

In Bible times they answered the “why” by simply assuming that such tragedies were caused by sin. A number of people still believe that today. However Jesus was quick to dispel this notion by indicating that no person is worse than another, that we must all repent or we will all perish. Paul reiterates this truth:

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Concerning our journey in life Jesus said plainly:

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45)

We know this to be God’s ‘common grace’ and it frustrates those of us who believe we should be better treated. Jesus left us in this world to serve him as beacons, messengers of hope in the face of all things in life. We need to get a better grip on our understanding of this if we are to be any good to our God in this world.

I want you to consider that great prayer of Jesus for his disciples and us. This portion was prayed specifically for his disciples but also applies to us today. Read carefully this tiny portion:

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. (John 17:14-16)

What does this mean to you? That we get to walk around this world in some kind of bubble, not to be touched by the tragedies of this life? I feel bad for those who see it this way. No, as Paul describes it, we have not been given a bubble but instead a suit of armour. The armour protects us in the battles that we are involved in but often we do not recognize the battles for what they are. We expect that it will come in the form of some kind of persecution but the enemy is much craftier than that:

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16)

Understand that these flaming arrows are often whispers that are spoken to us in the dead of night as we face common tragedies of life. They are spoken to provoke fear and doubt, to undermine the testimony we have been given as witnesses to the love of God the Father. Why do you think we have been given the shield of faith to protect us against such attacks? This is a simple trust in all the things that have been promised to us.

The fact is that our witness to the greatness of God is never so powerful as when we are facing tragedy. It is when we keep on trusting in the sunshine as well as the rain that people know that our faith is real. Think for a moment; what are the most powerful testimonies you have heard from a believer. Is it not how the Lord led them through the “valley of the shadow of death”? Consider that psalm for a moment.

People often use this psalm as comfort in times of death but I believe this psalm is a source of comfort at all times, no matter the type of “shadow of death” you are facing. It gives us an example of what our relationship with God is suppose to be like:

Even though I walk
       through the valley of the shadow of death,
       I will fear no evil,
       for you are with me;
       your rod and your staff,
       they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

Depression, tragic lose, persecution, loneliness, physical illness; whatever deep, dark valley you are passing through the condition of your soul should be as the psalmist describes it:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
       he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.
       He guides me in paths of righteousness
       for his name's sake. (Psalm 23:1-3)

Understand that he does this even in the darkest parts of the valley you must journey through. There are no detours for believers. We must journey through the same valleys as nonbelievers but the difference is that our Lord is our strength:

“your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.”

“The Lord is my shepherd … he makes me … me leads me … he restores my soul … he guides me.”

This is in the valley of the shadows. Consider this:

You prepare a table before me
       in the presence of my enemies.
       You anoint my head with oil;
       my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5)

The blessings are given in the presence of “the enemy”, in the place of the shadows. In the presence of the trials, sorrows, tragedies he prepares the table and anoints our head with oil and our hearts overflow in thanksgiving. This is our testimony. This is the difference between those who belong to Jesus and those who do not.

There are too many people teaching a false idea that no tragedy will cross our path because we are children of the Father. Yet Jesus himself testified:

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

If we believe that difficulties equal sin then we will waste our lives and our testimonies. Whereas we have been given the opportunity to demonstrate to the world what real faith is when, in the darkness of the valley, we are able to sing with the psalmist:

Surely goodness and love will follow me
       all the days of my life,
       and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
       forever. (Psalm 23:6)

It is in understanding this that Paul was able to write to the Philippians:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

You have been given a tremendous testimony. Do not let it go to waste by listening to lies and trying to find short cuts. There will be many valleys in your life-time that you will have to descend into. The real witness is when we can sing in the rain as loudly as we sing in the sunshine.

 “your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.”

Reading: Judges 1, 2, 3; Luke 12:32-59

Good morning Church,

I was blessed to be raised in a family with a very hard working mom and dad. They did not overwork so that there was imbalance but they did set an example of what it is to work hard and to put their very best effort into everything they did. This work ethic was passed on to their children and we are blessed because of it. It is unfortunate that, in a world where people work hard for promotion, we do not understand the importance of this in relation to the Kingdom of Heaven.

We still live in a world where people consider their religion to be a part of their life that enhances the quality of their life. However, followers of Jesus testify to the fact that it is far different for us because we undergo a transformation that changes our entire perspective. Suddenly we understand that everything we do is done for God, from the unimportant to the mega-important:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)

This is the attitude we must have to approach a life of service that honours and glorifies our God. No longer are we satisfied with the mediocre; we want to shine in everything, which means hard work. It is not a matter of doing it as well as we can right now. If we have to improve ourselves to do a better job than that is what we do. If we have to go back to college, study on our own, practice, exercise or whatever it is that we have to do to improve then we do it gladly because it is part of our excellent service.

Sometimes we do not see how this relates spiritually and so we become lazy in these things. We also do not try for promotion. Promotion you say? Yes, it is a difficult concept for us sometimes.  In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul writes something I have often struggled over. It is a very small sentence:

But eagerly desire the greater gifts. (v. 31)

We expect people to work hard for promotion in the world. You get hired on in a company and you work hard, hoping to be noticed, hoping to be promoted. Although this is a crude illustration to explain a beautiful spiritual truth it does apply. In the parable of the talents Jesus introduces the idea that when we are faithful with what we have been given more will be given to us. Jesus himself proved faithful in his mission so the Father knew he could trust him with all things and so put everything under his authority.

People say that they are satisfied with where they are spiritually, that they do not desire any great promotion. This is a sad statement because it means a lack of growth, and wherever there is a lack of growth there is decay, and where there is decay there is death. It is natural for us to want spiritual promotion, to grow in our responsibilities, to have more things added to us. Look at what Jesus said in this morning’s reading:

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48b)

Sometimes we treat this work as a burden but it is no burden; it is a privilege to work for the Master. Everything we set our hands to belongs to him. He is looking for us to have this attitude, to be faithful in these things so he can trust us with other things. With Mr. Moody is started off with a couple dozen children in Sunday School. Soon it grew to thousands of children. As he proved faithful in this more things were added to him. Each new thing came with its own difficulties, beginning stages, struggles before breakthrough. Sunday Schools, a church, revivals, evangelistic campaigns, schools; it just kept coming and he gave it his all until his death.

We may not all be a D.L. Moody or any of the other great heroes from the past, but then again, maybe we are. The only way to find out is to give our 100% to the Lord in everything we do with the understanding that this is exactly his expectation for us. Whether we go on to become another Moody or not or perhaps the best trucker, hair dresser, teacher, politician does not really matter. What matters is that we become everything he has given us life to be, and we do it to the very highest quality. Work as if there is a promotion to be had and may it all be done for his glory. In this way we will again see the likes of Bach, Tyndale, Lewis, Brahms, Bunyan, Ironside, Lincoln and the thousand other greats who have gone before us. Let us rise up to excellence that they world will see the glory of God.

Reading: 22, 23, 24; Luke 12:1-31

Good morning Church,

We are back to priorities today. However, instead of considering it from our infinite point of view of 80 years on this planet let us consider it from an infinite point of view. It is from this point of view that we find a proper point of orientation in which we realize that there is something going on that is much bigger than us. It is from this point of view that we realize how small and unimportant, not to mention wrong, are our goals in life. Does this sound familiar at all:

"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' (Luke 12:18-19)

How many of us approach the goal of our life in this manner. We only want to get to a place of ‘financial freedom’ or ‘independence’; a point in which we do not have to worry about finances but instead we can pursue other interests. It sounds interesting, almost inviting, but this a terrible perspective to be under. It is a goal that does not go beyond ourselves and that is certainly not the perspective of infinity.

Jesus had a great way of exposing such matters by the direct light of eternity. It is by this light that things are revealed for what they truly are:

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' (Luke 12:20)

Things that do not have an eternal quality or purpose to them are beneath our emotional commitment and time. We are told in Philippians 4:8 to think on only things of eternity quality:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

There is nothing wrong with wealth and all such matters but it is not worthy of our time and energy to pursue. Money is actually an ugly thing. When Jesus sent out the 12 disciples he sent them with nothing so they could discover how the Father looks after these matters. He did the same when he sent out the 72 disciples. He warned us about money becoming a master over us. We need to give attention to these things, not by discarding what we have but by being thankful for what we have, understanding we have what the Father deems necessary. Be content with that.

One of the big temptations I must battle with at the beginning of any new work is “where will the money come from”? A terrible but natural question that comes from our human nature. It is a matter of getting me orientated with the Father’s perspective. What are the priorities in this thing? How much do I trust the Father? What has he proven in the past? It is to my shame that I must face this but in struggling with it I am able to go deeper in this relationship of trust.

Our human nature will always look for short cuts. Adam and Eve thought the “fruit” would be a great short cut to attain the heights of God. The enemy presented Jesus with the same short cut as he showed him al the kingdoms of earth, promising they would be his. In the same way we are enticed to believe the freedom we are looking for can be found in a large bank account. Yet the Father is holding out a true freedom from financial burden:

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:22-26) 

There is a great deal of wealth in this little paragraph. There are people who waste most of their life, wanting to do great works for God, but instead wait for the finances to come in. I am glad that the heroes of the faith, men like William Booth, George Mueller, D.L. Moody were not men like this. They did not view finances as anything but a tool and for this they trusted God. Each was different in their approach but none of them ever stopped because the coffers were empty; they pressed on, trusting the Lord’s promise.

For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke 12:30-31)

Do you believe it? Have you proven it? Are you different from the pagan world? Or are you afraid to be different from the pagan world? We are not very different today from the world around us, even though we are supposedly a new creation and under the authority of heaven and live by a different set of rules and priority. It is like we fear to be different, like we fear to live this life that says that finances are not a priority but God’s work is:

"I tell you, my friends, 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 the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:4-7)

What are the things we are “thinking on” these days? Are they the ugly things of this world or are they the things of eternal quality? Jesus made this simple statement that should send our little, often make-believe worlds reeling:

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:34)

Interesting. It is certainly worth a great deal of consideration today. It may even have some eternal worth.

Reading: Joshua 19, 20, 21; Luke 11:29-54

Good morning Church,

In Jesus’ address to the Pharisees and teachers of the Law he accused them of many things but perhaps the worse is this:

"Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering." (Luke 11:52)

This should be an easy matter for us to understand, especially those of us ministering in the field of Christian Education. What is this key of which Jesus spoke?

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
       and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

The reason this key was taken away is because these two groups had turned the Law into the object of worship. It was more about following the law perfectly than it was about honouring, loving and knowing God. This is what we desire to instill in our children and youth because we understand the value of it, but then why are we not pursuing it for ourselves.

The desire for wisdom, knowledge and understanding must be a life-long occupation that only ends when we come to our last breath. There is more knowledge in this world than we could ever attain in a lifetime so why do we stop trying to gain more? The real cornerstone of this is the purpose.

If we were to do it for ourselves, for our glory, for our betterment then we would be fools and we would be wasting our time. However, when we do it with the Word of God being the foundation and purpose then we would discover that God will use all these other things to bring us closer to him and we would become better instruments in his hands. He reveals himself to us in everything of truth.

This takes us back to what Jesus stated earlier:

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you." (Luke 11:34-36) 

This needs to be the rule of our life, in everything we do, in everything we pursue. We only want to fill ourselves with truth and truth is defined by our God, for he is truth. We find truth in creation, in the Bible and in Jesus Christ. We find truth in everything beautiful but we must be careful because not everything beautiful contains truth. Remember that Satan himself can appear as a beautiful angel. We must be careful in our pursuit that we are able to distinguish between truth and distortion of the truth. Whatever we allow ourselves to consume, be it music, literature, movies, dramas, they all change us. We may not think they do but their ideas are assimilated into our being and they change us just as junk food will change our bodies.

The apostle Paul gives us instruction on this with one of those pieces of scripture that has the potential to change us every day if we allow it:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

Do you see the criteria set before us? We should measure everything by this. Before you give yourself to anything ask yourself: Is this thing noble? Is it right? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it admirable? Is it excellent or praiseworthy? We have been endowed with the traits of the Creator. No other creature on the face of this planet makes things of beauty because it wills to. There are creatures that make things of beauty like the clam with the pearl but that is instinct not will. Only man writes great works of literature, art, music, dance, theater. Only man finds beauty and truth in mathematics and sciences. But not all of this contains the beauty of truth. Some of what man does is mediocre and of low value to our spirit and yet it is what becomes the most popular.

God has created us to be a thinking creature and we are to expand our minds as far as we can because doing so honours him who gave us this capacity. However, we must be careful in doing it. We are not to lose the key by worshipping knowledge instead of the one who is revealed to us in knowledge. We are not to pollute ourselves with garbage, taking into ourselves things that do not contain the beauty of truth. This is what I fear we are doing every day, watering down, diluting, polluting the truth within us. We are to measure the worth of all things and only meditate upon the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and excellent.

All the works of man have the potential for good and evil. Radio can convey great things of beauty and truth or it can produce some of the most awful garbage disguised as truth and public interest, whether it be shows or music. The same is true for the television. It is such a powerful medium to convey good or evil. I am not just speaking about content but the aesthetics of it. We ruin our palette by watching poor productions of drama, listening to second rate music and reading junk literature.

Christians are the worse offenders. Some of the music that passes as Christian has no musical value to it at all. Some of our literature is pure junk in quality. When we look at something written by C.S. Lewis and compare it to most of the stuff written today, whether fiction or instruction we can see how the populace has destroyed their palette. It is true for our architecture as well. God has given us the capacity to weave such beauty into all the things we do but instead we are content with a box-like structure. People will argue that such things do not matter, only the heart matters. This is so true but what are we told that comes out of the overflow of the heart? We are also told that whatever we do we are to do it as if we are doing it for the Lord. So this means that whatever we set our hands to should be of the highest quality as it is the praise that comes from the overflow of our hearts. We should be doing everything with a beauty that conveys the truth of it. It matters. The aesthetics of life matters.

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.   

No half-measures. At one time the world was blessed by men and women who pursued excellence to the glory of God. They gave the world such great works of music, literature, theater, art, mathematics, science. Why do we only produce second rate stuff now? Where is that pursuit of excellence? What are we allowing to pollute our spirit and the spirit of our children? Have we too hidden away the key?

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

It is never too late to get back on track. Everyone is capable of growing in our knowledge of the truth and beauty of our Creator because there is only one stumbling block. Oh but what a stumbling block it is. We are all capable but such a thing requires hard work as we discipline our mind, heart and palette. It requires hard work and we are such lazy people. It is so much easier to turn on the tv and stop thinking than it is to pick up a book of great literature or put on a CD of Boch or even better yet, spend an hour in conversation with Jesus over his Word. Won’t do you it though, for his glory?

Reading: Joshua 16, 17, 18; Luke 11:1-28

Good morning Church,

How much do we believe? That’s a legitimate question, isn’t it? Unfortunately how much we believe depends on what tradition we have been raised in or been introduced to Jesus under. There are churches, having been birthed in the power of the Spirit, who no longer believe the Spirit moves as once he did. They say the times have changed. There are those that were born through the Word, who give no credence to the power of the Spirit, but who also now make excuses why certain parts of the Word need not be followed. We have compromised so much that we no longer even understand who we are. We will follow a certain tradition but many of us have become as Paul described believers near the end of it all:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

“Having a form of godliness but denying its power.” That’s us. Much of the Church operates under a law of conformity. We change our appearance, our language and our comportment but we do not actually allow the Spirit to possess us and control us with his power. This is made evident in our lack of prayer.

In our Prayer Meeting last night we had a good number of people out for the size of our congregation but as we prayed conviction started to enter in about our spiritual deficiencies. It is impossible to stand before our Holy God, standing in his glory and not have our decencies clearly highlighted for us. We lack due to our own failings. It is not that the Father desires to hold anything back from us but how can he equip us for a work we are not engaged in and how can he provide when we do not even know enough to ask?

Jesus gave us a tremendous teaching on prayer. Notice the things he told us to pray about:

" 'Father,
   hallowed be your name,
   your kingdom come.
 Give us each day our daily bread.
 Forgive us our sins,
      for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
   And lead us not into temptation.' " (Luke 11:2-4)

Ask that the kingdom would come to the hearts of all men, women and children. Make petition on behalf of the unsaved. Plead that an opportunity will be afforded you to present the gospel to them, that their hearts would be prepared for that moment. If you do not ask then you will not be prepared. “Lord, bring the Kingdom to the heart of my neighbour. May it be so.”

There is nothing wrong in reminding the Father of your needs for the day. Remember he promised to look after your daily needs if you looked after the affairs of the Kingdom. He promised you food and clothing. So remind him.

Pray about your spiritual condition. It is not enough to wring your hands over what you lack. Seek the Father’s good grace and ask him to help you make changes. You can’t do it on your own. You need his help, his intervention, his strength. Only the Spirit can change our hearts but we are partners in this work. We must be involved. Ask him. He tells you exactly what needs to be and then expects you to ask for help. Our greatest need is the character of the Son which forgiveness is one of the corner stones. If we cannot forgive how can we expect to be forgiven?

We also need to ask that the Lord will help us to stay on the narrow path. It is so narrow, it is easy to take a misstep and find ourselves wandering around on the wide path. We cannot make this journey without the constant companionship of Jesus Christ, and why would we want to? He died for us so that we could begin the journey but he also sent us the Spirit so that we could complete the journey.

How can we pretend to know God? How can we go through the motions without knowing the reason? How can we pretend? Is that not a waste of our life? Is that not the highest form of mediocrity?

Jesus told us it would take sincerity and persistence in prayer. Honestly, how persistent are we?

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10)  

Many of us long for a great awakening of the Church. Revival comes to the Church so that we will again find that first love and seek after the lost which is our mission. We need a renewal of this mission for there are tens of thousands of people dying every day without knowing Jesus Christ. How can we even sleep at night knowing that we have done nothing about this? Have we spent any time on our knees today interceding for the lost? If we have then have we prayed with the fervency of the man who needed bread for his visitor? Note that the bread was not for him but for his visitor. Are we interceding for the lost, those dying without Christ?

Some would say that we need to do more than pray and I say AMEN! to that. However, it begins with prayer for as we pray the Lord opens the door to us that we may have the opportunity to share Jesus with others. It is in prayer that the Lord prepares the hearts of both us and the one to whom we will speak. When the heart is prepared by the Spirit it is an easy thing.

So I pray for all of us: Lord, forgive us for what we have made it!

Reading: Joshua 13, 14, 15; Luke 10:25-42

Good morning Church,

What are your priorities like? Do you have your life set up in priorities? Most of us think we do but we fail at it rather miserably. We start off okay but when things become a bit hard we lose heart and things get shifted on us. A child decides that he is going to learn to ride his bike. It is his top priority for the summer. By lunch time the bike is back in the garage not to be touched for the rest of the summer. It was too hard so he changed his priorities. Another child does not give up so easy and by supper time has conquered the beast and has entered into a new level of freedom.

It would appear that the entire chapter of Luke 10 deals with our attitude toward spiritual priorities. The first is what we looked at yesterday: understanding our mission and not getting distracted by anything in doing it. The second and third have much to do with the two great commandments to love God with our entire being and to love others as ourselves. These must be the two greatest priorities that supersede all other priorities in our lives.

In the case of the Good Samaritan we do not find a man who is distracted easily but instead a man who understands that he has a higher purpose when it relates to responding to the need of a human being. He was obviously a businessman of some sort, on a business trip. I am sure he was as busy as the other two but he felt he had a responsibility to respond to the emergency at hand. In telling this parable Jesus was stating that we have this responsibility. We are not bystanders in life. We are active participants only we have a purpose in it and a greater motivation. Ours is not simply a response of guilt in a world filled with suffering but instead a response of love; for it is love that compels us to respond to the needs of those around us. This must remain a priority for any man, woman and child who abide in Christ.

In the case of Mary and Martha we again find a strong statement that we must understand our priorities. Jesus is not stating here that work is wrong because we have been called by God to ‘do’ not simply to ‘say’. Our God is a God of action and we have been called as his children to action. However, the priority is always to sit at the Master’s feet, to be fed, to be renewed, to be instructed because without instruction we could never expect to grow in our understanding and maturity. This relationship is the key and foundation to everything. It is why it is the greatest commandment. Without this love for God none of the other priorities will be kept in their proper place.

The Word of God is vital but understand that we have the Word of God in three forms. We have the crudest form and yet it is a form of great beauty and that is the creation all around us. We often neglect this form of the Word of God and yet when we immerse ourselves in it we find great renewal in our Spirit, seeing the wonder of God in very practical terms. Then we have the written Word of God, the Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit, perfect and infallible. It is in these words that we find the promised Messiah, given to us in all the scriptures of the Old Testament. Study of this is vital to our understanding of the purpose of the revealed Messiah of the New Testament. In these words we find the answers to all our questions.  Yet these two forms of the Word have not comparison to the wonder, might and beauty of the greatest and most important form of the Word of God, the living Word, the Word incarnate; our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not worship creation and we do not worship the Bible but we worship the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

It is the Word of God that brings understanding of all things. As long as this remains our point of orientation we will never feel lost, confused or distracted. We all have the same responsibility as Mary and Martha. We need to make our time at the Master’s feet our priority every day, and not just for a few minutes. We need to spend more time there than anywhere else. We cannot afford to make the same mistake as Martha. We cannot allow legitimate work to become an excuse and distraction from our greatest priority, our relationship with Jesus Christ.

If only we could all understand the importance of this. Do you realize how much you are bombarded by the ideas and thoughts of people who are without Christ? The radio hosts, the news, music, books, movies, television; it is a constant bombardment. Are we to hide ourselves away from it? Impossible. We can certainly be more discerning but we cannot eliminate it completely from our lives. But how much worse it is if we have no point of orientation, no measuring rod to judge these ideas with. If we do not have the truth in us how will we be able to measure what is good and what is evil? How can we possibly hope to have the discernment that is vital for a Christian living in a time when we are surrounded by more voices than in any other age of man?

It is imperative that we cultivate the priority that Mary demonstrated. If not then the work we have set our hands to will cease to be that of the Father’s as we become more and more polluted and diluted by the falseness that we face a thousand times every day. Ideas that are presented in movies, shows, music do not go in one ear and out the other. Like food we assimilate these into our being; ideas change us. If we consume the wrong foods it will have plenty of bad effects on our body. However, if we eat enough of the good stuff then our body is able to combat any of the bad stuff we may on occasion take in. So it is with the wrong point of orientation, wrong ideas and all such things. If we have a steady diet of the Word of God then we are able discern and reject the ideas that do not have the correct point of orientation.

Take a walk today and see his creation as it wakes from its long slumber and marvel at the beauty he has created. Spend time in the study of the Bible and find answers to your questions. Most of all, sit at Jesus’ feet, talk with him and explore his beauty. You will find the strength you need to keep all your priorities in place. You will stay on target with your mission, you will respond to the needs around you with a heart compelled by love and, above all, you will long to begin each day at the Master’s feet.