Changeless

God never changes.  Therefore, as He was in the beginning, so He is today.

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John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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How wonderful it is to know that our God NEVER changes.  As I now approach the completion of 71 years of living, I can assure you that I have changed, much, and in almost every way.  The closest things to me have changed much, and in almost every way.  That would include immediate family, extended family, friends, acquaintances, work and professional relationships, and my work and professional extensions of myself.  I have grown in Christ, domestic life, ministry, and the manner in which I enjoy the many pleasures of life extended to me over my lifetime.  I have lived in different abodes, traveled to many different countries, ministered all around the globe, improved in lifestyle, and engaged in many blessed, and prayerfully, highly edifying activities that I never imagined as a young man.  Change, change, so much change.

And yet it all that change, there is one absolute constant.  I cite it my Text for Today.  God has NEVER changed.  In that statement, I refer to Father, Son (He being the Word made flesh, and Holy Spirit.  He is the constant in my life to which the growth, blessing, loves, and work of my life are inextricably attached.  I do not measure my success in any arena of life to my own metrics, nor to those of any other human being.  I measure who I am, what I have done, and what I believe I can yet do to Him, and to Him alone.  To establish my own metrics, or to use any metric other than the Lord would be to use a flawed system of measurement that would leave me with a false understanding of who I am.  ONLY His metric remains absolutely steadfast, unshaken, unmovable, and unalterable.

It is within that metric for life that I choose to live.  I believe God.  I believe whatever God says.  I believe His written Word.  I believe the Lord Jesus.  I believe the leadership, voice, and promptings of Holy Spirit to always be accurate and timely.  I believe that God will do precisely what He says He will do.  I have faith in God.  My faith is not in man, man’s institutions, man’s systems, or man’s ideologies.  My faith is built upon, anchored in, and fully established upon the infallibility of God’s Word.  If God said it, that settles it.  Regardless of the culture, nation, or language those words are spoken, they are true.  God has a plan for my life AND for your life, too.  Don’t miss His plan by hinging your life and decisions on ANYTHING less than the eternally settled truth of our changeless God and His Word.  There is no other place to stand that is so safe in in Christ.

Manna for Today – John 1:1-14; Genesis 1:1; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8

Oh, How He Loves!

Father’s love for us is beyond our ability to fathom.  Oh, how He loves you and me.

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1 John 4:7 – Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

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Take some time right now, if possible, and think on the great love Jehovah has for His people.  Father loves you so much that He created all that exists and placed it in your possession for you to rule over it, subdue it, and populate the earth with your offspring to enjoy it.  Everything that was created was created good and put in the earth to serve you.  Anything that is in the earth today that is not good has been made to be that way through the perversions of Satan and his deceptions, distractions, and destructive measures he has instigated.

When man committed high treason against God, and gave his dominion into the hands of Satan, Father continued to love mankind.  He established a divine plan of redemption in which He gave His only begotten Son to suffer, die, and pay the full penalty for man’s sin so man could once again come into that place of dominion He intended man to possess.  And now, for the last 2,000 years, while every human being that has been born again has possessed the privilege and power to walk in that covenant, our failure to place the Word of God deeply in our hearts, and our making ourselves susceptible to the traditions of men, has left us sadly short of the mark the Lord established for us.  He designed us to be the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath.  He has made us to be one with Him, sons and daughters of God, heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ, and to walk in the fullness of His authority in the earth.  He has made us more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.  While Jesus Himself conquered all that darkness could raise up, and then gave us His ability and authority to deal with every life situation just as He would, we still fall far short of that plan.

But Father’s plan WILL NOT FAIL.  It will be accomplished.  He has set it forth in His Word, and His Word shall never fail.  Though heaven and earth shall pass away, His Word shall NEVER pass away.  On that truth we can forever stand, safe, sure, and steadfast.  Regardless of what current circumstances indicate, what the Word declares shall happen SHALL HAPPEN.  Believe it, hold fast to it, and keep the truth of its confession intact in your heart and mouth.  Remember, it will be your own words that either justify or condemn you.  Let God be true, and every man a liar.  Father’s love for you shall never fail.  The victory belongs to God’s people.

Manna for Today – 1 John 4:7-16; John 3:16-17; 1 John 1:7-9; 1 John 5:3; John 14:15-17; Luke 1:37; Matthew 12:37; Romans 3:4

150 Years from Now

What is it that really matters in this world?  Only what is done for the Kingdom

Matthew 16:26 – For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

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My friend, 150 years from now, it really won’t matter to you personally, or likely anyone else, if you got that big break, or if you finally traded up to a Mercedes.  However, it will matter greatly that you made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior.  Practically all choices have some level of importance, but those that impact eternity are the most important.  The problem most people face is that their decisions are so short-sighted that, too often, temporal decisions are made as though they were of eternal importance.

Sir, whether you have a beard or not, or your style of haircut is really not all that important.  Dear lady, your hair color, manicure, or the color of your kitchen appliances are really not going to impact eternity in even the tiniest manner.  Yet all these things hold far too great a sway in the daily lives of most people.  I am convinced that the true importance of our decisions about places, possessions, and performance should rest more on the people we meet, the things we give them, and our service to them than anything else.

Yes, our place of service is important, but who are we serving in those places.  Possessions, too, can be important, but more important than possessing them is how we use them to bless others.  Take time in your daily life to ask yourself some searching questions.  Do you want to make your life really count?  Some folks seem to make a life out of trying to meet important people, famous people, powerful people.  I have determined in my life that the most important people I will ever meet are the right people who can help me fulfill the life and ministry to which I have been called.  The greatest people in my life are not the most famous, powerful, or rich.  They are those who loved and trusted me enough to offer their shoulders for me to stand on them, enabling me to see farther, reach higher, and accomplish more than they dreamed.  Often, they loaned me their shoulders purely out of their love for me; people like my parents who raised me in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Others saw a spark of something in me that moved them to challenge me to climb upon their shoulders for the same reason I stated earlier.  It is from the view I gained perched upon their shoulders that has guided me to recognize those critically important decisions set before me.  How thankful I am for all of them.  So, 150 years from now, the car I drove and my degrees in life won’t be what really matters.  It’s who held me on their shoulders  while I did what was necessary to bless and enrich others.

Manna for Today – Matthew 16:24-28; 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Back to Peace

It should not be a struggle to live in peace.  It’s a faith issue.

Proverbs 12:25 – Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

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Let’s consider some of the basics of Christianity today.  The just shall live by faith.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  And the conclusion of these truths . . . get into the Word, my friend, to build your faith, please Father, and to live in victory, for this is the victory that overcomes the world, even your faith.

Let the mind of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.  The mind, or the thinking, of Christ dwelling in you will produce the peace of God that passes understanding.  The peace of God, or as the Hebrew tongue would say, SHALOM, means nothing missing, nothing broken.  It is a state of union with the Lord that is free from strife and contention with Him, resting in that union with Him as unbreakable and inseparable from Him. 

It is when we attempt to use our own powers, our own prowess, our own insights, and our own reasonings to lift ourselves above the debates, strivings, arguments, and attacks of the world that we begin to wear ourselves down, weaken ourselves, and often, without understanding what is happening, throw our bodies to the wolves of darkness, whose devourings leave us weakened, sickly, and even spiritually emaciated.  When we live in this manner, we are doing exactly what the Lord has warned to us avoid, and that is failing to discern the body of Christ.  We are attempting to handle deeply spiritual issues utilizing carnal devices, processes, and thinking. 

Dear reader, Jesus has been made to be our peace.  The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed.  We must not try to separate the peace we have in Him and the healing He has provided for us through covenant.  Outside peace with God, there is only brokenness and lack.  ONLY in the peace of God is there “nothing missing; nothing broken.”  ONLY in the peace of God is there perfect wholeness and completeness.  The chaos of our present world is likely the greatest thief and damager to our peace with God.  With all that has presented itself against us in our walk with the Lord, especially in this current year, the child of God MUST return whole-heartedly to the place of rest found ONLY in God’s Word.  Remember, great peace have they who love God’s Law (the Word), and nothing shall offend (take peace away from) them.  Return to the Word, my friend.  Read it, meditate upon it, study it, learn it by heart, commit it to memory, keep it in our mouth at all times.  It shall be life to those who find it, and health to all their flesh.  The Word of God is that unshakable Rock upon which your peace (nothing missing; nothing broken) is established.

Manna for Today – Proverbs 13:12; Proverbs 15:13; Proverbs 17:22; Proverbs 18:14; Proverbs 29:18; Hosea 4:6; Psalm 119:65; Isaiah 54:13; Philippians 4:4-9; Colossians 3:15; 2 Peter 1:2

Time to Speak

I am saddened to say that I believe at this moment in time, the church is laying down on the job.

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Time to Speak

Romans 10:6 & 8 – But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise . . . The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

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Perhaps one of the greatest atrocities being committed against the world today, and that is especially true in the United States, is the deafening silence of most of the church.  Many people in the church are politically minded, opposed to homosexuality, drug use, anti-Christian activities, divisiveness, chaos, and violence.  Sadly, instead of coming against such things in a truly Biblical manner, many Christians enter into the conflict in a way that genders strife and confusion.  Don’t forget, the Scriptures teach us that “where envy and strife is, there is also confusion, and every evil work.”  While many Christians are speaking, that speaking is debate and argument with evil works.  That is completely ineffective for the church. 

I shared this statement with several believers recently.  It is a strong word that needs to be taken as a warning.  I said, “A silent church is not under attack.  It has already been defeated, captured, and sentenced.  Still, in Christ, there is hope.”  When I shared that statement, I added what I believe to be the hope of the silent church.  The church must “…stand up…speak up…stir up…steel up for Jesus.”  Let me explain.

The church has been given the whole armor of God.  It’s time for the church to STAND UP!  Stop calling on God to do the fighting.  Obey Him, put on the armor, and go to war in faith.    It’s also time for the church to SPEAK UP!  People are praying for a word from the Lord.  You’ve got the Bible.  Study to show yourself approved unto God.  Stop debating with the devil and put the Word of God to work in faith, pleasing Father.  Likewise, it’s time for the church to STIR UP!  I hear so many praying for a move of God to stir the church.  I fully understand the need and dynamic of Holy Spirit in our churches, especially at this hour.  But Father has already equipped you for full service.  He commands you to “stir up the gift that is in you.  That being commanded by Father, stop asking Him to stir us up, and let’s stir ourselves up in faith.  And finally, it’s time for the church to STEEL UP!  Iron sharpens iron.  We must “provoke one another to good works.”  We need some “steel” in our backbones that will enable us to stand when the winds of evil doctrine howl against us.  We must put ourselves in the forge of the Lord for Him to do the work of the smith.  We must beat our plowshares into swords, and go forth in spiritual warfare of the kingdom.  This is not about guns and knives, but faith which works by love.

Manna for Today – Ephesians 6:10-18; Romans 10:6-17 & 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 1:6; James 3:16;  1 Corinthians 16:13; Hebrews 11:6; Proverbs 27:17; Hebrews 10:24; Galatians 5:6

Talk About Extreme!

If you don’t like extremes, it will be hard for you to know God.  He is an Extremist.

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Ephesians 3:20 – Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

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I have been called an extremist because of my stand for a life of faith in Jesus, because I believe the Bible, because I believe in my God Who cannot fail, because I believe I can do what God says I can do, that I can have what God says I can have, and that I am who He says I am.  If you believe the same things, you’ve been labeled as an extremist, too, whether you know it or not. 

But as extreme as the world and religious people may think us, they really have no idea of Who God is.  Our God is an extreme God.  Consider some of the extremes to which He has gone.  He created the world and then gave all of that creation over to the authority of His man.  And when that man miserably failed Him, He provided His only begotten Son for the full redemption of that fallen man.  And then, He gave all the authority to do the work of the kingdom back to man.  And surprise, mankind, even the best of us, continue to miss the mark.  Yet, Father loves us, keeps us, protects us, provides for us, and plans eternity with us.  That is an extreme God.

His love for us is unfailing, despite our shortfalls in life.  Regardless of how a man lives in this present day, if he will confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in his heart that God has raised Him from the dead, that man will be saved and have eternal life.  That is an extreme God.  He sent His Son, Jesus, to bear our sins, sickness, lack, and torments.  He was wounded for our transgression, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we were healed.  Jesus bore it all so we could have complete life in Him.  That is an extreme God.

Look closely at our Text for Today.  See this wonderful expression of our extreme God.  He is able to do exceeding (that’s more than we can ask or think), abundantly (that’s a lot more than more) above (that’s even more than a lot more than more) ALL WE ASK OR THINK, according to the power (dunamis – Word) that is at work in us.  That is an extreme God.  If you are planning on moving with God in this hour, you’ll have to be an extreme thinker, extreme believer, extreme doer, and extreme witness of our extreme God.

Manna for Today – Ephesians 3:14-21; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Joshua 1:6-9; Proverbs 4:20-23;        Luke 1:37; Mark 11:22-24; John 14:12-14; John 15:7; John 16:23; Matthew 18:19-20

How Sweet It Is!

Oh, how thankful I am for this great truth.  It is an anchor to our soul.

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Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

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Have you ever been walking barefoot through a darkened room, and stumped your toe really hard?  Oh, how that hurts. Either you were not aware of where things were on the floor, or you may have been in too much of a hurry.  Either way, it really hurts.  Whether it as you that changed, or the arrangement of things in the room, something changed that led you to that injury. 

But in our Lord, in Jesus Christ, such is not the case.  He never changes.  Stop for a moment and think about what that means.  It’s not talking about appearance, location of manifest presence, or the level of power He manifests.  It’s talking about Who He is, what He desires, His plan of redemption, or His love for mankind.  All that is Who He is, and that never changes.  And it is BECAUSE that never changes that He is so precious to the believer. 

How much changes all about you every day.  Think for a moment about the world in which we live.  People are traveling all about us, all over the planet, at speeds and in manners that were thought impossible less than a century past.  We find ourselves engaged in activities that a century ago had not even been imagined.  The speed with which we communicate across the globe today exceeds that which was imagined even after I was born.  The tools, concepts, and methods of task performance today is far beyond what most people had conceived even a quarter century ago.  And with all that, the pressures, distractions, and potential destructiveness in the world about us has likewise increased, exponentially.  Think of this; in an age when men aught to be living long, prosperous, health-filled lives, we still battle life expectancies in some nations of well under 70-years.  In many places, poverty is rampant.  And at this point in the history of man, there are people who are working to create new elements of disease, and some of them are doing so for the purpose of destroying human beings (it’s called biological warfare).  We are living in a world filled with chaos.

But in all that, there is Jesus Christ.  King of kings, Lord of lords, first born Son of God, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He is unchanging in person, purity, purpose, pleasure, and power.  He is still God, still righteous, still building His church, still operating in all He does by faith, and still able to do all things for those who believe.  So, refuse to be moved by the world’s chaos; politics, racism, homosexuality, abortion, anti-Christian sects, and the violence that pervades it all.  Look steadfastly to Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Manna for Today – Genesis 1:1; Malachi 3:6; Romans 3:4; Hebrews 6:18; Hebrews 12:1-3

Glorious Submission

An understanding of Lordship’s responsibility makes submission to the Lord so easy.

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Romans 12:1 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

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Our Text for Today is one of the frequently referenced verses in Scripture as it regards holiness, sanctification, and our requirement of the Lord to be submitted to Him.  And that is absolutely understandable.  But when it is viewed through the lens of Lordship’s responsibility, its importance to our daily life becomes one of the greatest blessings we will ever receive in this present world.  Let’s examine that a bit closer today.

Look first at the urgency revealed in this command.  To “beseech” means to beg or pray urgently.  To “beseech . . . by the mercies of God” is to beg or pray urgently from the greatest depths of the love of God which never fails.  We are examining the very heart of God for His people, and that is the same love He exercised when He gave Jesus as our ransom on the cross.

Now think of this.  When anything is offered to the Lord as a sacrifice, and is determined by Him to be acceptable, that sacrifice becomes a precious possession of the Lord that He has honored by His acceptance.  Now imagine being a precious and prized possession of God Almighty that He has accepted from His holy altar of sacrifice.  How precious you must be to Him!  Then continue even further with this train of thought with the understanding that the sacrifice you have become is not one that is slain, its blood being shed, before it is burned as an offering to the Lord.  The sacrifice we are discussing is a “living sacrifice.”  If a slain sacrifice is honored and accepted by the Lord Who is faithful to never forget your works of righteousness, how much greater is it to be a “living sacrifice” offered to Him as a never-to-be-forgotten work of righteousness.

When you were born again, you were seen by the Lord as having been “crucified with Christ.”  “Nevertheless, I [you] live.”  And if you are alive in Christ, you are alive in the anointing, and thereby a vessel of honor set in place for the Master’s use.  Oh, the joy of that thought.  As a believer, you are a prized and precious possession, alive and suited for God’s purposeful use.  Do you remember the words of Jesus after He had fed the multitude?  He told His disciples to take up the fragments so that “nothing be lost.”  Can you see it?  If you are alive in Jesus, you are useful to the Lord, a redeemed child of His in His kingdom, and as such, He wants every part of you to be used for His glory.  That being said, how much care do you think He will take to look after you, protect you, provision you, and produce fruitfulness in you IF ONLY you will submit yourself totally to His responsible Lordship!

Manna for Today – Romans 12:1-21; Joshua 1:6-9; Proverbs 4:20-22; John 14:12-17; John 3:16;           1 John 5:3; Galatians 2:20; John 6:12

Only Through Christ

Sometimes the word “all” does not mean “all” in a broad context.  “All” can be limited.

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Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

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Let’s get right at it.  Shall we?  I am a 71-year old male, in good health, six feet tall, 240 pounds.  I believe in and fully subscribe to our Text for Today.  If I say to you, “I can have a baby,” what would you think of my statement?  It is, of course, totally ridiculous.  And you’re absolutely right.  I cannot have a baby.  You and I both know that will never happen.  So, why can’t I use my faith and connect the issue of having a baby to our Text for Today?  The answer is simple.  My ability to “do all things” is not connected to the matter of simply releasing my faith. Rather, it is even more related to the matter of the anointing.  Let’s take a much closer look at our Text for Today.

1. “I” – first person singular; personal pronoun referring to me personally
2. “can do” – a statement of ability; where ability is not existent, “can do” does not exist
3. “all things” – “all things,” while an all-inclusive phrase, is still limited to its context
4. “through Christ” – this is the limiting statement; if it’s NOT “through Christ,” all-inclusiveness is no longer relative
5. “which strengtheneth me” – “which” is not referring to the Name of Jesus, but the Anointed One that we know as the Title of Christ; only if I am anointed to serve as a pastor will I be strengthened by the power of God to serve as a pastor; if I’m not anointed as a pastor, I can call myself one all I want, but I can never truly be enabled to fill that role.

Examining that breakdown of the verse closely, it should be clearly seen that the doing of things is speaking about doing things of the kingdom, things that are pleasing to God, things for which one is anointed.  The connection of the thing done is the anointing that empowers one to do it.  In the simplest terms that accurately connect to the Spirit, I can only do things which I am empowered to do.  At the same time, it could be stated in this manner; I can do anything I am empowered, or anointed, to do because the strength, or power, to do, flows from the anointing that is in me.  And whatever anointing there is that exists in me, that anointing is that element of Christ, the Anointed One, that has been placed in me by Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.  While I may attempt to do something I am not anointed to do, and may have what appears to be success, I can only truly accomplish that which I am truly anointed to do.  I urge you today to discover the anointing(s) within you, and choose to speak and act according to that anointing (those anointings).   For there, you will be empowered to “do all things.”

Manna for Today – Philippians 4:4-20; Luke 1:37; Mark 11:22-24; John 14:12-14

A Simple Gospel

Why have so many for so long tried to make the Gospel of Christ so difficult to understand?

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Romans 1:16-17 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

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I’ve a question for your today.  It’s a simple question with a simple answer, yet I believe that most people, including believers, would greatly complicate the answer, though not meaning to do so.  That seems to be a customary thing for the church, especially among its leadership, and that is to answer simple questions with answers so complex they don’t understand it themselves.

So, here’s my question for you.  “What is the Gospel of Christ?”  There it is; a simple question.  Now the task is to arrive at a simple answer.  I believe we can by simply examining the Scriptures.  Let’s look closely at our Text for Today.  It is first identified as “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”  But my question calls for more that an identification.  I am calling for a clear and distinctive definition.  So, let’s look further into our Text for Today. 

The next statement directly connected to the “Gospel of Christ” is, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.”  in this statement, while not offering a definition, does indeed give great clarity concerning what is contained IN the “Gospel of Christ.”  Look closely at the full statement.  In the “Gospel of Christ” is a step-by-step revelation of the “righteousness of God” being clearly understood as one grows “from faith to faith.”  Stated concisely, the righteousness of God is who Christ has made us to be in Him, the ability to speak the Word of faith by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord over every element of our life, while believing God has raised Him from the dead to fully exercise that Lordship as we trust Him.  But there still remains one  statement in our Text for Today that states as clearly as possible the definition of the “Gospel of Christ.”

In the final six words of our Text for Today, we read the Scripture’s concise definition of the “Gospel of Christ.”   Read it closely.  “The just shall live by faith.”  There it is, my friend.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  With faith properly exercised with right motive and believed in his heart, the believer can have what he says.   As overly simple as it may seem, the “Gospel of Christ” is that “The just shall live by faith.”  And that Gospel proclaimed is any word that accurately sows faith in the heart, instructs how that works, and inspires the believer to deliberately engage in the work to bring it to pass.  Remember, “The just shall live by faith.”

Manna for Today – Romans 1:8-17; Romans 10:6-17; Galatians 5:6; Hebrews 11:1-6; Mark 11:22-24; Jude 20