Perfect Devotion

A year ago, I bought myself the “Starting your day right” devotion book by Joyce Meyer. I must admit I haven’t read much of it the last 3 months, until today.

This has been a pretty tough week with my boys. Summers are hard in general, but those weeks without ANYTHING on our schedule, and the kids’ behavior going downhill fast, are really challenging. Today was pretty rotten, and I was feeling sorry for myself. So I picked up my devotion book as soon as the boys were in their rooms for their daily “down time”.

July 19^th, God must have known! Today’s teaching was perfect to get me out of my pity party:

James 1:12 says “Blessed is the (wo)man who is patient under trials and stands up under temptation, for when (s)he has stood the test and been approved, (s)he will receive the victor’s crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.”

Don’t get upset if somebody gives you a hard time today. (Bwahahahah) Don’t get upset if you don’t get your way or if somebody says or does something you don’t like (BWAHAHAHAH). If you are set up for an upset, stay stable – it’s only a test.

I rest my case!

Now where did I put those stable pills?

Are you toiling?

1^st Corinthians 15:58

“Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For we know our labor is not in vain.”

 

What is your “work in the Lord”? The Hebrew word for work, means “calling or occupation, the result or object of employment, performance, as a single act or continuous Pretty much whatever God requires you to do. God’s work was to perform miracles. Our job is to spread the Gospel.

 

As we trudge along, doing God’s will and His work, we know our “labor is not in vain”. The Hebrew word for labor means to strike/cut down, travail, have trouble, disturbance, uneasiness, weariness, the expression of grief and lamentation.

 

We often feel that investing so much time, energy, emotion and effort into “doing the Godly thing” leaves us worse off than if we didn’t try so hard. While God’s Word says that we WILL receive our reward for obeying Him.

Blind no more!

I don’t want to live life as a blind follower. I was taught to question, test and try everything claiming to be right and true. However, I have, as millions of fellow believers, been following the path of my parents, and their parents, and their parents…

We are supposed to pass down traditions and teach the next generation the right way to go. In Old Testament times, the fathers were responsible for educating their children of the ways of the Lord. God commanded them to observe 4 special holy days, to remember the things God had done for his people, and in this way continuously remind the children of the miraculous stories, on which their faith was based. As Christians we acknowledge the importance of celebrating and remembering and teaching our kids in this way. BUT what on earth are we teaching them?

Watch this video and then decide for yourself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNuIz63zBjM

It raises some life-changing questions of what we really are celebrating and passing on to our precious little ones. I do not agree with everything in this teaching, but enough to take a real good look at what I believe and what is really important.

The Advent Bell

THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God’s child (John 1:12)
I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ.  (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God  (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good  (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph.. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God’s temple (1 Cor. 3: 16).   I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God’s co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God’s child (Eph 1:5) 
We belong to God!

It’s the Gospel!

 

Ha, ha, I don’t know how to change font size to make the last 3 lines smaller and fit into the page space, so that the text actually looks like a bell all the way to the bottom. If you want the nice bell shapes version, I’ll be happy to email it to you. I’m using this text as my personal Bible study guide these days 🙂

Praise God with our bodies?

1.Corinthians 6:19+20

“Do you not know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor (glorify) God with your body.”

This verse is quoted a lot around the New Year. Christian health instructors use it to motivate us to take good care of our bodies, because they are God’s dwelling place. But these verse contain so much more than fitness motivation (b.t.w. I have never been athletic or done exercising on a regular basis in my entire life. Not that I’m proud of that, but I think people can be healthy and fit even without owning a treadmill or a gym membership).

The context of 1. Cor 6 is Paul teaching the Corinthian Christians about rightful and moral living. In these particular verses he’s talking about keeping our bodies clean from sexual immorality. Now, I love digging deeper, so let me share what I found:

Our body (soma) of course means the physical being, flesh and blood, that all living creatures possess. It also means our spiritual body. In the pleural version, it was used to describe a “body”/group of warriors, often as they were captured and put into slavery. So may I be so bold and suggest that the Scripture indicates our personal body but also humanity as a whole, captured and trapped by our sinful nature, unable to fight for our freedom ourselves.

The Jewish temple was considered the dwelling place of God here on earth. It was the Holy of Holies, and the privilege of entering was reserved strictly for the Jewish high priest. Jesus Himself never entered the HoH, but as He died, the veil blocking access to this most holy place, was ripped from top to bottom, symbolizing that anybody now have access to the throne of God, because of Jesus’ work n the cross. This is when the price for our liberty was paid in full.

“We have been bought”, of course means “purchased”. But this also emphasizes that there was a price to be paid for us (in this case, the ultimate sacrifice of innocent blood shed in our place) AND that we now no longer belong to our old master – sin. The payee now has the right of possession! We are bound to Him who paid for our freedom.

“Glorify (doxa) God with your body”. Glorify or Honor means to esteem, think of, be of opinion, to suppose without proof or experience, to recognize, praise, invest with dignity, putting someone into a honorable position, to give anyone importance, to make glorious! Wow. In John’s writings “the Glory of God” is the revelation and manifestation of all that God has and is, all His goodness. We glorify God when we show and manifest His goodness and unselfish love, like Jesus did when he walked on this earth.

As we now belong to him, and the Holy Spirit dwells in is, we are already equipped to give Him back the Glory he deserves, with our body and strength, with our our soul, spirit mind. Honor your Creator by keeping His dwelling place clean and showing the world His goodness and love.

A study of “The Lord’s Prayer”

I received a King James Study Bible when I was a teen, and once in a while I like to dig deep into some passages and really study the meaning behind the words that the authors so carefully selected. Our church was doing a sermon series on “The Lord’s Prayer”, so I started looking up the Greek version of some of the key words in Matthew 6:9-13.

Our Father (Pater): Parent, forefather, origin. Spiritual father who guides us to faith. Person worthy of respect and dignity.

Which art in Heaven (Ouranos): The physical heaven above the earth and also the residence of God, where the angels are and to where Jesus ascended.

Hallowed (Hagiazo) be: To sanctify, to be distinguished, held above what is common, to be separated from what is filthy, and to withdraw from the world and selfishness.

Thy Name (Onama): To attribute character described by a name. Fame, reputation, implying authority and dignity. Name as substitute or representative of a person. Identifying with the character or purpose, authority or delegated power. “Whatever you ask in my Name..” means whatever we conformable to His character and His purpose, He will do, not simply what we ask.

Thy Kingdom (Basileia) come: The Kingdom of God/Heaven signifies God’s rule within us while we are on this earth + the state of Glory. The word is related to Basileias, meaning: royal, belonging to, appointed, priesthood, called to a royal dominion.

Thy will be done (Ginomai): To be created or formed from nothing. To be done, performed, fulfilled or accomplished.

On earth (Ge): The part of creation that denotes man’s domain. Independent from heaven which is the dwelling place of God. Associated with the idea of emptiness, weakness, sinfulness, and does not correspond with the wisdom and power of God.

As it is in heaven (See Ouranos)

Give us today our daily bread (Epiousios): This word occurs only in the Lord ’s Prayer. It means substance, special or particular (need). The bread needed for daily support of life, our being, our sustenance.

And forgive (Apihemi) us: First, the grammatical form of the verb (forgive) implies: “ a command for doing something in the future that is a simple action”. Then the meaning of the word itself is: To send away, dismiss, to emit, to yield, voluntarily give up a ghost, to forsake, leave alone, to permit, to suffer, to allow. Forgive debts, sin and offenses. To liberate from the power of sin through the grace and power of Jesus.

Our debts (Opheiletes) as we forgive our debtors (Opeilema): That which is owed or strictly due. Also offenses or trespasses which obliges to reparation or punishment. One who is indebted to another.

And lead us not into temptation (Peirasmos): From the noun “Piera” meaning an experience, as related to testing, trying, to know by experience, to be acquainted with. If God tempts – the purpose is to prove someone, but never to cause him to fall. If the devil tempts – his purpose is always to make man fall.

But deliver (Rhuomai) us: to physically draw, drag or pull someone with force or violence. To deliver someone from danger or calamity. To liberate!

From evil (Poneros): evil in the moral or spiritual sense, wicked, malicious, and mischievous. From noun “Ponos” meaning labor, sorrow, pain. “Poneros” is Satan as the first author of all mischief in the world. From it is derived “Poneria” meaning aptness to make shrewd turns, delight in mischief and tragedies, and perverseness.

Who knew that this short prayer actually packed SO much meaning beyond the few English syllables that we use as we utter our Lord’s own words?  A prayer so simple, even a child can understand, yet so complex, it can keep scholars busy for weeks, trying to figure it out.

Are you fighting today?

Deuteronomy 20:1-4

“When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, will go with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid, do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

I have the mind of Christ!

1 Corinthians 2:16

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ”

The context of this verse is Paul teaching the Corinthians about how we perceive and judge matters differently if we are spirit filled or not. But is it not a contradiction that nobody KNOWS the mind of the Lord, yet we HAVE the mind of Christ?

I started digging into the meaning of the word “mind” used in this passage, assuming that the exact same word is being used both times in this verse.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says  ⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. ⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s ways (walk, journey, path, manner, and way of life, course or physical passageway) are so much higher than ours; therefore no one can know the mind of Christ or give Him advice.

So what does it mean, then, that we have the mind of Christ?

The word “mind” (from King James, Zodhiates’ lexicon) means “the organ of mental perception, apprehension and of conscious life”. This is probably how we would describe the mind in modern terminology, when asked to distinguish it from our body, emotions and soul.

But the word “mind”, in Biblical terms, reveals a much broader meaning as the description continues: “The consciousness preceding action or recognizing and judging them, the understanding of word concepts, sense.” The verb derived from the same word means “To perceive with the mind as distinct from perception by feeling. Intellectual faculty, understanding or moral reflection. The faculty renewed by the Holy Spirit. A sentiment, disposition (not as a function but as a product), an idea, consideration which denotes purpose, intention, design. Thought, providence, forethought, provision.”

The Bible tells us we already have abundant life, forgiveness and salvation, power and authority and so much more as we receive Christ as Lord and chose to walk a spirit-lead life. But to also have the mind of Christ means we can have clear thought, sanity, wisdom, understanding and discernment, self-control over our thought life, protection against Satan’s lies taking root in our minds, a healthy mind-set (disposition), and even clear direction. The Holy Spirit can speak directly into our minds as we listen and chose to believe Him.

A dear mentor brought 1 Cor. 2:16 to my attention as I spent months preparing for the State Board tests several years ago. As English wasn’t even my primary language and I had not been educated in the US, this test seemed impossible for me to pass and I was overwhelmed by stress, fear and hopelessness. Clinging on to this verse really helped me focus and trust in Him who as NO trouble with tests or academics. I passed both tests with flying colors and I take NO credit for that achievement! God is always faithful when we trust in Him as our provider and deliverer, as we seek Him for support and guidance, as we lay our plans and desires at his feet, and as we take Him at His word.

Good or Evil?

I am borrowing this text from another blogger. Though it was a really good one:

A poor farmer in a rural village had his only horse wander off and get lost. The people of the village came to lament the evil that had befallen the man. In response to them calling it evil, he said, “Maybe, maybe not.” Days later the horse returned followed by six wild horses and the people of the village came to proclaim the good that had come to the man and he said, “Maybe, maybe not.” Days later the man’s only son was trying to train one of the horses and fell breaking his back leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. The people of the village came to lament the evil that had befallen the man and he said “Maybe, maybe not.” Sometime after that the army came and drafted all the young men of the village except the man’s son because he couldn’t walk. Shortly after that news came that a battle resulted in the death of every young man from that village. The people of the village came to lament the evil that had befallen them all but the man said, “Maybe, maybe not.”

Was this man wise beyond his years or did he simply understand he lacked the wisdom to judge good and evil rightly?

 We live our lives judging people, places and circumstances as good or evil based on the simple criteria: Does this benefit me or not? As followers of Christ, we may extend the criteria of our judgment to include God’s Will as we understand it that day.

His ways are so much higher than ours.

Message from a martyr

A missionary with Africa Evangelical Fellowship included a copy of the following letter. The author is unknown, but is believed to be a young pastor in Zimbabwe who was martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ. It was found in his study:
“I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made — I’m a disciple of his. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.”  “I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in his presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer, and I labor with power.”  “My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifices, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.” “I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me. And, when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me … my banner will be clear.”