At fourteen years of age, I traveled as part of a team to Brazil to build a church. One of the things I learned is how to make cement. Cement required equal parts of sand, water, gravel and cement. Too much sand and the cement became loose or too much water the cement became soupy. Poorly made and mixed cement could compromise the structural quality of the building. So we circled the mound of cement digging in our shovels turning it over until it was well mixed and usable.
Another example is baking a cake. The recipe requires certain ingredients to be measured and mixed together. Those ingredients collectively form a mixture to make the cake. Too little of this or too much of that ingredient could cause the cake to fall flat or the texture to be hard or runny.
The writer of Hebrews 4:2 says in speaking of the Israelites who died in the wilderness , "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." (KJV). The word mixed in Strong's means "mix together into a superior compound". Truth and trust form the substance or the compound of faith which is why we can hope even when the evidence of faith is unseen (Hebrews 11:1).
Beloved, the right mixture of the right ingredients mixed well in faith will strengthen our understanding of Christ.
Faith mixed with truth will produce good fruit in our lives. There is a remarkable difference between a sweet apple and a crab apple! Faith mixed with trust will make us structurally sound in our understanding of His nature. Peter gives a list of "ingredients" in 2 Peter 1:5-8 and ends by saying, "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
How many people have mixed into their understanding of Christ second hand opinions, rituals, traditions or this how we always have done it to form a Christ who is anything but the One found in Scriptures. This impure mixture impacts their view of God and their attitude toward Him in times of difficulty. Sadly their faith is weakened in an unseen God to become visible in their lives. Such impure mixture is the yeast of unbelief. Yeast is a corrupting agent so too their understanding is compromised, structurally weak and bound to fail.
Beloved, ask God for open eyes, ears and heart to hear His truth. Ask for faith to receive the Word of God rather than argue in human reasoning. This will prevent impure mixture of unbelief. Recall faith (i.e the substance of truth and trust) ability to move mountains is in proportion to purity. The more pure the mixture the stronger in faith we become in Christ!
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Resting In Love
Some of us who struggle with anxiety find it difficult to rest in God's love. It can be difficult to understand how deeply He loves us. Greater still to learn of His love in human relationships! Such relationships are fraught with strengths, weakness, failures and victories. Yet this is the means God chooses to express His love in the body of Christ. One of the most profound and beautiful expression of God's love is found in the relationship of a husband and wife. The apostle Paul draws from marriage as an illustration of God's love toward His bride (Ephesians 5:22-33).
Still we struggle to accept the love of God at face value in the life of a believer. We may find ourselves working to please (too many yeses and very little refusals). Or we try to gain the person's approval at the cost of our own strength. We can be anxious about what the other person thinks even though they hadn't said anything unkind or negative. Our minds make up exaggerated stories of "what ifs" that play into our doubts and fears of being rejected. We tend to belabor over the finest details to make things near perfect only to create more problems and tension in the relationship.
When we don't rest in love we are not at peace. Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (KJV). Who we trust matters for our peace of mind. God is to be trusted in our relationships and we are to entrust those relationships to Him.
When we are fully assured of God's love for us we are at peace even in the most difficult times in our relationships. Such peace sets our hearts in order and sustains our relationships. Paul instructs us, "Submit to one another out of reverence of Christ." (NIV). A submitted will is a will under the governorship of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, relationships can become anxious from conflict resulting in chaos and confusion (he said... she said... when all that matters is what He says).
We can't will someone us to love us. But when our will is submitted to Christ, whatever our desires or longings as good as they may be is submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit. This is a God directed life that learns he or she is loved first and foremost by God. A person who can love freely without yoking another individual to their personal burden of anxiety and fears is a person at rest. They don't place demands on the will of another to act or respond because they draw strength from the Lord. Right relating with God means right relating in the natural.
When we are at rest in His love we can let a relationship mature and flourish even if it means "growing away" from each other knowing He is the vine and we are the branches - our love is only extended, enriched and at rest in Christ and this is true of our relationships (1 John 3:20).
Still we struggle to accept the love of God at face value in the life of a believer. We may find ourselves working to please (too many yeses and very little refusals). Or we try to gain the person's approval at the cost of our own strength. We can be anxious about what the other person thinks even though they hadn't said anything unkind or negative. Our minds make up exaggerated stories of "what ifs" that play into our doubts and fears of being rejected. We tend to belabor over the finest details to make things near perfect only to create more problems and tension in the relationship.
When we don't rest in love we are not at peace. Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (KJV). Who we trust matters for our peace of mind. God is to be trusted in our relationships and we are to entrust those relationships to Him.
When we are fully assured of God's love for us we are at peace even in the most difficult times in our relationships. Such peace sets our hearts in order and sustains our relationships. Paul instructs us, "Submit to one another out of reverence of Christ." (NIV). A submitted will is a will under the governorship of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, relationships can become anxious from conflict resulting in chaos and confusion (he said... she said... when all that matters is what He says).
We can't will someone us to love us. But when our will is submitted to Christ, whatever our desires or longings as good as they may be is submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit. This is a God directed life that learns he or she is loved first and foremost by God. A person who can love freely without yoking another individual to their personal burden of anxiety and fears is a person at rest. They don't place demands on the will of another to act or respond because they draw strength from the Lord. Right relating with God means right relating in the natural.
When we are at rest in His love we can let a relationship mature and flourish even if it means "growing away" from each other knowing He is the vine and we are the branches - our love is only extended, enriched and at rest in Christ and this is true of our relationships (1 John 3:20).
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Breaking Up The Stronghold Of Cemented Anger
Anger is more than emotion. It's a defiling sin of the spirit. Scripture tells us that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20).
Even what some believers call righteous indignation is often a fleshly reaction from a heart not fully submitted to God. They are impulsive to react rather than respond from a position of grace and mercy. The same grace God has shown in forgiving them of great sins and extending His mercy which triumphs over judgment.
James does not dismiss that there will be things which will anger us but cautions, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (verse 19, KJV). When we don't listen attentively and quick to get our point across we will accelerate to a state of anger.
The word anger in the Greek is very interesting. The word is orgḗ which means a settled anger that steadfastly opposes someone or something based on extended personal exposure (Strong's Concordance).
Beloved, we must be careful when we are offended that it does not get lodged in our hearts. Soon enough the angry will become cemented, settled or firmly fixed. The danger of unresolved anger will cost us dearly. Think of Moses who observed the mistreatment of his people. One day he saw an Egyptian beat a Hebrew slave. Moses murdered the Egyptian and buried him in the sand (Exodus 2:12). Later in the wilderness Moses struck the rock in anger rather than speak to it as the Lord directed him. As a result, he was not able to enter into the Promise Land (Numbers 20:10-12). How many blessings have we missed because we refuse to let go of our anger?
There is a one way God can break up the stronghold of cemented anger. We must surrender our will to God and ask Him to give us a willing spirit. A willingness to move from our fix position of anger no matter the reason. Such surrender requires us to move our hands away from our heart like Christ who hung suspended on the cross. He died with an unprotected heart with hands stretch wide.
God knows how to restore our footing on what we have so long rested on. Beloved, when he removes the premises of our anger we are not going under with no ground to stand. Let Him do the work of vindicating and justifying as He so determines.
Here is a promise we can firmly stand upon. The Scriptures say, "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (I Peter 2:6, NIV). The cornerstone is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure (Wikipedia ).
Our settled anger will only cause us to be deformed and corrupted from the inside out. Eventually it will cause the structure of our lives to fail. But we can rest on Christ, our Cornerstone, from whom our fixed position makes a difference. We are truly free from the spirit of anger when the weight rests on Him to act as the Judge of the all the earth and to do what is right (Genesis 18:25).
Even what some believers call righteous indignation is often a fleshly reaction from a heart not fully submitted to God. They are impulsive to react rather than respond from a position of grace and mercy. The same grace God has shown in forgiving them of great sins and extending His mercy which triumphs over judgment.
James does not dismiss that there will be things which will anger us but cautions, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (verse 19, KJV). When we don't listen attentively and quick to get our point across we will accelerate to a state of anger.
The word anger in the Greek is very interesting. The word is orgḗ which means a settled anger that steadfastly opposes someone or something based on extended personal exposure (Strong's Concordance).
Beloved, we must be careful when we are offended that it does not get lodged in our hearts. Soon enough the angry will become cemented, settled or firmly fixed. The danger of unresolved anger will cost us dearly. Think of Moses who observed the mistreatment of his people. One day he saw an Egyptian beat a Hebrew slave. Moses murdered the Egyptian and buried him in the sand (Exodus 2:12). Later in the wilderness Moses struck the rock in anger rather than speak to it as the Lord directed him. As a result, he was not able to enter into the Promise Land (Numbers 20:10-12). How many blessings have we missed because we refuse to let go of our anger?
There is a one way God can break up the stronghold of cemented anger. We must surrender our will to God and ask Him to give us a willing spirit. A willingness to move from our fix position of anger no matter the reason. Such surrender requires us to move our hands away from our heart like Christ who hung suspended on the cross. He died with an unprotected heart with hands stretch wide.
God knows how to restore our footing on what we have so long rested on. Beloved, when he removes the premises of our anger we are not going under with no ground to stand. Let Him do the work of vindicating and justifying as He so determines.
Here is a promise we can firmly stand upon. The Scriptures say, "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (I Peter 2:6, NIV). The cornerstone is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure (Wikipedia ).
Our settled anger will only cause us to be deformed and corrupted from the inside out. Eventually it will cause the structure of our lives to fail. But we can rest on Christ, our Cornerstone, from whom our fixed position makes a difference. We are truly free from the spirit of anger when the weight rests on Him to act as the Judge of the all the earth and to do what is right (Genesis 18:25).
Saturday, July 5, 2014
The Blessings Of Meditation
Often the world speaks of meditation by clearing the mind and emptying it of negative thoughts. They may form a lotus position to center themselves. Or they may do deep breathing exercises to ease away the tension.
This is not true mediation as prescribed in the Scriptures.
When God gave the command to Joshua to take possession of the Promise Land He says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8, KJV).
The word mediation in the original is hagah which means to moan, growl, utter, speak or muse. Reading the Word of God requires illumination of the Holy Spirit. We are not reading black or red print on a thin white page. We are reading and mediating upon the inspired Word of God, breathed on the Holy Spirit Himself.
As result, we are to consume His word so in turn we are consumed by it. Out of the depths of our being we recite it, be it a moan, growl or the use of our natural voice. Remember it says that the Holy Spirit prays with wordless groans when we can not speak (Romans 8:26).
Beloved, mediation on the Word of God will secure victories as Joshua leading Israel into battle. Recall the last portion of the verse, "...then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success..". Too many believers bind the devil when suffering evil thoughts (rightly so) but when you truly mediate on God's Word, you can say with authority as Christ during the temptations, "It is written."
True mediation on God's Word does not require postures and positions. It's not about emptying your mind but feeding it the Word of God which will purge the thought life. We live in a generation that reads less and is more visual and imaginative. Something has to be a thirty second sound bite or we lose our focus.
No, beloved, we must dig deeper in His Word because mediation will always cause us to remember Him - rightly, accurately and soundly - then we will know true blessings of meditation.
This is not true mediation as prescribed in the Scriptures.
When God gave the command to Joshua to take possession of the Promise Land He says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8, KJV).
The word mediation in the original is hagah which means to moan, growl, utter, speak or muse. Reading the Word of God requires illumination of the Holy Spirit. We are not reading black or red print on a thin white page. We are reading and mediating upon the inspired Word of God, breathed on the Holy Spirit Himself.
As result, we are to consume His word so in turn we are consumed by it. Out of the depths of our being we recite it, be it a moan, growl or the use of our natural voice. Remember it says that the Holy Spirit prays with wordless groans when we can not speak (Romans 8:26).
Beloved, mediation on the Word of God will secure victories as Joshua leading Israel into battle. Recall the last portion of the verse, "...then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success..". Too many believers bind the devil when suffering evil thoughts (rightly so) but when you truly mediate on God's Word, you can say with authority as Christ during the temptations, "It is written."
True mediation on God's Word does not require postures and positions. It's not about emptying your mind but feeding it the Word of God which will purge the thought life. We live in a generation that reads less and is more visual and imaginative. Something has to be a thirty second sound bite or we lose our focus.
No, beloved, we must dig deeper in His Word because mediation will always cause us to remember Him - rightly, accurately and soundly - then we will know true blessings of meditation.