June 6, 2014

3 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3

Like every other golfer on planet Earth, I would love to be able to play golf at Augusta National Golf Club. But I have no chance of that happening. That privilege is reserved for a few uber wealthy or ultra important people.

What a thrill it would be to qualify for the U. S. Open Golf Championship! There is a chance for any scratch golfer who is fortunate enough to get through a local qualifying event. There is no chance of that happening for me.

As a baseball player I would have be thrilled to have been able to play at Yankee Stadium. I would have settled for just one game at the "house that Ruth built". There was no chance of that happening.

I would have even settled for Wrigley Field! But no chance there either.

Nowadays I would even settle for playing one more game for Indiana Wesleyan University. But, alas, there's no chance of that either. (I've used up all my eligibility)

Having once been a hoopster, a cager, a baller, a basketball player, it would have been a thrill to play the point for the Chicago Bulls at the Boston Garden. Unfortunately, there was no chance of that happening.

How great would it have been to be 6'5" and to be able to throw down a 360 slam dunk! But there was no chance of that happening at 5' 9". I got high enough to touch the rim one time.....

It would be a real rush to drive a stock car in a NASCAR race! I can't imagine what that much horsepower would feel like! And I will never know because there is no chance of that happening!

As impossible as these things have been for me, I have a better chance at any of those than I have of earning my salvation. In fact, I would have a better chance of ALL of them happening that I would of earning my salvation.

Check out this video, at least he has a chance! Right click on the link and take a look!

http://youtu.be/nFTRwD85AQ4

In this first Beatitude Jesus is telling you there is a chance for you to make it to the Kingdom of God but it is only one chance! The one chance you have begins with realizing you have no chance apart from Jesus!

You have nothing to offer God except your confession and repentance. Jesus is promising if you will confess to Him that you are totally and completely devoid even a shred of moral virtue. There is NO CHANCE of you earning your way into God's eternal Kingdom.

But if you will confess your sinfulness and repent of your sins and receive God's richness of love and grace through Christ Jesus. You WILL gain immediate entrance into His eternal Kingdom!

If you admit you have no chance, your chances improve!

June 5, 2014

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3

I grew up in an era when the economy was growing and expanding at an amazing rate in post - WWII America. 

No doubt part of that drive to succeed and prosper was motivated by the fear of living through another great depression. It motivated people to work hard and save money and to invest it wisely.

So, it could be said the fear of poverty drove much of America's prosperity and growth. The power of the "American Dream" and the notion of personal independence and rugged individualism have been deeply ingrained into generations of Americans.

With those realities in mind, no wonder many of us struggle with the notion of poverty being something we struggle to get our hearts, minds and spirits around.

But since Jesus said it and promises happiness to those who embrace it, we'd better understand it.

Let's pause for a moment and remember that Jesus is placing a high value on spiritual poverty rather than speaking against wealth.

What is this spiritual poverty Jesus calls blessed?

It is a sense of powerlessness in ourselves.

It is a sense of spiritual bankruptcy and helplessness before God.

It is a sense of moral uncleanness before God.

It is a sense of personal unworthiness before God.

It is a sense that if there is to be any life or joy or usefulness, it will have to be all of God and all of grace.

It seems a surprising way to begin talking about happiness by saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." There are two ways in which we can come at the meaning of this word poor and it requires interpreting .the Greek and the Aramaic words used for "poor" and putting them together. - "ptochos" describes the man who is absolutely destitute, the man who has nothing at all; in Aramaic - "aniy" and "ebyown". Together they translate to, "Blessed is the man who has realized his own utter helplessness, and who has put his whole trust in God."

So then, the first beatitude means:

O the bliss of the man who has realized his own utter helplessness, and who has put his whole trust in God, for thus alone he can render to God that perfect obedience which will make him a citizen of the kingdom of heaven!

What is this "blessedness" promised to the poor of spirit? The word in the Greek text is "makarios" which describes that joy which has its secret within itself, that joy which is serene and untouchable, and self-contained, that joy which is completely independent of all the chances and the changes of life. 

Spiritual prosperity begins with understanding how utterly and hopelessly poor your soul is apart from the riches of God's grace.

June 4, 2014

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3

Are you poor or are you rich?

How do you know?

What determines poverty or wealth?

You are poor if you have more basic needs than you have money.

You are rich when you are able to provide all your basic needs and still have money left over.

So, to further simplify, the rich have more than they need and the poor need more than they have.

By that definition you would think those who are rich are blessed but those who are poor are not blessed.

Right?

In the first of eight beatitudes Jesus makes a curious statement when He says, "Blessed (happy, joy-filled, satisfied) are the poor in spirit"

Wait! Did I hear that correctly? Happy are those who need more than they have? How can that be?

Before I answer those questions, let me ask one more, "How do you go from 

needing more than you have to having more than you need?"

Therein, lies the secret to understanding this first beatitude.

Remember, Jesus is speaking of "spiritual" poverty and essentially what He is saying is, "Blessed are those who understand that (spiritually) they don't have what they need and they need what God has."

It is a blessed day when you understand the depth of your spiritual poverty and the richness of God's grace!

It is a more blessed day when you confess you don't have what you need to be saved and enter into the Kingdom of God!

That was a blessed day in my life when I declared spiritual bankruptcy and opened my spirit to receive His riches through faith in Christ Jesus! When I confessed that I didn't have have what I needed to find joy in my spirit, He gave me more spiritual riches than I ever dreamed I would have!

Have you become aware of just how spiritually destitute you are without Jesus?

Are you aware of how rich in grace and mercy Jesus is?

Are you willing to declare spiritual bankruptcy?

If your answer is, "Yes" to these questions, you can become wealthier than you ever thought possible!

June 3, 2014

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 5:3

If you think of golf you may think it is a relatively easy game played by old guys who can't cut it in a real sport.

Should you be one who thinks that you would be seriously mistaken. Try it some time!

While golf is not physically demanding in terms of conditioning, it requires considerable physical coordination and mental concentration.

But, as a golfer for nearly 50 years, I think what makes it a challenging is the fact that it is completely counter intuitive.

What I mean by that is while it would seem right to grip the club tightly and swing as hard as you can to smash the ball down the fairway that is exactly the wrong thing to do!

Don't take my word for it, go try for yourself.

Professional golfers grip the club lightly and swing the club smoothly at about 75 to 80% of their effort and the ball rockets off their club face accurately toward their intended target with precisely the right amount of spin!

It would seem to make sense to swing the club head at the golf ball.

Uh.........nope!

Accomplished golfers swing the club head at their intended target and the golf ball simply happens to be to be in their way. They swing "through the ball" not at the ball. 

What does this have to do wih anything spiritual?

I make the comparison between the counter intuitive nature of the golf swing and the Beatitudes, which also turns your natural way of thinking upside down.

Each of the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5 begin with the phrase, "Blessed are......" Blessed means happy in a spiritual sense. You could substitute the word "joyful" for "blessed" and everything Jesus said will bring you joy is completely opposite of what you would think would bring happiness.

The values of the Kingdom of God are 180 degrees away from what the human heart and mind would value.

As we study the Beatitudes through the Summer prepare to feel surprised, confused, convicted and hopefully in the end - HAPPY!

To see what I mean, begin reading and meditating on Matthew 5:1-13.

June 2, 2014

"Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul....." I Samuel 17:8

I have been sharing some "giant-sized" lessons we can take from the story of David and Goliath.

Today I want to talk about an attitude that brought Goliath down. You could call it overconfidence or you could call it arrogance and you would be right either way.

Of course, Goliath had good reason to be overconfident, he was nine feet tall and had never lost in battle. He was tall and he was strong and he was fierce and he was experienced and he had protected all his vital spots with heavy armor. Since no one in their right mind dared to challenge him, it seemed as though his undefeated streak was safe.

There was no doubt about it Goliath was a rock star! And - he knew it.

So, there he stood taunting the army of God. Another day, another humiliation of the enemy. If they sent someone out to face him, he would slaughter them and be victorious. If they refused to send someone out to challenge him then he won by default through intimidation. There was not a man anywhere who could handle him.

But, there was a boy. There was a godly boy. There was a godly boy who had never heard about Goliath but who was very familiar with God. When that godly boy showed up and heard the taunts and curses of this Philistine, he took it personally. No one fooled with his God! This big guy needed a lesson in respect! It was time for him to go!

Goliath had faced a lot of men. He had never faced a boy. He had faced people who were strong and confident, but none of them had proven to be as strong or confident as him. But there was something different about this boy - different or crazy. This is the first time Goliath had faced an opponent who was not coming in his own strength but in the strength of God. As he was soon to find out, not even the strongest most confident man is a match for God.

David entered the battle with faith in God while Goliath was trusting his own strength. Therein is the lesson.

Anything you do in your own strength will fail. A giant-sized ego is no match for a gigantic God. Strength is nice, but no substitute for God's power. Confidence is helpful, but humility is better.

Experience is a benefit, but faith is superior.

If you are going to battle giants - or little guys, for that matter, trust in God's power and go in His strength. Not to do so would be a huge mistake.

June 1, 2014

"As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head." I Samuel 17:48-51

Are you ready for the next giant-lesson?

Well, here it comes: When there is a giant in your path there is a David on the way!

Do you believe that?

What part of being God's people don't you understand? 

What part of "the battle is the Lord's" don't you understand?

God's army was already disgraced and they were about to be defeated. Goliath was cursing God and intimidating them. They were discouraged on the inside and about to be defeated on the battlefield. I guess you could say they were between a giant and a hard place. Immobilized and clueless - there they sat. King Saul was looking for someone to step up but could find no takers.

Little did they know that a hero was en route.

I believe there is more than just a great story here - and it IS that! There is a strong principle here. God's honor was at stake and His people were at risk. When that happens, when we are at our weakest, that is when God steps in.

That is why I say, "When there is a giant in your path, there is a David on the way!"

Sometimes that David is a person. God has an uncanny knack for sending just the right person at just the right time!

Sometimes that David is you! God is able to stir up something in you to embolden you and empower you to stand against that giant until it falls!

Sometimes that David is a group of people or a couple or a family that come at just the right time.

Sometimes that David is an idea or a strategy that comes in the stillness of the night!

Sometimes that David is a financial blessing.

God is sovereign and unpredictable. He has a unique answer to each specific problem. But you can be sure of it! You can be confident that if there is a giant in your path there is a David on the way!

May 31, 2014

"Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken." I Samuel 17:8-11

Giant-sized lesson number four is coming up!

As I read this story the other day it occurred to me, "Why did the Israelites allow the giant to set the rules?" Each morning and evening this fierce warrior came out and taunted the people of God. He dictated the terms and set the rules of engagement. They let him do it.

Who sets the rules for your life? Do you allow the enemies in your life to set the rules of engagement for you? Where do you get your marching orders?

That is a key question, don't you agree?

If you want to know the big difference between David and the other Israelities you look no further than that. David looked to God for his orders. He never allowed the enemy to set the rules for him.

I understand how easy it is to feel like you are powerless when you are confronted by an overwhelming circumstance or life situation. When you feel powerless you fell like your life is out of control. During those times you see how big the giant is and how small you seem to be. When that happens you become immobilized. That is where the army of God was when David showed up.

Notice the key word there - "feel". When you allow feelings to dictate your reality you are letting the enemy make the rules!

Here's a rule you can live with - WHAT YOU FEEL IS NEVER MORE REAL THAN WHAT YOU BELIEVE! As people of faith we judge our reality based on the facts of Who God is and how He works! We live "by faith and not by sight".

If you have a giant towering over you casting a shadow of fear or intimidation over your life - remember, he doesn't make the rules! 

What you feel isn't real! God is real! His Word is real! 

His Person and His truth define reality for us!