January 4, 2013

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21

This great chapter of Romans would be just as great even if you read it backwards. You can start at the end and it still communicates the same great truths. Romans 12 has much to say about discovering God's purpose for your life and this final verse is the purpose statement.

 

The purpose of every believe is to overcome evil with good! Is that a great goal or what? Who could be against that? Why wouldn't everyone want to sign on with that purpose?

 

I can think of at least two reasons why this is not as easy as it sounds:

 

First, how can we overcome evil when we ARE evil?

 

What? Me evil?

 

Yes, you! And me. Thanks to Adam, all inherit an evil fallen moral nature. Everyone of us have been born into sin and that sin separates you and me from God. So, the fallen moral nature is cut off from the only hope it has of changing. So, the first evil that has to be overcome in the evil within!

 

Second, who defines good?

 

Does it make sense that evil people would be left to define what is good? No way! We would define goodness down to such a level that there would be little difference distinguishing good from evil. That largely describes where our culture is today. Goodness has been defined down because moral absolutes have been abandoned. So, goodness becomes the subjective opinion of each individual based on what works best for them. That is the moral chaos we see around us today. That is why we have political correctness. God has been replaced by the government and the worship of the earth, so goodness is defined by what is good for the state and what is good for the earth. Think where that ultimately leads - whoever has the most strength and power will ultimately define what is good and what is not. It is called totalitarianism. God is the Only One Who is good and only He is the source of all that is good! Good is what God says it is! Good is what God is!

 

Verses 1 and 2 of Romans 12 tells you how to overcome the WITHIN you so you can confront evil in the world AROUND you. That is your purpose. It is the only way you can fulfill the purpose statement delineated for you and me.

 

Tired of the evil within? Ready to become an overcomer? Begin living on purpose today!

January 2, 2013

^"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,  that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:14-16

I wonder how many times I will write "2012" on a check before I adjust to the new year -2013?

In spite of my struggle with adjusting to a new date, New Year's Day is one of my favorite holidays! I find it more relaxing than most holidays because it is less demanding than most of the other holidays. I get to stay up late and sleep in on that day without feeling guilty.

New Year's Day allows me to be a "couch potato" for a day, watch football, snack on some munchies and not feel too guilty. I like that!

Overlook the fact that I am writing this post on New Year's Day, and it is one day I get to be a "normal" guy!

This is the 62nd New Year's Day I have celebrated. I am hoping I will get to celebrate quite a few more! There is a LOT of football left to watch!

Having said that and having expressed my love of New Year's Day, I am looking forward to something MUCH greater than New Year's. Some day I will get to enjoy "no years"! "No years" is where the vast majority of my life will be lived!

"Brad, what are you talking about? What is "no years"?

"No years" is eternity!

There are no clocks in eternity!

There are no calendars in eternity!

There are no dates, or day-timers or deadlines in eternity!

In eternity time is measured in millenniums not in minutes! Eternity is lived in the "everlasting moment"! Think about the best moment of your life - that moment you wished would never end. If you project that forward you have a glimpse of eternity!

When I run out of New Year's I get to have "no years" for one reason only - because "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!" God's Son stepped out of eternity and into time to pay the penalty of my sins by dying on a cross! He died in time so I can live in eternity!

Wow!

I can have a happy New Year because I know for sure I will some day enjoy a happy "no years"!

Do you have that assurance?

Have you trusted Christ to be your Savior?

Have you repented of your sins, confessed that He is your only hope for salvation, and accepted His sacrifice for your sins?

If you have or if you will - Happy "No Years"!

January 1, 2013

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" II Corinthians 5:17

 

Happy 2013! May God bless you with a healthy and joy-filled year!

 

Time marches ahead relentlessly and a new year is upon us! Will you make the New Year new or will you drag the same old pain and problems across the threshhold of time?

 

Speaking of time, the Apostle Paul reaches across the centuries with this solid reminder that only in Christ can all things be made new! So, the New Year cannot be truly new unless you are "in Christ".

 

What needs to be gone in your life? What did you carry in 2012 that you don't need to drag into 2013?

Is there a sinful habit? Is there shame over your past? Is there an unhealthy relationship? Is there a spiritual stronghold? Is there a lack of discipline? Is there discouragement or depression? Is there spiritual apathy? Is there outright rebellion against spiritual truth?

 

The promise is that if you are "in Christ" you can be made new and the old, painful, unproductive, and harmful things can be gone!

 

So, what does it mean to be "in Christ"?

 

It means to live in trust. When you trust "in Christ" for your salvation and stop trusting in your own goodness or righteousness, then you can enter into a spiritual relationship with Him.

 

It means to live in truth. When you are "in Christ" you surrender to His truth and "lean not unto your own understanding". His truth is expressed through His Word, the Bible. Living in truth means that you commit to defining what is real in your life based on what the Bible says is real. You live by its principles. You order your life by its priorities. You shed your past and plan your life according to its promises and you prevail in life according to its power.

 

The New Year can only be new if you are made new! It can only be happy if you are made whole - and holy!

 

As you turn the page on the calendar will you turn a page in your spiritual experience? Will you be "in Christ"? Will you trust His truth to transform you into a "new creation"? Will you allow Him to make "all things new" in you?

 

You can be "in Christ" or in crisis. It's up to you.

December 31, 2012

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

 

As you know, I have been talking about joy for several days because joy is such a hallmark of Christmas. And, also, I want to comment on joy one more time because joy is such a powerful force but such a rare commodity.

 

Here is a good illustration of joy:

 

“I have everything I need for joy!” Robert Reed said.

 

His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can’t bathe himself. He can’t feed himself. He can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. Strips of Velcro hold his shirts together. His speech drags like a worn out audio cassette. Robert has cerebral palsy. The condition keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk. But it didn’t keep him from graduating from high school or attending Abilene Christian University, from which he graduate with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn’t keep him from teaching at St. Louis Junior College or from venturing overseas on five mission trips. And Robert’condition didn’t prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal.He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel room and began studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a tutor who would instruct him in the language. Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he distributed brochures about Christ.

 

Within six years he led seventy people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa.

 

I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men carry him in his wheelchair onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in his lap. I watched his stiff fingers force open the pages. And I watched people in the audience wipe away tears of admiration from their faces. Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, “I have everything I need for joy.”

 

His shirts are held together by Velcro, but his life is held together by joy. - Max Lucado.

 

That is joy! Joy is enjoying God's favor and knowing His fullness!

 

Robert Reed knows that joy. Do you?

December 30, 2012

"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35

 

As the prophet Micah foretold, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It was the city of his ancestor, King David and by decree of Caesar Augustus that all throughout the land the citizens were to register of the census in their home town.

 

It was while Mary and Joseph were there in Bethlehem that Mary's baby was born in a manger at a local stable because the inn was full. So the history records that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. It was prophetic but it was also symbolic.

 

The word "Bethlehem" means "house of bread". Jesus, the Son of God, was born in "the house of bread". The Bread of Life was born in the "house of bread"! How good is that? Think about what that birth in Bethlehem signified.

 

First, it means that Jesus sustains life. As bread was a staple of their diet and an important part of ours and sustains our physical life, Jesus sustains the spiritual life of anyone who believes in Him and "feeds" on Him spiritually.

 

Second, it means that Jesus strengthens life. Just as a healthy diet of good food, such as bread, is necessary to strengthen the body, so "feeding" on Jesus strengthens the spirit of a believer.

 

Third, it means Jesus satisfies life. Few things a more delicious and substantial than a hot freshly made loaf of homemade bread. You can almost smell it now, can't you? In the same way, Jesus satisfies the spiritual hunger of those who "feed" on Jesus!

 

How do you "feed" on Jesus?
 

Have faith in Him. Believe what His Word tells you and live according to those truths.

 

Have fellowship with Him. Walk with Him daily. Talk with Him through pray and hear Him through His Word. Regularly partake of Communion in the fellowship of your local church.

All of this is possible and available to us because the Bread of Life was born in the "house of bread"!

What good news this brings to a hungry world!

December 29, 2012

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

 

There is a trite old definition for joy that says joy is "Jesus-Others-You".

 

Actually, that formula fits pretty well into this text we have been studying.

 

The shepherd's joy began when they heard the angel tell about the birth of Jesus. For centuries faithful Jews had been praying, waiting and longing for the Messiah. Now the angel is announcing His arrival and the good news comes to a few humble shepherds! How good is that!?

 

And then they hurried to the stable to see the Christ-child as the angel foretold. When they arrived and saw Him cuddled in his mother's arms they rejoiced!

 

Jesus was a source of joy!

 

Having seen for themselves and rejoicing at the sight of the newborn Son of God, the shepherds then went to spread the good news to others throughout the land. Wherever they went and everyone they told were amazed at their story. Their joy incited joy in others!

Their witness about Jesus was a source of joy to others!

 

Once they had seen Jesus and then told others about seeing Jesus and when they had seen they joyous response of others, then the full significance of the events they had seen and heard finally impacted them. They were filled with joy! It was an amazing night of joy!

 

I guess the trite old formula IS true. Joy does come from Jesus and then Others and You. So, it may be trite but it is true! Try it!

December 28, 2012

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

 

Once famous evangelist, Billy Sunday said, “if you have no joy, there’s a leak in your Christianity.”

 

Joy was a new experience for the shepherds because joy arrived with the coming of Jesus! But it should not be a novel experience for you. Jesus intended for His believers to live in joy:

 

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:11

"Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." John 16:24

 

So, what can you learn about joy from this encounter between the angel and the shepherds?

 

First, joy comes from receiving the good news.

 

These shepherds heard the good news in a very dramatic way. The angels came to them with this amazing announcement. How great was that?!

 

You will not get the news from an angel but the good news is no less powerful. One of your main responsibilities is to put yourself into places where you can receive the good news. Whether that be church service or small group or listening on radio or on the Internet or watching TV or in your daily devotions, it is up to you to get your daily dose of good news! No one else can do that for you.

 

How can you have joy if you are not regularly hearing the good news? What are you doing to make sure you regularly hear the good news?

 

Second, joy comes from responding to the good news.

 

The shepherds immediately responded to the good news. When they heard about what was happening they went to see it for themselves.

What do you do with the good news you receive? Do you obey it? Do you test it? Do you live it out in your daily living so that you know it it true? Do you let it guide your decisions and steer your emotions? Joy is not an emotion, but it is an action that leads to positive feelings. Feelings always follow faith and faith is the preferred response to the good news.

 

Living in joy means receiving the good news and responding to the good news and thirdly, joy results from relationship with the good news!

 

Joy is the natural response to living in relationship with Jesus. If you receive the good news just for information you will not live in joy. If you receive purely for inspiration it will not remain. But if you will commit to living in an intimate personal relationship with Jesus, your joy will not leak. The good news is about truth and Jesus IS the Truth! The good news is about finding your way and Jesus IS the Way! The good news is a way of life and Jesus IS the Life!

How is your relationship with Jesus? How well do you know Him? Is He your Source of Joy?

Don't let the joy leak out of your life. Plug that leak by plugging into Jesus! Receive His good news daily and respond to it and live in relationship with it!

 

Have a joyous New Year!