November 3, 2015

"You have said, Seek My face. My heart says to You, Your face, Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require."  Psalm 27:8

What are the necessities of your life? What do you absolutely have to have? Can you even name those essentials that you could not be without?

I'll bet if you took the time to figure it out you would find it is a short list.

David, the Psalmist King knew! The one indispensable thing for him was God's presence! He could not - or more accurately - would allow himself to be denied the presence of God.

To "seek God's face" means to come into His presence. The great John Piper frames it this way:

"This happens through “seeking.” Continual seeking. But what does that mean practically? Both the Old and New Testaments say it is a “setting of the mind and heart” on God. It is the conscious fixing or focusing of our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on God.

“Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.” (1 Chronicles 22:19)

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2)

This setting of the mind is the opposite of mental coasting. It is a conscious choice to direct the heart toward God. This is what Paul prays for the church: “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). It is a conscious effort on our part. But that effort to seek God is a gift from God.

We do not make this mental and emotional effort to seek God because he is lost. That’s why we would seek a coin or a sheep. But God is not lost. Nevertheless, there is always something through which or around which we must go to meet him consciously. This going through or around is what seeking is. He is often hidden. Veiled. We must go through mediators and around obstacles."

Herein is the merging of discipline and desire. The desire to seek God motivates the discipline to schedule time and screen distractions and study the Word until you hear from God and experience His presence.

Understand that there is a sense in which you are never out of the presence of God in terms of His protection and care. But communing with Him and connecting with Him in that intimate spiritual fellowship that your soul craves requires you full focus.

If you have not sought the face of God for awhile, why is that? Is it because of a lack of desire? Has your heart grown cold? Has sin crept into your life? Have you fallen in love with the world?

Or have you become distracted or diverted or discouraged due to the commotion around you? Has your lack of discipline allow the world to smother your schedule and clutter your mind?

Seek His face today!

November 2, 2015

"Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22

You have probably heard this: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death."

The moral:

It doesn't matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running.

No one enjoys being fearful, but fear is a powerful motivator. In our verse for today, the Psalmist offers some great advice, "Let your anxiety drive you to the Lord."

Recently there have been some anxiety-producing events. Last week it was the precipitous fall of the stock market. Events in the Middle East continue to escalate. Yesterday the earth shook in an area of the USA where earthquakes are rare. And this week-end a powerful hurricane has taken aim on the Carolina coast. How are you supposed to cope with these fearful developments?

"Cast your cares".

"Cast" in Hebrew means: to throw out, throw down, throw away, to hurl. It does not mean to take back what you have cast, nor to cherish, or keep - but to cast, toss, throw away from yourself.

"Cares" in Hebrew means: whatever is given by providence. That means every part of your personality, talents, thoughts, body, emotions, worries, burdens, joys, and gifts.

"LORD" as used here in Hebrew means - Eternal, Jehovah, self-existent. The One with no beginning and no end. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty." Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13.

Piece all these truths together and you get: "Throw and hurl everything that has been given to you onto the Lord. Everything that has been given to you, you are to throw onto the Lord and not to take it back."

That is your part. If you will do your part, here's what God will do:

"Sustain" in Hebrew means: "To keep in and contain, To abide, remain with and reside, To receive, comprehend and guide, To feed, nourish, make provision for and provide sustenance for."

God makes this personal - "You" - means God is willing and able to do this for you, just the way you are. No changes are needed to come before the Lord God Almighty.

Putting this all together: The Lord Jesus Christ will do all these thing for the one who casts to Him all that they have been, are now, and will be. Every facet of your life must be given away for Him in order for your joy to be full. God Himself will nourish and help you through what you are going through, no matter what it is!

"Fall" in Hebrew means: "To waver, slip, shake, fall; To be carried, cast, be out of course, be fallen in decay."

Add it up like this: The Lord God Almighty will never ever cause the just, clean and righteous person to slip and fall or be carried, cast, or be out of course and be fallen in decay. The Lord God will keep His child, that means the one who trust in Him and loves Him and obeys Him in Spirit and in Truth, He will keep that child cared for and nurtured, steadfast in His Love and protection.

What kept you from sleeping well last night? What caused you to awake with anxieties today? You can carry that again today or you can cast it on Him. Your fears can drain you or they can drive you to Him.

Listen to the Psalmist!

November 1, 2015

"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:11-19

Few people are more hopeless or helpless than a leper. Not only did they have an incurable disease but they were social outcasts separated from loved ones and despised by all.

When they heard that this Jesus was passing through their region a strange and unfamiliar emotion began to stir within them - hope. Having heard of the miracles He had worked for others, they knew He was their one and only chance. So, they positioned themselves along the route He would be taking and there they waited and there they hoped.

At long last He came. There were so many people between Him and them. Those others blocked their view. A sense of desperation began to arise as they feared they might miss this chance. With a boldness born of fear one of them cried out to Him, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us."

He heard them. He halted. He located them and spoke to them, "Go show yourselves to the priests."

It was an unusual request. It was a risky one, too, because priests had nothing to do with lepers. But as they responded in obedience, as they hurried to see the priest, a miracle occurred! Their rotted flesh was gone and new, healthy flesh appeared! The incurable was cured. The untouchable became huggable. The outcasts were again mainstream!

What joy they must have felt! How radically their lives had changed! In an instant they were whole. In a moment they went from hoping to having. What they thought to be true and what they felt to be true, was verified and made official when they were declared clean by the priests!

Now they could return to their families! Now they could resume their careers! If you had been away from your family for years, if you had not been able to hold your wife or hug your children where you would go once you were healed?

We know where one of them went - back to Jesus to tell Him, "Thanks!" We're not so sure about the other nine, we can only guess. Jesus noticed and commented on it, "Where not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?"

Very revealing. Could Jesus understand their joy at being able to return to their families? Sure. Wasn't that part of the reason why He healed them? Absolutely! But did He excuse them for doing so? No, He didn't. There is no excuse for unthankfulness. Not then. Not ever.

So, what's the lesson for you? You cannot let anyone or anything be more important than Jesus. You must serve Him and worship Him for Who He is not what He can do.

The other nine wanted something FROM Him, the Samaritan wanted Him. They got healed, he was healed AND made spiritually whole. His thankfulness launched him on a life of thanksgiving.

Until you become thankful for Who Jesus is, to you, you will never be thankful for what He does for you.

October 31, 2015

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the worlds were formed at God's command, so that what was seen was made from that which was not visible."Hebrews 11:1-3

I have been talking about courage. What is it and how do you get it? Hebrews 11 answers the courage question more clearly than anywhere else.

Faith is the core of courage and it creation is the foundation of faith because once you believe He spoke the universe into existence you have to believe He can do anything! When you believe that you are ENcouraged! You find the courage you need!

The writer Hebrews declares that truth and then he illustrates with the stories of faith heroes who found courage in God!

In my last post I shared the story of Noah who showed incredible faith and courage because He believed that the God Who created the waters could summon up enough water to cover the earth and if He could do that, He could also help Noah build an ark! Noah took courage and God made Him a ship builder!

Moses was another one mentioned in this hall of heroes!

Image Moses standing with the Red Sea in front of him and the Egyptian army riding down behind him and millions of panicking Hebrews in between. What would he do? What would you do? That's right! He called out to God!

When God answered He told Moses to hold his rod above the sea and He would do the rest. That would require a lot of courage! The people where already turning against him and were at the point of rebellion. What if he lifted the rod and nothing happened? He would be lynched!

If he hesitated too long the Egyptian army would be upon them and the slaughter would begin!

No pressure!

I can only imagine what must have been going through his mind "if God can speak through a burning bush, and if He can defeat Pharaoh with His plagues, and if he can sustain millions of people in a desert then God can open this sea!" So he reasoned "If God did THAT He can do THIS!" He was ENcouraged and lifted his rod!

Go had led Moses there and he had faith God would lead him through!

Do you find yourself in a hard place!

Does there seem like no way out?

Take a deep breath. Use that breath to breathe out a prayer. Remember Who God is and what He has done for you before. Declare that if He did that for you He can also do this!

If he led you to this He will lead you through this!

Be ENcouraged!

October 30, 2015

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:1-3

Have you ever wondered how these great heroes of faith found the courage to attempt these great feats let alone accomplish them?

Verse one tells us the "secret". They believed that the best predictor of what God would do in the future is what God did in the past! That was the "substance" or the "platform" or the "foundation" what they dared to hope for!

When faced by an overwhelming challenge in life, these faith heroes drew courage from knowing what God had done for His people in the past and reckoning that He could do it again! And the big thing that God had done in the past was Creation.

So, when Noah was called by God to build this mammoth  boat to save himself and his family from the flood here's what I think He must have done. I believe he came to a faith point where he said, "This is such a big job called has called me to that He is going to have to help me!" And then His faith arose and He said to himself, "If God did that (Creation) then He can surely do this (The Flood). From that realization he found courage to begin building and then continue showing up to work for the next 100 years.

What do you need courage to do right now?

Where will you find it?

You factor faith forward!

You ask yourself, "What has God done before?"

Then ask yourself, "Is God still the same today as He was then?"

Then determine, "Is this something He wants me to do?"

Finally, like Noah, you can reason, "If God did that then, and if God is still the same as He was then, and if this is something He wants me to do - THEN IF HE DID THAT HE CAN DO THIS!

That's what those first three verses of Hebrews 11 means - faith reasons that the best predictor of what God CAN do is what He has done before!

Or put it this way, if you look at His credentials, and then if you trust His character you will find courage!

The substance of faith in God is the evidence from His past faithfulness and courage factors it forward!

October 29, 2015

^"He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up." Mark 4:2-4

When someone who is in authority says, "Listen!" you should listen. When that person commanding you to listen is Jesus, well..............!

After He called the crowd to attention He began telling the parable about the sower and the seed. Sowing is how they planted seed in those days. First they would plow the soil of their field and then walk across the field and back tossing the seeds onto the soil from their hand. I assume the more experienced a sower was the more accurate his tossing of the seed, but still there was seed that landed in unintended places. In His parable the Master made each place represent a different type of hearing heart and the seed represents the Word of God.

Some seed landed on the path. The path would be the equivalent of a sidewalk today. It was where everyone walked when they passed by that area and because it drew so much traffic the dirt was packed down hard. So hard was this packed down soil that seed landing there had no chance to put down roots before a bird swept down to snatch it. Any seed that landed on the path was wasted seed unless you were a bird.

A heart becomes hardened just as a path gets hardened, by the pressure of constant use. When a heart frequently hears the Word but never listens to it that heart becomes hardened. The Word of God never has a neutral result. When the Word is heard and obeyed it becomes soft and molded like clay. But if the Word is heard and deliberately disregarded or disobeyed that heart becomes hardened.

My mother tells me I earned my first spanking when I intentionally disobeyed her. I was three years old at the time and loved to crawl into the cabinets under the kitchen counter and play with her pots and pans. She gave me stern orders to not do so again.

One day she couldn't locate me and began to call out my name. As she continued to call with no response her level of concern increased. Just as she was about to panic she heard a clank in the area of the lower cabinet. Opening the doors she saw me sitting under there playing with her pots and pans.

Relieved but angered, she sternly rebuked me, "Bradley, didn't you hear me calling you? I have been calling your name for quite awhile now!"

According to her my response was, "I hear you - but I pay no attention!"

She got my attention! She warmed my cold, disobedient heart from the backside up!

What is the condition of your heart? Are you obeying God's Word? Are you hearing but paying no attention? Do you listen to what He says to you? Are you yielding to conviction or are you resisting it?

Once a heart grows hardened it is hard to change. It is a dangerous condition to allow.

When you hear God's Word today - will you listen?

October 28, 2015

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:1-3

Faith is evidence of things not seen.

How can something unseen be considered evidence?

If you present evidence in a court of law it must be something that is visible and tangible but faith requires believing in the invisible.

Or does it?

What if the evidence of what is unseen is found in what has been seen? 

Look at verse three, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so what is seen was not made out of what was visible."

The foundation of faith is the fact of Creation. All you have to do is look out your window to see the beauty of the Fall colors or look across the room at your beautiful child and you have all the evidence you need.

All the beauty and grandeur of our planet and our universe is ample visible evidence any thinking fair-minded person should need. The beauty, order, vastness and precision of the universe demand a verdict. Did this all happen by some random chemical, geological or astronomical fluke? Or, is it the result of a Wise, Loving, All-Powerful and Everlasting God?

Look at the abundant evidence, research the various explanations and make your decision. Whatever you decide will be an expression of faith. One form of faith will be extremely limiting because it rests on a foundation of a chance occurrence. How much confidence can you have in chance? 

The Biblical form of faith, the Hebrews 11 and Genesis 1 sort of faith, has unlimited horizons because it believes the same God who spoke the universe into existence from nothing has the power to do something to meet needs today!

This is how the Heroes of faith developed their faith and courage! They believed the God who did that (Creation) could do this (lead people through the Red Sea, build an ark or kill a giant)! 

So faith arises from:

1) A conviction of God's credentials as a Creator.
2) A confidence in God's character - He never changes
3) A commitment to the cause of pleasing God
4) The courage of knowing God has called you according to His will.

So faith is "the evidence of things not seen."

Do you see it?