Daily Thought: We have an Enemy

"You have an Enemy.  He is trying to steal your freedom, kill your heart, destroy your life." ~ John Eldredge, Waking the Dead, p. 151

Law and Change

"Law is always external. It is always imposed from outside. It can never make man good. It can only make him wish he had been good." ~ W. Carl Ketcherside; The Death of the Custodian

Law is incapable of changing people. Sure it could stop people from doing certain behaviors because they are afraid of the punishment, but those people wouldn't hesitant to do evil deeds if there were no consquences. So while outward appearance the appear to be good it is another story concerning their heart.

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, "'Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell" (Matthew 5:21-22; NLT).

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28; NLT).

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Love your neighbor and hate you enemy.' But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!" (Matthew 5:43-44; NLT).

Jesus tells us that what is just as important as our obedience to the Law is the condition of our heart. The Law cannot fix a heart twisted by sin, only the blood of Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit can correct that problem. No amount of law keeping take away the consquences of sin in our lives.

What does that mean? It means that everyone is in the same boat, no matter how "good" the might appear. Without Jesus Christ in our lives there is nothing we can do to make up for the sin in our lives or restore our sinful heart to purity. What the Church has to offer to a world plagued with sin is not law, but grace. Change will only occur as people give their lives to Jesus Christ. We need to be people of grace rather than being people of law.

Who am I?

Psalm 8:3-4

Creator God,

Open my eyes to the wonder of You creation. I take so much for granted rather than taking the time to stop and thank You for the blessings of life.

When I pause and consider the universe I am overwhelmed, for I am just a speck of dust compared to the beauty and vastness of the universe. May this understanding reside in my heart as I realize that I am so unworthy of Your attention and love.

Yet Father I ask that You will help me to understand that You have created me for a reason, and that in spite of my smallness You have placed a wonderful glory in my heart. Guide me in living out this glory so that in the end You will be glorified.

It is in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Daily Thought: Taking Jesus Seriously

"If we don't reach this generation, it won't be because we didn't entertain them, but because we didn't dare them to take Jesus seriously." ~ Shane Claiborne (From Twitter)

Daily Thought: Using Your Freedom

“Your liberation will require you to see beyond that illusion of freedom—free acts that lead to bondage.  Our freedom must never be about us and us alone.  Freedom is the gift of serving others out of love.” ~ Erwin McManus 

Don't Return the Mud

{2 Peter 2:20-22; ESV}

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.

I don’t know about you but I often find myself struggling with the same sins all the time. There are certain sins that hold no attraction to me at all but there are others that continually seem inviting, no matter how horrible I try to make the be. Once we have established a behavior or attitude it is certainly hard to break.

This is no excuse for remaining in sin. There are consquences for not struggling against sin and throwing it out of our lives. This is one of the problems that Peter addresses in this passage from 2 Peter.

Bruce Oberst in his commentary Letters from Peter wrote:

“If we do not frequently recall to our minds the great blessing of being clean through the blood of Jesus, we will soon go back to the dogvomit and the sow-wallow” (pg. 145).

One of the reasons it is so important for us to be in God’s Word on a daily basis is to be reminded of God’s great love for us. As we read the Bible, listen to sermons, or discuss Scripture with friends we are being reminded of the truth of the Gospel. We are also putting ourselves in a position to all the Holy Spirit to use the words from the pages of the Bible to convict or encourage our hearts with Truth.

I know that in my life when I struggle the most with sin is when I neglect God’s Word. Instead of filling my mind with God’s Word I allow other things in that lead my thoughts down paths they should not go down. When I don’t make God’s Word an important part of my day the struggles with temptation and sin seem to be greater and more out of control which, in turn, overshadows the Truth of God’s love.

Christ Followers must be dedicated to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit using the Truth of Scripture purifies our hearts and minds and helps us to make good choices rather than giving into the temptations that spring up in our lives. One of the best way to begin to overcome sin in our lives is to give our hearts and minds something pure, good, and truthful to ponder.

Daily Thought: A Dangerous Force

Government is not reason, it is not eloquence--it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. ~ George Washington

Daily Thought: Empowered to Love

God, who so greatly longs for your love, will work within you by His Spirit, will empower you to love Him with your whole heart and demonstrate your love by keeping His commandments. ~ Andrew Murray

Perception Affects Our Gratitude

{Colossians 2:6-7; ESV}
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Consider for a moment what Erwin McManus wrote in Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul:

Perspective is not shaped in a vacuum; it is formed in the context of gratitude. An ungrateful person sees the glass as half-empty and wonders who is holding out on him. The grateful see the glass as half-full knowing that someone has shared with them more than they deserve. (p. 124)

Gratitude plays such a huge part in the perspective we have on life. When we are grateful not only will we be content with much less, but we also have a very optimistic outlook. Contentment, peace, and hope are characteristics which define a person who is grateful.

It is hard to be grateful when the life you are living isn’t the life that you want.  That is basically the story of my life.  So much of my life has been wasted because I have been dissatisfied with my life, and I was angry with God for not giving me the life that I wanted to live.  The question being asked in my heart was, “Why is God holding out on me?”

It is hard to live life when you want a different life: different experiences, different friends, different talents, different opportunities, and a different personality.  You think life would be so much better if you had the life of someone else.

For me this has been one the many obstacles that I have to overcome in my journey to become the person God created me to be.  The thing is it is an obstacle I have faced more than once.  Like most temptations and sins that we face, this feeling of discontentment is one that keeps popping up in my life.  Why do I have  to struggle so hard to do what comes so naturally to others? It would be so much easier if I was... and other similar questions haunt my thoughts.

The problem with this thinking is that it ignores what God has done for me, and in the process it distracts me from living the life God created me to live.  Gratitude for the blessings, experiences, and talents God has given me provides me with peace and assurance that I need to live the life God has planned for me to live.

Consider what the apostle Paul wrote about the result of the grateful heart:

6 Never worry about anything, but in every situation let your petitions be made known to God in prayers and requests, with thanksgiving. 7 Then God's peace, which goes far beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7; ISV)

God’s peace is given to those who are grateful.  Worry, fear, and loneliness are some of the feelings the consume the hearts of the ungrateful.  God has given each one of us so much.  It is time for us to stop focusing on what we don’t have and start thanking God for what we do have.  Then, and only then, do we experience the peace that God has promised to His children.

Point to Ponder: When we are grateful not only will we be content with much less, but we also have a very optimistic outlook.
Passage to Remember: Philippians 4:6-7
Question to Consider: What are some of the things you are grateful for in your life?