Whenever teachers go through the motions of a lesson plan in class, students notice this lack of energy. Sometimes you can be so focused on what your Power Point says that you forget to read the room. The most successful teachers year after year are able to spice up their act annually to connect what they’re presenting with real life situations.
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, Matthew 5:13-14.
Prior to modern day refrigerators, salt was used to preserve meat. Subsequently, when meat was removed from salt prior to being cooked in the first century, salt was used to add flavor to meat as well. Yet, in the above passage, Jesus appears to be referring to the faith of Christians. When your faith, your daily witness becomes stale, you’re no longer a positive influence to other people.
Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your [z]moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and [aa]recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven, Matthew 5:15-16.
Jesus’ plan of action for preventing faith from becoming stale is by spicing up your actions. This begins by rejecting your old self and practices prior to becoming a Christian, Colossians 3:1-9. Then, once this becomes a daily priority, put on the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:16. As you learn to keep in step with the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:25, your actions will begin to resemble the salt and light Jesus desires in the Sermon on the Mount.
Whenever anyone threatens to make a decision outside of the spiritual advice and direction offered by the Bible, choices have consequences. Moses points this out in Deuteronomy 28, serving as the pros and cons to obeying God. From a strictly numbers point of view, 14 verses are highlighted as blessings for making wise decisions. The remainder of this chapter, verses 15-68, 53 total, magnify that daily subtle (poor) choices result in major spiritual consequences.
Now this is the history of the descendants of Esau, that is, Edom. 2 Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon the Hivite, 3 And Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth. 4 Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel; 5 And Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau born to him in Canaan. 6 Now Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his cattle, all his beasts, and all his possessions which he had obtained in the land of Canaan, and he went into a land away from his brother Jacob, Genesis 36:1-6.
According to Moses, Esau had a tendency to make decisions based upon how he was feeling, Genesis 25:29-34. When he was starving one day, Esau’s first knee jerk decision resulted in selling his birthright to Jacob who was cooking dinner at the time. Wanting instant gratification rather than thinking about long term gain, also seems to influence Esau in his choice of women. Instead of waiting for a godly woman to come into his life, Esau put beauty in front of godliness.
Come near, you nations, to hear; and hearken, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it; the world, and all things that come forth from it. 2 For the Lord is indignant against all nations, and His wrath is against all their host. He has utterly doomed them, He has given them over to slaughter. 3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and the stench of their dead bodies shall rise, and the mountains shall flow with their blood. 4 All the host of the heavens shall be dissolved and crumble away, and the skies shall be rolled together like a scroll; and all their host [the stars and the planets] shall drop like a faded leaf from the vine, and like a withered fig from the fig tree. 5 Because My sword has been bathed and equipped in heaven, behold, it shall come down upon Edom [the descendants of Esau], upon the people whom I have doomed for judgment, Isaiah 34:1-5.
Selling your birthright for a great tasting meal doesn’t sound that bad on the surface. However, Esau appears to live like the Judges of Israel, doing what’s right in his own eyes, Judeges 21:25. Esau followed humanism “an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human nature rather than the divine.” Subsequently, when Moses records the direct descendants of Esau, the Edomites, in the remainder of the first 5 books of the Bible, Esau’s subtle choices result in major spiritual consequences. May the troubled past of the Edomities serve as a wakeup call to make Jesus your main priority in life, Galatians 2:20.
One of the best parts of any wedding is the reception. This gives those in attendance time to share their initial impressions of the ceremony while it’s fresh in their minds. Following my own wedding back in 1995, my wife’s mom, Barb, had a special moment with one of her friends. Barb recounted this story to me following our honeymoon. Barb said, “most of the weddings I attend, I’m not sure whether it’s going to last. However, based upon their vows and what they said, I have a good feeling this marriage is going to last a lifetime.” Nearly 28 years and counting.
Two are better than one, because they have a good [more satisfying] reward for their labor; 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.
Before any young couple decides to tie the knot, there are numerous ways to prepare. Some choose marriage counseling, others attend pre-marriage Christian conferences, and others simply read as many books on the topic of marriage as possible. My wife Leanne and I did all three of these options. Yet, this doesn’t guarantee a successful marriage. Having spiritual mentors can help you through the highs and lows in life, but ultimately marriages that pray together tend to stay together. The last missing link is developing a will to love your spouse like Christ loves the church.
Again, if two lie down together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against him who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken, Ecclesiastes 4:11-12.
As for my own marriage, my long hair is gone, I’ve put on forty pounds, and following my emergency eye surgery, it’s hard for me to be in a picture without sunglasses on. Nonetheless, my will to love my wife Leanne has enabled me to keep my wedding vows. Yet, like any human being, I have bad days that may turn into weeks. Thank God that faith isn’t a feeling; it’s a mindset and way of life. Just like the words of Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:19-24, God’s forgiveness is new every day. This biblical promise and many like it have helped Leanne and I mean what we said long ago.
Depending upon the translation of the Bible that you prefer to read and study, there are approximately 100 passages that directly or indirectly reference purging. From a cultural perspective, there are two types of purging. The abrupt or violent removal of a group of people from an organization or place with the latter focusing on cleansing and purifying your body.
And God said to Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. And make there an altar to God Who appeared to you [in a distinct manifestation] when you fled from the presence of Esau your brother. 2 Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, Put away the [images of] strange gods that are among you, and purify yourselves and change [into fresh] garments; 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar to God Who answered me in the day of my distress and was with me wherever I went. 4 So they [both young men and women] gave to Jacob all the strange gods they had and their earrings which were [worn as charms against evil] in their ears; and Jacob buried and hid them under the oak near Shechem, Genesis 35:1-4.
The first examples of purging in the Bible is found in today’s featured passage. After a strange turn of events at the end of Genesis 34, Jacob is concerned about the spiritual state of his family. After his wife Rachel stole images of gods that her father worshipped without being caught, other woman rummaged through vacant houses in Canaan, taking everything that they liked or looked good on them. This plundering inspired God to speak directly to Jacob by addressing this issue.
So kill (deaden, [a]deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God). 6 It is on account of these [very sins] that the [holy] anger of God is ever coming upon the sons of disobedience (those who are obstinately opposed to the divine will), 7 Among whom you also once walked, when you were living in and addicted to [such practices]. 8 But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips! 9 Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices, 10 And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect [b]knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it, Colossians 3:5-10.
Possessions like good luck charms seem innocent but can lead to ungodly beliefs about why good and bad things happen in the world. From a New Testament perspective, the apostle Paul explains why spiritual purging is necessary. If a Christian never relinquishes former addictions, bad habits or unwholesome cravings, where is their faith, James 2:26? One of Paul’s consistent messages throughout the first century, if you want to live you must first die to self, Galatians 5:24. May today’s blog inspire you to begin practice purging your soul of evil, Colossians 3:1-4.
The lyrics of the classic Who song “Who Are You” popped into my head after reading today’s features passages. Every human being is wired in a specific way. I call this our default mode based upon our DNA and upbringing as a child. Despite how gifted and talented you may be, deficiencies exist as everyone falls short of God’s glory, Romans 3:23. If you ever struggle with doubt, you likely cast a shadow on God’s help in and over your life.
If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of [b]the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. 6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. 7 For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord, James 1:5-7.
Jesus’ earthly brother, one of Joseph and Mary’s other children, compared doubt to a crashing wave in the midst of a storm. The longer doubt remains in your mind, fear will spread throughout your life. James may be referring to what C.S. Lewis called theological virtues in Mere Christianity. While any human being has access to Cardinal Virtues like temperance, prudence, justice, and fortitude, faith, hope and charity are limited to only those who possess a personal relationship with Jesus.
Every good gift and every perfect ([d]free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse], James 1:19.
However, even Christian’s struggle with doubt, especially when you experience trials and tribulations. This is when the Devil fills believer’s minds with ungodly beliefs. If these unwholesome beliefs aren’t corrected by Scripture, even prayers lifted up will cause a shadow on God’s ability to help. Therefore, the next time anxieties strike you like a powerful wave of doubt, remember who the Giver of all good and perfect gifts. This knowledge should turn an overcast sky into a bright sunny day, full of faith.
I’ve become pretty good at playing the What if Game over the past few years. If you’re not careful, the what ifs in life can become an excuse for you not to move on following an unexpected disappointment, failure or setback. Rather than asking God for a Do-over, maybe everything has happened up to this point to persuade you to finally come to a place in your life where you’re ready to yield total control over to the Lord?
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the [w]span of his life? 28 And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field and[x]learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin. 29 Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his [y]magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith? – Matthew 6:26-30
On one of my most recent visits to Liberty University, I attended my daughter Lydia’s church Breakthrough. This church meets in a coffee shop called La Vida which is near the campus of Lynchburg University where my oldest son James is in the process of completing his doctorate in Physical Therapy. As for the church service, following a moving time of worship, the sermon was about reaching a place in your life where you’re willing to let the Lord lead you. Romans 10:9-11.
Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear? 32 For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all. 33 But seek ([z]aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness ([aa]His way of doing and being right), and then all these things [ab]taken together will be given you besides. 34 So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble, Matthew 6:31-34.
In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains what it means to let God lead your life. The first step concerns overcoming anxiety and worry. When faith takes the place of these two stressful conditions, attaining peace becomes possible. Hpwever, the key ingredient to coming to a place where the Lord will lead you involves seeking after God’s kingdom and righteousness. Just as the beatitudes set the tone for the beginning of this famous speech, when you let go and let God lead, everything else is provided by the Holy Spirit, 2 Peter 1:3-4.
One of the reasons why feminists don’t like the Bible is the early practices and traditions of the Old Testament. Men were the ruler of each home and many females born are glossed over unless Moses points out a specific accomplishment or error in judgement. However, when it comes to Rebekah, her family lets her decide when she wants to leave home. Essentially, Rebekah is asked, “what do you want to do?”
Then they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed there all night. And in the morning they arose, and he said. Send me away to my master. 55 But [Rebekah’s] brother and mother said, Let the girl stay with us a few days—at least ten; then she may go. 56 But [the servant] said to them, Do not hinder and delay me, seeing that the Lord has caused me to go prosperously on my way. Send me away, that I may go to my master, Genesis 24:54-56.
One author of the Bible uses an analogy to address this topic in Revelation 3:20. Freewill is compared to a unique door by one of Jesus’ former disciples. God doesn’t have a doorknob on his side. Subsequently, God may try to get your attention in life, but only you can let Him in. If you treat faith like a feeling, there will be days when you want to invite God into what you’re doing. Yet, there will be plenty when you simply want to be left alone.
And they said, We will call the girl and ask her [what is] her desire. 58 So they called Rebekah and said to her, Will you go with this man? And she said, I will go. 59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse [Deborah] and Abraham’s servant and his men, Genesis 24:57-59.
In the case of Rebekah, her mother and uncle wanted to spend a few days with her before beginning a new life with Isaac. Rebekah’s mom suggests spending time with her girlfriends as well before leaving with Eliezer. While this sounds like a reasonable request, Rebekah’s parents leave the final decision up to her. If you read Romans 12:1-2 and Proverbs 3:5-6, hopefully what you want to do coincides with God’s will for your life. May your wants coincide with God’s plan for your life.
1. An Unswerving Belief that Jesus is the Son of God.
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority and of My own accord; but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the ([a]His) works (His own miracles, deeds of power). 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the [very] works themselves. [If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father’s name convince you.] 12 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father, John 14:10-12.
Whenever Christians give the devil a foothold, Ephesians 4:26-28, spiritual faith can be stolen as revealed in the Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:19-23. Jesus explains that belief is preserved by planting yourself in the right environment. Psalm 1:1-3 compares this to water that gives life or as the apostle Paul states in Romans 10:17, faith comes from hearing, reflecting upon and studying the Word of God, the Bible.
2. Seizing the Moment to Provide for the Needy with the Expectation God Will Provide.
Now the day began to decline, and the Twelve came and said to Him, Dismiss the crowds and send them away, so that they may go to the neighboring hamlets and villages and the surrounding country and find lodging and get a [b]supply of provisions, for we are here in an uninhabited (barren, solitary) place. 13 But He said to them, You [yourselves] give them [food] to eat. They said, We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all this crowd, 14 For there were about 5,000 men. And [Jesus] said to His disciples, Have them [sit down] reclining in table groups (companies) of about fifty each. 15 And they did so, and made them all recline. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven and [praising God] gave thanks and asked Him to bless them [to their use]. Then He broke them and gave them to the disciples to place before the multitude. 17 And all the people ate and were satisfied. And they gathered up what remained over—twelve [[c]small hand] baskets of broken pieces, Luke 9:12-17.
Time is one of the biggest obstacles to living a radical spiritual life. Time is used like a crutch, a common excuse to fall back on when you don’t feel like doing something spiritually. Jesus’ disciples fell into this trap in the passage above, but Jesus was there to direct them in the direction of the Holy Spirit. Willing servants seize each moment that the Lord provides with the expectation God will provide everything that you need, 2 Peter 1:3-4.
3.Following the Example and Model for Overcoming Temptation, 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him]. 15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. 16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it], Hebrews 4:14-16.
The author of Hebrews reveals that Christians have someone who can sympathize with our weaknesses. If you study the Passion Week beginning in John 12, Jesus leans on His heavenly father in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark 1:35-36 provides Jesus’ spiritual routine to start every day. Whenever Christians begin to follow the example and model set by Jesus to look for the way out of temptation, they are keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:25.
4.Follow the Way of Righteousness, Matthew 6:33.
Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy; 5 Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]! 6 The Lord executes righteousness and justice [not for me only, but] for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel, Psalm 103:7.
The beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount points to proper attitudes and motives that radical spiritual leaders adopt. The beatitudes set the tone for this famous speech which is reinforced in Matthew 6:33. As belief is solidified, and minds are convinced that God will provide, keeping in step with the Holy Spirit ushers in a radical spiritual life. The final step is merely your complete focus on hungering and thirsting for righteousness by discovering God’s will for your life, Romans 12:1-2.
When my son Daniel got engaged early this Spring, a sense of curiosity and excitement filled my heart. The curiosity was based upon where and when the wedding will take place. This was followed by the excitement of welcoming Anna into our family as well as looking forward to this special weekend in August. Unfortunately, most Christians don’t look at faith from the perspective of curiosity and excitement.
The girl related to her mother’s household what had happened. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man at the well, Genesis 24:28-29.
When Eliezer informed Rebekah’s family that he was searching for a spouse for his master’s son, a spirit of curiosity and excitement filled Rebekah’s house. Who is this Isaac? What does he look like? Where does he work and what does he like to do in his free time? These are just a few questions that family members ask before their relative gets married.
For when he saw the earring or nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and when he heard Rebekah his sister saying, The man said this to me, he went to the man and found him standing by the camels at the well. 31 He cried, Come in, you blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have made the house ready and have prepared a place for the camels, Genesis 24:30-31.
Rather than become curious and excitement for this upcoming weekend, what if Christians faced each day with a new mindset. Instead of going through the motions of a long work week, believers can start embracing each new day with an eager curiosity and passionate excitement. Perhaps, this is what Jesus meant to express in John 10:10. Living an abundant life that Jesus claims and promises to exist could become reality with a daily sense of curiosity and excitement.
Children tend to mimic their parents. As babies begin to talk, they will pick up certain words that they hear in songs, listen to in videos or repeat expressions overheard by eavesdropping. The language and words that you speak say something about what’s going on inside your heart and mind. If you don’t agree with me, look at Luke 6:43-45 to see Jesus’ teachings on where words are conceived.
And I said to my master, But suppose the woman will not follow me. 40 And he said to me, The Lord, in Whose presence I walk [habitually], will send His [e]Angel with you and prosper your way, and you will take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house, Genesis 24:39-40.
If anyone tracked your faith over the years on a flow chart, there will be plenty of highs and lows. The master in the above passage is Abraham who learned faith the hard way. However, near the end of his life, Abraham began to follow in the footsteps of Enoch, walking and talking with God daily. As Eliezer is sent by Abraham to find Isaac a wife, he describes his master as one who walks in the presence of the Lord.
Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. 2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. 3 And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity], Psalm 1:1-3.
The Psalmist uses an analogy to highlight the blessings of walking in the presence of the Lord. In 1896 Reverend Charles Sheldon published In His Steps which went on to become a bestselling book. Sheldon is the first to record and verbalize the expression: What Would Jesus Do? If you want to learn how to walk in the Lord’s presence, this is the mindset you need to adopt. Meanwhile, when individuals begin to meditate upon and habitually study the Bible, you pick up direction, guidance and insights on walking in the Lord’s presence. As Jesus says at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, “put my words into practice.”
ExpressYourself4Him 