July 31, 2014                                                                     REVEALING  THE  HEART

Luke 6:45: “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil: for his mouth speaks from that which fills the heart.” It is always amazing to see how Jesus would speak volumes in just one or two sentences and what He spoke cut right to the real issues. Such is the case in this scripture. It is true that we talk about whatever fills our heart. There are times that when we may say things that others may want to hear or what is the “right” thing to say even though the words do not really flow from the heart. However, over time, we speak from what is in our heart. I also think that this is true of our self-talk as what we find ourselves saying to ourselves also reveals our heart. There are many scriptures that deal with the heart. As this verse states, our heart holds a treasure and that treasure can either be “good treasure” or it can be “evil treasure.” What determines if the treasure is good or evil? Simply put, I think there are only two options. One, when one is born again, he gets a new heart-he becomes a new creation. However, it is possible for the believer not to live and walk in his new identity and in such a case, the words he speaks may not flow from the “good” treasure. However, when a believer is walking with God, is sensitive to the Spirit, is obedient and is seeking Him first, his heart is filled with good treasure. The other option is when a person has not been converted- he does not know God, then there is no “good” treasure to fill the heart. The unconverted live for themselves and are left to mere human effort and endeavors. It is true that non-Christians can do what appear to be good deeds; they can speak kind words, etc. but they are acting and speaking on a human level only. For example, many non-Christians will give of their time and resources to bring relief to those who suffer loss in a disaster of some type and that is a good thing. The treasure that God deposits in our new heart far exceeds any other treasure. The scriptures teach that the “love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts” and His love is a super natural love that is infinitely greater than human love. As believers, we have available to us a “good treasure” and this treasure is such that, the more we bring forth, the more treasure we have-it will not be depleted. Let us make sure we are availing ourselves to the good treasure and let us purpose to bring forth, or share from this good treasure that does not diminish.

Ephesians 4:29: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Psalms 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”

Blessings,

Buddy

July 28, 2014                                                      SOWING  BOUNTIFULLY

The natural way, they say, is to “get all you can and can all you get.” Our culture places great emphasis on self and the acquiring of possessions and reputation.  Commercials appealing to all age groups fill the airways encouraging the purchase of their products or services. Due to this acquiring mentality, many find themselves saddled with debt which in turn enslaves them.  I do want to say that I am grateful that I live in a place where the products and services I need are available. There is nothing wrong with possessions if acquired under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Scriptures tell us that God gives us good things to enjoy. The scriptures instruct us to work and to be industrious so that we can meet our needs and have to bless others. However, if our life’s focus is to acquire material possessions for our personal pleasure only, then we will not find contentment.  We need to be reminded of those familiar words of Jesus: “My ways are not your ways.” In the Kingdom of God, the emphasis is on sowing, not acquiring, and there are a lot of scriptures dealing with reaping and sowing. 2 Corinthians 9:6 “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.” Verse seven goes on to say that God loves a cheerful giver. When we become “sowers”, God gives us more to sow. Verse eight is an awesome verse: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed:” God promises that will we have “sufficiency in everything” and out of this sufficiency we can engage in good deeds. God will also multiply our seed as we see in verses ten and eleven: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”                                                  For each of us today, it is not so important how much seed we have to sow, but it is about sowing the seeds we have. As we sow, we will discover that our seed is multiplying! There are many types of seed to sow including financial, teaching, training, prayer, helping, encouragement, hospitality, visiting, and the list goes on. Let us be counter-culture; let us focus on sowing the good seed.

Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Blessings,

Buddy

July 24, 2014                                                                 BE  RECONCILED  TO  GOD

I think that most Christians equate being reconciled to God with salvation: a one- time deal. However, in 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul is pleading with believers to be reconciled to God. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God was entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” According to chapters 6 and 7, as well as other portions of the letters to the Corinthians, it’s apparent that some of the Corinthian Christians, perhaps many, were living lives that were displeasing to God and therefore needed to be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 7:1 reads: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” There is a fundamental issue that we as Christians must deal with and it is found in 1 Corinthians 5: 15: “..and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” Paul also says in other scriptures that we have been bought with a price and are slaves to righteousness. The idea of not living for ourselves is foreign to the culture in which we live today.                                                                                                                                                                                God is grieved with any sin of any type we allow in our lives whether it be sins of the flesh or sins we commit in our thought life, or wrong responses, etc. We must remember that Jesus gave His life to redeem us and to deliver us from the power of sin that held us in its grip before we were born again. God is grieved when we allow sin because He knows what fruit sin produces and He desires the very best for us and He is jealous of our relationship with Him. Sin also breaks our fellowship with God. Paul goes on to encourage believers to “perfect holiness in the fear of God”. Even though we get a new heart and spirit when we are born again, there is still a matter of maturing or growing in our walk with our heavenly Father. One of my daughters said that she heard a minister of the gospel once say that “because we are Christians, we should have a good nature”. That is so right! God is about newness, love, reconciliation, forgiveness, truth, hope and faith. May each of us be about “perfecting holiness in the fear of God”.  If we find that we need to be reconciled to God, He stands with open arms ready to be reconciled!

Blessings,

Buddy

July 20, 2014                                                                GOODBY  GLOOM       

We live in difficult times for sure. Our culture is off track. In the midst of “prosperity” it seems we lost our way as a nation. The culture told us that the goal of life was self-fulfillment and that we need to shed restraints.  We believed that shorter work weeks and more pleasure were sure tickets to happiness. We were told that the advancement of technology, particularly computers, would simplify life and give us more free time. We came to believe that individual “happiness” was more important than commitment to family and church. Entertainment became the pursuit in life. As we began to discover that all the promises and our pursuits were empty, we turned to alcohol and drugs to find the “good feeling” we were looking for and it became our escape from reality. We came to believe that going into debt to get what we wanted was the thing to do. I know that not everyone bought into the culture, but certainly a lot have done so. The truth is that all of the above plus other such issues do lead to a sense of un-fulfillment and gloom. Buying into the ways of the world leads to emptiness sooner or later.                                                 The good news is that God has provided a solution that will chase away the gloom. One place we can discover this solution is found in Isaiah chapter 58. Chapter 58 reveals a lot of what is in God’s heart for His people.  Some of the activity we are called to be about is to be “letting the oppressed go free”, “breaking every yoke”, “dividing our bread with the hungry”, inviting the poor to our house, clothing the naked, removing the pointing finger, end speaking wickedness, and “satisfy the desire of the afflicted.” These commands from God are broad and can be applied to numerous situations and circumstances we find in life. Jesus said that He came to set the captive free and that is the general theme in Isaiah 58. There is a promise for those believers who give themselves, in the name of Jesus, to such activity as we see above. The promises: “our light will break out like the dawn”, “our recovery will speedily spring forth”, “our righteousness will go before us”, “the glory of the Lord will be our rear guard”, “we will call and the Lord will answer; we will cry and He will say ‘Hear I am’. Verse 10-11 says if we do these things, our “light will rise in darkness, and our gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Even though these verses are found in the Old Testament they reveal the compassionate heart of God. Because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we can now engage in the same ministry that is in the heart of God. Jesus said that He fulfilled the Law so we are no longer “under the Law” but under grace whereby we can be living expressions of the compassion of God and as we express His compassion, the sense of gloom will disappear.

Matthew 25:34, 35&40: “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’………..”And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

Blessings,

Buddy

July 16, 2014                                                               FLOWING  WATER

John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’ “                                      One of my favorite sights is that of a mountain stream flowing with fresh clear water. It’s God’s desire that rivers of living water, not streams, flow from our innermost being. This passage in John is just before the crucifixion of Jesus and those who believed in Him had not yet been given the Holy Spirit because Jesus had not yet been glorified. The obvious truth is that the Holy Spirit living in us is the source of this living water. Water brings life-just look along the river bank and you see all sorts of plant life and trees flourishing. In Psalms 1:3 we read “And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and whatever he does, he prospers.” What a promise! There is one catch however.  The verses preceding this verse are referring to the person that walks uprightly and meditates day and night on God’s law. We don’t live under the law, but the law of God is good (Romans 7&8). The main point is that this person’s thoughts or on God regularly and there is a desire to learn of God and follow Him. The scriptures also tell us that even in dry places, this living water flows. Isaiah 43:19…”I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Jesus told the woman at the well that if she drank the water that He gives, she would never thirst again. Water brings life where ever it flows. Water refreshes. Water satisfies thirst. Water cleanses. If we want to have this river of living water flowing out of us, then we must first thirst for it and we must drink from the fountain of life. Psalms 36:8-9 “They drank their fill of the abundance of Thy house; and Thou dost give them to drink of the river of Thy delights. For with Thee is the fountain of life; and in Thy light we see light.” (Side note: interesting-in His light we see light.) It is never too late in life to experience the river flowing in us and nothing can stop the flow (except us) once the flow begins. If we only desire God more than anything else and we actually seek Him then we can be assured that the living waters will begin to flow and this flowing water (it’s not a pond, but a river) will not only give life to us , it will bring life wherever it flows. It is God’s desire for the river of life to flow in and through us; so open up the flood gates and let it flow today.

Isaiah 55:1 “Ho! Every one who thirst, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”  Please read the remainder of chapter 55.

Blessings,

Buddy

July 12, 2014                                                    WORKS  AND  GOOD  DEEDS

Romans 3:28 and many other passages make it clear that we are not justified by works, but by faith. However, works and good deeds play a vital part in the lives of believers and references to works and deeds are found throughout the scriptures. I think that the call to be about good deeds and good works has been somewhat a neglected emphasis mainly because it can appear to be in conflict with message of grace. If the grace of God in our lives fails to express good works and good deeds, then something is amiss. There is something right about having a desire to be about good deeds. The key is, if we are attempting to do good deeds in order to gain His approval or gain salvation, we are in total conflict with scripture. However, because we now have a new nature it is natural to be about good deeds and good works just as our Father is about good deeds and good works. Titus 2:14 “…who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify foe Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” The love that God has put in our hearts is to be the motivation for the good works and good deeds whereas any other motivation produces bad fruit in the end. We read in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Our actions are to bring glory to our Father and reveal to others what our Fathers is like. Scripture also teaches that when we are about good works, we are storing up treasure. I Timothy 6:18-19: “Instruct them to do good, to be and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”  Finally, James 2:20 teaches that faith without works is dead. Let us all be “zealous for good works” that our Father may be glorified.

I John 3:18: “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

Blessings,

Buddy                                         

July 7, 2014                                                     FEELING  AT  HOME

1 Corinthians 3:16: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” I recently read an article by Chuck Swindoll and he was saying that we should welcome God in our lives and we should make Him feel at home in us. I think he made a good point. Also, Peter Parris makes the same point in his devotional book “Act Like A Man”.  After all, is having the Spirit of God living in us not the greatest thing that could happen to us and in us? What is it that makes Him feel at home in us? We may have trouble in grasping this at times, but God expects us to be like Him (not that we would ever try to be God) in all of our behavior and in our thinking and our life in general. This is possible only because He has given us the Holy Spirit who equips us to be like Him. Ephesians 1:4: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him…” Also in 1 Peter 1:15 we find; “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy”. The call to be holy is far reaching and it touches every aspect of our lives including how we think, our actions, relationships, our finances, our responses, honesty, integrity, character, our love for others, faithfulness and the list goes on. It is KEY to understand that it’s not so much having to “work” on the list above, but to understand that these things are more of a result of Him being welcome in our lives. There is a maturing process and we should be becoming more and more like Him.   11 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” It is only natural to become like our real Father God. If and when we find those unholy things popping up in our lives, just acknowledge it as such, repent and then keep walking in holiness. Some may be tempted to take a measure of pride in their “holiness”, but actually it is very humbling to realize that God has given us the grace to be like Him. Jesus humbled Himself when He came to earth and took on the form of man and was crucified for us. So, let us be alert to making Him feel at home in us, let us keep this “temple” in good order and let us make it an attractive place for our Father to abode.

Colossians 1:21-23: “And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”

Blessings,

Buddy

July 2, 2014                                                          FINDING  FAVOR

Proverbs 8:32-35: “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, for blessed are they who keep my ways. Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorpost. For he who finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.” What a verse-what a promise!  In Psalms 5:12 we read: “For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O Lord, Thou does surround him with favor as with a shield.” To live life with the favor of God is the ultimate realization in life-nothing could ever compare-and the good news is that God desires to favor His sons and daughters. I’m not sure I can prove this with scripture, but I think that being blessed and being favored or not exactly the same. All believers are blessed to have salvation, forgiveness of sin, etc. When you read verses that refer to being favored by God, you often find some attribute on the part of the one being favored-such as being about righteous acts, listening to and obeying God, waiting on God, etc. In the verse above, you see the idea of “watching daily at His gates” and “waiting at my doorpost” as well as listening, keeping His ways. Our righteousness is as filthy rags and we are righteous only by being in Him. However, because we are righteous in Him, then we are to live a life expressing His righteousness. I think we need to make this connection; we have been made righteous for a reason, and that reason is to express His righteousness.  I believe that as we seek, as we decide, as we choose to express His life, His righteousness, we find His favor. It must be stressed that we cannot earn His favor and we are not to think that we deserve His favor. I believe that we can and should live our daily lives looking for ways to commit acts of righteousness and express His life in every area of our lives. Living with His favor does not mean that we will never experience difficulty, but it does mean we will see His hand at work even in the difficulty. The scriptures also teach that faith is critical as it “is impossible to please God without faith”, and “whatever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom 14:23) From scripture we know that God is pleased with faith on our part. Jesus marveled at the faith the Roman centurion had who asked Jesus just to speak the word of healing for his son. Also, on one occasion, Paul said that he was “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord”. We will be blessed if we too live our life with a desire to be and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

Proverbs 3:3-4: “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.”

Blessings,

Buddy