September 27, 2015                                     THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD

Psalms 23:1-2: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quite waters.”

John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

Isaiah 40:11: “Like a shepherd, He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom. He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

To our own hurt, we may at times forget that Jesus is our good Shepherd. Psalms 23 is a beautiful picture of what kind of shepherd we have and as we read it, we find rest for our soul.  We must not let our familiarity of the 23rd psalm cause us to not to be impacted by the truth of the psalm. David knew, and David declared that the Lord was his shepherd. We may believe that God is real and that He is sovereign, but we also must believe and know that He is our shepherd and that His shepherding is to affect every area of our life. Most agree that we live a face pace, hurried-up culture, with a lot of pressure-perhaps more than any time in history. In our generation, many may find the idea of not wanting, being made to lie down in green pastures, and being led beside still waters, a concept difficult to grasp. “I shall not want” is indeed a rather shocking statement and it certainly sounds counter-culture, and it has a way of cutting right to the root of how we live our life.  The idea of Jesus being our personal shepherd becomes a reality to us only when come to know Him is such a way that yielding our life to Him and trusting Him is the natural thing to do. Knowing that God is our Father and knowing that Jesus calls us brothers and sisters, and knowing just how good God is and how much He loves us, opens the door to experiencing Him being the shepherd of our lives. It is clear that Jesus loves the “sheep” so much that He came to earth to bear our sin and to lay His life down for the sheep. Jesus is not just an ordinary shepherd; He is the Son of God who has been given all power and authority, making Him the perfect shepherd guaranteeing that not one of His sheep will be neglected or loss, or attacked by the predator.  Not only is our Shepherd all powerful, He is also gentle in His shepherding the sheep. Should one of His sheep stray from the flock, or not listen to the voice of the Shepherd, the good Shepherd will do whatever is necessary to train the sheep to hear and obey-He loves the sheep that much. Our good Shepherd knows what we need more than we know what we need, and He is faithful in caring for His flock. Our Shepherd never sleeps, never takes a break, never goes on vacation and never hires someone else to do what only He can do.  As we listen closely to the voice of our Shepherd, we will be totally nourished and cared for and we will find needed rest for our souls.  We can be assured that there is no one, or anything that can separate us from the love and the care our good Shepherd-“He will tend His flock.”

Blessings,

Buddy

September 23, 2015                                                     BE

2 Corinthians 13:11: “Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”

1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain.”

Is it really that simple? Just “be”? Yes…in a very real sense it is that simple. It is liberating to realize that we can simply choose to “be” whatever it is that God wants us to be. Of course, we should know by now that it takes God at work in us-His power- to be what the scriptures instruct us to be. The idea of simply “being” is a reality because of the finished work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection. Because the writhers of the New Testament understood what it meant to be made new-to be transformed-they could without hesitation give the concise, simple instruction to “be.” Man’s nature, and the mindset of believers who do not understand their identity, may have difficulty with such a simple command to “be.” Left to himself, man’s thought process tends to complicate-whatever-including the gospel. One problem for us is that we tend to be distracted by what we see in the natural and we base our emotions and out thoughts on our circumstances We do live in the present and we have to deal with the daily affairs, but we also can live in a realm above the natural where God is our source and the One who sets the platform of our lives. Only by understanding that God has made us new and that He has equipped us, can we experience abundant life no matter the circumstances. It must be said that “abundant” life does not indicate a life without trials and problems-but it does mean that in the midst of adversity we can experience His life and we can rise above the circumstances we face. Rejoice. A command? Yes. Be made complete. A command? Yes. Be comforted. A command? Yes. Be like-minded and live in peace. A command? Yes. Be steadfast, immovable. A command? Yes. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. A command? Yes.  In many cases, our emotions may be in conflict with the action we should take; but once we do obey, the right emotions will follow. Again, all of what is said here in no way minimizes the power of the gospel that is required for us to obey the commands of scripture.  If we are to find joy in obeying His commands, then we must walk and live by the Spirit of God that lives in us.  When we obey His life-giving commands, we have the promise that “the God of love and peace shall be with us.” We take a giant step forward when we make the choice to put into practice the teachings and the commands of scripture regardless of how we may feel or what our circumstances may be. May we have a heart to hear and obey all that the Lord has spoken through the scriptures and all that He speaks to us in a personal way.

Psalms 70:4: “Let all who seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let those who love Thy salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified’.”

John 15:14: “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.”

John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.”

Luke 11:28: “He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it’.”

James 1:5: “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.”                 

Blessings,

Buddy

September 20, 2015                                  PRACTICE  THESE  THINGS

Philippians 4:9: “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me,  practice these things and the God of peace shall be with you.”

God is super natural and the work that He desires to do in us is a super natural work, but at the same time, there is a place for the “practical.” Even though the super natural work of God is necessary if we are to live the Christian life, we are not to spend our time waiting for God to “zap” us. As you read the New Testament, you become aware of the fact that the writers of the New Testament as well as the believers, even though they had new hearts, were not instantly changed once for all into spiritual maturity. They faced battles, they endured hardship, they were admonished, needed correction at times, and they were encouraged to remain faithful. Instead of God making us instantly mature, He has given us the opportunity to choose to work with Him in the transformation process-this is where the “practical” side of things comes into play. God does not desire robots, but rather, He desires to have a relationship with mankind-a relationship based on real people who have a mutual desire to relate to Him. At our new birth, we were given a new spirit, a new heart, and a new mind, but we were not created mature in the faith.  God has called us to grow up in Christ. The scriptures are not given just so we will have something to fill our mind with, but are given as instructions and they reveal the character and nature of God and they reveal our true identity. Paul instructs us to put into practice what we learn in scripture, and as we do, we will have the peace of God. Frankly, if we don’t “practice” the teaching of scriptures, then we will not know and experience His peace. The believers in the above verse had not only “learned”, “received”, and “heard” from Paul; they also “saw” Paul practicing what he was preaching. Even the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14: “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Putting into practice what we learn in the scriptures is not in any way burdensome, but is the very thing through which we discover our true identity. By not practicing the scriptures, we grieve the Spirit of God in us, and we will find that God seems more distant. So, if we need to forgive-do it; if we need patience-be patient; when there is an opportunity to express kindness-do it; because the scriptures tell us to spend time with other believers-do it; because God loves a cheerful giver-give.  You get the idea-just do it-whether you “feel” like it or not; and the God of peace will be with you. We can practice the teachings of scripture only because the Spirit of God lives in us enabling us to do so.

Luke 11:18: “But He said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

Psalms 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

John 14:21: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

Blessings,

Buddy

   

  September 17, 2015                                    MORTAL  BECOMING  IMMORTAL

1 Corinthians 15:53, 55: “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Recently, I attended the funeral of a twenty six year old man who lost is life in an accident on a job site. He was an outstanding young man with a wonderful family-salt of the earth kind of people. When we experience the death of a loved one-when we look death in the face-we mourn over the hard fact that life has left the one we loved. We find ourselves asking why this had to happen and we may even question, or at least wonder about the goodness of God. It just does not make “sense” to us that a twenty six year old lost his life. As painful as it is to have someone close to you die, perhaps your own flesh and blood, there is comfort and hope to be found in what the scriptures say about death.   In the second half of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul was answering questions from believers about death and resurrection, and what he says does in fact give us the right perspective on death. We tend to live in the here and now with a mindset that rarely contemplates what happens when life on this earth ends. God designed it in such a way that we are born with mortal bodies-perishable bodies that are destined to die one day.   We are not to live with a focus on death, but at the same time, it is good to have an understanding of the plans that God has for life here and for life after our physical death. Death of a love one tries and test our faith like nothing else-it’s the acid test of what we say we believe.  The reality of death is a starch reminder that we should see each day that we live as a gift from God. Death has a way of putting life in the right perspective. Certainly, to mourn over someone’s death is normal, and it is part of the healing process. Christianity offers the only sure and steadfast hope of life in heaven after death, and God has taken away the “sting of death” for the one who belongs to Him. We find comfort when remember that physical death is the beginning of a life we can’t even imagine, and when a believer dies, he takes on immortality! It’s an awesome thought to realize that our loved ones that knew the Lord, and who have passed out of this life, are now immortal beings in the presence of the Lord! Yes, we mourn the death of a loved one; but let us find comfort in what God says about life and death.

Psalms 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.”

1 Corinthians 15:42-44: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body: it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

Blessings.

Buddy

September 13, 15                                      CONTENT  WITH  WEAKNESSES

2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ sake; when I am weak, then am strong.”                                       You got to be kidding! Not just endure, but be content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, with persecution and difficulties? We are once again reminded that the ways of God or not the ways of unregenerate man. Paul had what he described as a “thorn in the flesh” and though we do not know exactly what it was, it was something that he asked God to remove, but God did not remove it as He had a purpose for this “thorn in the flesh.” For certain, none of us desire a “thorn in the flesh.” We want good health, a decent appearance, a comfortable house, no weaknesses or difficulties, to be in control, and we want to be liked. These are not necessarily bad desires, but if you have lived for more than a few years, you know that life is not without it’ difficulties and challenges. In his battle with the “thorn in the flesh”, Paul learned a valuable insight as to how God works through weaknesses; he learned that when he was weak, then he was strong. Knowing that God chooses to work through our weaknesses produces in us a totally new perspective of our weaknesses. In fact, just like Paul, we can be “well content with weaknesses” because by acknowledging our weaknesses, we can and will experience His power at work in us. Instead of trying to rid ourselves of all of our weaknesses and difficulties, we can focus on the grace of God that He gives in time of need. It is key to note that Paul was talking about the difficulties, insults and distresses that he encountered for the sake of Christ. If we are about living our lives out of selfish ambition, then we will not be content with weakness and we will not experience His power at work in us- unless it’s His drawing us back to Himself. As in so many scriptures, the promises are for those who have a heart to follow the ways of the Lord and who are living in obedience to His word and to His ways. I would think that every believer has those occasions when his heart drifts form the Lord, but we can be assured that He is always drawing us to Himself with open arms. It is not God’s plan for our being weak to cause us to be slothful or ineffective. We can recognize our weakness, but at the same time be bold and be decisive because His power is released in us when we acknowledge our need for Him. The issue in life is not about our own strength and abilities, but about God working in and through us. God has given us the priviledge of being vessels through which He demonstrates His power. So, it is a fact that each of us have some weaknesses and we will certainly face difficulties, but let us remember that God is looking for those who acknowledge their weaknesses in order that He might demonstrate His power in them.               

Philippians 4:11,: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”              

Blessings,

Buddy

September 9, 2015                                    TO  EACH  ONE  IS  GIVEN

Romans 12:6: “And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly:”

1 Corinthians 12: 4-7: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one was given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

God has made us each unique and each of us has a particular place and function in the body of Christ. In God’s kingdom, there is no place for competition or envy of others and no reason to compare ourselves with others. We find freedom when we realize that God has equipped us, designed us, and gifted us according to His own plans-He made us who we are. When we function as God designed and gifted, our expression of His gifting becomes natural. For example; if I try to teach a class and I am not gifted as a teacher, I am most miserable. Most often, what we find ourselves doing naturally in the body is our gifting. As in the verses above, the gifts vary and ministries vary, and the effects vary but it is the same God that by His grace gives each one a gift.  To each of us was given “the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” God has designed it in such a way that He is manifested through the various expressions of the uniquely gifted individuals within the body. (It’s another subject; but this is the reason that we are to assemble together and be a part of the body. Unless we are a “shut in”, substituting TV for a local body of believers or not being a part of a local body is not God’s plan.)  God has gifted some and placed some in a governing role in the church, but there are no privates, sergeants, captains, etc. in the body. Each member of the body needs the other members. The tendency of Americans to be “independent” can work against the principles of designs of the body of Christ. Perhaps the greatest challenge for us is to see our need for the other members of the body; perhaps we feel that we “have it all together” spiritually; and perhaps we choose to interact with other members when it is convenient to do so or when we feel like it.  We all know that there is no perfect church and there are no perfect Christians, but that is no reason not to take our place in the body. The fact that none are perfect is all the more reason that there is a need for each one to exercise his or her gifting so that we might move on to maturity. So what if you don’t like the music-so what if some members irritate you- so what if someone fails-so what if someone is a hypocrite-so what? We are called to serve, to bless, to encourage, to be light, and to express the manifestation of the Spirit that we have been given-no matter what. So let us be sure and realize afresh that God has given each of us our own manifestation of the Spirit for the common good and let us be faithful in exercising the gift or gifts we have been given. One word of caution: we are not limited to serving just within our gifting. As an example, I may not have the gift of hospitality, but I am to be hospitable. We can express Christ likeness in every  aspect of our lives. The body of Christ-the church-needs the benefit of the gifting that God has given you and me.

1 Corinthians 12:11: “But one and the same Spirit works all things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

Blessings,

Buddy

September 6, 2015                        THE  FRUIT  OF  OUR  LIPS

Hebrews 13:15-16:  “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.  And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

The book of Hebrews is a comparison of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and it reveals how the New Covenant is far superior to the Old Covenant.  When Adam and Eve sinned, sin entered the world and the fellowship between God and man was interrupted. Beginning with the sin of Adam and
Eve up to the resurrection of Jesus, man could find forgiveness only through a blood sacrifice.  The Old Covenant was based on man keeping God’s laws, which he could not do, thus the need for sacrifice. God knew that man could not keep His law in their in own strength and even before Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan for man’s restoration. The Old Covenant was a “school master” designed to show that man needed something greater than his own strength if he was to keep the ways of God. In God’s timing, God settled the sin issue that had plagued mankind since the sin of Adam and Eve, but not without a great cost to Himself. Because of God’s great love, He sent His Son to bear our sin, to become the final, ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Jesus death and resurrection was the inauguration of the new and better covenant.  Jesus being given as a sacrifice for all sin was the greatest sacrifice of all times and the resurrection of Jesus was the climatic event of human history. When we come to understand just how lost we were, and the magnitude of the birth, the crucifixion, and the resurrection of Jesus; it is only natural to give praise and thanksgiving to God with our lips. We live post-resurrection; we can now live in fellowship with God once again because sin has been dealt with once for all. If we do sin, we can confess our sin and He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from our sin. We are indeed a blessed people. We have been transferred from darkness to light, our sins have been fully forgiven, we have been adopted into the family of God, we have been made new with a new mind, a new heart, and a new spirit, we have a destiny, and we are complete in Him. Because of all that God has done for us, let us be quick to give our thanksgiving to him and let our lips produce the fruit of praise to Him. It is interesting to note that following the admonition to give thanks and praise to God, we are told to “do good and share” because it pleases God to do so. God is THE big giver; He gave His Son for us and He keeps on giving to His children, and as we get to know Him, we become givers as well-that’s our new nature in action. Today, let us stop and thank Him and praise Him for what He has done for us, and then let us find and do the good works that He has for us and let us be quick to share-“for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”  “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1.

Blessings,

Buddy

September 3, 2015                           HOW  SHALL  WE  ESCAPE ?

Hebrews 1:1-2: “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days, has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

Hebrews 2:1-3: “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?  After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,”

One of the great tendencies of man is to allow familiarity to lead to neglect and the “dulling” of what is important.  We all remember the impact of the 9-11 Twin Towers attack and how every American, and the world was shocked at what happened. Church attendance after the attack increased and there was much talk about prayer.  Today, we rally even think about 9-11.  The writer of Hebrews goes to great length to make known that God has spoken in many ways to man- “to us”- and because He has spoken, we need to hear and take heed to what He has said. I must admit that at times, I can find myself just reading words on the pages of scripture and just a few hours later, I may have trouble recalling what I read.  How do we keep what is said in the scriptures fresh and applicable? I think that one key to keeping the scriptures fresh in our own hearts and minds is to understand  that we have a living, vital relationship with our Father and without  it, we will perish. Day by day God gives life; He does “walk with us, and He talks to us” and He directs our steps. The scriptures are not just words on a page; the scriptures reveal God to us and His plans for us and the truth is that the words of God are life. There is a connection between hearing the word of God and obeying His word. If we do not obey what we hear from the Lord, then soon we find that we are not hearing the Lord speak to us. When we obey and respond to what we hear, we hear more. Our responsibility and opportunity is to read the scriptures and then give expression to what we read. Our view of the scriptures is critical. If we have a casual attitude concerning the scriptures, then our lives will not be greatly be affected by what God has and is saying. Either we consider the words of God as vital to life or we don’t see them as vital to life. “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

Matthew 4:4: “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

Blessings,

Buddy