Do what God says, and don’t let people scare you off it!

Fearless pursuit of passionate purpose...

When you pursue Jesus, it doesn't matter what the world does to you. 

If they imprison you, God can free you. 

If you are fired, God can get you another job. 

If they kill your body, God can raise you up again.

We won't know a thing about serving God until we trust Him with the consequences and we simply take care of the work He has assigned for us. 

Friend, stop letting the world scare you off of what God has called you to be. 

The Gospel is more precious than your image. It is more precious than your job. It more precious than the luxury and leisure your money buys you. It is more precious than our freedom. It is more precious than life. We can trust all of that to God, because NOTHING is lost when it is in God's hands! 

We've been called out of darkness, not so we can sunbathe on the beach, but so we can enjoy the Light of the World. Beloved Believer, get to work! 

"About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people." (Acts 12:1-4 ESV)

Peter survived this arrest, but not his last. The first arrest made Peter even more bolder. The last arrest brought Peter into the presence of God. 

May God grant us greater vision for fuller obedience.

We need fellowship with God!

 In or out of fellowship? Present AND doing?

A professor once explained relationship as “being in Christ” and “being in the Body of Christ” to distinguish the relational aspects of our walk with Christ and our walk with each other (the church). He was careful to build his point in this regard because he wanted to make a larger point about fellowship. He said fellowship was “doing with” Christ. In other words, when in Christ AND when allowing Him to do His will in and with you, we are sharing in what He is doing. 

I can honestly say I had to meditate on that for quite awhile. I mean, I was in class, and I took notes, but I had to think about what the professor was saying for weeks upon weeks before I “got it.” 

A person can be “saved” (in Christ) and “in church” (physically with God’s people) but not be in fellowship — that is actively abiding in Christ and thus allowing Him to have His will and way in and through them. Thus, we might say, such a person is “out of fellowship.” The same, by analogy, might be said of our fellowship in the Body of Christ; when we are not in the work of God together (“doing with” together), we are often out of fellowship. 

Perhaps that is the grand key to understanding how to have comfort from God. Paul says, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy…” (Philippians 2:1 ESV) Perhaps we, at times and for seasons, have no “encouragement” from the Lord or “comfort” from the Lord because we’ve been “out of fellowship.” Perhaps we have not been “doing with” Him His work, and have thus become distant and are not receiving from Him because we are not abiding in Him nor allowing Him to abide in us.

Many are losing without ever knowing they were fighting.

The war of our affections...

Fix your minds with the bayonet of God's word, and stab vigorously and continuously at every thought that desires to unseat the glory of God in your mind!

"Humility is the displacement of self by the enthronement of God." ― Andrew Murray, Humility

But -- don't forget! -- it is a headlong, outright, full-on, knuckle banging, teeth grinding, bloody mess of a war to rid ourselves of stinking thinking! It is war! Let us be about it!

It is nasty, this business...
It is sneak attacks, 
open field, 
breach busting, 
beach landing, 
trench trudging, 
sniper dangering, 
bloody war to unseat from our own pleasures, affections and considerations ourselves as the center of the universe and proclaim with every star that preaches night after night "the glory of God"; not just upon the empty plains and forested glens, but upon my own mind and heart "the glory of God" (see Psalm 19).

But much lays at stake...

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:21 ESV)

May God be first in our minds...
the most in our hearts...
the best in our souls...
the greatest upon our lips...
the grandest in our gaze...
the most superb delight of our strength!

"His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." (Psalm 147:10-11 ESV)

Do you exalt yourself?

​Something for everyone...

It's funny, but folks can get flipped one way or the other on the same fulcrum. Think about it, one fulcrum can put one up and the other down. 

If you're picturing a seesaw or a teeter-totter, you're on the right track. One has never been launched but so high or brought but so low on a seesaw. However, there is another lever which promises amazing heights, but it also promises a mighty low. 

Consider...

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12 ESV)

Think about our culture; our way is one of self-exaltation. We are a people clothed in thick arrogance and self-centeredness.  We pride ourselves on our pride. We thumb our noses at one another and shake our fists at the heavenlies. 

There is something in Matthew 23:12 for those who remain prideful and unrepentant; such ones will be brought low. Very low, indeed. 

Thanks be to God, there is something in Matthew 23:12 for the one who chooses to humble themselves before the Lord. One famous atheist said he wouldn't like heaven if he thought it existed because he wouldn't want to grovel before some deity for eternity. That man is missing a mighty point; humility before our awesome God is a natural response to His goodness and might, but it is also the pathway to being brought up to God's holy hill for fellowship with Him. 

Humility, then, one might say, is the lever which causes some to be lifted on up to the Lord, or which causes some to stay far, far away from Him. 

There it is, though... do you see it? We can choose humility that brings us into the presence of God, or we can refuse humility until such time as we gain it the hard way. We will humble ourselves or be humbled. Choosing humility is the better path, but there is something here for everyone.

Press on!

Don't let up...

As a Christian leader, there is nothing better than to know a group of people are getting on with Jesus. When you see people walking in obedience to God, pursuing Kingdom growth and advancing the gospel, it thrills the soul of a solid Christian leader. The Apostle John expressed it like this: "I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth." (3 John 1:4 NLT)

In his second letter to the believers in Thessalonica, Paul said, "But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command." (2 Thessalonians 3:3-4 ESV)

In Paul's first letter, Paul encouraged them to be faithful to God in the face of persecution. Mind you, Paul encouraged them to be faithful to the God for whom their faithfulness caused said persecution! Now, Paul writes this second letter and affirms his confidence in their obedience. 

In the few verses following Paul's confident statement, he exhorts them to not be idle. That's a good word. "I'm sure y'all are obeying. Don't let up." 

In another letter, the apostle states it like this: "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." (Galatians 6:9 NLT)

There you go, beloved brothers and sisters; press on in obedience and in serving the Lord, and DO NOT GIVE UP! Get going, keep going and keep getting it!

Pride will lay a soul low...

Sometimes our pride causes us to overestimate our strength. 

"The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?'" (Obadiah 1:3 ESV) 

Sometimes we think our tools and resources will deliver us. 

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Psalm 20:7 ESV) 

Sometimes our pride causes us to think we have strength in and of ourselves to deliver us from various troubles. 

But God does not "...delight...in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man" (Psalm 147:10). 

Like happened to Edom, counting on the wrong strengths and partners can push us to and over the edge, and into ruin. "All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you—you have no understanding." (Obadiah 1:7 ESV)

What shall we do? We shall count God as our strength! We shall wait upon the Lord! We shall glory in Him and sing and give thanks as we wait! HE WILL PREVAIL! HE cannot fail!

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." (Psalm 28:7  ESV)

Change can happen!

Things can change...

We can look at our family history, or the history of the town or community we are from and sort of think "things will never change." We can see a ragged history and a shaky present and despair. One shouldn't ignore current circumstances or create a more comfortable version of the past. God has the remarkable willingness to change everything. He has the remarkable willingness to forgive, restore, renew, and bless. 

Consider the words of the prophet Zechariah. Previous generations had forsaken God and the natural result had caused those previous generations a lot of grief.

However, God speaks to the people now and says they don't have to be like the people who came before them. "In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 'The LORD was very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ''Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.'' But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ''As the LORD of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.'''" (Zechariah 1:1-6 ESV)

We can change. 
Our families can change. 
Whole communities can change. 

The secret to such change is really no secret at all... turn to God. Turn to God and watch Him bless you.

With God, sincere, life-giving, eternal consequences change is possible!

What is your definition of success?

Success...

Believer, our lives are IN Christ, so our definitions for success and failure are not defined by our culture. Success for us is abiding in Jesus. Success, for the believer, is more about obeying God and enjoying Him than it is about the things we often use in our culture to measure success. 

For example, in the Kingdom, success is more about being something than having something. Some of us want million dollar bank accounts and have ten cent character. See, that's backwards! In the Kingdom, a pauper can have the riches of Christ! 

Christian, our success is more about enjoying who God is than it is about obtaining what the world has. We have to cultivate the capacity for simple enjoyment. The Apostle Paul said, "I have learned to be content." There is something to that pursuit! It's less about grabbing stuff and more about enjoying Jesus! 

Success, to the believer, is not about being served, but in serving others. Even the Lord Jesus said, "I come to serve, not to be served." Let us pursue THAT! When God takes a look at our works in response to being in fellowship with Him, He will not be impressed with how easy we made things on ourselves. God is looking for who we loved and who we served and who we helped. 

Finally, remembering the prophets who were slain, the apostles who were persecuted, and our Savior who gave His life to pay the debt of sin and reconcile man... let's consider a simple truth about success: often, what looks like terrible failure in the realm of man can be redounding success in the Kingdom. 

As I think of what success, surely, more can be said, mostly I think of being near to and depending upon Jesus. 

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. … Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Isaiah 41:10 & Philippians 4:6 ESV)

God made everyone, and that ought to be reason enough to treat one another well.

Even the Bible says put some "respek" on people's name...

What honor do people deserve? Let's state the minimum and wrestle up from that. In the minimum, because EVERY person is made in the image of God, AND because EVERY person is GOD'S creation, AND because EVERY person living is being sustained God's very own choice and power, people deserve honor and respect.

Is that not reason enough?

Every person doesn't deserve a Grammy. Every person doesn't deserve a Pulitzer. Every person doesn't deserve the Nobel Prize. Every person is not an MVP. Not every student deserves an "A" in every course. Let's recognize that, too. Some people excel in some areas and afforded extra honors for various things.

However, that does not change the fact that every person bears the image of God and deserves kindness and respect. That does not mean they will receive it, nor will we each always be worthy of it, but that does not relinquish us from offering it.

There ^^^^^^^ is the key: giving honor and respect to others is rarely about them being worthy of it, but about us knowing God is worthy of our obedience. Giving undeserving people respect is not about them knowing right; it's about the giver knowing it's right.

"Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. ... Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, ... Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." (Romans 13:7, Titus 2:7, 1 Peter 2:17 ESV)

So, yes, indeed, WE get it...we who believe OUGHT to get it! We give honor (1) because God said so and (2) because WE are the ones desiring to do right. We do it for those reasons, not because someone has earned it through personal merit.

So, yes, put some "respek" on it.

I am a child of God.

From being owned to being sons...

People belong to God. Now, you've heard it said "we're all children of God", but that's just not so, at least not in the strictest, truest sense. Psalm 24:1 does tell us something important: "The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein," (ESV)

We belong to God. We are accountable to God. We were made by God. We are His creations. We are ALL His creations, but not all of us are His children.

One can be adopted! And, if any would have peace with God and the hope of heaven, one MUST be adopted. We can be. We can move from being owned by God to be sons and daughters of God. John said, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12 ESV) Paul said, "...in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." (Galatians 3:26 ESV)

Familial proof lies in Spirit-led life and intimate, close-knit relationship with the Father. Paul explains it in this way: "Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.h Now we call him, 'Abba, Father.' For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering." (Romans 8:12-17 NLT)

The New Covenant is Jesus. In this New Covenant --the adoption deal-- we are made fellow heirs with Jesus. If we are not both born from above (see John 3) and adopted by God as sons and daughters, we have no part with Him. If we've believed on Jesus and received Him, in truth and in deed, that relationship affects our lives. We live as sons and daughters!

This was the way of the Old Covenant, too. Israel, by God's covenant, were made children of God, and the Father expected His children to live differently. One example of that: "You are the sons of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead." (Deuteronomy 14:1 ESV)

Are you a child of God? Have you been adopted by the Father? Have you been made a fellow heir with the Son? Does the Spirit work in you to make you call out to God as Father and walk with Him as a humble, obedient son?

Some do not understand what I am saying, here, and the Apostle John understood that well: "See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know him." (1 John 3:1 NLT)

Everyone belongs to God. Some are His children. How about you?