True Love?

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Today, I pose a question to you....  What is true love?  Many would describe the moment when they knew their spouse was "THE ONE!!"  Some would describe a first date or how they feel when they are with their husband or wife.  Some may even talk about their children.  Whatever your view, most of us realize and understand the depth and meaning of love.

I love my wife and my daughter unconditionally.  They are the only two people that I can see myself laying my life down for.  After God, they are my world!!  I would do anything to protect them and keep them from harm or danger. 

Then I think about Jesus.  A baby boy born in Bethlehem.  Raised by normal people.  He got hungry.  He got thirsty.  He felt pain.  He laughed.  He cried.  Just like we do!!  He was a man.  He did come here to die, but do you think knowing his own fate made that easy?  No. Have you ever been so stressed that your sweat turned to drops blood?!?

Luke 22:44

And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

This was not an easy decision by any means.  To willingly lay your life down for someone you did not know would not be an easy decision for anyone!  But He did it.  He was arrested, put on trial, beaten, treated like a criminal, scorned, had his facial hair ripped from his face.  It gets much worse.  Tied to a post, whipped until his insides were hanging out of his body, made to carry his own murder weapon on a path to his death site.  Yet, still it continues.  He was made to drape himself on the cross as they took spikes and drove them through his hands and feet.  He felt the excruciating pain that racked his body as the cross was raised and the breath was ripped from his body.  He hung there suspended between blood covered dirt and his Father until he died.

He did it.  This is not some fairytale that someone made up.  He did it without a guarantee that even one of us would invite Him into our hearts.  He died for you.  He died for me.  He endured the most horrendous death imaginable because He wanted you to be free from sin and spend eternity in Heaven.

That, my friend, is True Love.

The Nice and the Nasty

Matthew 5:43-48 (MSG)
^43-47"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
 ⁴⁸"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

*enemy:  one that is antagonistic to another; especially : one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent.

I have tried to live my life with "The Golden Rule" in mind.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  I can honestly say that I do not know one single person that absolutely "hates my guts" so to speak.  I am an easy-going guy that tries to treat everyone how I would like to be treated.  I stay away from trouble that way.  It still seems unavoidable.

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

One of the hardest things to do is love someone who intends to cause you harm.  Someone who intends to cause you strife and disrupt your life is not worth fighting.  Let God handle them!  Show them love and "kill them with kindness".  Jesus said the second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.  Think about that!  If everyone were to have that mindset, how different would our lives be?  No bickering over pesky things.  No fighting, and on a larger scale, no murder.  People would not feel empty and feel the need to turn to drugs and alcohol to feel happiness.  Our world would be a completely different place.  God knew what He was doing when he inspired this scripture.  It works if we apply it!

No matter how hard you try you will never be able to please everyone.  It is nearly impossible.  People are different.  They come from different backgrounds and have diffeent personalities.  That can be a very good thing or it can be a very bad thing.  Unfortunately it does cause strife and if it is not diffused it turns for the worse.  Whoever said "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me", lied through their teeth!!  Words can cut you to the bone.  Words can destroy a person.  We can cause more damage with our mouth than we can with our fists!  I truly believe that!  We are bound to have people in our life that come against us for one reason or another.  But whether they are "nice" or they are "nasty", the Word of God says we are to love them.  It takes discipline.  It takes prayer.  So, just remember the next time you have to deal with someone intending to cause you harm or strife in your life, just love them.  It will mess them up!!!

Preemptive War

A preemptive war is a war that is commenced in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived inevitable offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (allegedly unavoidable) war before that threat materializes.

In my study time last night God dropped this into my spirit and I had to share it with you today!

1 Chronicles 14:9-11
⁹ Then the Philistines went and made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰ And David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”
The LORD said to him, “Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.”
¹¹ So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim.

When I was reading this passage last night, I started thinking about what David did.  In this particular situation, he did not wait until he was in the heat of battle before he called on God for wisdom, guidance, and deliverance.  He sought God BEFORE the battle!!!

I hear God saying this to His people:

"What would happen if my people would seek me BEFORE the battle?  What would happen if they didn't wait until they were in the middle of a mess before they sought me for breakthrough and deliverance?  How much heartache and pain could be avoided?  How many trials and troubles could be preempted?

Wow!!

I believe that God wants to hear from us everyday regarding the warfare that is taking place over our lives! 

John 10:10
¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.....

It is not a secret what Satan intends to do to you.  He wants to steal, kill and absolutely destroy everything in your life.  That gives us an incredible gift!!!  We hold the battle plans for the plan of attack from our enemy!!  Preemptive war is striking BEFORE you are attacked!!  Why wait until you are being ripped apart at the seams before you seek God for damage control?  Seek him BEFORE the attack and save yourself heartache and pain.  Rise up.  Stand to your feet.  Look the enemy in the eyes and watch as God "breaks through" your enemies like a "breakthrough of water".  We are a part of the most powerful army that has ever been and ever will be.  We are children of God!!!

I hear the sound of an army arising!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dead Man Walking

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."  Luke 9:23

Scholars say that although no one can be sure, the crossbeam of the cross that Jesus carried could have weighed anywhere from 75-125lbs.  With the whole cross weighing approximately 300 lbs.  Regardless of whether you believe he carried the crossbeam alone or carried the whole cross that day, it was an astonishing feat.  The portrayal in movies is quite gruesome.  In fact, its is very hard to watch anyone take such a beating.  If that was not enough there was the crown of thorns, plucking of his beard, and the humiliation that he endured by the very people he was about to die for.  He took up his cross that day and started the journey.

What did Jesus mean when he said to take up your cross daily?  I believe we can look at it several ways.  Today, I want to deal with our daily walk and the battle we face within ourselves. 

There is a battle that takes place everyday within each one of us.  The flesh man versus the spirit man.  It has been said that if you put two men in a cage to fight, the one that you have fed the most will win.  If we feed our flesh, the flesh will win.  But, if we concentrate on things that are holy and fast, pray, and read the Bible, then it will be a "no contest" match.  The spirit man will prevail every time.

We are bombarded on a daily basis with sin.  Around every turn there seems to be a temptation for believers to test their lifestyle of holiness.  I believe that is where the cross comes in.  When we wake up in the morning we have to make a decision.  We decide right then how the rest of our day is going to go.  There are certainly situations that may arise that we have no control over, but you can control how you respond!  We make a stand in that moment and say, "Lord, I am taking up my cross right now.  I choose you.  I choose life, healing, blessing, power, strength, and faith!!!  It does not matter what the enemy puts in my path.  I will deny myself today and endure just to follow you."

What a concept!!  What if we took the word and actually applied it to our life?  I do not know about you but I want to be a disciple of Christ.  I am at a point in my life that it does not matter what the price is.  I want to follow him.  The things of this world are precisely that....just things!  I am going to make a conscious effort to deny myself every single day.  I want to grow closer to Jesus.  I want the favor of God on my life.  I am going to take up my cross daily.  Will you join me?!?!?  It will be worth it I assure you!

Road Block!

There is always that sick feeling that hits your stomach as you approach the barricade. The one preventing you from passing on the path that you chose to get to the destination you are headed to.  Especially when you are in an unfamiliar place.  The good news is that the vast majority of people have GPS or some sort of navigational tool on their phone to help find a new way.  For the technologically challenged, there is always the trusty ole' Atlas!

I was reflecting this morning about my journey in life thus far.  I thought about my time as a kid, teenage years, and so forth.  I started thinking about how many obstacles and "road blocks" that were set in front of me to prevent me from the call of ministry on my life.  I am 27 years old.  To some that is young!  To others that is old!  To me it is ridiculous that my 10 year class reunion will be held this year! In 27 years there have been positive influences and there have been negative influences.  I thank God for the discernment to distinguish between the two.

The truth is that we all face road blocks along the way.  God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us and the enemy would love nothing more than to watch you stumble and make a wrong decision that could affect you for the rest of your life!  Beware of traps and stumbling blocks.

For me, my late teenage years were the most pivotal.  For others it may be different.  However, Gods plan for me never changed.  We all know the word spoken to Jeremiah:  "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you.  Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations— that's what I had in mind for you." (Jer. 1:5 MSG).   It is hard to imagine God knowing exactly what we are called to do before we take our first breath.  If we knew what He had in store for us we couldn't even grasp it!  We could not comprehend it!  Why do you think we face the road blocks and trials?  Because the devil doesn't want you to reach your full Christian privilege!!! 

For some it is a relationship that will distract you from focusing on God.  For others it may be a job.  There are so many things that try to steal your focus and time away from God.  It is vital that we never allow ANYTHING to take God's place on our list of priorities.  Work around the road blocks and arrive at your intended destination.

And remember:  "....Before you saw light of day, I had holy plans for you...."

The Little Foxes

Song of Solomon 2:15
¹⁵Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

I have heard this verse used in several different contexts but this morning I have had it on my heart for a specific topic. It is my experience that most people that profess to be Christians have pesky "little foxes" that they deal with in their life.  Those little secret sins that they struggle with.  The thing or things that only God knows about.  The thing that they would be ashamed to tell their husband, wife or friends.  It is a "guilty pleasure".  Its the thing that you think that you can't live without.  The truth is that you can't live with it.

Isaiah 59:2
² But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

People can't continue to live a lie.  How can God bless us when we are holding back from fully turning our lives over to him?  The truth is that if we did our world would begin to change.  If all the Christians would unite and "take up your cross daily", then we would see our community, state, country, and our world change dramatically.  The divorce rate would change.  Addiction would be broken.  Suicide would disappear.  Our churches would be full.  Love for our neighbor would be restored.  God's favor would be restored to our land! Our leadership would stop pulling our country away from the very thing it was founded on!!

It all starts with one little fox.  One little fox that we allow into our life and it causes more damage than we want to admit.  God's plan for you does not include the little foxes that spoil the vine.  He wants to see you reach your full potential and not be limited by something you have power over.  I promise you that the pleasure of sin for a season is not worth an eternity suffering.

Jeremiah 29:11
¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The good news is that you can overcome the things in your life that spoil your fruit.  Your future can start today.  Make the choice.

These words are verbs!!

Verb: word which describes an action.

We live in a "what can you do for me world".  Lets face it.  Technology has brought us to a place where everything in life is about speed and getting it as soon as possible!  Faster transportation.  Quicker meals.  Give me my product and make it fast!  I do not have time to wait!!!!!

Unfortuantely our mind is trained that way and it is hard for us to put forth more effort than what is necessary.  God does NOT always work that way.  Sometimes God will drop a blessing seemingly out of the blue.  It is unexpected and it is wonderful.  We rejoice in those blessings.  However, it has been my experience that the blessings of God are not like hitting the lottery.  Sometimes we have to actually PURSUE!

Matthew 7:7

    ⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Ask.  Seek.  Knock.

These words do not suggest to me that I am supposed sit back and wait.  These words are verbs.  They describe action! 

Ask.  I do not believe this is like a list for Santa Claus.  He loves us and wants to bless us with the desires of our heart.  Ask him!

Seek.  My favorite!!  Making time to seek his face.  Calling on his name.  Spending time in his Word and in prayer. It may not be sitting right in front of you.  You may have to act!

Knock.  So many times we hear the prayer: "God, open a door for me".  It is not a bad prayer at all. It is a good prayer.  When someone loses a job or is at a crossroads in their life, they pray for God to open a door of new opportunity.  But again, he is asking us to act.  We have to knock!  We can be standing right in front of a door, but if we do not knock, then it will never be opened.  We will just be staring at a door.

Remember to act today.  You may be about to recieve, find, or walk through a new door of opportunity. 

May God bless you today!!!