Did you know that Christ-followers are supposed to live on the edge? Yes, we are!
If we really are pilgrims (ones who journey in a foreign land) — and that’s what the Bible says we are (1 Peter 2:11) — then we are to live life awaiting instructions from Him on where to go and what to do. Living on the edge does not mean living foolishly and doing bizarre things, it means living with a willingness to follow His instructions at any moment.
One of my favorite cops-and-robbers movies is “Heat.” It’s one of the few times Al Pacino and Robert De Niro shared a movie. In the film, De Niro (the bad guy) says that a successful crook needs to be ready at any moment to drop what he is doing, walk away, and start a new life somewhere else. This, he says, is the only way to survive life as a criminal.
This is a mindset (not the criminal part) that Christ-followers need to be more attuned to. When God opens a door for us, do we really consider responding or are we so tied down that there is no way to follow that command? Are we capable of living on the edge?
The writer of Hebrews said, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight . . .” (Hebrews 12:1, NKJV). We are instructed to lay aside anything that hinders our forward progress. Can we do that? Are we doing that?
Very possibly the clearest example of “living on the edge” is seen in the life of Abraham: “Abraham, when called to go . . . obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8, NIV). There was no visit to MapQuest to get a travel plan, no map to follow; there was nothing but a word from the Lord. “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1, NIV).
Try to imagine the conversation that went on between Abraham and Sarah after he explained why he was taking down the tent. “What do you mean we’re moving? Who said anything about moving? You don’t know where we are going? How can we be leaving if we don’t know where we are going? Have you been sipping from the jug again, Abraham? I like it here, this is a nice neighborhood. We have a lot of good friends and family here. I don’t know about this moving — and what is this talk about descendents as numerous as the sand on the seashore?”
Has God ever spoken to you as He did to Abraham? If you say no, it’s very likely you are not listening.
We talk about living on the edge and the picture that tends to come to mind is standing at the rim of a precipice — one wrong step and it’s all over! This is poor imagery for a Christ-follower. Our edge doesn’t pertain to a cliff . . . it’s the edge of obedience, the edge of stepping out in faith. Obedience is the fruit of trust, and trust is built on relationship . . . knowing Him.
Carol and I were living in Santa Cruz, CA, when we graduated from college. I was very fortunate to have invitations to be assistant pastor at several churches. One of them was from a church just outside Monterey, CA. I mean, how cool is that, to live and be in the ministry in one of the most beautiful and laid-back areas of the country! But when we prayed about the invitation, God clearly said, “No, that’s not for you.”
For six or eight weeks we prayed and prayed about what we were to do. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God had called me into full-time service. Finally, we heard the still small voice say, “Go east.” When you live in California, there’s not much immediately to the west. About the same time as we heard the Lord say that, a friend called and asked if we would fill in for a pastor for two weeks at a church in New Jersey.
California to New Jersey — that meets the requirements of “going east.” And so we obeyed. We packed just about everything we owned in our Chevy (that had no air conditioning) and drove to New Jersey in the blistering heat of late July.
I know what you are thinking and I agree. In the natural, it wasn’t a very smart thing to do but we weren’t trying to be smart, we were trying to be obedient and step out in faith.
We had a great time in a small township in northern New Jersey and while we were there, another invitation came, this time from Denver. We were asked to move to Denver and help lay the foundation for the Teen Challenge ministry there. It was while we were in Denver that David Wilkerson asked us to come to New York and join him in his fledgling crusade ministry. We moved there and the adventure was on — big-time. (Carol and I laughingly call our life’s journey Dave and Carol’s Excellent Adventure.)
It is now 46 years later and the adventure is still on. We are all strangers and pilgrims! This earth is not our home, it just happens to be the place we are stationed for service — and our normal state of life is to “live on the edge.”
God’s talking but are we listening?
“Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.”
Corrie ten Boom
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
FINDING THE SAFE ZONE
As I was preparing to put the finishing touches on last week’s blog, I had one of those wonderful, Spirit-led encounters. My daily reading had me in Psalm 15 and I was suddenly aware that the Holy Spirit was showing me things I had not seen before.
The final sentence of verse 5 reads, “He who does these things will never be shaken” (NIV). I was riveted by these words and immediately backed up and slowly reread the entire psalm. I had never seen this psalm the way the Spirit began to unfold it. What I saw was the response to David’s question, “How can I get into the safety of Your sanctuary, the safe zone of Your presence?”
Let me share briefly what God’s Spirit began to show me from these verses.
V. 1 – “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?” In the Old Testament God’s presence resided in the Tabernacle and then later in the Temple in Jerusalem. David’s question is, “Who is the person who can be in Your Presence? How can I be that man?”
“Who may live on Your holy hill?” is another way of asking the same question. In ancient times when someone was taken into the home of a king or a sovereign ruler, he was in a place of safety. David asks the question, “How do I get to that place of safety?”
V. 2 – “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart . . .” The answer to the questions of the first verse begins with this heavy insight. The person who can live in God’s safe zone is the person whose life is without blame, who does only righteous things, with truth as his motivating focus. Under Old Testament Law this was impossible, but not so under the New Covenant. After Calvary, God sees us, His children, through the shed blood of His Son. He no longer sees us as unrighteous, filled with blame and lies. Instead, we are seen as being in right standing with Him through the blood of Christ.
V. 3 – “And has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman.” One of the meanings of the word slander is “to walk with dirty feet on clothing that is being prepared for washing.” God extends His favor to and establishes in the safe zone those people who care for others, who are trying to bring healing and restoration. These people do not spread malicious stories; instead, they reach out in prayer, in faith and in acts of kindness. Slander is not their way of life; they avoid gossip and they continuously apply the “Golden Rule” to their neighbors.
V. 4 – “Who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts . . .” Verse four is controversial. Some suggest that the first part of the verse means that we are not to esteem but to shun or look down on those who are openly sinners. Others say, “Not so fast on the rush to judgment. We are all unrighteous and this verse is speaking of our embracing humility and not putting ourselves above others.”
Look at two verses: “God opposes the proud but gives grace [favor] to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). And, “I live . . . with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit” (Isaiah 57:15).
The second part of verse four speaks of those who say what they mean and mean what they say. These are the ones who are found faithful. Being faithful means you finish the task, you fulfill your word even if it hurts to do so. This truth is sadly lacking in our day, both in and out of the church. The apostle Paul speaks of this trait as faithfulness (see 2 Timothy 2:2).
V. 5 – “Who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.” The first part of this verse is speaking to all of us, admonishing that we never use our influence, our business, our position or the use of our finances to take advantage of the less fortunate.
Let me say again that under the rule of Old Testament Law the cry of David’s heart was impossible to be fulfilled. Under the rule of grace, we are granted access to God’s safe zone because through the blood of Jesus we are seen as fulfilling the requirements of the Law.
“He who does these things will never be shaken.” These were the words that so strongly caught my attention, especially after having just written an article on God’s shaking the world entitled “Rocking the Heavens.”
None of us is perfect. In the flesh there is no way we can achieve perfection in all these matters. But because we have accepted Christ as Savior and have been washed in His blood and understand that God sees us now through the shed blood of Christ and accepts us as His children, the promise is ours. “He who does these things will never be shaken.”
We are pursuing Him, following His lead, reading His Word, and doing what it instructs us. We will not (read that never) be shaken!
The final sentence of verse 5 reads, “He who does these things will never be shaken” (NIV). I was riveted by these words and immediately backed up and slowly reread the entire psalm. I had never seen this psalm the way the Spirit began to unfold it. What I saw was the response to David’s question, “How can I get into the safety of Your sanctuary, the safe zone of Your presence?”
Let me share briefly what God’s Spirit began to show me from these verses.
V. 1 – “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?” In the Old Testament God’s presence resided in the Tabernacle and then later in the Temple in Jerusalem. David’s question is, “Who is the person who can be in Your Presence? How can I be that man?”
“Who may live on Your holy hill?” is another way of asking the same question. In ancient times when someone was taken into the home of a king or a sovereign ruler, he was in a place of safety. David asks the question, “How do I get to that place of safety?”
V. 2 – “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart . . .” The answer to the questions of the first verse begins with this heavy insight. The person who can live in God’s safe zone is the person whose life is without blame, who does only righteous things, with truth as his motivating focus. Under Old Testament Law this was impossible, but not so under the New Covenant. After Calvary, God sees us, His children, through the shed blood of His Son. He no longer sees us as unrighteous, filled with blame and lies. Instead, we are seen as being in right standing with Him through the blood of Christ.
V. 3 – “And has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman.” One of the meanings of the word slander is “to walk with dirty feet on clothing that is being prepared for washing.” God extends His favor to and establishes in the safe zone those people who care for others, who are trying to bring healing and restoration. These people do not spread malicious stories; instead, they reach out in prayer, in faith and in acts of kindness. Slander is not their way of life; they avoid gossip and they continuously apply the “Golden Rule” to their neighbors.
V. 4 – “Who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts . . .” Verse four is controversial. Some suggest that the first part of the verse means that we are not to esteem but to shun or look down on those who are openly sinners. Others say, “Not so fast on the rush to judgment. We are all unrighteous and this verse is speaking of our embracing humility and not putting ourselves above others.”
Look at two verses: “God opposes the proud but gives grace [favor] to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). And, “I live . . . with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit” (Isaiah 57:15).
The second part of verse four speaks of those who say what they mean and mean what they say. These are the ones who are found faithful. Being faithful means you finish the task, you fulfill your word even if it hurts to do so. This truth is sadly lacking in our day, both in and out of the church. The apostle Paul speaks of this trait as faithfulness (see 2 Timothy 2:2).
V. 5 – “Who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.” The first part of this verse is speaking to all of us, admonishing that we never use our influence, our business, our position or the use of our finances to take advantage of the less fortunate.
Let me say again that under the rule of Old Testament Law the cry of David’s heart was impossible to be fulfilled. Under the rule of grace, we are granted access to God’s safe zone because through the blood of Jesus we are seen as fulfilling the requirements of the Law.
“He who does these things will never be shaken.” These were the words that so strongly caught my attention, especially after having just written an article on God’s shaking the world entitled “Rocking the Heavens.”
None of us is perfect. In the flesh there is no way we can achieve perfection in all these matters. But because we have accepted Christ as Savior and have been washed in His blood and understand that God sees us now through the shed blood of Christ and accepts us as His children, the promise is ours. “He who does these things will never be shaken.”
We are pursuing Him, following His lead, reading His Word, and doing what it instructs us. We will not (read that never) be shaken!
Friday, March 16, 2012
ROCKING THE HEAVENS
We’ve had an unusual winter in Texas, weather-wise!
I’m not a real fan of winter weather but this one has made me a little uneasy because it has been so unusual. We’ve had no lengthy cold spells, only one very brief flirtation with snow, no ice storms, very minor freezing and a lot of days in the ’60s, ’70s and a few into the ’80s. This is North Texas (the northern section of the Promised Land) and we expect a little more actual winter than this.
But our unusual weather has been somewhat of a mirror of a lot of unusual happenings in our world within the last year. One year ago the tsunami struck Japan and the devastation of that is still being uncovered. Europe teeters on the brink of economic disaster. The Middle East is full of saber rattling and unfinished wars and atrocities. The United States is broke and the government is unwilling and unable to deal with the situation. In the last year there have been earthquakes in Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, Missouri and New York. Every direction that we turn, we find unusual things happening and it seems like disaster is right around the corner.
Frustration is breaking out everywhere. It seems as if daily there are reports of random shootings taking place in public places. People suddenly lose control and become violent. A few days ago an airline stewardess lost control on a plane about to take off and had to be restrained by crew members and passengers. Reports of senseless violence and people out of control seem to appear almost every day in the media.
One of the prophetic announcements about the day of the Lord, or as we call it in church, “the second coming of Christ,” is found in Hebrews 12:26-27. “When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: ‘Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also’” (NLT). In The Message Bible this statement is: “His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time — he's told us this quite plainly — he'll also rock the heavens.”
The shaking that is going on in the earth is being orchestrated by heaven. It is preparation for the final event as described in prophetic announcements and teachings in both the Old and New Testaments.
It is very easy, even for believers, to analyze what the Scriptures say about the end times, look at what is going on in our world right now, and then slip into fear and anxiety.
To all God’s people, in this hour, comes a very special and powerful promise.
"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6, NKJV).
The first part of this verse deals with the conduct of our life toward material things. We are not to clutch and grasp at these temporal things. This kind of lifestyle is not to be overly embraced by God’s people. Those who covet possessions are focusing on the wrong issues and that focus will weaken them in tough days. Covetous people have opened a door to the fear of being abandoned and left alone; they have a fear that God does not keep His promises! This verse is not saying it is wrong to have nice things. No, it is talking about priorities and focus.
Note what verse 5 says: “For He Himself has said . . .” You’ve always wanted to have God talk directly to you, right? Well, here it is! This is God’s direct promise to you: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
This is an emphatic promise and the usual English rendering of this does not really do the promise justice; it doesn’t get the meaning across to us. From the original language this promise would read something more like this: “I will not, I will not stop providing for you or undergirding you; I will not abandon you or leave you helpless in dangerous, difficult or hostile circumstances.”
How many times in Scripture do we see that our heavenly Father gets this strong and direct with us? For Him to repeat three times, “I will not!” means He does not want us to miss the message. He is declaring, “I am not going to run off and leave you like that loved one did just when you needed him the most; I’m not going to break your heart and leave you alone, helpless and without defense. I am not going to make a promise and then not follow through. I will not, I will not, I WILL NOT!”
I am not a perfect dad — just ask my daughters. There were times when I raised my voice to my children. I tried not to raise my voice when I was upset about something but only when I wanted them to understand how strongly I felt about the subject under discussion — not in anger but in intensity.
Sometimes the only way to quiet a tumultuous situation is to speak loudly and sharply so as to cut through the noise and confusion. I believe God is raising His voice to cut through the chaos and get our attention focused on His promise to us.
I believe the repetition in this verse is God raising His voice and showing His intensity because He wants to make sure we get the message. He is not raising His voice in anger but, like a loving father, He is reassuring His children who are being buffeted on all sides and wondering what is going to happen next.
Wrap your arms around this promise. Memorize it and keep it in front of you. I believe this promise is especially tailored for those of us who are alive now, living in these tempestuous days. God is rocking the heavens!
I’m not a real fan of winter weather but this one has made me a little uneasy because it has been so unusual. We’ve had no lengthy cold spells, only one very brief flirtation with snow, no ice storms, very minor freezing and a lot of days in the ’60s, ’70s and a few into the ’80s. This is North Texas (the northern section of the Promised Land) and we expect a little more actual winter than this.
But our unusual weather has been somewhat of a mirror of a lot of unusual happenings in our world within the last year. One year ago the tsunami struck Japan and the devastation of that is still being uncovered. Europe teeters on the brink of economic disaster. The Middle East is full of saber rattling and unfinished wars and atrocities. The United States is broke and the government is unwilling and unable to deal with the situation. In the last year there have been earthquakes in Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, Missouri and New York. Every direction that we turn, we find unusual things happening and it seems like disaster is right around the corner.
Frustration is breaking out everywhere. It seems as if daily there are reports of random shootings taking place in public places. People suddenly lose control and become violent. A few days ago an airline stewardess lost control on a plane about to take off and had to be restrained by crew members and passengers. Reports of senseless violence and people out of control seem to appear almost every day in the media.
One of the prophetic announcements about the day of the Lord, or as we call it in church, “the second coming of Christ,” is found in Hebrews 12:26-27. “When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: ‘Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also’” (NLT). In The Message Bible this statement is: “His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time — he's told us this quite plainly — he'll also rock the heavens.”
The shaking that is going on in the earth is being orchestrated by heaven. It is preparation for the final event as described in prophetic announcements and teachings in both the Old and New Testaments.
It is very easy, even for believers, to analyze what the Scriptures say about the end times, look at what is going on in our world right now, and then slip into fear and anxiety.
To all God’s people, in this hour, comes a very special and powerful promise.
"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6, NKJV).
The first part of this verse deals with the conduct of our life toward material things. We are not to clutch and grasp at these temporal things. This kind of lifestyle is not to be overly embraced by God’s people. Those who covet possessions are focusing on the wrong issues and that focus will weaken them in tough days. Covetous people have opened a door to the fear of being abandoned and left alone; they have a fear that God does not keep His promises! This verse is not saying it is wrong to have nice things. No, it is talking about priorities and focus.
Note what verse 5 says: “For He Himself has said . . .” You’ve always wanted to have God talk directly to you, right? Well, here it is! This is God’s direct promise to you: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
This is an emphatic promise and the usual English rendering of this does not really do the promise justice; it doesn’t get the meaning across to us. From the original language this promise would read something more like this: “I will not, I will not stop providing for you or undergirding you; I will not abandon you or leave you helpless in dangerous, difficult or hostile circumstances.”
How many times in Scripture do we see that our heavenly Father gets this strong and direct with us? For Him to repeat three times, “I will not!” means He does not want us to miss the message. He is declaring, “I am not going to run off and leave you like that loved one did just when you needed him the most; I’m not going to break your heart and leave you alone, helpless and without defense. I am not going to make a promise and then not follow through. I will not, I will not, I WILL NOT!”
I am not a perfect dad — just ask my daughters. There were times when I raised my voice to my children. I tried not to raise my voice when I was upset about something but only when I wanted them to understand how strongly I felt about the subject under discussion — not in anger but in intensity.
Sometimes the only way to quiet a tumultuous situation is to speak loudly and sharply so as to cut through the noise and confusion. I believe God is raising His voice to cut through the chaos and get our attention focused on His promise to us.
I believe the repetition in this verse is God raising His voice and showing His intensity because He wants to make sure we get the message. He is not raising His voice in anger but, like a loving father, He is reassuring His children who are being buffeted on all sides and wondering what is going to happen next.
Wrap your arms around this promise. Memorize it and keep it in front of you. I believe this promise is especially tailored for those of us who are alive now, living in these tempestuous days. God is rocking the heavens!
Friday, March 9, 2012
THE KEY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH
A blazing hot sun, no shade for miles, empty canteen, dry mouth—and no water anywhere! You think this is trouble? Hang on, there’s more! On top of everything else, you are lost and hungry because you haven’t eaten for about eighteen hours. You are miles from anywhere on what was supposed to be a fun day of hiking.
It is one thing to be hungry or thirsty but to be both at the same time is painfully uncomfortable and has potentially dangerous consequences. And yet, that’s the level of intensity that Jesus was describing as He sat on the mountainside and shared what have become known as The Beatitudes.
As Jesus laid out the characteristics of who would be “blessed” in the kingdom of God, He said that those who are painfully, intensely hungry and thirst for more of Him would be filled to overflowing. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). The word “filled” means to be completely satisfied.
This verse is truly one of the great keys to personal growth in Him. The key that unlocks the door to spiritual growth is hunger: hunger for more of Him and more of His Word; hunger that causes us to shut the door on the noise and demands of life and get up close and personal with Him. The concept is not complicated but often is overlooked, perhaps because we think it is just too simple or too old-fashioned.
Let’s look at the verse for a moment:
Blessed means “to experience the fullness of all that God is, to be happy and spiritually prosperous.” Happiness is a by-product of righteousness. This is not a smiley-face type of happiness; it is the joy, the peace, the contentment that comes from a life that has been made right with God. The only happiness of enduring value comes from being in right relationship with Him.
Food and water are physical necessities and when we find them difficult to obtain, we can become rather intense in our desire to satisfy our needs. Righteousness (to be in right standing with God) is shown here to be a spiritual necessity. Just as it is not wrong to desire food and water in the natural, so it is fully natural to desire righteousness in our spiritual life.
In Luke 15 we are given an illustration of a believer who goes astray in his pursuit of righteousness. The prodigal thought that pleasure, possessions and popularity would bring him the satisfaction he craved and so he wandered away from a correct relationship with his father. As he came to the end of his empty pursuit, he made this telling statement: “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17). The prodigal was intensely hungry but there was no answer for him in the direction his path was taking him.
The story of the prodigal is a parable about the condition of many in the church today. Much of the discontent in the church exists because the focus has shifted from the pursuit of righteousness to other, less important, things. Twenty million believers have left the church in the U.S. in the last few years, largely because they are spiritually hungry and they have not been taught how to eat.
I know that this kind of teaching about righteous hunger and how to go to the table of the Lord is not the popular fare of the moment. Some of the biggest churches in our land are teaching people how they can have their best life now. Many contemporary churches are teaching people how to manage their time, their money, their businesses and their families, but they are not teaching them how to attain and continue in right standing with God, how to grow in Him, how to sit down at the table of the Lord and eat!
“They shall be filled.” This is a promise of spiritual fulfillment, a promise to the spiritually famished: “Your hunger and thirst will be satisfied!” The word filled speaks of being fed to the point that you are “stuffed, happy and satisfied” in Him. This “filling” that Jesus speaks of has a double fulfillment; there is an initial filling that takes place when the hungry heart reaches out to God, and a continual refilling that takes place as the relationship proceeds. Notice that I said “as the relationship proceeds.” We are to grow in our relationship with Him just as a husband and wife do in a successful marriage.
When the prodigal came to his senses and acknowledged his hunger, he did something about it: He went home to where plenty of food was available. If you are satisfied with little or nothing spiritually, then welcome to a life full of the pangs of hunger and the resulting lack of spiritual health. If, on the other hand, you are hungry and ready to do something about it, then God has made you an irrevocable promise: “You will be filled!”
There is no spiritual disappointment for the hungry heart that reaches to Him! You will be filled with a peace and contentment that is beyond the understanding of human reasoning.
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord . . .” (Jeremiah 29:13-14).
It is one thing to be hungry or thirsty but to be both at the same time is painfully uncomfortable and has potentially dangerous consequences. And yet, that’s the level of intensity that Jesus was describing as He sat on the mountainside and shared what have become known as The Beatitudes.
As Jesus laid out the characteristics of who would be “blessed” in the kingdom of God, He said that those who are painfully, intensely hungry and thirst for more of Him would be filled to overflowing. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). The word “filled” means to be completely satisfied.
This verse is truly one of the great keys to personal growth in Him. The key that unlocks the door to spiritual growth is hunger: hunger for more of Him and more of His Word; hunger that causes us to shut the door on the noise and demands of life and get up close and personal with Him. The concept is not complicated but often is overlooked, perhaps because we think it is just too simple or too old-fashioned.
Let’s look at the verse for a moment:
Blessed means “to experience the fullness of all that God is, to be happy and spiritually prosperous.” Happiness is a by-product of righteousness. This is not a smiley-face type of happiness; it is the joy, the peace, the contentment that comes from a life that has been made right with God. The only happiness of enduring value comes from being in right relationship with Him.
Food and water are physical necessities and when we find them difficult to obtain, we can become rather intense in our desire to satisfy our needs. Righteousness (to be in right standing with God) is shown here to be a spiritual necessity. Just as it is not wrong to desire food and water in the natural, so it is fully natural to desire righteousness in our spiritual life.
In Luke 15 we are given an illustration of a believer who goes astray in his pursuit of righteousness. The prodigal thought that pleasure, possessions and popularity would bring him the satisfaction he craved and so he wandered away from a correct relationship with his father. As he came to the end of his empty pursuit, he made this telling statement: “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17). The prodigal was intensely hungry but there was no answer for him in the direction his path was taking him.
The story of the prodigal is a parable about the condition of many in the church today. Much of the discontent in the church exists because the focus has shifted from the pursuit of righteousness to other, less important, things. Twenty million believers have left the church in the U.S. in the last few years, largely because they are spiritually hungry and they have not been taught how to eat.
I know that this kind of teaching about righteous hunger and how to go to the table of the Lord is not the popular fare of the moment. Some of the biggest churches in our land are teaching people how they can have their best life now. Many contemporary churches are teaching people how to manage their time, their money, their businesses and their families, but they are not teaching them how to attain and continue in right standing with God, how to grow in Him, how to sit down at the table of the Lord and eat!
“They shall be filled.” This is a promise of spiritual fulfillment, a promise to the spiritually famished: “Your hunger and thirst will be satisfied!” The word filled speaks of being fed to the point that you are “stuffed, happy and satisfied” in Him. This “filling” that Jesus speaks of has a double fulfillment; there is an initial filling that takes place when the hungry heart reaches out to God, and a continual refilling that takes place as the relationship proceeds. Notice that I said “as the relationship proceeds.” We are to grow in our relationship with Him just as a husband and wife do in a successful marriage.
When the prodigal came to his senses and acknowledged his hunger, he did something about it: He went home to where plenty of food was available. If you are satisfied with little or nothing spiritually, then welcome to a life full of the pangs of hunger and the resulting lack of spiritual health. If, on the other hand, you are hungry and ready to do something about it, then God has made you an irrevocable promise: “You will be filled!”
There is no spiritual disappointment for the hungry heart that reaches to Him! You will be filled with a peace and contentment that is beyond the understanding of human reasoning.
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord . . .” (Jeremiah 29:13-14).
Friday, March 2, 2012
THE HIGH PRICE OF UNBELIEF
One of my personal regrets is that in the past, I harbored (held on to) unbelief.
You might ask, How? Primarily by not trusting all the promises of God to be true!
I want to help you understand how costly it is for a believer to harbor unbelief.
Let me say up front that I am talking about unbelief as it relates to God, His Word, how He relates to us and how we relate to Him. I still harbor lack of belief in things natural, such as the media and the government, and I don’t see that lack going away anytime soon.
In Luke 24 we drop in on a rather confusing time for the disciples. Right to the end, the disciples thought that Jesus the Messiah was going to redeem Israel as a nation (v. 21). And then there was the inglorious end when Jesus was crucified like a common criminal. Then the body of Jesus was put in a tomb with the entrance sealed, followed by word that His body had disappeared. Talk about frustration and confusion!
Two of Jesus’ followers were on the road to Emmaus talking over these confusing events. As they talked and walked, they were joined by Jesus Himself—but they didn’t recognize Him. Unbelief will do that!
Jesus asked them, “What kind of conversation are you having? You guys are looking really sad” (v. 17).
One of the men responded, “Are you the only person in town who doesn’t know what has just taken place?” (v. 18). Jesus asked, “What are you talking about?” And so they spoke to Him about His life, His ministry and His death. They went on to tell the stranger that their hopes had been smashed because all along they thought Jesus was going to stage a revolution and take Israel away from the Romans and all foreign domination.
The conversation went on until finally Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” The Lord went on and explained to them what the Scriptures had to say about Him. Later over supper, suddenly their eyes were opened and they understood that the Man they were talking to was Jesus (v. 31).
How many times have I cried out to the Lord, “Where are You in all this I am facing? Are You not hearing my prayer?” I didn’t realize that He was right there shepherding everything but I just could not see it. Unbelief does things like that.
When the two men realized it was Jesus Himself they had been travelling with, talking with and eating with, they immediately rushed back to Jerusalem, found the disciples and exclaimed, “He’s alive! The Lord is risen!” (v. 34).
While they were talking to all the disciples, Jesus appeared in the midst of them and said, “Peace to you” (v. 36). I am glad He said that because if I’d been there, I would have died of fright.
Jesus went on, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (v. 38). He asked them plainly, “Why is there such confusion and lack of faith among you?” But unbelief will do that!
In verse 41 the Word says that even though the disciples marveled and were joyous at what they were seeing, still they did not believe. This moment was very much like an expression we use today: “I see it but I still don’t believe it.”
There is a price to be paid for not dealing with unbelief. One is that we become spiritually blind and do not see or understand when God is working on our behalf, when He is shepherding even the smallest details of our lives.
Another is that we question the truth of God’s promises. Is the Word of God really true? Or do we take the position that parts of the Word, the parts we don’t like, are culturally irrelevant to our age? The cessationists say that miracles and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit were ended at the time of the apostles. In other words, God turned off the power because (they say) it is no longer needed. That kind of thinking is blatant unbelief.
A third price is that we question the power of the gospel to change lives. Segments of today’s church are embarrassed by the claims of the gospel to change a life, so they rarely talk about it straightforwardly. Unbelief does things like that.
The hold of unbelief was broken for the two on the road to Emmaus when they had fellowship with Him. The hold of unbelief is broken for us when we invite Him to come in and commune with us. “They had recognized Him as He was breaking the bread” (Like 24:35, NLT).
Understanding that all the disciples were confused and blinded by unbelief, Jesus said to them in verse 41, “Let’s eat together.” The picture is clear: He wanted to commune with His disciples and so, too, He wants to commune with us. The intimacy of communion with Him will break the stranglehold of unbelief!
My final conversation with my friend of 45 years, David Wilkerson, is forever etched in my memory. I was deep into my valley of cancer treatment, I wasn’t feeling well, and I was struggling to maintain a balanced and positive outlook. Brother Dave and I spent a few minutes talking on the phone and I think he sensed my struggle because his final words to me were, “You can trust His promises, David. You can trust all of them!”
There is a price that believers pay for unbelief and often it is higher than we think. We end up not enjoying the benefits of His Word and His presence as we should — and that is a higher price than I want to pay!
You might ask, How? Primarily by not trusting all the promises of God to be true!
I want to help you understand how costly it is for a believer to harbor unbelief.
Let me say up front that I am talking about unbelief as it relates to God, His Word, how He relates to us and how we relate to Him. I still harbor lack of belief in things natural, such as the media and the government, and I don’t see that lack going away anytime soon.
In Luke 24 we drop in on a rather confusing time for the disciples. Right to the end, the disciples thought that Jesus the Messiah was going to redeem Israel as a nation (v. 21). And then there was the inglorious end when Jesus was crucified like a common criminal. Then the body of Jesus was put in a tomb with the entrance sealed, followed by word that His body had disappeared. Talk about frustration and confusion!
Two of Jesus’ followers were on the road to Emmaus talking over these confusing events. As they talked and walked, they were joined by Jesus Himself—but they didn’t recognize Him. Unbelief will do that!
Jesus asked them, “What kind of conversation are you having? You guys are looking really sad” (v. 17).
One of the men responded, “Are you the only person in town who doesn’t know what has just taken place?” (v. 18). Jesus asked, “What are you talking about?” And so they spoke to Him about His life, His ministry and His death. They went on to tell the stranger that their hopes had been smashed because all along they thought Jesus was going to stage a revolution and take Israel away from the Romans and all foreign domination.
The conversation went on until finally Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” The Lord went on and explained to them what the Scriptures had to say about Him. Later over supper, suddenly their eyes were opened and they understood that the Man they were talking to was Jesus (v. 31).
How many times have I cried out to the Lord, “Where are You in all this I am facing? Are You not hearing my prayer?” I didn’t realize that He was right there shepherding everything but I just could not see it. Unbelief does things like that.
When the two men realized it was Jesus Himself they had been travelling with, talking with and eating with, they immediately rushed back to Jerusalem, found the disciples and exclaimed, “He’s alive! The Lord is risen!” (v. 34).
While they were talking to all the disciples, Jesus appeared in the midst of them and said, “Peace to you” (v. 36). I am glad He said that because if I’d been there, I would have died of fright.
Jesus went on, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (v. 38). He asked them plainly, “Why is there such confusion and lack of faith among you?” But unbelief will do that!
In verse 41 the Word says that even though the disciples marveled and were joyous at what they were seeing, still they did not believe. This moment was very much like an expression we use today: “I see it but I still don’t believe it.”
There is a price to be paid for not dealing with unbelief. One is that we become spiritually blind and do not see or understand when God is working on our behalf, when He is shepherding even the smallest details of our lives.
Another is that we question the truth of God’s promises. Is the Word of God really true? Or do we take the position that parts of the Word, the parts we don’t like, are culturally irrelevant to our age? The cessationists say that miracles and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit were ended at the time of the apostles. In other words, God turned off the power because (they say) it is no longer needed. That kind of thinking is blatant unbelief.
A third price is that we question the power of the gospel to change lives. Segments of today’s church are embarrassed by the claims of the gospel to change a life, so they rarely talk about it straightforwardly. Unbelief does things like that.
The hold of unbelief was broken for the two on the road to Emmaus when they had fellowship with Him. The hold of unbelief is broken for us when we invite Him to come in and commune with us. “They had recognized Him as He was breaking the bread” (Like 24:35, NLT).
Understanding that all the disciples were confused and blinded by unbelief, Jesus said to them in verse 41, “Let’s eat together.” The picture is clear: He wanted to commune with His disciples and so, too, He wants to commune with us. The intimacy of communion with Him will break the stranglehold of unbelief!
My final conversation with my friend of 45 years, David Wilkerson, is forever etched in my memory. I was deep into my valley of cancer treatment, I wasn’t feeling well, and I was struggling to maintain a balanced and positive outlook. Brother Dave and I spent a few minutes talking on the phone and I think he sensed my struggle because his final words to me were, “You can trust His promises, David. You can trust all of them!”
There is a price that believers pay for unbelief and often it is higher than we think. We end up not enjoying the benefits of His Word and His presence as we should — and that is a higher price than I want to pay!
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