Prepare Your Mind

Verse of the day: 1Peter 1:13 Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober, and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Our mind is a battlefield. The enemy desires to control it, and cause us to self-destruct in our thinking. What we believe is of utmost importance in relation to how we live. This is why we are told in Romans 12:1-2 to renew our minds. We are not to be conformed to the world's way of thinking, but allow God's truth to change the way we think. In 2 Cor 5:17 we are told that, in Christ, we are a new creation. We are made new from the inside out. In verse 16 of that chapter we are reminded that at one time, before we called upon Jesus Christ, we thought of God, and man, in a certain way (worldly), but now, as His children, we think of God, and man, differently in light of what we know about Jesus and the truth found in His Word (heavenly). In Eph 6:14, the Scriptures tell us to gird our loins with the truth. This is where too many Christians fall short in their attempts to grow in their knowledge of Jesus. Rather than rely on the Word of God to learn who He is, and learn what truth is, too many still rely on self-help books, and motivational books. I do praise God for the godly men He has used, as commentators, to help us have a better understanding or perspective, but the bottom line is that God has provided us with everything we need to grow in our faith; that is His Word and the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:13) who will guide us into all truth. As we learn the truth, and change the way we think, we will grow in our trust of the Lord. When difficulties arise, we will learn not to default to worldly thinking, and seeking worldly solutions. The truth of God is what will give us the balance needed in our Christian walk. In days of old, the people wore loose clothing, and girded them in order to be to run or move quickly, when the occasions arose. When we gird our minds with the truth (God's truth) we will always be ready for what comes our way. Not that we will not be caught by surprise, but we will always be confident that our God is never surprised; therefore, we will more readily bring our concerns to Him in prayer and supplication, thereby receiving the peace of God that passes all understanding (Phil 4:6), and falling into the "worry" trap. The truth of His Word is what cements us in the hope that we have in our God. Brothers and sisters, let us not be deceived into thinking that we have no need to be in His Word continually, just because we have grown in our walk, and have committed a few verses to memory. That is exactly what our enemy wants us to think. We must remain watchful, and anticipate Jesus' return. It is this hope, and anticipation, that should drive us to live holy lives, as Peter encourages us to do. We are to be holy, even as our Lord is holy (v.16). Let us fight the good fight, continue to seek God without fainting, and committing ourselves to the continual reading and studying of God's Word. His truth is the only thing that will put a strong, impenetrable barrier around the battlefield, which is our mind.

Imitators of God

Verse of the day: Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

I am sure that many of us have heard this question before... If you were charged with being a born again Christian, would there be enough evidence in your life to convict you? I believe many of us would be ready to proclaim that there would be, but the real answer would be determined by what God, and others, see. Why? Because we generally do not see, of ourselves, what God, and others, see of us. That truly is a humbling thought. We are exhorted to be imitators (followers) of God. Like children who want to imitate, and be like their fathers, we ought to desire, and make great efforts, to be like our Heavenly Father. As God is kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving (Eph 4:32), so ought we to be the same. Too often, we get the whole concept of being like God backwards. We encounter others regularly, but we let the other person's attitude or actions determine whether or not we respond in love. That is not what our God does. He begins with love, and already knows about our bad attitudes, and wicked, sinful, actions; yet He still loves us, and demonstrates it by the way He responds, and deals with us, daily. That is what we, as His children, should be doing in our approach to life, and others. We must allow the love of God move us, and be the determining factor in our response to others. Who the other person is should not be the determining factor in our behavior toward them; for even if it is an enemy, we are to show them love (Mt 5:44-47). If we love only those who love us, how are we different from the world? How are we imitating God when He loved us, even when we were His enemies (Rm 5:8)? This is the love, and lifestyle, which Jesus demonstrated toward us. His actions toward us are based on His love, and not our actions toward Him. How great His grace! As He gave Himself for us, and sacrificed Himself for our sake, in obedience to His Father's will, so we are to be in our imitation of our Lord, willing to love, and take up our cross daily (Mt 16:25). The bottom line is that, in Jesus, we are an acceptable sweet-smelling savour (2 Cor 2:15). Our God is love (1 Jn 4:16), and we are called to love one another, even as He has loved us; for by this the world will know that we belong to Him, and that we are His disciples (Jn 13:35). The Apostle Paul encouraged the church to be followers of him, as he was a follower of Christ (1 Cor 11:1). If those who observe us in our every day lives were to follow us, who would they be following, us, the devil, or Jesus? As we desire for our earthly children to imitate us in our faith, and love of the Lord, so our Heavenly Father wants us to imitate Him. Would those who imitate us be imitating our Father? I ask again... Would there be enough evidence in our lives to convict us of being true followers or imitators of our Father in Heaven or our Lord and Savior?

The Refiner's Fire

Verse of the day: Malachi 3:2-3 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appears? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness.

If we were to be honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that not one of us would be able to stand (in and of ourselves) if Jesus appeared before us at this moment (Ps 103:3). Our Lord, and His Word are a Refining Fire, that burns through us, and exposes our facades, to show who we really are (Heb 4:12; Jer 23:29). As God's children, we should praise Him for the fact that Jesus' righteousness is what allows us to stand before Him (Lk 21:35-36). Like a refiner of fine metals, the Lord purifies us with the Fire of His Word. Interestingly, the refining process is one that is painful, and precise. The refiner heats the metal to a temperature hot enough to bring the dross (impurities) to the surface, in order to purify the metal. However, he intently monitors the temperature so as to not overheat the metal, so that it is not ruined. Once the metal is purified, it is then polished until the refiner can see his own reflection in it. This is our Lord Jesus, who allows the heat to be turned up in our lives in order to bring out the dross, or impurities, that He went to the Cross for (1 John 2:2), and continues that process until He can see Himself in us. He brings it all to the surface to make us aware of what is there, as He purifies us. The fuller's soap was used to make stained garments white. The Lord, by His Blood, has washed us, and made us white as snow (Ps 51:7; 1 Jn 1:9). One day we will all stand before Him, and as a Refining Fire He will judge our works, and what we did in His Name (1 Cor 3:12-13). I say all this to say that whatever difficulties we face in our walk with Him, we must faithfully endure, and ask ourselves, "What is God trying to teach me about myself, and Him, in allowing this?" We must trust that every trial, and every challenge, has been allowed for the purpose of purging us of some attitude, habit, or hidden sin, that God wants to bring to the surface, that He might purge it from our lives. For this reason it is of utmost importance that we maintain a daily routine of reading and studying His Word. We must continually allow God to show us what is in our hearts, that we may be continually confessing, and repenting of, those things He shows us that do not belong in the lives of His followers. I should also remind us at this point that the Lord does not just purge us from within, but He also uses this process to purge us from without in respect to relationships that ruin our walk with Him. The Scripture is very clear that corrupt company also corrupts our life (the way that we live, 1 Cor 15:33). There does come a time in our walk with the Lord when we must forsake certain relationships that corrupt us (companions that lead us to do that which is wicked or immoral before God). The one comfort we have is that regardless of how long we are in the furnace of life or how hot He has to turn up the heat, like a Refiner, He is with us, intently watching, so that we are not ruined in the purifying process.The bottom line is that God began a process of changing us, and making us more like His Son, who came and sacrificed Himself for us. Let us not make this sacrifice of no affect in our lives. Let us not resist what God is trying to do in our lives to make us more like Jesus. Let us intently seek to give up those impure habits, attitudes, sins, and companions, that the Lord is trying to purge from our lives. Remember, some day Jesus will return, and unlike His first coming, His second coming will be one of us giving an account of the lives we lived for Him here on earth. Our desire is to hear those words spoken in the Gospel, "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Mt 25:23).

Resting In Christ

Verse of the day: Hebrews 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

God has promised us rest, and provided for us, a Place of Rest (Matt 11:28-29); His Name is Jesus. The writer of Hebrews, however, warns us that it is possible to come short of receiving that rest. How is that possible? What could keep us from the promise of Rest? Unbelief. Unbelief, a lack of faith, can cause us to miss out on the rest that God has promised. This loss is compared to that loss the Israelites suffered in the wilderness for their unbelief (Heb 3:19). God had given them the Promise Land, yet when they surveyed the land (which was their idea, not God's), they allowed what they saw (giants in the land) to keep them from trusting God's promise (for though they did not yet occupy the land, God had already given it to them). It was this unbelief that angered the LORD, and caused Him to pull back His promise for the time being. Only two of the original surveyors, Joshua and Caleb, were allowed to see, and enter, the Promise Land (for they were the only two of that generation, besides Moses, who trusted God's promise); see Deut 1:5-39. For the unsaved person, the danger exists that their unbelief could result in eternal condemnation (Jn 3:18). For us, His children, we stand in danger of forfeiting our rest, peace of mind, and joy. When we face life's challenges, and we fail to trust God to guide us or fail to believe His Word, we forfeit our rest. When we choose our own way, and our own solutions, rather than God's way, we forfeit our rest. When we trust worldly ways, and the unsaved person's advice over God's wisdom, and His truth, we forfeit our rest. Thanks be to our Lord that He allows us repentance, and we are permitted to reenter His rest. Whatever it is that is weighing on you today, trust God, give it to Him, and proceed forward. Let us not be like those who wandered in the wilderness because of unbelief (for the consequence for their lack of faith, ultimately, was death). Jesus is the One in whom we find eternal rest, and rest from this weary world and its ways. He is our Prince of Peace. Let us find rest in Him.

Not Just Fire Insurance

Verse of the day: Titus 2:11-13 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;

Luke 19:10 tells us that Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. For those of us that have called upon Him, and trusted Him for eternal salvation, we have much to be eternally grateful for. Sadly, too many use the Lord as "fire" insurance, and use the grace of God as justification for their continued sinful practices. This should not be the case for the true child of God. He did not save us just to keep us out of Hell. Eph 2:10 tells us that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. This was prepared beforehand by God, that we should walk in them (good works). The Apostle Paul was instructing Titus in respect to teaching Christ's followers about their duty to live a godly, righteous life in this present world. Why is this necessary? Because we live in a dark world that opposes everything this is godly. We live in a world that has a twisted, corrupt, view of morality. As Christ followers, we no longer belong to this world, and its crooked system. We are now adopted into God's family, and our behavior, and way of living, should now reflect that. A true child of God will no longer have a desire to live an ungodly, and immoral life. Will we stumble on occasion? Yes. Do we have to just lay down, and give up when that happens? No. This is where it is of utmost importance that we learn how to come alongside one another, and help one another to be reconciled to the Lord, and returned to fellowship with God, and His family (Gal 6:1-5). The bottom line is that when we accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, God began a process of changing us, and making us more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit is working in us, and through us. If this is true, then none of us who are true believers have a good excuse for not living a life that honors our Lord. Yes, the process is challenging, and it is truly a battle, but God has equipped us to survive, and have victory, in Christ Jesus. Let us deny all ungodliness and worldly desires. Instead, let us live out our salvation in godliness and righteousness, teaching others what Christianity should look like, not just in word, but also in deed; that those who would mock us or falsely accuse us would be put to shame by our good works, and behavior, resulting in glory to our God (1 Pt 2:11-12), as we continue to look forward to the return of our Living Hope, Jesus Christ.

The Heart of the Matter

Verse of the day: Mar 7:15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

"For the LORD'S does not see as many sees;" 1 Sam 16:7. These are God's words to the Prophet Samuel in respect to how God sees man. While man looks, and judges, on the outward appearances, God looks deeper. God looks at the heart. He sees what is in man, and is more interested on what is in the inward parts, rather than what man tries to portray on the outside (which often contradicts what is really going on in the heart). Jesus confronted the Pharisees, and scribes, about this very thing. Sadly, we, as God's children, allow ourselves to be enslaved by other, well-meaning, believers' convictions, and religious rules and regulations. The Pharisees (religious leaders of that day) had added teachings based on their traditions, and gave their traditions and man created doctrines more weight than God's commandments. Even to the extent that they expected others to keep them; yet, they themselves could not follow them. Jesus called them hypocrites (Mk 7:6). God does not want our religious rituals, and lip service. Jesus wants our hearts. The only interest God has in our facades, is to break them down, and bring us to the place where we are honestly, and obediently, living for God, allowing Him to change us from the inside out. We must be careful not to impose our convictions on one another, as we all have differing convictions. The bottom line is that in Christ we are free. However, that freedom is the freedom that is to be used for God's glory. Our liberties are to free us for the purpose of serving God, and not a justification for continuing in sin. God's grace is not to be taken advantage of, and we should expect hard consequences when we misuse God's grace. The Pharisees were upset because Jesus' followers were not washing their hands before eating, as was their "tradition" (v.5). Jesus, in turn, rebuked their hypocrisy. Today, some are no different, criticizing, and condemning, those who "do not do" Christianity the way they "do" Christianity. As God's children, we must learn the difference between a conviction or preference, and what is black and white in God's Word. Jesus was very clear in that what defines us before God is what comes out of our hearts (v.21-23). Things such as evil thoughts, pride, adultery, fornication, covetousness, and the like, are what defile us before God. Jesus corrected them in their false thinking that eating without washing their hands, or eating a certain food would make them unclean (which for a Jewish person of that day would have been difficult to grasp since the Law restricted certain animals as food). Yet the Lord made it clear to Peter (Acts 10:9-15) that what God has cleansed must not be called common or unclean. So today, we must take care not to cause strife in the life of another believer by expected them to live by our self-imposed restriction or preferences (which may work for us personally in keeping us focused on Him). Let us ask God to conduct a "heart check" on us, and show us what is in our own heart. Let us seek to serve God, and live for Him, with a heart that is clean, rather than trying to wash ourselves outwardly by using the "right" Christian words, or doing the "proper" outward things that hide what is really in our hearts. Let us get honest with ourselves, and God, and allow Him to cleanse our hearts. Let us seek to live a holy life that is the result of a heart that has been changed by the Holy Spirit of God working in us. King David was a great example of how God judges who we are inwardly. Long before David committed the sin of adultery or sinned by taking the census, God called him a man after His own heart (1 Sam 13:14). In the New Testament, those words are reiterated in Acts 13:22. Why was King David a man after God's own heart? It is obvious that it was because of David's heart, and what God saw in him, and the fact that he had a heart that submitted to the will of God. Let us strive to be Christians who are a people after God's own heart, based on who we are on the inside (for who we are on the inside will eventually shine through to be seen on the outside). May it be to the glory of God.

A Worry-Free Year

Verse of the day: Luke 12:22 And he said to his disciples, Therefore I say to you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat; neither for the body, what you shall put on.

As God's children, what have we to worry about? What burden or need weighs heavy on our hearts as we begin a new year? Why do we worry about God's provision, when He has promised to meet our needs? Does He not know what we need, even before we ask (Lk 12:30)? May I remind us of what God said to Moses, when he, and the Israelites, worried about how he was going to feed the six hundred thousand men with him, in Numbers 11:23? The Lord asked Moses, "Has the LORD'S arm been shortened?" The worry that resulted from their lack of trust angered the Lord, and they were struck with a great plague that killed many. We should be thankful that we live in this age of grace, and that the Lord does not deal with us in this same fashion when we lack trust, and we worry. Psalms 65:9ff reminds us that the Lord waters the earth, enriches it, provides grain, and flocks. In other words, He supplies what is needed. In this chapter, we are reminded that God provides for the ravens (who did not have much value amongst the people), and dresses the fields, neither of which labor for their provision or cover. Yet, we are more valuable to God. So why do we worry about the things God has promised to take care of? Ps 23 tell us that the Lord is our Shepherd, and that we shall not want (or go without). When we worry, we needlessly waste time being overly concerned about what God already has under His control. When we worry, we accomplish nothing, as we cannot add one minute to our life here on earth. If anything, we potentially shorten our lives with added sickness resulting from our unnecessary stress, and worry. When we worry, we live no better than those who do not know Jesus. The unsaved are continually mindful of the material things of this world, and often destroy their lives to obtain them. We, as born again believers, should be mindful of heavenly things, and living for the Lord. The bottom line is that, in this new year, we should be more focused on growing in our knowledge of the Lord, serving Him, and staying focused on what He is trying to do in our lives, for the sake of His Kingdom, and the Gospel. Remember, He wants us to cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us (1 Pt 5:7).