What Is Your Will In Christ?

There's a lot going on in the world and a lot available to provoke fear for the future, but I have a question for anyone who might feel themselves tempted to fear - If you truly know God, does He ever change? “I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed." Malachi 3:6 (NLT) We stand reinforced in our understanding and belief that He does not change, so... "The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name.  When they call on me, I will answer;  I will be with them in trouble.  I will rescue and honor them.  I will reward them with a long life  and give them my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16 (NLT) I know that I said that I had "a" question, but I actually have another - do you really, truly love Him? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heave...

I've struggled with the term "religion" for a long time because it has come to carry a connotation for me of something orchestrated, institutional - a perfunctory exercise. My preference instead has been to highlight my belief that what our God desires from us is instead "relationship". Then I ran across this and I had to pause... "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27 (NLT) " Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world ." James 1:27 (KJ) It doesn't matter the translation, it appears the same. And in it I denote a familiar spirit. I recognize it from scripture after scripture dealing with the care of, and justice for, the widows and the fatherless... "Sing to God, sing praises to His name;...

"He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for everyone has need to be forgiven." - George Herbert, British Poet 1593 - 1633 The above is a true statement and one could give credit to George Herbert for his wisdom in that saying, but the truth and wisdom found in those words did not originate with him. They originated with The Author of truth and wisdom - The Judge of the universe... “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJ) ...Christ Jesus. With deception being a tool of the enemy   and being spread  widely with the help of mankind these days, it's a struggle for some to recognize what the truth really is. It's good for us who follow Christ to remember that whatever we might think or reason with ourselves to be true, our opinion c...

(To any who read this, know that I am exhorted myself to greater attention in this writing.) "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."   Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJ) Our own spiritual introspection along with King David's earnest request of The Lord, taken as our own, might prove fruitful in our own busy lives at times - not because we intend any evil or offense, but because the fog of this weary life may hide things from our consciousness . For example, without even realizing it, it's entirely possible that our arrogance before the Lord is far greater than we imagine...  "Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought ...

"And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:... " Matthew 5:1&2 (NKJ) In the 5th chapter of the book of Matthew, we find Jesus teaching His disciples. What He taught them there is often referred to as the Sermon on the mount. And within that teaching are a number statements that are commonly referred to as The Beatitudes. I humbly suggest that whoever it was that coined that term might have been more accurate and to the point if they had called them  The " BE-  Attitudes" since Jesus was in fact telling His disciples both then and now, about the spirit of how to "be". “Blessed are the poor in spirit,  For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn,  For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek,  For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  For they shall be filled. Blessed a...

"You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!" 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NLT)  For many years I've observed what I tend to think of as the spiritual pulse of our nation and of the world - always searching for some glimmer of hope that a true reawakening to the truth of the God who established all of creation and the rules for life, might be coming alive somewhere ... anywhere.  At the same time, I'm awar...

I think there's an unintended disconnect sometimes between some of the words we might say these days and reality  - especially if we don't understand the full weight of those words and what they mean. I think this is particularly true at times when new "Christians" are taught to say a few words in order to gain the title "Christian". I view some of the alter call processing of new believers a little like the process of branding cattle. The cows get a new brand ... but they have no idea what it really means or why they have it ...   “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good." Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NLT) The Apostle Paul pointed out  in the book of Romans that we gentile believers are grafted in...

Have you ever heard the old saying "Can't see the forest for the trees"? That's what comes to my mind every time I hear about people arguing over the details of scripture. I'm not an establishment trained bible scholar, so perhaps I lack the ability to appreciate the savor of their arguments, but I know the sweet savor of the Spirit of our God in His word and that to me is the point of the gift of it ...  that we come to know HIM. The rest to me - their arguments, tends to reek of intellectual pride and focuses away from the  sweet  spirit of the overall message.  Again, keep in mind that I lack officious institutional training so I speak from my own understanding, but my heart and search for more of Him are true and longstanding. Both lead me to appreciate the terror of His unimaginable power, the depth of His love, the perfection of His righteousness and justice, and the mercy and kindness of His offer of grace to far lessor, fallible and failing creatures. Co...

 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:11 KJ Until the reality and truth of God's message (truly a loving appeal) in scripture impacts the heart and mind of a person - penetrating through the fog of this temporary life and all of man's earthly business, the explosion of true understanding and growth can't truly take place, to root and forever change the trajectory of an eternal spirit that God created in His own image, toward the reward of Himself and true salvation.  We don't exist without purpose or design. In fact we were given life by by God's divine plan and design to serve the most honorable and holy purpose. What we do here in the haze and mist of this life has no meaning or worth unless it serves God's purpose. And that being true and holy, intimate relationship with Him in obedience. As with true, loving and fruitful huma...

"Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything." 1 John 3:18-20 (NLT) "He knows everything "... Remember how the bible recounts the history of the creation of the world and how God set Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? How about when Adam ate the fruit from the one tree that God said was forbidden ... and what Adam did afterward?  "When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”" Genesis 3: 8-10 (NLT) Adam had just opened up the world - a world that God had freshly c...

 I'm struggling with something that bore down on me this morning. It's something that I may even be guilty of and I sincerely hope not...  This morning I ran across a post on social media from a Christian site that merely quoted Isaiah 58:8 and nothing else:  “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind." (NLT) (They quoted it from KJ) I know that their intentions are good and I mean no offense, but God requires something prior to receiving the fruit of the promise. The word "Then" alludes to it. The prior verses are worth searching out in order to avoid setting up false expectation and disillusionment in people looking to God for hope and the much needed fulfillment of the promise. See what I mean... “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the opp...

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:11 (KJ) If I could ask you one question and receive an honest answer it might be this:  What reality are you serving with the life you've been given? It might seem an odd question, especially without further explanation, but the fact is that it's a question worthy of some honest introspection - some inward examination and thoughtful consideration.  The answers one might receive could vary widely based on who the question is posed to in the world at large, but for the true Christ follower, ... there should only be one. I'm sometimes challenged personally by the things that I write. And as odd as that may seem, I know that at times the things that I write about are based on things that the Lord brings to my own personal attention through His efforts to further conform me to His image. As I take stock of my ...

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 (NLT) Have you ever stopped to consider everything in your life - what you have, what you do, what you use, what you value, and then challenged yourself to trace it to its true origin - to its raw beginning?  Everything we see, hear, feel, - everything, that affects our senses, has a root component. Tracing its parts to the rawest of composition will bring one who believes what God has said to a humble conclusion. As much as man may pride himself on this thing or that, there's not one thing that can't be traced back to something that God provided, not one root component that Omniscient God didn't bless us with in creation, not one effort that God did not provide strength or talent for, and not one living thing that God did not give life to ... including the man who boasts of his accomplishment. The man who builds a house does so with materials and components derived from what God provided, with ...

The hearts and minds of so many are pulled in differing directions with the distractions, conflicts and trappings of life in our current era. So I'd like to take a moment to   once again  bring to the forefront an issue of eternal significance that out weighs all of our temporal concerns and gives it a proper place in importance. We've passed the month and day that we as Christ followers set out as the season of special thanks that we offer to God, so we now turn our attention to another observance that we hold - the season of expectation around the birth of Christ. These days we might begin to think about Christmas weeks or even months in advance and find ourselves caught up in the preparations and busyness that we might include during the days leading up to the day we celebrate the observance of the King's arrival. I think though, that if we allow those things to overshadow any of the things that were happening leading up to His appearance and His birth among us over 2000...

God's call to relationship has been gracious and patient, His heartfelt gifts too numerous to count and not the least among them, the life of His own son has been presented for our redemption to Himself - the offering of His own great heart at great personal cost in pursuit of His bride. Who will count themselves void and worthless to Him? Who will reject Him - to be forever driven from His presence and lost to His loving and eternally promising purpose? Good deeds alone won't save anyone. The perfunctory exercise of organized religion doesn't save anyone. In fact, some Pharisees had the habit of compliance to religion and the practice of gathering together and going through the motions for the sake of appearances. If we've done diligence to study scripture, we might know how Jesus felt about that - He rebuked them. What God wants from us is a true relationship - not just words, but true submission and interaction with Him.  There's only one way to begin - only one ...

 How much thought do we give to who and how big God actually is? How often do we remind ourselves of it?... "Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD ? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?Has the LORD ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?  No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket. T hey are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand."  Isaiah 40:12-15 (NLT) The peace we have with God through Christ Jesus doesn't cancel out our need to have the deepest of respect for the God of all creation. It doesn't eliminate the need for us to show the reverence owed to the God who breathes stars into ...

thanks:  "an expression of gratitude; grateful acknowledgment of something received by or done for one." - Collins Dictionary thanksgiving:  "the act of saying or showing that you are grateful, especially to God" - Cambridge Dictionary Thanksgiving:  is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and the Philippines... - Wikipedia Despite any possible contention around the general details of American Thanksgiving   (given current society's bent toward argument and dissension) ,  the intent expressed in it's very name bestows on it  the potential occasion of a holy offering in its observance - "thanksgiving". The definition of what it means to anyone is demonstrated and dependent entirely on how the "holiday" in question is in fact honored and observed by them. As with most things of old tradition these days, the opportunity is all too...