Often, I sit and contemplate the will and plan of God, and how I fit into that plan. Not from the standpoint of what God is attempting to do through me and sometimes despite me; but my attitude and focus on how my life aligns with His plans. Do I get so self-absorbed that his plan is no longer a priority or concern of mine? Although I say it does, do I really mean it when compared to the way I choose to live my life? It’s easy to do. I have discovered, if I am not careful, His plan can easily get pushed to the “back burner.” Sometimes, I find this to be a major weakness; and a powerful tool in the hands of the evil one. Maybe it’s because as mortals we are focused on living our mortal existence, which often contains mega-doses of self-gratification, self-absorption, etc. This is a hard deep look for me because sometimes I don’t like what I conclude. The real question is why don’t I long for that which the disciples, Paul, and others did in regard to how God fits into my life? I often want to blame it on the times. That things are much different today, and it’s almost impossible to live like they did with such a singular focus on God. The reality of this thinking is futile because I know I am only fooling myself. The times have little to nothing to do with it, however the pride of life has everything to do with it. If this is the case, should I be surprised if Jesus should say, ”Depart from me I never knew you?” Maybe not. I know this all sounds rather grim, but today this is where my heart has taken me. As we study the word of God, if it doesn’t create a desire for deep reflection, then is it really penetrating our outer being? If not, should it surprise us if spiritual growth ceases? The focus of every Christian, every person who has given their life to Christ is to hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant;” anything less should be unacceptable. I pray we all allow the word of God to impact our hearts, so that our lives reflect the God we love and serve.
Blessings! Lamar Last week, we engaged ourselves in a discussion from the perspective of Jesus being Savior and Lord. We discussed the saving work of Jesus at Calvary, and how this singular act of love redeemed us (believers) and restored our relationship with God. For many as we noted, the work of Jesus as Savior has been sufficient for our personal needs and wants.
For some it looked like this; “I needed to be saved. Thank You, Jesus, I’ll let you know if I need anything else from You. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the rest of my life, until it’s time for me to go to Heaven.” However, God is calling us to more. In our text last week, we referenced the reaction of Thomas once Jesus proved He rose from the grave, as He said He would. It was after this confirmation, the Bible records the immediate words of Thomas, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Those are the exact words God is expecting from those who have been redeemed by the cross. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me; now for the rest of my life, I will gladly serve You as my Lord; as the ruler of my life. As the example of my life. As the guide of my life. As the one who made living eternally in heaven possible for me. It is one thing to see him as Savior, but an entirely different commitment to serve him as Lord. Until we grasp this reality, our lives never will measure up to the expectations of God; when He tells us to be holy because He is holy. We will never be the place where God intends for the Holy Spirit to live. We will remain captivated by the delights of the world and neglect our charge to be salt and light to a dark and lost world. It was the proclamation of Thomas that changed everything for him, and the same will happen to us, when we too embrace Jesus as Lord, and dedicate ourselves to follow Him; all the way into the throne room of God, where we will spend eternity. Blessings! Lamar If someone were to ask you who Jesus is to you, how would you answer? Would your mind immediately conjure up the cruel scene at Calvary, as Jesus hung, bled and died for your sins? Would it remind you of the great grace that entered your life the day you were told the death of Jesus on the cross was for you, and through it, your sins were forgiven? Truly the thought of the redeeming work of the cross is a monumental moment in the life of a believer. It is for this reason many see Jesus as their Savior because His death and resurrection saved them from eternal separation from God. If you only see Jesus as your Savior, then allow me to broaden you review by challenging your perception of Who Jesus is. Let’s begin by visiting the disciples in the upper room. The time is shortly after the event of the cross and Thomas, upon hearing that Jesus has been resurrected from the dead, helps all of mankind by making the statement many of us would want to make; but would be too embarrassed to allow it to leave the confines of our thinking. In John 20:25, he said, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” What a brave statement!
Thomas is often criticized for this statement and it was here that the phrase “Doubting Thomas” was born. This is not the end of this moment for Thomas (or us), because a week after he said this, as they were sitting once again in the same room, Jesus appears and challenges Thomas to verify that which he struggles to believe (He even allowed him to use his own methods for verification). After Thomas examined the evidence in Jesus’ hands and side, he made the proclamation that is missing from the lives of most believers. He immediately exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.” Did you catch it? So what does that mean, “My Lord and my God,” and how does it differ from “Savior”? We will examine the answer to that question next week. Blessings! Lamar A dear friend and brother in Christ, Terry Hunt from Texas shared this with me. I was so moved, that I decided to share it with you.
He wrote: It is a truism that we cannot heal and become whole until we have embraced our enemy. The hatred, hostility, and venom within us is like an infection in a festering wound. The gaping wound in our lives cannot be closed, and scar tissue will continue to develop until the infectious matter is removed. Most of us have to find our own ways to embrace the enemy. Sometimes it is a handshake, or a heart-to-heart conversation. Frequently, it is a letter quietly written, a hand upon a shoulder, a quiet word of encouragement or consolation. But there must be some overt and intentional reaching out to your enemy for forgiveness and healing to take place. Life is too wonderful to be drained of vitality by the illness of unforgiveness. And too many people have wasted away and succumbed to slow deaths of bitterness. We must embrace the enemy to be free from the pain of the past. Forgiveness is the heart of the gospel, reconciliation its central theme. And pure and unmerited grace is the only hope that any of us have in this world or the next. One day General James Oglethorpe said to John Wesley, “I never forgive.” Wesley retorted, “Then I hope, sir, that you never sin.” “The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness.” Blessings! Lamar As I begin the new year, I have a desire to do an honest assessment of who I am in Christ. I have determined that in order to be truthful, I will be required to look deeper than what many see on the surface. Therefore, I must be willing to look into the dark places in my heart where the ugliness lives. This is hard to do because we always want to believe we are better than we really are. If I were to be judged by man, this would only require a glance, and I would walk away feeling good about myself. But, when I think about a sovereign God who knows the actions and thoughts of the heart of all men (and women), I know he will see things in me that I dare not look at myself. However, the only way to be honest in my relationship with Jesus is to lay it all out on the altar and allow God to cleanse me. I know the phony will not “slip” past the discriminating eye of God, so I have gone on a quest. I have asked God to reveal my true heart to me. To show me all the areas in my heart that disappoint Him. I am fully aware, at the outset, this is not going to be either pretty or fun. But, isn’t that the point? It is to be neither. The goal is to be honest and revealing. Perhaps I am not alone and there are others who also would like to go on such a journey with me. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all went on a heart cleanse? As we endure the winter months in anticipation of the new life that comes in the rejuvenation of spring, so I too look forward to a new heart which will carry me to be more like Jesus.
Blessings! Lamar In Matthew 15, we find Jesus in one of many stand-offs with the Pharisees. The Pharisees (Law keepers) witnessed Jesus’ disciples eating without washing their hands according to the ceremonial customs of the Jews. After listening to their accusations, Jesus neglecting to answer their indictment, offered one of his own. He asked them why they break the command of God to ”Honor your father and mother.” It was in verse 7 that he called them hypocrites, and said Isaiah was right when he prophesied about them, reciting those famous words taken from Isaiah 29:13: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” What an indicting statement.
It was after pondering this scene that I thought, could I also be guilty of doing the same thing? Are there times when I honor God with my lips, because it is the right thing to say or do; or because of my religious traditions, when in reality my heart at the time is far from God? Could I also be so caught up in my religiosity that my worship is vain in the sight of God? Lord, examine my heart and search me, for I do not want to be guilty of the indictment of Jesus against the Pharisees. Teach me to love you from the depths of my heart and not just from my lips, so that my worship will honor you as my Lord and my Savior. Lord, please fix my heart that I may serve you. Blessings! Lamar It’s the time of year when the word “Christmas” comes to the forefront of society. It’s interesting how it divides into 3 different camps: Those that see it from a religious standpoint as the birth of Christ. Those who see it as a time for Santa Claus, flying reindeer, and the magic of a man who brings presents to children. And lastly, those who don’t care about any of it. I am refraining from entering into the discussion of the true meaning of Christmas, however I want us to consider something often overlooked in scripture. In order to set this in context, we must revisit the garden and Genesis 3:12-15 during the time Adam & Eve were beguiled by the serpent. During the sentencing by God, he expressed to the serpent, the offspring of the woman would crush his head, and he would bruise the heel of the offspring; we all know this was fulfilled at Calvary. Back to Jesus. Suffice it to say when Jesus was born, was not as important as his death. I believe we can agree on that, but my focus is on what happened at his birth (whenever it was). I’m not pointing at the manger, the wise men, the star or any of those things. I’m looking at Satan, as he has for thousands of years, awaited the seed; the conqueror, the one coming to destroy him. It was during the birth of Jesus, that Satan entered the heart of Herod the Great. As a result, Herod attempted to put baby Jesus to death by killing all the male children two years old and under. Can you imagine what that slaughter looked like? Have you ever given thought to the impact it had on the families of these children? Jesus came into the world to overcome death, and death reacted in this gruesome way to prevent his arrival. What was the birth of Christ? It signaled the end of Satan’s reign of death on humanity. At his birth, the Bible gave us a closeup glimpse of how terrible the reign of death would continue to be, if not for Calvary. Celebrate what you will this season, but for me, I thank God for the cross today and every single day.
Blessings! Lamar It’s hard to believe after this week, there’s only one more Sunday in this year. I usually ask myself, where did the year go, but this year has been different from the usual. It’s been a very trying year full of a few ups and very deep downs. It is usually about now that I begin to assess the year. I am not referring to the events of the year, but how did I do in achieving my spiritual goals that I set for myself in the beginning of the year? Did I make progress in loving my neighbor as myself? Did I do my best to shine the light of Christ into the lives of others? Have I grown in showing compassion for the poor and homeless? Did I handle my hurts and disappointments with a view toward glorifying God? Did I add to my knowledge of the Word of God? Did I achieve my goal of living to God’s glory instead of my own? These are just a handful of the many, many important questions I ask myself each year.
I began doing this when I realized long ago that I was living each year without any spiritual goals - as if God didn’t matter. I pondered this and concluded to do so is to live not with a view towards God, but a view towards myself. It’s when I reasoned that it is God who has blessed my years, and it is God who takes me from one year to another, that I changed my perspective. If you have realized you are in a similar situation, I encourage you to sit down and map out your spiritual goals for the coming year. I assure you if you do, you will notice your year will be full of blessings beyond words. Our God loves us and is faithful in all things. He wants to bless us to live spiritually abundant lives. Glorify Him. Blessings! Lamar Back in the 70’s (I know I’m showing my age) comedian Flip Wilson created a skit whose signature phrase was “The devil made me do it.” As America laughed, something unexpected happened. This phrase began to show up on the lips of many Americans, as if Flip finally helped all to understand, why they do what they do. What made this scenario so interesting is everyone who bought into this felt absolved from their sin, because the devil “MADE” them do it. No doubt they are giving the devil much too much credit, because if he could make them sin, then God could make all men do the opposite. The truth is, the devil doesn’t make anyone sin.
As James puts it in James 1:14-15, “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” The process of sin is not in the hands of the devil, but in the heart of man. It’s our evil desire that entices us; and our desire which gives birth to sin which leads to spiritual death (and in some cases actual physical death). I realize there exists a multitude whose desire is for Flip Wilson to be right, but the truth is, the evil of our own hearts is the real reason that Satan can do with us what he does. We all carry something within us that in a moment, given the right circumstances, can drag us away, and that is why the Apostle Paul warned all to put on the whole armor of God DAILY, so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil. Don’t buy into the hype, the Devil doesn’t make us do anything. Blessings! Lamar It was one of the most dramatic moments in the Bible. God tells Abram to take his only son and sacrifice him on an altar. By now I hope you are beginning to understand the magnitude of this request, which is only compounded when we consider that by now, Abram is north of 100yrs old, and his once-barren wife is nearing 100 also. Therefore, the chances of a repeat performance of another child in their eyes is not likely. The trouble is when God says do, that leaves no other options. So, Abram did as he was commanded. Wait a minute, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because before he placed his only son on the altar, Abram makes two very huge statements. The first came when he told the servant who accompanied them on the mountain that day, “stay here, the boy and I will be back shortly.” What a statement from a guy preparing to kill his son. The second and most touching statement came when as they were preparing the altar; Isaac looks at his father and says,” I see the altar and the wood, but where is the sacrifice?” To which Abram replied, “God will provide.” What faith. What trust in God. I can’t begin to imagine walking in those footsteps and believe many of us would say the same. Well, now for the rest of the story as they say: God put a ram in the thicket (I like saying that) as the sacrifice. I don’t know about you, but I can’t begin to count how many times that Ram was caught in the thicket in my life. Life happened and I needed something beyond me, and God provided. And He keeps providing.
That got me to thinking. If we all would take this inventory and recall how many times God provided when we needed it most, and how He continuously provides; then what happens when the body comes together because the church has a need? We all turn to God in unison because we know as He has provided for us as individuals, so will He provide for his kingdom. We need to keep that before us and remember in ALL circumstances our God is able and He will provide! Blessings! Lamar |
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