Jesus Loves You!

Perhaps to those who read this post, since many of you already profess faith in Jesus as Lord, this topic may seem inconsequential and even over stated. This because you have seen the “John 3:16” signs at sporting events, you have been told that God loves you, and you probably even give mental ascent to the truth that God does love you. But if you are like me, when no one else is around and you come face to face with the pain of this life and the tragedy we often are confronted with . . . the thought enters your mind. If God really loves me why has He allowed this circumstance in my life?


Rather than this being a trite and overly simplistic topic, it was Dr. Karl Barth, a prolific writer who wrote volumes on the meaning of life and faith and who was considered by many scholars to be one of the most brilliant theologians of the 20th Century, when he was lecturing at Princeton Theological Seminary was asked by a student what was the greatest truth he had ever learned. Dr. Barth thought for a moment and then said: “The greatest truth that I have ever learned was at my mother’s knee, ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’"

There is no doubt that “Jesus Loves Me” is one of the best known children’s songs in the world. But how could it be that such a renowned biblical scholar would say that the “greatest truth” that he had ever learned was the fact that Jesus loved him?

I can think of four reasons that I think can lead us to question or even doubt that God loves us and this because I struggle with each of these.

1. Lack of godly examples

2. Our inadequacies

3. Our sin

4. Our circumstances

It seems that when we do not have a loving earthly father we struggle with many of the concepts of a loving heavenly Father. If we have struggled to please our earthly father then we will have a tendency to be “works” minded when it comes to God. When this happens we feel condemned by our failures and deserving when we seem to have performed well. The concept of a god that loves us “unconditionally” and not based upon anything that we have done “does not compute” if our parents did not show us unconditional love.

Often times we believe that we are more loveable when we are sucessful or do a good job at something. But whether we want to admit it or not, we all have short-comings and inadequacies. These short-comings often humble us allow an area in our lives where God can reveal our need for Him. If these inadequacies are what God used to draw us to Himself we often question why they remain after we have surrendered our lives to Him. It is often even more difficult if these areas of weakness lead to sin and its consequences.

Sin still brings about death and separation in spite of Satan’s lie to Eve. We can feel the separation and loss if our hearts have not been hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. This is good because it causes us to feel “godly sorrow that leads to repentance” or change in our lives. But often Satan wants to keep us hiding from God by way of feelings of condemnation and unworthiness. If we have a propensity toward a particular sin in our lives we can question, “How can God love me when I keep failing Him over and over?”

Whether brought about by the consequences of sin in our lives or as a result of someone else’s sin, or even situations in which we can find no one to blame often our circumstances cause us to question God’s love for us. How many times have you heard something similar to this statement, “How can a loving God allow this to happen to me or someone I love?” We equate love as being free from difficult or hurtful situations. Someone who loves me most certainly not allow something hurtful or difficult in my life.

My wife recently brought our daughter in to receive her immunization shots. For a full day afterward my daughter who is now 4 months old was very upset! She would not lay down in her crib but cried and cried until she was held. My wife and I took turns throughout the night holding her as we slept. I am sure she questioned in her little mind how could mommy and daddy take me to someone who hurt me and gave me a bit of a fever? It was beyond her comprehension to understand that our motivation for doing so was really out of love and our desire for her to continue to be with us.

So if all these things cannot be trusted to reveal God’s love for us what witnesses has God left us as a proof of His love?

There are three eternal witnesses that I can think of:

1. His Word

2. Jesus’ death and resurrection

3. His Spirit

The children’s song, “Jesus Loves Me” tells us we know it because the “Bible tells me so.” So I think that it is appropriate for us to look at what the Bible mentions about the four reasons we question His love for us.

A Lack of Godly Examples

The Bible asks this question, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?” And then gives the following response, “Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands (Isa. 49:15-16). God tells us that in most situations a mother will love and have compassion for her children. In another place the Bible states this as natural affection. Yet in the absence of a loving mother, God declares, “I will not forget you!” The scars left by the nails from the cross serve as an everlasting reminder of His love. Every time He sees those scars He remembers you. In the Psalms He tells us, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me” (Ps. 27:10).

The Bible declares, “God is love” and He is unchanging in His nature (c.f. 1Jn. 4:8,16; James 1:17). He wants us to understand that He is the example given to the world including our parents, spouses, friends, and children, not the other way around. That is why the Bible further tells us, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us …” (Eph. 5:1-2).

Our Inadequacies

The majority of times when we struggle with inadequacy, it is because we are comparing ourselves to others. If everyone had the same weakness we would consider it normal and therefore have no recognition of any insufficiency on our part. The Bible teaches that it is unwise to compare ourselves with others (2 Cor. 10:12). Further the Bible teaches that it is God who made us to differ from one another (c.f. 1 Cor. 4:7) and that in the church – the body of Christ – He has placed us right where He wanted us to be (c.f. 1 Cor. 12:18-22).

For those weaknesses that are contrary to God’s will, the Bible teaches that both the Spirit and the Son intercede for us on behalf of them (c.f. Rom 8:26, 34). So the fact is that God is aware of the way in which He created us with both our strengths and weaknesses and in all these things He accepts us in Christ and intercedes for our welfare according to the mind of God.

Our Sin

In regard to our sin, God tells us that sin brings about both separation and death (c.f. Isa. 59:2; Rom. 6:23). But herein lies the beautiful truth of the Gospel that God showed His love for us while we were still in sin and did not withhold that love from us because of our sin. Here is how it is stated, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6-8).

God tells us that He demonstrated His kind of love which is very different than the kind of love that we normally experience in this world. Christ died on our behalf in spite of our sin and rejection of Him. This tells me two things, first of all that His love is available to everyone. “For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died” (2 Cor. 5:14). You see how this is stated? The presupposition is that Christ died for all therefore the assumption can be made that all were dead. Since we know that in fact all have sinned and are spiritually dead (Rom. 3:23 Eccl. 7:20) we can be certain that Jesus died on your behalf – all our behalf. It is “because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5).

Further the Bible teaches that this grace of God is appropriated by faith not by works we have done (Rom. 5:2; Eph. 2:8-9). Unlike some have been known to teach faith is not a work. Here is how the Bible says it: “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:4-5).

Our Circumstances

Perhaps the most difficult times that we find ourselves struggling with the fact that Jesus loves us is when our circumstances don’t seem to feel like they are orchestrated by someone who really loves us. How often have you heard someone say, “If God really loved me then why did He allow this to happen to me?” I have seen this be the point at which many felt it was easier to believe there is no God and walk away from Him rather than asking the question, why?

In reality, there is more than one thing at play in our circumstances. First of all, it is God who gives you a life in the first place. This gift of life has been poisoned by sin, both ours and that of others. Because of that, this world is not our home or our hope. We should never be mistaken by the fact that “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men (1 Cor. 15:19).

Since in this life our faith in Christ is what reconciles us to God, we should expect that faith to be tested. Not so that we would possibly fail, but God controls each test and temptation to what level we gain overcome with His strength (c.f. 1 Cor. 10:13).

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7). The purpose of these trials is to prove that our faith is genuine and real.

Finally, Rom 8:28 affirms, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” Because God is holy, just and faithful and cannot lie we know that He is attempted to turn every difficult situation in life to something that has an eternal good. We may never understand what He is doing or why He has allowed us to face what we are going through but we also know that He is right there with us in the trial. He has said, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So you can boldly say, ‘God is my helper…’”

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us (Rom 8:35, 37).

We Must Follow the Promises

Rather than having a relationship that is based upon our performance or lack thereof, we need to have a relationship with God that is based upon faith in His promises. We know He loves us based upon the information that has been given to us, but each one of us must personally take hold of that promise of love and believe that He does love us not based upon anything that we have done but because He is love.

We have known and believed the love that God has for us (1 John 4:16).

Slaves In Christ?

Recently John MacArthur released his conspiracy accusing book entitled, Slave. The book is supposed to describe “the hidden truth about our identity in Christ.” If someone would simply read the book you would find that even the author realizes that we have a greater identity and that there is a more predominant metaphor for our relationship with God and that is one of a son, daughter, or child.

MacArthur spends much of the beginning of his book setting forth his conspiracy theory in regard to the translation of a particular Greek word, “doulos.” The Greek word doulos is translated “servant” in the KJV and other popular translations but is used in many other Greek writings to refer specifically to a slave. It is for this reason the Holman Study Bible translates doulos as “slave” and other translations as a “bondslave.”

Not unaware of the treatment of first century slaves or the more recent mistreatment of Africans and others with dark skin tones, MacArthur believes the conspiracy is the result of our more modern sensitivities. While the case can be made for the NT writers use of the word “doulos” (servant or slave) as a metaphor for aspects of our Christian life, but as with most metaphors, if carried beyond their context they reveal many contradictions. As previously mentioned, even MacArthur struggles with these contradictions toward the latter half of his book, which makes the book noticeably disjointed.

There is a much more important and practical reason for contesting the concept that slavery reflects our identity in Christ than refuting John MacArthur’s book, Slave. I think that it is absolutely necessary and God’s will for us to see ourselves not as slaves but as sons. As I describe the characteristics of each, I want you to think about which covenant, Law or Grace, each aspect more readily lends itself to.

• A slave has a master or lord while a child has a father and/or mother

• A slave is purchased at a cost to the master while a child is the product of a relationship

• A slave is the ‘property’ of the master while a child is a “gift” from God and shares in all the resources of the family (cf. Mt. 15:26; Luke 15:31)

• A slave is bound to involuntary service while a child is taught to obey their parents and trained in the way they should go

• A slave only pleases his master by way of working well and working hard while with a child the parents care more about time spent rather than the things done for them

• A slave has no possessions but a child receives an inheritance

• While both a slave and child are protected and provided for, the motivation for doing so differs greatly. The slave is provided for and protected so that they may produce - a child is provided for and protected out of love and so they may carry on a legacy.

• A slave is motivated by fear but a child should be motivated by relationship, right and wrong, and a sense of calling.

Did you see that the characteristics of slaves more accurately describe those under law? The slave must obey his master.

“Slaves know no law but their master’s word; they have no rights of their own; they are absolute possessions of their master; and they are bound to give their master unquestioning obedience.” - William Barclay

So also must those who are under the Law must continue to be obedient to the whole Law or be punished (cf. Gal. 3:10-12).

Slaves receive no inheritance or lasting legacy. Jesus said, “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn 8:35-36). And Galatians 3:26-29 teaches, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Do you recognize that if we see ourselves as slaves to our Lord we actually miss out on the very reason we are eternally saved? We are saved not out of obedience but out of our relationship as sons and daughters in Christ. We must be born again or born from above (cf. Eph. 2:8-9 and John 3:5).

Obedience follows our relationship to Christ. That is why Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). The preeminent description of followers of Jesus is that of God’s children and we are each brothers and sisters.

Paul describes our former relationship to God under the Law as slavery saying:

“What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir (Gal. 4:1-7).

Did you get that? We were slaves but now having received the Spirit of His Son we now call God, “Abba, Father.” He did this so that we might receive the full rights of sons. This is confirmed by the apostle John who says, “He (Jesus) came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:11-12). The inheritance is our right as sons but if we think that we must earn it by working for it we will never receive it because God gives it to us for one reason and one reason only – we are Christ’s and as such we are fellow heirs (see also Rom. 8:15-17).

So the real application of this is that we must realize that all that we obtain from God we receive by way of His loving, and fatherly grace. We see ourselves as blessed, accepted, chosen as adopted children, and forgiven because we are God’s children by faith in Christ Jesus. We have the right to come boldly, with confidence, before God’s throne of Grace solely on the basis of Christ’s priestly work on the cross (cf. Heb. 4:15). If we do not see ourselves as God’s children we will think that it is by self-effort and good works that we may present our requests to God. To those who see themselves as unworthy (which we truly are) they will not see God as a loving Father who gives good gifts to those who ask (Mt. 7:9-12). This hurts us because James tells us that if we want to receive anything from God we must ask in faith without wavering and without this kind of faith we should not expect to receive anything from God (Jas.1:6-7).

Love Hunger – The Search For Significance

   This message begins a series that I have entitled “Relationships God’s Way.” The Bible has a lot to say about relationships. Some of what is declared is taught in principle, some is taught via the narratives in the Bible, and still others are like nuggets of wisdom that are plainly stated.
   This week we are going to discuss one of the strongest emotions and motivating forces known to man – love. But as with nearly all things, the world twists the meaning and takes what God designed for good and makes it filthy and dishonorable. As we will see, the purpose of the enemy is to use this false love to hurt and destroy lives. Here is how God describes what love really is:
   “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Cor 13:4-7 NLT).

The Meaning of Life – Two Views:

   The world says, “The meaning for life is to love and be loved.”
   Gods says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31).
   “Why be like the (unbelievers) who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” (Matt 6:32-33 NLT).
   Notice that although God’s greatest command is to love, God says to love Him first and make living for Him your primary concern and He will provide all that you really need. In fact it was God who first recognized our need for love.
   I have jokingly paraphrased Genesis 2:18 to say, “The Lord God said, 'the man shouldn’t be left alone, he needs some real help!'” But what God says in reality is enlightening. To show some of the depth of what was said in this passage here is how it is translated in the Amplified version of the Bible:
   “Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him” (Gen 2:18 AMP).

•    Pets don’t meet the need

   Right after God determines that it is not good for the man to be alone; He does this strange thing of bringing all the animals to Adam to see what he would call them. Interestingly the animals were created from the same source as Adam, the ground. But the Bible declares of none of them did Adam call helper or partner. Perhaps this was God’s way to show that no pet could be found to be a suitable companion for mankind in life – we long, or hunger, for someone to love like us. In spite of the wonderful companionship pets provide God is letting us know that He understands we need more.

•    Friends don’t meet the need

   Then when God does bring a suitable helper to Adam He brings a “kanegadow” literally in the Hebrew an “opposite counterpart,” not one of the same. It has been said that when God made man, He made Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve. Beyond the sexual ramifications of this, by God creating a counterpart, this reveals that a copy of Adam, as in friendship, doesn’t meet that need either. Friends are wonderful and it is important that we each have some but the true longing of the heart required something more. The need was met by a complementary counterpart, who was both different and yet harmonizing.
   When God said that it is not good that man should be alone, He lets us know that He already recognized the need! This He said even before Adam is quoted as having been lonely. What did God do? He brought to him a counterpart companion that was suitable to Adam. And was Adam was pleased by God’s choice? Yes, in fact he was exstatic by it and broke out into song! We need to trust His choice for a companion for us in our lives.
   In reality, the world is setting us up for failure and disillusionment. The Bible describes the world’s solutions to this love hunger within us. The Bible describes the way of the world in 1 John 2:15-17 which reads:
   “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
   The world’s solutions to love hunger are revealed in three ways according to this passage: 1) the lust of the flesh, 2) the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Lust, or the desire of the flesh, makes itself known by being self-focused, impatient, and a lack of self-control which leads to promiscuity. When this lust is feed in our thoughts and unable to be satisfied it can lead to pornography or an abuse of food, drink, or even drugs to try to fill the need.
   Our culture in the U.S. and other places is driven by the lust of the eyes or by desiring others based upon their appearance and physical fitness, their style, provocative clothing, and jewelry. Advertising constantly blasts images designed to feed our desires. Desiring what we see and cannot or should not have is in reality covetousness – which is idolatry according to the Bible (Col. 3:5).
   Finally, the pride of life is used to attract a mate by boasting in our achievements and possessions. This is the idea that marrying someone who is well off financially or has a prestigious career can bring real happiness. Another aspect of this devalues people to mere possessions and conquests, neither of which are God’s will for our lives.
   The Bible says concerning outward beauty that: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful” (1 Peter 3:3-5).
   The Bible is not teaching that women should not wear jewelry, nice clothes, or braid their hair; what it is saying is that the focus of what truly makes someone beautiful is in our heart and in our spirit. In other words, God says true beauty is found in our character. I love how the Message paraphrase renders 1 Samuel 16:7, “God told Samuel, ‘Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.’” This is true for both women and men.
   This is because God recognizes, as we should that beauty is fleeting (cf. Prov 31:30) as He told the prophet Isaiah, “A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isa 40:6-8).
   James applies this same metaphor to a man and his riches in James 1:10-11, that just like a flower in the sun it will soon wither and die. The Bible further teaches that riches take wings and are deceptive.
   What God really wants is for us to be holy and pure and to keep clear of all sexual sin so that each of us will marry in holiness and honor- not in lustful passion as the heathen do, in their ignorance of God and his ways. And this also is God's will: that you never cheat in this matter by taking another man's wife because the Lord will punish you terribly for this, as we have solemnly told you before. For God has not called us to be dirty-minded and full of lust but to be holy and clean. If anyone refuses to live by these rules, he is not disobeying the rules of men but of God who gives his Holy Spirit to you (1 Thess 4:3-8).
   God is not saying this because He is a ‘prude’ but rather God loves us so much that He doesn’t want to see us hurt! Marrying because of lustful passion like unbelievers do will lead to disallusionment and often times divorce. The world has taught, even Christians, a false concept of love and a false method to find love. This is exemplified by Hollywood media. How many Hollywood marriages last and are truly successful, loving relationships? The whole focus of Hollywood love is backward!

Look at what Hollywood says makes a successful relationship:

Step 1: Find the right person – they say the key to love is finding that one special person that was made just for you; so you date, you search, and you may even pray until you find that one special person.

Step 2: Fall in love – they say when you find that right person something inside of you will click and you will instantly know they are the one for you. In the movies you can fall in love with strangers more often called “love at first sight.” That is because Hollywood love is based on that “oooey gooey” feeling that makes you crazy, and causes you to do wild and impetuous things.

Step 3: Fix your hopes and dreams on that person for you future fulfillment – in the movies love trumps every other decision whether it is career, schooling, previous dreams, the love of your parents, financial stability, or ministry calling. Because the purpose of living (the meaning of life) is to love and be loved – Hollywood (and the music industry) teaches “How can I live without you?” “If I can’t have you I don’t want nobody baby.” Yet, if someone doesn’t meet those expectations or you fall out of love, drop them and fly to Seattle to meet a stranger. Which leads to:

Step 4: If Failure occurs, repeat steps 1-3 – because Hollywood’s formula naturally leads to failure in relationships we see those in the public eye of Hollywood divorcing and remarrying over and over again. We hear of illicit sex, promiscuity and divorce battles time and again. They should get a clue – that it doesn’t work as a formula for a successful marriage and relationship. At the very least the Church should get a clue.

Here is God’s prescription for lasting relationships:

Step 1: Become the right person – Joshua Harris in his book, “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” teaches that we first need to get our lives in order and to the place where we are the right person for the person God has for us. That is why in the Bible a man betrothed to a woman would first prepare a house then take a woman to become his wife. Too many times we are looking for love when we should be focusing on accomplishing God’s will and plan for our lives. Do you remember that God recognized the need in Adam for love and companionship and when the time was right, he brought his wife and Adam was pleased with God’s choice? Believe me; you don’t want someone that is out of God’s will for you! You will be extremely hurt by the results. We need to see relationships before we are ready for marriage as distractions to the destiny God has for us.

Step 2: Walk in love – instead of falling in love we need to learn to walk in love – the love that is described in 1 Cor. 13. See, the first responsibility for any Godly relationship does not fall upon them but first upon you. The Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do to you) focuses the primary responsibility for how others treat us on how we first treat them. That is why the Bible also teaches that he who wants friends, should show himself first to be friendly. Walking in love means giving the other person what he or she needs most when it is least deserved. That is how God treated us. Walking in love is much different than “falling in love.” When someone falls in love they can’t help how they feel, how they act and what they are driven to do. Why? Because falling means you have lost control but the fruit of the spirit is self-control (cf. 2 Tim. 1:7; Gal 5:23). Walking requires purpose, balance, and self-control.

Step 3: Fix your eyes and hope on Jesus and seek to please Him through your relationships – God needs to be the most important person in your life (not the person you marry or are dating). When we make our personal fulfillment the goal of every relationship it never works out. We need to break the self-centered focus of our lives. Neither can we make a flaw filled sinner the hope of our life’s fulfillment. And that is what any human is – a sinner. We must remember that the other person is always going to need forgiveness as well as you. If we focus our eyes and hope on Jesus we cannot fail. The Bible says, “Those that put their trust in Him will never be ashamed.”

Step 4: If failure occurs, repeat steps 1-3 – if we fail we must always go back to the beginning and get right. This process is called repentance and acknowledges that we have failed and that we need to change some things in our life. The beautiful thing about repentance and this humbling process is that most often it will save relationships – not destroy them. As humans we often fall into to role playing in our relationships. One person dominates while the other person is a doormat. One person is addicted and the other person enables them by being codependent. To break the cycle we must take responsibility for our actions and work on ourselves becoming godly in our character.

   So what does God want us to do from this point? First of all, God wants to be trusted that He recognizes the need, in fact, He saw it long ago and He has someone in mind for you that is better than you could ever imagine if you will seek to become the person He wants you to become. In reality, unless you change and become like Christ that person will not be attracted to you.
   Secondly, God wants us to learn from His word what love really is and to begin by walking in love. This is especially true if you are already married and you want your marriage to be fulfilling and happy. God places the emphasis of a godly relationship not on the other person but upon us first. I heard a message years ago called, “Changing your husband’s wife!” given to a group of ministers wives. The title could just as well be changed to “Changing your wife’s husband!” for the men. The idea is that the responsibility for a good relationship begins with you changing not on our spouses.
   "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:1-2).
   We must cease to be first concerned about the externals of our appearances as priority and become more concerned with changing our heart and pleasing God. Just as we prepare our appearance before we walk out of the door in the mornings, so we should be concerned to prepare our hearts to please God and serve others as His representatives in this world.
   Does God love you? Yes, of course He does! “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: (Ps 37:4-5).

Be Afraid...Be VERY Afraid!

Perhaps one of the most difficult things for Christians to reconcile in the Bible to what is most often taught about the love of God and grace is the fear of God. There is almost a conspiracy to remove fear from the minds of Christians with respect to the character of God. A popular example of this would be the changing of the definition of the word fear to only mean to revere, have in awe, or to respect. It is not that we should not have awe and respect (see Heb. 12:28) but even that passage goes on to say, “for our God is a consuming fire.”

It is both obvious and found in the Scriptures that the wicked do not fear God. But in lieu of whom God is and the consequences of rejecting God’s salvation in Christ, is this wise and more importantly are Christians partially to blame?

Let’s take a look at what the Bible teaches on this subject and I would like to offer six reasons a Christian should seriously fear God. First of all should anyone every be afraid of God? I would suppose the first objection would be that:

God has not given us a Spirit of Fear:

2 Tim 1:7 NKJV - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (a spirit of timidity NIV)

The context of this passage though is expressly speaking about the fear of men. Paul was trying to encourage his son in the faith to stand boldly for Christ, not speak to his relationship to God in this passage.

Prov 29:25 – Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Jesus speaks about our fear of man versus our fear of God and says:

Luke 12:4-5 – "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."

Considering the consequence of what man can do versus what God will do to those who fail to receive His grace and salvation, Jesus tells us we should not fear men who can only kill us but we should fear the One who can throw us into hell.

Isa 8:13 – The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.

The problem is that the Wicked Do Not Fear God as the Bible teaches.

Ps 36:1-4 NASU – Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For it flatters him in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil.

Rom 3:18 – "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

The Greek word used in the NT for fear is the word: phobos it is from this word that we get the word phobia. The word means “to be put in fear; alarm or fright” and the KJV translates the word “be afraid, exceedingly, fear, terror.” This seems to me to be quite different than just revering or reverencing God.

Rev 15:4 – Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.

Jer 5:22 – Should you not fear me?" declares the Lord. "Should you not tremble in my presence?

Ps 76:7 – You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?

Ps 90:11 NLT – Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.

Did you notice that in these passages God actually deserves to be feared and expects it from those who will bring Him glory? It is true what the Bible teaches:

Ps 111:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

That leads me to my first reason as to why we should fear the Lord: SO WE WILL HATE SIN.

Prov 8:13 – To fear the Lord is to hate evil.

Job 28:28 NASU – "And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'"

Prov 16:6 NKJV – In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

We are to be so afraid of God, who is holy, that we want to avoid sin at all costs because we understand what it does to us, to those around us, and to our relationship with God. This I believe is why Jesus taught:

Mark 9:43-48 – If your hand causes you to sin cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where "'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'

Consider the following passage, what emotion is God trying to illicit from us? God want us to fear Him so much that He wants us not to deliberately keep on sinning by rejecting Christ as the only sacrifice for sin.

Heb 10:26-31 – If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the Law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

In Deut 5:22-29, Moses is recounting the story of when God spoke to the nation of Israel when He proclaimed His Law to them. In this passage He describes how the people were so overcome with fear that they actually feared death. As a result they asked Moses to hear God for them and “whatever the Lord our God tells you. (They said,) We will listen and obey.” What was God’s response? Moses tell the people not to fear me? No. God said, “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!”

The second reason I believe that we should all fear God is SO THAT WE WILL COME TO CHRIST FOR FORGIVENESS AND SALVATION. In Acts 13:7-12, the proconsul, who is described as an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun." Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished/amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

When the proconsul saw the power and the results of that power against wickedness he believed. Remember Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)? “Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard.” I am sure after that no one else lied about their giving to the church. God has used fear to awaken men’s hearts time and time again.

Reason number three to fear God is SO WE WILL REMAIN FAITHFUL. In the letter to the Romans, Paul, through the Holy Spirit, warns believers not to be proud of their salvation but to fear if they don’t continue in faith because they too will be rejected as were the Jews.

Rom 11:20-22 NKJV – Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

We must also be faithful to preserving God’s word and be afraid not to add or take away from Scripture. The Bible warns:

Rev 22:18-19 – I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Along with this passage, Deuteronomy 4:2 and Proverbs 30:6 give similar warnings about adding to or taking away from God’s word. Considering the consequences, we would all do well to heed this warning. Furthermore this carries into the actual message that is being preached.

We must also be faithful to the message of the gospel. If we would turn and preach another gospel we will be eternally condemned! I wonder how many preachers take this warning seriously.

Gal 1:8-10 – But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

We must not be seeking to please men in regard to proclaiming the gospel and yet that is what many churches really are trying to do. It is like they are trying to convince God what His word says rather than God convincing them of the truth. Does God in His gospel demand obedience, or has that passed away with the Law?

Eph 5:3-12 – But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

Yes God demands obedience and anyone who tells you different is a deceiver. The Bible teaches that in the Lord we CAN produce the fruit of righteousness and we can overcome sin – sin no longer has dominion over us. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and those works are called sin. As children of God we are to emulate the characteristics of our heavenly Father. He is holy and as a result of Him living inside of us we should be holy. This requires effort that is based in our faith in Christ and His strength.

Heb 12:14-17 – Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

If we do not learn how to receive the promised gift of righteousness now we will regret it later. Paul warns us to “see to it” that we do not miss the grace of God and as a result be rejected as Esau was. Understanding our sinful tendencies, our hearts that are prone to wander, knowing the consequences for our sin, and receiving Christ’s sacrificial death as an atonement for our sins brings me to the fourth reason to fear God which is SO THAT WE WILL LOVE HIM MUCH.

Luke 7:41-43 - "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

Luke 7:47 – Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

If we don’t fear God we will have the tendency to not take our sins seriously. We will not see ourselves as truly needing salvation and power over sin. The outcome will be that we will not be as thankful or love God very much. That is why we need to look at the Law and the punishments directed toward those who disobey that Law. We will find ourselves as wretched and our sin exceedingly sinful.

Rom 7:9-14 NKJV – I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

What was the reaction of men who saw or heard God? Did they not plead for God to speak no more to them as the Israelites in Deut 5? Did they not fall like dead men and need to be strengthened to stand in God’s presence? Did they not exclaim they were sinners as Peter and Isaiah did?

1 Cor 6:9-11 - Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

How can those who understand the wretchedness of their sinful condition who have now come to Christ and have received His salvation not love Him? We love Him because He first loved us and sent Jesus to die for us while we were ungodly. If we don’t understand what God saved us from how can we expect the world to recognize their need? If we don’t fear God and the consequences for our sin, how can those in the world be convinced they need Christ? So the fifth reason is SO THAT OTHERS WILL FEAR.

Prov 13:19 NKJV – it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

Since it is an abomination for them to depart from evil they “think that it is strange” and insult you now because they are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of wild living ( 1 Peter 4:4).

This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish (2 Peter 2:10-12).

If we live lives that are a contradiction to what we say the world should not do will not the world blaspheme God because of our hypocrisy? Many unbelievers become emboldened to speak and act against God because we don’t fear Him. How do they know we don’t fear Him? Because we do the things we condemn in others. As a result

If you … "brag about your relationship to God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles (or unbelievers also) because of you" (Rom 2:17-24).

See? Our hypocrisy and inability to lead godly lives does not honor God. What it does do is give occasion to sinful men to blaspheme. We see it all the time after a spiritual leader falls. The world is quick to pick up on this and they blaspheme that worthy name by which we are called.

The book of Revelation was not given to unbelievers, rather it was given to the Church so that they being moved with fear and compassion would diligently seek the lost. This is my sixth reason for fearing God; SO WE WILL SHARE CHRIST.

2 Cor 5:10-11 NKJV - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

This passage lets me know that if we truly understood the fear of the Lord it would motivate us to persuade men and women to Christ. It is true that not everyone will come to faith if we give good reason to fear God but our job is to fully relate the message of God’s word and this is most certainly part of it. Be afraid…Be very afraid of the consequences of rejecting God’s salvation in Christ.

I am aware a message like this is not very popular. I do also believe that God wants us to move beyond fear and be motivated by love (perfect love casts out fear), but we should always have a godly fear of Him in the back of our minds. After all, didn't the Serpent esentially tell Eve not to fear God when he told her, "You shall not surely die?" Look in the Bible for yourself and you will see that this message merely scratches the surface.

Father help each of us to truly fear the consequences of sin and let that fear so motivate us as to seek your strength to overcome sin in our lives. May we gain greater love for you by understanding more of what you have saved us from and let our understanding of why You should be feared motivate us to seek those who are lost so that they too will be saved. In Jesus name.

You SHALL Be A Blessing

Have you ever heard the following statements?


“Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”
      - T.H. Thompson and John Watson

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
      - Plato

So my question is. . . Is it true?

Every time I have asked this question the answer has always come back, “Yes, it is true.”

As a minister was addressing a group of men, he took a large piece of paper and made a black dot in the center of it with a marking pen. Then he held the paper up before the group and asked them what they saw. One person quickly replied, "I see a black mark." "Right," the preacher replied. "What else do you see?" Complete silence prevailed. "Don't you see anything other than the dot?" he asked. A chorus of “No” came from the audience. "I'm really surprised," the speaker commented. "You have completely overlooked the most important thing of all – the sheet of paper." Then he made the application. He said that in life we are often distracted by small, dot-like disappointments or painful experiences, and we are prone to forget the innumerable blessings we receive from the hand of the Lord. But like the sheet of paper, the good things are far more important than the adversities that monopolize our attention.

So if it is true that we all struggle in many ways and as a result we tend to focus our attention on our personal struggles, how do we as Christians live “the blessed life” or receive blessings from the Lord – especially since we expect God to hear and to answer our prayers?

The Bible says:

         Gal 3:14 - He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus.

So how are we supposed to receive this blessing? Here was the original promise given to Abraham:

       Gen 12:2 NKJV - I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.

It is interesting to note that grammatically the word “shall” is an imperative – which means it is a command. God is setting forth His way of blessing His people which is “You SHALL be a blessing.” Which is precisely what the rest of the Scriptures teach:

        Prov 11:25 MSG - The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.

        Prov 11:24-25 ERV - Some people give freely and gain more; others refuse to give and end up with less. Give freely, and you will profit. Help others, and you will gain more for yourself.

       Luke 6:35-38 – But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.

It is a principle within the kingdom of God that His people initiate being a blessing to others and in return they are blessed themselves. The passage in Luke shows us that it doesn’t just work with giving financially, but in every area of our lives we are told to “do to others what you would have them do for you” (c.f. Luke 6:31).

But the teaching demands more than just a desire to be blessed. There is a command to be sincerely caring about the struggles of others.

       Phil 2:3-4 - Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

       1 Cor 10:24 - Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

As Christians, I think most of us would agree that we have a responsibility to care about the needs of others and to show that concern in tangible ways, the problem is that our struggles are often the focus of our lives right now. We have dreams about making a difference in this world or in the lives of others as soon as our problems have gone away or at least subsided. But I am going to share with you an important truth:

          Eccl 11:4 TEV - If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything.

It is true in principle that if you are waiting for the conditions of your life to be just right before you begin to obey God’s command to be a blessing to others – you will never do it and as a result you will not have a very blessed life. Look for it in the Scriptures whether it has to do with tithing (Mal 3:8-12); caring for the poor (Matt 25:31-40); having God hear our prayers (Isa. 58); each of these commands that result in us being abundantly blessed all have to do with us meeting the needs of others. We are responsible to those who we are aware of that are in need:

          Prov 28:27 - He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

         Isa 32:8 NKJV - But a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity he shall stand.

In fact, the Bible asks, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:17-18).

Notice that the Bible teaches that it cannot just be something we desire to do and just give lip service to doing we are expected to actually do it! Just as James states:

      James 1:26-27 - If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Now someone may question, are you trying to teach a “works” orientated salvation? Notice what the Scriptures teach:

          Eph 2:8-10 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Notice we are not saved BY works but being saved in Christ Jesus means we will do good works. If we do not understand this we miss the focus of what Scripture is trying to teach us:

           2 Tim 3:16-17 NKJV – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The end result of our Bible study should be that we are equipped to do good works. In fact, this is the primary focus of the teaching of a godly leader:

            Eph 4:11-12 - It was he (Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

          Titus 2:13-15 NKJV - Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. 15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

         Titus 3:8 NKJV - This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

        Titus 3:14 NKJV - And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.

It is the reason that we gather together – to provoke each other to do good works:

        Heb 10:24-25 NKJV - And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

It is how we are to win the world to Christ:

        1 Peter 2:12 - Live such good lives among the unbelievers that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

        Matt 5:14-16 - "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Tavis Smiley, TV talk show host, recounts, “Dr. Cornell West has this really powerful definition of leadership that he told me one day. So, we're sitting around literally eating hot dogs one day and Doc says to me, "You know, it's true Brother Tavis, that you really can't lead people if you don't love people, and you can't save people if you don't serve people."”

This is really true, we cannot save people – reach them with the gospel of Jesus Christ – unless we are willing to do what Jesus did, which is to serve others in love (Gal 5:13). Until we feel debtors to serving others we will not be walking in the will of the Lord for our lives and we will not know what it is to truly be blessed (c.f. Acts 20:35).

            2 Cor 9:6-8 - Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

The beautiful thing is that once we are committed to serving others God promises to provide all that we need to do His will (Heb 13:21). So as difficult as it may seem, let us all turn our eyes away from the storms of our lives and focus on Jesus’ will – the result will be miraculous.

Lord God, it is so difficult for us at times to do the things that are in our hearts to do. Sometimes we even say to You and others our intention to do well, but find we let the struggles of this life choke the word and keep us from becoming fruitful and actually doing the good work. Forgive us and give us a renewed commitment to be a blessing to others both in the church and also in the world that they may see our good works and glorify You. Let us not become weary in doing well and let us receive the harvest of righteousness that You have promised to those who obey You. In Jesus name, we ask it. Amen.

The God of the Cinderella Story

She was a mere servant, bound to fulfill the selfish desires of those who were supposed to treat her like family. Day after day she served faithfully without protest. Rather than complaining, within her heart was a song of hope that someday her life would radically be changed. When her life’s situation seemed to be at its worst, that’s when an unexpected opportunity came and she captured the attention of the prince of her country. She showed up at a ball (a party) that was designed for the prince to choose his bride. Beyond her physical beauty was the beauty of holiness and exemplary character. The crowd watched and complained as the prince chose her alone to dance with. With disdain and jealousy they asked, “Where did she come from? We have never seen her before.” She eventually married the prince and would become a queen. Those who mocked her and abused her were punished.



Lord, let those who read this hear with spiritual ears the symbolism of this story because this is your story and it is our story. You are the God of the Cinderella Story.

This was the fable that has inspired the phrase, “a Cinderella Story,” meaning that someone came out of obscurity and immense difficulty to achieve something great. But long before this story were the stories of the Bible that actually reveal the God of the Cinderella Story. In fact, Scripture teaches that this is God’s modus operandi.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God (1 Cor 1:26-29).

This passage tells us that God deliberately chose those who were weak, those who were abused, despised, and rejected by those more powerful. He chose those who, in comparison to the well educated and wise of this world, seem foolish. God did it then and continues to do it to shame those who think they are wise and important so no one can EVER boast in God’s presence.

The Bible is replete with stories of the insignificant accomplishing great things. The old having children; a Hebrew slave becoming a ruler of the greatest nation of that time; a nation of wanderers displacing ten nations with giants, walled cities, and huge populations; a child defeating the largest giant of all recorded time; the timid that became brave and the weak that became victors like Gideon’s army of 300 that defeated an army of thousands; or like Jehoshaphat who defeated three armies that joined to destroy Judah a single tribe left in Israel. Or Hezekiah who trusted in the Lord in spite of the king of Assyria destroying every other nation it had attacked. The Lord caused the armies of Sennacherib of Assyria to be defeated by an angel. Time limits me of speaking of Daniel, Jeremiah, and the countless others.

Were ANY of these success stories a result of their own ability to become victorious over their situation? No, in fact in most cases, what they accomplished was impossible and unattainable through natural means. That is what I believe God is trying to get us to understand and why the Apostle Paul prayed that the eyes of our understanding might be opened that we would know what is the exceeding greatness of His power that works in those who believe (Eph. 1:19).

Sometimes we get it in our heads that only the strong survive. Or that only the educated are wise or that success is measured by how many possessions someone has. Sadly, this belief is found even in the church where it is believed that being financially endued is equated with godliness, or where a relationship with God is measured by how many degrees one has rather than a lifestyle that reflects godly behavior.

I think many of us buy into a naturalistic concept of the identity of God because we really fail to seek Him passionately enough to see His hand working in our lives. We substitute pragmatism for a legitimate move or revelation of God. We replace Spiritual gifts and God’s anointing with natural talents. We lean on our own understanding rather than believing for the miraculous and as a result we limit Him. To many of us, Christianity is a mere crutch that we lean on only when we need to. True Christianity on the contrary is a stretcher in which we lay our lives down, cease to do our own will, and rely solely upon the promises of God for strength and deliverance. God promises, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness," and that when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor 12:9…10).

Do we really believe that? Do we really seek and rely on God’s strength, His anointing, His wisdom, and His way over what we can accomplish on our own? How many of us seek to be weak, rejoice in our weaknesses, believing that in them is the greatest opportunity for God to show His power and control over all the situations of our lives?

How many of us “lean on our own understanding” instead of acknowledging Him (Prov 3:5-6)? We struggle so often to be in control of the situations of our lives and to live our lives in whatever way we think is right because we believe, “It is my life and my right to do what I want.” When problems come into our lives, we often question God’s faithfulness and love for us. But, God doesn’t want the difficulties, trials or temptations of life to cause us to fall under the weight of them; He wants us to come to Him to receive the way of escape (1 Cor 10:13). His plan is to use us as instruments of righteousness to accomplish something great, something unique, or something that reveals His presence (Mt 5:16).

In all the Cinderella Stories of the Bible, each one of them learned that the way to receive victory over whatever situation they faced was to go to God, explain the circumstance, confess their own weakness and inability to handle the situation, do whatever He said (even if it made no logical sense) and then put their trust in God to deliver them. I am persuaded that Jesus is the same today as yesterday and He still wants to do great things in our lives that testify of His presence. The Bible declares that God desires to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we can ask or think (Eph. 3:20).

Perhaps we need to be reminded that the greatest Cinderella Story in the Bible concerned a boy born to a poor family and was raised in a small town. He had to work hard to make a living. The Bible describes him as plain without the sort of attractiveness that would draw people to him. But he loved people and sought to do good for them with God’s help. When he was in his thirties, he dedicated his life to full time ministry. Out of nowhere he began to do the miraculous, healed the sick, and taught with great authority. Surprisingly, those around him began to question his teaching and claims. “How did he get these things?” They all asked and became offended with him (Mt.13:56-57). Out of jealousy they had him killed, but when a happy ending seemed impossible, he was miraculously raised from the dead and was exalted to the Father’s own right hand far above every ruler and all creation. Of course this is the story of Jesus Christ the greatest of all Cinderella stories.

If we are His, we will share in His ministry of weakness so that the power of God may manifest itself in us. He must increase and we must decrease (Jn 3:30, Zech 4:6).

What are we Thankful For? A Paradigm Shift

Are you part of a family that has each person give thanks for something in their lives as part of their Thanksgiving celebration? Typically there are thanks given for our lives, our families and the things we possess. It is only natural for us to be thankful for all the things that we perceive to be good. After all we would think that who in their right mind would be thankful for things that were unpleasant or difficult? Which begs the question, what if it seemed that there was nothing to be thankful for, could we still give thanks to God?

If we are Christians, but we are going through difficult times, have we lost the reason to give thanks? No, the Bible teaches that God’s will for us is that we would give thanks in every circumstance in our lives (1 Thess 5:18). Therefore what we need is a new paradigm for Thanksgiving. In other words, we need a new focus for the reason to give thanks.

Roget’s Thesaurus lists, as synonyms for the word thankful, the words contented and satisfied. The first step to giving thanks in every circumstance is contentment. What is contentment? Contentment is the knowledge that we possess all that we need. Discontentment is defined as dissatisfaction. We cannot be thankful if we are dissatisfied. The Apostle Paul said that he had learned the secret of being content in every situation (Phil 4:12).

Psalm 100 is specifically called a psalm for giving thanks. As we read this psalm, we can notice that the focus is on the Lord our God. We are His, not that He is ours. This tells us that we are subject to His will and not that He is subject to our wills. While some may balk at His sovereignty, the psalm goes on to reassure us that we need not fear His control because “the Lord is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” His plan for us is ultimately a good one when we love Him and respond to His call and purposes (Rom 8:28).

While the Lord is good and His goodness and love faithfully endure throughout all time, we are sporadic at being good and loving at best and therefore we are not faithful. Because we are not always good, not always loving, and not faithful in every situation how can we be content? Is it not true that much of the world’s problems and even our own are caused by sin?

The Bible teaches that God understands who we are and remembers our character in dealing with us (Psalms 103:14). The Apostle Paul taught, “We are not fit, meaning qualified and sufficient in ability, of ourselves to form personal judgments or to claim or count anything as coming from us, but our power and ability and sufficiency are from God. It is He who has qualified us making us to be fit and worthy and sufficient” (2 Cor 3:5-6). More simply stated, we are flawed creatures in our thinking and actions but God has made us worthy and acceptable in Christ Jesus who died for us. Our worthiness is not based upon our personal goodness or on what we possess; our worthiness is based upon what Christ alone has done.

And so we have found the secret of Paul’s contentment as he stated in his epistle to the Philippians. He said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:11b-13).

The secret to Paul’s contentment was that he possessed Christ in his life and he realized that in Him he could do everything – that is whether it was to be in plenty or in want, or to be well fed or hungry. He found that in Christ Jesus were hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3).

The Bible makes this statement: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21). In this new paradigm for giving thanks, I would like us to understand that it is not only WHERE our treasure is, but also WHAT our treasure is that reveals the condition of our hearts. If our treasures are things like wealth, health, family, and possessions do we realize that eventually we shall lose all of these? It is not that these things are not valuable because if they are used to bring God glory they are. But if they are the focus of our desire and the reason for our thanks then dissatisfaction is inevitable because not only do thieves steal and things decay, but our health fades and our families leave us and eventually pass into eternity.

Paul realized this paradigm shift in his own life when he said, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:7-8). Paul came to the realization that his treasure was Christ Jesus, both knowing Him and possessing Him. Paul tell us in another place, “God has chosen to make known . . . the glorious riches (treasure) of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27).

If we, like Paul, focus our desire and our praise on Christ and all that comes with Him, then it doesn’t matter if we suffer lack or we have this world’s good. We rejoice that our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Like both Moses and Paul we can regard disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt (or this world), because we are looking ahead to our reward (Heb 11:26).

Like Paul, Moses and other Biblical examples, we have to choose to change our perspectives. The Bible tells us that “since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:1-4). This “setting” of our hearts and minds is a purposeful action.

As the old song says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus . . . and the things of this world will grow strangely dim.” We can be content with what we have if we possess Christ because, God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb 13:5).

There is so much more to this paradigm. A Bible study on contentment and giving thanks will help fill in the blanks. This Thanksgiving holyday, be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (be your treasure) as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Let us give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever. In Him we have all that we will ever need.