Thursday, March 28, 2024

Open Your Eyes!

"...you remain guilty because you claim you can see." John 9:41

Have you ever woken in the middle of the night? The bedroom is dark. You are engulfed in a heaviness. Nothing is clear. At first you struggle to see, but as your eyes begin to adjust to the dim atmosphere you soon begin to distinguish the outline of familiar objects. Black has become gray. The gray doesn't feel as ominous. Gray is comfortable, so you rest in its surroundings.

Gray is a frightening colour. It can lead us to accept the unacceptable and tolerate the intolerable. It gives the distorted view of comfort, shading truth. We settle into living with the assumption we can see when we cannot. This contentment sadly makes us unconscious of a greater need.

Inaccurate spiritual vision will result in more than a stubbed toe from stumbling around in poorly lit environments. Adjusting to a lifestyle that denies the light of Christ and convincing ourselves that just saying we see equates to seeing, without evidence of Jesus shining and abiding in us, we're walking the wrong side of the divine divide my friend.

Do you have assurance of salvation? Without a doubt, do you have the confidence that if your life was to end in the next moment you would spend eternity with Christ? On what basis do you stake that claim? 

As I write this, my heart is filled with concern for those who have falsely convinced themselves that they are ok. They adamantly affirm sight, but they are walking in the dark. Like the Pharisees they have mingled with truth, sat in the midst of believers, spoken the vocabulary of the religious and proudly still maintain their status as seeing.

Matthew in his gospel puts it this way, "Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter." (Matthew 7:21). When Jesus comes and asks, "Would you like to get well?" (John 5:6b), they refuse to admit that they are sick.

Admitting your blindness brings forgiveness and freedom. We can't just shut our eyes to truth pretending all is well. I think we all know when we are living in self-deception. Jesus is the light. St. Augustine said, "It is of no advantage to be near the light...if the eyes are closed." 

I urge you to open your eyes. The Light is all around you. Be brave enough to admit the blinders that keep you walking in hypocrisy. Admit your charade of sight. You may be fooling some, but God is looking past your eyes to your heart. He longs to hear you echo the words spoken by the blind man Jesus healed, "But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!"



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Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Don't Stop Believing

"Jesus told them, 'This is the only work God wants from you. Believe in the One He has sent." John 6:29

Multiple times I have heard people express their desire to know the will of God. Maybe they are facing some decisions ahead and they long to know the path to pursue. I've walked that road myself. Choices are before me and I'm seeking the Lord for divine guidance. Do we come to Him trusting He will supply or are we doubtful, wondering how and if He will speak? How paralyzed many Christ-followers are by unbelief.

Before we can believe God, we must make the decision to believe in God. That's not just saying, "Oh, I know there's a God out there somewhere." Many acknowledge the existence of God, but have no personal relationship with Him at all. Countless sitting in Sunday pews rest on their weekly attendance for salvation. This faulty trust is a salvation by works which Christ denies clearly when He says, "The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing..." (John 6:63a). 

We must first receive Him by faith. Multiple times throughout the Gospel of John we read how believing in God brings eternal life. With that belief comes a recognition of His holiness and our sin. Let's be clear, there is one way, and only one way to be saved. It is not true that all roads lead to heaven. God's one and only Son came to earth to be the sacrifice for our sin. When we confess and repent of our sin, Christ forgives. When we believe God raised Jesus from the grave, trusting in the completed work of the cross, we are saved. 

Now, with salvation secure, Jesus tells us to keep believing. This is His will for us. This "work" of believing requires action. This is not a passive noun, but a verb. It's the work and walk of faith. Jesus is telling us to continue to actively believe in Him. Belief in itself is useless. For faith to live and breathe it must walk depending on God. 

I think if we look closely, our lives would reveal our trust displayed in so many other directions. We believe in ourselves, our spouse, our possessions, our vocations, our church, our friends, our family, our wealth, our health and if any of these are shattered, our belief system fails us. Not so with God.

For our walk of belief to be worthy, it will be challenged to keep us moving forward with Him. Belief is not a one-time, done deal event. It's a continual daily, hourly, minute by minute, second by second decision. As we exercise our belief it will grow. Each step of faith empowers the next step of faith. 

Have you made the decision to believe in God? If so, where do you need to believe Him today? Take my hand. We'll walk this road believing God together.

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Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Win/Win

"...I am filled with joy at His success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." John 3:29b, 30

I sat behind her that night at the awards ceremony. I'll never forget her. She sat erect. Back straight. Head held high. Hands clasped. With each name called I saw the longing. She sat in hopeful silence. Barely breathing she waited. An anxious and hopeful yearning written all across her appearance. Her hands sometimes fidgeted in nervousness and anticipation. Until the last name was called. She then stood with poise and refinement, leaving quickly. She had not received any recognition.

My heart ached for her as I remembered my own High School story. Effort unrewarded. Being second or third doesn't bring the acclaim. "Close" or "almost" won't win the medal. Students around her were acknowledged in various forms of the Arts, but all her best work wasn't good enough. Others were better in the field she was pursuing.

When others are promoted in the area of our specialty, how do we respond? It's hard to see another's impact and influence gaining and growing at the expense of our own. Outwardly we may congratulate with stoicism, hiding our emotions, but inwardly our hearts and minds are questioning our worth. Why wasn't it me? Why is it always the other person? How come I don't measure up? Doesn't anyone see all that I'm doing?

John the Baptist arrived on the scene as a forerunner of Christ. His birth story was miraculous. Jesus Himself says of him in Matthew 11:11, "I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist..." Can there be any higher credentials than the Son of God declaring such a statement over his life? Yet he was not first, nor would he ever be. His mission always was to give his all for the message of another.

It was while baptizing new believers one day when John's disciples came to him saying, "Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to Him instead of coming to us." 

"Everybody" the superlative exaggeration of the envious. But honestly, don't we too respond this way? Feeling overlooked we erroneously emphasize another's impact and influence. They have everything. We have nothing. Neither statement is true. I love how John humbly and accurately reminds his disciples that everything we have is a gift from God. John knew who he was, and he knew who Jesus was. Although some of their ministry may have overlapped, Jesus was the Messiah and that made Him uniquely different. From this place of understanding John was spared bitterness and jealousy. Instead, he could genuinely rejoice when others left him to follow Christ. It was a win/win situation!

John's response was not only one of joy and celebration, but he laboured on. He continued in his calling knowing all he was doing was for the glory of another. There can be no ego, protection of position, competition or self-promotion. When God is our only real satisfaction, we can be successful whatever we do. 

Father, I admit to sometimes being insecure about my place in Your Kingdom. Lord, I invite You to do a new work in my heart. Do not quickly release me from this lesson. Help me to genuinely rejoice when others are succeeding in the area of longing that is dearest to my heart, knowing that the smallest gesture done in service and honour to You is the greatest treasure of all.

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Monday, March 25, 2024

Contend or Comply

"These are the commands and regulations that the LORD gave to the people of Israel through Moses while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho." Numbers 36:13

Boundaries. Instructions. Legal requirements. Commands. Regulations. How do you respond to these words? Does the hair stand up on the back of your neck just reading them? Do you feel an immediate inner resistance? The majority of us hate being told what to do. Think about the last item you purchased that included a sheet of instructions. We even toss it in favour of doing things our own way.

Recently I was gently rebuked for being a "rule girl". I confess, it's true. I remember when I was expecting our son. I had never been pregnant before and I sought the advice and wisdom of others. One book in particular became my guide for diet, exercise and general care. I followed it exactly. Because of its encouragement, I ate foods I really didn't enjoy for the health of my baby. I gave up coffee and chocolate. I mean, if the book suggested it, I employed it. After all, it was only for nine months. Surely I could give this child the best nutrients to aid development for such a short period of time. To me, each sacrifice was worth it.

After my last surgery I was sent home with instructions for wound care. I was given direction on the most advantageous sleep position and a plan of helpful physiotherapy. Although none of it was enjoyable, it was for my benefit to follow these requirements to promote healing. Medical professionals who know far more than I, were providing advice for my well-being.

When conduct is placed under the control of another, so many rebel. Christians will argue that because of Jesus we now live under grace. I get that, and I understand it, but it doesn't mean we throw off all authority and do whatever we please. That grace statement was never meant to become a blanket covering disobedience. A great number of people, Christ-followers included, desire to push the limit on everything. They support their actions by somehow attaching God's name in defense. They umbrella their rebellion in the name of the Lord. Seriously? Even in areas as valuable as adhering to a physician's insight for surgical recovery based on experience and years of training. Do we really think we always know better?

Terms of law and order frequent the word of God. Whether we like them or not, they are purposeful and for our protection. Scripture is clear regarding the discipline we face when we neglect to follow God's instructions. Directions from those He has allowed to be in roles of expertise or authority over us become training ground for our responses to biblical doctrine. As long as we're not being asked to do something in opposition to God's word, just do it. Surrender self and pride. How does defiance testify to those watching our lives? We harm our witness far too often by claiming our rights, contending and not complying to simple directives that really are in place by God for our welfare.

What is one practical compliance you could yield to today? Don't make everything a fighting match. It's not worth it. Most things weren't intended to provoke but to provide and protect. Why not thank the Lord today for His sovereignty over all the boundaries, instructions, legal requirements, commands and regulations He has allowed to touch your life and glorify Him through your obedience.

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Renewed Mindset

"What joy for those whose strength comes from the LORD, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem...They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem." Psalm 84:5, 7b

How many incomplete projects have you started? If you were to look around your home right now, would you find items that indicate loss of interest? You began with gusto and excitement but as time passed you just got tired or bored of the endeavour and now there are partially finished attempts of desire around your home, filling closets and plastic bins. Passion alone only provides incentive for so long. It is not enough to carry you through.

Setting our minds on things yields accomplishment. Nothing is achieved without determination and desire. Once we focus on a task with unyielding persistence, it will be completed. Without an inner drive, few things reach fulfillment. A resolve must be mixed with the thought or as soon as the task gets hard or the path faces resistance, it's too easy to abandon the mission and walk away.

The Psalmist writes about setting our minds on a pilgrimage. Although the traveler's destination was geographical, it was first intellectual. A deliberate decision was made on a destination. Incredibly, instead of getting weary as the walk continued, their strength increased. With God-given power their aim is sure and their goal will be reached. The objective isn't just entertained, it is fulfilled.

What is that desired result? God. To come and appear before God. The love and longing for each one to personally see Him and meet with Him. Not content to just be counted in the congregation. Spurgeon writes it this way, "Not merely to be in the assembly, but to appear before God was the object of each devout Israelite. Would to God it were the sincere desire of all who in these days mingle in our religious gatherings. Unless we realize the presence of God we have done nothing; the mere gathering together is nothing worth."

As Christ-followers who set out to attend places of worship weekly, what motivates our pilgrimage? What gets us up and moving, rushing the family to get ready and spend the good part of our day with other brothers and sisters in the Lord? A recent study found that a large majority of those participating in religious services did so with a desire to grow closer to God. Certainly relationship and discipleship are key reasons to prompt our participation. We need to be taught biblical truth, grounded in the faith and growing in the Lord. But, are we missing the dearest element? Are our minds set on pilgrimage to simply come before God? Do we even stop and think about encountering Him there?

For many believers, the routine of the Sabbath setting out is just what we do on Sundays. It is more social than sacred. Conversations of worshippers in church foyers reveal how few have come with a heart to earnestly see God. It's rare, or possibly even completely non-existent, that church attendance is solely with biblical reasons. 

Lord, would You awaken us to a fresh mindset. Would You fill our hearts with a longing to see You. May desiring Your presence truly be what drives us anytime we gather together in Your name.

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Saturday, March 23, 2024

Enemy Territory

"Your ancestors did the same thing...they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the LORD was giving them." Numbers 32:8-9

Having just received a fresh word from the Lord, excitedly we want to share the revelation. We seek out friends who we believe will rejoice with us and join in our enthusiasm. Surprisingly it doesn't happen. Instead of excitement their response casts a cloud of negativity over our joy. Experts in pessimism, they begin pointing out all the reasons we shouldn't embrace new steps of faith.

This really is nothing new. Moses spoke of the generations of Israelites who discouraged their people from entering the land of promise. Within the family there can be those whose vision is limited and their view hindered by doubt, inadequacy and worry. Sadly, they can hold such influence that God's people can lose their desire to walk in obedience. It's a serious sin to discourage the heart of another Christ-follower.

I know we need to exercise wisdom when we perceive the Lord is leading us in a new direction but why are some believers so quick to shoot down another's spiritual fervour? I can't tell you the number of times I've presented something with passion and been met with blank stares. Apathetic words follow. Their unexpected replies hurt. I often think it feels like how the character Joe Fox responds to Kathleen Kelly in the movie "You've Got Mail". Kathleen has just shared her heartache over an unforeseen verbal attack she received, and with compassion Joe responds, "You were expecting to see someone you trusted and met the enemy instead." Wow! No truer words! Definitely discouragement is enemy territory. I think often if Satan can just dampen our spirit at the gate, we will begin to doubt and question whatever it was that had initially had us so eager. 

What inspires discouragement? Why are some so prone to raining on another's parade? I really don't believe that every word from a naysayer is to intentionally shoot us down. Not all responses are truthful indicators that we are being misled, or that in haste have put the horse before the cart. Careless words can flow from cold hearts. Jealous or envious of our expressions of joy and enthusiasm, others can resent our happiness. From places of insecurity and selfishness they aim to dissuade. Possibly fear plays a role. Maybe it's hearing their dream given again to another while God has seemingly remained silent to their prayers.

It's irrational to just dismiss every critical comment. It may be your best counsellor, being used to protect you from foolishly rushing ahead. But after seeking divine discernment if the Lord continues to confirm direction, in courage and resolve we need to walk in obedience to whatever God has revealed. 

Let's decide we will not be instruments of discouragement in the family of God. If genuine caution needs to be given it can be expressed in a loving, caring, sympathetic way. Life is challenging and we need to surround ourselves with those who will celebrate with us, encouraging great steps of faith. The Lord has land for you to enter. Join hands with those who will pray you forward, cheering you on and giving God glory!

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Friday, March 22, 2024

Rhythm of Remembrance

"The LORD said to Moses, 'Give these instructions to the people of Israel. The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to Me; they are My food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to My instructions." Numbers 28:1-2

Throughout the Old Testament we see God commanding sacrifices and celebrations. These ancient Biblical feasts had powerful and prophetic significance for God's people then and are still relevant for our spiritual growth today. Numbers 28 ushers in two chapters concerning offerings that were to be presented to God at appointed times. These were daily, weekly, monthly and annual occasions to remember and rejoice in the Lord.

As I reflect over our Christian calendar today, we have pretty much reduced these intentional times of mindfulness to Easter, Christmas, weekly services and the occasional participation in the Lord's Supper. We know that Christ fulfilled the law and came as the perfect sacrifice for sin making these required offerings both redundant and offensive, but along the way we have lost the gift that these perpetual reminders were to the people of God. These focused, extended times gave a pause in life's routine to remember who God is, who we are, and in humble recognition respond to Him with gratitude and praise. 

The Lord said that these offerings were His food. F. B. Meyer writes that "We often speak of ourselves hungering for God. Do we sufficiently realize that He hungers for our love, our whole-hearted devotion, our fellowship with Him?" That's really hard for our finite minds to comprehend. Not that God needs us in any way, but He longs for us. How often do we leave His desire unsatisfied when we neglect prayer, time in His Word, personal praise and corporate worship? His hunger feeds on the love and obedience of His children. The sacrifices we make of ourselves rise as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

How can we preserve a deep sense of God? How do we keep a regular rhythm of remembrance? Hebrew 13:15 encourages us that instead of celebrating less, now with the coming of our Saviour, we are to celebrate more! The writer of Hebrews says, "Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name."

With the cross as our altar and our lives as the sacrifice may we take time to consider the perfect Lamb slain for us. Lina Abujamra, in her Bible study "Table in the Wilderness", writes "We are likely to forget what we don't make an effort to remember." Considering how our offerings to the Lord rise as a sweet fragrance and in some divine way nourish His heart, may we intensely desire to daily remember Jesus. 

"The Lord longs for our companionship. He waits for us to meet Him in the inner chambers of our hearts. Let's not keep Him waiting there alone. Again the loneliness of our Lord comes to me more and more. How few of us are concerned about satisfying His heart. How I hear Him saying, I thirst, Give Me to drink. May my Lord never let me grow cold in my longing to be a cup in His hand for the quenching of His own royal thirst." Oswald Chambers