Created for Holiness! (Part 4 of 7)

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue to explore the eternally important topic for the Christian Church today… HOLINESS!

Created for Holiness! (Part 4 of 7)

King and Lord!

Jesus Christ is our Sovereign KING – He is the KING of kings and LORD of lords!

 

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS – Revelation 19:16

Throughout the Bible saints fall flat on their faces in the presence of the Angel of Jesus Christ or in His perfect presence (see Deuteronomy 9:18, Ezekiel 11:13, Matthew 2:11, Luke 5:8, 8:41; John 11:32, Revelation 5:8, 14; 19:4, etc.)!

Let me emphasize that the more I have personally entered into worship of the Almighty in my private time of devotions – the more I really understand true worship of Him! This is both incredibly humbling and is a natural consequence of being a mere creature in the Presence of an All-Holy Father God – Woe is me! 

 

Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts – Isaiah 6:5

Remember the famous verse formulated for the nation of Israel:

 

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Note the first condition – humility! Of course, this Scripture was written to the Jew’s of Old Testament Israel. However, we should take heed of this promise today. We must pray and seek His face. What does that mean exactly? It means if we really, truly seek His face, the power of the Holy Spirit will be so strong that we WILL be flat on our face before Him...

 

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of God’s HOLINESS!…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

Give God Your All

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”  Exodus 3

Moses jumped ahead of himself just a little bit.  I find this interesting because the first time he speaks to God, he's volunteering himself.  "Here I am."  In the next chapter Moses explains he's slow of speech.  Now, I've heard this interpreted as a speech impediment and as someone being a slow thinker.  Either way, he doesn't seem slow (in either respect) the first time he speaks.

What happens in the middle?  Backpedaling.  Lots of backpedaling.

Do you ever volunteer for something before knowing everything that will be asked of you?  Sure, you might do it here and there, but with God, it's something different.  We're called on to trust him.  He asks a lot of us, but it's all for a reason.  Sometimes he doesn't give us the entire reason when he calls on us.  Once we agree to follow God, there's no amount of reasons or excuses that will get release us from our promise.  So when you jump in with both feet, be prepared to swim.

Remorse versus Repentance

Are you and I like Judas or Peter? Last week we saw how Peter wept bitterly over his sin. Judas was also sorry about his sin, or at least the consequences of his sin, but his remorse didn’t lead to repentance.

Matthew 27:3-5          ³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” ⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Judas was remorseful and did acknowledge his sin. He acknowledged it to himself and also to those with whom he joined in sin. He didn’t repent and turn to God, though. He tried to undo his sin and make restitution himself.
Do you and I recognize, acknowledge, and apologize for our sin?
If so, that’s a great start, but what do we do next?
How often do you and I then try to undo our sin and make our own restitution?
Instead, what sin do you and I need to take to God in full repentance, allowing Him to take over?

God promises comfort (Matthew 5:4) and refreshment (Acts 3:19) to the truly repentant, as we saw last week. He also promises to forgive, purify, redeem and provide direction for next steps.
I John 1:8-9      ⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 103:2-4 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— ³ who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.

I pray God will help us be truly repentant and not just remorseful, allowing Him to heal and redeem us.

Alice

All Experience is Relevant

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.  Psalm 121:7-8

I remember my first big interview for a major organization.  As such, I went to my mother to help me prepare for this opportunity.  She could sense my inner doubts, and she asked me where it came from.  My response was that I had never had experience in working with people at that level.  She simply replied, “Kent, all experience is relevant.”  Needless to say, I got the job.  Looking back on my life, there are many experiences that I questioned their importance in my spiritual development.  But even when something bad happened, I have remembered that God has been watching over me even before I was born.  Thus, there was always something relevant to God’s plan that I had to learn from those experiences.

Our life long experiences prepare us for God’s plan of the future.  The verses of Psalm 121 are a reminder of something we know but often may lose sight of.  God is always with us whether good times and bad.  We are humbled by His favor, and find joy even through our struggles.  In all situations, we learn lessons, and are revealed God’s purpose for our lives.  Thus, we are given a wonderful opportunity to grow spiritually through those experiences, and it is only through recognizing that God is both in control and watching that those experiences have relevancy.

Experience is truly the greatest teacher, and the experiences of Jesus Christ reveal our greatest lessons.  Through His life, we have victory over death, but it is worthy to note that even He had to experience death on the cross to teach us that one’s darkest hour can lead to ultimate triumph.  Remember that no matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God is with you now and forevermore.  How does God’s omnipresence reassure you?  What experience can you see differently through a God-centered lens?  My prayer is that in connecting with God we remember as my mother said, “All experience is relevant.”  Amen.

Tues Devo: How to get what you want

Good Morning,

I believe I found the secret! I have discovered in Scripture how to get what we want! Now, it will take some effort; getting what you want doesn’t just happen overnight as you casually wish you had it. It takes drive and commitment to get what you want. But, if you have that drive and keep after it – it can be obtained. What happens when it is obtained? Satisfaction! The Bible promises that when we drive for it and keep going we will find it and be satisfied….and we are talking about more than just a temporary satisfaction you might get after a nice meal, or your favorite team wins the game or after you excel at work – true, deep and long lasting satisfaction. All it takes is that drive – hunger if you will – to pursue it with full commitment.

Have a blessed day,

Oh wait, I failed to actually tell you how to get what you want….sorry. All you have to do is set your sights higher than you have been setting them – change what you want to be righteousness. You see, when you want righteousness and you seek It with all your heart you will be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (NASB)

So – let’s all stop trying to get what we thought we wanted, and seek full force after what can be gotten – and will lead to true satisfaction.

Will Hill

Created for Holiness! (Part 3 of 7)

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue to explore the eternally important topic for the Christian Church today… HOLINESS!

Created for Holiness! (Part 3 of 7)

Lessons in Worship!

 

When we move into a set-apart life, the anointing of the Lord begins flowing in our prayers and our worship grows in His power. Most Christians understand prayer. However, today we have confused ideas about worship. What does it mean to actually worship Jesus Christ?

 

In the modern church, it often means standing and singing hymns or worship choruses. In charismatic circles, it can also mean more free-flowing improvisational music with the congregation singing or “speaking in tongues” for indeterminate amounts of time. But is this really Biblical worship?

 

In the Bible the word worship is first used by Abraham in the book of Genesis:

 

And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you” – Genesis 22:5

This is the binding of Isaac. Applying the Law of First Mention to the word worship, let us consider two things: 

 

First ~ The Lord is asking Abraham to kill his son – the son of promise! He earnestly believes he is to worship Abba by sacrificing his son.

 

Second ~ Note the final clause: “I and the lad… will come again to you “ That is a supreme statement of faith. It is right up there with Job’s famous statement:

 

Though He [God] slay me, yet will I trust in Him – Job 13:15

Abraham is believing that even if he sacrifices his son, somehow the Almighty will make it right – perhaps even by resurrecting Isaac from the dead! Abraham really has faith that they will come back down the mountain together. True Worship requires the complete surrender of something incalculably precious to God – faith! 

The Hebrew word most often used in the Hebrew Bible is SHAKHAW. It means to prostrate, to fall down flat on one’s face or worship. The most common Greek word in the New Testament is PROSKUNEO. This means to kiss or lick – like a dog licking his master’s hand – to prostrate oneself in homage. Do you see a trend here?

You do not usually see these activities in churches, at least not in America. In many so-called “high churches,” the standing, kneeling and sitting is all regimented but is not Holy Spirit-led. In Pentecostal churches, you may see people kneel during a free-flowing worship time or you might see Baptists kneel during a prayer meeting.  

What have we lost in our worship? Have we lost the sense of Abba Father’s ABSOLUTE and UTTER Holiness?

In a subtle form of idolatry, even true Believers in Jesus Christ often make Him in their own image. Since much of the modern Western world is a democracy, we tend to think church should be too. Jesus is like our president or prime minister. Many churches are even run like democracies – including the “electing” of pastors! The Kingdom of Heaven is NOT a democracy. If we are in it we are His subjects and if we want victory in our lives and in our society, we need to cultivate our worship – because ONLY out of true worship comes more of the Holy Spirit and more of the vital fruit of humility.

This is often reflected in a casual attitude among preachers when discussing the Almighty. Some even stand at their pulpits and act as if they are having a casual chitchat with Him. They would not talk to the president like that! Can the folks in the pews be blamed for not having enough respect for Jesus Christ when their pastors often seem so flippant and casual? I don’t think so…

 

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of God’s HOLINESS!…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

Legacy

23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.  Exodus 2

I had a really hard time picking out something to write about.  This chapter has so much going on!  Go read the whole chapter on your own when you can.  I decided to go big picture rather than drill down into a particular part.

So, anyways, Egypt.  When I was a child, I loved all things relating to ancient Egypt.  I loved reading about it, seeing mummies on traveling exhibits, watching television shows about it, everything!  I soaked it up.  I didn't want to go out and become an archaeologist or anything along those lines, I was just fascinated with the concept that a civilization could leave such a lasting legacy with their structures and language, and yet have so many unanswered questions.  Over time, the meaning has become lost, while the structures remain.

Compare that to Moses.  What did Moses and the Israelites build?  They built the ark of the covenant, the temple, and the priestly garments.  Yes, there's the tablets of the Ten Commandments, but those weren't really built by the Israelites, but let's include them here too.  Basically, the Israelites had plenty of "stuff" that could be passed down for generations.  Yet, it's lost today.  However, the meaning still remains.  In fact, the meaning has been strengthened over the years with Jesus's birth, life, and death which paid for our sins and no longer requires us to sacrifice at the temple for atonement.  

On one hand, the Egyptians left physical objects behind, but the spiritual has been lost.  It's considered to be an extinct religion.  On the other hand, the Israelites left spiritual meaning behind, but the objects are lost.  The continuation of their religion is thriving!  

A legacy is what you leave behind after you're gone.  What will your legacy be? 

Bitter Weeping

When was the last time you cried? I’m not just talking to the women, but the men, too! What was it that made you cry?

Have you ever cried over sin? Peter did.

Matthew 26:73-75      ⁷³ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

What is interesting is that Peter cried immediately upon realizing he had sinned. I think that shows how much he did love Jesus and how truly repentant he was. Once he realized he had sinned he didn’t try to go on with life as if nothing had happened or with the hopes of his sin going unnoticed. He wasn’t just crying over the consequences of sin, either.

Are you and I more upset over the consequences of sin rather than the actual sin itself? Kent talked last week about how much God loves us. How much do you and I love God? I think our true heart is revealed by the way we handle our own sin. I think the most bitter weeping we should ever do is over our own sin. It should lead us to turn to God for forgiveness and sincerely seek His help to be more Christ-like going forward. As we’re reconciled back to God, we can truly experience His comfort and peace.

Jesus promised in Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” And Peter himself, speaking from experience, told the crowd in Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

We can’t experience God’s comfort and refreshment until we truly mourn and repent of our sin. So, I pray the next time you and I sin we will love God enough to weep bitterly and turn back to Him.

Alice

Focus and Refocus

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:1-2

Do you ever lose focus of God?  When I got home, the house looked like utter chaos.  This left me in a very bad place mentally, and I sat in silence trying not to let the spirit of anger get the best of me.  As I calmed down and reflected on the moment, I realized that my focus on God was totally gone at that moment.  While I am glad I did not say anything that would have really caused problems, it occurred that I needed to do better focusing on God then, and then refocus today when I have my discussion with my family over what happened the night before.

Keeping our focus on God allows for positive outcomes in our lives.  Paul’s comments in Hebrews point out both the necessity of focusing on Jesus Christ as well as hindrances and sin that can take us off that path.  Hindrances are the things we have full control of that are good but not God centered (tasks that take time away from God focused activities or prioritizing tasks above God).  Sin is the thing that can control us that are bad (anger, defiance, impure acts).  Both are serious issues, but if we can discipline ourselves to refocus when we lose the path (daily prayers, structured reading of the word, devotion reading), we can maintain that focus that is so important to our walk of faith.

The pathway to God is not an easy one to follow.  We may fall down, but we have a loving God who has shown us grace through Jesus Christ, and like all great teachers, He has patience with and love for us to watch us learn and grow.  Thus, we must as Paul says, “Fight the good fight of the faith,” to maintain our focus on God (1 Timothy 6:12).  How do you maintain focus on God?  What structure can you use to refocus on God when it’s lost?  My prayer is that in challenging times, we both focus and refocus on God.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Recognize the power?

Exodus 19: 10- “the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shat; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.’” (NASB)

Hello,

Most of the time when we encounter something that is powerful, we have the chance to have one of our senses detect that power. Whether it is audible as a muscle car engine, visible as watching someone lift a heavy object, or even a powerful odor we can smell from a skunk – we recognize power quickly – and are ready to respond if needed due to that power. Sometimes we change course, sometimes we go into survival mode or sometimes we applaud – just depends on the scenario.

God is powerful. Do you recognize it? If so, how are you responding to His power? All too often we don’t respond to life with His power in mind. We need to remember how great He is – and let that drive our submission to His will and our faith in His plan.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill