Apathy-DD 5/19/10

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth."
Rev 3:15-16

Contextually the Lord is sending a message to the church at Laodecia who apparently had some problems with their conviction. Three things jump out here: the Lord has a desire for us, our condition is less than desirable and there are consequences.

First, notice how the word says that he wishes that we were hot or cold. The word wish (or "would" in some versions) comes from a Greek word that involves a desire that is not likely to ever be met. The Lord knows that there are those of us who will remain non committal to him and to the faith. You'll recall in Noah's time, this was true as well.

Then, it is interesting to note that Jesus would rather that we were cold or hot. While one would think that the Lord would want us all to be "on fire" in the faith, Jesus seems OK with some being cold. Make no mistake, God would have all men to be saved. There are times throughout scripture when the Spirit inspired writers to use extreme examples to make a point. The point here is that it would be better even to be cold than to be lukewarm. With the cold, at least it can be said that there is no guile or hypocrisy.

Finally, it is this desire to sit on the fence, hang out in the middle of the road and failure to make a choice for against the cause of Christ that does not make him angry, but in fact, makes him sick. Beloved this is a significant charge that we all would be well advised to examine. Are we playing Christian or being Christian? Are we feigning love or loving with fervor? Do we mean what we say or are we merely going through the motions? Think hard. The Holy Lamb of God has said that he will vomit those out who are guilty of spiritual apathy. Separation from God is the very definition of hell. Again, think hard. Are you harboring a spirit of apathy?

[Memory verse of the week: Psalm 34:1-3]

In Revival,

Lee

God's Plan-DD 5/18/2010

"...this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God," Acts 2:23

Beloved, we can scarcely wrap our minds around infinite wisdom, knowledge and love. Before time existed, before the universe was created, before He blew his breath into a mound of dirt and man became a living soul, God knew that we would need a deliverer. He saw across time that the pinnacle of His creation would almost immediately fall into the deepest abyss of sin.

Having this infinite foreknowledge, He developed a plan. The plan was to purchase the redemption of mankind with the blood of His absolutely unique Son through His infinite love. He knew that this precious life would be taken through the agency of those whom the death was meant to save. In truth, it was never man who took Jesus' life, but God who gave it. Through infinite wisdom He gave the life of the Son of Man for us (rather than through a method or being with whom we could not identify), even while we were and are yet in our sins.

His life, death and resurrection to life should be celebrated with joy. Such a costly gift made freely available is to be accepted with awe and thanksgiving and the resultant life from death, lived to His glory. God's plan is for us to become, through faith in Jesus, who we were made to be.

[Memory verse of the week: Psalm 34:1-3]

In Revival,

Lee

Do What You Can Do-DD 5/17/10

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." 1 Cor 3:6

When it comes to doing the work of the Lord, it is not unusual that we sometimes get discouraged. Whether it involves work in and around the congregation like teaching or serving or external things like evangelism or acts of benevolence toward others, sometimes the enormity of the work can be overwhelming. Christ said in Matt 9:37, "...the harvest truly is plenteous but the workers are few."

To make things even more challenging, it seems that it is always the same people that do all the work. As much as there are those around us who are part of the fellowship and enjoy a relationship with God as we do, it seems that some do not quite demonstrate their love through the actions the Lord calls upon us to take. [Be cautious about presuming what others do for the cause of Christ in their own way and their own time]

The encouragement to you beloved is simply to do what you can do. We are called upon to serve. We all have diverse talents and as members of the body, are responsible to the whole for doing the things that we have been gifted to do. To carry the biblical analogy of the body a bit further, if you are an ear in the body, your job is to hear. You do not have the ability to see or digest food. That is someone else's responsibility. It takes all of us doing our part in order for the body to work as it was designed.

As Christians, we are called upon to plant seeds and water them. Those seeds may fall into a variety of places that are hostile to growth, but some find fertile soil. And for even those to grow, it is God that adds the increase, not ourselves. Be not weary in well doing. Do what you can do and encourage others to do what they can do.

[Memory verse of the week: Psalm 34:1-3]

In Revival,

Lee

You and the Word-DD 5/14/2010

"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deut 6:6-9

The word of God is to be everything to the Christian. According to Heb 1:1-2, God previously educated us though prophets who spoke to the heads of families who in turn, taught their families. In these last days however, He speaks to us through His word. Make no mistake, the primary way we can get to know our Father and His will for our lives is to consult His word.

Though no book can possibly contain Yahweh, all we need to know about Him is contained therein. That word, devinely inspired by Him, is to not only to become a part of who we are, but to be constantly on our minds and hearts. We are to teach it to our children.

God's people have always pursued a tradition of passing down knowledge and information. Is that tradition still intact with us? Before you say yes, ask yourself when was the last time you sat down and spent time studying His word for yourself. Yes, we go to worship services and attend bible classes but do you "talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up?" When is the last time you actually conducted a study with your family or your friends?

Beloved, learn God's word for yourself. After all, it was provided specifically for you.

[Memory verse of the week: John 2:2-4]

In Revival,

Lee

Don't Fool Yourself-DD 5/13/2010

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was." James 1:22-24

One of the saddest things in life is for those who were once enlightened to fall back into darkness. The loving Father has taken every necessary step to create a path back to Him from original sin. That path is paved with the blood of Jesus. Though many of us stumble from time to time, with the help of the Spirit, we get back up, brush ourselves off and keep moving forward. The tragedy is that there are those who wander off the path, head in the opposite direction or just wallow on the ground to which they have fallen. Sadder still, we will often rationalize our actions and decisions and somehow make God alright with the wrong we are doing because He is such a forgiving God. This is the essence of deluding ourselves.

There is a sobering bit of scripture for those who refuse to walk in the newness of life: "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame" Heb 6:4-6. Beloved can any of us imagine being the soldier that nailed Christ to the cross. In essence, we are doing just that when we leave the faith and leave the Father for the alluring yet false promises of sins pleasures.

Still not getting the message? If one decides that this is the course of action that they wish to pursue, God will grant you an assist: "For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness." 2 Thess 2:11-12

Let us all endeavor to keep our eye on the prize, our nose to the grindstone and our feet on the path to glory.

[Memory verse of the week: John 14:2-3]

In Revival,

Lee

Embracing Your Role-DD 5/12/2010

"Thus he said to him, " Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel and I will be next to you; and Saul my father knows that also." 1 Sam 23:17

Beloved there are times when we have the grandest of plans for our own lives. We pursue education, athletics, apprenticeship in construction or the arts with the greatest of intentions to make a significant impact on the world. Whether through hard work or birthright, we sometimes feel that we deserve to have a particular function or station in life.

Consider Jonathan, the son of King Saul. In monarchy, it is a foregone conclusion that the son follows the father to the throne and that the family would rule in perpetuity. Johnathan had every right to expect to become king after his father. Scripture reveals, however, that God had other plans. He had already chosen David to be the next king early in Saul's reign.

Despite what we think or plan, we must realize that we do not have all of the answers and that God has His own ideas about what He wants us to do and where He wants us to be. We may serve His purpose best by working at a not for profit organization rather than holding the office of CEO at a Fortune 500 organization. It may be that we are placed with a spouse of questionable values and morals rather than a steadfast and upright mate for the glory of God.

Surely we must place ourselves in the hollow of the Father's hand and embrace whatever role He has for us with gladness. Not only was Jonathan not angry about David being the future king, but he made a covenant with him and "...he loved him as he loved his own life." 1 Sam 20:17 It may very well be that God put you exactly where you are. It is from there that you can get to exactly where He is.

[Memory verse of the week: John 14:2-3]

In Revival,

Lee

Preparation-DD 5/11/2010

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Cor 15:58

The preceding verses in this passage of scripture focus on our future. Paul shares with the Corinthians the fact of the promise as well as how it is to take place. He says that though we are fleshly creatures descended from the first fleshly man, Adam, we are also spiritual creatures descended from the first spiritual man, Jesus. We will not enter heaven in our current flesh, but will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. Whether we have passed from this life or are in the very midst of living it, death will have been defeated and the righteous shall live ever more with Him.

The encouragement then is to not get tired, to not faint and to not give up. We must be firm in our convictions, certain in our belief, dedicated in our service and convinced of the truth. There are many things that will challenge us, but we are to constantly redouble our efforts by doing the work of our Lord and keeping our minds occupied with him. Surely this is not a useless pursuit or waste of time, but preparation for what comes next.

[Memory verse of the week: John 14:2-3]

In Revival,

Lee