No Longer Seeking, But Seeing More of Him

"Wise men still seek him".

I had commented yesterday about this idea in many Christians circles, that we are called to seek God and desire Him.

Indeed, Jesus did say:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)

Context is key in this passage, for Jesus was not preaching to those who needed the Savior, but to fans in awe of his celebrity:

"4And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan." (Matthew 4: 24-25)

He was also speaking to people who saw Him as an example to imitate:

"1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying," (Matthew 5: 1-2)

All of this falls into place further when we see what Jesus did for a leper, someone who wasn't looking for a celebrity or a teacher, but a Savior:

"1When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." (Matthew 8: 1-4)

Today, we need to see Jesus our Living Savior, not try to seek Him, but rather know that He seeks us and cares for us:

"I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name." (Isaiah 65: 1)

Which Paul repeats to the Romans (and to all of us Gentiles who have been grafted into the Body of Christ):

"24Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

25As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

26And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God." (Romans 9: 24-26)

 

So, today we are not called to seek Him, but rather see more of Him, in that we see all that He is doing for us:

 

"16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."" (Ephesians 3: 16-19)

 

and then

 

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen" (2 Peter 3: 18)

 

and thus

 

"I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning." (1 John 2: 14)

 

Maturity in the Body of Christ is not based on how hard you seek Jesus, but rather that you know how much He loves you, is gracious to you, and has been with you from the beginning.

Wisdom Has Sought Us

"1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." (Matthew 2: 1-2)

I once read a coffee mug, with the message: "Wise men still seek Him."

At first profound, this message actually misses the greater point of God's love for us.

God loved us first, when we were not even paying attention to Him:

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 8)

In fact, today Jesus is our Wisdom:

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1: 30)

Notice that Paul refers to Him as "Christ Jesus", recognizing His resurrected, forever glorified status at the right hand of God the Father.

Today, we are not seeking Jesus, but rather receiving Him:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

and then

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." (Romans 10:17, NIV)

and finally

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14: 17)

The first Christians did not seek the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit rushed onto them. Hear what Jesus said before He ascended:

"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." (Luke 24: 49)

Then

"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." (Acts 2: 2)

Consider the parable of the Good Shepherd:

"4What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost." (Luke 15:4-6)

The sheep did not seek the Shepherd. The Good Shepherd, Jesus, sought the sheep, who merely consented to be carried.

Today, we are not seeking God, nor are we seeking Jesus, but rather we allow Him to take us up, to live in us, and to lead us:

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 13)

and

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

Today, we are wise because of Jesus, and we do not seek Him. He has sought us and lives in us (Colossians 3: 1-4)

Are You Still In Want? The LORD is Your Shepherd

"A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." (Psalm 23: 1)

Do you find yourself in want today? Do you have lack?

The LORD is your Shepherd.

What does that mean, though?

If we find that lack still persists in our lives, in spite of our most ardent Bible-reading, then we have to return to the first part of the first verse of this beloved Psalm.

The LORD is your Shepherd.

Who is the LORD? The original Hebrew writes Y-H-W-H:

"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 3: 14)

Do you see Jesus your Shepherd holding all of time in His hands, having gone before you and prepared the way?

He is our Shepherd, which means that He has given everything for us

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10: 11)

and then

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." (John 10: 14)

What did Jesus mean when He called Himself the Good Shepherd? John explains further in his First Epistle:

It means that we both know and believe in His love for us (1 John 4:16).

How do we see this love for us? In the Cross:
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1 John 4: 9)

Then

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

Notice that Jesus our Good Shepherd did not just lay down His life for us, and then nothing more.

His laying down His life has eternal consequences for us, for His blood keeps cleansing us (1 John 1: 7) and speaks better things than the condemning blood of Abel (Hebrews 12: 23-24)

He is our Shepherd, watching out for us, caring for us:

"3And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." (Luke 15: 3-7)

The Shepherd sought, found, brought back, and celebrated the sheep.

Do you see Jesus as your Shepherd, one who will always stand by you and care for you?

When you have this growing revelation, then you will find yourself no longer in want, because He is caring for you.

Because He Cares For You

"6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5: 6-7)

I used to believe that God would not care for me if I was worried or full of cares.

I had to get rid of the anxieties in my life, or He would back away because I would not trust Him.

Yet what does the verse above say?

"Casting your care (singular!), for he cares for you."

He cares for us, even while we have our cares.

He has been caring for us from the moment that He sent His Son to die for us.

In fact, the loving care of our Daddy God was on full display as soon as man fell:

"14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

 

"15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3: 14-15)

 

The same serpent who had deceived Eve, and whom Adam did nothing to stop, this same serpent faced the sure prophesy of his defeat from "the woman's seed", i.e. Jesus.

 

God also dressed Adam and Eve in coats of skin, a picture of God's perfect righteousness clothed upon us through Jesus' death on the Cross:

 

"21Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Genesis 3: 21)

 

God was all about caring for His creation, man, even when they did not care for Him or consider what He had told them.

 

Paul further explains:

 

"8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (Romans 5: 8-10)

 

He does not care for us because of anything that we have done, but because of all that Jesus has done for us.

 

We have this sure confidence because He has paid for all our sins forever:

 

"

10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

 

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

 

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

 

He is a God to us, and we are His people. He cares for us.

 

Don't feel bad about your cares. Cast and keep on casting your cares on Him, Because he cares for you.

 

If you are still full of cares, the remedy is very simple: you need to know and believe that He cares for you!

Jesus Fought and Won, We Enjoy His Gain

"Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil." (Psalm 68: 12)

In this verse, we see not just the picture of a loving wife profiting from the efforts of the king and his men, but also ourselves in Christ, we are blessed because of all that Jesus Christ has done for us:

"3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 3-6)

We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings, which speak of their origin in Christ, through His Spirit.

The first example of this blessed grace accorded to us we find in Abraham, and the Covenant of grace which God cut with him through Jesus:

"

12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

 

17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces." (Genesis 15: 12-17)

 

"A smoking furnace. . a burning lamp" is Jesus. God did not cut the covenant with Abraham, but with our Perfect Representative, Jesus:

 

"For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:" (Hebrews 5: 1)

Now, Jesus is our Heavenly King:

"And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it." (Luke 23: 3)

He wrought the greatest victory for us, defeating sin and death at the Cross:

"13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)

Notice that he made an open display of every enemy!

Today, we do not fight with enemies, but rather rest in the truth that He has already fought and won!

"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-5)

and

So, today, we have a King who has defeated all enemies, and we are seated with Him (Ephesians 2: 4-6), married to Christ Jesus (Romans 7: 1-6)

Rest in the Finished Work of Jesus, and enjoy the spoils of war which our Lord has fought and won:

"37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 37-39)

Only Those Who Need Him Receive His Grace

"And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. 2Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon." (2 Samuel 10: 1-2)

In the chapter right after David honors and restores Mephibosheth, David then sets out to show kindness to another royal family, of Ammon, because the king at the time was kind to him.
Instead of receiving David's graciousness, the king's advisors frightened him and told him to reject David's emissaries:

"3And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?:

Just as the maid took Mephibosheth and hid him, out of fear that David was going to kill him, so too the advisors told Hanun to fear David and rather rebuke and rebuff David's kindness.

Why? There was no basis for trust.

While David had formed a covenant with Jonathan, there was no covenant with the former king of Ammon.

A little background on this story will help bring out the points which the Holy Spirit is revealing to us:

"Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee." (1 Samuel 11: 1)

In effect, the only reason why the dead king of Ammon was kind to David was that he opposed Saul.  Furthermore, we see a kindness based on "I will so that you will."

The New Covenant is not based on what we do for God, but rather what God will do because of what Jesus has done (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

Again, no direct kindness or aid took place.

What about the names in the 2 Samuel 10 account? What can they reveal to us?

"Hanun" means "favored", and his father's name "Nahash" means "serpent" (First mention is the serpent who beguiled Adam and Eve (Genesis 3: 1)

So, we have a picture of the fall of man, in which man thought he could obtain favor through his own efforts, as the Serpent had lied to Eve.

The favor of God will mean nothing to us if we think that we are favored in what we do.

Furthermore, God's favor  means nothing to us if it is dependent on something that we must do. Notice that David did not say "surely show" kindness to Hanun.

"8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

When we understand that there is not one thing we can do of ourselves, we can fully receive the grace of God.

No wonder we find at this verse at the end of the previous chapter:

"13So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet." (2 Samuel 9: 13)

 

He Will Absolutely Be Gracious to Us

"And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually" (2 Samuel 9: 7)

Meditate on that passage: "surely shew thee kindness".

What does the original Hebrew reveal to us?

"I will do do grace"

It is a superlative of God's grace for us.

He will do and do again nothing but good for us:

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." (Psalm 23 6)

With the recognition of His superabundant goodness, we can understand passages like this one:

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" (Romans 5: 20)

This superabundances helps us to understand why we receive and keep receiving the gift of righteousness and abundance of grace:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

In spite of all the bad things which Mephibosheth had suffered, including the lameness in his feet because of the hurried nursemaid (2 Samuel 4: 4), David restored everything back to Him, and more, because he was honored with sitting at the same table as David the King, receiving the same honor if not double because of his father Jonathan:

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." (Psalm 23: 5)

and

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 32)

"Freely give" is actually "be gracious to us", just as David promised to Mephibosheth that he would be gracious, showing covenant kindness to him.

And today, we have that kindness showered on us, because of Jesus:

"3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 3-6)

He Causes Us To Fear (Reverence) Him

"And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." (Jeremiah 32: 40)

Here we find another reference and promise of God's New Covenant with Israel, and thus with all who believe on His Son Jesus:

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8: 17)

and

"That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: (Ephesians 3: 6)

So, we can enjoy the same promises which God made through Jeremiah to the Israelites.

Now, in this affirmation of the Gospel, God speaks of an everlasting covenant.

One which does not depend on us, this everlasting covenant depends on the blood of Jesus:

"And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." (Mark 14: 24)

This blood is perfect, and cleanses forever more:

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" (1 Peter 1: 18-19)

and

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)

This New Covenant, grants to us a new heart, one which allows God to cause us to walk in His ways, too! Why? Because we know that we are forgiven:

"But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." (Psalm 130: 4)

This forgiveness comes through His Son, and thus He is faithful and just to forgive us all our sins, and thus cause us to fear Him!

He Shows Us Kindness for Jesus' Sake

"7And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. 8And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

9Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house." (2 Samuel 9: 7-9)

 

David, a picture of God the Father, cut a covenant for us through His Son Jesus, who is typified in Jonathan, i.e. the Gift of God.

 

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

 

and then

 

"17Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." (Hebrews 6: 17-19)

 

Those "two immutable things" that prove God is faithful? God the Father and God the Son forming the New Covenant, and Christ Jesus today is our representative at God's right hand:

 

"And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places," (Ephesians 1: 19-20)

 

and then

 

"4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

Now, like Mephibosheth, many Christians look at themselves and go: "Why is God being good to me? I did not do anything to deserve this."

 

The reason why God our Father blesses us? Because of His Son Jesus. It is not about us, or anything that we have done.

 

It is all about Jesus, and what He has done for us:

 

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2: 8-10)

Because of Jesus, God is our Righteous Judge

"A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation." (Psalm 68: 5)

Just as God our Father is not in heaven looking to find fault, but rather be the father for those who have none, so too the Lord God is our spouse, our bridegroom who avenges wrongs done to us.

We find a partial illustration of God's judgment on our behalf in the parable of the persistent widow, which Jesus related to his disciples:

"1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.   (Luke 18: 1-6)

Now notice that this judge did not fear God nor even care about mankind, yet this widow, who never stopped demanding justice, finally forced the unjust judge to relent.

With this illustration in mind, Jesus draws up the true picture of His Father, our God, and how he avenges us:

7And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18: 7-8)

Notice that God our avenger will take care of our needs "speedily".

The real question is not about how fast our Father moves on our behalf.

The real issue comes down to: do we believe that He can and will help us?

Consider this hesitance in the case of the leper who approached Jesus after His Sermon on the Mount:

"1When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." (Matthew 8: 1-4)

Today, we are the bride of Christ, no longer even widowed!

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Romans 7: 4)

and

"26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

"27For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. (Galatians 4: 26-27)

 

Because of Jesus, we have God our Righteous Father to avenge all wrongs against us. Better yet, we who were widowed because of Adam's sin find a new husband and a new standing in Christ Jesus, too!

Because of Jesus, God is our Father

"A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation." (Psalm 68: 5)

Many people believe that God is up in His heavens looking for people to shame, denounce, or destroy every time they sin.

Today, because of the New Covenant, we need that God our Father -- yes, our Father! (Romans 8: 15), is on our side, for us and not against us (Romans 8: 31-32):

"

10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

 

So, what is God our Father doing up there in heaven today?

 

The Psalmist could not be clearer.

 

He is father to the fatherless.

 

Because of Adam's fall, all of mankind fell, and we were all alienated from Him who loved us:

 

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)

 

and then

 

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5: 12)

 

And thus

 

"21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:" (Colossians 1: 21-22)

 

Today, we are brought to Him through Jesus:

 

"And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God." (Romans 9: 26)

 

and of course:

 

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

 

Today, beloved child of God, know that your Father in heaven is not looking down on you to find fault, but today He is up there as your Father, for in His Son Jesus none of us are orphans.

Keep His Covenant of Grace

"If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore." (Psalm 132: 12)

Under the New Covenant, what does it mean to "keep my covenant"?

It means to believe that Jesus has Finished the Work:

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)

and then

"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." (John 17: 4)

Today, we keep His covenant and testimony when we receive the grace of God, giving up on our own efforts and walking in His Spirit:

"Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God." (Acts 12: 43)

and then

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

and also

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5: 16)

Paul explains at length that our salvation rests in Jesus, not ourselves or our works:


"8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

Today, we are no longer under law, but under grace:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6: 14)

The writer of Hebrews explains the New Covenant, and its enforcement clause, and how it exceeds the Old Covenant of Law:

"

10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8: 10-13)

 

Today, we live under this covenant of grace, in which He remembers our sins no more, because they were fully remembered in the  body of Jesus (Colossians 2: 13-15).

 

So insistent is this New Covenant on what Jesus has done, that Paul admonished Peter for not walking according to the truth of the Gospel:

 

"But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" (Galatians 2: 14)

 

Today, because of the New Covenant, cut for us in the Blood of Jesus (Mark 14: 24), we have His Spirit living in us, teaching us all things (1 John 2:20, 27) and we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2: 4-6), and we reign in His life forever (Romans 5: 15-17)

 

Keep His Covenant of Grace  -- believe in Jesus, and grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 18).

Jesus: The Scriptures and the Power of God

"And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?" (Mark 12: 24)

There are many people who know the Scriptures, in that they can recite verses and impress people with their knowledge of chapters and laws.

Yet the Bible is not about a book for us to learn things, but to meet a Person:

"25Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24: 25-37)

When we learn about Jesus, we are not learning about an Example, but rather the Savior who blesses us and causes us to reign in life (Romans 5: 17)

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

We live in Him and through Him, for His greater cause was not just to create the world, but to redeem:

"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:" (Colossians 1: 21-22)

When we see Jesus, we are seeing grace and truth personified (John 1: 17), and when we read His Word, we allow His Spirit to transform us (2 Corinthians 2: 18) and enrich us:

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1 Peter 1: 23)

and

"I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." (1 John 2: 14)

His Word is more than a set of ideas for our minds to run on, but Jesus alive in us:

"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1: 17-18)

When studying the Bible, do not look for information, but see Jesus, and with Him you receive the power of God!

His Kingdom is Greater Than This Earth

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)

Many of us misconstrue this passage to mean that nothing else will be taken care of in our lives, or that life becomes a headless nonchalance.

The truth is, we need to see that God our Daddy and His kingdom exceed the bounds of this earth, and all things within it.

God prophesied to David about Jesus, whose reign would continue from Solomon:

"Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day." (1 Chronicles 28: 7)

and

"His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me." (Psalm 89: 36)

and

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 11: 15)

After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to be with His Father, He released His Spirit, and with him His Kingdom would reside in all who believe on Him:

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14: 17)

This same spirit brooded over an earth without form and void:

"2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Genesis 1: 2)

So, when Jesus exhorted the Israelites during His earthly ministry to seek His Kingdom, He would ultimately bring to them through His Spirit not only His eternal reign, but one which far exceeds the powers and intimidations of this fallen earth. His Kingdom far exceeds time and space as well.

When we receive His Kingdom, we are taking in Someone who far exceeds our tomorrows, and cares for all things pertaining to us (1 Peter 5: 6-7).

What it Means to Reign in Life with Christ Jesus

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

What Adam's sin did to mankind, Jesus overcame through His death and resurrection.

"14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2: 14-15)

Jesus became sin, that we  might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5: 21), a gift which we keep on receiving.

The grace of God now works within us, just as it propelled Paul:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

and

"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;" (2 Corinthians 3: 5)


Through Jesus, we have gone from dead in our trespasses (Ephesians 2: 1) to alive and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2: 4-6).

He even causes us to be kings and priests:

"9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2: 9-10)

Today, let us rest in the growing revelation of God's blessed, gracious goodness. Jesus did not just die on the Cross to pay for our sins, and indeed He paid for all of them (Colossians 2: 13). Through Jesus' death and resurrection, we receive a spirit of sonship (Romans 8: 15) in which we can come boldly to the throne of His grace (Hebrews 4: 16).

His Love Is Big Enough

I knew that God loved me.

I just never believed that He was big enough.

Love means nothing without acceptance, no question about it.

Love also means nothing with preeminence, or power.

That was the part that I was missing.

I did not Jesus big enough. Yet we need to see more of Him!

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18)

Peter made a point of ending that verse with "Amen!". This exhortation is a emphatic entreaty. "So be it!" "I believe it!"

John writes in his first epistle:

"I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning." (1 John 2: 14)

Do you see Jesus as Him who has been from the beginning? Do you see Him as "The same yesterday, today, and forever"? (Hebrews 13: 8)

 I did not understand that He has taken up every element of the universe, all of time and space, and that He cares intimately about me, too!

My understanding of Jesus was too small.

Love means nothing if the Lord who loves you is too little to fight for you.

Today, I know differently. I believe differently, and I understand fully why Paul stressed the intense necessity of knowing how big is God's love:

"14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 14-19)

Notice that Paul went out of his way to "bow my knees."

He was begging very strongly for everyone of us to have an expansive revelation of how much God our Father loves  us. The physical dimensions of this love far surpass anything that our minds can take in in one take, either.

God's love is big enough, and it is personal enough.

 Do not worry about whether He will love you tomorrow. His love is big enough.

Why We Stop Holding Grudges: The Grace of God

How do we assuage the anger, frustration, and bitterness of prior losses and hurts?

We see how much better God has given us.

"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 1-3)

We also recognize how much He has graced us, and that it turn empowers us to be gracious to others:

"31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4: 31-32)

I have since realized that since He has taken care of all things, that He is greater than my times and all time, it really does not make sense to hold grudges.

At their core, grudges imply that we have to do something to restore or protect something. A grudge implies that if there are any scores to be settled, we have to do something.

Yet we have the promise through Jesus, that our Father will freely provide all things (Romans 8:31-32)

Why did I have  a hard time resting on these promises?

I simply did not see Jesus big enough, or my Daddy God interested in restoring to me everything that I had lost, or which other people had taken from me.

Yet if I simply opened my eyes, I have that in many cases, God more than overpaid the losses, huts, and sufferings which I had faced.

What was the one thing that kept making me angry? The notion that I had to prevent those bad things from happening to me in the first place.

That is wrong. We do not have to prevent bad things from happening to us.

I do not have to feel bad about other people making me feel bad. It is not my job to avenge myself -- at all!

Therefore, because I am neither responsible for my protection or my provision: He is!

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

 

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

 

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

 

 

We stop holding grudges because we recognize that we are not in charge to right every wrong, to correct every problem, and that the most officious of conflicts cannot stop, but in fact can enhance God's blessings in our lives!

 

"9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)

He Overpaid the Debt: Rejoice!

"31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4: 31-32)

"Has forgiven you" is too weak a term.

"Highly favored you" or "greatly graced" you is much more appropriate, yet even then we cannot begin to describe how greatly God our Daddy has graced us through His Son Jesus!

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;" (Colossians 2: 13)

Paul was clear. Don't water it down: "all trespasses". Every sin!

John was emphatic with unbelievers in his First Epistles:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)

The blood of Jesus cleanses, present tense.

Jesus is also our High Priest Forever:

"Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." (Hebrews 6: 20)

and

"For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore." (Hebrews 7: 28)

Why does this eternal status of Jesus our High Priest matter? The fullness of the New Covenant means nothing without the full assurance of Jesus' work at the Cross:

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

 

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

 

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

 

Not only does God no longer remember our sins no more, but He now is committed to blessing us, to being our God, to guiding us from within, and caring for us without.

 

So, now we return to Paul's exhortation: "Be gracious, even as God for Christ's sake has been gracious to you."

 

He not only forgave our sins, but gave us new life. He not only forgave all our sins, but has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1: 3)

 

God became a gainer through Jesus' death on the Cross, and even when we sin (verb) the grace of God superabounds in our lives to this day (Romans 5: 20)

 

With the understanding of our great and gracious our God is because of His Son, we can understand this prophecy:

 

"1Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54: 1)

 

Jesus has overpaid our debt, allowing us to be blessed in Him. Rejoice!

He Seeks You, not the Other Way Around

"I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name." (Isaiah 65: 1)

Throughout the ages, men have sought God.

To this day, people will say: "I am seeking God." or "People are looking for God, and at least they are trying."

What does the Bible reveal about the true nature of God?

First of all, even when the first man and woman hid from God, He sought them out:

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" (Genesis 3: 8-9)

Not only that, but God also sought out Cain, even after he sinned:

"9And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4: 9)

Throughout the Old Testament, we find that God our Creator was seeking out for man, and particularly His chosen Israelites:

"24And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them." (Exodus 2: 24-25)

Notice that the Israelites did not mention God or call out for Him, yet He heard them and responded to their cry.

Of course, God visited Moses through the burning bush. Moses was not looking for God. God sought Him:

"3And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I." (Exodus 3: 3-4)

From Samuel as a young boy to the final prophet Malachi, God has sought us, to speak to us, to be with us, for us, and in us.

The greatest proof of this, of course, is Christ Jesus!

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

Now, God sent His Son to die for us, to live for us, to live in us and serve through us, even when we were not paying attention!

"8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5: 8-9)

Paul would later quote Isaiah 65: 1 in his Epistle to the Romans:

"

19But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

 

20But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me." (Romans 10: 19-20)

 

Today, let us not busy ourselves with struggling to seek God. Rather, let us open our eyes to see how much our Heavenly Father, our Daddy God loves us, has sought us out, and seeks evermore to bring us to Himself.

 

Consider the Parable of the Loving Father (traditionally known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son):

 

"20And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." (Luke 15: 20)

 

The Father was always looking and waiting for his son to return, and the moment he made up his mind to return to his father, the father ran to him!

 

Don't strive to come to Daddy God. Because of Jesus, you are seated at His right hand (Ephesians 2: 4-6), and He wants you to see more of His love for you! (Ephesians 3: 16-19)

Because of God's Grace, Our Cup Runs Over

"5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." (Psalm 23: 5)

The hardest thing for us in our walk with Christ, we have to realize that He is our walk, as well as the way and the truth and the life:

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

We do not live in and of ourselves, but we live because of Himself:

"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." (Matthew 8: 17)

and

"25Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24: 25-27)

Now, with Jesus Himself, we receive all things:

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

That word "freely receive" is really "to be favored with" or "to be graced with".

In fact, we have already been made gracious in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1: 6)

Furthermore, God our Father keeps on inviting us to receiving and keep receiving the gifts of righteousness and grace:

"15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

When we understand how gracious God is to us, then we can start being generous to others, too:

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" (Romans 11: 33)

and

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;" (Ephesians 3: 3)

For this reason, Peter would write to all Christians:

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18)

The grace of God is more than what Jesus did, but what His Work is still doing. How else would we keep receiving His gifts of righteousness and grace?

With the superabundance of God's grace crystal clear to us (Romans 5: 20), we can understand the joy of David, when he declared: "My cup runneth over!"

Because of Jesus, we find all things brought to us, and every need meet, and so much more!

More Than a Kingdom of Priests: A Royal Priesthood

"5Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." (Exodus 19: 5-6)

Under law, the Israelites were required to keep their part in God's Covenant, every single jot and tittle.

Of course, because no one can keep God's law, He lovingly provided an altar of sacrifice, so that they could still come to Him, in spite of their sin:

"24An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it." (Exodus 20: 24-25)

Today, because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, we are brought into a royal priesthood:

"9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2: 9-10)

Peter explains why we are a royal priesthood today:

"3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1: 3-4)

Notice that under law, God invited the Israelites to become a "kingdom of priests". Under grace, we are a royal priesthood. Not only is Christ our King, but today we reign in life with Him:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

and

"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:" "(2 Timothy 2: 12)

Today, we are more than priests, but kings and priests in Christ Jesus!

Grace is Our Mother Today

"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." (Galatians 4: 26)

In the Fourth Chapter of Paul's letter to the Galatians, we learn about the two covenants, the Old Covenant of Law and the New Covenant of Grace.

The Galatians then, and many Christians today, are still living under law, even though today the dispensation is one of grace, in which all our sins are put away forever:

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;" (Colossians 2: 13)

Before, under law, man would seek acceptance based on his performance:

"5Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." (Exodus 19: 5-6)

Today, we are not accepted because of what we do, but because of all that Jesus did:

"3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 3-6)

Why has this occurred? Because of the blood of Jesus!

"7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; " (Ephesians 1: 7)

The blood of Jesus set in place a New Covenant:

"And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." (Mark 14: 24)

Today, we are no longer under law, but rather under grace:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6: 14)

Paul explains further about our new mother, the grace of God:

"21Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children." (Galatians 4: 21-25)

Notice that Paul repeats the word "bondage" twice, for the law brings bondage and death, not because the law is bad, but because man is sinful, in need of a Savior:

"7But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory." (2 Corinthians 3: 7-9)

then

"If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good." (Romans 7: 16)

Today, because of Jesus, we have a new mother, Grace, and she is a better teacher in godliness than the law ever could:

"11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2: 11-14)

Happy Mothers Day!

He is the Way, and the Rest - Rest the Way

Letting go really is the hardest thing to do.

There are so many things which we want to hold onto to force to make work out the way that we want them to.

I was obsessed with knowing what would be around the next corner. I had to have the whole road mapped out for me.

Now I understand more than ever what Jesus meant when He said:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

There is no other way, because He is greater than any pathway which can be taken.

He has carved out the road which He wants us to take:

"3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." (Psalm 23: 3)

First, He restores our soul, then He leads us in the paths of righteousness:

"But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Proverbs 4: 18)

Everything indeed is a gift from God:

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?  (Romans 8: 31-32)

The only problem was that I did not see Him large enough, as though He could hold onto, let alone take care of, tomorrow.

Today, I understand what Pastor Joseph Prince talks about when he preaches about the rest of God.

The writer of Hebrews makes perfect sense, too, when he writes about entering the rest:

"1Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." (Hebrews 4: 1)

and also

"11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)

We Rest So that He Can Work

"1Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? " (Ruth 3: 1)

In Hebrew "Naomi" means "pleasant".

It pleases God when we trust Him, and we take Him at His Word to rest, that all will go well for us.

Why can we trust Him? Because He gave us His Son:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)

This verse is not completely accurate. It literally reads: "I will rest you."

He is our rest, for He works within us:

"12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 12-13)

Why was it so difficult for us to believe that He is at work?

For  me, the problem was that I saw him as too small.

"15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." (Colossians 1: 15-20)

We rest also because He is our life:

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)


Why we can trust that the Lord is taking care of all things? Because of Jesus!

"hat shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8: 31-32)

We see Him as big enough to carry all things, and therefore we find ourselves able to cast all cares on Him (1 Peter 5: 6-7)

We rest because He lives and moves about us. We rest so that He can work!

Jesus' Love is Big Enough

I knew that God loved me.

I just never believed that He was big enough.

Love means nothing without acceptance, no question about it.

Love also means nothing with preeminence, or power.

That was the part that I was missing.

I did not Jesus big enough.

I did not understand that He has taken up every element of the universe, all of time and space, and that He cares intimately about me, too!

My understanding of Jesus was too small.

Love means nothing if the Lord who loves you is too little to fight for you.

Today, I know differently. I believe differently, and I understand fully why Paul stressed the intense necessity of knowing how big is God's love:

"14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 14-19)

Notice that Paul went out of his way to "bow my knees."

He was begging very strongly for everyone of us to have an expansive revelation of how much God our Father loves  us. The physical dimensions of this love far surpass anything that our minds can take in in one take, either.

God's love is big enough, and it is personal enough.

Today, I do not have to worry about whether He will love me tomorrow. His love is big enough.

We Know Where We are Going

No, man is not floating in a dreary emptiness, with no clear idea where he is headed.

Faith is not a blind leap into absurdity, either.

Faith is an intelligent recognition of all that Jesus has done, even if the immediate physical manifestation is not keen present to us:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11: 1)

This faith is not about getting a new car or your own home, but about recognizing what Jesus did at the Cross:

"17By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." (Hebrews 11: 17-19)

The figure mentioned above? None other but Christ Jesus!

"39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." (Hebrews 11: 39-40)

What promise? The writer of Hebrews explains in the next chapter:

"1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12: 1-2)

Faith is about . . . .Jesus!

He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14: 6)

We know where He is going:

"1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." (John 14: 1-4)

The last book of the Bible, Revelation, does speak of end time destructions. Yet for those who believe in Jesus, there is nothing but glory awaiting us in Him:

"1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 22: 1-5)

I used to live in chronic fear, bedeviled with questions like: "What about tomorrow? What if?"

The argument that I should "just trust God" was not acceptable. In fact, Jesus Himself never forced that standard on anyone:

"But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." (John 10: 38)

We know where we are going because we have the promise of His reign, and because of the abundance of grace and gift of righteousness, we reign in life with Him (Romans 5:17)

We know where we are going, and we know that He is with us for the entire ride.