"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or
what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the
life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matthew 6: 25)
Jesus tells us to "take no thought" or rather "do not worry" about your life.
Then Jesus expounded on the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, God's creatures whom he feeds and clothes. Now, the birds do go and get their food, and the flowers take in the sun and produce their lovely flowers.
We are not called to do nothing in our lives:
"For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not
work, neither should he eat." (2 Thessalonians 3: 10)
When Jesus said:
"Behold the fowls of
the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your
heavenly Father feedeth them." (Matthew 6: 26)
He was pointing out to an agrarian and domestic audience that they went about their lives prompted by the life force within them. Birds by nature sing and forage for food, they do not toil or strive contrary to their nature in order to live from day to day.
In short, they do not "worry" about their lives, but live!
Jesus then said:
" Are ye not much better than they?" ((v. 26)
We can answer "Yes" because God gave His Son for us (John 3: 16).
Through His Son, we receive His Life:
"I am come that they might have
life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)
and
"Jesus saith unto him, I
am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14: 6)
Jesus now lives His life in every believer, and through Him, we receive all things:
"What shall we then
say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
"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: 31-32)
and
"According as his [God's] divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to
glory and virtue:" (2 Peter 1: 3)
As we walk by faith in His righteousness, letting Jesus live through us, we find that He leads us to do the very things that will cause us to prosper:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you. " (Matthew 6: 33)
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
His Grace is Enough -- and Everything!
"Therefore 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)
"His grace is enough" -- How many of us have heard this or other terms in our lives?
For many, the grace of God seems like an after-thought, or something that is ubiquitous and ordinary, like wall-paper.
Indeed, it is everywhere, yet also essential, like the very air that we breathe:
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2: 11)
This grace is for our salvation, as Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
"Not of works, lest any man should boast.
"For 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)
Grace saved us from death in our sins to eternal, reigning life in righteousness. If we cannot even be saved but by grace, then without a doubt we can do nothing else without God's grace, either:
"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
His grace is enough -- and for the believer, His grace is everything!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Keep Rowing the Boat? -- Let Him Row You!
"So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus
walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid." (John 6: 19)
The disciples toiled to cross the sea of Galilee, yet even as they were rowing, they saw Jesus.
In many circles, when people are lost or have no idea what they must do, they receive the following advice:
"Keep rowing the boat."
The Bible teaches not to do more, but to believe and see Jesus:
"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever." ((Exodus 14: 13)
Instead of doing more, God calls us to "fear not", and rather trust, see God by faith, and rest in Him:
"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
"For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 9-11)
We are called to rest in Him, ceasing from our own works:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)
Stop rowing the boat in your own strength, and let Jesus steer you!
The disciples toiled to cross the sea of Galilee, yet even as they were rowing, they saw Jesus.
In many circles, when people are lost or have no idea what they must do, they receive the following advice:
"Keep rowing the boat."
The Bible teaches not to do more, but to believe and see Jesus:
"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever." ((Exodus 14: 13)
Instead of doing more, God calls us to "fear not", and rather trust, see God by faith, and rest in Him:
"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
"For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 9-11)
We are called to rest in Him, ceasing from our own works:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)
Stop rowing the boat in your own strength, and let Jesus steer you!
Monday, March 4, 2013
God Gives -- We Need to Be Persuaded
"What shall we then
say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
"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: 31-32)
God did not have to be moved to send His Son:
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 8)
This takes time for us to accept.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8: 1)
This translation is inaccurate. A proper translation reads:
"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8: 1, NASB)
The King James Translators could not believe that salvation and sanctification are as simple as being "in Christ".
Paul spoke of his concern with the Corinthians:
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Corinthians 11: 3)
The battle is in our minds, then:
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
"Casting 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;
"And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)
Our minds, then, need to be renewed to the truth of who we are in Christ:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 2)
We do this through God's Word, which sets us free (John 8: 32), being skilled in righteousness (Hebrews 5: 12), which we have been made in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)
For this reason, Paul wrote "I am persuaded" -- God has indeed given us all things, starting with His beloved Son (John 3: 16). The challenge is to ask God to open our eyes to believe and receive (Ephesians 1: 17-19)
"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: 31-32)
God did not have to be moved to send His Son:
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 8)
This takes time for us to accept.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8: 1)
This translation is inaccurate. A proper translation reads:
"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8: 1, NASB)
The King James Translators could not believe that salvation and sanctification are as simple as being "in Christ".
Paul spoke of his concern with the Corinthians:
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Corinthians 11: 3)
The battle is in our minds, then:
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
"Casting 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;
"And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)
Our minds, then, need to be renewed to the truth of who we are in Christ:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 2)
We do this through God's Word, which sets us free (John 8: 32), being skilled in righteousness (Hebrews 5: 12), which we have been made in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)
For this reason, Paul wrote "I am persuaded" -- God has indeed given us all things, starting with His beloved Son (John 3: 16). The challenge is to ask God to open our eyes to believe and receive (Ephesians 1: 17-19)
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Diligent to Rest, Graced to Do Great Things
"The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want." (Proverbs 21: 5)
We are called to be diligent in all that we do, right?
What is the priority for every person?
Jesus tell us:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)
His righteousness is a gift which we keep receiving (Romans 5: 17) through the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
This righteounsess is based on all that Jesus has done, and so instead of our striving, we are called to believe on Him whom the Father sent (John 6: 29) to die for us and save us from our sins and give us eternal life (John 3:16)
Instead of striving for righteousness, we are to make every "effort" to rest in His righteousness:
"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4:11)
Instead of looking for more things to do, we are called to receive more of God's grace in our lives, to see Him more and more at work in our lives (2 Peter 3:18)
If we want to see plenty in our lives, let us first stop trying to get right with God (for no flesh can glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1: 29), then we begin to rest and receive His righteousness and grace in our lives (Romans 5 :17), and this grace labors within us to do great things (1 Corinthians 15: 10)
We are called to be diligent in all that we do, right?
What is the priority for every person?
Jesus tell us:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)
His righteousness is a gift which we keep receiving (Romans 5: 17) through the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
This righteounsess is based on all that Jesus has done, and so instead of our striving, we are called to believe on Him whom the Father sent (John 6: 29) to die for us and save us from our sins and give us eternal life (John 3:16)
Instead of striving for righteousness, we are to make every "effort" to rest in His righteousness:
"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4:11)
Instead of looking for more things to do, we are called to receive more of God's grace in our lives, to see Him more and more at work in our lives (2 Peter 3:18)
If we want to see plenty in our lives, let us first stop trying to get right with God (for no flesh can glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1: 29), then we begin to rest and receive His righteousness and grace in our lives (Romans 5 :17), and this grace labors within us to do great things (1 Corinthians 15: 10)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Grace is Your Teacher -- Right Now!
"For the grace of God
that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" (Titus 2: 11-12)
In this verse, Paul writes that the grace of God is "actively, continuously" teaching us. The translation suggests that the grace teaches us first to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, when in truth the implication is that we have already denied those empty habits and activities:
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 23)
Jesus brings with Himself grace and truth (John 1: 12, 17), and as He is, and as He is in us, so are we in this world, and so we reign in this life.
The grace of God, a gift which we are called to keep receiving (Romans 5: 17)
"to live soberly": to live lives based on God's faith.
"righteously": His righteousness is also a gift that we keep receiving in Him:
"godly": with an inward holiness.
The emphasis on this verse directs us to have a well-understood recognition that we have been transformed from the inside:
"For 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:
"And 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.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)
This grace works in us and moves us to do all things (1 Corinthians 15:10)
This grace we live "in this present world" -- literally, RIGHT NOW! This grace is taking care of you right now, and leads us also to trust God to take care of our yesterdays and our tomorrows, too!
"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" (Titus 2: 11-12)
In this verse, Paul writes that the grace of God is "actively, continuously" teaching us. The translation suggests that the grace teaches us first to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, when in truth the implication is that we have already denied those empty habits and activities:
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 23)
Jesus brings with Himself grace and truth (John 1: 12, 17), and as He is, and as He is in us, so are we in this world, and so we reign in this life.
The grace of God, a gift which we are called to keep receiving (Romans 5: 17)
"to live soberly": to live lives based on God's faith.
"righteously": His righteousness is also a gift that we keep receiving in Him:
"godly": with an inward holiness.
The emphasis on this verse directs us to have a well-understood recognition that we have been transformed from the inside:
"For 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:
"And 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.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)
This grace works in us and moves us to do all things (1 Corinthians 15:10)
This grace we live "in this present world" -- literally, RIGHT NOW! This grace is taking care of you right now, and leads us also to trust God to take care of our yesterdays and our tomorrows, too!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Do Not Fall in with the Fallen Man
"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not
sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him
that was to come." (Romans 5: 14)
This death has been finished forever in the Body of Jesus Christ, we died our death in order to free us from the curse of the law:
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." (Romans 6: 6)
In Christ, we are born again in our Spirit man:
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." (Romans 8: 9-10)
As believers, we still walk around in a fallen body:
"[God] shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3: 21)
We also have a fallen mind:
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8: 6)
So, we are called, therefore, to renew our minds to the truth of who we are in the Spirit:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 2)
Every day, we are called to submit our lives to the Life of Christ within us. We need no longer fallen in with the fallen man. Yet even if we do fail:
"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5: 20)
This death has been finished forever in the Body of Jesus Christ, we died our death in order to free us from the curse of the law:
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." (Romans 6: 6)
In Christ, we are born again in our Spirit man:
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." (Romans 8: 9-10)
As believers, we still walk around in a fallen body:
"[God] shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3: 21)
We also have a fallen mind:
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8: 6)
So, we are called, therefore, to renew our minds to the truth of who we are in the Spirit:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 2)
Every day, we are called to submit our lives to the Life of Christ within us. We need no longer fallen in with the fallen man. Yet even if we do fail:
"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5: 20)
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