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Enlightenment

28 Sep

Enlightenment

Ephesians 1:17-18 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (NASB)

If you have followed this ministry at all, you have likely read “open your eyes (and mind) through your heart,” my take on enlightenment. Enlightenment is a true gift of God on many levels, continually expanding by grace to those who pursue it. It is not found by the scholar, but by the humble heart, no matter the level of degree. God gives his gift of enlightenment to whomever he desires; many times children speak of him with a level of maturity that leaves us amazed, because God opened their minds through the eyes of their hearts that have remained pure. Enlightenment is God’s grace on display, a free gift from God to those who follow that tug on their heart to pursue him. Enlightenment is a response to a call God has placed on your heart.

In my study this morning, I came across this quote below I must share. It has a reference to another scripture, but meditate on the enlightenment found in these words.

Imagine if all the tumult of the body were to quiet down,
along with all our busy thoughts about earth, sea, and air;
if the very world would stop, and the mind cease thinking about itself,
go beyond itself, and be quite still;
if all the fantasies that appear in dreams and imagination would cease,
and there be no speech, no sign:
Imagine if all things that are perishable grew still – for if we listen they are saying,
“We did not make ourselves; he made us who abides forever” – imagine, then,
that they should say this and fall silent, listening to the very voice of him who made them
and not to that of his creation;
so that we should hear not his word through the tongues of men, nor the voice of angels,
nor the clouds’ thunder, nor any symbol, but the very Self which in these things we love,
and go beyond ourselves to attain a flash of that eternal wisdom which abides above all things:
And imagine if that moment were to go on and on,
leaving behind all other sights and sounds but this one vision
which ravishes and absorbs and fixes the beholder in joy;
so that the rest of eternal life were like that moment of illumination which leaves us breathless:
Would this not be what is bidden in the scripture, Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord?
– Saint Augustine

 
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Posted by on September 28, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Broken business model

16 Mar

Broken business model

James 4:4-6 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

When I stepped down from pastoral ministry back into the business world, God truly laid on my heart a vision of how to operate the marketplace ministry he had given me. When he first grabbed hold of my heart years ago, there was a transformation of the business into a ministry model as a result of me needing an outlet for my growing faith and heart to share. That same bend has now grown to a vision and a place that the world will not understand, likely go against, and make little common sense to many. Am I friends with the world, the business model of the world, or do I trust the One who created and sustains all that is in the world? God is my CEO, I simply manage the work that He provides.

It is hard to pull passages from this fourth chapter of James and isolate into short ministries. This fourth chapter is all about your heart for the world, or your heart for God. This chapter speaks dearly to me for my testimony is rooted in pride, and James the half-brother of Jesus clearly understands that all sin is rooted in pride. James did not even believe his brother was the Christ until after he rose from the dead. God stirred James heart to the point James wrote the first book of the New Testament. James too simply could not contain his faith and needed an outlet; the Holy Spirit took that heart and helped him pen the words that this epistle speaks so clearly to us today. If you claim the Bible is an outdated book irrelevant to us today, read this epistle and tell me how your heart can be that hard and your mind that blind. Repent & believe!

The scripture after this speaks to that heart of worldliness versus the humble heart that sees their need for God; the heart that sees their sin and need for a Savior from it. A humble heart recognizes the power Satan has been granted in the world; the humble heart sees the sin of the world and their heart for it too. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. If you are a driven, prideful person that has their eyes on some lofty goal of success that is measured by worldly standards, how will you take it with you? We are told in the Bible all measured by the worldly standards will perish; everything is tested by fire, and an eternal fire awaits all here that measured their life by success and not by humility. The Bible tells us that the first will become last, and the last first. If you are desiring to be at the top here, are you prepared to look up from the bottom for eternity to those in heaven? All that matters for your short time here on earth is your eternal investment; your investments in people, prayer, ministries, and helping to spread the gospel to all that have not heard, or those who have refused to listen.

 
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Posted by on March 16, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Up earlier……

18 Mar

Up earlier……

Proverb 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Body clocks struggling to reset; the hearts desire to get out of bed an hour earlier has taken it’s toll. My body still thinks it is 3:30am, but my hearts desire finally overpowers my body to arise and get back early to my quiet time with God. I miss the early morning distraction-less time in God’s Word. In my prayer time this morning the word wisdom was prevalent. The word wisdom and anything surrounding me are far from synonymous; the only wise words to ever come from my mouth or keyboard are by the grace of God. I am far from “edjumicated”; I only seek God with a humble heart for his grace and wisdom to be revealed to me through His Word.

When you come to grasp the humbling realization that God found you, that you did not acquire the knowledge of God, but you responded to the tug He placed on your heart, it is quite overwhelming. John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. You can’t get to God through endless education, you get to God because you said yes when he came to you. You can get the knowledge OF God on many paths of education, but the heart knowledge THROUGH God is found within. A humble heart that responds and then pursues Him is the heart and mind that is opened to the things of him.

God knows your heart and any reasoning behind any surfaces actions. He knows why you are in church, how you pray and read his Word, or if you do any of them. Be honest with him on the surface and he will reveal himself beneath the surface. You will see truths revealed in his Word that you had seemingly read and skimmed over before. Even where the apostle James spoke of the trials of life, God will bring a deeper understanding to life and the relationship of his Word to and through it. James 1:5-6   If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. All you must  do is to find some time, at any time, and get alone with God. Pursue him with a humble pure heart that seeks to know more of him and be prepared for what he may reveal.

 
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Posted by on March 18, 2014 in Daily Devotions

 

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Humbleness

29 May

Humbleness

James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

I must intentionally make this short, for if I write on pride it will be at length, for it is still a great struggle of mine. I work alone; I have many reasons, but the primary is a horrible experience with one of my last employees. I experienced a ton of emotions that were all bad, and it took an act of God in me to experience forgiveness for them. It was a great turning point in my life, and an example of how God can use even the worst situations in life for good. I forgave him, but still carry that weight today and the fear of people that offer to help. With the problems of my shoulder, and the physical demands of my work, it puts great strains on me. Can you see pride still rooted in that?

Pride is the root of all sin. It can be traced back down to the root of all you fail in. It can be traced all the way back to the Garden of Eden; all the way back to Satan’s fall from heaven in the  desire to be like God. There is evidence of it in your life too; even the denial of a struggle with it is a prideful statement. James is putting it as plainly as he can in the scripture above; God wants nothing to do with the prideful person; God loves and provides for the humble. It is only through that humble heart that you come to Salvation through repentance. At the beginning of Christ’s ministry, he spoke of this same repentance as John the Baptist. Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Repentance will never come to a heart that is filled with pride. In your pride you will always fell that you CAN accomplish it on your own by works of some sort.

In a heart that comes to the realization of it’s need for Christ; there is a humility found there. The realization of a life steep in sin and the need for a Savior will bring the forgiveness in it; or the condemnation in the pride of it. If you feel that you can ever earn it, you will die in it. You must understand the concept of grace, God giving you something that you cannot earn, and do not deserve. You sin because you are a sinner, you are not a sinner because you sin. Your pride wants you to believe the secondary; Satan lives there. Pride will always be a struggle, but pride can be kept at bay by the grace of God. Look at the promises found in the next verses. James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8a Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. A humble heart is a heart close to God.

 
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Posted by on May 29, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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He has got this

03 May

He has got this

Romans 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Matthew Henry said, “Of God as the spring and fountain of all, through Christ, God—man, as the conveyance, to God as the ultimate end. These three include, in general, all God’s causal relations to his creatures: of him as the first efficient cause, through him as the supreme directing cause, to him as the ultimate final cause; for the Lord hath made all for himself, Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” What does your life revolve around? It will fall into two categories: self or God. If you have your eyes on the prizes of come with pride at the root of your goals, God is an afterthought. If in your humble heart you understand that your life flows through the provision from the sovereign God, your life will be focused on glorifying Him that holds in in his hands. It is a complete circle of life.

At some point in your Christian life, God will open your eyes to the understanding that He is truly in control of it. His design of Free Will allows you freedom to wander, but his control over all creation, allows His will to be accomplished in your life even when you stray. Only in the humble heart is this understanding gained and accepted, and in all of it He is glorified. When you truly try to live your life as He desires, you can even understand and glorify His grace and mercy by those examples as a witness to those He places before you. Christ has provided us the access to God through his sacrifice, and this may be shared as a testimony to others. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Everything in your life happens for a reason. In your prideful mind you want to argue with that. The Free Will that you were created with allows you to choose which paths you take. But you must understand those paths are placed before you by the Creator of them. If you are one that He is pursuing, He places those circumstances before you, and those in your path to encourage you. Matthew Henry explains, “God is all in all. All things in heaven and earth (especially those things which relate to our salvation, the things which belong to our peace) are of him by way of creation, through him by way of providential influence, that they may be to him in their final tendency and result.” You may be the one whom He is choosing to deliver the Gospel to a lost child; you may be the one who is receiving it. All of these things are God orchestrated circumstances that work into His eternal plan to deliver humanity from the grasp of sin.

 
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Posted by on May 3, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Preach the Word…..today

20 Sep

Preach the Word…..today

2 Timothy 4:1-5  I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

The apostle Paul was in prison again and he seemed to know he was nearing his execution. There is urgency in his letters to Timothy whom he is investing so much in. He knew the society that Timothy was preaching the gospel to was a society that followed any wind that may blow. They were not strong in their faith, but followed whatever sounded good, or better yet was something that felt good. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (ESV) A religion that does not point out the bad news has no good news to deliver. We must humbly realize we will all die in sin without God’s saving grace through Christ.

We find ourselves surrounded by a world far from God with countless religions and even the great heresy (false teaching) that they all point to God. We have a world in escalating wars in the heart of all these religions. We have here at home a heresy called prosperity preaching that says if you don’t have enough blessings in your life, you don’t have enough faith for God to bless you. God is never about materials possessions but about the heart. Once God truly comes into your life, and your humble heart begins to hear from Him, the “stuff” of this world will seem to matter now more. Your focus instead of possessions becomes accomplishing God’s will for your life.

2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. There will come a time when you feel the need to share your testimony, to share your faith, to share the difference that Christ can make with someone. The time that you spend with God every day prepares you for these times; prepares you to preach. You do not have to go to seminary to be Christ’s disciple. You are the church; and you are his preacher. You take Him everywhere you go every day, and He places before you those you can preach to. Do not be scared, but be obedient. Do not be scared to let God use you to draw others to Himself. Preach the Word to a world that desperately needs it…….today.

 
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Posted by on September 20, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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The Foundation

22 Jul

The Foundation

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

I am building a massive deck/treehouse for my boys. I have been explaining the importance of the foundation to them and struggling with getting it right. The land falls three ways, and I missed it 1/2” from perfect. It will drive me crazy. All my work is built upon that foundation which is not perfect. What is the foundation of your faith? What is the base of your beliefs that your house of faith is built on?

There are so many ways to err as we build our faith, but is our faith built on the rock of Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven? We must get this right. If we do not understand whom Christ was, is, and has done for us; our faith will fall when tested by God. Christ was fully human and fully God when He came to earth. He died a painful death to justify you before a Holy God. He is the mediator between you and God and only through Him may you enter into heaven. Matthew Henry puts it; “The doctrine of our Saviour and his mediation is the principal doctrine of Christianity. It lies at the bottom, and is the foundation, of all the rest. Leave out this, and you lay waste all our comforts, and leave no foundation for our hopes as sinners. It is in Christ only that God is reconciling a sinful world to himself, 2 Co. 5:19 .”

Don’t let the world convince you there are many ways to God. We all do not end up there, and many will pay for their mistake for any eternity. There is only One way, and it is not through living a good life full of good deeds that make you feel good. It is by a humble heart, repentance of sins, and a plea for forgiveness. That is the rock upon which you build your faith that will stand in God’s testing of it. Ephesians 2: 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.

 
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Posted by on July 22, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Priceless

10 Mar

Priceless

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

How many times were you about and saw a penny lying on the ground, but it seemed unworthy to take the effort to lean down and pick it up? I mean it is only a penny, not a $100 bill right? How much effort was it really worth? I seriously doubt that you would lay down your life, or ask your son to lay down his for the sake of it. But look at what God did for you while you were still living in sin in Romans 5:8 above. What if we are that penny? 1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. We are worth so much more to God. Look at all the promises He makes to us in Luke 12:22-32.

The Message translates Romans 5:7 “We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice.” We can grasp the nobility in dying for a cause, but what if they were living far from our cause, and opposing it consistently? Wouldn’t we consider it a waste of our time and move on? That realization of what God has truly done for you in the greatest act of love EVER, should move you to a humble heart out of thankfulness of the eternal forgiveness He provided while you are still in sin. John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Thank you Jesus!

 
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Posted by on March 10, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Pride 01/07/12

26 Jan
Pride

Proverbs 16:18    Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Pride. I can do anything I put my mind to. I can accomplish that task without anybody’s help. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Phil. 4:13). Even in that last scripture, pride can creep in. Are we elevating ourselves, or Christ in that passage? Are we holding our head high when we say it, or holding our head low, admitting we can do nothing without what He provides. There is a big difference.

I am a prideful person. I have those attitudes I describe in the first couple of sentences. Through sanctification, revelation, and physical limitations, I have come to realized how prideful I am. God is changing me, and my prayer is that you to realize how prideful you can become, and seek God to reveal and strip that pride from you. A humble heart is close to His. God resist the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (Eph. 5:21)

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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