What is Truth?

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways
 And kind in all His deeds.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
The Lord keeps all who love Him…”
Psalm 145:17-20a

Do you know the character of God?  Or do you let your circumstances dictate who God is?  It is easy to let our situations tell us that God is not listening, or that He doesn’t care.  But according to the Bible and the Holy Spirit within you, you know that He is good.  Our garbage comes from living in Satan’s garbage pit – not from God.  So who are you going to listen to? 

 

 God “…is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.”  All that He requires is that we call upon Him.  He promises to be near.  But there is a condition here:  we must call to Him in truth.  That is first through Truth – Jesus Christ.  Then in truth – the Word of God.  When we align ourselves with Jesus and the Word then we can call upon God and He will hear us. 

Are you living in truth?  Are you walking with Jesus and believing His word?  No Truth – No God.  Know Truth – Know God!

First comes truth followed by fear.  When we know God, we will stand in awe and amazement at His holiness and Greatness.  We will tremble at His purity and love.  This is the fear of the Lord.  This fear should prompt us to worship and to call upon God.  He will do His part and “keep all who love Him.” 

James 4:7 says that if you “…Draw near to God…He will draw near to you.”  Don’t be so busy that you have no time for God.  Grow in the disciplines of study, meditation, prayer, and worship.

 

God's Portion

In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:10

Our Sunday school teacher brought out a very important fact yesterday.  Think of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  They were given all the trees in the garden for food except two.  I think there must have been several thousands of trees!  God gave them the greater portion and kept only two trees that they were not to eat from.  Sin came in, yes, when Adam and Eve ate from the trees, but the real sin was when they decided in their hearts that they wanted God’s portion as well as their own. 

God gave us a lot of leeway in our Christian walk.  There are lots of things that we can do.  He has given us the whole garden except for a couple of things that He knows is harmful to us and to our walk with Him.  I have to ask myself if I am satisfied with the large portion that God has given me, or do I desire the very small number of things that God has asked us not to do?  If we are focusing on the good fruit of the victorious Christian walk, then we are not longing for the spiritually unhealthy fruit of disobedience.

Idolatry is not about putting other things before God as much as it is elevating self and self-desires above God’s commandments.  Idolatry is craving God’s portion as well as the portion that He has given us.

 

God's Love for You

“The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”
Psalm 138:8

I love this verse.  Even when I mess up, don’t live up to, or am just being dumb, God will still accomplish what concerns me!  Over in the next Psalm, number 139,  He says that in His “…book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” (Psalm 139:16b).  Again, Cool!  God already knew what decisions I would make, what circumstances I would be in, and what messes I would make even before there was time, and He loves me anyway!  The next verse says so.  Listen: “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!” (vs. 17)  He is thinking about me with love.  He thinks that I am precious and wonderful!  Even when…

God loves you that much too! 

So do I.

 

All In?

Tyler is back up over birth weight!  Huge praise.  Pray that he keeps gaining!
Garrett’s presentation of his paper went really well.  He seems to have made some good contacts and re-realized that he loves smart people! (My words, not his!)
Aaron is back in Austin and is looking for a job.  Pray for him and Hannah as he puts out resumes.
Lucas started new job yesterday at Chick-fil-A in Copperas Cove.  Pray that he can get an instructor and finish his pilot’s test.
Eighmy passed online driver’s ed and will start practicing driving as soon as she gets the certificate in the mail.
Ethan finished one class at the junior college with smiles and is now taking the second class for this semester.
I speak Friday at MOPS.  Lots of questions about discipline for 2’s and 3’s.  I am feeling a little out of practice!
My book signing is on Saturday.
Nana and Pa seem to be doing well.  We saw them over the weekend.  They are trimming their yard back for the spring.
Grandma has restarted chemotherapy.  She is discouraged.  If you get a chance to shoot her an email or a card, I am sure that it would cheer her up.
Dad’s great!
_____________________________

“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower,

does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?”
Luke 14:28

 Have you calculated the cost of following Christ.  Are you all in?  Or have you reconsidered when the prices rose or the building  project got too hard?

“Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish,

 all who observe it begin to ridicule him.”
Luke 14:29

Your foundation is Jesus Christ and the salvation that He bought for you with His blood.  You have laid this foundation.  Are you willing to finish building a life of purity, holiness, and sacrifice that you might finish your building?  Or have you set it aside? Is the world ridiculing your “religion” or “faith” because you have chosen to leave your foundation bare?  What must you do to begin to build again?

“So the, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”

Luke 14:33

To “give up” in the Greek literally means to say “goodbye”.  Have you said goodbye to all your earthly and personal possessions?  Have you surrendered them to God that they might be used for His kingdom?  Have you given up your spouse, your children, your expectations, your dreams, your desires, your time, your wealth, that you might full heartedly follow Jesus?  This verse follows that parable of a king that does not count the cost of going up against a superior army.  What cost are you willing to pay to live life your way?

 

New Life

“The righteous cry, and the Lord hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:17-18

Matthew O’Malley (19 year old friend of family in VA) is leaving at the first of March with 3 other young men to go to Peru for 2 months.  He has dropped his course load for the remainder of this semester in order to go.  They will be working with a pastor of a very small church there planting new churches and witnessing in the small mountain villages.  Please pray the above verse over two groups: the people that will be ministered  to and the ones ministering.  Unsaved people need to know that when we are brokenhearted and crushed before God, He saves.  Christians need to also be brokenhearted and crushed so that they can be used by God.

 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24  How are you doing at dying?  Have you died to your own passions, desires, and expectations and been crushed for Jesus?  If you have experienced the crushing, are you now ready to allow God to give the growth in your life and be about blooming where you were planted?

 

Conviction

“For as long as life is in me…
My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,          
Nor will my tongue mutter deceit.
Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Till I die, I will not put away my integrity from me.
I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not reproach any of my days.”
Job 27:26

Job is stating the above as his “friend” Bildad accuses him of evil doing.  Many believe, even today, that bad things only happen to bad people.  Television evangelists preach that if you are good enough, have enough faith, walk with Jesus, that nothing bad will happen to you.  This type of false teaching will lead to disillusionment and either a rejection of God or the belief that something is wrong with you.  Satan would have you believe this, but it is not true.  God’s word says that we will have tribulation.  It is part of the human condition – of living in Satan’s world that is under his authority. 

 God allows things to happen to us.  Sometimes, it is for our discipline.  That is why Job’s words above are important.  Look at that last line, “My heart does not reproach any of my days.”  This just means that Job went before God, asked God to show him if there was any sin that he had committed.  In the face of conviction, Job had repented.  If there was no conviction, then Job was free to continue on.  When hard things come upon you, first ask God to convict you of sin.  This may not have been an act of sin as much as a heart attitude of sin such as fear, pride, worry, selfishness, etc…  If you are convicted by the Holy Spirit within you, then repent.  If not, then continue on.  Remember that sometimes, God allows the hard things of life to come upon us for our pruning.  He uses it to cut off that which is harmful to us or that is keeping us from growing in Him and His word. 

We can live a life of freedom, joy, righteousness, and hope.  It will not be a life free from trouble or snares.  But when it is all done, I pray that you can speak Job’s words, “Till I die, I will not pur away my integrity from me.”

I spent this past weekend at a women's retreat at Alto Frio Baptist Encampment in Leakey, TX.  (SW of San Antonio.)

Wow!  This has been quite a weekend!  I don’t think that I have ever been more exhausted, exhilarated, or at peace.  Emotionally, I have experienced the deepest mourning and the greatest joy.  That in itself is exhausting!  I also carried the emotions of many others as I spoke on joy in the midst and on forgiveness and did quite a bit of praying with others and listening.  Spiritually, God has done deep surgery and it feels good to be rid of the infection, but I am still sore and healing.  Physically, I feel like I was thrown under a bus.  I am on my way to the chiropractor this morning. 

 Revive, Restore, Resolve was the theme of the weekend with our focus verse being Colossians 2:2-3 “…that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is , Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Revival comes through repentance and acceptance of who we are in Christ.  Restoration comes with the decision to put it all (sins) aside, and resolve comes when we determine to go forth and live differently making Biblical choices and trusting on Jesus.    

Forgiveness God's Way!

“Be on your guard!  If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he sins against you seven times a day,
 and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’
 forgive him.”
Luke 17:3

I have wrestled with this verse.  We are to forgive as Jesus forgave, and didn’t He die to forgive all sins?  Let’s look closely at that.  Yes, Jesus’ death on the cross has the power and authority to forgive all sins, but it is only those who repent that he extends the benefits of that forgiveness to.  Likewise, then, we are to forgive those who repent.  But also, likewise, we need to have a forgiving heart that is ready to extend forgiveness to those who sin against us even if the forgiveness is held back until they repent.  This does not put you in the place of judge, but rather of friend. 

 Unforgiveness is often referred to as bitterness or taking poison hoping that the other person dies.  So no matter whether the person repents or not, for your own benefit, you need to forgive them.  Whether you extend that forgiveness to them or hold it in reserve, is a different question.  And remember that forgiving a person does not mean that you have to continue in a relationship with that person.  If repentance is sincere, then a relationship may continue.  If there is no repentance, then that relationship changes. 

Forgive as Jesus forgave you – to the depth of a death on the cross, for every sin possible, and with compassion and joy.  Worship Him for how great His forgiveness is and then turn and forgive those in like manner as they repent.  Choosing not to have a relationship with those who don’t repent is being like Jesus!

 

Enter His Gates

“Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord; The righteous will enter through it.
I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.”
Psalm 118:19-21

“This is the gate of the Lord.”  What is the “this” referring to?  We can look at the context which points to entering with thanksgiving.  We can cross reference to Psalm 100:4 and see that we are to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.”   We are the righteous having been made righteous through Jesus Christ.  We can enter into the courts and gates of God’s presence.  Yes, we can stand and bow and dance before the very Creator of the universe, the God of the Bible.  We do that by entering in with thanksgiving. 

Not feeling very thankful?  Try listing everything you have to be thankful for, recognize that all good things come from God, and then begin to praise Him for His wonders.  Your feelings will come along and soon you will feel like singing praise and thanksgiving. 

 Sometimes, I find myself entering God’s gates with grumbles and gripes and petitions.  But as I have practiced putting praise and thanksgiving first, my perspective changes.  I can still grumble and gripe, God hears that and understand that we are but dust.  He loves us anyway.  He hears our petitions and the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us.  Which leads me right back to praise and thanksgiving.  No, I may not get everything I asked God for, but I know that He heard me and that I can trust Him to work all things for my good from an eternal perspective.

Give it a try.  Spend time in praise and adoration and thankfulness.  It will give you a whole new outlook on your day and circumstances.

 

Carrying Your Cross with a Twist!

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Luke 14:27

 I was always taught that carrying your own cross was accepting with grace the circumstances of your life and enduring.  This was a solitary, lonely quest; kind of like pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.  This is not consistent with the rest of Scripture. 

Jesus was speaking to Hebrews.  It is like ly that the word “cross” here is better translated “Stauros” or post.  This would have made sense to the Hebrew mind pre Jesus’ dying on a Roman cross.  It would have reminded the Hebrews of the same use of the word in Deuteronomy 40:18 translated as pillars.  These pillars were the corner and side posts that held the curtains that made up the tabernacle.   Different priests were given the assignment of carrying these pillars upon their shoulders from place to place as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness.  When the cloud of God’s presence left the tabernacle, those assigned to carry the posts would heave them up onto their backs and shoulders and drag them until God showed them where to set them down.  Each person would carry one post whose weight combined with the stand that was also carried equaled the amount of the price of redemption.

The post carriers were not lone wolves bearing their burdens with grief.  No!  They were priests.  They joyfully did their share along with others who carried their posts and curtains and tabernacle furniture.  Yes, sometimes it would rub a sore upon their backs.  I am sure they got a few splinters and sometimes the burden seemed too heavy to bear, but they did it joyously as unto the Lord as their reasonable service of worship! 

 So, if we are to carry our cross (or post), we are not to carry it alone, but along with others.  We are to carry it knowing that the obedience of carrying it will direct us back into the presence of God.  We carry our post with joy at having been chosen to be a priest of the Most High God.  We carry our cross (post) with thanksgiving for what God has done in our midst and what He has promised to do. 

Then, we can be Jesus’ disciple (student).   

Your cross is not some burden that God is laying upon you for torture or to grow you, but rather it is the thing that should lead you to God and His presence and His joy.