Meditations

Today many people have an unfortunate perception of God. They see Him as a stern dictator, an unrelenting judge. One who sits in heaven just waiting for us to do something wrong so that He may punish us. Sadly over the years the church hasn’t done enough to counter this ill perception. Instead of teaching on God’s abundant mercy and grace, many preachers, eager to line their pockets, have helped spread this vicious rumor. They stand up there yelling “Repent, repent you evil sinners, before the judgment of God comes down and consumes you. Write a check today, before it’s too late.”
Well what I’m here to tell you is that the God of creation is not a dictator, but a comforter. One who takes great pride in His creation and loves everyone of us, just as we are. He is,”… the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God.”[II Cor. 1:3-4]
You see, from the beginning of time God has had a plan to redeem us of that sinful nature which plagues and torments us. In fulfillment of that plan, a part of The trinity {the word} came to earth manifested in flesh. Jesus’ sacrifice, resurrection, and ascension were all necessary components of God’s plan to have a real and personal relationship with us. Which He does by sending His Holy Spirit to dwell in us and become one with our spirit.
Right before His sacrifice, Jesus said,” Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I don’t go away the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you.” [John 16:7] “… when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me.” [John 15:26] “At that day you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. He that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” [John 14:20-21] When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.” [John 16:13] “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” [John 14:18]
It’s important to understand that the word repent simply means to change. The reason that the message of these preachers frustrates me so, is the fact that until we accept Christ and receive the Holy Spirit, we are powerless to change. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are made holy, because” … when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” [John 16:8] As God’s Spirit becomes one with our spirit He changes us, by revealing His truths to us and renewing our minds. [Rom 12:2]
So don’t let those wolves masquerading as shepherds lay a heavy guilt trip on you. Find a spiritual mentor who will show you that God is a God of mercy and Grace. He loves you so much that He sent His only begotten son to die for you. [John 3:16] He will not leave you comfortless nor forsake you. He has a plan to establish an intimate relationship with you. All you have to do is accept that plan and He will do the rest, by the power of His Spirit.

In the various sects of religions who confess to be Christian there is much doctrinal differences in tenets. Personally, to avoid confusion I choose to look to God’s word for answers instead of religious institutions. From my experience, differences of opinion between Christian sects tend to be more about traditions of man than about interpretations of God’s word.
God’s word is really not all that complicated or hard to understand. In fact now days with modern english translations and software with bible search engines, it is easier than ever to find answers to all of our questions. We can simply do a topical search, and all scriptures containing such words pop up at the push of a button. No longer are the days of pouring over the scriptures for hours to find various references spread throughout, on any given subject.
Well, that is exactly what I did on the subject of baptism. I didn’t want to know what the Pope, an institution, or my neighbor had to say about it, but what my Creator had to say. After all, unless I seek out God’s truth’s and His plan for redemption, all the religion in the world won’t do me a bit of good.
What I found out is that His plan is spelled out in a way that even the most simple of us can understand. For example:
These scriptures point out that according to God’s word there is only one thing needed to receive baptism, belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, our redeemer;
“And he said to them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned. [Mark 16:15-16]
“And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what does hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” [Acts 8:36-38]
Also we learn that baptism is an act of repentance that cleanses us through faith, and is readily available to all who believe;
” And he said to them, To what then were you baptized? And they said, To John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John truly baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. [Acts 19:3-4]
“Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.” [Acts 2:38-39]
Then we go on to learn of the great mystery behind the ritual of baptism, newness of life in Christ;
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. [Romans 6:3-11]
“Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead.” [Colossians 2:12]
“For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” [Gal 3:26-29]
And finally all that remains, is an admonition to practice baptism;
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you: and, see, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.” [Matt 28:18-20]
“Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord…” [Acts 10:47-48]
“And now why tarry you? arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” [Acts 22:16]

“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”[Romans 7:17]

I Know that I am not alone with Paul in this sentiment. Every Christian I know has felt this way at one time or another. As Christians we long to be like Christ to please our Heavenly Father, yet we find ourselves wondering why we are so slow to catch on.
We must realise that progress is a process. The defininition of process is;{A series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result}. The good news is, that while progress is ours the process belongs to Christ. All we have to do is know the promises in God’s Word, believe them, and stand on them. “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”[Romans 4:3]
God’s Word says “… sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.”[Romans 6:14] “For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”[Philip. 1:5-6]. You see it is not by our power that we are made righteous, but by His Power.
I suppose I should warn you that the process is not always painless. For we are ” Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.[2 Cor. 4:10] For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.[2 Cor. 4:16]
Even Christ had a difficult journey while on this earth; “Though He were a Son, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him;[Hebrews 5:8-9] “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. [Hebrews 4:15-16] and “… we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”[2 Cor. 3:18]
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,…..work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”[Philip. 2:12-13] “And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”[Rom. 12:2]
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”[I Thes. 5:23-24] And may the Lord deliver you from every evil work and preserve you for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.[II Tim.4:18]

“… my brothers, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Why take to you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; [Ephesians 6:10-18]

I know we sometimes feel like we are fighting a losing battle. No matter what we do, in trying to improve the circumstances in our and others lives, we seem to be losing ground. Perhaps it is because we try to fight life’s battles on our own terms, in our own power, and with our own limited perception as our guide. Because our perception is limited, there is no better place to look for answers than to our creator, who arms us with everything we need to fight life’s battles, literally. In God’s Word, He reveals to us the armor and only weapon we need to fight, and all the instruction we need in using them.
First our Father demonstrates to us our biggest mistake, that of trying to fight these battles in our own power, and instructs us to; “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might “. Also, He makes clear to us who our true enemies are; “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.
Then He presents us with the armor we need to defend ourselves against these powers, and teaches us how to don it. He gives us the Spirit of Truth so that we have discernment, righteousness so that we don’t stumble before our enemies, and “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”. But “above all” He gives us the shield of faith we need “to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked”. But we must wear “the helmet of salvation” which bears the ensign of Jesus Christ, who already fought life’s battles, and died, yet arose victoriously in the power of God’s might.
Oh, but we can’t forget the most critical weapon of all, essential because it is the only offensive weapon He offers us. We must wield “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” with boldness and confidence. Remember, that every time Jesus was faced with evil, as when tempted by satan in the wilderness, He used the only weapon He needed; The Word. [Matt. 4:1-11]
Finally, we are to be constant in prayer, alert at all times of the spiritual forces at work in our lives, and the lives of those around us, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood”. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: {For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;}” [IICor.10:3-4]

How much weight do our words carry? It’s amazing to realize just how heavy our words are. According to God’s word our words carry tremendous power towards good or evil. It’s up to us to choose our words carefully, as if choosing life or death.

How heavy are our confessions?
“If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” [James 1:26]
“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” [Proverbs 10:19]
” Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive..” [Proverbs 17:28]
“A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth, From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” [Proverbs 18:20-21]
“Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you.” [Job 15:6]
“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” [Matthew 12: 36-37]
“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” [James 3:5-6]

Confessions are heavy unto forgiveness.
“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” [James 5:16]
“And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing.” [Leviticus 5:5]
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:9]
“I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” [Psalms 32:5]

Confessions are heavy unto salvation.
“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” [Romans 10:9-10]
“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.” [1 John 4:15]
“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven,” [Matthew 10:32]
“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.”[Luke 12:8]
“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” [Revelation 3:5]

To confess means simply to speak out before God and man. It is just that simple. All the words we speak are confessions whether we realize this or not. So let us make good confessions before God & man, as if our lives depend on it.

As I did a search to see what God’s word has to say about faith, I discovered to my joy, that I reached a deeper understanding. By reading all the new testament scriptures about faith collectively, I was able to see the whole picture at once. This truly blessed me, and I hope it deepens my faith walk. I’m sharing this thinking that it may bless you as well.
What is faith?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. [Hebrews 11:1]
How do we get faith?
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. [Rom. 10:17]
Why do we need faith?
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. [Rom. 3:28]
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [Rom. 5:1]
How will our faith be used?
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith. [Rom. 1:17] ( For we walk by faith, not by sight:) [2 Cor. 5:7]
But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? [James 2:20]
that the trying of your faith works patience. [James 1:3]
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; [James 5:15]
So therefor we must…
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called, [1 Tim. 6:12]
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) [Heb.10:23]
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. [ I John 5:4] {for we have} One Lord, one faith, one baptism, [Eph. 4:5]
10/11/05

No matter how careful we are, I believe we tend to compare others to our standards. We often don’t even realize we are doing this. We somehow expect non-believers to live up God’s word even though they don’t know God or His standards for righteousness. We also tend to forget that each believer has to walk out his or her own salvation with Christ, that Christ works with each of us in His own way, in His own timing. Next time we find ourselves doing this, we need to remember what Gods word has to say about judging others. Here are a few scriptures that might help to keep this fresh in our memory.

“But why do you judge your brother? or why do you set at nothing your brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, said the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”[ Romans 14:10-12]
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why behold you the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull out the mote out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the mote out of your brother’s eye.”[ Matthew 7:1-5]
“Who are you that judge another man’s servant? to his own master he stands or falls. Yes, he shall be held up: for God is able to make him stand.”[ Romans 14:4] “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are that judge: for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And think you this, O man, that judge them which do such things, and do the same, that you shall escape the judgment of God? Or despise you the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But after your hardness and impenitent heart treasure up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”[ Romans 2:1-5]
“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”[ Titus 3:3-5] ” So speak you, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has showed no mercy; and mercy rejoices against judgment.”[ James 2:12-13]
“Speak not evil one of another, brothers. He that speaks evil of his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law, and judges the law: but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who are you that judge another?”[ James 4:11-12] “Grudge not one against another, brothers, lest you be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.”[ James 5:9]

“But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yes, I judge not my own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”[ I Cor. 4:3-5]

10/21/05

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you.” [John 15:7]

We are clearly instructed that we are to make a deliberate effort to abide in Christ. Christ used a parable about a vineyard to express the importance of abiding in him, that He may abide in us. In John 15:1-6, Christ says; “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches: He that stays in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
How exactly are we to accomplish this deliberate act of abiding in Christ? Fortunetly, John gives us insight into this mystery and describes Christ like this; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” [John 1:1] “…the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” [John 1:14] Also in John’s divine vision “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called the Word of God.” [Rev. 19:11-13]
You see, Christ was the Word made manifest into flesh, therefore in order to truly abide in Christ, we must abide in God’s word. That’s where we should run in times of distress and confusion, or any time we need counsel, courage, or comfort. All the answers we need are there because by abiding in His word we are literally abiding in Christ.
God’s word also says that; “… the anointing which you have received of him stays in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in him.”[I John 2:27] “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” [I John 2:28]
11/7/05

Sometimes, I think, we tend to make God’s plan more complicated than it really is. According to God’s word salvation is as easy as ABC.

We Accept in our minds that Jesus is who He says He is, God’s Son, and that we are sinners.
Then we Believe in our hearts that He loves us just the way we are, died as a sacrifice for our sins, and was raised from the dead.
Then we Confess with our mouthes that Jesus is Lord of our lives.

This is the beginning of our Journey. Now with Lordship, He can begin to do a work in us to change us into His image as a son or daughter of God. Then we slowly begin to bear the family likeness. In Romans 10 it says; “[9] That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. [10] For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” Also, first John 4 says;” [15] Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.” Praise The Lord, It is just that simple.

10/10/05