(Ezr 4:24) "Then the work of the house of God at Jerusalem ceased. So it ceased to the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia."
(Ezr 5:1) "Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them."
The work of the house of God ceased in Ezra (4) because of a decree from King Artaxerxes and their enemies went up against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease.
When we are pursuing the will of God, opposition from our adversary is to be expected. False help and Discouragement will come... Finally for the Jews, the governmental authorities ruled against them, and their enemies stopped the work through violent means.
But what a difference the prophets make... Ezra (5) is a new beginning, not because of any change in the circumstances but, then the prophets prophesied to the Jews. So Zerubbabel and Jeshua rose up and began to build... Afterwards, they sent a letter, through the governor, to the new King Darius... and the rest is history.
Definitely, all Christians can flow in the prophetic, and I believe that Zerubbabel and Jeshua must have understood the prophetic purposes of God even before they returned to Jerusalem. But when the going gets really tough, the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
The prophetic ministry will be critical as we enter this new season of building and warfare. True prophets of God must be allowed opportunities to mature and to make mistakes. After they are tried and tested, they have to also obtain a platform to speak to the people so that their words can take effect.
"But that you, speaking the truth in love, may in all things grow up to Him who is the Head, even Christ; from whom the whole body, fitted together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of each part, producing the growth of the body to the edifying of itself in love. " (Eph 4:15-16)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Inspired by His Word - a time to build...
"But after they had rest, they again did evil before You..." Neh (9:28)
It is amazing to me that just after 70 years of exile, the children of Israel were so settled in Babylon that only a small remnant chooses to return to Jerusalem, to build the house of God. Although God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to make the proclamation, His own people refused to be moved.
Somehow there is something addictive about rest, not that the Lord wants us to be workaholics, but we need to be mobilised as God leads. It is when David stayed back at the time that kings go out to battle, that he got into trouble. Solomon had rest from all his enemies all around, but he went after many foreign women.
God deems it so important that the people of Israel who came to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel were listed twice in the Bible, in Ezra (2) and Neh (7). So let us be counted in this labor and fight to rebuild the tabernacle of David as in the days of old. Be encouraged!! The Lord is sending His prophets and His angels to aid us in the work...
It is amazing to me that just after 70 years of exile, the children of Israel were so settled in Babylon that only a small remnant chooses to return to Jerusalem, to build the house of God. Although God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to make the proclamation, His own people refused to be moved.
Somehow there is something addictive about rest, not that the Lord wants us to be workaholics, but we need to be mobilised as God leads. It is when David stayed back at the time that kings go out to battle, that he got into trouble. Solomon had rest from all his enemies all around, but he went after many foreign women.
God deems it so important that the people of Israel who came to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel were listed twice in the Bible, in Ezra (2) and Neh (7). So let us be counted in this labor and fight to rebuild the tabernacle of David as in the days of old. Be encouraged!! The Lord is sending His prophets and His angels to aid us in the work...
Friday, May 4, 2007
Learning to cut off the unnecessary...
For the past few months we have been addressing the subject of our time, especially as we prepare the way for the kingdom by taking up the call to preach the gospel of the kingdom. As we see this present world collapsing into increasing discord and disorder, the kingdom will be marked by increasing peace and order. We must therefore order our own lives according to kingdom principles and be a demonstration of the kingdom. We will see an increasing contrast between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God, and between the lives of those that have been built on each.
As we have discussed, the whole nation, and much of the world, was traumatized by the mismanagement during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. However, it was not just the government, but the large charities as well. I received some heated emails from leaders of a couple of these large charities, which I had named in this Word for the Week, wanting me to apologize, but I do not apologize for the truth. I said what I did to try to help them, not hurt them, but the defensiveness with which they took my comments told me that it was unlikely they would acknowledge their problems, much less correct them. However, that can change and it must. Inefficiency, or burying our responsibility, is a sin, and it is why the one servant in the Parable of the Talents was called a "wicked, lazy slave" (see Matthew 25:26).
I also know that the leaders of these large charities may have been honestly offended by my comments. By this I mean that they really do not see the inefficiency in their own organizations. I believe many in government positions are the same way. In fact, I have almost never witnessed bad intentions on the part of anyone in government charities which are being run inefficiently. Many really do not know how to do it any better, and sincerely think they are managing their operations as well as they can be managed. This is an honest, understandable mistake, which is why I do not get offended by those who get offended at me for trying to address these things. However, we must do better. The church and Christian charities can and should lead the way in this.
To get where you are supposed to go, you have to know where you are. In general, I think the church is one of the most inefficiently run organizations in the world. The simple fact that we tend to build these huge, expensive buildings to be used for just a couple of hours one day of the week, and then mostly sit empty the rest of the week, should tell us something. This expense would certainly be worth it to reach one person with salvation, or to help one family stay together, but why not use our resources to help many more?
We at MorningStar are also wrestling with the same issues. We know that we can do things much more efficiently than we are, and we also realize that it usually takes time to implement needed changes. The first thing that must change is attitude. If all of our staff and employees begin to look at waste as their own tithes and offerings being thrown away, they become diligent. For the most part, I think that attitude has been permeating our organization, but we are also constantly finding bottlenecks and people who are very busy doing things that we don't really need done, or at least are not priorities. That is a key to efficiency—prioritizing. This is needed with our time, our jobs, and the duties within our jobs.
I have come to believe that without engaged, proactive, wise leadership, most organizations will quickly gravitate to spending 90 percent of their time on what bears less than 10 percent of the fruit. It is just as true of churches and ministries as any other organization. We must learn the lesson of pruning. Well-managed fruit trees are pruned of branches that do not produce fruit so that they do not sap the resources that would otherwise go to the branches which are bearing fruit.
As we address budgeting, we need to look first at what needs to be cut off totally. Think about this—almost 100 percent of the people who become wealthy through investing start by learning to not buy anything they do not really need, and putting what they save into an investment. Most of these have a goal within a certain period of time of making more off of their investments than they do from their job, and those who are disciplined in keeping to their plan usually get there much faster. However, the key that most investors attribute to their success is first learning to control spending.
Many people buy cars to carry the maximum people that they will need to carry when they only carry that number of people a couple times a year. They would do much better to drive a smaller car and just rent a bigger one when they really need it. People build homes the same way. They live in huge houses that must be heated, cooled, and maintained, for the once or twice a year when the whole family comes. Instead, they could rent a much nicer resort for a lot less for those times.
Of course, there can be emotional ties to the homestead, but are these brief, fleeting feelings of nostalgia worth what we are paying for them? Maybe they are to you, but perhaps if you and the family thought about them in relation to their actual cost, and how much more you may be able to do for yourself and your family if you were not bearing these costs, everyone would probably vote to sell.
Much of our lives are spent cleaning and dusting things that we really do not use and may not even really like—get rid of them. Prune back. If you are a "pack rat," you are an inefficient person and a lot of your time, energy, and resources are probably being needlessly consumed by this stronghold of insecurity. You will be amazed at how much better you feel when you get rid of some things.
Of course, efficiency is not everything. Sometimes love requires us to be extravagant, as the Lord is sometimes with us. However, inefficiency probably hurts more people than most of our other big social problems combined. Here is something for you to consider: I cannot prove it, but I feel sure that many church splits are the result of the Lord allowing things to happen to prune those churches of things they would not deal with themselves. Let me elaborate a bit more.
One of the enemy's main strategies in the last days is to "wear out the saints." Many are being worn-out by the multitude of projects and causes they are pressured to join out of guilt, but these really are not accomplishing anything for the kingdom. Again, a car can have 300 horsepower, but what good is it if it is stuck in the sand and not going anywhere? Many are putting out a lot of effort and consuming a lot of energy, but they really are not accomplishing anything except expending time and energy that could be going to what really bears fruit.
Again, we were bought with a price, and we do not belong to ourselves, but to Him. We are servants, stewards, and we will be judged by how well we have managed our lives and the resources entrusted to us. The Scriptures are clear that this is a big deal to God and should be to us. It starts with us. We are called to be the light of the world, which means we should be showing the way.
Next week we will continue to address how this should affect us personally, and we will tie it together with global warming, which is becoming one of the biggest issues of our time. I am not saying yet whether I think it should or shouldn't be such an issue, but it is, and if we are the light of the world we should be able to address it with clarity and wisdom.
As we have discussed, the whole nation, and much of the world, was traumatized by the mismanagement during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. However, it was not just the government, but the large charities as well. I received some heated emails from leaders of a couple of these large charities, which I had named in this Word for the Week, wanting me to apologize, but I do not apologize for the truth. I said what I did to try to help them, not hurt them, but the defensiveness with which they took my comments told me that it was unlikely they would acknowledge their problems, much less correct them. However, that can change and it must. Inefficiency, or burying our responsibility, is a sin, and it is why the one servant in the Parable of the Talents was called a "wicked, lazy slave" (see Matthew 25:26).
I also know that the leaders of these large charities may have been honestly offended by my comments. By this I mean that they really do not see the inefficiency in their own organizations. I believe many in government positions are the same way. In fact, I have almost never witnessed bad intentions on the part of anyone in government charities which are being run inefficiently. Many really do not know how to do it any better, and sincerely think they are managing their operations as well as they can be managed. This is an honest, understandable mistake, which is why I do not get offended by those who get offended at me for trying to address these things. However, we must do better. The church and Christian charities can and should lead the way in this.
To get where you are supposed to go, you have to know where you are. In general, I think the church is one of the most inefficiently run organizations in the world. The simple fact that we tend to build these huge, expensive buildings to be used for just a couple of hours one day of the week, and then mostly sit empty the rest of the week, should tell us something. This expense would certainly be worth it to reach one person with salvation, or to help one family stay together, but why not use our resources to help many more?
We at MorningStar are also wrestling with the same issues. We know that we can do things much more efficiently than we are, and we also realize that it usually takes time to implement needed changes. The first thing that must change is attitude. If all of our staff and employees begin to look at waste as their own tithes and offerings being thrown away, they become diligent. For the most part, I think that attitude has been permeating our organization, but we are also constantly finding bottlenecks and people who are very busy doing things that we don't really need done, or at least are not priorities. That is a key to efficiency—prioritizing. This is needed with our time, our jobs, and the duties within our jobs.
I have come to believe that without engaged, proactive, wise leadership, most organizations will quickly gravitate to spending 90 percent of their time on what bears less than 10 percent of the fruit. It is just as true of churches and ministries as any other organization. We must learn the lesson of pruning. Well-managed fruit trees are pruned of branches that do not produce fruit so that they do not sap the resources that would otherwise go to the branches which are bearing fruit.
As we address budgeting, we need to look first at what needs to be cut off totally. Think about this—almost 100 percent of the people who become wealthy through investing start by learning to not buy anything they do not really need, and putting what they save into an investment. Most of these have a goal within a certain period of time of making more off of their investments than they do from their job, and those who are disciplined in keeping to their plan usually get there much faster. However, the key that most investors attribute to their success is first learning to control spending.
Many people buy cars to carry the maximum people that they will need to carry when they only carry that number of people a couple times a year. They would do much better to drive a smaller car and just rent a bigger one when they really need it. People build homes the same way. They live in huge houses that must be heated, cooled, and maintained, for the once or twice a year when the whole family comes. Instead, they could rent a much nicer resort for a lot less for those times.
Of course, there can be emotional ties to the homestead, but are these brief, fleeting feelings of nostalgia worth what we are paying for them? Maybe they are to you, but perhaps if you and the family thought about them in relation to their actual cost, and how much more you may be able to do for yourself and your family if you were not bearing these costs, everyone would probably vote to sell.
Much of our lives are spent cleaning and dusting things that we really do not use and may not even really like—get rid of them. Prune back. If you are a "pack rat," you are an inefficient person and a lot of your time, energy, and resources are probably being needlessly consumed by this stronghold of insecurity. You will be amazed at how much better you feel when you get rid of some things.
Of course, efficiency is not everything. Sometimes love requires us to be extravagant, as the Lord is sometimes with us. However, inefficiency probably hurts more people than most of our other big social problems combined. Here is something for you to consider: I cannot prove it, but I feel sure that many church splits are the result of the Lord allowing things to happen to prune those churches of things they would not deal with themselves. Let me elaborate a bit more.
One of the enemy's main strategies in the last days is to "wear out the saints." Many are being worn-out by the multitude of projects and causes they are pressured to join out of guilt, but these really are not accomplishing anything for the kingdom. Again, a car can have 300 horsepower, but what good is it if it is stuck in the sand and not going anywhere? Many are putting out a lot of effort and consuming a lot of energy, but they really are not accomplishing anything except expending time and energy that could be going to what really bears fruit.
Again, we were bought with a price, and we do not belong to ourselves, but to Him. We are servants, stewards, and we will be judged by how well we have managed our lives and the resources entrusted to us. The Scriptures are clear that this is a big deal to God and should be to us. It starts with us. We are called to be the light of the world, which means we should be showing the way.
Next week we will continue to address how this should affect us personally, and we will tie it together with global warming, which is becoming one of the biggest issues of our time. I am not saying yet whether I think it should or shouldn't be such an issue, but it is, and if we are the light of the world we should be able to address it with clarity and wisdom.
Learning to be a good steward of our finances
Our perspective of the kingdom must be based on knowing the King. As I have contended that much of the biblical teachings on righteousness deal with stewardship, which is management, there is a sure biblical witness that the Lord cares deeply about this. It was this issue in the Parable of the Talents that determined which servants heard "Well done," and which heard "You wicked, lazy slave!"(see Matthew 25:21-26 NIV) That is how important being a good steward is. Whatever He has entrusted us with, we want to see it used to its maximum efficiency and fruitfulness.
This covers everything from spiritual gifts to other resources, including our money. Money is our least valuable resource, but it is an important one because the Lord said that until we learn to handle it correctly, we will not be trusted with the true riches of the kingdom. It would be great to have enough money to feed 5,000 poor people every day, but it would be even better to have the authority to multiply one hamburger to feed 5,000! That is the difference between the riches of this world and the riches of the kingdom.
Many Christians have been claiming the biblical prophecies which talk about the wealth of the wicked being given to the righteous. But we need to first consider who the "wicked" and "righteous" are (see Proverbs 13:22). As so much of the teaching on righteousness has to do with good stewardship, could the "righteousness" that enables one to be trusted with this be a devotion to and skills in good management?
Just as there are four kinds of grace in Scripture, one of which is "common grace" that the Lord gives to all whether they acknowledge Him or not, there is a righteousness which is not really related to our redemption or salvation, but simply doing things right. No amount of this could ever earn anyone the salvation of their soul, but in the area of "common grace," it does enable the Lord to trust them with more things in the natural realm.
Without question, we should esteem righteousness, which leads to salvation, far above just being good stewards of earthly things. However, we are coming to a time when those who are heirs of salvation will also learn to be good stewards in everything and be given authority commensurate with this. We should esteem cultivating and growing our faith above the material, but that does not mean we should not devote ourselves to being the best stewards possible of all that we have been entrusted with. In truth, these are linked. If we are truly growing in faith, we will become better stewards of everything, esteeming and honoring everything God entrusts to us enough to manage it well.
In this "common grace righteousness," as we have discussed, we would have to include Bill Gates and Warren Buffet as two great examples. Both made tens of billions of dollars and both determined to give away their fortunes. Warren Buffet did not have anyone else to give his to except Bill Gates, who he knew would manage it right, and would gain the maximum benefit from it. If the church were operating as it should, his first consideration of giving it to a place where it would be managed well would have been the church. Sadly, it was not, and for a good reason. However, the church will get there. When we come to maturity, we will be the best stewards of everything on the planet.
Again, this is not to imply that all of these billions given away by Gates and Buffet could buy one moment of eternal life, which the cross alone has paid for. All of the earth's riches would not measure as being worth even a penny of purchasing power in eternal matters. Money is simply a tool for our training.
In Matthew 6:24, the Lord declared, "You cannot serve God and mammon." This has been interpreted by many to think it is not spiritual to give attention to managing money, but I submit that this is not the way this should be taken. If we do not learn some basic issues of money management, we will spend our lives serving money instead of having it serve us and our purpose.
To be practical, get control over your finances or they will control you. Every Christian should be financially independent. This does not mean we should be wealthy, but that we should never have to make a major decision on whether we have enough money or not, but on whether it is the will of God or not. Financial independence must be our goal.
Those who have obeyed this will never have to worry about the mark of the beast, because they will have another Source and will not care if they have permission to buy, sell, or trade in the systems of this world or not. That can, and should be, an important goal, but our main purpose should be to be the best stewards that we can of all that the Lord entrusts to us. This is basic to truly honoring Him, which is basic to true worship.
So, before proceeding, I would like to propose a simple budget for those who do not have one. Here it is:
FIRST YEAR
10% first fruits tithe to the Lord
5% to offerings and good works
5% to emergency reserves/savings for major purposes
5% to recreation/entertainment
75% for living expenses including mortgage, rent, taxes, transportation
SECOND YEAR
10% tithe
6% offerings
6% to reserves
5% recreation
73% living expenses
THIRD YEAR
10% tithe
7% offerings
7% to reserves
5% recreation
71% living expenses
FOURTH YEAR
10% tithe
8% offerings
8% to reserves
5% recreation
69% living expenses
FIFTH YEAR
10% tithe
10% offerings
10% to reserves
5% recreation
65% living expenses
With increasing income, resist increasing your standard of living, but rather increase your standard of giving. Resist free spending and invest the money that you would normally spend on things you do not really need. Things will change if you do this.
The Lord promises to those who are faithful to give Him the "whole tithe" that He will "rebuke the devourer" from their lives. Most people do not need more income to get by—they just need the devourer rebuked from their lives. Personally, I have never met anyone who is faithful to tithe to the Lord who has chronic financial problems. There may be some, for other reasons of disobedience, but I have not met them.
Most people are thrown into financial stress because of unexpected expenses, but they will not throw us into crisis if we maintain adequate reserves. Once the emergency reserves are adequately funded, we should turn what we were setting aside for them into investments. If you do this, and learn to control your spending, your investments will provide more income for you than your job. This too should be a goal.
This is a simple draft of a budget, which may need to be adjusted some for each individual, but the goal is to decrease the percentage of our income that we are spending on living expenses, while increasing what we give and what we invest. The Lord does tend to bless the faithful and diligent so that things can happen much faster. However, if He was to give most people enough to pay off all of their debts in one lump sum, they would be right back in debt in short order because they have not learned to correct their bad management practices. Develop a plan that is right for you, be faithful to it as unto the Lord, and things will happen faster. However, we must resolve to do what is right whether He rewards us quickly or not.
This is not some theory that I am laying out for you. It is sound biblical truth, and I have personally experienced what I am teaching here. I do not want to take the time to go over the details of my personal life, but I am sharing what I know to be the truth and what works.
However, for biblical principles to work, we cannot think short-term, but long-term. Set your heart on faithfulness—forever, because it is the right thing to do, not just to get out of your mess. Remember, Satan is always in a hurry because he knows that he has but a short time. The Lord is never in a hurry because He knows that He has eternity. If we are abiding in Him, we will think long-term. DO NOT succumb to "the tyranny of the urgent," but give yourself to the eternal principles of the eternal kingdom. It takes both faith and patience to inherit the promises. Impatience is not a fruit of the Spirit, and the way of the Spirit will always reflect patience.
Last week I promised a statement about global warming, and I will cover this in more detail later. I do believe there is some truth to global warming, though I feel there is also a lot of evidence that some "evidence" for this and its source, seems to be contrived and/or exaggerated. However, no one should be more concerned about preservation and conservation than Christians.
God entrusted the world to man to take care of. It is a gift of unfathomable beauty, glory, and value, and to not take care of it as we should is an affront to the Giver. For now, I just want to say that we should do the right thing by the environment regardless of global warming, and it is a God-given mandate to us. Christians are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, which means we should have the answers to every important question. I will have more to say on this later, but we have been made stewards of the earth, and we will be accountable. The Lord even said in Revelation 11:18 that He will "destroy those who destroy the earth." We should be wondering why Christians lag so far behind in addressing the important issues that face our world when we are called to be far ahead and showing the way.
I am praying for all who read this Word for the Week to hear on that great judgment day, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (see Matthew 25:21 NIV) Those who will are those who take what they believe to be the word from the Lord and apply it to their lives. They do not just hear the words of the Lord, but they obey them. Such are the ones who are building their houses, financial and otherwise, on the Rock that will endure any flood that comes. If you think the Lord is speaking to you about any of these things, do them.
This covers everything from spiritual gifts to other resources, including our money. Money is our least valuable resource, but it is an important one because the Lord said that until we learn to handle it correctly, we will not be trusted with the true riches of the kingdom. It would be great to have enough money to feed 5,000 poor people every day, but it would be even better to have the authority to multiply one hamburger to feed 5,000! That is the difference between the riches of this world and the riches of the kingdom.
Many Christians have been claiming the biblical prophecies which talk about the wealth of the wicked being given to the righteous. But we need to first consider who the "wicked" and "righteous" are (see Proverbs 13:22). As so much of the teaching on righteousness has to do with good stewardship, could the "righteousness" that enables one to be trusted with this be a devotion to and skills in good management?
Just as there are four kinds of grace in Scripture, one of which is "common grace" that the Lord gives to all whether they acknowledge Him or not, there is a righteousness which is not really related to our redemption or salvation, but simply doing things right. No amount of this could ever earn anyone the salvation of their soul, but in the area of "common grace," it does enable the Lord to trust them with more things in the natural realm.
Without question, we should esteem righteousness, which leads to salvation, far above just being good stewards of earthly things. However, we are coming to a time when those who are heirs of salvation will also learn to be good stewards in everything and be given authority commensurate with this. We should esteem cultivating and growing our faith above the material, but that does not mean we should not devote ourselves to being the best stewards possible of all that we have been entrusted with. In truth, these are linked. If we are truly growing in faith, we will become better stewards of everything, esteeming and honoring everything God entrusts to us enough to manage it well.
In this "common grace righteousness," as we have discussed, we would have to include Bill Gates and Warren Buffet as two great examples. Both made tens of billions of dollars and both determined to give away their fortunes. Warren Buffet did not have anyone else to give his to except Bill Gates, who he knew would manage it right, and would gain the maximum benefit from it. If the church were operating as it should, his first consideration of giving it to a place where it would be managed well would have been the church. Sadly, it was not, and for a good reason. However, the church will get there. When we come to maturity, we will be the best stewards of everything on the planet.
Again, this is not to imply that all of these billions given away by Gates and Buffet could buy one moment of eternal life, which the cross alone has paid for. All of the earth's riches would not measure as being worth even a penny of purchasing power in eternal matters. Money is simply a tool for our training.
In Matthew 6:24, the Lord declared, "You cannot serve God and mammon." This has been interpreted by many to think it is not spiritual to give attention to managing money, but I submit that this is not the way this should be taken. If we do not learn some basic issues of money management, we will spend our lives serving money instead of having it serve us and our purpose.
To be practical, get control over your finances or they will control you. Every Christian should be financially independent. This does not mean we should be wealthy, but that we should never have to make a major decision on whether we have enough money or not, but on whether it is the will of God or not. Financial independence must be our goal.
Those who have obeyed this will never have to worry about the mark of the beast, because they will have another Source and will not care if they have permission to buy, sell, or trade in the systems of this world or not. That can, and should be, an important goal, but our main purpose should be to be the best stewards that we can of all that the Lord entrusts to us. This is basic to truly honoring Him, which is basic to true worship.
So, before proceeding, I would like to propose a simple budget for those who do not have one. Here it is:
FIRST YEAR
10% first fruits tithe to the Lord
5% to offerings and good works
5% to emergency reserves/savings for major purposes
5% to recreation/entertainment
75% for living expenses including mortgage, rent, taxes, transportation
SECOND YEAR
10% tithe
6% offerings
6% to reserves
5% recreation
73% living expenses
THIRD YEAR
10% tithe
7% offerings
7% to reserves
5% recreation
71% living expenses
FOURTH YEAR
10% tithe
8% offerings
8% to reserves
5% recreation
69% living expenses
FIFTH YEAR
10% tithe
10% offerings
10% to reserves
5% recreation
65% living expenses
With increasing income, resist increasing your standard of living, but rather increase your standard of giving. Resist free spending and invest the money that you would normally spend on things you do not really need. Things will change if you do this.
The Lord promises to those who are faithful to give Him the "whole tithe" that He will "rebuke the devourer" from their lives. Most people do not need more income to get by—they just need the devourer rebuked from their lives. Personally, I have never met anyone who is faithful to tithe to the Lord who has chronic financial problems. There may be some, for other reasons of disobedience, but I have not met them.
Most people are thrown into financial stress because of unexpected expenses, but they will not throw us into crisis if we maintain adequate reserves. Once the emergency reserves are adequately funded, we should turn what we were setting aside for them into investments. If you do this, and learn to control your spending, your investments will provide more income for you than your job. This too should be a goal.
This is a simple draft of a budget, which may need to be adjusted some for each individual, but the goal is to decrease the percentage of our income that we are spending on living expenses, while increasing what we give and what we invest. The Lord does tend to bless the faithful and diligent so that things can happen much faster. However, if He was to give most people enough to pay off all of their debts in one lump sum, they would be right back in debt in short order because they have not learned to correct their bad management practices. Develop a plan that is right for you, be faithful to it as unto the Lord, and things will happen faster. However, we must resolve to do what is right whether He rewards us quickly or not.
This is not some theory that I am laying out for you. It is sound biblical truth, and I have personally experienced what I am teaching here. I do not want to take the time to go over the details of my personal life, but I am sharing what I know to be the truth and what works.
However, for biblical principles to work, we cannot think short-term, but long-term. Set your heart on faithfulness—forever, because it is the right thing to do, not just to get out of your mess. Remember, Satan is always in a hurry because he knows that he has but a short time. The Lord is never in a hurry because He knows that He has eternity. If we are abiding in Him, we will think long-term. DO NOT succumb to "the tyranny of the urgent," but give yourself to the eternal principles of the eternal kingdom. It takes both faith and patience to inherit the promises. Impatience is not a fruit of the Spirit, and the way of the Spirit will always reflect patience.
Last week I promised a statement about global warming, and I will cover this in more detail later. I do believe there is some truth to global warming, though I feel there is also a lot of evidence that some "evidence" for this and its source, seems to be contrived and/or exaggerated. However, no one should be more concerned about preservation and conservation than Christians.
God entrusted the world to man to take care of. It is a gift of unfathomable beauty, glory, and value, and to not take care of it as we should is an affront to the Giver. For now, I just want to say that we should do the right thing by the environment regardless of global warming, and it is a God-given mandate to us. Christians are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, which means we should have the answers to every important question. I will have more to say on this later, but we have been made stewards of the earth, and we will be accountable. The Lord even said in Revelation 11:18 that He will "destroy those who destroy the earth." We should be wondering why Christians lag so far behind in addressing the important issues that face our world when we are called to be far ahead and showing the way.
I am praying for all who read this Word for the Week to hear on that great judgment day, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (see Matthew 25:21 NIV) Those who will are those who take what they believe to be the word from the Lord and apply it to their lives. They do not just hear the words of the Lord, but they obey them. Such are the ones who are building their houses, financial and otherwise, on the Rock that will endure any flood that comes. If you think the Lord is speaking to you about any of these things, do them.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
But the Cowardly...
"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Rev (21:7-8)
It is clear from Rev (3:5) that for those who fail to overcome in this life, it is possible that their names be blotted out from the Book of Life. Therefore, I conclude that not all Christians will be saved, or put in another way - Christians do go to Hell...
The promise in the above verses is for every Christian to overcome and enter into sonship. But the two biggest obstacles for us, are being cowardly and unbelieving. To overcome our sin nature, we will need to tap into the grace of God in faith, like when we first receive our salvation.
"Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16)
"Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies having been washed with pure water." (Heb 10:19-22)
We must have great boldness to draw near to Him, to confront the little foxes in our lives, for the Lord is not pleased with anyone who draws back. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope, stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of the brethren, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the Day approaching...
Please do not stay in the outer courts, there is no guarantee that you will survive the trampling of the Gentiles.
It is clear from Rev (3:5) that for those who fail to overcome in this life, it is possible that their names be blotted out from the Book of Life. Therefore, I conclude that not all Christians will be saved, or put in another way - Christians do go to Hell...
The promise in the above verses is for every Christian to overcome and enter into sonship. But the two biggest obstacles for us, are being cowardly and unbelieving. To overcome our sin nature, we will need to tap into the grace of God in faith, like when we first receive our salvation.
"Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16)
"Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies having been washed with pure water." (Heb 10:19-22)
We must have great boldness to draw near to Him, to confront the little foxes in our lives, for the Lord is not pleased with anyone who draws back. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope, stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of the brethren, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the Day approaching...
Please do not stay in the outer courts, there is no guarantee that you will survive the trampling of the Gentiles.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The Cry of the Martyrs
"And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying,"How Long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each one of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed" (Rev 6:9-11)
At the back of our minds, we do know that Vengeance belongs to the Lord and we should not avenge ourselves. And we are also looking for speedy justice in the various areas of our lives, hoping that God will indeed give us a mighty deliverance. Maybe we will be like Job, having twice as much as he had before, after his trial. Unfortunately, the Lord don't always work according to our time-table or our desired outcome.
I constantly remind myself that all the men of faith in Heb (11) died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off... that they should not be made perfect apart from us. There are certain promises and certain vengeance that will only be fulfilled after we are dead on the earth. I am not sure if I will be understood, but our faith abides with us after death. If we die before the 2nd coming of the Lord, we will join the cloud of witnesses in heaven, cheering the rest on in faith...
All the Martyrs are still waiting for the final judgment on Babylon and Satan, from Abel onwards and still counting... I will be glad if God will count me worthy to be part of those who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, in Rev (7:14). We will need extraordinary grace for the days ahead, cry out to Him day and night for it...
"And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry day and night to Him, though He has been long-suffering over them? I say to you that He will avenge them speedily. Yet when the Son of Man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luk 18:7-8)
At the back of our minds, we do know that Vengeance belongs to the Lord and we should not avenge ourselves. And we are also looking for speedy justice in the various areas of our lives, hoping that God will indeed give us a mighty deliverance. Maybe we will be like Job, having twice as much as he had before, after his trial. Unfortunately, the Lord don't always work according to our time-table or our desired outcome.
I constantly remind myself that all the men of faith in Heb (11) died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off... that they should not be made perfect apart from us. There are certain promises and certain vengeance that will only be fulfilled after we are dead on the earth. I am not sure if I will be understood, but our faith abides with us after death. If we die before the 2nd coming of the Lord, we will join the cloud of witnesses in heaven, cheering the rest on in faith...
All the Martyrs are still waiting for the final judgment on Babylon and Satan, from Abel onwards and still counting... I will be glad if God will count me worthy to be part of those who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, in Rev (7:14). We will need extraordinary grace for the days ahead, cry out to Him day and night for it...
"And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry day and night to Him, though He has been long-suffering over them? I say to you that He will avenge them speedily. Yet when the Son of Man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luk 18:7-8)
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Put On Christ
Paul Keith Davis and Bob Jones
November 11, 1997
Many people have been receiving visions or dreams of themselves either clothed in their undergarments or nothing at all. Many have misinterpreted this thinking that it was a negative thing showing that they were without covering. However, the true interpretation of this relates to the relinquishing of our fleshly garments in preparation for being clothed with the Lord’s priestly garments. We are to put on Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. By laying aside all of our fleshly desires we then make way to be clothed with qualities, character and attributes of Christ through His anointing.
THIS IS THE PORTION OF A WICKED MAN FROM GOD, AND THE INHERITANCE WHICH TYRANTS RECEIVE FROM THE ALMIGHTY. THOUGH HIS SONS ARE, THEY ARE DESTINED FOR THE SWORD; AND HIS DESCENDANTS WILL NOT BE SATISFIED WITH BREAD. HIS SURVIVORS WILL BE BURIED BECAUSE OF THE PLAGUE, AND THEIR WIDOWS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WEEP. THOUGH HE PILES UP SILVER LIKE DUST AND PREPARES GARMENTS AS PLENTIFUL AS THE CLAY; HE MAY PREPARE IT, BUT THE JUST WILL WEAR IT, AND THE INNOCENT WILL DIVIDE THE SILVER. (JOB 27:13-17)
The Lord is saying that He has stripped us in order to clothe us with Himself. We are not going to be clothed with strikingly beautiful garments to the natural eye, rather it will be with a spirit of humility according to I Peter 5:5. These garments will only be beautiful to the spiritual eye and to the Lord. Being clothed in a spirit of humility will produce meekness or a teachable spirit capable of change into the very image of Christ.
BUT PUT ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND MAKE NO PROVISION FOR THE FLESH IN REGARD TO ITS LUSTS. (ROMANS 13:14) AND BEYOND ALL THESE THINGS PUT ON LOVE, WHICH IS THE PERFECT BOND OF UNITY. (COLOSSIANS 3:14)
The most important teaching from these scriptures is that we clothe ourselves in love. Through divine love we will then begin to see the bond of unity that will produce the anointing. If we clothe ourselves with the anointing then we will make no provision for the flesh and its lusts. Ultimately, we are being stripped in order to be prepared to inherit the Promises; THEREFORE THE LAW HAS BECOME OUR TUTOR TO LEAD US TO CHRIST, THAT WE MAY BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. BUT NOW THAT FAITH HAS COME, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR. FOR YOU ARE ALL SONS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS. FOR ALL OF YOU WHO WERE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE CLOTHED YOURSELVES WITH CHRIST. THERE IS NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK, THERE IS NEITHER SLAVE NOR FREE MAN, THERE IS NEITHER MALE NOR FEMALE; FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS. AND IF YOU BELONG TO CHRIST, THEN YOU ARE ABRAHAM’S OFFSPRING, HEIRS ACCORDING TO PROMISE. (GALATIANS 3:24-29)
That which we have actually been stripping off is the old unregenerate nature. The base nature that was born in the Garden of Eden with the fall of man must perish as we are crucified with Christ, and are raised again to live according to Christ through His anointing and His divine character. We are then being molded into His image according to the true knowledge of Christ given to us through His Word. For it is through the true knowledge of Christ that we receive the precious and magnificent promises by which we become partakers of His divine nature. (II Peter 1:4) Under this new created state all prejudices and distinctions of man vanish. We become one in Christ according to one Spirit through one anointing.
DO NOT LIE TO ONE ANOTHER, SINCE YOU LAID ASIDE THE OLD SELF WITH ITS EVIL PRACTICES, AND PUT ON THE NEW SELF WHO IS BEING RENEWED TO A TRUE KNOWLEDGE ACCORDING TO THE IMAGE OF THE ONE WHO CREATED HIM A RENEWAL IN WHICH THERE IS NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN GREEK AND JEW, CIRCUMCISED AND UNCIRCUMCISED , BARBARIAN, SCYTHIAN, SLAVE AND FREE MAN, BUT CHRIST IS ALL AND IN ALL. AND SO, AS THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN OF GOD, HOLY AND BELOVED, PUT ON A HEART OF COMPASSION, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, GENTLENESS AND PATIENCE; BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND FORGIVING EACH OTHER, WHOEVER HAS A COMPLAINT AGAINST ANYONE; JUST AS THE LORD FORGAVE YOU, SO ALSO SHOULD YOU. (COLOSSIANS 3:9-13)
He that is greatest among you let him be the servant of all. Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. Those who are desiring to present themselves in the fore-front with their own agenda are continuing to be motivated by their fleshly nature. Those who have put on Christ will be content to be a servant with little or no open recognition, yet enjoying the sweet fellowship and companionship of the Lord.
If we put on the Holy array then their will be no sin or ambition in our motives. If we do not learn from history then we will be doomed to repeat it. Many anointed leaders fell because they had not completely clothed themselves in Christ. We are being commissioned at this time to strip ourselves so that we can be clothed in His Holy Attire. We are to be “galvanized” with Christ. An iron chain is a very powerful tool, however it is also greatly prone to corruption and rust. When the iron chain links have been galvanized they are coated with a layer of zinc which is non-corruptible. The chain links then become much more powerful because they are not subject to the corruption of rust and will endure even under the most harsh conditions such as salt water. Our spirits are to be galvanized with Christ and our flesh is to be coated with the anointing. Corruption will then be taking on the incorruptible nature.
BUT THE GREATEST AMONG YOU SHALL BE YOUR SERVANT. AND WHOEVER EXALTS HIMSELF SHALL BE HUMBLED; WHOEVER HUMBLES HIMSELF SHALL BE EXALTED. (MATTHEW 23:11-12)
The Lord Jesus introduced into the world a new conception of greatness. It was to be found in humility and self forgetting service. Even the Lord Himself stated that He did not come into the world to be ministered to, rather He came into the world to minister to others and give His life as a ransom for many. That should also be our motivation as we strip ourselves of the selfish fleshly nature and put on this attitude that was in Christ. Many people in these last days will be given the gifts and the power to go international with their ministries and develop a great name for themselves. They will also be given the choice to take those gifts and become a servant even as the Lord was a servant to His disciples as illustrated in the washing of their feet. The greatest authority on earth with all power in heaven and on earth yet He chose the path of humility and servant-hood and demonstrated this truth to His disciples by taking upon Himself the most lowly of responsibilities, the washing of their feet. Greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven is through humility and service. I AM IN THE MIDST OF YOU AS HE THAT SERVETH (LUKE 22:27)
The greatest evidence of true humility is demonstrated through obedience. Simply doing those things that the Lord has asked us to do. Obedience truly is greater than sacrifice. LET THE WICKED MAN FORSAKE HIS WAYS AND THE UNRIGHTEOUS MAN HIS THOUGHTS. (Isaiah 55:7) We are challenged to lay aside our own agenda in order to take up the Lord’s agenda. Let us lay aside the reasoning and deliberation of our own thoughts and clothe ourselves with the motivations and purpose of the Holy Spirit.
All of this is given to us as a choice. We can choose this day whom we shall serve. Will we serve our own motives and desires or will we serve Christ by putting on His nature and character? Will we pursue the motivations of His heart through servant-hood or will we allow selfish ambition to continue to rule our thoughts.
THEN THE LORD SAID, BECAUSE THIS PEOPLE DRAW NEAR WITH THEIR WORDS AND HONOR ME WITH THEIR LIP SERVICE, BUT THEY REMOVE THEIR HEARTS FAR FROM ME, AND THEIR REVERENCE FOR ME CONSISTS OF TRADITION LEARNED BY ROTE (THE MECHANICAL REPETITION OF WORDS WITHOUT REGARD TO THEIR MEANING). THEREFORE BEHOLD, I WILL ONCE AGAIN DEAL MARVELOUSLY WITH THIS PEOPLE, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS; AND THE WISDOM OF THEIR WISE MEN SHALL PERISH, AND THE DISCERNMENT OF THEIR DISCERNING MEN SHALL BE CONCEALED. (ISAIAH 29:13-14)
Many people have clothed themselves with garments that are actually the traditions of man. Much of the division that exist in the church evolves from doctrinal error that has been taught as truth. As people embrace these truths mingled with tradition they are actually clothing themselves with filthy garments that must be cast aside in order for them to be clothed in truth. His anointing is the Spirit of Truth and we are sanctified through the Spirit of Truth. To be meek means to have a teachable spirit. We must all be willing to relinquish that which is corruptible in order to take on the incorruptible nature. We are cleansed by faith in the truth. We should bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Put on the mind of Christ. When Aaron was commissioned to be High Priest of Israel, He was presented before the entire nation of Israel stripped totally naked and cleansed as a symbolic gesture of the cleansing we are to receive in the Royal Priesthood. As we emerge in this generation as a Royal Priesthood we must experience the humility of being stripped in order for the priestly garments to be placed upon us. Our outer garments should be humility but our inner garment should be love. All that we do should be motivated by love for Christ and those for whom He gave Himself as a ransom.
November 11, 1997
Many people have been receiving visions or dreams of themselves either clothed in their undergarments or nothing at all. Many have misinterpreted this thinking that it was a negative thing showing that they were without covering. However, the true interpretation of this relates to the relinquishing of our fleshly garments in preparation for being clothed with the Lord’s priestly garments. We are to put on Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. By laying aside all of our fleshly desires we then make way to be clothed with qualities, character and attributes of Christ through His anointing.
THIS IS THE PORTION OF A WICKED MAN FROM GOD, AND THE INHERITANCE WHICH TYRANTS RECEIVE FROM THE ALMIGHTY. THOUGH HIS SONS ARE, THEY ARE DESTINED FOR THE SWORD; AND HIS DESCENDANTS WILL NOT BE SATISFIED WITH BREAD. HIS SURVIVORS WILL BE BURIED BECAUSE OF THE PLAGUE, AND THEIR WIDOWS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WEEP. THOUGH HE PILES UP SILVER LIKE DUST AND PREPARES GARMENTS AS PLENTIFUL AS THE CLAY; HE MAY PREPARE IT, BUT THE JUST WILL WEAR IT, AND THE INNOCENT WILL DIVIDE THE SILVER. (JOB 27:13-17)
The Lord is saying that He has stripped us in order to clothe us with Himself. We are not going to be clothed with strikingly beautiful garments to the natural eye, rather it will be with a spirit of humility according to I Peter 5:5. These garments will only be beautiful to the spiritual eye and to the Lord. Being clothed in a spirit of humility will produce meekness or a teachable spirit capable of change into the very image of Christ.
BUT PUT ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND MAKE NO PROVISION FOR THE FLESH IN REGARD TO ITS LUSTS. (ROMANS 13:14) AND BEYOND ALL THESE THINGS PUT ON LOVE, WHICH IS THE PERFECT BOND OF UNITY. (COLOSSIANS 3:14)
The most important teaching from these scriptures is that we clothe ourselves in love. Through divine love we will then begin to see the bond of unity that will produce the anointing. If we clothe ourselves with the anointing then we will make no provision for the flesh and its lusts. Ultimately, we are being stripped in order to be prepared to inherit the Promises; THEREFORE THE LAW HAS BECOME OUR TUTOR TO LEAD US TO CHRIST, THAT WE MAY BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. BUT NOW THAT FAITH HAS COME, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR. FOR YOU ARE ALL SONS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS. FOR ALL OF YOU WHO WERE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE CLOTHED YOURSELVES WITH CHRIST. THERE IS NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK, THERE IS NEITHER SLAVE NOR FREE MAN, THERE IS NEITHER MALE NOR FEMALE; FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS. AND IF YOU BELONG TO CHRIST, THEN YOU ARE ABRAHAM’S OFFSPRING, HEIRS ACCORDING TO PROMISE. (GALATIANS 3:24-29)
That which we have actually been stripping off is the old unregenerate nature. The base nature that was born in the Garden of Eden with the fall of man must perish as we are crucified with Christ, and are raised again to live according to Christ through His anointing and His divine character. We are then being molded into His image according to the true knowledge of Christ given to us through His Word. For it is through the true knowledge of Christ that we receive the precious and magnificent promises by which we become partakers of His divine nature. (II Peter 1:4) Under this new created state all prejudices and distinctions of man vanish. We become one in Christ according to one Spirit through one anointing.
DO NOT LIE TO ONE ANOTHER, SINCE YOU LAID ASIDE THE OLD SELF WITH ITS EVIL PRACTICES, AND PUT ON THE NEW SELF WHO IS BEING RENEWED TO A TRUE KNOWLEDGE ACCORDING TO THE IMAGE OF THE ONE WHO CREATED HIM A RENEWAL IN WHICH THERE IS NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN GREEK AND JEW, CIRCUMCISED AND UNCIRCUMCISED , BARBARIAN, SCYTHIAN, SLAVE AND FREE MAN, BUT CHRIST IS ALL AND IN ALL. AND SO, AS THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN OF GOD, HOLY AND BELOVED, PUT ON A HEART OF COMPASSION, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, GENTLENESS AND PATIENCE; BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND FORGIVING EACH OTHER, WHOEVER HAS A COMPLAINT AGAINST ANYONE; JUST AS THE LORD FORGAVE YOU, SO ALSO SHOULD YOU. (COLOSSIANS 3:9-13)
He that is greatest among you let him be the servant of all. Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. Those who are desiring to present themselves in the fore-front with their own agenda are continuing to be motivated by their fleshly nature. Those who have put on Christ will be content to be a servant with little or no open recognition, yet enjoying the sweet fellowship and companionship of the Lord.
If we put on the Holy array then their will be no sin or ambition in our motives. If we do not learn from history then we will be doomed to repeat it. Many anointed leaders fell because they had not completely clothed themselves in Christ. We are being commissioned at this time to strip ourselves so that we can be clothed in His Holy Attire. We are to be “galvanized” with Christ. An iron chain is a very powerful tool, however it is also greatly prone to corruption and rust. When the iron chain links have been galvanized they are coated with a layer of zinc which is non-corruptible. The chain links then become much more powerful because they are not subject to the corruption of rust and will endure even under the most harsh conditions such as salt water. Our spirits are to be galvanized with Christ and our flesh is to be coated with the anointing. Corruption will then be taking on the incorruptible nature.
BUT THE GREATEST AMONG YOU SHALL BE YOUR SERVANT. AND WHOEVER EXALTS HIMSELF SHALL BE HUMBLED; WHOEVER HUMBLES HIMSELF SHALL BE EXALTED. (MATTHEW 23:11-12)
The Lord Jesus introduced into the world a new conception of greatness. It was to be found in humility and self forgetting service. Even the Lord Himself stated that He did not come into the world to be ministered to, rather He came into the world to minister to others and give His life as a ransom for many. That should also be our motivation as we strip ourselves of the selfish fleshly nature and put on this attitude that was in Christ. Many people in these last days will be given the gifts and the power to go international with their ministries and develop a great name for themselves. They will also be given the choice to take those gifts and become a servant even as the Lord was a servant to His disciples as illustrated in the washing of their feet. The greatest authority on earth with all power in heaven and on earth yet He chose the path of humility and servant-hood and demonstrated this truth to His disciples by taking upon Himself the most lowly of responsibilities, the washing of their feet. Greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven is through humility and service. I AM IN THE MIDST OF YOU AS HE THAT SERVETH (LUKE 22:27)
The greatest evidence of true humility is demonstrated through obedience. Simply doing those things that the Lord has asked us to do. Obedience truly is greater than sacrifice. LET THE WICKED MAN FORSAKE HIS WAYS AND THE UNRIGHTEOUS MAN HIS THOUGHTS. (Isaiah 55:7) We are challenged to lay aside our own agenda in order to take up the Lord’s agenda. Let us lay aside the reasoning and deliberation of our own thoughts and clothe ourselves with the motivations and purpose of the Holy Spirit.
All of this is given to us as a choice. We can choose this day whom we shall serve. Will we serve our own motives and desires or will we serve Christ by putting on His nature and character? Will we pursue the motivations of His heart through servant-hood or will we allow selfish ambition to continue to rule our thoughts.
THEN THE LORD SAID, BECAUSE THIS PEOPLE DRAW NEAR WITH THEIR WORDS AND HONOR ME WITH THEIR LIP SERVICE, BUT THEY REMOVE THEIR HEARTS FAR FROM ME, AND THEIR REVERENCE FOR ME CONSISTS OF TRADITION LEARNED BY ROTE (THE MECHANICAL REPETITION OF WORDS WITHOUT REGARD TO THEIR MEANING). THEREFORE BEHOLD, I WILL ONCE AGAIN DEAL MARVELOUSLY WITH THIS PEOPLE, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS; AND THE WISDOM OF THEIR WISE MEN SHALL PERISH, AND THE DISCERNMENT OF THEIR DISCERNING MEN SHALL BE CONCEALED. (ISAIAH 29:13-14)
Many people have clothed themselves with garments that are actually the traditions of man. Much of the division that exist in the church evolves from doctrinal error that has been taught as truth. As people embrace these truths mingled with tradition they are actually clothing themselves with filthy garments that must be cast aside in order for them to be clothed in truth. His anointing is the Spirit of Truth and we are sanctified through the Spirit of Truth. To be meek means to have a teachable spirit. We must all be willing to relinquish that which is corruptible in order to take on the incorruptible nature. We are cleansed by faith in the truth. We should bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Put on the mind of Christ. When Aaron was commissioned to be High Priest of Israel, He was presented before the entire nation of Israel stripped totally naked and cleansed as a symbolic gesture of the cleansing we are to receive in the Royal Priesthood. As we emerge in this generation as a Royal Priesthood we must experience the humility of being stripped in order for the priestly garments to be placed upon us. Our outer garments should be humility but our inner garment should be love. All that we do should be motivated by love for Christ and those for whom He gave Himself as a ransom.
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