I was thinking this morning that redemption is a 'value for value' transaction.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." - Matthew 13:45-46 ESV
A merchant would know the value of the pearl He saw. Seeing the value he sells off what he has to amass funds to get the thing that is precious.
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." - Luke 12:6-7 ESV
Fear here is linked to a low value estimation. We think in our isolation that perhaps we don't matter to God and we sink into fear.
"Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." - Matthew 7:6 ESV
God doesn't want us to be cheated. People give what should be given to only to God to people, concepts and things and in the end those things 'turn on them' causing disappointment and heart break.
A women gives her body to men but it really should be saved for one special man. A man gives his loyalty to a cause only to be disappointed when it falls short.
We give our precious moments to things but are we casting what is holy before dogs?
"Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." - 1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV
Fear is cast out by this perfect costly love. God paid the highest price for us. Love pays a high price and perfect love pays the highest price.
What is of the most value to God? Our heart... Our time. Our works are cheap compared to these things. Our vegetables are a secondhand offering (see Genesis 4 with Cain and Abel)
Grace is free because someone bought us an endless lifetime supply of favor. It was so costly that it leaves no room for me to be afraid.
When I see the value of one soul I begin to 'amass my funds' because I realize the stakes involved.
When I see the value of my marriage...
When I see the value of freedom...
When I see the value of my children...
Time and heart are my currency. I don't give them to those things... I give them to God and choose to lose my old life that was of little value to anyone and invest in a new life that was given as a free gift.
--
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
Love For Our Enemies - Part 2
This is the second part to yesterday's blog so if you didn't read that it might be good to go back and read that now. Today's thought is where I started yesterday but I needed to set the foundation first.
Sometimes the enemy is us and the ones who we think are our enemies, perhaps because of discomfort we associate with them, really are not against us at all. Our perception is off. Our ego is involved. Our judgement is clouded.
How many teenagers wake up one day after they become young adults and realize. My parents, flawed as they were, loved me and wanted the best for me when up until that realization that had on some level thought of them as enemies.
What do we do if we suspect we are our own enemy in a situation? We do exactly what we would do with our external enemies. We give ourselves grace.
We seek God's mind through various avenues to have our thinking illuminated... The Bible... The pulpit... The body of Christ... Prayer and counsel... but all of it is bathed in grace.
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' " - Romans 12:19-20 ESV
Feed that hungry soul of yours... not the flesh in sentimentality but the soul in spirituality. Leave revenge to God and double-mindedness at the door. Self interrogation is not valuable. Revenge against self is not our right. Grace is what is needed... grace will convict us... grace will teach us... grace will convert us.
Sexual attraction is not sin. Acting on it outside of marriage is.
"I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high?" - Job 31:1-2 ESV
Because of a lack of agreement with truth that forms a conviction within our soul prompting people to adopt a habit the individual ends up feeding a fire of self contradiction. The truth must pass through a personal realization of the cross and what it has accomplished in order to be effective. Without truth our flesh continues to flare up leaving only destruction in it's path.
This is true for all types of lust not just the sensual variety.
If a projectile hits armor it is deflected. If it hits an unprotected area it causes damage.
In our pain and weariness it is easy for us to become enemies to our self, others and of the cross itself.
It could be ego, blindness, pain, weariness or any number of natural causes that might prompt us to say, 'I am the enemy in this situation.'
Letting God love us is the answer. Receiving grace makes us overcomers. Living in and confessing the finished work of the cross proactively redeems time.
So love that enemy... even if the enemy is you. Because in truth we have a new identity to live in.
"You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you." - Romans 8:9a ESV
This is the mystery that only grace reveals. Although we sin and fall short those actions are not our identity anymore. A believer in Christ is 'in the Spirit' but we must stand in grace to walk in the Spirit.
Standing in grace we can pray and make decisions not second guessing our motives. God knows and has all of that covered anyway.
--
Sometimes the enemy is us and the ones who we think are our enemies, perhaps because of discomfort we associate with them, really are not against us at all. Our perception is off. Our ego is involved. Our judgement is clouded.
How many teenagers wake up one day after they become young adults and realize. My parents, flawed as they were, loved me and wanted the best for me when up until that realization that had on some level thought of them as enemies.
What do we do if we suspect we are our own enemy in a situation? We do exactly what we would do with our external enemies. We give ourselves grace.
We seek God's mind through various avenues to have our thinking illuminated... The Bible... The pulpit... The body of Christ... Prayer and counsel... but all of it is bathed in grace.
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' " - Romans 12:19-20 ESV
Feed that hungry soul of yours... not the flesh in sentimentality but the soul in spirituality. Leave revenge to God and double-mindedness at the door. Self interrogation is not valuable. Revenge against self is not our right. Grace is what is needed... grace will convict us... grace will teach us... grace will convert us.
Sexual attraction is not sin. Acting on it outside of marriage is.
"I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high?" - Job 31:1-2 ESV
Because of a lack of agreement with truth that forms a conviction within our soul prompting people to adopt a habit the individual ends up feeding a fire of self contradiction. The truth must pass through a personal realization of the cross and what it has accomplished in order to be effective. Without truth our flesh continues to flare up leaving only destruction in it's path.
This is true for all types of lust not just the sensual variety.
If a projectile hits armor it is deflected. If it hits an unprotected area it causes damage.
In our pain and weariness it is easy for us to become enemies to our self, others and of the cross itself.
It could be ego, blindness, pain, weariness or any number of natural causes that might prompt us to say, 'I am the enemy in this situation.'
Letting God love us is the answer. Receiving grace makes us overcomers. Living in and confessing the finished work of the cross proactively redeems time.
So love that enemy... even if the enemy is you. Because in truth we have a new identity to live in.
"You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you." - Romans 8:9a ESV
This is the mystery that only grace reveals. Although we sin and fall short those actions are not our identity anymore. A believer in Christ is 'in the Spirit' but we must stand in grace to walk in the Spirit.
Standing in grace we can pray and make decisions not second guessing our motives. God knows and has all of that covered anyway.
--
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Love For Our Enemies - Part 1
Grace out your enemies.
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:19-21 ESV
Treat them like friends and brothers. But, That sounds so naive. Yes, Maybe. If there is no God and if love is powerless.
If we are sentimental friends and brothers it is also dangerous. If our obligation extends beyond love we stop listening to God and become deaf to His initiations.
"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." - Romans 13:8-10 ESV
Nehemiah had a great approach to warfare.
"From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other." - Nehemiah 4:16-17 ESV
"Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, 'Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.'
But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?'
And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner." - Nehemiah 6:2-4 ESV
Our wall building is grace oriented. Our sword is grace. It has been beaten into a plowshare and a pruning hook (see Isaiah 2:4). Our laboring tools are the laboring tools of grace. Rest and the spreading of the message of rest. We labor to share the Gospel of Grace.
The difference between a friend and an enemy is the fellowship. We can give to an enemy the same way we give to a friend but we can not invite them into our walls the same way we would a friend.
Judas was given all that every other disciple was given but he never heard the words Jesus said at the last supper after he was gone. He never sang as they went... he never prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.
"Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?" - Proverbs 6:27 KJV
The context of this verse is adultery but the principle stands. Intimacy is not for everyone. We love everyone but we are not intimate with everyone.
"I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn -fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more." - 2 Corinthians 7:4-7 ESV
When there is fellowship there is refreshment.
The great thing about grace, one of a long list of great things, is that you may find that people that were once your enemies will become your friends. God will convert them and make them friends of His and they will become friends of yours.
--
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:19-21 ESV
Treat them like friends and brothers. But, That sounds so naive. Yes, Maybe. If there is no God and if love is powerless.
If we are sentimental friends and brothers it is also dangerous. If our obligation extends beyond love we stop listening to God and become deaf to His initiations.
"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." - Romans 13:8-10 ESV
Nehemiah had a great approach to warfare.
"From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other." - Nehemiah 4:16-17 ESV
"Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, 'Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.'
But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?'
And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner." - Nehemiah 6:2-4 ESV
Our wall building is grace oriented. Our sword is grace. It has been beaten into a plowshare and a pruning hook (see Isaiah 2:4). Our laboring tools are the laboring tools of grace. Rest and the spreading of the message of rest. We labor to share the Gospel of Grace.
The difference between a friend and an enemy is the fellowship. We can give to an enemy the same way we give to a friend but we can not invite them into our walls the same way we would a friend.
Judas was given all that every other disciple was given but he never heard the words Jesus said at the last supper after he was gone. He never sang as they went... he never prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.
"Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?" - Proverbs 6:27 KJV
The context of this verse is adultery but the principle stands. Intimacy is not for everyone. We love everyone but we are not intimate with everyone.
"I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn -fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more." - 2 Corinthians 7:4-7 ESV
When there is fellowship there is refreshment.
The great thing about grace, one of a long list of great things, is that you may find that people that were once your enemies will become your friends. God will convert them and make them friends of His and they will become friends of yours.
--
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Stay In Jerusalem
Ah, Yes. The impossible situation. No answer in sight and emotions charged up to the hilt. Ever been there?
"On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." - John 20:19-20 ESV
Jesus had been killed and they were sure they were next. Can't go this way or that way. Caught between a rock and a hard place.
I often think of this verse when my back seems to be up against the wall or I have painted myself into a corner somehow.
He walked through the wall peaceful and healthy and showed them His hands and side. It was like He was saying, 'See, The impossible is possible. God brings life out of death.'
That is so comforting to me. I don't even to know how to express how comforting it is.
Sure, Sometimes it is just our poor planning that gets us into impossible situations. Go ahead and take a moment to condemn yourself. That always works out well. Reminisce with 'what if' statements and 'maybe I should have done it this way or that way' conjectures.
I imagine the disciples were full of that thinking... trapped in a room with dwindling options and emotional disturbances.
But, Then Jesus walks in. All their self-justification and self-recrimination just fades away. I love this next part. To be perfectly honest I hate it and love it at the same time.
"He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, 'you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.' " - Acts 1:3-5 ESV
Did He say, 'Ok. Get out of this stuffy old room and sneak out of town. Go start over in Bethany. I will make sure you will be safe there. This will all blow over soon.'
No.
He commands them to stay free right there in Jerusalem. He calmly challenges them to use His promise against the fear that wants to eat them alive and consume their thinking. Power is coming. Power that overwhelms fear. Power that redeems lives. Power.
Fear is a bully. We can run and then make leaving and starting over a lifestyle or we can stay and fight fear with faith. Standing in grace insulates us from the violent electrical current that would otherwise energize a person.
God isn't always going to give use all the details of His plan. He gives use grace and promises. His grace is enough until He fills our gaps with His glory.
--
"On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." - John 20:19-20 ESV
Jesus had been killed and they were sure they were next. Can't go this way or that way. Caught between a rock and a hard place.
I often think of this verse when my back seems to be up against the wall or I have painted myself into a corner somehow.
He walked through the wall peaceful and healthy and showed them His hands and side. It was like He was saying, 'See, The impossible is possible. God brings life out of death.'
That is so comforting to me. I don't even to know how to express how comforting it is.
Sure, Sometimes it is just our poor planning that gets us into impossible situations. Go ahead and take a moment to condemn yourself. That always works out well. Reminisce with 'what if' statements and 'maybe I should have done it this way or that way' conjectures.
I imagine the disciples were full of that thinking... trapped in a room with dwindling options and emotional disturbances.
But, Then Jesus walks in. All their self-justification and self-recrimination just fades away. I love this next part. To be perfectly honest I hate it and love it at the same time.
"He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, 'you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.' " - Acts 1:3-5 ESV
Did He say, 'Ok. Get out of this stuffy old room and sneak out of town. Go start over in Bethany. I will make sure you will be safe there. This will all blow over soon.'
No.
He commands them to stay free right there in Jerusalem. He calmly challenges them to use His promise against the fear that wants to eat them alive and consume their thinking. Power is coming. Power that overwhelms fear. Power that redeems lives. Power.
Fear is a bully. We can run and then make leaving and starting over a lifestyle or we can stay and fight fear with faith. Standing in grace insulates us from the violent electrical current that would otherwise energize a person.
God isn't always going to give use all the details of His plan. He gives use grace and promises. His grace is enough until He fills our gaps with His glory.
--
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
The Way Of Grace And Truth
"And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, 'Be gone!' " - Isaiah 30:20-22 ESV
Who is the hidden teacher? Is it Jesus and His way is grace and truth.
The path He shows us is a particular path. This path runs through every day and circumstance. It is not a path of right or wrong or better and best. It is a path of grace and truth. God keeps showing it to us. It is a upper highway where we proactively walk in rest and move in forgiveness.
It is God's path not ours but it is not rigid. At times it is very narrow and other times it is very wide. We choose to go right or left. God teaches us to listen to His voice.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." - Matthew 7:13-14 ESV
Jesus is the narrow gate. God directs us here. This is a door we must path through. It is so narrow that our good works and bad must stay behind they will not fit. Our old life must stay behind and only our soul passes through this gate.
"But there the LORD in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor majestic ship can pass." - Isaiah 33:21 ESV
"Oh let the house of Aaron say, 'His lovingkindness is everlasting.' Oh let those who fear the LORD say, 'His lovingkindness is everlasting.' From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?" - Psalms 118:3-6 NASB
We enter a narrow gate but God sets us and directs us to the way of grace where mercy is new every morning. It is like an open field or a place of many streams and rivers flowing in a certain direction that must be navigated.
When we find this Teacher we no longer want our idols. They get left behind. They become heavy, clumsy and represent something we no longer want or need. There is a new way to walk.
The way of grace and truth awaits us today. It runs right through our day and into forever. It is where Jesus is walking. We can walk with Him there.
--
Who is the hidden teacher? Is it Jesus and His way is grace and truth.
The path He shows us is a particular path. This path runs through every day and circumstance. It is not a path of right or wrong or better and best. It is a path of grace and truth. God keeps showing it to us. It is a upper highway where we proactively walk in rest and move in forgiveness.
It is God's path not ours but it is not rigid. At times it is very narrow and other times it is very wide. We choose to go right or left. God teaches us to listen to His voice.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." - Matthew 7:13-14 ESV
Jesus is the narrow gate. God directs us here. This is a door we must path through. It is so narrow that our good works and bad must stay behind they will not fit. Our old life must stay behind and only our soul passes through this gate.
"But there the LORD in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor majestic ship can pass." - Isaiah 33:21 ESV
"Oh let the house of Aaron say, 'His lovingkindness is everlasting.' Oh let those who fear the LORD say, 'His lovingkindness is everlasting.' From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?" - Psalms 118:3-6 NASB
We enter a narrow gate but God sets us and directs us to the way of grace where mercy is new every morning. It is like an open field or a place of many streams and rivers flowing in a certain direction that must be navigated.
When we find this Teacher we no longer want our idols. They get left behind. They become heavy, clumsy and represent something we no longer want or need. There is a new way to walk.
The way of grace and truth awaits us today. It runs right through our day and into forever. It is where Jesus is walking. We can walk with Him there.
--
Monday, August 4, 2014
Souls Over Self
One devotional I read this morning spoke about Lot's decision making. It made me want to look at Abraham's decision making and compare it to Lot's.
"And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
Then Abram said to Lot, 'Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.'
And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other." - Genesis 13:5-11 ESV
Lot was smart enough to associate Himself with Abraham, then Abram, and as long as he did that he was successful. The new testament scriptures call Lot righteous (see 2 Peter 2:7) even though the accounts do not record Lot doing very much that would qualify as righteous... except that he attached himself to Abram. Lot did what he did to be successful.
Abraham was a grace man. He did what He did for redemption's sake in faith. Instead of choosing what was best for himself he often choose the path of redemption. He wanted peace over profit. He valued redemption over conquest.
"When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan... Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people... And the king of Sodom said to Abram, 'Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.' But Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.' ' " - Genesis 14:14, 16, 21-23 ESV
Abram went to war when he needed to but He fought for souls not goods. He operated that way towards people but he also operated that way towards God.
"Then the LORD said, 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.'
So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD." - Genesis 18:20-22 ESV
Abraham stood before the Lord to make a bid for the souls in Sodom.
"And they called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.'
Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, 'I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.' '' - Genesis 19:5-8 ESV
Evil will always lust after the beauty of God. Lot was willing to negotiate the souls of his daughters to preserve his honor. His daughters then learned from his example and later compromised to get what they wanted.
I believe it is grace that enables us to make the shift from self to souls. Our hearts become established in God's favor apart from our performance and instead of being focused on winning in a situation we become focused on winning Christ. We become friends of God and aligned with His cause.
Abraham was a successful man. He was far more successful than Lot. God choose to prosper Abraham. He had his priorities straight so he was a man God could trust with success.
--
"And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
Then Abram said to Lot, 'Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.'
And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other." - Genesis 13:5-11 ESV
Lot was smart enough to associate Himself with Abraham, then Abram, and as long as he did that he was successful. The new testament scriptures call Lot righteous (see 2 Peter 2:7) even though the accounts do not record Lot doing very much that would qualify as righteous... except that he attached himself to Abram. Lot did what he did to be successful.
Abraham was a grace man. He did what He did for redemption's sake in faith. Instead of choosing what was best for himself he often choose the path of redemption. He wanted peace over profit. He valued redemption over conquest.
"When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan... Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people... And the king of Sodom said to Abram, 'Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.' But Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.' ' " - Genesis 14:14, 16, 21-23 ESV
Abram went to war when he needed to but He fought for souls not goods. He operated that way towards people but he also operated that way towards God.
"Then the LORD said, 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.'
So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD." - Genesis 18:20-22 ESV
Abraham stood before the Lord to make a bid for the souls in Sodom.
"And they called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.'
Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, 'I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.' '' - Genesis 19:5-8 ESV
Evil will always lust after the beauty of God. Lot was willing to negotiate the souls of his daughters to preserve his honor. His daughters then learned from his example and later compromised to get what they wanted.
I believe it is grace that enables us to make the shift from self to souls. Our hearts become established in God's favor apart from our performance and instead of being focused on winning in a situation we become focused on winning Christ. We become friends of God and aligned with His cause.
Abraham was a successful man. He was far more successful than Lot. God choose to prosper Abraham. He had his priorities straight so he was a man God could trust with success.
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Sunday, August 3, 2014
Happy Now Or Happy Later?
Happiness can be elusive. Many times there does not seem to be enough for now and later.
Perhaps we think we must sacrifice present happiness for future happiness or vice versa. Or we sacrifice for someone else's future happiness. It gets complicated.
There is nothing like going to a funeral of a loved one. It gets you thinking about these things. Future happiness gets stretched. Is it 10 years from now... 20... Retirement... Then what about those moments and years after we take our last breath?
It is very possible that we could say 'eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we will die.' then spend many long years, or eternity, very very unhappy. Or we can always postpone our happiness for a sense of security only to find out later we just don't know how to love life.
Faith is the only way i have discovered to have both. God's grace enables me to have joy in the midst of sacrifice. To have and give hope when there seems to only be chaos.
I want the people I love to be happy now and later. I want them to have joy ten years from now and ten thousand years from now. So I promote faith, forgiveness and intimacy with God through knowing Christ.
If I knew a better way I would promote that but I remain convinced that faith sees farther ahead than anything else. Faith is what we were made for. God is the best friend anyone of us can have and the best legacy anyone of us can leave behind.
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Perhaps we think we must sacrifice present happiness for future happiness or vice versa. Or we sacrifice for someone else's future happiness. It gets complicated.
There is nothing like going to a funeral of a loved one. It gets you thinking about these things. Future happiness gets stretched. Is it 10 years from now... 20... Retirement... Then what about those moments and years after we take our last breath?
It is very possible that we could say 'eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we will die.' then spend many long years, or eternity, very very unhappy. Or we can always postpone our happiness for a sense of security only to find out later we just don't know how to love life.
Faith is the only way i have discovered to have both. God's grace enables me to have joy in the midst of sacrifice. To have and give hope when there seems to only be chaos.
I want the people I love to be happy now and later. I want them to have joy ten years from now and ten thousand years from now. So I promote faith, forgiveness and intimacy with God through knowing Christ.
If I knew a better way I would promote that but I remain convinced that faith sees farther ahead than anything else. Faith is what we were made for. God is the best friend anyone of us can have and the best legacy anyone of us can leave behind.
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