Letting Go

     I've often felt empathy for the young man that came to Jesus wanting to know what he needed to do to "gain eternal life" in Mark 10. In the scriptural story, the young man is always called the "rich young ruler". While I don't claim to be "rich", by the world's standards I can't claim to be poor either, I am comfortable. 

     If I was told that I needed to sell all that I owned and follow Jesus, how would I feel about that? How would you? That would be very tough! I have things that I've worked to gain, things I've longed for and treasure! I have things that I've inherited from family, things I've been given as gifts that I'm very sentimentally attached to, things I want to pass to my children as their inheritance from grandparents and great-grandparents. Maybe the things He would tell us to let go of are habits? Hobbies? Things that take our time and energy?

     We tend to shake our heads at the "rich young ruler" who turns and walks away from Jesus, but  I ask, would we actually do any better? Have we held things back in our lives that Jesus has asked us to let go?

     Most of us are familiar with the main Ten Commandments and live a life that would fit under those instructions as the young man was instructed to do, but do you think in this teaching that Jesus is actually trying to teach the young man to place his trust and dependence on Jesus as his Savior instead of seeing his riches as his salvation? How many of us are able to transfer ownership of our lives completely into Jesus' hands? 

     Jesus did not ask all of His disciples to sell everything and follow Him, but that was the request for this "rich young ruler". With several of His disciples, He simply told them to "follow Me", without any further instruction and they did! With some disciples, like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus He left them where they were. Sometimes He sent the disciples ahead of himself on assignments! Each of the disciples was treated individually and even differently in different situations!

     As human nature is in us, we want to know black and white rules, even as the rich young man did. We want it made easy for us. What do we need to do to have eternal life? For the young man, it was to sell everything that had become overly important to him and follow Jesus. Now ask yourself, what has become overly important to me? What interferes with my following Jesus, or even going ahead of Him if He instructs? Is it things? Habits? Hobbies? Thoughts? Fears? Is there something that would stop you from fulfilling an assignment that the Lord would give you?

     Jesus is telling you to release your grip on the things of the world and to follow Him. Prayerfully examine your life for the things you need to let go of, the things that are holding you back from being part of the movement of God. The Lord will show you and strengthen you through the experience of "letting go".

   


Mark 10:17-27
A Rich Man Meets Jesus
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man came running up to him. Kneeling down in front of him, he cried out, “Good Teacher, what one thing am I required to do to gain eternal life?” 18 Jesus responded, “Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good. 19 You already know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give a false testimony, do not cheat, and honor your father and mother.’”20 The man said to Jesus, “Teacher, I have carefully obeyed these laws since my youth.” 21 Jesus fixed his gaze upon the man, with tender love, and said to him, “Yet there is still one thing in you lacking. Go, sell all that you have and give the money to the poor. Then all of your treasure will be in heaven. After you’ve done this, come back and walk with me.” 22 Completely shocked by Jesus’ answer, he turned and walked away very sad, for he was extremely rich. 23 Jesus looked at the faces of his disciples and said, “How hard it is for the wealthy to enter into God’s kingdom realm.” 24 The disciples were startled when they heard this. But Jesus again said to them, “Children, it is next to impossible for those who trust in their riches to find their way into God’s kingdom realm. 25 It is easier to stuff a rope through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter into God’s kingdom realm.” 26 But this left them all the more astonished, and they whispered to one another, “Then who could ever be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and replied, “With people it is impossible, but not with God—God makes all things possible!”

Jesus' Favorites, Saints or Sinners?

     It's interesting that in our current society a lot of Christians like to speak about Jesus "hanging out with sinners". They parrot the teaching that He preferred the company of the sinners over the company of the religious. I think those who believe this teaching would be surprised that in the verses I was reading this morning Jesus said, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. Mark 1:38-39
     Do those verses tell you that He avoided the religious? Notice it said He went into their synagogues throughout all of Galilee. Do not become fixated on what you want to read or believe, but read the scriptures and be open to the truth of the Lord's teaching, the Holy Spirit will open all truth to you if you come with an open heart and not preconceived ideas or teachings that fit what you want to believe.
     A synagogue by definition is a building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction. By these very scriptures, Mark 1:38-39, Jesus was seeking out the people who were gathering to hear the teaching of God's Word and to worship His Father, the people the world calls the religious! That is very encouraging to me!
     Jesus was seeking to bring truth and life to whoever would receive it, He did seek saints and sinners. We tend to label the people in the churches "hypocrites" if they don't know, act and live "all truth", we don't have mercy, compassion or forgiveness on them as we do the "sinners" in the world, why is that? They are our brothers and sisters, we should be more loving and forgiving of them than anyone else! Later Peter approached Jesus and said, “How many times do I have to forgive my fellow believer who keeps offending me? Seven times?”Jesus answered, “Not seven times, Peter, but seventy times seven times! Matthew 18:21-22
    How often do we as Christians take offense at what has happened in church, at what someone has said or not said to us? Imagine the delight the enemy has in dividing Christian believers! The very people that God has called to bring His love to the world can't even love one another! 
    This article has really mushroomed into several "rabbit trails" and I'm getting off track here, let me try to pull us back to the beginning thought! 
      Not all of the "religious establishment" would receive Jesus' teachings, but neither would all of the "sinners", sadly. Instead of dividing people along the lines of their "personal practices" we should be looking at their desire to hear the teachings of Jesus? Sinners or Saints isn't the important line to draw, hungry or satisfied would be the more of a focus. Are you hungry to hear the teachings of Jesus? Are you open to hear and grow? If you answered yes then you are one of the ones He was and is still seeking! Behold, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If your heart is open to hear my voice and you open the door within, I will come in to you and feast with you, and you will feast with me. Revelation 3:20

How To Protect Your Blessings!

We pray for a lot of different things. Christians pray often and even non-Christians pray in emergencies!
     I have a question for you today, If the Lord does bless you with something, how do you protect and care for it?
     Recently our church was aware of a special gift from the Lord but at the same time, we were made aware that the enemy would attempt to steal it. That's when the question came to mind, how do you protect the things the Lord has given you?
     You do realize that the enemy is roaming about on Earth, "Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour" 1 Peter 5:8. and he is here to "kill, steal and destroy", right? The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; John 10:10a. 
     With that foundation to help understand our situation then we do need to look at the idea of protecting the things the Lord gives us because also in John 10:10b He tells us that He came to "But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!"
     If the Lord came to give and the enemy comes to steal, then it becomes vital that we learn to guard and protect! Just by reading and agreeing with this concept we have taken a giant leap towards protecting. Awareness is the first step!
     1. Awareness  What has the Lord blessed you with? This will be answered for you when you pray and meditate on the subject, and yes, you as a Christian are to meditate on the things of the Lord! Meditation is not just for yogis! We are to be careful what we do let into our minds however, so take every thought captive to the Lord and meditate on the things of His kingdom! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2
     2. Thankfulness When we're truly thankful for something or someone we're not "casual" about our attitude towards it or them. We take care to be aware of the situation, "is everything as it should be?" If we have a spouse that we love and are thankful for then we try to make sure their needs are met, if we have a child in our life that we are thankful for then we try to nourish and care for them, if we have a home we're thankful for then we maintain it carefully. The word "care" appears often when we think about thankfulness, we take care of what He has given us, and when we're aware that the Lord has blessed us with something to be thankful for, then we tell Him! We thank Him and praise Him! 
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name. Psalm 100:4
     3. Faithfulness If we receive a gift from the Lord we need to stay in a faithful attitude and position with it. I've been to parades and seen children running out to grab candy that was thrown out by the people in the parade. Their attitude towards the candy was kind of what we're looking at here. They would run out, grab the candy, bring it back to a parent and then turn and run after more. That really doesn't appear "Thankful or Faithful", only greedy. While we are to want and expect more from our Heavenly Father we are not to neglect what He has already blessed us with. He is not stingy, and His blessings are multiplied as we give to Him and to others, we do reap as we sow, but we need to always remain faithful to what He has put in our lives, never neglecting them and always thanking and praising Him for His gifts, not chasing after more. Remain Faithful!
     4. Persevere A good soldier does not fight one battle and think his work is completed, there are often many battles, some unto death. We are to be as persistent in our struggle against the enemy and his attempts to steal from us as a soldier is in battle! For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12  Prayer is one of your weapons, Pray over the gifts and blessings you are given! The word of the Lord is one of your weapons also! Remember the "sword of the Spirit"? Read your bible, apply the word of the Lord to your life and the gifts you have received! And remember to Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7, you win!
    Recap:
     1. Awareness: Be aware of your gifts and be aware of your enemy
     2. Thankfulness: Know where your gifts have come from and walk in thankfulness
     3. Faithfulness: Don't be greedy to the point of neglecting the gifts you have received
     4. Persevere: Stand firm in the battle, don't release your gifts to the enemy

     If you don't give up, you protect your blessings and gifts from the Lord and you win!

Well Done Dad, Thank You!

Recently I was spending time with my youngest son, the subject of my father came up in our conversation. My father was one of those people that is "bigger than life", he was the nucleus of our family and a man everyone in the area knew and loved.
     As a child I saw my father as a very volatile person, sometimes he might laugh about a situation and the next day be angry about it. He was a man that was determined to raise his children to be successful in all things and in so doing he required "excellence".
     As a child facing the requirement of excellence, the goal can appear out of reach, thus making yourself appear as a failure and the person requiring excellence appear as a tyrant.
     As I was explaining the situation and the person of my father to my son I was given a visual to explain how I see my father differently now. But at the same time, this visual is an important example of how we are distracted when we are less mature and as we grow we should be able to see differently.
     The example was of a dandelion seed. As a child we see the fluff of the seed that carries it in the breeze, I used to pick the fluff balls of the dandelions and blow the seeds into the air watching them fly away! But in actuality, the important part of the picture is the seed that is attached at the bottom. The seed is the whole point of fluff that carries it away in the wind!
     Now that I have gained maturity I am able to see that my father was a very great, loving father, even within his strict, demanding ways. He was strict to protect his family from the things of the world that they were too immature to understand, he was demanding because he knew that life is demanding and to survive and thrive we would need to be prepared. He was equipping us for the world that he knew we would face.
     When I was a child I saw the fluff of the demands that were placed on me, now as an adult, I see the seed that he was protecting and nurturing. He was a great man and father that cared for his family as few now do.
Thank you Dad! Well done!

Evil Trap

We are falling into an evil trap.....we criticize, we wring our hands, we worry, we repeat the news reports, we repeat the politicians.....that is not what we as the Body of Christ are supposed to do!
     When we repeat the words of the news reports we are cursing our Nation, we are cursing the World and ourselves.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue

Proverbs 15:4 - A soothing tongue [speaking words that build up and encourage] is a tree of life, but a perversive tongue [speaking words that overwhelm and depress] crushes the spirit.

Yes, I know that the things happening are amazing and to speak of them seems the natural, normal thing....I've been doing it myself! But we have to stop echoing the voices of the world that curse our Nation and start speaking as God's people and blessing our Nation!

     As God's Kingdom people we have a power that is far stronger than any other power on Earth, but if we don't use it then it is sitting dormant waiting for His people. 

     1. We should be praying, 2. God's word should be living in us and 3. We should be decreeing God's word and blessing our Nation, not repeating news stories and cursing it! Let's start claiming His promises, not wringing our hands about what the enemy is doing! 

     The enemy may appear to win a battle, but come on church, we are God's Army, put your armor on daily and start walking out the promises that we have been given by our King! We know Who has won the war! Let's start living like it! 

     We decree that we ARE One Nation under God! This Nation was established with the blood and on the sacrifices of many Godly men and women, sacrificing everything for the right to pursue the Lord, we will not expect less of ourselves. And we say "Father, honor their sacrifices and pour Your Glory across this Nation, heal the wounds, remove the division and unite us as One Nation Under God, in Jesus' name! Glorify Yourself Father, Amen and Amen!"

Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 21:22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

John 14:13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

American Christians

American Christians have done such an excellent job of telling the world that "God loves" them that now the world no longer sees any need for Godliness.
     A parent that raises a child and focuses only on how much they are loved has an end product of a child that makes continual demands on that love. They either whine or throw tantrums until they get what they want.
     We now see a public child that is demanding its own way or whining with offense about how they deserve to be respected for who they are, no matter what they are doing. They do not understand a need for repentance because we have taught them that they are "loved", neglecting to teach about sin.
     As one of those "American Christians", I think it's time we examine our approach. There is now a group claiming to be the true Christians because they promote what they believe is true love, they claim this because they say they love everyone(except the religious) just as they are and they say they are attempting to make everything in the world right so that there is equality in all things for all peoples.
     And now the original American Christians are horrified to see their "spiritual" offspring embracing things that are very unbiblical. While we were telling the world how much God loved them we neglected to explain to the world that they would need to give some things up, that there are some things that are not acceptable to our Holy God.
     Now we have a spoiled child on our hands that does not want to give up anything and demands love for themselves just as they are. We have not taught them about salvation, we have taught them about self-love.
     Yes, God does love His creation, but He does not love sin. We are not teaching truth if we only teach about His love. If we want to save the world, we have to include repentance in the message of God's love! Repentance equals Revival.

Bridge Jumper or Daily Poison?

Whose death is sadder? Or, which way of death is worse? 
     Is a quick jump from a bridge worse than a slow death of daily poison?
     This is the question the Spirit gave me this morning. I was considering a fellow Christian that I miss, one who has chosen to break connections and return to the addiction they had broken free from for several years. I was thinking it was sad! I miss them, they have chosen to throw their lives back into the addiction they had broken free from! That is sad!
     But then the Holy Spirit showed me that people are daily walking out lives of addictions, and how can I only be concerned with the one that had obviously chosen their public addiction when there were so many with "hidden" addictions.
     I am choosing to break an addiction to Sugar, and while that may not sound like a sinister addiction it is still one that can wreck your health, and through wrecking your health it wrecks your life and your walk for the Lord. 
     The Spirit showed me addictions in many forms that can poison our lives, addictions to drugs, alcohol, porn, sex, worry, fear, gluttony, nicotine, caffeine, sports, cars, entertainment, comfort, pets, electronic devices, social media.....
     The list winds down to things we don't think of as bad addictions, right? Yes, we know the big ones, those are the "throwing yourself off of the bridge" ones, but then it moves into the ones that are simply "daily poisons". 
     You are probably arguing for your own "daily poison" even as you read, I know I would have been, but from my experiences, there is no point in arguing with the Holy Spirit, you always lose the debate.
     I encourage you, do not be distracted by the "Bridge Jumpers' and think they are the only ones throwing their walk with the Lord into danger by their choices, "daily poisons" are also deadly! 
     Examine your own life, do you have things that are poisoning your life and your spiritual walk, things that are preventing you from running the race the Lord has put before you? Wrestle against them! Break free! You can win!
     Be encouraged, you can eliminate the "daily poisons"! You can "Pick up your cross" and Follow Jesus! You can be single-minded in the purpose the Lord has put in your life! Pursue it! This is do-able or else Jesus never would have told us to "Follow" Him! 

  Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? Matthew 7:3

  Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1
   And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19