Close To You, God

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 Amp.) In this world of “dog eat dog,” “getting your just reward,” “your first after me,” “if it feels good – do it” and situational ethics it is hard to fulfill “what the Lord requires of us” if we do not know, understand and hide God’s Word in our hearts. If we don’t strive to keep the two greatest Commandments to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself,” (Matt.22:37-40), we cannot live as the Lord requires us to live. If we love God and our neighbor in these ways we will, by virtue of the Law of Love, be keeping all the other Commandments. If we love God with all our hearts, souls and minds we will: 1) not put anything before or above Him – He is first in all of our choices and “loves.” 2) we will not make or bow down to anything made by our hands. 3) we will not take His name in falsehood or without purpose. His name is holy and precious and powerful. 4) remember and set aside the Sabbath day to keep it holy and separate from all other days for rest and worship. If we “love others as ourselves” we will: 1) honor our mother and our father. This Commandment comes with a promise – “that your days may be prolonged and it may go well with you.” 2) not murder them. 3) not commit adultery with them, 4) not steal from them, 5) not lie about them. 6) not covet our neighbor’s spouse, his house, his field, his servant, his animals, or anything that belongs to him/her. This is the “Law of Love! If we walk in the Law of Love we will “do” all that is required of us. The Word of God tells us “what is good and what the Lord requires of us.” To “do” things to gain our salvation is against the law of “grace” (Eph.2:8-9). But there are some “right things” we must do after our salvation to become more like Jesus and “conforming” to His will and commandments. The first thing we must “do” is spoken plainly in Micah 6:8 is “to do justly.” Webster tells us that to do justly is “conforming to the truth.” The world wants us to conform and fit into its mold (which isn’t God’s “truth.”) God’s Truth is spoken clearly in His Word - “The sum of Your Word is Truth (the total of the full meaning of all Your individual precepts); and every one of Your righteous decrees endures forever.” (Ps.119:60) Truth never changes nor passes away! “To do justly” is social justice; it is loving your neighbor as yourself (Matt.7:12); and is to become more like Jesus and walk closer to Him and fellowship with Him. The next thing for us to “do” that God says in Micah 6:8 is to “love mercy.” To be merciful is to be “compassionate to an offender – it is restrained justice” (Webster). The offender may deserve so much more and harsher punishment, but mercy says, “Not so much, not so hard, not so long, I will restrain justice.” What if we were the offender (and we are), would we want mercy instead of full justice? This is God’s mercy toward us! Because of our sins we deserve the full wrath of God’s justice, but He sent Jesus to receive His wrath for our sins. When we love mercy, we love our neighbor who has offended, just as we love ourselves and in the process we love God, Who is a merciful God. By loving mercy we become more like the Father and can walk close to Him and fellowship with Him. The third thing that God requires of us is to “walk humbly with your God.” Did you notice the word “with” in this scripture? God doesn’t want us to walk ahead of Him making our own way; nor does He want us to be straggling behind or aloof, but He ways for us to walk “with” Him (by His side). How can we possibly walk close with Him if we are proud and haughty? No, He requires a humble spirit; a spirit that recognizes that He is the infinite God of the universe and we are just one of His finite creations. We must acknowledge that the scope of His thoughts, ways, knowledge, wisdom, purity, mercy, holiness and love are so far above ours that we can never reach His height. We must understand that He is all powerful and without His power enabling us, we could do nothing, and that it is only because He strengthens us that we can do anything and all things He asks of us. We must realize that all that we are and all we have belong to Him – He has just loaned them to us for a while. What an unfathomable privilege to walk “with” Him, close enough for Him to whisper His love, mercy, peace, hope and joy into our hearts. What precious fellowship to walk “with” God our Father. But this could not happen if we have an inkling of known pride in our hearts. We would have to be a fool to think this magnanimous God would want to walk and talk with us if we presumed on His love by “thinking of ourselves higher than we ought.” We may have blind spots of pride, but we should daily pray as David did in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me thoroughly, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Only then can we fellowship and “walk humbly with our God!” Close To Thee (Fanny J. Crosby) Thou my everlasting portion, more than friend, or life, to me; All along my pilgrim journey, Savior, I would walk with Thee. Close to Thee, Close to Thee, All along life’s pilgrim journey, Savior, let me walk with Thee.

The Great Divider

The crucified him, and two others with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle. (John 19:18) Many summers ago we went to the Rockies to visit a friend. While there we climbed to the top of Trail Ridge Road where we were able to stand on the Continental Divide. I learned that the Continental Divide in the Americas is the line that divides the flow of water between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. Rain or snow that drains on the east side of the Continental Divide flows toward the Atlantic Ocean while precipitation on the west side drains and flows toward the Pacific Ocean. (However, some rivers empty into the desert and don't end up in the oceans.) The continental divide runs from northwestern Canada along the crest of the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico. Then, it follows the crest of Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental. In South America, the Continental Divide lies along the Andes. Every continent except for Antarctica has a continental divide. Antarctica is an endorheic basin. An endorheic basin is a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but converges instead into lakes or swamps, permanent or seasonal, that equilibrate through evaporation. Where a continental divide meets an endorheic basin, such as the Great Divide Basin of Wyoming, the continental divide splits and encircles the basin. (That is your geography lesson for the day.) All of this is a part of God’s phenomenal creation. God created another Divide that is more phenomenal and much more wonderful than the Continental Divide – It is the Great Divider – Jesus! He is the final “divider” of us all. Just as He hung on the cross between the two thieves, He was dividing them more than physically. His division put them “worlds apart,” literally. Each of the thieves made a decision which was the dividing point – one made a decision to repent of his sin and be forgiven, which brought him to eternal salvation. The other refused repentance and forgiveness and consequently determined his eternal destination – he was “lost” to eternal punishment and separation from God. Jesus is also the Great Divider in our lives. Our choice of what we do with Him (accept or reject Him) is the dividing line in our lives. Our decision determines where we spend eternity – with Jesus in heaven or with Satan in hell, the place prepared for him. Unlike the precipitation that falls and must, by the affects of gravity, flow east or west, and it is inconsequential where its final destination is, our decision to follow Christ is vital to where our final destination is. The Great Divider is calling us to decide for Him; He has sought for your acceptance since you were born. His love for you is so complete that He was willing to hang on that middle cross, between those two thieves, and die a criminal’s death. He took our place; He took our sins; He took our guilt. He is the Great Divider Who requires a decision from us, either to accept Him as the only way to eternal salvation, or reject Him to be eternally lost. This decision must be made before we stand before Him whenever our lives ends. Unlike the rain and snow which can’t determine which side of the Divide it may fall and where its destination may be, we have a choice as long as we are alive. Our days on this earth are already determined – we don’t know when our lives may be snuffed out. Do you know on which side of the Great Divider you will be? Are we too blinded to see the Truth and reality of Who He is? – THE GREAT DIVIDER! Choose, while there is still time!

Two Little Words (Giving Thanks "In" and "For" Everything)

(Updated: June 18, 2014) "I thank You that you are able to do abundantly more than I could ask or imagination in my tribulation (Eph.3:20). I thank You that You are proving You will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb.13:5). I thank You in the middle of this problem that You have promised to supply all my needs" (Phil.4:19). Every living human being, if they live long enough, will have problems. Life is made up of problems, and God has the answer, because He is the answer to all of them, and He has a purpose for all of them. God has a purpose for what we consider the good things and the bad things that come into our lives. God has a purpose in every problem we may have and He will perfect each one that concerns us if we will trust Him (Ps.138:8a). Problems bring possibilities to us that would not have otherwise happened. Remember the saying, “If life hands you a bag of lemons, make some lemonade.” We can thank God for the sack of lemons we have been handed, otherwise He could never help us make lemonade from them. Lemonade is sweet and good and refreshing, but without the lemons we couldn’t enjoy the lemonade. It is so easy to be thankful while everything is bright and beautiful, but it really tests our willingness to sincerely be thankful when things are not bright and beautiful, actually they “stink.” When we have tried to do our best at living life with a “smile,” and then relationships get in the pits; our health is poor; our finances are strained and our dreams are crashing around our feet, then that “smile” gets to be rather artificial. Is that normal? It is normal for the world, but not for the true Christian who has learned and knows how loving, how sufficient, how mighty our God is. If we really believe He knows, and cares, about every problem, every illness, every financial struggle, and every broken relationship in our lives, then we can sincerely smile and say “Thanks” in and for everything. The scriptures admonish us to do these two things – “Thank God in everything, no matter what the circumstances may be, (be thankful and give thanks) for this is the will of God for you who are in Christ Jesus” (I Thess.5:18 (Amp.). Is this easy? NO! But when we know God is there with us in the middle of the hardest situation; when we know He cares and that He is able to make all things work out for our good (Rom.8:28); when we know He will give us the strength (Phil.4:13) to fight this battle and come out victorious in the end. In fact, II Cor.12:9, tells us that it is in the middle of our weakest, most difficult times is when He can prove His strength to be perfect in our weakness. So we should rejoice and be thankful in the hard times – thankful that His strength is powerful enough to get us through any situation and is sufficient for any contingency, and His presence is so sweet and precious. I have heard more than one preacher say, “We are to be thankful in all things, but not for all things” – wrong! Ephesians 5:20 plainly tells us, “At all times and for everything, giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” We can thank Him for any problem we may be facing, spirit, soul or body because He wants to use our helplessness and our incapacity to “fix” our problem, to show Himself mighty on our behalf. Andre’ Crouch said in his song, “Through It All,” “If I didn’t have a problem I wouldn’t know that God could solve them.” We thank Him for that financial problem because it causes us to cry out to God for help, and then we watch Him as He works out that problem we could never have solved. We may have a relationship problem and when we give it to God and thank Him that He is the “Restorer of the breach,” we can thank Him because, “In His time He makes all things beautiful” (Eccl.3:11). If we had never had that problem we would never be able to see how God could solve it, and see that the relationship was stronger and sweeter than before. We can thank God for permitting us to see His miracle working power in our hearts. Problems have a way of stopping us in our tracts. He desires that we get quiet and wait before Him so we can hear His still small voice. I do not like all the cloudy, rainy days we have been having lately because I am not able to get outside and do some most needed work, but I am thankful for the rain, we have needed it so badly, so I have been playing “catch-up” inside and thanking the Lord for the rain that gives me the opportunity to work inside, and time to study and write that I neglect when I can work outside. Long distance running requires a lot of training. The typical marathon runner spends months preparing for the race. The training is disciplined and difficult. He gets up early and hits the road, focusing on his goal; he pushes through mental and physical exhaustion, looking for his “second wind.” He runs often, he carefully watches what he eats and gets plenty of sleep, all to build endurance. Although it is not easy, the discipline is essential if he wants to win that 26.2 miles race. Likewise, in our Christian race, we must understand that endurance is imperative to win the prize. James 1:2-4 tells us what builds spiritual stamina – enduring tests and tribulations; and we should even welcome them, and “rejoice” in and for them because when we let endurance, steadfastness and patience have full play, and do a thorough work so we will be fully developed, we will be lacking nothing. This “proves” our faith.” James is talking here about being thankful in and for any, and all challenges we may face with the inner strength and power of the Holy Spirit. Charles Stanley says to ask yourself the question, “Am I willing to go through this intense workout today in order to win the race tomorrow?” Tribulations (troubles and testing’s) will come so why not be thankful in and for them and let your faith grow strong for the bigger testing’s that will come, and those testings will work out for you “a greater weight of glory” (II Cor.4:17. Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have perfect peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer (take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted)! For I have overcome this world. (I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.)” (John 16:33). Through It All Andre Crouch I’ve had many tears and sorrows, I’ve had questions for tomorrow, There’ve been times I didn’t know right from wrong; But in every situation God gave blessed consolation that my trials come to only make me strong. I thank God for the mountains, and I thank Him for the valleys, I thank Him for the storms He brought me through; For if I’d never had a problem I wouldn’t know that He could solve them, I’d never know what faith in God could do. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP - How We Should Then Live - "With A Thankful Heart" (Part 3)

“Be thankful in all things, for this is the will of God for you who are in Christ Jesus.” (I Thess.5:18) “At all times, and for everything give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” (Eph.5:20) Thanksgiving is coming in two weeks. I have already done some baking and put it all in the freezer so I won’t have so much to do at the last minute. We should be thankful every day for all God’s benefits; I will mention a few. Today I am thankful for many things we take for granted like: electricity which runs my freezer; it runs my fridge, lights, heater, hot water heater, etc. I am thankful for my warm, safe and beautiful home the Lord has given us. I thank God for my husband of 56 years; for our three children, seven grand children and ten great-grand children – we are blessed! God loves a grateful heart! I am thankful for the beauty of the season – the yellows, golds, reds, rusts and greens mixed in are spectacular! I am very thankful I have my eyesight to enjoy all of God’s creation, even the armadillos who bore holes in our lawn and flower beds, and the raccoons who crawl up the post of the “squirrel-proof” bird feeder to steal the seeds. We enjoy seeing the grey and red fox as they come out of the back woods and cross our property, walking so arrogantly and determinedly toward their focused destination; and the deer who are so prolific. This time of year is the “rutting” season so we have been able to enjoy watching the big racked bucks as they “hang around” the does. How we enjoy watching all the wildlife in the water with their created uniqueness and purpose – the wood ducks, the diving ducks, the turtles who line the bank on sunny days, the jumping fish and even rare sightings of beavers. We enjoy watching the hawks that come to sit on an old “snag” down by the water to watch for fish they can quickly swoop down to catch for their meal. I am very thankful for all my senses to enjoy God’s wonders! I am thankful for my good health. I am thankful for the country in which I live where I am not persecuted or tortured for my faith; for freedom to worship my God as I choose; for freedom for opportunity to follow my dreams; for freedom to choose my doctor, my school, my church, etc. Most of all I am thankful for God’s love for me and His plan of salvation and all the package of benefits that comes with becoming a child of God. I hope you know who you are in Christ and what your inheritance is. You are a child of God because you “know” Him. Most inheritances come into effect after the death of the benefactor. God’s inheritance can be enjoyed, even though the Benefactor (Jesus, our Savior) died on the cross, He rose from the grave and is now alive, and is sitting on the right hand of the Father. The greatest gift of inheritance for which to be thankful is that we who have been born-again into God’s family receive is the gift of the His Spirit, and He brings all the treasures of our inheritance with Him. The Holy Spirit is forever with us and within us to empower, comfort, guide, teach, and protect us from Satan’s tactics to steal from us, to kill us (if he could), and destroy us. How thankful I am for the Holy Spirit Who lives forever within me! If you don’t recognize your full inheritance in Him, I will name some of your other treasures by virtue of simply being born into the family of God. Because of the abundant grace in which we can firmly and safely stand, we have inherited joyful and confident hope – hope of eternal salvation which will never disappoint, because His love is poured out in our hearts (Rom.5:2-5). Because He has chosen to make us His child (His choice) (I Jn.5:1), we have hope because He has become our heavenly Father to live with Him in heaven some day. Part of our inheritance is that “place” in heaven Jesus is preparing for us (Matt.25:34; Jn.14:2). What a wonderful treasure we have in Jesus Who has become our friend (Jn.15:14); and the Holy Spirit is our Helper (Heb.4:16). He will help us to grow in our faith and go on to stronger maturity (Heb.12:2). We can be thankful and rejoice greatly because we have been reconciled to the Father (Rom.5:1-11). Because of our sin we were once estranged from God, but since Jesus paid the price for our reconciliation, through His death and resurrection, and our sins are forgiven, we now can have fellowship (I Jn.1:3-7) with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit! This fellowship is with the God of the universe – doesn’t that blow your mind?! In fact, He invites us to come boldly right into His presence to receive His mercy and grace (Heb.4:16). These are both inherited gifts also. Grace is “God’s gift to us that we do not deserve” (Eph.2:8-9). Mercy is “God’s restrained justice that we do deserve” (Rom.9:22-23). I am thankful for God’s reconciliation, fellowship, mercy and grace. Jesus came to give us His peace (Jn.14:27). Peace is the absence of fear, worry, anxiety and emotional turmoil (II Tim.1:7). Depression is a big “enemy” to a growing number of people. We all have struggled with it at some time or another, and there are those who are clinically depressed. But in Jesus there is hope for victory over depression. Jesus is Jehovah-Shalom, the “Prince of Peace” (Isa.9:6). If we trust Jesus we can have “perfect peace” (Isa.26:3). If we keep our minds off of what others think and try to please only God we can have peace. What a wonderful gift from God’s inheritance basket. Our world may be in great turmoil; the stock markets may be falling; jobs may be vanishing; our health may be failing; our family may be falling apart; our children may be in trouble; our church may be cold and indifferent; but if we stay focused on the Word of God, and His promises to remain with us, provide for us and keep us, rather than spending our time watching the fear-mongering news broadcasts and listening to the negative nay-sayers of what is going to happen tomorrow, we can have this perfect peace by keeping our minds “stayed”on God. We must keep our minds on His Word that tells us of His love for us – to keep us, protect us and provide for us in every way, spirit, soul and body. If we take this anecdote for fear and worry, then Isaiah 26:3-4 promises us “perfect” peace because He is our Everlasting Rock. I am so thankful for God’s perfect peace. Another gift from our inheritance for which to be thankful is the fact that “He leads us in triumph in all things” (II Cor. 2:14). We have no worth, no abilities, and no goodness on our own. But God blesses us with inadequacies so we may show His strength through our weaknesses; His strength is made perfect in our weakness. (II Cor.3:5-6; 12:9). As Charles Stanley teaches, “Our inadequacy forces us to live our weak lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. Awareness of our limitations can relieve us of the burden of trying to do God’s will in our own strength. Without the Holy Spirit, we will be crushed by weights we cannot carry. Such awareness “frees” the Lord to use us to the maximum of our potential. When we are lowly (humble) enough to feel our need, then God will raise us to great heights. Acknowledging our shortcomings allows God to get all the glory for His work. Inadequacy can enable us to live in contentment and quietness of spirit. Either we will give God our burdens and cease striving, or we will proceed in our own strength and become overwhelmed. We should not claim competence in ourselves but rather acknowledge that our adequacy is from God” (II Cor.3:5). Thank You, God, for causing us to Triumph in all things. A treasure we may not have considered is what we think of as “our influence.” Do you want to be a strong influence in someone’s life – a child, spouse or a friend? God even uses our weaknesses to make us a strong influence. How can that be? I Cor.1:25:31 answers that question – “God has chosen the weak and foolish things of this world to shame the strong and wise.” Look at how this truth proves true in the stories in the Bible of Rahab, the harlot, and she became an ancestor of the Messiah. An infertile woman named Hannah cried out to God about her inadequacy and she becomes the mother of Samuel the prophet. Ruth, who was an alien and a Gentile, became the great-grandmother of King David. Abram trusted God, leaves his native land and people behind and becomes the Father of all who believe. Then there is Mary, the unclean woman, who poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ head and gains for herself an eternal monument in Biblical history. To encourage you when you have feelings of insignificance, just remember all those in Jesus’ genealogy. Some were righteous, some not, some were Jewish and some Gentile; one was from an enemy country; one was an adulterer; one a murderer; and one was even a prostitute from an enemy nation. But God made all of them to be influential in His plan for the lineage of Jesus, His Son. Don’t be deceived by outward appearance by those who may appear to be strong influential people in this world. The ones who make the real impact are those who recognize their inadequacies. They trust God completely for His adequacy and have proven themselves to be “blameless and innocent children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom they appear as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15. You may not think that your light is very bright by this world’s standards, but when the Lord calls you a luminary, you can agree with Him and keep on shining (Charles Stanley). If we just love and trust Him, Jesus will lead us to triumph in all things, even in our small influence to make a difference in someone’s life. God can use “anyone” to accomplish His perfect will. We are all “called” to be a godly influence in our world. “Thank You, Jesus, that we don’t have to be exceptionally smart, attractive or gifted. If we just love and trust You, You will cause us to be a godly influence in someone’s, life. Thank You, Jesus, for even our small influence, and may all who come behind us find us faithful. I am forever thankful for the Bible – The Truth - God’s Word, and though heaven and earth may pass away His Word is everlasting. The Father has given us His Word and all of His precious Promises from the Word as part of our inheritance. “God is not like man that He should lie. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good” (Num.23:19). We can trust His every word explicitly, without fear of His failing or disappointing us. Heb.6:18 tells us that “there are two things that are unchangeable - His promise and His oath and it is impossible for Him to lie or deceive when He promises something or takes an oath He will perform it.” Titus 1:2. He is“the ever truthful God.” Jehovah God is a god of integrity, He is “the Truth.” There is a popular saying, “If God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” There’s no debating God’s Word. Even the most trustworthy man will fail to be completely truthful at some time, but “Jesus never fails.” What a rare jewel that God has given us – His Precious Promises – and they will not fail. There are so many more gifts of our inheritance in Christ, but the last I would like to mention at this setting, is the gift of our citizenship in heaven. I read a story from one of my devotional books about a family who came to the U.S., from India in 2006. After the required five years they inquired about U.S. citizenship. They learned they had to pay fees to cover the cost of fingerprints taken and to have an interview to answer 100 questions. It was difficult for them to prepare for the interview because they had no spare time since they worked full-time jobs, taking care of everything just to live and function in this society; and reading and meditating on God’s Word. By their own testimonies it was only by God’s grace they obtained citizenship. This story demonstrates the vast difference between receiving an earthly country’s citizenship and that eternal citizenship in heaven given freely by the love, grace and mercy of God Who gives to all Who trust in Him, and eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come to take us HOME. To be a citizen of heaven a person need only accept Jesus’ invitation – to be born again by repentance and confession of his sins. Thank You, Jesus for providing our heavenly citizenship, and it is never too late to prepare for citizenship in heaven – “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation” (II Cor.6:2). Thank You, Jesus, for our citizenship in heaven. Thank You, Father, for making me Your child and for all Your gifts of inheritance: 1) Redemption and forgiveness through the blood of Christ (Rom.3:24) and because we have been redeemed and forgiven we have: 2) Deliverance from the power of sin (Rom.1:16) 3) Grace and mercy extended to us abundantly (Rom.3:24) 4) His wisdom and understanding of the Truth, and to know the mystery of His will, if we ask in faith believing we receive, and all of His precious promises - all we find in His Word (Jas.1:5-8; Eph.1:9) 5) The indwelling Holy Spirit (another Comforter) (John 14:26) 6) Eternal Salvation (John 3:16) 7) Mercy, Grace, Reconciliation, Fellowship (Romans 5:1-11) 8) Hope (Romans 5:2-5) 9) Peace of God (John 14:27) 10) Triumphant in all things (II Cor.2:14) 11) Strong influence in this life (our witness) (Phil.2:15) 12) Our heavenly citizenship (Eph. 2:19) Because of who we are in Christ – “a child of God,” these are our benefits – our inheritance! Thank You, Jesus!! “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is deepest within me bless His Holy Name”!! (Ps.103:1)

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP - How Then Should We Live? - By God's Word - Part 1

Our world today, as we know it, is in such a chaotic and ungodly mess, and as someone said, “Going to hell in a hand basket.” A few Christian leaders have been bold enough to speak out and willing to lay the blame at the foot of Church. This is very sad but true, that the western Church has become “lukewarm” in its faith and zeal for Christ and doesn’t seek out the “down and outer,” but seeks out only the “up and outer” to witness to and befriend. It is neither “hot nor cold,” thinks it is rich and doesn’t need anything; not knowing that true riches is a zealous, genuine faith that has been tested by God’s fire of discipline, which results in being clothed with His “Robe of Righteous” (Rev.3:14-22). They plan social programs to draw in the crowd instead of planning days set aside for prayer, fasting, repenting and for revival, renewal and a fresh filling and anointing of the Holy Spirit. How sad, even when these rare times are planned very few will take part – they are too busy or unconcerned. Are we part of the real Church or the Laodicean church? The contemporary Church here in America so often compromise God’s principles and is willing to “go along to get along,” and is willing to overlook, excuse, and even sometimes condone blatant sins, instead of confronting and calling them out and practicing the discipline of Matthew 18. The western Church has lost its broken heart for the lost. It’s “heart” has become hard by refusing to “hear what the Spirit has said and is saying to the Church, and repent,” (Rev.2:7, 11, 17, 29; ch.3:6, 13, 22). It is too busy to meet together and pray. It has become too full of pride to repent, even when God has told us, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear them from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14). It is no wonder our families, our churches, our government and our nation are in such disrepair, and even destroyed, in some cases. It is because the Church has permitted Satan to “steal, kill and destroy” our devotion to God and for His rightful and essential priority of first place in our lives. Satan wants to “steal” our testimony to the world by subtly persuading us to become Pharisees (hypocrites), claiming to be “Christian,” but living just like the world. There’s an old saying that speaks to this which says, “Your actions speak so loud that I can’t hear what you are saying.” The world may not recognize it, but it is hungry for Truth, for meaning to life, for joy, peace and hope. They don’t realize it but they are looking for Jesus. The true Church of Jesus Christ, the alive, moving, righteous Church has the only answer to the needs of this crying world. If this “sleeping Giant” would only wake up, shake itself, eat the Word, drink the “new wine,” and go forth revitalized and restored to newness of life, and have a new zeal to tell the world that Jesus is the only answer to their hunger and thirst, by living a faith-filled, overcoming, loving lifestyle before them, and as Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words”. John wrote, “Let us not love in Word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (I Jn.3:18). In light of all of this “mess,” Francis Schaeffer” wrote a book with the answers to, How Then Should We Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture. His brief answer is: “By the divine power that is within us.” The Word of God, II Peter:1:3 says, “His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that are requisite and suited to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us by and to his own glory and excellence.” My version is that God’s power (the Holy Spirit living within all believers) has given us all things we need to walk a godly life through the knowledge of Him Who has called us to His excellence. Jude 1:24 reiterates this thought, “He is able to keep us from falling and present us blameless in triumphal joy before the presence of His glory with unspeakable delight.” The Holy Spirit that lives within all believers gives us the power and ability to live triumphantly. The key to be able to live this triumphant life is to “be” and continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s Word tells us “how to” live this triumphant life with the Spirit’s power. The first step is to keep ourselves pure, faithful and committed. Paul tells us, as he told the Colossians in 2:6-7, “As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so regulate your lives and conduct yourselves in union with and conformity to Him. Have the roots of your being firmly and deeply planted in Him, fixed and founded in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving” (Amp.), and “The just shall live by faith” (Heb.10:38). Solomon tells us in the fourth chapter that to live and have a successful life we must (1) obey God, (2) get the principle thing - godly wisdom and understanding, prize it and embrace it and it will give you a crown of glory, (3) avoid the way of evil men, turn from it and pass on, (4) above all you guard, guard your heart with all vigilance for out of it flow the springs of life, (5) put away dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you, (6) let your eyes look right on with fixed purpose, (7) and consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be ordered aright. Turn not aside to the left or the right; remove your foot from evil. The first Psalm, verses 1-3, gives us the key instructions how to “guard our hearts” as we live in this chaotic world. This Psalm promises we’ll be happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable if we do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly (following their advice, their plans and purposes), nor stand submissive and inactive in the path where sinners walk, nor sit down, relax and rest where the scornful and the mockers gather. But our delight and desire must be in the law of the Lord, and on His law (precepts, instructions and teachings) we must habitually meditate on day and night. Then we will be like a tree firmly planted and tended by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything we do will prosper and come to maturity. We hide God’s Word in our hearts by reading, studying, meditating then acting on Its truths, as it says in this scripture. We also must guard our hearts by sincerely asking the Lord to “search our hearts to see if there is any hurtful way in us, and to lead us into the way that is everlasting,” as David prayed in Psalm 139. When God shows us any hurtful (sinful) way we have (any way that would hurt us or others), we must then “confess it and turn from it, and God will cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). We can walk clean and pure before Him if we follow these instructions. They say the human mind is like a computer. If you put good data in good data will come out, or garbage in, garbage out. “As a man thinks in his heart so is he” (Prov.23:7). We become what we let our minds dwell on. Philippians 4:8 tells us how to “guard our hearts” with our thought-life. Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. So we are to “fix our minds on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and whatever is kind and gracious. If there is any virtue or excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh these things and fix your minds on them”(Phil.4:8), then we won’t reap any undesirable acts, habits or characters. Refuse the negative, enticing, condemning and destructive thoughts Satan loves to put in our minds to depress us and pull us down. When these thoughts come “submit yourself to God, resist the devil and stand firm against him and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). You can resist the devil by quoting scripture to him like Jesus did when He was tempted (Matt.4:1-11). Satan can’t withstand the Truth – God’s Word. We are told in II Cor. 10:5b “to lead every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ.” This is why we must “hide God’s Word in our hearts so that we will not fall into sin” (Ps.119:11). “God’s Word speaks and is alive and full of power, making it active, operative, energizing, and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life and the immortal spirit, and of joints and marrow of the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart” (Hebrew 4:12). Put on all your spiritual armor every day (Eph.5:11-19), and sharpen your “sword of the Spirit” (your only offensive weapon) – God’s Word, by reading, meditation, study, memorizing and then obeying the Truth therein. It is the answer for us, individually and the Church, to know “How Then Should We Live?” It is by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

The Discipline of Getting To Know God - The Holy Spirit

Have you ever wished you had a friend that would be forever loyal, would understand you completely and be able to counsel you when you are undecided and confused; one who would have direct access to God the Father and be able to intercede for you and pray for you when you don’t know how to pray; one who would be your helper when you are weak or in need, and enable you to do what you can’t do on your own; one who would illuminate the Truth to you; one who would stand by you in trouble and comfort you when you are grieving; one who would teach you the way you should walk and would lead the way down the right path? That kind of person sounds too good to be true – but He is not! He is as real and as close as your breath, and if you really love Jesus, this One lives within you and will never leave you. He is the sweet Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead. The Word of God is filled with references to the Holy Spirit as a Person Who is involved in all the affairs of men, from Genesis in creation (1:2) throughout to the last chapter of the last book in the Bible, Revelation 22:17. He is the One Jesus spoke of in John 14:16 &26, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener and Standby), that He may remain with you forever.” The Holy Spirit is our Helper, the One spoken of in I Samuel 7:7-12, when the Israelites were afraid of the Philistines who were about to attack them, but Samuel prayed and sacrificed to the Lord and just as the Philistines were attacking, the Lord thundered with a great voice, which threw the enemy into confusion and they were defeated before Israel. Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and he called the name of it Ebenezer (stone of help), saying, “Heretofore the Lord has helped us.” He is our “Helper,” our “Enabler.” Philippians 4:13 is one of my very favorite verses. The Lord gave me this promise when I was a teenager and was asked to speak at a mission’s conference. I felt (and was) very inadequate to speak to a group of older and more mature, adult women. But the Lord gave me this scripture and I have depended on it on every occasion. It is only the Holy Spirit of Christ which enables me (or anyone who depends on Him) to do what we could not do by ourselves. It boosts our concept of our abilities through the Holy Spirit’s help. “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” This third Person of the Godhead gives us this power – power to overcome (I Cor.10:13); power to forgive (Matt.6:12-15); power over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19); and power to have hope (Rom.15:13). He is our Teacher, “But the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name (in my place, to represent Me and act on my Behalf), He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall everything I have told you.” “He is the Spirit of Truth Whom the world cannot receive….but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17 (Amp.). He is the “Convictor.” The Holy Spirit is the One Jesus spoke of in, John 16:7-8, when He said “He (the Holy Spirit) will convict and convince the world of sin, of righteous and of judgment: about sin because they do not believe and trust in Me; about righteousness and right standing with God, because I go to My Father, and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world (Satan) is judged and condemned and sentence already is passed upon him.” He is the “Searcher of Hearts” (read Ps.139). Today He convicts us also. Are we sensitive to His convicting power? When you do something against the known will of God does your conscience bother you? Does it “hurt?” Can your conscience be your guide? Charles Stanley has some good and helpful thoughts on conviction I want to share with you below (in italics). Sometimes it’s easy even for believers to become confused, because emotions can be very tricky. For this reason, it is unwise to trust feelings or base our decisions upon them. There is a difference between emotion and true conviction, which means an awareness of wrongdoing (John 16:7-9 above). The Holy Spirit prompts conviction of sin as an expression of His love because he wants to keep you on the right path. One sure way to distinguish conviction by the Holy Spirit is that he will always identify something specific (Ps.51:3-4; Luke 22:60-62). God won’t hesitate to put His finger on whatever is outside of His will. Conversely, the Enemy will try to inspire feelings of condemnation and guilt. The Enemy wants you so weighed down that you become ineffective for the Lord. When believers listen to that deceitful voice, they can become incapacitated by the untruths from the Father of Lies. The only way that you’re going to build a defense against untruth is to saturate your mind with Truth. You must, therefore, spend time in the Bible, undergirding your belief system with God’s reality so you can easily spot error. If you are unsure where you stand on any issue, then it is imperative that you sit down with a Bible and begin researching until you hear God’s answers. Find scripture concerning each area, and ask the Holy Spirit, “What does this passage really mean?” Even as Christians, we have to be careful, or we could easily mistake personal preferences for convictions. We cannot afford to build our life’s foundation with any materials that are not totally scriptural. The apostle Paul told us that the quality of each man’s work will be tested by fire (I Cor.3:13), and that includes what we believe. The Holy Spirit uses conviction positively – to warn against danger or lovingly nudge an erring believer back onto the course the Lord designed for his or her life. Thankfully, this is one of God’s unceasing acts of love. What happens if we choose not to learn through scripture what is God’s will on any issue? Have you heard of a “hard heart?” This is what happens to our hearts (mind, will and emotions) when we act against the known will of God. The first time we act conversely to God’s will our consciences will strongly bother us. If we don’t listen to the Holy Spirit’s proddings, and continue to sin in that specific area, the voice of the Holy Spirit becomes quieter and quieter; and our hearts becomes harder and harder and finally they have become like they have been seared with a hot iron (I Tim.4:2), (this particular scripture is specifically referring to lying hypocrites- (pretenders). At that point, they cannot “feel” their consciences correcting them. The hardening of their hearts was a choice on their part – whether to continue to act in God’s will or their own. This same principle applies to us also. We can become like the Children of Israel in the nineteenth chapter of Ezekiel where they had turned their hearts against God, following other gods, thus hardening their hearts. But God promised them in verses 18 and 19, “And when they return there, they shall take away from it all traces of its detestable things and all its abominations (sex impurities and heathen religious practices). And I will give them one heart, a new heart and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony, hardened heart out of their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh (sensitive and responsive to the touch of their God) (Amp.).” At the first twinge of “conscience” we must turn back to the Father, the only one Who can cleanse us and renew us in Him. The Holy Spirit is our “Defender” and “Deliverer.” In the Lord’s Prayer (Matt.6:13), Jesus prayed, “Deliver us from evil.” In Romans 7:24-25, Paul is anguishing over the bondage of sin in his life, but the Deliverer brings victory. By trusting in the Spirit of Christ, He will deliver us from all the power of the enemy (Rom.7:24-25; Luke 10:19). When the Holy Spirit comes to reside in our hearts He brings spiritual gifts (I Cor.12:1-11). All of these gifts are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same Holy Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually exactly as He chooses. He gives natural gifts also, but the following list is some of the spiritual gifts He gives, and He doesn’t want us to be ignorant of them. There are distinctive varieties which distinguish certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit, and they may vary, but the Holy Spirit remains the same. So study these and recognize which ones you may have been given. These spiritual grace gifts are: 1) power to speak a word of Wisdom; 2) power to express a word of knowledge and understanding; 3) wonder working faith; 4) powers of healing; 5) working of miracles; 6) prophetic insight; 7) discernment, to distinguish between true and false spirits; 8) various kinds of unknown tongues; 9) ability to interpret unknown tongues. In Romans 12:6-8 more are mentioned: 10) service; 11) teaching; 12) exhortation; 13) giving; 14) superintend; 15) mercy. We will discuss these more fully in a future study. It is wonderful to know that the precious Holy Spirit prays for us. Romans 8:26-27 tells us, “So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit (what His intent is), because the Spirit intercedes and pleads before God in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will.” The Holy Spirit is our Treasure Within. “Do you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you(I Cor.6:19)? As Christians we have someone inside us that a hundred trillion dollars can’t buy. It is better than gold or silver or precious jewels. That someone is the Holy Spirit, Who is the down payment and guarantee of what is to come (II Cor.1:22). Did you know we as Christians have this treasure living in this “earthen vessel,” (II Cor.4:7)! We should be so thankful and grateful for this fact. As E. Stanley Jones said, “When I met Christ, I felt that I had swallowed sunshine.” When the Holy Spirit comes to live in us we will begin to display attributes just like Him: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And just think, we have all these wonderful things by just accepting Christ and inviting the Holy Spirit to live in and take control of our lives. WHAT A WONDER! Prayer: Dear Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus, our Lord, and in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We commit all that we are, and all we ever hope to be, to You, the God of all mercy, forgiveness and love. Cleanse us from all our sin/sins and give us a new heart so we can walk with You in Your righteousness, so we can have fellowship with you, Jesus, our Savior, and be filled (and continue to be filled) with Your sweet Holy Spirit. Amen! 4.

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP - Introduction

September, 2013 There was a song back in the 40’s and 50’s which said, “The best things in life are free.” In the lyrics it mentions, “The moon belongs to everyone, The best things in life they're free, Stars belong to everyone, They cling there for you and for me, Flowers in spring, The robins that sings, The sunbeams that shine, They're yours and they're mine, Love can come to everyone, The best things in life, They're free.” These things are free – they are a gift from God for us to greatly enjoy! But…“Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort,” “Anything that just cost money is cheap,” “Nothing in this world that is worth having comes easily,” “Anything worth doing is worth doing well,” “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecc.9:10). These are a few quotes that focus on the cost of a worthwhile life. Before we undertake a project, set a goal to achieve, spend time and money on something we wish to obtain, we should consider all that it will take to be successful in the final achievement. In Jesus’s teaching in Luke 14:27-30, He says we are to count the cost before our plans begin. He likens it to building a farm building, we first sit down and calculate the cost to see whether we have sufficient means to finish it. “Means” may include money, time, energy, goal setting, etc. Achievement will cost us something. There is also a cost to the Discipleship of Jesus. A disciple is one who is willing to follow the teaching, training and correction of another. After taking inventory of all it will cost to be “discipled,” we must ask ourselves the question, “Am I willing to pay the price it will cost to achieve that goal – to be like Jesus? Am I willing to lay the old life aside and be changed by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, by whatever it takes?” So the question we need to ask ourselves as we start this study is, “Am I willing to pay the “price” to be “discipled” that I may grow into the perfect image of Jesus Christ?” If we answer this question in the affirmative and are willing to be disciplined (trained) by the Father, then we have begun a wonderfully progressive “journey” to being on “The Way” to a transformation into the likeness of Christ! Webster says to be “transformed” is “to change in character or condition.” When we are born again, as Jesus said in John 3:3, 6,“You must be born again of the Spirit,” we receive a new heart and spirit (Eze.36:26); we sing a new song (Rev.14:3); we have a new name (Isa.62:2); we are given a new commandment (John 13:34); we are a new creation in Christ, the old has passed away and behold the fresh and new has come. (II Cor.5:17); and we are to look for a new heaven and a new earth (II Pet.3:13)! Everything becomes new! Just as being “transformed” happens from inside out, being “conformed” happens from outside in. Webster’s says, to be conformed is “to be obedient or compliant.” It is being stuffed into a mold. Paul admonishes us in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world (this age, fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs), but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind by its new ideals and its new attitude, so that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you” (Amp.). Being “conformed” is being stuffed into the world’s “mold” by the opinions and pressures of our peers or society in general. But we, as Christ’s disciples, are to be transformed by “renewing our mind by the washing of the Word” (Eph.5:26), and having the “mind of Christ” (Phil.2:5), from the inside out. “Though our outer man is progressively decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being progressively renewed day by day” (II Cor. 4:16b). We are renewed by confessing our sins (I Jn.1:9); by putting on our new self (robe of righteousness), Eph.4:24). Renewing our mind is a choice. Just as when we dress every morning, it is a choice what we put on. We must be intentional in putting on our spiritual clothes. We will learn more completely how to put on Christ in this study. A beautiful analogy of the transformation that takes place in all who are “born again” is the metamorphosis of a butterfly. The beautiful butterfly that we see flitting and fluttering around is the finished version of its complete metamorphosis. This beautiful creature starts as a small, round or oval egg, which the adult butterfly has laid on leaves of plants. When the egg finally hatches, you would expect a butterfly to emerge from this stage of its’ metamorphosis, but the egg is just the first stage. What emerges from the egg is the second stage – larva (caterpillar). Having the same markings as the adult butterfly, without knowing what it was we might think it was just a big worm and we would probably mash it. Caterpillars do not stay in this stage very long, and in this stage all they do is eat, starting on the leaf where it was born. It is very important that the mother butterfly lays her eggs on the type of leaf the caterpillar will eat. Caterpillars need to eat and eat so they can grow quickly. Their exoskeleton (skin) does not stretch or grow, so they grow by “molting” (shedding the outgrown skin) several times while it grows. The third stage of a butterfly’s metamorphosis is the chrysalis (cocoon), or pupa. This is one of the coolest stages of a butterfly’s life. As soon as a butterfly is done growing and they have reached their full length/weight, they form themselves into a pupa, also known as a chrysalis. From the outside of the pupa, it looks as if the caterpillar may just be resting, but the inside is where all of the action is. Inside of the pupa, the caterpillar is rapidly changing. Now, as most people know, caterpillars are short, stubby and have no wings at all. Within the chrysalis the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation, called “metamorphosis,” to become the beautiful parts that make up the butterfly that will emerge. Tissue, limbs and organs of a caterpillar have all been changed by the time the pupa is finished, and is now ready for the final stage of a butterfly’s life cycle. Finally, when the caterpillar has done all of its forming and changing inside the pupa, you will see an adult butterfly emerge. When the butterfly first emerges from the chrysalis, both of the wings are going to be soft and folded against its body. This is because the butterfly had to fit all its new parts inside of the pupa. As soon as the butterfly has rested after coming out of the chrysalis, it will pump blood into the wings in order to get them working and flapping – then they get to fly. Usually within a three or four-hour period, the butterfly will master flying. When in the fourth and final stage of their lives, adult butterflies are constantly on the look out to reproduce, then the life cycle will start all over. What a perfect analogy of the Christian’s “born again” experience. We are “born again” to a living hope of one day being like our Father – to have His heart of unconditional love; to have the Father’s eyes that find the good in things and full of compassion; to have His lips that always speak Truth in love; to have His hands that serve and stroke the depressed and down trodden and lift them up; to have His feet that are always walking in paths of righteousness. We also are in our early stage of just feeding on the Word so we can grow and be strong in the Lord, throwing off the old habits and actions and putting on the new man created in God’s image in true righteousness and holiness (Eph.4:24). The transformation process can be a painful and costly thing. It is painful to see ourselves as we are with all our sins and warts), but as a Caterpillar Christian we must hide ourselves in the Father’s arms, which enfolds and holds us while we continue to change – throwing off the old, putting on the new and undergoing the Father’s discipline, but then being transformed into the beautiful creature that will come forth looking just like our Father. While we are being transformed our spiritual chrysalis is sometimes ugly but when our “metamorphosis” is complete we will come forth looking like Him. “When He comes we shall see Him as He is and we shall be like Him” (I Jn.3:2). They say the longer people live together they get to look more like each other. Whether that is true or not, the Truth is that the longer we spend time with Jesus and His Word (and obeying it) we become more like Him – “we put on Christ” (Rom.13:14). “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in us.” This transformation begins with “regeneration” – to be “born again.” Some newly “born again” believers remain weak, ineffective and immature because they have not been “discipled” and trained by the Word of God and how to submit to the discipline of the Lord or they have chosen to walk in their “old self” (the flesh) and not to be transformed by His work in them. Knowing God is the most glorious and most precious privilege mankind can personally experience, and “whosoever will” can have this experience. God created us to “know” Him and have a personal, experiential relationship with Him. Oh, the height and breadth of God’s love and mercy toward us, His creation, is incomprehensible! He knows us completely - our thoughts, our motives, even every word even before we speak them. But why does God want us to “know” Him? This is a deeply profound and difficult to answer question because He is so infinite in all His being and we are so finite in our comprehension. But since God created mankind to have a relationship with Him, He knew He must become “known” to us. He wanted us to know Him as our Heavenly Father, as our Redeemer and Savior, as our Provider, as our Protector, as our Friend and confidant, as our Comforter, as our Advocate and Defender, as our Righteousness, as our Peace that passes all understanding, and as our shelter in the storms of life. God wants us to know Him as our All in All! He knew that our knowing Him would be our greatest fulfillment, and our mutual fellowship would be His greatest enjoyment! There are steps and seasons in this journey of getting to “know” this God of the Universe – YHWY! To begin this journey of discipline, we must first of all come into a relationship with Jesus Christ by believing that He is Who He says He is (the Son of God and Savior of the world), and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit Who lives in us. By this life-changing event, of coming into a personal relationship with the living God, we come to know Him as “Savior” – this is the beginning of a learning process of getting to “Know” the everlasting God – the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)! God the Father has a special “filial” (offspring) relationship with those who have been born into His family through faith in Christ Jesus (the “Anointed Messiah”). In Romans 8:15 Paul encourages us to develop intimacy with our Heaven Father, “For the Spirit which you have now received is not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption (the Spirit producing sonship) in which we cry, Abba(Father!)”(Amp.) Because of this “adoption” we are freed from this “fear” of damnation, but now we are free to walk in the knowledge of God’s love, and that the Son has paid the price to save us from the judgment of damnation for our sins, and the Holy Spirit lives within us to empower and teach us everything that pertains to life and godliness” (II Pet.1:2-8). God is the only god who has a personal, intimate relationship with His children (disciples, followers, devotees). As a result of that relationship with God the Father, there comes a love for Him, just as a naturally born child loves his father, good or bad. A former pastor said, “To know Him is to love Him!” To love Him is to have a desire to serve and obey His every Word (I Jn.5:3; Jn.14:21, 23). As we obey Him we get to know and experience His “faithfulness” in all of His attributes. We get to know that He is our “Refuge and Strength (mighty and impenetrable to temptation), a very present help in trouble (Ps.46:1).” As Paul so beautifully put it, “My determined purpose should be to know Him, become progressively more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly, and come to know the power out-flowing from His resurrection (which it exerts over believers), and to so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed (in spirit into His likeness) even to His death, and (in the hope) that if possible I may attain to the spiritual and moral resurrection that lifts me out from among the dead, even while in the body” (Phil.3:10). God in His unfathomable love for us, His children, “has shone in our hearts so as to beam forth the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ the Messiah (II Cor. 4:6). To truly “see” Jesus Christ, our Savior, is to be illuminated with the knowledge of His majesty and glory, and we can do nothing but to fall at His feet in humility and worship. Read my blog written on February 28, 2008, entitled, “Have You Looked Into His Face.” (http://lightfrommywindow.blogspot.com). By looking into His face by the illumination of the knowledge of Him, as seen in God’s Word, we will be transformed (Rom.12:1), by presenting all our members and faculties as a living sacrifice, holy (consecrated) and well pleasing to God. Dying to self in order to be “transformed” is costly – it costs us everything; all that we are and all we ever hope to be. Remember, “The Spirit within gives us love, power and self discipline” (II Tim.1:7). The knowledge of Him gives us power for life and godliness” (II Pet.1:3). The knowledge of Him gives us power to overcome sin in this life (Rom.8:1-16). The knowledge of Him gives us power to become like Jesus (to become godlike). Is that your desire and purpose? If so, you will learn self discipline (II Tim.1:7), and welcome the Father’s discipline (Heb.12:10-11). He disciplines us with His Word (II Tim. 3:16). Back to the initial question – “Are you willing to pay the cost to be transformed?” This is your choice. The cost of being a disciple of Jesus is the continual “putting off the old self “(Eph.4:22), and “putting on the new self” (Eph.4:24), this takes a disciplined life. It is like changing your clothes – you take off the old, soiled and ragged clothes of the old self and put on the new beautiful “robe of righteousness” of the new self. Just like the butterfly, you will emerge with your new beautiful clothes - looking like your Father.

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP - JEHOVAH - SHAMMAH, THE GOD WHO IS THERE

October 15, 2013 “I am with you all the days, perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion, to the very close and consummation of the age.” (Matt.28:20 Amp.) “It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will march with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; but fear not, neither become depressed, dismayed and unnerved with alarm.” (Duet.31:8 Amp.) Throughout the Bible God proclaims His constant presence with us – Jehovah Shammah, “The God Who is there.” In Psalms 139:7-18, we are told He has been with us since before we were born and then throughout our life. This Psalm tells us that Jehovah Shammah will be with us if we ascend into the heaven; or if we make our bed in Sheol (the place of the dead); or if we take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea. Even there Jehovah’s hand will lead us, and His right hand shall hold us. If we say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be the only light about me, even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to Him. Our frames were not hidden from Him when we were being formed in secret in the depths of the earth. He did form us in our mothers’ wombs. His eyes saw our unformed substance, and all the days of our lives are written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. Even as Psalm 23:4 puts it, “through the valley of the shadow of death,” the ‘Shepherd’ will go with us. If we stay close to Him, He will be with us and protects us in all our troubles (Psalm 91). Hebrew 13:5 tells us that Jehovah-Shammah will never, no never, no never forsake us, and in good times and bad His love will comfort our pain and soothe our weariness. Even as Adam and Eve tried to hide from God but could not (Gen.3:8), even so we cannot hide from Him (Jer.23:24). Jonah tried to flee from the presence of God but to no avail (Jonah 1). He sees all (Jer.32:18) and knows all (Psalm 139:1-18). Even His thoughts are ever toward us (Ps.139:17-18). Jesus promised to be with us to the end of the world (Matt.28:20), and if we have a right relationship with Him we will have the fullness of joy in His presence (Psalm 16:11), but if we don’t, we will try to get away from His presence through drugs, alcohol, sexual relations, completely absorbing ourselves in our job and anything and everything we think will remove us from God’s presence but nothing will remove us from His love (Rom. 8:38-39) – His presence is His love – His love is always with us. The only peace and answers we will find are in His presence, so don’t run away but run to Him. He has been there all the time, and will be there forever! In The Presence of Jehovah (by Damis Carbaugh) In and out of situations that tug of war at me, All day long I struggle for the answers that I need. But when I come into His presence, All my questions become clear. And in that sacred moment, No doubts can interfere. In the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of Peace. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended, In the presence of the King. Through His love the Lord provided, a place for us to rest, A place to find the answers in our hour of distress. Now there's never any reason For you to give up in despair Just slip away and breathe His name, you will surely find Him there. In the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of Peace. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended, In the presence of the King.

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP - EL ROI, THE GOD WHO SEES

October 15, 2013 The Discipline of Getting to Know God - El Roi, The Omniscient, The God Who Sees “The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From His dwelling place He looks intently upon all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their doings” (Ps.33:13-15). God “showed-off” His awesomeness when He created the eye. To me, being able to see is my most wonderful sense. The human eye is a complex miracle of the Creator that provides us the power of eyesight, the ability to observe the world around us in all its beauty and intricacy. As marvelous as our physical sight is, how far greater it is to have spiritual sight and be able to discover the things of God. Being the all knowing, all seeing God (El Roi), He has given Believers spiritual gifts of seeing and knowing the Truth as we look into His Word (I Cor 2:14). This is called (discernment). I am very thankful for this gift of “seeing” Truth, but I pray along with discernment, I pray the Lord will give me His eyes to see the good in others; to see their hurt and confusion; to be able to see and discern how to pray for their needs and see how to reach out to them with help. I will never have His infinite “eyes,” but I want a heart full of His love. In Gen.16:13-14, God saw Hagar, the wife that was turned out by Abraham. She was the one who named God, El Roi, “A God of seeing,” “Living One Who sees me.” (Look up Genesis 16 and read this interesting account.) El Roi (the Living One Who sees us) because He is omniscient (all knowing), He sees and knows all things. Psalm 139 tells us that, “He saw you before you were born. He sees you when you sit or lie down; He sees you when you get up and walk and where you walk, and with whom you walk, and even your motives of everything you do and everywhere you go. He knows (sees) your thoughts, even before you think them. You cannot go into the highest heaven, or deepest sea without His seeing you and knowing where you are, and without His hand holding you. He knows and sees what moment of what day of what year you will die. His thoughts toward you are precious, they are too many to count – more than the sand of the seas. When you go to sleep – He is there and sees you. When you wake – He is there and sees you.” What an unfathomable, loving God we serve! Just as He saw and was with Moses those 40 years in the wilderness (Duet.2:7); and with Samuel’s mother, Hannah, who was a righteous woman and desired but couldn’t have a child (I Sam.2:3); and with Samuel when anointing David as king, “The Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart (I Sam.16:7; I Kgs.8:39). And when King Asa relied on the Lord when his enemies came against him, God said “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him” (II Chr.16:9). Just as God showed Himself faithful to those of the past, He also will show Himself faithful to you. Remember, God is not a respecter of persons, He sees your blameless heart toward Him and He will reward you for it. “God knows all things independently…..He receives not His knowledge from anything without Him; He hath no tutor to instruct Him, or book to inform Him.” (Stephen Charnock, in The Existence and Attributes of God) When you give, give secretly and God will see and reward you openly (Matt. 6:1-4). When you pray, pray in your most private room, and He will see you and reward you openly (Matt.6:5-6). When you are fasting do not look gloomy and sour, but wash your face and look nice so your fasting will not be noticed by men, but your Father will see and He will reward you in the open (Matt.6:16-18). Whatever your need, don’t be anxious about it because your Heavenly Father sees and knows well your needs, but first of all seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you. The Father sees and will provide (Matt.6:31-35; 10:29-30; Luke 12:32). God the Father saw His Son, Jesus, delivered up, like a common criminal, according to His definite and fixed purpose, to be killed by the hands of lawless and wicked men, and He did not abandon His Son’s soul, leaving it helpless in death, nor His body to decay in the grave, but He saw His Son raised from the grave and ascend to the Father in heaven (Acts 2: 23-33). If the Father saw and preplanned this death, resurrection and ascension, surely you can know He sees you with all your needs, sins, motives, thoughts, hurts, sicknesses, etc., and He looks at you with love, compassion and forgiveness. He sees and understands and knows all. “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5). Infinite seeing, knowing and understanding is God’s attribute called, omniscience. Your heavenly father watches over you. The prefix “omni” means all, “science” means knowledge. David Jeremiah describes God’s omniscience in this way: “God knows all we know, all the angels know, all the universal truths of the cosmos, and all the particulars of our lives down to the number of hairs on our heads. He knows the future as well as the past. He knows what will happen and what will not. He knows all realities and contingencies. His understanding is infinite.” “It is a glorious thing to know that your Father God makes no mistakes in directing or permitting that which crosses the path of your life. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. It is our glory to trust Him, no matter what” (Joni Eareckson Tada). I trust in God wherever I may be, Upon the land or on the rolling sea, For, come what may, from day to day, My heavenly Father watches over me. I trust in God, I know He cares for me, On mountain bleak or on the stormy sea; Tho’ billows roll, He keeps my soul, My heavenly Father watches over me. (Unknown)

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP - EL SHADDAI - THE ALMIGHTY GOD

October 15, 2013 The Discipline of Getting to Know God – El Shaddai – The Almighty God He Who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty (Whose power no foe can withstand). (Psalm 1:1 Amp.) The Lord God described Himself for the first time to Abraham in Genesis 17:1, as El Shaddai – the Almighty God. Not only was He Abraham’s “Almighty God,” but He is our Almighty God – El Shaddai. Our Almighty God is mighty in all things. He is “King of kings, and Lord of lords!” He is all Sufficiency. There was an ancient idol which was supposed to portray an all sufficient God. It had many arms, which signified its ability to be powerful and far-reaching. It appeared to be a many breasted woman, which signified its sufficiency for all needs, but just made of stone and wood and of course could neither supply power nor sufficiency, it could do nothing but stand as a silent idol for those who would cry out to it. El Shaddai is the “strongest strong one,” so may your faith not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God (I Cor.2:5). He is able to overcome any enemy that may come against us, either physical or spiritual. “Because of His power that works within us He is able to do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams. To that God be glory, honor and praise forever and ever” (Eph.3:20-21, Amp.)! He is the most high – above all earthly gods; He is alive and strong; He is the King of kings; He is the Sovereign God. He is the great “I Am”! In Psalm 18:1-2, David proclaims to the Lord, “You are my Strength and my God in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield and my Salvation, my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer.” David trusted explicitly in El Shaddai, the Almighty God. And so can all of us. “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength (causing it to multiply and making it to abound) (see II Cor. 12:9). Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord (who expect, look for and hope in Him) shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up close to God as eagles mount up to the sun; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired” (Isa.40:28-31; Heb.12:1-3). If you know Him, you will find all that you need in Jesus, because He is your El Shaddai; your Almighty God; your all Sufficiency; your great I Am! Do you know Him? If you do, you have to love Him! If you love Him you have to trust Him! “That’s My King” The late Dr. S. M. Lockeridge, a pastor from San Diego, California said these words in a sermon in Detroit in 1976: My King was born King. The Bible says He’s a Seven Way King. He’s the King of the Jews – that’s an Ethnic King. He’s the king of Israel – that’s a National King. He’s the King of righteousness. He’s the King of the ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of glory. He’s the King of kings and He is the Lord of lords. Now that’s my King! Well, I wonder if you know Him. Do you know Him? Don’t try to mislead me. Do you know my King? David said the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is the only one of whom there are no means of measure that can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of the shore of His supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out his blessing. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. That’s my King. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s Savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He’s honest. He’s unique. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s pre-eminent. He’s the grandest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism. He’s the fundamental doctrine of historic theology. He’s the carnal necessity of spiritual religion. That’s my King! He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He’s the only one able to supply all our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He’s the Almighty God who guides and keeps all His people. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharged debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek. That’s my King ! Do you know Him? Well, my King is a King of knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the captain of the conquerors. He’s the head of the Heroes. He’s the leader of the legislatures. He’s the overseer of the overcomers. He’s the governor of governors. He’s the prince of princes. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King! His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you…but He’s indescribable. That’s my King. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible, and He is irresistible. I‘m coming to tell you this, that the heavens of heavens can’t contain Him, let alone some man explain Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hands. You can’t outlive Him and you can’t live without Him. The Pharisees couldn’t stand him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him…the witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree about Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t hand Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. That’s my King! Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory! Well, all the power belongs to my King. We’re around here talking about black power and white power and green power, but in the end all that matter is God’s power. Thine is the power. Yeah, and the glory. We try to get prestige and honor and glory for ourselves, but the glory is all His. Yes. Thine is the Kingdom and the power and glory, forever and ever and ever and ever. How long is that? Forever and ever and ever and ever……And when you get through with all of the ever’s, then….Amen! LET US BOW AND WORSHIP EL SHADDAI – THE ALMIGHTY GOD!! THAT’S MY KING!!

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP - The Second Person of the Trinity

October 15, 2013 The Discipline of God The Son - The Second Person of the Trinity O for thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise, The glories of my God and king, the triumphs of His grace! Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease, ‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears, “Tis life and health and peace. He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin, He sets the pris’ner free; His blood can make the foulest clean – His blood availed for me. Glory to God and praise and love be ever, ever giv’n, By saints below and saints above – The Church in earth and heav’n. (Charles Wesley) Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity. He and the Father were one, as Jesus said in John 14:11, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me.” All of His names could not be put in this study, but we will try to name enough to whet your appetite to know more about Jesus. We’ll start with the name we are most familiar with - “Jesus.” Jesus means Savior. This baby sent from heaven, born as a human to Mary, a virgin, just as the prophet said in Isaiah 7:14, and His name was called, “Immanuel – God with us.” Matthew 2:21 says, “She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus (the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior, for he will save His people from their sins (that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God (Amp.).” This Truth is incomprehensible that the Creator of the universe would love us, His creation, so much that He would choose to leave the glories (also beyond our comprehension), and come to earth to be >“God with us.” The message in Matthew 1:23 was written for the whole world, all mankind. But it is especially “precious” to those who believe and trust in that name – Immanuel. Every new day, and every moment of the day, we can relish the fact that “God is with us.” Then at night when we turn out the lights and lie down to sleep, we can rest in the assurance that He is still with us. In our joys, in our sorrows and in our temptations we can know that God is with us. Because He fulfilled His purpose as Savior, Jesus Christ, the second person of the God, is not living as a man on this earth, but sent the Holy Spirit, the second Person of the Godhead, to forever live in and with us. God is with us! “Christ” means “anointed – the Messiah.” Christ is the epithet of Jesus (it accompanies and further describes “Jesus”). Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus is the Messiah Who came to save whosoever would believe in Him. He is the “anointed Savior.” The Old Testament does not use the name “Christ,” but from Matthew 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, in the New Testament, it is used throughout, and finishes in Revelation 22:21 with a benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah be with all the saints (God’s holy people, those set apart for God, to be exclusively His).” Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Redeemer, came to earth with a purpose – to redeem whosoever would accept Him as Savior. Mankind was lost and couldn’t be good enough or do enough good deeds to buy a place in heaven. Only a perfect substitute would satisfy and be acceptable to Holy God the Father, and Jesus Christ, the Son, was the only “perfect” One who could pay the price and “buy back” those held as slaves in sin. Do you realize the price he paid? Do you recognize the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, His kind generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing, in that though He was so very rich, yet for your sakes He became so very poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched” (II Cor.8:9 Amp.)? His heart was broken (Ps.69:20) so that our broken heart could be healed. He came to preach the good news of deliverance to the distressed in spirit so they can have peace and joy in Jesus; to open the spiritually blind eyes so all can see the Truth of Jesus, and to liberate those who are bound by sin (Luke 4:18). What a purpose and what a Redeemer! In His time on earth “Jesus went about doing good.” He had a mission: To call people to repentance, to save them from their sins, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease among the people” (Matt.4:23). Jesus said of Himself, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18). “There were many other things that Jesus did. If they should be all recorded one by one in detail, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain or have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). To be “born again” is the beginning of a life-long personal relationship with Jesus. Oh, that we would make it our “determined purpose,” like Paul, to get to know Jesus Christ our Lord more and more. Paul says in Philippians 3: 8 & 10, “I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage), of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him (perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly). For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish in order that I may gain Christ. For my determined purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in the same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers, and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness.” Jehovah is the redemptive name of Deity. It is written LORD or GOD – “The self-existent One Who reveals Himself.” We see in the above verse (John 14:11) that Jesus and the Father were one, therefore the name Jehovah applies to Jesus as well as to the Father. Let’s look at some of these names: Jehovah-Rohi – “Shepherd” Probably the most familiar scripture that refers to Jesus as our shepherd is in Psalms 23. In this Psalm David refers to Jehovah-Rohi as “my” shepherd – He is intimately personal. This perfect shepherd feeds, guides, protects, delivers, heals and comforts – there is no lack of anything. When we are beat down with life’s hurts, problems and trials, Rohi restores and refreshes us as He makes us, as His sheep, to rest in His presence on His comforting green “grass.” When life is chaotic about us in this hot, dry land, He lets us drink as much as we want of His cool, restful drink from the “Living Water,” – His presence and His Word. “He leads us in the paths of righteousness” – the way we should go, not because we deserve it or earn it but because we are His people and the sheep of His pasture (Ps.100:3). He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arm, He will carry them in His bosom and will gently lead those that have their young (Isaiah 40:11). We may walk through the dark, sunless valley of the “shadow of death,” but we don’t have to fear any evil because Jehovah-Rohi is with us – He is always with us. His disciplining rod trains us to use and stand on His name (Phil.2:9) which protects us from the onslaughts of the enemy of our soul; and His staff (His Word) (Heb.4:12) will guide us in the path we should go and keep us from the pitfalls and snares of the enemy. We can go forward in comfort knowing that fighting in His name and His Word is our sure victory (Psalm 138:2). Although the enemy is waiting and watching to attack us, our Shepherd has prepared a table of His good things on which we can feast (His love, His power, His rest, His righteousness, His patience, etc.) If we will just sit down and partake of Rohi’s goodness it will renew our strength and invigorate us so we can rise up and fight the good fight of faith (Isaiah 40:31; Ps.23:5). As Rohi’s sheep, surely only goodness and mercy and unfailing love will follow us all of our days, as we walk in the paths of righteousness, and through the length of our days His presence shall be where we remain (Ps.23:6). In John 10:11 & 14, Jesus (Jehovah-Rohi) calls Himself “the Good Shepherd.” In Hebrews 13:20, the author calls Him, the "Great Shepherd." In I Peter 5:4 He is called, “the Chief Shepherd.” When Jacob was blessing Joseph in Genesis 48:15 he said, “God Himself, has been my Shepherd and has led and fed me from the time I came into being until this day.” John referred to Jesus Christ as the “True Vine” in Jn. 15:1. He was prophesied In Isaiah 9:6 as Jehovah-Shalom, the Prince of Peace. He is Jehovah-Jireh, “My Provider” (Genesis 22:14). He is the “God Who is there” (Matt.28:20) – Jehovah Shammah. In Jer.33:16 and 23:6, He is Jehovah Tsidkenu – “The LORD our Righteousness.” In Exodus 15:26 He is Jehovah-Ropha – “The LORD Who heals.” He is Jehovah-Nissi – “My banner (of victory),” in Exodus 17:15. In Leviticus 20:7-8 He is Jehovah-M’Kaddish – “The LORD Who Sanctifies you.” “GOD is love” (I John 4:8). He is “The Rock” in I Cor.10:8. He is called, “The Sun of Righteousness” in Isaiah 49:9. In John 4:14 He is the “Living Water.” In Isaiah 9:6 He is the “Wonderful Counselor.” In Ps.32:7 He is “Our Hiding Place.” He is “the Morning Star” in II Peter 1:19. He is the “Chief Cornerstone” in Eph. 2:20. In I John 2:1, He is our “Advocate, He is the one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus” I Timothy 2:5. "Jesus Christ stands between us and God, and for that very reason he stands between us and all other men and things. He is the Mediator….Since the whole world was created through Him and unto Him…He is the sole Mediator in the world."(Dietrich Bonhoeffer) John tells us in John 1:1 that Jesus Christ is the “Word.” The Greek word is “Logos,” which means: “spoken word.” God (the Trinity) spoke creation into being, as the Bible (God’s Word) tells us in Genesis one. In the beginning God spoke and there was: Day 1 - light, vs.3-5; Day 2 - the firmament (sky), vs. 6-8; Day 3 - earth and waters – vs. 9-10 and vegetation – vs.11-13; Day 4 – the sun, moon and stars, vs. 14-19; Day 5 – water creatures and birds – vs.20-23; Day 6 – the wild beasts – vs. 24-25 and man – vs. 26-31. God spoke everything into being, then He spoke to man – vs. 28-30. He spoke the Word (the Bible) by the Holy Spirit and prophets wrote it down. He spoke to all who witnessed the plagues (Exodus 8:19). He spoke the Ten Commandments with His finger on the tablets of stone in (Ex.31:18). In James 1:18, James affirmed that Jesus is the “Word of Truth” (Jn.17:17), and Truth will never pass away – “not a jot nor a tittle” (Matt.5:18). Jesus Christ ( came into the world to speak and bear witness to the Truth (Jn.18:37). Whatever Jesus said or did He was speaking truth, love, peace and grace. He spoke peace to the stormy waves in Mark 4:39. He spoke “grace and love” with His finger when He wrote in the sand when the woman was taken in adultery (John 8:6). The Law came through Moses, but love and grace came through Jesus Christ, which He spoke in all His thoughts, words and deeds. (Jn.1:17). He is not silent today, He still speaks. If we are tuned in to Him we will hear Him. He speaks in righteousness. His sprinkled blood speaks mercy (Heb.12:24). Jesus is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother (Prov.18:24). He is a Friend that loves at all times (Prov.17:17). He is a Friend of Publicans and sinners(Matt.11:19).“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by me.” There is only one “Way” to reach the Father, and that is by going through Jesus Christ, His Son. He is the Life, only those who accept Jesus can receive true Life, and His Life more abundantly. As John said in John 21:25, space and time do not allow me to put down all of Jesus the Christ’s names, just know that He is the great “I AM.” He is all we need Him to be, when we need Him. Praise the precious name of Jesus Christ, our LORD! DO YOU KNOW HIM? If you know Jesus Christ and know He is soon returning for His own; if you know the world is lost and has no hope for eternal life with Jesus; if you see the fulfillment of prophecies regarding the chaos in the world and the world-wide natural disasters – How Then Should We Live? The scriptures answers this question: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb.10:22), because without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6). “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope” (Heb.10:23), because hope keeps us focused on Christ’s promise to return for us (Jn.14:1-3). “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb.10:24-25). The central activity of Christianity is the gathering of believers together for encouragement, education and edification (Acts 2:42). “Let us prepare for Christ’s return with faith, hope and love” (I Cor. 13:13). Matthew Henry said, “It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.” ARE YOU READY FOR JESUS CHRIST’S SOON RETURN?

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP - God The Father

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP The Discipline of Getting to Know God the Father – The First Person of the Trinity Many children grow up with a fear of their father. He may be abusive – either by neglect or verbally or physically, or sexually. How sad that there is such a large number of children who live with abuse every day not knowing what a caring, patient and involved father is. These children may look around at some of the dads of their friends and long for a father like theirs. Many adults have only hurtful memories of their father, and many scars from the wounds they suffered as children, and determining they will not be like their father when they become a parent. But, sadly statistics show that most abusers are children of abusers. As the old saying goes, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” But there is hope! There is a Father in heaven Who is that kind, benevolent, patient and loving Father everyone wishes they had. His love is unfathomable – it is unconditional – it is eternal. We can’t be so bad that it will make Him love us any less. Nor can we be so good that He will love us any more. He is all wise, completely faithful, al\ways kind and good. He will never leave us nor forsake us. We cannot go so far from Him that He doesn’t know where we are. In fact, He goes before us down the right path He has planned for us and cleans away all the rocks and snares and shines His Light on all the pitfalls Satan has put in our way that might make us fall. We just have to keep our eye on Him and our hand in His hand, and stay close by His side. He has given us an “Instruction Manual” for life. And if we read it carefully and follow Its’ instructions, and if we will trust Him with all our hearts, He will direct our path, fight all our battles for us and cause us to triumph in all things through Christ Jesus, His Son. He will be very involved in our lives, if we will let Him. Truthfully, He is not just “involved” in our lives but He is our Life when we choose to make Him our Father. Because of his Infinite love for us, God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to come to earth to live with us humans to be our example and to die for us and be our Savior, to rise from the dead and ascent back into heaven, where He sits on the right hand of the Father to intercede for us. What a magnanimous plan! What love! What mercy! What grace! And to think, God the Father can be our personal Father just by our trusting in Him! We just have to stand in reverence and awe of Him! The Father’s Word, the Bible – our “Instruction Manual” says we are to “fear” Him. But this is a much different kind of fear that from what we experience when we fear what man or a devil can do to us. Men and devils are cruel, hateful and unjust. The fear of God the Father is a “dreadful reverence” for Him, a “profound adoring and awed respect.” It is hard to wrap our minds around that combination of verbs and adverbs. Webster says “dreadful” is an “inspiring dread or reverence.” To me, this means the type of fear that inspires us to worship and respect the greatness and sovereignty of God the Father, and places a desire to obey Him, knowing that He is a “holy” God Who hates rebellion and sin;. Because He loves us, He is faithful to keep His Word to punish those who rebel against His Word, but rewards those who desire to obey Him and love Him. He is Holy (pure – free from sin), yet just. Prov.8:13 tells us that “the fear of God includes the hatred of evil.” The Holman Bible Dictionary refers to this kind of fear as, "the human response to the presence of God." Priscilla Shirer says, "This type of fear combines reverence for God's majesty and respect of His power. It is a reverential regard and awe that comes out of recognition and submission to the divine." “God takes sin very seriously, especially sin in the lives of His children. In the school of the Christian life, there is discipline, sometimes severe discipline” (Erwin Lutzer, Part 5). To be just, the Father must punish those who intentionally sin, both His children and those who are not (unbelievers). For God’s children, the Father uses this “punishment” as discipline to correct and bring back the rebellious, and that they may learn that in order for the Father to remain holy, He must be just in administering what sometimes seems as very harsh discipline. If the child learns from his sins and repents and returns to the fellowship of the Father, there will be great rejoicing for him by the Father and all who have observed this lesson. The unbeliever who never repents will eventually experience the ultimate punishment. Because the Father is holy (He is pure) is one reason why we must “fear” Him. When we become tainted with sin, He disciplines (corrects) us to draw us back into His fellowship and holiness. He desires for us to be holy as He is holy (I Peter 1:14-17), so we can have constant fellowship. Any sin is against the Father and His holiness, and it separates us from fellowship with Him, which He desires. Charles Stanley in his “In Touch” magazine points out some positive things for “the proper fear of God:” 1) The beginning of wisdom (Ps.111:10); 2) Have a strong family with children who grow to be courageous for the truth (Ps.111:1-2); 3) Light of deliverance will arise in the darkness of hardships (Ps.1112:4); 4) The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and each of them He delivers (Ps.34:7). For all believers God the Father has chosen to compare Himself to our earthly father and we are His children – the “family of God.” To all believers He is, “Abba Father,” which is the endearing Aramaic name for “Father.” In English we would say, “Papa” or “Daddy.” This word, “Abba,” was first used in Mark 14:36 where Jesus was crying in his agony to the father, as a child would to his earthly father. Again “Abba” was used in Romans 8:15, where Paul was speaking to the “sons of God” said, “For the Spirit which you have now received is not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption (the Spirit that produces sonship), in the bliss of which we cry, Abba (Father)!” And again when Paul was writing to the Church in Galatia, he reminded them, “Because you really are His sons, God has sent the Holy Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)” (Gal.4:6)! Since we too are children, we can think of God the father as our spiritual “Daddy.” This “Daddy” will never abuse us in any way, but only love us. He will never be an absentee father, but will be completely involved in our lives; He will never neglect nor leave us, but will be with us forever. Because we are His children, He invites us to “come boldly to His throne of grace (unmerited favor), that we may receive mercy for our failures and find grace to help for every need, just when we need it” (Hebrews 4:16). Child of God, how well do you know your Father? WHAT A GOD! WHAT A FATHER!