God's Word - Our Destiny: January 2019

Sunday, January 20, 2019

My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit – Part 2 of 2

My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit – Part 2 of 2

Again, I ask: What is your great pursuit—that quest that grips you?

You think about it every day. Visions of what it could look like live continuously in the crevices of your mind.

If you’re an exceptional soccer player, maybe it’s your dream to be offered a full-ride college scholarship. If you’re an ROTC college student, perhaps your goal is to become a general someday. If you’re a parent, possibly your greatest desire is that your children walk in the truth of God’s Word (3 John 1:4).

If you’re a serious follower of Jesus—a Christian—maybe your deep desire is to grow more like Him every day and show others the way of Salvation. In The Fire That Never Sleeps, Dr. Michael Brown encourages us to let God Himself be our “great pursuit.”

Here are the last six of My “Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit.” (The first six were listed in my previous blog post.)

7- Reflect. Consider the two-fold definitions of reflect. It means to deeply think on something—to ponder. As well, it means to be a reflection of or mirror something. Let’s do both.

Ponder the attributes of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. God’s three main attributes are omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (ever-present everywhere). My goodness, we could spend a lifetime contemplating these traits.

God’s Word, Paul gives wonderful instruction on what we should reflect on in our thought life. He told the Philippian , “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these thing” (Philippians 4:8 NASV).

The 1980s Christian rock band, Petra, recorded a song focusing on this passage. If you wish, you may check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=VxdGfO1ZYKk

Now consider reflecting Jesus in the sense of mirroring Him. Paul suggested that we, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NASV).

Let’s learn Jesus by reading the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. When was the last time you read through all these books in the Bible? As we get into this new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the attributes of Jesus Christ so we can reflect Him better. Then go ahead and read the Book of Acts, which follows, and reflect on the amazing attributes of God’s Holy Spirit.

As we sincerely reflect on our mighty God, in both senses of the word, lets earnestly move forward in our great pursuit of Him.

8- Respond. If we wholeheartedly endeavor to do the previous seven “Rs” we will surely respond in some way. That is to give a reply or a reaction. We must do something.

If you’ve never responded to God’s invitation to receive salvation, now is the time. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and what the Bible says about Him, then pray, (talk to God), and profess your belief to Him and receive Jesus into your heart.

If you’ve already become a follower of Jesus, now how will you respond?

Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27 NASV).

Our Lord also said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32 NASV).

O, hallelujah! When God is our great pursuit and we respond to Him as He intends, then we will have the security like to man who built his house on the rock and we’ll be free like Jesus spoke of, “So if the Son sets you free’ you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV).

9- Relationship. When we received Christ Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we came into relationship with Him. That means we are interconnected with Him. Not only that—because He and Father God are one, we are in relationship—that is, in fellowship—with God, our Heavenly Father—our Creator.

Our sin separated had us from God and we were on our way to eternal Hell, with no hope. But when Jesus paid our penalty on the cross, He stepped up and took our place. He took the punishment for the sin of each of us. When we accept Jesus, we receive this amazing free gift.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions (sins) from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him…” (Psalm 103:11-13 ESV).

As we continue our great pursuit of God, we will bond closer to Him and go deeper in relationship with Him.

10- Responsibility. Yes, Jesus paid it all to redeem us from our sin debt. But we needn’t think that’s the end all. Our born-again experience is just the beginning. It is then our responsibility to do something with this amazing grace and salvation we’ve been given.

God has created each of us with a plan and purpose in mind—His mind. The psalmist says, “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; … Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139: 13-16 NASB). *

God has done so much for us and as our great pursuit for Him expands, our desire to take on, following His lead, the responsibilities He wants us to endeavor will also expand and we will accomplish much for the Kingdom of God, in Jesus name.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 ESV).

11- Rise up. I’ve heard it said, “You can’t rise up if you don’t bow down.”

Saul was knocked off his feet by the glory of Jesus. Then the Lord told him to rise up and go … (Acts 9). Ezekiel fell before the Spirit of God and the Spirit lifted him up and gave him his prophetic assignment (Ezekiel 3).

We’ve established that we each have an assignment from God. In order to know why we are to rise up, we need to search God through prayer and praise. When we bow before, acknowledging who He is and our desperate need for Him we put ourselves in a place to hear from Him. Acknowledge what we just read in John 15:5—without Him, we can do nothing.

When we spend quality time with our Creator we set ourselves up for this: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1 NASV).

In our great pursuit let us do as the psalmist, “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words (Psalm 119:147 NASV).

12- Revival. When God is our great pursuit and we wholeheartedly do all we know to do, revival will come into our spirit and soul. And it is contagious. Others around us will sense the presence of God on us and in us. Some will want it and some will resist and run away form it.

When temptation to sin comes our way, we’ll see it for what it is and have the power to resist, not because we’re so spiritual, but because we give the Holy Spirit free reign in us. Some people will not understand and even ridicule us for not wanting to go to such and such movie or participate in such and such event.

“When He becomes our great pursuit, by default, anything that does not reflect Him or honor Him will be stripped out of our lives; we simply will not tolerate it.” –Dr. Michael Brown *

We’ll realize that the Spirit of God is the very oxygen we breathe. Here is Michael W. Smith, singing “This is the Air I Breathe.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEDcKZB7r2A

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So, here are the final six of My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit. Thank you for reading my posts. I know they’ve been rather lengthy and I appreciate you for bearing with me. I pray you have benefited in some way by reading this. Let’s put God in the forefront of our minds, hearts, and souls and make Him our great pursuit. We’ll never regret it.

Your comments are welcome.

*The Fire That Never Sleeps: Keys to sustaining personal revival; by, Dr. Michael L. Brown and John Kilpatrick, with Larry Sparks; Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.; 2015; page 58.

Sunday, January 13, 2019

My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit – Part 1 of 2

My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit – Part 1 of 2

What is your great pursuit—that quest that grips you?

You think about it every day. Visions of what it could look like live continuously in the crevices of your mind.

If you’re an athlete, maybe it’s to break records or win a championship. If you’re a realtor, perhaps you want to be the top seller in your agency. If you’re a writer you may strive to write a compelling novel that will captivate thousands of readers and launch you onto the cover of Writer’s Digest Magazine.

Here are My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit.

1- Remember. Bring to remembrance things that God has done for you in the past. Do you have a history with God? If you’re a new believer, you may not have much experience with Him. Even so, you can probably recall times in your life when He seemed to intervene in your situation—maybe protected you from some catastrophe.

Now a senior citizen, I have a pretty long history with God. I can remember many occasions when God has been there for me in small ways as well as in supernatural ways that amazed me.

Remembering works God has done is mentioned several times in the Bible. In Psalm 143:5, David wrote, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands.”

Remembering God things we’ve witnessed ourselves, as well as accounts we learn about in His Word, or from others, is encouraging and faith building in our great pursuit.

2- Righteousness. Outside of Christ Jesus, no one is righteous (Romans 3:10). Without His death on the cross, paying our sin debt, we cannot be righteous. No matter how hard we try and how good we are, we have all sinned and are separated from our Creator. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV).

In our great pursuit, with gratitude, let’s be mindful that in Christ we are righteous and have access to Father God.

3- Reverence. We need to have a realization of just Who God is.

Here’s a little exercise. On a piece of paper draw a picture of yourself. (A stick figure will do.) Next, think of all the attributes of God you can come up with in thirty seconds. Now, draw a picture of God next to the picture of you. I have a hard time with this because there’s no comparison. I’m smaller than a speck next to God.

I don’t know about you, but when I genuinely consider who God is next to who I am, I’m on my face before Him. God is holy and we’re flawed, but we are made in His image and as a result of His love and grace, He provided a way of redemption.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28 NKJV).

Let us reverently, yet boldly, come to His throne of grace in our great pursuit (Hebrews 4:16).

4- Rejoice. “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say rejoice” (Philippians 4:4 KJV), is the first thing that comes to my mind when considering this word.

We who are in Christ have many reasons to rejoice. Even in our suffering, Paul tells us to rejoice. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5 ESV).

So, let us continue to exalt our God and rejoice in all things as we move forward in our great pursuit. “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exalt in you” (Psalm 5:11 ESV).

5- Refresh. Rejoicing in the Lord can help bring about a refreshing to our souls and spirits. To refresh is to take a breath; rest; take a break; find relief.

A day at the spa can refresh our muscles, skin, and nails. It’s relaxing and rejuvenating, sending us out with renewed strength. (Though I’ve never experienced a “spa day” I know many people who have so I have a general idea of its benefits.)

Daily (not occasionally) soaking in God’s Word, massaging it into our minds, spirits, and souls renews and refreshes. Applying the oil of the Holy Spirit, welcoming His involvement in our lives, along with communing with our Maker through prayer, can bring a refreshing that gives us energy and power to accomplish mighty feats and to overcome ominous obstacles.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19 NKJV).

In our great pursuit, let us continuously refresh ourselves in our Savior and remember that, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25 NIV).

6- Resist. We need to recognize and resist anything that comes our way which does not please and honor God. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NASB).

The best method for avoiding sin is found in Psalm 119:11: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (NKJV). When we know God’s Word—hiding it in our hearts through memorization—we are much less likely to commit sins.

Speaking of sin, please make it a point to know the difference between a sin and a mistake. A mistake is doing or saying something without knowing it is wrong. A sin is doing or saying something, while knowing that it is wrong.

When someone cheats on their taxes or has sex outside of marriage, they’re committing sin, not simply making a mistake. When someone accidently dials a wrong number on their phone, they’ve made a mistake.

People will often call their sin a mistake in order to minimize their guilt but God knows the difference and we should too. As we continue in our great pursuit, let’s give and receive support from other Believers. We can help one another resist the temptation to sin. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17 NIV).

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So, here are the first six of My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit. Please tune in to my next blog post for the remaining six. Meanwhile, let’s put God in the forefront of our minds, hearts, and souls and make Him our great pursuit.

“When He becomes our great pursuit, by default, anything that does not reflect Him or honor Him will be stripped out of our lives; we simply will not tolerate it.” –Dr. Michael Brown *

*The Fire That Never Sleeps: Keys to sustaining personal revival; by, Dr. Michael L. Brown and John Kilpatrick, with Larry Sparks; Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.; 2015; page 58.

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

If Jesus’ Birthday Really is December 25th, Then Today (January 2) is a Special Day

If Jesus’ Birthday Really is December 25^th, Then Today (January 2) is a Special Day

If Jesus’ birthday really is December 25^th, (which it very possibly isn’t) then today, January 2, is another day to commemorate regarding His life. Today would be the day when Joseph and Mary would have had little eight-day old Jesus circumcised and His name would have been officially recorded.

One passage in the Bible tells of this occasion. “And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb” (Luke 2:21 NKJV).

Joseph and Mary were following the instructions God had given Abraham nearly 500 years earlier. The origination of the Covenant of Circumcision is recorded in Genesis 16:12.

In my children’s book, His Name Is Jesus, I wrote of this event. I’m sure you wonder how a children’s book could be written about Jesus’ circumcision. I asked God that same question when I felt lead to take on the task. He answered my prayer beautifully.

In His Name Is Jesus I tell of a special ceremony that took place when Jesus was eight days old. My focus is on His name and how God sent the angel, Gabriel, to Mary and to Joseph to pronounce His birth and what His name was to be.

In the First Century, the parents of an eight-day old boy would have a rabbi, or other qualified religious leader, come to their home or they would take their son to that man’s home, for the ceremony. Because of their lower social standing, Joseph and Mary probably took Jesus to the person’s home.

In my book, Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the home of a rabbi named Jonathan. I describe the occasion this way:

“The rabbi performed the rite called Bris Milah and asked Joseph for the name of the baby.

From "His Name is Jesus," by Connie Wohlford

“’His name is Jesus,’ was Joseph’s reply. Joseph and Mary smiled at one another.

“When Rabbi Jonathan looked at the face of this little baby Jewish boy, what did he see? He saw the face of a little baby Jewish boy, just as he had seen many times before and would see many more times in the future. He was clueless to the fact that before him lay his own Messiah, the Son of the Covenant, the literal Son of Yahweh, Who created heaven and earth. If he had known that here lies the King of kings and the LORD of lords, likely he would have been completely undone.

“But no, to him, this was one of many baby boys that he would encounter as a rabbi Moleh, who is one who performs the Halakah ceremony.

From "His Name Is Jesus," by Connie Wohlford

“Afterwards, the rabbi’s secretary asked Mary and Joseph each for the names of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, as well as where they were all from …”

I hope you were blessed by reading the Bible account, from Luke, and my expanded narrative of Jesus’ eight-day old experience.