Wise and Foolish

Matthew 25:1-13

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

12“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

13“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Wise and Foolish

Jesus shows us many parables of the kingdom of heaven.  In this one he speaks of two different kinds of virgins which I believe speaks of professing believers.  Yet it speaks about them being in two different places.  The Lord showed me one of the keys to understanding these two types of virgins was found in the preceding scripture in Matthew 24:45-51, ” “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The wise servant or virgin is one who is in a place of relationship with the Father.  Their vision is to be about the Father’s business.  They are storing up their oil which is based on their operating out of the Spirit of God to give food to the people of God in its proper season.  They are virgins and servants of ministry who are in the Word and operating out of the principles of the Word as they walk in the Spirit. 

Revelation gives us a little more insight into the mindset of the foolish virgins in Revelation 3:14-18.  “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” 

Complacency is one of the mortal enemies of Christianity.  While we profess believing in the faith, we often are not really walking in it.  We maintain a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.  We think that because we have our religion and our services, our churches and our programs that we are wealthy in Christ and have need of nothing.  It is like He is counseling the foolish virgins here, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” 

The gold tried in the fire is like the oil stored up in the jar of earthen clay which we are.  You obtain it by walking out your faith with all its trials and tribulations.  You know God’s faithfulness and trust God’s plan even when you don’t always see the evidences of it in the natural.  It is that abiding faith of experience and faithfulness that gives the wise virgins and believers what they need to sustain their lamps in the day of the Lord. 

Those who have lived foolishly unto their own ends while still claiming to be believers will find that they don’t have the oil they need to sustain their lamps.  They come to the wise virgins asking them to give them of their oil.  It is that same sense of entitlement we see in so much of society today.  I didn’t work for it.  I didn’t pay the price in my faith and walk with God for it, but you owe it to me.  This isn’t an oil that can just be given.  The foolish virgins have to get it the same way the wise ones did, through an abiding relationship and walk of faith, but now it is too late.  The hour has come.  We are either in relationship with Christ or we are not.  That relationship involves the intimacy of really knowing and being in relationship with Christ.  When the foolish virgins came back and beat upon the door. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

12“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

It is not just in the coming and hearing the word of God that makes you wise and acceptable.  It is in the doing of the Word of God as you walk by the Spirit and not out of the flesh.  It is in doing and living out your Christianity that you become wise and store up the oil that will take you into the wedding banquet with the Groom. It is because you were willing to pay the price to embrace and walk out what you have seen and heard of Him.

““Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash (Matthew 7:24-27).”

Blessings,

#kent

In His Name

Colossians 3:17

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

In His Name

If everything that we do is to be in a name, what is in a name?  The Lexicon describes name as, “the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellencies, deeds etc.”  The Vine Expository Dictionary  defines it, “for all that a “name” implies, of authority, character, rank, majesty, power, excellence, etc., of everything that the “name” covers.”  The name here represents the character, nature and attributes of a being. 

If all that we do and say are to be in the name of the Lord Jesus what does that say to us?  If we are living in this name in all that we are, do and say then life is no longer about us.  It is totally and completely about Him.  It is no longer about the expression of our former character or being, but about the expression of His character and being through our mortal body.  We are actually being exhorted here to be the representation of all that He is in our character, nature and attributes.  How can we do this unless we are walking in the Spirit, living in the power of the Spirit and operating in the love of God?  The only way we can speak and do all in His name is to live out of the power and the love of that name.  Truly we have to embrace what Paul says in Galatians 2:20, ” I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”  It is as Christ lives in us that we become the expression of all that is represented in His name.  As we live out of that name then we will also manifest the authority of that name. 

It is by the name of the Lord Jesus that we have access to the Father and in and through that name we have boldness and access to approach the throne of grace.  The place where you can go in the spirit, the authority that you exercise, the very access and acceptance before the Father is contained in the name of Jesus.  That is why His name is above every other name. If I want to choose a name what other name could I want more to choose than His? 

Let us carry the charge of the scripture with us daily, being constantly mindful of it that we may walk in submission to the Holy Spirit who is guiding us and leading us into all truth and who is the ability to walk in the mandate and the holy calling of such a name.  We want to bring honor to His name because we are members of His body, bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh according to Ephesians 5:30.  Let our focus not be on our weakness, but upon His strength, for His strength is made perfect in weakness.  “Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Blessings,

#kent

Peace

Peace

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Peace is not righting all that is wrong.

Peace is in knowing that our wrongs are made right,

That even in darkness and tribulation we have a song.

It is in knowing the “greater is He” when we go out to fight.

Peace is not just a quiet morning after a freshly fallen snow,

It is not always sunshine in your face and wind in your hair.

It is confidence in your God and “knowing that you know”.

It is resting in God’s justice when life isn’t fair.

Peace is not a life without opposition or strife,

Peace is in knowing that Christ has overcome the world,

Even in the valley of darkness and death He is our life.

When our enemy attacks like a flood, He is our flag unfurled.

Peace is not always about pleasant circumstances of the day.

When unpleasantness comes, it is upon His strength we rely. 

It is in trusting that where a door is shut He will make a way.

He hides us in the cleft of the rock as our storms pass by,

Peace is not just about not having any more war.

It is in knowing that He alone can transform the hearts of men.

In due season we will see the world we all long for.

Our greatest peace is in the forgiveness of our sin.

Peace isn’t having lived the perfect life,

It is in knowing His acceptance and the presence of His Dove,

Peace is redemption and mercy, in place of sin and strife.

Peace is our abiding in the riches of His grace and Love.

Blessings,

#kent

Realities

Realities

Psalms 19:7-11

The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD [are] right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD [is] pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether. More to be desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb Moreover by them is thy servant warned: [and] in keeping of them [there is] great reward.

The natural man builds his life on the realities of his understanding of this natural world and how it works.  Those things that are real to his sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell are the reality of his world.  They are truth to him.  When he looks out and sees the mountains, when he touches the soft skin of his wife, when he hears his children playing and smells the lilacs in spring, these are reality to him.  When talking or relating to that which is beyond the natural realm, what is reality?  What are the things that are as sure and reliable to the spiritual man, who is relating to those realities which are outside of the sense realm?  For the Christian, who embraces the Word of God as His reality, the Word of God stands as the cornerstone and foundation of spiritual truth and reality. 

This scripture in Psalms 19 gives us some very fundamental and foundational truths to build our house of faith and trust upon.  Because spiritual realities are not always evidenced in the natural world, except in type and shadow; we must have a resource that puts all believers in God on the same page.  That resource is the Word and the law of God.  It is the source of input that feeds spiritual truths and realities into our natural mind.  When we read and try to understand the Word of God with only a natural mind and understanding, many things don’t make sense to us and are conflicting. 

I once heard it put in such a way that it made a lot of sense.  If God is Spirit as it says in John 4:24, then it only stands to reason that He would write a spiritual book.  As we know, the content of our Bibles is the compilation of numerous authors down through the ages that have written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God’s spiritual book.   It only stands to reason that if we are reading a spiritual book, we need a spiritual mind to receive and understand it.  This is why, it is essential when reading God’s Word. that we ask the Holy Spirit, the author of the book, for understanding and revelation to comprehend, assimilate and put into practice the truths of His divine counsel.  In John 16:13 Jesus tells His disciples, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”  The one sure promise that each believer has is that he or she can possess the Holy Spirit that is able to lead and guide you into truth.  Peter speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit speaks this truth to us in Acts 2:38-39: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

While it is encouraging, edifying and instructional that we can glean much spiritual understanding from words and books of men, this should never become a substitute for our seeking God through His Word and the instruction we can receive from the Holy Spirit personally.  The Lord doesn’t want second hand children; He wants each one of us to be in relationship with Him so that we are hearing and receiving personal truth and revelation from Him.  What He reveals and shows us will not contradict the rest of His Word but will only further verify and confirm it.  The Lord desires to further teach each of us the spiritual realities of His truth that will make us rich partakers of His divine life and blessing.  His precepts and instruction are what leads us and helps us to grow in the path that leads to life and godliness.  There is nothing sweeter or more precious than His Word quickened by the Holy Spirit that leads us into the reality, presence and revelation of who He is.

Blessings,

#kent

Knowing Jesus

Song of Solomon 5:16

His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely.

This is my lover, this my friend,

O daughters of Jerusalem.

Knowing Jesus

Consider for a moment that you have an estate.  Your home is surrounded by a courtyard.  Within your courtyard is your personal home and within your home is your personal room or bedroom.  Now think about who you invite into those places.  In the courtyard you will receive and entertain your friends, neighbors and acquaintances, but they may rarely come into your home.  In your home you have your family, those relatives that live with you and are close to you. But in your bedroom and personal domain, only your wife shares the intimacy of that space with you. 

This is a rough analogy of our spiritual relationship with the Lord and where we are at in that relationship.  Most are content to meet with the Lord in the courtyard of religion, church, general worship and fellowship.  They have their meal and their time with Him and then they go on their way until it is time to meet with Him again.  Then there is His family, His disciples who walk with Him daily, live with Him, dine with Him and spend a great deal of personal time with Him.  Lastly, their is His bride.  Only she comes into the intimacy of His personal chambers or bedroom.  There, she shares breath and life with Him.  In that place she is not content to just fellowship with Him or even to imitate Him.  There she is impregnated with His very life and being.  There she becomes so one in His identity that she is one flesh with Him.  When the others see her, all they see is her husband represented in her and in the life that she carries. 

The question before us, is where to do we want to be in our relationship with Father?  Are we content to know Him at a distance?  Are we willing to pay the price to be a disciple and live with Him daily, forsaking all else, in our walk and life?  Or, could we be like His wife who is content with nothing less than all of Him and giving all that she is to Him.  In that relationship the one life is lost in the other and they can’t be distinguished apart except in form.  Their spirit and their hearts are one.  She is bringing forth the man child who is the express image and likeness of Jesus. 

What relationship are we content with?

Blessings,

#kent

How Desperate are You?

Matthew 15:21-28

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” 27″Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

How Desperate are You?

If the testing of our faith is much more precious than gold, then should we be discouraged when it seems the Lord is ignoring us and refuses to hear us.  This story of the Cannanite woman teaches us a valuable lesson about “great faith”.  All of us move in a measure of faith, but it is interesting that in the New Testament Jesus saw great faith coming not from the Jews, but from the gentiles.  Those that grasped who He was had an unshakable faith in what He could do.

In Matthew 8:8-13 Jesus speaks again of great faith concerning the Roman centurion.  “The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.”  One of the things that we observe here in both the woman and the centurion is that they are not looking for proof of who Jesus is or if He can perform a miracle of even that He be physically present to perform a miracle.  All they need is a word.  If Jesus will speak the word then they know they have that which they have petitioned Him for. 

These stories should be somewhat sobering to us as Christians, because I think we now are where the Jews were then.  We are God’s chosen and the blessings and promises are first to us, but we, like the Israelites then often fail to have a great faith to lay hold of and seize what the Lord has already provided for us.  These gentiles, even though they knew that promises were not directly or first to them, didn’t allow that to dissuade them in their quest for Jesus to meet their need.  What is even more unusual is that neither one of these gentiles were seeking a miracle for themselves, but for someone else.  Their faith was standing in the place of that other person who was too sick to stand for himself or herself.  There are those that are outside of Christ today that may be actually, exercising and demonstrating a greater faith than we who have trusted in Christ, but we have become lax concerning our faith.  Jesus honored these gentiles’ faith because they seized the kingdom of heaven by force.  They refused to be denied and they pressed in until the Lord acknowledged their plea.  They don’t presume to be anything or deserve anything, but they obviously had a revelation of the nature of God in Christ.  They knew first that He was able and they knew that He went about doing good.  They prevailed upon His goodness.  They knew that even the leftovers of God’s goodness and grace were sufficient to meet their needs. 

If the Lord is willing to do this for the gentiles, what is He willing to do for us if we will exercise this great faith?  If we are so desperate for God that we refuse to be denied, will He do any less for us?  We have the wealth and the riches of the kingdom at our fingertips.  Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory.”  The promise is there, but what is our motive?  Is our motive to make ourselves rich or to be the instrument to bring the riches of Christ’s love and promises to others?  Great faith was seen in Abraham when he was willing to offer Isaac in obedience to God and He knew God would supply and make a way.  Great faith was seen in Moses when he stood as an intercessor for the Israelites.  Great faith was seen in Christ when He offered Himself up for the sins of the whole world.  How will we operate in great faith?  What are we willing to believe God for and act upon in behalf of others?  Often our personal needs are met when we see past them and put others first.  Be desperate for God.  Seize the kingdom with violence and with the determination of Jacob when he wrestled with the angel.  Don’t give up, PREVAIL!

Blessings,

#kent

Eyes Upon the Lord

Eyes upon the Lord

Psalms 121

Lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

What a privilege we have when we are in Christ.  Yes, the sun still shines on the just and the unjust alike, just like we all experience the storms of life as well.  When we are brought face to face with mortality, and death looks back at us in the mirror, what a hopeless and empty feeling must be in those who do not have a relationship with Christ and know not where their help and their life comes from.  The loving arms of the Father are so awesome as He envelopes His own and draws them near to His heart.  When we can read scriptures like Psalms 121 and know in our hearts that our mighty God loves and cares for us so much, what a feeling of security and comfort that brings us.  We all have our bumps, spills and hurts in life.  It is inherent in the world we live in.  We live in a world that is still reaping the consequences of sin, but within us beats a resurrection, new creation, heart.  A heart that longs after God and has the assurance that nothing that we go through in life we must go through alone.  He is our Comforter, our Abba Father.  He feels and knows our heart.  He recognizes the frailty of our frame, that we are dust.  In these few brief moments that we tread this earth, we have found the joy of a life with purpose and fulfillment in Christ.  What we have found in Christ, even physical death can not take that away from us, but simply releases our spirit from this earthen vessel so that we may come fully into His presence. 

We have come to know that physical death is not our greatest fear, but spiritual death, a life devoid of God’s Spirit and relationship with Him; that is the greatest tragedy of all.  Without Him, what do we have but emptiness of soul, of purpose and a life that can only be lived for the present?  Without Him we only have the vain philosophies, religions and the devices of men.   What a sad and empty place to find ourselves in and then we die to face what?

It should never cease to astound us nor should we ever fail to appreciate the Lord and give Him praise for what a blessed and rich people we are who have come to know Christ.  We are not any better than the rest of the world in our own right, but God’s grace and salvation has and is taking us to levels of richness and blessing that we can not even fully comprehend. 

When we face adversity, trials and even death in our lives, we have a hope that is so precious to us.  It is our Lord we can cling too, depend upon and hope in.  He is not just a crutch for weak-minded Christians as the world may mockingly say; He is the substance of our life.  All that we now are is rooted and grounded in Him.  Whether we live or die we are the Lord’s.  The assurance we have in Christ is the Peace that Jesus spoke of that the world can not give. 

As you lift your eyes today, remember where your help comes from.  The Father loves you with a deep and unconditional love.  Your life is hid with Christ in God.  The world can never know the hope, the assurance and the security that we have because we are His own.  You are the apple of your Father’s eye.  He loves you.  He is proud of you and He sees the righteousness of His Son in you.  We are a very blessed and privileged people.  Never forget or lose sight of who you are and all that is yours in Christ. 

Thank You Father!  Thank You Jesus!

Blessings,

#kent

Countenance

Psalms 43:5

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God.

Countenance

Your countenance is that which is revealed of you through your face.  We can often read the condition of a person’s soul by their facial expressions.  It is a non-verbal communication of an inward state of being.  In this scripture from Psalms we gather that David’s countenance is suffering because of what he is wrestling with in his soul.   We know our soul is partly made up of our emotions and our emotions are most often reflected upon our face.  Oh we can put on fronts and be pretentious about our feelings by changing our countenance, but in reality, if we are truly being ourselves our countenance will bear out our emotional state.  What we see in David here is that he knows that his soul is troubled, distressed, depressed, fearful, anxious and worried.  It is the Spirit man, the anointing within David that ministers to his soul.  It begins speaking faith, hope, and trust in the Lord.  It begins to praise God for who He is.  The Spirit man begins to remind David’s soul of God’s promises, of His faithfulness and the confidence he has in the Lord.  It takes the eyes of the soul off of the present circumstances and places them upon the Lord of glory who is our healer, our supply, our deliverer and our salvation.  Through the ministry of the Spirit, the soul is encouraged, lifted up and again a healthy countenance returns to the outer man, because of the transformation that has taken place within. 

Proverbs 15:13 says, “merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”  Our countenance and our heart condition are directly related.  When we are full of joy our face will reflect that joy.  When we are in sorrow our faces will reflect that sorrow.  That is why Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”  In Psalms 21:1-2 David declares, “The king shall have joy in your strength, O LORD;

And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah”  

Our confidence, our relationship and God’s promises to us are a source of our joy and the lifting of our countenance when life is dealing us some hard and discouraging blows.  Don’t set your eyes upon your circumstances, but hope, trust and give God the praise for what you do not see and what you do not feel.  Allow Him to lift your countenance in the joy of His presence.  Jesus is the mountain in the midst of your valley so let your soul be lifted up and be encouraged in Him.  Put a smile on your face and a song in your heart and declare that the Lord is the glory and the lifter of your head.

I leave you with these passages from Psalms 3 and 89.  “O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. 7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah”

Psalms 89:15-17, “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.16 In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted.17 For You are the glory of their strength, And in Your favor our horn is exalted.”

Blessings,

#Kent

Forgiveness is in the Forgiving

Forgiveness is in the Forgiving

Matthew 6:12-15

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness is a subject we have talked about before and while we accept the words of Jesus here in theory, how are we at practical application?  When someone really wrongs you, hurts, betrays, cheats or deceives you, how quick are we to release forgiveness.  Most all of us go through those times in our lives when we have every justification to really hate someone and not forgive them in the natural way of thinking. 

Allow me to use myself as an example here that may not be so different from something you have experienced and quite possibly you have experienced worse.  Recently I met a lady and did some work for her.  She is a professing believer, her dad she has told me, is a preacher and her mom a missionary.  She is a businesswoman running several companies.  She hires me last minute to do some work for her the same day and then the next day.  Each time she keeps me waiting three or four hours before her and her people are ready to go.  Both days we work quite late.  Now I have asked for a $500 retainer up front which she has her assistant pay me with a check.   Making a long story as short as possible she owes me over $1500 dollars for the work I have done for her.  While she has made many promises to pay she hasn’t.  What is worse is, I have since found out that a number of other people, including other photographers are owed money they haven’t been paid.  What is even worse is the check for the $500 came back after about two weeks with insufficient funds.  This is about the time I reached the end of my patience, put in a call to lawyers, and let the lady in a stern and blunt way know that I was ready to take action if she didn’t get this resolved.  Her promise was to pay me half in cash the next day and then the other half a few days later.  Well, again she didn’t follow through.  Do I have every right to be angry and sue her?  You bet, in the world I do, but what is God’s way?  If I pursue a legal course of action and do all that I can to expose her fraudulent behavior, have I really forgiven her?  Here is the practical place where our faith and trust in God and obedience to His Word has to override our natural feelings, emotions, anger and lack of forgiveness.   Does she deserve for me to forgive her?  Did I deserve for Christ to forgive me?  If I harbor that unforgiveness who is the one that is damaged most by it, her or me?  The Word says if I don’t forgive others, neither can God forgive me.  My personal forgiveness from God is dependent upon my forgiving others who have offended and wronged me. 

There are areas where some of you have been deeply wounded and hurt, far more than I was.  Perhaps, you may feel it is impossible for you to forgive that person or persons.  We often have to leave the judgement and the vengeance to God, that is His and not ours.   The key to our emotional and spiritual healing in these times begins with us simply confessing and giving it over to the Lord.  Our emotions and feelings may not be there yet, but if we can begin to take the step of faith to release those who have offended us, then we have taken a step toward our own emotional healing and recovery. 

Matthew 5 is full of principles that are utterly contrary to natural thinking and reasoning.  In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus says, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others]? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” 

I have shared this today so that in a practical way we all might see that God is wanting us to conform to the higher standard of His Word.   These kind of experiences are where the rubber meets the road and we have to live what we say we believe, otherwise how are we any different than those who have offended us? 

Blessings,

#kent

Where Your Mind is Set, Your Heart Will Follow

Colossians 3:1-3

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Where Your Mind is Set, Your Heart will Follow

Even the world has discovered the power of the mind and this principle of where our mind is set.  It is one of the reasons that we set goals and organize our plans.  If our mind is steadfastly set upon something, we are far more likely to accomplish it than if it is a whimsical, “I hope I do that” or “I would like to accomplish this”.   We tend to accomplish and attain that which is of the greatest priority in our own mind.  That can be either good or evil depending upon where our mind and affections are set.  Our affections deal with our heart and emotions.  The heart is usually more subjective in its feelings.  It is like a wife with her husband.  The husband may be responsible for the decisions that are made, but the wife is a strong influence upon the mind.  The mind is always wanting to please the heart and if the heart is set upon the wrong things, then that can get you into trouble and cause you to miss the will and purpose of God.  Here we are exhorted to bring the mind and heart together in one common purpose and that is to seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  We are reminded that we have died to the former affections of this world and our life, along with our mind and heart, is hidden with Christ in God.  This is a key verse, because it tells us where our position and our spiritual residence are.  If we are hidden with Christ in God, then that pretty much lets us know that our purpose and our destiny are centered and grounded in Him.  The exhortation for us here is to make sure that our heart and our mind are in alignment with our position and who we are in Christ. 

We remember what Jesus said was the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:26-30, “”Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”   Our obedience to the exhortation we have here in Colossians 3 is in direct alignment with fulfilling and walking in the commandments of God.  Jesus said, ‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.’  These four verses layout an outline, goal and the mindset for our lives. 

In 2 Corinthians 10:2-6 Paul differentiates his standards from those of the world.  “I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  Isn’t this a good explanation of setting your heart and mind on things above?  For most all of us, our biggest stumbling block is our own stinking thinking.  We have to shift our paradigm and way of thinking to line up with who we now are in Christ.  Our greatest victory comes when we are identified with His life and not our former nature.   The enemy’s greatest victory is in keeping us in our former mindset of this world’s standards.  Our thinking, acting and even our reasoning must now come out of a regenerated and transformed mind.  It is just as Romans 10: 1-3 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Where our mind is set, our heart will follow, but if we fail to keep our mind set upon the things above, the things below will distract us and turn our affections and attention to the things that are soon to pass away and upon the things which the judgement of God is soon to come.  Hebrews 12: 1-3 exhorts us this way, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Our lives are now hid with Christ in God; it is God’s will and purpose that we keep our minds and hearts there as well.  Paul described that position so well when he said in Galatians 2: 20,

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”  

Blessings,

#kent