Does the Bible Really say that about Love?

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV

If you’re anything like me, you have read this passage of scripture so many times you can nearly quote it verbatim. But humor me and try to do the impossible. Read it again and try to take it in as if you were reading it for the very first time. Analyze this with me….

Paul begins by comparing love to five different spiritual gifts. Tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith, giving. His point is that these spiritual gifts, even in their most spectacular, most dramatic form, mean nothing unless they are motivated by love.

Look at it. “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels…” 1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT If I could speak the language of supernatural beings, those in the very presence of God, even if I have that kind of linguistic gift, without love it’s just noise. Awful noise at that.

If I have the gift of prophecy… look at it from the Amplified version. “And if I have the gift of prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all secret truths and mysteries…” 1 Corinthians 13:2 Amplified Isn’t that prophecy in its ultimate form? Could Paul describe prophecy in any grander way? And yet without love, it’s nothing.

And if I possess all knowledge and I have faith that will move the mountains, faith that will move the hand of God – “but I have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody.)” 1 Corinthians 13:2 Amplifed “If I give all that I possess to the poor, and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:3 NIV If I give everything to the poor in an incredibly sacrificial way - it means nothing unless motivated by love. Then Paul presents the ultimate sacrifice of giving – if I surrender my body to be burned… Here Paul is making reference to the suffering of martyrdom -- the burning at the stake, which many early Christians faced. Even this ultimate sacrifice, this total commitment to the cause, means nothing without love.

How important is love? Chris Tiegreen wrote - Without love, Godly things aren’t very godly. Paul says that it’s love that makes our spiritual gifts worthwhile. It’s love that is at the very foundation of our faith, of our relationship with God.

A couple of weeks ago, I challenged you to give yourself a spiritual check-up. A spiritual assessment. So, here’s the test: How well do you love God and the people around you? 1 John 4:7-8 NASB says “Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” That is an Intense scripture, an intense statement. It is confronting. Love is the litmus test to see if my faith is real. Showing love validates my faith.

The Apostle Paul concludes his discourse on love by saying, “Let love be your highest goal.” 1 Corinthians 14:1 Is love your highest goal? Search your heart.

Love is Patient, Love is Kind ...

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. 

1 Corinthians 13

First Corinthians 13 was written to the church in Corinth. Corinth was a city located in Southern Greece. During Biblical times, the city had about 200,000 free citizens plus half a million slaves, so about 700,000 people total. It was a major sea port, a bustling hub of commerce for both land and sea trade. Corinth was a cosmopolitan, large international city filled with Romans, Jews, and Greeks. With all the coming and going of people because of its major trade connections, the constantly changing population created a degraded culture. In fact, Corinth was a center for unbridled immorality.

The city was filled with shrines and temples, with the most prominent being the Temple of Aphrodite - the goddess of love. “Worshippers” at the temple and I use it the loosest of terms – would come to this temple and make use of the 1,000 prostitutes who lived there. Men and women sold themselves, prostituted themselves, in the name of their religion.

So Corinth developed a reputation, widespread throughout the ancient world, for sexual immorality. It was said that one went to Corinth to take a vacation from morality. The Greeks had a proverb about the city which is telling - It is not every man who can afford a journey to Corinth. The verb “to Corinthianize” was used to describe an act of immorality. The phrase “Corinthian girl” was a known synonym for prostitute. Or you can figure out what they meant when said the phrase “act like a Corinthian.” And factoring all of this in, you can see why the Lord had the Apostle Paul write a chapter about what true love actually is to the Corinthian church. They needed to know and so do we.

Based on 1 Corithians 13, how well are you loving others? How well are you loving God? How well are you loving yourself? Lord Jesus, teach us to love like You loved.

Give Yourself a Spiritual Check-Up

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!  Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test.”    2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB

“Test yourself to make sure you are solid in the faith.  Don’t drift along taking everything for granted.  Give yourselves regular checkups.  You need first-hand evidence, not merely hearsay, that Jesus Christ in you. Test it out.  If you fail the test, do something about it.”  2 Corinthians 13:5 The Message 

We go to the doctor to get a physical checkup. Have you ever given yourself a spiritual check-up? It is good to get in the habit of evaluating your own spiritual health.How do you test yourself to see if you are solid in the faith? What would be a good litmus test?  In other words, what is an effective way to evaluate your spiritual health?  I suppose there are many ways to do that. But as I thought and prayed about it, one word came to mind. The word love.

When Jesus was asked - what is the greatest commandment? “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 NLT  

Jesus communicated the importance of love here in Matthew. Jesus said that the entire Law and all words of the Prophets are based, hung on, rely on, these 2 commandments. In other words, all the other commandments of God are designed to help people show their love for God and for others.  Of all the verses, chapters, and pages of the Bible, the 66 books, 1,189 chapters, and over 31,000 verses, Jesus summed it all up by giving us two simple statements - short enough to write on a post-it note.  Love God.  Love others. 

Learning to love God and others is to be our primary objective in life. Love is to be our greatest ambition, our greatest motivation.  Every day we should pray - Lord, teach me how to love.  So, how do we evaluate our spiritual health?  Are you learning to love God and others?  Chris Tiegreen wrote - If love isn’t central to your Christian life, your Christian life isn’t very Christian. 

The Power of Words

Some thoughts on the power of words:

Never speak words that allow the enemy to think he’s winning.

When comforting someone in pain, you must remember this: The deeper the pain, the fewer words you use.

No matter how just your words may be, you ruin everything when you speak in anger. 

The words you speak become the house you live in.

The tongue has no bones but it is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words.

If the words you spoke appeared on your skin … would you still be beautiful?

Gossip is saying behind a person’s back what you would never say to their face. Flattery is saying to a person’s face what you would never say behind their back. You shouldn’t do either.

Dance like no one is watching but text and email like it will be read in court one day.

The greatest use of your words is prayer.

Words are a Fire

“And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” James 3:6 NLT

James calls our tongues a flame of fire. How careful are you with your flame?

The Marshal fire is the most destructive fire in Colorado history. In Colorado, in the year 2021, we had an unusually wet spring with above-average growth of grasses due to the moist conditions. Following this was an unusually warm and dry summer and fall. This scenario created an abundance of dry grass. That fall and early winter, Colorado had very little snowfall. It created an ideal situation for wildfires. As such, a fire did break out on December 30, 2021, just a few days after Christmas, around 11 am. It was determined later that there were 2 ignition points – on one private property, where burning trash had not been adequately contained, and the other from a downed power line.

 The first firefighting unit arrived on the scene at 11:12, just minutes after the fire had been reported. It was a small grass fire but due to high winds, the spread rapidly. Wind gusts of 115 miles per hour were reported. Three minutes later, it was determined to be of control and additional units were called to assist.  At 11:44 am, the commander at the site ordered the evacuation of nearby residents. By noon, the fire had reached the town of Superior. By approximately 1 pm, an evacuation order went out that ordered tens of thousands of people to start evacuating Superior, Louisville, Lafayette, parts of Broomfield, Arvada, Westminster, and unincorpated Boulder County.

 By 3 pm Governor Jared Polis had declared a state of emergency and ordered a ground delay of all flights at Denver International Airport.  The fire burned on until January 1, when heavy snowfall finally put an end to it. Two people perished in the fire. Over 1,000 pets were killed. Over 37,500 residents, employees, and shoppers were evacuated. An estimated 1,084 structures burned, including houses, a hotel, and at least one shopping center.  It is estimated that the damage surpassed $2 Billion dollars.

As evidenced by the Marshall Fire, a massive, deadly, and destructive fire can start with a very small spark, and grow out of control very quickly.  This is true with our words too. The book of James warns us of the escalating, destructive nature of our words.  And that like a fire, one simple statement, one simple negligent word, and next thing we know, we have lost verbal control and we’ve started a destructive, costly, hurtful verbal forest fire.

Don’t let your words burn. Guard your tongue carefully. What seasons your speech?  Truth – at all cost?  Grace or condemnation?  Kindness or criticism? Hope or negativity?  Humility of self-righteousness?  Gentleness or abrasiveness? Are your words sweet and kind or harsh and angry?

Ephesians 4:29  “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need for the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” 

 Colossians 4:6   “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you know how you should respond to each person.” 

Words

The tongue is a little muscle, but its power and influence for good or bad, is out of proportion to its size. 

 In Scripture, James spends quite a bit of ink talking about our words. He says that by controlling our tongue, this one little muscle, we bridle our whole body.  He gives 2 analogies to show us the impact our tongue has on our lives. First, he talks about a horse and bridle. He states that once a bit is placed in the horse’s mouth, the bridle controls the entire horse. In the same way, a ship, though mighty, and propelled through the seas by strong winds, is really just controlled and steered by a small rudder.  So it is with the tongue. It steers our whole life. It’s a small muscle but it controls the direction of our lives. 

 James’ point is that we need to realize that our words have great power – his emphasis here is on destructive power.  He makes yet another comparison. In James 3:6, he compares the tongue to a fire, a very world of evil. Our words can corrupt us from the inside out, setting the whole course of our lives on fire. And the source of the destruction? Hell itself.

In James 3:8, he calls the tongue a restless evil, full of deadly poison. He sums it all up by saying, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, who have been made in the likeness of God; 1rom the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.” James 3:9-10 NASB

 Is anyone here guilty, besides me?  The Living Bible says it this way: “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth.  Dear brothers, this is not right!”   The same tongue that sings praises to God, blesses His name, turns around, and curses those made in His image. It sanders them, criticizes and accuses them.  The tongue is notoriously inconsistent. 

I think that what all of us need to realize is that we are all walking through life carrying a concealed weapon.  All we have to make it unconcealed is to begin to talk.  My question is simply this:  How careful are you with your weapon?  Is it always loaded, and cocked, and ready to fire?  Are you careful with it in some settings but careless in others; careful with some people but careless with others?  We must begin to control our tongues and the things we say, or it will cost us deeply.

It's Field Day - But it's not.....

Do you ever say dumb things? Many years ago, I did something I will never forget. I walked my son Caleb to school. It was field day.  Remember field day?  It is the best day of the year.  Caleb was in kindergarten so he had never experienced field day before.  As we were walking to school, I was really building it up, telling him how amazing it would be. He was going to win all these races and get ribbons.  We got in his class line, waiting for his teacher to come out. So, I started talking to his whole class about field day. The kids got so excited, and I got the whole class riled up. 

 You know this is not going to turn out good, right?  So, his kindergarten class was buzzing with excitement. I started to feel a little bad because the class was anything but calm, but it was field day, so who cares? It would be a crazy day anyway. A few minutes into my field day rant, another parent tapped me on the shoulder.  She said, ”Today is not field day.”  In my mind, I was like – yes, it is.  And just at that moment, the kindergarten teacher came out, and the kids yelled, “It’s field day!”

And the teacher said – “No, it’s not.  Who told you it was field day today?”  It turned out that it was the whole school’s field day, except for kindergarten. Do you remember the Southwest commercial – Want to get away? 

Do you ever say things that you wish you hadn’t said?  Do you ever get yourself into trouble with your words?  If you’re like me, your words get you into trouble more than almost anything else. In the book of James, James wrote, “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.”  James. 1:19. He also wrote, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.” James 1:26 

How good are you at bridling your tongue - controlling it? Isn’t that something we all need to work on? The tongue is a little muscle, but its power and influence for good or bad, is out of proportion to its size.  Father, teach me to be careful with my words.

Teach Me Pray - Part 3

William Booth was an English preacher who founded the Salvation Army.  And if you think about it, the name Salvation Army is really quite a powerful name.  He wrote, “Pray as if everything depended on your prayer.”  Is that the way you pray?

In the last few posts, I have discussed prayer and I am challenging you to examine your prayer life. Take stock of your prayer life. Is prayer a duty? An obligation? Something you do out of guilt, feeling like it’s a requirement? Is it something you dread? Or is it something you just don’t do? But all of that thinking is wrong. If you feel that way, you have believed a lie of the enemy. The truth is this - Prayer is a privilege. God, would you renew our minds so that we see prayer as a privilege?  See, it’s an indescribable gift that we can seek help and counsel from the One who sees all things, knows all things, and is able to do all things. As Cory Ten Boom said, through prayer, we can leave a world of not being able to do something and enter God’s Realm where everything is possible. 

If you don’t already, would you view prayer as a privilege?  And as such, pray with passion and with shameless persistence. Pray knowing it makes a difference.  Ask and keep on asking. Keep banging away at the door. Prayer is a powerful thing – more than we realize. I think the enemy works overtime to try to distract us and stop us from praying. Because he knows how powerful prayer is.  Prayer changes things. That is one of the messages of my life.

Teach Me to Pray - Part 2

In Luke 11, Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray by telling them a story, a parable. Consider the story. In the middle of the night, a man bangs on his neighbor’s door asking for a huge amount of bread. Three loaves – that’s a lot of bread even today. The neighbor responds – My family and I are all in bed, the door is locked, I can’t help you, don’t bother me. But the man keeps banging at door. And Jesus says – This is prayer.

Notice this. It doesn’t matter that it’s late at night, at an inconvenient hour. It doesn’t matter that the man should have asked earlier, or at least have been better prepared. It doesn’t matter that the request is large. Or get this. It doesn’t matter that the initial answer is no.

Out of desperation, the man kept banging at the door. Jesus tells us to pray like that. I don’t pretend to understand God. I don’t pretend to understand prayer. But one thing I have learned - God responds to persistent, “banging on the door” prayer. And He will bring us to a point in life, where like this breadless man, we realize, “I have nothing.” Luke 11:6 NLT God, there is nothing I can do about this situation. It feels hopeless. There are no obvious solutions.

Jesus finishes the story by saying, “But I tell you this – though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking, long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.” Luke 11:8 NLT

Do you pray with a “shameless persistence”? If you’re like most people, you pray about a matter for a while. Then, having not heard from God, or seen any answers, you give up, assuming it wasn’t His will. But this parable challenges that thinking. Because nowhere in the Bible are we told that God’s silence means “no.” And in fact, His silence may mean – pray some more. Then Jesus adds, “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9 NLT

The NLT translates this verse well because the Greek verb tense shows a continuous, persistent action. Jesus says don’t just pray once or twice. But rather, ask and keep on asking. Quite honestly, we don’t know why persistence is required in prayer; Jesus doesn’t tell us that. He just tells us that it is. William Booth was an English preacher who founded the Salvation Army.  And if you think about it, the name Salvation Army is really quite a powerful name.  He wrote, “Pray as if everything depended on your prayer.”  Is that the way you pray?

This morning, I am challenging you to analyze your prayer life. 

Take stock of your prayer life. Is prayer a duty? An obligation? Something you do out of guilt, feeling like it’s a requirement? Dread? Or is it something you just don’t do. But all of that thinking is wrong. If you feel that way, you have believed a lie of the enemy.

The truth is this - Prayer is a privilege. God, would you renew our minds so that we see prayer as a privilege.  See, it’s an indescribable gift that we can seek help and counsel from the One who sees all things, knows all things, and is able to do all things. As Cory Ten Boom said, through prayer we can leave a world of not being able to do something and enter God’s Realm where everything is possible. 

My message this morning is this – this year, if you don’t already, would you view prayer as a privilege.  And as such, pray with passion and with shameless persistence. Pray knowing it makes a difference.  Ask and keep on asking. Keep banging away at the door. Instead, the Scripture tells us to have a never-cease attitude toward prayer – “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thess. 5:17 KJV

Teach Me to Pray - Part 1

Recently, I was really struggling with a situation. I was going round and around in my mind on what to do about it. I had no answer. I had nothing. In the middle of the mind congestion, I came across this tweet. When you don’t know what to do – Pray. 

You would think that that would be a given in my life, but at the moment, it wasn’t. And even though it is so elementary and obvious, it really impacted me. Instead of relying on logic or common sense, stop and pray.  Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch Holocaust survivor, wrote, “ The wonderful thing about prayer is that you leave a world of not being able to do something and enter God’s Realm where everything is possible.” 

 In Luke 11, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray. Consider the first verse. “Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As He finished, one of His disciples came to Him and said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’” Luke 11:1 NLT

Notice that it was a disciple who initiated this conversation about prayer. He saw Jesus praying. And so he asks Jesus to teach them to pray. This is the only time that the disciples ask for a tutorial. They never said – Lord teach us how to make wine, how to walk on water, how to multiply bread. They never asked Jesus how to lead people, how to preach, or how to heal. The only time the disciples said, “Lord teach us” was when asked about prayer.

Honestly, I don’t see anywhere in the gospels where the disciples were described as men of prayer. Two disciples were described as sons of thunder. A nickname Jesus gave to James and John probably because they had bold and aggressive personalities.  None of the disciples were described as men of prayer. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed alone.

So, the desire of this one disciple to ask Jesus to teach them to pray is probably an open admission that prayer was a deficiency in his life and in the lives of the others. He asked Jesus to teach them to pray because he knew that this was an area of ignorance and inexperience.  So if you feel like you are not that good at prayer, you are not alone.

More coming on prayer….

Live Adopted

Jesus said in John 14:18 NLT “I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.”

The playing field of life isn’t the same for all of us. Some of us were raised in homes where we knew we were loved and accepted. You were born with an advantage. Whereas others came from homes where love had to be earned and was hard to come by. Regardless of your history, God wants to heal you and restore you. He has adopted you. Ask God to help you shed off any vestiges of being an orphan. Ask Him to reveal any orphan thinking or habits that you have developed in life. And instead of living like an orphan, live….

Live loved. 

Live free.

Live chosen.

Live dependent. 

Live secure. 

Live moldable.

Live teachable.

Live giving.

Live receiving. 

Live serving.

Live wanted. 

Live adopted. 

Are you an Orphan or Child of the Most High God?

Ephesians 1:5 NLT “God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.”

I can think of no better way to describe the orphan mentality than to write about what I saw and felt when I was in Romania many years ago. Due to the Communist leader Nicolae Ceauşescu’s policies, there were a lot of orphans. Even though these orphans were now young adults, and Ceasecu’s reign was long over, the orphan mentality remained. As we traveled through Romania, I could sense a fog of fear. Insecurity seemed to rule the day. For example, people wanted everything closed up tight. We would travel in a car with sweltering heat, but the car windows remained closed up tight. I actually rolled down the car window to get some refreshing breeze, only to have my seatmate reach over me and roll it back up. The open window created a sense of insecurity and vulnerability.

As in the natural so it is in the spiritual. An orphan spirit creates insecurity and a feeling of vulnerability. People lock up their emotions, and their lives, as a means of self-protection. Orphans strive to be self-sufficient and independent. They have learned to live that way - an orphan can’t depend on a parent to provide, protect, or care for him.  He has to make his own way.  Orphans tend to operate from a state of fear, shame, guilt, and rejection. It can feel impossible to trust anyone or anything.

But the Bible tells us that we have been adopted. Adopted by God Himself. Do you live adopted? Here are some questions to ask yourself. Do you have an orphan spirit?

1.     The orphan spirit operates out of insecurity and jealousy. The spirit of sonship functions out of love and kindness.

2.     The orphan spirit is competitive and jealous of the success of others. The adopted child is committed to the success of others and rejoices at it.

3.     The orphan spirit will serve God in an effort to earn the Father’s love and attention. The adoptive son serves God out of a sense of acceptance, favor, and love.

4. The orphan spirit is closed to correction and takes everything personally. The adopted son is teachable and willing to yield.

5. Those with an orphan spirit have a hard time loving and accepting themselves. Those walking in sonship realize their flaws, and admit them, but know that God’s love covers a multitude of sins. They can love themselves and others.

6.   The orphan spirit receives their primary identity through material possessions, their physical appearance, accomplishments, and activities. The spirit of sonship has their identity grounded in their identity as a child of God, chosen and loved by Him.

7.   Those with an orphan spirit strive for success in their careers, material possessions, and pleasures. When asked how much is enough, they would be inclined to say, ‘Just a little bit more.” Those who live adopted, are cheerful givers, finding their worth in God and what His word says about them.

If we are honest, we would probably have to admit that there is some residue of an orphan spirit in each of us. We live in a sin-filled world and it is impossible for it not to taint our thinking in some way. That said, examine your life. What characterizes your identity? Do live as a beloved child or God or as a striving, self-sufficient orphan?

More Favorite Tweets

More favorite Tweets ….

If our eyes saw souls instead of bodies, how different our idea of beauty would be.

Many people are not thirsty for God because they have quenched their thirst at other fountains.

Religion says – I messed up. My dad is gonna kill me.  The Gospel says – I messed up. I need to call my dad.

I don’t really rise and shine – I caffeinate and hope for the best.

Grapes must be crushed to make wine. Diamonds form under pressure. Olives are pressed to release oil. Seeds grow in darkness. Whenever you feel crushed, under pressure, pressed, or in darkness, you’re in a powerful place of transformation. Trust the process. Trust God.

The Bible isn’t politically correct, it’s just correct.

Your prayers matter to God because you matter to God.

Be a person who fixes another person’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.

You will never look into the eyes of someone God does not love. Be kind.

Sometimes it’s better to just remain silent and smile.

A man’s God is that for which he lives.

I accidently went shopping on an empty stomach and now I am the proud owner of aisle four.

Sometimes, tough parenting requires that you tell your kids that they need to clean their rooms before they can have a donut, while you sit at the table eating donuts yelling, “Hurry, they are almost gone.”

Plagued with an Orphan Spirit

Consider these scriptures.

Jesus said in John 14:18 NLT “I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.”  

Romans 8:15 NKJV  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 

Galatians 4:4-7  NIV  “But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.  Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”  So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are His child, God has made you also an heir.”

1 John 3:1 NIV  “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

God has adopted us. You are His child. You have a place of belonging. You have been chosen. BUT… Do you live that way? Do you live adopted? Or, do you have an orphan spirit?

The orphan spirit is an inferior spirit. When you have an orphan mentality, you have a hard time trusting anybody, even God.  When someone offers you something, in your mind, you think what’s the catch?  What are this person’s motives?  Because, you think, nothing is free. You can even begin to wonder if salvation is free, even though, the Bible clearly tells us that it is. Salvation is a free gift from God. When you live thinking “what’s the catch?” you can develop an orphan mentality. And as such, you start closing the door on receiving opinions, advice, counsel, or even help from others. An orphan lives independently. He is self-reliant., unable to receive compliments or constructive criticism. An orphan puts up walls to protect himself from hurt. Do you live with an orphan mentality?

Ask God to search your heart. Do you live as a son or daughter of God? Or, do you live like an orphan?  

Some Favorite Tweets

Here are some quotes I found on Twitter or Instagram that made me laugh or think…

Whenever you are, be all there.

If the living knew what the dead knew, the whole world would be following Jesus.

The reason why it hurts is that your fingers are in the door that God is trying to close.

If you’re waiting for forgiveness to be a feeling, you could be waiting for the rest of your life.

When you count other people's blessings you lose sight of your own.

Your best teacher is often your last mistake.

I drive so badly that when I’m driving the GPS doesn’t speak, it prays.

God is not who you think He is. God is who He says He is.

If God was small enough for me to completely understand Him, He wouldn't be big enough for me to completely trust Him.

Me: This show is so boring. My Boss: Again, this is a Zoom Conference.

It can be easy to have a pity party, to draw back into our little cocoons and isolate ourselves from everyone else. But if we go out and help other people, we will find comfort as we are distributing it. We can be beneficiaries of what we are giving to others.  Greg Laurie

God is Opposed to the Proud

In my last post, I stated that there is a lot of in-fighting happening within the Christian church today. Christians disagree about worship styles, politics, women in church leadership, and other theological issues. It’s not a sin to disagree. We can interpret scripture differently and have opposing viewpoints. That’s okay. It is a sin to become critical, thinking that I am right and everyone else is wrong. Pride is a sin.

This begs the question - Shouldn’t we be discerning when it comes to our worship, theology, and our politics? Absolutely. Ask God to give you discernment.  My concern is that it’s easy to label it discernment when it’s actually just being critical. We must pursue righteousness but at the same time, we must continually guard against an attitude that is self-righteousness. 

In Numbers 12, as the Children of Israel wandered through the wilderness, Moses decides to re-marry. The Bible says, “Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman.”  Numbers 12:1 NLT  Notice that first, they became critical of his choice for a wife. Next, they criticized him for his leadership. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He spoken through us, too?” Numbers 12:2 NLT

See, here’s the thing - criticism grows.  Once you find one thing wrong with someone or something, it’s so easy to find another and another. The truth is - If you look at any person, church, or organization long enough you will find something that is wrong with it. No one and nothing is perfect.  And once you allow yourself to focus on the negative, and get critical, the enemy will help you find more things that are wrong. Criticism grows and that’s what happens in this story. But here’s the kicker. As Miriam and Aaron criticized their older brother, the Bible tells us this.  “But the Lord heard them.” Numbers 12:2 NLT 

We must remember that God is not up in heaven oblivious to what is going on down here, or to what’s being said.  God heard them and so did Moses. Read the passage and notice that Moses doesn’t defend himself.  Moses didn’t call a staff meeting, to bring everyone together, to address their criticism of his wife or of his leadership.  He let God deal with it.  Sometimes, when you get criticized it’s better to just take it and let God handle it.  God will always defend you better than you can defend yourself. And the flip side is true as well.  Many times when you see something wrong, instead of becoming critical, it’s best just to pray, turn it over to God, and trust Him to deal with it.

 Look at how God dealt with it. The Bible says, “So immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, ‘Go to the tabernacle, all three of you!’” 12:4.  In the tabernacle, the Lord descended in a pillar of cloud. The Lord came down. God is inserting Himself into this conflict. God tells Aaron and Miriam to step forward. And God says – Listen to me. With the prophets, I speak to them in visions or dreams. But not with my servant Moses, I speak to him face to face. “So why were you not afraid to criticize My servant Moses?” Numbers 12:8 NLT   V. 9 God was angry with them. These three look at each other and discover that Miriam is covered with leprosy.

Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were siblings. They were family. I think the moral of the story is that we need to be careful about being critical, especially of those in the family of God. When Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, with a critical spirit, it appears that God took it personally, In a similar vein, if you become critical of a member of the family of God, you just might find yourself being critical of God. God can take it personally. Said another way, if you are a person who is critical of a fellow believer in Jesus, you might just find yourself being critical of God Himself.

So in essence, yes be discerning but continually guard yourself against becoming judgmental of others, exalting yourself or your point of view while looking down on others. God is opposed to the proud. There is nothing worse than finding yourself in a position where God is opposed to you.

I am Right and Everyone else is Wrong??

If you are someone who spends time trolling the internet, following various Christian websites and ideologies, you will have undoubtedly come across some strong opinions about church worship music, lyrics, theology, and political associations. Disagreements within the body of Christ are nothing new. In the early church, there was a huge argument about circumcision.  Did all men have to be circumcised?  The root of the conflict -  Did you have to become “Jewish” to be a follower of Jesus?  James, the leader of the young church, answered that question at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. The answer was - no!

In the worldwide church today there are still many major disagreements. But, here’s the thing - different churches and denominations have different focuses, strengths, and weaknesses. But we must guard ourselves against thinking that our style of worship, or our interpretation of the Bible, or our political point of view is right, and everyone else is wrong. I’m convinced that when we get to heaven, we will discover that none of us had it entirely accurate - in our worship, theology, politics, or opinions.  

In keeping it real, there is a lot of back-biting going on in Christian circles today. There is comparison, jealousy, and competition within the church at large, and it isn’t Godly! Jesus said in Mark 4, a house divided against itself cannot stand. The enemy wants to destroy the church – Jesus’ bride. And what better way than to have the church fighting within itself?  So, I felt compelled by the Lord to address this topic and warn you to protect yourself from having a critical attitude. Guard yourself against developing a critical spirit! It sneaks into your life so easily, and you don’t even realize it. Someone who thinks they have all the right answers is also someone who struggles with pride. Never forget - God is opposed to the proud.

To be continued…..

Who Can Stand?

In 1 Samuel 5, the Ark of the Covenant, which represented the presence of God, caused the Philistine statue of Dagon to fall to the ground. The Philistines stood it back on its feet. But when they returned the next day, it had fallen again. This isn’t the first time in Scripture that something (or someone) collapsed to the ground in the presence of God. Ponder these examples.

In Matthew 17, when God spoke audibly declaring His love for Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciples collapsed to the ground. In John 18, the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden. They approached Him and Jesus stated I AM He whom you seek. “So when He said to them, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.” John 18:7 NASB. Or consider John as he wrote the book of Revelation. He said, “When I saw Him (Jesus), I fell at His feet as though dead.” Revelation 1:17 NIV

Genesis 17:3 Abram collapsed when God spoke to him. Joshua 5:14-15 Joshua fell with his face to the ground in God’s presence. Ezekiel 1:28 Ezekiel collapsed when the glory of the Lord appeared to him. Daniel 8:17 Daniel fell to the ground before the glory of God. Acts 9:4 Paul collapsed to earth when saw Jesus on the road to Damascus.

If you are ever tempted to take God’s presence flippantly, remember these scriptures. The power and majesty of God are undefinable. Never treat God with a casual familiarity. Jeremiah wrote “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”  Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV

How's That Working Out for You?

In last week’s blog, I wrote about the Ark of the Covenant. It had been captured by the Philistines. They placed the Ark in the temple of their god Dagon. They thought the Ark was just another god. But, Dr. Phil would ask them – How’s that working out for you? The Philistines kept the Ark for 7 months and suffered the entire time. The problems began immediately after the Ark was placed in their false god’s temple. When the Philistine faithful went to worship their god Dagon, they discovered that their god had fallen to the ground, prostrate before the Ark. They placed their god back on its feet and left for the day. “But the next morning, the same thing happened – Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway.”  1 Samuel 5:4 NLT 

Wouldn’t you think that would get the Philistines’ attention? Does a real God have to be picked up off the ground? Does a real God break apart and his head and hands fall off? Does a real God have to be glued back together? But instead of looking at the situation honestly, they pronounce the dirt where the body of Dagon landed to be holy ground and that threshold becomes a sacred area. Kind of bizarre.  

So this is what the God of Israel did. He who broke off the hands of the fake god, now lifts His hand against the Philistines ... “Then the Lord’s heavy hand struck the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with a plague of tumors. When the people realized what was happening, they cried out, ‘We can’t keep the Ark of God of Israel here any longer. He is against us!’” 1 Samuel 5:7 NLT

They ended up moving the Ark to the Philistine town of Gath. They too were overcome by a plague sent from the Lord.  Then they moved the Ark to the town of Ekron. “…but when the people of Ekron saw it coming they cried out, ‘They are bringing the Ark of God of Israel here to kill us too!’ The people summoned the Philistine rulers again and begged them, ‘Please send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its own country, or it will kill us all.’  For the deadly plague from God had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the town.”  1 Samuel 5:10-11 NLT

The message of the Ark in the land of the Philistines is that God is never defeated. Only God is all-powerful. To answer Dr. Phil’s question, it wasn’t working out well at all for the Philistines. In fact, it was an utter catastrophe. The Philistines devise a plan to return the Ark of the Covenant back to the Israelites because they didn’t want it anymore! The Philistines discovered that the Ark of the Lord was a greater power than they had ever seen – a power that they could not control. May we have a new awareness of the awesomeness of God - His power and authority are unmatchable.

God is not a Magic Genie

In 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites are at war with the Philistines and losing every battle. They decide, quite foolishly, to take the Ark of the Covenant onto the battlefield, hoping that it will turn the tide of the battle in their favor. The Ark of the Covenant represented God’s presence on earth. Just a side note - If you are a movie buff, or just old, you will remember a movie called Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The lost ark that Harrison Ford was searching for was the Ark of the Covenant.

In the book of Exodus, God instructs Moses to make a wooden box or chest from Acacia wood. It was 4 feet long, about 2 ½ feet wide, and 2 ½ feet tall. It was covered inside and outside with gold. It had a lid of solid gold, called the mercy seat. On this lid were two wide-winged angels facing each other called Cherubim. Inside the chest were 3 items. One, the rod that Aaron threw down before Pharaoh that turned into a snake and later budded and produced almonds. Two, a gold jar containing manna, and three, the tablets on which the 10 commandments were inscribed. As the COI wandered through the wilderness for 40 years, the Ark of the Covenant traveled with them. It represented God’s throne on earth. It was the center of the nation’s worship and its most sacred possession.

So, in 1 Samuel 4, Israel is on the losing end of a war with the Philistines. Thinking they had devised a brilliant war strategy, they bring the Ark onto the battlefield. When the Israelite warriors saw the Ark, there was an enormous celebration, a cry of victory was in the air. They thought - the battle will now turn.  God is with us.  But was He? Did they ask God, and seek His counsel, about bringing the Ark to the battlefield?  No. In fact, in the next battle, 30,000 Israeli soldiers were killed. And worse yet, the unthinkable happens. The symbol of His presence, the relic of His majesty, the Ark of the Covenant, was lost to Pagan hands. The Philistines captured the Ark and bring into their territory.

For the Israelites, it was an utter catastrophe. If flood or famine, drought, or disease invaded the camp, it would be okay because God was with them. But, now the symbol of God Himself was in the hands of the enemy. When the Prophet Eli heard the news, he was so distressed that he fell over and died.

What is the moral of the story? God is not a good luck charm. God is not a magic genie lamp that we can rub in times of need or stress, and expect Him to appear to serve our needs. If you don’t have a healthy fear of God you can treat Him flippantly in such a way that you try to use Him, or use your relationship with Him, for your own benefit, to serve yourself.  It doesn’t work that way. He is the Lord of all creation and will not allow HImself to be used for human glory and achievement. Value God for who He is and not what He can do for you.

And for the Philistines who captured the Ark, Dr. Phil would ask them - How’s that working out for you? To be continued…..