Faith Alone

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. Romans 5:1-2

Faith Alone, Sola Fide, is a belief common to most Protestant Churches. At its core it means you are not saved by your works, talents, abilities, or perfect living, but Only By Faith In Jesus For Your Salvation!

That’s it. You aren’t getting into heaven because you gave a million dollars to charity, or saved a busload of children from being burned alive, or made world peace a reality. No. Nothing. Not the greatest works of any human being can save their soul, only a humble faith in Jesus and His death on a cross for your sins can deliver you from an eternity in hell. And we are born sinners. Each and every one of us are sinners. The only exception is Jesus, a sinless man, God Himself stepping down from heaven to take human form in the womb of a virgin, growing up and living a pure and holy life among us, then dying to save us.

Instead of trying to do good deeds on earth, on the other hand, you could be a mass murder, an inmate on death row for terrible crimes, the worst sort of human being imaginable. But if you come to believe in Jesus, repent of your sins, and turn away from your evil deeds and receive salvation from Him, Faith Alone in Jesus will save your immortal soul.

You might be thinking, isn’t this just a little bit too easy? It wasn’t easy for God. It wasn’t easy for Jesus to live on this earth constantly being slandered, hunted down and allowing Himself to be beaten, spat upon, humiliated, then die an agonizing death on a cross to cleanse humanity's sins. Part of God the Trinity, Jesus, volunteered Himself to leave a glorious, pure, beautiful-beyond-imagining place called heaven, only to experience the squalor of humanity on earth. He agreed to live humbly alongside us knowing He was facing an ignominious end that would involve one of the most painful deaths imaginable. No, brother and sister Christians, there was nothing easy about Jesus making a way for us to enter Heaven.

You could be living in a cardboard box in a back alley, or the finest mansion on earth, sin is the great equalizer. We are all headed toward an eternal hell because of our sins. Yet, if you will believe that Jesus lived, died, and arose from death to live again. If you will admit your need for Him because of your sins and receive Him into your life as Savior and God of your destiny, you will be saved due to Faith Alone in Jesus!

Faith Alone is not a trite saying. It is a cornerstone of Christianity. Faith Alone saves us when that faith is placed in Jesus our Lord.

Prayer: Dear Lord, it will take an eternity of praising and worshiping You to express our thanks and gratitude for opening heaven to us sinners. Blessed be Your Name forever! Amen.

That Bad Word: Doctrine

  

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. 1 Timothy 6:3-4

I mention that doctrine is considered a bad word because it is to some people. It invokes thoughts of endless debates and arguments, divisions, and splits within churches. Yet, it is the foundation upon which every Christian life must be built.

For instance, if you say you do not believe in Original Sin, you can’t be a Christian. Why? Because why would you even need be a Christian? Why become one at all if you think there was no sin that originally made all human beings sinners at birth. Why would we need a Savior? What would the point of Jesus’ life, and then death on a cross be at all?

You have doctrines as a Christian whether or not you want to recognize them. Doctrines hold churches together, or destroy churches without a solid doctrinal foundation. Sadly, the faith of many are weakened because they personally lack a solid doctrinal foundation. If taught true doctrine in our churches, many young people would not lose their faith when they go to college because they would recognize nonsense coming from false teachers when they hear it.

I’m going to touch upon one doctrine that is foundational:

Sola Scriptura, Scripture Alone. 

Scripture Alone is an accepted doctrine for all Protestant churches, which includes many Christian churches today. It means that the Holy Bible is our sole authority when it comes to doctrine and teaching. That every preacher, teacher, and fellow Christian who speaks about God, Scripture, Jesus, all things Christian belief or teaching related–must have their words measured by what the Holy Bible says and teaches. I have to add the caveat here of “correctly understood” Bible teachings and verses. For we all know that “scripture twisting” is too common of a practice.

To properly understand the Bible you must first read and study the Bible. When you come to difficult passages, and there are some, you should pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to help you. God has given us preachers and teachers to help us better understand the Word of God, and they are a great blessing to us. Yet occasionally they get it wrong and you will know it when you hear it. The Holy Spirit is also called The Spirit of Truth (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit can make you feel uneasy when something you hear from a preacher or teacher “sounds off”. That is when you should dig into the Bible and carefully examine these things for yourself as the wise Bereans did (Acts 17:10-11).

I will give you some examples from my life of when I ran headlong into false teaching. When I was in my early twenties I worked with a manager in a store who I greatly admired. A wonderful man who I highly respected. Yet one day we were discussing the Bible and it soon turned into a debate. This manager I admire was a teacher in a cult that was located not too far from my home. He was very well versed in the false teachings of his cult. The main sticking point between us was when my manager said Jesus was not God. We went back and forth a bit. I went home and searched the scriptures. The next day I asked him: “If Jesus was not God, why when Thomas fell on his knees and proclaimed Jesus as ‘My Lord and My God’, why didn’t Jesus rebuke Thomas?” (John 20:28)

This threw my manager off badly. He had no real answer until the next day when he proclaimed to me that portion of the Bible wasn’t there originally. 

How do you answer that? His cult requires you to remove entire portions of scripture from your Bible when it doesn’t agree with them. What they can’t add or twist, the false teachers will remove. Knowing your Bible arms you well against that kind of spiritually dangerous teaching.

My second example is not regarding a cult, but a mainstream church I attended for years. 

One day during a Bible teaching class held by my pastor in our Pentecostal Church the pastor was beginning a new series in a booklet sent out by our church’s headquarters. He said he was going to teach us that all Christians can have every Gift of The Holy Spirit outlined in the Bible Book of First Corinthians chapter twelve.

Alarms started ringing inside me. Did I hear him correctly? Yes. He was about to teach that every Christian can have every Gift of The Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12.

I opened my Bible and pointed out what was obvious to me and everyone else who owned a Bible and had the ability to read. You each only receive the Gift that The Holy Spirit chooses for you. The entire teaching premise the pastor presented was patently false.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

Look at that eleventh verse above. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to understand that verse: “..who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

As who will? He, The Holy Spirit who chooses. Clearly any gifts or abilities we receive from God are not up to our church booklet, pastor, or anyone else. It was a false teaching.

The pastor never backed down, and neither did I. I didn’t leave the church until many years later. I stayed because the church got most critical things right and I realized that no church is perfect, no pastor always gets it right, and that is the point of this message. Scripture Alone is our guide for Bible Truth, Teaching, and Doctrine.

What you believe matters. Will you ultimately be lead by The Bible, or instead by the nicely dressed person in the pulpit, or on TV, or the inspiring podcast, or the person beside you that you like and respect, or Only By The Word Of God?

You will hear people get it wrong sometimes because they are weak and fallible like we all are. Sometimes you can overlook it and move on. But other times you will find the Spirit leading you to discuss the matter with them. Here I put in the caveat that if you are an inexperienced Christian without much grounding in God’s word do not get into a debate with someone in a cult or a preacher or teacher because I guarantee you they will be very well versed in their false teachings and could damage your faith. There are also times that you don’t just walk away from false teaching, but absolutely close the door on a church, preacher, or teacher who is trying to lead you into serious doctrinal error.

There was a TV Preacher I enjoyed listening to for years. Yes, occasionally he carried his teachings too far, but I kept my moorings when listening to him. One day he said during a sermon: “You Are God.”

I groaned and my heart sank. That was the end of me listening to that preacher. He had crossed a line there was no coming back from. For I knew above all things that God Is God and We Are Not!

Study and meditate upon God’s Word. The Bible is our source of Truth, and The Holy Spirit will help us to understand that Truth.

 It is a dangerous world, Christian. Everywhere you go, or even if you are just sitting in front of your TV, make sure Your Sword, The Bible, and a solid foundation of Doctrine is ever with you. Sola Scriptura my friend. Hold onto that Truth always.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we live in dangerous times when the enemy lurks around every corner and even in places we believe are safe. Guide us into all truth for Your Word is Truth. Amen.

Sin Is A Sticktight

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

I had been walking around the edge of a pond. When I got back to my car I saw the entire right arm of my hoodie was covered in stickers. I looked down and my legs were as well. I had seen these sticker seeds before. There is an entire family of them. They are generally called Sticktights. They are very aptly named as the only way to remove them is pulling the prongs of each seed out of your clothing one at a time. And just when you think you have gotten them all, you find a few more that you have missed. So it is with sin.

I firmly believe most people, even Christians, have a poor understanding of sin. Everything I say about this subject you should research for yourself, and be sure it aligns with scripture. Indeed, you should always do this with every Christian teacher or preacher or fellow Christian who speaks about what the Bible means. I have found throughout my life that even preachers I fully align with will occasionally get off of track. Yet I would have no idea if I had not read the Bible and studied it for myself.

It is shocking how even so-called mature believers can find themselves so easily swamped by sin. Yet we live inside a body prone to sin, and live in a world that thrives on sin. Sin is packaged so nicely that at times we barely recognize it as such. It doesn’t help that too many preachers barely touch on sin or the reality of hell. People get the general idea that we are all prone to do bad things, but they think that if we become believers in Christ that’s all over and done with, right?

Christ died to save us from our sins. We are born into this world as sinners and live our lives sinning. Even the nicest Christian you meet is still prone to sin. So what does it mean to “Be Saved From Our Sins?”

First off, it means Jesus is now the Master of your destiny. You have been forgiven of all of your sins by the sacrifice of Jesus on a Cross. He is now your Lord.  You have received the Holy Spirit within you. When the time of your death comes you will be with Jesus in heaven. 

It means that until you go to heaven the Holy Spirit will help you in the here and now. He will help you to overcome and avoid sins if you will let Him. Yet as long as you live in a human body, and in this sin-prone world, you will never be completely free from the tendency to sin. However, Jesus died to save you from your Past, Present, and Future sins.

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:10

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:19

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 1 John 2:1

I have seen the same people go up week after week in church to be “Saved Again”. What they are really trying to do is recapture that initial joy and good feeling of being free from sin. Jesus gives us that great joyful experience when we first become believers. But we are not in heaven yet. We are still surrounded by sin on this earth, and Jesus doesn’t want us relying upon our feelings but the fact of our salvation through Faith. 

There is much debate over whether you are Saved once and forever, or if you can lose your Salvation and must find it again. I am clearly in the doctrinal camp that once you are Saved–You are Saved! Do Christians backslide and displease the Lord? Yes. Are there times it is good to get on our knees and ask God to renew us spiritually? Of course. But how would part-time-Salvation work? Today you are saved, but tomorrow you will lose it? Next Tuesday you will be Saved again, but not next Wednesday?

Our Salvation in Christ is not a fickle thing. It is not a “Probationary Salvation”. But there are people who will say: “Great! Now I’m Saved and can do anything I want and still get into heaven!”

Good luck with that. The same God who Saved you is a loving Father who will correct and disciple you–I speak from experience. And while you can’t lose your Salvation, you can lose your life. Look at Ananias and Sapphira in the Bible book of Acts who even though they were believers, God took their lives because of a horrible sin against God (Acts 5:1-11) . Look at the scripture where the Apostle Paul warns believers that God will end your life if you take communion without respect to the meaning and purpose of it (1 Cor. 11:25-31). Some Christians had already lost their lives from disrespecting the Body and Blood of Christ by treating this Sacrament like some kind of pagan party. You can’t play games with sin. Christian or not. Rejoice in your Salvation, your eternal future is secure. Nevertheless, do not fool yourself there is no repercussions for willful sins against God. You must always respect your Heavenly Father. For just like a human father He will discipline and correct His children.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,

    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:4-11.

So yes, as believers we are Saved and Eternally Secure in Him and His finished work of Salvation through His death on a cross. That doesn’t mean we can behave like devils on this earth and our Father will just put up with anything. We are called to be Holy just as our Father is Holy. We will always fall short of His glory for He is God and we are not. We live in weak human flesh with a sinful world all around us. But just because we may never have perfectly pure lives on this side of heaven, it does not mean we are unable to make progress. We will with His help. We can do much good if we allow the Lord to work through these weak human bodies by His Spirit working within us.

But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. Romans 8:10

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1

God’s enemy Satan once led a rebellion of angels in heaven against God. Then Satan in the Garden of Eden tried to lead humanity in a similar rebellion against God. Yet God had a glorious plan. God was not shocked at Adam and Eve’s sin against God’s Will. 

God’s plan would lead to a Human born of a woman, through God’s indwelling Spirit,  to redeem all of humanity. God would live beside us through Jesus, suffer with us, begin to reveal His glory through miracles, then shockingly be willing to die on a cross to carry humanity's sins away once and forever. God would have us as willing children who have tasted sin and seen its resulting death. Children who will receive Jesus as our Lord. Children who will wisely choose and serve God in eternal bliss rather than eternal separation from God which is Hell. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.Romans 8:28-30.

Even though we are weak and prey to sin, through the mercy and grace of God we are redeemed. And not conditionally, but because God had determined to Save us from the beginning of our existence. God may sometimes be disappointed in us, and we may be disappointed in our own sins and failures, but we are never completely lost or forgotten. We will finish our days in the faith. We will do so with the New Spirit He placed in us when we called upon Him for Salvation. We will finish our race with His help. Sometimes tripping and having to get up again. Sometimes standing strong and bold because of our Lord. Through it all we are His and He is ours forever. Jesus will see us through until we step into eternity.

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;

    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:33:39

Sin is a Sticktight. It clings to us and is hard to remove. Jesus, through His sacrifice for us, has set us free from the eternal consequences of Sin. You don’t have to go through life covered in sins. When you notice sin, you take it to God and ask for His help and deliverance. He is faithful and helps His children just as we help our children in this life. We do not abandon them, and God does not abandon us. When your children are in trouble you do everything in your power to help, and so it is with God and us. 

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Do not despair when you sin, take it to God. And when you see others sin, do not be quick to condemn as we are all subject to sin. Thankfully, we have an Advocate in heaven, interceding for us, delivering and forgiving us. Recognize sin for what it is, and be honest about your own weaknesses for we are all sinners Saved by His grace.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we are all sinners in need of both Your Salvation and Your Saving Grace daily in our lives. Be patient with us Lord, and thank You for your everlasting mercy and forgiveness. Amen

(If you have not asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to become your Savior please do so. You cannot get into heaven without Him. You will be lost without Him.)

Ministering Angels

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14

My grandma had a picture on the wall of her house showing two children dangerously near the edge of a bridge. Behind them was an angel protecting them, the angel was there to prevent them from falling.

From the late 1980s through the mid 2000s there was a craze about angels. It was at its peak during the 1990s when the television show “Touched By An Angel” was airing. It was preceded by the show “Highway To Heaven” with Michael Landon playing an angel. In 1986 the book “This Present Darkness” was first published. The author was Frank Peretti. Many Christians will remember reading that book about Angels and Spiritual Warfare. There were also lots of other books and documentaries about angels around that time period.

Today there is not much mention of angels in the culture. Yet angels are often mentioned in scripture and play a big part in the life of believers.

Did you know that every child has a guardian angel?

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. Matthew 18:10

In the first verse at the top of this post you will see that angels minister to believers. I will often add during my prayers a request that God have His angels watch over my family, and myself. Especially when traveling. I fully believe God sends His angels to watch over and protect us.

Jesus was strengthened by angels when He was praying on the Mount of Olives just before He went to the cross.

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:33-34

I’m convinced that angels strengthen us as well. 

Years ago I was in the throes of depression. One day I was going to town and I noticed a guy with a backpack walking on the sidewalk. As my car drew near to the guy he stopped walking, turned and faced me with a big beaming smile on his face. His face and that smile followed me until my car was moving out of his sight. On the way back from town there he was again. The process repeated itself. He turned toward me and beamed that big beautiful smile until the car was out of his sight. It seemed such a ludicrous, crazy situation that I couldn’t help but smile and laugh, and I found joy rising up inside of me. And the depression lifted.

You can say that was not an angel, but anyone who has suffered serious depression knows that depression doesn't just fade away over a few minutes.

The Bible tells us we may meet many angels throughout our lives and not realize who they are. They do appear in human form.

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2.

There are those who have taken an unhealthy interest in angels. Indeed, some people seem to be more interested in angels than in God.  But for the believer, angels are there for us as messengers, ministering spirits, to strengthen and protect us. We should always be on our guard when it comes to how we treat strangers, you never know, it may be that you are looking at an angel in disguise.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You so much for angels. How wonderful it will be to see You face to face in heaven, and to also meet the angels who have guarded and helped us throughout our lives. Amen.

Apex Predator

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

I saw a photo of a coyote. The coyote was looking at the photographer like it wanted to eat him/her. It had a dangerous look in its eye. Predators are always on the lookout for prey.

In the air you have a variety of hawk, eagle, and owl predators. In the water you have sharks, killer whales, even a variety of bass that prey on smaller species. On land that dangerous looking coyote, wolves, bears, snakes, lions, and too many others to list. 

But the Christian has just one Apex Predator: Satan, who along with his servants wants us dead. 

Back in the 1980s-90s there was great interest in spiritual things and spiritual warfare. Frank Perretti the best selling author helped to start things off with his book “This Present Darkness”. A powerful story about spiritual warfare. Even Stephen King got things going with his self described book of dark Christianity “The Stand”. Then there were numerous shows like “Highway To Heaven” with Michael Landon. “Touched By An Angel” with Roma Downey. The famous “Left Behind” series of books by LaHaye & Jenkins. Lots of occult stuff, movies and books dealing with evil, demons, and Satan himself.

I would say at its Peak there was an almost unhealthy interest in all things supernatural. And that can be a danger, focusing more on the Supernatural realm than upon God. 

The good that came out of those decades was that Christians had a growing awareness that we need to be alert to the fact there is a spiritual realm that can help and hurt us in our lives. When you are on guard against your enemy, and at the same time understand that we have angels watching over and helping us at the Lord’s command, you are much more in tune to the dangers that are unseen. And also the importance of prayer for protection, strength, and deliverance, as well as keeping us in continual contact with Jesus.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

The Devil was not always against God and God’s people. It is hard to believe but he was at one time an angel of the highest order. He was one of the angels who had great authority in heaven. Satan was a Guardian Cherub, close to God's throne. We get a glimpse of what Satan must have been like in the Bible Book of Ezekiel.

“‘You were the seal of perfection,

    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

You were in Eden,

    the garden of God;

every precious stone adorned you:

    carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,

    topaz, onyx and jasper,

    lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.

Your settings and mountings were made of gold;

    on the day you were created they were prepared.

You were anointed as a guardian cherub,

    for so I ordained you.

You were on the holy mount of God;

    you walked among the fiery stones.

You were blameless in your ways

    from the day you were created

    till wickedness was found in you.

Through your widespread trade

    you were filled with violence,

    and you sinned.

So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,

    and I expelled you, guardian cherub,

    from among the fiery stones.

Your heart became proud

    on account of your beauty,

and you corrupted your wisdom

    because of your splendor.

So I threw you to the earth;

    I made a spectacle of you before kings.

By your many sins and dishonest trade

    you have desecrated your sanctuaries.

I made a fire come out from you,

    and it consumed you,

and I reduced you to ashes on the ground

    in the sight of all who were watching.

All the nations who knew you

    are appalled at you;

you have come to a horrible end

    and will be no more.’” Ezekiel 28:13-19

That last part is important. If Satan had a wonderful, even glamorous beginning as one of God’s top angels, he will have an infamous end. While he persecutes the Church and God’s people, he does not have unlimited power over us. And he has an expiration date.

But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:9b-10.

Nevertheless, until that end comes we have an Apex Predator that we need to be wary of and on guard against. His method of operation has never changed. He wants to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).

We have a deadly enemy that comes at us through our body, our appetites, our desires, and our straying thoughts. He will kill us if he can, or make us wish we were dead. We can never defeat him alone, but thanks be to God we are not alone, nor are we unarmed.

We must not only remain vigilant against this predator, we must be armed and ready. Putting on the full armor of God as outlined in Ephesians chapter 6.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

   And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18

Believer in Christ. Stay well armed for the battles ahead. Testing and Trials come around again and again as much as we would like to avoid them. Stay strong in the Word, diligent in Prayer, stay close to Jesus. And always be aware that our Apex Predator Satan is out to destroy us.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be wise and stay alert knowing that we have an enemy who is out to destroy us. But with Your help we will not only overcome, but have the ultimate victory! Amen.

Wasted Talent

“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents. In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more. But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. Matt. 25:14-18

The value of a single talent in the Bible was a huge sum of money. A talent was approximately equal to 6,000 denarii and a single denarii was a day’s wages for workers at the time.

The talent in Jesus’ parable is metaphorically something of tremendous value.

When I was very young I would hear this story being read or would read it myself in the Bible and in the back of my mind my common sense would want to excuse the guy because at least he didn’t lose or throw away the talent his master gave to him. But reading it now I realize he did something much worse than throw it away–he buried it. 

“Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’ Matt. 25:24-25

The previous servants had made good use with the talents given to them by their master. They had increased, built upon what had been given them. But not the “one talent guy”. He dug a hole in the ground and buried the talent. All he had to do was take a trip to his local bank and deposit it. Just make a little interest on the money. But instead he hid it away.

“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ Matt. 25:26-28

Looking at this parable as a metaphor we could come at it from a few angles, but from my perspective I see the talent in the parable as Jesus Himself. Jesus is the priceless gift God has given to us and what we do with Jesus will determine whether we hear “good and well done faithful servant” or are rebuked and cast out for squandering the greatest gift ever given to mankind.

When the Lord is presented to us our reception and actions afterward matter. Those faithful servants took the great gift and did something with it. They varied in their outcomes but they at least had an outcome. They had something to show for a life lived after receiving the greatest gift. But not the foolish man. Taking Jesus as metaphorically being the talent this foolish man not only failed to appreciate the gift, not only failed to be seen with the gift at his local bank, he quickly buried it out of sight. He did nothing with Jesus but hide Him as if He had never been in the man’s life. He not only failed to increase what had been given to him, he left Jesus in the ground. The risen Lord was never manifested in the life of the man!

What we do with Jesus means everything. There are great ones like Billy Graham who go on to lead incredible numbers of people to Christ. There are others who work quietly but make a difference in the lives of those around them because Jesus shines through them. When you belong to the Lord you can’t help but do some good, have some increase in the blessing you have received. But never be like the fool who was presented the gift of Jesus, and instead of receiving Him and being changed, he buried and hid the most important thing in this world in the ground for no one to see. What will you do with Jesus? Are you letting others see the risen Lord in your life?

Prayer: Dear Lord, we may not always be the best servants, but help us never to be fools. Help us to let the world see You, the greatest most priceless Gift we have ever received, and transform the world around us through Your presence. Amen.

Genesis Part 2 - Humanity

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:26

God had done it. The Artist put upon His canvas a beautiful background of the starry heavens above, the sky, water, and ground. He filled the earth with amazing, unique, beautiful, and strange creatures to fly through the sky, swim through the waters, and tread upon the earth. But all of that beautiful backdrop was just a setting for his most amazing creation: Humanity.

Unlike all the other creatures on the earth humans would be something special. Not just amazing beings dreamt up from God’s great imagination, but something worthy of God’s companionship, friendship, creatures to walk with God Himself.

The Greek Philosophers defined the difference between humans and other creatures as mankind having a divine spark, a fragment of God. The Hebrew word for the human soul is Neshama. God breathed a part of Himself into us when we were created. Our ability to reason, comprehend, fashion and shape objects, and to become artists like the Great Artist Himself all comes from that divine spark. Though we are not God, we are godlike because He made us like Himself.

If we ever get a full revelation of the fact of our godlikeness we will have a better understanding of much of what follows in the Bible.

So God created mankind in his own image,

    in the image of God he created them;

    male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

So we have this perfect garden set within a perfect creation. Then God makes humans in His image/likeness. Everything is going very well. What happens next has been a question for theologians to debate for centuries. 

God gave humans free will. We have the ability to decide things for ourselves apart from God’s will. He could have made humans into robot-like creatures who simply did everything they were told. But He wanted beings to interact with Him, to be companions who could choose and reason. People who could decide to worship God and be part of His family.

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:8-9

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:15-17

All Adam and Eve had to do was take care of the Garden of Eden and enjoy being with God. The only rule they had to follow was to leave a single tree alone within the Garden of Eden.

I do not believe God was shocked when Adam and Eve ate fruit from the forbidden tree. God was “playing 3D Chess” as it were. He was many moves ahead and had already prepared for what was to come and how He would see humanity ultimately placed into a position worthy of full fellowship with Himself.

God at some distant point in the past had dealt with one rebellion already. A being called Lucifer had turned against God and led astray a number of angels in a revolt against God. (Isaiah 14:12, Revelation 12:3-4). Humanity’s rebellion against God’s law would come early and their redemption would unfold in an elaborate plan that is woven throughout the Bible and culminates in the arrival, life, death, and resurrection of God Himself on earth in the Person of Jesus. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit would work to save humanity from the fate of an ultimate death and separation from the Creator.

Something I want to touch on regarding our likeness to God is how closely it is connected to God’s anger, His great wrath toward sin. There are sins we commit against God personally, acts of rebellion, misusing His Name, and acting in an ungodly manner. But God is equally as angry toward the sins we commit against each other.

When we sin against each other, mistreat or abuse each other in numerous ways, we are hurting a godlike being. God takes such actions personally. Because we are made in God’s image our sins are an insult to God’s holiness and perfection. God did not create us to wallow in filth like hogs, or to maim and kill each other. Such actions bring on God’s wrath and judgment.

 

Jesus came to earth to free us of our tendency to sin. Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice to re-establish the relationship we had with God in the Garden of Eden. And to move beyond that early stage of humanity to become members of God’s family through a new relationship, a Covenant between ourselves and God made through our acceptance of Jesus as the atonement for our sinfulness.

God the Creator of everything made mankind to join Him in the heavenly realm. It began on earth as an elaborate plan that would unfold over thousands of years. God had this story written in His mind before the first page of Genesis was ever recorded. He knew what He was doing. Our Sovereign God in His kindness and mercy not only made us, He wants us to be with Him in an eternal Holy relationship. God made us to be like Him and with Him forever. No wonder we praise, worship, and love our Lord.

Prayer: dear Lord, in Your amazing grace you created humanity knowing we would be weak and sinful, and yet You chose us to become like You and to dwell with You forever. Thank You for Your Love and Mercy which is beyond our full comprehension. Bless You Lord, we will praise You eternally. Amen.