The disciples argue about who is the greatest

The disciples argue about who would be the greatest.

Mark 9:33-37 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else. Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.” This is an interesting scripture and is important to us today. Jesus had to remind the disciples that it is not about how important or great we are. He says if you want to be great, be the least and serve everyone else. And don’t look down on anyone and welcome everyone, love everyone, and teach everyone about him. It’s about a relationship with Jesus and serving and helping the kingdom grow. It is not about who does more or who’s the best and we are not in competition with each other. Look, there is nothing wrong with using your gifts to help others and the church and being fruitful and have zeal and want to please the Lord. It talks about using your gifts and what the Lord has given each of us in Matthew 25:14-30. This is a serious scripture and we will be judged for how we used all that God has given us. The apostle Paul took the work he did for the Lord very seriously and it’s amazing all he did and how hard he worked. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ‘Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.’ They had athletic games where people competed every 5 years in Corinth. I think Paul is saying to the church in Corinth look I train harder and longer to become like Jesus and do the work he has given me for the kingdom then these guys in these games do and so should you. I like this translation because it uses the word temperate in all things meaning you have your desires and passions under control. It’s not just running the race to win or doing good, it’s how you run the race. You’re not like a wild animal running around just thinking about yourself and how much you can have and do. You are doing your best to glorify God and to help others with the love from God and the Holy Spirit in you. 2 Timothy 1:7, ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.’ This next line is a quote I picked up from a study a while back that I thought was good: ‘The disciples fell into the same trap of getting so "busy" with running the operation of "The Way" and competing for a higher place in heaven that they forgot why they were chosen in the first place’. I think it is easy to take what the Lord gives and the zeal and power from the Holy Spirit and end up forgetting what the most important thing is and end up maybe hurting people. Galatians 5:15 ‘If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.’  Honestly, I think I will be hurt and as bad as I don’t want to, I will probably end up hurting someone. But here is the big thing for me after writing this; we are all different with different experiences.  In my past, from 1^st grade to probably around 2005, being 40 then, I was always in very competitive situations. I was in athletics and then owned a business and was taught by the world how to compete. I didn’t know the Lord until 2003 and didn’t know God’s word, so I was taught at an early age if you don’t win you loose. And there is no prize or pats on the back or not many second chances if you loose. That’s what the world teaches and how it trains people and our kids to be. But the Lord had started stripping me of this way and attitude way before I came to him.  It was quite painful because I didn’t have an understanding of why things were happening to me like they were till about 10 years later when I accepted Jesus and started reading God’s word. When I came to the Lord I was very tired of this way and being like I was and he changed me. I am very different person in this area than I was before, completely different. I was a very competitive person in all I did and it was hard on me and a lot of people. I am far from what I hope to be and have a long way to go, but I am very thankful and grateful to the Lord for this change in my life. So I have no excuses not to understand this teaching because of my past and what the Lord has done and taught me and he will hold me accountable. Luke 12:47-48 ‘And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn't prepared and doesn't carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.’  When a person comes to the Lord, the last thing a person wants to see is people competing with each other about who is the greatest, the best leader, or who is more fruitful. They have had that shoved down their throat their whole life from the world. They need love and a place to heal and learn about the Lord. The kingdom, church, or body of Christ is a special place where everyone is loved by the Lord and everyone is valuable and needed. The church is held to a higher standard, it is responsible to the teaching of the Lord and God’s word. It’s not just about a good performance and running a race it’s about how we run, how we love and treat others, how we live by these examples. Romans 12:2 ‘Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.’ John 13: 34-35 “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Humility

I wanted to write about the importance of humility in our walk with the Lord. I still feel I have a long way to go so I know I will have even a deeper understanding of humility as I mature and grow and learn through trials and experiences. But for me I was always seen as a humble person as early as I can remember. After I turned 19 I lost my dad and moved from all my friends in Mo. to Az. He was a great example of this in my life he was a very humble person. I didn't know the Lord so the further I got away from this example the worse it got for me. I learned how to make money and was learning some teaching from the world from age 19 to 30 that was not good. There are no words to explain how awesome of a teacher the Lord is but the world and Satan is a very bad messed up deceiving teacher. So the Lord has been my teacher for the last 8 years and it is a process. Like my brother said a guy told him one day, your life is sort a like a twisted up garden hose you have spent your whole life messing up so humble yourself to your master and give him time to untwist you and straighten you out. Ha I thought that was great and true, it takes time and is a process. But for me I'm thankful for that time 19 to 30  for a lot of reasons but the main reason is I finally came to the end of my self broken and humbled myself before the Lord and asked him for help. Jeremiah 29:13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. So for me the beginning of understanding life and my purpose and why I'm here was finding my true Father, the Lord and having him teach me. It starts by getting yourself out of the way and knowing there is a powerful mighty God who made all this and is in charge and you need him.  It is a completely different understanding of things and way of life then what you learn from the world. When you accept Jesus you are reborn spiritually and you have God and his ways and character and heart inside of you teaching you and changing you. You have the Holy Spirit in you and the fruits of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. I want to use 4 scriptures in God's word to show how important humility is and examples of 2 people in the bible. The opposite of humility is pride, Satan became prideful and God hates pride, I'm pretty sure it gets in the way of our relationship with God. James 4:5 ‘But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." Humility to me is you know you need God and are dependent on him and you also know you need others in the church or body of Christ. God gives his strength and grace to the humble. The world and Satan will teach you and your flesh will tell you this is a weakness. When you are humble and meek and God's strength and love is in you it is no comparison to that of the world or your own, that I can tell you with all my heart I have experienced both. Ephesians 4:2-3 ‘With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.' I love this chapter and read it a lot it talks about being humble and patient with each other and being unified with in the Spirit of God. Loving, helping, equipping, teaching each other so the church will be healthy and full of love and everyone plays a part. But the chapter starts with being humble, gentle, patient, and forgiving.  Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” We are all going to go through very hard things in life and our walk with the Lord. Jesus says in this scripture to come to him with these burdens and we can find rest, his yoke is easy and he will teach us. It says he is humble and gentle. We know that Jesus was humble and was dependent on God for everything he needed and did but he wasn't weak by any means. If your a man and you think men in the church are weak or a godly man is weak come and accept Jesus and walk with the Lord. You will soon discover that being a Godly man and leading your family and becoming like Jesus takes a real man and is hard. You will have a different understanding of what being a man is and a new understanding of what humility is. Isaiah 66:1-2 ‘This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.' This is a very humbling scripture for me. He is reminding us who he is, the maker, creator and life giver of everything and everyone. It reminds me that we serve, help, and love each other because of our love from God. But to humble myself and desire to know God and have relationship with him is the most important thing we do in our day everyday. Like God says in Exodus 34:14 I'm a jealous God about my relationship with you. In other words I'm the one who builds everything, not you, I want to know you and love you and have a relationship with you. There is nothing we will ever do or have that will compare to our relationship with the Lord. The 2 men I want to look at in the Word is Moses and the apostle Paul. They both had this amazing relationship with the Lord and I think humility played a big part. Numbers 12:3 & 6-8 (Now Moses was very humble--more humble than any other person on earth.) And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams.  But not with my servant Moses.  Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is.' It says that Moses was more humble than anyone and God spoke to him face to face.’ Moses had a very close relationship with the Lord. Remember back in Exodus 33:12-23 Moses is talking to the Lord about the responsibility given to him to lead over a million of God's people to the promise land and Moses is asking God not to send him if he is not going with them because they would die. Moses was in a very humbling place where he was very dependent on the Lord. The in verses 18-23 Moses asked to see his glorious presence and God didn't let him look at his face, no one has ever seen God but he let Moses see him from behind. Paul is another great example of humility, the story of his conversion, when he started believing in Christ is in Acts chapter 9. After his conversion he went to Arabia for a length of time to spend with the Lord, some say 3 years. Galatians 1:15-17 ‘But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. ‘Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me, so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.' Then in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 it says that Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven by the Lord and given visions and revelations and seen paradise things he couldn't put into words. Then in verses 7-10 ‘even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. 'So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.' Paul's story and past and how God used him and the relationship he had with the Lord is amazing. It also showed how much Paul was given from the Lord and Paul also was put in place of great humility and a place where he was very dependent on the Lord. This really reminds me how important humility is in our relationship with the Lord and am I going to open my heart and give God full access to my life and allow him to work in me and take to a place where I am humble and very dependent on him. Reading, writing, and learning about these things is important but doing is the hard part. Pride will destroy a relationship with the Lord and cause division in the church, the body of Christ. Humility will restore or bring one closer in a relationship with the Lord and bring love, life and unity to the body of Christ.

Seeing and growing

Previously, we talked about dying to ourselves. God is always teaching us so I wanted to share how he taught me through a string of events.  When God wants to show me something he usually does so by multiple teachings or times.   I guess he sort of keeps showing it to me in different ways.  Maybe through his word, devotionals, people, God can use anything or setting to teach you something.  I had been wearing these old glasses with scratches on them for a while so for my birthday I received a gift certificate for new glasses.  I was excited to get better glasses to see, the scratches were annoying me.  I went and picked out frames and after the eye exam they told me I needed bifocals.  They told me I could go with the line or the progressive, the 3 dimensional ‘deal’.  Ha, so I went with neither and got my glasses right away, but I had this area where I couldn’t see 2 to 4 feet in front of me very well with or without my glasses.  So after awhile I thought man how annoying is this and I just spent 300 dollars.  I finally decided to go back and get the progressive.  It took two more weeks and when I went to pick them up I was excited, they explained that my eyes would have to adjust for a while, up to 2 months.  I said, great all I’ve been through, how hard could it be to get used to.  It was a little harder then I thought at first, every time I moved my eyes it was blurry.  After about 4 to 6 weeks it got better but was starting to hurt my eyes and head and I was beginning to think it wasn’t going to end.  Then finally after about 2 months, it’s pretty much all gone and I can see.  About 2 weeks after I started with the progressive I was studying this devotional on truth based on scripture John 8:31-32 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  On this certain daily devotional I get, you can go deeper or go to studies that relate.  So I went a little deeper and ended up looking at a scripture James 1:22-27, ‘But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you’.   It also had a catchy commentary with it from Forerunner; ‘In essence, James describes a person who sees the truth from God's Word and responds by using it.  He sees himself as an instrument of God to be used, even spent, in service to Him and His people. He holds the feelings and well being of others to be as important as his own.  Unlike the myopic person, he sees beyond his comfort zone, following the example of Jesus Christ.’   This devotional, the scriptures and the commentary really spoke to me and stayed with me all day.   I was thinking about what God has done in my life and was thankful that even though I have a long way to go I was humbled and thankful for what has happened.  That night I was just sitting there thinking about the scripture and 2 more came to mind that I thought added to this for me.  In the commentary it says, he sees the truth and uses it and wants to be used by God and holds feelings and well beings of others as important as his own.  John 15:10 ‘When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love.’   I  John 3:18 ‘Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God’.  What was being spoken to me was how important it is to see the truth from God’s word, abide in Jesus and his love and act upon the truth, obey love and help others.  Like James says, don’t just read the word do what it says.  So the next morning I was looking at the study and commentary again thinking about the verses and then I realized how important the great commission, Jesus’ command, is in helping each of us do this.  I realized it was sort of like the blurry glasses, I had on and not seeing things properly.  What I mean is how much God has taught me and been able to serve and help but also I realized I have such a long way to go in a lot of areas, very humbling.  So I shared this with some people close to me but the lesson wasn’t over yet.  A few weeks after that, as I was reading in Mark 8 and this scripture hit me, Mark 8:22-25 ‘When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village.  Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?  The man looked around, “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.”  Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened.  His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.’  This scripture really spoke to me about how God opens our eyes to him and his ways as we grow.  How important it is to stay close and abide in him to learn and see his lessons and that it will also take time and happen different for all of us, a process.  It also spoke to me again about my glasses and that it took time for me to adjust to them, and how important it is to have others around us to help each other grow and see things through other people eyes and what’s on their heart. But the lesson still wasn’t over about 2 weeks after that, I received a text from a guy I meet with, with a scripture from Mark 8.  I was going to a leadership meeting at our church so I didn’t read the scriptures till later.  At the meeting this guy spoke on Luke chapter 15 and tied the whole chapter together, which really spoke to me.  We got home late and I remembered that I still had to read the scriptures from my friend.  I have been in Mark 8 a lot before, a few years back I had some major decisions to make in my life and walk. We were being tested by losing a lot of things in our life but we were also being blessed spiritually.  One of the scriptures I went to a lot was Mark 8:14-21, we had to decide were we going to follow after Jesus and the blessing he was giving or were we going to chase after worldly things?  Were we going to focus on the lack of money that we were used to or trust Jesus and find out what he has a head for us?  When I looked at the scripture that night the whole chapter just sort of spoke to me in a different way.  The chapter starts off with Jesus doing this huge miracle, feeding 4000 people with very little food.  Then right after Jesus does this, the disciples seam to be in a place of disbelief or loss of focus. Jesus gets on them for their hard hearts and not being able to see or hear properly.  They couldn’t understand his ways.  Then Jesus heals the blind man in 2 stages in front of the disciples, I think to teach them to see or perceive spiritual truth will be a process.  Peter then gets a revelation from God that Jesus is the Messiah and that understanding could only come from God.  Right after that, Jesus tells the disciples he is going to be killed and 3 days later rise from the dead.  Mark 8:32-33, ‘As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.  Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then he reprimanded Peter.  “Get away from me, Satan!” he said, “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” This is an interesting scripture because we know Peter wanted to do the right thing but didn’t have a spiritual understanding yet about Jesus and the kingdom.  We can read this and see Peter and the mistake he made we need to understand we will also be tested with times where we are not yielded fully to the Lord or have our heart in the right place or seeing things correctly.  We could think we are making a decision to protect someone or help but get in the way of or oppose someone who is doing a work of the Lord.  In the last of this chapter Jesus says, “If you want to be my follower you must deny yourself and follow me. Give up your life, lose your life and gain me and something better.”  I think what is important for me is to be humble and have my heart in the right place with the Lord to be able to see spiritual truth and what God’s heart is for us and others.  But not only be able to see the truth, because all believers of Jesus has the Holy Spirit and most all can reads God’s word, but also apply the truth and do what it says with love and humility.  Easier said than done I think, for all of us.  1^st John 3:18 ‘Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.’  Sometimes I think  the works we do, which is important don’t get me wrong, may become a little more important to us than the people, the body of Christ, and the love we have for each other. Mark 8:15 "Be careful," Jesus warned them, "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."

dying to ourselves

God had no children too weak, but a great many too strong to make use of." —D. L. Moody Hosea 10:1 Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.  John 3:30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. In the last blog we talked about following Jesus. Every believer has to carry their own cross and follow Jesus. Today I’m going to write about dying to ourselves, getting our flesh and selfishness out of the way as we grow and become more like Jesus. I know in writing this that I still have a long way to go in this area and to help me grow in this area there will be shaping, molding, trials, and some painful situations ahead. Looking back, when I came to the Lord I was broken and hurting in a lot of ways and very tired and frustrated. Even though I was in this condition it was also a blessing, because the Lord had a empty vessel to pour his Holy Spirit, grace, and love into. What an awesome experience that was at the time, but also though very painful.  John 12:24-25 ‘I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life’.  I also noticed that when I came to the Lord that a lot of things in my life started to change for the better. I started noticing that a lot of the struggles I was having just sort of went away, you know problems, worries, relationships, and a lot of it was just knowing the Lord and my state of mind. But I also noticed after awhile that a few struggles and problems were left in my life. And after time I learned that these were left to refine me, shape and mold me, test my heart and help me grow. I didn’t like them and wanted them gone but God used them for his purpose in my life and still does. So when I was going through this and asking the Lord for help and understanding, he helped me and taught me day by day. Here is a huge verse he gave to teach me, Judges 2:22, ‘I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their forefathers did.’ The Lord was teaching me to learn his ways and obey him because he loves me and has a plan for me and it was a blessing for me in my walk with the Lord. The Lord has a purpose for the things he does and uses in your life even discipline and pain. We can look at some scriptures and some examples of people in the bible. Even if I want to change and turn from something in my life to grow or become more like Jesus, I know I can’t do it on my own. We can do nothing apart from the Lord and his hand is in everything we do. I know I have free will and I have to yield to the Lord and fear him and want to change in my heart, but he does the work not me. Jeremiah 18:1-3 ‘The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, "Go down to the potter's shop, and I will speak to you there." So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.’ This translation says spoiled, without the Lord shaping and molding us I think we would be spoiled. Instead of becoming more like Jesus and the salt of the earth. John 15:1-2: “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”  It says here that the Lord will even prune the branches that are fruitful so they will produce more. We will each be pruned according to his will and purpose for our life. Hosea 10:11-12 "Israel is like a trained heifer treading out the grain--an easy job she loves. But I will put a heavy yoke on her tender neck. I will force Judah to pull the plow and Israel to break up the hard ground. I said, 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.'  I know this verse sounds harsh but sometimes in order for us to become loving and have our hearts in the right place, we need to be disciplined by the Lord or we will just be a good person and mask it and do our own thing. I think we can get pretty good about looking good on the outside but what’s on the inside, God knows.1 Peter 4:1-2 ‘Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.’  I know when I first came to the Lord I was very ready to listen and do his will. In order for me to keep this hunger, he has to continue disciplining me with his love, it’s just the way it is. In order for me to die to myself everyday little by little and get my flesh and selfishness out of the way I will need help from the Lord or it won’t happen. I want to give 2 or 3 examples in the bible of men who the Lord changed. One is Jacob his story is in Genesis 25-49, he was a great guy used in a huge way by the Lord but was selfish and a manipulator in his dealings with people. So Jacob cheats his brother Esau out of his family inheritance and angers him so he flees to Paddan-Aram for 14 years where he starts a family, all in Gods plan. God called Jacob back to his home to bless him with 12 sons the 12 tribes of Israel. But before he used him for this purpose he seams to have changed his life in Genesis 32:24-28 ‘This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob's hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!" But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." "What is your name?" the man asked. He replied, "Jacob." "Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won." There are some different theories on this about who it was, how and why this happened. But whether the man was Jesus or an angel they allowed Jacob to wrestle with them for a long period. Then he wrenched Jacob’s hip out of socket, which sounds painful and I’m sure stayed with him the rest of his life.  Maybe, before God could bless him or use him for the purpose ahead, he needed to change Jacob. Maybe God tested Jacob to see if Jacob would give up his will and flesh and selfishness and be submissive but he wouldn’t, so he had to humble him for what was ahead and for God’s purpose. The point I’m making is maybe in our life we are fine and God comes in and put us through some pretty hard stuff for how he wants to use us ahead. That’s the sovereignty and will of God for our lives, he has the agenda and plan, we don’t, we follow he leads. Romans 9:19-20 ‘Well then, you might say, "Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven't they simply done what he makes them do?" No, don't say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, "Why have you made me like this?"  The 12 disciples, I love to read about these guys and Jesus and how he taught them. Jesus spent 3 years teaching and training them for the huge part they would do in the kingdom and help starting the church. Even though they were with Jesus it was hard for them to get their flesh and selfishness out of the way and understand the kingdoms ways and why Jesus had to die. As they spent more time with Jesus, learning his ways, seeing his miracles and how much he loved them and all people, they changed and really wanted to serve and give their lives to him. But they needed a little help from God to become who he wanted them to be. Luke 22:31-33 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not: and when you are converted, strengthen your brothers.” And Simon said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you, both into prison, and to death.”  I’m sure in Peter’s heart he wanted to die for the Lord and do fully what the Lord wanted him to do. But Peter and the others need to mature in their faith so God put them through some testing, refining, shaping, molding, and failure to grow. It says after you are converted, strengthen you brothers, meaning after you change, grow stronger and learn help your brothers. It is good to know how much God loves us and that we can have peace and an understanding why we have to go through some of these things to grow and get our flesh and selfishness out of the way to become more like Jesus. 

Following Jesus

The last blog we ended with how I would like to always understand God’s heart and ways. You know, find out what He wants for my life and where He wants me. To grow into the person He wants me to be and become more like Jesus. On my journey or walk with the Lord I have had some of this revealed to me but yet I know I have a lot that is uncertain and unknown to me yet. I guess that is the faith journey we all take. The Lord has given me everything I need for this journey so there are no excuses. He has put some great leaders in my life to help me learn from but we all find this out from a relationship and following Jesus. Like in John 21:19-22 Jesus tells Peter to follow him. Then Peter asked Jesus what about John?  And Jesus says, “What is that to you? As for you, follow me.”  We all have to accept Jesus and follow him. Like in John 1:38 Jesus turned around and saw two disciples following him and he said, “What do you want.” As if to say, do you really want to follow me and know me and know what I’m about and have for you, or are you just playing around. I think it explains this well in Mark 8:34-38 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Colossians 2:6-7 ‘And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.’  I think this can be pretty tough sometimes, but it says as we follow we can get deeply rooted in Christ as we grow.  There is a lot God has given us to help follow Jesus. John 1:12 ‘But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’ So when we accept Jesus, God gives us the power to become sons of God. We have his Holy Spirit in us and his love. Like it says, we are reborn spiritually with the will of God in us. In 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 it talks about how with the Holy Spirit in us we can understand God and his ways and have the mind of Christ. When we follow Jesus, read God’s word and with the help of the Holy Spirit we can do this.  I like to read the whole bible, but what helps me understand Jesus is reading the gospels.  I find I have a long way to go yet.  You know what Jesus done, why he came, how he taught people and the 12, how he cared for healed and loved people, how he stayed close to his father, how he handled people trying to snare him into becoming a earthly king, people betraying him and trying to kill him, and you know how he related to all these earthly struggles. I feel I must know more about him and understand him. It is a completely different view for me now than the first 30 years of my life. It says in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, ‘So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!’  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  To end I have two scriptures, one came yesterday and one I have been reading for the last few months. In Luke 2:41-52, Joseph and Mary take 12 year old Jesus to Jerusalem for Passover. They get ready to leave with the family and friends and Jesus stays behind. And Jesus spends 3 days in the Temple listening and talking to the teachers and rabbis. He blows them away with his understanding for being 12 years old. Even though he was a growing boy in the flesh, he knew God very intimately, he was God. So if I want to understand God more I need to know him more and in a deeper way. When they find him Jesus says in verse 49, “But why did you need to search?” he asked, “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” When we follow Jesus, he leads, we follow.  Jesus is about his fathers will and kingdom. It’s not about us or what we desire, it’s about God and his plan. Like it said, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.’  Easier said then done and I have a long way to go.  It tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:15, ‘He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.’  In Luke 2:51, ‘Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.’  This is the verse that has really spoken to me, because it says Mary stored all these things in her heart. She knew he was the son of God, but after that I’m sure she saw her boy, Jesus, in a different way. As I follow Jesus, and learn I need to see what he does in my life everyday and listen to what he teaches me and store it in my heart.  I want to grow and become who he wants me to be, not what I want or what someone else wants for me. I want to be who Jesus wants me to be. I find this is not so easy, but like Jesus asked the two disciples, “What do you want?”  I think if I want to know and seek him whole heartedly he is faithful and true and will show me over time as I follow. He will get in the trench and walk with me. Two things come to mind, one is I have to be myself, who he made me to be. I can’t be something I’m not. I understand we will change and grow but if it’s at the expense of trying to compromise the truth or who Jesus made me to be, I don’t need it. That’s not success that’s being phony. This verse came to me yesterday which really hit me. John 1:47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Nathanael was one of the chosen 12 but not much is said about him. I’m hope to find out more about him over the next week. But obviously Jesus spoke highly of him because he was honest and sincere and didn’t try to be somebody other than himself. I think this is very important in our walk with Jesus. There is always pressure from others to perform to their standards, which is okay if that’s right with Jesus and you are being true to whom he wants you to be. We are all called to be submissive to others and grow and learn to become like Jesus. The other is to die to ourselves and get our flesh and selfishness out of the way. I know this is hard and there are some examples in the bible we will look at next week. God has put some great people and mentors in my life that are great examples to me, but we all have this in common.  We all struggle with this and haven’t mastered it by any means but we all must continue to pursue Jesus hard and to press into him to overcome and have victory in our walk to become more like Jesus and find what he has for us. This is just what I have observed by watching others and being around them. I learn from the people around me but Jesus is who I have to follow and spend time with.  He is my real teacher. He is my master and where he wants me I will go. Galatians 2:20, ‘My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.’ So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 6:14-15, ‘As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.’

Uncut and unpolished stones

God has been putting a lot of good things in my life lately. More opportunities in his kingdom, the kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that grows into this huge tree that has many branches. A chance to meet more godly people, help me grow and continue to help further God's kingdom. I think to help me in these opportunities or many roads I was given a verse from the Lord to help me keep focused on him. A few months ago I was reading in my daily reading in Exodus 20 and when I read this verse it really spoke to me. It has been one of those that he continues to keep in front of me, so I know he is trying to tell me or show me something. Since then, it has been in other studies, devotionals, conversations and it’s been interesting to hear from other people and what they think. Exodus 20:23-25 ‘Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me. Build for me an altar made of earth, and offer your sacrifices to me--your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats, and your cattle. Build my altar wherever I cause my name to be remembered, and I will come to you and bless you. If you use stones to build my altar, use only natural, uncut stones. Do not shape the stones with a tool, for that would make the altar unfit for holy use.’ God freed his people from slavery in Egypt and he is leading them to this land, the promise land he has prepared for them. This story is in Exodus through Joshua. Through this whole time and through out the bible God tells his people, not to have any other god's. Nothing that will compete with my relationship with you, ‘I am a jealous God’, Exodus 34:14. Then he tells them to build an altar to offer sacrifices, this is not a permanent altar because they are on the move. But here is what popped off the page to me that day continues staying in front of me still to today, Exodus 20:25. God instructed his people to use natural, uncut stones and do not shape with a tool because it would make it unfit for holy use, others translations says defile it or pollute it. This is what spoke to me that day. God wanted this done in a certain way, not their way. He says build this altar, but build it the way I'm telling you and use what I provide and give you. Don't fancy it up with your own ideas, knowledge or skills and put your own spin on it. There are times where God wants us to use our skills and knowledge to do something for him.  Later, God instructs them to build the temple, to shape and polish it using craftsman, but in either case it was still done the way God wanted it done. I think sometimes God wants to do something in our lives or gives us opportunities and we want to do it our way or control it. Maybe there is pressure or it is not his timing yet so we manipulate and try to do it our way. In Acts 2:42-47 all I see is the apostles along with a group of believers and they came together and shared and loved on each other.  They shared meals and all they had, worshiped, prayer, and shared the Lords supper. They were kicked out of the temple so they didn't have a building or church, but what they did have was the apostle’s teachings, you know the guys who knew Jesus and spent time with him. The main thing of course was God, the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe God is doing this new thing and the Holy Spirit is working in a situation and we think we could do it better and we structure it, plan it, control it, we quench the Holy Spirit. Like in Exodus 20:25, God wants to use an uncut stone and we want to shape and polish it and we pollute it. God's ways is way different then our ways and the way he sees things is way different then the way we see them Isaiah 55:8 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”  Let me go a little further, I was sitting in church last Sunday during worship and God lead me to look at this verse again Exodus 20:25. Then during the next hour and a half he showed something else that didn't really come to me until later that day. It really tied into the last blogs that I have written, I see all these people in the body of Christ getting a chance to tell what God is doing in their life that are filled with the love of God have a chance to tell what ministry they are serving in or leading in to help the church, the body of Christ. Then it came to me why he had me read this verse, God wants to use all these people like the unpolished or uncut stones. When God picked Moses to lead his people to the promise land, you know the guy in Exodus 4:10-11 that says he couldn't talk good, he picked King David a young shepherd boy, what about Gideon in Judges 6. Would we pick any of these guys, no! The bible is full of pages and stories of people God used. So why would people who think they are polished or equipped have a problem with this. Could it be a lack of faith or trying to control?  I like the 12 disciples that God picked to follow JESUS and start the church which we are a part of today. These guys were unpolished and uncut like the stones. God picked the 12 and he wanted, men he could do something new through, he shaped and molded them the way he wanted, he taught them to follow and become like Jesus. Think about it, who would have picked those 12?  We all would have picked the more polished guys, the guys who knew more, well like or dressed nicer. When we read God's word and in our relationship with the Lord what is awesome is we get to understand the heart of God and his ways. I think it is clear that God's church, the body of Christ, is very special to him and he has a plan for every believer. We have to keep in mind how important people are to God and that he is the vine dresser. I’m in a ministry where people mentor each other one on one. I’m very careful how I speak into a mans life. God has a plan for this person and I just want to help him grow and come closer to the Lord. 2 Corinthians 2:9 ‘But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”. Our entire walk is about faith and trust in God and how he wants to work in our lives for his glory. It takes a lot of faith from a leader or pastor who will use uncut or unpolished people. But in the long run their faith will be rewarded and the church, the body of Christ will grow. Sometimes you suite up with who God gives you, not who you get to choose. Hebrews 11:6 ‘And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. JESUS came to set us free Isaiah 61:1 ‘The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.’ So we can all play a part and help God's kingdom grow and do the great commission. Matthew 28:18-20 ‘Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  When we become part of this family or church or kingdom it is not about I, we, or me.  It is about God and helping his church the body of Christ.  How does this apply to me or my life?  When I am called or get a chance to help play my part in the kingdom. I need to understand God's word and his heart in the situation. I need to make sure I'm doing it the way God wants it done. I need to align my heart and desires with his and not manipulate or control the situation. I need to humble myself and do the best I can to glorify God and help others do the same. It’s not a competition, Its about helping the kingdom grow and the church be healthy. I need to see things through God's eyes and understand his ways. 

God's Holy Temple

Last weeks blog was about because of our faith in JESUS and if we believe and accept that he came as God in the flesh. He gave his life on a cross to free us from our sin and eternal separation from God. JESUS restored our relationship with God, we are a child of God, we have eternal life, and we are reborn spiritually and have the Holy Spirit in us. We start a new life with the Lord and we become a new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17: ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.’  He free's us, we are set aside for his purpose and we all who believe become part of God's Holy Temple. Ephesians 2:21: ‘We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.’ I like this translation because it says, ‘carefully joined together.’  We all become part of God's church and Christ is the head of the church. Ephesians 1:22:  ‘God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.’ The church is not a building, system, structure or place it is a sacred, spiritual, holy temple that belongs to God all who accept Christ are a part of. The church or God's temple is made up of all different kinds of people who believe that are filled with God's Holy Spirit, grace and love. 1 Corinthians 6:19: ‘Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.’  Ephesians 1:13-14: ‘And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.’  The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him’. The purpose of the church is to glorify God. We are all given spiritual gifts, time, experiences, and resources to accomplish this. What is very exciting for me and where my heart is and what he has shown me is this, I know that every believer is very valuable and loved by God and has something from JESUS that the people in the church need. It is clear in the word of God that this is true that we all need to play a part. It explains this in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we are all given gifts to edify the church and how the church is compared to a body full of many different parts that function together and need each other. 1 Corinthians 12:21: ‘The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you."   Many believers’ may not realize this or understand how valuable he or she may be or that they have these awesome things God has given them or done in their life. They may need a little help from others in the church like a mentor to help them have a closer walk with the Lord. So they can start following JESUS and start finding out who they are, their  own spiritual identity. I know I did and I'm able to help others but I am still finding out who I am and what JESUS has for me each day, it is a faith journey that I love and it brings me closer to him everyday. That is why I like Ephesians chapter 4:1-16 so well I think. Verse 1 says that each of us have been called by God. In other words we all have a calling a purpose from God himself. Then it talks about how we are unified in the church by the Holy Spirit and love and peace and humility from God. Verse 7 says that through Christ we are all given a special gift. Verse 11-12: ‘Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.’  I like this translation, it says it is their responsibility is to equip God's people and build up. In other words, do the great commission, equip and disciple the body of Christ. Teach them how to teach and disciple and love others. Take care of other peoples needs, help where you’re gifted or have resources and where someone else is weak or has a need. Take the time we have and invest in the body of Christ, watch out for Satan he is crafty and will weight you down with too much responsibility to where you are not investing in relationships or people in the body of Christ. Because when this is all over people and relationships is what matters, the body of Christ is God's temple that he loves and that is what is going to heaven. In the last blog I ended with Ephesians 4:16: ‘From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love.’  This is an awesome verse that speaks the need of every believer to be used and properly fitted in the body where they are helping others grow and full of love. I read a commentary that says, ‘every part is joined together and supplies love and vigor and helps nourishes all the others. Every member plays a part and no one is over taxed.’  Only JESUS can make this happen and has the plan. I think it is clear in God's word that he desires us to do this and help his church be healthy and strong and full of love. JESUS came to Peter after he was resurrected in John 21:15-17  and asked him 3 times do you love me Peter and told Peter to feed my lambs, take care of my sheep. What this speaks to me is JESUS says if you really love me then serve me and help take care of my people, the body of Christ and focus on this. Love on them, disciple them, be patient with them, encourage them to do the same so my church will healthy and full of love and stand out to the rest of the world and glorify God and be his Holy Temple. John 13:35, ‘Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.’