Live Boldly

 

“And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”  Luke 12:11-12 (ESV) Jesus said “when” they bring you, not “if” they bring you. Those who demonstrate allegiance to God will be opposed by those who do not. You can plan for that moment, but you never know when that moment will come, so you should always be ready. Throughout the Scriptures we are encouraged to live “ready”--ready for evil to pounce, ready for Christ to return, and ready to give an answer to everyone who asks. Those who love and walk with God live in a state of readiness, and cannot be surprised by the assaults of the evil one or the victory of our King. God may not have told us the exact details of what is to come, but He has told us enough specifics that we should not be caught unaware.  If we know the future, we can live boldly in the present. I am thankful that our Heavenly Father is in control, and that He has only asked me to do something that I can actually do--trust Him. It gives today tremendous meaning as well as hope for the future.

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Ignorance can be corrected, while intentional disobedience is terminal.

 “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”  Luke 12:10 (ESV)

Ignorance can be corrected, while intentional disobedience is terminal.

God speaks to man through His Holy Spirit, and those who ignore the Holy Spirit’s convicting voice have no hope. There is no alternative voice, no second way, and no consensus necessary. When the Spirit of God speaks, we must respond, or we will experience dire results.

Jesus told the disciples in no uncertain terms that it was important that He would leave, and that the Holy Spirit come so that the disciples would have God with them always. Obviously, the Holy Spirit does not speak in a loud voice. He does not necessarily speak in the wind, through earthquakes, or other dramatic events. He does speak through a still, small voice.

If we want to be guided by God, by His Holy Spirit, we need to spend time quietly thinking, and pondering God’s Word. When we honestly do so, it is important to act upon the very thoughts and questions that arise, in those quiet moments.

Today, as you are in the Word of God, as you ponder His truth, you must respond to Him, or lose out on what could be, for ignorance can be corrected whereas disobedience will be terminal.

Father or Judge?

 And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”  Luke 12:8-9 (ESV)

One day all people will give an account of their lives to God. Those who denied Him will wish they did not. Those who ignored Him, will wish they had not. Those who tried to use Him will wish they would have loved Him. Those who blamed Him will see how foolish they have been. Those who accepted His mercy, lived in His grace, and obeyed His Word, will be eternally thankful they made those decisions in this life.

There is little “mystical” about the time we meet God. We will either meet Him as our loving Father or our Judge. He will proclaim our position as His child, or the fact that we never knew Him. There will be no escape from that moment.

For now, the choice is ours.

Small birds can easily be ignored

 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”  Luke 12:4-7 (ESV)

Small birds can easily be ignored. In fact, many times the birds of the air are “just there.” They are unseen, unknown ,and they are irrelevant to most, yet God knows their every move.

Thinking of this gives us a glimpse of the greatness of God and the fact that He is far beyond our comprehension in every area. The point of this passage is not to point out the tremendous ability of God, but the tremendous love of God.

We are the objects of His love. This is an “un” kind of love. It is unfathomable, incomprehensible, unusual, unimaginable, and undeserved.

Today, I need to spend time thinking of and thanking God for such a tremendous love

Healthy People Fear What They Should Fear

 "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”  Luke 12:4-5 (ESV)

Those who refuse to acknowledge and think about the truth should live in fear. They may not be living in fear because they are and have been refusing to look at what is inevitable.

Those who look honestly at the future see and understand that one day, they will no longer be alive on earth. They know that there were years of history that was formed before they ever came into existence, and there will be years of history after they are gone that has nothing to do with them. They realize that they will be physically dead much longer than they are physically alive on this earth, and that all they owned or controlled in this life will one day be owned and controlled by someone else.

Those who are honest know that it is appointed unto man to die, to face judgment, and to live in Heaven or Hell for eternity. Ignoring the idea of God and eternity does not lessen its reality.

Healthy people fear what they should fear, and this fear allows them to live freely within the plans and purposes that were intended for them since before the beginning.

Healthy Fear

 I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.”  Luke 12:4 (ESV)

Godless people attempt to control the world through fear. God rules the universe and should be feared but, for now, does not force us to fear Him.

Those who use fear to motivate have no legitimate authority. One who has legitimate power needs not coerce people into submission. One who has legitimate power and authority never needs to place fear in peoples’ hearts in order to maintain their authority. We do not fear people, for they are power pretenders who will one day stand before the universe’s legitimate “power,” and answer for the lives they have lived.

We fear God because He is a legitimate power, and our fear unleashes His mercy and grace on our behalf. We fear because we know that God will hold us accountable to all we have said and done. We fear because we will be exposed, and we know that if we get destroyed, it will be because of our choices, not His.

Healthy fear is one that fears the truth and what the truth will expose. Healthy people realize this and work their entire lives trying to understand and apply truth, so that the day of judgement will be one of rejoicing rather than a disaster. For now, the choice is ours.

Choose Carefully.

In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.”  Luke 12:1-3 (ESV)

We have no secrets. One day, all will be revealed. This is the great equalizer for mankind.

Jesus talks about the danger of leaven and small substance that has huge effects on the surrounding tissues. Leaven does not look like much, but in the right environment, it thrives and eventually controls.

There are many areas in our lives that act as leaven. Gossip, sloth, and greed are simple to see, yet other areas, that seem harmless, may be of equal or greater danger.

We all need to place a guard or filter on our hearts to isolate ourselves from leaven. Our life “dough” needs to stay completely unleavened if we are ever to reach the potential for which God created us.

Alcoholics start with one acceptable drink, porn addicts start with one viewing, greed usually starts with focusing on caring for self, and being entertained by sin is sin.

If we already have allowed leaven to infiltrate, we need to set up our environment to prohibit its growth, and eventually it will be impotent. We have choices. We need to choose carefully.

 

As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things… Luke 11:53 (ESV) Talking to people in order to provoke them and catch them saying something you can use against them is evil. All men can be provoked, for all men are sinners. However, these scribes and Pharisees were playing a game against one who was so far superior to them that they had no hope in “catching” Him. Jesus was not a mere man. He was and is God. He cannot be fooled, manipulated, or trapped. He will never say anything that is not true, and He has no opinions about anything, for He sees things as they are, always. The Pharisees and scribes trying to match wits with Jesus is like a five-year-old child trying to play football with an All-Pro. Unless the All-Pro has mercy on the five-year-old, it will be totally ugly. Jesus is merciful, and, once again, it showed here, in that lightning did not fall from heaven and consume the ignorant. I need to approach God to learn, not to inform or manipulate Him. If I honestly seek Him, I will find Him, and, in the end, I will be glad I did. Learn More at Relate365.com

Truth is to be discovered, uncovered, and used for the good of all who hear, know, and apply it.

 

One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.  So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”   Luke 11:45-52 (ESV) Was Jesus supposed to avoid the truth because the truth exposed the wickedness of those to whom he was speaking? These lawyers seemed to forget that it is the truth that sets man free, not a manipulation of the facts. Truth is to be discovered, uncovered, and used for the good of all who hear, know, and apply it. If I choose to be offended by the truth, I can never change. If I choose to be convicted by the truth, I will always have hope. For now, the choice is mine.

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Intentionallity

 

And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”  Luke 11:39-44 (ESV) What people think of me is irrelevant, and if I make it too important, I begin to manipulate instead of love. Manipulation is not love, and it demonstrates that we are willing to use what we should love, and love what we use. The end game here is disaster for all involved. May God convict us and forgive us if we are guilty of such evil. I need to intentionally choose to love God and people, and use all other “things” to accomplish that.

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Often, not seeing or hearing something is to our benefit.

 

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”  Luke 11:34-36 (ESV) How we see the world is a powerful motivator or detractor. The wise guard what they see as vigorously as they guard the most precious possession they won. Our senses have much to do with our ability to live successful lives. Once you see something, you will never “unsee” it. Once you hear something, you will never “unhear” it. We all will need to deal with whatever we have seen and heard in life, so the prudent diligently guard both. The Scriptures talk of the danger of the lust of the eyes, and of vain chatter, and gossip, and it is the wise, not the legalistic, who limit what they see and hear. When we speak of seeing something that is sinful in terms of it being “pretend” or “made for Hollywood” and think it does not affect us, we lie to ourselves. Seeing and hearing what we should not see and hear can be as addicting as alcohol.   Just as the alcoholic foolishly tries to focus on the positive affects alcohol claims to have on their health, the luster and gossip monger talk of the importance of “being connected” to those around them. Often, not seeing or hearing something is to our benefit.

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God Has No Perspective

 

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”  Luke 11:34-36 (ESV) “On a man’s knowledge and belief of the truth. No one can have attentively considered human nature, without seeing how much the opinions of men are affected by the state of the heart; and how much more perfectly they understand those subjects which it is for their interest to understand, than any others. If a man’s heart, then, be right with God, the great truths which God has revealed to influence man to act up to this end of his being will be truths which he will especially wish to understand. It is on this principle that our Saviour has declared that if any man will do His will he shall know of the doctrine.” (N. W. Taylor, D. D.) How I see things affect how I live, how I love, and what I consider truth. If I see things through the lens of truth, I live in the truth. God has no perspective, no opinions, and His voice is truth. If I am going to live successfully, I must look for, discover, and follow Him. If not, I will need a lot of luck in life, and since there is not such thing, my hope, in reality, is in nothing.

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Sin Loves Darkness

 

No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.”  Luke 11:33 (ESV) Light does not exist for itself. Light exists in order to give itself away and help others see what is really there. Light cannot cohabit the same space as darkness, and it cannot be overtaken by darkness. Light gives life, and darkness yields death. Light allows us to move with boldness, while darkness brings hesitation. I grew up in the city of Chicago, and though my neighborhood was somewhat safe, there were areas that you wanted to avoid at night because the darkness always brought out evil people. Those who were intent on doing evil slept during the light hours and roamed at night. We do not walk into a room and turn on darkness, for darkness is just the absence of light. We turn on light, and the darkness is gone. People who love sin, like cockroaches, hate light, and run to hide whenever it is present. Those who have the light need to live in the light and shine it bright wherever they go, for in that alone lies their safety.

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Those who understand, are not confused.

 

When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.”  Luke 11:29-30 (ESV) We can demand that God do something to prove He is God, and have Him refuse, and He is still God. You can demand that I do something or say something to prove that I am Dave, and I might refuse, yet I am still Dave. We often live in a confused state, and Satan uses confusion to neutralize our effectiveness. Confused people live as confused people, and are unproductive, angry, scared, and alone. Those who understand what is happening around them are not confused, and they prepare daily for the onslaught of Satanic devices that will be hurled at them. They are often in tough situations, but not discouraged. They may be alone, but not lonely. They may be hated while loving and serving and gaining little reward. They live as if they know something, and they do. They actually know Someone, and they act like it.

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There is no privileged class...

 

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”   Luke 11:27-28 (ESV) A woman in the crowd conveyed a common idea that blessings come from factors that lie outside of our control, yet Jesus corrected her thinking by telling her that being blessed is something available to all. Those who know God and obey God will be blessed by God. All people, regardless of their status, can be blessed because they can choose to know and obey God. God is the great equalizer. All can be a member of His family because all gain entrance into His family the same way, through Jesus Christ. All can be successful because all can know Him and make Him known. All can face a certain and secure eternity because all can trust and obey. There is no privileged class of people who earn God’s favor, just those who thoroughly enjoy His mercy and grace, and therefore live as privileged people.

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No one is truly tolerant...

 

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.  Luke 11:23 (ESV) “Nothing shows men more than their attractions and aversions. Mark the objects of their choice and of their preference; see with whom they most readily and pleasingly associate; and then call to remembrance the adage, “Tell me a man’s company, and I will tell you his character.” Congeniality is the inducement and the bond of union.”  W. Jay Many people in the United States can tolerate all things except the ways of God. This is because the ways of God are specific, direct, and cannot be “sort of” right. If what God says is correct, then those who say something different are wrong. That is the way it is. God is not tolerant, and, in fact, only Satan/evil is tolerant. God is patient, wishing all men to repent, but tolerance involves an acceptance of things that are wrong, and God cannot do that. The flaw in those who preach tolerance is that their tolerance doctrine is based on not being tolerant to those who lack tolerance. This makes the basis of their belief system flawed at best. In reality, no one is truly tolerant, and nobody believes in “choice.” They just use those words when convenient to muster support for a “me first” ideology.

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Trust and Obey

 

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.  Luke 11:21-22 (ESV) We often trust our strength, wealth, and intellect for a secure future. Yet, strength, wealth, and intellect can easily fail, leaving us at the mercy of those who have more strength, wealth, and intellect than ourselves. Those who know God, trust God, and in Him they find all that is necessary for life today, and all that gives us hope for tomorrow. In the United States there are many rich poor people. Their riches and power have fueled extreme comfort that has now become their dominant desire. In the end, those who have focused on themselves, their ability and their comfort will be empty, alone, and tired and have no way to rectify the problem. As the old chorus states, “Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

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The Church is a beautiful place when...

 

But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.”  Luke 11:17 (ESV) Unity is always the “hallmark” of Christianity. Jesus is totally unified with the Spirit of God, who is totally unified with God. If Jesus says something, God and the Spirit would say the same.  They are indeed “one.” Christians are called to be unified as well. Throughout the years, we have mistakenly thought that meant that we need to agree with each other, when it actually means that we should be agreeing with God. Sinful man will always have differing opinions about a host of subjects, because we live lives of perspective, opinions, and ideas that are wrapped in time. God has no perspective, no opinions, and lives outside of time. If we are going to be right, we need to align with Him, and, as each of us does that, we will be unified. The church is a beautiful place when all its members seek the mind of God, rather than seeking the opinions of man. It is the way it should be.

Precious Moments

 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  Luke 11:9-10 (ESV)

Intentionality is the key to healthy relationships both with people and with God. If I seek God, I find God. If a want to know God, I need to spend time with Him. If I want to get good at something, like following God, I need to be intentional.

Those who wait for a time where they accidentally become a committed follower of Christ will never see that time.

Relationships are investments that take time to develop and last for all time. Investment strategies are intentionally started and monitored with the goal of growth, even abundance, in time.

Those who are forever immature keep waiting for someone else to fix their relational problems, while often surrounding themselves with others, waiting for them to fix their relational problems. Needless to say, these problems are never rectified.

We need to be intentional, or we will lose out in the most precious moments of life.

For now, the choice is ours.

Freedom!

 

“…and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”  Luke 11:4 It seems easy to ask God to “do it all”--forgive us, punish our enemies, keep us from being tempted, and in fact, make it so I do not want to do wrong. I need to continually realize that I need to forgive those who have hurt me, just as God has forgiven me. I need to remind myself daily that God alone is capable of vengeance, and if I am healthy, I will be quick to forgive and forget. (Yes, I said forget.) God removes my sin and the memory of my sin as far as the east is from the west. He uses sinners to loudly proclaim His mercy and grace, and continually reminds us to make it about Him, and not us and our sin. The idea of not leading us into temptation is a simple plea and acknowledgement that I am certainly capable of being tempted. There are times where I am weak and helpless, and I will need God to intervene. The acknowledgment of this daily allows me to adjust my thoughts, life, and effects my eventual outcomes. Living in the truth does indeed set one free, and acknowledging truth fuels all that is good.

Part of a Healthy Relationship

 

“…and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”   Luke 11:4 The acknowledgement of our physical struggle and God’s provision for us leads us to think of the very purpose of why we live, and why we have a struggle. The sin in the Garden of Eden caused us many griefs as God’s pronouncement of judgment on Adam and Eve is certain. The world in which we live is stained by sin, the purity is gone, evil is present, and we have no hope of making it completely right until we leave this life. Our sins are grave, therefore, we must acknowledge them before God. If you cannot think of sins you need to acknowledge, then you have been duped into thinking this is something other “sinful” people need to do, and you will be most miserable. Acknowledging our sin, that our sins are wrong, is always an important part of a healthy relationship with God. He knows our sins and struggles, and He loves us, so we can trust Him as we confess to Him. He will not run from us, rather, He will run to us, for we have finally begun the process of being healthy, and He will be there to guide us, help us, and forever love us. God loves us. We need to act in accordance with this truth. Learn More at Relate365

Angry Self-Centered Mobs

 

“Give us each day our daily bread….”  Luke 11:3 It seems intriguing that God places this petition for physical sustenance before our request for food for the soul. God made us to be and enjoy being physical beings, and our hope for enjoyment of this temporal physical condition rests in His ability to provide what is necessary. It is hard for those in the United States to acknowledge the fact that our daily bread comes from God. We have so long enjoyed our prosperity that thankfulness to God for this provision seems contrived. Prosperous time periods often fuel a lack of genuine appreciation for the common necessities of life, and they help create a self-focused “me-centered” culture that will eventually destroy itself. We need to pause, often, and thank God for His sustaining hand. We need to acknowledge our dependence on the Almighty for the life we now live, and for the hope we have in the future. Ungrateful people turn into angry self-centered mobs who eventually use what they should love, and love what they should use. I need to practice being thankful.

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Acknowledgement: The Beginning Of All Good Things

 

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come."    Luke 11:1-2 (ESV) Talking to God is not like talking to a buddy or family member. When we talk with God we are speaking to the creator and sustainer of life. He is not a generic entity who can be called by any name by anyone at any time. There is one God, and we will respect or fear Him in a healthy manner now, or in fear and terror later. When we approach God in prayer, we must approach Him with absolute respect. There is much to sort out as we think of the kind of awe God should elicit, while at the same time realizing that we are coheirs with Christ, and God is our Father (Dad). Whatever your picture of God is, effective prayer always begins with an acknowledgement to whom it is you are actually talking, and this acknowledgement should be in alignment with reality, or you will remain frustrated. We are the ones who need to adjust.

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