Setting The Environment

 

“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”   Luke 8:5-8 (ESV) Those who struggle to grow do so because they have not adjusted their environment to be conducive to growth. If our lives are rooted in the things of this world that have no spiritual nutritious value, we will spiritually starve. If we are planted in a place that has no place for roots to develop such as cement or rock-type soil, we cannot develop roots. If our personal life is so full of “things” that also require the time and energy our spiritual development requires, we will experience stunted growth as best. Those who learn and grow do so because they set their environment to do so and are intentional about how they spend their time, and what they allow to absorb their limited resources .Those who carefully guard their environments are not legalists. They are wise.

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Understanding Grace and Mercy

 

"And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”    Luke 7:40-50 (ESV) It is impossible to live the life we were meant to live if we fail to recognize the sin that keeps us from such a life. Confession should be our first response to God, and the understanding of our failure should be the foundation for understanding His mercy and grace.  Those who are not awed by God’s mercy and grace have never understood and acknowledged their own depravity.

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Offended or Awed?

 

"In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”    Luke 7:21-23 (ESV) It is interesting that Jesus accomplished this list of miracles and then needed to remind people that they would be blessed if they were not offended by him. How could someone be offended by Jesus? He was caring for the sick and preaching the good news to the poor, people from whom He would not benefit. People are often offended when they encounter absolute authority, for it diminishes their authority, and has the possibility of challenging their thought process, lifestyle, and the many conclusions they promoted to family and friends. Eventually, their value, which has been wrapped up in their viewpoint, is challenged, and they change from a debater to a warrior. Jesus lived a life that was exemplary in every way, and thereby, challenging in every way, and those who did not want to be challenged needed to do everything they could to diminish His impact on the world. Those who honestly evaluate Jesus are not offended, but rather awed by Him.   Learn More at Relate365.com

If you lack faith, you do not know Him

 

And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”   Luke 7:6-9 (ESV) Without faith it is impossible to please God, yet faith is not something that can be manufactured. It is a fruit of what or who we know. If you really know God, you trust Him. If you trust Him, you act in faith. If you lack faith, you do not know Him. Some think that more faith would be good, when in reality, even a little faith would be good. The idea of mustard seed faith is real, and we see that God is not dependent upon our faith to be God or to accomplish His work. The faith we have, even a little faith, benefits us, not Him. Those who lack faith need to readjust their lives so they can get to know who God is, for there is no possible way for someone to really know God and lack faith.

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Belief Revealed!

 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”    Luke 6:46-49 (ESV)

Thoughts and words are easy to come by, yet it is our actions that define our beliefs. Throughout my sports days, our coaches continually reminded us that tough circumstances demonstrated our character. When the rains of life produced floods, if we believed right, if we acted on what we believed, we would be able to ride out the storm.

If we neglected the truth, the storm would wipe us out. The storms of life are most revealing, can be our best teachers, and they can force us to honestly evaluate what we believe.

What has the storms in life revealed you believe? How does that line up with God’s truth?

The Right Questions

 For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."    Luke 6:43-45 (ESV)

Anger, depression, anxiety, and hopelessness are not fruits of the Spirit. We know that those things are not caused by God, nor are they fueled by a faith-rest life. Certainly, we all experience moments in our lives when we struggle, for various reasons, with these emotions.

However, as we do, it is best to first acknowledge that these thoughts and feelings are from not thinking correctly about life, they are not from God, and they are not fruits of the Holy Spirit.

After that acknowledgement, if we stay in God’s Word, we can begin to challenge what we feel with what we know and begin a healing process. In the end, we will see that if we know truth and rest in it, we will be able to enjoy God and people while we work through the challenges of life.

There are answers in life to those who ask the right questions.

 

 

Focusing On What I Know

 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye."    Luke 6:37-42 (ESV)

No man can justly censure or condemn another, because, in fact, no man truly knows another. (F. Jacox.)

Judgment is not observing obvious right and wrong, such as murder, slander, stealing, and more. Judging is determining the “why” someone did something.

I have enough trouble trying to understand my own motives, much less trying to figure out the motives of others. I would be wise to focus on what I know, not what I speculate.

Motivation For Action

 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."    Luke 6:27-36 (ESV)

When our motivation for action is based on what we get out of it, we will always be positioned to fail. Healthy people do not focus on themselves and how they are best served. Instead, they focus on the understanding that they were created to serve and live accordingly.

Dangerous Blessings

"“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets."   Luke 6:24-26 (ESV)

The Scriptures seem to be clear about warning us of the dangers of having, and, of course, loving riches. With these warnings in mind, we need to look for the great danger that must be associated with wealth, comfort, and so on.

It seems obvious that God is not against blessings, yet His definition of blessing might be different than ours. It is obvious that money, the abundance of it, or the lack of it, is not a criterion for being blessed, yet it poses a real and present danger to those who have it.

Perhaps the key is found in the phrase “have received your consolation.” Perhaps those who find comfort, purpose, and status in money are the miserable ones, for riches were never meant to be loved; they were meant to be used.

There is a positive quality in those who cannot trust themselves that is hard to duplicate in those who have much in which they can trust. The wealthy would be wise to daily remind themselves of the many ways they are dependent upon God, and seek His purposes for their wealth. In that, they too will be blessed.

Blessings

 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets."   Luke 6:20-23 (ESV)

We often speak of being blessed, yet a standard definition of blessing seems obscure at best. Was Mary blessed when she became pregnant as a virgin? Was she blessed when abandoned at Bethlehem, and eventually watched her innocent Son die on a cross? Yes.

Was Stephen blessed when he was given an assignment that angered the crowd so that they stoned him to death? Yes.

Were the apostles blessed when, in general, they were all martyred for their faith? Yes. 

God does bless people and mentioned that Mary may have been the most blessed of all. If we are going to use the term blessing, we need to understand its meaning as given by God and not create our own.

To be blessed of God is a great privilege and responsibility that should bring great joy to our hearts, even though it may bring pain to our life.

How To Improve....

 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.    Luke 6:7-11 (ESV)

The scribes and Pharisees watched him so they could try and find fault in him. This sounds like politicians today. It also sounds “Satanic” in that it is apparent that Satan roams the earth looking for those whom God loves that can be accused before God.

If you watch anyone for long enough, you will find their faults, except Jesus. The only way you can find fault in Jesus is to make one up, as they eventually did when they crucified Him.

Jesus did not live to impress people, but to improve people. Those who think they cannot improve must avoid contact with Him, for every life with which He comes in contact will be challenged. 

Religious people are a hateful, spiteful bunch who enjoy attempting to coerce others into their miserable ways, and who somehow think their lives are successful when their miserable numbers grow. It is best to avoid them.

Crowds often turn into mobs...

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:27-32 (ESV)

Matthew was the least likely candidate to be a follower of Jesus. He was tolerated by the government authorities, hated by the Jews, and it seems His only friends were those who, like him, collected taxes.

Yet, Jesus saw something in Matthew, and Matthew saw something, perhaps something he was looking for, in Jesus, for his response was immediate.

The crowd, always ready to pass judgment on anyone in any kind of authority, was hateful towards Matthew, and spiteful towards Jesus. There was no way that either one of them would be able to anything “right.”

Crowds often turn into mobs and must never be the final authority about what is right and wrong.

Education is about alignment, not enlightenment.

When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”   Luke 5:22-24 (ESV)

When we ask questions, we need to be looking for answers. If we are just trying to prove our point, the questions become pointless.

Jesus made it clear that He was and is God. The evidence was strong.  His actions displayed in public should leave no doubt as to who He was.

Yet still, in the midst of this clear revelation, somehow man remained confused.

When we complicate matters, we choose to remain confused. The overeducated, self- consumed individuals are most difficult to persuade because they are looking for answers that align with their thoughts and feelings.

Education in its purest form leaves the student in awe of what is discovered. The more truth one knows, the dumber one feels. With more understanding comes more sorrow.

Education is about alignment, not enlightenment. Those who comprehend truth and align their lives with the truth have used the information they have gained well. Those who know the truth and do not align their lives with it are fools, and they are dangerous to society.

Schedule The Time

And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.   Luke 5:18-19(ESV) It is not always convenient for us to adjust our lives so that we are able to sit in the presence of God. Often, we need to make an effort, change a schedule, or create a time slot. It seems that sometimes the smallest things keep us from meaningful time with God. We get up late, have too much to do around the house, are preparing for guests, have unexpected emergencies, and so forth. If we used the same excuses in our human relationships, we would have limited, scattered, and poor relationships with people. If we want to be close to God, we need to spend time with Him. If we want to think like He thinks, speak as His representative, give as He would give, and show the world we live in who He is by our everyday life, we need to spend time with Him.  For now, the choice is ours.

Proximity

 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.   Luke 5:15-16 (ESV)

People are always fascinated by wondrous works.

Sometimes we are tempted to put on wondrous works to attract the crowds so that we can minster to them. Jesus did not need to put on an act. His normal life was wondrous enough.

What intrigues me is that Jesus, in the middle of great opportunity, withdrew from people and found a desolate place to pray. He was not pressed into an agenda. He set the agenda. The crowds would always be there and always be impressed by whatever He did. He was unimpressed with what impressed them.

We can make working for God a terrible substitute for being with God. Our efforts can become the substance of our trust, and we might even create some new Scripture that speaks of God only helping those who help themselves. We could even measure our value as to how busy we are in His work, rather than how close we are to Him.

Being able to create crowds has never been a sign of God’s blessing, neither is it a sign of His absence. In fact, the Godless often do things that attract a crowd and even make the crowd pay to be there. Sad to say, the church often imitates the Godless, and also begins to believe that numbers equals blessing.

Proximity with God alone brings blessing. Proximity should be our first focus, and sometimes that demands we walk away from the crowd.

Moments

While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.   Luke 5:12-13 (ESV)

“The divinely-offered key to a right appreciation of Christ’s spiritual work, even to that which theologians call the Atonement, should be sought by observing how our Lord cleansed the lepers, made the blind to see, and the lame to walk. Let us endeavour to realize how He, whose name is the only name given under heaven among men whereby we may be saved, healed men’s diseases, in order that we may understand, so far as it has been revealed, how He saves us from our sins.” (William Wright)

The leper was in a hopeless situation and realized that only Christ could give him hope. Christ responded and cleansed him, as only He could do. I wonder what this man did with the rest of his life. I wonder how much this moment changed him forever.

God gives us moments, and what we do in the moment and after the moment matters and is driven by what we understood happened.

Leprosy and sin do the similar things to us. What we do with the problem and for every day after the problem matters.

Let’s Follow

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him."  Luke 5:9-11 (ESV)

It is good to sit in wonder, in awe of Almighty God. It is good to fear the Almighty. The very fact that God is Almighty gives us valid reason to do so.

Since God is always right, has no opinions, has no manipulative tendencies, and wants all people to live the way in which they were created, if He tells us we failed to do so, we have nobody to blame but ourselves.

We need not fear when God has a plan, and He always does, and when we put ourselves in the middle of it. These men were amazed by the enormous catch, and now they were being told to do the same to men.

Fear, confusion, and wonder must have been mixed together, yet, in the end, this moment was so compelling that they left all they had and followed Him.

That is a good rule for us as well. When life is fearful, confusing, and we are wondering what is going on, let’s follow Him. He will lead, and our negative emotions will eventually be turned into praising Him for His ways and faithfulness. For now, the choice is ours.

The Start Of All Good Things

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Luke 5:8 (ESV)

The start of all good things comes to those who know that they are sinful and should be separated from God. Those who grasp this truth are firmly in the position to grasp the deeper truths of mercy and grace.

To those who are given much, much will be required, and those who were given clarity to their sinful status, and see the damage this has caused, are the ones who have received the most in this life, and therefore, should have the most required of them.

Jesus expected much from Peter, and He worked with him until he “got it.” The journey for Peter was tough, for he was often left confused, angry, and powerless.

Finally, after his seemingly biggest failures, the denial of Christ and the abandonment of his calling, Peter began to understand that the church Jesus was asking him to begin was about God and His abilities, and not Peter, for if it were about Peter, it would have surely failed.

As much as things have changed, nothing has changed, and what was important back then remains vital today.

Time to change?

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.   Luke 5:4-6 (ESV)

We often focus on what we have done or what we can do, and we forget about what God can do. Our efforts might have yielded a poor result or no result, but God is not dependent upon our effort.

So many evangelical/ministry committee meetings focus on what we can do when we should be focusing on what God’s will is, or what He can do. I am certain that we are not always certain what His will is, but that should never stop us from focusing on acknowledging that it exists and be looking for it.

The Scriptures seem clear that those who seek God will find God, and those who honestly seek His will, and are positioned to listen, will find His will.

Our churches and ministries are about God, not people, yet when they are about God, we become about people in a healthy manner. It is too easy for us to slip into playing to and trusting the hands we see, rather than resting in the One who is unseen. Perhaps there is time to change this.