Wednesday, April 28, 2010

How do you present yourself?

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.
Romans 12:1 (HCSB)

Today's thought is very simple.  If we are to present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice.  How will you present yourself today?  The verse goes on to say holy, pleasing to God.  Are you living a Holy life?  Are you pleasing to God?  If not we are not presenting ourselves to God as we should.  It is a simple challenge of obedience.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Prepared

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 To please the recruiter, no one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of everyday life. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hardworking farmer who ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.
2 Tim 2:3-6 (HCSB)

I was never a boy scout, but I understand that the boy scout's motto is "be prepared."  This should be the motto of the Christ follower as well.  As Paul writes to Timothy his suggestions of preparation are slightly different.  Perhaps we could even say Paul is telling Timothy to expect certain things as a Christ follower.

The first is to expect suffering.  As a Christ follower, or soldier of Jesus we should be prepared to suffer.  Expect it.  It goes agains the grain of what our expectations are.  We think that if we are serving Jesus we should be happy and everything will be good.  The problem is that never in the Bible is that suggested to us.  Rather, we are told to be prepared for suffering.

Second is to be prepared to play by the rules.  In other words we need to know how to play the game.  The Christ follower is really not playing a game but we must understand clearly what the "rules" are.  I think God's word is clear about life and God's expectations for us.  We live with a different World view and we must always keep that in mind.

Last we should prepare to reap a harvest.  There is a reward.  We like that expectation!  We harvest lives changed.  But we also harvest a reward that is beyond this world.  It is very possible, perhaps even likely that you will never see the reward in this life, but Heaven holds a cornucopia of rewards.

Be prepared for all that you should expect as a Christ follower.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Tithe

 I also discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone away, each to his own field. 11 So I reprimanded the officials and said, "Why is the house of God forsaken?" Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts. 12 All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses.
Neh 13:10-12 (NASB95)

Why is the tithe so import for Christ followers to practice?  You may be asking that question yourself.  It is a practice not done as regularly as it should.  Understand that God does not require a portion he requires it all.  That is stewardship.  God owns it all and we give as He asks of us.  He may ask for 10, 20 or 50 percent.  That is another lesson for another blog.  Again why is the tithe so important?  There are two important aspects to the tithe.

First, is personal for an individual Christ follower.  When we tithe or choose not too it speaks to our obedience and to our priorities.  It tells us whether we have placed something in a position of importance greater than God.  If we understand God expects us to give and yet we refuse to do so we have made it clear that God is not first in our lives.  He is at best second or third, or fifth, you get the idea.  It also speaks to our priorities.  If serving God in obedience or financing Kingdom work is not important enough to do it shows us that our priorities are not where they ought to be.  A Christ follower will place obedience to God and priority of Kingdom work above personal aspirations and desires.

Second lesson for us is corporate or has to do with body of Christ.  We tithe so that God's Kingdom work can be done.  God has made a decision that through our tithe, our giving, He will finance the work of the Kingdom.  Here Nehemiah is distraught because Kingdom work is not able to be done because the tithe has been forsaken.  If every Christ follower were to give a minimum of 10% of their income can you imagine the work that could be done, the missionaries that could be sent and the ministries supported.  There would never be a lack for finances in Kingdom work.

So Christ follower that is why we tithe: obedience, priorities and Kingdom work.  Are you being faithful with the money God has entrusted you with?

Friday, April 2, 2010

The Cross for the Condemned

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:17-18 (NASB95)

Jesus went to the cross not to condemn us but because we are already condemned.  We are condemned not because God sent Jesus to the cross but because we are sinners.  Our Human propensity to sin is what causes are judgment and condemnation.  Jesus came to the cross so that we could be freed from that condemnation.  It is a mistake to say that if God is a loving God He won't send anyone to Hell.  God is a loving God and that is why Jesus went to the cross.  God wants to save us from our condemnation.  It is not God who sends us to Hell, we send ourselves with our sinfulness.

Today, Good Friday is a good day to be reminded or to hear for the first time that, yes, we are condemned but God has made a way for us to be freed from that condemnation.  It truly is a Good Friday!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Cross an Expression of Love

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NASB95)

Jesus went to the cross because God wanted you to know how much He loved you.  What an awesome expression of His love.  That He would send His only begotten Son so that we could have eternal life.  I have to be honest, that is a love I do not understand.  I accept it.  I believe it.  I am grateful for it.  But it is just a wonderful expression of love for us more than my mind can comprehend.