"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom 8:35, 37-39

Sinful man naturally assumes the role of the "victim" when life is unfair or harsh and he wants to revenge his hurts. But Jesus Christ tells us to love and bless those who hurt us. The "natural man"(2 Corinthians 2:14) says, "What? No, I must have an enemy. It is not my own sinful response that has enslaved me!" The carnally-minded Christian may decide he cannot blame another human for his sinful responses, so, "Hey, the devil. That's it! He's invisible and does not speak up for himself. I'll make him the culprit, the enemy I can hate and blame and curse."

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Lord of Lords, has "overcome the world," "saved us from our sins," and "destroyed the works of the devil." (John 16:33; Revelation 1:5; 1 John 3:8) By God's grace and mercy, those who believe have been given eternal life. That means the threat of death no longer need paralyze us. Sin no longer has the power to enslave us because the Son has "set us free." With the attitude that we must fight the devil (within or without), we end up not living as free men but as oppressed people seeking to free ourselves from our oppressor. How misleading is that concept! It is our own lusts that tempt us. And when we give in to them, then we are carried away to sin. But we don't have to do that! We can stand in the Lord's strength and authority and not be swept away. We are free to live for God now! No longer are we slaves to anything (sin) or anybody (the world or the devil), who would want to capture us again. We are safe in the Kingdom of God, if we love Him and obey His commandments.

Many think that to love and serve God and others, as Christ taught us, leads to a mundane, subservient existence. How wrong an idea! To be given life by the Spirit of God and to live by the Spirit is the most soul-satisfying, lively way to live. We are not victims who must fight for our existence! We are more than conquerors! We are children of God, freemen, eternally alive. And, God has made us kings and priests of His Kingdom through His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Therefore, do not look for sin to capture you again, when God in Christ has set you on the path of righteousness and has promised to keep you in His care forever. Let the given Holy Spirit and the Word of God convict, teach, reprove, correct you and train you in righteousness, so that you "may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Our God is more than enough! Think about it.

Categories: discipleship

Labels: discipleship

"Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions." Luke 12:42-44

The things God has provided for us here on earth are not rewards! They are provisions to help us serve Him and His purpose and plan. Think about it.

Categories: discipleship

Labels: discipleship

“Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-- mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

One of my strongest desires, that has been with me since I became a Christian, is to see unity between believers; that oneness with the Father and Son and with each other that Jesus Himself desired and prayed for His disciples. Shortly after I became a Christian, the church I attended decided to write a document that all those who would want to be in leadership, teach or serve were required to sign. This document was not based on Scripture, but on someone’s personal interpretation of Scripture that had become a tradition in this denomination and on the jealousy of one of the church leaders of another. The result was more than a third of the congregation left this church fellowship. This was my first encounter with persecution and the evil of division and strife that can harm Christ’s Body. It grieved me then and it grieves me now, for it is still going on in some churches today.

Once again, I find myself thinking about the issues that Christians stand on which cause division and quarreling. I find them to be based on personal interpretations of singular portions of Scriptures rather than the whole counsel of God. In fact, it seems God is not consulted at all. What makes us, Christians, so divisive over certain religious traditions or interpretations of Scripture?

These divisions and quarrels do not spring from the foundational doctrines of our faith or who is God and what are His commandments. They are about “how” we worship and serve the Lord our God. In fact, we too often neglect our Lord’s commandments while fighting over whose best at serving Him or what’s the best way to serve Him. What disrespect of our Lord! He has directed us to service done in love (for Himself and for each other) in humility and with grace. He has said the greatest work is to believe in Him whom He sent and to love one another as He has loved us. How?

For three years He loved and ministered to the very one who would betray Him; the one who would deny Him; the ones who would run away; the one who would not speak up in His defense when He was falsely accused. Yet He loved them and forgave then; and, let them continue to serve Him and with Him, except Judas who killed himself. “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not things present, nor things to come, no powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) Think about it.

Categories: discipleship

Labels: discipleship

Categories: forgiveness

Labels: discipleship, forgiveness