Christians Must Approach God As A Child

                                                      When The Door Slams

Do not despise this small beginning, for the Lord rejoice to see the work begin.                                                                                   Zechariah 4:10a

    

        The world loves the spectacular. God has proven that He is certainly capable of the extraordinary, but He often Chooses to work through the ordinary and seemingly insignificant. In this way God demonstrates His love and His power. 

        Throughout history, God's answer to a critical time was to send a baby. Isaac, Moses, Samuel, John the Baptist, and Jesus were all born as answers to a time of need. When God delivered the Israelites from the Midianites' oppression, God intentionally used an army of merely three hundred men to defeat a vastly larger army. God had more soldiers available, but He preferred to demonstrate His power in this way to accomplished His purposes.

        When Jesus selected His first disciples He could have enlisted a multitude to follow Him, but He choose twelve. It was not the number of disciples but the quality of their walk with Him that would determine how they affected their world. When Jesus fed a multitude, with five loaves of bread and two fish from a boy's lunch were sufficient in the hands of the Lord.

        Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed (Matt. 13:31-32). The mustard seed was the smallest seed known to the Jews, yet it grew into an enormous tree. Jesus also  likened God's kingdom to yeast that is hardly noticeable but raise the entire batch of dough (Matt. 13:33). When children came to Jesus, His disciples assumed they were an annoyance and chased them away (Matt. 19:13-15). But Jesus said that in order to enter His kingdom, people must app0roach God as a child.

        Think about this: Christians often accept the motto "the bigger the better." We measure success by the number of people involved in our ministry. We seek spectacular displays of  God's power. We must learn to view success as God does. God is interested in the heart; God is pleased with obedience. 

        Renewal: May I flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22). May I avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they product quarrels. The Lord's servant much not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, and patient (2 Timothy 2:23-24).

This is the will of God, my sanctification, that I abstain from immorality and learn to possess my own vessel in sanctification and honor. For God did not call me to be impure, but to live a holy life (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4,7).                                 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries

       

There Is No secondhand Spirituality

                                                       When The Door Slams

Then some of the traveling Jewish exorcists also attempted to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I implore you and solemnly command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches!" Seven sons of one [named] Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, was doing this. But the evil spirit  retorted, "I know and recognize and acknowledge Jesus, and I know about Paul, but as for you, who are you?"                           Acts 19:13-15 

        There is no secondhand spirituality. No one else can develop Christian maturity on your behalf. A strong Christian heritage is an asset, but it cannot take the place of your own vibrant, growing relationship with Christ.

        Paul had a powerful walk with God. God used him so mightily that extraordinary miracles occurred through his life. Clothes that touched Paul were taken to the sick, and the sick were healed (Acts 19:10-12). Evil spirits were cast out. Paul's preaching and teaching were instrumental in building a strong church in Ephesus. Paul's ministry was so impressive, in fact, that others tried to duplicate it. 

        Seven sons of the chief priest, Sceva, attempted to cast out demons the way Paul did. They confronted an evil spirit and attempted to exorcise it "by the Jesus that Paul preaches!" These men were trying to use a spiritual power that Paul had acquired after years of walking closely with his Lord.

        They could imitate Paul's words, but they could not duplicate the power that was his through his personal relationship with God. The evil spirit retorted, "I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul--But who are you? The demon then viciously attacked them and humiliated them. The evil spirits were fearfully aware of Jesus (James 2:19); they were familiar with Paul's influence over the powers of darkness. But the demons had no knowledge of the seven sons of Sceva.

        Think about this: Religious people can duplicate the words and deeds of a spiritually mature Christian, but they cannot inherit his or her walk with God. Christian maturity take effort; it comes over time. If you ignore the place of prayer and if your religion neglect your relationship with Christ, you will not grow in your faith. Imitating the faith of others will not give you victory. Only as you nurture your own relationship with Jesus, your life will be filled with spiritual maturity and power.

        Renewal: May I love the Lord my God and serve Him with all my heart and with all my soul (Deuteronomy 11:13). May I set my heart to honor Your name (Malachi 2:2). May I worship the Lord my God, and serve Him only (Matthew 4:10). May I take courage and not be afraid, for the Lord Jesus is with me (Mark 6:50). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.  

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God's Commandments Do Not Restrict You

                                                      When The Door Slams

But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it].                                                                                                                                     1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

        Hold fast to what is good, or the world will take it away. Satan is the relentless enemy of good. When he saw what God gave Adam and Eve was good, he set about to take it away from them. When he saw that King David was pleasing to God, he attempted to destroy David's relationship with God. Never take the good in your life for granted. If you do not hold on to it firmly, you may lose it.

        People will challenge the good that you are practicing. They may criticize you for your moral stand, your child rearing, your use of money, or your involvement in church. Time will pressure you and attack the good in your life. Your time to pray, time to study Scripture, time to be with your family and time to serve in your church will be pressured by the many other time demands you face. You may give generously to your church and other Christian causes, but you will be tempted to spend your money selfishly and minimize the good you are doing with your finances.

        Think about this: Scripture reveals the solution for holding on to what is good and abstain from every form of evil. Evil robs you of what God intends for you. A spouse and family are great blessings, but the evil of adultery can rob you of the good that God has given you. Prayer is a wonderful gift from God. Yet sin robs the power of prayer (Isa. 1:15). If you will not abstain from evil, it will rob you of the good things God has given you. God's commandments do not restrict you: they free you to experience God's best. Diligently abstain from every form of evil, and you will be free to enjoy every good thing God has for you.

Renewal your mind: We must all attain to unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we will no longer be infants, being blown and carried around by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in all things into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

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Righteousness Must Be Cultivated

                                                      When The Door Slams

All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspirational] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God's will, both publicly and privately-behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.                                                                2 Timothy 3:16-17

        All Scripture is profitable! Knowing this, we cheat ourselves when we do not access every book, every truth, every verse, and every page of our Bibles for the promises and commands God has for us. Because every verse of Scripture is inspired by God and gainful to us, we should not pick and choose which verses we will read and study. 

        We should not claim verses we like and ignore those that convict us! If we are to become mature disciples of Jesus, we must allow every Scripture to speak to us and teach us what God desires us to learn. Scripture enables us to evaluate the soundness of doctrines that are being taught. Scripture ought to be the basis for any reproof or correction we bring to another. 

         Think about this: If you are not firmly grounded in God's Word, you will be bombarded with an assortment of doctrines, religious lifestyles, and behaviors, and you will have no means to evaluate whether or not they are of God. You cannot develop a righteous life apart from God's Word. Righteousness must be cultivated. As you fill your mind with the words of God, and as you obey His instructions, He will guide you in the ways of righteousness. Scripture will equip you for any good work God calls you to do . If you feel inadequate for a task God has given you, search the Scriptures, for within them you will find the wisdom you need to carry out His assignment. Allow the Word of God to permeate, guide, and enrich your life.

May I be a doer of the word and not merely a hearer who deceives himself. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does (James 1:22-25). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

                                                         Never Rest Ministries          

    

Religious--Minded People Speak Passionately

                                                        When The Door Slams

For the kingdom of God is not based on talk but on power. Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod [of discipline and correctional], or with love and gentle spirit?                                                                                                                                         1 Corinthians 4:20-21

        Christianity is not moral platitudes, proud intentions, and noble thoughts. The fundamental characteristic of God's kingdom is power. Paul faced constant criticism about the work among the early churches. Some of his detractors would travel to cities such as Corinth and speak extensively about all that Paul was doing incorrectly. At times, people in the churches were enticed to believe the slanderous against the apostle. 

        Paul responded with a reminder that the test of a kingdom citizen's authenticity was not the persuasiveness of his words but the spiritual power of his life. Paul acknowledged that some did not find him eloquent in speech (2 Cor. 10:10). Yet they could not question God's power in his life. He had seen many people converted, and many churches were started through his ministry. He had been used to heal the sick and raise the dead through God's power. Regardless of whether his words were eloquent, they carried spiritual power and authority that came from God.

        Think about this: You will encounter many religious people who seek to convince you of their opinions concerning the kingdom of God. They may speak passionately. They may even bring charts and graphs to prove their points! But the test of the strength of their words is the spiritual power in their lives. If a person speak forcefully about point of doctrine but is habitually sinning, his words are discredited by his life. If a person talks of the power of God but gives no evidence of victory in his or her life, their words are empty. It is much easier to talk about the victorious Christian life than it is to live it.             

If you only have the appearance of godliness without any agreeing spiritual power (2 Tim. 3:5), ask God to cleanse you of your sin and fill you with His Spirit so that your life is characterized by the Holy Spirit power.

Renewal: Like Josiah, may I do what is right in  the sight of the LORD and walk in all the ways of David, not turning aside to the right of to the left. May I turn to the LORD with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my might, in accordance with all of Your Word (2 Kings 22:1-2; 23:25). 

These are the things I want to do: speak the truth to others, judge with truth and justice for peace, not plot evil against my neighbor, and not love a false oath; for all these things the LORD hates (Zechariah 8:16-17).          

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                           Never Rest Ministries  

There Is A Difference Between Judgment And Discernment

                                                     When The Door Slams

"Do not judge [others self-righteously] and you will not be judged; do not condemn [others when you are guilty and unrepentant], and you will not be condemned [for your hypocrisy]; pardon [others when they truly repent and change], and you will be pardoned [when you truly repent and change].                                    Luke 6:37 [Note: Matthew 7:1-5] 

        There is a significant difference between judgment and discernment. God sees people's hearts and knows their motives (Prov. 16:2). Only God can accurately judge those who deserve punishment. Ultimately, Christ will sit in judgment upon us all in the day of judgment (2 Cor. 5:10). 

        Our problem is that we like to sit in the judgment seat and pronounce condemnation upon those whom we think have sinned! Scripture commands us not to judge or condemn others, for we cannot be judgmental and redemptive at the same time. It is difficult to pray sincerely for someone while we are judging them. At times our judgmental attitude can seem to provide us an excuse not to become involved in God's redemptive work in someone's life. Scripture reminds us that God will treat us with the same grace or severity with which we treat others (Luke 6:38). 

        Think about this: God commands us not to judge others, but He does want us to be discerning. Jesus said we would know people's spiritual condition by the fruit of their lives (Matt. 7:16). He said grapes are not produced by thorn bushes. If a person's life produces thorns, we can assume that person is not a grapevine! Are we being judgmental? No, we are discerning. Scripture commands us to avoid associating with scoffers or fools (Prov. 22:10; 17:12). Unless we are able to identify scoffers and fools, we cannot obey God's command. That is not being judgmental; it is being discerning. As Christians, we have been instructed to observe the lives of others so that we can help them while avoiding any sinful influence.

        You will be helpful to others only if you see them as God does. If you have been judgmental of others, ask forgiveness and pledge yourself to let God use you as His minister of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).    

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant us to be of the same mind toward one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord and one mouth we may glorify the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ (Romans 15:5-6). May the God of peace Himself sanctify us completely, and may our whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. He who calls us is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                            Never Rest Ministries

                          

When Jesus Conquered Death

                                                     When The Door Slams

Those who died in Christ

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life]. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [as in fact He did], even so God [in the same way-by raising them from the dead] will bring with Him those [believers] who have fallen asleep in Jesus.                                            1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

        Christians do not grieve as the world grieves. The world experiences sorrow without hope. The Christian also has sorrow, but the Christian's sorrow is accompanied by hope. 

        In Jesus' day, a funeral was a time for an impassioned demonstration of grief. It was a sign of respect for the deceased to wail loudly at a funeral. A person grieving the loss of a loved one has no power to change what has happened. There is probably no time in human experience when people feel more helpless or vulnerable than at a funeral.

        Jesus, too, wept at the funeral of a close friend, but His sorrow did not come from a lack of hope (John 11:35). Jesus knew that soon Lazarus would be alive again. He also knew that at His second coming, Lazarus and all of Jesus' followers would be resurrected from death to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Jesus wept because He saw the hopelessness felt by the people He loved. His friends had the Resurrection and the Life right in  their midst, yet they were grieving (John 11: 25)!

        When Jesus conquered death, He forever changed the way Christians view death. Christian still experience the sorrow of losing someone we love, but we have hope because we know that God can bring good out of any situation (Rom. 8:28). We have hope in the knowledge that nothing, not even death, can separate us from God's love (Rom. 8:38-39). We have hope because Jesus will bring us to join Him in heaven so that we might enjoy eternity in unhindered fellowship with Him (John 14:3).

        Think about this: Even though you are a Christian, you cannot escape life's sorrows. But you can soften or soothe your grief with the hope that Christ is risen, for He is your hope and your comfort. 

May I be strong and courageous; may I not be afraid of discouraged because of my adversaries, for there is a greater power with me than with them, for the LORD my God is with me to help me (2 Chronicles 32:7-8). An hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man (John 5:25-27). 

As the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                                                    Never Rest Ministries