Category Archives: Christian Life

OPTIONS! 2

Christian Life, ,

Let’s first examine a different way of understanding life. Despite what we experience with our senses, in the world there is an unseen realm, in which two kingdoms operate. The Bible calls them, “the dominion of darkness,” ruled by a powerful spirit being who tried to dethrone God and take over, and “the kingdom of light” which is God’s realm and government in the universe.

Isaiah 14:12-14 NLT
[12] “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. [13] For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. [14] I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ “

The kingdom of light is the kingdom of God. This is the realm of God’s government over all creation. After His victory over Satan, sin, and death, God the Father gave Jesus, the Son, authority over the universe and the title, Lord.

Philippians 2:6-11 NLT
[6] “Though he was God, he (Jesus) did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. [7] Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, [8] he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. [9] Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This was the final nail in Satan’s coffin. Satan has always tried to deceive people into believqing that he is Lord. He wants to be in charge. So he tells them what to do but hides the consequences until it’s too late.

In God’s kingdom, light rules. Nothing is hidden in darkness. God has told us everything we need to know about sin, righteousness, and judgment.

1 John 1:5 NLT
[5] “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”

“Light” and truth are the same thing. God is light…truth, so everything He says is true. When Jesus came to earth, He was God’s Word in human form. He came to be the light for everyone born into the world.

John 1:4-5 NLT
[4] “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

What is John saying? He is telling us that Jesus came to reveal the truth about God and us. By doing so He showed us by His words and actions, who is really in charge. He defeated the devil in the wilderness, He drove out demons who tormented people, He rose from the dead to reveal His power over the devil’s final weapon, death. He promised to raise those who believe in him to eternal life.

John 11:25-26 NLT
[25] “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. [26] Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

Now, the point is, everyone born into the world is dead to God’s rule in their lives. Sin has cut them off from God because they are born with Adam’s nature to sin.

Ephesians 2:1-2 NLT
[1] “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. [2] You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.”

The problem is that, among all the choices people have to make, life in the dominion of darkness offers only the options available in that kingdom.

Let me illustrate. If you live, say, in America, you cannot choose to do what is available only in South Africa. You cannot visit a game park in America to see African wildlife in the wild. You will see bears and wolves, but not lions and elephants.

So, life in the dominion of darkness offers you only those choices that are part of Satan’s rule, ways that will damage you and eventually kill you, i.e., cut you off from the source of life and light forever. Your options are limited to doing wrong.

However, when God transfers you into His kingdom through faith in Jesus, you come under His government, in this life. He gives you the opportunity to choose to do what is right as well as to do what is wrong.

Why didn’t He remove the option of making wrong choices now, in this life? It would save us so much trouble if we weren’t obliged to choose between right and wrong.

That’s the point! God does not want robots. He wants people to love and worship Him by choice, not because we have no other option. So, He left the old sinful nature in us to train us for His eternal kingdom by choosing to serve Him and others instead of indulging ourselves. He also gave us a new nature, alongside the old, His own nature of righteousness and holiness…and He gave us His Word and His Spirit to help us overcome the old sin nature we always followed. By learning to do the right thing, we confirm the righteousness Jesus gave us by His perfect life. We no longer believe Satan’s lies and do what he says because…

Satan is not Lord; Jesus is Lord.
Satan said Adam would not die if he disobeyed God. He did die and so do we all.
Satan says sin is nice and don’t worry about the consequences. So much for that lie!
Satan says that to be happy we must scratch every itch. Lies again! Happiness is not about self-satisfaction. It’s about serving God and others first.

And so we can go on. Now we have two sets of options…believe the Lord or believe the devil. If we believe the Lord and do life His way, the outcome is peace in our hearts…real, lasting peace. He has our backs and we can call on Him at any time, anywhere for both the wisdom and the strength to make the right choices.

Philippians 4:6-7NLT
[6] “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
[7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

This option has a solid foundation in truth.

Hebrews 10:20-22 NLT
[20] “By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. [21] And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, [22] let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

Follow the devil’s options and you’re on your own and the consequences are real.

Can you see, then, that all the diagnoses the clever boffins make about what they call “disorders” but are really the consequences of sin, and their treatment are useless? Tranquillisers will never forgive sin. Only the blood of Jesus, through faith in Him, will cleanse our guilty consciences and give us peace.
That takes care, permanently, of the many “disorders” doctors treat which, in the end, only bring in the money!!!

OPTIONS! – 1

Christian Life, ,

Despite the result of Adam’s terrible decision, there is one thing God never took away from humans…the right to choose. It’s this power to think, choose, and make decisions that makes us responsible for what we say and do, and accountable to God for our actions and their consequences. Our decisions and choices affect us and those around us continually whether we like it or not.

Unfortunately, many people, if not most people, don’t accept or live by this truth. Like Adam, they play the “blame game” because it’s easier to blame someone or something else for whatever wrong they do than to take responsibility for the choices they make.

People have been taught to believe that their “mental illness” is a medical condition over which they have no control, which is given a fancy diagnosis behind which they shelter and hope that the drugs they swallow faithfully will cure their condition. So, they live as victims of people and circumstances, hiding behind other people’s words or behaviour as an excuse for their sin.

There is a plethora of mental “diseases” filling hundreds of text books which psychiatrists, who having spent many years studying and practicing what they have learned, inflict on sufferers to no avail. Patients are locked up in psychiatric facilities to keep them from harming others. Families wring their hands in despair because medical science is nowhere near to helping their loved ones overcome their condition even after years of treatment.

Imagine if all this research and knowledge were dumped for the Bible’s simple diagnosis…sin…and the powerful and effective remedy, faith in the blood of Jesus which provides forgiveness and peace!

God has never tried to hoodwink humans into believing that the devil or anyone else is responsible for what we do. He wrote it bluntly in His manual for living.

Ezekiel 18:19-20 NLT
[19] “‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?’ No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps my decrees, that child will surely live. [20] The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness.”

That’s clear, isn’t it?

You see, Jesus attributed everything bad we think or do to unbelief in Him which is what God judges. So, sin and all its consequences, are the fruit of refusal to turn away from selfish, sinful behaviour and to entrust our lives to Jesus.

Does this also include “mental illness”? Surely it must because mental issues are the outcome of sinful behaviour…feelings of fear, guilt, and shame. These hidden emotions produce all kinds of “disorders” which psychiatrists try to treat with counsel or medication instead of uncovering the roo cause.

John 3:18-20 NLT
[18]“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [19] And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. [20] All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”

Since people love their sin and refuse to turn away from their unbelief, the consequences are death…to peace, contentment, and freedom which are the fruits of choosing to live in the light, in the truth of who God is and what He has said.

The devil, who is the powerful influence over the world’s systems, has lied to us. He says that selfish indulgence is the way to live, so people choose selfish indulgence and blame others when they feel bad.

Jesus promised a rich and satisfying life to those who believe in Him.

John 10:10 NLT
[10]”The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

How can we have this life?

John 10:9 NLT
[9] “Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.”

We can only enter into this abundant life by, first, trustingvJesus’ promises for the forgiveness of all our sin, the very reason for our mental disorders, second, cleansing from all our wicked ways and, third, the new life Jesus gives to those who follow Him.

Who is the thief? In the context of Scripture, the religious leaders, who led people astray by their wrong teaching. The same can apply to anyone, including medically trained people, who teach us that we are “sick” and need their treatment to recover.

So, what’s the real problem with us?
We have chosen to look for the rich and satisfying life by ignoring God’s way and trying to do life on our own. Bad choice. It doesn’t work… never will! God created us in His image, to live in harmony with Him, His way. Any other way leads to disintegration, falling apart.

How, then, can we overcome the issue of bad choices?

To be continued…

DEPTH OF MERCY!

Christian Life, ,

1. Depth of mercy! Can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear?
me, the chief of sinners, spare?

2. I have long withstood His grace,
long provoked Him to His face;
would not hearken to His calls,
grieved Him by a thousand falls.

3. I my Master have denied;
I afresh have crucified,
oft profaned His hallowed name,
put Him to an open shame.

4. There for me the Savior stands,
shows His wounds and spreads His hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps, but loves me still!

5. Now incline me to repent,
let me now my fall lament;
now my foul revolt deplore!
weep, believe, and sin no more.

(Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #205
Author: Charles Wesley)

How can we ever value the sacrifice Jesus made for us until we truly understand God’s mercy to us who are deeply stained with sin and rotten to the core?

What is mercy? Mercy is far more than a feeling of pity for us poor earthlings, who have gotten ourselves into a terrible dilemma because of our sinful hearts, and wicked behaviour. It is more than a passing “Shame! Poor thing!” and a handout, as at the sight of a homeless beggar, shivering and wrapped in rags, who has forfeited home and family because he messed up.

MERCY is first an attitude, then a decision, then an action.

Where does mercy begin? Mercy begins deep in the character of God. Despite our attitude of defiance and rebellion, despite the fruit of our unbelief that issues in every thought and action to defy and deny Him, and deliberately insults His holy name, He chooses not to pour out His wrath on us. He looks at our filthy hearts, smells the stench of our sinful behaviour, considers His righteous judgment… and then decides, “I can’t do this? I cannot burn them forever in hell!”

Consider His anguish at the persistent rebellion of Israel, and His chosen course of action.

This is the way God treated them…

Hosea 11:1-9 NLT
[1] “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt. [2] But the more I called to him, the farther he moved from me, offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols. [3] I myself taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn’t know or even care that it was I who took care of him. [4] I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him…”[5]

This is what they deservered for the way they treated Him…

“But since my people refuse to return to me, they will return to Egypt and will be forced to serve Assyria. [6] War will swirl through their cities; their enemies will crash through their gates. They will destroy them, trapping them in their own evil plans. [7] For my people are determined to desert me. They call me the Most High, but they don’t truly honor me…”

This is how He felt…

[8] “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. [9] No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.”

Out of this deep compassion, mercy flows.

Paul explored the plight of both Jews and Gentiles, Jews because they had God’s Covenant but refused to obey it, and Gentiles because they had the moral law in their conscience but defied it, and reversed good and evil.

We all deserve the severity of God’s judgment. Not even Jews who have His Law, are exempt. This is the Bible’s diagnosis of human behaviour.

Romans 3:9-18 NLT
[9] “Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. [10] As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. [11] No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. [12] All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” [13] “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” [14] “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” [15] “They rush to commit murder. [16] Destruction and misery always follow them. [17] They don’t know where to find peace.” [18] “They have no fear of God at all.”

How did God respond? What should God do?

Romans 11:28, 30-32 NLT
[28] “Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [29] For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.
[30] Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. [31] Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. [32] For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.”

What an awesome God! He confined all people to judgment because all have sinned and fallen short of His holiness so that He can have mercy on everyone, whoever they are.

His daring plan to rescue every person who is under His judgment rested, not on human effort but on the willingness of His own divine family, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to participate.

The Word of God, His perfect partner in the Godhead, became the Son of God, His chosen and anointed Servant on earth, to do His will and to save His people from His judgment and sentence of death.

So, Jesus, the Son, was conceived by the Spirit in the womb of Mary, anointed by the Spirit to carry out His mission, died by the Spirit and rose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He puts this plan into action in our hearts, when we believe in Jesus.

Luke 1:35 NLT
[35] “The angel replied (to Mary), “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”

Matthew 3:16-17 NLT
[16] “After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Hebrews 9:14 NLT
[14] “Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”

Romans 1:4 NLT
[4]…” He was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Holy Spirit, again the perfect partner in this Trinity, was appointed administrator to effect and apply this great rescue plan.

In this partnership of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, mercy overcame judgment. God’s judgment on sin is perfectly righteous. No one can defy God, insult His holiness, and spit in His face, as we humans have done… all of us… and get away with it!

Romans 3:23 NLT
[23]”For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Ephesians 2:4-7 NLT
[4] “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, [5] that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) [6] For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. [7] So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”

God went far beyond feeling sorry for us. He came down from heaven to become one of us. He felt our pain, our disgrace, our alienation from the Father and took it all upon Himself so that we, only if we receive His mercy by faith, never have to experience the end result of our sin.

Only when we feel, deep in our own souls, the horror of the plight we are in, and the terrible consequences of our rebellion against God, will we experience and value the mercy of God. He does not give us what we deserve, eternity in hell, but does give us what we do not deserve, a glorious future in heaven with Him.

Psalms 103:8-12 NLT
[8] “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. [9] He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. [10] He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. [11] For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. [12] He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

It’s this mercy, that saved us from hell and prepares us for heaven, that drives us to show mercy to others for all their lesser offenses against us.

Matthew 5:7 NIV
[7]”Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

1. Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!

2. Praise him for his grace and favor
to his people in distress.
Praise him, still the same as ever,
slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glorious in his faithfulness!

3. Fatherlike he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows.
In his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely yet his mercy flows!

4. Angels, help us to adore him;
you behold him face to face.
Sun and moon, bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace!

Author: Henry Francis Lyte
1793-1847
(hymnary.org)

WALKING ON THE RED CARPET OF GOD’S GRACE

Christian Life, ,

Romans 5:1-2 NIV
[1] “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, [2] through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”

When I was much younger, I bumped into this Scripture and it began to take hold of me. We stand in grace! “Standing” implies that my feet are both firmly planted on something that will not move or shake. To stand in grace means that wherever I am, whatever I am doing, my feet, my life, are/is firm and secure on God’s grace.

I think that grace is also underfoot like the “red carpet” put out for royalty to walk on at an auspicious occasion. A red carpet signifies the honour expressed towards a person of status and position.

Just like royalty, God has rolled out the “red carpet” of grace and favour for everyone of His blood-bought children to walk on, every moment of every day. Grace is not an occasional provision in times of crisis or need. Grace is not a booster injection to energise us when we run out of steam.

Grace is the atmosphere of God, the environment of His throne room. Grace is the adornment of His dwelling, His red carpet of favour on which we “walk” with Him in faith and love, that exudes from His very being for all His sons and daughters.

Grace surrounds us with the shield of God’s favour.

Psalms 5:12 NIV
[12]” Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

The condition for God’s favour is righteousness…the righteousness the Lord Himself provides, to cover and remove the filth and stench of our own self-righteousness.

Isaiah 64:6 NIV
[6]”All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

God Himself intervened to change our status.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
[21] “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Squeaky clean and free from guilt and condemnation! Just as the first man Adam was, the man God fashioned in Eden to be like Him!

Like the tender care a mother gives to her newborn infant, the Father swaddles us in His grace, cuddling us to His heart and tenderly guarding us from harm. He provides everything we need to grow strong and robust in our faith in Him, even in those times in life when we need the grace of discipline to keep us safe and secure within the boundaries of His kingdom.

We can easily stray off the red carpet if and when we forget that we can do nothing of ourselves. How foolish we are when we forgo favour for self-effort, when we take the credit for what grace has done!
Anything we do or say that is not of the Holy Spirit in us dislodges us from grace, making us responsible and accountable to God for our words and deeds.

Grace cannot change the wrong we have done but grace forgives the repentant heart and restores us to our place on the red carpet. Grace even weaves our foolishness into something good.

So, in the awareness of this marvellous grace, let’s keep a firm footing on the red carpet. Lets’ keep revelling in the promise that we will share in the perfection of Jesus’ nature, His glory, only because of the grace that holds us strong onad firm on our journey. Let’s maintain the attitude that keeps grace firmly in place, always thankful and always praising God for the richness of His grace.

LIVING LOVED

Christian Life, ,

What a great question! Since the Bible assures us that we are deeply loved, how can we weave this truth into our daily experiences with their crises, disappointments, and challenges?

There is a principle in Scripture and in life…our decisions and actions are a process, that we function, first from our minds, through our thoughts, understanding, and belief, and eventually into experience.

So, Paul says, the transformation we experience as new creatures in Christ begins with exchanges that go on in our minds. We learn the truth and receive it in exchange for the wrong ideas we had. This is the essence of repentence.

The information we need that will move us from thinking, believing, and doing what affects us detrimentally, is truth. Truth is found in what God has revealed about Himself, us, and the world we live in.

John 17:17 NLT
[17] “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
[16] “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

Step number one, then, in the process of learning to live loved, is to replace whatever our opinion is about ourselves and God’s attitude towards us, with truth.

Romans 12:2 NLT
[2]”Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect”

The world has taught us to be suspicious of God, and the troubles and adversities we face or we see happening to others seem to confirm our suspicions that God is not be trusted.

Who is telling the truth? Is the world correct in its evaluation of God’s character? When we look at the evidence of what God has done for us through Jesus, we can only conclude that it’s the world that is lying, not God.

So, if it is true that God loves us absolutely, unconditionally, with a constant love, that same love as the love He has for Jesus (and Jesus assured us that this is true – John 17:25-26), then we can act on this truth.

Step two…how do we weave God’s love for us into our responses to our circumstances? Once we have accepted and believed the truth that God loves us, we must learn to change our awareness. We must discipline our minds to factor God’s love for us into every circumstance and situation, especially when we experience difficulties, hardships, disappointments, or loss of any kind.

Romans 8:31-39 is the passage to dwell on. As each situation arises, with a growing awareness of God’s love, we dwell on the truth that nothing can come in between us and God’s love for us.

This response, practised repeatedly through difficult experiences, slowly develops into a settled attitude of mind. We breathe the air of God’s love with every breath we take. We are not fazed by adversity because we believe that God’s love permits only what is beneficial for us, and works for our good in everything. God is sovereign. He supervises everything to work for our good.

Step three…we develop a new thought-habit. We attribute every situation, good or bad, to God’s love until we anchored in that truth. We are slowly learning to interpret and live in the confidence of God’s love in every situation. We are eventually resting and living loved.