Category Archives: Christian Life

THE REAL EVOLUTION

Christian Life, ,

Psalms 23:1 NLT
[1] “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.”

The Hebrew word translated “need” or “want” as in, “I shall not want”, can also mean “diminished” Did you get that? As long as we are in the Good Shepherd’s care, He will never allow us or do to us anything that makes us less than who we are. On the contrary, everything He allows or uses in our lives works towards recreating us into the image of Jesus.

Evolutionists believe that creatures are evolving upwards, based on the “survival of the fittest” theory. Despite their observation that some animals, for example, certain reptiles, are unchanged after “millions of years”, according to the evolution theory, everything is getting better.

Well, I’m not sure how that is working in reality when all we see is change and decay!

However, in God’s realm, creation and God’s people have His promise that everything will be better. Trouble is, creation and people don’t get better by evolving, but will be transformed only by His power.

You see, sin intervened after God created a perfectly functional planet, populated by perfectly functional animals and people. Sin messed up everything. God didn’t introduce the process of evolution to correct the problem. Death was the judgment and the outcome of sin. Death can only be reversed by the death of a sinless person dying in the place of sinners to pay the penalty for all the sin of every person that wrecked God’s plan and ruined creation.

Once the sin question had been settled… God’s own Son came to earth, lived sinlessly and died as a sinner… God could resume His plan to recreate humans into the likeness of His Son.

It’s a slow, lifelong process, spiritual evolution if you like, but instaneously completed when Jesus returns.

What’s the process of upward evolution?

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV
[18] “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
[18] “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

Seeing…contemplating…gazing…

Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
[1]”Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. [2] We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

This is God’s evolutionary process in a nutshell. Say an emphatic “No!” to the sin that ensnares us and keep contemplating Jesus who is the way to the Father. Slowly changing, then instantaneously transformed!

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 NLT
[51] “But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! [52] It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. [53] For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. [54] Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. [55] O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” [56] For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. [57] But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

So, says Paul, never give up. It will happen. God said so.

Scientists’ evolution is only a theory. It isn’t happening. God’s evolution is a fact. It is happening because God doesn’t lie. He guarantees that it is and will happen because He is doing the changing in us as we gaze, contemplate, see Jesus.

Philippians 1:6 NLT
[6] “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Romans 8:28-29 NLT
[28] “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

HOW NOT TO PLAY GOD – 2

Christian Life, ,

Mark 10:17-22 NLT
[17] “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [18] “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. [19] But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” [20] “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” [21] Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine LOVE for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” [22] At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

Strong’s g25

  • Lexical: ἀγαπάω
  • Transliteration: agapaó…
  • Definition: to love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem.
  • Origin: Perhaps from agan (much); to love (in a social or moral sense).

Only Mark’s version of Jesus’ encounter with this wealthy young enquirer incudes a detail which gives us the clue to His way with people. How could He let this man go without trying to persuade him to take His advice?

Unlike Satan’s way, Jesus’ modus operandi was to confront people with truth and give them the freedom to choose. Why? If He knew that only through Him can anyone experience eternal life, why did He not try to win him by pressing His point?

LOVE! Did you catch Mark’s comment?

Mark 10:21 NIV
[21] “Jesus looked at him and LOVED him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Jesus loved him enough to tell him the truth and…

… give him the choice.

You see, Jesus does not want followers who are bullied into a relationship with Him by threats or coercion. He wants people to love Him more than their money or any other person or possession freely, by choice.

Luke 14:26 NLT
[26] “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.”

John 21:15 NLT
[15]”After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?…”

If Jesus, the Son of God, would not use coercion to make people do what He wanted, neither does God, the Father, nor God, the Holy Spirit, drive people into doing His will. Jesus goes before us and calls us to follow Him. He honours us enough to let us be who He created us to be.

So also, He requires us to treat one another as He treats us. We set ourselves and others free when we take full responsibility for ourselves and allow others to do the same.

HOW NOT TO PLAY GOD – 1

Christian Life,

Playing God” is as rife within the body of Christ is as it is in the world outside the church. The methods may differ but the purpose is the same… control. Why do people everywhere want to control one another? My guess is that control is the way people try to manage their insecurity. “If I can control my family, my circumstances, my fellow human beings etc., I will feel more secure in my life in general.”

We see this phenomenon in churches where the pastor is the boss and where squabbles and factions break out among the leadership and the members. Real unity is impossible where people try to enforce their will on others in the body of Christ.

Trouble is, first, absolute control over everything that controls life is impossible. Second, our attempts to control clash with the next person’s efforts to control and the outcome is…war! Self-wills clash and get out of hand until destruction happens, and in society, even crime of every description.

Let’s examine the ways in which both God and His arch enemy exercise control. When we understand the principles of God and Satan’s methods, we can better identify the rule under which we live…and the ways in which we relate to our fellow humans.

First, Satan is insecure. He knows he is not God and never will be God but he still aspires to be God through deception. His passion is for the creatures God created and owns, to worship him. He must first convince them that they belong to him by enslaving them to his ways, and then by forcing them to acknowledge his ownership so that they will not be able to be free from his dominion.

Satan uses three methods to enslave and keep people in slavery to himself; intimidation, manipulation, and domination. He enforces his control by the lies he feeds into people’s beliefs. He operates first in the mind…

2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT
[4] “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

Satan’s entry point is the mind and, unfortunately, the mind is open to his lies because the nature of fallen man is in rebellion against God and is bent towards self and sin.

Satan’s modus operandi, then, is to sow beliefs in the mind to control the behaviour. Lies are his weapon of choice. He manipulates what we think and believe with lies, intimidates through threats and fear, and dominates by overwhelming us with sinful desires and by condemning us when we fail.

By contrast, God’s passion is for His human creation to worship Him by choice. He created the human race, He owns it by creation…

Psalms 24:1 NLT
[1] “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”

… and by redeeming humanity from Satan’s clutches through the death of His Son.

John 3:16 NLT
[16] “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

He owns and bought us back from Satan’s control at a great price but the devil tries to deceive us into believing that we belong to him.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
[19]”Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, [20] for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

God set about reclaiming His lost possession, not by force but by revealing His nature of love through creation, and through the gift of His own Son to rescue the world from its self-inflicted destruction. He calls and draws us to believe and be transformed by the truth butv He leaves the initiative to respond to us.

James 4:8 NLT
[8] “Come close to God, and God will come close to you… “

John 6:44 NLT
[44] “For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.”

Those whom the Father draws will believe in Jesus.

John 6:37, 39-40 NLT
[37] However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them…
[39] And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. [40] For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

God’s way, then, is not to control by force but by revelation. He reveals Himself through His goodness…

Romans 2:4 NLT
[4] Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”

… and draws people to Himself by His love.

1 John 4:9-10, 19 NLT
[9] “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. [10] This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins…
[19] We love (each other) because he loved us first.”

He even allows us to set the standards of our own judgment.

Matthew 7:1-2 NLT
[1] “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [2] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged”

God did not create human robots. He created humans in His own likeness, to be like Him, free to make choices, and responsible for the choices we make and their consequences.

When we try to enforce our will on others, we play the game Satan plays to control by messing with what they believe. Either by domination, or by intimidation or manipulation, we exercise illegitimate authority over others which God does not sanction.

What should we do?

First, we should recognise the difference between God’s way and Satan’s way. Satan’s method is based on lies. God’s way stands on the truth. Satan’s method is force. God’s method is choice. Our own way to lrad must be built on the truth, allowing others to choose.

Second, we should resist trying to enforce what we want on others, by leaning on the truth in every situation. Never may we override another’s right to choose. Provide options but never inflict your will on others.

Ephesians 5:21 NLT
[21] “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

We should not use force even on our children. We should train them to submit and obey by choice because this is God’s way.

Ephesians 6:1-3 NLT
[1] “Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. [2] “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: [3] If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

Ephesians 6:4 NLT
[4] “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”

God’s way enlightens the mind with truth and draws people to Himself by persuading them of the truth, but….

The choice to believe or not to believe is still up to the individual.

Consider Jesus’ way…

Mark 10:17-22 NLT
[17]”As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [18] “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. [19] But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” [20] “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” [21] Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” [22] At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

When we follow God’s way, we are truly God’s children, living in His kingdom, and doing His will on earth.

To be continued…

WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE?

Christian life, Christian Life, ,

Micah 6:6-8 NLT
[6] “What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? [7] Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? [8] No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is RIGHT , to love MERCY , and to WALK HUMBLY with your God.”

Unlike every other man-made religion, God’s Word leaves us in no doubt about His requirements for those who choose to worship Him…three simple instructions for a life that pleases Him.

Religion, as Micah describes, has many demands, do…do..do… Trouble is that carrying out rituals does not impact the soul. What use is it if we wash our bodies, eat the right food, light candles, wave our arms, bow down in front of a block of wood or stone or do whatever our so-called god demands? How do those activities impact the root cause of our soul’s distress?

The real God, the God of the Bible, gives us a different set of doings that measure up to who He is. First, He wants us to treat other people in the right way, just as He treats us. “Loving” is His way in His realm.

Romans 14:17 NLT
[17] “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 13:9-10 NLT
[9] “For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [10] Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”

By doing what is right, God means that what we do to other people must be for their benefit, not ours. So, His first requirement is to put others before ourselves.

Philippians 2:3-4 NLT
[3]” Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. [4] Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

How difficult is that?

The second requirement is to love mercy? Again, it’s our attitude towards others that counts. Why should we treat others with mercy? Mercy means that we don’t do or give to others what they deserve, or what we think they deserve, because God has been merciful to us.

What if God had treated us only with justice! No one would survive. We will view others differently if we look at ourselves first. Did we deserve mercy from God? No! Did we receive mercy? Yes! Why?

Psalms 103:8-14 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. [13] The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. [14] For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.”

It’s who God is that determines what He does. If we treat others lovingly, not harshly or judgmentally, we must do so because that’s how He treats us. Revenge is not His way of putting things right. Mercy is, because…

James 2:13 NLT
[13]”There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.”

What God requires, then, is for us to respond to His goodness to us by being good to other people. This makes the way we live in community with other people, in our families, in our church families, and in the wider community, of great significance. Living this way is like dropping a pebble into a pond. The ripples spread outwards, affecting the people around us.

Again, the trouble us that we are not like God! We must change inside.

God’s third requirement reveals the core attitude of our hearts, rebellion or obedience. You see, it is impossible for us to care about others if we do not submit to God’s authority over us. Once again, it’s the issue of our hearts. We either live by God’s will or self-will.

We are all selfish from birth. Without supernatural intervention, we will always clash with others. However, unlike false gods who are aloof and inactive, the real God is fully involved in people’s lives. He has already intervened to deal with the root cause of our failure to love others…sin…enslavement to self above others that defies God’s requirements and gratifies our sinful appetites at the expense of others.

God’s intervention takes care of everything sin has done. He paid man’s debt for sin; He cancelled the demand for payment; He forgave our sin and reversed His verdict of “guilty” to “not guilty”; He reinstated us as sons; and…most important of all, He gave us His own nature and confirmed our new status by giving us His Holy Spirit.

Wow! What other god has done that?

When we believe what God has done, He confirms all of these changes by giving us His peace.

Romans 5:1 NLT
[1] “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
[17] “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Now we can view God’s seemingly impossible requirements from a different perspective. We are now in His realm, not opposing His rule. We have His nature, not the nature of His enemy, the devil. We have His Spirit who gives us power to obey, not the selfish demands that drive us.

Now we are free to walk humbly with our God, to follow Jesus, to be led by His Spirit and to love others because the Spirit Himself equips us with God’s love to love.

1 John 4:13, 16, 19 NLT
[13] “And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us…
[16] We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them…
[19] We love each other because he loved us first.”

Romans 5:5 NLT
[5] “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

So we see that, where do…do..do…never works, faith in the one who has done it all for us makes fulfilling all God’s requirements for pleasing Him infinitely possible.

Micah give’s the blueprint for what God wants, Jesus provides the model by being the perfect man, and the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word, is restoring in us the image of His Son. All we must do is believe, submit, and obey, and God is even doing that for us by His power.

Philippians 1:6 NLT
[6] “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT

Christian Life, ,

We have been talking about our tendency to judge others when we don’t like them or what they say or do. We attach names to them like, “liar”, “coward”, “hypocrite”, “adulterer”, or whatever sin they have committed that describes, to us, who they are.

We stand apart from them, wagging a finger, thinking, if not saying, that we are not like them.

Jesus personalised our attitude in a story.

Luke 18:9-14 NLT
[9] “Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: [10] “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. [11] The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! [12] I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ [13] “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ [14] I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Does this story not mirror our hearts every time we pass judgment on another? Let’s not relegate the attitude of the Pharisee to…well, someone else, not us!

Our judgment can be spoken or unspoken but the attitude is the same. Contempt is what we feel for someone who has said or done something WE WOULD NEVER DO!

What is Jesus’ perspective on this practice?

Jesus took a dim view of those who gloated over the misfortune of others. He sounded a severe warning to those who reported on the violent death of some Galilean worshippers at Pilate’s hands.

Luke 13:1-5 NIV
[1] “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. [2] Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? [3] I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. [4] Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? [5] I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

His words are blunt and to the point.

Matthew 7:1-2 NLT
[1] “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [2] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

First, a warning. Don’t judge because you will be judged by your own standards.

Second, a prescription. Before you label someone else, look at yourself first. That should bring us down to earth if nothing else does. We may not be guilty of the sin we judge in others but we are guilty of so much else…hypocrisy, to start with.

Matthew 7:3-5 NIV
[3] “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? [4] How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Jesus hated hypocrisy because hyposricy is lying….living behind a mask of holiness when the person behind the mask is as guilty as the one he judges.

Third, come clean with God. When you tell the world around you what you think of another person, you inadvertently compound your own guilt. When you tell God what you think, you hand the person and his doings over to God.

It’s like putting the person in a box, sealing the box and labelling it with the name and your opinion of the person inside. You give the box to God, take your hands off and let Him take responsibility for him or her.

Let me tell you a story.

I had a friend who regularly failed to keep arrangements with me. How frustrated I became when I waited in vain for her to arrive. At that point in my life, I felt insecure and needed her friendship to affirm me. He failure to keep appointments kept telling me I was unimportant to her.

One Saturday afternoon, once again she neither came nor apologised for her non-arrival. I was so angry that I fell on my knees at my bedside and poured out my resentment, bitterness, disappointment, call it what you like, to God. I told Him what I thought of her, using all the worst words I could think of. I called her a coward and a hypocrite and ended my prayer with, “God, I hate her!”

There! Now I had done it! I thought I had blown it with God.

Turns out, it was the best thing I could have ever done. I took that box with her inside, and labelled it on the outside with the worst possible judgment I could think up, and gave it to God.

As far as I know, it didn’t change her but my action changed me! From that moment on, my animosity towards her was gone. I could look her in the face and feel nothing. Not only did God change my attitude towards her but He also broke my feelings of insecurity and the need for acceptance and affirmation. From that moment in, I was free from the co-dependence on another for security. From then on, the Holy Spirit began to teach me to love Jesus and be loved by Him.

“Spilling your guts,” I call it. While judging others is sure to call down God’s judgment on us, telling others our verdict makes our guilt even more sure. When we parcel up our offender and give it, together with our ever-so-false verdict, to God, we free ourselves of a responsibility that belongs to God alone.

You see, Jesus, Son of God, could forgive because He knew the whole story. He had every right to judge His killers but, instead, He forgave because He knew that they had no idea of the consequences of what they were doing.

For us, the bottom line is, there’s a story behind every person’s behaviour and way of life, of which we are totally ignorant. For us to judge is to think we know it all.

Yet, despite everything God knows about every person, He still shows mercy.

James 2:12-13 NLT
[12] “So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. [13] There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.”

As the NIV translates

[12]”Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, [13] because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Mercy triumphs over judgment! That’s God’s way and He wants us to make it ours.