Category Archives: Christian Life

HOW DID JESUS OVERCOME THE WORLD?

Christian Life, ,

HOW DID JESUS OVERCOME THE WORLD?

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

What did Jesus mean by “the world”? How did He experience the world? The world represents everything that people say, do, think, and react to that is the fruit of unbelief in Jesus and falls short of God’s perfection.

It was prophesied that Jesus would be “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. Why was that, especially since He was also “anointed with the oil of joy…”? We must remember that, as the God-man, He fully experienced both the perfect joy of heaven and also sorrow for a world of people without God.

Therefore, He could rejoice with His disciples when they experienced tiny glimpses of God’s kingdom at work when the demons were subject to Jesus’ authority through them.

Hebrews tells us, also, that it was the anticipated joy of a mission accomplished and His consequent return to His heavenly existence together with the reward for His obedience, a new family just like Himself, that enabled Him to “endure the cross”.

“… Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.”

Hebrews 12:2b NLT

He also grieved over the unbelief of His people and  their failure to understand what He came to reveal about the Father, His grace and mercy. He wept over Mary’s disillusionment when she thought He had apparently failed to come in time to save Lazarus from death.

He felt the full might of the world’s sin in His day-to-day interaction with people. The common people were fickle and unpredictable. His opponents. the religious leaders whom He exposed for their hypocrisy, hated Him. Even His own disciples vacillated between trust and unbelief. Most of all, He was aware of the daily conflict with the devil who used every subtle trick to try to undermine Him.

“Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people…”

Hebrews 12:3 NLT

How would we cope with such “stress”?

Peter gives us the answer, in one jewel of a statement.

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

1 Peter 2:23 NIV

Despite every form of abuse Jesus endured throughout His life, He lived the life of a perfect Son, in perfect obedience and submission to His Father. Never once did He react or behave like a “sinner” in thought, word, deed, or attitude. So, He could ask of His opponents….

“Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?’

John 8:46 NIV

No matter how people in the world treated Jesus, they could not induce Him to behave like them. He was always the perfect man, as Adam was before the fall. Therefore, He proved that He was sinless, and eligible to be the perfect atoning sacrifice. He also made it possible, through His grace and by His Spirit in us, for us, also, to live the life of trust and obedience that does not give in to the flesh but overcomes the world.

Since He overcame, we have no need to fear anything the world can produce against us or do to us. Therefore, we can rejoice. Hallelujah!!!!

HOUNDED BY GOD’S GOODNESS

Christian Life, ,

HOUNDED BY GOD’S GOODNESS

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes, small details irk, stress, and frustrate us. We grumble and complain about the little bumps in the road that have easy solutions. There is always someone who knows more that we do to help us iron out our problem.

At other times, life-changing disaster hits us head-on and we are left reeling and staggering. Is there anyone who can help to ease the pain of loss, or lift us out of the pit of financial disaster, or heal a broken relationship?

Since we cannot escape the small or big troubles that Jesus said would always be part of this life, the Bible must have an answer for the tears and pain we are continually suffering. It does, and if we are willing to heed its counsel, life’s pain will begin to take on meaning and purpose.

There IS something we can do when no one else can help us. First, we can change our perspective. If it’s only about me, then suffering has no meaning. If it’s about God and me, then God in the mix changes everything. Job’s story can be our story if we cling tenaciously to God and believe what He said.

“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.”

Romans 8:28 NLT

Can God really make my troubles work for my good? Yes, if I am willing to trust Him. When trouble strikes, God’s goodness is the first thing we question. Is God really good, all the time? How can God’s goodness affect my situation? Our reaction to trouble often exposes our unbelief in God’s goodness.

Instead of wringing our hands when trouble hits, resisting with noisy complaints, and running hither and yon to fix the problem, let’s slow down and wait for God’s goodness and mercy to catch up with us. And it will.

He wants us to trust Him for the outcome before we go into a tailspin and mess up the good He wants to do for us. God often draws our attention to His word before He demonstrates its truth in our experience so that His Word will be indelibly written on our hearts.

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalms 23:6 NLT

If there is something we can do to solve the problem, then let’s do it BUT, do it without grumbling and complaining because there is often a hidden blessing in the trouble. If the solution is out of our hands, then His goodness will catch up with us if we wait for Him.

PRAYER

Thank you, Father God, for the reassurance in your Word that you are always with me, especially in times of trouble and in my darkest days. You are near to the broken-hearted and you always hear the cry of those who call on your name.

Help me, Lord, in my weakness. I need your grace to overcome my doubts and fears at this time. I need faith to trust you when I can’t see the path ahead of me. I need patience to wait for your answers. Help me to slow down, to stop running in panic, to stop trying to fix my own problems so that your goodness and mercy can catch up with me.

Thank you, Father, that you have heard my cry.

THE HOLY SPIRIT OR HOLY DESIRES?

Christian Life, ,

THE HOLY SPIRIT OR HOLY DESIRES?

Did Jesus say that God will give us the Holy Spirit if we ask Him?

Let’s look at what the Scripture says.

11 So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Matthew 7:11 NLT

13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Luke 11:13 NLT

Why is there a difference between Matthew’s version and Luke’s version if they both used a common source? Are they saying the same thing? Were these translations the opinion of the translators rather than an accurate understanding of the original text?

Firstly, let’s ask the question, “Did we receive the Holy Spirit by asking or by believing? “

What did Paul say?

“You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.”

Galatians 3:2 NLT

Therefore, if Jesus said that we receive the Holy Spirit by asking God for Him, we are making the Bible contradict itself. The whole drift of Scripture, according to Paul’s teaching, is that the Spirit comes to indwell us when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, what is the meaning of Jesus’ words according to Matthew and Luke?

Matthew speaks in general terms of “good gifts”. Luke is more specific. He said that God gives ‘pneuma hagios’ – holy spirit, to those who ask Him. Is there a difference between ‘holy spirit’ and ‘the Holy Spirit’?

The Greek term for the Holy Spirit is ‘o pneuma hagios’. There are no capital letters in ancient Greek. Therefore, the little word ‘o (transliterated ho), meaning ‘the’, indicates that the writer is referring to THE Holy Spirit. Every time the Holy Spirit is mentioned in Scripture, the term, ‘o pneuma hagios’ is used.

In Luke 11:13, the ‘o is omitted, hence it cannot mean ‘the Holy Spirit’. Not only do the translators assume that it means ‘the Holy Spirit’, but their translation also contradicts Scripture, since we receive the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus as Lord, not by asking.

How, then, should we translate ‘hagios pneuma’ in Luke 11:13. In Matthew 7:11, Jesus said that God, the good Father, will give us ‘good gifts’ if we ask Him. Luke elaborates on the ‘good gifts’ by telling us that God will give us ‘holy spirit’.

‘Holy’ means separate from sin, separated to God. ‘Pneuma’ means ‘breath’ or ‘spirit’. Since the meaning is found in the context, in the context of Luke 11:13, ‘breath’ can also mean ‘disposition’ or even ‘aspiration: or ‘desire’. Would it not make sense to translate this verse like this?

13 So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give a disposition (or aspirations) that are set apart from sin to God, to those who ask him.”

Luke 11:13 NLT

This rendering of ‘holy spirit’ is completely in line with the drift of Scripture.

4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalms 37:4 NIV

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6 NIV

31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way…

1 Corinthians 12:30-31 NIV

The Bible teaches us that we have been made holy by the blood of Jesus, but it also encourages us to work out what God has worked in us.

“… Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

Philippians 2:12-13 NLT

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:1-3 NIV

Although we have become new creatures in Christ, complete with God’s nature, we still have the remnants of the old nature in us. Our flesh is at war with our spirit in which the Holy Spirit lives.

Our desires pull us either towards the flesh or towards the Spirit. How important it us, then, for us to have holy desires or aspirations that draw us away from our fleshly appetites towards God and an overcoming life in Jesus.

“12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Romans 8:12-13 NIV

Why do I need to ask God for holy aspirations?

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James 1:13-15 NIV

18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

Romans 7:18-19 NIV

Not only do we have evil desires in our flesh, but our flesh is also too powerful to resist in our own strength.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Romans 8:12-13 NIV

How important are our desires, good or bad?

“14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”

James 1:14-15 NLT

Our desires are the outcome of our appetites. A child who lives on junk food has no appetite for healthy, nourishing food. We, also, develop an appetite for the things we most feed on. If we live on the junk food of the world, we will have little appetite to “seek those things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”

Does it not make sense, then that Jesus would teach His disciples, in the context of prayer, to ask the Father for a holy disposition with holy desires and aspirations that will feed our spirits, and draw us towards godly living? Then the Holy Spirit who is in us by faith, will lead us and keep us on track as we move towards the Father and our eternity with Him.

If we do not actively seek to live holy lives, our old, ungodly nature will pull us away from God and sink us into the cesspool of worldly living in this world which is transient and passing away.

How important it is, therefore, both for this life and the life to come, that we ask God for the holy disposition and desires that lead us away from satisfying our fleshly appetites. If we live for the flesh we will be disconnected from God, but if we desire and seek after the Spirit, we will have the life of Jesus in us, bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus.

GROW… IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

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GROW… IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

“And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— speaking of these things in all his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.”

2 Peter 3:15-18 NLT

Error is rife in the church today as it was in the early church. Peter warned against falling for lies propagated by false teachers and those who call themselves “apostles”, complicating the simplicity of our fellowship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. “Change your focus,” Peter cautioned.

“Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.”

2 Peter 3:18 NLT

This is one of those gems of truth which I love but don’t always understand or know how to put it into practice in my daily life.

“How do I grow in the knowledge of Jesus?” I asked the Lord one day as I was meditating on this verse.

He began to show me and is still answering my question.

Thus began another part of my journey with the Holy Spirit. He answers questions in stages lest I miss the impact of His explanations.

Stage 1 – DISCOVER  – Grow in grace…

He showed me how to learn by observation – how He reveals Himself by the ways He responds when I call on His name. The smallest details become opportunities to recognise His love and goodness through His interventions.

Difficulties, which I used to struggle through on my own, now become opportunities to grow in the knowledge of Jesus. His grace is always enough for every situation.

An illustration. My frustration with my old router, my worn-out tyres,  my forgotten password, my lost dome…

Stage 2 – DRINK

Recognising God’s interventions was so exciting that I began to praise Him more and more. I remembered David’s words in Psalm 116:12-13

“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.”

Psalms 116:12-13 NIV

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Psalm 145:18 NIV

The best way to say thank you is to drink from the cup of salvation. Everything we need is in that cup. I do so by calling on the name of the Lord in every situation because God is a Father. He loves to meet our needs.

Stage 3 – DO

My journey led to a third step in this process of knowing Jesus and His grace…perhaps the most powerful and precious of all lessons.

It came about this way. For close to 5 years, my daughter has struggled to put my grandson through university. The Covid interlude made life extremely difficult for them as a family. She was retrenched, the tardiness of government officials ribbed her of all but one payment of uif. She fell behind with university fees until, in his final year, she was unable to catch up, disqualifying my grandson from studying online.

She was not eligible for a bank loan because she had not worked in her place of present employment for two years. She had nowhere to turn for help. In the nick of time, I was able to lend her the money to pay of her debt to the university.

The story didn’t end there. She began to repay the loan with two payments and then… I felt a strong impression to write off her debt as my contribution to my grandson’s future. Then I sensed the Holy Spirit’s quiet, inward response, “Now you are getting it!” He reminded me of God’s words to Josiah’s son, Jehoiakim, in Jeremiah 22:15-16…

“And the Lord says, “What sorrow awaits Jehoiakim, who builds his palace with forced labour. He builds injustice into its walls, for he makes his neighbours work for nothing. He does not pay them for their labor…. But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king! Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink. But he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him. He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn’t that what it means to know me?” says the Lord.”

Jeremiah 22:13, 15-16 NLT

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God…”

I learned that to “see God” is to share His heart for those in need, to do whatever I can to lift the burden wherever I can in my limited capacity as the Holy Spirit leads me, whatever it costs because His grace is always enough.

This is a tough assignment because I am always in conflict with the greed and selfishness of my flesh but… Peter said, “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ”. So, if I have breath, I have opportunity to grow and so do we, as we travel this road together.

GIVE GOD YOUR BODY

Christian Life, ,

GIVE GOD YOUR BODY

I have been thinking about the significance of Paul’s words in Romans 12:1-2…

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 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.”

Romans 12:1-2 NLT

These words follow Paul’s extended explanation of salvation, focusing on God’s righteousness in the gospel. He did the right thing by forgiving our sin and restoring us to fellowship with Him as His sons and daughters because He made Jesus an atoning sacrifice for our sin.

Therefore (and so – NLT), because of all that God has done in Christ for us, we are obligated to give Him our bodies as living sacrifices. Why our bodies? Why not our lives, or our souls, or spirits? Is there something significant about giving our bodies to God, especially the bodies that are weakened by disease or disabilities, or even age?

Let’s look at our bodies for a moment.

1. Our bodies are the temporary residences in which we live on this earth. They are subject to all the effects of Adam’s sin, including death.

2. Our bodies are the vehicles through which we are tempted to commit sin. We use every part of our bodies to disobey God.

3. Our bodies experience the suffering that debilitates us and affects our moods, attitudes, emotions and even our trust in God. Our bodies are frail and fallible and because we suffer in our bodies, we are thrown into doubt, insecurity, anxiety, and feelings of abandonment and betrayal.

4. Our bodies are also the vehicles of worship. We are prompted, through our senses, to acknowledge God’s greatness and to honour Him for who He is and what He does.

5.We connect with fellow humans through our bodies. We express love and hatred through our bodies. We communicate through language we hear and speak and through body language we see.

6. We are a unit of body, soul, and spirit, created in God’s image to express Him to the world of people around us.

7. Our bodies, though temporary in a fallen world, will be transformed into the likeness of Jesus’ resurrected body when He returns to set up His kingdom on earth.

8. Our bodies become the “Holy of Holies” of God’s dwelling place through the presence of the Holy Spirit when we are made alive and adopted into God’s family through faith in Jesus.

9. Our bodies are the subject and object of so much prayer especially when they go wrong. We spend a great deal of time and effort on focusing on keeping our bodies alive.

It seems, then that our bodies play a significant role in the participation and enjoyment of our salvation both now and in the life to come. Is it any wonder, then, that Paul instructs us to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice!

Why is this so important?

If we maintain possession of our bodies, we are responsible for taking care of them and for what we do with them. We retain the right to do with our bodies what we choose and must bear the consequences of our choices.

Paul explicitly states that we are to give God our bodies (a deliberate act) as a living sacrifice (for a specific purpose) as an act of worship. Since there is so much bad stuff going on in the world through peoples’ bodies, giving them to God as a living sacrifice is a safeguard against using our bodies for the wrong purposes.

We transfer responsibility for the care and use of our bodies to God and we take responsibility only for obeying His instructions.

God wants our bodies as a sacrifice, not as a loss to us but as an exchange. Jesus gave His body as a sacrifice and received, in return, millions of brothers, and sisters just like Himself. What does He give those who give Him their bodies as a sacrifice?

Paul tells us, in Rom. 12:2, that He will give us renewed minds to know, understand and enjoy His perfect will.

“Don’t copy the behaviour 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.”

Now that’s a great trade-off, isn’t it? To know that God’s will, including everything that happens to your body, even the debilitating illnesses, diseases, malfunctions, accidents, etc., that you are suffering, are God’s perfect will for you because He is working on a bigger plan than you know or understand.

When you give God your body as a sacrifice, He is free to work in and on your body, whatever pleases Him for you highest good and to give you back something far better and more glorious than you ever gave Him.

Resurrection day is coming, as surely as the day Jesus rose from the dead. Your permanent body will be perfectly suited to the environment of God’s eternal kingdom. If you give Him ownership of your body now, He will, through it and whatever suffering He calls you to endure, perfect your body to be fully compatible with the realm in which He dwells and reigns.

What am I saying? God wants to take you into a place where you will never question or doubt His goodness, whatever is going on in your body. It’s His now. You gave Him the right of ownership. He bought it at a great price. Now take your hands off His property and allow Him free rein to mould you into the image of His Son even through what He is doing in your body.

I love the words of Joni Eareckson Tada, when she was struggling with an infection of Covid-19…

During her darkness, the Lord asked her, “Joni, do you trust me?” She responded, “Yes, Lord, I believe.” In the days following this encounter, she developed a strange calmness, “almost an indifference” she said, “to what it would feel like and how it would end.”

She felt Him drawing her into His shelter and resting under the shadow of the Almighty.

Quoting the writings of another sufferer (I could not identify the name on the video), she said, “When the suffering soul reaches a place of calm, sweet carelessness, when he can inwardly smile at his (own) suffering and not even ask to be delivered, then it begins to work its blessed ministry. Then the cross we are carrying begins to weave itself into a crown.”

In conclusion, said Joni,

“When we give our suffering over to God, and sink ourselves into His will, He will make every pain work its divine purpose in our lives.”

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

James 1:2-4 NLT

No more interfering with His working in you, then, through begging, pleading, believing for, crying, whining, or thinking that healing is the only right and best outcome for you. God’s will is good, pleasing and perfect for you. Celebrate His will with joy through your pain and let’s see what God can do.