SHACKLED TO THE PAST OR FLYING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
It amazes me how much of our present experience is tied to our attitude to our past. Some of us have had a childhood full of sad and bad experiences, not only from life in our family homes but also mistreatment from peers and teachers at school and beyond.
All sorts of factors influenced the way people treated us and left gaping wounds in our hearts.
Now we are all grown up and must eventually take responsibility for the way we deal with the harm done to us in the past. Some people are resilient enough to let the past go. They learn and grow from bad experiences.
For example, one who has grown up in an alcohol-soaked environment with all its violence, drama, and… yes… shame, may decide never to touch a drop of the poison that destroyed his/her childhood. He chooses to use every opportunity to build a life of honesty and integrity based on hard work and good values.
Someone with this resolve will fly into the future. Despite the pain of the past, a decision to let it go makes all the difference to the present and the future.
Others remain locked to their past and the self-pity that feeds it. They can’t get past the Poor Me Syndrome that colours their function in the present. They float through life on their misery and end up getting nowhere and achieving nothing. Their failure only serves to feed guilt, shame, and despair.
The Apostle Paul had every reason to camp in the field of failure. In Romans 7, he describes his attempts to overcome sin in his life through his valiant attempts to keep the law. He was conscientious about his religious duties but the harder he tried, the more he failed.
Paul ended up being a persecutor and murderer in his religious zeal, but nothing he did brought peace… only guilt and regret.
What did Paul do with his past? He could have become a “basket case” like so many people do, but he made a wise choice that freed him from the guilt and shame of his past. He let go of everything, including his religious achievements and set his sights on a heavenly goal.
Knowing that his past was forgiven and obliterated by the death of Jesus, Paul anchored his present and future on God’s promises.
Philippians 3:6-7 NLT
[6] “I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. [7] I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”
That was the start of a right-about turn, but Paul didn’t stop there. He pressed on with dogged determination through all the hardships and suffering his choice took him.
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NLT
[23] “Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. [24] Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. [26] I have travelled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. [27] I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. [28] Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.”
Paul thumbed his nose at all of his achievements and hardship for one reason.
Philippians 3:12-14 NLT
[12]”I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
At the end of his relatively short and struggle-filled life, Paul could say with confidence,
2 Timothy 4:6-8 NLT
[6] As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. [8] And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”
So, what do we do with our past? Tenaciously hang on to it and waste a life that could be productive and fulfilling? Let it go, wave it a final goodbye, and fly into the future with gratitude for the good qualities hardship and pain has produced, and hope in the many promises of God that shine brightly on our future.
Do you have a goal? What is your goal in life? To live and end up a blob of misery? To persevere and reach God’s ultimate goal by grace and with His help,, a perfect replica of Jesus?
It all begins with a choice.
1 John 3:2-3 NLT
[2] “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. [3] And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.”
Monthly Archives: November 2023
JESUS THE TEST
JESUS THE TEST
1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 NIV
[20] Do not treat prophecies with contempt [21] but test them all; hold on to what is good, [22] reject every kind of evil.
Every other day, I receive prophetic messages about current events, most of them rambling theories about what God is about to do to remedy bad situations.
Paul counsels us not to despise prophecies but to test their authenticity before we dismiss them as false. How do we test them? I have discovered a very simple test which any believer can apply to any prophecy that claims to be from God.
Firstly, Heb. 1ff makes it clear that Jesus is God’s final word to the world and especially to the church. This means that God has nothing more to say to us. He has entrusted the entire universe to His Son, which includes everything about the past, the present, and the future.
Everything that has happened and will happen is in Jesus’s hands. He is the Word. He speaks the Word. He accomplishes everything He plans through His Word. He sustains the universe by His Word.
Therefore, anything people predict will happen must relate to Jesus. God the Father says or does nothing except through Him and what Jesus says is accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 19:10 NLT
[10] Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”
Did you get that! “For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”
When we receive prophetic messages that ramble on about what God is about to do in vague terms with no reference to the Word, we have a sure test of its authenticity. JESUS! How does He fit into the picture? Does the prophecy in any way mirror His words and works? Does it match what He says and does?
PRAYER
Father God, so much is being said in your name that it is difficult to discern the difference between truth and error. You have given us a simple test to ensure that we believe and hold fast to what is true. Your Word says that Jesus must be the centre of everything, even every prophecy spoken today.
Your Word and your Spirit help us to safeguard our hearts so that we are not deceived. Help us Lord, amid times of terrible deception, to stay grounded in your truth by filling our hearts with your Word.
ALL GOD WANTS FROM US 2
ALL
GOD WANTS FROM US 2
If all God wants from us is to
believe in Jesus and to love one another, how do we obey these two simple
requirements in real terms?
There are many people who believe that Jesus was a historical figure who lived
on earth over 2000 years ago, but He makes no difference to them. Their belief
that Jesus existed is like believing that Julius Caesar also lived, and Caesar
makes no difference to their lives either.
What did Jesus do two thousand years ago that no one else can do?
Has anyone else claimed to be the Son of God and given evidence of the truth of
this claim as He did by the things He said and did? Has anyone else claimed,
not only to be able to raise the dead, but also to BE the resurrection? Jesus
pulled that one off, first, by raising a man to life who was already
decomposing in the grave after four days, and then by rising from the dead
Himself!
No one has ever been able to disprove the resurrection after examining the
evidence from every angle. So, if He spoke the truth when He predicted His
death and resurrection, we can safely assume that everything else He said is
true.
This means that, by believing in Him, we commit ourselves entirely to Him if we
want to live forever, even after we die. No more living selfishly; no more
living independently; no more living sinful lives as and when we please.
Jesus becomes our Supreme Authority, aka “Lord”, when we surrender
our lives to Him. By His Spirit, we are indissolubly joined to Him, like
branches in a vine, and His life flows into us and through us to the world
around us.
We are in a partnership with Him through which He supplies the power to live
His life as we respond in obedience to the leading and prompting of the Holy
Spirit. He provides everything we need when we receive His promises by faith.
We receive our spiritual food to grow in faith and character from His Word and
we communicate with Him in prayer.
2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
[3] “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a
godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who
called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [4] And
because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious
promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and
escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”
The second part of what God wants from us is the outflow of our union with
Jesus. Since Jesus is God and God is love, the Holy Spirit (the third person in
the Godhead) pours God’s love into us, changing us from selfish, self-serving
sinners, to loving and caring children of God.
1 John 4:11-12 NLT
[11] “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love
each other. [12] No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives
in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us….
[17] And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be
afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we
live like Jesus here in this world.”
How do we express this love to our fellow believers in practical ways?
The Bible gives us some clear directives.
1. We love by helping those in need.
John 3:16-19 NLT
[16]”We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So
we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. [17] If
someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but
shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? [18] Dear children,
let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our
actions. [19] Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be
confident when we stand before God.”
2. We love by living in honesty and transparency with one another.
1 John 1:7 NLT
[7]”But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we
have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us
from all sin.”
1 John 2:9-11 NLT
[9] If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer,
that person is still living in darkness. [10] Anyone who loves a fellow
believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. [11] But
anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness.
Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the
darkness.”
3. We love by preserving unity.
Ephesians 4:3 NLT
[3] Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding
yourselves together with peace.
3. We love by submitting ourselves to one another.
Ephesians 5:21 NLT
[21] And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
4. We love by building our fellowship with one another.
Ephesians 4:2 NLT
[2] Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance
for each other’s faults because of your love.
5. We love by praying for one another.
Ephesians 6:18 NLT
[18] “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert
and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
6. We love by building one another up in our faith.
Jude 1:20-21 NLT
[20] “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy
faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, [21] and await the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep
yourselves safe in God’s love.”
How important it is for us guard against laws, burdens, and requirements that
religions and religious people try to put on us that are not from God.
Jesus extends an invitation to all those who have tried hard to live up to
standards that others put upon us. He offers us the rest that being in
partnership with Him brings.
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
[28]”Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry
heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you. Let me
teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is
light.”
ALL GOD WANTS FROM US 1
ALL GOD WANTS FROM US 1
The Christian life can be confusing at times, so many requirements… do this, do that… be this, be that! It’s no wonder people sometimes give up.
God’s people, under the Mosaic Covenant, had 613 laws to obey to become “righteous”. Even then, if they did obey all 613 laws all the time, their righteousness would only have been ceremonial, not spiritual.
Hebrews 9:9-10 NIV
[9] “This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. [10] They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.”
Hebrews 9:13 NIV
[13] “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.”
Hebrews 10:1, 3-4 NIV
[1] “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason, it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship….
[3] But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. [4] It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
God’s conclusion about all of humanity is,
Romans 3:10-12 NIV
[10]… “There is no one righteous, not even one; [11] there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. [12] All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”…
[18] “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
The law was never intended to make people righteous. Rather, it was given for another purpose.
Romans 3:20 NIV
[20] “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”
Now, that’s helpful! What good is it if we are constantly being reminded of our sinfulness with no solution?
It’s little wonder, then, that most of God’s people didn’t even try to keep His laws. They simply followed their evil hearts.
God’s solution to this dilemma is both effective and permanent.
Hebrews 10:11-14 NIV
[11]”Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. [12] But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, [13] and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. [14] For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
Our faith in Jesus and what He did for us by dying on the cross, forever absolves us from trying to keep the law. Instead, we rest in His work and respond to His grace by paying it forward.
So, what does God want from us?
He swept away all 613 laws with one stroke and replaced them with two requirement that encompass everything He expects from us.
Requirement number one:
John 6:29 NLT
[29] Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
Requirement number two:
John 13:34 NLT
[34] “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”
In John’s first letter, he puts these two commandments together…
1 John 3:23 NLT
[23] “And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.”
O yes, the New, Testament writers fleshed out those two commandments for so that we would clearly understand what believing in Jesus and loving one another really mean but, He lays no burden of dos and don’ts on us. In fact, John assures us,
1 John 5:1-3 NLT
[1] “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. [2] We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. [3] Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.”
There it us, laid out for us in the simplest way possible. Jesus really meant it when He said, “I will give you rest.” Real rest is in Him. No more struggling to please Him because we now know that what really pleases Him…our faith.
Hebrews 11:6 NLT
[6] “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
THE MEANING OF GOOD IN ROMANS 8:28
THE MEANING OF GOOD IN ROMANS 8:28
I love definitions because they add meaning and colour to the words that I so often use without understanding.
Take, for example, the word “good” in Romans 8:28.
“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.”
Romans 8:28 NLT
“Good” can mean anything I want it to mean, or it could mean nothing to me without a definition.
I found the meaning of “good” in Strong’s Concordance intriguing.
– Lexical: ἀγαθός
– Transliteration: agathos
– Part of Speech: Adjective
– Phonetic Spelling: ag-ath-os’
– Definition: intrinsically good, good in nature, good whether it be seen to be so or not, the widest and most colourless of all words with this meaning….
Another meaning of “good” according to ancient Hebrew understanding is “functional”, i.e., that which works.
So, God is working for us, in all our circumstances, good or bad, that which is functional, whether we see it like that or not.
Now, isn’t that comforting! This truth puts God in the centre of what is happening in our lives at any time. Nothing is accidental, coincidental, or purposeless, no matter how unpleasant or uncomfortable it may be at the time.
Of course, this does not mean that God causes our difficult circumstances. Sometimes we are the engineers of trial and trouble through our own foolishness. It does mean, however, that He uses the adversities, whether we cause them or not, for our good.
However, the meaning of “good” can be very broad. We need to read it in its context to understand “good” in greater detail.
Our problem is that we often don’t read enough to connect our word with its context. When we read on in Romans 8, the context focuses us in, like binoculars, on the purpose for the good God is working for us.
“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.”
Romans 8:29 NLT
Suddenly, what was vague becomes clear. Again, like a pair of binoculars, we see God zeroing in on Jesus His Son, as the prototype of every person born into His kingdom. He requires that all His children should be perfect replicas of Jesus!
Wow? How is that possible? He does it by using “all things” to shape and prune us until everything that does not resemble Jesus, is removed. God is determined to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10), sons who love, trust, obey, and submit to Him in all things, to be like Jesus who is the prototype of all His brothers.
We will never reach perfection in this life but, thankfully, John puts the final piece into the puzzle.
“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”
1 John 3:2 NLT
That’s it! God will put the finishing touches to His work when we come face to face with Jesus. The sight of His glory, which we see only partially in this life, will transform us instantly into HIS perfect likeness.
“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.
2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
So, what does this all mean for us?
1. Submit joyfully to God’s “all things”! Submit, submit, and again I say, submit.
2. Gaze unceasingly on the glory of Jesus. Gaze, gaze, and again I say, gaze!
We become what we focus on. Some believers see the devil behind every bush. It’s no wonder they struggle so much with sin! Others see Jesus in every dark cloud, and problems become opportunities.
So,
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Colossians 3:1-4 NIV