Tag Archives: obey

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 17

Prayer, ,

PARTICIPANT OR PARASITE?

‭1 John 2:3-6 NLT‬
[3] “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. [4] If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. [5] But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. [6] Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”

How often I catch myself praying earnestly for others who are not living up to standard but forget that I am exactly where they are.

The Apostle John’s first letter is full of encouragement to live what we believe. It’s no using claiming to love God but, in practice, being more concerned about self than others.

I watched a video clip of a pastor sharing a story of God’s miraculous intervention to defuse a life-threatening clash between two rival groups in my country. He told of God’s dealings with him, revealing an attitude in him which he, the pastor, initially denied until God exposed his heart.

God told him he was a racist. He vehemently denied this accusation until the truth was revealed. Racism, (which is a fallacy since there is only one race – the human race), is a ‘hot potato’, often called in to raise blood pressure in times of conflict. People immediately take sides and the fight is on.

God revealed the truth about ‘racism’. It’s not about the colour of our skin or the culture of our group. It’s about our indifference to the struggles of another class as long as our class is okay. For example, we don’t care about the poor as long as we have enough. We dodge the issue by thinking or saying, “It’s not my problem!” What about the jobless, or the children in abusive situations, or women who are being raped or murdered. The list is endless. No matter the colour or culture, do I really care?

Then I have to face the truth. Am I a participant or a parasite? A participant is one who is fully involved at whatever level the Lord places him or her. I cannot save the world. I cannot feed all the hungry or house all the homeless. I cannot take up every cause but… I can be whom God wants me to be and do what God calls and equips me to do where I am in the situation.

This was the issue, in Jesus’ story, of the man who received one talent and buried it. He refused to get involved by failing to increase what he had been lent.

This issue is especially relevant in the church. Since God’s priority is the church, He provides what is needed to grow Christ’s body here on earth.

The Holy Spirit gives every believer at least one spiritual gift to benefit believers in every way… material, physical, and spiritual.

‭1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT‬
[7] “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”

How can I identify my gift? What am I good at and love doing? What can I do to lift others up? What can I do in Christ’s body that confirms my gift by bringing me joy, satisfaction, and fulfilment? God equips us with qualities and abilities that we love doing but we must use them to hone, use, and grow in our ministry to others. If we neglect our gifts, we will become parasites, content to gain from others but not contributing to the growth and maturing of believers in the church.

“Pay it forward” is the model in the church. Gifts are essentially gifts to the body through us, not for a name or recognition for ourselves, but to serve others. I don’t think that God calls us to use our gifts to serve the world except when He clearly directs people that way.

However, He does instruct us to serve one another in the body, and for specific reasons. Loving service to one another and unity in the fellowship are powerful witnesses to the world that we are His disciples.

‭John 13:34, 35 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.
[35] Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

‭John 17:21 NLT‬
[21]”I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

It’s this teamwork, this mosaic of gifts that lends credence to our witness to Jesus. The world doesn’t know a love like this that gives selflessly what we could keep for ourselves unless we show it to them by our love for one another.

So, what does this have to do with praying God’s way?

Since, as Jesus said, we can do nothing without Him, prayer keeps our hearts in close fellowship with Him, sensitive to the Holy Spirit in us as He leads us in the use of our gifts. Prayer keeps us in touch with God’s power to work His grace in other lives as we minister to them.
Without this tight connection with the Lord, our ‘good works’ will be empty of the effectiveness we desire in our lives as believers together.

Be a giver, not a taker; be a participant, not a parasite, in this life.

CHILDREN, OBEY – 19 b

Bible Study, ,

Ephesians 6:1-4 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.”

Although Paul addresses children first in the family dynamic, it is the parent, especially the father, who needs to understand the goal towards which his fathering role is moving. Without a goal, raising godly children becomes a game of hit-and-miss, a minefield of mistakes resulting in conflict and rebellion.

We see this ‘warfare’ between parents and children in the best of families simply because parents are not aware of their role or goal in their children’s lives and because children have no idea what they are to become and why discipline must be applied to reach the goal. This battle of wills results in anger, resentment, and disharmony on both sides. Children believe that they have equal say in the choices and decisions they make. They think that they are little ‘adults’!

So, Paul clearly states the only goal of parenting… obedience. Why is obedience to parents so important? Obedience to authority is part of the cycle of life and is the only way to experience harmony in the home and in society.

We have increasing lawlessness today because the emphasis has shifted from submission to authority to the demand for ‘rights’ for everyone, including children and animals! Basic rights are good and must be protected but not at the expense of submission to legitimate authority.

Children will never know ‘the fear of the Lord’ until they learn, first, to respect and submit to parental authority and, later, to all other authorities. The fear of the Lord is the supreme purpose of obedience. As a child matures in knowledge and understanding, he must transfer obedience from his earthly father to his heavenly Father. He must learn this lesson early if he is to continue the cycle of harmony in his future family and in the families of his descendants.

There are two essential requirements for a child to grow up in a happy and secure environment; boundaries and blessing, both of which will protect him from insecurity… boundaries from foolish and destructive behaviour, and blessing from mistrust in himself and those he must respect and honour.

Parents set the boundaries, not their children, to protect children from self-destruction, not to restrict or prohibit them from growing by experience. Children learn from the consequences of their behaviour, both good and bad. Protecting them from consequences will rob them of the lessons that follow in adulthood. A life without consequences in early childhood leads to the dangerous mindset that nothing will happen to them regardless of what they do.

A father’s blessing reassures the child that he is accepted, affirmed, and adored in his father’s heart. This ‘blessing’ gives the child the confidence to face life against the backdrop of his family, knowing that he is accepted and loved for who he is, not for what he does.

We see the best example of a father’s blessing and the personal security it produced, in the life of Jesus. Before He ever stepped out onto the stage of public ministry, He needed two vital strategies.

  1. He needed confidence in the Father’s confidence in Him.

He received that blessing from the Father in an audible voice at His baptism, and that affirmation secured His passion to please the Father in all He said and did.

‭Luke 3:21-22 NLT‬
[21] “One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, [22] and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

‭John 8:29 NLT‬
[29] And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”

  1. He needed a strategy to fulfill His mission as Saviour of the world.

His strategy was cemented in His soul when the devil tempted Him to act independently of the Father. He chose to place Himself under the authority of the Father and His Word.

‭Luke 4:4 NLT‬
[4] But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”

He chose to obey the Word of God in every situation because of His confidence in the Father. Therefore, He could testify repeatedly,

‭John 5:19-20a NLT‬
[19]… “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing….”

‭Hebrews 5:8-9 NLT‬
[8]” Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. [9] In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.”

Obedience to parents, then, although it cuts across their natural bent towards evil, is the children’s pathway towards obedience to God’s Word and the promise of a long life, in the Old Covenant. Though this promise may not apply in the New Covenant because longevity is not necessarily part of God’s purpose for the individual, God sets obedience as a priority in every part of a person’s life.

The devil’s strategy, from the beginning, was to separate us from God’s authority and get us to act alone. This trend is cemented in a child’s life if he is allowed to get his own way.

Obedience to authority does not begin in adulthood. It begins when a baby takes its first breath. Authority applied lovingly, consistently, and purposefully, will achieve its goal. Godly children who honour their parents by showing respect and submitting to their authority, are the only building blocks of a stable society.

We see the painful consequences in our society where children have no active fathers in their lives and are left to plot their own course in life. The need for acceptance and belonging is so strong that, without the blessing of a loving father, even gangsterism is better than nothing.

24 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF MEDITATION

Christian Life, ,

24 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF MEDITATION

What is meditation?

Meditation is like chewing the cud. Animals that chew the cud are called “ruminants” because they regurgitate and rechew their food to get the most nourishment out of it.

One meaning of “to ruminate”, therefore, means “to think deeply about…”, to do with our thoughts what ruminants do with their food.

Some religions and philosophies are big on meditation. It’s a good practice BUT… it’s value lies, not in its practice but in the content of the meditation. False religions focus on some mantra or facet of religious belief for spiritual power or enlightenment.

Since meditation in false religions is such a wide and varied practice, we will turn our attention to what the Bible commands us to do.

“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” Joshua 1:8 NLT

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom … “ Colossians 3:16

God’s command to Joshua has in it the principles by which we, as children of God’s kingdom, should conduct our lives in an ungodly world. The Bible is our constitution for life in the kingdom but we will never live in the fullness of kingdom power if we don’t know the requirements and benefits of its constitution.

Firstly, unlike all other religious meditation, we have two infallible “ingredients” for discovering the truth.

  1. We have the Bible which is the infallible Word of God.

“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.” 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

2.  We have the Holy Spirit who always works in tandem with the Word.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.  He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.  All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’ ” John 16:13-15 NLT

Secondly, let’s look at what it means to think deeply about…

“To meditate is to reflect on, to ponder, to mull over, to talk about, to re-read, to re-hear, to say to others, and to hear from the lips of others.” (au.thegospelcoalition.org)

Our aim is to die to sin and live righteously every day as God’s children in an evil world. God has provided the means to change us into the image of His Son – the Bible. However, the power of God’s Word will be ineffective in us if we casually read and forget.

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” James 1:22-25 NLT

God has promised blessing on those who meditate on His Word regularly and faithfully, the blessing of a life that is unaffected by outward circumstances, that is stable and fruitful in all seasons and all weather.

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord , meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psalms 1:1-3 NLT

One of the provisions of the New Covenant is a promise that God will write His Word on our hearts.

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord . “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33 NLT

However, this cannot happen through casual reading. Continual thought, meditation and application will cut a pathway of thought in one’s mind that will gradually eradicate old patterns of thinking by replacing them with the Word.

Biblical meditation does not aim at emptying the mind. Indeed, it cannot. We can only replace patterns of destructive thinking by filling our minds with God’s Word.

FIVE WAYS TO WRITE THE WORD ON OUR HEARTS

There are 5 ways to apply the practice of meditation in such a way that it becomes the instrument of transformation. However, we must remember that we always do this in partnership with the Holy Spirit, trusting Him to use the Word to do what God has promised He will do.

“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. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 NLT

THE WORD MUST BE

  1. In your mind and heart

To write God’s word on our hears requires diligence and discipline.

There is great benefit in dwelling on a passage of Scripture for several days or even weeks. I call it “inching” my way through the Word.

Writing down thoughts, understanding and revelation helps to fix the Word in one’s mind and encourages acting on what the Word says.

Memorising Scripture, especially key verses or passages, gives the Holy Spirit fuel to fire the heart when the need arises.

A valuable way to increase our understanding of what the Word says is to compare Scripture with Scripture. I find that the Holy Spirit reminds me of verses and passages that are already in my heart that build on or awaken my understanding of some truth I am exploring.

Ask questions. God loves to respond to our sincere desire to know Him through the Word. He will answer your questions, not always immediately but eventually if you stay alert and expect an answer.

  1. In your eyes

We remember what we see. Use whatever visual aids you can that help you to remember the words of Scripture – pictures, flash cards, fridge magnets, etc.

  1. On your lips – to yourself

Hebrew words usually get their meaning from the context. The word “hagah”, translated “meditate” is often translated by a word that includes repetitive sound, e.g., to murmur or mutter. So, to meditate is to mutter God’s Word over and over until it is fixed in your mind.

By muttering the Word, you hear as well as see the words of Scripture which will help to write them on your heart.

  1. On your lips – to others

This may not always be easy depending on the responsiveness of the hearer. Speaking God’s Word over and over to your children is a valuable way of getting the Word into them. Use the Word to reinforce wisdom as you guide them through the challenges of life.

This was God’s instruction to Israel…

“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NLT

We can do the same with the promises of the New Covenant.

  1. In your ears – from the lips of others

Again, this is an activity of committed believers with one another. How valuable to counsel and encourage one another with the words of Scripture rather than the words of human wisdom!

WHY DO WE NEED TO MEDITATE ON THE WORD?

Meditating on God’s Word is a powerful and effective way to change our thinking from the way of the world to the way of the Word. We must take the “l” out of world for the following reasons:

  1. The world loves LAWS. The world is governed by laws, rules and regulations which people regularly break. This is what law does to the unbeliever. It awakens the rebellion that is in the heart.

“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway…. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.” Romans 7:18-19, 23 NLT

  1. The authorities that rule the world are not LEGITIMATE. The world, and the god of this world has usurped the authority to rule that belongs to God alone.

“We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19 NLT

When we fill our minds with the Word, we come under its authority and live by its power rather than the illegitimate authority of ungodliness.

  1. The world demands our LOVE. We cannot love the world and God at the same time. God’s Kingdom and the kingdoms of the world are opposed to each other.

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.” 1 John 2:15 NLT

CONCLUSION

Our minds process and filter what comes in from the outside. We choose what we will reject and what we will retain, and what we retain will form the belief system that governs our attitudes and behaviour.

Without God’s Word in our minds and hearts, we will be like a rudderless ship, at the mercy of every influence, good or bad, that blows us through life.

God has graciously given us gifted people who minister God’s Word to us to build us up in our faith and conduct…

“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” Ephesians 4:13-15 NLT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All Scripture quotations in this series

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harmony In The Household

Bible Study, , , , , ,

HARMONY IN THE HOUSEHOLD

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord (Col. 3: 18-22).

‘As members of one body you were called to peace.’ This was Paul’s conviction about life in the body of Christ. Peace is only achieved when each individual submits to a collective will and is more concerned for the well-being of the others than for himself.

Likewise, in the family, harmony can only come about in the atmosphere of mutual submission. However, someone has to initiate the harmony that should characterise a household that represents the body of Christ. In Paul’s book, the person to initiate the harmony is the one in charge – the husband and father of the family.

Why must wives submit to their husbands? Is he the boss? Does he have the right to call the shots and expect everyone to jump? Not according to Paul. He expanded on his prescription for a harmonious household in his letter to the Ephesian church. The pivot around which everything turns is the husband’s love for his wife. He is to love his wife as Jesus loved the church.

Of course, that does not mean that Jesus sat in an arm chair and ordered His followers around. Quite the contrary! He loved His ‘bride’ enough to give His life for her. Jesus modelled a servant heart during His earthly life. This was His take:

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10: 45).

It is far easier to submit to someone who has a servant heart than a person who lords it over others. A true husband and father is one who serves his family rather than one who rules with an iron fist.

How difficult is it for a wife to submit to a husband who loves her and shows his love by taking care of her needs? This is the essence of true love – meeting the needs of others at one’s own expense. Love is the oil that keeps the household functioning smoothly. If selfishness rules rather than love, the atmosphere will quickly become toxic as each one strives to get his own way.

What about children? Obedience is God’s first and only requirement for children in a family. Once again, however, God does not demand blind obedience because that would contribute nothing towards creating a family unit. Fathers must initiate the environment in which it is easy for children to obey their parents. Commands that reflect a father’s capricious demands produce rebellion, not compliance and fracture that love that holds the family together.

How do slaves (or servants) fit into the household? Are they part of it or are they just cogs in a machine? What part do they play in the life of a family? In this family, which Paul sees as representing a Christ-controlled family, the servants play an important part. They are as much a part of serving one another as the husband, wife and children are, but even more so. Their serving is not voluntary but obligatory. What counts is why they do it and the way they do it.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be paid for their wrongs, and there is no favouritism (Col. 3: 23-25).

How sad that believers are often no better than unbelievers in the world of work and business! What a witness for Jesus when they do their work as unto the Lord and with a heart of true worship!

Unity, in the end, is about submitting ourselves to one another and serving one another out of reverence for Christ, whether it be in the church, in the home or in the workplace. This is the only way in which society will ever really work.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.