Category Archives: General

Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. (Philippians 3:7)

Death is a great deliverer for the saints of God. When we take our last breath on this earth, death will deliver us into the glorious, unveiled presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian need have no fear of physical death, for, as Paul said, “To depart and be with Christ . . . is better by far” (Philippians 1:23).

But along the way to death’s ultimate deliverance, we are to be delivered by death each day . . . in fact, moment by moment. And that death of which I speak is —

Death to Self!

Remember, the sinful self constantly encourages us to “keep back” part of ourselves. When we die to self, we refuse to hold anything back from our Lord. Unlike Ananias and Sapphira, who kept back some of the money they had promised to give to the work of the Lord (Acts 5), we hold nothing back when we have died to self. But reaching that point requires the work of the Holy Spirit within us; our sinful nature cannot comprehend the condition of being “all in,” because at that level of living, we have no safety net . . . other than Jesus Christ.

On the night before the crucifixion of our Lord, Peter refused to die to self. Instead, his sinful nature chose to keep back a portion of the truth of his relationship with Jesus Christ for fear that what was happening to Jesus would happen to him too. But Peter learned a wonderful lesson from this experience: he learned that the grace of Jesus Christ is greater than all our sin. And when Jesus had restored Peter, the rest of his life was marked by the death to self—so much so that church tradition tells us that when Peter was sentenced to death by crucifixion, he asked to be nailed to the cross upside down, saying that he was not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. Now that is death to self!

How is it with you today? Is daily death delivering you from yourself? Or have you been holding back a portion of yourself? It is impossible to die to self and keep back from your Lord; it is either one or the other. As you go through your day, consider the moment-by-moment choices you face: dying to self or keeping back some portion of yourself. The first choice leads to the deliverance of death and being able to sincerely echo the apostle Paul: “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). The second choice leads to a death that does not deliver.

The choice is always yours.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.  (Philippians 4:11)

The 17^th century Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs penned this profound phrase that relates to this important lesson learned by the apostle Paul: “the rare jewel of Christian contentment.” I think you would agree that it is a rare jewel indeed!

There are really only two options for the Christian when it comes to living life: it can either be lived in a state of contentment . . . or in a state of complaining. The people of God chose the latter after they had been miraculously delivered from their cruel bondage in Egypt. If you read through Chapters 16 and 17 of the book of Exodus, you will discover more than a dozen occasions when the Israelites lived their newly-found life of freedom in a state of complaining, not contentment. To be sure, “the rare jewel” was extremely rare among those people!

You may be wondering, “Should we always be contented, regardless of the situation we are currently facing?” The answer, of course, is YES! But it is also important to understand what Paul was not saying in today’s verse. When he said he had learned to be content in whatever set of circumstances he was facing, he was not saying he was complacent. Contentment does not mean complacency. By every means necessary, we are to strive to better everything and everyone in our lives. Yet we are to be content throughout the process.

Look at it this way; Paul was content in whatever state he was in. But do you think he was ever satisfied with the relationship he had with Jesus? Of course not! Paul said that he was “straining” toward the goal of godliness (Philippians 3:13) and that it would be “better by far” to die and be with Jesus (Philippians 1:23). Paul continually desired a deeper, more devoted experience and expression of his relationship with his Lord. He did not complain about the relationship he had with the Lord, but make no mistake, he was always and in every way doing everything within his power to get more and more of it. And so should we!

One final point: Paul teaches us that contentment is gained in the school of life and must be learned. It is indeed a hard lesson to learn! Our sinful nature leads us to live a life of complaining, rather than contentment. But as God conforms us to the image and likeness of His beloved Son, the Spirit leads us to live a life of contentment.

To be content is to acknowledge God’s right to grant to us abundance or scarcity, health or sickness, sorrow or joy, all the days of our lives. When we grant this right to God—as Job did, saying, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10)—we will rise above a life of complaining and find ourselves in possession of that rare jewel of contentment.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The Lord says concerning the king of Assyria, “He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” declares the Lord. (2 Kings 19:32-34)

God’s people have enemies on all sides, but those adversaries can do only what the Lord allows them to do. Time and time again, enemy nations believed they had conquered the people of God, when in fact God had simply delivered His people into their enemies’ hands as judgment on their rebellious hearts. And frequently, as was the case with the king of Assyria in today’s passage, the enemies of God may boast of bringing destruction on the people of God, only to find their evil schemes frustrated.

What enemies are you facing today? What has come up against you that is causing you to worry, fear, or doubt? Reread today’s passage and be comforted: the enemy cannot enter when God is defending the gate. The enemy cannot so much as shoot an arrow over the wall, much less advance against us, when our Savior is protecting us. If we would only take this truth to heart, we would live with far less fear and frustration and far more freedom and faithfulness.

It is important to note that God does not always eliminate our enemies; He uses them for our eternal good. We can be sure that all things that do come against us will be worked together by God for our good and His glory. So regardless of what you may be facing today, God has delivered it for your eternal good and has equipped you to overcome everything that has come up against you. Remember, there is no weapon formed that can come against you except the weapon that is wielded in the hand of our Savior. And that weapon is a weapon of both salvation and sanctification.

When our enemies are eliminated, we are to praise the mighty name of our God. And when our enemies are advancing in our direction, we are to praise the mighty name of our God because it is God who is directing them in our direction for two important purposes: God’s glory and our good. So fear not this day, Christian, regardless of what you are facing. You are not facing it without the Lord’s approval, and you are not facing it alone. Regardless of when our deliverance comes, it will come; and it will come at just the right time and in just the right way.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

“Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.”  (Hosea 7:8)

Here is a word of warning for all who have ears to hear. Ephraim—and Hosea was clearly using the prominent tribe of Ephraim to refer to the nation of Israel—was compared to a loaf of bread that was not turned over, and thus left uncooked on one side. The reason for this undesirable condition is clear: Israel had mixed herself with the unbelieving nations and now her affections were divided between the things of God and the things of the world.

May God forbid that to be the confession of our lives! Here are two deep, biblical truths for you and I to consider as we meditate on this caustic metaphor that compares the people of God to a flat loaf not turned over:

One side of the loaf remains uncooked

Because the people of Israel refused to give their hearts completely to God, a portion of their hearts remained in unholy rebellion. So it was easy for them to give their hearts to things smaller than God. The “uncooked” portion of their hearts remained cold to the Lord and unaffected by God’s amazing grace; their hearts remained unchanged by God’s everlasting love. Because the loaf remained unturned, only one side felt the holy fire of God’s love, and the unturned side remained in its turned-away condition.

The other side gets burned!

It may seem odd when I say that it is possible to get too much of the holy fire of our faithful God, but when only half of the heart is being cooked in the furnace of God’s fire, it eventually becomes black and brittle and breaks into little pieces. This certainly describes the heart of the Pharisees, who evidenced all the outward expressions of being true children of God, but upon closer inspection revealed that their hearts did not possess what their lips professed. Their hearts could not possess a sincere and sacred love for God because one half remained cold and the other half was burned up.

So . . . let us examine ourselves today, you and I, and ask our Lord, “Is this is my condition—“a flat loaf not turned over”? And if the Spirit of God answers in the affirmative, ask your loving Father to turn your heart toward His heavenly flame. We must remember that we are in this world, but we are not of this world. We are to make a difference in this world by being different from the world, and those who are different from this world are those who have turned totally toward the Lord Jesus Christ in surrendered submission.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Today is the sixteenth anniversary of the four coordinated and catastrophic terrorist attacks on the United States that were carried out on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people, injured more than 6,000, and caused more than $10 billion in property damage. On every anniversary, in New York City, the names of the victims who died in the “9/11 Attacks,” as we call them, are read out against a background of somber music. The President of the United States attends a memorial service at the Pentagon and asks Americans to observe Patriot Day with a moment of silence at precisely 8:46 am Eastern Time, the moment when the first hijacked plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

A moment of silence is a good way to honor and remember, but may the saints of God not leave it there. May we, as God’s people, fall on our knees and seek the face of our God, knowing the promise that He has given to us . . . a promise which gives us the hope that leads to healing from the hardships we face.

But notice the key that unlocks this door to that healing: humility. A humble heart is the heart that God heals because, as the Chronicler tells us, a humble heart . . .

• Seeks God’s face in prayer
• Confesses sin
• Cries out for forgiveness
• Turns away from sinful behavior

Here is something to keep in view on this national day of remembrance, regardless of whether we are dealing with personal sin in our own lives or corporate sin as a nation, the formula for healing is the same. Like any earthly father, our heavenly Father is delighted when we come to Him in humble reliance. Our God is in the business of answering prayers, and He is always “open for business” when we approach the throne of grace with contrite and humble hearts that beat for Him alone and trust in Him alone.

We live in a nation that has been blessed beyond measure by God. So, instead of spending so much time asking God to bless America, perhaps we should spend our time praying that America would bless God! And may that blessing always begin with us.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or staff, for the worker is worth his keep.” (Matthew 10:9)

One of the devil’s most devious darts is to burden the believer with “stuff” that can slow the forward progress in sharing the gospel message. Today’s word of encouragement is rooted in these words from our Lord in sending us out to expand His kingdom in this world:

One purse – One staff – One pair of shoes

Jesus sends us out into the world to do His bidding and tells us to take with us just what is needed. Why? Because He goes with us and He is all we really need. But the devil wants us to weigh ourselves down with every imaginable excess, which impacts our effectiveness as kingdom workers.

So let me ask you this question: Is there any excess that has been weighing you down and impeding your forward progress in expanding the cause of Christ?

Perhaps the best way to explain today’s passage as it relates to you and me is this: When we “travel light” in serving our Lord, we are making the statement for all the world to see that we trust in and depend on our Lord alone for our strength, sustenance, and success. We must be ready, willing, and able to trust in the power of the Almighty alone for our ever provision. When we are unencumbered by material goods in our service to God, then we can give our undivided attention to our calling.

The key is to remember the principle of possessions: It is not what you possess, but what possesses you. Regardless of what we have . . . little or much . . . we are to keep our eyes of faith on the Author and Perfecter of our faith. When we travel light, we travel most like our Lord Jesus Christ. His focus was totally outward and other-oriented.

May that be the confession of our lives as we head into each day in service to our Lord Jesus Christ—carrying only just what is needed!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” (John 5:8)

In today’s Scripture passage, we find both a word of comfort and a word of challenge. Let’s take a look.

Jesus was in Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals and came upon the pool Bethesda near the Sheep Gate. This was the place where countless disabled people would be brought because it was believed that on special occasions an angel would stir the waters in the pool, and the first one into the water would be healed of his or her affliction. On this day, Jesus saw a man lying by the pool who had been paralyzed for 38 years. What happened next was as shocking as it is strengthening. Jesus looked at this man who could not walk, and told him to do what he simply could not do . . . “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

There is much to be gleaned from this account, but one thing is certain: there is a time in life when we are to do what we simply cannot do. Why? Because Jesus is calling us to do it! From our human perspective, Jesus often asks the impossible. This is the stuff of faith. If all Jesus ever did was ask us to do what we can do, faith would not be required. We would work out our lives in our own strength and not in the strength of God. We would live a purely natural existence.

There are numerous examples of this principle throughout sacred Scripture. Perhaps none is greater than when Jesus commanded Peter to step out of the boat and come to Him on the water. This was the time for Peter to do what he absolutely could not do . . . because Jesus was calling him to do it. And in an amazing leap of faith, Peter actually got out of the boat and walked on water! Yes, we know that Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink, but that is not the point I wish to emphasize today. Rather than focus on Peter’s “little faith,” I want to show you something else.

Peter stepped out of the boat in faith, knowing full well that, humanly speaking, no one can walk on water. But Peter also knew that with God all things were possible. Peter learned many lessons that day, and perhaps the most important one was that there is a time to do what you cannot do.

So, where in your life right now is Jesus calling you to do the impossible? Listen, what cannot be done can be done when God in Christ is doing it! If you ask most Christians if they believe in miracles, they usually answer “Yes.” But if you ask those same Christians if they believe in a personal miracle, sadly, their answer is frequently “No.” Christian, please hold this thought close to you: There is always a miracle in the making when the Miracle-Maker is at work. And right now—right at this moment—Jesus is at work in you.

Perhaps this is the time in your life to do what you cannot do?

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work . . . (Exodus 20:9-10)

Labor Day is a holiday observed in the United States on the first Monday in September, celebrating the economic and social contributions of workers. Today I would like to take a moment to celebrate the contributions of all workers who are busily engaged in the labor of building the kingdom of God.

First we should ask, “Who are the kingdom builders?” Is that designation reserved only for those who are in full-time vocational service, such as pastors and missionaries? If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you know the answer to that question is a resounding “No!”

Here are some profound words on this subject from Os Guinness; I have excerpted an extended quote from his book, The Call:

There is a great distortion which argues that Christ gave two ways of life to his church. One is the perfect life, the other is permitted. The perfect life is spiritual, dedicated to contemplation and reserved for priests, monks, and nuns; the permitted life is secular, dedicated to action and open to such tasks as soldiering, governing, farming, trading, and raising families. Higher vs. lower, sacred vs. secular, perfect vs. permitted, contemplation vs. action. Sadly, this two-tier or double-life view of calling flagrantly perverted biblical teaching by narrowing the sphere of calling and excluding most Christians from its scope.

If all that a believer does grows out of faith and is done for the glory of God, then all dualistic distinctions are demolished. There is no higher/lower, sacred/secular, perfect/permitted, contemplative/active, or first class/second class. Calling is the premise of Christian existence itself. Calling means that everyone, everywhere, and in everything fulfills his or her (secondary) callings in response to God’s (primary) calling. For the Reformers, the peasant and the merchant—for us, the business person, the teacher, the factory worker, and the television anchor—can do God’s work (or fail to do it) just as much as the minister and the missionary.

The recovery of the holistic understanding of calling was dramatic. William Tyndale wrote that if our desire is to please God, pouring water, washing dishes, cobbling shoes, and preaching the Word is all one. William Perkins claimed “polishing shoes was s sanctified and holy act and the action of a shepherd in keeping sheep, performed as I have said in his kind, is as good a work before God as in the action of a judge in giving sentence, or of a magistrate in ruling, or a minister in preaching.”

The cultural implications of recovering true calling were explosive. Calling gave to everyday work a dignity and spiritual significance under God that dethroned the primacy of leisure and contemplation. Calling gave to humble people and ordinary tasks an investment of equality that shattered hierarchies and was a vital impulse toward democracy. Calling gave to such practical things as work, thrift, and long-term planning a reinforcement that made them powerfully influential in the rise of modern capitalism. Calling gave to the endeavor to make Christ Lord of every part of life a fresh force that transformed churches and cultures. Calling gave to the idea of “talents” a new meaning, so that they were no longer seen purely as spiritual gifts and graces but as natural and a matter of giftedness in the modern sense of the term. Calling demanded and inspired the transforming vision of the lordship of Christ expressed in the famous saying of the great Dutch prime minister, Abraham Kuyper: “There is not one square inch of the entire creation about which Jesus Christ does not cry out, ‘This is mine! This belongs to me!’”

WOW! Now that should help us all see the vision and value of calling from God’s perspective. From our first parents in the Garden of Eden, all of life is to be lived coram deo—before the face of God. It doesn’t matter if one is a butcher, baker, or candle-stick maker—or a priest, monk, or nun—every service is sacred when lived in the light of eternity for the glory of God.

So who are the kingdom builders for the King of kings and the Lord of lords? Everyone who is putting their gifts, talents, and abilities into faithful service in order to glorify God and expand the cause of His kingdom is a kingdom builder. This Labor Day, take a moment to do a personal evaluation in the area of your own calling. Ask yourself: is there any sacred/spiritual split? How is your work impacting the kingdom of God? How are you allowing God to use you, right where you currently are, to expand the cause of His kingdom?

Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  (1 Corinthians 10:31)

I often tell our congregation that there is indeed one menial job in this world: that job is the one where Jesus cannot be found. If your labor is a labor of love for the glory of God, the good of others, and the expansion of God’s kingdom, you can rest assured that what you are doing—regardless of what others might think of it—echoes in eternity. Let that truth bless you this Labor Day and all the days of your life as you labor for your Lord.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2-3)

The Israelites remained true to God’s Word to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28), even while they were in bondage for more than 400 years in Egypt. In the harsh conditions of that time, bearing children required the services of a midwife, who assisted the mother in the process of giving birth—often cutting the baby’s umbilical cord, washing the infant, and presenting the child to the parents and family. But as absolutely necessary as midwives were in the physical realm of God’s people, the Master has no need of them in the spiritual realm.

Here is why the Master has no need of His disciples playing the role of midwives: We play no role in the birth of the new believer! Salvation belongs to God; it is all of God and His grace. God gives the gift of repentance and faith. God raises the dead to life. As Jesus told Nicodemus, we are born again by the work of the Spirit, not the work of man (John 3:6). God in Christ does it all, with no help from modern midwives. There is no need for any of us to cut the cord, wash the baby Christian, and present the newborn believer to the family of faith.

However, there is a need to step into the life of the baby Christian from the moment after new birth, until his or her last day on this earth. The role of the Christian is to disciple new believers, not deliver them. We are to make ourselves available to God to be used as instruments of sanctification in His mighty right hand. And the first and most important aspect of sanctification is the renewing of the mind, which comes through the reading of Scripture. We are to bring the Word of God to all those we come in contact with. We are to encourage them to be good Bereans, exhorting them to search the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11).

So . . . how are you doing in the area of helping others grow up in their faith? Remember, the Master has no need for midwives, but He does need willing workers who will bring others through the pages of sacred Scripture. After the new birth, which is solely the work of God, it is our calling to help the believer understand what it means to believe, belong, and become a fully-functioning member of the family of faith.

Biblical truth received and responded to does more than change behavior. It renews the mind, realigns the will, and recalibrates the heart. This is the business of making disciples, which is the call for every believer—not in birthing new Christians, but in growing them to maturity.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (John 6:66)

I have a word of comfort and caution for you today. It is a word designed to help us understand the teachings of Jesus without taking offense. In today’s verse, the apostle John records that there were many who did take offense at the words of our Lord and walked with Him no more. Jesus had been teaching deep Gospel truths about being the Bread of Life, using such words as these . . .

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:51)

On the surface, this teaching seemed offensive. “This is a hard teaching,” many grumbled. “Who can accept it?” (John 6:60). Jesus was teaching deep spiritual truths about the Gospel that his audience was unable to understand . . . so they took offense and walked away. Here is the point: Jesus intentionally made Himself an offense to His audience. Why? Because it separated the false disciples from the true disciples.

When you think about it, many of the teachings of Jesus are offensive. For example, consider this: “Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Who reading this is excited about living a life of self-denial and cross-bearing?

It has been well said that the Christian life is not hard to live; it’s impossible! And that is entirely true . . . apart from the grace of God. Remember, the promise of Jesus is safe passage into glory, but not without storms and struggles along the way. The test for everyone who professes faith in Christ is this: Will there be a point where you find the teachings of Jesus offensive and refuse to follow Him? The world tells you to satisfy your every desire; Jesus says deny yourself. The world tells you to grab all you can, that he who dies with the most toys wins; Jesus says give all you have. The world says look out for number one; Jesus says look out for everyone else. The world says seek happiness; Jesus says seek holiness. The world tells you to follow your heart; Jesus says “Follow me.”

Listen: Having been bought at the price of His precious blood, you are now a slave to your Savior. And while His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30), make no mistake: He is Lord. He is a jealous God, and He will demand everything from you. Jesus did not raise you from death to life so that you could give Him half of your heart. He demands all of you . . . and rightfully so! He gave you all of Himself while hanging on a cross; it is only right for His disciples to give Him back the same.

How is it with you? Have you taken offense at any of the teachings of your Lord? Every moment you are faced with a choice: Take offense and satisfy yourself . . . or take no offense and live out your slavery to your Savior. The first choice leads to death; the second leads to life. Which will you choose?

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!