READING THE PROPHETS

TO BUILD A BODY OF GRACE

(We) are no longer foreigners and aliens,

but fellow citizens with God's people

and members of God's household,

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.

Ephesians 2.19-20

After His resurrection, Jesus told the disciples--and Luke saved it for us--

"Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me

in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."

Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Luke 24.44.45

About three-fourths of our Bible is included in what Jesus and Paul tell us is important to our understanding of the Grace, Glory, Goodness, and Greatness of God. The Old Testament is essential to the foundation of our faith and the will and way of God, His purpose, plan, and pleasure. (Ephesians 1. 3-14)

It is no wonder that Jesus still says, "O, ye of little faith!"

To help, I offer you two ideas for reading the prophets:

First, read the short prophets.

The prophets "think differently" than we do. Start with the short ones. Some are very readable and get you acquainted and oriented to their messages and style. Malachi is a good place to start--at the end.

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, is only four short chapters that cover areas we can easily understand.

Micah is seven chapters. The topics are clear and very pointed. Some of the places may be unfamiliar, but they are just neigboring states and capital cities. Look at your end of Bible maps if you are curious--this always helps you visualize the message a little better.

Haggai is very short--two chapters and describes how to get into trouble, the consequences thereof, and then tells of God's willingness to bail us out and rebuild us. It (along with Micah's longer statement) is an excellent summary of the basic message of the prophets.

Amos is eight chapters, easily read and understandable. Like Haggai and Micah, it gives us the pattern of prophetic messages in bitesized portions.

The rest of the "minor"--shorter--prophets are specialized and more diffecult to follow. Read the recommended ones several times. You will definitely profit fr0m these prophets! If you don't believe me, believe Jesus, Paul, and the Holy Spirit. Read them. They are essential to the command "Go...and teach them to obey all that I have commanded you." Jesus taught the disciples from the Old Testament, which is "able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3.15-17.

Peter says, "the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you searched diligently,... and it was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven." 1 Peter 1.10-12

The Old Testament is emphatically important to and for us!

The Old Testament, including the prophets--maybe especially the prophets--are a must for us, if we are to understand the ways of God in order to live and speak effectively into our culture in this 21st century of 2010 and beyond. The prophets forecast and contrast the consequences and results of obedience or the lack thereof not just for individuals, but for nations, including ours. The prophets answer our incessant questions of "Why?!"

The prophets amplify, detail, and explain the simple, succinct statement of Psalm 1.6:

"For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous;

but the way of the wicked will perish."

The second idea I offer you to help your beginning to understand the basic messages of the prophets is this brief list of their maian themes:

1. Abandonment of God, Scripture, righteousness, and holiness has dire consequences. Don't go there!

2. Sin, trouble, destruction, and moral breakdown in personal lives is detailed in perfectly clear understanding, reading like the daily news this morning, any morning.

3. These conditions are the results of abuse of power, greed, and oppression of the people by their leaders.

4. The daily sufferings are followed by famines, plagues, economic, judicial, religious, and military breakdowns, invasion and subjection to foreign enemies and cultures.

It takes no imaginaiton whatsoever to see, understand, and respond to these messages. Just remember--they are essential to understanding, believing, trusting, and obeying Jesus as our Lord in this generation of our nation.

When you are ready to tackle the big three (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel), start with Isaiah, which will be easy by this time. Add Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the other short writers as you wish.

The prophets are not to be exclusive and take the place of the rest of the Old Testament, and they are not to be preferred to the New Testament. But--they all matter--greatly!

Greatly. Greatly. GREATLY. !!!

SOUNDS AND SIGNS OF CHRISTMAS!!!

ECHOS FROM THE PAST

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It us He who made us, and we are His;

we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and praise His Name.

For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;

His faithfulness continues through all generations.

From 3000 years ago comes the sounds and sights of Christmas--from Psalm 100.

Here are wonderful realities of the Messiah and Christ of Heaven, God Himself come to earth with love, joy, and peace to be our Savior and Lord through all generations, including us. Here. Now. Forever.

God! God! God IS!

God Made Us.

We are His. His people. Now. And forever and ever.

Sheep of His Pasture.

He has come to us.

We can come to Him.

Daily. Morning. Noon. Night.

Any time. Any where. Any way.

God is the cause of Joy.

He is the cause of Good.

He is eternally Loving.

He is faithfully so to all generations.

To our generation.

To us.

To me.

To you.

HOW CHANGE TAKES PLACE

WHEN JESUS SPEAKS

Now you are clean through the
Word which I have spoken to you.

John 15.3

Jesus spoke to His disciples daily for 3 1/2 years.

His last night, He said, "Now you are clean...."

They had listened to, learned from, and lived for Him during this time.

Now they were dramatically different men and women.

The difference came from the power of Jesus--Who He was, what He did, and what He said.

The Holy Spirit makes that exact same difference in our lives as we listen to and learn from the Holy Spirit in order to live for the Lord Jesus day by day.

We have the words of Jesus, the words of the Father, and the words of the Holy Spirit.

We have the Holy Spirit within us to be with us to speak to us, just as Jesus was with those disciples.

Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey what I command, and I will ask the Father and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever--the Spirit of Truth."

We become like Jesus as we listen to, learn from, live by the words of the Holy Spirit day by day.

We need only read the words the Father, Son, and Spirit have spoken for us and the Holy Spirit will empower us to see what they are saying and doing. As we see Who God is and What God does, we will become like Him.

To begin with, read daily the last words of Jesus and His prayer for us in John 14-17. Read them over and over until you have heard, seen, understood, believed, trusted, and obeyed what the Holy Spirit says and shows you about the Son for the glory of the Father.

Read Jesus' words prayerfully and thoughtfully--"meditate" on them--and you will become like the disciples who first heard them from the lips of Jesus, like a Vine with much fruit and like a Tree for the splendor of the glory of God--Psalm 1.1-3; Isaiah 61.3; John 15.5.

TRUE OR FALSE

STOP LYING!

Put off falsehood and speak truthfully...

we are all members of one body.

Ephesians 4.25

If I lie to you, I am lying to myself. If I lie to you, I lie about myself. If I lie to you and to myself, I am lying to God, too.

If I lie, I am not being truthful to you; I am not being truthful about myself; I am not being truthful in the presence of God.

Because we are "members of one body," whatever we do effects each other.

When we lie, deceive, mislead, manipulate, withhold or hide all or part of information, avoid topics and issues, we cut ourselves off from one another. We create and engage in suspicious, doubtful, apprehensive, anxious--even malicious--imaginations and fears regarding one another.

When we are not honest and truthful with one another and God, we will try to live independently of one another and God in the areas we are hiding and lying about.

To whatever degree we are not completely honest, there is a secret area of our heart and life that is reserved and restricted from others and from God. These areas are always cancerous, eating away at our integrity and credibility. Others will always sense that something "is not quite right," and that we are not being fully honest about something. God will seem distant and threatening to us. We will feel alone and lonely, rejected, misunderstood, cheated, and mistreated.

When we lie to one another, we dig our own grave, create our own misery. destroy our own lives and happiness.

The results of lying are deadly.

GET YOUR MIND OFF YOUR TROUBLES

SET YOUR MIND ON GOD

We take captive every thought

to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10.5b

Set your hearts...Set your minds

on things above...

Colossians 3.1,2

Give me relief from my distress...

I will lie down and sleep in peace...safety.

Psalm 4.1,8

To take distressing thoughts captive, write them down. When you write down what you are distressed, upset, angry, ashamed, guilty, jealous, bitter, dispairing, depressed....., you are able to take control of those thoughts. Under your control, you can remove them, be free from them and be filled with peace and sleep well tonight.

To control your thoughts and get your mind off your troubles, you only need to write them donw and replace them with God-given thoughts, as in Colossians 3.1,2. As God gives you His thoughts about what you are distressing over, write His thoughts down. Write His thoughts on 3x5 or 4x8 cards so you can carry them with you for constandt review, until you have replaced your old distresses with God's peace.

Pslam 4.4 tells us to find a quiet place, maybe a bedrooom, where we can have quiet and undistracted time to do our writing down of the thoughts we want to control and then read to find what God gives us to replace them with.

Psalm 119 shows us how to do this:

V. 13--"With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth..." Write these laws that apply to our distress on 3x5 cards.

V. 26--"I recounted my ways and you answered me..." When we recount our ways by writing them down, we are able to concentrate on the laws God gives us as we read Scripture. We carry our cards with God's laws about our distresses and His directions for us, we are freed from our distresses and find His peace.

V. 59--"I have considered my ways and I have turned my steps to Your statutes." When we write down our distressful thougthts about our ways and fears, etc., and then write down God's laws and statutes that He shows us about our distressful thoughts, and begin to take steps in obedience to God's statutes and directions, we will find the peace and safety of Psalm 4.8. Then we will sleep well and rise to be wiser, stronger, and better in all the ways of our life experiences.

This is how the Holy Spirit fulfills the promises of Jesus.

In this way, Grace and peace will be given you from the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit, according to the Scriptures.

ANSWERED & UNANSWERED PRAYER

HOW GOD ANSWERS PRAYER

If you abide in Me, and My Word abides in you,

ask whatever you wish,

and it will be given you.

John 15.7

I no longer call you servants,

because a servant does not know his master's business.

Instead, I have called you friends,

for everything that I learned from My Father

I have made known to you.

You did not choose Me, but I chose you

and appointed you to go and bear fruit--

fruit that will last.

Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My Name.

This is My command: love each other.

John 15.15-17

When we are seeking to obey the commands of Jesus Christ as the Lord of our life, the Father will grant whatever it is that we need for doing so.

The promise is, "Ask, and you will receive."

"Seek, and you will find."

"Ask," "Seek," and "Knock" are found in Luke 11.9-13.

When we do not know what to do in a specific situation, the promise is, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives generously to all." (James 1.5)

In Jeremiah 37.1-10, we are told of Zedekiah asking Jeremiah, "Please pray to the Lord our God for us." (v. 3)

In vv. 6-10, Jeremiah brings back God's answer, beginning, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Tell the king...'" (In both v. 6 & 9)

In other words, when Zedekiah asked, Jeremiah asked in his behalf. God gave Jeremiah a very specific answer for Zedekiah. The answer to the king came as God's own words were given to the prophet. Zedekiah got an answer directly from God. (Probably not what he wanted to hear, but he got a direct, specific answer from God.)

God stands ready to answer our prayers just as directly, and instantly.

God the Holy Spirit is just as ready to answer our prayers as He did Zedekiah's.

Zedekiah's prayer was answered by God through the prophet Jeremiah.

Our prayers are answered by either a prophet or an apostle. Just this simple:

1. What is your question or problem?

2. Read the Scripture, prophets and apostles, for God's answer.

Incredibly, God the Holy Spirit stands ready to answer any prayer we have if we only "Ask...and Seek...and Knock."

Just as incredibly James points out that we do not have answers "because you do not ask God." (James 4.2)

All our prayers are answered--"Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matt 21.22)

The foolish part is, we don't listen; we don't look; we don't seek.

It's like we have unopened mail from God with a complete answer to everything we can possibly ask or even think of (Ephesians 3.20-21; Jer. 33.3), and we never open it to read and see what God has said to us.

We read a single verse or two in a devotional book and then the commentary. We read a paragraph in a lesson book and then the lesson.

We "study" a commentary with a few verses scattered along the way.

We do not read to Bible with a hunger for words that will give life and change life within us.

We "pray for others" and have no idea about what God wants to tell us about others as He sees them and what He wants us to tell them, like Jeremiah told Zedekiah.

And the saddest part is that we do not realize that all God's answers are in the Book He has given us. He has given all we can possibly want, ask, think. Every spiritual gift of the kingdom of heaven is available to us--right now, right here. There are unlimited promises for everything that we need for life and godliness--2 Peter 1.3-4.

God wants us to know and have every spiritual blessing that is in Christ Jesus--here, now, right here, right now--Ephesians 1.3.

How incredible can it be that when we ask God, we do not seek what He has to say in response to us!

Jeremiah did seek, and he found. And he recorded God's answer to Zedekiah so we could understand: God answers prayer--instantly and directly.

For our answers we have to read what God has given to the prophets and apostles. If we read God's words, looking for what God has spoken to others in the past, the Holy Spirit will speak to us from those answers to others just as clearly as He did to Zedekiah.

All possible answers for all people in all generations are available from the Scriptures we have before. God's words are now completely complete for all needs of all generations of all people.

Here. Now. Instantly. Clearly.

FORGETTING THE PAST

PEACE WITH THE PAST

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize

for which God has called me heavenward

in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3.13-14

Genesis 26:1-22 reports on "what is behind" Isaac, the heir of God's promises and purposes for mankind in and through Jesus. God has promises and purposes for us, too. We need to understand how God clears up our past so we can press on toward the goal and prize He has called us to. (Cf. Eph. 1.17-19)

Genesis 26:23-26 shows us how God freed Isaac from some pretty serious failures and sins against God (unbelief), Abimelech and his entire tribal clan (lying--when men of God lie to unbelievers, great and serious consequences comes to God's people and the unbelievers around them!), to his wife (how shameful can a man be!), and to those who depended of him (the rest of his family and his servants).

Trouble was brewing on many levels.

What a mess Isaac created! How could a man live with this? How does God untangle it?

First, God comes in Grace!

I'm sure there was plenty of guilt and shame, fear and anxiety and depression that filled Isaaac's every waking hour and nightmares daily. No man of God can do what Isaac had done and not be tormented with conviction and fear of judgment.

At just the right moment, God stepped in with redeeming, delivering Grace!

Grace comes to us in revelation of God's gloriousness.

Understanding this is vital.

When we are at the end of our rope and cry out to God,

He intervenes with deliverance and renewal, based on some new revelation of Who He Is and What He Does as it applies to us in our disaster and catastrophe.

God tells us Who He Is to us and What He Is Going To Do for us.

This this restoration to Grace and Fellowship is accompanied by affirmation of promises and purposes and with new revelation for us to follow by Faith and Obedience.

That night the Lord appeared to him and said,

"I am the God of your father Araham.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you.

I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants

for the sake of My servant Abraham."

Genesis 26.24

Think on these things--Phil. 4.8.

They were written for your sake.

"Everything that was written in the past

was written to teach us,

so that through endurance

and the encouragement of the Scriptures

we might have hope."

Romans 15.4

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace

as you trust in Him,

so that You may overflow with hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 15.13

DELIVERED! SAFE AND SOUND!

THE RIGHTEOUS REJOICE!!!

May the righteous be glad

and rejoice before God;

may they be happy and joyful.

Psalm 68.1-3

Psalm 1.1 tells us three of the many kinds of destructive experiences with people that damage and limit our lives.

Psalm 3.1 calls the effect of these destructions our "foes."

Psalm 4.1 calls these effects our "distress."

The rest of the Psalms continue to help us identify the destructive experiences and effects in us and by us.

When the Psalmist tells us that he "cries out," "cries aloud," "weeps," and so forth, it is because of his suffering, shame, guilt, failure, pain, shame, and so forth that come from his "foes" and "enemies" that are tormenting him his heart, because of what is happening to him. What is happening usually adds to what has happened, making matters worse and causing hopelessness, fear, anger, hardness, and depression.

Life is hard, and we fight our failures and weaknesses day and night.

Psalm 68, however, speaks of being "happy and joyful."

Psalm 1.3 describes this happy state as being like

"a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaves do not wither."

This happy state comes about from our seeing, believing, and trusting the love, power, and wisdom of God to "deliver us safe and sound." The Psalms help us to see and realize the damage we experience. But, they also show us the grace, goodness, and glory of God that delivers us and establishes us in righteousness and holiness, renews and restores His image within us, so that His glory is reflected to everyone around us.

We must look for, believe, and trust what God says He wants to do for us in these Psalms. We must follow the example and the commands of God they apply to us in daily situations. As we do, the Holy Spirit leads us into more and more freedom, joy, happiness, love, and peace--and much, much more, called "the abundant life" by Jesus (John 10.10).

The "happy state" comes about

1. As we identify ("confess") our destructions with the help of the lists of destructions common to men the Psalms provide for us.

2. As we believe that God will extend to us all the goodness, grace, wisdom, and power of God that the Psalmist lists--and much, much more.

3. As we trust and follow the Lord in the ways of godliness, righteousness, and holiness.

The Lord watches over the way of the righteous.

Psalm 1.6

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

Psalm 32.8

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4.17

Come.

Follow Me.

I will make you fishers of men.

Matthew 4.19

THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF PROBLEMS

HOW JOY IS CREATED IN PROBLEMS

...in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds

...so that my joy was greater than ever.

2 Corinthians 7.4, 7

"My brothers, count it all joy when you face any kind of temptation...."

James 1.2-5.

Jesus said,

"In this world you will have tribulation,

but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." John 16.33.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul tells us how the Holy Spirit creates joy out of hardships and troubles, making all things, anything, and everything "work out for our good." Romans 8.28.

First, in chapter 7.5, Paul identifies what he means by "trouble:"

1. No rest for his body

2. Harassed at every turn

3. Conflicts all around him

4. Fears within himself

5. All this understandably produced a "downcast" feeling (v. 6), perhaps even depression, coming from the endless and hopeless series of hardships Paul faced throughout his entire ministry.

But, in all this Paul found greater, even boundless joy and encouragement, more than he had ever known. The Holy Spirit tranformed Paul's problems into love, peace, joy, comfort, and encouragement.

How He made Paul's problems produce these great and good things is the way He will do so for us.

First, Paul had become a man of great integrity, honesty, truthfulness, openness, and transparency with others like these Corinthians--2 Cor. 6.11-12.

He neither withheld and withdrew from people, always ""upfront" with others.

This was because He was pure of heart in the presence of God and had nothing to fear from God and therefore, nothing to fear from any person.

Therfore, Paul could ask the Corinthians to "open wide your hearts also." 6.13. He had nothing to fear from what they would say to him, but he also knew how important it was that they be honest about any criticism, fear, anger, resentment, etc., that they felt against him.

Such honesty and openess removes the barriers to trust, peace, love, and joy.

Because Paul was "real," genuine, sincere, the Corinthilans knew he was trustworthy, and they responded to his appeal. They and Paul learned to respect, honor, appreciate, and trust one another more than ever before.

This was "growth" and increase.

This was more of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul knew about --Galatians 5.16-24--and that Jesus had promised--John 15.

These are incredible benefits that the Holy Spirit provides for us when we

1. "...deny ourself and take up our cross daily."

2. Become disciples who "abide in and with Christ daily," every day, day and night, all day, all night.

3. Abide in Christ, like a branch of a vine, we are filled with His life, by the Holy Spirit.

4. Are being filled with and by the Holy Spirit, walking in the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus promised.

5. Like Paul, find love, joy, and peace in ever greater portions.

6. Abound in abundant life with the Lord Jesus and one another, as we grow in grace and knowledge of His glory, honor and praise--2 Peter 3.18--filled with all the fulness of Christ--Colossians 2.9-10; John 1.16-18.

"Now unto Him Who is able to do

exceedingly, abundantly, above

all that we can ask or think,

be praise, honor, and glory, now and forever.

Amen.

Ephesians 3.20-21.

LIVING IN CHRIST

LIVING IN AND WITH JESUS CHRIST

I am the way, the truth, and the life;

no man comes to the Father but by Me.

John 14.6

I am the Way.

We must ask (and you will receive) Jesus to lead us.

I am the Truth.

We must seek (and you will find) knowledge, understanding, and wisdom from the leadship of the Holy Spirit, not of the "flesh." "He (the Holy Spirit) will guide you into all truth...." John 16.13

We must knock (and the door will be opened) and enter the new area of life the Holy Spirit has directed us to.

The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Counselor, carrying out Psalm 32.8 for us daily--I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

The Holy Spirit imparts the wisdom and power, the personal teaching and guidance we need in order to follow Jesus.

Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Mt. 4.19

If any man will come after Me,

he must deny himself,

and take up his cross daily,

and follow Me.

Luke 9.23

ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD!

SO CAN WE

Remember Your word to Your servant,

for You have given me hope.

Ps. 119.49

Hope waits for things promised but not yet given.

In this hope we were saved.

But hope that is seen is no hope at all.....

But if we hope for what we do not yet have,

we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8.24-25

While we wait God preserves and prepares us.

My comfort in my suffering is this:

Your promise preserves my life.

Psalm 119.50

While we wait we search the Scriptures, God directs and prepares us to be like "an oak of righteousness for the dislplay of His glory." (Isaiah 61.3)

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in His word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchemn wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Psalm 130.5-6

The reason and goal of God in "making us wait" is that He sees much more in our situation than we see. There are always more things that need to be taken care of than what we are experiencing.

While we are waiting with God, the Holy Spirit will be leading, directing, correcting, cleansing, instructing, transforming, developing......preparing us to bear fruit, more fruit, much fruit, to become wiser, stronger, better in righteousness and holiness, wisdom and power, with goodness and kindness,

compassion and mercy, forgiveness, genuineness and sincerity of faith and love.

He will identify and free us from the effects of adversity and tribulation that have deep roots within our heart and soul (Hebrews 12.15; Psalm 129.23-24.)

It is our searching the Scriptures for this cleansing and correction that God uses in our troubles that reveal and transform our heart, soul, mind, and body.

2 Timothy 3.16-17; Hebrews 4.12; Psalm 19.7-14.

It is essential that we understand that during our wait we are to read Scripture to find corrections and transforming redirections that will renew, rebuild, and restore the image of God within us, body, soul, and spirit. Ephesians 4. 22-24; 1 Thessalonians 5.23-24.

The Holy Spirit wants to do a thorough work of transformation and freedom that will reflect the glory praise, and honor of the Lord Jesus in and through our lives. Impatience on our part hinders and prevents this from happening.

Patience in tribulation--Romans 15.4, 13; James 1.2-5--will allow God to do far more than we can possible ask or think, things much greater, mightier than we have any awareness at the time of our troubles.

Patience with God, in His word, seeking wisdom and grace to grow in the knowledge and likeness of the Lord Jesus, for this present trouble, will fill us with greater riches from His kingdom than anything we can ask for our own comfort.

Submit yourselves, then to God....

Humble yourselves before the Lord,

and He will lift you up.

James 4.7, 10; 1 Peter 5.5-6

THE GREATEST SECRET REVEALED

BY THIS HE MEANT

Whoever believes in Me...

streams of living water will flow from within him.

John 7.37-39

The "secret" of the Christian life is in the flow of the grace of Jesus Christ from the Holy Spirit into our hearts and out of our lives.

This "flow" from the Holy Spirit takes place as we "abide" in and with Christ.

I am the vine and you are the branches.

If a man remains in Me and I in HIm, he will bear much fruit;

apart from Me you can do nothing.

John 15.5

This "abiding" is to take place continuously, just as vine pours life into the branch continuously. This is the same as "Pray without ceasing." For the Christian life to be what Jesus came to live and die for, we must give Him not just "top priority," but all priority.

"If any man will come after Me,

he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily,

and follow Me."

Luke 9.23

If we will dedicate the time to be with Christ and then follow His will for our life by faith, believe, trust, and obey in an abiding, continuous way, then the Holy Spirit will be able to bring the grace and glory into our lives continually. In this way we will be filled continually, growing wiser, stronger, and better day by day. As we grow we will bear more fruit, because we will be being filled with the Holy Spirit and His work within us so that we bear more and more of the fruit of this life in the form of love, joy, and peace and much, much more.

"Be filled with the Spirit."

Ephesians 5.18

If we are abiding in Christ, we will be being filled with the Spirit and we will be walking in the way the Holy Spirit leads us. He Holy Spirit will remove "dead" branches and dead works from our lives that we may produce more good fruit for the glory of Jesus.

If you walk in the Spirit,

you will not fulfill the desires of the sinful flesh.

Galatians 5.16

If we set our minds on what the Holy Spirit desires, we will live in accordance with what the Spirit desires, not what our sinful nature desires. If we set our minds of the things of Christ, the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with the Glory of Jesus, and we will know the secret things of God in Christ.

"God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles

the glorious riches of this mystery,

which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Colossians 1.27

This glorious mystery, this secret of the Christian life is ours. We only have to ask and seek with all our hearts, and follow the doorways the Holy Spirit opens for us.

THE GREATEST SECRET

THE MOST GLORIOUS RICHES

God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles

the glorious riches of this mystery,

which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1.27

The greatest reality of all of eternity is

the glory our Creator has for us

today!

That greatest, most glorious reality is

Christ Jesus is in us--

today! Right now!

Jesus said,

"Abide in Me and I will abide in you."

Jesus said, "Come to Me...Follow Me."

He said, "Seek My Face...If you seek Him, He will be found."

We need only spend time in ASKing:

Ask--we will receive.

Seek--we will find.

Knock--doors will open for us.

Seeking means the effort to set our minds on the things the Holy Spirit shows us as we search the Scriptures. "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."

Colossians 3.1-2

And how does this happen?

"When He, the Spirit of truth, comes,

He will guide you into all truth.

He will not speak on His own;

He will speak only what He hears,

and He will tell you what is yet to come.

He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

All that belongs to the Father is Mine.

That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you."

John 16.16

No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived,

what God has prepared for those who love Him--

but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit...

We have the Spirit Who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us...

We have the mind of Christ.

Let this mind dwell in you which is is Christ.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Set your mind on the things of God.

Ask in prayer.

Seek from Scripture.

Knock in obedience.

DAILY PURPOSEFUL LIVING

WALKING IN THE SPIRIT IS NO MYSTERY

Walk in the Spirit,

and you will not fulfill the desires of the sinful nature.

Galatians 5.16

Living by the leadership and power of God the Holy Spirit and not behaving in sinful, destructive ways in our relationships is not a mystery, not difficult.

We simply say and do good things and not bad things to and about one another (Luke 6.27-28). Good things that encourage, strengthen, and comfort one another is how we use our gifts from the Holy Spirit daily (1 Corinthains 14.3). We deny our selfish, bad motives, thoughts, behaviors, and words; instead, we say and do good things to, for, and about others--simple.

We always know when we refuse to do/say something that would be good and helpful to others that we are responding to a need/oportunity, in our sinful selfishness. We immediately feel some negative justification for ourselves and some demeaning devaluation of the other person. In failing God, others, and ourselves ("falling short--Romans 3.23) in this way, we quench and deny the Spirit. Indulging in selfishness, we set up further internal war and conflict within ourselves and harden our hearts/consciences (Ephesians 4.17-19; Jeremiah 17.10; Galatians 5.17-21; James 3.13-4.8).

We need lots of Scripture time with Christ and the Holy Spirit (John 15.1-17; Psalm 139.23-24; Hebrews 5.12).

We can lead people no further/higher in the ways of Jesus than we are walking ourselves. If we are not doing these things, with/ by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5.18), we have no wisdom to lead and help the lost, confused people all around us who need good shepherds appointed by God the Holy Spirit (Mattthew 7.24-27).

Evidence that the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 1.24, 30) impacts our lives and the lives of others around us for Christ is in the good things we say and do in the intense purposeful relationships of daily living. (Epesians 5.232-6.4; Colossians 3.18-4.1).

Prayer and Scripture are foundational to accomplish these things in specific, daily details (Colossians 1.9-12; 4.2-6; Matthew 6.9-13; Luke 6.27-28).

AN APPEAL FOR DISCIPLINE

THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCIPLINE

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 1.7

Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples and teach them to obey His commands. This great commission has not changed. The teacher/disciple Paul taught the disciple/learner Timothy who was to teach faithful men who would teach others (2 Timothy 2.1-3). This has not changed.

You and I are to be disciplined disciples of Christ and teach others the necessary disciplines of discipleship.

The Gospel, according to Paul, is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1.27).

Paul worked to help others "have complete understanding of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col. 2.2) He says, "...that we may present everyone perfect in Christ...I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me." (1.29)

We can do no less!

The book of Proverbs gives us great instruction and motivation to pursue the knowldge, understanding and wisdom necessary for us to live the life for which Jesus came and died for and now lives for.

It is essential that we understand that what we call "salvation" is only the doorway, the "gate," into the life Christ seeks us to live. The "way" of Christ is the way of discipleship.

"Salvation" is only the beginning of the Gospel of eternal life. The life of this salvation is learning disciplined obedience to the daily commands of Christ. Jesus says, "If you continue in My word, you are my disciple." (John 8.31) He further says, "If any man will come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me." ( Luke 9.23)

No word, no self-denial, no daily cross--no Gospel.

Proverbs 1.1-7 uses twenty-seven words to emphasize the importance of disciplined discipleship, stating that "fools despise discipline." v. 7.

My appeal is that you immediately dedicate yourself to serious discipleship.

If you need help getting started, contact me. I will give you practical, workable help.

Proverbs says tha way of the fool is hard. Jesus says His way is easy. It is easy. It is simple. But it is urgent and essential that you dedicate yourself to serious discipleship toward Jesus Christ.

Christ demands it. The world depends on us.

We are fools to fail.

FAITH FOR DEEP, DARK VALLEYS

Sing to the Lord!

Give praise to the Lord!

He rescues the life of the needy...

Jeremiah 20.13

Jeremiah 20. 7-18 has an amazing "drama of three acts" about faith in the midst of intense pain and suffering.

Verses 7-10 lists the pain of abuse at the hands of others. This is primarily verbal persecution.

Verses 14-18 describe the hopelessness and dispair of seemingly endless suffering, for which is there is no relief. This suffering is so intense that Jeremiah's expresses death wishes. He wishes he had not been born, that he had been killed at birth--aborted, by his father.

In between these two passages there is an incredible statement of faith!

Verses 11-13--The Lord is with me...O Lord Almighty..to YOu I have committed my cause...He rescues the life of the needy...

This "dramatic pattern" is repeated endlessly throughout the Psalms.

Psalm 5 is the first clear series of interactions between suffering and celebration:

1-3: Faith while waiting

4-6: The "enemies"

7-8: Faith

9-10: The enemy

11-12: Faith

Psalms 42-45 are a connected series of Psalms that show us how God supports then rewards those who trust Him through the experience of being deeply "downcast." Psalm 45 is totally devoted to praise and celebration after the extended suffering of Psalm 44.

The Prophets portray this same "Valley-mountain" experioence of this life. Psalm 40 presents it as from the "pit" to the strength, stablility, and security of a rock foundation.

This view of God through the dark dispair of this life is the reason James can say so positively, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

Consider, then: Romans 8.28-39, 5.1-5, 15.1-6, 13; 2 Corinthians 1.3-11; 2 Corinthians 12.7-10; James 1.2-5; Philippians 3.7-11; 1 Peter 1.6-7, 4.12-13; 2 Peter 1.3-11. There are many more like these. And we have examples throughout the Old Testament, as noted in Hebrews 11.35-40.

But, especially concentrate on the patterns and promises of the Psalms.

(I apologize for the "cramped" format. I have no idea of how to format these thoughts so they are more visually helpful to your readings.)

"MY" GENERATION

What can I get......away with!?

Indeed! What can I get away with?

Greed. Lying. Stealing. Injustice. Slander. Cheating.

Adultery. Sex. Drunkenness.

Total selfish, sensual indulgence.

Self destruction at any price.

What do I get?

Self. Lonliness. Guilt. Shame. Bitterness. Remorse.

Headaches. Migraines. Stomach ulcers. Colon cancer.

Disgrace. Broken Family. Addictions.

Consequences.

Of what I do and don't do.

Of what others do and don't do.

We are in this "together," even when we hate one another.

We reap, not benefits, but consequences.

One person's greed steals from all of us.

It's not hard to see the "downward spiral" of the "decline of nations" that history has so relentlessly shown us.

Can we do anything about this?

Can heads of state?

Not very often. Not very likely today.

Can one person make a difference?

One person is the only person who can make a difference!

Can one person change much?

Not often.

But lots of "ones" can make a significant difference for lots of others.

So---

Jesus can make a difference in my life.

I will become different.

I will make a difference in the lives of all I am a part of.

I will do my part.

I will spend time with Jesus--

not just saying prayers, pleading with God to do what I want Him to do.

not just reading devotional books.

not just attending study groups and church.

not just serving on church ommmittees.

I will spend time with Jesus.

That's what He asks me to do.

He will send His Spirit to let me know He is present with me.

His Spirit will tell me what He is saying to me

and what He wants me to do and say.

Jesus will make a difference in my life.

I will be different--daily--

denying my own selfishness and indulgences.

taking up a cross of self-sacrifice for others well-being.

I can and I will make a difference for the sake of others.

WHY AM I REJECTED!?

PSALM 43

Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

You are God my stronghold.

Why have rejected me? Why must I go about mourning,

oppressed by the enemy?

Send forth Your light and Your truth,

let them guide me....

The reality is that we live in an ungodly generation. Dishonesty, injustice, greed, fraud, doctoring books, misrepresentations, lying, stealing, betrayal, set-ups.....and we are too often victims of power plays of other people.

When we are victimized by such "enemies," then we we are attacked from within with confusion, anger, distress, fear, and much more. Doubts about where God is and whether He has abandoned us torment us. We wonder, "Am I being punished for something?" "If so, what?" Why didn't God protect me? Why doesn't He punished the bad people who did this to me?

These questions of the Psalmist represent many more questions that we most naturally fall prey to.

However, the questions of the Psalmist and our own questions are guides to the answers God has for us!

Look at the next verses:

Send forth Your light and your truth, let them guide me;

let them bring me to Your holy mountain,

to the place where You dwell.

Then will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.

I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God.

Vv. 3-5

When this world, our jobs, our associates, even friends or family, betrays, victimizes, abandons......us, the Psalmist proclaims and insists that God remains faithful, trustworthy, strong, and compassionate.

Our God stands ready to intervene with Grace to restore, rebuild, and renew our lives on solid ground that will not crumble and fail us for the coming ages of eternity.

The Psalm says that God will send light and truth to guide us and bring us to His holy mountain. So, the psalmist determines to go to the altar of God to receive such grace, wisdom, and strength. Then, he urges us to put

our hope in God and join him in praise as our Savior and God.

And, yes, this will mean a change of approach and of outlook. We will have to "renew our minds," meaning our attidues and ways of thinking, our value systems, our "time management." We will have to do a serious "spiritual inventory," and face our poverty and bankruptcy in the values of God. We will have to learn "spiritual a, b, c's" like a child.

But, if we faithfully seek and follow Jesus as Lord and the Holy Spirit as Counselor, believing and trusting God as our Father, we will soon discover and experience that the will of God is good, satisfying, and sufficient for all things.

SETTING OUR MINDS ON JESUS, PART 2

RESETTING OUR MINDS ON JESUS

You show you are a letter from Christ,

written...on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 3.3

Here's how to reset our minds so they are filled with the things of Christ (Col 3.1-2 by the Holy Spirit--Ephesians 5.18):

Psalm 119.13--With my lips I recount all the laws that come fromYour mouth.

To "recount" means to become very familiar with, to have an organized, insightful understanding of the meaning of, to know so well that knowledge is readily available for use.

To know and apply the "laws of God" is the point of the constant emphasis on paying attention to teachings, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom in Proverbs and in the prayers of the Apostle Paul--Ephesians 1.14ff. It is the truths of Scripture that produce hope and faith that releases grace to fulfill the promises of God and empower our lives to be lived for His Glory.

Jesus said, "If you continue in my word you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The Psalmist promises that meditation with serious commitment and intention will bring great and mighty blessings into our lives--Psalm 1.2-3. Joshua 1.8-9 says the same thing.

Such meditation to know and understand Scripture is really quite simple. Basically, just read thoughtfully and responsively. You can find meaningful passages that you can understand and benefit from with very little effort. Ask someone where to start is a good way to start.

Here's how Psalm 119 tells us to read:

I will not be ashamed wehn I consider all your commands.

I will praise you with and upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

Vv.6-8

These verses tell us to read thoughtfully, prayerfully.

We will learn some important things in every reading.

We will have our lives effected for God's Glory as we so read.

Such reading will result our seeing and knowing more ans more of the glory of the Lord Jesus and we will be made more and more like Him, day by day, and this will be for the coming ages of eternity.