Friday, May 25, 2012

Depend On God

Human strength won't always work for you.


Psalms 20:7-9  Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God.  8  Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.  9  Give victory to our king, O LORD! Answer our cry for help.

Psalms 33:17-18  Don't count on your warhorse to give you victory, for all its strength, it cannot save you.  18  But the LORD watches over those who fear Him, those who rely on His unfailing love.

Psalms 147:10-13  He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might.  11  No, the LORD's delight is in those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love.  12  Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!  13  For He has strengthened the bars of your gates and blessed your children within your walls.

You have power we have more, that has been the way that nations have taken care of trouble throughout the ages, they used to count horses and chariots and now we count fighter jets and tanks.

God's children do the same thing, we build up as much strength and influence that we can so that we can handle life's problems, sooner or later we realize that we need to depend on the Lord. Our power doesn't impress him and he definitely doesn't need our help. The Lord keeps his eye on his children, those that put their hope and faith in him, the one's that aren't flexing their muscles because they know that the Lord is the one who saves.

The nation of Israel was a mighty fighting machine when they were right with God but as soon as they disobeyed him or they relied on their own strength, disaster was on the way. The Lord watched over the nation of Israel and he was anxious to bless them and protect them but sometimes they wanted to depend on themselves or the other nations that they signed treaties with.
John 15:4-5 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus taught us the importance of staying close to him and getting our strength from him. Being a part of the vine is an awesome picture of our dependence on him, it is very easy to understand that if you stay on the vine you will produce fruit but if you try and be independent and rely on yourself then you are sure to fail.

Help me to rely on you Lord, you have proven that you are willing and able, I know that you will supply all of my needs.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

I Am A New Creation

But there are changes that are still on the way.


Galatians 6:14-16 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.

15 It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.

16 May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God

There isn't any room in God's kingdom for a self-made man, a man that did it his way will be anxious to tell you how well he has done at overcoming obstacles and how great he is at making things happen, there is usually a lot of pride in that man's life.

The Apostle Paul was a self-made man, he had a lot of book learning, he had some great teachers and he had people that had great power that gave him the authority to go after Jesus followers and have them imprisoned or killed. We look at Paul and think that he is a big deal, look at everything that he did for the church and God's kingdom, before his conversion to Christianity Paul may have joined you in patting himself on the back, but not after the message of Jesus got through to him.

God's people are not marked by circumcision anymore, they are supposed to be marked by a new life, they should be a new creation, their world view is different, their way of thinking has changed. Is your life new, is it driven by new desires? (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Peter 1:14-15)


God's people should be different.

Deuteronomy 18:12-13 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the LORD your God will drive them out ahead of you. But you must be blameless before the LORD your God.
There is an unseen battle going on every minute of everyday, God is looking for people that are set apart, people that will see past the lies of the devil and live a better life. Our sin nature is pulling us in one direction and the Holy Spirit is wanting us to go the other way.

I am making progress but I am still a construction project that isn't finished yet, I have a bright future in glory, that's where I will finally find my rest from the battle between good and evil, the future glory of God's people when we finally become all that we were met to be.

I need to use the power of the Holy Spirit in my life so that I can overcome the devil's evil schemes that come against me to trip me up, I need the Holy Spirit to work in me to give me the strength and the discernment to make the right decisions in my daily walk.
Luke 12:31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. 
Help me Lord to rely on you and to rely on the power that you give through the Holy Spirit so that I can become more like you.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

My Best Friend

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.


John 15:12-17  This is My commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.  13  There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.

14  You are My friends if you do what I command.  15  I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in His slaves. Now you are My friends, since I have told you everything the Father told Me.  16  You didn't choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using My name.  17  This is My command: Love each other.

Jesus told his disciples that he loves them just as much as God the Father loves God the Son. (John 15:9) The next thing that he tells them is that they are to love each other in the same manner even to the point of laying down your life for them.

That is a pretty drastic extreme that we probably won't need to ever do but we could all take a review of ourselves and see how we are doing at being a friend. Are we really good friends with the people in our lives?

There are a lot of examples of good friends in the Bible, there was David and Jonathon, Ruth and Naomi, but there were also some friends that are like Job's friends that didn't always get it right. We can all blow it as a friend but over-all a true friend is very beneficial to have, here is a list that I found in my study:
Good Friends:
Comfort and sympathy
Support and encouragement              
Shared joy and sorrow
Loving rebuke
Encouragement to do good
Challenge
Worshiping together
Sharing possessions
Praying for one another
Forgiving each other
Job 2:11-13
1 Samuel 23:16-17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Romans 12:15
Proverbs 27:6,9; Ephesians 4:15
Romans 14:13; Hebrews 10:24
Proverbs 27:17
Psalms 55:13-14
Acts 11:29
James 5:16
Proverbs 17:9
We should learn from Jesus example, everyday he made new friends, he included anybody that was willing. Jesus didn't neglect or avoid different types of people like we do, he chose to make friends with the sinners and the scum, the very people that we tend to avoid. Jesus made it very clear in John 15:17, he tells us to love each other, he didn't give us any exceptions or fine print.

Sometimes I treat my friends a lot better than I treat God, too many times he is avoided or pushed to the back seat, I won't talk to him or take the time to hear what he has to say. God is my greatest friend and I should not take that too lightly; he deserves a lot better than I give him.

Thank you Lord for your love for all of us, help me to be a good friend so that people will see you in my life.

Friday, May 11, 2012

One With Christ

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.


John 15:1-8  "I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the gardener.  2  He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn't produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.  3  You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.  4  Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me."

5  "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.  6  Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.  7  But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!  8  When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father."

In yesterday's post we talked about the old vine that God planted and how the weeds took over and the fruit was sour, God planted a new vine that he wants us to be a part of, that is Jesus.

When I became a child of God, I became a branch on the vine that brings life and nourishment to every branch, there is an equal opportunity for all of the branches to be prosperous. I cannot say that another branch has better potential for fruit production, each branch has an intimate connection with the vine, we are all responsible for our personal relationship with the Lord and our mission to go and bear fruit.

Sin slows down the production of quality fruit, just like the Jews did back in the Old Testament, we will produce fruit that is unpleasing to God. Nobody likes to be pruned but the Master Gardener needs to work on our branch, there are things in our life that he wants to get rid of so that we will produce the right kind of fruit and it will be of the highest quality. (Galatians 5:22-23)
John 17:21-23 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.

22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
We should find a common spirit on the vine. Jesus prayer for his disciples was for us to all be one with each other and with Jesus and with God. Our union with the vine should cause us to share common desires and interest and our opinion of sin should change as a result of abiding in Christ and growing more like him. After being on the vine for a while, we should look a lot like Jesus, it is a shame that so many that claim to be on the vine really are not.
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
It is a disgrace that the world can say that about God's people. We forget that we have been raised to live a new live and that our thoughts and our ways should not look like the world's ways. (Colossians 3:1-3)  We need to remember that our life depends on staying on the vine and gaining the care and proper nutrients that the vine is eager to share with us.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

God Plants A New Vine

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.


John 15:1  "I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the gardener.

Isaiah 5:4,7  What more could I have done for My vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did My vineyard give Me bitter grapes?

The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the LORD of Heaven's Armies. The people of Judah are His pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead He found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead He heard cries of violence.

Psalms 80:8-12  You brought us from Egypt like a grapevine; You drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into Your land.  9  You cleared the ground for us, and we took root and filled the land.  10  Our shade covered the mountains; our branches covered the mighty cedars.  11  We spread our branches west to the Mediterranean Sea; our shoots spread east to the Euphrates River.  12  But now, why have You broken down our walls so that all who pass by may steal our fruit?

In many places in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel is referred to as a vine, the scriptures tell us that God planted his grapevine and he gave it the best care that he could possibly give it but something went wrong.

This vineyard had an expert gardener that loved his vine and gave it the best possible care, he planted them in a land with good soil, he gave them water and he pruned the branches, he protected the vineyard from intruders, there isn't anything that he could have done to make his vineyard more prosperous.

The vineyard did prosper for a while but then the fruit of his vine became bitter, the fruit of oppression, violence and idol worship, the vine was growing out of control. The expert gardener tried to get the vineyard to improve but despite his efforts the nation of Israel resisted him and lived their own way.

Jesus is the new vine.

Isaiah 11:1  Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot--yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
Jesus said "I am the vine." This new vine is a fruitful vine, it is easy to see the difference between Israel's fruit and Jesus' fruit, his fruit includes: love, selflessness and peace. Jesus proved his love for God through his obedience and he gave us an example of the fruit that we should have in our own lives.

I want to live obedient to God's will so that my life will be full of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Thank you for your word Lord and the lessons for life that are in it. I want to produce good fruit in my life.

Monday, May 07, 2012

Jesus Is An Awesome Gift Giver

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.


John 14:1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me."

John 14:27  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

John 16:33  I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

The world that Jesus walked into was very troubled, there was always a lot of trouble in world history that had an effect on to the nation of Israel. Just think of all of the nations that gave them trouble in the Promised Land, the Babylonians taking them captive, returning to the destroyed Jerusalem and having to rebuild and shortly after they get back home then the Greeks and the Romans come along and change their world.

There must have been a lot of excitement when Zechariah prophesied that the path to peace is on the way. (Luke 1:79) The Jews only hope for peace was the promise that the Messiah would finally come and restore their nation. 
Gifts from Jesus:
✔  Forgiveness - Titus 2:14
✔  Righteousness - Romans 3:23-24          
✔  Peace With God - Romans 5:1
✔  New Birth - John 3:5-8
✔  Eternal Life - John 3:14-16
✔  Holy Spirit - Acts 2:38
✔  Adoption - Romans 8:12-17
Jesus knew that we would have difficulty dealing with the lack of peace, our world has longed for the peace that existed before sin came and robbed us of it back in the garden of Eden.

More chaos was going to be coming up just around the corner: Jesus arrest and crucifixion, the destruction of the temple and the persecution of the church.

Jesus tells us to have "peace of mind and heart" despite the chaos, he gives his disciples the ability to overcome the world and start enjoying spiritual peace here, and eternal peace in the happily ever-after.

If I have my mind focused on Jesus and the awesome gifts that he has given me, then I have no reason to fear the chaos of this world, he has today in his control as well as my tomorrow and my eternity.

Thank you Lord for your peace, especially the peace that you made possible with God the Father so that I can spend eternity in heaven.

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

So Help Me God

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.


John 14:15-21  "If you love Me, obey My commandments.  16  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.

17  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn't looking for Him and doesn't recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.

18  No, I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you.  19  Soon the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me. Since I live, you also will live.  20  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.

21  Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, My Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to each of them."

When a loved one is dying it is difficult to not cry and after they are gone we usually keep on crying but Jesus wasn't looking for tears from his disciples, he told his disciples that the most important thing is for them to carry on the work that has been started and to live in obedience to his teachings.

 Imagine having your own personal own personal supporter, attorney, defender, or counselor, somebody to help you out and stick up for you. In the middle of the disciples sadness about Jesus leaving them he assures them that they will not be alone, the Holy Spirit would be there for them.

This assurance of help is not a free ticket to easy street, we can't abuse God, help is available to those that are obedient to his teachings. Their obedience was very important to the ministry that Jesus began. Jesus ministry was a local ministry, he worked in Jerusalem and in Samaria but he never got to the "uttermost parts of the earth." (Acts 1:8) The disciples obedience will result in big changes in this world.

We have Jesus and the Holy Spirit on our side.

1 John 2:1  My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the One who is truly righteous.
The Christian life can only be lived successfully through the power of the Holy Spirit and our obedience to the Lord's commands. We won't achieve 100% success but we have another Advocate that is working for us, Jesus is at the throne of God, the righteous sacrifice comes before God the righteous judge on our behalf.

Thank you Lord for your help, I don't have to fret about my limited ability to live in obedience to your commands, thank you for the Holy Spirits power and for your intercession on my behalf.