Category Archives: Essential 100

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Weeding

Essential 100—Read:
Matthew 13:1-58

“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” ~Matthew 13:22

Nothing is more damaging to your relationship with God and the spiritual fruitfulness he longs to give you than the “worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth” that continually and loudly demand your attention. Jesus called them “thorns”, warning that they will grow up and choke out the fruit-producing seed of God’s Word.

What are the worries of life for you?  Making the mortgage payment on a home you can barely afford—or can’t really afford. Paying for a high-end car or two, that, in all honesty, inhabit your garage simply to massage your ego. Keeping your kids in that prestigious university, making sure your retirement account is getting fatter, staying awake at night worrying about the stock market, plotting the next move to outpace the “Joneses” …

Be honest—you’ve got worries, so do I.  You’re caught up in the wealth trap; I am, too. You’re in the rat race—I can feel it even as you read this line. So am I!  I fight the same addiction to money, things, pleasure and power that you do.

Whether we like to admit it or not, the “thorns” that Jesus warned about are competing for our soil with the values of God’s Kingdom.  And guess what, you and I are the only ones who can weed them out.

Oh, God will strengthen you and give you discernment to deal with them, but you are the one who will have to do a little self-weeding.

Listen—it is time to quit talking about this and start weeding.  You know intuitively that I am spot on about this.  The growth and fruitfulness of the Kingdom of God in your life, and in your family, is riding on you being bold enough and wise enough to start pulling and chucking the weeds right out of your life.

I will pray for you, and I hope you will pray for me. I won’t kid you—it won’t be easy.  In fact, it will be the toughest thing you have ever done.  Furthermore, those thorny thistles love to sprout back—even after you have ripped them out by the roots. So what you have to do is watch out for them every day.  No, spiritual weeding is not easy, but it is worth the fruit!  So get after it; I will, too!

Happy gardening!

“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” ~C.S. Lewis

Reflect and Apply: Thankfully, we are never left to go it alone in the things authentic Christianity requires of us—even in spiritual weeding. God is ready to help—to strengthen and encourage you.  Try offering this prayer to God for his assistance:  “Father, I desire your Kingdom to fully come in my life.  Yet I must confess that the desire for the things of this world have a strong pull on me.  Strengthen me with boldness and wisdom for the self-weeding that must be done in me.”

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Fruit Inspectors

Essential 100—Read:
Matthew 6:5-7:29

“You will know them by their fruits.” ~Matthew 7:16

My father used to say, “The Bible says we’re not supposed to judge, but it doesn’t say we shouldn’t be inspecting the fruit.” That’s pretty sage advice in light of what Jesus taught.

The world likes to quote Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” That verse has been used like a sledgehammer against Christians who take a moral stand on just about any issue in our culture today. But Jesus never intended his words to intimidate believers into moral silence. We have been called to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), compelling people to a higher way while avoiding the sin of self-righteousness and judgmentalism that truly is a turn off to everyone—sinners, saints and even God himself.

When Jesus spoke against judging in Matthew 7:1-8, he was specifically taking a stand against what had become the national pastime in Israel—evaluating people’s spirituality by their outward observance of the minutiae of the law and their acts of religious piety. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23 that there will be those who stand before God claiming good deeds as their meal ticket to eternal life, but will be refused entrance. Good deeds won’t get you to God—only grace will.

So how do we know who is good with God and who is not? How do we know we are secure in our salvation? Easy! Just inspect the fruit being produced from one’s life:

  • Is there the fruit of repentance? John the Baptist called attention to that in Matthew 3:8. This is the first fruit of a God-honoring life.
  • Is there the fruit that comes from abiding in Christ? Jesus addressed this in John 15, saying that when a believer is fundamentally connected to him, the True Vine, there will be much fruit.
  • Is there the fruit of souls that a believer has led to Jesus? Paul speaks of this in Romans 15:14-29.
  • Is there the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—that Galatians 5:22-23 says should characterize every believer?
  • Is there the fruit of the light that consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth? Paul addressed this in Ephesians 5:9?
  • Is there the fruit of praise that glorifies God through Jesus Christ to which we are called in Hebrews 13:14-16?

For sure we must avoid the spiritual pitfall of becoming judgmental. Nothing destroys Kingdom life and hinders Kingdom influence quite like that. But we can inspect the fruit…and we should.

And a good place to start is by looking at your own!

 “Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works.”   ~Martin Luther

Reflect and Apply: When you are tempted to judge others, here is a simple prayer that you would do well to first offer up:  “O Holy Spirit, I offer my life to you today. Work the work of God in me so that I will bear much of your fruit!”

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Exceeding Expectations

Essential 100—Read:
Matthew 5:1-6:4

“Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” ~Matthew 5:48

Perfection, according to Jesus, is at the top of the list of kingdom requirements for you and me. That is what he said at the end of Matthew 5: Be perfect, just like God.

You really need to spend more than one sitting to absorb all that Jesus said here in this chapter. This has been called the “Sermon on the Mount”, and it extends clear through chapter 7. Truly, it is the greatest sermon ever preached. Rather than speaking to massive throngs of seekers, Jesus huddled with his disciples and began to explain for them what life in the kingdom of God was to be about.

As you read through Christ’s teachings, you begin to realize that rather than backing down from the rigid, legalistic, impossible, burdensome demands of Jewish law, Jesus was actually calling his followers to a much higher standard. He wasn’t asking for less, he was asking for more. He was revealing what God really required for anyone who wanted to be one of his true children.

Over time, the religious leaders of the Jewish people had boiled down the law of God to a long list of do’s and don’ts. Eventually, the spirit of the law had been lost and rigid, loveless, legal applications had taken its place. The result was that along the way, the people of God, the Jews, wandered from what was meant to produce an intimate love relationship with their God and had settled instead for a religious system that measured spirituality through outward acts of piety.

But, as Jesus taught, the Jews had missed the point. Which, by the way, is just as easy for us to do in our walk with God. The spiritual drift is always away from loving intimacy with the Father toward measurable acts of religiosity: Church attendance, tithing, serving in a ministry, not doing this, doing that…

Jesus’ bottom line in all of these teachings in Matthew 5 (as well as in chapters 6 and 7) is that God wants not your outward acts of piety and prideful obedience to the minutiae of some religious legal system—he wants your heart. He wants a heart that is fully engaged, fully devoted, and fully in love with him.

If you will offer God that kind of heart, then your obedience will go way beyond what the law requires, and you will experience the blessed life of belonging to the Real Kingdom, not just a religious kingdom.

And you will be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is.

“The law works fear and wrath; grace works hope and mercy.” ~Martin Luther

Reflect and Apply: Has the Heavenly Father arrested you heart? Have you invited him to create a new heart in you—one that longs for him and his rule more than even life itself? That is the heart that is perfect before him!

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Tempted

Essential 100—Read:
Matthew 3:13-17, 4:1-17

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God…’” ~Matthew 4:1-3

Isn’t it interesting—profound, really—that Satan knew who Jesus was, that he was God the Son, yet tempted him anyway?

Satan once resided as Lucifer, chief of all the angels, in the presence of the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. So when Jesus became the incarnate Son of God, Satan knew perfectly well of his divine nature. Rather than backing off, however, Satan unleashed a torrent of enticements designed to derail the plan of God and get Jesus off his game.  And if the very Son of God would have to endure an onslaught of Satanic temptations, so will you.

It is also of interest that Satan didn’t tempt Jesus with obvious evil.  Three times he attempted to entice Jesus to sin with subtle, sane, and spiritual sounding goodies. The devil is the master of subtlety. He didn’t come to Jesus dressed in a red suit and pointed tail, pitchfork in hand, luring Jesus to commit murder or to steal a bag full of money.  No, this temptation was to gain what seemed good by sacrificing what was best.

It is highly likely that the temptations you will face today will be subtle as well.  Satan’s stock-in-trade is deception, which is what makes temptation so effective.  Jesus called him “the father of lies”, and he’s gotten pretty good at it over the millennia.  So in particular, watch out for the enticements that will be just slightly off center from God’s will.  Don’t accept good at the expense of God’s best.

In one sense, the temptations that will hit you today will be perfectly sane.  Jesus had fasted for forty days and was at the limit of what a human body could endure.  He was hungry, and Satan simply suggested that Jesus use his God-prerogatives to satisfy a physical necessity.

Jesus was called to be the Messiah of the Jews.  What better way to jumpstart his ministry than by hang-gliding from the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem—without a hang-glider.  What a great way to show off his God-powers and impress the people he was called to lead.

Ultimately, Jesus was called to be the Lord and Savior of the world.  Why not fast-track that plan by allowing Satan to hand deliver all the nations of the world to him in an instant.  No fuss, no muss.

The problem was, each of these temptations called for Jesus to depend on himself to get his needs met rather than trusting in God’s provision, timing and plan.  That is perhaps the most foundational and most common sin of all—to trust in anything or anyone other than God to get your needs and wants met.

It is likely that you will be hit with temptation in the same way today.  It will be subtle.  It will seem sane.  And probably, it will sound pretty spiritual as well—remember, each temptation Satan dangled before Jesus was prefaced with Scripture.

So be on guard today—sin is crouching at your door.  But it is not inevitable that you will succumb to it.  Jesus didn’t—which means that you don’t have to either.  Jesus knew the Word and will of God better than Satan, and so do you.  That’s one of the blessings of reading and praying the Scripture each day, as you are doing.

Likewise, since Jesus overcame his battle with temptation, he stands at the ready to help you in your battle.  So just ask him for his help—he is more than willing to come alongside you.  Hebrews 2:17-18 teaches us,

“For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

So when sin comes knocking at your door today, just send Jesus to answer it! 

“My temptations have been my Masters in Divinity.”  ~Martin Luther

Reflect and Apply: John Quincy Adams said, “Every temptation is an opportunity of our getting nearer to God.”  If you are facing a strong temptation, leverage it to draw near to God.  Here is a prayer you might consider offering: “Father in heaven, your name is holy.  May your kingdom come and your will be done in my life today, just as it is in heaven.  Provide what I need. Forgive all my sins—and strengthen me with your grace to forgive those who disappoint me. And steer me away from temptation, and from the Evil One, so that at the end of this day, through my life, all of the glory will be turned back to you.”

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A Baptism By Fire

Essential 100—Read:
Luke 3:1-20

“John answered, saying to all, ‘I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’” ~Luke 3:16

John the Baptist launched his ministry as the forerunner to the Messiah with preaching the likes of which people had never heard before.  His messages were so confrontational and penetrating that the crowds were convicted to the core of their being. People from every dimension of Jewish society began to repent and return to the God of Israel.  Israel was in the midst of a great revival.

This spiritual awakening was so powerful that people began to wonder if John himself was the long-awaited Messiah.  But John quickly put those rumors to rest by letting them know that his ministry was simply to lead people to repentance in preparation for the Messiah.  It would be the Messiah’s ministry that would empower them with the very Spirit of God.

The Message version of Luke’s account offers this rendition:

“I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”

The ministry of the Messiah was not simply to announce and launch the Kingdom of God on Planet Earth. Rather, it was to so immerse his followers in the Holy Spirit that they themselves would embody the words and carry out the works of Jesus, and as King’s agents, extend his Kingdom “to the uttermost parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Now the real question for those of us reading these words today is this:  Is the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire something you just read about historically, or is it an experience that is personal and fresh in your life today?

The truth is, despite all the misgivings and discomfort modern Christians may have about this baptism with the Holy Spirit, we cannot simply erase this important dimension of Christ’s ministry from the pages of Scripture.  To paraphrase D.L. Moody, to remove the work of the Holy Spirit from the Bible is like using a sundial by moonlight.

Jesus is still the baptizer with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is still the one who empowers believers to do words and works of Jesus.

And Paul’s question to the Ephesians in Acts 19:2 is as critically important for you today as it was for them nearly 2,000 years ago:  “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?”

If you haven’t, perhaps you should spend some time with the Great Baptizer and ask him for the Holy Spirit and fire.  Jesus himself has said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth … how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (John 14:16-17, Luke 11:13)

“If Christians are forbidden to enjoy the wine of the Spirit they will turn to the wine of the flesh…Christ died for our hearts and the Holy Spirit wants to come and satisfy them.”  ~A.W. Tozer

Reflect and Apply: Ask the Lord to give you a fresh baptism of the Spirit and fire.  Ask him to cleanse and empower you so you can embody his words and carry out his works in your world.

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Something To Ponder

Essential 100—Read:
Luke 2:1-40

“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” ~Luke 2:19

“Mary pondered these things in her heart.”  That statement has always intrigued me, and I am not exactly sure what it means. It is stated again at the end of the chapter in Luke 2:51 as the author gives us a glimpse into the life of Jesus as a growing boy at about the age of 12.

We don’t know a great deal about Jesus’ early life beyond what we read here, but to say the least, it must have been quite interesting for Mary to be the mother of God. I think it is safe to say that, on the one hand, Jesus was like any other baby who needed to be changed, cried when he was hungry, developed a cute little personality as the months passed by, and became an inquisitive little boy.

On the other hand, he was the Son of God. Angels attended his birth, shepherds came to worship him, wise men from afar brought him expensive  gifts, prophets prophesied over him during the customary temple ceremonies, and he carried on a spirited dialogue with the intelligentsia of his day during a family visit to the temple.

I am sure that most mothers and fathers would have bragged incessantly and shamelessly to the neighbors about their son’s many outstanding qualities and unusual experiences. But not Mary; she simply treasured all these things that were said about Jesus and all the things that Jesus did as he grew, and pondered them in her heart. In other words, she gave them a lot of thought; she kept them between herself and her Lord.

That is not such not a bad idea, wouldn’t you say? We probably ought to do that a lot more often. Rather than blurting out everything that happens to you or that happens in you, perhaps you ought to just meditate on those experiences and keep them between the Lord and you.

When someone comes to you with a “word from the Lord”; when you have a dream that seems to have an unusual spiritual dimension to it; when you have an extraordinary encounter with God, and you are not quite sure how to respond to these experiences, why not just treasure them and ponder them in your heart. Keep them between you and your Lord and just watch over time to see how God uses them.

I have a feeling that this, in part, is how we grow deeper in our spiritual lives. Likewise, I would not be too surprised to find out that when we give in to our need to blurt out all of these holy things to anyone within earshot, we have spent the entire capital of that experience, and it will go no further than that.

Some of the things that may happen in your life this week will be of a truly rich nature. Ask God for the wisdom to discern if that experience is of the kind that should simply be treasured and pondered in your heart.

“How pleasant, how delightful, to sit alone and in silence, to converse with God, and so to enjoy the only chief good, in whom all good things are found!” ~Thomas A. Kempis

Reflect and Apply: Ask the Lord to teach you to understand the difference between the things that need to be shared and those experiences that are so rich that they are meant only to be shared between you and the Lord.

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God Never Forgets

Essential 100—Read:
Luke 1:1-80

“Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.’” ~Luke 1:67-68

Over the years the church has given Zechariah’s song the title, “The Benedictus,” or “The Blessing.” The lyrics of this brief song, which we read in Luke1:67-79, were sung by one of the proudest and oldest first time fathers of all time. But more than being just a happy little diddy from a happy old daddy, Zechariah verbalizes two timeless and timely truths about God’s character that you and I probably need to hear again today.

First, we are reminded that God never breaks a promise! John’s birth was living proof of God’s faithfulness. In His song, Zechariah belts out to all who will listen, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” (Luke 1:68)

God keeps his promises—every one of them. He can’t help himself; it is just his nature. He had promised through the prophets a redeemer for Israel hundreds of year before, and 400 silent years had passed since the last prophet Malachi had uttered the oracles of God until the time the angel Gabriel revealed God’s plan to Zechariah. Though God’s promise had been ever so slow in coming, it was nonetheless fulfilled.

Zechariah’s song reminds us that even though God may be slow, he is never late!

Second, God never forgets. “Zechariah’s” name meant “God remembers.” And in his song Zechariah exploded with the joyful realization that God does remember: “God has remembered his oath…” (Luke 1:72-73)

Zechariah must have been discouraged. He was a priest of a nation that had turned its back on God. He and Elizabeth, whose name meant “the promise of God,” had been faithful to God all their lives—they lived up to the meaning of their names. Yet God had not blessed them with a son, and wayward Israel continued to be oppressed by its pagan enemies.

But Zechariah clung to this truth: Our Creator remembers! God knows who we are, where we are and what we need. He remembers us. He remembers his promises, and God graciously acts at the proper time.

Isaiah 49:15-16 reminds us, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

God can’t forget!

If you are reading these words today and feeling a little forgotten by God, thank God you’re wrong! Zechariah reminds you from first hand experience through his song that God remembers you and will fulfill every single one of his promises to you at the proper time!

So be faithful!

“God often gives in one brief moment that which He has for a long time denied.” ~Thomas A` Kempis

Reflect and Apply: Take a moment to thank the Lord for his unfailing faithfulness. He remembers his promises to you and he will fulfill them all. Rejoice in him today, then offer your life faithfully back to him and his purposes.