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Yes, Master!

Enslave Your Feelings To Your Faith

True discipleship demands that you give your faith the authority to rule your feelings. That is what Jesus is asking of you today. Allow the Spirit of God to foment holy discontent with the emptiness and barrenness of your life. Then take your feelings and enslave them to whatever faith is requiring of you. And simply, purely, quickly and completely obey. That is true discipleship.

The Journey: Luke 4:5-7

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

From the very moment Jesus first called him to follow, Peter demonstrated what it meant to be a true disciple. In so doing, the response of this very first disciple established the essential benchmarks for would-be disciples in every age.

To begin with, Peter exhibited a fair amount of holy discontent with his current experience. Peter could have rejected Jesus’ command to recast his nets, and we would have understood that response. He had worked hard the previous night. He had already tried what Jesus was suggesting, with no results. He had “been there, done that.”

Yet Peter was ripe for something new; he wasn’t satisfied with the way life had been working out for him. Despite his best efforts, past experience had left him empty; the old way hadn’t worked. So to keep doing the same thing yet expect different results would have been pure insanity. Peter wanted more, so he was willing to let go of the past and risk the adventure of something new in order to follow Jesus.

As Peter’s experience demonstrated, both literally and figuratively, you cannot set sail for new horizons of faith and stay tethered to the shore of what you know. Holy discontent calls you to let go, and set sail!

With holy discontent nudging his soul, Peter quickly subjugated his feelings to his faith. He was tired, his muscles ached from a night of tossing out and dragging in those heavy Galilean fishing nets. He had worked his fingers to the bone picking out the weeds, untangling the tangles and mending the rips that caused by snagging rocks instead of fish. To make it even worse, there was nothing to show for all that effort. Peter just wanted to get to the local pub, unwind with his buddies before heading home to crash for the night, catch a few winks and then get up early the next morning to go through the same routine yet again.

Peter had neither the physical nor emotional strength for another fishing expedition. Yet there was just something about this amazing man named Jesus who had the audacity to asked Peter to do what he had already been doing that caused his faith to rise. In that moment, Peter made a life-altering decision to grab his “want-er by his will-er” and do what Jesus had commanded.

True discipleship demands that you give your faith the authority to rule your feelings.

That’s what Peter did. He simply obeyed. That’s the bottom line of authentic discipleship. Peter was willing to take Jesus at his word and just do it. Without argument or delay, he took action, and the result was a miraculous catch. Suddenly where there had been emptiness and barrenness, there was fullness and fruitfulness—the reward of obedience.

That is what Jesus is asking of us today. We must allow the Spirit of God to foment a holy discontent with the emptiness and barrenness of our lives. We must take our feelings and enslave them to whatever faith is requiring of us. And then we must simply, purely, quickly and completely obey. That is true discipleship.

If we will just do that, a miraculous provision of holy contentment will be ours!

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, whatever you ask me to do, I will do it!.
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Who Ya Gonna Worship?

What You Worship Is What You Will Serve

When Satan tempted Jesus to worship him in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world, Jesus blunted the offer with, “Worship only the Lord your God and serve only him.” Interestingly, Satan had said nothing about “serving”, but Jesus knew that at the heart of all temptation is the issue of worship. He also knew that what you worship is what you will serve. Whatever Satan gets you to worship, you will be obligated to serve.

The Journey: Luke 4:5-7

Then devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”

In these opening verses of Luke 4, Jesus faces an all-out assault from Satan, who throws three different temptations at the Lord. In each temptation, Satan tries to entice Jesus to find a shortcut to fulfilling the will of God—which is the usual pattern the Enemy employs in tempting you and me as well. With each temptation, however, Jesus countered Satan with an accurate understanding and correct application of the Word of God—a pattern we that we, too, must employ in order to have victory over temptation.

Especially revealing is how Jesus countered Satan in the second temptation, which was to worship Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world. Here Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13, which says, “Worship only the Lord your God and serve only him.”

Interestingly, Satan had said nothing about “serving”, but Jesus knew that at the heart of all temptation is the issue of worship, and that what you worship is what you will serve. Whatever Satan gets you to worship, you will be obligated to serve—and as Jesus famously said elsewhere, you cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24)

If you put your needs and wants ahead of God’s provision (the first temptation—Luke 4:2-3), you will worship at the throne of self-reliance. If you put your plans ahead God’s agenda (the second temptation—Luke 4:5-7), you will worship at the throne of self-actualization. If you skew God’s Word to justify your behavior (the third temptation—Luke 4:9-11), you will worship at the throne of self-indulgence. When you worship anything or anyone other than the Lord your God, you will find yourself serving self, which is simply serving Satan’s purposes in disguise.

What is it that you are worshiping and serving right now? Wherever your dependencies and loyalties are answers that question. Give that some honest thought!

If you are like me, you probably need to get some help with your dependencies and loyalties about now. But the good news is that you have Someone who can help you in your temptations. Hebrews 2:18 reminds us, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” And Hebrews 4:16 goes on to say, “So let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

R.A. Torrey said, “The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came … Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.”

How about we go right away into God’s presence and get some much-needed help!

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, I am in a fierce struggle with temptation, but I want to serve only you. I don’t want my desires, the world’s pull, or the false promises of the Enemy to sidetrack me from your calling upon my life. So help me, strengthen me, steer me away from temptation and deliver me from the Evil One.
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Baptism By Fire

Spirit Baptism Is Not Just Something To Read About – It’s Something To Be Experienced

Despite all the misgivings and discomfort western Christianity has about Spirit baptism, we cannot simply divorce this critical dimension of Christ’s ministry as baptizer with the Spirit and fire in scripture from our lives today. To ignore his work in us is, to paraphrase D.L. Moody, like using a sundial by moonlight. Jesus is still the baptizer with the Spirit, who is still the one who empowers believers to speak the words and do the works of Jesus in the world today. And Paul’s imperative nearly 2,000 years ago is still relevant for us today: “Be filled with the Spirit!”

The Journey: Luke 3:16

John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

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, 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 in John 14:16-17 and Luke 11:13,

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be
with you forever—the Spirit of truth … For everyone who asks
receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks,
the door will be opened…how much more will your
Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him!

Now a good time to ask!

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, give me a fresh baptism of the Spirit and fire. Cleanse and empower me so I can embody the words and carry out the works of my Savior in the part of the world where you have placed me.
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The Proof Is In The Pudding

Real Repentance Requires Radical Realignment

Repentance is not simply an expression of regret over a wrong and a request to be forgiven for the offense; it is that, but it is more. Repentance is a change of direction that involves our heart (godly sorrow), our words (confession) and especially our behavior (righteous living). Repentance is not so much a noun, it is a verb — and action word — and it is the only pathway to God’s great grace.

The Journey: Luke 3:7-8

When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”

One thing about John the Baptist—he was certainly no dispenser of cheap grace. Nor was he too concerned with being seeker sensitive. He was a preacher of repentance, and when people came looking for forgiveness of their sins, John forced them to show proof of their spiritual sincerity. Mr. Warm-and-Fuzzy, that John guy!

Actually, as tough as he was, John was doing people a huge favor. That’s because, no matter how you sliced it, the catalyst for reconciliation with God was authentic repentance. It still is! You cannot get right with God, be in a loving relationship with him, and live under his blessing without first having come to grips with your sinfulness through genuine, Biblical repentance. That’s why John made such a big deal about it.

Repentance is not simply an expression of regret over a wrong and a request to be forgiven for the offense; it is that, but it is more. Repentance is a change of direction that involves our heart (godly sorrow), our words (confession) and especially our behavior (righteous living). Repentance is not so much a noun, it is a verb—and action word, and the action it requires is three-fold:

First, in our understanding, it involves the knowledge of our sin that leads to a change of mind. Not a wishy-washy, double-mindedness, but a rational intellectual growth that our previous mindset was dead wrong and it must be replaced with new and right thinking. In other words, the first step in true repentance involves rational awareness of wrongdoing and recognition that spiritual cleansing and behavioral change is required.

Second, true repentance involves our emotions. We must feel what our mind recognizes. We must feel the pain, disappointment and sorrow of offending God, and not just sorrow for getting caught. The fear of being exposed and the fear of punishment are motivations that only lead to inauthentic repentance—which is no repentance at all.

And third, true repentance involves appropriate action that springs from what our mind recognizes and what our heart feels. In fact, the word repentance — it is metanoia in the original Greek text of the new Testament—means a change of course; literally a 180-degree shift in our thinking and in our behavior. There is nothing like changed and consistent behavior to powerfully communicate authentic repentance before God. Or, as John would say, when it comes to true repentance, the proof is in the pudding:

Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.

Remember, you cannot earn your salvation, but you are certainly called to give effort to it!)

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, give me a spirit of true repentance. Help me to realize how much my sin offends your holiness, give me to courage to change, and take me to a deeper appreciation for just how great your grace truly is to cover even my greatest sin
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The Spirit of Simeon

How Long Are You Willing To Wait On God?

If you simply look at the lives of those whom the Bible presents as examples of God-honoring faith, you will notice that one of the outstanding characteristics of their lives was their willingness to wait on God for the fulfillment of his promises. They prayed – and didn’t give up. They obeyed – and didn’t grow weary. The expected – and didn’t lose heart. Which begs the question: How long are you willing to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life? Biblical waiting – your willingness to pray, expect, trust, obey, and in general, live a God-honoring life in the meantime – will in the end be the very thing that determines the strength of your faith, which is the greatest treasure you can offer to God.

The Journey: Luke 2:28-29

Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.”

I can just imagine this old, weathered prophet, Simeon, moved by the Holy Spirit, running up to Mary and grabbing the baby Jesus from her arms. Perhaps Mary and Joseph were a bit stunned; maybe they were about to call for the temple guard to arrest this crazy old man, but before they could react, Simeon burst forth in a loud prophetic praise to God,

“…dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation…”

Then as suddenly as he took the baby, Simeon gently laid Jesus back into Mary’s arms. He pronounced a blessing upon the young parents, uttered a few esoteric words, then turned and made his way through the curious onlookers. As Simeon walked away, he shouted his praises to God, and as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone from the temple—and from any further mention in the Bible.

Not much is known about Simeon. Christian tradition suggests that he was very old—over 100 years of age. We don’t know for sure, but because of his eagerness to die, that would be a logical assumption. We’re told in Luke 2:25 that he was looking for the “consolation of Israel”—a reference to the messianic hope of the Jewish nation. Then as we dig a little deeper into this passage, Luke 2:25-35, we actually begin to learn a great deal more about this otherwise obscure man:

  1. We learn that he was a man who was dedicated to the ways of God — “devout and righteous”. (Luke 2:25) Simeon had a consuming passion for God.
  2. We also discover that he was a man who was led by the Spirit of God — “The Holy Spirit was upon him… revealed to him by the Holy Spirit… Moved by the Spirit.” (Luke 2:25-27) Simeon had a unique connection to God.
  3. We likewise find that he was a man who was obedient to the will of God — “He was waiting for the consolation of Israel. It had been revealed to him that he would see it in his lifetime.” (Luke 2:25) Simeon had an unbending dedication to the plan of God.
  4. We then see he was a man who was committed to speaking the truth of God — “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many…And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35) Simeon had an unwavering commitment to speaking the prophetic Word of God.

Now this might seem like nothing more than otherwise unimportant and uninteresting biographical information on this old prophet, but there is something instructive here for you and me. You see, Simeon’s story has been included in Holy Scripture to remind us that God is still looking for people with the spirit of Simeon—people who are equally dedicated to the ways of God, who have learned to be led by the Spirit of God, who are obedient to the will of God, who will speak the Word of God, and who are willing to wait unwaveringly on God.

If you simply look at the lives of those whom the Bible presents as examples of God-honoring faith, you will notice that one of the outstanding characteristics of their lives was their willingness to wait on God for the fulfillment of his promises. They prayed – and didn’t give up. They obeyed – and didn’t grow weary. The expected – and didn’t lose heart. Which begs the question: How long are you willing to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life? Biblical waiting – your willingness to pray, expect, trust, obey, and in general, live a God-honoring life in the meantime – will in the end be the very thing that determines the strength of your faith, which is the greatest treasure you can offer to God.

Those are the kind of people for whom God is looking, through whom God will speak and to whom God will fulfill his promises.

Will you be that person?

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, give me the spirit of Simeon. Grant me the heart to seek, the passion to obey, the courage to speak, the patience to wait.
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Something To Think About

It Is Always Better To Ponder Than To Pontificate

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 over time just watch to see how God uses them.

The Journey: Luke 2:19

But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

The King James Version says “Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” That statement has always intrigued me, and I am not exactly sure what it means. Something similar is stated again at the end of the chapter in verse 51 as Luke gives us a glimpse into the life of Jesus as a growing boy at about the age of 12.

But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

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, had to be taught the ways of the family, 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, holy men and women 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 when he was just twelve years old.

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 happens in you, perhaps you ought to just meditate on some of 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 over time just watch 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. Thomas A` Kempis once wrote,

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!

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.

Something to think about, isn’t it!

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, teach me 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 me.
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God Will Never Forget You

Just One of the Many Great Things About God

If you are reading these words today and feeling that God has forgotten you, thank God you’re wrong! The fact is, you have his undivided attention. And while your circumstances and your feelings may lead you to believe that you are being neglected, the truth is, God is at work on your behalf. So just be faithful, for God often gives us in one brief moment that which for a long time he has withheld.

The Journey: Luke 1:67-68

Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.”

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 verses 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 ditty from a happy ol’ 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, “Blessings on the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has turned his face towards his people and has set them free!” (v. 68. J.B. Phillips)

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. The name “Zechariah” meant “God remembers”. And in his song Zechariah exploded with the joyful realization that God does remember: “God has remembered his oath…” (vv. 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 had lived up to the meaning of their names. Yet God had neither blessed them with a son nor had wayward Israel been delivered from its oppressive foreign enemies.

Yet 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. Perhaps Zechariah remember the words of Isaiah 49:15-16,

“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!

You may remember the name of Tom Sutherland. He was taken hostage by radicals in the Middle East and held in captivity for four years in the mid 1980’s, mostly in solitary confinement. He existed in deep darkness during that long ordeal. Sometimes he could hear is captor’s radio when they tuned it to the BBC, and Tom would listen intently hoping and praying to hear his name mentioned on a newscast. But he never heard it, so he figured that people back home didn’t even know he was alive, much less imprisoned.

Finally, Tom was released. He flew back to the US and landed in San Francisco, and he was amazed as he got off the plane to see a huge crowd, people waving signs, cameras, reporters, and TV lights. He turned to his wife and said, “There must have been a famous person on this plane with us. See if you can spot them.”

She said, “Tom, they’re all here for you!” At that, Tom broke down and cried like a baby.

After he regained his composure, he said, “I thought everybody had forgotten me…I felt abandoned…I didn’t think anybody cared. Thank God I was wrong.”

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

So be faithful!

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, I choose to believe in you, I choose to trust your timing, I choose to declare your love, and I choose to wait patiently for your answer.