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Steal, Kill and Destroy

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 10
Meditation: John 10:10

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Shift Your Focus… You have an enemy.  His name is Satan. Jesus called him a thief and a liar. His main weapons are subtlety and deception—and he’s pretty good at it, since he has been at it since the beginning of human history.

He hates God, and everything of God, which includes you.  This enemy has a nefarious plan for your life.  He wants to rob you of the abundance of God, destroy your identity and destiny as a child of God, and kill you, body, soul and most of all, spirit, keeping you from eternity with God.  In fact, even right now he is strategically and specifically working to do you in.

The problem is, you may be oblivious to the work of this enemy. Out of ignorance, disbelief, or plain old lassitude and indifference, Satan goes about his evil work undetected by most.

George Barna, a Christian researcher and pollster, asked people to respond to this statement in a national survey:  “Satan, is not a living being, but is a symbol of evil.”  Among those who claimed to be born again, 32% agreed strongly, 11% agreed somewhat and 5% didn’t know. That means that of the total number responding, 48% of born again believers either agreed that Satan is only symbolic or weren’t sure!

Barna’s findings would suggest that half of you reading this blog today, in spite of what the Bible clearly teaches, think of the devil as a boogie-man from a spiritual fairy tale, not a real being bent on destroying you.

Here is the Biblical reality that I want to convince you of today:  Satan and his demonic legions are alive and well on Planet Earth.  Satan is the enemy of God, and because he can’t do anything to God, he chooses to attack what is most precious to God—that is, you.

But here is the Good News: Hebrews 2:14 says that Jesus came “so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.”  I John 3:8 reminds us, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

In Luke 10:17-19, we are told, “the seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’  Jesus replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven.  I have given you authority to…overcome all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.’”

I like that, don’t you? I prefer a fight I know I’ll win!  Our victory over Satan is guaranteed.

So here’s the deal:  We win—but only if we stay alert to the conflict, wise up to the ways of the enemy, and take him on in the authority and power of Jesus name.

Keep that in mind today—and go give ‘em heaven!

“The enemy will not see you vanish into God’s company without an effort to reclaim you.”  ~C.S. Lewis

Prayer… Lord, keep me wise to the ways of the enemy today.  Lead me away from temptation and keep me from the evil one.  Help me to walk in the victory over Satan that you secured at Calvary.

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The Power Of Your Personal Testimony

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 9
Meditation: John 9:25

He answered and said [to the Pharisees], “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

Shift Your Focus… The Pharisees didn’t like the fact that Jesus had healed a man born blind on the Sabbath. The truth is, they did not like Jesus at all, and they were looking for him to slip up so they could do away with him once and for all. Perhaps this latest “Sabbath miracle” was their chance.

They found the man Jesus had healed and began to question him. Had he really been born blind? Was this a hoax? Was he secretly a disciple of Jesus? Would a true man of God really heal on the Sabbath?

These weren’t just the innocent questions of a curious group. This was an interrogation. The tone of the Pharisees was intimidating and threatening, and the implication was that it wouldn’t go well for this healed man and his family if he didn’t repudiate both the miracle and the miracle worker.

Then, in a flash of unrehearsed inspiration and simple brilliance, the man parries their attack and thrusts the most persuasive of all daggers into their opposition against Jesus: The testimony of a satisfied customer. All this man knew was that he was once blind, but now he could see. Case closed. The Pharisees were defenseless. What response could they give against such overwhelming evidence?

That is the simple power of a personal testimony. When you speak for Christ as a satisfied customer, as one whose life has been changed forever, as one who was once spiritually blinded by sin but now can see by God’s grace, there is no defense. Who can argue against that?

Your testimony may not be as dramatic as the healing of the man who had been born blind, but it is just as powerful a weapon as his. You, too, are a satisfied customer, and a satisfied customer makes the most compelling witness of all.

Take a moment today to think through your story. Perhaps you should write it out—one or two pages will be enough. Simply describe what you life was like before Christ, how you came to know him, and the joys and benefits of what it means to now be his follower.

I guarantee, God will give you an opportunity before too long to share your story with someone who needs to know Jesus.

“We must have the glory sink into us before it can be reflected from us. In deep inward beholding we must have Christ in our hearts, that He may shine forth from our lives.” ~Alexander MacLaren

Prayer… Today, Lord, lead me to someone who needs to hear my story.

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An Explosion Of Grace

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 8
Meditation: John 8:11

“Jesus said to [the adulterous woman], ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’”

Shift Your Focus… If I were writing this story instead of John, I would have had Jesus calling down fire from heaven to fry these mean-spirited Pharisees. At the very least, he would have snatched this poor woman from their grasp and beamed over to Galilee to set her free. That would have made a great story.

But as we’ve come to expect of Jesus, he does the unexpected. Instead of special effects and edge-of-your-seat drama, he simply stoops over and writes in the sand.

Do you ever wonder what he wrote? “Jesus was here!” or perhaps the Ten Commandments, or better yet, a list of the Pharisees’ secret sins or the names of their mistresses?

These religious Nazis kept pressing him until finally he said, “Look, if any of you are without sin, you can be the first one to throw a stone at her.” Then he began to scribble again. And with those words, Jesus lobbed a grenade into their midst, exploding their self-righteousness, and one-by-one, from the oldest to the youngest, the Pharisees walked away, leaving only Jesus and this sinful woman.

I wonder what she expected next: A sermon, condemnation, more humiliation and rejection? Instead, Jesus gently asks, “Where are your accusers? Has no one judged you guilty?”

She replied, “Sir, they’re gone…they didn’t judge me guilty.”

Then Jesus lobbed another grenade—this one a grace-grenade that utterly exploded this sinful woman’s self-condemnation and turned her sad world right-side up: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

So just what was it that Jesus wrote in the sand? I think it is highly likely that he bent over and with his finger, etched these words:

“Not guilty!”

A few weeks later, Jesus again wrote those very same words in the sand. This time it was not with his finger, but with blood that dripped from his nail-pierced hands and feet, leaving an eternal stain on the ground at the foot of the cross. This time it wasn’t just meant for an adulterous woman, it was meant for you and me:

“Not Guilty. Paid in full. Completely forgiven.”

I don’t know what that grace-grenade does for you, but it makes me want to “go and sin no more.”

“This is the mystery of the riches of divine grace for sinners, for by a wonderful exchange our sins are now not ours but Christ’s, and Christ’s righteousness is not Christ’s, but ours.” ~Martin Luther

Prayer… Lord, I am overwhelmed and undone by your grace. It is more than enough to cover my worst sins and bring eternal life to this undeserving sinner. I will be forever grateful!

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Learning To Make Righteous Judgments

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 7
Meditation: John 7:24

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Shift Your Focus… People were making judgments about Jesus, and as we see in John 7, for a growing number of them, those judgments were not very positive. In fact, opposition and outright hostility were increasing, which ultimately, would lead his death.

That’s the way it was with Jesus. You either loved him or hated him—there was no neutral ground. Being around Jesus demanded a position on one end of the spectrum or the other, but staying in the middle was not an option.

To arrive at an opinion of Jesus, a judgment had to be made. Sadly, those who rejected him formed judgments that were not based in righteousness and truth. Their judgments were based on the fact that Jesus had made them uncomfortable. He had challenged their traditions. His ministry had colored outside the lines of established theology. His way of doing things didn’t look like theirs. Why, he even had the audacity to actually heal someone in dire need on the Sabbath—and they didn’t like that one bit!

Never one to shy away from controversy and confrontation, Jesus challenged their attitudes toward him as well as their approach to life in general. He called them to reject this judgment-by-appearance mindset that was keeping them from seeing God’s truth for a view of life as seen through the lens of righteousness. Learning to make righteous judgments would make all the difference in their world—it would lead them to see God in the daily details of their world, and in the end, would lead to eternal life.

Unfortunately, most of the people in Jesus’ day rejected what he had to say. But the story is not meant to end there. Jesus’ challenge to “judge with righteous judgment” also calls us to reexamine the way we arrive at the judgments we make and the opinions we hold, and honestly ask ourselves whether they are based on appearance or rooted in righteousness.

We form judgments and opinions every day—perhaps every hour—about the people we encounter, the events we observe, and the world we live in. Every moment of our day presents opportunity to either embrace or reject the work of God that awaits us in those people and events. It all depends on how we form our judgments.

If we will learn to root our judgments, opinions and attitudes in righteousness rather than mere appearance, we will discover Jesus in the daily ordinariness of life.

“We need a baptism of clear seeing. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist—Christian leaders with prophetic vision. Unless they come soon it will be too late for this generation. And if they do come we will no doubt crucify a few of them in the name of our worldly orthodoxy.” ~A.W. Tozer

Prayer… Father, help me to practice your presence in the daily ordinariness of my life. Teach me to make righteous judgments so that I might be see you in every person I meet, every event I take in, every plan I execute, and in every detail of my world.

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Why We Say Grace Before Meals

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 6
Meditation: John 6:11

“And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.”

Shift Your Focus… This easy-to-overlook verse is sandwiched between two of Jesus’ outstanding miracles—the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two small fish, and the miracle of Jesus walking on the water.  Not only that, at the end of this lengthy chapter is some of the heaviest theology that Jesus would ever lay on his would-be followers. It was so demanding and confrontational, in fact, that his followers called it a “hard saying”, and many of them quit following him from that point on.

With so much important stuff going on in this chapter, it would be easy to overlook the fact that Jesus stopped to give thanks before a meal.  Think about that for a moment:  Why would Jesus do that?  In a sense, wasn’t he really saying grace to himself?  What purpose did this serve?

To begin with, I think Jesus was truly grateful to his Father for this provision of resources by which the miraculous feeding could occur.  I think Jesus was authentically thankful that his Father had authorized the use of Divine power and was about to yet again authenticate the Messianic ministry and mission of the Son.  I think the Second Person of the eternal Trinity was a fundamentally grateful being. It was just who Jesus was; the overflow of his Divine nature.

But not only that, Jesus was modeling for us the appropriateness and power of gratitude.  He was reminding us by his actions that it doesn’t hurt to stop and express thanksgiving to God, and one of the simplest and recurring ways to enter into gratitude is to say a simple “thank you” before each meal.

We don’t know exactly what Jesus said in his prayer, but it was likely short and sweet.  John simply says he “gave thanks.”  He acknowledged God in that moment, drawing attention to the Heavenly Provider and reminding both himself and those who were within earshot of his dependence on and gratitude to Father God.

And that is something you and I can do too, each time we sit down (or drive through) for a meal.  We can give thanks.  As redundant and useless and perfunctory as it may seem, there is power in this simple act. And if Jesus, who didn’t have to do it, did it, then we, who don’t have to do it, should!

“We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good; if bad, because it works in us patience, humility, contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.” ~C.S. Lewis

Prayer… Father God, I give you thanks for life, health, provision, and the promise of eternal life.  All of it, by grace, comes from your generous heart to an undeserving soul.

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Love of Scripture Without Love of God

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 5
Meditation: John 39-40

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”

Shift Your Focus… I can think of no simpler yet more powerful practice for greater spiritual growth and intimacy with God than daily Bible study. The truth is, if you don’t have a regular quiet time with God—which would include not only reading, but meditation and prayer as well—you will fail to thrive spiritually. It is a simple as that.

Yet Bible reading, journaling and Scripture memory alone aren’t enough. In fact, there is a very real danger lurking in the practice of daily quiet time that will lead to even greater distance from God than not reading at all: Love of Scripture without love of God.

That is what we might call bibliolatry. Bibliolatry occurs when we acquire biblical knowledge without spiritual discernment; when our study of the Word is not commensurate to our obedience of the Word; when our love for Scripture exceeds our love for God, and correspondingly, love for our fellow man; when pride in our practice of Bible reading leads to a false sense of righteousness; when the spiritual discipline of quiet time becomes a work of law rather than an offering of grace.

When that occurs, in effect, we are worshiping the Bible rather than the God of the Bible.

There are far too many “Christians” who read the Bible little, if at all. That is an unfortunate blight on the modern church. Yet there is another segment of believers, much smaller, but in deeper spiritual danger, who have been lulled into a sort of spiritual smugness because they fancy themselves as “people of the Word” or because the church they attend really “teaches” the Word.

Knowing the Bible isn’t enough. Satan knows the Bible as well as anyone. He can quote it at will. Daily reading and Scripture memory aren’t enough. Nicodemus (see John 3) had that down pat. Going to a church that teaches the Word verse-by-verse isn’t enough. There are people in those churches who are lost and don’t even know it.

Hearing, reading, and believing the Bible aren’t enough. Believing in Jesus is. Jesus said, “Whoever believes the Son has eternal life.” (John 3:36)

The goal of Bible study is not to grain greater knowledge of Scripture, or to grow spiritually, or to simply be able to check off that item on your daily list of things to do. It is to know God and his Son, Jesus Christ. By “knowing”, I am not referring to an intellectual event, but the act of an intimate exchange of one’s life with the Almighty whereby one’s love is deepened, where obedience is practiced, and where faith is expanded.

That is when searching the Scripture leads to eternal life.

“Christ is the Word of God. It is not in certain texts written in the New Testament, valuable as they are; it is not in certain words which Jesus spoke, vast as is their preciousness; it is in the Word, which Jesus is, that the great manifestation of God is made.” ~Phillips Brooks

Prayer… Lord, may my study of your Word always lead me to greater intimacy, obedience and love. May I not simply grow more knowledgeable of the Bible—may I grow more knowledgeable of you.

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Worship—On Our Terms Or God’s?

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 4
Meditation: John 4:21-24

“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’”

Shift Your Focus… This Samaritan woman Jesus encountered at the well of Sychar was suffering from what I call “designer deity syndrome”. This was a fairly common syndrome among worshipers not only in Jesus’ day, but in ours as well. It occurs when we attempt to come to God on our terms rather than his; when we make worship more about us, and what we like, than about God, and what he likes; when, in effect, we recreate God in our image rather than approaching him as beings created in his image.

That was the problem with the worship of the Samaritans. They had corrupted worship to fit their own needs to the point Jesus said, “You don’t even know what you’re worshipping.” (v.22) They had become Burger King worshipers.

Do you remember the old Burger King advertisement? “Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us. Have it your way.” That little jingle is fitting for what we modern day “Samaritans” are doing with our experience of worship.

We love a customized church experience. We expect worship services to be tailor-made just for us. We expect the praise, programs and preaching to satisfy our preferences. We want church designed to meet our needs, music tuned to our exact tastes, preachers crafted to our specifications, messages that mesmerize, and a made to order God—a “Burger King God” who says, “Have it your way”.

Some time ago, Los Angeles Magazine ran an article called “God For Sale”. The author said, “It is no surprise that when today’s affluent young professionals return to church they want to do it only on their own terms. But what is amazing is how far the churches are going to oblige them.” Newsweek Magazine added, “They’ve developed a pick and choose Christianity in which individuals take what they want and pass over what does not fit their spiritual goals…” That’s “designer god syndrome”.

Nothing can be further from the “spirit and truth” worshiper of verse 24 that Jesus said God the Father is seeking. When it comes to God, and the way you worship him, why don’t you say to him, “Have it your way”!

If you will learn what it means to do that, you will drink water from an altogether different kind of well–and you will never thirst again!

“Worship changes the worshiper into the image of the One worshiped” ~Jack Hayford

Prayer… Father, free me from designer deity syndrome. Forgive me for making worship more about me than about what pleases you. Teach me to truly worship you in Spirit and in Truth.