Hearing God

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God designed us for intimacy. What does that mean? What is intimacy? Intimacy is a close connection. It requires closeness, understanding, and deep knowledge of another person. You can’t have intimacy without spending time together. You can’t have intimacy without having conversation and sharing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. with each other. Intimacy means that you can see into that other person’s heart and character. You know them well. Communication is one of the foundations of intimacy. Communication requires both speaking and listening.

When it comes to intimacy with people, we know that time spent together talking and listening is crucial, but when it comes to intimacy with God we get a little bit stuck. How do we communicate with God? We do okay with the speaking part. Our prayers are often full of speaking. But how do we do the listening part? How do we hear from God?

In the Old Testament story of creation in Genesis, we find God meeting with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day and talking to them. It was a two-way conversation. They spoke to God, and they listened as God spoke to them. When sin came into the world, that open and honest communication was disrupted. As the Old Testament continues, we find God speaking to prophets. The prophets then took God’s words to the people as a group. This was the way that the people heard from God. When Jesus comes to the earth, we find God reestablishing the original method of communication. Jesus was God in the flesh, so when He spoke to people directly, God was speaking to them directly.

“Religion is man’s attempt to get to God, but Jesus is God’s attempt to get to man.”

Robert Morris

John 15:15 says, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friend, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” We are friends of God when we follow after Jesus and do what He asks us to do. Friends speak to each other. God’s desire is to speak to us. When God speaks powerful things happen. God’s words possess the power of creation. Paul was transformed from Saul (a person who zealously persecuted the church) to Paul (the apostle to the Gentiles who wrote the majority of the New Testament) after just one encounter of hearing God’s voice. Hearing God’s voice began the transformation of Paul from what he was to what God had created, called, and redeemed him to be. The same is true for each of us. The first step to transformation is hearing the voice of God.

Hearing God is not about something you do. It is about who you are. Jesus said that we are the sheep of His pasture. The interesting thing about sheep is that they are trained to hear the voice of their shepherd. A shepherd can take his flock to graze among the sheep of other flocks. The sheep will mingle and mix while grazing, but as soon as that shepherd gives his unique call, all of his sheep will separate from the rest of the sheep to follow after him. The sheep know the voice of their shepherd. Jesus says the same about us in John 10:27: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

THREE TRUTHS ABOUT HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD

  1. IT’S INNATE. Sheep can hear the voice of the shepherd, and we can hear the voice of God. It’s something we were created to do. It’s built into us. It’s inherent and natural. We have the capacity to hear God’s voice when He speaks. There is no one on the planet who is unable to hear the voice of God.
  2. IT’S LEARNED. While everyone can hear God, not everyone recognizes that they are hearing from God. Sheep can hear the voice of the shepherd, but they have to be trained to recognize the shepherd’s unique call before they will follow. Comedian Michael Junior says, “God’s second name is ‘someone’ because people are always saying ‘someone’ told me not to go there or ‘someone’ told me not to do that.” We have to learn to recognize the voice of God when He speaks.
  3. IT’S MATURED. Learning to hear God’s voice when He speaks is a skill that gets easier to use the longer we practice it. The better we get at listening and tuning in to God, the easier it is to hear Him speak and to recognize His voice when He speaks.

Now that we know it’s possible to hear God speak, what are the ways we can learn to recognize God’s voice?

TEN WAYS GOD SPEAKS TO US TODAY:

  1. THE BIBLE. This is the primary way God speaks to us. As we read the Bible, we may find ourselves coming across a verse that jumps out at us. We might read a story we’ve read many times before, but find ourselves drawn to a new detail that we had missed in previous readings. That’s God speaking to us. The Bible is alive. It is active. God uses it to draw our attention to the things He wants to say to us. Colossians 3:18 tells us to “let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.” We need to meditate on God’s Word. Joshua 1:8 says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Meditating on the Word of God is not like Eastern meditation. When we meditate on God’s word, we read it. We fix it in our minds. We consider it. We ponder it. We pray about it. We write it down. We dwell on it. Meditating on the Word of God allows us to hear what God is speaking to us through a certain verse or a certain passage. We need to ask ourselves: “Am I reading the Bible to gain more knowledge, or am I reading the Bible to know God more?” Because the Bible is the primary method God uses to speak to us, the Bible trumps everything else. Every other method of communication must be checked against the written word of God. God will never tell us anything that contradicts what the Bible says. If you feel that God is speaking to you but what is being said goes against the Bible, that’s not the Holy Spirit talking to you!
  2. CIRCUMSTANCES. Sometimes God uses our circumstances to get our attention and speak to us. Think about Jonah. First, the word of the Lord came to Jonah, but Jonah ignored what God said and went in the opposite direction. So the Lord caused a great fish to swallow Jonah. God used Jonah’s circumstances to get his attention. If you find yourself in the midst of a trial and tribulation, ask God what He wants you to see or hear in that circumstance. It may be that He has something for you to learn there or that He just wants you to see that He is close to you there. So pay attention to your circumstances as a way for God to speak to you.
  3. PEOPLE. Sometimes God speaks to us through other people. He may speak to us through teachers and preachers who are plugged into God as their source. You may be sitting in a teaching or listening to a sermon and you might catch a phrase that leads you to ponder a certain thought. God may use that person to catch your attention to a certain area so that He can begin to work on you through that area. When you listen to a sermon and you feel drawn to certain ideas to ponder or you feel convicted about a certain area, that’s God speaking to you. Sometimes God might give a message to another person for you. Someone might approach you with a Word that God has given them. It might be an answer to a prayer you prayed, or it might be a word of encouragement for you. This would be the gift of prophecy. If someone approaches you with a prophetic word, evaluate it with God. *Does it line up with Scripture? If it doesn’t, throw it out. It isn’t from God. God will never tell you anything that goes against what He has already told you in the Bible. *Does it edify you? 1 Corinthians 14:3 says, “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.” God does not bring contradiction or condemnation. If the word you are receiving makes you feel badly about yourself or brings discouragement, throw it out. It’s not from God. That isn’t to say that you may never get a word that convicts you, but it shouldn’t make you feel condemned. If it goes against the character of God, violates Scripture, or gives you an uneasy feeling in your spirit (you just feel wrong about it in some way), it may not be from God. You can always ask God if that Word is truly from Him. *Is it confirmed? God usually confirms the words spoken by others. Their word might confirm a message you have already received from God in another way. If a person gives you a word from God, wait to see if it is confirmed. If they predict a future event, did it come true? If they give you a word you don’t understand, wait to see if God confirms it for you in your daily prayer time or Bible reading or through multiple other people. God will confirm His word to you.
  4. WISE GODLY COUNSEL. This kind of overlaps with the previous method. As I said before, God will confirm His word to you. If you feel like you are hearing from God, but you’re just not sure, ask for wise godly counsel. Wise godly counsel isn’t looking for agreement. It’s looking for confirmation. Find someone who is grounded in the Word of God, someone whose life is lining up with the Word of God, and ask them for their advice concerning whatever issue you are facing. Godly counsel should serve as a confirmation of what God has already been speaking to you about.
  5. DREAMS AND VISIONS. In Acts 2:17 we read: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” What’s the difference between a vision and a dream? A vision happens when you are awake, and a dream happens when you are asleep. There are many stories in the Bible where God spoke through dreams and visions. Joseph, Solomon, Jacob, and Paul had dreams. Peter had a vision. When you receive what you think might be a vision or a dream from God, ask for clarity. Don’t discount visions immediately. Visions and dreams can be given regardless of age, so don’t discount the visions and dreams of your children either. It’s always better to ask God for clarity and confirmation before you ignore something out of hand. When I was in the fifth grade, my family went to visit my great grandmother in another city. It was a really hot day, and I remember sitting in a bedroom trying to cool off from the heat while everyone else was bustling around the house. There was a TV in the room. I remember looking at the TV screen and seeing images from what I thought was a television show or an advertisement. The image was blurry. It showed a car accident from the vantage point of the back seat. I remember feeling uneasy and scared. I saw a cracked windshield, and I could hear background noise of people talking and asking questions. I was really confused because this didn’t look like any TV show or commercial I had ever seen before. I remember having a headache and trying to figure out what this was all about. My younger sister came into the room and asked what I was doing. She said that I looked confused and wondered what I was thinking about. I pointed to the TV screen and explained the images I had seen and how I was trying to figure out what show I was watching or what the commercial was for. The screen was blank. The TV was off. I reprimanded my sister, believing she had turned off the TV, but she responded that the TV had never been on. I didn’t really think much of the incident other than how odd it had been. A few days later while driving to school, my mom and I were involved in a car accident. The scene was exactly like the vision I had had a few days earlier. Because the scene was familiar to me and because I knew everything would be all right, I didn’t go into shock, and I was able to help the first responders get information they needed to treat my mother’s injuries which were quite severe. I believe the vision was God’s way of preparing me for something that was about to happen that may otherwise have been very traumatic for me.
  6. THOUGHTS. God speaks to us through our thoughts and our imagination. Amos 4:13 says that God makes His ways known to us through His thoughts. In Matthew 1:19-21 we find that God spoke to Joseph, the husband of Mary, as he was thinking about these things. Some people might find God speaking to them through their thoughts as just a picture they get in their mind, or it might be a passing thought or impression to do something that doesn’t seem to make sense at the beginning. It’s not surprising that this is also the way that Satan likes to attack us. Satan always takes what God meant for good and turns it for evil. This is where checking the message against scripture is key. If God is speaking to you through your thoughts and imagination, it will line up with the Word of God. If the thought does not line up with Scripture, take it captive and cast it down.
  7. NATURAL MANIFESTATION. God speaks to us through nature. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” When Jesus was baptized, the Bible tells us that God spoke from heaven, but the people listening heard only thunder. When we are out in nature, we can see things about God. We might be standing on the beach, looking at the ocean, and realize how big God is or how powerful He is. We might be sitting on a bench, listening to the birds, and feel the truth about the peace of God that passes all understanding.
  8. SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATIONS. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush Exodus 3. He spoke to Belshazzar through writing on the wall in Daniel 5. He spoke to Gideon through the test of the fleece in Judges 6. He spoke to Saul in a blinding light in Acts 9. In Numbers 22, he spoke to Balaam though a donkey. We might not think that God will speak to us in this way now, but consider the difficult people in your life. These are people you might refer to as a donkey (or an equivalent expression that isn’t so PC). Is it possible that God is trying to draw your attention to something through the difficult people in your life? The truth is God will speak to you in whatever way He needs to to make sure that you hear Him.
  9. WHISPERS. In 1 Kings 19, the Lord tells Elijah to go up on the mountain and to wait for him to speak. So Elijah goes up on the mountain. A great wind comes, but God was not in the wind. Then a great earthquake comes, but God is not in the earthquake. A fire follows the earthquake, but God was not in the fire. Finally, a still small voice speaks, and Elijah recognizes that it is God. We know the Holy Spirit often speaks in a still, small voice. We need to make sure that we are intentionally seeking the kingdom of God and quieting the noise of the world around us in order to hear this still small voice.
  10. PEACE. God speaks to us through His peace. Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” Often when we’re wondering which way to go or we’re looking for direction from God, we will know we are on the right track when we feel God’s peace in our heart about the decision. Peace doesn’t equal comfort. God asks us to do things that are uncomfortable or are outside our comfort zone all the time to grow us and stretch us. But even when God is asking us to do something uncomfortable, we can have His peace in our hearts and know that this is the right thing to do and the right decision to make.

So remember that God will speak to you in a variety of ways. He will speak to you in ways that you can hear. God wants to communicate with you. He wants you to be able to hear His voice. He won’t hide from you. Think about the radio for a second. All around you are invisible radio waves. They exist and they are transmitting, but you can’t hear them. The only way you can hear those radio waves is with a receiver. When you have a receiver that is plugged in, switched on, and tuned into a station, you can hear the radio waves that the tower is transmitting. It’s the same with God. God is always speaking, but you might not be receiving. God made you to be a receiver and hear His words. You need to be plugged in: you need to be saved and born again. You need to be switched on: you need to be intentionally seeking God first, preparing a place for Him to speak into your life. You need to be tuned in: listening for God’s voice to speak to you.

Remember to test the messages you receive to see if they are from God or not. Messages from God will answer these three questions:

  1. Is what I’m hearing lining up with Scripture? Acts 17:11-12
  2. Does it produce the Fruit of the Spirit in my life? Galatians 5:22-23
  3. Does it produce freedom? John 8:32

Confident Hope

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Psalm 86:5-7 (MSG)

“You’re well-known as good and forgiving, bighearted to all who ask for help. Pay attention, God, to my prayer; bend down and listen to my cry for help. Every time I’m in trouble I call on you, confident that you’ll answer.”

How can we be confident that God will answer us when we pray? How do we know that He will help us when we need it? We know because of who God is. David tells us in this psalm that he is confident that God will answer because God is good and forgiving and bighearted to all who ask for help. The beautiful thing about God is that a lot of the words we use to describe God are not actions that God performs–they aren’t things that God does. Rather, they are attributes of God–they are who He is.

God doesn’t love. He is love. It’s who He is. And the added beauty to that is that part of who God is is eternal and unchanging. God doesn’t change. If He was kind and bighearted and forgiving once, He is kind and bighearted and forgiving now today, and He will always be kind and bighearted and forgiving. It’s that unchanging character attribute of God that allows us to have full and complete confidence in Him. We know He will never turn away from those who seek Him.

Father, I thank you that you are a God that doesn’t change. I know that when I need help, I can ask you for help, and you will answer me. When I need love, I know that I can find it in you. When I need forgiveness, I know it’s in your hands, waiting for me to receive it. Thank you, God. Thank you for who you are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bible Courage

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It’s been said that there are 366 “fear not”s in the Bible. That’s one for every day of the year, including leap year. Of course, most people just pass this quote along. I have to admit that I have yet to take the time to count the number of times the Bible tells me not to fear, to take courage, or some variation that means the same thing. But the truth is that it’s a lot! After all, Paul tells Timothy that God did not give us a spirit of fear. Fear is not something God wants us to feel or experience. Instead, God wants us to have courage.

According to Merriam-Webster, the word courage means: “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” When we have courage as the world defines it, we do things even when we are afraid. The KJV dictionary says that courage means: “that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear or depression of spirits.” John Piper at desiringgod.org defines courage this way. “Christian courage is the willingness to say and do the right thing regardless of the earthly cost, because God promises to help you and save you on account of Christ.” I think I like that definition the best.

A great example of this “willingness to say and do the right thing regardless of the earthly cost” is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. If you remember the story, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were court officials for Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon. They had been taken from Jerusalem into exile to serve in the king’s court. At this time, Nebuchadnezzer had decided to make a golden idol. He commanded that all the government officials bow to the idol whenever they heard the sound of music. Whoever did not bow to the idol when the music was played would be thrown into a fiery furnace and burned alive as punishment for failure to obey the king.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the idol. Some other officials, ones who hated the Jews, told the king that these three refused to bow. The king brought them forward and gave them another opportunity to obey his law. They refused again. Then, Nebuchadnezzer had the fire heated to seven times the normal level. It was so hot that it killed the guards who took Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego forward to throw them in. The three were pushed into the fire in all their elaborate court clothing, and the king was sure that they would burn.

In order to have biblical courage, you have to have a sure knowledge of who God is.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three youths who were a part of the noble and royal families of Israel. They grew up in Jerusalem under the reign of King Josiah. At this time, the nation of Israel had been divided into the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah, which contained sections of the tribe of Benjamin as well. The northern kingdom of Israel had been conquered by the Assyrians roughly 100 years earlier. The nation of Judah was all that remained until Babylon conquered the area. There was a rotation of kings during this time period in both the north and the south. Some of the kings were righteous and led the nation back to the laws of God. Some of the kings were incredibly wicked and drove the nation to idol worship and away from God.

King Josiah was a righteous king. He led a religious reformation during the time of his reign. The Bible says that Josiah walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn to the right or to the left. Josiah ordered that the temple be repaired. During the repairs to the temple, the high priest Hilkiah found The Book of the Law. Up to this point, the book had been lost. It was after reading this book of the law that King Josiah felt the nation needed to turn back to the exclusive worship of God and to follow the laws that God had given to Moses. He was afraid of the curses written down in the text that were the penalty for failure to follow the laws of God.

So Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, and the other youths taken by Nebuchadnezzer were raised in a period of great revival. They were schooled in the laws of God. The pagan altars and temples had been destroyed. Pagan priests had been executed. These young men were taught the laws of God. They knew who He was. They knew what He had done for the nation of Israel, and they were committed to following His laws and decrees no matter what. When Nebuchadnezzer ordered everyone to bow down to his idol, these youths would have remembered that the first rule of God was to have no other gods. The next two laws were about worshiping idols and serving them. They knew that God was a jealous God and that worshiping idols of any kind would lead them to destruction. These young men knew God.

In order to have biblical courage you have to believe that God is able to do miraculous things.

When confronted with the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had an interesting response. They said, “we do not need to defend ourselves to you in this matter.” That’s faithful confidence. These young men knew that the only person they answered to was God. Then they went a step further: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

These young men knew that God was able to do miraculous things. They had faith. They believed that God was able to save them from the hand of the king. They may not know how God was going to do that, but they had the faith that He would do it. They also demonstrated that their faith in God’s ability was not predicated upon His actions. Even if God chose not to save them, in their minds it didn’t matter. They weren’t looking at just what God would do. They were looking at what God could do. They were acknowledging the sovereignty of God. They could do this because of their relationship with God and because of their intimate knowledge of Him and His ways.

They did not limit God by saying they trusted Him and would continue to trust Him only so long as He did miraculous things for them. They did not limit God by saying that He needed to save them in such and such a way or in such and such a manner. No. They simply said that God can and that we believe He will, BUT even if He does not, He is still God. That’s powerful. That’s the basis of biblical courage. When you know that God can and believe that God will but you decide to do what’s right regardless of whether or not God acts on your behalf in the way that you want Him to act, you have a strong foundation of faith that cannot be shaken. You can do anything with faith like that.

It is easier to have biblical faith when you are surrounded by a faith community.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were always together. I believe that even if only one of them had been in that assembly, they would have refused to bow to the idol, but together there was power in their identity and their sense of community. They were accountable to each other and to Daniel who had come into captivity with them. Even though Daniel is not mentioned in this story, we know that when the boys first arrived it was Daniel who led them not to violate the dietary laws of God. As a result, God blessed all of them with wisdom and intelligence. God promoted them to the high offices they currently held.

Even if one of them began to waiver and doubt, he had only to look to his companions to be reminded of all that God had done to that point and to be reminded of God’s faithfulness. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that demands courage of us. It is easier to be courageous when we remember what God has done for us, when we can be reminded of the miracles God has done in the past. It is easier to be courageous when you have someone watching you. It is easier to be courageous when you have a community of believers holding you accountable for your faith.

If you are not a member of a community of believers that can surround you in difficult times and remind you of what God has done in the past and what He can do in the future, you need to begin looking for one. It could be a church body. It could also be a small, select group of fellow believers that you form strong friendships with. All you need is a couple of others who have strong faith and tenacity and agree to encourage you, build you up, and hold you accountable before God.

We know what happens in this story. The king looks into the fire and he sees four men walking around instead of three. The biblical courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego was a powerful witness to King Nebuchadnezzer. It allowed him to see Jesus in the midst of the fire. The king orders that the men be brought out. They were unharmed. But even beyond that, their clothes did not even smell like smoke.

You may find yourself in a situation like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego one day. Oh, you probably won’t find yourself ordered to bow to a statue or be thrown into a furnace, but you might find yourself told to compromise your beliefs in order to keep your job. Or perhaps you will be told to do this little thing you know God wouldn’t approve of in order to avoid jail. Tell this little lie. Work on Sunday. Do something that elevates something higher than God in your life. What will you do? Will you stand with biblical courage like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and say “No” regardless of the cost? Will you trust God to save you from the furnace?

If you do, I can promise you that Jesus will walk through that trial with you. You might lose your job. You might lose your reputation. You may end up in jail, but Jesus will be in that position with you, and when He brings you out on the other side, you will not only escape with “no smell of smoke” on you, you will be blessed and promoted. Just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were.

Boomerang Effect

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Luke 6:37 (NIV)

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

How many times have you heard someone use this verse as a weapon? “Oh,” the world tells us, “You can’t judge me. You can’t judge right from wrong. You can’t tell me I’m doing something against God’s will. If you judge me, God will judge you. You can’t judge and be a Christian!” But is this really what this verse is talking about? No!

We make judgments about things all the time because we make choices all the time. In order to make a choice, you have to judge the outcomes of the choice. As a Christian, we are to judge everything against the word of God. If it’s in keeping with the Word, it is judged to be true, correct, and wise. If it goes against the Word, we’re to throw it out, cast it down, discard it.

So what is this verse really saying? Luke 6:37 in the Message translation makes it a bit more clear:

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”

It is about judging right from wrong. Instead, it’s about the Golden Rule. Don’t judge people with strict religious requirements or a negative spirit because when your sins are held up to the light you want mercy. Don’t condemn someone else for their sin because you don’t want to be condemned for your own mistakes. Forgive others because you want God and others to forgive you.

We don’t want anything to separate us from God. We don’t want a critical spirit to keep us from enjoying our life and from having a right relationship with God. God cares a lot about how we treat others. That doesn’t mean we don’t gently correct someone who is living in willful sin. We do. We correct them because we love them too much to allow them to do something that can have such lasting negative eternal consequences, but we don’t judge, criticize or condemn them. Shame and condemnation are not motivators of change. Instead, we love and encourage them to let God do His work in their lives.

Father, I thank you that you know we need to hear things over and over again before we get them into our memories and into our hearts. Father, you told us in the Golden Rule that we are to treat others the way we want to be treated. This is just another way to show that. God, we don’t want to be judged harshly. We don’t want to be criticized. We definitely do not wish to be condemned. Father, we desire forgiveness, love, and mercy. Help me to offer these things to others in the same measure that I expect to receive them in my own life. Help me to give as freely as you give. Help me to be more like you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Loving Others

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As Kingdom citizens, we have two commandments to follow: 1) Love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our strength and 2) Love our neighbor as ourselves. The Bible says that all the law and all the prophets rest on these two commandments. They are really related commands. You can not love God without loving others. You can not love others without loving God. The two commandments together form a complete picture of what God wants life here on earth to be like. But loving others the way that we are called to love others is hard. Not everyone around us is lovable. Not everyone around us is nice. Not everyone around us is someone that we enjoy spending time with.

What kind of love are we supposed to show our neighbor? Who is our neighbor? What is God really expecting us to do here? Jesus was asked these very questions by a lawyer in Luke 10:25-37. Let’s take a look.

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Now, let’s be clear here. This man wasn’t really asking Jesus anything. This man was looking for a pat on the back. He was looking for affirmation. He was looking to be told that he was doing it right and didn’t need to change anything in his life. This was an “expert in the law.” The Greek here means a person who was connected to the Old Testament Jewish law; one who was skilled in interpreting the writings of the Old Testament as well as applying them to life along with rabbinical thought. This man was supposed to know the laws of God inside and out. Not only was he supposed to know them, he was supposed to understand them in such a way that he was skilled in interpreting them for others and applying them to real life situations. If anyone could be saved based on their knowledge of scripture alone, this man would be the one.

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” And now we see the real issue here. This man knew what God had asked him to do, but he didn’t want to do it. He wanted justification without obedience. He wanted to get eternal life without doing the hard work of loving others. He wanted to remain loving only those people that were easy to love, the people he liked. I think he expected Jesus to say that “his neighbor” was simply the people living near him–people who looked like him, people who believed the same way he believed, people who were in his comfort zone.

Jesus instead tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ” This priest was a high priest. He was God’s representative intercessor. He was the only person allowed to enter into the presence of God and make atonement for the people. If anyone would understand and apply the law correctly, surely it would be this man. Instead, we find him crossing by the man on the other side of the road. Why? Perhaps he thought the man was dead already. Perhaps he figured the man would be dead soon. Touching a dead body was illegal. Leviticus 21 said that a priest should not make himself unclean for anyone that was not a close family member. A priest could not touch a dead body or even go near it or he would no longer be able to serve God. He would be unclean, and no cleansing ritual was given. But the man on the road wasn’t dead; he was only exhausted or “half-dead.” A little bit of effort would have shown the priest that his man was not dead, but he was either too concerned with his own business to take the time or else he just felt justified in not reaching out under the guise of “religious duty.” How could God want him to take the chance of being near and touching this man when he died? Certainly, God couldn’t want that. So he passed by as far away as possible from the man in need. He did not love him.

“So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” Now this man would have been a helper at the temple. He was not a priest. He did not serve as an intermediary between God and man, but he did help with the business of the temple. He was allowed to preside over funerals. He did not have to stay completely away from a dead body. If a Levite came near a dead body, he would be unclean for seven days, just like anyone else. After the seven days, he could undergo a cleansing ritual that would allow him to return to his duties. Surely, as a Levite, this man would have known the law. He would have understood what God would want him to do here. After all, he didn’t have the same restrictions as the high priest would have had. But this man did the same thing. He walked away…and not just away but as far away as he could get. Why? Maybe he recognized this man as a foreigner. The parable doesn’t tell us anything about the man on his way to Jericho. It doesn’t tell us what he looked like or where he was from. It doesn’t tell us if you could tell by looking that he “wasn’t one of us.” At the very least, he was a stranger to the Levite. Certainly, God wouldn’t expect the Levite to help someone who was a stranger! A “neighbor” means someone who lives close by…so that must exclude strangers, right? So he passed as far away from this man as possible. He did not love him.

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” This is huge! Samaritans were considered to be impostors. While the Samaritans themselves felt they were true to the laws of God, the Jews considered them gentiles who had been shipped into the area by the Assyrians during the Assyrian captivity. They were transplants. They weren’t really Jews according to the Jews. There was no way that a Samaritan would understand the law and what God required. No way. Nuh uh…not happening. But here was a Samaritan traveling down the road, and when he saw the man, the Bible says he took pity on them–in the Greek, splagchnizomai. He was so stirred up in his inward parts he felt his bowels filled with compassion. He was moved in his inner most being. This was the deepest feeling he could possibly feel, and he felt it for this man whom he did not know. He loved him.

He was patient. He stopped what he was doing. He took some time. It took a while to go to this man and to figure out what was wrong with him and to bandage his wounds and to pour on oil and wine to clean his injuries. He was kind. He put this man on his own donkey. He brought him to an inn and took care of him for the rest of that day. He wasn’t envious of anyone else on the road. The Samaritan gave no thought to the people who managed to go on with their lives or to the people who might have had more experience or money to take care of this man. He didn’t boast to the innkeeper or anyone else about what a good person he was for taking care of this stranger. He didn’t draw attention to what was happening at all. He treated this stranger with kindness and respect. He honored him. He wasn’t angry at this man for being an inconvenience. He didn’t keep a record of that fact that this man prevented him from doing what he had been doing or from traveling that day or for costing him the expense of an inn and medical care. He simply took care of the man. He paid what he had and promised to pay the rest when he returned. The Samaritan simply loved him.

He didn’t love him in the least way possible. He gave two days’ wages to the innkeeper to care for him. He used his own oil and wine and bandages to prepare the man for travel to the inn. He promised to cover the cost, even if it exceeded the two days’ wages. He gave generously. He gave possibly all that he had. He didn’t count the cost. He just gave. Because he loved him.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”  The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Now Jesus comes to the point. Our “neighbor” isn’t just the person who lives near us. It isn’t just the person in the same city as us or in the same state as us or in the same region as us or in the same country as us. It isn’t the person who worships like us or looks like us. It isn’t the person we like. It isn’t even a person we know. It is a person. Our neighbor is any member of the human race.

When we love God with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our strength, we seek to spend time with Him. We study His word. We learn how He thinks. We want to do His will. And in Genesis 1:26-27 we learn that every member of the human race was created in God’s image. When we love God with everything in us, we see God in every single person that we come across. Religion won’t show us God’s image in every single person. Religion cares more about duty. Church attendance won’t show us God’s image in every single person. Church attendance does nothing more than check a box on our to-do list. Relationship….really loving God…is the only thing that can do it. When we see God’s image in each and every person we come into contact with, it becomes easier to love them.

We do not see their wealth or lack of it. We don’t see how they’re dressed. We don’t notice what job they do or what car they drive. We pay no attention to the color of their skin. We simply see the God whom we love in them…we see God in them…and we love God…so we love them. We love them with agape love. We love them with a love that is patient and kind. We love them with a love that is not envious and does not boast. We love them with an honoring kind of love that does not seek to make us look better by doing it. We love them with a love that is not easily angered and that does not keep a record of what it costs us to love them. We love them with a love that rejoices in truth (and will not allow for evil to continue). We love them in a way that gives them the benefit of the doubt. This love protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres….not because the person we love is worthy of these things or even honors these things, but because what we are really loving is God in them. And God is worthy of all these things. And God honors all these things.

Without God, we couldn’t do it. We just couldn’t. But with God. It’s all possible. Every bit of it. So the question isn’t “Who is my neighbor?” The question is really: “Who am I in this story?” Am I so concerned about my position and duty and ministry that I pursue that above relationship? Am I comfortable loving those that are like me and just apathetic to what God might think about the situation? Or am I the Samaritan, who knew God and, as a result, loved the man without thinking of anything else?

Humbling Ourselves

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2 Chronicles 7:14

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

What a wonderful promise! If we will humble ourselves, pray and seek God’s face, then He will forgive our sins and heal our land. It isn’t that God doesn’t want to do those things at all times. It isn’t that God is withholding something wonderful from us in exchange for our works. God is already holding out forgiveness and healing. He is always holding out forgiveness and healing. We just have to ask for it.

And that’s what the first part of this verse means. If we humble ourselves….how do we humble ourselves? Well, we have to admit that we are not the end-all-be-all. We have to admit that we have weaknesses. We have to admit that we need help. We have to be willing to ask for help. Asking for help takes humility. It takes a recognition that we can’t do it on our own, that our strength and ability is not enough. If we pray…why pray? Well, prayer is the way that we communicate with God. Once we are willing to acknowledge that we need help, we have to ask for that help. We do that through prayer. If we seek His face….. we need to recognize that the source of the help that we need doesn’t come from another human being, it comes from God.

We know from Hebrews that we must have faith to receive from God, that faith is what pleases God, and that we must come to God in prayer through faith. We have to believe that He exists. We have to recognize that God is. That He is real. That He is able. That He can provide what it is we need. That He will listen to us. We have to believe that He is good. We have to believe that He has good in store for us. When we believe these things, then when we encounter trouble or realize our lack, we will turn to Him, recognizing that He is the source of help and provision. Doing so requires that we humble ourselves.

Is there something you’ve been working for that is still out of reach? Is there something you lack? Is there an aching in your soul for more that you just don’t know how to fill? Acknowledge your limits. Turn to God in prayer. Believe that He is and that He is good and that His desire is for your good. And ask Him. He has promised forgiveness and healing. He has promised to supply what you need.

Father, I thank you that you are a good God. I thank you that you have only my good in mind. I thank you that you offer forgiveness and healing at all times, I just have to recognize my need for it and ask you. Thank you that those who seek you will find you. Thank you that you do not withhold any good thing from me. I recognize, God, that there are longings in my heart that I just can’t fulfill, no matter how hard I might try. I need you, God. I need you to fill in those holes in my soul. I need you to supply my needs. I need your forgiveness, your help, and your healing. Thank you that you offer it freely. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Love Covers

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Proverbs 17:9 (MSG)

“Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!”

In this day and age, it’s easy to get offended. Social media, text messages, entire conversations held in type without facial expression or tone of voice to help interpret them. Offense is a trap of the enemy. If he can get you offended, or better yet keep you offended, he can cut you off from blessings in your life.

That’s why proverbs tells us to overlook an offense and bond a friendship. Another translation says, “whoever would foster love, covers over an offense.” It isn’t that you’re covering up for seriously bad behavior. It’s that you’re allowing your relationship with the person and your love for that person to be the most important thing you see. The offense is there, intended or not. The hurt is there in your heart, but you choose to look at the relationship as a whole. You choose to focus on the love. You choose not to accept the offense.

The second half of the proverb tells us what happens if we don’t let go of an offense, white it out, cover it in love….we hang on to that slight and we destroy our relationship. There’s a time and a place to call out your friend in love. If they are sinning–intentionally or unintentionally–love says to offer gentle correction. But this proverb isn’t talking about sin. It’s talking about our feelings of offense…our feelings of being wronged. Sometimes you have to say to yourself, “Do I want relationship with this person, or do I want to be right?” The answer to that question will tell you everything you need to know.

Father, I thank you that love covers over offense. Love erases small wrongs done to us. Love seeks relationship health and restoration more than it seeks feelings of retribution and justice. Help us to walk in love with each other, Father. Help me to value relationship more than I value being right. If I need to speak up and make gentle correction in love, help me to do that, but if it’s just a small slight, help me to let it go and focus instead on the love I feel for that person. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jesus’ Ministry of Healing

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I love to study healing in the Bible. I love how many people Jesus healed. A quick Google search gave me 12 verses with some variation of the phrase “Jesus healed them all.” Nowhere in the Bible is a person turned away from healing. Nowhere does someone meet Jesus and fail to be healed! That’s amazing. It builds my faith. I firmly believe in the healing ministry of Jesus. I think it’s His divine will to heal us from anything and everything that comes against us. He heals us from physical disease. He heals us from emotional and mental diseases. He heals us from demonic oppression resulting in physical symptoms. He heals us all from everything. I don’t think sickness brings glory to God. Call me crazy, but I just can’t find anywhere in the gospels where someone came to Jesus for healing and He said, “Oh, I would heal you, but your sickness brings me glory, so I’m going to leave you the way you are for a while.”

I know that many people don’t see physical healing in their lifetime. I know many people of faith struggle with illnesses as well. There are many things the Bible tells us are possible with faith that we do not experience for ourselves. Some people go for dispensational theories of various workings of the Holy Spirit and Jesus in various time periods that explain the lack of the miraculous in our current age. I don’t buy into those either. Sometimes I think the reason we don’t see healings in this day and age is because we don’t know what healing means. We don’t understand how healing works. We are so caught up in our own view of the world, in our scientific enlightenment, etc. that we do not realize our unbelief. We have faith, but our faith is overpowered by doubt.

I think a big part of this comes down to a language barrier. I speak English. My Bible is translated into English. When I read my Bible, I read a language that I understand and that conveys the truth of God’s Word to me in the language that I can understand. But the Bible wasn’t written in English. The New Testament stories of Jesus and His miracles weren’t written in English. Paul’s letters that give us deep and precious lessons on doctrine and theology weren’t written in English. They were written in Greek. I don’t speak Greek. This doesn’t seem like a big deal because translations of the Bible abound in all kinds of languages. I don’t have to speak Greek to read the Bible and understand it. That’s true. But there are some things in Greek that just don’t make it into the English equivalent. In every language, words possess a range of meanings. There is the dictionary meaning of a word: how we would define it. There is the understood meaning of a word: this involves the context and the pictures we as a culture associate with a given word. Both meanings are important in written communication.

So when I read a word in English, I understand both meanings of it, and my picture of what is happening in the story is based on that understanding. Sometimes, however, my understanding and my picture is wrong. Jesus healed the sick. Story after story talks about the sick being brought to Jesus for healing. When I read the word sick, I get a picture in my mind of what that word means, but is it the full picture. Did you know that there are five different Greek words that have all been translated as “sick” in English? Looking into each of these words and their meanings gives us a bigger picture of Jesus’ healing ministry, and what it can mean in our lives today.

Nosos

In Matthew 4: 23, we read: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” The word here is nosos. Nosos is a Greek word that means disease, sickness, or malady. It referred to a chronic persistent disease. Typically, this word referred to a terminal affliction for which there is no natural cure. If you have a nosos sickness, there was no hope for you in terms of “modern medicine.” There was nothing doctors could do you for. It was expected that this disease would run its course, and you would die as a result of it. But here we find Jesus healing nosos disease among the people.

If you are struggling with a terminal affliction, if you are struggling with something for which modern medicine has no treatment plan, no good prognosis, no method of cure, Jesus is your answer. He can heal you. There is nothing that can afflict your body that confuses or confounds Jesus. He is the Great Physician. When modern medicine has failed you, and you feel hopeless, turn to Jesus. Bring your nosos to Him. He will not turn you away.

Malakia

Let’s look at Matthew 4:23 again: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” The word here is malakia. Malakia is a Greek word that means softness, weakness, illness, or sickness. This word refers to a condition that softens or weakens its victim. It is a debilitating or crippling disease. It can also refer to a moral weakness. If you have a malakia illness, you will live, but you will not be able to walk properly or be able to function properly. You will be weak and debilitated. In some instances, this word was used to refer to illness that caused a decrease in muscle fiber in a patient. Even here, we find Jesus healing malakia diseases among the people.

If you are struggling with a debilitating illness, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, Jesus is your answer. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Jesus has the ability to miraculously, or by a process of healing, bring your body up to full strength. He can bring your body into alignment and make it physically function properly again. He can also heal emotional and mental illnesses which can be debilitating and crippling. He heals depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. He gives us moral strength. When you bring Jesus into the situation, He makes things function the way they were created to function.

Kakos

Let’s go to the next verse. Matthew 4:24: “News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” The word here is kakos. Kakos is a Greek word that means bad or evil, even in the widest sense. It refers to something that is inwardly foul or rotten or coming from an inward source of evil or malice. A person with a kakos illness is grievously vexed with a demonic spirit. They are mentally tormented or mentally confused. Their inward nature is going contrary to the will of God.

We’ve already shown that Jesus healed mental illnesses under the umbrella of malakia, but just in case you were unconvinced of the extent to which Jesus healed people who struggled mentally we are adding kakos. It does not matter what causes your mental illness, whether it is debilitating or you are able to function with it, whether it is physical in nature or demonic in nature, Jesus can heal you of it. Your healing maybe instantaneous or miraculous. Your healing may be a process of healing over a period of time. Your healing may involve therapy (Greek word  therapeuó translated as healing in many of the stories of Jesus’ healing ministry like the man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5). Regardless of the method God uses to bring healing to you, it is still God who is able to work out this healing in your life. Take it to Him.

Mastigos

In Mark 5: 24-29, we read about the woman with the issue of blood. You may recall that she had suffered with this condition for twelve years. She had gone to all the physicians in the hopes of getting better, but she had only gotten worse. In Mark 5:29, we read: “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” The word here is mastigos. In Greek, the word mastigos means affliction or plague. Mastigos comes from the root mastix, which refers to a whip or scourge. It was a word used in connection with torture. Think of the Roman cat-of-nine-tails. That was a mastix. In Roman times, they would bring a prisoner out to the post, tie them up to the post and beat them with the whip until they were almost dead…almost, but not quite. They would take them back to their cell where they were allowed to recover and heal. Then, they would bring them back to the post and beat them with the whip again until they were almost dead…almost, but not quite. They would again take them back to their cell where they were allowed to recover and heal. This went on and on for some time. The word mastigos, therefore, refers to a disease that carries a torturous amount of pain. It is any sickness of disease that repeatedly strikes you–not enough to kill you–but enough to cause you tortuous pain and to keep your life disrupted.

Are you suffering from unbearable pain? Do you have a condition that continues to wreck havoc on your body? Is there a sickness that keeps coming at you and keeps coming at you over and over again, allowing you to heal for brief periods before it returns again? Are you suffering from a disease that disrupts your life? Bring it to Jesus. He healed this kind of illness as well, and He can heal you too. Jesus said that he came that those who believed may have life to the full…abundant life. It is not His will for you to suffer from this anymore. He wants to give you quality of life.

And finally, there is:

Arrostos

Matthew 14:14 “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” The word here is arrostos. In Greek, this word means not strong, feeble, ill, sickly. Literally, it means “will not leave.” It is a disease that is chronic, that lingers. It refers to a person who is weak, unable to move. They are homebound, bedfast, or comatose. They may have lost consciousness altogether. Jesus healed these people, too.

The interesting thing about this word is that it is also used in Mark 16: 18 where Jesus is telling His disciples about the signs that will follow believers. Mark 16: 18: “they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” The word here is arrostos. Jesus was saying that not only did He have the authority to heal any and all kinds of sickness, even sickness that left people comatose, but He was giving that authority to us as well. We can lay hands on anyone, with any sickness–even the ones with no hope left…even the comatose–and they would respond.

It does not matter how it looks to outside observers. It does not matter whether or not you are able to get out and about or do the things you want to do. It does not even matter if you are physically or spiritually comatose, Jesus can heal you. And if you believe the words of the Bible Jesus will heal you.

So release your faith. Stand on the promise that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Stand on the promise that if He healed all of the sick and afflicted during His ministry on earth, His ministry from heaven is the same. Jesus didn’t turn anyone away. Neither will He turn you away. No matter what category you might fall in to, Jesus healed them all!

Godly Wisdom

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Matthew 28: 19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We should all be familiar with the Great Commission. It’s one of the foundations of Christianity. We know the truth of who Christ is and what He has done for us, so it’s up to us to take that truth out into the larger world and share it with others. Some of us are really good at sharing our witness and testimony with others. We’re all about multiplying the kingdom. That’s great…..but how good are we at making disciples?

Making disciples is about much more than sharing the gospel with those around us. It involves relationship, mentorship, and intentional pouring into another person’s life. Very few of us, if we’re honest with ourselves, have ever made a disciple. Some of us may not have even thought about true discipleship and what it means. What is a disciple? The word translated disciple is the Greek word mathétés. It means a learner or a pupil. It comes from the root word math-, meaning the “mental effort needed to think something through.” A disciple spends time with his/her master or teacher. They are learning from them not only the knowledge of whatever the subject is but also the life application of that knowledge. In Christianity, a disciples is a “learner; a disciple, a follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of Scripture and the lifestyle they require; someone catechized with proper instruction from the Bible with its necessary follow-through.”

The apostles took this commission to make disciples very seriously. Not only did they plant churches, but they poured into the lives of specific believers in an intentional way. We might think of this as mentorship. Paul was mentored by the apostles of the early church before mentoring others himself. Paul mentored Timothy and Titus. Titus mentored Epaphras. Priscilla and Aquilla mentored Apollos. These leaders learned Biblical truths for themselves. They studied the teachings of Jesus. They studied and lived and traveled with their mentors. Then they mentored others. They were disciples, and they, in turn, made disciples of their own. We need to think of spiritual maturity a bit differently. It isn’t all about us; it’s also about helping others come to a place of maturity as well.

I definitely feel this in my own life. There are times when I am studying the Bible and I come upon a difficult set of verses where I know that I need to seek out someone with more experience and wisdom to help me navigate what it means and how to practice it. There are lots of themes in the Bible that I’m just not sure how to make them work. What does that look like in this season of my life? Take Proverbs 31, for example. If I approach this from a surface viewpoint, I can be easily discouraged in my walk as a Christian woman. I can feel condemned and less than and completely unable to live up to this idealized woman of virtue. I might abandon the pursuit altogether. OR… I can see out someone who understands the Bible better than I do. I can read commentaries and studies. I can talk to a ministry leader to get their take on how they have wrestled with this text. I can seek out scholars who understand the original languages to see if that sheds light on the meaning of practice, and in doing so I might find out that some people view this text as applying to a woman’s life as a whole. It covers every season of a woman’s life, and different verses refer to different parts. I might find the text much more manageable in my modern life with a better understanding of how to live this out. All because I sought godly wisdom and discipleship.

In my previous post Valentine’s Day, I talked about my husband and I attending a marriage rendezvous. We got lots of godly wisdom there on how to live out the ideals of God’s plan for our marriage in a practical way, but we also got some godly wisdom afterward from a pastor we know. This pastor had spoken to the women’s group I attend weekly. I could tell by his message at that meeting that this was a man who had studied things out for himself. I had been impressed with his knowledge, with his practicality in living out the application of what he had seen in scripture, and I felt strongly that if I ever needed advice in an area he had talked about, this was a man to go to to seek out godly wisdom.

My husband and I had been discussing some of the writings of Paul. Bull feels very strongly that he is being called to be a pastor. He’s a relatively new believer, and he has absolutely no formal theological training or ministry experience. That’s not a problem because God qualifies the people that He calls. He doesn’t call the qualified. We were talking over our own personal convictions about various struggles in life and various temptations. We were also talking over admonitions not to use Christian freedom loosely or in a way that makes a weaker brother stumble. These are hard issues for a lot of seasoned believers, but add to that the fact that as a person in a position of leadership or ministry authority you’re going to be living life in a fishbowl and you open an entirely new can of worms.

How do you reconcile those things? How do you stay true to teaching the Word of God but living out the things the Holy Spirit has placed on you personally to live out, especially in areas of freedom? How do you stay true to what God is saying to you without putting a stumbling block in front of your brother? Exactly how careful do you need to be when everyone is watching your life? Oh, such hard questions!

When I saw this pastor at the marriage rendezvous, I pointed him out to my husband. He had heard my recounting of the original sermon and was intrigued by this pastor’s story and message. He had expressed and interest in meeting him. This was his chance, so I introduced them. Then my husband posed the questions we had been wrestling with to this man of God for his opinion. We received godly wisdom. We came away with a better understanding of the issues Paul was writing about. We got a nuanced viewpoint, not a Sunday school answer. I think that’s the best way I can describe godly wisdom. When you approach someone and ask a hard question and you get a basic, surface level Sunday school answer, it is unsatisfying. You leave feeling empty. But when you approach someone and ask a hard question and you get godly wisdom, you leave feeling satisfied. You leave feeling fed.

Where are you in your walk with God? Are you a disciple? Do you have trusted, godly advisers that you can go to to seek out godly wisdom to make sure you are being taught the truths of the Bible as well as how to live them out properly? Do you have someone who spurs you on to greater growth? Who calls you forward to maturity? Are you a disciple-maker? Are you taking your own experience and knowledge and offering godly wisdom to those around you? Are you spurring them on to greater growth? Are you calling them to walk beside you to spiritual maturity?

I encourage you to do both. Be a disciple. Find some people with more knowledge and more wisdom than you. Find some people who are a bit more spiritually mature than they are. Learn from them. Be a disciple-maker. Find some people who aren’t quite as far along as you are. Share your insights and knowledge with them. Help them answer the tough questions. Teach them to be disciples of Christ and to make disciples themselves. That’s what the Great Commission is all about.

How Grateful Are You?

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Luke 7: 40-47 (MSG)

Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Oh? Tell me.” “Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.” “That’s right,” said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”

Simon was a Pharisee. He was a student and a teacher of the law of Moses, and he considered himself to be pretty holy as a result. It was his vocation to be holy. There was a place in Simon’s heart where he elevated his own holiness above the holiness of those around him. Simon was well aware of appearances, and he prided himself on keeping company with only the holiest of people. So when Jesus came to his house for dinner and allowed a sinful woman to not only touch his feet but to worship him right there in front of Simon, Simon couldn’t help but feel a little bit judgmental. His judgmental attitude caused him to question Jesus’ stature. He had believed this man to be a prophet, someone holy who spoke with God’s authority, but here Jesus’ was allowing himself to be contaminated by sin–at least in Simon’s mind–and how could anyone with God’s authority do that?

So Jesus challenged Simon’s view point. This woman was forgiven. Her sins no longer existed in God’s mind. She couldn’t contaminate anyone with her past mistakes. There were no more past mistakes. Instead, she demonstrated her holiness by expressing a deep understanding of all that God had done on her behalf and by giving everything out of her gratitude. This woman was so concerned with showing her thankfulness that she risked the judgment of others to worship God. Her only thought was what God had done for her. She didn’t have time to think about what others might think or who might be watching or even what state their lives were in. Her focus was on God.

God has forgiven all of us a great debt of sin. If we think ourselves holy already, we won’t appreciate the great gift God has offered to us. We will have little gratitude because our thoughts will be consumed with ourselves. We will be too full of judgement and concerns about the world around us to focus on God. But if we recognize our sinful state, if we see the true magnitude of what the Lord has done, we won’t have time to think about anything but our gratitude to God. In this story, which person are you? What does your gratitude show?

Father, sometimes I am very guilty of comparing myself to others and overestimating my own holiness, but now, God, I see that all my own righteousness is just filthy rags. I have nothing that you have not given to me. If I could see my sin the way that you see my sin, Lord, I would realize just how much you have done for me. Help me to not take your forgiveness for granted. Help me to realize just how much you have done on my behalf. Help me, Lord, to be grateful. I want to be so focused on worshiping you that I don’t have time to worry about the people around me. In Jesus’ name, amen.