.....ites

Moses had led the people of Israel through the desert for 40 years and was now preparing them to cross the Jordan River into the promised land of Canaan. As part of this preparation, Moses reminded the people how God had provided for all their past needs and reviewed the laws by which God expected them to live; "and if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness" Deuteronomy 6:25

The people of Israel would be brought into a right relationship with God as they worshipped Him and obeyed His commands. But as they entered the promised land, there were many enemies which had to be removed.

"When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations - the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you - and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy."Deuteronomy 7:1-2

These enemies posed a serious physical threat, but the longer term danger was to their spiritual survival. God wanted these "Ites" completely destroyed because their worldly gods would continually pull at the heart of His chosen people; "Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods" Deuteronomy 11:16

This can be a difficult message with today's soft view of sin. But there is an important lesson for each of us who long for a close relationship with God. Today, Jesus has provided the path to righteousness; "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe" Romans 3:22. But God still desires the entirety of our heart and expects us to turn from anything which pulls us away from an unhindered and unrestrained devotion.

As he leads us into His promised land of rest and peace, there will always be enemies which entice us to turn from God, many temptations which compete for our time and thoughts...and for our worship. These "Ites" will appear stronger than our ability to conquer. But as we follow hard after God, He will grant us victory; "the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you" Deuteronomy 7:22.

What enemies take us away from the worship of God? What addictions, activities, desires or fears are consuming our heart and keeping us from being focused on Jesus - keeping us from a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father? 

Let's be determined to possess the land and fully give our heart to God. Let's identify the enemies which hinder our walk and, without mercy, let's completely destroy the Ites.

- steve troxel

.....transformation

Our call to hear the words of God AND to "put them into practice" Matthew 7:24, is an indicator of our eternal position in Christ; "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands"1 John 2:3

Salvation is a work of the Spirit, a "circumcision of the heart" Romans 2:29, for those who truly believe in Jesus Christ. This miraculous work of the Spirit will always cause a change and will always produce fruit. However, we must balance this truth with the understanding that spiritual change is a transformation which is sometimes painfully slow. Each new creation in Christ is given the Holy Spirit as a guide, but we will spend the rest of our life learning who we really are in Christ and how to "keep in step with the Spirit" Galatians 5:25.

Even Paul recognized his spiritual maturity was not complete. He had the unique opportunity to receive truths and understanding directly from God; "this is what we speak, not with words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit" 1 Corinthians 2:13, but Paul still fell short of God's glory and had to strive to reach the place Christ desired.

"I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."Philippians 3:10-12

Paul knew the goal of his life was to bring glory and honor to God by living in the fullness and power of the resurrection. He knew he was to live a submitted life as one who was born "into an inheritance that can never perish" 1 Peter 1:3-4. But he also knew he had not fully attained this goal.

At the moment of salvation, Jesus "took hold" of our life. Every single day after salvation we are given a new opportunity to pick up the pieces and bring Him glory and honor in ALL we do as we "press on toward the goal" Philippians 3:14. We only arrive at the goal when we are called Home and see Him face to face, when we are fully "transformed into His likeness" 2 Corinthians 3:18. But until that time, we are to press forward in the obedience of worship, holiness, and eternal priorities.

No matter how difficult our current circumstances, how terrible our past mistakes or how seemingly hopeless our future, the only step under consideration is our very next. We must begin today to live as a new creation in Christ who desires to step in obedience and glorify His name. Then, we must continue to walk through a lifetime of transformation.

- steve troxel

.....obedience

We must remove ourselves from the construction process and allow God to build every area of our life. We still must put forth effort - sometimes GREAT effort - but we can no longer build according to our own plans or rely on our own abilities; "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain" Psalm 127:1

We also saw one way to ensure God is building is to live according to the truth of His Word and "do what it says" James 1:22. We cannot serve our Heavenly Father without aligning our life to His Word. At the end of a passage commonly referred to as The Sermon on The Mount [Matthew 5-7], Jesus stated the importance of being obedient to His Word.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."Matthew 7:24-27

In this wonderful mountainside message, Jesus taught about Salvation; "enter through the narrow gate" Matthew 7:13, but He also taught extensively about basic Christian living - what Paul referred to as being "in step with the Spirit" Galatians 5:25. Jesus said that both the foolish and the wise man heard His words and set out to build a house, but only one man followed God's design, and only one house remained standing after the storm.

Salvation is never earned by "doing," but true believers will strive to be obedient to what Jesus taught; "If you hold to My teachings, you are really My disciples" John 8:31. We are obedient because our heart has been transformed and His Spirit now compels us to follow; "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands" 1 John 2:3. 

We may stumble and sometimes fall, we may even become frustrated at the frequency of our falls, but if we are a child of God we will continue to get back up and move toward obedience because of who we are in Christ!

Each of us have been given a choice on how to build our life: our way or God's way. We must allow our Heavenly Father to become our Master Builder, and, as His plan unfolds, we must learn to trust Him with ALL our heart. He promises to work through us to build something eternally beautiful that will weather all storms. 

But His promise is only applied as we faithfully allow Him to build our life upon the rock of obedience.

- steve troxel

.....attitude

Nick Herman started his first career in the army and later got a position as a dishwasher. It turned out to be the only job he would keep for many years of his life. Washing dishes for 14 hours a day, the ho-hum of pots and pans, he endured the noise of shouting cooks and being the least important of all the workers.

Then Nick made a decision, an attitude change. He chose to bring God into the kitchen! He began to wash dishes as a way to show love for the Lord.  Everything changed.  Nick said, "We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. All things are possible to him that believes."

Nick worked 62 years serving others as a lay Carmelite monk in France, and died quietly at age 80. Millions know his spiritual name as Brother Lawrence.  His book, "The Practice of the Presence of God", is still in bookstores 400 years after his death! Brother Lawrence's remarkable faith replaced drudgery with delight in the presence of a loving Lord.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor 10:31

.....vain

As we are "crucified with Christ" Galatians 2:20 and live "united with Him in His resurrection" Romans 6:5, we begin to view more and more of our life through the eyes of Jesus. What we once saw as critically important begins to fade; and what we once neglected, we now begin to see as valuable by our Heavenly Father.

We can no longer build according to our old set of priorities. In fact, when we truly come in full submission to the cross of Jesus, we find we can no longer build anything according to our own design or in our own strength. We discover we must make God the Master Builder of every area of our life, or we are wasting precious time, energy, and resources.

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. Psalm 127:1

Our life goes by so fast, and our eternal vision is so very limited. Many of us are frantically building our castle and have failed to see we are building with sand which will crumble with the swell of the next tide. We may be struggling to build in our marriage, children, parents, job, school, friends, or even our ministry. But if we are expending great effort without results which are pleasing to God, we must honestly ask the question: "Who is doing the building?"

Even if our effort meets with apparent success, we must ask the same question and relinquish controls to God. Our greatest projects, if built in our own strength, will one day pass through the fire and be consumed; "the fire will test the quality of each man's work" 1 Corinthians 3:13. The standard of quality is determined by God, not man! It will be a sad day if we find we have spent a lifetime building that which is consumed by fire; "he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" 1 Corinthians 3:15.

In order for God to properly build, we must first submit to the refining He desires to accomplish. He will mold us into the likeness of His Son as we are fully devoted to loving Him, learning His Word, and applying His Truth as the absolute foundation of our life: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" James 1:22-24.

God is not just the best solution; He is the ONLY solution worth pursuing. Heavenly Father, help us to not waste another moment of this precious life you have given. Help us see where we have taken too much control and give us the strength and courage to turn over ALL to You. 

Dear Lord, work through us to build what will last for eternity! Beginning right now, help us to stop laboring in vain!

- adapted from steve troxel

.....resurrected

Our new life begins with faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin. When we are "born again," we cross from an eternal death to an eternal life; "whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" John 5:24. 

Sin caused our condemnation and required our death, but Jesus took our sin and received sin's punishment. When we identify ourselves with Christ, we also identify with His death; "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" Romans 6:3.

True salvation requires that we are "baptized into Christ," which means we completely identify with His life and sacrifice on the cross. He was put to death for our sins and has crucified the old sinful nature of all who believe; "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" Galatians 2:20.

The old nature has been crucified - it is dead! Granted, we often attempt to bring that comfortable old nature back to life and allow it to war with the things of the Spirit, but the old nature can no longer take control - it can no longer win!

This understanding will bring a glorious victory and freedom. The life we live in this body is not our own, we have died with Christ; "The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" Galatians 6:14. And if we have died to the world, the world cannot harm us and should not cause us to fear. But our new life is much more than the identification with His death. The purpose of being crucified with Christ is so we can also be resurrected with Him and live a resurrected life.

"We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection."Romans 6:4-5

We have not been crucified so we can simply wait to be called Home and taken out of the world. The new life we have received ought to set us free - free from the pulls of this world, free from the world's definition of success and failure, free from the concern of how others evaluate our life, and free to live each day for the glory of God.

Our lives should be a witness to the power of the gospel. 

If the gospel message resides in our heart, then we have been empowered to change the way we live today! We have died to the power of sin and been made alive to the contented joy of Christ. Let's demonstrate the power of the gospel by living a life which is both crucified and resurrected.

- steve troxel

.....enough

I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt. Jer 31:4

Don't allow anybody but God to tell you what you're worth! That's too much power to give anyone. If people can label you, they can limit you.  Until you know how God feels about you, you'll know neither your worth as an individual nor your life's purpose. You'll worry about how you look, what others think, and whether or not you're going to succeed in life.

But when you believe God's promise, 'I have loved you with an everlasting love... I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt' Jer. 31:3- 4, you're free to focus on improving and reaching your God-given potential. What life has torn down, God can rebuild.

Today, if you're suffering from lack of self-worth, here's a prayer to help you: 'Father, sometimes I think I'm of no use, that I can't do anything right, that nothing I do is ever good enough. But I know that when You look at who I am, and who I can be - You see Jesus. And He is even more than "good enough"!  

It's good enough that He shed His precious blood to cover my unworthiness.

    Good enough that He paid the price for every sin I would ever commit.

    Good enough that He's working to perfect me each day.

    Good enough that He sees me as 'righteous' in Christ.

    Good enough that He's interceding for me at the throne of God right now.

    Good enough that He's mending the broken areas of my life and making me whole.

    Good enough that His love for me is everlasting and guaranteed.

Thank You, Father, that everything Jesus does is "good enough", and that in Him, I am "good enough" too!'

.....anxious

A consistent trust ought to invade all areas of our life, how we must be able to trust God for our eternity as well as our daily walk. A good measure of our trust is in our level of anxiety.

Being anxious, or having anxiety, is defined as being mentally troubled with worry or concern. Unfortunately, we have all been battling anxiety ever since Adam ate the forbidden fruit and tried in vain to hide from God; "I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid" Genesis 3:10. The negative effects of anxiety were understood three thousand years ago when King Solomon wrote his proverbs of wisdom; "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up" Proverbs 12:25.

Anxiety remained a necessary topic as Paul preached the Good News of Jesus. Almost in the same breath that he gave instruction to "Rejoice in the Lord always!" Philippians 4:4, Paul taught on removing anxiety from our life; "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" Philippians 4:6.

When we find ourselves being overly concerned or mentally troubled about ANYTHING, we must go to God (with thanksgiving) and give our burdens to Him. This doesn't mean we ignore our problems, but we must learn to view the things of this world against the backdrop of eternity. The concerns of this life always fade as we compare them to the eternal glory of His Kingdom.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry {or be anxious} about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."Matthew 6:25,34

When we feel weighed down, pressured, or stressed - when concerns are coming in fast motion from all directions and we don't know where to begin - we must stop and take a long, deep breath! We must refocus on Jesus and His Word. We must be reminded of eternity in the presence of a loving God and diligently seek His Kingdom; "make every effort to enter that rest" Hebrews 4:11.

As we draw closer to our Heavenly Father, our eyes become adjusted to His light and we see He has already given all we really need. As we love Him more, all fear is removed: "perfect love drives out fear" 1 John 4:18. And as we trust Him more and more, we will receive His gift of peace and no longer live with the burdening weight of an anxious heart.

- steve troxel

.....shift

Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night stand in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. May the Lord that made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion Psalm 134:1-3

Years ago when I was attending seminary, I worked the night shift on occasion. It paid a little more money than the day shift, but I was a bit lonely. If you've ever had to work the night shift, you will appreciate Psalm 134.

God never slumbers or sleeps. Therefore, we can serve and praise Him any time of day. The psalmist says there were priests who prayed and praised God in His temple at night. There was a constant repetition of praise and prayer from the temple.

We can bless the Lord in the night seasons. It's not easy when we are going through the nighttime experiences of life to lift our hands and bless the Lord. But He does give us songs in the night. Paul and Silas were able to lift their hearts in praise to God while in the Philippian jail Acts 16.

They were on the night shift. They knew that God was awake, so they blessed Him, and He sent deliverance. We can get some strange blessings in the night seasons, for God speaks to us in different ways. Others may not see your praise at night, but God sees and hears.

Whether you are in the sunshine or in the darkness, whether you are serving on the day shift or the night shift, remember that you are serving the Lord. Because He never slumbers or sleeps, He hears your prayer and praise at all times, and He will bless you.

.....rely

 "...But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us..." 2 Corinthians 1:9-10

"Rely not on yourselves, but on God...
   He delivered us...
      He will deliver us...
         He will continue to deliver us..." 

I quit!

I've tried my best to live
   ...as God expects me to
   ....as my family expects me to
I want to do the best, but I always fail.

I give up!
There's no use trying!
I just fail...

I?

"Rely not on 'yourselves', but on God...
   He delivered us
   He will deliver us
   He will continue to deliver us"

Again and again and again
   like food,
   like sleep,
   God will give us strength every day.

"Rely not on yourselves, but on God."

.....trust

God's plan will often allow trials for the purpose of bringing us to a greater understanding of His glory. God's desire is for us to turn our eyes from the things we can see and begin to trust the things which are unseen; "for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" 2 Corinthians 4:18.

This lesson is obviously important as we face extreme hardship, but it's even more necessary as the trials begin to fade. The temporary things of this world (even the good wholesome things) will never satisfy the deep longing of our heart. We will always hunger for more until we place the entirety of our life firmly in the unseen hand of God - the same loving hand which holds all of creation.

Trusting in what we cannot see is the very essence of our faith; "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1. We will never find true contentment and peace until we completely "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" Proverbs 3:5. Our trust should be consistent and invade every area of our life.

If we say we trust that Jesus Christ, who "was with God in the beginning" John 1:2, and who, "being in very nature God" Philippians 2:6 came to die so we may live - "in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" Ephesians 1:7 - then we must also completely trust that "God works for the good of those who love Him" Romans 8:28. Saying we trust in Jesus for our eternity without trusting Him to love and guide us through our daily walk is like trusting in the need for air while refusing to breathe. Both are a false trust and will ultimately lead to death.

"He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:32

God loves us so much that He gave us His absolute best; "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. This love assures us He will give exactly what we require to become sons and daughters who glorify His name. God will not give up on a project which cost Him the life of His Son; "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion" Philippians 1:6.

When we give God our life through faith in Jesus, we must also trust He will not allow the fire to get hotter than we can stand or the load heavier than we can bear - He will never leave us nor forsake us Hebrews 13:5. Let's trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and then focus on what is eternal as we give Him a lifetime of consistent trust.

- steve troxel

.....course

Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD 1 Chron 21:18-19.

In 1857, an American businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier was sent out by his local church to begin a noon-day prayer meeting on Fulton Street, right around the corner from Wall Street in New York City. A simple prayer, a willing heart, and an act of obedience resulted in city transformation throughout the United States.

However, at that very first meeting, no one showed up in the first 35 minutes.  But Jeremiah waited. Gradually, six people wandered into the room at 35 minutes past the hour. Six months later, 10,000 people were meeting for prayer throughout New York City. This led to one of the greatest spiritual renewals in the United State’s history.

What would have happened if Lanphier had decided to abandon the idea after 30 minutes? 

It only takes one man or woman who is willing to be obedient to be used by God to impact a workplace, city, or even an entire nation. Simple obedience can lead to things you cannot imagine. Are you willing to be used by God? 

- os hillman

.....healing

Mary and Martha watched Lazarus become increasingly sick. They knew the healing power of Jesus and had sent for His help, but by the time Jesus arrived Lazarus had died. The sisters were filled with sorrow and cried out; "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died" John 11:21,32. At this, Jesus was troubled and compassionately wept with those who had gathered John 11:35.

Jesus genuinely cared about the sorrow and pain of those who knew and loved Lazarus. But remember, Jesus had intentionally allowed Lazarus to die; "when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days" John 11:6. And if Jesus really wanted to heal Lazarus, He would not have even needed to be near. When He healed the royal official's son (who was in a bed twenty miles away), He did so by simply speaking a word: "You may go. Your son will live" John 4:50.

Yes, Jesus allowed Lazarus to die. For in God's all-knowing plan, the need to strengthen the faith of those around Lazarus was more important than healing his illness. "Then Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?'"John 11:40

God had prepared a miracle which would cause many others to believe and bring glory and honor to His name: "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me...I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me" John 11:41,42. Jesus then proceeded to raise Lazarus from the dead! "Lazarus, come out!" John 11:43.

We've all been in bad situations which have caused us to cry out and wonder why God didn't just make things "right." Why didn't He remove the enemy, restore our finances, or take away the hurt? And how many times have we become burdened by the apparent injustice in the world; "I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked...surely in vain have I kept my heart pure" Psalm 73:3,13.

God has the ability to "fix" every situation, but His plan is so much more - though I confess I do not always understand the process. His plan is for us to know Him and His glory; to trust Him and grow while being strengthened through every trial; to continue to be "conformed to the likeness of His Son" Romans 8:29. His plan is to prepare us for an eternity in His presence.

We must trust God to refine and strengthen our faith, even if by fires which He did not cause! No matter what trials we face, we must trust that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" Romans 8:28. Our job is to love Him! And, as we do, we must continue to believe that He is at work in our lives (even right now) accomplishing a true and eternal healing.

- steve troxel

.....recurring

Pray without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:17

One of the shortest verses in the Bible is a mystery to some people: “Pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. One rule for Bible Study is comparing Scripture with Scripture, and here in 1 Thessalonians we have several clues as to how we can "pray without ceasing". In Chapter 1 Paul said, “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith” verses 2-3.

Notice the word “always” - "We give thanks to God 'always' for you." Then notice how Paul said he was remembering without ceasing your work of faith. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, he said, “We also thank God without ceasing.” Paul obviously had other prayers and thanksgivings he offered and other things he remembered. He was telling them they were constantly coming up in his thoughts and prayers.

Praying without ceasing is something we do constantly, not necessarily continuously. In other words, prayer should be constantly recurring. This requires an attitude of diligence and trust. It also helps to have some regular habits of prayer. Perhaps you can devise some triggers and prompts that will remind you to pray at certain moments. Heaven-bound believers never say a final prayer. Our fellowship with God is eternal.

"Fear not because your prayer is stammering, your words feeble, and your language poor. Jesus can understand you." J. C. Ryle

"Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches, but for wings!"   Phillips Brooks

"A prayerless Christian is like a bus driver trying alone to push his bus out of a rut because he doesn’t know Clark Kent is on board."  John Piper

.....compassion

As we open our hearts to minister to those around us, we soon discover we live in an imperfect world full of sickness, heartache, and frustrations. Many of us (many more than we realize) are facing trials which are sometimes quite severe. When we are finally invited into someone's private world and allowed to hear of their pain, it can be difficult to know what to do or say.

As we grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus, we learn of His truths: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. We understand and usually have some actual experience with God's loving plan and purpose; "in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him" Romans 8:28. But there are times when this type of advice - even this type of truth - can be a little cold and fail to comfort or draw someone closer to God.

While it's absolutely true that God will use our pain and suffering for His glory and for our ultimate good, it may not be the first response someone needs to hear when they enter a difficult trial; "There is a time for everything...a time to be silent and a time to speak" Ecclesiastes 3:1,7. We must learn to be sensitive to the more immediate need.

When Lazarus became very sick, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus but He did not come until after Lazarus died. Mary fell at Jesus' feet and cried: "Lord if You had been here, my brother would not have died" John 11:32. At that moment, Jesus did NOT begin preaching "Rejoice in the Lord always!" Philippians 4:4. There would be other opportunities for sermons, other opportunities to speak about faith and trust, but in this moment the need simply required compassion.

"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled...Jesus wept."John 11:33,35

The Creator of the Universe wept! From the beginning of time, Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead; He knew many lives would soon be changed through this miracle. Though good would ultimately come from this pain and sorrow, these were real people who were grieving: "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" John 11:5. In this time of greatest need, Jesus took time to show He truly cared and understood their pain.

The world is in great need of the healing power of Jesus Christ. Sin has caused separation from God and left many lives in a mess. As we minister through encouragement and the truth of God's Word, we are called to do so while "speaking the truth in love" Ephesians 4:15. But love does not exist outside of a relationship. And in a loving relationship we will often best demonstrate God's truth by listening and providing comfort with a Godly compassion.

- steve troxel

.....touch

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 

I recently saw a documentary about the macking of a Steinway piano. It traced the meticulous care that goes into crafting this fine instrument.  From the cutting of trees until the piano appears on a showroom floor, it goes through countless delicate adjustments by skilled craftsmen.

When the year-long process is complete, accomplished musicians play the piano and often comment on how the same rich sounds could never be produced by a computerized assembly line. The secret to the final product is the craftsman's touch.

When the tabernacle was built, we see that God also valued the craftsman's touch. He chose the craftsman Bezalel and said of him: "l have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge, and with all kinds of skills - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds crafts" Exodus 31:3-5.

Today, God dwells in the hearts of believers. Yet the call to craftsmanship has not ended. Now each individual believer is God's "handiwork" Ephesians 2:10. The Master Craftsman is the Holy Spirit, who chips away at flaws in our character to make each of us like Jesus Romans 8:28-29. And as we yield to His workmanship, we will find that the secret to the final product is the Craftsmant touch. 

- dennis fisher

.....by

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know Jeremiah 33:3

A little boy was standing on the banks of the Mississippi River waving and shouting at a steamboat that was going by. He was beckoning the steamboat to come to shore. A stranger came by and said, "That's foolish young man. The boat will never come ashore for you. The captain is too busy to notice your waving and shouting."

Just then, the boat turned and headed for shore. The little boy grinned and said to the stranger, "The captain is my daddy."

The captain of the universe is our Abba Father. He is our daddy and is always attentive to our call because he loves us. We may think that he is too busy to care about what is going on in our lives, or perhaps we think that our situation is not as important as others, so we withhold ourselves from calling on Him, but He wants to hear from us. Just like the father in today's illustration, he is ready to come to us when we call on Him. We can confidently share our successes and failures, joy and sorrow, pain and victory… anytime, anywhere. He is there.

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

.....secure

Eternal life is a gift given only to those who so intensely believe that Jesus is the only way to receive forgiveness that we stand before a living God and enter into a relationship of an eternal covenant. Covenants were first introduced by God to Noah after the flood; "I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood" Genesis 9:11. Over the years, God made covenants with Abraham Genesis 15, the nation of Israel through Moses Exodus 19, and with David 2 Samuel 7. In each case, God initiated the covenant and clearly established the guidelines.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God spoke about the new covenant He would make through Jesus; "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people" Jeremiah 31:33. This new covenant was designed to be permanent and under God's complete protection: "I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear Me, so that they will never turn away from Me" Jeremiah 32:40. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God gave further indication of how this would be accomplished.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws."Ezekiel 36:26-27

When we truly believe in Jesus, we enter into a covenant and God transforms our heart by His Spirit; "a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance" Ephesians 1:14. At that moment we are "sealed for the day of redemption" Ephesians 4:30. And when we enter into His saving covenant, we are purchased with the blood of Jesus: "You are not your own; you were bought at a price" 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

We are still called to continue in the faith, but God has promised we WILL continue; "He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" 1 Corinthians 1:8. He is the giver and sustainer of eternal life; "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish" John 10:28.

There is great debate whether this covenant can ever be broken, whether it is truly eternal, whether we can ever walk away or lose what has been given. But perhaps this debate only distracts from the greater truth: We are called to love God and continue to love Him with all our heart. This calling is clear! Let's remain within His arms of love, and trust that as we do, we are eternally secure.

- adapted from steve troxel

.....belief

Not all who do great things for God will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but "only he who does the will of My Father" Matthew 7:21. The Father's will is "that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life" John 6:40. We are given the gift of eternal life because of our belief in Jesus, not because of what we do; "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" Isaiah 64:6.

Salvation can never be earned; it is a gift to those who believe. However, we must understand what it means to believe and what changes will occur when we believe. "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder" James 2:19. A saving belief is much more than just acknowledging God's existence or even the existence of His Son - even the demons believe this!

Belief in Jesus is never simply an intellectual understanding. Belief implies a humble surrender. We will never "look to the Son" unless we first recognize our eternally lost condition due to sin; and we will never truly "believe in Him" for salvation until we accept our complete inability to save ourselves. A drowning man will never reach up for help until he first understands and accepts his need to be rescued.

To be rescued, we must believe so completely that we abandon all other "rescuers" and cling to the only One who can truly save; "any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple" Luke 14:33. Giving up everything cannot save us, but true belief gives up all other sources of hope. It also reveals the trivial nature of our worldly attachments and creates an understanding that everything belongs to God. We see our life as lived for Him and desire to do ALL for His glory.

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ... In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."James 2:14,17 Belief must produce a change in our life or we know it is not a true belief - it is nothing more than dead intellectual understanding! At the moment we truly believe, we are "marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit" Ephesians 1:13, and we become "a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17. Belief creates change through the work of the Holy Spirit!!

If we lack the evidence of a changed life, we must not focus on creating the change. This type of change becomes self-righteous "filthy rags." Rather, we must return to the cross and place ALL our trust in Jesus, truly believing He has paid the penalty for our sin and has granted us passage through the narrow gate to eternal life. As we completely turn over control to our Heavenly Father, fruit and good deeds will abound. Our life will be forever changed, but only when we begin with a belief that saves. 

.....will

We often consider how God uses all kinds of circumstances to draw us close to His side. The purpose of being drawn close is ultimately to be transformed to the image of His Son and to have intimate fellowship with Him for all eternity. But initially, the purpose of being drawn near is so we can be introduced.

The Kingdom of Heaven is open only to those who truly believe in Jesus. We may think this to be intolerant, but if we profess to believe the Bible is true there can be no other conclusion: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" Matthew 7:13-14. Our Father is drawing us near because the narrow gate is only open to those who are known to His Son.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!'"Matthew 7:21-23

Clearly, being "good" does not ensure we are known by Jesus. Neither does going to church, reading our Bible, teaching Sabbath School...or even writing devotional messages! Jesus knows, and takes away the sin, of "only he who does the will of My Father."

Fortunately, Jesus also tells us exactly how to do His Father's will: "For My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day" John 6:40. The will of our Heavenly Father is to truly know and be known by His Son.

All the wonderful things we do in the name of Jesus count nothing toward granting us the gift of eternal life. True believers in a risen and glorified Lord will certainly desire to turn from a life of sin and obediently serve; "anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me" Matthew 10:38. And while our obedience demonstrates that our faith is not dead James 2:17, entrance through the gate of eternal life is based on sincere belief, not on the results of belief.

We must spread this message throughout the world and, most importantly, we must receive this message into our own heart! All our "good" will be burned up and cast aside if done without first having placed the entirety of our life in His hands. 

He is drawing us near because belief in Jesus is both necessary and sufficient for our Salvation. 

He is drawing us near and inviting us to submit to the Father's will.

- adapted from steve troxel