Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength (IV) trinitarian loving

“Isn’t trinity three, not four (heart, mind, soul and strength), and isn’t human ‘trinity’  body, soul and spirit” you ask?  Well we could force three, I mean with all the strength of your heart, mind,  soul!  And  the Scripture has different ways of   expressing   these things, they are not so much scientific terms! The essence of what I have called “trinity” (lower case ’t’) is unity in diversity,  interconnectedness and interrelatedness. With respect to this morning’s ‘trinity,’ we don’t always get these things in balance. It’s clear to me, for example that there are those who love God with their mind, but not with their heart or soul. On the other hand, because it can be difficult,   some have thrown away loving God with   their mind. I have often been asked “How can you, a Mathematician,   even believe?” The simplest answer, is that it follows from the scientific principle of cause and effect. And since, as science tells us, the universe had a beginning, then someone or something must have caused it. That that something is the God of the Bible, is a longer discussion.


It it clear that there heartlessness, soullessness and mindlessness  both inside and outside the church. I have called heart, mind and soul trinity, because if any one  is missing it is not, in my not always humble opinion, authentic Christianity. I can have all knowledge and give away all my goods to the poor for example, but if I don’t love either God or man I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2,3). I can be passionate about God, know a thousand Bible verses, be an awesome debater and defender of the faith, but be heartless when it comes to the poor and needy (James 2:16, 17).  But you might ask "how is this not loving God?” Well the point is, that  the second commandment is “like unto” the first. In other words loving God and loving my neighbour are inseparable (Matthew 22:37-39).

The dictionary gives an illustrative example of soullessness “It is just a painted face, pretty,  but shallow and soulless.” We can be soulless as a result of abuse, operating defensively as a means of coping with life. We are soulless at some level when our way of operating is people pleasing, or in fact in any of the multitude of ways we can operate out of an orphan spirit. So what does it mean to love Him with all our soul?  Well, at least part of it is to trust Him enough to bring our soul hurts, habits and hangups  as living sacrifices to Him so that He can heal and transform us.  This, we are told, is our spiritual act of (love and) worship (Romans 12:1,2 NIV). And part of this, is to come to Him to find healing and soul rest as we take His yoke upon us (Matthew 11:29; Luke 4:18). 


Lord Jesus, most of us are so damaged and beaten up by life, that we have found ways to cope, to survive, but  have not entered into the promised life in all its fullness (John 10:10b). Only when we love You with all our hearts, minds and souls in total surrender,  will be find rest, healing, peace and joy. It's a process Lord, and as we do our part, then You do Yours and we are drawn ever deeper in You who is love incarnate. Help us to abide in Your love, so that You might abide in us (John15:9; 1 John 2:8) in Your precious  and Holy Name Amen

Love God with all your heart, mind soul and strength (III) Encounter

God’s love for us is unchanging. He does not love us more if we behave, nor does He love us less if we do not. So does it really matter what we do? Does it matter if I choose or not to love Him with all my heart, mind soul and strength (Matthew 22:37)? Well first of all, He loves everybody, even those who reject Him. And those who reject Him, spurning His free gift of forgiveness and eternal life, are in essence choosing to spend eternity without Him. He will not force himself on anyone. Yes He does still love them, and it grieves Him deeply. I believe that when we feel the sting of rejection, we are in some small way feeling just a touch of His pain in this regard. To love is a choice, it cannot be forced. And the Lord took a risk He took when He gave us free will. But if my choice to love is to be meaningful, it has to include the real possibility that I can totally reject Him.


In John 15:9 Jesus tells us to abide in His love. He is talking to believers, the “branches” who are part of Jesus the vine (verse 5). So again, the commandment would make no sense if it were not possible for the Christian, to disobey and fail to abide. But what does it mean to abide, and what does it look like in terms of knowing and experiencing His love? Well, He tells us “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love” (verse 10). And “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (verse 12). This last commandment of course, links the first commandment with the second “to love your neighbour as yourself.”


In fact, speaking in terms of His commandments, Jesus tells us that the two greatest are the very ones we are talking about here. The first is to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, the second to love our neighbour as ourselves (Matthew 22:38,39). To abide in Him is to abide in His love then, is to love Him with all we are and have, to love others, to be immersed in His Word, to continue in it, encountering Him and His Word in an ongoing manner. When we do this, we are marinated, changed, empowered and transformed by these things. A cucumber only becomes a pickle when it abides long term in the vinegar. Likewise we encounter His transforming love in an ever deeper way as we abide, remain long term in His love and in His Word.


Father, I keep coming back to the analogy of human love. When we commit to love, respect and honour one another, and to deal with what needs to be dealt with, then we grow in love and security in the relationship. The analogy breaks down in a way, because Your love is unchangeable. But in another way is does not, because what changes and grows is our access to encounter, our ability to feel and to be empowered by Your love, and to do the very things that You command us to do. We love because You first loved us (1 John 4:19). And then when we do this, You turn round and reward us for doing what You have enabled us to do. There is none like You Father, and I praise and thank and bless You again this morning in Jesus Name Amen

You have ravished my heart with one glance of your eyes

We must make sure that any allegorical interpretation we make of Scripture is confirmed by sound theology that can be found elsewhere in the Scriptures. Otherwise we can “make” (as in force)  the Scripture say just about anything we want! The allegory we are looking at this morning,  is Solomon’s love for His bride as a picture of  God’s love for you and me, and that He is ravished by us (Song of Solomon 4:9).  I know that some draw back,   and are even offended by such a picture, But I think it likely that part of that,  is that in our culture  we have come to see love only in sexual terms. It seems to me that the allegory meant to be startling,  but not sexual.  It is easy to pass over a statement such as “Jesus loves you,” but the thought, if we receive it, that He is ravished by me and you, yes you, is startling. It is meant to be!  He wants you to know it, me too!

In Jewish tradition there was a period of betrothal that lasted at least a year. The marriage would only be consummated after the full wedding in obedience to the divine order leave, cleave,  one flesh (Genesis 2:24). With this commitment,  the phileo (friendship) love would flourish,  and not be stunted  eros (sexual) love. And to come to the Biblical warrant for both  the allegory and its chaste nature, we read what Paul said, speaking to the Corinthian converts that “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”  And yes it is both male, and female, and what Paul is saying is also allegory. The point is that the closest we can come in human experience to the pure,  passionate,  undefiled,  unconditional love of God for His bride the church, is the mystery of the marriage relationship (Ephesians 5:25-27, 29-32).

I remember being captivated by the eyes of the woman who would become my wife. It changed my mind about my decision not to pursue her.  There was a tenderness, a pure and gentle love in her eyes that melted my defensive heart. The fact is though,   that that our best and purest  love is like  drop in a bucket compared to the Love that God has for You and me.  His love is multidimensional and incomprehensible in its depth and length and height and breadth, and we are meant to know, as in experience this (Ephesians 3:17-19). And when we do, it is life changing. I believe this morning that He intends when we get a glimpse of this, that we pursue Him even more than I  perused my then future wife. And we need to do it with all our heart,  mind soul and strength.  It’s the only way to fly. We need to ponder these things in our hearts.

Father, thank You for the various pictures of Your love for us in the Scriptures. In addition to this allegory I am thinking this morning, about how I believe in a loving home,  the father’s pure and safe love is intended to love his daughter into life, so that she may open up like a flower. So also is Your love.  Jesus,  I don’t think I will ever get past the stage where I need a fresh revelation of Your love,  nor am I intended to!  So I ask for it this morning Lord,  in Your precious Name Amen

Love God with all your heart, mind soul and strength (II) The upside down Kingdom

In a real sense,  there is an element of self interest in following “the way of love” (1 Corinthians 14:1 NIV).  Continuing  last days post if we are controlling and manipulative we might gain power and influence, but we will miss out on the abundant life. And with this,  and with  the many  other games we play,  we also miss our on “joy unspeakable and full of glory”  (1 Peter 1:8).  I am not saying I have arrived, but I have at least come to understand that His ways are the ways of love,  and that His ways are best for me and for the whole world. And if I am not yet where I want to be,  I can thank God that I am not where I once was!  And what I want to say this morning, is that  it is clear to me that to the extent that we obey the command to love God completely (Matthew 22;37),  is the extent to which we are equipped to follow the way of love, is the extent to which we enter onto fullness of life (John 10:10b).

It is the upside down Kingdom! “He who would gain his life must loose it” and “the last shall be first”  (Matthew 16:25; 20:16). And yes,  there is an element of self interest here too, but it is pleasing to Him.  It is “laying up treasure in heaven” (6:19-21). It is operating in faith without which it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).  And to seek to love God with all our our hearts, souls, mind and strength is to follow the way of maturity, learning to delay the demanding gratification of the the sinful nature. It is the path of life where in His presence is fullness of joy; And pleasures for evermore  (Psalm 16:11). But there is a catch. “No one having tasted the old wine immediately desires the new, for he says the old is better.” (Luke 5:39).

The old wine  is not just about alcohol of course, or even primarily about alcohol. It’s a parable, it’s about anything,  known and unknown,  that hinders our ability to love God with all we are and have.  It is about religion not motivated by the passionate love of God.  It is about living life without dealing with the baggage, the the issues  we all have, known and unknown.  So why do we still desire the old wine? Speaking for myself, it was familiar, it was a way of dulling the pain, but only for a while. It is the fact that bad habits are easy to get into,  and hard to get our of, while good habits take work the other way round. When we persist however, when we push through the pain,  we encounter joy as Jesus did when He pushed through (Hebrews 12:2).  And then we find that the new wine is not only better, it is life giving.

Father, I keep coming back to this thought that Justification (freedom from the penalty of sin) is free, but sanctification (freedom from the power and pollution of sin) will cost us all we are and have.  In particular we will need to love You with all our heart, mind,  soul and strength. But Lord we are the winners when we do this. We need Your help Lord, I do, and we ask for it this morning. Thank You that we love because You first loved us (1 John 4:19) in Jesus Name Amen

Love God with all your heart, mind soul and strength (I) Fulfillment

I have observed in human relationships, that many times the one who loves the least, has the most power. Now it is part of our fallen human nature that we are all selfish at heart. And part of this, is that it is our nature to eventually abuse that power. It can start off pure, “this is the best thing for the relationship,” but then quickly turn into “this is best for me.” After all what is best for me, is best for the relationship right? When this happens, there seems to be a tendency for the one with the power, to despise and disrespect the other, and then for the love for the weaker person to die. It is too simplistic to say women love and men dominate, because there are obvious exceptions. But at least historically, the tendency seems to be in this direction. Perhaps this is why the husband is commanded to love, and the wife to respect (Ephesians 5:33).





In human relationships then, the one who loves less can manipulate and control, and in denial that this is happening, finish up with a sense of entitlement and/or “my way or the highway!” One of the objections to the gospel is that if salvation is free, then I can do anything I want, and still be saved. Well certainly between God and us, we are are the one who loves the least. And I would be lying if I did not admit that I have known those who name the Name of Christ who seem to  feel entitled. But if you think you can manipulate or control God, you had better think again. Remember, we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). In human relationships when we obey the command to submit to each other, learn to fight well and obey the commands of Scripture, then as iron sharpens iron so we sharpen one another (Proverbs 27:17). When we do this,  we avoid the above trap.


In human relationships, I have also observed (partly through self observation), that the one with the most power,  is also the least fulfilled. I think there can be no one more miserable than a half committed Christian. You can’t even enjoy your sin! What I am saying, is that God gives us the command to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength (Matthew 22:37),  because He knows that that is what will most fulfill us. The happiest human relationships seem to be those where there is love, respect, honesty, transparency and total life long commitment. It is the same with our relationship with the Lord! The Word tells us that we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And part of what this means,  is that our ability to love at all is, whether we acknowledge it or not, is a response to His love. And as we love and obey Him, we clear away the obstacles that hinder our feeling (encountering) that love.


Father, Your love is constant, passionate and unchanging. But as with Adam and Eve,  when we sin our automatic response is to hide. And most of us, for most of our lives, have been  hiding from Your love. Thank You Lord, for Your promise that if we immerse ourselves in  obedience in Your Word, we will know the truth and it will set us free (John 8:31,32). Part of  this Lord, is to choose day by day to love You with all that we are and have,  in Jesus Name Amen

that they may be one as We are

This morning’s verse is from Jesus’ high priestly prayer, the prayer He prayed knowing He would soon  be going to the Father. And what we are seeing here, is His heart for  true believers, for those the Father had given Him  (John 17:11).  The importance of His prayer is further emphasized in verse 21,  where He speaks about us being one in “Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”  Just to emphasize what this is saying, it seems that the Lord is giving the World the right to judge whether God sent His Son, by our unity. And I am saying these things this morning, not to condemn, for there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), but rather so we might examine our hearts together this morning,  and confess anything that needs to be confessed and  receive forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9) and motivation to do our best to cooperate.

 And if we are to be one as they are One, it might be worth thinking about how they are One.  First and foremost what comes to me, is the love that is shared in the Trinity. In particular the Father tells Jesus “You are my beloved Son in You I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).  Now Jesus commands us “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love,”  and “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:9, 12). Indeed we cannot love as He has loved us without abiding in, immersing ourselves in His love, staying vitally connected with Him in intimacy and fellowship. Our love then is to be unconditional, and we must do all in our power to live at peace with each other, not just individually, but across denominational lines (Romans 12:18).  In particular we must deal with the t pride that so often  comes with feeling that we are right and they are wrong. Pride divides!

So love, but also dignity and respect. I get this from the picture we are given in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). In particular, the father in the story neither seeks to control or manipulate his sons. With the prodigal, in spite of the insults,  he lets him go. In doing so he frees him to make the mistakes that will eventually lead him back to the father.  I am the only person I can change. With the offended older son,  he reasons with him, but still leaves the decision up to him.  One of the things theologians say of the Trinity is that they are co-equal.  So to be one as they are One,  we must  not think more highly of ourselves than we aught, but in humility regard others as better than ourselves (Romans 12:3; Philippians 2:3). It’s not that members of the Trinity do this, but rather that our tendency is to do the exact opposite (especially across denominational lines),  and we need to counter this with the opposite spirit.

Father, help us to take seriously this business of being one as You are One. You showed me last night at the prayer meeting,  that my attitude to a church that had hurt me was not pleasing to You. It is so easy to think we have forgiven but still hold judgement and or disrespect in our hearts. Lord we cannot be one as You are One unless we stay vitally connected to You. Search our hearts this morning Lord and bring us to humility and unity,  in Jesus Name Amen

Without Me you can do nothing

We have probably all seen (or been), a little child seeing his father mending his toy, snatches it our of the father’s hand saying “I can do it all by my own,” then promptly messing it up beyond repair. Once we loose our total dependence on our parents (or before), our drive for total independence, more often than not, raises it’s ugly head. It is even celebrated in the West. Please note I am not saying we should remain dependent, but there is a more mature state than independence. I am talking about a healthy interdependence, about voluntarily surrendering some of our independence to another, for the sake of the relationship. I am talking about interdependence not codependence. If I am understanding this correctly, it is what Paul is talking about  when he says  “submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21).

Coming to this morning’s quote from John 15:5, you might object that, well actually I can totally ignore Him and do my own thing. Well in a real sense no, because He gives you breath and strength to do that. But this verse is talking about bearing fruit. In particular the previous verse says “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” The picture given is that He is the vine, we are the branches, and we are  to abide in the vine (verse 5). The Ephesians 5:21 submitting to each other, is about coming together as equals. To abide in the vine, is to submit to One who is infinitely superior. But unlike earthly relationships, He always has our best interest at heart, and always treats us with dignity, even when disciplining us (pruning verse 2). The Scriptures tells us that “Faithful are the wounds of a friend,” and He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 7:6; 18:24).

So what does He mean that we can do nothing without Him? Well, without a vital ongoing connection with Him (abiding), we can do nothing of eternal value, nothing that produces fruit for the Kingdom. The default seems to be to do what we want, then ask God to bless it. Jesus did it the other way round, He looks to see what the Father is doing, then does it. In fact even He can do nothing without the Father (John 5:19). Part of seeing what the Father is doing, is to look at the larger church and at movements that claim to be of Him. It's far too easy to stay stuck in our own little group or denomination thinking that we have it all, thinking  we are the best. We do  need to be firm about the basics of course, but we need to go on from there (Hebrews 6:1-3). We need understand that “if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:2).

Father, help us to see, that no matter how much we know, or how long we have known You, that there is always so much more. You are moving in so many ways and movements in our time, and none of them are perfect. Give us eyes Lord to see past past the imperfections and the errors. Help us to stay humble Lord as we test all things so that we can chew the meat, and throw away the bones in Jesus Name Amen

I will deliver him because he has clung to Me in love

In Psalm 68:19, we are told that the Lord daily loads us down with benefits. The Psalm we are looking at this morning  (91) outlines who is it that is loaded down in this way, and what we need to do to fully tap into it. I mean some of it is automatic, for example He daily gives us breath. In the earlier part of this morning’s Psalm, we are told that the one who hides himself in the Most High,  will dwell under His shadow. Part of this, is that He will protect us  like a mother hen protects her chicks. Another part is the protection afforded by His Truth (verse 4). Disaster may be on the right hand and on the left, but Your dwelling will be protected (verse 7). But it's not just protection when we cling to Him,  it's deliverance (verse 14a).

Most of us, because we have not always clung to Him, have come out from under His protection, and the enemy has come in and,  at various levels,  has killed, stolen and destroyed. And when this is the case, we need, like the widow in the story of the unjust judge (Luke 18:2-8) to storm heaven night and day with our petitions. One of the ways to do this, is to pray this Psalm, and in fact praying a Psalm like this is part of what it mean to cling to, and  hide ourselves in Him. We might pray “Lord You have told me that no evil will come near my dwelling, but it has Lord, and You promised here that You will deliver me” (verses 10, 14). Because, by His Spirit He underlined Isaiah 38:4 for me, I have often prayed “You have heard my prayers and seen my tears,  I  declare  deliverance.” 

The verb translated “clung to Me in love” (verse 14a)  is the same one used in Genesis 2:25 telling that a man should cleave to his wife. It speaks of the intended intimacy with God, and sheds light on verse 1 which, in other translations speaks about the secret place. The secret place is not primarily physical, though it is good to get into our “prayer closets.” One of the pictures I have of this , is the ways spouses in loving relationship can communicate with a glance  across a crowded room. The secret place is available 24/7 no matter where we are, no matter what is happening. And He will set you on high in that place because, as we do this, we increasingly come to know His Name,  which  is the same as knowing Him (verse 14b).

Father, You have promised to answer me when I call, to be with me in trouble, to deliver me and to honour me (verse 15). Lord though I am far from blameless You honoured me in Your time, when I was falsely accused. You used the disasters  Lord to cause me to cry out to You as my only hope, And I discovered Lord, that You are a sure hope, and a very present help in time of need. And You have underlined the promise for me in verse 16 that You will satisfy me with long life. I know You are not finished with me yet Lord, and I thank You for that. So Father please encourage anyone reading this who is not quite there yet, please give them hope, faith and love as their circumstances causes them to hide themselves in You. In Jesus Name Amen

Why are you so fearful? Are you still without faith?”

Jesus had told them “Let’s go to the other side” (of lake Galilee Mark 4:35), but a great storm had arisen. This was no storm in a teacup, the waves were filling the boat, the disciples were panicking, and  Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat on a pillow. They woke Him asking “Teacher! Don't You care that we're going to die?” Jesus spoke to the storm saying “Peace, be still,” the wind and the waves died down, and there was a great calm. He then asked the question in the title of this post (verses 37- 40). You have to wonder what Jesus had expected! These were experienced fishermen, used to the weather changing for the worse at the drop of a hat, and let’s get it, in the natural course of events,  they were very likely to drown. But Jesus had given them a Word essentially telling them we are going to the other side (verse 35 again) “We will get there!”

The Lord reminded me of some advice I gave rather glibly, to a young young Christian many years ago. It was “Don’t doubt in the dark, what God has revealed in the light.” He then proceeded to test me, and in doing so was essentially asking me “Can you take your own advice Phil?” I don’t remember the nature of the test, or even if I passed it (probably not, or perhaps not too well). But part of what I want to say this morning, is that when we follow Jesus we can expect trials, difficulties, temptation and opposition (1 Peter 4:12). It can come in all sorts of guises, but we can expect storms in life. Jesus is with us of course,  because He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). However, it might just feel at times like He is asleep,  and we can, as the disciples did, panic and/or jump to the conclusion that He does not care! And I have to wonder if it was doubting that He cared, that was the source of the rebuke.

The word “still” in the question, indicates part of Jesus’ expectation. They had seen His authority (something Mark emphasizes over and over) and many healing miracles. The storm  was something new of course, but if we are to grow in faith, the new tests essentially have to be new! And the first thing we have to do in the new “storm,” is to remember what He has done in the past, to remember any Word or promise He has underlined or spoken to us, and to choose not to panic. And Jesus is showing us in this passage what to do. We are to take up the authority we have been given as sons and daughters of the living God, and speak to the storm, to the mountain, to the problem. Jesus is our example, and His prayers over and over were commands (i.e Mark 5:41; 7:34 etc.).

Father, are we still without faith this morning? Have we let You down again? You expect so much Lord, but that is because You love us and want us to walk in the authority that You have given. Paul tells us about the exceeding greatness of Your power in us and through us (Ephesians 1:19). Give us a deeper revelation of these things Lord, so that we may walk as You would have us walk in this wicked,  and hurting World in Jesus Name Amen

to you who hear, more will be given

In the context of this partial quote from Mark 4:25,  Jesus has used the curious phrase “If any one has ears to hear, let him hear” (verse 23). And how shall we hear? Well literally “with the measure you measure, it will be measured to you” (verse 24).   But what does it mean to measure what you hear? It’s hard to translate, but the context makes is clear that hearing, understanding and turning from sin are closely linked (see verse 12). In a slightly different context Jesus tells us “Everyone who hears these Words of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (Matthew 7:26). To say it another way, hearing, turning and obeying are closely linked in Biblical thought. Indeed to the extent to which we obey (measure) is the extent (measure) to which we are hearing Biblically. And in particular to you who hear (and so obey), more will be given.

The converse is also true “but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Mark 4:25b). Paul puts it in a slightly different way, and talks about how we suppress truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). If you have ever wondered how the Nazi guards after a particularly busy week exterminating Jews,  could then go to mass on Sunday and come out with a clear conscience, you have the explanation,  they had to have suppressed the truth (rationalized the lie) by the doing of the deeds. They are nevertheless without excuse (verse 20 of Romans 1). And do you think that you and I have escaped all this? You may respond “Well Phil my conscience is clear.” So was Paul’s, in fact he tells us “I know nothing against myself, but I am not justified for that, it is God who judges me” (1 Corinthians 4:4). The point is that very likely you and I do not know what we have suppressed, what we have rationalized. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9) and the heart wants what the heart wants.

And we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, and in that day all will be revealed. I want to hear “Well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord.” Yes,  I will be saved, but I don’t want to  “saved only through fire” (2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25:21; 1 Corinthians 3:13, 15). So how do we make sure we are not in  denial,  and what should we do"   Hebrews 4:12 tells us the Word of God is living and powerful and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So How shall we then live, and what manner of life we aught to live (2 Peter 3:11)? Well do you have ears? Then hear. And how should we hear? Well again “with the measure you measure, it will be measured to you,” and “to you who hear, more will be given.”

Father, forgive us for the times we have taken a casual approach to our faith. If Paul would not rest on his laurels, neither should I  (1 Corinthians 10:12). And so Lord search my heart again this morning,  and see if there be any wicked way in me. Show me from Your Word Lord, and restore the joy of my salvation. Renew by passion again this morning Lord help me to love You with all my heart, mind, soul and strength in Jesus Name Amen

Leave, cleave, one flesh (V) Breaking ungodly one flesh soul ties

After the breakup of my first marriage I hardened my heart saying “I can forget any woman.” But what I couldn't do was to harden my heart against my precious little daughter. And the Lord used this to get under my radar and to bring me to repentance and salvation. We have talked about “becoming one flesh” as the Biblical description of sexual intimacy, and the separation of that one flesh as a tearing. Since any such union has a spiritual component, the picture I have of that tearing, is that it is jagged rather than a neat tear. In particular, I leave part of myself with her and she leaves part of herself with me. Some tears are more jagged than others. As with an unhealthy leaving of our parents, we can to various degrees, fail to separate emotionally and/or spiritually in the tearing asunder of the one flesh unions.

In a culture where over our lifetime multiple partners are the norm, the heart is inevitably affected. A hardened heart is still, in some sense, broken, but in any case Jesus came to heal broken hearts and to set captive hearts free (Luke 4:18). It is the Lord’s intention, as we cooperate with Him, to give us tender hearts, and first and foremost in this, we need to forgive on another (Ephesians 4:32 NKJV). But as with many other aspects of reaping what we have sown, we need to take away the legal rights of the enemy to continue to use this to kill, steal and destroy in our lives (John 10:10a).  One of the Kingdom keys that Lord has been revealing in these days, is how to interpose the cross in the  breaking of ungodly soul ties. Ungodly soul ties can be formed in much wider circumstance that one flesh soul ties, but it certainly includes them.

A soul tie is a way of describing our various ways of bonding. Since, being made in the image of God we are body, soul and spirit, then we can bond in any one of these ways, or in various combinations thereof. As I said before, in marriage we are intended to bond in a godly way in  all three  aspects of our being. Depending on the nature of what it is that binds us together, soul ties can be godly or ungodly, An example of an ungodly soul tie is one that's formed when we become one flesh with a prostitute (1 Corinthians 6:16). But there can be ungodly aspects of otherwise godly soul ties if, for example, there is manipulation and control. In modern parlance this is called codependency. We break ungodly soul times by placing the cross between the sowing and reaping. Below is a sample prayer that enables the start of the process the healing and of being set free:-

Father, I confess all emotional and spiritual ungodly soul ties with Jane Doe. I forgive her for her part in our ungodly soul ties, and I ask Your forgiveness Lord for my sin that resulted in them. I give back to Jane Doe anything that I may have taken from her, and I receive back anything she took from me. I place the cross between our sowing and reaping in this area.  I renounce and break all these ungodly soul ties, and I release us both from them. I renounce and cancel all legal rights of the enemy to continue to use my sin for evil, and I receive Your healing and freedom in Jesus Name Amen

Leave, cleave, one flesh (IV) One flesh

God is not some Scrooge in the sky looking down on people having sex and ask condemning them and asking “What are they doing?” He is the Creator, and sex is His idea! But we do need to understand that when He says no, or wait, it is for our provision and our protection. In particular there are consequences to not do things His way, and in the end we miss out. The phrase “the two shall become one flesh” refers to sexual intercourse both inside and  outside marriage. In fact if I have sex with a prostitute I become one flesh with her (1 Corinthians 6:16). Hollywood celebrates all forms of sexuality as harmless, healthy and wholesome, and by omission, without consequence. It's a huge lie!

Financially there is a multibillion dollar cost in terms of dealing with sexually transmitted diseases and abortion. And if you think about it, if we followed the Biblical admonitions (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5), all this wold  be eradicated in a single generation. I am not of course naive enough to believe that would ever happen! But what I want to mention this morning,  is the staggering emotional and spiritual consequences of our culture’s pseudo, hyper, sexuality. One of the Bible’s words for dissolution of the one flesh,  is to “tear asunder. ” And this tearing is, to a greater or lesser extent, costly in emotional terms. It is hardest, I believe, on any children involved. Research has shown that no matter how amiable,   there is lingering, life long trauma in adult children of this “asundering.” Research has also shown that the most well adjusted children come from  loving traditional families with both parents present.

It is no exaggeration to say that there has never been a generation so characterized by the orphan spirit. I believe is is because we have turned out backs on Biblical morality. But I  also want to talk about provision. Though becoming “one flesh” can refer to any sexual union, it is God's intention that it be intensely spiritual, a unions of body, soul and spirit. A friend of mine once described this as “soul touch.” And once again, the order leave, cleave, one flesh is important. In leaving well we deal with the issues of the soul hinder true  intimacy.  In cleaving well we covenant to a spiritual union that is intended to mirror the loving covenant relationship between Jesus and the Church (Ephesians 5:31,32). It is about a deep and true intimacy, which I believe  can only happen in safe and secure, monogamous, life long relationship.

Father, forgive us for the times we have taken a casual approach to our faith. If Paul would not rest on his laurels, neither should I   (1 Corinthians 10:12). And so Lord search my heart again this morning,   and see if there be any wicked way in me. Show me from Your Word Lord, and restore the joy of my salvation. Renew my passion again this morning Lord, and  help me to love You with all my heart, mind, soul and strength in Jesus Name Amen

Leave, cleave, one flesh (III) Forsaking all else … cleave

Standard marriage vows insert “forsaking all else and keeping myself only unto you” in between “leave father and mother,” and “Cleave to your wife/husband.” It is an important inclusion. Looking back and saying please learn from my mistakes, I realized that I had conformed to family patterns and become something of a workaholic, actually a Christian workaholic, even though that was not my profession. I was desperate to “get it all together” as we used to say. I was of course blind to what I was doing, as was my father! The point of the vow is not that the couple be isolated, but rather to emphasize that after God, spouse and family need to come as our first priority. Since we are to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves, and since see our spouse is our closest neighbour, we need to love them this way,

The illustration of seeing our relationship to God on a triangle with God at the top, and ourselves on opposite sides of the triangle is helpful. The point is that the closer we get to God, the higher we are on the triangle, and so the closer we are not only to God, but also to each other! But we cannot get closer to God if, as part of “forsaking all else,” we do not forsake the selfishness of our sinful nature. We are to put to death the old man that wars against the Spirit (Galatians 5:17; Romans 8:13). Our primary attitude to our spouse (after pleasing God), needs to be one of pleasing each other. But it is always something of a struggle to get our devotion to God and to our spouse in the right balance (see 1 Corinthians 7:34). The husband is instructed to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her (Ephesians 5:25). Perhaps this is given to the husband because of the two, he is more likely to need to be told?

The Greek lexicon says of the word translated “cleave,” is that it means “to glue to, glue together, cement, fasten together; hence to join or fasten firmly together.” We will be looking a little closer next day, at the phrase “one flesh,” but this morning I just want to say that the phrase emphasized the intention that the “cleaving” be permanent. Jesus in He teaching on divorce, makes this very point about the intended permanence of the union by quoting the Genesis passage in Matthew 19:4-6. It is also clear that divorce is violence, in that it tears the one flesh. In particular, it cannot be done without consequences. So then part of cleaving is setting our hearts and wills on the determination to not leave no matter what. In particular we covenant to cleave “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all else.”

Father, many of us have utterly failed in both leaving and in cleaving well, also in getting into the one flesh out of order. In divorce we tear not only our “one flesh,” with our spouse, but we also essentially tear the children too. No wonder You hate divorce (Malachi 2:16). But Lord I want to thank You Lord this morning of Your principle/promise, that that when we stand in the gap by turn from our rebellions to love You and to obey Your commandments, then You start restoring things, not only for us, but for the generations that follow (Exodus 20:6) in Jesus Name Amen

Leave, cleave, one flesh (II) In-laws who become outlaws

The order first  leaving father and mother and  then  cleaving to each other (Genesis 2:24), is important. If we don't leave in a healthy way, we wont cleave (bond) in a healthy way. Today I want to say that the difficulty in leaving is compounded if the parents have difficulty in letting go. In-laws who become outlaws is a humorous way if describing what ranges from interference, to manipulative guilt trips. And this happens all too easily, especially if it's been a part of the family dynamics. It won’t be called interference or manipulation of course, it will be called love , concern or simply wanting to still be involved in your lives.  Certainly there is healthy involvement, but  there is also unhealthy involvement! What can seem at first to be small, can take on enormous proportions, and asking questions can unveil some of the problems. With whose parents do you spend Christmas and Thanksgiving? Do you always have to take their advice,  and are there consequences (hurt feelings, accusations etc.,etc.) when the “advice” is rejected. Many of these problems can be worked through in premarital counseling, and in learning to set healthy boundaries.

What about jealousy? “You spend more time with his/her parents than you do with us, what are we chopped liver?” Will you allow the “squeaky wheel” to get the grease? What are the expectations, and how far are you willing to let the “outlaws” to make decisions for you? These things are easier to work out before the marriage than they are afterwards, and it is one (of many) reasons why short engagements are not always helpful. The time of an engagement is a time to work out many things. It is said that the secret of marriage is negotiation. And part of the negotiation is to figure out how you are going to negotiate the expectations of the in-laws, and  to evaluate where each one is in the leaving process. We need to honour our parents for sure, but we also need a healthy separation from them.

Problems can still manifest even if the parents are dead, or not around. We may feel that we don’t have separation issues from our parents, but still be influenced by unacknowledged  family dynamics that clash, or worse are exactly the same and therefore lead to the same dysfunction. I have mentioned boundaries several times now, and setting healthy boundaries is no easy task at the best of times. Perhaps this is the place to say that it is my feeling that the boundaries course by Cloud and Townsend should be part of our  discipleship programs The teaching is especially useful in helping us to do the often hard work of  leaving leaving in a healthy way while at the same time honouring them. To say it again, setting boundaries and managing expectations is important. It but in my opinion many of these things are easier to negotiate before the knot is tied.

Father, many of us have only now even begun,  to see that Your ways are best, and we have reaped and are still reaping the consequences of going our own way. But I want to thank You Lord, that when we turn to You in repentance,  confessing where we have failed, You start to “restore the years that the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25). That is as we turn to You, You begin the work of bringing us to into life in all its fullness. In the meantime Lord, we come to You for peace,   comfort and strength in Jesus Name Amen

Leave cleave one flesh (I) Dishonour

The extremes you see in twelve-step programs illustrate well the principles I am talking about this morning. In particular in difficult homes we too easily make inner vows of the type “I will never be like my father.” A typical example is alcoholism, but it can include such things as judgmentalism, self righteousness, or gossip. And what I hear over and over, that is “In spite of my vow, I became exactly like my father (mother)”. Actually it is not so much in spite of the vow, but rather because of it. What I mean is that such inner vows dishonour the parent, and gives the Enemy legal access, the right if you like, to work on you in this area. And this is true even when we have forgotten the vow! This morning’s verse is Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to (cleave to) his wife, and they shall become one flesh. The order is important leave – cleave – one flesh. This morning I want to say that if we do not leave well, we will not be able to cleave (bond) well either.

There are many ways to fail to leave well. We can leave physically, without leaving emotionally. If, for example, there is unforgiveness, then that person will occupy space in your head rent free. As I keep saying we reap what we sow, and when we sow dishonour, it will come back on us. Is works both positively and negatively in particular it comes back amplified thirty fold, sixty fold etc. (see Mark 4:3-8). There is truth in the saying that six month after you marry, your attitude to your spouse will be the same as to the parent you have the most trouble with. The Bible specifically tells us that if we want life to go well for us, we need to honour our parents (Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:3). When we have not honoured them, we need to repent, turn and interpose the cross between our reaping and our sowing. When we do this, we take away the Enemy's legal right to continue to kill, steal and destroy in that area (see John 10:10a).

At this point the Lord may, or may not, remove some, or all, of the consequences of what we have sown. I know of cases where prison sentences have been reduced from what could reasonably be expected. When we have repented and turned, we need to trust the Lord that He knows what is best for us. If He removed all consequences, we could likely finish up illustrating the proverb “As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). What I do know, is that when I repent, confess and turn, then the Lord is free from the legal obligations to Satan, and He starts to use even my sin to work for my good (Romans 8:28). Here is a sample prayer of repentance:-

Father, I forgive myself for cursing myself with the spoken words  ”I will never by like my father.” I repent for making this curse, and giving it place in my life. I ask You to forgive me Lord. I receive Your forgiveness. I renounce and break the legal rights/power of this curse in my life based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and His finished work on the Cross. I appropriate the power of the Cross to cancel all judgements and to stop all demonic influence associated with this curse, in Jesus Name Amen!

Seek first His Kingdom .. all these thing will be added unto you

The full quote from Matthew 6:33 is “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” In context  Jesus telling us not to worry about the basics of life such as food and drink and clothing. He reminds us that our heavenly Father knows what we need (verses 31,32). Someone said that to worry, is to put more faith in the Devil to trip us up, than for the Lord to come through for us. To worry is to see disaster in the future and to fixate on it. It is failing to trust God. The next verse (34) is telling us that we need to live in the moment because “each day has its own trouble.” So we need to live one day at a time. The “But” in verse 33 indicates a turning, an "instead." It is telling us we need to replace worry, not wrestle with it. We should instead, make seeking the Kingdom and His righteousness our first priority. The promise then kicks in “all these things added” essentially telling us that our needs will be met.

This morning’s quote is from the sermon on the mount, and is part of a whole section about not worrying. In verse 27 Jesus asks “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” He is pointing out the uselessness of worry, it is totally unproductive, it changes nothing. In fact it is worse than that, the Psalmist tells us that fret and worry cause harm (Psalm 37:8). So how do we live in the moment, how do we cease from worry? It starts with a change of perspective. In verse 26 we are told to consider the birds of the air, they do not work for their needs,  yet our heavenly Father feeds them. Jesus then asks “Are you not not more valuable than they?” Again He points to the grass of the fields and the lilies, which are even more splendid that the glory of Solomon. We are then asked if He cloths the lilies that perish,  will He not cloth us, oh we of little faith?

 

So it’s about faith, about trust in God, about believing that He knows my needs and that He will provide what I need when I need it. It is about knowing who I am in Him, it’s about coming to Him as a little child. Now I need to be honest this morning, I seem to need these reminders over and over. Worry is not logical for the Christian, but nevertheless it does seem to be the default. It helps me to remember what He has done and to thank Him (thanksgiving is part of the “prayer and supplication with thanksgiving" of Philippians 4:4-7). I recently started taking time at the end of the day,  to thank Him for three things in my day, and I just reviewed this month’s thankfulness and it helps. The low level anxiety I was feeling is diminishing, and the peace returning.

Father, thank You for the practicality of faith, of Your Word,  and of the Spirit who comes along side of us to encourage, strengthen and establish us. Lord when we catch ourselves worrying help us to remember who we are in You, that You care for us,  and that You have promised that when we seek Your first, You will supply all of our needs according to You riches in Glory in Jesus Name Amen

Truth setting us free

The phrase “The truth will set you free” gets banded about both inside and outside the church. But is it true? “Well,” you say, “it’s in the Bible, and so of course it’s true!” Really? Here is another question “Is the above statement taken on its own taken our of context?” Let me say this, I have spoken the truth to others, and spoken it in love, but it did not set them free, they got angry! So let’s look at the context. In John 8:31,32 we read “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” You see the statement “The truth will set you free” is the “then” part of an “if, then” promise. “If you work hard, then you will pass the exam!” But if you do not work hard, would you still expect the pass the exam? Likewise we cannot expect to be set free if we do not abide in His Word.

The Amplified Bible expands “abide” as “abide [continually obeying My teachings and living in accordance with them].” In particular, “knowing the truth” is not independent of obedience, living in accordance with His Word. Indeed we “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). To put it another way, truth is a “use it or loose it” concept. The other thing  is that truth is far more than a set of statements about truth.  Jesus says of Himself “I am the way, the Truth and the life” (John 14:6). This is not just saying that Jesus teaches the truth, though that's true, it's saying that Jesus is Truth in the flesh. And there is a substantial difference between knowing about a person, and knowing a person as in experiencing them.  In particular when we abide in His Word we essentially abide in and experience Him.

I have described being in the prison ministry, and being in a faith based twelve-step ministry, as exciting and frustrating (even heart breaking). It is exciting because I get to share the deep things of God with those who need to be set free. It is frustrating and heart breaking, because it is one thing to get free, but quite another thing to stay free. This is why it is important to notice the tense in verse 31, or as the Amplified Bible puts it “continually obeying My teachings.” The word disciple is interesting, it literally means “learner.” We speak at the University about life long learning. As Christian we are to be life long learners of the Word and the Truth, and when we are, we become progressively free, for then the Son (the Truth) shall set you free, and you will be fee indeed (verse 36).

Lord Jesus, Your Word warns about thinking that we have arrived (1 Corinthians 10:12; 1 Corinthians 8:2). Even after the twelve had walked with You, learned from You and followed You, You told them just before Your crucifixion “I have many things yet to tell you, but you were not yet able to bear them” (John 16:12). And we are no different Lord! And  I want to thank You this morning,  that You are gentle and humble of heart. And because of this I would much rather receive the truth from You in and through Your word than I would from others.  You are such a good friend Lord,  and I worship You this morning in Your precious and lovely Name Amen

Who is this coming up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved?

There are two layers of interpretation/application of Biblical book known as the Song of Solomon, or simply “Song." The first has to do with the love  between King Solomon and his Shulamite bride. There is much sound teaching from this book on the physical side of marriage. If you find it surprising that the Bible would give helpful teaching on these things, it should be remembered that it is God who invented sex! In the context of this quote (Song 8:4 ) the narrator has warned (verse 3) about the misplaced awakening of sexual love. I may be stretching the meaning of the text too far when I say that when we do this, we end up looking for love in all the wrong places and end up in the wilderness. But in any case it seems to be true that when our passions (not just sexual) take us out of God’s perfect place and order, we finish up in our own personal wilderness reaping what we have sown in terms of sorrow and pain. And most of us have done this. I certainly am no exception.

The second interpretation/application of Song, has to do with God’s love for His people and in particular for you and me. The Judean wilderness is a “dry and thirsty land,” and of course the longer we stay in our own particular spiritual wildernesses, the thirstier we are going to be. At various levels we all seem to need to come to the place where we are thirst for something meaningful, something real, something deeper. I am reminded of the saying that if we have nothing worth dying for, we will likely have nothing worth living for. But in any case, the way out of our own personal wilderness is all about leaning on our Beloved, on our beautiful God. Switching speakers, verse 4 goes on to talk about awakening love in the one loved. In our application it is about the Lord awakening love in us, about our responding to His love. The Scripture tells us that “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 1:9). In particular, whether we know it or not, whether we acknowledge Him or not, He is the source of all love.

So for us this morning, the Beloved in verse 4 is God, and His love for us is stronger than the chains of death and unyielding as the grave, it is a burning compassionate fire (verse 6). How shall we respond to this fiery passionate compassionate love? We are to lean on Him, setting Him as a seal upon our hearts (still verse 6), responding to passion with passion. It is about Him being our all, about Him being the centre of our universe. It is about trusting Him to be our shield, our deliver our protector our first and last resource, the One in whom we find our identity,  purpose and meaning.

Father, thank You for Your amazing love and compassion. Truly the only reasonable response to Your tender mercies and fiery love is to give ourselves to You in ongoing total surrender (Romans 12:1). We are prone to wander Lord, and we need Your help. So I want to thank You again this morning Lord, that Your mercies are new every morning and that You will never let us go in Jesus Name Amen

Every thought captive: The war on negativity (V) Negativity of others

They say there is no one who objects more to someone smoking, than one who has recently given it up. And if you are engaged in the war against negativity,  you are likely in danger of having a similar attitude to others who are negative,  and who might not even be aware (or care) that it is causing you difficulty. Negativity is so much a part of our culture, that we are likely to meet it over and over.  And if we are to kill it in our lives we will likely need to gently kill it in others. Gently?  Well we must not judge, and  we indeed do need to approach this humbly and gently. But I want to make clear that we are not talking here about those who are grieving, or in the long process of dealing with deep hurts. The Scripture tells us that we are to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). No,  we are talking about someone stuck in negativity constantly pointing out all that is wrong with the world.

Some of the what we are talking about here, relates to what we were talking about yesterday, somebody who is overtaken in this as a fault. It depends on the spirit behind the negativity, in particular if it is self-righteous and judgemental. But sometimes our response to grief or deep hurt can be anger, and we need the Lord’s wisdom to discern if this is the case. The person may or may not be willing or ready to deal with it whatever it is. But in any case it healthy neither for us, nor for them to allow ourselves to be dumping grounds, sounding boards, for ongoing deep rooted negativity. It's really a boundaries issue.

I first came across this concept  of boundaries years ago in a book of the same name  by Cloud and Townsend. The subject does no lend itself easily to the sort of “soundbite” in posts like this. But what  I can say is that part of what we need to do to "guard our hearts with all diligence" (Proverbs 4:23). Boundaries are more like fences with gates than they are like walls.  With healthy boundaries we consciously chose what to allow in,  and out. Starting to put up a boundary against deep rooted negativity might sound a bit this  “I don’t know if you realize it, but I am finding this sort of talk very difficult, and it's dragging me down. So I am afraid I am going to need to distance myself from it.” There is likely to be push back, and I have found that we need to surround ourselves with people who understand these things, and who will support us in dealing with the said push back. It is better do this this early!  I learnt from the school of hard knocks, that because I did not have healthy boundaries I eventually exploded, and that did nobody any good.

Father, while we need, as much as possible with us to live at peace with all (Romans 12:18), this does not mean we should be doormats, Jesus wasn't. Not everyone rejoices when we get into recovery, and sad though it is, various degrees of separation are inevitable. In particular, between the the two quotes from Romans 12 is the admonition to associate with the humble (verse 16). Lord we need Your wisdom, courage and serenity in Jesus Name Amen

If anyone is overtaken in a fault you who are spiritual …. restore

The philosophy of live and let live sounds fine, until somebody else’s rights clash with yours. My right to a good night’s sleep might just clash with your right to play loud music  at 3:00 am! This morning’s scripture is relevant to all this “If anyone is overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). This morning I want us to look at the who, what, when,  why and how of this admonition. In fact there are two “who”s, the one who is overtaken, and the one who is spiritual. Other translations of “overtaken” in this verse include trapped, caught and overcome. So we are not talking here about small thing here that might irritate you. We are talking about someone who is trapped in their sin (John 8:34), and in need of restoration for their own sake (see verse 7).

The other who is “you who are spiritual,” and in context, those who have crucified the flesh, who are walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:24, 25), and who are in the habit of “looking to themselves” (see Psalm 139:23). We will of course never be perfect, and we should not use false humility as an excuse to not obey this admonition. As to the what, it is restoration. In particular, it is not about “giving him a piece of my mind.” Restoration is always the goal, even if it is not always possible (see Romans 12:18). And since this is the goal, then the how is vitally important, and it must be “in the spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself.” Gentleness of course is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Chapter 5:23),  so when we are looking to ourselves we need to ask, for example, if we are being longsuffering, loving and patient!

This leaves the when and the why. One of the questions I like to ask myself when I think the Lord may be leading me to go to my brother or sister, is do I want to do this? If the answer is yes, I may not be ready to go. So if I want to do it because I am really bugged by it, I am likely not yet ready to go in gentleness and humility. On the other hand if I want to go because I see how trapped and difficult it is for them, then I am likely ready. And some of this, is that part of being spiritual is knowing ourselves, knowing what we are feeling, knowing if we have “looked to ourselves” sufficiently, and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that the why of going, is ultimately reconciliation and restoration. And part if this, in light of last day’s post, it to make sure we are not judging.

Father, since Your primary purpose in sending Jesus is reconciliation and restoration (Ephesians 1:9,10), then before we go we do indeed need to examine ourselves to make sure our motives are pure,  and that we really can go in gentleness and humility.  In this way we represent who You truly are. Help us to  know ourselves Lord as You know us, and help us not to let false humility prevent us going when You call us to. And Lord we need Your courage many times, and so I ask for these things this morning in Jesus Name Amen

Judge not .. because you do the very same thing

There is no doubt in my mind, that many who name the Name of Christ have been, and still are, judgemental. And as we shall see the Scripture soundly condemns that. But there is another side that I want to mention before I get into the theme of the title of this post. It is that that our culture has largely confused disagreement with judgment. So is a teacher being judgemental when she marks a mathematical addition wrong when it is? Well I suppose she could be, but how will we learn if we are not told the difference between right and wrong? I find it helpful to distinguish between a judgemental attitude and a discerning attitude. In particular, I can discern that something is wrong without condemning the person. There is of course such a thing as a judgemental attitude, one that condemns and/or looks down on another. So let's be clear, it is the judgemental attitude that the Scriptures condemns. If we were not to judge, as in discern that something is wrong, the command to go to our brother when he has sinned against us, would make no sense (Matthew 18:15).

The Scripture we are looking at this morning is “you who judge another condemn yourself; for you who judge do the same things” (Romans 2:1). The truth of this was illustrated to me one time, by a recent convert who suffered from verbal diarrhea, talking essentially without stopping. She was telling me that she could not stand another Christian. When I asked what she did not like about him, she told me “He talks too much, you can’t get a word in edgeways!” It can be subtle, it’s not that long ago that the Lord convicted me of judging judgemental people. You know those blankety blank judgemental people. Until the Lord revealed it to me, I did not see that I  was doing the very same thing. And neither did the young lady I was talking about above! It seems to be very common! In light of this, for me, one of the most scary verses in Scripture is “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2).

I remember one time being pulled over for speeding. After taking my information, the officer told me “You were speeding sir.” ‘Yes’ I replied. He looked at me “What?” he asked. ‘Yes’ I told him, ‘I was speeding.’ His surprise at someone who would actually admit he was wrong lead him let me off saying “Go on, get out of here.” So I did not get a ticket, and I told my friend “That's what I want when I die!” ‘What?’ he asked me. “Mercy, not judgement.” How about you? Jesus told us “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7), but “judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 3:13).

Father, Your Word tells us that You “are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15). Lord I want to be more like You, but I need Your help. Thank You Lord that You are far more willing to help us in these ways, than we are to ask, and for this and many other things, I give You thanks and praise again this morning in Jesus Name Amen

Every thought captive: The war on negativity (iV) Thoughts and words

If we are to win the war on negativity, we will need to allow the Lord to deal with our hearts, thoughts and language. The verse “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45) comes to mind. And what seems to be relevant to our theme, is that what comes out of our mouths when we are crossed or in distress, is a real indicator of the what is going on in our hearts. We talked earlier about when someone crosses us that we need to come against the offence and/or the offender in the opposite spirit (June 23). What I want to say this morning, is that we need to deal with the root of these things. Earlier we considered the weapons of our Christians hope, of a heavenly perspective and the need to practice, practice practice. And what we need to practice is thinking and speaking in a positive mode.

I likely need to say again that we are not talking here about the power of positive thinking. Certainly there is power in the declaration of Biblical truth, but there is a big difference between pretending, and practicing what is true. And part of what we practice is thinking on “whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely and of good report” (Philippians 4:8). If we are having a hard time finding such things to think about, we can always turn to the virtues of our amazing beautiful God, to the character of Jesus, to the hope of heaven, and to the heroes of the faith. We  also need to capture self doubt and stop saying things like “I could never do that.” We  replace such thoughts  with “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). We need to stop beating ourselves up when we blow it. So that when we have confessed our sin, we can dwell on the reliability of His promise to forgive and cleans us (1 John 1:9).

And then there are the put downs,  that we have all likely received from time to time. “You are just like your father, he was no good and neither are you!” We need to take such thoughts and words captive. It is a question of moving into, and embracing, our identity in Christ. We need to think and to say “I am loved by almighty God.” We can make it a prayer “Father, I am Your beloved son (daughter), and You are well pleased with me.” This last one is true, because God has no favourites (Romans 2:11), so then what He says to Jesus He says to us (Mark 1:11). But you say “I don’t feel it.” Well, remember that thoughts come with emotions attached, and if you believe that you are junk, you will feel like junk. This is why we need to take every thought (and so every emotion) captive to the truth. And the truth is God don’t make no junk! And we need to practice such truths until we believe them, and then practice them because we believe them.

Father, when we have spent our whole lives in negativity, we will not overcome these things in a day. There are times Lord when we will likely need to say “I am choosing to believe, please help my unbelief.” Thank You again Lord for Your help and patience in these things (Philippians 2:13). Help us Lord to care more about what You think about us than what others do. And You think we are amazing in Jesus Name Amen

Salvation is free, the abundant life will cost you everything (III) Committed Faith

If you love someone and you finish up getting angry with them, do you still love them? Possibly not, but if we are to obey the command to love one another as God has loved us (agape love - John 13:34), then our love will be unconditional, and we will chose to love them even when we don’t feel like it. Faith is also like this, in that we also choose to believe when we don’t feel like it. True love knows (by faith) that we are loved even when we are angry, even when circumstances could cause us to doubt. The Scripture inform of us of what we need to know by faith when we encounter trials, tribulations and difficulties. Romans 5:1-5 speaks of the access we have by faith into the grace which equips us to rejoice and to glory in tribulations knowing ..... In fact there are many things to know by faith.




First of all knowing that we are justified by faith, and that nothing can separate us from the His love is foundational (Romans 5:1; 8:31). Everything else is built on this. We also need to know that God is actively at work for good even in tribulation, that He is making us more like Jesus, to be fruitful for the Kingdom (Romans 8:28, 29). In other words we need to know by faith that the trials, tribulations and difficulties are the vehicles God uses to strengthen us, and to accomplish this character polishing (Chapter 5:3,4). Well there are many other things, but I want to talk a little more about this “knowing by faith.” And I want to come back to some of the things we were saying earlier about covenant (February 13-15). 


In particular, using the analogy of the marriage covenant as God intended it to be, I want to quote again something that Jordon Peterson said about why we need vows (covenant) in marriage. He says it is because “You are trouble, and so am I.” In other words because in many things we all fail (James 3:2), we will encounter each other’s faults and it will not be pretty at times. But when we take the covenant the way we are intended to take it, we will both “know by faith” that the other person is not leaving, no matter what! I am not talking about such things as abuse here, that is a topic for another time. No, I am using the analogy to talk about our covenant, our commitment to the Lord. Now the Lord will never abuse us, though He may allow all kinds trials, tribulations and difficulties. We do need to know (again by faith) that He will not ask us to go through anything that Jesus had not gone through first (Hebrews 4:15), and He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). And are we not soldiers, should we not expect hardships?




Father, You are faithful and true and just, and You will not allows us to be tempted tested or tried to the point where we, by Your Grace, are not able to endure. And when we fully commit to You and walk in Your ways, You always provide the way to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). And when we fail, as we all do from time to time, You are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Give us grace this morning Lord to receive grace to “stand and having done all to  stand (Ephesians 6:13) in Jesus Name Amen

Not becoming weary in well doing, resting and reaping in due season

Do you ever get tired, weary, discouraged? The breakthrough the Lord promised is long delayed, people you relied on fall away, others who name the name of Christ treat you with less than Christian values, you don’t get recognition for your hard work. It’s easy to get tired, weary and at times to ask yourself “What is the point?” Into this comes this morning’s verse “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9). This verse is in the context of the much quoted (by me) Galatians 6:7, the verse  about reaping what we sow. Here Paul is speaking about the positive side of the equation, and essentially exhorting us not to loose heart. The principle of sowing and reaping is a spiritual law, and as with all such, cannot be broken. If we do not give up we will reap what we have sown.

The Christian life is said to be more like a marathon than a quick sprint. I am told that typically there comes a point in a marathon where, along with pain and fatigue, doubt starts creeping in. Why did you ever start? Is it really worth it? For me this is the point where I need to go back to the promises, the personal ones  whispered into my heart by Lord, and the principles and promises of the Word. I am not saying that this is necessarily the case in your situation, but I do know the activity of the Evil One tends to increase the nearer it gets to the time of reaping. Because of this, you have to wonder how many give up just before the breakthrough. Having said this, and I can't say this too strongly, unlike a marathon, it's not about striving. In particular, we need to operate out of rest!

The phrase “in due season” is interesting and significant. I have to admit, God’s timing is not my timing, but He always has a purpose in the delay. He may need to test what is in our heart before He can promote us. Of course He already knows our heart, but as we were saying last day, when we submit to the testing, it produces the character He needs us to have before He can promote, or come through for us. “In due season” also speaks to the rhythms of life. Even Jesus needed to come aside and rest (Matthew 14:13). God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2), not because He needed to, but perhaps to set us an example. We tend to ignore the fact that a Sabbath rest was one of the ten commandments. Coming aside for a while is not giving up,  in fact Jesus invites all who labour and are heavy laden to come to Him to find rest (Matthew 11:28,29). We may have been trying to force answers to our prayers, and we  may need to let go and let God!

Father, more than usual I am very much aware this morning that I am talking to myself. I need to not be weary in well doing, but I also need to know when to come aside and rest. And for me, it's not likely Sunday! Lord help me and all reading this blog to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your work (1 Corinthians 15:58), but still to operate out of rest. And Lord please restore the joy of our salvation this morning in Jesus Name Amen

Salvation is free, the abundant life will cost you everything (II) Grace through faith

We would be in trouble if we had to face the enemy or our souls alone with out His help, without His Grace. In the words of an ancient hymn by Luther “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing.” But in the passage we are looking at (Romans 5:1-5), we learn that we have “access by faith into this Grace in which we stand” (verse 2). This is a different aspect of grace than saving grace (Ephesians 2:8,9). The aspect of grace Paul is talking about here,  is the wherewithal to do what without Him we cannot do. I call this standing Grace, or the grace to stand. Saving Grace is an unconditional gift. On the other hand we can be saved, yet fail to obtain this grace to which we have access.  In fact, the writer to the Hebrews warns us to be careful “lest anyone fall short of the grace of God …” (Hebrews 12:15).

The Greek lexicon says of the word translated here as “fall short” that it means “to be left behind in the race, to fail to reach the goal, to fail to become a partaker.” The thing that can trip us up in the Hebrews passage is bitterness (verse 15), but there are many ways we can fail to obtain standing grace. In our Romans passage, we can fail to receive the grace to “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God,” and to “glory in tribulations” (verse 3). At the risk of being overly repetitive, we cannot do this without His help, without standing Grace, at least I cannot! And as I said last day, it is about progress not perfection. In other words learning to tap into this Grace, like all learning, is a process. Now our  access is by faith (verse 2 again), and since we are at war, we can be sure that our faith will be tested. In fact James tells us that this testing is an integral part of the process of leaning to rejoice in the many different kinds of trials and testings (James 1:2-4).

Part of what will be tested, is our knowing, our knowing by faith. In the Romans passage it is knowing first of all that “tribulation produces perseverance” (verse 3), that is it produces the ability to stand up under trail. What will also be tested is our knowing that perseverance produces “character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out” (verses 4, 5). In terms of progress, every time we stand in the midst of a trial, we in effect build another brick in our wall of faith. And as, in the process,  this wall gets bigger, we can look back on the times we came through,  and allow hope to rise that (by Grace) we can do it again. And to say it again,  the important thing, when we have blown it, is to repent and turn back into His embrace.

Father, thank You again, that You who began a good work in us will keep right on working in us (Philippians 1:6). Thank You too for the assurance that this is not about being saved (justified) but about growing in Grace. So Lord I ask You this morning to strengthen us by Your Spirit in the inner man, and ground us and establish us in Your incredible multidimensional love, so that we might be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19).  In Jesus Name Amen