Knowing Who I Am

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise  you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV 

Lately I've noticed a few different personalities of more than a few members of the gym which has become my second home.  Sure, you still have the traditional muscle heads who repeatedly flex their own muscles in front of every mirror they can find.  Then you have the rappers, those who don a pair of headphones that probably cost more than their car and go through their workouts chanting the lyrics to whatever obnoxious song that they're listening to at the moment.  Then you have the alphas, who have it in their mind that they are the most important people in the gym bar none.  Last, but certainly not least...you have me.  See, before I even step foot inside of this haven of pain and sweat, I know who I am.  My identity is not based upon how much I lift that day.  Nor on how much my muscles have grown.  No, the man that I am depends more on who is in me than anything I have, or will, ever do myself.  There is a well-known verse which I learned well in a small discipleship class in church some years ago which speaks to the man I am.  This verse proclaims that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me {Philippians 4:13}.  However, over time I have heard a bit of a different translation to this verse.  CHRIST JESUS IS my strength.  The best way to explain this truth is to turn to the apostle Paul, who himself knew who he was.  Was Paul the same persecuting Pharisee he was before his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus?  No, something had changed.  As Christians, we have come to accept that Saul, the persecutor, suddenly was transformed into Paul the follower of Christ.  That's not the way it went down at all.  For after His encounter with Jesus on that dusty road, Saul was sent on a journey to discover the man he really was.  After a few years in the desert, Paul emerged with a better knowing of who he was.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

It is Paul who speaks to us the truth of Christ Jesus in us in Galatians.  We have his experiences documented through scripture.  Yet, all too often when I have broached the subject among believers about the meaning of Galatians 2:20, I'm told that this was unique to Paul himself.  Weird.  So, what does this all have to do with my assurance of the man that I am?  The same assurance which Paul himself had.  Not only can I do all things by Christ who strengthens me...Christ Jesus who is in me IS MY STRENGTH.  There is no small group class or video series where we will come to this knowledge for ourselves.  Again, we turn to the apostle Paul for guidance.  Paul tells us that it is only through the Lord's timing, when it pleases Him, that we come to the realization of Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 1:15-16}.  So, yes, I walked into that gym many a time without the realization of the man I was.  I felt as if I somehow needed to justify myself for everyone who was there.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We are not under man's approval, but the grace and love of Christ.  If more believers were blessed with this knowing, we would have less of an identity crisis in this society.  

~Scott~ 

Unlikely Suspects

 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient form you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore, most gladly I will boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  

2 Corinthians 12: 8 - 10 NKJV 

I figure I could have walked away with $2500.  The 1987 Minnesota Twins were 500-1 favorites to win the world series.  Nobody thought much of them in the preseason.  Sparky Andersons Detroit Tigers were the odds-on favorite to win the American League pennant.  Yet something funny happened once the regular season started; the Twins refused to go away quietly.  In fact, they ended up winning their division and defeating the Tigers in the playoffs to reach the World Series.  There, they outlasted Whitey Herzog's St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series ever.  Not bad for a 500-1 long shot.  What got me thinking of these Twins?  All of the times when we ourselves, or someone we know, has been convinced that they are an underdog.  That they simply cannot, no, WILL NOT, succeed.  We've all had those moments where we feel defeated even before we began.  The odds makers don't seem to be in our favor.  The crowd favorite seems set for yet another win.  But then something interesting happens.  The breeze blows just right to left field.  The ball travels a bit further until what seemed like another loss turns out in our favor.  The guys who make the odds call them underdogs.  Those who took it upon themselves to push a little harder.  To talk a bit louder in their quest for a win.  I know that I've had plenty of those underdog moments in my own life.  Moments where the power of Christ in me overpowers all which the oddsmakers said were against me.  So how is it that we could ever be seen as an underdog when we have the presence of Christ Jesus within us?  Probably because the guys who make the odds don't see Jesus as one who could make a difference.  I know better.  Then again, back in the day Jesus was seen as an underdog as well.  

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" 

Matthew 7: 13 - 14 NKJV 

How would you have seen a career Pharisee prone to persecuting the followers of Jesus?  What odds would you have given him to convert to himself being a follower of Christ?  Personally, I would have wagered at least 500-1 odds that the man Saul would come anywhere close to embracing the knowing of Jesus.  Well, as it turns out, I would have lost a bit of money there.  For on a dusty road to Damascus, everything fell into place as Saul was introduced to Christ Jesus, the very one he had persecuted for so long.  Had Saul somehow changed his view of Jesus?  No, but as with all underdogs, the Lord's timing played a crucial role.  Paul proclaims that his conversion only occurred when it pleased God {Galatians 1:15-16}.  Paul didn't work the odds in his favor.  There was nothing about his situation which was not entirely in the Lord's control.  Of course, this is the way it is with each and every underdog moment we will ever encounter.  In the background is the voice of Jesus proclaiming, "We got this."  You will have more than your share of negativity preaching souls in your lifetime.  The choice we have is whether to give them the time of day or listen to the voice of Christ in us.  His voice will be the one encouraging you and not placing odds against you.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

The Name Of Jesus

 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" 

John 15: 16 NKJV 

How powerful is the name Jesus?  We're told that if we ask for anything in Jesus' name that our request will be granted {John 14:14}.  Yet, we're also told that we will have our request granted if we simply have faith that it will be {Matthew 21: 22}.  This has led to some hand wringing within the Christian community as far as which is the correct way to pray.  Jesus went so far in His sermon on the Mount as to give an example of the correct way to pray.  This "Lord's prayer" is demonstrated by Jesus in Matthew {Matthew 6:9-13}.  However, He is careful to tell those gathered on the hillside that the Father already knew what their needs were before they asked {Matthew 6:8}.  But is the Lord's prayer a true model prayer for us to follow?  I don't think so.  What we see in Jesus' sermon on the mount is Jesus speaking to the crowds in a way which they could understand what He was trying to teach them.  This is exactly why He chose to teach in parables at times as well.  So how is it that we incorporate the model prayer of Jesus we find in Matthew with the reality of asking in the name of Jesus?  That is the question I was asked by a friend this week.  In order to shed some light on how I see Jesus, it's important to visit how the apostle Paul saw Jesus as well.  It is Paul who spoke to the idea of Christ Jesus in him.  Paul speaks to this in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  Knowing the truth of Galatians 2:20, I know that I, as an individual, no longer exist.  My "old man" was crucified on that cross next to Christ.  All that remains is the vessel which is my body, which is now inhabited by Christ Jesus.  Knowing this truth makes all of my prayers uniquely personal.  I have opened up many a prayer with the phrase, "Jesus, you know who I am."  Would you treat a conversation with a close friend in a distant manner?  No, you would be very personal with them.  So is our relationship with Jesus.  I believe using the name of Jesus in our own prayers not only acknowledges who we truly are but how close we are to Christ as well.  

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it"

John 14: 13 - 14 NKJV 

When it comes to our prayers, is Jesus speaking to us to ask in His name for His own honor?  No!  This is evident as Jesus speaks to the Father being glorified in the Son {John 14:13}.  This has never been about Jesus taking credit for our mere mention of His name.  It is the Father who gives the Son His glory {John 17:22}.  God, for His part, simply wants to be known by His children.  He desires to be one with Christ and His creation {John 17:21}.  So how does this enter into our prayers?  How powerful is this name of Jesus?  Consider the words of James, that even the demons believe that there is a God...and tremble at that thought {James 2:19}.  The very name of Jesus is a powerful spoken word, and we are to recognize it as such when we pray.  When we pray in Jesus' name, we understand the authority which He has been given {Matthew 28:18-20}.  We understand that there is nothing we will ever ask which Jesus is not capable of delivering.  We also understand that there is no situation we will ever face which Jesus has not faced Himself.  He is our advocate {John 21:1-2}.  He is also our access to the presence of the Father {John 14:6}.  It is but through Christ Jesus that we have access to the Father.  If we seek an audience with the Father, it is through the name of Jesus which we are welcomed.  This is the name of Jesus. 

Jesus said to him, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me" 

John 14: 16 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Storehouses

 

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 1: 4 NKJV 

I recall a radio pulpit pounder some time ago claiming that if we were ever in need that we simply needed to ask in the name of Christ Jesus {John 14:13}.  I will agree with this.  However, in John 14 Jesus explains that whatever we ask in His name that He will do.  Why?  That the FATHER would be glorified in the Son.  I thought about all of this this week as we spiraled into yet another Thanksgiving holiday.  Now, it seems that whenever we draw nearer to Thanksgiving, we instinctively begin to rattle off a grocery list of things for which we ought to be thankful.  I get it.  We are thankful for our jobs.  We are thankful for the income we have to provide for our families.  All very much needed items we should indeed be thankful for.  Yet all too often we miss the mark on just where our appreciation is handed out.  We thank our boss for the income producing job.  Really?  Even a non-Christian has to realize that there is a higher power out there that plays a huge part in our circumstances.  Call it fate or karma, we are certainly not alone when it comes to our life provisions.  The Pilgrims, for long the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving holiday, understood the divine nature of their survival.  Many a early settler knew that it was only by God's grace that they endured the voyage to a strange new land as well as living on that land.  Yes, there were already native tribes here when they arrived.  What is interesting is that the native Indian tribes of North America also attributed their survival to a higher power.  Coincidence?  Knowing this, was it perhaps easier for the early Pilgrims to describe their own faith to the tribes?  Perhaps.  We do know that there were indeed converts to Christianity among the tribal people.  According to the Thanksgiving story, the Pilgrims celebrated their harvest with their tribal neighbors in an act of giving thanks for their provision.  Yes, the tribes had similar traditions a swell.  So it was that the earliest Americans praised God and gave thanks for His providence.  

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts.  No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of Thanksgiving"

H.U. Westermayer

That the early Pilgrims had it tough is beyond a doubt.  That we ourselves may have had rough times as well is also not without a doubt.   Many people cannot fathom the fact that the very same Spirit we embrace for our provision is also the same Spirit we humbly see as the provider of our dark times as well.  God is not all smiles and sunshine.  If you're looking for a creator that allows only good into your life and prohibits the bad things, then just maybe you might want to follow one of those Native American tribal spirits instead.  As Christians, we have become accustomed to accepting the good as well as the difficulties in our lives.  Jesus, in fact, speaks to us that in our lives we should expect difficulty and tough times {John 16:33}.  We can accept this with gladness because Jesus has overcome the world.  Whatever toil, difficulty and sadness we might endure in this life, it is but a passing thing.  As believers, we can be assured that our true life lies with Christ Jesus who is in us {Galatians 2:20}.  So, on this Thanksgiving, we have a one stop shop for our thankfulness for all which life has given us.  He is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He has not only blessed us with our provisions, but has also embraced us that we should endure the difficulties of the world as well.  He is our One and only. 

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 

1 John 4: 4 NKJV 

~Scott~   

Among The Chosen

 

"I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."

John 17: 23 NKJV 

I can recall making my share of bad choices.  Choosing to race my bike downhill without brakes was a bad choice.  Choosing to get between two fighting cats...another bad choice.  Many of us have a history of making bad choices, some more than others.  Recently I thought of some of the choices which Jesus needed to make in His life.  I came across many a difficult decision, but no decisions which we would clarify as bad ones.  Was choosing His path to the cross a bad decision?  I would say no.  For Jesus knew His path before He embarked on it.  He chose the Fathers will over His own {Luke 22:42}.  So, I present to you another question, did Jesus choose you or did you choose Jesus?   Did I choose Christ when I accepted Him into my heart?  Or, did Jesus make that choice Himself long before I was even born?  I know that I am created in the Lords image {Genesis 1:27}.  Knowing this, I realize that I have an intimate connection with the Father.  However, Jesus also speaks to us that if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father as well {John 14:9}.  Therefore, I can be assured that if I am created in the Fathers own image, that I bear the image of the Son as well.  I also know that each and every detail of my life was chronicled by the Father before I was born {Psalm 139:16}.  So once again I will pose the question, did I choose Christ or did He choose to be in me?  Well, I will take a step out of traditional institutional Christianity and say that Jesus...became me.  Yes, I took the initiative to accept Him into my heart, but by that time He was already in me.  How do I know this?  The apostle Paul speaks to the reality of Christ in us in Galatians.  Paul had experienced Jesus first-hand on that road to Damascus.  It was here where Jesus introduced Himself to Paul.  Of course, I'm of the mind that the Father had been in Saul from the beginning, yet Saul only finally came to the realization that day.  So it is with us. 

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

So, in answer to my inquiry, it is Christ Jesus who chose us long ago.  Long before we even were able to identify who Jesus even was, He was in us.  We know this from scripture.  So, why is it that I took so long to come to my senses and accept the Lord Jesus into my heart?  I'll put it to you another way, what took me so long to realize that Jesus was in me?  Far too many Christians spend a lot of time on that spinning hamster wheel in their attempts to measure up to "being like" Jesus.  When in reality, all we need to do is come to that realization that Jesus has been there all along.  If we have the Lord, we have Jesus as well.  If we have been created in the Fathers image, then we have the image of His Son as well.  But don't be discouraged, because Saul didn't come to the realization of the Lord in him right away either.  Paul himself tells us that his own realization of Christ Jesus in him came in the Fathers own timing {Galatians 1:15-16}.  Why did it take me so long to realize the truth of Christ in me?  My own realization of the truth of Christ came upon me when it pleased the Lord.  This is indeed why so many Christians still have not known the truth of Christ in them, their time has not yet come.  I believe that the Lord chooses the appropriate time to introduce to each of us the truth of His Son.  Our choice comes when we choose to accept Him or not.  Choose wisely.  

~Scott~ 

Plantations Of Stone

 

However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

'Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.  What house will you build for Me?  says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest?  Has My hand not made all these things?

Acts 7: 48 - 49 NKJV 

There is a simple sign in someone's front yard that I pass day after day in my travels.  I do not know the person (s), but if I were to guess I would say that they have had a negative experience somewhere along the line with religion.  The sign reads simply 'Religion = Genocide.'  Now, a few years ago I might have been ready to march up to this guys front door and defend my faith.  These days...not so much.  What changed?  Well, religion didn't change for sure that I can tell.  What changed was my own understanding of what religion is...and isn't.  I've sat through more than my share of Sunday morning sermons spoken by some pulpit pounder trying to preserve his own job.  I've endured many a ear splitting jam session by some new age praise and worship band whose purpose it was to draw people into church.  I've sat through far too many classes designed to explain and overcome the difficulties of life.  I've been there...I get it.  I have a better understanding now of what religion is.  The boring sermons, the loud music and the endless classes.  This is where our religious systems have brought us.  Judging from the tithing plates being passed around each Sunday, we're expected to pay for all of this as well.  So if religion is a system, what examples do we have of what religion is not?  Well, I'll come right out and say that religion, in my opinion, IS NOT genocide.  However, I will say that religion is akin to slavery.  Yes, the religious system as we know it is slavery.  Religion enslaves people into a belief that God is angry with them over their sin.  Not only that, despite the fact that Jesus died for our sins, we must constantly seek Fathers forgiveness for any "unseen" sin we may have engaged in.  Our religious system is a cult based on the guilt of our former life, not on the hope of our new creation {2 Corinthians 5:17}.  Now, onto what religion is not.  

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath and all things."  

Acts 17: 24 - 25 NKJV 

Let's make a checklist shall we.  On one list we will list all which our religious system has given to you.  On the other page we will then list all which the Lord has given to you.  Which list do you think is more impressive?  Which list do you think is more beneficial to you?  Has religion given you life?  Has religion ever given anything life?  I know that there will be more than a few hardcore religious types out there who will rattle off more than a few things which they feel that religion has given to us.  So I ask you, what has religion ever given to you that God has not already created?  This is one thing that religion is not...self sustaining.  The religious system needs the resources of people to survive.  In contrast, Jesus did not command those few fishermen to follow Him.  No, He simply invited them to 'Come and see' {John 1:39}.  This is the invitation which Christ gives to all who seek Him...come and see.  Religion is not freedom.  I have listened to far too many people who speak of freedom in the Lord while they continue to struggle with the forgotten sin which the pastor warned them about.  Don't be deceived, sin in itself is slavery.  However, God has dealt a death blow to sin through the finished work of Christ.  As a result, despite what the pastor tells you, we are no longer slaves to sin {Romans 6:6}.  I have found that true freedom does not come from how often we go to church.  We are not redeemed by how much we tithe.  True freedom only comes from our own realization of who we are.  The apostle Paul spoke to this reality in Galatians.  Paul explains that it is Jesus Himself who now lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  Paul was a man raised in the religious system of his day.  If anyone knew religion...it was Paul.  Yet, somewhere on a road to Damascus, God decided it was time for Saul to throw away all he thought he knew about Him and to introduce him to His Son.  His offer still stands today.  Think you know God?  Come and see.

Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi (teacher), "Where are you staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day.  

John 1: 38 - 39 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Living Blessed

 

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  "For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that these things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." 

Mark 11: 22 - 24 NKJV 

I was thinking this week about a new term I could introduce among believers in Jesus.  It's something we've all seen before, but with a radical new twist.  How many remember the "Name it and claim it" days of the institutional church?  I do.  I was taught that if I needed something from God, that all I needed to do was pray long and hard enough and He would provide for me.  Like any good parent, if a child asks often enough the parent finally gives in, right?  Well, unfortunately things don't always work out that way.  When they don't there will certainly be hurt feelings as well.  I recall beseeching the Father for more than a few blessings over the years.  Some were realized while others were not.  So, Obviously I don't have some magic leverage with God.  Yet, as I thought about my current status quo this week I came to realize something.  I am living blessed.  Living blessed?  What is this I speak of?  Well, basically what I see living blessed as is knowing in my heart that I have what I need.  Through the provision of the Lord, I have what I need.  Now, that's not saying that I wouldn't turn down a new car or more money in my account, but for what I need...I am living blessed.  In my heart I know that whatever happens, that God will provide for me what I need.  That's the kicker, our assurance that the Lord will provide for us.  These are not simply words which we memorize from scripture, but our unshakable belief that God will provide.  It's not a new version of name it and claim it based upon our own prayer efforts.  We believe it, therefore God will deliver it.  The "it" I speak of can be different for different people.  A single mother will believe in her heart that God will provide for her family.  While a public official will trust that God will give him the wisdom to lead.  Whatever it is that we need, we can rest assured that God already knows about it and will work in His timing.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

Hebrews 11: 1 NKJV 

I still remember it like it was yesterday.  I had seen my mother kneeling in prayer on the old couch in our living room.  Sometimes she would be crying, while others she would simply be silent.  I didn't realize until later the burden she felt in providing for her family.  One particular Christmas season was pretty tight financially, and I would come home from school to find her once again kneeling in front of the couch...quiet in prayer.  I also would not know until later in life how deep my mothers faith in God truly was.  Despite her circumstances, she believed that God would provide for her family.  The day before Christmas there was a knock at the door.  As my mother stood there, a total stranger handed her a envelope and walked away.  That envelope held $200 in cash.  Now, this was back in the 1970's, so $200 was a big thing.  The very first thing my mother did after closing the door was to pray.  Once again kneeling upon the old couch.  So I ask you, was it her constant prayers which finally persuaded God to help us?  Or, as I believe, was it her unshakable faith that if she came boldly to the throne of the Lord that He would honor her request?  I would mention that I have neither the time nor the patience for those institutional church embedded souls who swear up and down that our repeated prayers are needed in order to sway Gods favors.  The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians that our salvation IS NOT based upon our own works {Ephesians 2:8-9}.  I can pray "SAVE ME GOD!" ten million times and I would not end up any closer to knowing Christ than your average pagan world worshipper.  However, if I BELIEVE in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God, and that the Father indeed raised Him from the dead, then the Father is indeed in me{1 John 4:15}.  This isn't a matter of simply building up enough credits to buy our salvation, but in believing that through Christ Jesus we have it.  Once we can understand this, then we are truly living blessed.  

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Romans 10: 9 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Workplace Jesus

 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

It's been said that a person will spend a good amount of their lifetime away from home and at work.  Like it or not, if you are a working person, then you will spend most of your time either at your job or worrying about your job.  Of course, over time this leads to various conflicts with our employers and those we work with.  Some years ago I worked in a busy bus yard cleaning buses each night.  It was rough, but the money was good.  One of the best pieces of advice I got from someone who had been there longer than me was that there was a lot of people in the yard at one time, so I wouldn't get along with them all.  And I didn't.  I would give this same advice to anyone in the workplace, you're not going to get along with everyone.  No matter how difficult we try to be that nice guy, that religious guy or that guy who has no feelings, we won't get along with everyone.  Trust me, I've tried over the years.  I've seen my share of people who would go out of their way to make someone miserable.  Of course, I also noticed that it was these very people who were themselves miserable.  Coincidence?  There have been those times when I have felt inferior and low and have felt like making others feel the same way I did.  I get it.  But at the risk of digging up another Christian cliche, is this what Jesus would do?  For over time I've also come to realize that many of the conflicts we have in the workplace can come down to one issue...how we feel about ourselves.  It's no secret that if we feel sad or hurt or angry, that this also affects our own behavior.  When our behavior is affected, we may treat those around us wrong.  When that happens, conflicts arise.  Coincidence?  So, how is it that we can go through each day knowing in our hearts that we are good people?  How is it that we can start seeing those around us as the same good people?  Well, I will tell you that it all begins with Jesus.  That's right, Jesus is the center of how we see ourselves AND those around us.  If you've always thought that Jesus simply was there to save us from our sins, then you're in for a important discovery in your faith.  Yes, Jesus did save you from your sins, but He is also a intimate part of your life.  

"That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." 

John 17: 21 NKJV 

We cannot even begin to understand the intimate relationship we share with Christ until we understand the truth of who He is.  Is Jesus our Savior who died for our sins and after that ascended into heaven to be with the Father?  Yes, but this is only part of the truth of Jesus.  The apostle Paul speaks to the relationship we share with Jesus in Galatians.  It is Paul who speaks to Christ living in us {Galatians 2:20}.  If we understand the truth of Christ in us, then we also must understand that it is Jesus Himself who shares in every aspect of our life.  Yes, including our work life.  If we understand the truth of Christ Jesus, we began to see ourselves differently as well.  For if Jesus lives in us, then we are definitely not the person which we fear others see us as.  Of course, knowing the truth of Jesus also means that those we work with are definitely not the same people you might have thought they were either.  As Christians, we do not hold a monopoly on who it is that Jesus lives in.  The truth is, the Spirit of Jesus is in us all, there are those who simply choose not to recognize it.  The prayer of Jesus in the garden in John 17 gives us a glimpse into how Jesus Himself desires we see ourselves.  That we "All may be one" {John 17:21}.  As Jesus and the Father are one, so are we one with them.  This is something I've only come to realize over time.  The world will continue to try to spread the lie of the deceiver that we are not important to the Lord.  That we are but sinners.  Yet the truth of Christ Jesus assures us that it is He who now lives in us.

By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

1 John 4: 13 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Knowing Jesus

 

The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord."  So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."  And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them.  Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!"  Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands, and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.  Do not be unbelieving, but believing."  And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"  Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

John 20: 25 - 29 NKJV 

A coworker asked me this week, "Do you trust in Jesus?"  I think that he was half expecting the ages old Christian speech that I "believe" in Jesus, so he worded it a bit differently.  Without hesitation I said yes.  Then the real reason for his question came out.  He said, "I don't know if I could trust in someone I'd never met or could not see."  Wow.  Honestly, I didn't have a answer for him.  In my heart I know that Jesus is as real as anything I can see around me, but how is it that we relate this to those around us?  We might believe in Christ Jesus, but trust me there are a lot of doubting Thomas' out there in the world.  I know because I used to be among them.  I used to go to church every Sunday and chant the Christian mantra, all the while doubting in someone I could not even see.  This had nothing to do with knowing how Jesus feels for me, but everything to do with what I knew about Jesus at the time.  I know that Jesus loves me.  I know in my heart that He accepted my sin upon Himself that I would be saved {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  He accepted the burden which was meant for me.  Knowing this was the beginning of my knowing the Jesus I longed for.  I wasn't looking for a glorified Christ who constantly needed to be reminded of what He had done for me.  No, what I was searching for was a personal relationship with Jesus who would say to me, "Look what I have done for you."  Not seeking His own honor, Jesus gave Himself that all would be saved {John 3:16-17}.  All too often, we point people to the verse in John 3:16.  That God loved the world so much that He gave us His only Son.  All of that is true.  Yet we often disregard the next verse, which I believe is key to this passage.  That "The world through Him might be saved."  

We love Him because He first loved us.

1 John 4: 19 NKJV 

The verse which began to turn me to seeing Jesus in a different way was 1 John 4:19.  First John 4 speaks a lot to the Lords love for us.  We learn of the Lords one true nature {1 John 4:8}.  For those Christians who are stuck in the Old Testament belief of a angry, vengeful God I present to you 1 John 4:8.  What began to change the way I looked at Jesus was the knowing that I gave Him nothing, that He loved me for who I am.  It was Jesus' knowing that I was special and loved that drove Him to that  cross.  He knew that without Him I was guilty.  He understood that without Him I had no future.  Knowing all of this, He gave Himself for me.  Not that I had anything to ransom.  Not that my own  status guaranteed that He do what He did.  Jesus saw all that I was...and loved me in spite of it.  This was the Jesus I had been searching for.  The personal connection with Him I had been needing.  How wonderful a story where Jesus, knowing all there is to know about me, wraps me in His love.  In fact, Jesus loved me even before I first loved myself.  So, how is it that we tell others about this Jesus who loves all no matter what they have done?  We do just that, we tell everyone that we can.  When the world looks upon us and sees what wonders which Christ has worked, they will naturally be curious.  We simply need to tell them what we already know in our own hearts...that we love Him because He first loved us. 

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

1 John 4: 8 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

What's In A Name?

 

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 

Exodus 20: 7     NKJV 

I was listening this week to a radio preacher go through his tour of the Old Testament and the ten commandments.  As he did, I felt that sting of guilt once more.  I was once again reminded of where I had been, and what I had done.  Granted, the intent of the Lords commandments is not to make the children He loves so much feel guilty, but to provide His guidance.  That guidance has apparently been lost on me for awhile.  See, I have this habit that where I pronounce certain words in times of anger and frustration.  I know that we've all been there, but I was once again reminded of my faults by a hack radio preacher.  Do I do this maliciously?  Not at all.  I've simply gotten into the habit, as many others have, of saying certain things in certain situations.  I get it.  The good news for me is that this means that I can certainly retrain my habits.  But that's not the point of todays post.  Today I venture the question, what's in a name?  What is it about a name that would make us desire to never bring shame to it?  What is it about the very name of the Lord that should make us hold it in such high esteem that speaking ill of it would bring about feelings of guilt?  Well, if we take a look into who exactly God is we soon realize how very important He is to us.  He is God, the creator of the universe and all we will ever know and see {Genesis 1:1}.  He is God, who loved me enough to create me in His own image {Genesis 1:27}.  He is God, who loved me enough to redeem me that His Son would come to be in me {Galatians 2:20}.  He is God, and His name is above all names.  He is God our provider.  He is God our protector.  He is...God.  For these reasons, the name of the Lord should be uttered by me in love and never in happenstance.  The name of the Lord should never be a substitute to somehow make my conversations seem that much more important.  The Lords name should never be used to add emphasis to any situation.  He is God.  

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

1 John 4: 15 NKJV 

I find it hard to believe that we hold the name of our families above the name of the Lord, but it's true.  I have seen many times where someone took it as a personal offense when someone disparaged their family name.  However, they would be the first ones to let the name of the Lord slip past their lips in a not so gracious manner.  Should we believers be at all concerned by our casual uses of Gods name?  I think so.  If a radio preacher speaking on not using the Lords name in vain can make me feel the twinge of guilt, imagine what he's doing to the average Christian out there.  Yet, I don't feel that we should revere the name of the Lord out of guilt or shame.  That's no longer part of our life {Romans 8:1}.  The way I see it, we should revere the name of the Lord because of what He has already done in us and through us.  We love Him because He first loved us {1 John 4:19}.  We love Him because He has made our sin a past tense in our lives {Romans 6:6}.  We love Him for His Son who now lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  Is our love for the Lord any different for the love we feel for our own families who at one time or another provided for us?  Yet our families will never be able to provide for us what the Lord has already done.  Our love and reverence for Him should reflect our one true heart for Him.  He is God our provider.  He is God our Savior.  He is God.  

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  

Philippians 2: 9 - 11 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Our True Heart

 

And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Genesis 6: 6 NKJV 

Growing up in a single parent home for much of my younger years, you would think that I would have been a terror for my mother to deal with.  Well, since many of the archives are still classified, I will say that I had my moments for sure.  One of those moments occurred after school one October day.  I remember the time of year because it was near to my birthday.  Now, growing up I hung out with a few...questionable kids.  This day, as my mother and I walked through a local store, I decided to procure a early birthday gift without my mom, or the store clerks knowledge.  It wasn't malicious in nature at all, as I cried all the way home knowing how it would make my mom feel.  Yes, she marched me back to the store to apologize to the clerk and return the item, but I was more saddened by how it made her feel.  In fact, there were many times I would stop and think about what I was about to do weighing it against how my mother would feel about what I had done.  Believe me, this is a powerful feeling.  I was thinking on this the other day as I was contemplating the many of us, myself included, carry with us.  That being using the Lords name in vain.  Now, as a Christian you might not put much stock in this as a bad behavior, but do you think that God feels the same way?  Do you think that God simply laughs it off each and every time one of His children uses His holy name in vain?  I don't think so.  As I wrestle with my own words used in times of anger and frustration, I need to weigh it against how God feels in His heart when I do these things.  Wait wait wait...God has a heart?  Yes!  This is revealed to us through scripture.  In Genesis 6, we're told that the Lord was grieved in His heart over the behaviors of man He created {Genesis 6:6}.  We are created in His very image, therefore we have a heart as well {Genesis 1:27}.  You could say that Gods heart...is our one true heart.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

In order to see the Lords heart as our one true heart we first need to understand how it is that God...could be in us.  In fact, some Christians might very well turn their backs to this idea as false teaching.  The apostle Paul speaks to the idea of Christ Jesus in him in Galatians.  It is Paul who speaks to Christ Jesus in him {Galatians 2:20}.  This wasn't simply a passing feeling for Paul, for he knew from personal experience the life changing presence of Jesus.  It was Jesus Himself whom Saul met on that road to Damascus.  It was Jesus who led Saul into the city where his life transformation began.  I trust that Paul knows of what he speaks.  Let us say for all intents and purposes that what Paul has spoken to us is true.  That Christ Jesus indeed lives in us.  That the former life we once had was put to death on the cross of Christ {Romans 6:6}.  Now all that is left in us...is Jesus.  It is His heart which is now our own.  The true heart.  Knowing this, how do you feel when you feel your behaviors have fallen short?  Are you worried about what others around you might think?  Or, following His true heart in you, are you sad when the heart of the Lord is grieved?  Do you regret those moments when God was hurt over what we've done?  I have done some serious contemplating of this.  I would not say that we need to change, as that would mean that we need to change from being Jesus.  That simply isn't true.  I believe that what we need to do is to realize the heart of the Lord which each of us has within us.  Once we do that, we will be more in tune with the life He desires for us.

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives. He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Looking For Jesus

 

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath and all things.  And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."

Acts 17: 24 - 27 NKJV 

Where is it that you look for the Lord?  Is it in church?  Do you seek Him in a that arena where you went to that revival men's conference that one time?  Wherever it is that you look for God, I can tell you that if it is man made, you're barking up the wrong tree.  I had a friend who once bragged about going to "Gods house" on Sunday mornings as if he half expected to meet and greet the Lord there.  Now, if this is what he expected, then I have no quarrel with that.  People will believe what they choose to believe in life.  However, when it comes to seeking God, we may want to keep one thing in mind.  That is, we've been going about it so wrong for so long.  As Christians, we have been taught that God indeed resides in His houses of worship.  The Israelites believed also that God resided in the inner sanctums of their temples which they constructed to worship Him.  It would seem logical right?  Gods presence in the midst of His people coming to know about Him.  Now, this may be true in some circumstances.  God indeed may be in the presence of His houses of worship.  My point is that we should not expect this to be the case for all churches.  Years ago, I would feel almost empty when I was outside of the church, as if God was far away from me.  That feeling always began to manifest itself as the weekly Sunday morning church service began to wind down.  I would soon be out of Gods house and step into a wicked world once again.  Sadly, many believers still see their spiritual lives in this way.  The church is the be all end all in their search for all things God.  

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2: 10 NKJV 

Have you ever wondered, or prayed, where you could find God?  I have.  I remember feeling frustrated that the love and forgiveness of the Lord seemed to be bypassing me as I walked out of church every Sunday.  It never failed, I could walk into church with all the confidence of a good Christian soldier only to have my hopes failed by a pulpit pounders sermon on unresolved sin issues.  How could I ever find God?  Well, it turns out that I was looking for Him in the wrong place.  The apostle Paul tells us that God does not dwell in temples made with hands {Acts 17:24}.  He also reminds us that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works {Ephesians 2:10}.  But the groundbreaking passage which Paul speaks to where we truly should look for God comes to us from Galatians.  Here, Paul describes his own identity not as a Christian believer...but as Christ Jesus who lives in him {Galatians 2:20}.  That's right, instead of looking to a man made structure to seek the Lord, we should be fixing our eyes within ourselves.  For it is God who has given us life {Genesis 1:27}.  As Joseph and Mary searched for a young Jesus in the city of Jerusalem and eventually asked Him where He had been, He replied that He had "Been about His Fathers business" {Luke 2:49}.  Why would things be any different today?  Isn't Jesus still about His Fathers business?  If you were to ask Jesus, what do you think His answer would be as to where you can find Him?  I have a hint...start by looking within. 

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

~Scott~