In His Word 11-16-09

Do you want to sin?


There are times in our lives when we sin without thinking, like when I see a Ford Escape drive by me on the freeway and I covet it. Or when I stuff myself with just one more slice of pizza even though I am full. I sin. Or when I do not do what God wants me to do and I know I should have done it. I sin. Oh, but those are small sins, aren’t they? They are not important. Right?

Wrong! All sin is sin. God does not look on one sin as greater than or less than the others. To Him all sin is sin. We all are sinners.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful humanity to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in human flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.        Romans 8:1-4.

So why bother? Why do we try to be good if we are all sinners? God has given us His grace and mercy and this has made it possible for us to ask for forgiveness anytime, any day, anywhere we are. That doesn’t mean we should go and sin and then ask for forgiveness just because we know that we can. Paul talks about that in Romans 8 and 9. We need to be careful that we are not dominated by our sinful nature but instead that we dominate it.

How can we dominate our sinful nature? You can probably guess my answer; get in His Word and pray. Get in God’s presence every day and you will lose the desire to sin.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate (think) on these things. Philippians 4:8

Fill your heart and mind with the right things to "think on" and you will lose the desire to covet what someone else has. Count your blessings; literally name them off when you feel like complaining or murmuring about how rotten life is. After all, when we go through tough situations we are learning to deal with things, we are building character. Changing our stinking thinking to a sweet smelling savor pleasing and acceptable to God the Father will indeed make our focus off of the desire to sin, and onto being the person He wants us to become.

Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. Philippians 4:18

We really need to know Him to know the peace that passes understanding. Only when we are controlling our sinful nature, with the Holy Spirit to guide us can we truly please Him. We cannot control it ourselves either, the only way we can control the sinful man is with the Spirit of God.

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. James 1:22-24

Study the Word, do the Word, live the Word, walk in His Word.

Dear Heavenly Father, Help us today to focus our thoughts on you. Help us to do your will in our lives, in our hearts even, not our own selfish desires. Help us to truly make your desire the desire of our hearts. In Jesus' name, amen.

Suggested readings: Romans 8:all, Romans 9:all, Philippians 4:all, Psalm 37:40 and Matthew 6:1-21.

In His Word 11-9-09

Are you a trusted servant?

Be ready and keep your lamps burning just like those servants who wait up for thier master to return from a wedding feast. As soon as he comes and knocks they open the door for him. Servants are fortunately if their master finds them awake and ready when he comes! I promise you that he will get ready ad have his servants sit down so he can serve them. Luke 12:35-37

If we are servants of Christ I am wondering what kind of servants we are. I was thinking the other day about the people to whom the Lord will say, “Depart from me I never knew you…,” and wondering how we can be sure that we know Him. More correctly I should probably ask, how can we be sure that He knows us?

We have recently studied about knowing Him. To know Him is to know Love, and if we do not love one another then we do not love Him, because God is love. How do we really know that He knows us? We are known by our fruit, and we hear His voice (His sheep hear His voice). These are the evidences that He is at work in our lives, that we produce the fruit of the Spirit. This leads me to believe that if we are producing good fruits of the Spirit then we are showing Him to be present in our lives.

If He is present in our lives then He must indeed know us. In which case, we are known by Him and according to the scriptures He is our Master and our Lord. If Jesus is our Lord and master we are then His servants! Being servants, we need to be ready. We need to keep our lights burning and our voices ready to spread the Word! What is our motivation for serving the Lord? Why do we want to be servants of the Most High God? Is it to please man?

And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.” But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’”?
2 Chronicles 10:7-9

Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Matthew 6:1-3

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Romans 8:7-9

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

How do we know if we are pleasing God or if we are pleasing our flesh? Duh! That one is an easy question, because our fleshly man is all about self. But how can we know that we are pleasing God instead of just pleasing man?

Our fleshly man wants to please our self. We want to do what we want, but we need to do what God wants us to do and be content with it. We are pleasing God if we are looking to what He wants for us. Looking to Him for guidance will make this come easier than if we just try and figure things out for ourselves. Still, if we try and work our way into His grace, we will fail. We are saved by grace through faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So we hear the Word, and learn how to follow after Christ and do as He says in the Word each day. When we do this we will know that we are serving Him out of Godly motives and not fleshly motives, when we put Him first.

So I need to ask myself, do I want to bring this meal to my neighbor because then my neighbor will think I am wonderful or do I want to bring this meal to my neighbor because she is in need? Who will get the glory? Will it be me or God? That is the true test, who do we want to get the praise for a job well done?

I am not saying it does not feel good to hear, “great job Teresa,” but when God gets the glory for something it is better. I know that all things work for good in my life through His work in my life. Therefore, when I am serving Him in my deeds, then I know not only am I bringing Him glory and praise. I am walking in the walk He wants me to.

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:8-13

We need to live our lives knowing that in all things we are content; that whatever He has us do, whether it is to take out the trash, or to serve a hot meal, or to speak a godly message, it's all for Him. We are only the tools of the Shepherd.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for guiding us and directing our paths. Thank you for leading us where we should go and allowing us to serve You and Your people. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Suggested Readings: Philippians 4:1-all; 2 Corinthians 4: 1-18; 1 Corinthians 1:1-31; Romans 8:1-39; and Luke 12-all.

A Walk In the Word Bible Study -Genesis Chapter 1

A Walk in the Word 

Chapter 1

Genesis –The book of beginnings.

Tradition suggests that Moses is the Author of Genesis, and it was written in about 1440 B. In the beginning God gives us a major lesson on how to start any project and how to work progressively through life step by step. Notice that He did not just suddenly ‘poof’ everything into being, it was one type after that type, one kind after its kind that was created. Our Lord God thought things through before He began taking that first step.

Begin reading in Genesis, Chapter 1:1-31 then we will discuss what God did and how in more detail.

1. Why do you think God took the time to look over the work He had done after each day?

2. How can this be a model for us?

3. Consider the order of creation. Was this perhaps a logical choice? Consider our human needs, air, water, and food, in this answer.

4. Notice how God spoke things into being, how can we use this in our lives today? Think about what type of an example was He giving us? (He could have snapped His fingers, but yet He breathed life, and spoke things into existence.)

5. As He went through step by step creating our world, Father God made provisions for each thing to reproduce itself in some way, and for them also to help one another in existence. What did He create to help man, other than woman?

6. Looking at the following words, what do they mean and why do you think God chose them? (These three words are found in Gen.1: 14,26 and 28)

• Subdue

• Dominion

• Firmament

7. Whom did God put in charge over everything on earth? What was he to do with it?

In His Word 11-2-09

“Lord, I did what you said but…”

Samuel also said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD… Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” 1 Samuel 15:1 and 13

And he said to him, “Speak on.” So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?” And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.” So  Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

1 Samuel 15:16-22

Saul was rejected as king because he did not follow God’s commands anymore. I was asked about someone being a Christian the other day. My answer was, “Kind of.” Then after thinking I answered again, “Well, yes but he has not grown.” I think Saul was focused on God when he was first made king. He was obedient to the Father, not to the people’s cries. He did not grow closer to God and listen to Him and so he sinned against God.

The biggest mistake he made was in trying to please everyone. He had thoughts like, “The people won’t like me if I don’t give them what they want." That is what brought him down. If we read his story through we will find that it brings him to the point of disaster and death. He who was a wonderful king, who loved God in the beginning, seems to have forgotten his first love. He began to love himself more than God. This is evident in that he was more concerned with his own praise than what God had told him to do.

That is what we do when we choose to ignore God’s commands or direction in our lives. We choose to love ourselves more than God.

Why do I say that?

If we love God we know God. When we know God we choose to spend time with Him listening to Him and jumping up to obey when He directs our lives and walk with Christ. If we do not listen to His direction we are putting our own desires over the Lord’s. I don’t think we always recognize that we are saying that we are more important than God but that is pretty much what Saul was doing and it is in truth what we are doing.

He put the desires of the people he was supposed to be guiding in God’s direction before God Himself when he allowed them to bring back some things and “fixed it” by calling them a sacrifice.

When we choose to disobey God, or even what we may consider to put him off for a while we will reap the consequences for our poor choices. That does not mean God loves us any less but that we are showing God that we do not honor Him.

Now maybe that’s not even what we were thinking, but it is what we are showing Him is in our hearts.

Forever remember that God knows our hearts, not only our thoughts but our deepest stuff; feelings, emotions, doubts, worries, things that we do not even think about all that often, but are there just the same. God knows when we are troubled over something and that the problem is keeping us from doing His will. Our job is to go to Him with it.

Saul would have done better to tell them men to slaughter the animals and destroy the carcasses as well as any other plunder. As rigid as it may seem if he had killed everyone back then the change would have resulted in a better life for the Israelites.

The sins of Saul have left their effects on today’s Jews! They continue to fight enemies of the past. If they would only turn to God and see what His will really is for them and follow after Him again, for good this time, all would be peaceful.

Saul set a precedent for the men to follow. He allowed them to commit the sin of disobedience to God. So it was not just himself who was affected.

When we do not do what God has ordained, called, or directed us to do we can cause others to stumble.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-11

When we come to Christ, invite Him into our lives, ask Him into our hearts, give our lives to Him; we make a choice to put His will over ours. We begin a life of getting to know Him more, and more so that we do not have to wonder if we are doing His will, but that we automatically can say to the person who asks us to do more than we should, “No, I am sorry I cannot do this.” When we can say that and have peace in our hearts and minds then we know we are following His will.

When we do not follow God’s design for our lives we are not walking in the Truth, instead we are shortsighted because all we see is our way. We will stumble ourselves if we keep trying to do it on our own. We have to bring God into every situation, because after all He is already there. Wherever we go; there He is!

If we follow the scripture in Peter we see that we don’t become instantly there, but we add to our perseverance godliness and with that we can add brotherly kindness and to that love. It’s not all at once, but as we grow closer to God through prayer and reading the Word, and worshiping Him not only in the congregation but alone in our car or home. That is when we will add to our faith and redeem the qualities God wants to give us, the patience and perseverance in times that seem tough, the ability to truly rejoice and to thank God in all things. The Word of God tells us in everything give thanks not for all things.

If Saul had chosen to follow God over the people around him, he would have added to Him these things, bit by bit, day by day. He would have been the “man after God’s own heart” that David was. That same man we can become today. Don’t you want your epitaph to say “She/he was a woman/man after God’s own heart?” I do. I want those I leave behind when I go on to Heaven with my Lord to know how to find Him, to love Him, to follow Him if by nothing else than watching me. It is the desire of my heart to worship and adore Him, to bow down to my King and put His will, His dreams, His direction ahead of my own.

Still just as I am human I fight it. I want what I want, and sometimes that is not what God would have me do. It is those times that I give over to God that I am the most blessed though and more and more I am learning to give in to Him first, selfishness last.

The desires of my friends and even other so called godly people can stop us from following our call. Even when they mean well as the soldiers who fought did, and Saul could have justified his actions with the fact that the men needed something for morale, but God would have blessed Him so much if he has only said, “No.”

“But Lord, my friends’ neeeeeeed this, or they really waaaaaaant me to do the other… I know you said no but it sounds like something I could do, something I would like to do, something I could get gratification from!” No. When God says no, we need to listen. When God says go, we need to go. We need to obey His commands and no longer put ourselves before Him.

Oh, if we are putting our desires before God are we not making ourselves gods? Anything we put before God is an idol.

Dear Heavenly Father, help each of us today to hear your voice and obey it. Help us not to doubt Your voice is yours but to know you well enough to hear your voice just as Your sheep should. Then give us that little nudge to remind us to follow your will, not others desires. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Suggested readings: 1 Samuel 15:1-34, 2 Peter 1:1-21, 2 Peter 3:1-17,and Hebrews 10:all.