word

Head Or Tail

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Deuteronomy 28:13
“And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.”

This verse makes me think of a high school performance where two students are selected to play the horse. One lucky young man gets to be the head, while the other is stuck behind him as the tail.

Moses used this visual to remind Israel of the importance of obedience to the Word of God. He explained that if the people chose to live in accordance with the teachings of Scripture, they would find that their life would be richly blessed. At the same time, if they chose to ignore the Word, and do life their own way, they would miss out on that blessing, and face difficulties God never intended for them to endure.

Every day we face challenges that force us to either look to Scripture for direction or choose to do what we think is right. When we apply the principles of the Word of God, they will always bring about blessing, even if it seems impossible. Jesus told an interesting parable regarding the value and power of the Word of God. He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how” (Mark 4:26-27). In other words, the Word of God will always do what it is designed to do, even if we don’t understand how. When a marriage is failing and a couple begins to look to Scripture and apply its truths to heir relationship, God will do the miraculous. When an individual is struggling to walk with the Lord and begins to invest the Word into his daily life, God will do a miracle. We do not need to understand how the Word works, we just need to be faithful to do it; and we will find ourselves being the head, instead of the tail.

Pastor Jim

 

Foot Washing

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John 13:10 
“He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean;…”

Living in Israel at the time of Christ, it was impossible to walk the streets of Jerusalem without getting dirty. Open-toed sandals in a desert climate made for dirty streets and dirty feet. One solution was the custom of foot washing. Whenever a guest entered a home, the host was responsible for ensuring that the feet of the guest were washed. When Jesus gathered with the disciples for the Passover meal, he took on the role of the host, and began to wash their feet. As expected, Peter had something to say about the actions of Jesus. First he resisted, to which Jesus explained,

“If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

In response, Peter replied,

“Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

To which Jesus said,

“He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean;…”

The washing of the disciples’ feet serves as a great example of serving one another, but it also illustrates something about the Christian walk. Just as it was impossible to walk the streets of Jerusalem and not get dirty feet, so it is impossible to live in our world and not get a little dirty. Even when we determine to live committed to Christ, we come into contact with things that defile us, and even trigger the desires of the flesh. It might happen sitting in a waiting room, glancing down at a magazine with a seductive photo on the cover; or in the break room at work, when someone decides to share a crude or off-color joke. One way or another, we get the mud of the world on us.

The solution is not to isolate ourselves completely from the world. After all, Jesus sent us into the world as witnesses of the resurrection. No, the solution is foot washing. I am not speaking of reinstating the custom of washing feet, but of what I believe it represents in our walk with God. Paul spoke to the Ephesians about “The washing of water by the Word of God” (Ephesians 5:26). God’s Word has a cleansing effect in our lives. When we get the muck of the world splattered on us, the solution is to sit down and let God’s Word wash it away. How refreshing it is to sit with our Bibles, and allow him to give our minds a cleansing.

Just as there is no better way to start the day than with God’s Word, there is also no better way to end the day.

Pastor Jim

 

His Word, Our Lives

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John 10:21
“Others said, ‘These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’”

Those struggling to determine if Jesus is truly the Son of God and Savior of man, are influenced by both His words, and the lives of those who believe in Him. Certainly, the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, but the believer is the light of the world, casting light upon the Gospel of God. Jesus exhorts us to let our light shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify God (Matthew 5:16).

It has been my experience that people are most often drawn to the Lord by the lives of others. One family member, co-worker, or friend influences another, and that influence creates a willingness to listen to the Word of God. The more we allow Jesus to impact our life, the greater influence we will have on lives around us. Many of the great works Jesus did in the lives of individuals, were the result of their exercising extreme faith. They believed God to do the impossible in their lives, and the result was impossible things were accomplished. Maybe today it is time to trust that God will do in you what cannot be done any other way. Perhaps you have been struggling with drinking, smoking, pornography, gossip, or some other sin that is holding you back. If that is the case, why not exercise extreme faith; trust God to help you overcome. Not only will you find victory in your personal life, but you will have a testimony that will draw others to the Words of Christ, the very Words that are capable of saving the soul.

Let’s live out loud!

Pastor Jim

 

This Is Wisdom

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Deuteronomy 4:6
“Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’”

Life is a lot like a journey on a road we have never traveled before. We often face forks in the road without clear signage, and are left to do our best to make a good decision. If there is one thing we need in life, it is wisdom. Webster’s dictionary defines wisdom as “the ability to discern” and “good sense.” We might best understand it as, “knowing what to do.” In life, we often face challenges we do not have answers for, and we need wisdom.

Naturally speaking, wisdom comes from personal experience or the experience of others. If I touch a hot stove and burn my finger, I learn not to touch hot stoves. Or, if I listen to the advice of someone who has burned his finger, I can avoid the same fate. The Bible declares that wisdom also comes from the Word and the Spirit.

Paul declared, all wisdom and knowledge is hidden in Christ (Colossians 2:3). James went on to add, if we lack wisdom we can ask God and He will provide it generously (James 1:5). It is Moses who declares how it is provided. Referring to the Word of God, Moses declared “this is your wisdom.” He added, when we put into practice the teaching of the Word, the unbelieving world will be astonished by our great wisdom. This might not happen over night, but as you daily walk with the Lord, putting His Word into practice in your life, you will develop a life that is honoring to God, abundant for you, and works as a light drawing others to Christ.

The key to wisdom is walking in the Word. Whatever you are facing, look into the Word for answers. As you apply the teaching of Scripture to your marriage, family, occupation, finances, free time, attitude, etc., you will find you are filled with the wisdom of God.

Pastor Jim

 

Mysteries Of God

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Mark 4:11
“To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God”

IMG_1410Paul wrote in1 Corinthians 2:14,

“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.”

In other words, before we receive Christ, the things of God remain a mystery to us. While we are capable of reading the words on the page, we do not truly understand the ways of God. However, the moment we put our faith in Christ for salvation, we are born again. The Spirit of God enters into us and we come alive to God. Spiritual things that had no meaning to us before, begin to make sense. Again let’s let Paul explain,

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”

God reveals Himself and His ways through the Spirit, and in the Word. It is because the Spirit of God rests within you that John writes,

1 John 2:27 “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

John is not saying teachers or teaching is unnecessary, but that the same Spirit who resides in the pastor or Bible teacher, resides in you; the same God who opens the Word and makes it alive to them, will make it alive to you. The psalmist put it like this:

Psalms 119:99 “I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.”

If all that is true, then why does so much of the Bible still evade us? Why are there so many things that still remain in the realm of “mystery” to us? I think the key may be found in the response the disciples had when Jesus first made this statement.

“And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.” Mark 4:34

Jesus spoke something that was puzzling to them. Rather than gathering together to discuss what they all thought it meant, which they did that on other occasions to no avail, they got alone with Jesus and listened to more of His Words. That, my friends, is the secret! If we want to understand the mysteries of God, we must frequent the Throne of Grace. We must follow the pattern of the twelve and get alone with Him. These mysteries will not unfold to us by getting alone with our own thoughts or meditations, they will not be uncovered by simply discussing them with one another, if we want to truly understand the ways of God, we must get alone with the Word of God. It is time we make His meditations our delight. Then it will be said of us, as it was of Moses:

Psalms 103:7 “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.”

Pastor Jim