Parable of the Talents pt. 2

This is part two of two posts on the Parable of the Talents. You can read the first part here.

I asked some questions last time, and here I will lay out what I believe the answers are. But remember, do your own study, come to your own conclusions.

Who is the lord? God.

Who are the servants? Christians. Not all believe this. I have heard it preached that the foolish servant was not a believer. I don't agree because in verse 14 you see the lord called his own servants. This reminds me of Romans 8:28. These are the called. These are the lord's servants, the unsaved are not serving God. And God is not lord of the unsaved.

What is a talent? A talent was a measure of weight used back in Bible times. This was a weight of gold or silver given to these servants. This is why I have always heard this passage taught in the context of financial stewardship, but I believe this has a broader application. I believe that the word talent means just that--a talent or a gift. There are many, many passages that refer to gifts God has given us. Some that come to my mind are Romans 12:6, I Corinthians 7:7, I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 3:7, Ephesians 6:7-8, I Timothy 4:14, II Timothy 1:6, I Peter 4:10, Proverbs 18:16. God has given you a gift, or gifts. What have you done with them?

What does this parable mean? This parable illustrates the Bema Seat of Christ. The Bema Seat in Roman times was the seat of judgment. Jesus was brought before the Bema Seat to see Pilate (Matthew 27 & John 19), and Paul was brought before the Bema Seat to see Gallio, in Achaia, and Festus, in Caesarea. We will all stand before the Judgment (Bema) Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10 & II Corinthians 5:10). I believe this is what I Corinthians 3:9-15 is referring to. Our works will be judged, but our spirit's will not. That was done when Christ hung on the cross. All sin was judged when He took the penalty. This is about rewards.


What is the outer darkness? I have always heard this referred to as hell. Some will teach that the servant that buried the talent wasn't really saved and is sent to hell. Others will teach that all were saved, but the servant that buried his talent lost his salvation, and thus was sent to hell. But I present a third option to you.

Outer darkness in Greek is exoteros skotos and it means simply the darkness outside. Charles Stanley, Kenneth Wuest, Erwin Lutzer, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, and Warren Wiersbe all agree this is not hell. Thayer's Greek/English Lexicon says that the outer darkness is "the darkness outside the limits of the lighted palace." Kenneth Wuest in his Expanded Translation of the Greek New Testament said, "The outer darkness is the darkness that is outside of the King's banqueting house." That is very interesting to me, in light of what I presented about the Parable of the Virgins and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. You can read about that in this post.

What does weeping and gnashing of teeth mean? This phrase has always sounded so strange to me. Obviously the weeping part is simple--it is weeping. And gnashing of teeth means profound regret.

So, is the outer darkness a place apart from God's light and joy, where we will weep and feel profound regret? IF...we do not steward the gifts and talents that God has given us? Remember that Revelation 21:4 says that God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. Why are they crying?

Whatever it is, it is not a place of punishment. Remember Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus." Are you in Christ? If so, you have nothing to fear. All sin was judged at the cross. If you have accepted the work that Christ did on your behalf, God has forgiven you of your sin, and therefore you cannot be punished.

Book Review: Sun Stand Still

Do you want to know what faith is? Do you want to know what faith is capable of? Is your faith capable of commanding the sun to stand still in the sky?

Sound arrogant? Sound like another "name it and claim it" type book? Sound irreverent and manipulative?

I have to admit, I thought all those things before I read this book. I thought it would be a lot of hype and not a lot of substance. I thought it would be a lot of hope, without much real talk of faith.

Boy was I wrong!

"Faith isn't just a 'Get Out of Hell Free' Card." This quote is from chapter one. This quote had my bias quavering.

"It's not about thinking you can get God in your back pocket so that you can manipulate Him for your own purposes." I read this in chapter two. Okay, I'm setting aside my bias and getting very interested.

Right from chapter one the emphasis was more on serving God, rather than "what can God do for me."

The core passage Steven Furtick uses throughout the book is Joshua 10. This is an awesome story of Joshua leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. This chapter details the third battle they had to fight, in Gibeon. The detail that makes this story so great is found in verses 12 and 13. Joshua commanded the sun to stand still in the sky, so his army could keep on fighting. Subsequently, they won the battle. What an audacious (a word Furtick uses often) thing to do!

Furtick explains that we, too, can pray "Sun Stand Still" prayers.

"The same power that stopped the sun and raised Christ from the grave lives in every believer." Amen!

He explains it starts with having a vision--a plan or goal. "If the dream in your heart isn't biblically based, focused on Jesus, affirmed by the key people in your life, and tethered to your passions, gifts, and life experiences, chances are, you're way off prompt." People perish for lack of vision. Proverbs 29:18 KJV

God has a purpose for each one of us. "Seizing His big purpose for your life is not just about figuring out what God wants from you and getting down to business. It's also about becoming intimately acquainted with who Jesus is. It's about mining the depths of who you are in Him. And out of that revelation, you will fulfill the purpose that He put you on the earth to fulfill." Amen and amen!!!

He emphasizes this is not something you do in your own strength. And I love that, because John 15:5 says without Jesus we can do nothing.

And this isn't just for pastors and leaders. "There are certain phrases I'd like to see permanently banned from our Christian vocabulary. The one that sets me off the most is 'full-time ministry'."

He connects real-life experiences, like playing with his son in the ocean, and his wife delivering one of their babies, to foundational concepts of God's kingdom, making this book very easy to read and understand.

But what about being arrogant with God? "Confidence without humility is arrogance. Humility without confidence is weakness." Furtick explains how we can come boldly before God and ask for things that are according to His will. See Hebrews 4:16 and I John 5:14.

"Audacious faith is more than an attitude. It's much more than simply believing in yourself and what you are capable of. True faith is founded on what you believe about God and what he is capable of."

Furtick definitely has a very different personality than me, and it comes through in his writing, but the core message is the same as I preach on my blog. Dig into God's Word, find out what His will is for your life, without faith it's impossible to please God, and faith without works is dead! His theology is practically spot-on, with one exception. In chapter 13 he implies that healing may not be God's will for everyone. I have to disagree with this point.

Check this book out, you won't be sorry you did. You can buy it on Amazon.com and Walmart.com.

Click here to read chapter one.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Chewing Gum

Would you give up gum for God?

But wait, we're not under the law!

We try to pull so far away from the Mosaic law, that the attitude ends up being, "Hey! I can do such and such, the Bible doesn't say I can't!" People ask the common question of how far is too far. How much can I get away with and still be a Christian. How much can I do and still get into heaven.

First things first, we are NOT justified (saved) by ANY work that we do, it was entirely paid for by Christ AND we do not keep our salvation by ANY work that we do, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. However, that does not mean there is nothing to obey. Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to the Father, to the point of death, on the cross. (Philippians 2:8) Did you know that He didn't have to do it, He had a choice to obey or not? I'm so glad He did obey.

This falls under the category of sanctification. That is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. This is about your soul. Your spirit was recreated brand-new at the new birth, but your soul was not. Your soul takes a lifetime to be changed (Philippians 1:6). Some submit to this change more readily than others, and as such, we have some Christians that are matured and are walking in victory and are able to minister to others, and then we have some that the world can't really tell are saved.

This sanctification process is purely done by the Holy Spirit, we take no credit whatsoever, but we are involved in submitting to it. Submission--that is a word many people don't like to hear. It has negative connotations. We don't like being told what to do. My own five-year-old told us a few months ago that she couldn't wait to grow up, because then no one could tell her what to do. This was said very matter-of-fact, and not in a rebellious, reactive tone. It was funny to us, but we explained to her that every single one of us is under authority at all times. We don't reach a place in life where we are free from that. You may be under the authority of a husband, a boss, a pastor, the law/government of your country, and always God.

So when I ask if you would give up gum for God, I really mean, are you fully, whole-heartedly submitted to Him, to do His will, in all things, whether it is specifically spelled out in scripture or not.

So many want to question the alcohol issue. Rather than thinking of yourself, think of others. Will it ruin your witness if you have a drink? Will it cause someone around you to stumble? (Romans 14:21) Will it lead you to temptation, perhaps to overindulge, or fall in another area? You are more likely to give in to things when your senses are dulled.

What about movies? It seems we all have our standard and those that watch worse than us, we judge, those that don't watch what we watch are prudes. Our standard should be the Bible, not our own made-up rule. See Philippians 4:8 and Proverbs 13:20 fits, too. What are you filling your mind with? The mind is transformed by whatever it is filled with, good or bad. (Romans 12:2 is an example of the good.) We felt convicted a few years ago to cut way, way back on movies. We don't go around telling everyone they are sinning for watching movies. That is called legalism. If it comes up in conversation I will tell a friend what we have decided. Sometimes it makes an impact, other times not. That is between them and God, not them and me.

One question in these extra-biblical areas is dependence. Do you rely on, look to, and/or crave such and such more than God? This can apply to a lot of things, food, coffee, alcohol, music, video games, books, shopping, hanging out with certain friends, and on and on. This may sound really strange, but that's what music was for me, for a very, very long time. Music was my escape. I always reached for music when I was feeling down. I depended on it to bring peace and joy to my life. I don't so much anymore. It wasn't that I decided to use my willpower and break this in my life, I didn't make any rules for myself, but rather as I study God's Word more and more and learn His ways and learn of His character, it is easier and easier to trust Him, and I find myself less and less reaching for my music. I will put on music now simply for praise and worship, to focus on Him, no longer myself. Very occasionally I will put on some music just for fun. I don't go around telling others not to listen to music, this is just between me and God. It was my heart that was in the wrong.

I love what Mark Driscoll said once, that we have liberties, but some of us need to give up those liberties. It's not about nitpicking over whether the Bible allows it, the question really is, does God want you doing it. In order to be conformed to the image of Christ, you are going to have to shed some things. (Romans 8:29) The Bible says not to be conformed to this world. (Romans 12:2) Jesus is trying to prune you, so that you can bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

This brings me to my post the other day on John 15:5. We cannot do any of these things in our own power, it is only through Christ's power. So, I ask you again, would you give up gum for God? If He asks you to, He will give you the ability to.

Functional or Dysfunctional

Functional comes from the root word function, meaning the natural or proper action of anything. Dysfunctional then means the opposite, the unnatural or improper action of anything. We see dysfunction all around us in this world, families with dead-beat dads, people in codependent relationships, enablers, manipulators, parents having to take care of adult children, grandparents having to care for grandchildren because the parents are not capable, and on and on and on. Relationships that are unnatural and improper.

We are so accustomed to dysfunction that we let it carry over into our relationship with God. Is your relationship with God unnatural and improper?


Q -

1. Do you go to church because of whom you're married to, or dating, or because your parents make you?

2. Are you in a relationship with God as long as the going is smooth, but once it gets rough, you bail?

3. Do you read your Bible to feel good?

4. Do you go to church to get an emotional high?

5. Do you put your trust in any person (spouse?) or thing (job?) more than God?

6. Do you ask others for prayer, because you feel their faith is stronger than yours?

7. Do you seek out encouragement from others to pull you out of your discouragement?

8. Do you pray only when you have a problem?

9. Is your faith based on tradition or conviction?

10. Are you content to be spoon fed God's Word, relying on hand-my-down revelation from others?




A -

1. God wants you to seek Him because you are responding to His Word, not just because of whom you're married to or dating, or what rules your parents have.

2. God wants you to be committed in the good times and bad (He promised we would face persecution - II Timothy 3:12). He is not the one that causes any bad thing in your life. See James1:17 and John 10:10.

3. He is looking for those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), not just reading the Word to feel good, but reading to get to know Him, to find out His will, to gain an awe and reverence, a proper fear of the Lord, to be motivated by obedience--that is when we will gain true wisdom from His Word (Proverbs 9:10).

4. Going to church and being emotionally uplifted is totally fine, but to be seeking after a feeling is wrong. We are not to be driven by our emotions. Romans 8:6 says that to be carnally minded is death. Being carnally minded is being controlled by what you feel.

5. God want us to trust completely in Him and not place any one person (spouse) or thing (job) above Him, that becomes idolatry. Proverbs 3:5, Jeremiah 17:5-10

6. Having others pray for you is totally fine and scriptural, but don't ever feel that God won't listen to your prayers. Don't ever feel like your faith is too small. Jesus said faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17), you have the answer before you to release the faith that He has already placed on the inside of you (Romans 12:3).

7. Getting encouragement from those around you is part of the purpose of the church (Hebrews 10:24-25), but if you are relying on them more than God, you are wrong. David encouraged himself, reminding himself of God's promises, when he was at a particularly low, depressed state (I Samuel 30:6).

8. Prayer is for so much more than giving God our laundry list. Prayer is a conversation with God, we talk to Him, He answers us with His Word. Praise and thanksgiving should be a much higher priority than asking for things. There is a time and place for requests, but that is not all prayer is. See how the prayer starts and ends that the Lord taught to his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13, with praise.

9. The more you spend time in God's Word, with a pure motive of submission to it, you will move away from tradition to conviction.

10. It's time to get out of the highchair, start feeding yourself, start digging into the solid food (truths, revelation) of God's Word for yourself, and He will reveal wisdom to you. Hebrews 5:12-14, read in the New Living Translation.




I hope you will allow the Holy Spirit to use this strong word to teach you. I don't mean any of these things to condemn you, but rather convict. How do you know the difference? Condemnation pulls you away from God, conviction pulls you closer. We all need to examine our motives and heart from time to time. Some of you have pure hearts, some of you just don't know any better. We have all been at one of these places at one time or another. It's time to grow up. I have actually seen people that live a life of spiritual immaturity and dysfunction and as a result have a hell-on-earth life. They are saved, but they do not walk in victory. God wants better for you.

How Often

I'm going to revisit this issue of getting by on attending church once a week, with no devotional or study time during the week. I know there are a lot of you out there, because I was one of you. For 29 years of my life, I belonged to that club.

I want to make some comparisons for you.

Food

How well would your body do on one meal a week? This is what your soul is getting at church, and during your own study. Is your soul malnourished? Is your soul barely surviving? (John 6:35)

Education

How well would you do in school (say high school, or college) if you went to class just once per week? This is the effort many of us are putting in to learning the things of God. (Proverbs 10:14)

Relationship

How well would your marriage do if you and your spouse only spent time together one day a week? This is the amount of time a lot of us want God to be content with. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Your justification is in no way dependent on how much or how often you spend time with God. Your salvation is a free gift from God, it is based on what Christ did for you. Bible study is 1) to feed your soul, 2) a way for you to learn God's ways, the way His kingdom works, and His plan for your life, and 3) the way to be in relationship with God--this is what you were created for.

Muffin Top

In this world we live in, health is such a big deal! But is it too big a deal?!?



Are you more interested in discussing vitamins than scripture? (Psalm 19:7-11, 14)



Do you care more about losing your muffin top than reading God's Word? (Proverbs 31:30)


Are you willing to get up early to hit the gym, but not to spend time in prayer? (Proverbs 15:8)


If a friend mentions something about health, are you all ears, but if he/she mentions the Bible, do you tune out? (Proverbs 28:14 & 1:33)


Do you find the time to exercise, but can't seem to find time to study the Bible? (I Timothy 4:8)


Do you earnestly want to know how to take care of your body and eat right, but care very little about the health of your soul and how to feed it right? You figure the meal you get on Sundays is enough to get you through the week? (Matthew 6:25-34)


Do you concern yourself with fine lines, but not your eternity? (I Corinthians 15:50-58)



Do you reach for the Tylenol, before reaching for God's medicine? (Proverbs 3:5-8)




This may be more of a women's thing. For you men, do you get more excited about financial books, than God's Word? (Luke 12:15-21)



Time for a priority check.




I Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Spirit, soul, and body--they are listed in that order, for a reason.

The Size of Sin

I posed a question on Facebook yesterday asking if God can forgive Ted Haggard. It didn't draw a lot of response, I understand it's a controversial topic. But I was glad to see that all the responders agreed that Mr. Haggard can be forgiven, no matter what he has done. Examples of David and Paul were brought up. David committed adultery and murder. Paul committed murder. God forgave both of them.

Then I posed the question asking whether there are bigger sins and smaller sins. Again, glad to see that the response was that God forgives all. But I can't keep from thinking that people view someone like Ted Haggard a little differently than someone that gets a speeding ticket. And I think that view colors their thinking of how God feels about those sins, as well.

I ask you, do you feel a sorrow and shame before God when you speed? When you tell a little white lie? When you break your word to someone? (I'm sure you had a good excuse.)

I say we should. Because there are no big sins or little sins with God. Sin is sin. If we break one law, we have broken all. Think of God's law as a whole, like a big glass window. Whether you put a tiny hole in it or a big hole, it is still broken. (And by God's law, I mean the whole Bible, not just the Old Testament law.)

Now, man does look on things differently. There are definitely different worldly consequences to speeding or committing murder.

I think when we change our paradigm in this matter, it helps tremendously. It will answer a lot of questions for you.

This will change your thinking on separation from God. I guarantee that most people feel more of a separation from God over so-called big sins, but not too much over so-called small sins. I came up with a little list (I'm quite sure it's not all-inclusive) of areas of my life that are not right. I have pride in many areas, I try to impress, which is really just looking for man's approval, I'm critical, can be judgmental at times, I can get caught in comparison to others, I shift blame, I bristle with authority, procrastinate, I'm inefficient with my time, I have fears, I'm not a good listener because I'm too self-centered and would rather just talk about myself all the time, I lack self-control, of my tongue, and in the area of food. There, that was not pleasant. Do I look at myself and say, "at least I've never killed anyone." Do I brush these things off? Do I diminish them? What does the Bible say?

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 2:10

Think of a high ceiling. You may be able to jump within one inch of it, or 1 foot of it, but if you don't reach the ceiling, you don't reach the ceiling. God doesn't say that those that are in the top 10% are accepted, He says ALL fall short. His standard is perfection and therefore we HAVE to rely on the perfection of Jesus, as our Savior. Referring to my list, Proverbs 16:5 says that pride is an abomination.

Questions to consider:

--Does this make a difference in how you will treat others?

--Does it make a difference in your pride, your ego, in how much you think you have it together?

--Does it make a difference in your condemnation of yourself?

--Does this cause you to have compassion on the unbeliever? Knowing that the only difference between you and he/she is that you have accepted the gift of salvation. There is no difference in the amount of sin in your lives.

--Does this change your thinking on sin separating you from God? If sin separates you, is it all sin, or just the so-called big sins?

--Does this change the way you view eternal security? Can you lose your salvation if you sin? If so, which sins?

--Does this change the way you view being a little dishonest with someone, breaking your word? That God views it the same as murder and adultery? Do you think you should take that a little more seriously?

The bad news is none of us can ever come up to God's standard. The good news is that Jesus did and became our substitute. We need only accept that He died for our sins, and gives us His righteousness, to be in right-standing with God.

Wisdom

I recently undertook a study of wisdom with my son (10). We used Robin Sampson's curriculum, click here to check it out.

All I can say is, "Wow!" I learned so much from this "child's" Bible study. It is intended for 7th to 12th graders. I had to adjust a bit for my 4th grader, but in the process, I learned a great deal. We will definitely be doing this study over again, a couple times.

One particular point that really stuck out to me was in the portion of how to get wisdom. The answers seem obvious, reading the Bible, prayer, etc. But Robin points out that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). You can read your Bible and pray all you want, but if you're not in an attitude of submission to God's will, and have awe and respect for Him, you won't get wisdom.

This has helped me understand why there are some around me that consistently read their Bibles and other Christian books, yet are not enjoying the abundant life that Jesus promised us (John 10:10).

God looks at the heart and cares about our motives. (Psalm 44:21) Reading the Bible can be a work of the flesh for some, but for others it's walking by the Spirit. (Galatians 5)

My Notes

I love my church! If you are not in a church that is teaching the Word, go and find one. Your life depends upon it.

These are my notes from this weekend.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 God does not dwell in a building, He does not live at church. His presence used to dwell in Moses' tabernacle and later Solomon's temple. All that has changed now. Since Christ died and rose again, God's Spirit lives on the inside of us. If you are saved, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, your life is not your own, you were bought with a price.

This is a slavery term. Back in Paul's day slavery was very, very common. The Romans would conquer a land, such as Germany or England, for instance, and make some of the people slaves.

But God is a good master, that is where this differs from the slavery of the day.

I Corinthians 12:18 He is a good master and gives us a specific job to do in the Body of Christ.

I Corinthians 12:28-30 God gives the gifts and He leads.

James 4:13-15 It is not up to us to plan our lives.

Some think that as long as we're doing something good that God is pleased. But that is not so. We are to submit to His direction and be obedient.

People have this idea that everything God hands out is castor oil. It's not going to be easy, it's going to be something that we won't like doing, etc. But that is not so. There are times that are uncomfortable, when we are corrected, but our purpose and job will draw on our skills and strengths that He has given us. When we are fulfilling the purpose that He has set out for us that is when we will truly feel peace, joy, contentment, and fulfillment. We can never attain this planning our own life, career, and path.

Being submissive, willing, and obedient is called having fear of the Lord. This is not a terror kind of fear. This is an awe and reverence. When we are not obeying Him, we are essentially saying, "God, I don't trust you to take care of me, I don't fully believe you have my best interest at heart."

Acts 2:41-43 The church is born on Pentecost. 3,000 people are saved. This passage notes that they have a fear of the Lord. Does that mean they were afraid of Him? No. They want to only do whatever He asks of them, they fully respect Him. Everyone wanted to live right and please God.

Acts 5:1-11 Story of Ananias and Sapphira. Collectively, the church at Jerusalem felt that they should sell possessions and bring the proceeds to the church. This was not something that was required of them. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to keep part of their proceeds. That was certainly okay, but they chose to lie about it. They indicated that they were giving all the profits. Ananias then dropped dead. They carried him out and buried him. His wife comes in a few hours later and corroborates the lie. She, too, drops dead and is buried. This brought fear on the church. Again, this is not torment, but a healthy fear and respect for the Lord. He means what He says and says what He means. Just because we don't see a consequence immediately for our actions doesn't mean it doesn't come. There is a day when we will all give an account.

I John 4:18 Perfect love casts out fear. Why would Proverbs say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, when John here says that God's perfect love casts out fear? These are two different fears. As I said earlier, fear of the Lord is awe, reverence, respect, submission to His will, willingness to obey. The fear that perfect love casts out is torment. It is when you fully realize God's unconditional love for you that all your fears are cast out. You will have no more reason to fear, because you know that God will take care of you, no matter what.

I John 3:18-21 It is when you are obeying God's direction and His Word that you will have full assurance and confidence in God. You will have no more of the "terror" or "worry" fear, but instead have the proper fear and respect.

Verse 20 - It is when we are not obeying His will and His Word that our heart condemns us. We feel guilt. We have the wrong fear, fear that God doesn't love us. [Side note: Romans 8:1 says that there is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. This means that you have been justified by the blood of Christ, your debt has been paid, your sentence erased. It is finished (John 19:30), it's a done deal. Your sin has been judged. You are no longer condemned (think of as a criminal). We should not go around condemning ourselves. You cannot live your life in regret and guilt and condemnation, beating yourself over the head. Know that God loved you while you were a sinner, He still loves you as a Christian that misses the mark sometimes. If you don't have a full revelation of God's unconditional love, please study that out. Andrew Wommack Ministries has some wonderful material in this area.]

Know this, God does not look at us by our intentions. It is the action that counts. We cannot stand before Christ and say we intended to do such and such. Real love can be seen, not just heard. So if we say we love God, we had better be doing things for Him. James 1:22

These deeds mentioned in I John 3 are not necessarily going out witnessing door-to-door, going out on the mission field, getting up in front of crowds. I imagine as some of you are reading this, you feel some "fear" that God will call you to something you don't want to do.

I know, because I used to feel that same feeling, every time a message like this was preached in church. Why? Because I wasn't doing anything. I was feeling that guilt mentioned in I John 3. My heart was condemning me. I was not condemned as a sinner, my sins have been paid for, but I was beating myself over the head for not serving in any area, not in my church, not outside of church, not anywhere.

I would rationalize and justify myself in my own mind by saying that I know that we are not saved by works. There are many clear scriptures on that point. And I would leave it at that.

I was right, we are NOT saved by works, that is a gift of God, in His grace. (See Eph. 2:8) But back then, I had done so little study of the Bible on my own (okay, really none), I didn't know much about the judgment seat of Christ. We will all stand before Christ one day and give an account of our works. See I Corinthians 3:9-15 and also II Corinthians 5:10. This judgment is only for Christians. There is another judgment for sinners, that is the Great White Throne, mentioned in Revelation 20. We will not be there, our sin has already been judged (as I mentioned above), Christ paid for it with His blood. But what we have done with our lives, since being saved, that will go through fire. Our works that amount to wood, hay and stubble, will be burned up. The works that amount to gold, silver, and precious stones, those last through fire. Those will be rewarded.

There will be regrets that day, when we stand in front of Christ and give an account. That is why I believe there are tears mentioned in Revelation in reference to heaven. But there will also be joy, when the work that we did here on earth for Him, is rewarded. That is exciting to me. Like I mentioned, in the past, that idea scared me, thinking about standing to give an account. That was because I wasn't doing anything! I know there will be things I have done that will be burned up. I cannot change the past. But I can move forward and stop wasting time.

This really hit me one day, in church, listening to a visiting minister. He asked for a show of hands of who was saved. Of course, most hands went up. Then he asked who was in full time ministry. Not too many hands this time. He says, "wait a minute, how many of you are saved?" His point, you're saved---what are you doing with it. This was a wake-up call for me. You mean, I'm supposed to be doing something?!? This seed has grown and grown in me and I want to tell others.

You might be called to be a wife, a husband, a parent, a friend. It doesn't mean we are all called to be pastors, evangelists, or missionaries. Start with the basics. Read your Bible and see what sticks out to you. It could be that you just need to be friendly to that cashier that is rude. Perhaps she has had an awful day and needs to know that God cares. We all have a circle of influence, not just those that get up on a stage. It should sober us to realize that our lives affect lives around us. It could be that we need to live holier lives than we do. It could be that we need to clean some thins up. When our coworkers know we are Christians, but then they see us getting angry, cussing, and such, as they do, it destroys our witness.

Examine yourself, ask God what He wants you to do. (I Corinthians 11:28--self examination is not the same as self condemnation. We do not need to condemn ourselves.)

If you would like to watch the service that prompted these notes, click here. The service should be available by Monday or Tuesday.

We Think We Know What We're Doing

It is human nature to try to work things out ourselves, without consulting God first.

Remember Abram and Sarai? God had promised them a child, but Sarai knew she was barren. She thought she would “help” God and come up with her own plan. She took her maidservant and gave her to her husband as a second wife (common practice in the ancient world). The second wife conceived and had a son, but this was not what God had intended. The second wife and son were trouble to the family from the start. (You can read the story starting in Genesis 16.)

Humans have been doing it since the beginning of time. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. God made skins from an animal instead, showing them that blood had to be shed to cover their sin.

I was raised to “fix” things naturally. We didn’t go to the doctor except for life and death issues. This was carried into my adulthood. If I came down with a cold or the flu, I would pop vitamin C, take Echinacea or goldenseal, etc. When I developed a rash on my hand (more detail here), my first thought was to solve it myself. I put lavender oil on it (known to be antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal), I put coconut oil on it, I would do a salt rub (because it would develop a thick skin layer), I also tried putting MSM on it (because I had read that sulfur was good for eczema). All I accomplished was further irritating it! Lesson learned--seek God’s wisdom and have patience that He will give you the answer. And take my advice, if you have dermatitis, DON’T do any of these things I did (except the coconut oil, it might sooth it)! I am now healed, because I chose not to resolve it in my own strength and knowledge. You can read that story here.

Do you have an area of your life that you think you can solve? Are you subconsciously leaving God out of the loop? He wants to be involved in every area of your life.

I leave you with this verse.

Proverbs 14:26 - There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Verse For Today

Proverbs 3:25-26

Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
For the LORD will be your confidence,

And will keep your foot from being caught.

Why Am I Here?

Do you ever get that feeling?  Do you know what your purpose is?  Unfortunately, most people don't have a sense of purpose and without it, we flounder through life.  You will find true joy when you find your purpose.

You will remember that I did a study with my son on what the Bible says about who we are, this spring.  After we finished that study we jumped into a study of what the Bible says about WHY we are here, why we were created.  This is what I came up with.

Why Am I Here?

First we realize that it's not all about us!

::We were created for God's glory.

Isaiah 43:7, I Corinthians 10:31, I Corinthians 6:20, Proverbs 16:4

::To love God

Mark 12:28-30

::For God's pleasure

Psalm 149:4, Psalm 147:11

::To worship God

John 4:23, Psalm 105:4, Psalm 113:3, Psalm 34:1

::To understand and know God

Jeremiah 9:24

Now, God wants to work in us and through us...

::To make us like Christ

Romans 8:29, Ephesians 4:22-24, Romans 13:14, I John 3:2, II Peter 3:14 (NIV), Hebrews 4:11

::To develop character in us

Romans 5:3-4, II Peter 1:5-8, Colossians 3:12-17, Galatians 5:22-23

BUT, we must never forget that it is God developing that character in us and changing us into the image of His Son!

Philippians 2:13

Why is character so important?

So we can fulfill the next part of purpose...

::To be the light of the world

John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:8-10

::To love one another

John 13:34-35, I John 4:7, I Corinthians 13

::To serve one another

Mark 10:35-45

::To bear good fruit

Genesis 1:28, John 15:16. Galatians 5:22-23

::To spread the gospel

Mark 16:15

::To do good works

Ephesians 2:10

::To do a job in the Body of Christ

I Corinthians 3:5-15, Romans 12:6, I Corinthians 12

Now, you may have noticed that the first portion  of this list related to God and the second portion is in relation to others.  We cannot love others and minister to others until we understand God's love for us and let him start to change us from the inside out.

Now, in relation to this earth...

::We are to have dominion over the earth (this is partially realized now and fully realized in the age to come)

Genesis 1:26

And finally, in the future...

::To rule and reign with Christ as kings and priests.

Revelation 5:10 & II Timothy 2:12

Now, equally important as our purpose is, is also what NOT to do.  We are NOT to seek after man's approval, our motives are just as important, sometimes more so, than our actions.  God looks at the heart.  

II Corinthians 10:12, 17-18

As I stated in our study of who we are, you can find more in the Bible to add to this list, but this is what I chose to study with my children.  Start a study to find out what your purpose is.  Need some help?  Check out The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren.

This article is also a follow-up of my challenge, to write down a list of my beliefs.  This list answers some of those questions.

Book of John

We are reading through the Book of John at dinnertime, as a family.  This verse really stuck out to me the other night.

John 15:5b  Jesus is talking here, "...without Me you can do nothing."

So why is it that we so often try to do things in our own power?

If you're anything like me, you're an independent person that doesn't ask people for help.  It's not in my nature to ask for help and I often forget to lean on God for help and ask for His wisdom.  I am getting better at it, but it's a process.

Remember Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean NOT on your own understanding.

Are You Putting Yourself Under The Law?

There are so many scriptures that tell us that God tests our hearts, He knows the secrets of our hearts, He is concerned with the state of our heart.  (Psalm 7:9, 44:21, Proverbs 15:11, 17:3, 21:2, 24:12)

I ask you today to examine your heart.  Look inside and see if any of these statements describe you.

Do you go to church because you have to?  Do you read your Bible because you have to?  Do you worship because you have to?  Do you tithe because you have to?

Does your mind weigh your actions on a balance sheet?  A column for wrong actions and a column for right ones and you try to make sure the right ones outweigh the wrong ones?  Going to church, for example, cancels out the fact that you cussed someone out the other day.

Do you ever question whether you are worthy of God's love?  Do you question whether you will make it into heaven?  Do you feel guilt and condemnation?  Do you lack peace?

How many of these things can you answer yes to?

If this describes you, you are putting yourself under the law.  I say to you, that you do not have a true revelation of God's grace and love!  You do not truly understand the work of the cross.

"But," you say, "we must obey God's Word!"  

It comes down to your heart's motivation.  Ask yourself, "Do I do these things to be on God's good side, to attain His love?  Or am I responding out of gratitude of His love for me?"  You see, there is a big difference.  It is the difference between life and death, peace and misery.

You see, God loved you first.  (Please read I John 4:7-19)  God loved you while you were a sinner.  He sent His Son to die in your place, for your sins!  How many of your sins were yet future when Jesus died?  All of them!  Christ died for your past, present, and even future sins!  Until you wrap your brain around that one, you won't stop trying to attain His forgiveness and love through your works.

It is our human nature to try to work things out ourselves, to work out our own salvation.  The first humans on earth, Adam and Eve, tried to work it out themselves.  They covered themselves with fig leaves, but God came and showed them that it wasn't enough.  Our works will never quite be good enough.  The blood of an innocent animal had to be shed to cover their sin.  Jesus' blood had to be shed to cleanse our sin.

Christ came to fulfill the law.  The requirements of the law were death to those that broke it.  You and I were born law-breakers.  Christ took our place, He died so we don't have to.  Paul tells us that we were crucified WITH Him!  Let that sink in.  If we were crucified with Him, then we are dead!  Dead to the law and dead to sin.  Can the courts condemn a dead man?  Certainly not!  If you are saved, the law can't touch you.  But the good news is that if you are dead to sin, you are alive in Christ!

Where you full of joy when you got saved, but now are finding the "burden" of the Christian life too much to bear?  All the things you do aren't bringing you peace?  This is the trap of legalism.  Legalism brings bondage and death.  You have just traded your bondage in sin for a bondage to the law.  But the law was given so that we would sin even more!  Sound crazy?  Read Romans 5:20.  The law was to show us that there is NO way we could ever be justified on our own merit and that we have need of a Savior.

Jesus came to fulfill the law, He has actually called us to a higher law, the law of love.  He said His burden was easy and light to bear.  However, we can only walk in His way if we totally and completely depend on His strength, His grace, and truly have a full understanding of His unconditional love, grace, mercy, and redemptive work!

You see it comes down to the motivations of your heart, that is what God looks at.  Are you going through the "Christianity" motions to work for God's love OR do you truly love to worship Him, truly love to go to church, truly love to give the tithe?  And when you slip up, are you confident of God's unconditional love for you?

This is the real difference between Christianity and all other religions.  The other religions of the world tell you what you must do to be right.  God says, you can do nothing, I have done it all.  And it is blasphemy to try to add to that work!

The good news is that forgiveness is available for you and you can start fresh.  Start by studying this concept.  Study this until the light bulb comes on for you.  Here is a list of references to get you started:

Romans 8

Ephesians 2:1-10

Book of Galatians (yes, the whole book, it's a short one!)

Study commentaries on Galatians and Romans, Dr. Chuck Missler's are great.

I also recommend listening to some teaching by Andrew Wommack on the subject.  He has free downloads on his site, here.

Above all, pray and ask God to reveal His truth to you, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling.  (Eph. 1:17-18)

What Do I Obey?

This could also be titled, "What is God's Will For Me?"  But since this is a study I did with my nine-year-old son, I used kid-friendly terms.

Since we finished up our study of God's grace (see here), we had to see what God's Word instructed us to DO.  Because God's grace works together with our faith and we read in James that faith without works is dead.  Works being obedience.  So what do we obey?

::The Ten Commandments  -  Exodus 20:1-17

::Parents  -  Ephesians 6:1

::Be humble  -  James 4:6 & Isaiah 14:12-21  (story to illustrate the effects of pride)

::Be givers and tithers  -  Malachi 3:10-11, Luke 6:38, & II Corinthians 9:7

::Be a hard worker  -  II Thessalonians 3:6-13, Proverbs 10:4-5, & Proverbs 12:24

::Love our neighbors as ourselves  -  Luke 10:25-37, John 13:34-35, & Romans 13:9-10

::Be a servant  -  Phillipians 2:3-8, John 13:1-10, Mark 8:1-10, & Mark 9:33-34

::Preach the gospel  -  Mark 16:15-20 &  II Timothy 3:14-4:5

::And most importantly of all--Love God with all your heart!  -  Deuteronomy 6:5

I covered these over the course of two weeks with my son.  Obviously, this is a list geared toward a child.  You can search the scriptures and find many, many more specifics of God's will for your life.  Specifics about your role as a wife, husband, a single person, parent, employee, boss, how to handle your finances, what God's plan is for you and what His purpose is for all of us as humans, and yes--even what and how to eat!

What is God's will for your life?  Search in His Word and find out!

Character

I'm going to reach back a bit and fill in some gaps.  With my 3rd grade son this year I decided to study various character aspects of God.

What you think of God will have a big impact upon your life.  What does God's Word have to say about His character?

I sat down and listed all the character qualities I could think of and then researched each one.  We spent a few weeks on each one.

I had my son take certain notes so that it would help the information stick in his mind.  If kids are doing something with the information they are learning it will help them retain it better.  Now he has that notebook to refer back to, also, and refresh his memory.

For each character quality I had him copy the definition out of the dictionary (one day) and then copy down a theme verse (separate day).  Then each day I would read him a Bible story that illustrated that quality, he then kept a list of the stories on his notebook page.

Our first character aspect was faithful.  The theme verse was Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful."  I found various stories of God making a promise to someone and keeping that promise.  The ones we read were -  Noah (promised to preserve from the flood), Abraham (promised a son), Peter & John, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; Paul (God promised him he would go to Rome, we read all the stories of how God kept him from harm so he could get to Rome, including a shipwreck).

Then I thought we would cover some of the promises in God's Word that He is faithful to perform (Jer. 1:12 & Is. 55:11).  I looked up various verses about - protection, provision, strength, healing, joy, wisdom, and peace.

I know there are many more that I didn't find.  Each day we covered a separate promise and I had my son list all the scripture references in his notebook so that he could use it as a reference whenever he needed.

Next we learned that God is our Healer.  Our theme verse was Ex. 15:26 "I am the Lord who heals you."  We went through all four gospels (and the beginning of Acts) and picked out every single story on healing that we found.  I had my son write down each reference each day so that he could have it as a reference.

Next was God our Deliverer.  Theme verses were Psalm 91:14-15 "Because he has set his love upon me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.  He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him, I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him."  We read stories of deliverance - Gideon, Jacob & Esau, Moses in the basket, the Israelites from Egypt, Deborah the Judge, Rahab in Jericho, Israel from Balaam's curse, Samson, David from Goliath, David from Saul, Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-Nego, and Daniel in the lion's den.

Next was God our Provider.  Theme verse Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."  Story of creation (order of importance, man was created last so that everything he needed was already here), Elijah and the ravens, Elijah and the widow, manna, water from the rock, Book of Ruth, feeding the thousands (loaves and fishes), consider the sparrows and the lillies/do not worry passage, tax money from a fish, David provided with the showbread to eat, Goliath's sword for a weapon, and a hiding place for his family, when on the run from Saul; and Joseph and his family during famine.

This brings us up to date (we did character qualities from July through October).  We have taken a bit of a detour (because I was lazy and didn't research a new character quality) and read through some Psalms and Proverbs (month of November) and are now on a prophecy kick.  See later posts for details.