Gateway to our heart

David said "I will be careful to live a blameless life— when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them. (Psalms 101:2, 3 NLT)

David knew our eyes are the gateway to our heart and what comes out of our mouth and through our actions reveal the condition of our heart. Would the Holy Spirit want to make his dwelling in my heart?  The Holy Spirit is not destitute that he must accept any condition for a home. He has the whole universe and beyond as a dwelling place.

It is at his prompting and revelation about our sinful nature to us that we accept what Jesus has done for us and ask him to make his dwelling in us. Through our submission to him He reveals our sinful nature to us and our hearts housecleaning begins.

And then he (Jesus) added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” (Mark 7:20-23 NLT)

What happens after our hearts are cleaned is as critical as the prior acknowledgement they need cleaned.

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

How does this work in our life?

1.  We are made new because of what Jesus has done for us. Change must come from the inside out. Don't make the mistake of comparing yourself to anyone. (Romans 3:22)

            There is no such thing as good, better or perfect Christian no matter what gifts or works God has called us to do.  We are all equal in Gods eyes.  He is our standard to live by...no one else.

2.  Make the Word the foundation for transforming and renewing your mind from worldly standards to Gods. (Romans 12:2; 8:5-9) Read the word....meditate (think about it through out your day)...memorize the word...ask the Holy Spirit to make it real...learn how to apply it daily in your life through daily circumstances.

3. The Holy Spirit now lives within us teaching and bringing correction when needed. LISTEN!

            Becoming a new person means growth.  Growth comes through stretching, like the tearing of a muscle in body building.  Growth usually comes through trials. We were never promised a carefree life as a follower of Jesus. Quite the contrary because we now live in conflict with the values and morals of the world in which we live. (Romans 5:1-5)

4.  We are no longer under any obligation to sin or its power. All comes down to choice. (Romans 6, 7:14-8:1,12) Old habits can be changed to new healthy habits. Can't do it on your own, ask the Holy Spirit to help and he will!  Don't give up!!

5.  Live a joy filled life to safeguard your faith. 

            "Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith." (Philippians 3:1 NLT)

How? "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:6-9 NLT)

So what, or whom, is guarding the gateway to your heart and mine today?

Traditions or truth?

You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors. (Galatians 1:13, 14 NLT)

Do we teach the gospel of Jesus Christ or the traditions of our faith?  Do we accept what others teach as gospel or do we compare it to scripture? When was the last time you or I questioned a teaching to make sure it aligned with scripture? We would do well to follow the examples of the Bereans, "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11 NIVUK)

Traditions will never truly fill the longing in our hearts, give hope when all else fails us or have the power to bring healing and forgiveness.  Traditions can muddy the waters of truth with half truths and keep its followers bound through guilt. The truth of Gods Word acts like a surgeons knife cutting out falsehoods and half truths to allow truth to take root and the the seeds of hope to grow. "God’s word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet. God’s word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions." (Hebrews 4:12 NLT)

Because the Bereans measured Paul's words against the standard of scripture change took place in their hearts and lives.

"As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men." (Acts 17:12 NIVUK)

Paul's life is proof of the power of Truth versus traditions. He was so steeped in the traditions of his forefathers he was willing to kill to protect those traditions. I wonder how many we have been willing to 'kill' in their search for God because we were willing to put church or denominational traditions ahead of Truth.

I'm not saying church, denominations or all traditions are bad but if they are in direct conflict with scripture are we willing to forsake them for the truth?

Mere human reasoning

"Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning." Galatians 1:11

God's economy and values are not based on human understanding or human ways. We fall into dangerous territory when we try to equate our knowledge and understanding to the mind of God and act or speak as though it is.

I love how God demonstrates this concept to Job in the last few chapters of Job. “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them." (Job 38:2, 3 NLT)
Then God tells how the seas know their boundaries because He set them. How light and darkness appear, how he commands the morning to appear and the dawn to rise in the east.  
"But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!" (Job 38:21 NLT)

God continues to expound on his wisdom and creative powers, the very things we then turn around and worship rather than the Creator himself. 

Human reasoning has always been in conflict with God's from the garden of Eden to Abraham forcing God's timing through Hagar to followers of Jesus trying to force him to be their earthly king.
When we can't see beyond our understanding we then try to manipulate God's timing to conform to ours.  The end result will always bring disillusionment and blaming God for supposedly not doing what we thought he should. 

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope." (Romans 15:4 BOOKS)

May learn from their lessons and heed the words of the apostle Paul,
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2 BOOKS)

Renewing will come as we replace the old patterns and thoughts with God's as a result of reading his Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out.

It all comes back to trust and giving up our control for the One who knows the beginning from the end.

Home or Office?

I have heard the phrase, "invite Jesus into your heart" ever since I was a little girl. We automatically assume Jesus, through his Holy Spirit, would want to live in our hearts, but does he?

Have we created an open door he would want to come through?  Have we created a home atmosphere or an office?

Some characteristics of a home and office are:
    HOME....................OFFICE

Warmly greeted at the door.......... Time clock punched at the door

Comfortable furniture so guests stay.....One chair per desk to limit interaction

Reflects the personality of those living there .....Reflects the style and                          atmosphere of management

A home needs a family.....Office needs workers

Love makes a home.....Organization makes an office

Love driven.....Performance driven

Unconditional welcome.....Longevity depends upon performance

So what does the office analogy have to do with our hearts?  Glad you asked!  Do we treat our relationship with God in the atmosphere of home or office?  Do we feel we have to perform in order to win Gods payment of love and acceptance?  Is our relationship only when we are at church or doing a particular ministry (punching the proverbial 'religious' time clock) or is it a true 24/7 relationship?  Is it easier for us to have a task list we check off or do we truly enjoy and look forward to our quiet times (nurturing a relationship) with God?  Are we aware of his presence 24/7 with joy or drudgery?

Do we enjoy being with others that belong to his family or do we count the minutes until we can leave 'work' and return to 'our' lifestyle?  Do we have the same unconditional love of our Father in seeking and welcoming others into the family or do we just tolerate those around us and pray God sends someone else to talk with the lost we come in contact with daily? 

Jesus said, "Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them. All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them." (John 14:21, 23 NLT)

Our actions will show the choice of whether we have a home or office to welcome God to live in.

Which would you or I want to live in?

Kingdom surrender

Our surrender (or lack of) today will affect our freedom for tomorrow.
I recently heard this line in a song and can't seem to get it out of my mind because it carries such a powerful truth.

The question that begs to be asked is who or what do we surrender to?  Everyday we are faced with situations when walked through reveal our true hearts allegiance.
Everyday we are asked to surrender to kingdoms not always ruling with our best interest in mind. Wall Street sets the tone for financial kingdoms; Hollywood for moral kingdoms and Washington for political kingdoms.

There is another kingdom that tends to get lost amidst the struggle and pulling of theses others--yet this kingdom is the only one with true power and authority. This kingdom works in direct opposition of the others, it's values are in direct opposition of the others, it's longevity will outlast any and it's throne will only ever have one ruler.

This kingdom admonishes its dwellers to give when the others say amass your wealth; give unending forgiveness when the others keep score; demands undivided loyalty while the others encourage prostitution of oneself to gain the world.  This kingdom is ruled by love when the others are ruled by greed; gives its dwellers power and authority to move obstacle-mountains while the others create obstacle-mountains with its power and authority.

This kingdoms guidebook never changes while the other kingdoms have no clue which version they are currently following.
Do the other rulers realize when they gather together the ruler of this kingdom is present and privy to all theirs plans, spoken and unspoken?  That he has the power to override their decisions and actions and often does.

This kingdom has no end while the others will one day come to an abrupt ending. This kingdom is the only one that gives true freedom at the cost of undivided surrender.

This kingdom is called the Kingdom of God and is here, now, invading all other kingdoms.  It's inhabitants have opportunities every day to infiltrate and wreck havoc in the other kingdoms rulings...but do they?  Do the inhabitants of this kingdom really take seriously the promise of its ruler, "whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these...You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:12, 14 NIV) or fully understand, "It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies"? (Zechariah 4:6 NLT)

United we stand, divided we fall was the battle cry of our country's early patriots. It is the battle cry today of the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall." (Luke 11:17 NIV)
Divided loyalties always result in confusion and wimpy power if any.

Whose kingdom will you and I give our loyalty to today?  Surrender is always a cost of loyalty.  What will that loyalty cost us and will it bring true freedom?

Parable of the lost coin

Joanie came in to work Monday glowing and proudly extending her right hand out for all to see.  “Mark did it!  He finally asked me!”  Her excitement was contagious and congratulations were flooding the office!  The pride and excitement of becoming Mrs. Mark Benson was as brilliant as the sparkle in her ring.  “It needs sized but I couldn't bear to come in and just tell you what happened over the weekend without showing you!” Joanie said. 

We all wondered how she was ever going to keep her head below the clouds to get her job done that day!  Somehow she managed and the time came to go home. 

Unbeknownst to Joanie she went home that night but her ring didn’t.   While washing her hands at the end of the day the ring slipped off and went into the trash can with the paper towel.  Joanie, however, did not realize it until she was home.  Her shriek probably could have awoken the dead when she discovered it was missing.  She and Mark, who I might add took the announcement of the missing ring very well, rented a metal detector and went back to the workplace hoping the trash had not been dumped for the evening.

Worst case was realized when they saw the trash cans had been emptied in the building. They spent the entire evening scavenging through the dumpster in the back lot.  I can only imagine the sense of joy and relief when the ring was found…at the bottom of the dumpster!

Luke 15 is a chapter about precious items/people lost and then found in the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son (being the most familiar).  What we so often miss is they were not only found but were also restored.

Don’t know about you but I don’t think I’ve ever heard any sermons about the lost coin.  It must have had some significance or why would it be there?   

In biblical times and in some areas today when a woman marries the bridegroom gives her a wedding gift of 10 silver coins on a string.  These are usually worn as a headdress or even around her neck.

To lose or misplace any of these coins is considered carelessness in her lack of affection and respect for him.  Worse case it might even be thought that she purchased the affections of someone else which could result in divorce.  These coins were held to be very sacred[i] .

So what does that have to do with us today?  Simply put as followers/believers in Jesus Christ we are his bride awaiting his return.  He has given us not coins as a display of his affection and love for us but rather his life and the gift of the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a deposit (coin) promising his return.

As the bride in old days would probably touch the coins and cherish what they represent, do we today treasure what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives to prepare us for not only life here but our future life with Jesus Christ?  Do we actively seek him out as the woman searching for her lost coin?  Do we share with others our story of how we were lost, found then restored?  Do we celebrate with those around us what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through us or perhaps in and through them?

The parable of the lost coin is one of the shortest parables yet hidden in its meaning is immeasurable treasure if we take the time to find them.

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[i] Insights Into Bible Times and Customs by G Christian Weiss

Wisdom

Wisdom.  We search for it, long for it, would run to the highest mountain for it.  Spend thousands of dollars seeking counsel from others for it.  We also run from it, hide from it and fight to win our way with it.  At times wisdom seems to eludes us or toy with us.

It would seem we resist the very source of wisdom with our searching, wanting to find wisdom on our own terms.  In our quest many voices come at us proclaiming wisdom, some with a hint of wisdom and others trying to show us the path of true wisdom.

So what or Who is the source of true wisdom?

There was once a man who given the opportunity to have anything asked for only one thing…Wisdom.

This man was considered the wisest man to ever live, yet before the end of his life had turned his back on the very Source of wisdom.  At the end of his life he realized the fool he had become and wrote for his sons and future generations to never leave wisdom or forsake her path.  This man was Solomon and he understood the true source of wisdom was God.

Lest I follow the path of a fool by thinking I could write something wiser or better, read…listen…learn from the Source of wisdom.  We will have to take time, quiet our ears and open our heart.  Put aside any preconceived ideas and allow God’s word to teach us. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 

Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.  Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.  Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.   Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.  For the Lord grants wisdom!  From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.  He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.  He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.  Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.  For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.  Wise choices will watch over you.  Understanding will keep you safe.”

Proverbs 3:5-7; 2:1-11

To discover where Wisdom came from read Proverbs 8, better yet read ALL of Proverbs…want to be saturated with wisdom read the entire Bible!!