Jesus Bound

Heaven is more than a hell-avoidance plan:  it is the privilege of praising, serving, and abiding in the presence of the living God forever.  If your idea of heaven does not involve God at the centre and is more centred around you, something is tragically wrong with that picture.  People talk about being "heaven bound," but only those whose hearts are bound to Christ in faith and obedience will actually go there.

If the only reason why you desire to go to heaven when your body goes the way of the earth is to avoid hell, it is likely you are not particularly interested in spending quality time with Jesus today.  And this begs the question:  if it does not please you to invest minutes, hours, days, and years to cultivate a healthy relationship with Jesus, what makes you think you would want to spend forever with Him?  Choosing heaven over hell never saved a person.  That is not the point.  The point is, do you want a life purchased and redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus or not?

When our eyes are opened to see the goodness of God and we humble ourselves before Him in repentance and worship, fellowship with Christ by the Holy Spirit becomes a privilege, not a chore.  This divine relationship is to impact all our other relationships, thoughts, words, deeds, and choices.  A biblical, godly perspective provided by the Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside out.  Too many people are content with the adaptation of behaviour rather than spiritual transformation from within through a life submitted to God.  Their lives become segmented, with time set apart for church, praying, Bible reading - along with hobbies, work, play, television, social media, and internet - but their relationship with Christ is not a chain which connects everything together as one life lived for God's glory.

How about taking intentional steps to do more than include God in various activities of your life when it is convenient, but dedicate all aspects of your life for Him to control?  To tweak a quote from Paris Reidhead, "Why not love and serve God every step of the way whether we go to hell or not because He is worthy?"  And He is worthy.  The path of discipleship is not passive but active in seeking, communicating, and obeying God.  We abide in God's love when we keep the commandments of Jesus Christ, and He is at the moment preparing a place for us where He desires we abide with Him forever.  If we plan to spend eternity with God, shouldn't we start abiding in Him now?  Obedience is costly, but disobedience and selfishness always comes at an infinitely greater price.

Believe in Commas?

"I know some people with mo' money then we'll ever see...they don't believe in Karma, but they believe in commas."

Lecrae in "Confe$$ions"

Money has many slaves in this world, and the queue of the willing seems to stretch on forever.  The thing about the love of money is no matter how much money you have, it never seems to scratch the itch.  The varnish of bigger and better ultimately loses its appeal.  Like superheros lining up to have a go at lifting mighty Thor's hammer after watching others fail, people still covet a chance at great wealth.  Millions are spent on the lottery every day as people dream about a few more commas in their bank account.  The trouble with being a slave to the love of money is you cannot buy your freedom.

Now there is nothing wrong with money in itself, and many would point out much good can be accomplished by it.  I agree, but there is no question it has also cast down many wounded, destroyed lives through addictions and excess, fuels sex slavery and the drug industry, and worst still can become a worthless substitute for God.  Paul warned in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. ¹⁰  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."  There is also nothing wrong with being what some would deem rich, but the desire for riches exposes a lack of contentment with what God has given.  Jesus compared hearts ensnared by the deceitfulness of riches as unfruitful ground choked with thorns.  God's good seed is unfruitful even when it falls on that soil.

You do not need to have money to desire money.  Pressing financial needs affect all, even Christians. Many missionaries can be brought to a point of despair for lack of funds, feeling like their God-given calling is being hampered or on hold because of a lack of money.  Trusting God in the area of money is something all people who follow Christ must learn.  The waiting time can be a growing time - not the accumulation of money in an account, but the strengthening of faith and resolve which will later be invaluable in the field.  If God has called you, He will provide for your every need in His time and in His way.

The truth of God's provision is illustrated when Jesus and Peter did not have the money for the Temple tax, but their needs were miraculously supplied when Peter was obedient to Christ to go fishing with a line an a hook (Matthew 17:27).  Every other time in scripture Peter fished with nets.  It seems to be a much more effective way of catching fish, right?  But as Jesus predicted, the first fish Peter brought up with a hook had a shekel in its mouth - enough for both Peter and Jesus.  Many times Peter cast out nets all night long without a single fish, and much effort can be expended in trying to gain financial support without result.  Even if we gain support at first, who knows for how long it will continue?  When Peter was obedient to the directives of Jesus, Peter experienced more gain than he could contain alone.  Whether Paul received financial gifts, worked in a trade to support his ministry, or chained in prison, he learned in all circumstances to be content in God.

Now don't hijack this to be a formula for financial gain.  After His resurrection, Jesus bid His disciples to cast their nets on the other side.  They caught so many large fish their nets were breaking.  When the fish were brought to the shore, Jesus told them to bring their catch to Him.  They were laid out and counted:  there were an amazing 153 large fish, and yet their nets had not broken.  As they were eating of the fish supplied by Jesus (He had some fish already on the coals before they brought their catch), John 21:15 says, "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs."  It may seem a bit strange for Jesus to ask Peter if he loved him more than fish, but Jesus was making an important point.  Fishing was Peter's career, and fish were his primary source of food and income.  It was a question straight to the heart:  did Peter love Jesus more than a career, money, food, or family he sought to support?  It is a fair question for us to answer as well.

It is in Jesus, not in commas or a great catch, where we find lasting security, satisfaction, and salvation.  While the world dreams of winning big, we discover in Christ more wealth than can be contained for eternity.

The Dividing, Uniting Sword

God endowed King Solomon with wisdom like no other king before or after him.  His wisdom was demonstrated with an incident which involved two harlots who came before him for judgment over a baby.  They lived in the same house together, and their case was a sad one.  They both gave birth to sons, and one of the infants was tragically smothered during the night.  One woman accused the other of switching the dead baby with her living one, and the other denied it.  In those days there was no DNA testing, and being only three days old perhaps the babies were quite similar in appearance and behaviour.  Who was the real mother of the boy both claimed as their own?

1 Kings 3:24-28 reads, "Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵ And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other." ²⁶ Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, "O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!" But the other said, "Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him." ²⁷ So the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother." ²⁸ And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice."  In his wisdom, King Solomon used the threat of a sword dividing a living child in two to unite a child with his rightful mother.  The genuine mother had compassion for her son - willing to give him up forever to spare his life - whilst the baby-swapping culprit was exposed by her coldness.  The sword which divides can also be used to unite.

Solomon is known for his great wisdom, and Jesus has become wisdom for all who believe (1 Cor. 1:30-31).  Jesus is the one of whom John the Baptist said baptises with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Matthew 3:11-12 says, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  John contrasted the living water of the Holy Spirit with eternal fires of judgment.  The example of the harvest is a picture of salvation and damnation:  the farmer brings the good grain into the storehouse, but the worthless chaff is thrown into the fire.  Jesus is a righteous Judge, and uses His Word like a sword to divide believers from the unbelievers.  His Word is like a fire that separates the dross from precious metal, like a hammer that breaks the rocks in pieces.

To take the illustration of the sword further, consider the impact of the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:34-38:  "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; ³⁶ and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' ³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me."  The word of God is called the sword of the Spirit (Eph, 6:17) which is able to divide bone from marrow and judges the intent of the heart (Heb. 4:12).  The sword Jesus brings has the capacity to divide men from their family, but is able to unite a man with his Father in heaven.  The scriptures divide people concerning their hearts and belief, but a man whose heart has been pierced by the Word, repents, and believes is adopted into the family of God.

God is brilliant, isn't He?  Only He can use a sword to divide and unite at the same time!  The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  The Bible is a two-edged sword which brings life to those who believe and condemns all who refuse to trust or heed it.

Rejoice in the LORD Always

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"

Philippians 4:4

How good it is for us to thank and praise God!  Paul exhorted believers to rejoice in the LORD always, and he wrote this whilst incarcerated.  The Christian life is one of faith, not feelings.  I imagine Paul did not always feel like rejoicing in the LORD because of his circumstances, but he urged all to rejoice in the LORD always.  No matter what season of life or the struggles we face, God remains good and praiseworthy.  Jesus gives fullness of joy to all who trust in Him.  Walking in the joy of the LORD is done by faith regardless of how we feel.

We can be so fixed on learning more about God or desirous to receive something from Him we can forget to simply rejoice in Him.  It is easy in this weak frame to forget of God's wondrous works and promises.  Yet how our souls soar when we praise God for being God!  When David's felt there was but a step between him and death, praising God gave his heart wings.  So great was his joy he wrote in Psalm 34:1-4, "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. ² My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. ³ Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. ⁴ I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."  We can rejoice in David's deliverance by God, knowing He remains a Deliverer for all who trust Him today.

Rejoice in the LORD always!  Thank Him and praise Him!  All who have encountered the presence of God respond with praise.  This morning I read Luke 1 and was blessed by how Zacharias, Elizabeth, and Mary all praised God and rejoiced in His goodness.  We can rejoice in God's goodness to them and can also rejoice that God's grace and goodness is extended to us as well.  Those who were barren God caused to give birth, and He would was dead God has raised in everlasting glory.  Hear the words of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-2:  "And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. ² "No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God."  Let us rejoice in the LORD together!