RELIGION WITHOUT THE SPIRIT

Jesus said to them… "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…" (Acts 1:8)

More than a hundred years ago, General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, said, “The chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell.”

That’s as true of the twenty-first century as it was of the twentieth. Religion without the Holy Spirit is a lifeless, listless religion. It’s a religion without power. It’s legalism without legs. And frankly, it’s downright boring.

If you go after the Holy Spirit, you’ll discover that the Holy Spirit is coming after you. All you have to do is open the door to your heart and He’ll open the door to opportunity -- the door to what if. 

-- Mark Batterson in “What If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God’s What If Possibilities”

#5192

SELF-SACRIFICIAL LOVE

Jesus prayed, “All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.”  (John 17:10 NKJV)

How was Jesus glorified? The Bible is pretty clear that Jesus was glorified through service, sacrificial love, and eventual death on the cross.

In Philippians 2:5-9 Paul said that Jesus “emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave.” He reminded Christians that Jesus “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death… Therefore God also highly exalted Him.” Paul suggests that we ought to have the same mind, attitude, and disposition as Christ…

Jesus is glorified in us inasmuch as we imitate His self-sacrificial love. If we want to grow spiritually, our lives must be all about dying to self, sacrificing self for our brothers and sisters, emptying ourselves, and taking the form of servants.

That is how the world will know that we belong to Jesus. That is how Jesus is glorified in us. But it’s certainly not easy. 

-- Derek Maul in “Get Real: a Spiritual Journey for Men”

#5191

 

GOD’S FAMILY

“But to all who believed [Jesus] and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn -- not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”  (John 1:12-13 NLT) 

God is building a family. A permanent family. Earthly families enjoy short shelf lives. Even those that sidestep divorce are eventually divided by death. God’s family, however, will outlive the universe. “When I think of the wisdom and scope of His plan I fall on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God – some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth.” (Ephesians 3:14-15 TLB)…

Common belief identifies members of God’s family. And common affection unites them. Paul gives this relationship rule for the church: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” (Romans 12:10 NIV)… The church is God’s family.

You didn’t pick me. I didn’t pick you. You may not like me. I may not like you. But since God picked and likes us both, we are family. And we treat each other as friends. 

-- Max Lucado in “Cure for the Common Life”

#5190

COMPASSION AND RESTORATION

Seasons of chaos and storms are inventible in life. These seasons can make you feel as if all is lost and abandoned, because the wreckage of what is left from the storm can feel daunting and beyond repair. The beauty of Christ is that He not only is the Lord of restoration, but He is the God of making all things new in His time and work…

Throughout the scriptures it is clear that when God seeks to restore, compassion is coupled along with that intention. Jeremiah 34:26 shares, “For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.” It is God’s heart for His chosen people to not only restore, but to compassionately restore something even better than before… When the Father seeks to rebuild, it is not as we would expect. He does not merely replace the item on the shelf that was broken, He gives something better…

God is the God of restoration and compassion. Come before Him today with hands open to what He will do to not only restore, but to make better than all you could ever ask for or imagine through and by and rooted in Him, the giver of all good things. 

-- Excerpts from an article by Cally Logan entitled “A Powerful Prayer for Restoration” at crosswalk.com

#5189

A LIFETIME OF TRAINING

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2a NIV)

Christian discipleship is a lifetime of training in how to pay attention to the right things, to notice God's work in our lives and in the world.  Through long practice we unfix our gaze from distractions and fears in order to attend to that which God attends. 

-- Tish Warren in “Prayer in the Night”

#5188

PREPAREDNESS

“God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.”  (Hebrews 6:18-20a NIV)

As Amos the prophet saw the day of judgement fast approaching for Israel, he warned the people to prepare to meet God (Amos 4:12). The word preparedness should be a key word for everyone.

It is strange that we prepare for everything except meeting God. We prepare for marriage and for a career. We prepare for athletic contests. Athletes working to make the Olympic team practice their sport hours a day for years, before considering themselves prepared. But we do not prepare to meet God. Even though most of us see the storm clouds gathering on the horizon, by and large we are making few preparations to meet God. This is a time for repentance and faith. It is a time for soul-searching, a time to see if our anchor holds. 

-- Billy Graham in “Who’s in Charge of a World That Suffers?”

#5187

EXPERIENCING GOD’S ATTRIBUTES

The Bible tells us who God is. He’s our fortress (Psalm 18:2), our hiding place (Psalm 32:7), our portion (Psalm 119:57 NASB), our deliverer (Psalm 70:5 NIV)… among other things. But how do we really know for sure until we experience these attributes in real-life situations? Author Ron Mehl says it beautifully:

“How do I know He’s my Fortress until, with arrows flying all around me, I run with all my heart into His open gates? How do I know He’s my Hiding Place until I hear the enemy crashing in the brush behind me, feel his breath on the back of my neck, and cry out for a place of refuge? How do I know He’s my Portion until all I treasure and hold dear is suddenly threatened or taken from me? How do I know He’s my Father until I feel orphaned and abandoned and left alone in the storm? How do I -- like Peter -- learn that He’s my Deliverer until I step out of the boat and plant my foot on fifty fathoms of frothy sea?”

It’s one thing to be told something is true. It’s another thing to be shown. God established His Word to tell us who He is, but He uses circumstances to show us. 

-- Mark Atteberry in “Free Refill: Coming Back for More of Jesus”

#5186

JESUS SEES THE INDIVIDUAL

"When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion … because they were as sheep not having a shepherd." (Mt. 9:36)

How does a shepherd see his sheep?  The shepherd "cares for the sheep … calls his own sheep by name … knows his sheep … lays down his life for the sheep … gives unto them eternal life."  (John 10:3,13-15,28) The shepherd sees each individual sheep.  When only ninety-and-nine out of one hundred are within the fold, the shepherd thinks only of that one which is lost, and goes out into the night, searching, until he finds it.  Jesus sees every one in a crowd.  Every one is important.

Here is the difference between other attempts to help man, and the outlook of Jesus.  Socially we may belong to the same service organizations.  Politically we may belong to the same party and espouse common views.  Economically we may be a part of the same union and agree on improving conditions.  Even ecclesiastically we may be herded together into the same denomination.  But in every such attempt we count sheep instead of seeing sheep.  In numbers we lose the individual.  Not so with Jesus. 

-- H.S. Vigeveno in “Jesus the Revolutionary” 

#5185

NO PERFECT PEOPLE

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8 NIV)

God loves us not because we are good but because He is good; not because we are perfect but because He is; not because we are worthy, but because He is gracious. And God wants us to imitate His generous spirit in our dealings with other people. If you can’t love other people for their sake, love them for God’s sake! Let the love of God flow into you and out to others, because there are no perfect people. 

-- James W. Moore and Bob J. Moore in “Lord, Give Me Patience!... And Give It to Me Right Now!” 

#5184

JUSTICE AND MERCY - Part 2

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  (Micah 6:8 NIV)

You can’t have one without the other. But just as we so often separate evangelism and social action, many in the Church today divide justice and mercy as well. Even worse, they secularize these holy terms. Conservatives seem to emphasize justice over mercy, then compound the problem by adopting the secular definition of justice, that is, punishing wrongdoers and seeing that everyone “gets his due.” So every man, woman, and child must carry his or her own weight -- no matter how heavy the odds against them -- as if poverty could only be God’s judgment and punishment for indolence.

Meanwhile, many a liberal latches onto mercy, believing it requires him to provide food, shelter, clothes, and entertainment for anyone who cannot provide for themselves. So justice and mercy have been divorced from one another, and Christians take up sides, choosing their church -- not to mention their political party -- according to a destructive dichotomy.

This false dichotomy between justice and mercy creates unhealthy extremes in our political and social policies in the United States. I think it is because believers have not stood in the gap. The church has too often bought into the secular definitions of these godly terms, thus ruining the possibility of a witness of what our Lord requires of us -- to do justice and to love mercy. Nor have we been a particularly convincing witness of “walking humbly” with our God. 

-- Charles Colson in an article entitled “Doing Justice, Loving Mercy, Walking Humbly” in “Discipleship Journal” No. 63

#5183

JUSTICE AND MERCY - Part 1

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  (Micah 6:8 NIV)

What justice demands, mercy pays. Of all the demands upon the Christian, justice and mercy -- not to mention humility -- are perhaps the most misunderstood.

Justice is a hard standard. Justice demands absolute conformity with God’s holy character -- righteousness in our hearts, righteousness in our conversations, righteousness in our jobs and lives, righteousness in our institutions. Because God is a holy God, He cannot be in fellowship with unjust people.

At the same time, God is merciful. He woos His people and calls them back to Himself. But His justice -- consistency with His own decrees -- means that sin has to be paid for with death. And so He placed His only son, Jesus Christ, on the altar as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Christ -- in fact God Himself -- paid the price…

Why didn’t God simply forgive and forget and let us begin again? Because His standard of justice, which demanded righteousness or death, could not be put aside.

So God shook heaven and earth, merging justice and mercy at the cross by fulfilling the demands of justice through the one perfect sacrifice...

When the Scriptures tells us to do justice and to love mercy, they require of us nothing less than the glorious, full-bodied justice and mercy that God Himself showed. 

-- Charles Colson in an article entitled “Doing Justice, Loving Mercy, Walking Humbly” in “Discipleship Journal” No. 63

#5182

NO IF ABOUT IT

Jesus said, “The Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.”  (John 16:27)

Who’s giving you a rough time because you’re trusting God, saying things like, “If God really loved you, He would heal you”? Or, “If God really loved you, He wouldn’t have allowed you to lose your job”? Or, “If God really loved you, He would bring your spouse back”?

It’s wicked for others to make you doubt God’s love. The proof of His love is the cross. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (NKJV).

The cruelest of the taunts hurled at Jesus on the cross was surely the suggestion that included the words “if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One” (Luke 23:35, italics mine). In other words, if God really loved Jesus, He wouldn’t have allowed His Son to be in that situation.

But even in the blackness of the hate around the cross, the love of God broke through like the rays of the sun! If God really loved you? There’s no if about it. God loves you.

God loves you! 

-- Anne Graham Lotz in “Fixing My Eyes on Jesus: Daily Moments in His Word”

#5181

COMPASSION FOR OUR DEFENSES

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’”  (John 20:19-21 NRSV)

God does not condemn us for our wounded ability to trust.  You and I often tightly close our inner doors out of confusion, fear, and pain. God understands that our inner defenses, our emotional armor, our separating walls have grown in us for a reason.  And this God of limitless mercy will not kick down our doors, tear off our masks and armor, or go away angry.

This God, whom we see through Jesus, will continually come to us through our defensive doors, to be with us in power and comfort in our darkness.

-- Flora Slosson Wuellner in “Heart of Healing, Heart of Light”, published by The Upper Room, Nashville, TN.   Used with permission.

#5180

HELPING TRANSFORM LIVES

“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 NIV)

Having our small group members become 'students of the Bible' is a noble goal, however we can focus so much on Bible knowledge that our small group becomes scholastic and academic rather than life changing.  We become transmitters of information rather than helping transform lives.  Knowledge is important, but knowledge without obedience does not deepen our relationship with Christ.

-- Dan Lentz, Director of the Small Group Network 

#5179

VISIONARY PLANS

"Where there is no vision, the people perish…" (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)

Vision. It is essential for survival. It is spawned by hope, sparked by imagination and strengthened by enthusiasm. It is greater than sight, deeper than a dream, broader than an idea. Vision encompasses vast vistas outside the realm of the predictable, the safe, the expected. No wonder we perish without it!

Ask God to stretch your vision today… to encourage you with visionary plans as you walk in His presence. 

-- Charles Swindoll in “A Quest for Character”

#5177

YOKED TO CHRIST

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV).

The physical yoke is not a part of the daily life of most of us, but we can call up the mental rural image of two beasts of burden, yoked together, pulling their common load. The yoke is a wooden structure that is designed to compel the two animals to work as a team. When they cooperate with each other, the task is easier for both; but if one holds back or tries to turn in a different direction, the yoke places undue pressure on its neck. Obviously, the burden is easier and lighter when they work together.

So it is also with our faith. To accept Jesus as Lord and Savior is like being yoked to Him. In that union of faith, we listen to our Lord. We learn by being exposed to what the teacher is teaching. We show that we have learned from the Master Teacher when we take His instructions for life and put them into practice. This all begins when we profess our willingness to walk with and be yoked to Jesus. 

-- Rev. Kenneth A. Mortonson in “What Do You See?” 

#5175

CHILDREN’S SPONTANEOUS PRAISE

Jesus said, “Let the children come to Me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”  (Matthew 19:14 NLT)

In praise, the creature happily acknowledges that everything good and true and beautiful in the universe comes from the Creator.  The affirmation works on us as well as on God, by reminding us of our proper position before God.  To develop praise, I have found, it helps to hang around children.  They have no problem bursting out in spontaneous praise when something impresses them, perhaps because they have no pretension to rise above their assigned state -- as children. 

-- Philip Yancey in “The Bible Jesus Read” 

#5174  

THE MOTION OF BLESSING GOD

“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”  (Psalm 103:1-2 NIV)

You can lift up your hands regardless of how you feel; it is a simple motor movement. You may not be able to command your heart, but you can command your arms. Lift your arms in blessing; just maybe your heart will get the message and be lifted up also in praise. We are psychosomatic beings; body and spirit are intricately interrelated. Go through the motion of blessing God and your spirit will pick up the cue and follow along. 

-- Eugene Peterson in “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society”

#5173