"You are of God little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world."
We have a truism that says "God helps those who help themselves." This is unalterably true, but it is also true that if we reach a point in our lives that we cannot help ourselves, God helps us. I know this because I reached a point in my life in a battle with cancer when I could not get off of the bed, that is when I really learned that God helps the helpless. It is also when I learned the truth of 1John 4:4. Let me explain: The title of this series of articles that I have written for the past nine years came from the truth of 1John 4:4. I learned that He was greater than the "cancer that was in me." I could get from the bed to the couch, and that was about as far as I could really go. But the Lord reminded me that I still had ten fingers that could work and that I had a computer that could send out messages to the world. Thus, you are reading "CouchPotatoRedux" articles. The biblical image that comes to mind, is when the Israelites came to Red Sea in their escape from Egypt. They could not help themselves, but God could, so He divided the Red Sea for them. You can believe it or not, but God still divides "Red Seas." The Holy Spirit lives in us to help us, even when we are helpless. I personally know this. Let me explain: When I was discharged from the Navy, I did not have a high school diploma. (I gave up on my "educational journey" after the tenth grade.) I did have the common sense to get some credits in personal studies while I was in the Navy that gave me the equivalence of a high school diploma. I was allowed into college on trial until I made at least a C average. Well, I did that by making a B average. Let us say that I was not really prepared for college studies, but that was when I learned that it really does pay to study. (duh) The bets of some of my Navy buddies was that I would be back in the Navy in three months. But because of my call to Christian ministry, because I met Mary Alice Ezell in New Testament class, and mainly because I had God's call on my life, I stayed on my new educational journey until I earned a Doctor of Ministry degree. It took a few years, and a lot of study and writing, but by the help and the will of God I stuck with it. I am "exhibit A" that God really can, and does, help the helpless. I don't know where you are in your life presently. Perhaps, it is because of God's will that you are reading this article. You are not helpless because you have, or can have, the power of the Holy Spirit at work in your heart, and in the endeavors of your life. It is true that "greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world." (But do you really believe it?) Bro. Joe
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"For God is the One working in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure."
I read that John Wesley used to open his Bible and he would consider that God's word for him at that time. I pulled a "John Wesley" this morning. I opened my Bible and this text just "fell out" at me. What the text tells us that we do not serve a God Who is separated from us, but He is at work in us. God, the Holy Spirit, is at work in the lives of people who have trusted Jesus as Savior. Paul mentioned two purposes that God has in working in us. First, it is said "God is the One working in you, both to will..." God is at work in us to enable us to know and to His will. We become aware of that will when we pray and seek His guidance for our lives. It helps to spend time in the Bible. When I have stepped outside of God's will to do my own thing, so to speak, my service has been anemic. You have been called to do God's will. You must understand that this is the call of every Christian, not just preachers. (I think we misunderstand that sometimes.) God is at work in you to do His will in your daily life and in your "church life." Second, the text also tells us that God is at work in us "to do His good pleasure." I want to interpret this to mean that when we do God's will for our lives we do it "at His good pleasure." We call this winning the "smlle of God." Isn't it wonderful to know our doing God's will brings Him pleasure. Frankly, I had rather win the smile of God instead causing Him to be unhappy with me. Perhaps we all know what it means to displease God, and we also know that this brings us misery. Think about it, whatever you do in life, you can do God's will and that will bring Him pleasure. This will lead you to really enjoy being God's servant. Please understand that whatever you do in life, you are God's servant and that He wants to use you. I think sometimes that this is misunderstood, because do not see how God can really use us. Hey, He is God and He can enable to do His will and to serve at His good pleasure. Go out today and bring a smile to God! Bro. Joe "We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him."
The Bible defines God in many ways. For example, the Bible tells us that God is a "jealous God," but it does not define Him as jealous. The Bible points out the anger of God, but it does not say that "God is anger." I could go on with this, but I think you get the point. John 4:16 says that "God is love." We cannot turn this around as some have said and say the "love is God." It doesn't work that way. In spite of all of the examples of depravity in this world, the God Who created the world tells us that, not only is it God's nature to love us, the Bible defines Him as love...(It does not say that "love is God," as some would have us believe.) We should really be glad that "God is love," for biblical history, and general history reveals that, we who are His masterpiece in creation, cannot stop hating one another. World history is almost defined by the wars that were fought. The twentieth century has two world wars, and many wars in between. Looking down on our world we would probably destroy the warring nations, but God has not destroyed us but the biblical truth remains that "God is love." That definition has not, and will not be changed. The fact that God is love has worked out well for us, for the Bible tells us: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." But why is it true that God loves us in spite of our sins, and our tendency to destroy ourselves? The only answer that I have is the one given here, and that is "God is love." We have always sang, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." We have many illustrations of God's love in our lives, because the biblical history remains true, that, in spite of our sins and foibles, God loves us. At some point in our lives we have to come to believe that God really loves us. I think of the foibles in my life that could have caused God to stop loving me, and using me in His service. You probably have the same story and the same question: "Why do you love me!" I don't have any answer for my life, but the biblical fact that "God is love." I do not know what you might have done in your life, you cannot escape the love of God. He loves us spite of us. ( I think that is bad grammar, but it is still true.) You can say today that "God loves me." You have not sinned yourself beyond the grace of God. Say it now: "God loves me, and He loved me enough to send His Son to die on the cross in order for my sins to be forgiven and for my life to be cleansed." Hey, God really does love you. Do yourself a favor and claim that magnificent love for yourself. Well, do it! Bro. Joe “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.”
Good news! If you feel insufficient to meet all of the challenges of your life, you are in good company. The great apostle Paul declared in this verse his own insufficiency. No one suffered for the sake of Christ more than Paul, and through it all he depended on the sufficiency of the Christ that he served. This is a lesson that we need to learn. I think that we unconsciously try to take on the challenges of our lives on our own without considering that we have a resource in Jesus that can take us over all of the challenges and trials of our lives. We just need to confess our insufficiency and trust the eternal sufficiency of our Lord and God. What does it mean to depend on the sufficiency of God? It means that we can depend on Him in whatever we face in life. We find that when we get to the end of our rope that there is a greater rope to grasp. We do not know what it means to depend on God’s sufficiency until we run out of our own resources. I have testified that after eighty years of life on this earth, and after over fifty-eight years in Christian ministry, I fully realized the sufficiency of God when I had to battle illness over a two year period. I thought that I knew something about faith, grace, prayer, and all of the great things of the Christian faith, but when I could do nothing but trust God, He proved sufficient to meet all of my needs. Sometimes God brings us to the end of ourselves and our puny resources in order for us to see His real strength. We just need to trust that we can depend on God in all of life through the good and the bad. Someone has written, and rightfully so, that, "When we are flat on our backs, we can only look up." It means that we need Him to teach us how to really live the Christian life. This world is rife with temptations that call us away from the life that Jesus wants us to live. Our Lord Jesus Christ experienced all of these temptations without sin. He emerged victoriously, and enables us to contend with all of the issues of life. One of the most difficult lessons that Christ teaches us is to love people as He loves us. This means that we should love people unconditionally. This is not humanly possible. We can’t live out the sacrificial love of God on our own. That is one of the reasons that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to indwell us and guide us into the wilderness of life. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can love as Jesus loved. All of the virtues of the Christian life are possible for us because we have the sufficiency of our God to help us live them. Keep in mind that none of us lives them perfectly, but we can live good lives because of God’s sufficiency. It means that if we try to live the Christian life on our own without depending on the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we will make a big mess of it. There are Christians all over the world who are not enjoying the victorious life because they are trying to live it in the flesh and not in the Spirit. Lest I seem too self-righteous here, I know this is true because I have tried it myself. I have found that after God has done a great work in my life, I can take credit for it myself if I’m not careful. This is when Satan has come into the picture and turns victory into defeat. When we stop thanking God for His sufficiency in our lives, and when we stop giving Him the credit that He deserves, we are defeated in our spirit. There is not a person on this earth who is sufficient unto himself or herself. All you have to do is look at what a mess the world is in to see what human beings do when they do not lean on God’s sufficiency. Just take this as a reminder that He is your sufficiency too and lean on Him. Bro. Joe “Come now and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be a white as snow; thought they be like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
This text is written in the context of God’s concern for the wayward people of Judah. Inspired by the Spirit, Isaiah wrote to them by warning them of God’s judgment, and also giving them some words of encouragement. In this text, Isaiah gives the people of Judah an earnest entreaty from God to turn from their wicked ways. One of the problems dealt with here is that the Jews were still going through religious practices, such as burnt offerings and special holy days, but, as it is with us, God did not want their religious practices but He wanted them – their hearts. It is a heartfelt appeal from a loving and compassionate God. The verse begins: “Come now and let us reason together.” This is like one friend calling on another friend to reason over a problem in their relationship. The fact that God was willing to reason with this wayward people shows His great compassion and love. I think that the idea of calling the Jews to reason together with Him was that they might come to Him seriously and give Him their full attention. Like people today, the Jews were so busy doing what they wanted to do that they gave little time to do what God wanted them to do. It is possible for us to be so busy in church work that we do not take time to be alone with God and reason with Him. It is a call to fellowship and prayer. God knows that when we ignore Him and His ways, we are headed for trouble. Decide today to get alone with God and reason with Him. Give Him your full attention and pay attention to what He says to your heart, then go and do whatever it is that He wants you to do. There is a promise of forgiveness and cleansing in this text: “Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” This speaks primarily to cleansing, but before cleansing can take place God has to forgive sin. 1 John 1:9 reminds us: “If we confess our sins, He faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Keep in mind that this promise of forgiveness and cleansing was given to a people who had strayed far from the righteous path. This should teach us that we can’t get so far away from God and His will for our lives that He will not forgive us when we come to Him in confession and repentance. The notes in The Life Application Bible pertaining to this verse gives some good information on this promise: “Scarlet, or crimson was the color of a deep-red permanent dye, and its stain was virtually impossible to remove from clothing. The bloodstained hands of the murderers are probably in view here. The stain of sin seems equally permanent, but God can remove sin’s stains from our lives as He promised to do for the Israelites. We don’t have to go through life permanently soiled.” The good news for the Jews and for us is that though we have sinned, God will forgive and cleanse us. This invitation to Judah was given years and years ago, but it is as relevant today as it was when Isaiah wrote it. God forgives all sin!!! I don’t know what you have done in your life, or how far you have drifted from God and His church, but I know that you haven’t done anything that He can’t or won’t forgive. There are many people who have either just given up their lives to a lifestyle of sin and feel that they have gone too far to turn back from their wicked ways. This is not true. Our great, loving and compassionate God will meet us at the point of our greatest need and give us the forgiveness that we need. Why don’t you take advantage of this call to confession and repentance and be forgiven and cleansed? Bro. Joe "And Jesus looking upon them said, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."
To put this verse in context, after the "rich young man" refused to give up his riches to follow Jesus, Jesus told his disciples how difficult it is for a person who trusts in riches to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples asked, "Who then can be saved?" This is when Jesus gave His reply in verse 27. I want to concentrate in this article on the underlined words above: "For with God all things are possible." He is, after all, God. This is a difficult concept for many people to accept, for they can't conceive such a Being. I will admit that this concept goes way beyond human philosophies and scientific theories, but it is, nevertheless, true. Jesus demonstrated this truth while He was here on earth. He had control of the weather, for he told a stormy Sea of Galilee to be still, and it immediately became still. This is power over nature. You probably remember the occasion when Jesus turned water into wine. Now this cannot be done. Water has none of the qualities of the grape that can make it into wine. Impossible! Yet Jesus did it. Are you aware that any time it is mentioned in the New Testament that Jesus attended a funeral, the corpse walked away from it? This is power over death. Anytime Jesus encountered demons in the New Testament, His power over them was complete. He simply told them what to do, and they did it. (As they say on television, if you are not prayed up, "don't try this at home." lol) Only Jesus can exorcise demons. This is power over the devil. On another occasion Jesus walked on water. Have you ever tried this? A friend of mine once told me that the only way we could do that would be to wear "pontoon shoes." Or as one joke I heard surmised, you can walk on water if you know where the rocks, or stumps, are. Jesus even had control of the sea. What does this mean for your life or mine? It does not mean that if we trust in Jesus, He will magically pave the way for us. Jesus turns impossibilities into possibilities when it will serve His purpose for us and for the world. Nevertheless it is a great comfort to me to know that I serve One who has no impossible obstacles before Him. I know this because He has helped me over many impossible obstacles. He didn't do this because I deserved it, but because of His grace, and as I mentioned above, His purpose for my life. Furthermore, He has helped me through many impossible obstacles. This means that He did not magically make my difficulties disappear, but, because of Him, I survived and became a better person because of it. I know this: I had rather believe in and serve the One for Whom there are no impossibilities, than to just ignore Him and go on about my life. I hope you feel this way too. Turn your life over to Jesus. Bro. Joe "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice.
and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. 32. And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake hath forgiven you." I used the word "act" above when I could have used "live." But I think you understand the word "act" here because this pertains to how we react to people in our daily lives, at home, at work, shopping, etc. We need to look at these words in verse 32 and think seriously about them - me included. "Be ye kind to one another." Think about yourself, are you kind to other people, the people in your home, at your work, where you shop, and etc.? Do you have a kind heart? How do you treat people in your home, where you work and where you shop. It would be interesting to talk with people who work at, for example, Walmart. Would they tell us that people are kind. They would probably say that some are kind, but others are not kind. I try to remember this when I shop, for I represent Christ where I am shopping as well as at church. Are you kind to people in your home, at your workplace, at church (yep, there too), where you shop. Just think about it. In a few minutes (hours ?) Hope and I will be eating at a local restaurant and at, probably Walmart, will I be kind to the people that I encounter in those places? Be ye,,,,tenderhearted, or compassionate. This goes a little deeper into our lifestyles than kindness, for it reminds us that we are not only kind to people, but we treat them with compassion, reminding ourselves that this is how Jesus treated people. This is difficult to remember sometimes, because we encounter people who are definitely not compassionate. Maybe we need to act in public like we do at church (hopefully). Since I made my living working at churches, we forgot this sometimes even there. (I have four fingers pointing back at me, as I point at you.) "Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.." This gives a hard example to follow, for Christ will forgive us for all of our sins. We need to think of some people that we have encountered, and ask ourselves if we have really and truly forgiven them. I will tell you that when you think of this, you will do some hard praying, as I am doing in my heart as I write this. I am asking the Lord to help me forgive, even as He forgave me from the cross. Look at your heart, have you forgiven people in your home, at your work, and especially at your church home? I made my living serving in churches and it is as difficult there as anywhere else to be kind, compassionate and forgiving. The devil is at work in your home, at your work, and at your church home. (And everywhere else!) This text actually points out how Christ treated people as He walked on the earth. He was kind, He was compassionate, and He forgave. Even from the cross, He said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." We (notice that I wrote "we") need to take this text to heart and think about how we live our daily lives at our homes, at our workplaces, at our churches, or wherever we are. May we all take these words to heart! Bro. Joe "For God is the One working in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure." I read that John Wesley used to open his Bible and he would consider that God's word for him at that time. I pulled a "John Wesley" this morning. I opened my Bible and this text just "fell out" at me. What the text tells us that we do not serve a God Who is separated from us, but He is at work in us. God, the Holy Spirit, is at work in the lives of people who have trusted Jesus as Savior. Paul mentioned two purposes that God has in working in us. First, it is said "God is the One working in you, both to will..." God is at work in us to enable us to know and to do His will. We become aware of that will when we pray and seek His guidance for our lives. It helps to spend time in the Bible. When I have stepped outside of God's will to do my own thing, so to speak, my service has been anemic. You have been called to do God's will. You must understand that this is the call of every Christian, not just preachers. (I think we misunderstand that sometimes.) God is at work in you to do His will in your daily life and in your "church life." Second, the text also tells us that God is at work in us "to do His good pleasure." I want to interpret this to mean that when we do God's will for our lives we do it "at His good pleasure." We call this winning the "smlle of God." Isn't it wonderful to know our doing God's will brings Him pleasure. Frankly, I had rather win the smile of God instead causing Him to be unhappy with me. Perhaps we all know what it means to displease God, and we also know that this brings us misery. Think about it, whatever you do in life, you can do God's will and that will bring Him pleasure. This will lead you to really enjoy being God's servant. Please understand that whatever you do in life, you are God's servant and that He wants to use you. I think sometimes that this is misunderstood, because do not see how God can really use us. Hey, He is God and He can enable to do His will and to serve at His good pleasure. Go out today and bring a smile to God! Bro. Joe Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
The 23rd Psalm is about God being our shepherd and always being with us. It concludes with the verse that is printed above. I once read that we have two guardian angels, and they are called "goodness and mercy." There is probably more to the guardian angel concept than that, but it is nevertheless true that we who believe are accompanied by God's goodness and Mercy all of the time. What a comfort this is to me, and I hope it is a comfort that you have and that you enjoy & appreciate. This verse tells us that we are covered now and for all eternity. It is obvious life on this earth is nowhere near like life in heaven, but we have been visited from heaven and we have a little bit of it here and now. In this present life we are followed by God's goodness. Among other possible interpretations of this text, I think that it means that God is good to us. He doesn't always make life easy for us, but, even in the hard times, He is good to us. No matter what, we can know that God's goodness is with us 24/7. Then we are followed by God's mercy. Thank God for His mercy. If God practiced judgment without mercy, we would all be in great trouble. We can know that God loves us, even if we don't always measure up to His standards. This means that we have been forgiven by an eternal God who loves us. This love is shown through Jesus, who came to save us. Closely associated with mercy is grace. God's grace says to us that we don't deserve what God/Jesus does for us, but He does it anyway. In this life we have God's presence with us all of the time. He showers His goodness and mercy upon us all of the time. We don't always realize that, but it is true. But that is not all that is in store for us. Through His goodness and mercy, God has made it possible for us to spend eternity with Him. Think about eternity for a moment. Eternity is a long, long time. It just goes on forever. When we believe in Jesus, we are visited by heaven daily through God's goodness and mercy, and when this life is over we will be with Jesus forever. In the 14th chapter of John's Gospel, verses 2-3, Jesus said: "In my Father's house are many mansions (dwelling places); if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also." It is through faith in Jesus that we have this kind of life and this kind of eternity. Which leads me to ask you: "Are you being followed?" I pray that you are, but if you aren't Jesus is availabe to you. Just call on Him, and He will hear you. This is a good deal - take it! You will find it to be a wonderful experience. Bro. Joe "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God..."
Your answers to these questions do not determine whether or not you are saved. They do determine whether or not you need to increase your growth in the Lord. Since you have been saved are you a more courteous person? How do you react to people with whom you do business? I do not mean do you always agree with them, but do you remember that you are a Christian, and a representative of Christ in the exchange? How would Jesus act is a good question to ask in these moments. I know that He would not lose His temper and say things for which He would be sorry when he got home. Just give it some thought. (I am not being judgmental in this question, for I deal with it myself, and have to remind myself that I am a Christian, and I need to act like a representative of Christ.) Since you have been saved are you a more forgiving person? Remember that Jesus said as He was being crucified, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Honestly, this is a question that I deal with a lot before I go to sleep at night. Forgiving someone does not make you weak, but it makes you strong in Christ, and it makes you a good example to the lost world. People can say and do hurtful things that make it difficult to forgive, but, in Christ, we need to forgive them. (it doesn't hurt for us to remember that we might have said and done hurtful things to others.) Since you have been saved are you a more interested person? For example, how interested are you in the Bible? Does the Bible seem dull and drab when you read it, or does it excite you? Do you remember that it is the word of God? Another example is how interested are you in other people? Are you concerned about some problems that they might be experiencing, or do you think, "It ain't my problem"? How interested are you about whether or not they are Christians? How interested are you in the church which you attend? Is its witness to the surrounding world better because of your witness? These are some questions for you to ask yourself, as I actually do. Your answer does not determine whether or not you are saved, for we are all at different places in our growth in Christ, but they are good questions to make us remember that we are Christians, and that we are Christ's representatives to the world. Selah Bro. Joe |
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