(This article was written in 2012. I thought you might gain some insights for yourselves when you read it.)
“May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose.” (NKJV) The desires of our hearts tell us a lot about ourselves. Our heart’s desires are what we dream about, think about, and that control the purpose of our lives. That’s what the text printed above reveals to us. If God grants us the desires of our hearts, our purpose will be fulfilled. The important thing is that our heart’s desires are worthy of great purpose. By “great purpose” I do not mean a purpose that will shake the world, but purposes that will help us realize God’s will for our lives, and enable us to make a difference in the world. Those things that we think about and plan on should have something to do with what God wants for us. If you realized your heart’s desire today, what would it have to do with the kingdom of God? I do not mean that you can’t have heart’s desires that have to do with secular things, but if you are a Christian, your main desire and purpose should have to do with Christ. When I was a little boy, my heart’s desire was to be a cowboy just like Roy Rogers. I could just see myself riding on a horse, chasing the crook down, pulling him off of his horse and beating the living daylights out of him. But as I began to mature a little, a new desire formed in my heart. I felt that God was calling me to be a preacher. After a roller-coaster ride from age 12 to age 20, that desire was realized. It was a life-changing experience. I can’t tell you that I have always fulfilled God’s purpose in my life, for, like you, I still have “Adam’s blood” in me. I can’t say that I have never wanted to quit the purpose to which He called me, for from time to time I did. Obviously, I did not quit, since I have been In the ministry for almost 60 years. It has been an interesting, fulfilling, humbling life, filled with challenges. That is enough about me. I want to ask you what your heart’s desire is at this very moment in your life? If that desire should be fulfilled, what would be the result for you, your family and the world around you? Would your desire’s fulfillment make a difference in the world? Is your heart’s desire something that you talk to God about regularly? If you aren’t praying about it, you are not interested in what God wants for you. If this desire was fulfilled and you realized your purpose, would it make you a better person? Would you be easier to get along with? Would you be a more loving person? Would you be a better husband or wife? Would you be a better father or mother to your children? Would you do better on your job? Would you be a better member of your church? Would people see a difference in your life? These are a lot of questions for you to answer, but they are very important questions. We are supposed to grow as Christians. It is our heart’s desires and our purposes that help us to grow. Some people are satisfied being nominal Christians. Their real heart’s desires have more to do with secular matters than with God’s will for their lives. If that is the way your life is now, you need to ask God to examine your heart and give you the desire to be a better servant of His. Jesus is waiting for you to align your heart, and consequently, your purpose with what He wants with your life. Perhaps, you need to do some serious praying when you finish reading this. What is your heart’s desire? What is your purpose? Give it some thought. Bro. Joe
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“And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom.”
The word “access” is not used in this text, but it is definitely demonstrated. For example, when one is given access it means that he or she is free to enter. Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice to give us access to the salvation that He offers. I can’t explain why Jesus had to die for us to be saved, but I know that this is explicitly what the Bible teaches. I want to take a look at the advantages that this access to salvation adds to the lives of those who take advantage of it. The death of Jesus on the cross gives us access to a new day. The “veil of the temple” was the curtain that separated the “Holy of Holies” in the Jewish temple from human access. Only the high priest could enter the most holy place of the temple, and then only on the Day of Atonement. To enter that holy place was to die –period. Even the high priest had to take certain precautions when entering into it. The rent veil meant that this had changed. The rent veil ushered in a new day for all who would take advantage of the access that was offered. Everyone who would come to the Father through the Son would now have access to the throne room. God is available to all who will call on Him in the name of Jesus. This access was gained because of the love, mercy and grace of God. It is free, but it’s not cheap since it cost the blood of Jesus. The death of Jesus on the cross gives us access to prayer. The rent veil means that when we pray we go directly to the Father through the Son. Other people can certainly intercede for us, but no one needs to pray in our stead, for we have access to the throne of God without the aid of anyone. This means that you have access to the eternal God 24/7. Hebrews 4:16 invites us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” This was written from the perspective that Jesus is our high priest. Jesus entered the heavenly “Holy of Holies” for us and He awaits our prayers. We can breathe a prayer any time that we want, we can even think a prayer any time that we want. Prayer is not complicated. If we have a need of any kind, we can go directly to the throne through Jesus. If we need forgiveness, which we surely do, we can take it directly to the throne of God and receive it. We are told in 1 John 1:9 that any time that we confess our sins, “(Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive them." Whatever our need, we have access to God. While we might have places that are more conducive to prayer than others, we do not need a certain place to pray. There is not a certain posture for prayer. We do not need to pray in a “holy voice” to God. We just need to pray – period. We can get through to the Father any time when we pray in the name of Jesus. All of this is true even if we do not feel like praying. The death of Jesus gives us access to fellowship with God. In other world religions God is closed off from the people. Proponents of these religions worship a god who is “out there somewhere.” In the Christian faith, we serve the God who is not closed off from us. He has promised to be with His children all of the time. He is never out of touch. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can have fellowship with God every hour of every day of our lives. We can worship Him freely, knowing that He loves us and that He is with us. Isaiah 55:6 tells us: “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.” Thank God that in Jesus God is near us all of the time. The rent veil certainly means more than I have covered here. The three points given are meant to remind us of the access that Jesus’ death on the cross gives us. Rejoice! Bro. Joe “18. And I said, my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord.” “21. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
One does not normally think of going to Lamentations for encouragement, since it is as its name implies, lamentations of Jeremiah over the destruction of Jerusalem. Yet in the middle of his lamentation, Jeremiah sees a glimmer of hope. Jeremiah is the Old Testament’s version of “chicken little” who went about saying “the sky is falling, the sky is falling.” (Except that, in a sense, it really was.) He is like the watchman who says, “All if lost, all is lost.” At this time in Judah’s history it would certainly seem that all was lost. Look at what has happened: (1) The king has been taken into exile, (2) The walls of Jerusalem are either being torn down at this time, or have already been torn down. (3) The temple at Jerusalem has been destroyed. (4) People are being carried everyday into exile in Babylon, or being killed. It would certainly seem that all is lost. In one sense, all was lost. A whole civilization, which had been ordained by God, was being torn down person by person and brick by brick. There was death and destruction on every hand. No wonder that Jeremiah said, “My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord.” Don’t you think that if we saw all of our great institutions being destroyed, and our people being either killed or taken into exile, that we would think that all was lost? But then, Jeremiah has a thought: “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.” The Lord was letting Jeremiah see all of the death and destruction around Him, but He was also working in Jeremiah’s mind the hope that is always ours in Him. Here is what the Lord put on Jeremiah’s mind: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” In the midst of all of the negativity, to put it mildly, Jeremiah saw a glimmer of hope, not in the situation, but in Yahweh, the great God of Israel and the world. Jeremiah knew that all was not lost because God was not dead. In the midst of his great depression, Jeremiah fell back on some things about Yahweh that he knew he could depend on. First, he remembered that God is a God of mercy and grace. Just because God allows us to be disciplined for disobedience, does not mean that He does not love us anymore, or that He is no longer the God of love and mercy. Whatever you are going through it might not be discipline from the Lord, but it is at least allowed by the Lord. This doesn’t mean that God has ceased to be whom and what He is in His very nature. He has not stopped loving you and He will show His mercy in His time. No matter what is going on around us, God has not ceased to be the God of mercy and hope. Second, Jeremiah remembered that Yahweh is the compassionate God. This means that not only does God love us, He feels deeply for us and His actions show the great agape (ahgahpay) love that was eventually revealed in Jesus Christ. The temple being torn down, did not mean that God’s compassion had been torn down. Our circumstances can, and must change, but God does not. Take great joy in that. Third, Jeremiah remembered the faithfulness of God. His love, mercy and compassion for us are new every morning and in all things, He will prove to be faithful. Isn’t this what the coming of Jesus meant in the economy of the whole Bible? Take heart! This God described in Lamentations, is at work in your life through the Holy Spirit. Praise Him! Bro. Joe “Moreover it is required in stewards that a man (or woman) be found faithful.” (I added the parentheses.)
Several years ago I had a conversation with a woman who was critical of her church. She said that she had been ill and not one person from that church called or visited her to find out how she was. I regret that this happened, but when she told me that I didn’t ask, but wanted to ask her how many sick people she had visited or called? We seem to always want others to pay attention to us, or serve us in some way, but we don’t serve others. In other words, we should be faithful to serve the Lord and do our part in our Christian duties. We should be more concerned with whether or not we have been the stewards that we should be rather than worrying about the stewardship of others to us. We need to be aware of our own stewardship. We need to be aware of our own stewardship to the people that we encounter daily. For example, how do we treat people who serve us? Are we careful what we say to them? I know that some people who serve us are stressed and do not seem to really enjoy serving us. I have to remind myself in these cases that my reaction to people like that is up to me not up to them. If I am to be a faithful steward of Christ, then I will react as Jesus would react. I think that Jesus would respond to bitterness with a reply that would minister to them in a positive way. You are thinking that Bro. Joe is out of his mind. That is always possible, but I know that if we are to be effective witnesses of Jesus to the world, we cannot repay sarcasm with more sarcasm or bitterness with more bitterness. The world is in dire need of our positive witness. We need to be aware of our own stewardship to our fellow church members. Let’s just be honest here and confess that churches are not showing a good witness to the world when they treat each other in negative ways. A faithful steward will be careful to make sure that he or she loves his or her fellow Christians, and that they treat them kindly. This is not always easy!!! Christians, like all other human beings, get on one another’s nerves. When this happens, we need to remind ourselves that we are to treat others as we want to be treated. (It’s called the “golden rule.”) A good steward will remember this at church as well as at the tag office, or the restaurant. We are in fellowship with each other to encourage each other. Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us of this: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. 25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting (encouraging) one another: and so much the more as you see the day approaching.” I have not even touched the hem of the garment of what real Christian stewardship is, but I think that I have touched on two elements of Christian stewardship that we need to pay closer attention to today. As Christian stewards we do not need to act like the rest of the world. We are supposed to be different. We are supposed to live on a higher plane. After all, our ultimate role model is Jesus. Even when Jesus responded negatively to the world it was for their good, not to satisfy Himself. Are you faithful in your stewardship to people that you encounter in the world and at church? At least give it some thought. Bro. Joe “Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples…”
What does it mean to bear fruit? I think that Jesus gave the answer to that in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” We cannot bear fruit if we are not living the life. How do we let our lights shine? First, I think we let our lights shine when we love people. Second, I think we let our lights shine when we publically serve the Lord. By this I mean that we minister to people. Now, this is not complicated. Ministry can be a visit to a lonely old person either at home or in a nursing home. Ministry can be taking food to a hungry person. What I mean is that ministry is doing what Jesus would do. Real ministry always has to do with people. Look at the ministry of Jesus. His life was spent ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of people. What we do at church is important, but real fruit is borne when we are outside of the church building and living the Christian life to the hilt in the community. In a real sense, to serve God is to minister to people. Sure, we can minister to people through the church, and our lights will shine, but we can also minister to people in daily life. We just need to be caring and loving people. When we minister to people, that is what is called "bearing fruit." Let’s say that fruit is living like Jesus did while He walked on the earth. Letting our lights shine through ministry to people is to bear fruit for Jesus. What does it mean to bear fruit? It means to obey the commands of Jesus at the ends of all four gospels, and in Acts 1:8 to be His witnesses. Let’s take a look at Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” We have a mandate to be witnesses for Jesus Christ in this world. When we witness to someone about Jesus we are bearing fruit for Him. Notice that I did not write that when we win somebody to Jesus that is fruit. Of course, that is the point of witnessing, and when people accept Jesus through our witness, that is fruit. But it is also fruit when we obey Jesus and take the gospel to people. We do not always get the results that we want, but God is pleased when we witness – however we do it. One thing that I have learned as a preacher is that I don’t always know what the results are. Oh, we have an invitation at the end of the service, but because no one came down the aisle does not mean that there was no fruit.The same is true of those who teach Sunday School, work with children, or even sing in the choir. The Holy Spirit is bearing fruit through us. Don’t think that you never bear fruit. What does it mean to bear fruit? It means to overcome human selfishness and give of ourselves. A Christian should not be afraid to step outside of himself or herself. Jesus did not save us to just huddle together as Christians. He saved us to praise and worship God and to share His love with the world. If you want to bear fruit, live the Christian life and obey the Lord in your life through word and deed, and at the same time your life will glorify God. Bro. Joe "I Thank my God, making, making mention of thee always in my prayers, hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints; 6. That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every great thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the (hearts) of the saints are refreshed by thee brother..."
I count Philemon among the great saints in the New Testament. The letter that Paul wrote to him is short, and personal, but it reveals the heart and ministry of a man who meant a lot to Paul. His servant, Onesimus, had befriended Paul in Rome, and Paul wanted Onesimus' continuing service with him. In giving his encouragement for the freedom of Onesimus, Paul gives us a snapshot of the character of Philemon. In verse 6, Paul pointed out that he was praying that Philemon's witness would be effective as he shared Christ to the people in his household and in the community in which he lived and served. This reminds us that we should be praying about our own effectiveness in our Christian witness, in the effectiveness of the service of our pastors, and of our church families. This reminds us that the witness about Christ to the world should be the primary concern of all of Christ's churches. In verse 7, Paul pointed out Philemon's character and influence in his life and in the world: First, Philemon brought "great joy" to Paul and to his fellow Christians. Do you bring joy to the people around you, and especially, to the people in the church which you attend? Give some thought, and prayer, to this proposition. Second, Philemon was an encouragement (consolation) to Paul and to others. We should ask ourselves if we are an encouragement to the people in our lives? I have found two types of people in the churches which I have served: encouragers and discouragers. In which category would you place yourself? There are times that you might be both an encourager and a discourager. Look at your own witness and service. Are you primarily an encourager or discourager? Third, Philemon was a person who "refreshed the saints" - his fellow Christians. I know that in my relationships with people I want to refresh them. This is similar to encouragement, but means more. One thing I know that this means is that people can depend on us. If we take a responsibility in Christs' church, we fulfill the duties of that responsibility joyfully and as effectively as we can. If we want to "refresh" people, we should love them, and let them know by our actions that they can depend on us. May the tribe of Philemon increase, and we should pray that we will be part of that tribe. I just prayed for that and encourage you to also pray that you may be a "great joy," that you will be an encourager and not a discourager, and that you will refresh the people in your purview by fulfilling your God-given service. Bro. Joe "I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers. 5. Hearing of thy love, and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints."
My journey through the Bible led me today the short book of Philemon. The book is a letter that Paul wrote to his good friend Philemon. There is a lot in our two verses for us to consider for our lives. It is stands out to me in this text that Paul had been praying for Philemon: "making mention of you always in my prayers." This is the best thing that a Christian can do for his, or her, friends. Which leads me to a question: Are you praying for your family and friends? if the answer is "no," make the answer "yes" as of this moment. Paul was thankful for his good friend Philemon and mentioned some of his qualities that we need to think about for our lives. (Reminder: Pray for your enemies too.) He was thankful for Philemon's "love." The Greek word that Paul used here for love is "agape" (ah gah pay). This is the same Greek word that John used in John 3:16 to share the love that God has for us. Philemon loved people.... Do you love people? (Do I love people?) Do you love people or merely tolerate them, or only care for them based on what they can do for you? He was thankful for Philemon's faith. Of course, this meant that Philemon had faith in Jesus Christ. It is by faith in Christ that we are saved, but it is also by faith in Christ that we should live our daily lives. This is why we need to start each day with prayer and ask God to increase our faith as we meet the challenges of the day. I can't think of starting my day in any other way. I am not bragging about my "great spirituality" but on the Lord Who is always the object of my faith, even as I write this article. He was thankful for Philemon's love and faith for "the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints." Philemon loved Jesus and all of his fellow Christians. That is a good question to ask ourselves: Do we really love Jesus and do we really love all of our fellow Christians? (This caused me to ask Jesus to increase my love...) We deeply, deeply need to pray for an increase in our faith in Christ and in our love for our fellow Christians, and for all people. We need to make this our daily prayer! There is a good personal message for us in this text, let's read it seriously, and seriously ask ourselves are we increasing in our love and faith? (Pray that prayer now.) Bro. Joe “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”
"Glad" is a good word. It means "to express pleasure, to cause pleasure or to be pleased." (American Century Dictionary) This should describe the life of a Christian. I will relate something from my life to share my own gladness. I am glad that my mama made me go to church - literally. I was not always glad about that. I didn’t realize that while I was wishing that I could be at home instead of at church, it was making an impact on my life and impressing me in ways that I could never explain. At a young age, I was not aware of the value of Christian fellowship. I just called it “going to church.” As I reflect on those days, I see how being in church on Sunday influenced me and served as a reminder that real life is found in Jesus. (I guess I should tell you that one of my nick names at church in my early years was "worry wart." Hey, nobody's perfect.) In fact those early years in church helped me to know when I got older that God was calling me into the ministry, and I’m glad for that too. My life has been enriched because of Christian ministry in so many different ways, I don’t think that I could fully explain it? Enough about me, let’s turn to you. What makes you glad? Are you glad that you are a Christian? If you are not a Christian, you are missing out on the abundant life. Sometimes we see people who live only for the world seeming to really enjoy themselves and we feel a little envious. This business of being a Christian does not allow us to have “fun” the way the rest of the world does. This kind of “fun” does not last forever. There are people who go from party to party and just live it up. But all of this will end. There will be a last party, a last shot at fun, and life will become empty and void. This does not mean that we spend every moment of our lives doing “church work.” It means that we have a lasting relationship with Christ, and serving him adds depth and strength to our lives. If I’m not careful here, I will leave the impression that I do not believe that life should contain humor and fun. I do not mean that at all. I believe that we should laugh a lot, and that we should not be “holy kill joys.” Having Christ in our lives makes our days glad. Do you remember this old song: “He has made me glad, He has made glad, I’m so glad that He has made me glad.” I hope that you can sing this song and really mean it. I haven’t even scratched the surface of Christian gladness, but I think that I have written enough to make you examine your own life. If you are not a glad person, you need to ask yourself why, particularly if you are a Christian. I don’t mean that a glad person is happy all of the time. I do mean that a glad Christian has every reason to have a glad heart and to live a glad life. This glad heart will make life better in spite of the unhappy and trying moments. A glad heart will sustain you through all of life – the good and the bad. If you don’t have this gladness in your heart and life, I challenge you to find it in Jesus. Bro. Joe "This is the judgement that light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light. 2. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 3. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
The text written above points out the importance of our walking in the light of Jesus Christ. Works of darkness are done by those who do not believe in and serve Christ, but we are to come to Christ's light in order to see that we serve Christ, and desire to come to the light. I thought of the importance of the light of Christ in our lives. First, the light shows things as they are. What do I mean by this? When we walk in Christ's light, it is evident to the people to whom we minister. Works that are done in the darkness of the world only show the darkness of the world. This should be true in our individual lives as well in the life of our churches. Our churches should be flashes of light in the community. Think about this as you walk among people! Second, when we walk in the light of Christ, we shed His light on the world. In John 12 Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." In Matthew 5:14 Jesus said about us, "You are the light of the world." We need to realize that people can see the difference between the works of the flesh, which lead to the world's darkness, and the light of Christ, which leads to His light. We really need to remember this when we are doing the work of Christ's church, and let the works of our church show the light of Christ in our lives. People see enough of the world's darkness.... Third, when we walk in the light of Christ, people can join us, and serve with us, because we are leading them in the right direction. People, especially young people, need to know the right direction. We have been accepted the call of Christ to be saved and to follow HIm, and as stated above, people know the difference in how we conduct ourselves as Christ's church. If people in your community looked to your life for inspiration and light, would they follow Christ because of you? Jesus is the light of the world, and He has called us to walk in His light. Let's do this individually and as a church of Jesus Christ. Bro. Joe |
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