Tag: Sheep

The Carrot and Stick Principle

Its captivating to me that when I go through something, I tend to relate what I am going through, the relationships and grievances, with God. When I think of how children who do not listen to their mother, who do not use the skills and lessons that they have been equipped with to navigate even the simplest of task in the home, I tend to turn that around and wonder how God must feel when I, as an adopted child of His, refuses to do what I have been taught, refuse to use the gifts that He blessed me with, when I pick and choose what I will and will not do. If I am a small bearing in a big wheel, I wonder just how much more His feelings are amplified as the Father of all, the Father who sacrificed His son only to be used like a flashlight. To be used only when times are dark. To be minimized and placed on a shelf. To feel totally ignored and disrespected by His selfish children.

Whether you are a parent in a home, a supervisor at work, a leader in a group, a person in some position, any position of authority and responsibility, it is your job to teach, to grow, to influence, and to lead others. In these capacities, it is always more difficult to do so when just one, let alone more than one, of your flock is being disobedient. When just one person holds on to the idea that they can do whatever they want to do, come in late, wear things not an official part of the uniform, totally usurp the chain of command, fail to complete routine tasks, call in sick repeatedly, make excuses not to come to trainings and meetings, cause discord amongst the team, and so on, the task of growing and leading a team is made difficult because everyone is seeing what you are seeing and if permitted to continue, the rest of the crowd in today’s America adopts the, “well if he can do it, so can I” doctrine. It is a small percentage that ignore the negative and continue to engage the positive, even if they are alone in doing so. It’s like the one child who does right, living among brothers and sister who not only don’t do right, but make fun of and intimidate and harass the one who does. This is hard for that one. Again, I think often, how does my disobedience hurt my Father’s heart.

Throughout the bible, cover to cover, God speaks repeatedly about being obedient. As sinners, we must understand that our willful, purposeful, and deliberate disobedience causes God’s heart to mourn. Yes, mourn! He mourns because if we do not change our disobedient ways, we will surely die, TWICE!!!

Exodus 23:20-24

20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.

24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

God starts off by stating that IF they, His children the Israelites, follow the angel, the angel that has the nature and authority of God himself, then God will bless them with the following. God starts off like this so that in a gentle way He acknowledges that man has the tendency to ignore God, and do what they want. So here God employs the early version of the Carrot and Stick principle. He wants nothing but the best for His children. But He needs them to see, ON THEIR OWN, that it is in their best interest to follow Him so that they do so willingly and without duress. God is stating to his children that if they are obedient, He himself will not let anything happen to them. He will provide victory after victory. If His children obey Him, those who oppose them, will also be the enemy of God.

Charles Ellicott states- “God is “the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” He chooses to “reward men after their works,” and to set before them “the recompense of the reward.” He “knows whereof we are made,” and by what motives we are influenced. Self-interest, the desire of our own good, is one of the strongest of them. If Israel will keep His covenant, they will enjoy the following blessings :—(1) The guidance and protection of His angel till Canaan is reached; (2) God’s help against their adversaries, who will, little by little, be driven out; (3) the ultimate possession of the entire country between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea on the one hand, the Desert and the Euphrates on the other; (4) a blessing upon their flocks and herds, which shall neither be barren nor cast their young; and (5) a blessing upon themselves, whereby they will escape sickness and enjoy a long term of life. All these advantages, however, are conditional upon obedience, and may be forfeited.”

Fast forward to almost the end of the Bible.

1 Peter 1:13-15

13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

There are so many scriptures on obedience. John 14:15, Acts 5:29, Luke 6:46, and Ecclesiastes 12:13 are just some of my favorites on the subject. However, I believe these versus fit with those from Exodus. I believe in verse 13 we can clearly see God saying to us as gentiles, “If you obey me….” This is what He said to Israel, “If you choose to follow me…” When we read “Gird up the loins of your mind” and “be sober” what we read is God telling us, Prepare yourself for battle and hard work.

Gird Up Your Loins

God is saying to us…. Prepare yourselves to follow me, prepare for battle and hard work and focus on me and I will bring you victory in the face of your enemies. Don’t even think about the lusts and desires of your flesh. Listen to my voice, do what I say. Do not conform to the world, do not bow down to the gods of the world, do not follow them, do not serve them, and do not do as they say. Be Holy as I am Holy. Be obedient children not fashioning, not molding, not conforming to the behaviors of the world. That’s what God is telling you! And finally, where is the victory that God spoke about in Exodus, “hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” For the Gentile Christian, the adopted child, this is our victory. The hope, or better translated, the expectation in the salvation in Jesus the Christ. What a victory that will be.

Joseph Benson Comments- “The apostle alludes to the manners of the eastern countries, in which the men’s garments being long and flowing, they prepared themselves for travelling, and other active employments, by girding them up with a girdle put round their loins, to prevent their being encumbered by them. The loins of the mind, therefore, is a figurative expression for the faculties of the soul, the understanding, memory, will, and affections, which the apostle signifies must be gathered in and girded, as it were, about the soul by the girdle of truth, so as to be in a state fit for continual and unwearied exertion in running the Christian race, fighting the good fight of faith, and working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Our mind must not be overcharged at any time with surfeiting and drunkenness, or the cares of this life: our affections must be placed on proper objects, and in a just degree; and especially must be set on the things that are above, which are to be our portion and felicity for ever: our various passions must be under the government of reason and religion, of the truth and grace of God.”

On the hope of Christ, John Calvin states, ” For the object of Peter was to call us away beyond the world; for this purpose the fittest thing was the recollection of Christ’s coming. For when we direct our eyes to this event, this world becomes crucified to us, and we to the world.”

Obedience is not a choice. Being a Christian is not a game. It is a discipline. The world will exercise large amounts of discipline when it comes to the study, to the execution, to the devotion of many aspects of our lives. But when it comes to God, many treat it as a passing fancy. It is not something that requires effort. There is no work in faith. I know there was a time when we used to focus on faith without works is dead, but I believe we have been so heavy on the anit-works righteous movement, and rightfully so, that a negative side-effect has taken place. That is that love is all there is and that no work is necessary. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you love God, you will follow Him, you will obey Him, and you will gird up your loins, you will prepare yourself for battle against the world and against your own flesh.

Once again, in his daily devotional, Dr. Charles Stanley reports something directly to the point. “Are you trying to rationalize a decision or behavior? Perhaps you’ve offered reasons for pursuing a certain path. Or maybe you tried bargaining with God. I assure you He isn’t moved by any arguments. Remember: Partial obedience is disobedience in His eyes. And no sin is worth being outside His will.”

If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!

Christ is not your boy toy.

This world is coming unraveled, and it is speeding up the unraveling with each passing day. The bible warns us, many times over, of what is to come (which I believe is already here in some regard) and how to identify it, and then how to deal with it. We can boil the reasons down to just one, sin. But I know that is when people start rolling their eyes and say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah! Sin, that’s the reason for everything with you people!” So instead of just saying ‘sin’, let me try to put it another way, let me reveal how God puts it, and see if we can’t clear some things up.

I am reading from the second epistle (a short dispatch or note) of John. There is only one chapter, so let’s go directly to verses 7 through 11.

7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

To start off with, we are told here that if there be a person who does not confess that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, they are a deceiver. We have no need to interpret this, as it is plain. There is no reason why a Christian entertains theory from a person who does not believe that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. In fact, there are many who confess this, but fail to actually believe it. This is a principal that is a huge hiccup for a lot of people. Faith is more than lip service. It is a total belief system. You say it, but do you confess it from the nucleus of your mind? With all of your logical senses, do you truly confess that Christ is God in the flesh?  In the next verse, John starts of with the word ‘THIS’. The word indicates the behavior. ‘This’ really means those who do not confess and believe that Christ is the God man, and that this behavior makes a person a deceiver and the enemy of Christ. I know that when we talk about an anti-christ, we think of just one person that is going to rise to power as the testimony of Christ reveals in the pages of Revelation. But here, John is letting you know that ALL who do not believe are an enemy of Christ. This is serious business folks. I put it to you because I think the Christian of today believes that a relationship with Christ is some cavalier on again off again deal. Christ is not your trophy girlfriend, or your boy toy. He is almighty God and this is a lot more serious than you think!

Ellicot wrote– “among all the human errors by which the influence of the Evil One is manifested, this is the most destructive. Those who adopt such errors are the most fatal deceivers and opponents of Christ and truth.”

John Gill wrote- “who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh; these were not the Jews who denied that Jesus was the Christ, though they would not allow that Christ was come in the flesh; but these were some who bore the Christian name, and professed to believe in Jesus Christ, but would not own that he was really incarnate, or assumed a true human nature, only in appearance; and denied that he took true and real flesh of the virgin, but only seemed to do so; and these are confuted by the apostle and upon everyone of these he justly fixes the following character.”

8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

Why is the gathering of the saints important? Why is a church home important? Why should the brethren be the most important people in your life? Because we are to ‘look to ourselves’. We are to be AWAKE!! We are to be on constant guard for the series of men who deceive and who are an anti-christ. We are to be a peculiar people set aside all on one accord, like minded so that when we see that which is not right we can identify it as such and stay clear of it. Christians are not hate mangers and we are not filled with phobias. We believe the BIBLE declares a right behavior and a wrong behavior. As we all should be on the constant lookout for flaws in our own lives, we are also on the constant lookout for the snares of the world. And we are to identify them, call them out so we can all, together, stay clear of them. Why? So that we do not lose the things which we have wrought. This is very clear. We must be watchful for if we fail, we lose all the ground we covered. It is a constant effort, it is an endless walk, it is enduring to the end, it is making the good choice, it is leaving behind your earthly flesh and giving over to God all that is you. There is a finish line to cross, a reward to be lost, and a hell to shun. But there is a full reward to be had, a heaven to be gained for those who endure unto the end. In Galations 3:3 Paul asks the Galatians if they were so foolish as to begin “in the spirit” and then be “perfected by the flesh”. We must remain vigilant in rebuking those who would mislead us with wrong interpretations of God’s word. That is the answer to the ‘why’ questions. So that we can bare each other’s burdens and be our brother’s keepers.

Benson comments– “Lest you lose the reward of what you have already done, which every apostate does; but that we receive — Which every one that is faithful unto death shall do; a full reward — That, having fully employed all our talents to the glory of him that gave them, we may receive the whole portion of felicity which God has promised to diligent, persevering Christians.”

Adam Clarke comments– “This reading is more consistent and likely, and is supported by at least as good evidence as the other. We find that if these persons did not keep on their guard they might lose their salvation, and the apostles their rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus. Even this intimation might put them on their guard. Had the apostle said ye cannot finally fall, what a different effect would it have produced!”

Ellicott writes– “The result of the error would be loss of the fellowship with the Father and the Son in truth and love.”

9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Again, there really is not need for too much discussion as this is pretty clear. If you subscribe to crying out LORD LORD and do not have the doctrine in you, you are not abiding with God. These are His words. Not only does God want you to believe in Him, He wants that faith to produce obedience. He does not just want you to believe in Him, He wants you to abide with him. The word abide (μενων) refers to being one with, not separating or becoming something different. That’s how close God wants you to be with Him. But if we transgress by not being one with the doctrine of Christ, God tells us we are not one with Him, but that we have become something different; we are apart from Him. If we do keep the doctrine then we are one with Him. And this is so important to God that He tells us, that if anyone comes teaching something that is not right, we are not to receive that person. Now, John is saying that this person should not be permitted to teach or preach in the house of God because that is not the doctrine of Christ. But this verse does not stop at the house of God alone. If you are a true Christian, then when you leave church and go home, you are truly leaving one house of worship and going to another house of worship. So if the anti-christ is not to be in the church house, he is not to be in your home also. In-fact, the next few words tells you to not bid him God’s speed. This means that we are not to encourage them to continue to preach, teach, talk false doctrine. If you encourage an anti-christ, you then are promoting the false doctrine and are now one with the enemy of Christ. God is simply saying, pick a side. There is no middle. You are either one with me, or you are not.

Benson states– “….so the Christian sister to whom the apostle wrote this letter, being probably rich, and of a benevolent disposition, thought herself under an obligation to supply the wants of those strangers who went about preaching. Wherefore, to prevent her from being deceived by impostors, the apostle here directs her to require such teachers to give an account of the doctrines which they taught; and if she found that they did not hold the true Christian doctrine, he advised her not to receive them into her house, nor to give them any countenance. And this advice of the apostle was certainly perfectly proper, because they who entertained, or otherwise showed respect to, false teachers, enabled them the more effectually to spread their erroneous doctrine, to the seduction and ruin of those whom they deceived.”

Ellicott writes– “Although it would be possible to love unbelievers, in the sense of earnestly desiring that they might come to a knowledge of the truth, it would be wrong—for sincere Christians it would be impossible—to hold out to them the right hand of fellowship. Especially dangerous would it be for the matron and her family.”

This sharing of the word is done so that we may allow the spirit to convict each of us accordingly. I can only know for sure where I stand. Am I a deceiver, or does God abide in me and me in him? I fail everyday to be perfect. But I strive to be as perfect as possible. I am confident that this is a goal that only Christ attained, but I cannot let that be the excuse to do less than I am gifted to do. The truth is, I may not be gifted to do much at all. But God, I believe, loves to see the effort. I must try to grow and learn and to allow the spirit in me to produce works that bring glory to the throne of God.

If you stand in the mirror, what will the reflection tell you about your relationship with God and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your home, straight from the cross to the Christian!

Joy is One Prayer Away

I think one of the reasons that people think Christians are a crazy group of people is because one true attribute is that, for those who truly worship God, we put God first. It looks crazy to those who do not worship God when a Christian rejoices in hardship.

Right now I know a man suffering from a rare form of Leukemia. Yes, it is true that he wishes this would pass and that he would remain healthy and watch his children grow old. Yes, he asks God for healing. But he prays more for peace. He trusts God will have His way, and that brings about a peace in him. There have been highs and lows in this journey, but the one consistent is his faith in the Creator. Another example is morality. I think most people have a line they will not cross. Most of us have a line where we will end friendships, walk off a job, or in some fashion terminate a relationship. For Christians who read and truly desire to be a follower of Christ, that moral line is much more conservative. People will look at a believe and say,” you left because of that?” What we find to be deal breakers in our walk with Christ is everyday living for most people in the world today. It is all because we are not the dictator of morality. We recognize God has that authority, and we try to obey God’s word, not the norms of a fallen society.

The Apostle Paul wrote the letter, with Timothy, to the church in Philippi. The first chapter starts off under the title of “Joy in Suffering”. Yet, at the time he wrote about his Joy, Paul was looking into the face of death as he anticipated his sentence from Rome for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. But instead of looking at it with fear, instead of compromising his faith and beliefs to save himself, instead of looking at it as the end of his life, he looked at it as an opportunity to continue to preach Christ as he defended himself, knowing that no matter what happened, God’s throne would be glorified. Looking at the situation and wanting to stay on earth to spread the gospel, and wanting to leave this earth to be with the LORD in heaven, allowed Paul to be okay with whatever God’s plan was. Paul looked at his service as continual until he died, and was happy to die in that service. Paul stated that even as he defended his actions, because he would be proclaiming Christ, he was still serving the LORD.

Philippians 1:15-20

15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

So when you have the mental attitude that no matter where you are, no matter what is going on around you, God put you there on purpose to spread His Gospel, the true believer asks, how can this get any better? How can I not cry tears of joy, in the midst of great sorrow?

So then we go to Chapter two, and read about joy in serving. Again, remember that the words Paul and Timothy put together here, were at a  time when Paul believed his sentence in Rome would be death.

Philippians 2

2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Joseph Benson commented;

The apostle, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, having exhorted the Philippians to walk worthy of their Christian profession, by having their conversation according to the gospel; and, as nothing is more required by it, or can be more suitable to it, than mutual love among the followers of Christ, he here beseeches them, by every thing most affecting in Christianity, to fulfil his joy, by exercising that love.

Of verse 3 John Gill commented.

but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves; not as to the things of the world, in respect of which one man may be a better man than another, and he must know and think himself so; nor with respect to the endowments of the mind, and acquired abilities, which one man may have above another; and the difference being so great in some, it must be easily discerned, that one is more learned and knowing, in this or the other language, art, or science; but with regard to, grace, and to spiritual light, knowledge, and judgment: and where there is lowliness of mind, or true humility, a person will esteem himself in a state of grace, as the great apostle did, the chief of sinners, and less than the least of all saints; one in whom this grace reigns will pay a deference to the judgment of other saints, and will prefer their experience, light, and knowledge, to his own; and will readily give way, when he sees such that are of longer standing, of greater experience, and more solid judgment, as he has reason to think, than himself, are on the other side of the question; and so peace, love, and unity, are preserved. This grace of humility is an excellent ornament to a Christian, and wonderfully useful in Christian societies.

Other verses throughout the bible that remind us that we are to have joy as followers of Christ and being His, no trouble is too great, no situation is too bleak, no fear is too great for God to overcome.

James 1:2-3

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Romans 15:13-14

13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

Being filled with the spirit should bring you so much joy that you no longer need to rely on yourself for happiness. When we lack joy, we, as believers, have freely handed it over to satan and said here it is, take it, I don’t feel like focusing on God today. Non-believers cannot even begin to imagine what it is like to be filled with comfort and joy when times are so hard you literally have no idea where the next meal is coming from. Many non-believers try to fill that void inside with sin, pleasures of the flesh that lead  you down the path to utter darkness. But when we rely on God, when we rejoice in Jesus Christ and have no trust in the flesh. That sadness, that desperation, that loneliness is replaced with the joy of hope for an everlasting tomorrow. Love, which was once conditional and emotional, is now shared with everyone you meet, known and unknown. Sinners and brethren are loved from the depths of your soul that you never new existed until it was revealed to you by the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. You understand that love because you now get the picture of how God loved you even when you did not love Him. I have never in my life felt love for stranger like I do since accepting Christ. I have never known the depths of love like I know for my brothers and sisters in Christ, some of whom I have never met face to face. There is no greater joy than feeling that FOR them, and feeling that FROM them. I can make it through anything; not because my name is Mike, and not because I am special. Mike is an utter failure, destined for hell before I ever left my mother’s womb. No, I can do anything because my head is an Almighty, Omniscient, Sovereign God, creator of all that is. He is in me and all around me because that is how I choose my inner-circle. It is only one prayer away for you too.

If you stand in the mirror, what will the reflection tell you about your relationship with God and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your home, straight from the cross to the Christian!

What is it that we should prove?

I wish that I could say that the political season we are in is the reason for this thought, but it is not. There are many people who are alive today thinking pretty highly of themselves. So many, it is fruitless to list. I was reading these verses and thought that God was speaking to me about this very day.

As I spoke with the LORD, I was blessed to be led to read a couple of verses from this chapter. I am not one who likes to pick out one liners to prove a point because I believe if I am truly representing a point that is actually God’s point, which is what we are to do, then I like to read a few verses before and after the chosen verse. As I did that here, I kept saying wait, that’s good, let me go up a couple more, and let me read down a couple more.

I could not stop reading because I feel like these instructions are abandoned today, not only by the lost and dying world, but by Christians. Do we even know what it means to present our bodies as a ‘sacrifice’ and ‘holy’? Do we really know what it means to be transformed in the mind and to not conform to the world? And what is it that we should prove, our thoughts and desires? According to the scripture we are to prove God’s will, not ours. Yet, I look around and big churches are letting the smaller things go in the name of attendance. I don’t see that as an acceptable exception here. In fact, that looks more like man trying to save man. That looks like man doing what it takes to bring people to a building rather than just speaking the truth and letting the spirit bring people to the His house. In one case, it is man’s house, in the latter it is God’s house, and I fear man will not learn the difference until judgment day.

It is up to you; you read and you tell me, are we doing it God’s way, or are we doing it our way? That’s my thought, my question to you.

Romans

12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

First we see Paul almost begging his brothers in Christ, whom he loves, to remember that we are to give our bodies over to Christ. We are to hold onto nothing for ourselves. We are to sacrifice the sins of our flesh that we loved and that we enjoyed. We are to give that up by not belonging to the worldly activities that promote and celebrate these activities. We are to be transformed in our mind, thinking of God and the things that are His and not the worldly lies satan tells us. Once ‘transformation’ takes place, it is no longer about our thoughts and our will, but the Father’s. As hard as it is, we are to speak His word to the world, and that includes people we love. We do not hold His truth back because we are afraid of hurting our loved ones. Which one is worse, you hurt them now for a season and possible save them, or you let them the live in sin and enjoy your relationship on earth and never see them for all of eternity because you are in heaven and they are in hell? Our minds are to be focused on God (Sober). We are to prove that the Holy Ghost is in us by doing these things. We cannot prove that the Holy Ghost is in us if we are not separate from the world; we cannot prove that we are different if we are the same. We cannot prove the sin saving blood of Christ if we are no different as a saved child of God than we were as a lost sinner. Where is the Glory of God in that?

We see Paul talking, and expounding on the fact that we, believers in Christ, are all members of the same body, when we believe in Jesus. There is one church, no matter how many names we put on the denominations. There is the church of God and we are all members who believe in God. Now that last part is very important. I know there are groups of people who have taken the bible away, and who do not follow the LORD’s commands and are calling themselves a church. Often I am asked, “What should I look for in a church?” My personal answer to that is that you are looking for a church where the message that is being delivered matches the words you read in your bible. If you don’t talk about sin, and the blood, and redemption through that blood, and if you don’t love people and want to see people saved from the consequences of sin, then I would find another church.

Paul talks about not hating or cursing those who persecute you, but rather you bless them, you pray for them. We did not accept the beautiful gift of salvation without the understanding that we were going to be persecuted for being different. We knew that was coming. He tells us that we cannot let this stop us from using the gifts that we have. Some are given the beautiful gift of service. For some reason doing the work of helping, the labor of giving, is a gift that is heaped upon some people. Meanwhile others are called to preach, to teach. Some are called to work with children, and others are called to help organize the church. We tell our members all the time that the job of the pastor is no more or less important than the member who cuts the grass, cleans the sanctuary, pays the church bills, sends in the news articles, organizes the extracurricular ministries, and even offers the wisdom of experience. In our church we love our elders for the wisdom that blesses us all whenever they speak. He tells us here to do what we are led to do. But he also tells us to remember that we do not do it to bring people to us, but to bless God with our service. Everything we do should be for the Glory of our God!!

This whole chapter is just beautiful in its instruction. I feel that in this chapter Paul is not preaching but rather teaching. I feel like this these words are more of a lesson, and we are the student who should hear and then apply. Application is so important in the life of a Christian. We do not need to lean to our own understanding when we look at this as a lesson. Nothing here needs interpreted. Of course, as a Sunday School Teacher, my favorite verse is verse number 9. Our love should not be hidden but exposed, not camouflage but clearly identified, not suppressed but it should be freely given to all. In the process of giving that love we are to hate that which is evil. We are not to like sin. This is another example of love the sinner, but hate the sin. It does seem like we forget that second part these days. We want to love the sinner, and that’s it. We are to do both.

Finally we are to overcome evil. We cannot do that on our own. We can only overcome by way of the truth. That is the only power that is strong enough to overcome evil. That is why we have to be filled with it, in order that we will not succumb to it. Christ has already won. I believe satan knows that. So many people act as though satan has your best interest at heart. I feel like people believe that satan is an advocate wanting them to enjoy life. Satan does not care one tittle about any of us. He is angry that God threw him out of heaven and he knows he is going to lose. He does not want to simply pull you away from rewards in heaven; he wants to keep you from going there all together. Why? He wants to hurt God. That is the only way. God wants us in heaven with Him. He created us to have that relationship with Him. When we worship satan and not God, it hurts God. I believe that. For God so loved the world…… When we love someone so much and they betray us, does it not hurt you? If we are made in His image, is it too far out there to believe that God has feelings too? I say His feelings are pure. His love is more pure than any love we could possibly know. So yes, I believe disobedient children hurt the Father.

If you stand in the mirror, what will the reflection tell you about your relationship with God and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your home, straight from the cross to the Christian!

Are you ‘dependent on’ or ‘independent of’ your Shepherd?

I heard a Sermon the other day that really interested me, and stirred up my soul. The pastor was preaching on Psalm 23. This is a famous psalm in that even non-believers are familiar with it.

Psalm 23- 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Now the pastor preached about the whole psalm, but I am focused on one word, “Shepherd”. Why is the King of Kings, LORD of LORDS, Host of Hosts, the Great I AM, also referred to as The Good Shepherd? And why are we as individuals referred to as a sheep, and collectively as a “flock” of sheep. I wanted to tear this apart and break it down.

In order to understand, fully, the great Shepherd, we need to understand fully the sheep. Do you know that sheep have poor eye sight? They have excellent hearing, discerning the sounds distinct to their mother. Did you know that they do not have sharp teeth? In fact, they only have teeth on the bottom front for pinching vegetation, like grass, and 30 or so back teeth for grinding. There is certainly no defense mechanism in the teeth of sheep. Did you know that a sheep has no nails or claws to defend itself? Did you know that, if a sheep is not sheared and its fleece is allowed to grow, a sheep cannot get up if it falls down and could die? A sheep sounds like a pretty defenseless animal. If you are a sheep herder, and you have even a few sheep, and they are important enough to a farmer, that herder will employ the services of a sheep dog to protect the flock from foxes, wolves, and coyotes, as well as other predators. Why? Because a sheep is pretty defenseless!

So let’s look at the shepherd of a flock of sheep. What does a shepherd do for his sheep? He has to make sure he leads the sheep to pastures for food, to water for drink. Because of the big fleece a sheep produces, there is grooming involved to prevent disease in the sheep and in the flock. Sometimes they help bring new lambs into the world. They protect the flock from predators. They lead the flock from one area to another. And to a good shepherd, when one sheep goes astray, he goes and gets that sheep. Again, most shepherds do employ the service of a sheep dog to help with the herding. One interesting observation I have made is, as I looked into shepherding, I saw many photos of shepherds “driving” the flock from behind the flock. An interesting note as we continue.

When we read the bible we have to remember that a lot of the analogies written therein are about activities that the people knew of, were a way of life, and could relate to. Today, sheep herding is still going on, but probably not in the same way, and not as a way of life. There are many city folk who probably never saw a ewe or ram, let alone know how defenseless they are. That is why I chose to write about this. I think we forget the true meaning of biblical stories and how they identify God’s will for us in our present day.

Jesus Christ is our Shepherd. That means we are his sheep. Do you fully understand just how vulnerable you are to the great predator, who walks to and fro seeking out those who he may devour? Do you fully understand that you have no defense of your own? I often think that as we get saved, and grow in our faith that we get to thinking that, somehow, we no longer need the shepherd. When I go to church, and I go to many different churches, on a Wednesday night there are so many programs and activities going on independent of but at the same time of the Shepherd’s teaching, or as I would say, his leading/feeding the flock. I cannot help but wonder, every once in a while, do these people not need prayer? Is there no one for them to pray for? Since there is a Wednesday night bible study, I also wonder, do they already know the whole bible and all of God’s will that they do not need to be in with the shepherd? On Sunday, I see people out in the hallways talking casually to one another and some running in and out of offices tending to “business” matters of the church while the Shepherd feeds his flock. Do you not need to hear the sermon? Are you that secure? Is it because you are an officer or elder in the church that you no longer need a shepherd? According to what I understand, according to what this Psalm teaches, you are a sheep and you have no defense against the devil. Either you are a wondering sheep or you are of His flock. Which one is it?

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I think this verse; along with the soothing sound of the shepherd leading me to green pastures, sometimes gives us a misleading sense that we are not susceptible to sin. That somehow it is you who is doing the miracles and not the Holy Spirit; that it is you who wards off evil, and not the Holy Spirit. You alone are not the strength; you alone are not the power. You alone are not the safe sheep. You can do all things WITH Christ. The SHEPHERD leads you. You are a follower, and you are to be obedient to the leader. You cannot act divinely independent of Christ. If you recall, satan tried that once, it didn’t work out all that great for him and he was the most powerful and beautiful angel. You cannot fight satan without the blood of Christ. In fact, you don’t fight satan, you call on the Spirit, and it is the Spirit that fights satan, not you. Not any part of you.

Matthew 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

You are helpless. Being a follower of Christ, being obedient to His will, is totally and completely incumbent upon you humbling yourself as to understand that you are nothing. You cannot do anything on your own. You are totally dependent on your shepherd. The sinful world believes that believers in Christ think we are better than everyone else. Quite the opposite!! We true believers know and accept that what we really are is broken useless vessels without Christ. We are doomed, insufficient, incapable, deficient, and destined for hell.

Many people say, “I don’t have to go to Church to have a relationship with God.” You’re right, you don’t. But do you realize that as Christ is the shepherd of His flock, meaning all followers- the universal body/universal church of Christ, and, in the same regard, shepherds are anointed by God to be shepherds of the local churches. Look at what he told Peter. If you are at home, how do you enjoy the benefits of a flock? How do you benefit from being fed by the Shepherd Christ appointed to feed you?

John 21:15-17 15 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. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Now there are particular meanings to using ‘Lamb’ and then ‘Sheep’ twice. That is a lesson for another day. Here, for my purpose of writing, we need to focus on the fact that Christ sends to the sheep, shepherds. You cannot be your own Shepherd!! Even the shepherds need shepherds. I know that there are “Pastors to the Pastors” “Ministers to the Ministers”. We all need to be fed and groomed and led and protected. I made an observation earlier that the pictures of shepherds that I saw as I studied this showed shepherds “driving” the flock from the rear. Our Shepherd leads from the front of the flock. Following Him is a choice made from free will. How then can a man who made a choice to follow act independently of the leader? Is that true following? I don’t think it is; I think you are leading yourself in your own direction. We need Jesus Christ for our salvation. Stop standing in the halls during church service and go into the sanctuary (the green pasture) and be led by the shepherd anointed and appointed by the Good Shepherd. We are to be so humble as to admit that we are in need. You cannot be truly saved if you don’t think you need to be saved. How then can you claim a Shepherd if you think you are the shepherd? Let’s look more on this subject in the continuing verses regarding the lesson of being a shepherd in John 21.

6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

We have a great Shepherd in Jesus Christ. None other can lead to the rest of the green pasture that he leads us to. No other shepherd can protect us from the predator satan. No other can deliver on the promise that Christ has made for and to us. Are you a true sheep in His flock? Have you humbly admitted that you are defenseless, that you can do nothing, and that you are nothing without the Shepherd? That is where it all starts my brethren.

If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!