Good Morning Friends,
You would think we would know the difference between good and bad and generally I think this is true but then on occasion we are fooled into thinking one is the other. Such trickery has always been at the center of the Devil’s strategy. Even having the law falls short. So, the way to fight the good fight here is to witness to those who have yet to follow Jesus to an end of the cycle of emptiness and to nudge and encourage those who already seek the faith to be true to it. Hate does not help…only love. This is what Jesus did. And this means collectively equipping the saints and being disciples who seek to follow Jesus in our daily life and identifying our gifts for the Body and deploying them in the power of the Holy Spirit to witness and glorify God. But this is not so easy. The original disciples knew Jesus in the flesh and followed. For us today who are committed to Jesus we must be as aliens on this earth. So, Do You Feel Like You Are A Stranger Living In A Strange Land?
Scripture: For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Hebrews 9:15, 24-28 (NRSV)
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Mark 3:22-30 (NRSV)
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, ‘Look, we are your bone and flesh. For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.
The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, ‘You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back’—thinking, ‘David cannot come in here.’ Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10 (NRSV)
Message: Ever notice that you leave your normal sense of taste behind at the airport departure gate when you get on board a plane and cruise to a level of 30,000 thousand feet. The flavor of everything is manipulated. One cannot taste and smell as well in the pressurized cabin. So too on the ground, when faced with a different kind of pressure, our sense of the Spirit of God can be minimized and our ability to feel love and to love others as well. Anxiety and fear cloud our perception of God and knowing God is important. And here is the connection to today’s question. When we fear…when we deny our heart’s compassion, when we are hardhearted under the pressures of life, we become co-conspirators in silencing God and denying His love and desire to set us free. Our sense of the Spirit is altered. Having the law without love falls short. Jesus does not waste too much time in the early part of His ministry to set the tone for what is and for what is not acceptable. He had been doing many wonderful things such as healing the sick, forgiving the sinners and casting out demons when He encountered a group of nay-sayers from Jerusalem who came to dispute His authority. Instead of slinking away from them and the issue, Jesus meets it head on. Not only does He confront them, but He states something that was a clear warning to everyone who would think about Him and follow Him. He delivers a shot across the bow of those who would dare to diminish His work and neutralize it.
Distinguishing the difference is important and the key to that is whether there is forgiveness…love in our hearts. Forgiveness is essential if we are to build up anything including the Body of believers. Without it our senses are altered and impaired. The key to understanding what is happening in us when we are angry is to confront our unwillingness to conform to God’s will. This unwillingness is what puts us in such a terrible inner trauma. The truth is hard to swallow. Being human is no excuse. God made us this way so that we might ready ourselves to forgive ourselves, to forgive others…to be forgiven. Payment is required so that we might break the cycle of hate and begin rebuilding our lives, our families, and our fellowship of believers, our community and country. So, admit, believe, confess…. forgive…rebuild. Know that Christ has paid the price so that we might live by seeking and finding the will of God and to do it. But having no will but that of God is not easy to attain for His ways are not our ways. We like to claim the path as our own. We desire the freedom to choose our own path. Our own willfulness and narcissism tend to oppose God’s will as we seek our own dreams rather than those of God. We often do not know God’s will at all. Then even if we get it right, sometimes things seem to get worse when we follow the will of God. So how do we unravel the mystery of being a disciple of Christ? How can we know God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will? How do we get on and stay on the right path? How do we submit to God? The answer in part can be found in the story of the anointing of David and his victory over the Jebusites to create a combined Kingdom … likewise we too might just discover that when we abide in the Holy Spirit we abide in the will of Christ and when we are in the Spirit’s will we therefore are in the will of God…victorious. Friends do not be afraid or hard hearted when you encounter Jesus this way. Allow the Spirit to help you in your weakness through the battle. Allow God to search your heart and intercede according to the mind of the Spirit. Know that the process that prompted the denial of the Messiah by Israel is still at play in our lives and cultures today. There will always be naysayers. Thankfully for us today that price has been paid. Can you feel the love? Are you prepared to follow Jesus from the perspective of an alien and claim a place in the Kingdom united?
Pray we realize that we need Jesus to help mediate our experience of the New Covenant. Pray we realize that denying the Holy Spirit will get one in a mess. Pray that we petition God to have our sins forgiven. Pray our spiritual senses are not dulled. Pray that we rejoice in the promise that we will be forgiven. Pray that we respond to the proviso that the promise is not fulfilled until we forgive others. Pray that we boldly speak the truth with love. Pray that we break out of bondage and forgive as we have been forgiven. Pray that we are convinced that God wants us to know His will and that God will make His will known to each of us. Pray we realize that God is not looking for hardheaded and hard-hearted people to lead. Pray without ceasing that we are completely yielded and obedient to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Pray we face our fears until we discover that they are good and acceptable. Pray that our Lord’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Pray that the Holy Spirit speaks to our innermost being giving us direction and timing. Pray we seek the counsel of those who walk close to God. Pray we reason together in the peace of Christ. Pray we do not shun our responsibility to act. Pray we know when to seize an opportunity but also know when to forego an advantage. Pray we pass the test. Pray we love the Lord with all our hearts, minds, and souls. Pray we realize that God’s will is more than we can imagine. Pray that as children of God we experience a vision of the will of God…a vision of the love of God. Pray we seek to increase in the knowledge and experience of God while growing in obedience and love. Pray we know we are disciples because we have discipled others.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 