Children of God's Inheritance

Luke 12:32 - "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom."

God is not reluctant to give us everything pertaining to life and godliness. He has called us sons and daughters of the Most High. Why then would he hold back and defraud His heirs of anything according to His will in this life or the one to come? The only reason is our inability to believe through lack of faith. Often, this comes by not understanding His great love for us.

His kingdom has come on earth as it has in heaven if we will but embrace it. While the devil runs amuck and continues to reign as a counterfeit ruler, Jesus said that all power and authority had been handed back to Him at the defeat of His adversary (Matthew 28:18). It is our rightful inheritance as children of God.

May we choose gladly to receive Christ's kingdom which the Father has gladly given.

Man's Foolish Wisdom

I Corinthians 1:27 - "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong."

Shame might be defined as "the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, or ridiculous done by oneself or another." Shame is often meant to bring forth pain which may ultimately result in change. However, God's wisdom is often hid from those who pride themselves in the strength of their knowledge.

Often, Christian apologetics will not include any other evidence then that of the Holy Spirit working to confound the wisdom of this world in those hostile to the Gospel. Often, it is not our job to debate or refute, but to allow God to reverse what the supposed wise of this world have erroneously believed. Arguments may work to a point, but then God through His Spirit must bring a person to their senses.

Our Only Hope

Luke 8:43-44 - "And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped."

Have we exhausted all our options regarding health, wealth, and security? Have we finally accepted that there is salvation in no other than Jesus Christ? Just as the woman bled out for years before her desperation led her to Jesus, many of us have hemorrhaged unbelief for years without any reasonable hope for a different outcome. However, once we understand that we cannot be "healed by anyone" except Jesus, then our desperation turns into answered prayer. The unsaved loved one comes to the Lord, or the impossible financial situation turns around, or the incurable illness is suddenly curable.

Beloved, it will often take pursuing Jesus with an abandonment that shows there is no other solution unless the power flows from Him to our situation. May we all touch but the fringe of His garment, for He will help us in our desperate moments.

Halting Death

Luke 7:14 - "And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise!'”

Jesus has always been in the life-giving business. When the Lord suddenly appears and touches our lives, death cannot resist as life irresistibly permeates our being. In that moment, when God arrests death, the world will "halt" in wonder at the significance of this supernatural happening.

The world will always be stupified when men choose to live according to His will. However, we cannot worry about what they will say or do, but we must climb out of our coffins of despair and unbelief and give glory to God. That is why resurrection is fundamental to the Christian faith and diametric to the teachings of this world. The former instills resurrection hope while the best the latter can do is give us a false hope of humanistic betterment.

Even if the world seems to have nailed our coffin shut, beloved of God, know that He can always raise us up through His Holy Spirit.

Mutual Adoration

Luke 6:20 - "And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.'"

God's gaze is always turned toward His beloved. However, the depths of His truth often come when we have fixed our gaze upon Him ... then we are able to hear the epiphanies from His nature which change us forever. As a result, we understand it is not what we possess which proves our nearness to God, but what we dispossess of this world.

Beware of judging others by prosperity of body, soul, or spirit. Material wealth or bodily health are not necessarily indicators of closeness to God. However, poverty of self and our rights to what we think best will result in the fruit of the Spirit manifesting in our lives. May we fix our gaze upon His gaze upon us. For as we do, He will speak great and wondrous things that will make us like His Son.

Favored Faith

Psalm 147:11 - "The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness."

There are generally two reasons why it might seem as if the Lord is withholding His favor from a believer's life. While we may fear the Lord and are obedient in what He has shown us, we can often abort His goodness by not waiting in faith for Him to move. Paul says that when we have done everything, to stand firm and not allow our resolve to be shaken (Ephesians 6:13).

Never quit until the answer manifests. Beloved, obedience must be married to faith if we will indeed experience all that Christ has done for us. May we look to Him, knowing through our surrendered lives of obedient faith we will experience all He desires to do in our lives, families, and homes. Our intended gaze will always result in His intended love and how we experience it.

Proper Fear

Psalm 56:4 - "In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?"

One day, when time is swallowed up by eternity, we will understand the foolishness regarding the times we feared what man thought about our faith. Or, how we worried about finances or insignificant things that matter not in the light of heaven!

Often, the way we react to others publicly is according to the way we act privately in our devotion to Jesus. When we are in love, we care little who knows or who cares.

Lord, may we understand how transitory we are and seek to understand how to fear and reverence you above all!