Gotcha!!
Matthew 7: Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First, get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Don’t you just hate when judgmental people try to always “peg” you? You know what I mean. They are on point, always looking for a way to find fault in you. It’s like you have a target on your back and their quiver is full of arrows they are dying to shoot at you. Their plan is to shut you down. Kill your joy. Control your life. This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? 1 Peter 5: 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Yes, there is the possibility they are part of a very elaborate plan by our enemy to keep us from soaring with the eagles!! They want to keep us tamped down and not move into the Godly destiny that is waiting for us.
This way of living is the opposite of encouragement, and our enemy knows it and gives these people great power in their words when making judgments on your life. They think they know your heart and thus put themselves in a god-like position, which is very dangerous for them. There is only one God, and they are not Him. Our God is a jealous God and when sinful man puts himself in that place God will react. But it doesn’t take away the ongoing dark cloud they put over your every day of living. If they see you succeed in something, they are drawn to cast a shadow over it as quickly as possible.
I asked my wife why people, especially Christian people, do these things. She said she thinks it is jealousy. I can surely see there is wisdom in her thinking and the above scripture takes on a new light when we look at it from this perspective. I have always looked at the above verses in such a way as to think it is talking about a righteous acting person looking down on another person with judgment. But, the verse speaks to so much more, as God’s Word usually shows. God is the judge of the intentions of the heart, so no human can put themselves in that position. Enough said!! As we come to the “heart” of the matter it exposes the true heart of the individual and I agree with my wife. The heart is full of jealousy!!
You may think “Why is this subject so important?” And the answer is, that it holds believers back from following God’s call on their life and stepping out in faith to take a stand and allow God to lift them up to a whole new level of commitment. So many people never “step up” and “step out” to follow God at a whole new level because of their fear of possibly being judged or misunderstood by those who yell insults from the sideline. I have been around armchair quarterbacks all my life and they never get in the game, but just put down and complain about those who do step up. They cause doubt to fall in their dreams and make sure those people never go to the next level in their life. All in the name of judgment! The term “Who do you think you are” is applicable here. The next time we judge someone and hold them back, we may be stifling the person who will win many to Jesus. The story below shows how judgment works both ways, so don’t get too “full of yourself” cause the other person may be judging you too!
In his little book Illustrations of Bible Truth, H.A. Ironside pointed out the folly of judging others. He related an incident in the life of a man called Bishop Potter. “He was sailing for Europe on one of the great transatlantic ocean liners. When he went on board, he found that another passenger was to share the cabin with him. After going to see the accommodations, he came up to the purser’s desk and inquired if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship’s safe. He explained that ordinarily he never availed himself of that privilege, but he had been to his cabin and had met the man who was to occupy the other berth. Judging from his appearance, he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person. The purser accepted the responsibility for the valuables and remarked, ‘It’s all right, bishop, I’ll be very glad to take care of them for you. The other man has been up here and left his for the same reason!”
The Pilgrimage Continues….
David Warren
Trickle Down Spirituality
2 Timothy 2:1 Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Just what are we passing down to others who need some wisdom in their lives? Hopefully everything we pass down lines up with Gods word. So what happens with pure truth from the Word of God?
It might be ignored by those who are receiving it. Another generation may look at that truth and reject it because it doesn’t fit with the “current” trends of our world. So that truth is left out of that generation and the fall has begun. Proverbs 9:10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.It might be rejected by those who are needing to receive it. We are always talking about Christians wanting to know God’s Word and His ways, but there is a chance that God’s Word is being rejected as out of touch and out of date. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
The Word of God may be mistakenly skewed to benefit a certain teaching or theology. The end result will be confusion and disharmony in the church and in believers lives. Deuteronomy 4:2 Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you.
When man gets involved in the interpretation of the Word of God our human reasoning can deter from God’s true meaning and purpose. That watered down effect begins a process that ends in things going downhill from there on. What we fix our thoughts on will direct our path and that path according to scripture is a narrow path. Philippians 4:8 says 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
What is trickling down from our lives? Is it pure truth from God’s Word or second hand knowledge from fallen man’s teachings. Adhere to the Word of God and what trickles down will be true, honorable, pure, and without error.
The Pilgrimage Continues…..
David Warren
Open Minded
1 Corinthians 1:4 I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.5 Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge.6 This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. 7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sometimes we think Christians are very narrow minded, and that is actually true to a point. And the point is this: we believe the Bible is Holy Word of God and that it is the source of pure truth in every form and fashion. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, and the verse above shares the pure insights we receive as born again believers, and those insights are given to us by God through His Word. Paul uses the words enriched and knowledge in such a way as to help us realize just what God imparts to His children. Paul goes on to say this in verse 7 7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Title of this blog is Open Minded and in a very worldly sense the title might mean open to “everything” but in the context I am writing it means open to “everything God!” Scripture even tells that born again believer’s minds are open the mysteries of God and that means that God is not withholding from his children those things they need the most, which is understanding. Life can be so cryptic at times, but the pure truth of God is straightforward and real. God opens our minds to a very helpful way of looking at our life and that helpful way includes the building up of our faith.
It makes our faith walk so much easier when our Heavenly Father feeds us the answers to those difficult questions through His Word, the Bible. It takes just a little bit of common sense to realize that the way to live this life of faith is best found by reading the instructions. the Bible holds the instructions and the Holy Spirit makes sense of it all. Read God’s Word and just see how it opens your mind to realize pure truth and pure knowledge. It will enrich your life and give a pure foundation to your faith walk.
The Pilgrimage Continues..
David Warren
The Narrow Road
Matthew 7:13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Jesus is speaking about the way to salvation or life. Only ONE WAY! Few find it. FEW. Jesus also narrowed it even more when he said the only way to enter God’s kingdom is through the narrow gate. The narrow gate is Jesus!!
On the other hand Jesus tells of the road to hell being a broad or wide road. This is not a test of the waffling of the holy scriptures of God as found in the Bible. These verses do not waffle and are not subjective to what man says. God’s Word says there is only one way to eternal life and that is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is not being mean here, but Jesus is sharing the pure reality of what it takes to receive eternal life. It is all about Jesus. It has always been about Jesus. And it remains all about Jesus. A “thinking” person might figure out after a while that the son of God dying on the cross to pave the way of salvation is the purest, most powerful way to make this way possible.
Where do we go from here. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. John wrote in 1 John 4: 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
We have put our “trust” in the love of God. His love gives us this new life, the abundant life. His love compels us to give our life to Him. His love gives us peace as we live our life. Scriptures says that peace is a peace that passes all understanding. So it is a peace that we must receive instead of just look at from a distance. We find that peace on that Narrow Road that we begin to travel on when we are born again. That Narrow Road leads to life and that life is found in Jesus; only Jesus.
Time to get on the narrow road to eternal life and begin to come alive as never before. You will be set apart from a world that is traveling on a broad road to destruction that needs to hear about the narrow road. Time to live it and time to share it.
The Pilgrimage Continues…
David Warren
The 3 Touches in the Process of Life
God is always at work in the lives of His people.
Where Are You In the Process?
Let’s look at Paul’s Conversion and who had a part in it.
Saul had three touches in his life that impacted him. Stephen – Jesus – Ananias
Stephen - Acts 7 Verse 51-59 51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen[l] at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
1. Stephen gave his life for the message of Christ and Saul was the official who had him stoned.
2. Stephen looked up to heaven and said “Look! I see the heavens opened and the son of man in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
3. This was more than they could take, and so they stoned Stephen.
Truth has a way of still making it through, even when under intense persecution. The truth of the gospel was going to be making a huge impact on the life of Saul.
What was Saul’s condition after seeing Stephen martyred for following Jesus. Acts 8:1-3 A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) 3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.
Paul writes in Galatians 1:13 of his zeal to kill Christians where it says 13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it.
Saul turned up the heat Acts 9:1-2. Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers.
Saul set out for Damascus to get more of these followers of the Way and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
Enter Jesus - Acts 9:3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! 8 Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. 9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.
The power of God was seen in the light that blinded Saul. So God struck him blind and his progress to kill more Christians stopped right then and there.
Jesus is the second touch in the process of Saul’s life.
Saul’s process for living his life was interrupted by the light of Jesus and now is was time for him to get in on a whole. new process that was God-centered!
Enter Ananias - Acts 9:10 Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. 11 The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. 12 I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”13 “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! 14 And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.” 15 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
Ananias said “Yes Lord” when God spoke to him and welcomed “good conversation” with God. Then he got the news that he was to go a minister to Saul, but Ananias still followed God’s bidding. He is the third touch in the process of Saul’s life.
The End Result - The End Result was Saul was born again, and sent out with the gospel, even though he had persecuted the church as Paul reflects on this attitude of his in 1 Corinthians 15:9 9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
What is happening in the process of your life? Have you met Jesus and are you born again? If so, what are you doing with that salvation the process of your life. What is your testimony of salvation? Who impacted you and what was the impact of those people. Also, who are you impacting in the process of your life. Maybe you are like Stephen, or Jesus, or even Ananias. Wherever you are in the process of your life, use your time wisely and be committed to let Jesus work through your life to the fullest. Maybe you are one of those touches in a family member, a work associate, or even another church member. Do not discount the impact of your life in the process and give it to Jesus.
Nothing From Nothing Leaves Everything
The lyrics to the Bill Preston song Nothing from Nothing are as follows: Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin' You gotta have somethin' if you wanna be with me
Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'You gotta have somethin' if you wanna be with me. Paul said to worry about nothing or you get nothing. If you bring everything to God in prayer and worry about nothing you get everything. Peace, joy, and a new nearness to God. You choose and remember Nothing from Nothing leaves Everything. Philippians 4:6 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
The Apostle Paul writing to the brethren in Philippi was encouraging them, strengthening them, leading them to a new life of prayer. In that prayer life they would learn to trust God in all things and live a life of faith. Consider the trust the Paul put in that kind of life and the amount of prayer he must have prayed. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul gave more than a glimpse into his attitude about praying where he wrote 17 pray without ceasing.
But what is the “result” of that kind of praying. First of all, a constant communication with Almighty God. Secondly, a deepening of your faith walk at the core. Thirdly, a life that is constantly growing in God’s grace. And also, a life of power as given by the Holy Spirit, that is a thankful life because of the close contact with the make of life. It is all good when we pray about everything and the reverse engineering of our thought processes open up a world for us that involved trusting and walking in faith at the highest level.
Further in 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul says in verse 16 rejoice always. In verse 18 Paul says to give thanks in everything. And in. verse 19 Paul says to not quench the Spirit. Prayer is our doorway to truth, faith, and intimacy with God. So, don’t bee anxious about nothing and open up your hope to “everything” and that is found in a prayer walk with God. Nothing from Nothing leaves Everything. It may not sound right, but it is right and Paul knows what He is talking about because he has proven it.
When we learn to trust God in this way the sanctification process moves forward like God intended. Time to fret about nothing and pray about everything!!
The Pilgrimage Continues….
David Warren
Heart in Mouth Disease
Romans 10:9-10 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
The results of our faith confession are salvation and taking on God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ. With your heart you believe and with you mouth you confess. Heart and Mouth disease. The end result is salvation and a new born again life that no longer lets sin or the flesh rule. The new ruler is the Holy Spirit and the righteousness that results is lasting and life- changing. Lasting, because God is eternal and so is our new life in Christ. Life-changing because we take on a new life that includes a desire to learn from God and thus deepen our walk with God.
Paul knew exactly what happens when He made his confession of faith, and that confession set him on a lifelong faith journey that changed everything for him. That changed life compelled Paul to write in 2 Corinthains 5:17 where he writes 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
The Heart and Mouth disease is very contagious also as that new life is seen by all who meet you and the end result is them wanting it also. Your testimony is made complete and the end result is us being a shining light. 1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
The Pilgrimage Continues….
David Warren
Press On…
Philippians 3:I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
What an excellent scripture verse from a man who had lived the life and completed the course. The course isn’t always what we planned on, but we “press on!” I was a member of a Saddle club when I lived in Missouri, and we would do some significant trail rides with our horses. On one particular ride, the leader of the ride warned us that the ride was going to be long and tiring. i wasn’t even listening to that well to what he was saying and so I missed the warning of a long ride. Most of our trail rides were no more than 5 or 6 miles, so I was planning on that ride. To my surprise, our trial ride went on and on and on. Two of my friends who also were on the ride were asking “When is this ride going to end?”
The ride continued on and I began to wonder the same thing as them and began hoping that around every bend in the trail we would see the destination. One of my friends decided to stop and rest for awhile and the leader saw him and said “You need to keep going or you will stiffen up and it will be hard to get going again.” We keep going and the leader sensing our displeasure yelled back “It’s just around the next bend” to which we all perked up and “pressed on!” The tiredness we were feeling soon melted when we could see the end of the trail and newly formed vigor put a “pep in our step!”
At the end of the trail ride, we could smell the hamburgers and hotdogs cooking, and boy, it was great to get to eat that food and rest our weary backsides. The leader saw how satisfied we were as we ate our meal and he sauntered over and said, “You guys did real good, and I bet you didn’t think you could last on a fifteen mile trail ride did you?” I yelled “Fifteen miles?” I missed the fifteen mile part at the beginning of the trail ride, but unknowingly had accomplished more than I thought possible because we kept on pressing on.
In our daily walk as believers, we look forward, as scripture tells us to, to the coming of Jesus Christ. We read prophecies and try to figure out when He is coming, knowing that the Bible says no one knows the hour when He will return. The time is longer than we thought for His return, but we keep on pressing on, knowing that the end of our spiritual trail ride will end in glory! What we don’t know is tough at times, because we just believe, and keep moving forward on this spiritual trail ride. Some of us may have missed the part where scripture says it is a long ride, but the end is worth it. Paul told his son in the faith in 1 Timothy 6:12 to “keep the faith” and in verse 12 it says 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. In other words, keep moving forward and you won’t regret it. No hamburgers at the end, but much more.
2 Chronicles 15:7 But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.” We may get tired from time to time and we may wish the ride was over, but keep pressing on and pressing forward. This life at times can get tedious and we may lose faith, but “keep the faith” and keep on pressing on. Paul said this is in Philippians to affirm those he was told to press on. Philippians 3:1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.
The Pilgrimage Continues…..
David Warren
Satifaction Guaranteed
Ephesians 1:13 And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Sometimes we get a little discontented with the way things are going. And someone telling me to “be patient” and God will work. it all out just doesn’t satisfy at the time. We almost need to think in our minds beyond our present circumstances to a better day and then trust God. Easier said than done. The above letter written to the believers at Ephesus gives us some great hope and shows that God does satisfy that longing for a better day.
Paul writes that we are identified as God’s own and that we are identified by His giving us the Holy Spirit. Then we are able to look at things differently and our perspective begins to line up with God. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of our inheritance that God promised and purchases for us. God made us His Peeps! The end result of all of that is we now praise Him and glorify Him alone. He is our joy, our peace, our happiness, our all in all, and that is guaranteed to give us satisfaction. Learn more of who God is through the study of His Word and all of this will come in to focus for you. GUARANTEED!!
That is why we say we are God’s children. He has given us this life in all of it’s fullness and the Holy Spirit leads us in the ways of God as we travel this world.
The Pilgrimage Continues….
David Warren
Shiny Shoes
It all begins with an idea.
Ephesians 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
I have always loved getting new shoes. Haven't you? Your clothing ensemble isn't complete without a good looking pair of shoes. I have a funny story about shoes that is almost embarassing. I began wearing a size 9 shoe when I turned eighteen years of age. I just thought that was the size I would wear from here on. I thought that until about 3 years ago when I bought a new pair of tennis shoes and when asking the worker to get me my size, he promptly asked "Do you want me to measure your foot?" To which, I replied, "Nope, I am a size 9. Always been a size 9 since I was eighteen years old, and I am still a size 9. To which, he proceeded to go ahead and measure my foot. He looks up from the shoe sizer and says "Sir. You are a good size 10 and possibly a 10 and a half for some shoes. I was thoroughly convinced of my shoe size and never considered it might be different, until I got my foot measured again.
When we are born again we many times don't realize how much more prepared we are to handle spiritual situations, so we think we are not different than we were before we were born again (except for the going to heaven) part. And then someone asks us to do something that "stretches" us in our walk and we have to maybe witness to someone about Jesus. Looking at sharing our faith from a distance is quite scary, but possibly the difference in each of us after receiving Christ puts a new "size" to our Christian walk and we can do more than we first thought. I went on a visit to a home to find out the spiritual condition of this man and whether he was saved or not, and a friend of mine from church went with me. As we were talking to this person about their church life and their spiritual life it became evident that they had not accepted Jesus, to which I began explaining to them that faith walk. Halfway through the gospel, the guy who was with me interjected an amazing point that ended up being a defining point in the whole thing. The person we visited prayed to receive Christ and we left almost shouting as we thanked God for His salvation. When we got in the car the guy who went with me was feeling great and proceeded to tell me he wanted to visit with me again and again.
Old mister "timid" had realized his walk with Chriist was bigger than he thought it was and now he was like a dog on a hunt!! He thought he was just the same after salvation as before, but he was mistaken and found out he did have a "shiny new faith." Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, When we receive Jesus things are "radically" different and we are equipped to do more than we first thought possible, but it sometimes take a person to help us to get a correct measure of our faith to show us the possibilities. Romans 10:13-15 says it this way 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Time to take out that shiny new faith and see how God has equipped you to share it. You may be surprised to find out you are capable of sharing that faith in a powerful way. It is a new size, but the correct size because you are now filled with the Holy Spirit. So much easier to use the weapon of the Master when you realize you "have" that weapon. The feet shod with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Beautiful feet and the correct size!!
The Pilgrimage Continues....
David Warren
This Great Salvation
It all begins with an idea.
Expectation (def) - a belief that someone will or should achieve something. What is the effect of being born again? We begin a grace life that is centered around following Jesus and glorifying God, and that life is full of growth and righteousness. You may say "how is it full of righteousness?" Easy answer. The righteousness is from God, so it is pure and powerful. Philippians 3: 9 I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. If we were living our life out of our own righteousness, it would be a tainted righteousness....if that is even possible.
The identity of our self righteousness is as follows Isaiah 64:6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. In the area of righteousness we fall miserably short. So we must have the righteousness of God to live a life of vision and purpose, and God gives that to us when we are born again! This salvation is so great, and Peter describes it well in 1 Peter 1:3-5 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
Our salvation also gives us the "expectation" of setting our life on a new course that is immersed in God's Word and the new direction for us is centered on God's will. God's will is perfect and you cannot get any better or more fulfilling than PERFECT. In this perfect will we find God's mercy is there waiting to keep our communication strong with God through the Holy Spirit. When Jesus left the Holy Spirit for us He gave us the ultimate communication tool for developing our walk with God. The Spirit does many things like showing us what to pray, comforting us in times of trouble, discernment in making decisions, understanding God's word, and many other helps.
When we are born again we receive the Holy Spirit and this new process in life takes place immediately and grows and grows. The creme de la creme of this relationship is the understanding and knowledge of the mysteries of God. Paul discovered a new strength and direction that continued to propel him from one place to the other and in 1 Corinthians 2:Paul wrote 13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
Have confidence not only in the fact that you are going to heaven after being born again, but that you can live a life of victory and purpose while still here on earth. If you haven't been born again, then admit that you are a sinner and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord and you will be BORN AGAIN!! The abundant life awaits your decision.
The Pilgrimage Continues....
David Warren
Our Dependable God
It all begins with an idea.
Psalm 62:5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. 7 My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. 8 O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.
The Psalmist said in the above verses He alone is my rock and my salvation. There is no one else who I can depend on like my God. People fail us at every turn, but God does not fail us. It doesn't make those people mean or bad. It just shows that we are not perfect and guess what. God is!! When we get back to the basics we begin to remember that God's way IS better, and best! So why would we settle for anyone less than God? The world around us offers temporal happiness and there are no guarantees on that at all. But God's Word gives us promises that are real and tangible. James writes in James 4:2-3 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
We need to trust God and Him alone and keep our motives in line with His will and His ways only!! This attitude doesn't come from self righteousness which involves thinking we are "doing better." It comes from the righteousness that is given to us through Jesus and that righteousness gets us in line with God on the very things we pray. Paul wrote to the church at Rome these very helpful words. Romans 8:26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
In reality we are the ones who are not dependable. Not dependable to serve God. Not dependable to pray. Not dependable to share the gospel. Not dependable on so many things. But God is dependable and if you have received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord you depend on Him for salvation, eternity in heaven, direction for your life, and many other things. God is dependable. Just call out to Him and pray in the Spirit and God will show you great and mighty things. Paul wrote these words to the Church at Ephesus in Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere He will give you discernment in making important decisions. God will show you how to react to the situations in life. He will provide for you at every turn. Too many times we present a different view of God because of our circumstances in life. Then we begin to formulate and present a perception of God that is weak and distant and uncaring. That is not the God of the Bible. God is dependable and an ever-present hope. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. You can easily see how things begin to fall apart when we look at Psalm 46 and James 4:2-3. One scripture says God is our refuge and our strength, but we forget to pray to God for that refuge and that strength as mentioned in another scripture. The Bible all FITS! Don't cherry pick scriptures and live partial truth. Believe the whole thing and live the complete life God offers if we will just trust Him. Why? Because He is Our Dependable God!
The Pilgrimage Continues....
David Warren
Supported to Thrive
It all begins with an idea.
At times I will begin to question if God is interested in what is going on in my life. Y'know, the great dreams you had for your life seem to be fading away and life as you know it is really a bummer. Let me encourage you to not give up!! If you have breath in your lungs and your heart is beating, then God has some great plans for your life. When I passed the 60 year old mark it was like so many people perceived me as "over the hill" and the desire to make me feel useless was piled on by the constant aches and pains, and the constant indoctrination by an apathetic worldview to just give up and wait for the end. That's so crazy isn't it? That attitude is even more depressing when you see those who just passed 30 thinking the same thing!! The enemy is all about doubt and depression and "giving up!" Oh, he would like for all believers to give up and ignore the fire that God has placed in us to live the abundant life.
God is all about us staying vibrant and growing in His Word and yes, in His grace. The more I realilze about God's grace, the more I am intrigued by it. To forgive sins as though they never happened? Now, that is really out there isn't it? If we try to look at grace through human reasoning and humanistic eyes, we won't understand it. But if we see grace a little more like God sees grace we begin to get a glimpse of "God's glory!" God is for us!! Duh.. Jesus....The Cross....The Grave.....The Victory!!! How soon we forget just how much God wants us to succeed and thrive. In 2 Chronicles 16:9 the scripture reads 9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. God is all about strengthening us and supporting us as His children. We are blood bought relatives, and it was the blood of His only Son who made that connection possible. Live in it and love in it and trust God's support for you. Age has nothing to do with it because we live from the inside out. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.
God's support apparently has a great purpose in it. We cannot stand on our own, but with God's power WE CAN STAND!! So what should we do? STAND!! 1 Corinthians 15:58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. The modern day Christian is so much like those believers in the Corinthian church it is scary, but something CAN be done. Something MUST be done. STAND in the support of the Lord!! When you get the urge to give up and just let life go by, resist! Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. A lot of people are suffering right now and it is difficult for even Christians to get very enthusiastic about serving Jesus, but we must hold on to the faith and thus hold on to Jesus. Peter wrote this in his first letter in 1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. We are not alone. First of all, God is here to support us. Secondly, there are other believers all over the world who are having their faith tested. Thirdly, we must change. Romans 12:2 says Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. When we get to cranking out the abundant life we also need to have some changes take place in our lives. Pray more. Study God's Word more. Share your faith more. Fellowship more with other believers. Be the church!!
So what is going to be the end result. Jesus said it best (of course) in John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” That pretty well closes out today's blog for me, and I hope for you too. Keep the faith...God supports you....THRIVE!!
The Pilgrimage Continues....
David Warren