Context of knowledge

 

Jesus had to deal with His own issues when it came to people drawn to Him, and most of them were not committed.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  – John 15:7  ESV

To abide in His word is to put that word into practice wherever I am. That is my pathway to knowledge. If I continue to abide in His word, I am truly a disciple, a student of His.

Let’s see how many times I can say this.

The whole idea of abiding, remaining and sojourning in Jesus is by being having His words in me. Being a disciple means that I have a desire to master those words and be mastered by those words.

Jesus’ words become engrafted in me, have taken deep root, and I have a relish for them, I savour them, have a hearty affection for them, esteeming them even above food. I hold fast to them, profess them, stand on them, faithfully abide in them and constantly attend to them.

My life depends on this union with Jesus. I either produce fruit or am thrown away. My primary purpose in life to make sure I stay connected to Jesus. I cannot produce fruit without Him, having a relationship with Him. To be separated from Him gives me no power to do good.

As a disciple, I am nothing without my master just as a servant is nothing without their lord, the soldier nothing without their commander, the hand nothing without the head and the follower of Jesus nothing without Jesus.

 

 

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Feasting on God’s kingdom

 

Bob Bennett “Moveable Feast”

 

About six days ago I was meditating on the fact that the law was a great gift while I was reading Joshua 1:8.  In reading Psalm 1, I found a lot of things there that correlated with Joshua. The person in Psalm 1 was feasting on God’s kingdom. That’s what the law is there for – to point me to the kingdom of God. When I approach the law, I think my problem is that I create obligations that do not exist where Jesus uses it to penetrate my heart and wants to set me free from those obligations. Most of my obligations come in the form of me wanting to get along with others and I see the same taking place with them towards me.

I am reminded again that I live dependent on meditating on the word of God.

Being a disciple means that I will not listen to a voice that does not line up with that Word. For in rejecting the truth and disregarding what I read, I will end up doing my own thing. Without a standard for living, I will end up with a lifestyle separated from God. Separated from Him, I reject His love and His gift of eternal life.

I usually find myself getting “dry” when I am not listening. The illustration of a tree is a good one because a tree without moisture will have its leaves wither and fall.

The shift takes place when I make the decision and maintain the habit of seeking Him every day.

I need to be in a position where I can continually take on nutrients. When issues of life come against me, my roots grow deeper and stronger.

It may be an ancient text but it is a message, both about an infinite God and from an infinite God. Eternity itself would be insufficient for us to exhaust its depths. It is something we need to concentrate on, consider it from every angle and allow it to transform us.

Blessed is the man[a]
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
 but his delight is in the law[b] of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

 He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. – Psalm 1:1-3  ESV

 

 

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Glory and Honour

 

See What a Morning

 

The story of the death of Saul and Jonathan is truly one where the depth of David’s love for his best friend and of the one who relentlessly pursued him to kill him and yet was God’s anointed, causes me to pause and ponder.

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son. 2 Samuel 1:17  ESV

What would I have done?

Would I have killed Saul as he was dying anyway? Would I have thanked the man for bringing me Saul’s crown and putting Saul out of his misery on the battlefield? Would I have written a song of glory for the one who tried to kill me at every opportunity?

What a lesson David gives me as a follower of Jesus. He was true to God deep down in his soul. This was not at act or a posture that he showed on the outside for everyone to see. This was the real David – one who gloried in God and one who honoured Him above all else. It was this stance that allowed him to love Saul, his enemy.

I can easily think of the times I was posturing at work with a boss who became my enemy. While I masked humility, I joyed in his failures. How shallow I was, how unreal for me a disciple of Jesus. I did not treat him as God’s anointed, the one placed in leadership above me.

Father, forgive me for being so shallow. I may be something special because You have gifted me and called me and purposed me, but that does not mean I am more special than others. I pray that I will know my place – to find my glory and honour only in You and to ensure that my life gives you complete glory and honour too. Thank You for Your love even when I have failed to walk as You. Thank You for revealing David’s strength that was found in his soul. May I walk like him with You.

 

 

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A part of the body

 

I am part of the body of Christ, of which He is the head. As a follower of Jesus I get to serve and lead as an equal member with other followers of Jesus.

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. – 1 Corinthians 12:28  ESV

The Holy Spirit is crucial in giving tasks and sharing gifts with individuals so they can function fully as a disciple and disciple-maker. There are so many gifts that allude to “words” given over a person in order for them to be encouraged or to receive insight into something they would not be aware of. It is a way God binds us together to form a whole.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. – 1 Corinthians 12:7-11  ESV

I love this – God has freely gifted His people. Gifts used for building up and growing the body of Christ. All of us play a unique part – in other words – we are all gifted differently. It is only when I unite myself with other followers that my giftedness, shared in love, can help reach out and disciple a lost world.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. – 1 Corinthians 12:4  ESV

I know that it is difficult to tell the difference between those who really are following Jesus from those who possess a deceptive spirit. Paul’s opening address on the work of the Spirit among followers of Jesus is an encouragement to me to stay vigilant and to discern the Spirit among those I come alongside.

Now concerning[a] spiritual gifts,[b] brothers,[c] I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. – 1 Corinthians 12:1-3  ESV

All of this continues to remind me how important it is for me to walk and to be in the presence of God on a daily basis. I want to be under His care and protection, to be in His grace, to enjoy knowing that He is watching me. It is here that I find my joy, where I stand right with Him, where I can be sincere in my service and my worship.

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
    the upright shall dwell in your presence. – Psalm 140:13  ESV

This is why I can come to Him each morning in prayer – to seek Him and know how to walk before Him. To be a healthy part of the body of Christ.

 

 

 

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Do not be fooled

 

ApologetiX – Don’t be Fooled

 

Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. – 1 Samuel 31:1-7  ESV

The evil one has a way of honouring a wayward person who finds themselves leaving God so they can work on things themselves. In the beginning it seems like things are working out – building a case of truth that God is not required in my day to day life. However, I find that this storyline becomes false very quickly. In fact, when I need to be strong and victorious in the hardest fights of my life, I am nothing and can do nothing. Only God can step in and save the day. If I continue on my path of rejecting Him, I will die. If I lay aside my pride, repent, ask Him to step in, I will live. I have done this a few times, and regret every time I have stepped out alone. There is no other way to walk this walk as a disciple of Jesus, I cannot be fooled any longer, I will live when I walk with Jesus and I will die if I decide not to follow Him.

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