JESUS: GOD AND HIGH PRIEST

Mark 14:61-65, Matthew 26:62-67
"...Therefore, in the evil of his heart, Caiaphas asks, “Are You the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
JESUS' RESPONSE:
In verse 62 Jesus said, “I am….” Jesus accepts these words, for that is exactly who He is. He is the Messiah sent from God, who is God in the flesh. Jesus was not going to deny who He was. He was not going to deny the role that He had to accomplish. We could rationalize and say that if He simply refuses this title, He could have lived a long life on the earth and think about all the good works and teachings He could have done. But He was not going to resort to deceit. Jesus was not going to deny who He was and the mission He had to accomplish.

But Jesus does not simply give a two-word answer. Jesus has more to say. “I am and all of you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Jesus not only answered Caiaphas, but went a whole lot further in His declaration.

First, Jesus seems to draw an allusion from Psalm 110:1-2. For Him to be seated at the right hand of the Power is to say that He will sit at the right hand of God. This means that He has authority, rule, and power of God. This is the point of Psalm 110:1-2. “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion ; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.”

Jesus further establishes His Messianic claim by alluding to Daniel 7:13-14. “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

The Son of Man is not simply a Messianic reference, but carries the power of the office. He is God and has rule and authority from God.

TEARING OF THE ROBE
The High Priest was consecrated by God via the anointing oil, and if his sacred garments became torn (among other things), he was considered to be defiled. (Leviticus 21:10-12) To prevent this from taking place, the ephod (which the High Priest wore around his neck), had a collar made with mail (tiny bits of metal), so that it wouldn’t fray and tear (Exodus 28: 31-32 and Exodus 39: 22-23):
“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it. It shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear.” (emphasis mine)

When Caiaphas intentionally ripped his priestly garments, he should have been laid hold of by the Sanhedrin; dragged out of the Temple court to the city gates; and there be put to a slow and very agonizing death by stoning! In fact, not only was Caiaphas worthy of the death penalty, but through his unlawful actions, he actually brought down a curse upon the entire nation of Israel (Leviticus 10: 6-7):
"Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not show grief by leaving your hair uncombed or by tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die, and the Lord’s anger will strike the whole community of Israel. However, the rest of the Israelites, your relatives, may mourn because of the Lord’s fiery destruction of Nadab and Abihu. But you must not leave the entrance of the Tabernacle or you will die, for you have been anointed with the Lord’s anointing oil.” So they did as Moses commanded."

In the tearing of his priestly garments - before the Lord Jesus Christ – he was prophetically signifying that the old order of the priesthood was about to change! For according to the Old Covenant Law, the priesthood was to be selected out from the tribe of Levi. But now our new High Priest, Jesus Christ, is not descended from the tribe of Levi, but rather from the tribe of Judah, as we read in Hebrews 7: 11, 14, where Paul writes:
“If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood – and indeed the Law given to the people established that priesthood – why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, and not in the order of Aaron? For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.”

God the Father allowed Caiaphas to rend his garments. In that simple prophetic act, Caiaphas was tearing up the old order of the priesthood (under Aaron) … because a new order of the priesthood (after Melchizedek), was standing before him! The old order of Aaron is gone. The new order of Melchizedek has come!

By the tearing of his ephod – in reaction to Christ declaring himself to be the promised Messiah – Caiaphas was publicly declaring before the entire Sanhedrin - “This One standing here before me is the new and living way! To Him alone belongs the royal priesthood. My time is done. It is finished!”

The imperfect Mosaic Law, by which not one single person in all of history had ever been made righteous before God (not even Moses, who gave it), was about to pass away!

Surprisingly, many Christians don’t realize that the Mosaic Law was never intended to last forever. God had only designed it to last for a very short period of time (1,400 years); under very limited circumstances (i.e. given only to the nation of Israel); until the One whom the Bible refers to as ’THE SEED‘ (Jesus Christ), finally came (Galatians 3: 19, 21-24):
"What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added because of transgressions, until THE SEED, to whom the promise referred, had come. Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come from the Law. But scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law – locked up – until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was put in charge of us until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith.”

Paul tells his listeners twice … first in verse 19, and then again in verses 23-24, that the Mosaic Law was only given until the arrival of the Messiah (Jesus Christ), by whom we would be made righteous and justified, not by works of the Law, but through faith in His finished work at the cross, alone!

Yet again, in Hebrews 7: 12-13, 28-29, Paul tells us that since the order of the priesthood has changed from the order of Aaron (tribe of Levi), to the order of Melchizedek (based on the tribe of Judah), that the Law must also be changed. In fact, he also states that not just for this reason alone must the Law be changed (removed), but because it is useless!
“For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. He [Jesus Christ] of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe [Judah], and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. The former regulation is set aside, because it was weak and useless. For the law made nothing perfect, and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.”

We now have a far greater, and more reliable hope, than Israel ever had while under the impossible demands of the Mosaic Law.

For you see, Jesus was bound, that we might be free!

Jesus was smitten, that we might be healed!

Jesus was rejected, that we might then be accepted by God the Father!

We are not under the unforgiving law of Moses, but the wonderful grace of God, as plainly shown through Jesus Christ! We are not under the order of Aaron, but the order of Melchizedek, whose very name means: ‘King of Righteousness‘. Jesus is the King of Righteousness!

He is our new and better High Priest, whose garments were not torn. Let me prove it to you, by turning to John 19: 23-24, where Jesus is hanging naked on the cross, just moments away from death:
“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the tunic remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it”, they said one to another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled, which said: ‘They divided my garments among them, and cast lots for my clothing.’ So this is what the soldiers did."

Note that Caiaphas (prophetically), announced that his role as high priest, was passing away, while the Roman soldiers – through their refusal to tear the tunic – were (prophetically) validating that Jesus Christ was indeed the new and better, eternal High Priest!

Finally, we see yet another confirmation that Jesus Christ is our new and better, eternal High Priest, just as He took his last breath on the cross, and died (Matthew 27: 50-52).
“And when Jesus had cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks split. The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.”

When Jesus cried: 'IT IS FINISHED!' and died, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom! The veil was in place to separate man from God, who dwelt in the Holy of Holies (the most sacred part of the Temple).

The veil represented the barrier standing between God and all of mankind, namely sin. It was precisely because of sin, that man could not enter into the presence of God, and even the high priest could only do so one time per year (the Feast of Atonement), and only under certain conditions.

THEREFORE:
First we have Caiaphas tearing his priestly garments, prophetically stating that his time was done, now that the new and better High Priest - the new and living way - stood before him, in the person of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, there were the Roman soldiers, who, after they crucified Christ, prophetically validated his role as our eternal High Priest, by their refusal to tear his garments.

Finally, we now have God the Father, giving his seal of approval to Jesus, by tearing the veil of the Temple – from top to bottom – effectively saying: ‘It indeed has been finished, and that which separated God from mankind (sin), has been permanently removed. Now the entire world, and all of its people may freely come into my presence, without fear of condemnation and judgment.’

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE JESUS!

-----excerpts from westpalmbeachchurchofchrist.com and evaggelion.org

Understanding the New Covenant

I believe that without the understanding of sin as a noun you cannot understand why 'sin' is only punished once. You cannot understand why you are no longer a sinner but a child of God. You cannot grasp why chastisement was punishment under the law and instruction and training of a child under the new covenant because you don't know that you really are a child of God.

Another reason it is so hard to grasp is because we forget the triune nature of man. Spirit Soul Body. Our Spirit is made completely new when we are born again 2 cor 5:17. Our Soul and Body contend against the Spirit, which is why we don't believe we are new sometimes. We are imputed righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). If we cannot believe we have the righteousness of God then we cannot profess to believe He was the sin of man on that cross. It's a false humility that keeps us saying we ARE sinners saved by grace. We WERE sinners saved by grace, we are now sons and daughters of the King, being sanctified and transformed into His image to rescue those still living in the kingdom of darkness/prisoners of sin noun. When He looks at us, He sees His children, not sinners. As Paul stated in Hebrews, the heroes of the faith, as well as ourselves, are aliens in this world because once we come to the faith of Abraham, we are no longer citizens of the prison of sin(noun) that all are born into, but have a transfer of citizenship.

When we come to the cross, there is a transfer from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light(Col 1:13) We do not have dual citizenship. Under our birth right, we were born into sin(noun) and therefore 'sinners'. Under our adoption/covenant into Abraham, we are now children of God(John 1:12) . We now belong to the King of the Kingdom of light, as heirs.

Now, to bring that home to chastisement. The word in Hebrew is Yacar, to chasten or admonish; punish. The word in the new Covenant is Paideuo, to train up a child. Since we have become His children(transferred kingdoms), it is no longer punishment, but training for us to become like Him, to rescue the lost, to glorify His name. Since this transfer took place out of Sin(noun) and into His Kingdom, we are children, therefore, we get training, not punishment. (american citizenship = american, zambian citizenship = zambian, sin(noun) citizenship = sinner)

Another problem we face with understanding this is we don't really know what took place at the cross. Atonement/remission in the Hebrew is to cover, but in the NT the word changes to mean 'to remove'. It's not the same word. And therefore, there is more confusion b/c we think it is just the atonement of sins(covering)as in the OT sacrifices, but it is not, it is the remission of sins - complete removal! Where the word atonement appears in Romans 5:11 is also not the same word as in the OT, in that case it means exchange. AGAIN!! an exchange our sin for His righteousness. So, Jesus did not COVER our sins......HE REMOVED THEM. (are you also seeing why there is so much confusion in the church regarding the greatness of grace?)

So then, if we are the righteousness of God, and the full wrath of God fell upon Jesus, how can there again be punishment? In Rom 3:25 it says He was the propitiation for our sins...........that's AN APPEASEMENT..TO APPEASE THE WRATH OF GOD!

God cannot punish sin(verb) twice. If Jesus took the sins of the whole world, past, present and future upon himself in that exchange, then for God the Father to punish sin again is to turn His back on the cross and to not accept His Son's sacrifice as sufficient. Most times, the consequence of our sin is chastisement enough. Almost always, hearing the HG say, "What are you doing?" very gently, is enough to stop you dead in your tracks!

Now, to bring this all home, if I can, without causing confusion, We are justified in Christ. Dikaioo in Acts 13:39, Rom 3:24, Rom 5:1 means to render righteous. We ARE the righteousness of God. BUT...we are being sanctified! Not the same thing. Only our Spirit is righteous. The word sanctification, sanctified, sanctify in the NT is also different in the OT. In the NT it is purification and consecration of the heart and life (#38) and (#37 in reference to rendered(imputed). So, we are not punished for sin, because Christ bore the full wrath of God on the cross. We are sons and daughters of God, fully justified but being sanctified in our hearts and lives to glorify Him.

So, for God to NOT impute our sin against us is not honoring us as children, it is honoring the CROSS and honoring JESUS and what HE did. God the Father is bound to honor the cross and it's ability to REMIT(remove) sin past, present and future. He is bound to honor the cross in it's making us children to be taught and not sinners to be punished. If He imputes our sin to us, then the justification, propitiation, remission of that precious blood would have to be rejected, and since he cannot reject Jesus (our covenant representative) he cannot reject us.

sin

chastise

remit

justify

sanctify

all of these changed when the high priest changed.

--- Jude Iannone

WELCOME TO THE PERILS OF THE DESERT

Taken out of captivity by a savior and now living in the desert on the way to the Promised Land. That describes the Israelites of the Exodus. That also describes us as believers!

One significant thing that happened in the desert was when God gave Moses the law. Once the law was given, men now had a set of standards in which to judge what was right and what was wrong. Now they knew what God considered sin.

Certainly sin was in the world before the law was given, but no record of sin is kept when there is no law.- Romans 5:13

And the law caused the sin and rebellion in man to rise. Tell anyone that there is something they can’t do and the immediate reaction is “Oh, yeah? I can do what I want.”

For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. -Romans 7:5 (emphasis mine)

So the law is what causes our ‘sinful passions’ to arise! Before the law was given, there was sin in the world (Ro 5:13) but God kept no record of it. And people didn’t know it was sin. But once the law came, the sin in us rose to it’s full height. And in that height, in that craving and desire, there is the danger of being over-filled.

But here’s the good news:

The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more – Romans 5:20 (emphasis mine)

No temptation has overtaken you that is unusual for human beings. But God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. Instead, along with the temptation he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to endure it.- 1 Corinthians 10:13 (emphasis mine)

Yes, as we walk in the desert we have the law that was given to those ancient desert-walkers that causes the sin in us to arise. But we also have GRACE, abounding all the more, and a God-provided way out to every temptation! Plus we modern-day desert walkers have something our ancients didn’t have: Jesus Christ and His work on the cross!

The International Standard Version best states God’s answer to our problem:

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. -Romans 7:24,25a

PRIDE + TIME = JUDGEMENT

"Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, 'Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar answered and said, 'My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! The tree you saw... it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.' " - Daniel 4:19, 20, 22

Pride plus time equals judgment. Always. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). You cannot change that law. Pride is the attitude of heart which exalts itself above others and above God.
That's the application of Daniel's words to King Nebuchadnezzar, "The tree you saw... it is you, O king." You're the tree about to get chopped down. Daniel goes on to basically tell him, "You're gonna go insane. You're gonna lose your mind and act like an animal, sir." Those who study these things believe that Nebuchadnezzar actually developed a form of mental illness where he believed himself to be an ox. And it was a judgment from God.
Daniel 4:27 records Daniel's counsel. He says, "Dude, if I was you, I'd humble myself before God right now! Maybe God will give you a little bit more time before you lose your mind and start living like an animal." The next verse tells us a year later the dream came due. Nebuchadnezzar didn't do anything with the warning! And twelve months later he’s walking in the palace, talking pride-fully to himself (see v.30–31). "While the word was in the king’s mouth" (v.31). How sudden is that? One moment boasting; the next, out of his mind. A voice breaks into the palace declaring all the details of the dream are now a done deal.
Fast-forward seven years. We can laugh about this crazy picture of the king turned ox, but this guy is one of the greatest leaders known in human history. He eventually gets his kingdom back. Verses 34–37 record the king's personal, humbled testimony. The climax comes in v.37: "And those who walk in pride he is able to humble." God is able to (and will) humble those who walk in pride. Every person needs to hear this, "God is able to humble those who walk in pride." It's not a problem for Him. He's not stretched in any way.

Why is this crucial? Because as long as we walk in pride, we can't walk with God. We are never commanded to be humble. We're commanded to humble ourselves - the lesson all of us, even a king, need to learn. And we will; one way or another. --- James MacDonald

But the Lord's portion is His people - Deut 32:9

How are they his? By his own sovereign choice. He chose them, and set his love upon them. This he did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which he foresaw in them. He had mercy on whom he would have mercy, and ordained a chosen company unto eternal life; thus, therefore, are they his by his unconstrained election.

They are not only his by choice, but by purchase. He has bought and paid for them to the utmost farthing, hence about his title there can be no dispute. Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord’s portion has been fully redeemed. There is no mortgage on his estate; no suits can be raised by opposing claimants, the price was paid in open court, and the Church is the Lord’s freehold forever. See the blood-mark upon all the chosen, invisible to human eye, but known to Christ, for “the Lord knoweth them that are his”; he forgetteth none of those whom he has redeemed from among men; he counts the sheep for whom he laid down his life, and remembers well the Church for which he gave himself.

They are also his by conquest. What a battle he had in us before we would be won! How long he laid siege to our hearts! How often he sent us terms of capitulation! but we barred our gates, and fenced our walls against him. Do we not remember that glorious hour when he carried our hearts by storm? When he placed his cross against the wall, and scaled our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of his omnipotent mercy? Yes, we are, indeed, the conquered captives of his omnipotent love. Thus chosen, purchased, and subdued, the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that we never can be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do his will, and to show forth his glory.

--from Charles Spurgeon's Morning by Morning.

Day in and day out, we find ourselves in the monotony of life; self help books, work, family, friends, cars, house, medications. Most of us are simply trying to life a "normal life." Have you ever found yourself wondering whether or not the goal of life should be normalcy?

Now is the time to Stop and Think. (click here)

All humanity will display God's glory:

You will either be
a trophy of His grace and mercy
or
an object of His justice

5 Classic Bible Twists (And How To Correct Them)

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The Wrong Application: God loves you and has an adventurous plan for your life. Quit living the same-old boring life of just going to church, and go do something great for God.

The Problem: If you zoom out and look at this verse in context, you see the background. Look at verse 4: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon…” These verse are not written about you. They are written about the Jews during the exile in Babylon and thus when God says that he knows the plans he has for “you” he was not speaking about the general reader of the book of Jeremiah.

The Right Application: God disciplines his covenant people when they engage in idolatry by delivering them into the hands of their enemies, yet faithfully promises to rescue them according to his predestined plans to bring them to repentance and bless them by grace.

Of course, we are now His covenant people and we know that God is no respecter of persons. If He has plans for one, he has plans for everyone. And the hope is Jesus Christ.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

The Wrong Application: Your marriage, your finances, your relationships, your children, your health and everything else in your life may be ok, but couldn’t it all stand to be a lot better? The enemy wants you to give up and give in to just living the normal life, but God doesn’t want you to be mediocre. He wants to give you life abundantly. By applying biblical principles to our lives we can learn from Jesus how to quit being average and live the abundant life God has for us.

The Problem: With Jeremiah 29:11 we saw that the context and the audience make a big difference when it comes to biblical interpretation. Based on the wrong application above, who would you guess Jesus is speaking to? His disciples? A blind, lame, or leprous person that Jesus is about to heal? No, at this point Jesus is arguing with the Pharisees. If anyone applied biblical principles to their lives, it was the Pharisees. They also were rich, in places of honor, and seemed to generally maintain decent relationships with people. By most people’s standards, the Pharisees applied biblical principles to their lives and were living the abundant life as a result. Yet Jesus is in the middle of arguing with them.

The Right Application: Jesus is the great shepherd of his people. He lays down his life in order to save his sheep, because he knows his sheep, he loves his sheep, he gathers his sheep, and he has received the charge from his Father to lay down his life for his sheep. Jesus wants to give his people abundant, eternal life where he may dwell with all who have entered through the door: faith in himself. Any who enter another way have come to steal people away from the joy of life with Jesus.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

The Wrong Application: If you have never accepted Jesus into your heart to be your personal Lord and Savior, know this: Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart, asking you, begging you to let him in. If you have never done that before in your life, I want you to pray this prayer with me. Just repeat after me. “Lord Jesus…”

The Problem: In chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation, Jesus is dictating letters that are to be sent to the churches of Asia. This particular portion is written to the church in Laodicea, a church with a reputation for well-being. By all appearances Laodicea would be a church where Jesus had been invited in a long time ago. Jesus is not knocking on the door of anyone’s heart, but knocking on the door of the church.

The Right Application: The reason that Jesus is at the door knocking is because the church has effectively removed Jesus. He is no longer present at the church and they are only keeping up appearances. Jesus is highlighting the irony that a church with a reputation of spirituality is a church where he needs to knock on the door and wait for it to be answered. Therefore, today we must recognize that outward growth and spiritual reputation can be present when Jesus is not. We need to bring Jesus back into our church by preaching the gospel and performing works that are worthy of the gospel of God.

Matthew 22:36-40

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Wrong Application: The Bible is not a book all about rule-following and keeping every “i” dotted or every “t” crossed. The Pharisees were experts with their traditions and kept thousands of man-made laws thinking that this made them right with God. God says this, “You want to know what the whole Bible is about? You want to know how to please God? You want to know how to live a life of meaning and purpose? Love God, love people. That’s it. This is the whole Bible whittled down to 4 verses.”

The Problem: It is certainly true that the entire law is summarized and fulfilled by the two commandments to love God and love people. In fact, it is even perceptive to notice that the commandment for us to love our neighbor is in fact a commandment to love mankind in general considering that Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan in response to the question “who is my neighbor” and furthermore Jesus has also said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Having stated this, the problem with the wrong interpretation is that the commands “Love God, Love People” are an adequate summary of the law, but not the gospel! See Romans 3:20 – “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” So the incorrect application of this passage actually teaches salvation by works rather that salvation by faith!

The Right Application: Since the entire law is summarized by the commandments “Love God and Love People,” consider the full scope of how gravely we break this every day. The requirement of this law is absolute, uninterrupted love for God. That is a terrifying thought. With or every action that does not stem from absolute love of God we are guilty of breaking the greatest commandment. The very commandment that seemed to be life-giving has actually condemned us! Yet thanks be to Jesus, who did in fact keep this commandment perfectly! Jesus always loved his Father and neighbor with perfect and unfailing love. Meditate on 1 John 4:10 – “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Through faith in Jesus, we are counted as if we lived Jesus’ life of perfect love. We are counted as if we loved God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. From this righteousness that comes from outside of us we can learn to actually obey Jesus. We learn that there is no sin that loves God and there is no good work without loving God.

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision the people perish.

The Wrong Application:Your local mega-church pastor has been reading books by business gurus again and announces the newest topic of a sermon series: Vision-casting. When you totally surrender your life to God he will make a vision for your life to well up within you until you just can’t help but do something about it. This church was born from a vision we had a few years ago and if you’re not on board with the mission and vision of this church then it’s not you who is going to perish, but everybody else. This is a church for the unchurched, and if you’re not on-board with the vision of this church, you need to leave and find another church. Preferably one who doesn’t care about reaching the lost.

The Problem: Most fundamentally, the verse itself is quoted wrong. The verse actually says, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” The proverb is not talking about a church’s vision or mission statement but about God’s legal revelations.

The Right Application: If you are familiar with the Book of Concord’s (Confessions of the Lutheran Church) three primary uses of the law, the correct use for this proverb would be the first: to curb sin in society. When there is no revelation from God concerning his moral law sinful human beings do whatever they consider right in their own eyes causing absolute havoc. When the God of Love reveals a law, it truly is good for society for that the law be kept and enforced.

---from Perpetual Flogulance, by Scott K. Schultz

SERVICE OF PASSIONATE DEVOTION

"Lovest thou Me?....Feed My sheep." (John 21:17)

Jesus did not say, "Make converts to your way of thinking, but look after My sheep, see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Me." We count as service what we do in the way of Christian work; Jesus Christ calls service what we are to Him, not what we do for Him.

Discipleship is based on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on adherence to a belief or a creed. "If any man come to Me and hate not, ... he cannot be My disciple." There is no argument and no compulsion, but simply, "If you would be My disciple, you must be devoted to Me." A man touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says, "Now I see Who Jesus is," and that is the source of devotion.

Today we have substituted creedal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many are devoted to causes and so few devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is a source of deep offense to the educated mind of today that does not want Him in any other way than as a comrade. Our Lord's first obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of men; the saving of men was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father.

If I am devoted to the cause of humanity only, I will soon be exhausted and come to the place where my love will falter; but if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity though men treat me as a doormat. The secret of a disciple's life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of the life is its unobtrusiveness. It is like a kernel of wheat, which falls into the ground and dies, but presently it will sprint up and alter the whole landscape (John 12:24)

----- My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

STAY OUT OF THE DANGER ZONE

THE TERRIBLE TRIAD:

DESIRE

TEMPTATION

OPPORTUNITY

Each one in itself can be resisted without great trouble.
But when the three get together there most definitely can be HUGE trouble.

EXAMPLE:

You can be a chocolate lover and someone offers you twenty chocolate bars to eat....but just ate a huge meal and have a full tummy. No opportunity. No problem.
You can have a chocolate craving and haven't eaten since breakfast....but you don't have any chocolate. No temptation. No problem.
Someone can offer you twenty chocolate bars when you are hungry...but you don't like chocolate. No desire. No problem.
BUT if you have this craving, haven't eaten since breakfast AND someone offers you twenty chocolate bars.... you are in big trouble!

...... DESIRE + OPPORTUNITY + TEMPTATION =....... BIG PROBLEM!

A silly illustration but it shows how we need to be very aware when we are in a danger zone.

We need to regularly examine the areas that we allow opportunity in our lives and to pray not to be led into temptation. We are new creatures in Christ but we have the same personality and DNA as before. We each know our weaknesses and what we are capable of. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Remember: you can build a reputation in thirty years and destroy it in thirty minutes.

Reference text:
2 Samuel 11
Psalm 51

Quote in Newsday August 1, 2010 from John Acquaro of Ronkonkoma, NY, regarding his recent status as a heart transplant recipient:

"ONE OF THE TOUGHEST THINGS FOR ME
IS TO REALIZE
THAT SOMEBODY HAD TO DIE
FOR ME TO RECEIVE
THE GIFT THAT I GOT."

It is for everyone, John, it is for everyone.

STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS

"Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." -- 1 Peter 5:5-7

How do people do it? How do they withstand the Katrina-like blows that pummel their lives? The wind, the waves, the surges of heartbreak one after another. How do they survive . . . and still lift their faces to the Lord? How can they be so strong at their extreme weakest?

Today was an awful day. Some very heavy things hit me off guard. But somewhere in the middle of that storm, God's voice was telling me that He provides sufficient grace for this trial, and when I am weak He is always and still very strong. So I want to say to the glory of God that if there is anything in this ministry that is powerful, it is from weakness. Trust me on that.

"Therefore I will boast of all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-1). Well, here I am --- present and accounted for. It's the hard times and the unhealthy times and the hurting times that reveal my weaknesses. And it's also during those times that God shows up strong.

We often treat suffering like a dodge-ball game. Anytime anything painful comes at us, we jump out of the way. We spend our whole lives trying to avoid anything that will hurt or be hard. But there's a better kind of life -- a deeper, more fulfilling kind of life-- that isn't about avoiding every pain. It's about finding God faithful and powerful in the midst of whatever thorns He allows.

There's something about our weakness that opens the flow of God's strength.

When you are in the midst of a trial, there's a power coming into your life that you've never experienced before. When you see a hard thing coming, try saying, I may not want this, but I know I 'm going to see Christ working in my life in an incredible way.

God never allows a thorn but that he provides sufficient grace and strength in our weaknesses. Sufficient grace is not just enough to survive, but enough to have supernatural joy in the midst of anything He allows us to go through.

---James MacDonald

"Thievery is a horrible crime... it's mind-numbing how much is stolen from us on a daily basis: the spoils of victory, the comforts of joy, the grandness of redemption- all of it seemingly so accessible to the thieves that stalk us from their dark alleyways and cowardly hiding places.

I think what's more heartbreaking is that we unwittingly surrender our sovereignty over these things...

... so in the end it's not thievery at all, it's more like a case of us delegating undue authority unto demons who have no right nor position over us until that moment when we actually open the door and lay out our welcome mats to them.

This unseen war between the dying flesh and the newborn spirit is an all-too-real one, with casualties far beyond our capacity to understand. Far too often it is our joy and our dreams that lay battered by the wayside, victims of unholy cunning and wit.

I say, enough.

I will delight over you with joy, calm you with my love, and rejoice over you with singing... for you are my beloved who has stolen my heart, my sons and daughters who have captivated my thoughts...

Thievery ceases in the presence of awakened identity."

...............--- Sam from Jesusbranded

THE BIG PICTURE

"Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work." -- John 4:31-34

"What is the will of God for my life" is a common question but it is not a good one. I have had many discussions around that question, but it is a flawed question and can only lead to a flawed answer. It is flawed because the focus is on the wrong place. It is about

me
and my life
and my future.

That is a legitimate concern, of course, but the real question to concern ourselves with first of all is, "What is God's will?" Not His will for me, but His will --- period! There the focus is on God,

His interests,
His will,
His agenda, His purpose

on the bigger scale than how it affects just me. His personal will for my life may only be found in the context of His general will of which we are privileged to be a part. When someone joins a new company, in order for their own personal job description to make sense, they must first ask the bigger questions: What is this company doing? What are its objectives? How does it measure success? It is only in that context that a personal job description has proper meaning.

To know the personal will of God, we must first understand the general will of God for all people. We need to know that through His people God is continually at work on earth and we have the privilege of a particular personal role to play, but it is in the context of a bigger picture. Our personal lives must align completely with what God is doing in the world at large. It will include an upward look to the Lordship of Christ in seeking and saving the lost, and an outward look to the people being brought into our lives in whose heart God is at work and giving me the privilege of participating in.

The context in which Jesus said to His disciples, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work," (John 4:31-31) was when His disciples had busied themselves with a legitimate human function in going into Samaria to buy food. But, they cast only a cursory glance at a woman from Samaria going the other way to draw water and completely missed the harvest of a seeking thirsty soul. Jesus later rebuked them for missing the harvest He had sent them to reap. Why? Because they were preoccupied with the "my life," "my needs," "my agenda," instead of asking the question, "On my way into Samaria does God have something in mind that is bigger than just me and my food?" Never disconnect God's will IN you and FOR you from God's will THROUGH you to enrich other people. Sensitivity and obedience in the general purposes of God will ensure the outworking of His personal guidance in every other area.

-- Charles Price

your future

It is always a mistake
to decide what you want to do
before you decide
who you want to be."

-Andy Stanley
at Passion 2010
every single college student should watch THIS video

LEGALISM & LICENSE

They seem so different. One person lives his life striving for moral perfection. The other person doesn’t try that hard. The first is convinced that he can avoid sinning, if he tries hard enough. The second is equally convinced that he can’t avoid sinning, so why try at all? After all, He says, “I like to sin; God likes to forgive; that’s a pretty good deal.” The first is all about keeping the rules; the second is all about breaking them.

The first is a legalist. The second is licentious. They seem very different, don’t they?

Here is a twofold truth, seemingly paradoxical, yet thoroughly Biblical. It’s a great way to diagnose yourself, and determine if you are a legalist, or if you are licentious:

We are never permitted to sin.
We cannot avoid sinning.

If you’re a legalist, you will affirm the first part, but deny the second part. You will say, “We are never permitted to sin. We can avoid sinning.” If you’re licentious, you will affirm the second part and deny the first part. You will say, “We cannot avoid sinning. We are permitted to sin.”

Now that you know which one you are, consider this: While at first glance they appear to be polar opposites, Legalism and License are really very much alike. Legalism and License have several, very important things in common.

1. Both Legalism and License share a common, false assumption.

   Both Legalism and License seem perfectly logical in their respective conclusions. Legalism reasons,

   • God forbids me to sin.
   • God cannot forbid something I cannot avoid.
   • Therefore, I must be able to avoid sinning.

   On the other hand, License reasons,

   • I cannot avoid sinning.
   • God cannot forbid something I cannot avoid.
   • Therefore, I must have permission to sin.

   Although they come to completely different conclusions, both Legalism and License share the assumption, “God cannot forbid something I cannot avoid.” This assumption isn’t Biblical. God’s commandment doesn’t imply your ability to obey. Your inability to obey doesn’t nullify God’s commandment. St. Paul says that God’s commandments are there to show us our inability to obey, and still hold us accountable for our disobedience:

   Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20)

2. Both Legalism and License underestimate sin.

   Legalism underestimates sin’s depth in the Christian’s life. License underestimates sin’s danger in the Christian’s life.

   Legalism stems from a misunderstanding of how pervasive sin is in our lives. The legalist thinks of sin atomistically, that is, he thinks of sin as a set of individual, discrete actions he either does or doesn’t do.

   The legalist thinks, “There are thoughts, words and deeds that I do that are sins; and there are thoughts, words and deeds that I do that are sinless.” The legalist’s goal is to decrease the sinful thoughts, words and deeds in his life, and increase the sinless thoughts, words and deeds in his life.

   The legalist thinks that if he could break up his life up into individual seconds, he could identify the seconds when he was sinning, and the seconds when he was sinless.

   Of course the Bible doesn’t support this view of sin at all. The Ten Commandments in particular, show us that there is nothing we think, say or do that is sinless. Everything we do is stained by sin, even our good works: “All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isaiah 64:6)

   The devil loves it when the legalist strives for sinlessness. It means he’s trying to achieve a righteousness of our own that comes through the Law (Galatians 2:16). The Old Adam thrives on the legalist’s rule-keeping, it is his lifeblood, it makes him very strong.

   License stems from a misunderstanding of how dangerous sin is in our lives. The licentious person views sin as harmless, and without serious consequences or penalty. The devil loves this too. It means that the licentious person no longer fears sin or its penalty. Of course, the licentious person must ignore the constant drumbeat of the Bible, warning of sin and divine judgment. From Genesis to Revelation Scripture warns that sin is dangerous and incurs God’s wrath.

   The devil also loves it when a licentious person ignores sin’s danger and penalty. It means he’s ignoring God himself and living in open rebellion against Him (Psalm 36:1; Romans 3:18). The Old Adam hates God and His commandments.

3. Both Legalism and License prevent the Christian from struggling against his sin.

   The legalist thinks that he is struggling against sin successfully, more or less. The licentious person has given up the struggle against sin altogether. Neither the legalist nor the licentious are able to avoid sin or its penalty. This is because neither is really struggling against sin at all.

   Isn’t the legalist at least struggling against sin? No. The legalist thinks he is struggling against his sin; but he is only struggling to keep the rules, God’s rules, house rules, etc. Struggling to keep the rules isn’t the same as struggling against sin.

   In fact, the legalist’s rule-keeping is no better than the licentious person’s rule-breaking. St. Paul says, “through the commandment [sin] might become sinful beyond measure.” (Romans 7:7-13; 5:20) The legalist’s rule-keeping and the licentious person’s rule- breaking only increase sin and its power in their lives.

   The Christian struggle against sin is not done by rule-keeping, but by repentance.

   Some Christians think that to avoid the error of License, it’s OK to be a little legalistic. Other Christians think that to avoid the error of Legalism it’s OK to practice a little License. Both are wrong.

   As you can see, Legalism and License are not two different errors. They are the same error expressed in two different ways. Whether you travel the path of Legalism or of License, you come to the same, inevitable end.

   Both the legalist and the licentious, whether they deny sin’s depth or sin’s danger, ultimately ignore the saving work of Jesus Christ.

   The assumption Legalism and License share, “God cannot forbid something I cannot avoid,” undermines both Jesus’ sinlessness, and his sacrifice for sin. The legalist believes he can avoid sin, and manage (if only occasionally) to live sinlessly. If he is right, then the legalist doesn’t need the sinlessness of Jesus, or if he does, he only needs it when he fails to avoid sin. The licentious person believes he has permission to sin. If he is right, then the licentious person doesn’t need Jesus to suffer the penalty for his sin.

   If Legalism and License are really the same error, is there one answer to both? Yes, first the Law.

   The legalist needs to see that he is totally sinful, from top to bottom, from beginning to end. The legalist needs to see himself as total sinner, and say along with St. Paul, “I know that nothing good dwells in me,” and, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:18, 24)

   The licentious person needs to see his sin for what it is: open rebellion, enmity and insult against God. Though he may take his sin lightly, God does not. The licentious person needs to answer along with St. Paul, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!” and, “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:1-2, 15)

   The first answer to both Legalism and License is God’s Word of Law. The proclamation of the Law leaves the legalist with no place to stand; no thought, word or deed –no second of his life– that he can call sinless. Likewise, the Law leaves the licentious person on God’s enemies list; an impudent creature, spitting in God’s face with every sin. The first answer to both Legalism and License is God’s Word of Law that condemns sin completely; but we can’t stop there.

   What comes next is counterintuitive. Many preachers think that they can cure people of licentiousness by preaching the Law more. This is a good first step, but the Law is only the diagnosis and prognosis. The Law alone isn’t the cure for licentiousness. Preachers sometimes think that Legalism can be cured by really driving the Law home to those who think they are keeping it. Again this is a good first step, but the Law alone cannot cure Legalism either. Why are our churches filled with both the legalists and the licentious? Because our pulpits are not filled with both Law and Gospel.

   The Law destroys the common, false assumption of both Legalism and License: “God cannot forbid something I cannot avoid.” The Law says to the legalist, “You cannot avoid sin.” The Law says to the licentious, “There is a penalty for your sin.” However, this is all that the Law can do.

   Only the Gospel gives both the legalist and the licentious freedom from their error, not by avoiding sin, nor by indulging sin, but by forgiving sin. Only the Gospel shows the legalist the sinlessness of Jesus Christ, and the licentious the penalty Jesus paid for sin.

   Some pastors are hesitant to preach the Gospel to the legalist and the licentious –especially to the licentious. They reason, “If I proclaim the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ, this legalist will only use that forgiveness to go and start sinning; or this licentious person will only use that forgiveness to go and sin even more.”

   These pastors understand nothing about Law and Gospel. They mistakenly think that the Gospel needs to be “balanced” or tempered with a dose of the Law, or Christians will become lax about sin or lazy in doing good works. By doing this, pastors only reinforce the error of both the legalist and the licentious.

   The Gospel says, “Yes, God always forbids sin, and you can never avoid sin. But the very sin you cannot avoid, Jesus avoided for you. The very sin God forbids and condemns, Jesus took to the Cross in his body for you.”

   Theologians call it the active and passive obedience of Christ. The Gospel replaces all the legalist’s efforts to be sinless with the sinlessness of Jesus. The Gospel shows the licentious person the true penalty for his sin, taken entirely by Jesus.

   The continual proclamation both of Law and Gospel is the only cure for Legalism and License. Not only that, but only the continual proclamation of Law and Gospel engages the Christian in the true struggle against his sin, the very sin that God forbids, the very sin that cannot be avoided.

   The licentious person thinks that the struggle against sin is unnecessary. The legalist thinks that the struggle against sin is all about rule-keeping. Both are wrong.

   Scripture is clear. God never gives us permission to sin, but we can’t avoid sin. If you can’t avoid sin or its penalty, there is only one thing to do: repent. Repentance is the true struggle against sin. Repentance kills the Old Adam. The devil hates it when we repent. It means that we, like St. Paul, are seeking the righteousness of Jesus Christ that comes by faith:

   Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. (Philippians 3:8-9)

   Once the legalist finds his sinlessness in Jesus alone, and once the licentious person finds the penalty for sin paid in Jesus alone, then the struggle against unavoidable sin can really begin. The former legalist will now struggle like he’s never struggled before. Because now, he won’t be able to take a breather and say, “OK, right now I’m not sinning, if only for this one second.” No, there won’t be a single second in his life when sin will not be there, close at hand (Romans 7:21). The former licentious person will struggle against sin, perhaps for the first time. Now, he won’t be able to sin without hearing the Law’s condemnation; he won’t be able to ignore sin’s penalty.

   Now, both will struggle against their sin by repentance every second, in every thought, every word and every deed. Under the proclamation of Law and Gospel, their lives will become lives of constant repentance and faith in Jesus’ all-sufficient sinlessness and sacrifice.

   You may have noticed as you began reading that it was difficult to diagnose yourself as either a legalist or as licentious. That is because we are all both. We go back and forth between the two every day. We think we can avoid sin sometimes, we give ourselves permission to sin at other times. But God’s Word will not permit our Legalism or our License.

   God’s Word puts us in the impossible position of struggling against our sin, the very sin that God forbids, the very sin that we cannot avoid. This position is impossible for us, but not for Jesus Christ. Jesus has taken our sin, the very sin that God forbids, the very sin that we cannot avoid. So, whether you’re a legalist or licentious, repent and trust Him...---------Todd Wilken, Brothers of John the Steadfast
   

HOW TO BECOME A LEGALIST

HOW TO BECOME A LEGALIST

1. Make rules outside the Bible

2. Push yourself to try and keep your rules
3. Castigate yourself when you don't keep your rules
4. Become proud when you do keep your rules
5. Appoint yourself as judge over other people
6. Get angry with people who break your rules or have different rules 

and the most dangerous:

7. Strive to keep all the commandments of the Bible  in order to obtain salvation. This is the most dangerous of all. 

originally published 7/25/2010

"IT IS A POVERTY TO DECIDE .....THAT A CHILD MUST DIE..... SO THAT YOU MAY LIVE ...........AS YOU WISH." ...........
........................................................---Mother Teresa

Talk to someone today about the tragedy of abortion.

originally published 7/17/2010

LOVE146

HOW WE LIVE OUR DAYS
IS HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES
---Annie Dillard

click to learn more

LIVE WITH INTENTION
LOVE INTENTIONALLY

originally published 6/28/2010

                

From J. Sidlow Baxter, twentieth century Australian pastor and theologian 

• Fundamentally, our Lord's message was Himself. 
  He did not come merely to preach a Gospel; He himself is that Gospel. 
  He did not come merely to give bread; He said, "I am the bread". 
  He did not come merely to shed light; He said, "I am the light". 
  He did not come merely to show the door; He said, "I am the door". 
  He did not come merely to name a shepherd; He said, "I am the shepherd". 
  He did not come merely to point the way; He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life".
  • Baxter's Explore the Book (1987) p. 308. 

• Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.
• Reported in Charlie Jones, Bob Kelly, The Tremendous Power of Prayer (2000) p. 46.

originally published 6/5/2010

Two natures beat
within my breast

one is cursed
the other blessed

one I love and
one I hate

whichever I feed
will dominate

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." --Galatians 6:8

originally published 6/4/2010

                                

                    There are times in life where you can be in a place where you find yourself saying

"This is not who I am."

It is a crucial thing to remind yourself periodically who you are. 

You could define yourself by your roles in life: husband, wife, mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son.

You could define yourself by your job or your accomplishments. 

You could define yourself by the color of your skin, your gender, or by whom you are attracted towards.

You could even, sadly, define yourself by your tragedies or past failures: orphan, abuse victim, college dropout, member of an oppressed group, recovering alcoholic....

But as a Christian you are to define yourself by the Word of God.

Who does GOD say you are?

In case you are having a bout of spiritual amnesia and have forgotten who you are:

Who I Am In Christ

I am accepted...
I am God's child. -John 1:12
As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ. -John 15:15
I have been justified. -Romans 5:1
I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.-1 Corinthians 6:17
I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.-1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I am a member of Christ's body. -1 Corinthians 12:27
I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.-Ephesians 1:3-8
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.-Colossians 1:13-14
I am complete in Christ. -Colossians 2:9-10
I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ. -Hebrews 4:14-16

I am secure...
I am free from condemnation. -Romans 8:1-2
I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances. -Romans 8:28
I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God. -Romans 8:31-39
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.-2 Corinthians 1:21-22
I am hidden with Christ in God. -Colossians 3:1-4
I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me. -Philippians 1:6
I am a citizen of heaven. -Philippians 3:20
I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. -2 Timothy 1:7
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me. -1 John 5:18

I am significant...
I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life. -John 15:5
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. -John 15:16
I am God's temple. -1 Corinthians 3:16
I am a minister of reconciliation for God. -2 Corinthians 5:17-21
I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.-Ephesians 2:6
I am God's workmanship. -Ephesians 2:10
I may approach God with freedom and confidence.-Ephesians 3:12
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. -Philippians 4:13
-------------------------------------------- Freedom in Christ Ministries

originally published 6/2/2010

Unnecessary Tensions in Relationships

Better to live on a corner of the root than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. –Proverbs 21:9

For some reason, this verse always makes me laugh. And whenever I get an attitude with Chris, I think of him camping out on our roof. It cracks me up every time. Maybe God’s intent for painting such a vivid picture was to help us loosen up when we begin to take ourselves too seriously.

Stress and burnout can cause us to project our pain and exhaustion on others--- usually on those closest to us. Some people respond to burnout by lashing out in anger – stomping around in a rage as their lives are falling apart.

Exhaustion can cause us to shut down and stop communication with our spouse or our friends. And by communicate, I mean both talking and listening. We no longer feel connected to those around us, and we begin to not care about nurturing those relationships God has placed in our lives.

After not communicating for a while, resentment can develop. Our spouses or friends may not feel comfortable opening up to us anymore, and bitterness can be formed and directed toward us, toward the church, and even toward God.

In Matthew 5:9, Jesus directs us to be “peacemakers” (in Greek, eirenopoiai, from eirene, which means “peace,” and poieo, which means “to do or to make”). It will take effort and intentionality on our part to bring balance back into our relationships. We are to make peace and strive for unity.

From MAD CHURCH DISEASE: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic by Anne Jackson

originally published 5/6/2010