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New Testament Challenge Companion--Day 35!

Sunday, February 28  Read Luke 14 and Colossians 3-4  Focus on Colossians 3:17

Many followers of Jesus have a “life verse.”  This is a verse from Scripture they turn to as the overarching truth or principle by which they live their lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. Colossians 3:17 is mine: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  The key word in the verse is “do.” Some form of it occurs three times in this brief statement.  All my life, since I was twelve and committed my life to Jesus, my goal has been to DO what He wants of me, to become more like Him in thought, word and action.  Sometimes I have failed miserably---I mean MISERABLY.  Sometimes God has used me in powerful ways in other people’s lives.  The determining factor in whether what I do, in word or deed, IS done in the name of the Lord Jesus has very little to do with me.  The determining factor is the Holy Spirit.  When I give Him reign in my life, then I can succeed at doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.  When I give the Holy Spirit control my thoughts, words, and actions reflect Jesus.  The decision I have in every situation and in every moment of my life is whether to live in/by the Spirit (in which case I'm not under the Law, as we read in Galatians) or in my own power.  The times when I have failed miserably have been when I have been in charge of my life.  As I have matured in Jesus (and I still am maturing in Jesus!), I have been learning that if I want to live out Colossians 3:17 it’s simple—not easy, but simple.  Just turn over control to God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit and it happens.  My prayer for you and me today is that we will take the simple step of deciding to let God live through us, so others will see Him in us and be drawn to Him, too!

Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to live in us so we may, indeed, think, speak and act in ways that glorify You, and demonstrate our thanks for Your presence in us.  Use us today in every way to draw people to Yourself.  This I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.   

New Testament Challenge Companion--Day 34!

Saturday, February 27 Read Luke 13 and Colossians 1-2  Focus on Luke 13:29-30

In speaking about heaven, Jesus told us people will come from north, south, east and west and will take their place at the feast in the Kingdom of God.  That means people from EVERYWHERE will be in heaven.  Sometimes we tend to think only people like us will be in heaven.  Or we think certain groups of people won’t have anyone in heaven—I'm not talking about certain other religious groups.  We know Jesus told us He is the Way and the Truth and the Life and that NO ONE can come to the Father except through Him.  I'm talking about people of other ethnicities, other branches of the church family tree.  The reality is when we get to heaven we'll be surprised by who is there, and in some case by who is not there.  We'll  also be surprised to find that some we thought would be “first” will be “last” and vice versa. The reality is the only “ticket” to heaven is Jesus.  The position we hold in heaven is determined by our relationship with Him.  The “final answer” when it comes to heaven is JESUS!  As we go about the day, we may think a good deed will help pave the way to heaven for us.  The truth is nothing we ever do will make God love us more or less.  God’s love for us is tied up in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.  As we go about this day and every day, we don’t do good deeds to impress God or to move “up” in the “line.”  We do them because we want to reflect the life of Jesus that resides in us through the Holy Spirit.  After all, as citizens of heaven, and ambassadors for Jesus, we want to make the most of today in representing Jesus to all we meet!

Heavenly Father, Thank You so much for sending Jesus to open the door of heaven to us!  Thank You for welcoming people into Your Kingdom from all over the planet.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I may be an effective ambassador for You, and that You may use me to draw people to Yourself.  This I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

New Testament Challenge Companion--Day 33!

Friday, February 26 Read Luke 12 and Philippians 3-4 Focus on Philippians 4:8-9

Another of my favorite brief Scriptures is found in Philippians 4:8-9.  Let’s look at it here: ⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 NIV This is the Apostle Paul’s “short course” on how to have a positive attitude AND the God of peace or the peace of God (the Greek text allows for either translation!) to be with us.  Paul’s recommendation if we want those things is for us to THINK about eight kinds of things.  Let’s look at each one:  Whatever is true.  A long time ago, I learned a statement:  Truth is in order to goodness.  In other words, truth leads to goodness in our lives.  We can’t have positive attitudes or God’s peace if we base our lives on lies.  Focus on the truth.  Live in the truth and life will be much more meaningful.  Whatever is noble.  What does it mean for something to be noble?  Dictionary.com defines noble as “distinguished by rank or title.”  In our case, the rank or title is that of God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  Paul could have said, “Whatever is godly.”  We need to elevate our thoughts to the level of godliness, and keep our thoughts out of “the gutter.”  Nobility elevates US to the level of godliness as we think on it and practice it in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Whatever is right.  Paul offers us a helpful addition to truth.  Some things are true, but they aren’t right.  We need to think on things that are true AND right.  When we focus on the truths of God we will always be focusing on what’s right. Of course, as with each of these eight characteristics, Paul’s ultimate goal is for us to DO as well as THINK about these things.  Whatever is pure.  Pure means without spot or blemish.  Pure means that our thoughts are absolutely wholesome. You may be thinking, “How do we think like this ALL the time?”  The answer is, “We only think like this ANY time in the power of the Holy Spirit.  As we let the Holy Spirit lead in our lives, these traits become part of us—in a purer and purer form.   Whatever is lovely.  Lovely may mean a number of things, but in this case Paul means both those things that are aesthetically appealing, and those things that reflect the nature of God.   Whatever is admirable.  Here we focus on things that are admired.  This may be quality workmanship, or quality effort, or quality design, or anything that is being or doing what it was created to be or do AND that adds value to our lives.  If anything is excellent… Here Paul reminds us that our goal is not just “good enough,” or not just getting by, but the best we have to offer—or the best that God has offered us.  Excellence is always the goal, and when we see it, we ought to think and reflect on it, if we want God’s peace or the peace of God in our lives.  If anything is praiseworthy.  Simply put praiseworthy means worthy of praise.  Here Paul is not only referring to God, who is the only one worthy of our praise in the ultimate sense, but also anything that is worthy of affirmation, because it reflects the workmanship or attitude of God.  Thus, our efforts may be praiseworthy when we have carried them out in truth and righteousness, with excellence.  May our lives be lived in such a way that we THINK on these things and LIVE them as well!

Heavenly Father, Thank You for having the Apostle Paul compile such a powerful list of qualities and actions about which we are to think.  Motivate us to see these qualities in our lives and to think on them, and also to live these qualities so others may be able to see them in us, think about them and give the praise to You!  This I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

New Testament Challenge Companion--Day 32!

Thursday, Feb. 25 Read Luke 11 and Philippians 1-2 Focus on Philippians 2:12-13

No passage of Scripture makes it more clear that when it comes to our salvation, both God and we have a role to play than Philippians 2:12-13.  Let’s look at the verses:  ¹²Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.  We must be careful to put into action God’s saving work in our lives, or as the NIV puts it to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”  We must work!  We must put God’s saving work in our lives into action!  That’s our part.  What does that mean?  It means that we must give our best, our 100% to living out what God is doing in our lives.  We can’t sit under a tree and expect God to provide everything we need in life.  We must get up and get going.  BUT, and this is so crucial, BUT—all our effort will fall short unless GOD IS WORKING IN US TO GIVE US THE DESIRE TO OBEY HIM AND THE POWER TO DO WHAT PLEASES HIM.  Salvation is a gift from God. The desire to obey God is a gift from God.  The POWER to do what pleases God is a gift from God.  God ALWAYS acts first in our lives!  As the Apostle Paul reminded us in Romans, ALL of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We can do our best.  We can work harder than everyone else, and we will still fall short of heaven, of salvation, because the sin that’s part of every life weighs us down and sinks us as surely as a five hundred pound weight would sink us were we to try to swim with it attached to our bodies.  Nevertheless, Paul tells us here in Philippians 2 that while God provides our salvation, while he gives us both the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him, we still have our part---to actually do it.  As I’ve said so often, “We can’t do God’s part, and God won’t do our part.  These blog entries have provided all of us an opportunity to reflect more deeply on specific passages of the New Testament.  God has empowered me in the writing process.  He has shown me passages that need to be highlighted.  His Spirit has guided me in the planning and writing process, but I have had to sit at the keyboard and type.  God does His part, and I do my part.  Without God’s Spirit leading, guiding, motivating and empowering, these words would never have been written.  Without me writing them, they would never have been written either.  My part is significant, God’s part more so!  As we go about this day, may we do our part, and may we participate with God in the amazing process He has set into place to save us, and to save the world through Jesus.  After all, once God saves us, the reason we’re still here instead of immediately being taken to heaven, is so we may grow in Him and be “light and salt” for others, so they may see Him in us and be drawn to Him as well!

Heavenly Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may, indeed, keep putting into action Your saving work in my life.  Let me obey you with deep reverence and fear.  Give me the desire to obey You and the power to do what pleases You.  Use me as light and salt that others may see You in me and glorify You.  This I pray in the name of the one who makes all this possible in my life—Jesus!  Amen.

The New Testament Challenge Companion-Day 31!

Wednesday, Feb. 24 Reading for the Day: Luke 10 and Ephesians 4-6 Focus on Ephesians 6

In Ephesians 6 the Apostle Paul tells us we are involved in a battle, a war!  He tells us it isn’t a battle against any human enemy.  Our battle is spiritual.  Our enemies are four demonic forces who are given proper names in the original Greek text in which the New Testament was written.  Those four demons are named “I Was Here First!”  “The Right to Speak!”  “Use People to Get Things!” and “Malice!”  Now, you will never see them named that in any English translation of the Bible, but that’s what their Greek names mean.  When we are seeking to follow Jesus into a new area in our lives, “I Was Here First!” will tell us we can’t.  He will tell us he was here first.  So, what?  First, of all, that’s a lie.  God was here first!  Anywhere we go, any situation we enter with God in charge of our lives, “I Was Here First!” has to back off and give us the right of way.  When we find ourselves in a situation where someone is saying or doing something contrary to the will of God, and we know we should stand up and speak up for Him, and we hear that voice saying, “What gives you the right to get involved?”  That’s “The Right to Speak!”  He wants us to believe that we DON’T have the right to speak or act in Jesus’ name, but again we always DO!  When we find ourselves thinking, “I know ought to help that person in need, but it might cost me something.”  Or when we find ourselves thinking, “I could get my friend to help me with this project that will make me lots of money,” we’re probably dealing with “Use People to Get Things!”  That’s the spirit of worldliness.  Always remember that the right priority is to use things to gain people for the Kingdom of God!  That’s why Jesus told us not to store up treasure here on earth, but in heaven.  Finally, when we just feel plain mean and nasty, when we want to hurt someone “Malice!” is at work.  Malice simply wants to destroy people: physically, spiritually, in every way.  Paul tells us we must be ready for these enemies---spiritual enemies.  The way we do that is by putting on the full armor of God.  The bad news is we’re in a war.  The good news is Jesus has already won!  All we have to do is gear up and follow Him!

Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us our enemy and making us aware that we are engaged in a spiritual battle for our eternal lives.  Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to empower us to defeat each of these evil forces that seeks to do us harm.  Glorify Yourself in my life today, and give me the boldness to battle fully for You. This I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

The New Testament Challenge Companion--Day 30!

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 Reading for the Day:  Luke 9 and Ephesians 1-3 Focus on Eph. 3:14-21

The theme verse for our “Get in the Game” Campaign last fall was Ephesians 3:20.  Today, let’s look at that verse in its context:  ¹⁴When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, ¹⁵the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. ¹⁶I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. ¹⁷And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. ¹⁸And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. ¹⁹May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  ²⁰Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. ²¹May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.  What a prayer!  Paul understood the majesty of God, the amazing nature of His plan for us, and the absolute necessity for us to grow deeper and stronger in the Holy Spirit in order to experience the fullness of God’s “marvelous” love.  Once Paul exhorted us to those understandings, he erupted in spontaneous adoration and praise for God:  NOW glory be to God!  Have you ever thought about God’s wisdom or the Holy Spirit’s presence within us, or the depth and height and breadth of God’s love and just erupted in praise?  I hope so!  But Paul didn’t stop with praise.  He reminded us that God’s power at work within US by the Holy Spirit is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  When we get discouraged—and we do get discouraged sometimes; when we think that things aren’t going to get better—and we do think that sometimes; when we think our situation is impossible, and sometimes our situations do seem impossible, Paul calls us to remember there's no limit to God’s mighty power at work within us. He IS able to accomplish infinitely more—think about that: INFINITELY more!  That means without limit—than we would ever dare to ask or hope. WOW!  That’s a passage worth memorizing, because we all get down sometimes, but God’s hand is not short—He is able to do INFINITELY more through us—than we can imagine. Imagine that!

Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth of Paul’s prayer!  Thank You for being limitless in Your ability to accomplish the impossible, the improbable and the mundane.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I may live victoriously regardless of what I face today.  This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The New Testament Challenge Companion--Day 29!

Monday, Feb. 22, 2010 Reading for the Day:  Luke 8 and Gal. 4-6 Focus on Gal. 5:16-18

Galatians 5:16-18 is such a powerful passage!  We are all painfully aware that even when Jesus is our Savior and Lord, we find it difficult to do God’s will.  The Apostle Paul helps us see why in these important verses:  ¹⁶So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. ¹⁸But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law. As you see, even after we have been born again the old sinful nature still exists within us.  That nature craves sin.  The Holy Spirit craves good.  The battle inside us is intense, and Paul tells us that these two forces are constantly fighting each other.  He also tells us that our choices are “never free from this conflict.”  Every choice we will ever make results in a conflict of wills—the will of the flesh or the will of God.  That may not sound like good news, but here’s the good news:  THE WILL OF GOD ALWAYS PREVAILS when we are directed by the Holy Spirit.   WHEN are we directed by the Holy Spirit?  Here’s the really good news:  every time we want to be directed by Him!  We have “control” over the conflict of wills within us, not because we can overcome sin in our lives---but because the Holy Spirit CAN!  The choice for us is simple:  GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT CONTROL!  Once we do that we win.  Until we do that we lose.  So, do we want to win or lose the battle going on inside of us, because Paul tells us the choice is ours!

Heavenly Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may be directed by Him throughout the day.  I give up control of my sinful flesh to You!  Glorify Yourself in me today with every choice I make.  Let me directed by the Holy Spirit so not only will I not be subject to the law, but so that I will be victorious over the sin that clings so closely in my life. This I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

The New Testament Challenge Companion--Day 28!

Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 Reading for the Day:  Luke 7 and Gal. 1-3  Focus on Luke 7:31-35

Jesus made it clear that people are fickle.  He used Himself and John the Baptist as examples. John came into the world and by anyone’s definition John WAS different.  As Jesus put it, John didn’t eat or drink—and he really didn’t.  He ate locusts and wild honey!  So, how did the people respond?  They said he had a demon.  Is it demonic to eat weird food and dress funny—if the man’s message is directly from God, and God has appointed you to prepare the way for His only Son?  Of course not! But it didn’t matter to the people what was true—it only mattered what they thought was true.  In the eternal scheme of things it DID matter what was true. It DOES matter what IS true.  The people didn’t see it that way, so they said that John had a demon.  Then along came Jesus.  He didn’t dress funny, and He attended parties with tax collectors and other “sinners.”   He ate what everyone else ate, and He drank wine with His meals, so the people said, “He’s a drunk and a glutton.”  The Son of God—a drunk and a glutton?  That’s what people said.  Why?  Because they had no clue what was true.  How could people hear John’s message and see Jesus’ miracles and be so wrong about them?  The only reasonable answer to that question is this:  People are fickle—sin makes us fickle.  Until the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, we will see white as black and black as white.  We will make bad choices that seem good to us.  Then when God comes into our lives, we can see as He sees, understand as He understands—imperfectly to be sure, but John IS a prophet and Jesus IS the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and nothing is ever the same once we know and experience that!  

Heavenly Father, Thank You so much for sending John to prepare the way for Jesus, and Jesus to open the way to eternal life with You!  Fill me with the Holy Spirit this day that I may live boldly, confidently and faithfully for you.  In the name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen.

The New Testament Challenge Companion--Day 27!

Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010 Reading for the Day:  Luke 6 and 2 Cor. 12-13  Focus on 2 Cor. 12

In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul completes his “rant” about the difference between him and the “super apostles” who entered Corinth after him and sought to undermine his influence and ministry there.  As Paul continues to boast about what God has done in his life, he tells of a vision in which he was either physically taken to heaven or taken there in the spirit.  Either way, he had the opportunity to see a glimpse of heaven.  In order to keep Paul from becoming arrogant or conceited over having such an amazing opportunity, Paul tells us he was given a “thorn in the flesh.”  We don’t know the exact nature of this infirmity, whether it was a physical ailment or something else.  What we do know is that Paul prayed three times for it to be taken from him by God.  Throughout the Gospels and much of the rest of the New Testament, when someone was sick and Jesus, or an apostle prayed for the sick person, the person got better.  In fact, Paul is the only one who didn’t get better.   After three attempts to get God to deliver him from the thorn in the flesh, Paul tells us that God told him that His grace was sufficient for Paul’s situation, and that God’s strength was perfected in Paul’s weakness. What a vital principle for all of us:  God’s strength is perfected in our weakness!  So often we want God to take away our pain, struggles and problems.  We pray for God to give us peace and joy and never to be in a state of suffering.  But sometimes God uses pain and suffering in our lives as a way to draw us to Him, as a way of keeping us so focused on Him, that we gain the victory over our pain—even if it doesn’t go away.  If you’ve ever been afflicted with chronic pain and asked God to take it away, maybe you’ve assumed that it was your fault, your lack of faith or something problematic about you.  The reality is God may be giving us an opportunity to have God’s strength perfect us in our weakness!  The next time you find yourself with a “thorn in the flesh,” pray for God to remove it—pray again and again, but also be prepared for God to empower you in your weakness to testify to His amazing grace, presence and power!

Heavenly Father, thank You for always hearing our prayers!  Thank You for not always answering them the way we ask you to answer, because sometimes what we want or think we need is far from your will for our lives.  Fill us with the Holy Spirit that we may always pray for you to deliver us from suffering, and that we may live through the suffering by Your strength if that is Your preferred will in our lives.  This I ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

The New Testament Challenge Companion--Day 26!

Friday, Feb. 19, 2010 Reading for the Day:  Luke 5 and 2 Cor. 10-11 Focus on Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11 is another one of my favorite New Testament Scriptures?  Why?  Because in it we find Peter responding to Jesus—who just performed an amazing natural miracle—with abject fear.  Here’s what happened.  Peter, his brother, Andrew, James and John had been out fishing all night long.  They caught nothing.  As they were cleaning and repairing their nets, Jesus came along and asked them if He could use their boat as a stage.  After He was done teaching, Jesus said, “Let’s go fishing!”  Peter looked at Him and said, “We’ve already done that, and didn’t catch anything.”  Remember, Peter was a fisherman and Jesus was a preacher. Peter must have thought, “Doesn’t this guy know anything?  You don’t go fishing in the middle of the day—that’s why we fished all night, when the fish were active.  But, Peter went along with Jesus, anyway.  He took his boat out to the deep water, let down his nets, and WOW! The fish must have jumped into those nets, because we’re told that the nets were so heavy they started tearing.  Peter looked at the nets filled with fish, and then at Jesus—and this is my favorite part—he fell to his knees in front of Jesus and begged Jesus to leave.  Peter told Jesus that he was too much of a sinner to be around Him.  Peter was awestruck.  He knew he was standing (now kneeling!) in front of a man who could control nature.  It was too much for him.  What Peter said was, “I am too sinful to be around you.”  What he meant was, “You scare me to death!”  How do I know this?  Jesus’ answer tells me. If sin was Peter’s problem, Jesus would have said, “Peter, your sins are forgiven.”  After all, He did that in other situations.  What He said, though, was, “Don’t be afraid.”  Don’t be afraid.  How many times have you been afraid to follow Jesus, or afraid OF Jesus?  If we’ve never been afraid of the holiness and perfection of Jesus, we haven’t truly considered who Jesus is.  Peter’s fear was not a stumbling block from Jesus’ standpoint.  He told Peter not to be afraid and then said, “From now on you’ll be fishing for people.”  And that’s exactly what Peter did.  He left his nets—fuller than they’d ever been in his life—and followed Jesus!

Heavenly Father, I pray for the courage to follow Jesus’ voice FIRST in my life.  Don’t let fear, or sin or any other obstacle stand in the way of my giving Jesus full reign in my life.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may fish for people, too, that I may stand up and be counted for You in every area of my life.  This I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.