Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

Words In Deed

    Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? (James 2:15-16).

There are those who do not know to do good, yet they do it. And there are those who know to do good and do not do it. And there are those who fall some where in the middle--or perhaps no where within any part of it.  Many of us may feel that we are what you might call "people of the Book," yet with all our theological soundness, there are perhaps not nearly enough of us who practice the truths we profess.
We are a people guided by pastors and theologians who diligently dissect the Word of God to further discover its truths. We have our meetings and times of Bible studies, and leave such sessions thrilled by the intellectual stimulations and new spiritual insights. Yet, all too often we then take our morsels of truth home with us and put them up on our book shelves to gather dust, to later wonder why we don't see God's power in our lives.
If we look around, we will see some who practice mercy, some who practice truth, and perhaps some who have learned how to balance the two.  While mercy without truth can lead to a lax approach to the adherance to God's standards; so also truth without mercy can lead to cold, heartless legalism.  The point is that we should be careful not to stand too far to one side of a line that we draw to separate mercy and truth, but we must realize that there is no line between God's Turth and God's Mercy--they are simply qualities of Christ that we must allow to be manifested in us so we can effectively minister.
While it is true that all people must learn God's truth and allow it to guide them, it is as great a need for those who have learned the truth to live out that truth within their lives. We can stand back and point fingers and complain about other faiths who seem to embrace incorrect ideology. But it is far too often we who stand back and point out truth, are guilty of taking no actions of mercy.
We could spend hours each day in God's Word, and we could study our commentaries, word studies, lexicons and expository dictionaries; but if we do not put our faith into action (not words alone) it is nothing. And those who do not seem to know what is right, yet do what is right, they will be the ones who make the greatest impact.
Inflated intellects will not save the world. Neither will love without truth. As James has written, faith without works is dead. It is a faith that lies dormant within a believer who never shares it. It becomes a stagnate pond as it has no outlet. Before we point our fingers at those who are seem Biblically impaired, we better remember that where they are moving--we might be standing still.

[Soldier4Christ]

Behind the Veil

    Read Hebrews 9:6-10:25
    Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain (veil, NAS,KJV) that is , his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water (Heb.10:19-22).

Only once per year was someone permitted to enter the Most Holy Place--the place wherein they would come into the very presence of God. And the only person permitted to enter was the high priest, and only after he had undergone the proper cleansing ceremonies. No other person was permitted to enter behind the veil. To do so would have been to write their own death sentence. They instead could go no further than the Holy place. It was in that place that many ceremonial functions were carried out. It was in that place that they could come and worship God, doing so from behind a curtain, continually separated from His presence. Even as they entered their place of worship they remained at a distance.
We perhaps take for granted the ease of our access to the very presence of God in Spirit. Christ entered though the curtains that stand to separate us from the living God. Having being clean already, yet taking upon Himself the sins of the world He incurred God's wrath and suffered death for us all. And being given access to the very presence of God, we who are no longer separated from God by veils or curtains, can boldly and confidently approach Him with assurance that though we come into the presence of pure Holiness, we will not die but live, and that only because Christ died in our place.
But now let us consider how we who are given such access to the Most Holy Place remain content to dwell in the Holy Place behind the veil. But the veil is not one established because of our sin--that veil was removed through the work of Christ. Instead it is a veil that we raise up of our own free will. We have access to God, but this is not something we consider to be grasped and therefore we cling instead to the religious activities behind the veil. Rather than enter into the presence of God, we remain at a safe and secure distance. We grow content to do church and even perhaps read the Bible on a daily basis. Yet the thought of entering into the transforming presence of the living God frightens us. And so we hold to ritual and device to demonstrate to God our love for Him, and perhaps even to demonstrate to ourselves our love for Him. And all of this being done from a distance.
We are a people hidden behind veils. We hide ourselves behind veils that protect us from becoming vulnerable in relationships. We hide behind veils that provide to us security from the world, our friends, our family and our church. Many of us may refer to these veils as masks. They keep us from being seen for who we are, and enable us to look upon others through self edifying glasses.
Our veils have become our security blankets. God had established the first veil to keep us safe from His wrath. He then made a way to completely remove the veil so that we could approach Him in His Holiness. But even as we are afraid to be truly known by others, we are also afraid of being fully known by God. We are afraid that He will look at our inward selves and see the perverted and wicked thoughts within, and that when He sees what is there, that He will turn away and have nothing else to do with us. But as Christ removed the veil, God looked upon us all with Love. Not as one who looks through a veil, but as one who looks through truth.
A bride lifts her veil to signify the entrance into a union with her husband. Christ has removed the veil that stood between our God and us . We no longer have to fear God's wrath. We no longer have to be afraid of God fully knowing who we are. We no longer have to be a people who dwell behind the veil.

[Soldier4Christ]

Giving Up Without A Fight

    For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph.6:12).

Within some of the times that the nation of Israel was held captive, they found themselves separated from the life they once knew, the land they called home, and a freedom they loved. But many of their captors followed a brilliant plan which would in essence make the people who were captives become more like citizens of the nation who carried them off, than prisoners. The captors would slowly work them into their society so that they would become comfortable with their new lives. They would give them a place, a purpose and a home so that over time they would claim their captor's land as their own home.
Doing so would instill within the captives a sense of loyalty to their captors. It was a way to turn them from possibly being rebellious patriots into being faithful citizens. Sure, they were allowed to keep some of their religious freedoms and practices, and some of their cultural and traditional customs. But for many those things became little more than time honored heritage which made up a only a small part of who they were individually; while on a greater scale, they took on the resemblance of their captors--eventually becoming as one with them while clinging to their past homes, people and God with sentimental attachment only.
Why not fight back? In such a situation it may have often been easier to "make the best of it." Life was hard enough and who wants to live a life complicated by chaos and conflict. When the captor is willing to give you a place among their society, a home to live in, and overall a pretty good life, why not surrender? Over time the memories would fade and the people would grow content to live their lives in the foreign land. For even that which is foreign becomes the familiar over time.
There would be many benefits from conforming. The people would be able to live in peace. If the nation who took them captive has a massive empire they would no longer have to worry about some other country taking them captive--one who might treat them poorly. And if all of that is not enough, the captor was so strong that resistance would be a waste of time and lives, so why resist?
We might consider these things and consider ourselves blessed. We live in a nation that is strong, one in which we are free to live as we choose, and one in which we have religious freedoms. We have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness--don't we? And yet what is the difference between us and those who are held captive?
For Christians there is not much difference at all. For even though we claim to be free, we often practice our Christianity within the closets of sentimental tradition. Rather than it being seen as the core of who we are, it is seen more as a private and personal individual choice. After all, we don't want to be fanatical about it, that might stir up chaos and conflict. It's easier to be captive to the culture and customs of the society in which we live than to stand against the forces that keep us as a loyal and peaceful part of a decadent land.
We as Christians have allowed ourselves to be taken in by the land in which we live. We have taken a home, purpose and place within the society in the land in which we live, and we have become comfortable. We have turned away from being a threat to our society to being supporters of it within our lifestyles. Our religious freedoms and practices have become little more than time honored heritage. On a greater scale, we have taken on the resemblance of those in whose land we dwell, and have become as one with them while our memories of our promised land fade with the passing of each generation.
We are Christians. We live in a foreign land. One in which, over time, we have allowed to become home and cause our memories of our heritage to fade. We have forgotten what it means to be Christian, and have chosen instead to become a faithful and contributing member to a godless society. We have surrendered to live like those around us, and have forgotten that God has given us the land.
It is time we refuse to silently stand by and watch our Christian nation be destroyed and our children along with it. It is time we remember that our God is bigger than any thing, nation, society or person that holds us captive. It is time we remember our heritage is not as Americans, it is as Christians. It is time we remember who we are. It is time we remember whose land this is and it is time we take it back.

[Soldier4Christ]

Stand Firm

    Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1.Cor.15:58).

I like to fish. I am not that great of a fisherman, nevertheless, I enjoy kicking back on a lake shore or riverbank and drowning a few worms. I come from a family who enjoys fishing, I married a woman who's dad is quite a fisherman, and I have a son who seems to out fish me all too often--as he would be sure to tell you.
When I fish, I would rather use a bobber and live bait than to use a lure. With a bobber I can just toss it out there and let it sit. And then I can sit back and relax and patiently wait for a bite. But even that is not all I would hope it would be. If there is a slight wind or current, my bobber is bound and determined not to stay where I put it. Even if I cast out past the place I want it to be and reel it in to just the perfect place, it isn't long before It moves so close to shore so that my bait comes to rest on the bottom--often hugging a bed of underwater weeds or rocks or some such thing.
I reel it in. I cast it out. Over and over, I have to recast to put it where I want it to be, because time after time, it drifts away from where it needs to stay.
Some days it seems my Christian walk has been taking lessons from the drifting bobber. No matter how diligently and frequently I try to keep things where they are in the right place, it seems that the influences of life keep causing me to drift. I manage to stay in the water, but I start to feel like I'm dragging the bottom. At those times I realize where I need to be, but it becomes a constant struggle to remain there.
Though the place to remain is in Christ with our focus on Him, we may often find that we are like the slow drifting bobber. We find our focus and launch out to be strong and keep things where they need to be, only to wake up the next day on the other side of the bed, or perhaps to a whole new set of problems. And as life pulls our eyes away from our Lord, we begin to drift. And we might possibly continue to drift until we get to a place that we suddenly notice that we are not where we should be.
I have seen bobbers that seem to ride the rippled waves and remain where they were cast. This is because there is something holding the bobber and line that is stronger than the breeze and ripples that beat against them.
Paul reminds us in 1 Cor. 15:58 to stand firm and to let nothing move us. How do we do this? Paul adds, "always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord." A heart that remains diligent in serving God will find that the cares of this life become less and less important, and they become less of a distracter.
It takes a lot of strength to remain where we need to be, and to remain focused on Christ above the circumstances. But even as it is God's will for us to remain in Him, He will provide us the means to do so. So be encouraged--stand firm, diligently serve God and lift your eyes off of your circumstances. Determine in your heart to say, "Even if it means losing everything, I will serve the Lord." Therein lies the strength to remain in Him and to stand firm.

[Soldier4Christ]

Rough Edges

Read Matthew 13:25-40

    These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren (Prov.6:16-19).

We often compare the process of God's work in our lives as one of smoothing off the rough edges. The sinful nature and selfish characteristics that once defined who we were are no longer desirable, and if they are to remain they will hinder God's desired outcome of who we are to be in Him. The rough edges are the thorns that distract us from God's purpose, they are the eyesores that keep others from seeing the nature of Christ within us, and they are the calluses that prevent us from being sensitive to the movement of the Spirit of the living God.
We indeed are less than perfect and praise God, He's not done with us yet. But God forbid that rather than have a few rough edges that we would instead become the rough edges. God forbid that we would actually become so callused and desensitized to God's purpose that we would seem to be and eyesore and something that most would desire to see removed. And that not because we are not perfect, but because we would allow ourselves to be the kind of people who bring strife instead of encouragement and turmoil rather than aid. For within a church body there are many who need encouraged and there are those who are encouragers. But to our sorrow there are also those who are the rough edges, who have become nothing more than hard spots in the body of Christ, who distract from the purposes of God and prevent the body from being sensitive to the movement of the Spirit.
What would we say of such people? Is it God's intention that we suffer them a little while longer? That we just put up with them because, "That's just how they are," or "They'll never change so we will just have to bear with them" until. . .until when? Until they pass on? Then what is to be said of the people who take their place--the one's less noticeable until the other is gone? We would not take a non-confrontational stance with regard to having cancer--would we? Trying to ignore a cancer until it someday goes away is seldom a wise choice. A person who has cancer realizes that he must acknowledge it and take steps to get rid of it. But let their be a cancer in the body of Christ and we fold our hands and mumble under our breath--waiting for the matter to resolve itself.
Where would we find ourselves in that mix? Are we the rough edges that need to be removed so that the body of Christ might flourish? Do we argue and fight to get our way in the decisions of the church with little concern for God's direction? Are we a compass to God's direction or a distraction from His purpose?
If we are not the rough edges, are we those who would sit by and hope it will all resolve itself? We sit by and wait for the sore-spots to heal, leave or eventually die, and keep our mouths shut the whole time with exception to grumbling behind the backs of others?
Or are we those who refuse to allow the church of the living God to become callused and desensitized to our culture and the sin of a lost and darkened world? We refuse to let the church become a passive audience to the self-destructive behaviors of our world today. We do not let the calluses thicken because we dig beneath them until we strike a nerve, shaking church members out of comfortable complacency.
Where is it that you see yourself? How will you deal with rough edges? God has a perfect way to deal with the rough edges in our personal lives and in the body of the church, let's not pretend the rough edges don't exist, but instead, give them up to God for His loving hand to smooth all that is rough.

[Soldier4Christ]

Within Yelling Distance

    Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love (John 15:4-10).

As a parent, I am concerned for the safety of my children. As such, and like so many other families, we have our established rules that have been made for the purpose of keeping the peace, safety, sanity, and so forth of each member of the family. One such rule has been that when the children go out to play, that they must stay “within yelling distance.” The underlying theory has been that if they cannot hear us, then they are too far away--too far for us to reach them--too far to hear what they may need to hear in a time they need to hear it.
What we want for our children is simply for their best. We may not always have the best ideas on how to bring that about, but we know that with God’s help, we can discover some of what that is and help our children to discover that as well. This is not a process that is always easy to figure out, but there is one thing that is very certain and that is that God has our children’s best interest at heart. Just as God has every one of his children’s best interest at heart.
It is because of the love that God has for us that He has established rules for us to follow. The ten commandments, the beatitudes, and so much more has been provided for us to have a clear understanding of what is necessary for us to do to stay within the boundaries God has set for us. Perhaps the eleventh commandment could be, “You shall stay within yelling distance.” But why would such a rule be necessary? Perhaps because, as we are His children, it is necessary for us to be in such a place that we can continuously hear the voice of our Father.
Though such a commandment does not exist, we can see within scripture the principle of, “...stay within yelling distance.” Moreover, we see within scripture a principle that says, get as close as you can to God, “Draw near to God,” and “Remain” with Him even as branches remain with the vine they are a part of. James tells us, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (4:. In John 15, Jesus explains the principle of remaining in Him, even as a branch must remain in the vine to continue to draw life through the vine.
Why is it necessary to “stay within yelling distance?” So that we can hear the voice of our Father. We must die daily to selfish want; focus our eyes on Christ through times of Bible reading, meditation on Him, and prayer; and we must turn over to Him the cares and concerns of our lives. In so doing, we discipline ourselves to remain in Him--and in the boundaries that He has set up for our best good. And in so doing, we will remain in a place where we can hear His voice, know His will, and know what it means to have a rich and abundant life in Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

Perceived--Much More

    So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:27).

There are some things you just cannot sum up in a sentence, or even a short paragraph. Perhaps someone would ask you to define "love" in fifty words or less, and no matter how much you try, you may find it difficult to truly sum up all the aspects of love within such a limited amount of words. Perhaps you are two minutes away from the time you must leave a get together, and you are asked to described an important event in your life that you know would take much longer to explain all the details involved. There are so many topics for discussion and issues of interest that we would begin with, "Where do I start?" and wonder how we would ever do our explanation justice because there just is not enough time to go into it. But let us be asked to tell someone what we think about a person. How long a discourse do we engage into? Truth be known, we have far more to say about issues and events than we have to say about most people; and rather than seeking to convey a full and adequate understanding regarding another, we often choose to sum up an entire soul and that soul's life within brief statements and packaged labels.
How can an individual be summed up? There is much more to us than meets the eye, so why is it that we so easily and briefly describe the traits and characteristics of a whole person? Is it because it is too difficult for us to adequately define a person? Indeed, we are inadequate, nevertheless we try to do just that. Perhaps it is just easier to package a person to present a precise picture to someone else. This makes us appear that we know more about the person than we really do, and is certainly a lot more favorable for us than to simply say, "I don't know him well enough to do him justice in my description." .
Maybe we suppose that we cannot possibly describe a person so that another has a good understanding of that person, so we feel inclined to use short characteristic words to convey some understanding of who a person is. While this is true that we cannot ever describe a person adequately, we should never suppose that we can; or that someone else's description of another to us should be seen as an entire picture of the person in question.
The point is this: it takes away from a person when we attach labels and characteristics to them and act as though that pretty well sums them up. We are people with full lives--each one full of purpose and promise, each one full of hope, dreams and desires--and each one created in the image of God. The same God, who by the way, we inadequately try to sum up in theological expressions of His Person to bring clarity of understanding. And though that may be a noble purpose, it none the less can diminish the fact that His Person is truly beyond our comprehension. And therefore, it takes something away from Him within our perception of Him, to try and package Him in easy to read wrappings.
There is a due respect we owe to God simply because of who He is. We do not need to explain His entirety, and we know we could not possibly do that anyway. To act as though we could briefly describe God as a matter of fact and within an entirety, one would have to be confused as to who God really is and perhaps somewhat arrogant as to think that they could ever adequately describe Him. In our attempts to describe another person, and to sum them up for someone else to understand who that person is, perhaps we need to consider Who's image they were fashioned in. There is more to a person than we could ever summarize in a sentence or even a brief paragraph.

[Soldier4Christ]

June 1

Changing Minds, Changing Directions, Changing Lives

    Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (1 Cor.5:17).

Coming into the transforming presence of God is something that will open our eyes to a great many things. Drawing near to Him will guarantee that we will begin to rethink the way we think, and question the way we have always considered things to be. We progress forward toward Him until we face areas we may be unwilling to give up, or that we are not wanting to consider changing. It's then that we shelter our eyes from His light as He reveals truth that we choose not to see.
The painful reality is most painful to our flesh. Our flesh chooses to cling to that which is loved in the flesh--those things that are of this earth which bring to us a sense of security and comfort. Our flesh is unwilling to part with such things or even to consider doing so. It is not until we can willingly deny ourselves and selfish nature, that we will move forward toward God. It is not until we are willing to abandon all we have ever treasured, believed or thought we knew, that we will truly "throw off everything that hinders" so that we can fully come into the transforming presence of our Lord.
I have heard people ask, in reference to heaven, "What will there be to do up there?" or "What will we do for fun?" Such questions seem innocent enough, yet they are contrived only out of that part of humanity that seeks self-pleasure--the part that "savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men." To think otherwise is to yield to the self-deceit of the flesh, allowing our thinking to remain imprisoned by the thoughts which once led us, rather than our thinking being transformed in the presence of God. To seek heaven is to seek God and to forsake self and that which is pleasing to self. For, "whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it" (Lk.17:33).
A great many things hinder us from coming into the transforming presence of God. Continuing to hold to ideas, philosophies, patriotisms and beliefs that we once held before we stepped into the light--those things will hinder us from moving toward God. Continuing to cling to earthly desires, careers, ambitions and success as we defined them before we came to Christ--those too will hinder us and cause us not only to hesitate from moving toward God--they will cause us to turn away.
The question of "What will we do in heaven for fun?" should change to "Whom will we be with?" For Christ died so that we might come to the Father, heaven happens to be the place wherein we shall be with Him. Going to Heaven means going to be with and live with God, if that does not sound like "fun" to us, then we might want to examine our hearts to discover what our true treasures are and where our true loyalties lie. We cannot claim to truly love God while refusing to come closer to Him because we are unwilling to let go of what we cling to on this earth. Remember Lot's wife. She clung to what she was supposed to be leaving behind. Life was in front of her, yet she turned instead to lifelessness.
We are new creatures in Christ, and just as a butterfly does not try to live like a caterpillar, so we should remember that we are not as once we were--nor should we act like it.

    And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. . .But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt (Gen.19:17,26).

[Soldier4Christ]

Job Security

    The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry
    but He thwarts the craving of the wicked (Proverbs 10:3).

The Lord does not condone laziness, nor does He condone the use of scripture to make the level of one's work-effort justifiable. Some might explain that they do not need to worry about working because the Lord will provide for their needs. This is true. We do not have to, nor should we, worry about working so that our needs will be met (Mt.6:25-34). However, it is also true that we are not to use such reasoning to excuse personal laziness. But this is only one side of the coin and hardly a side anyone dare try to argue as correct. For we will find it equally true that scripture is misused if it is used to excuse one's excessive work efforts.
If we are to examine the reasons why we work today--and more-so, the reasons why both mother and father "have" to work--we are sure to find a multitude of good sounding reasons, and those often scripturally backed.

"A man's gotta eat."
It is a well known fact that we must eat to live, and lesser known that many of us live to eat. Nevertheless, we mark this first cliché as "Reason #1." And there is a solid verse of scripture that seems to firmly back it up. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." There is certainly no error in the verse, but there is often error within the application of the verse. For there are more who will use this scripture to provide support to their need to work and work many hours, or put work ahead of their family, God or church; than there are those who use it in reference to someone in the body of Christ who does not work. And as we have grown accustomed to Reason #1, we find that we no longer bat an eye at having to work on Sundays. That which at one time was unthinkable for a Christian, has now become the acceptable.

"A man who does not provide for his family is worse than an unbeliever."
This is a powerful statement that could become cliché if not for the fact that it is straight from scripture. 1 Timothy 5:8 tells us, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Yet even as with Reason #1, this one (Reason #2) is more often quoted to support one's reasons why they must work, than to why they should. Reason's we must work often include: to pay the bills, and to provide for our needs. However, these are often the reasons that only graze the surface of our true motivations.

The reasons seem very valid until we get beneath the surface layer of rationale and logical explanation. What we often find motivates us to work is not a desire to fulfill our obligations to God and family, instead it is fear. For example, when we consider getting laid off from work or being a casualty of a company down-sizing, do we see ourselves disheartened because we cannot do that which God has directed. Of course not. We know that God honors our efforts to do His will. He is not going to chastise us for not supporting our families if there are no jobs currently available. Suddenly being out of work does not make us feel disobedient to God, it makes us feel frightened. Frightened of the trouble we will find ourselves in when we cannot pay our bills, rent or mortgage. Frightened of the possibilities that we might not be covered by a company medical plan and suddenly have an illness in the family. Or Frightened because the job market is at an all time low.
If we honestly look inside our hearts, we might find that what makes us work two or three jobs, or jobs that exceed 40 or 50 hours a week is not a desire to honor God, but a desire to feel comfortable and financially secure. And to find that security through the work of our own hands while quoting scripture to back it up. One has to wonder how much we really rely upon and trust in our Heavenly Father, when we work so hard to do for ourselves.
Just think, at the end of it all we can look back and say to ourselves, "I carved out a life for myself with these two hands." And we can pat ourselves on the back with those two hands, while trying to remember what joy we gained by the fruits of our labor.
We do not have to struggle to make ends meet. We need simply to obey God and trust that He is good for His word, "The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry."

[Soldier4Christ]

The Taste Test

    Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Pt.2:2-3).

Many of us have been approached at a supermarket entrance by someone performing a taste test. They want us to test two or more products and then respond by telling them which product was the one that we liked the best. Its sometimes hard to distinguish one product from another if the products are extremely similar. But there are other times when we might be offered something that we like against something we do not really care for. Our response in the latter instance is usually much quicker and easier to make.
In Psalm 34:8, David encourages us, "O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him." If we held a taste test between item "a" (The Lord), and item "b" (the world), which do you think would win? What we would discover might not surprise us, in fact, it would most likely sadden us. But consider the tasters in the test. They are people who have been enjoying item "b" (the world) for all their lives. Many have not tasted item "a" at all, and many who have, have done so incorrectly. In other words, you cannot get an accurate account of a new taste, while the old one lingers in your mouth. That is why it is necessary to repent, turn away from, those things you have been tasting all your life as we come to God. We cannot get a true representation of God's person while we cling to those things of the earth that tickle our taste buds.
Let me briefly illustrate. A good judge of a pie baking contest or chili cook-off will not go from one item directly to the next. He will taste one item and then use some means to clear his palate, some means that will clear his mouth of the taste of one item before proceeding to the next. This gives him a better representation of the taste of each with out confusing the lot. Let us then consider once more that we cannot truly taste of the fullness of God's goodness, while the taste of those things we have embraced that are not of Him still lingers.
To conclude, let us consider something else. The more we taste of God, the more our tastes will be transformed. The things that once tickled our taste buds will seem bitter or perhaps begin to make us gag or become sick to our stomachs. Many people can think of a time where they had gotten sick enough to vomit, and can associate that time with a particular food. They often lose the taste for that food and never want to taste it again. In fact, the very idea of eating it often makes them nauseous. As we turn from the tastes of the world, clearing our palates of that taste--so to speak, and we taste of the goodness of God, we will begin to be repulsed by the mere thought of speaking, thinking or doing things we once embraced. Living as a Christian becomes much easier when we savor the things that are of God, and sin is so much easier to gain victory over when all it ever does is leave a bad taste in our mouths.

    Bread of deceit [is] sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel (Proverbs 20:17).

[Soldier4Christ]

A Time To Be Weaned

    In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Heb.5:12-14).

To come into the consuming presence of God is to taste His goodness. Once again we recall David's words, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him" (Psalms 34:. Tasting God's goodness will cause us to desire more of what He has to offer, so long as the tastes for the things of this world do not linger in our mouths. As we come nearer to God and continue to taste of His goodness, those tastes we once desired will begin to lose their appeal. Our appetite for the things we embraced in the darkness will diminish, and will begin to leave a bad taste in our mouths if we taste of those things once more. Yet it is not enough that our tastes be changed, they must also continue to change and to mature.
Herein lies a problem. So many of us come to the Lord and taste that He is good. We become satisfied with what we first receive and become content to remain at that place--the place wherein we first tasted of the Lord's goodness. But even as a baby must someday begin to eat solid foods, so must we. Our first taste of God is not something that should make us desire to curl up with our spiritual bottles and be babied the rest of our lives. We were not meant to remain in a condition in which we require someone to hold us and feed us and pamper us. Instead we are meant to be in that condition for a short time. And during the days of our spiritual infancy, we do need someone to care for us and guide us and help us to develop into mature children of God. But that is just the beginning of a long growth process; in which, as we mature, we become the ones who help care for the spiritual infants.
So what happens when the infants do not mature? When those who "ought to be teachers, . . .need someone to teach. . .the elementary truths of God's word all over again," do we wind up with a church full of baby Christians--or lifeless ones perhaps? If the teachers in the church have had no one to teach them, how many teachers still have need of being taught? How many church leaders still hold to the "elementary truths" because they themselves have not tasted the mature food that God provides?
It is a sad reason why so many of us do not mature, one that is wrapped up in an old cliché-- "We want to have their cake, and eat it too." We want to straddle the fence, living in a place wherein we can hold the milk of God in our right hand and a plate of worldly cake in the left. This is nothing more than a selfish and bratty mentality--clinging to that which we crave--refusing to let go for any reason. The problem is that the milk of God does not go with the cake of this world, nor will it ever. And until we release the cake of the world, and move beyond the milk, we will never experience the fullness and favor of the fruits of righteousness.
The reasons we cling to cake and milk are pleasure sustaining wishful thoughts. These thoughts keep us from moving forward toward God, they keep us from maturing and they keep us from truly caring about others the way God desires us to. They keep us at a place wherein we require teaching, and wherein we do not teach anyone else above our immature understandings of the Kingdom of God. If we truly want to ever help others in their Christian walk, we must be willing to forsake the world, and continue moving toward God.

    "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? (Jn.3:10).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Shadow of His Wings

    Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God (Isaiah 43:1-3).

The all consuming presence of God is a place of transformation. It is a place wherein we grow to become like Him. Our thoughts, our attitudes, our desires and characteristics begin to change and take shape after the image of God. We, who were created in His image, return to be recreated and cleansed from the impurities of this earth. And as we draw ever so near to Him, and take on His likeness, we begin to experience a joy and peace and fullness unlike we have ever known. Not because we came to God seeking those things, but because those things are in God. And as we come further into the presence of our Lord, we become enveloped in His goodness. And it is in seeking to be within His presence that we find more than we ever thought we could experience. We find His holiness that transforms us, we find His peace and joy that gives us rest, and we find His protection that further brings us peace as we find that God is our security.
David knew God's love, peace and protection. He was a man to who trusted in the Lord and expressed that trust so frequently within the Psalms. One such beautiful expression of David's understanding of God's protection is written in Psalm 57:1, where David says, "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." David did not just say that God would protect him, he knew it, he believed it and he experienced it. It was not some half-hearted claim that he made.
There are many of us who will proclaim God's power and power to protect, only to run in fear from situations that God would most assuredly help us through. Facing the giants of our lives, causes many of us to fall back to a safe distance and quickly devise plans of our own human logic, seeking ways that we can get through something within our own strength. But God would assure us that His presence is a dwelling place, it is a mansion with many rooms. His presence is not only a place wherein we are transformed, but also a place where in we are protected.
We can come into His presence, drawing ever nearer to Him, experiencing the fullness of His goodness, love, protection and grace. We can bring our cares, troubles, pains and problems with all the questions that surround them. And He will answer us, "Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you. For in my presence you will find what you need." It seems that no matter what we need, the answer is simply, "Draw near."

[Soldier4Christ]

You, Who Through Faith Are Shielded

    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

We draw near to God, and in His presence we find safety. This truth is echoed throughout Scripture. It is not some warm sentiment that loses application when faced by cold harsh reality of a cruel, dark and sinful world. God's protection is a fact. It is greater than any difficulty we might face and stronger than anyone who might do us harm. David writes, "The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalms 27:1). In God's presence we do not have to fear or be anxious about our lives. For we are surrounded by the arms of the Almighty.
Those who are in God's presence are of His fold. In the book of John, Jesus illustrated His care for us as us being His sheep, and He as the shepherd who cares for the sheep. Jesus tells us, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one (John 10:27-30).
The sheep who remain in God's fold are protected. Not as perhaps our human minds would perceive protection, for it goes far beyond what our natural thoughts would lead us to expect. At a distance from God, we might face a troubled time and be afraid, and perhaps expect God to deliver us out of the trouble. Perhaps we believe that if God loves us and truly protects us that He would not let the bad things happen to begin with. But as we draw closer to Him our problems lose their power, and the fear subsides, and in this we learn the true nature of His protection. In His presence we no longer expect God to take the troubles out of our lives; instead, we know He will take us through.
Those who remain in the presence of God, remain protected. And those who purpose in their heart to draw closer to God each day, they will come to understand and experience the true nature of that protection. Those who stand on the outskirts of God's presence and fear coming closer, also hold other unsubstantiated fears, such as; fearing letting go of the false securities they hold onto in the world that is outside of God's presence, and fearing that God's protection is not "full coverage." At a distance it does not appear that His protection will protect from the things that are feared (pain, tragedy, loss of endearments or jobs or wealth, etc.). But God's protection remains constant and can be fully experienced within His presence. As we draw closer to Him, our human perceptions of what His protection should be begins to fade. We turn loose of our false securities and embrace His warm realities, finding that the nature of His protection is something that goes far beyond what we once speculated at a distance. We ask the questions of, "How shall God protect me. . ." from this or that, and again the answer is, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

How long shall we cling to the false securities of this world that hinder us from fully entering into the presence of God?

[Soldier4Christ]

To Have Fellowship With Him

    This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin
    (1 Jn.1:5-7).

In His presence, we find fellowship. And that fellowship is a true and meaningful fellowship. It is not an event wherein we gather to talk over a meal and then leave to go our separate ways, thinking little more about those with whom we have been. True Fellowship in the presence of God is coupled with care and concern, and a willingness to get beneath the surface of superficial chatter.
While church socials can be enjoyable events, they do not constitute true fellowship. The true fellowship occurs in smaller group settings that are favorable for nurturing and quality time along with the fun and laughter we enjoy so much. While there are some churches which regularly engage in small group functions, there are some that never get beyond the pot-luck Sunday luncheons, and therein miss out on the true and deeper fellowship that, in essence, can be the glue that holds the body of believers together.
The nature of true fellowship is something that encounters us at the deepest part of who we are. As we consider what it means to have fellowship with God, we do not usually associate that fellowship with large gatherings and social events. And even as our fellowship with God is, so it is also to be with the body of believers. At the same time, God should not be beheld within the isolation of our quiet times alone. Fellowship with God is something that should be carried into our times with each other. He is a part of who we are collectively and individually, and we should come together in true fellowship with a knowledge that God is with us. To acknowledge His presence is to be mindful of Him throughout our time together--not only within the passing moments of our opening and closing prayers.
In His presence is true fellowship. John writes, "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." Drawing near to God and abiding within His presence is a place wherein we live in the Light. It is a place wherein we draw further away from the darkness of the world.  We don't embrace the world or cling to it, refusing to let go. We cannot truly abide in the Light while living in pursuit of the pleasures of this age--treasuring in our hearts the same things that those who do not know Christ also treasure. Yet if we do hold onto our wants and ambitions of this world and chase after the American dream; while at the same time claiming to have a fellowship with God. John would remind us that we cannot "walk in the darkness" and claim to have fellowship with God. If we do, we are liars and have deceived ourselves.
In Him is Light, and the Light is the Life of all mankind. It is within Him that we discover true fellowship. And out from that fellowship with Him, we find our fellowship with others who also fellowship with Him. It is a fellowship that is pure, and it is a fellowship that is nurturing and well as pleasurable. It is a fellowship that will hold the body of believers together like glue, while reaching out to draw others into the blessed union of love and encouragement within the family of God.

If fellowship is to be true, it must get beneath the surface, minister to the needs, and draw all hearts nearer to God in a blessed and vibrant encounter.

[Soldier4Christ]

Minister The Same

    As every man hath received the gift, [even so] minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10).

In the Presence of God there is a revitalizing, and a spiritual awakening. As we draw ever nearer to God we are purified and transformed after the likeness of His Son. We find true joy, peace and fellowship so sweet that we seek to remain forever in the embrace of His overwhelming presence. As we spend time with Him, we find it an awe-inspiring thing to sit at the feet of our Lord as Teacher. For what He speaks to us is far greater than mere fact and far surpasses the sharing of knowledge. The truth He speaks into our lives is a truth that transforms.
God shares His truth with us, but as He does, He does not try to give it to us all at once--we could not live through that. And even when it is obvious what is needed to be said to us, He does not just reveal it to us all at once, but He balances the administration of His truth with wisdom and love. He prepares us to hear the truth, and reveals it to us at the perfect moment, when his truth will mean the most and do the most for us.
Even as God shares His truth with us, He would have us to share His truth with others. "Freely you have received, freely give" (Mt.10:. But our sharing is not to be something to be taken lightly. We should not only share with others what God has given us, but do it in His likeness. We should weigh what we would say with wisdom and love. We must keep in mind that we are not boldly speaking truth because it is our righteous duty, but we speak as God's instrument of ministry. Through what we say, we are seeking to minister to, or give aid to, another person in their need. We should remember God's patience and love and gentleness He has shown us, and we should practice the same with others.
If we are given the place of pastor or teacher among a congregation, it could be easy to forget that what we do is a ministry. A weekly role of teaching or preaching could easily become a task more than a avenue to meet need. We can easily lose sight of the hearts of those who listen, and focus more upon the method that we would use. The sermon or lesson becomes part of the job, and the people become a huddled mass.
What lengths do we go to in our preparations to share the Word of God? Whether our sharing is through a sermon, a lesson or just with a friend, what do we feel is necessary to do before hand? If we are drawing near to God everyday, isn't He faithful to minister to us, provide for us, and teach us? As we draw near to Him, He reveals His truth to us, and truth that we can share with others. In this, we find our greatest preparations--in that while we walk daily with our Lord, He provides enough for us and for those with whom we would share.
Our lives of daily walking with Him is all the preparation we need for the sharing of God's Word and truth with others. Keep in mind that daily walking is disciplined Christian living within the Presence of God, within His Word and the exercising of our faith. This is not an excuse for laziness when approaching a time of sharing. This is simply to say, that our greatest preparations do not come out from many hours devoted to putting together a lesson or sermon. Instead, our greatest preparations come from many hours devoted to drawing near to God. Within that time with God we will be given much, and we will look so forward to the moments in which we get to share, on Sunday perhaps, what God has given us that very week.