Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

This passage struck me lately. Especially verse 37.

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Ive been seeing a lot of people lately who dont want to give up things or people in their lives who lead them away from the Lord. Someone who is saved, but who has a rabidly antiChristian boyfriend who is shaking their faith. Someone who loves their fiance and is living with them, but wont stop that sin to follow the relationship with Christ.

Jesus told us what the greatest commandment is in Matthew 22:36-38

Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus 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 first and great commandment.

We say He needs to be first in our lives, but is He? Are we allowing someone or something to take precedence? Do we encourage new believers enough to put aside the things or lifestyle or even the people who come between them and the Lord? Is our heart and our focus on the Lord first?

Revelation 4:8-11
And each one of the four living creatures had six wings about  him , and within being full of eyes. And they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was and is and  is to come. And whenever the living creatures gave glory and honor and thanks to Him who sat on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fell down before the One sitting on the throne. And they worshiped Him who lives for ever and ever, and threw their crowns before the throne, saying, O Lord, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You created all things, and for Your will they are and were created.

In chat lately, many folks are using lower case letters for the name of Jesus and God. Some folks get upset when they see others calling God god. Others get upset when folks demand His name be capitalized. Is this really an issue to get upset over?

The Jews revere His name so much, that they write G-d, since there are no vowels in the name YHWH in the bible. For fear of using His name irreverently, they call Him HaShem “The Name”.

Do we diminish who He is when we neglect to capitalize His name? Do we have too casual a view towards our Lord that we cant even capitalize His name? Have Christians today in the US, and elsewhere, lost their reverence for the Holy Lord? Does that affect our faith? Questions to ponder.

Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus 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 first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Unbelievers often ask me how I would feel if I died and woke up to find that God isn’t real. They suppose that I would feel like my life was somehow deprived for living according to His will. As if I grudgingly gave up a sinful lifestyle, denying myself any sort of pleasure in order to follow Him.

Living His way isn’t torturous. We do not feel like we are missing anything by living according to His standards. If our devotion to Him was done unwillingly, if we begrudged Him a changed life, then we would be merely hypocrites. How could we be said to love Him with all our heart mind and soul if we did not willingly follow His ways? Just as He laid down His life for us out of His love for us, John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life so we should laid down our lives for Him, out of love for Him. Matthew 10:37-38 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

]]> http://www.worthychat.com/blog/for-the-love-of-our-lord/feed/ 2 http://www.worthychat.com/blog/going-to-market/ http://www.worthychat.com/blog/going-to-market/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:50:35 +0000 AyinJade http://www.worthychat.com/blog/?p=95 Matthew 21:12-13 And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, It is written, “My house shall be called the house of prayer”; but you have made it a den of thieves.

Jesus was offended, and rightly so, that the Temple of God, a place that contained the Holy of Holies, was turned into a marketplace. A house of prayer, a place to grow in the Lord, turned into a common marketplace.

Tonight I heard about a church that canceled its services in order to hold a business meeting to tell its congregation that the church is a product and the congregation is the customer.

I hear a lot about the seeker sensitive church, one which tries to get folks in, by toning down the hard parts of the gospel message.

The house of worship, the church building, is being turned into a modern day marketplace. Where attendance is tallied and numbers mean more than quality of the service and teaching. A place where sermons are spiced up and worship has gimmicks to bring in more people. Church is entertaining. The music makes us feel good. The sermon talks about the purpose driven life.

Where is God in all of this? In the name of growth, have our churches faltered and turned into the marketplaces of the temple in the time of our Lord Jesus? If Jesus were in your church, would He see a house of prayer, a temple of worship? Or would He see a place where the focus is marketing the church to people?

Matthew 22: 35-40 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked, tempting Him and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus 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 first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Jesus tells us to love the Lord first, with our heart, soul, and mind. Is your church God focused or people focused?

The headlines speak of the war in Gaza. The world is outraged. Israel dares to defend itself against the incessant bombing from Hamas. The world is demanding that the UN call an immediate ceasefire. All Israel wants is that Hamas stops bombing them. That isn’t too much to ask for. If a group bombed your country regularly, wouldn’t you demand your leaders stop them? Why is it everyone except Israel can defend itself?

The bible says that Israel is God’s chosen people. Through whom Jesus came. Through whom the Lord chose to reveal Himself. They need Jesus to be saved, no doubt there. He still regards them as His people though. We should not forget the root of Jesse. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and became a sharer of the root and the fatness of the olive tree with them, do not boast against the branches. But if you boast, it is not you that bears the root, but the root bears you. (Romans 11:17-18).

I support Israel’s right to defend itself against the terrorists of Hamas. I will bless Israel. We should all pray for Israel.

Good luck!

We hear this all the time. Some even say this frequently. Ive been wondering for some time now. Should a Christian wish someone “good luck”?  We say God is in control. Since He is in control, since we believe that, why would we need to wish good luck on someone? Shouldn’t we instead wish Gods blessings on someone, or wish them well? Do we even need luck?

This is something Ive felt convicted about for awhile now. It may seem like a trivial thing, but in wishing someone luck for a moment it seems as if we forget whom we are to cast our cares onto, whom we are to trust for all of our needs.

Therefore be humbled under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your anxiety onto Him, for He cares for you. 1Peter 5:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

I saw an inspirational story posted on a Christian forum that talked about a soldier hiding from the enemy in World War II. This soldier took refuge in a cave. He prayed to God and was hidden by a spider web.

This seems like a nice story, but it turns out to be a story from another religion, from their religious texts. That troubled me. To see a mythological event from a false religion find its way into the culture of English speaking Christians. Can a Christian find morality within a false religion? I don’t think one can. All other religions, if they have morals, are a pale shadow of Christ’s way, and those other religions lead to eternal death. Why bother getting moral stories from false religions when we have the perfect and true religion of following Jesus?

As the bible tells us, 1 Timothy 1:4 nor to give heed to fables and endless genealogies (which provide doubts rather than the nurture of God in faith). We should instead keep our eye on the Lord. To do as it says in Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things. Do those things which you have also learned and received and heard and seen in me. And the God of peace shall be with you.

Today a little 2 year old girl fell into a pool and nearly drowned. This child was under water they say for nearly 5 minutes. Although she was revived she will have permanent brain damage.

Today, a young Christian struggled with the lure of a false dead religion, one she was steeped in for years. She wanted to give into the rituals of this false path and derive security from what she knew and could expect.

Like the girl who nearly drowned, this young believer needs to resist the natural urges. The child couldn’t resist the urge to breathe in and in so doing, breathed in water instead of air. The young Christian finds it hard to resist the natural tendency to follow the ways of the flesh, to derive comfort in false things because they are known to her. Its not natural to resist the lure of the world and to follow the Lord. Yet we can resist, for we are new creatures in Christ. The old man is put away.2 Corinthians 5: 17 So that if any one is in Christ, that one is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. We can do this, through Him, through the Holy Spirit changing us. Philippians 4: 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Do we go and do likewise?

Last week, temperatures in Arizona hit the usual midsummer intense heat, around 110 degrees F (that’s around 45 degrees C). We were out driving to a bookstore and passed by a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk with his shopping cart of belongings. It was hot, the sidewalk sunny. There were no open businesses where he was. No trees. Not even a grassy spot. Just hard concrete and compact dirt. It occurred to me to get him a bottle of water from a convenience store about a quarter mile away but my husband didn’t want to. He was afraid of us getting hurt. I have to admit I was too.

Later on I wondered if we should have stopped. After all, wouldn’t the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) have stopped for this man? How many would have stopped for this man?

Luke 10
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
30 And answering, Jesus said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who stripped him of his clothing and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by coincidence a certain priest came down that way and seeing him, he passed by on the opposite side .
32 And in the same way a Levite, also being at the place, coming and seeing him , he passed on the opposite side .
33 But a certain traveling Samaritan came upon him, and seeing him, he was filled with pity.
34 And coming near, he bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And going on the next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him. And whatever more you spend, when I come again I will repay you.
36 Then which of these three, do you think, was neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?
37 And he said, The one doing the deed of mercy to him. And Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise.

I noticed today that fall is in the air. My miniature roses are starting to recover from the intense desert heat of the summer and bloom again. They are beautiful and delicate. So many tiny blossoms on each potted plant on my patio. My little rose garden.

I read Genesis 2 recently and noticed something I hadnt seen before. Maybe its because this part of the bible is so familiar to me so I didnt pay careful attention to it. The LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight. He created something pleasant to our eyes. It wasnt enough that it filled our dietary need. He caused it to be pleasant to our senses. Our Lord is so loving to us, that He desired to create plants that would please our eyes. My roses are a gift from Him. Something He created to give me pleasure, to bring a smile to my face. Indeed every good and perfect gift is from Him.

Nowadays using salt is considered bad for our blood pressure, but in ancient times, salt was valued, traded. A seasoning of worth. Salt is a preservative, something to prevent food from spoiling in a time when refrigeration was not available. In ancient times, salt was a symbol of covenant. Treaties ratified with salt were unable to be broken. In Leviticus, we see that the Levites were to season each sacrifice with salt. Indeed, the term for it was salt of the covenant of God. A covenant not to be broken. Mark 9:49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Everyone of us believers is in covenant with God through the blood of Christ.

So then what does it mean to have your speech seasoned with salt? We are under a covenant of salt with the Lord. All of our actions and words should reflect Him. He is glorified by what we do. Sometimes we are the only “bible” someone sees. Our words need to be spoken with the love of Christ. Our words should be given to us by the Holy Spirit when we witness. Our words are to be tempered, seasoned if you will, by our Lord. When we answer each one regarding the Blessed Hope we have in Christ, it should be His words we speak, words given to us by the Holy Spirit, spoken gently in love. Seasoned with salt.

With this poetic line, the psalmist shows a progression towards sin. At first, the man might casually walk with the ungodly, then he might willingly stand with the sinners, finally to sit comfortably with those who mock God. Each step becoming more rooted in the ways of sin. Each step identifying more with the sinners than with the Lord.

Think about the image of a boiling frog. If you bring a pot to boil and throw a frog into it, he will jump out fast. But if you put him in mild water and slowly bring it to a boil, he wont notice. The frog is desensitized to the changes in the temperature of the water. It is the same with sin. If you begin to hang around the lost in their sins, accepting their sins, well it doesn’t seem so bad. Progressively the sins you don’t notice become more serious until you are in danger.

How can you resist becoming desensitized to sin? The psalmist supplies the answer. Psalms 1:2 But his delight is only in the Law of Jehovah; and in His Law he meditates day and night. Get grounded in the word. Be strong in your faith and hold fast to the precepts of the Lord. See sin as sin. Then you will be the “tree planted by the rivulets of water that brings forth its fruit in its seasons, and its leaf shall not wither, and all which he does shall be blessed” in verse 3.

(This is an older blog entry I have from another blog site of mine.)

Today is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. My city took in about 3,000 of the refugees, so the local newspaper did a feature about where they are now. They were poor, taken from their homes having lost everything they had. Placed in the southwest desert and expected to make a new life. Some rose to the occasion and are doing well. Many of them were not doing so well. Suffering from many trauma, health issues, running out of assistance, living on the streets etc.

The website for the newspaper allows people to post comments about the stories. There were about a dozen comments. Most of them were heartless. Comments like “These people are using this tragic event as an excuse to continue doing nothing. I feel no pity.” Another wrote “I feel nothing for these lazy sponges that complain they can’t get their lives in order. They were losers before the storm, they are losers after the storm and unfortunately, in life some people are incapable of being better then losers.” And still another “Is there anyway we can deport these Katrina parasites?”

Perhaps Im not much better. I havent contributed to them. I havent lifted a finger to help them out. I remember seeing them after the storm, at the local sports arena where they were housed for a couple of weeks. The poor we will always have with us He said. We are to help those in need. To love our neighbor as ourselves. In what way have I done that?

Hmm. This blog entry didnt turn out at all like I thought it would. Seems I need to do some careful examination of my heart.

There is a difference that I see. For too many today, feeling that spiritual drought often causes them to turn away from Him. To claim He isnt real. Or worse, to claim He doesnt deserve their adoration because they dont hear from Him.

Mother Teresa clung to Him even in her emptiness. She said “I want to love Jesus as he has never been loved before.” She also said “I accept not in my feelings – but with my will, the Will of God – I accept His will.” Even in her darkness when He seemed so far away, she placed Him first in her life. His wants, His will, before her own. That is a lesson we could all benefit from.

2Thessalonians 3:13 But you, brothers, do not be weary in well doing.

The idea is, that they were not to be discouraged from doing good to the truly worthy and deserving by the idleness and improper conduct of some who asked their assistance. They were, indeed, shiftless and worthless. They would not labor; they spent their time in intermeddling with the concerns of their neighbors, and they depended for their support on the charity of others. The tendency of this, as all persons feel who have ever been applied to by such persons for aid, is, to indispose us to do good to any. We almost insensibly feel that all who ask for aid are of the same character; or, not being able to discriminate, we close our hands alike against all. Against this the apostle would guard us, and he says that though there may be many such persons, and though we may find it difficult to distinguish the worthy from the unworthy, we should not become so disheartened as not to give at all. Nor should we be weary though the applications for assistance are frequent. They are indeed frequent. God designs that they should be. But the effect should not be to dishearten us, or to make us weary in well-doing, but to fill us with gratitude – for it is a privilege to be permitted to do good. It is the great distinguishing characteristic of God that he always does good. It was that which marked the character of the Redeemer, that he “went about doing good;” and whenever God gives us the opportunity and the means of doing good, it should be to us an occasion of special thanksgiving. A man ought to become “weary” of everything else sooner than of evincing benevolence.
Gal 6:10 So then as we have time, let us work good toward all, especially toward those of the household of faith.

This is the true rule about doing good. “The opportunity to do good,” said Cotton Mather, “imposes the obligation to do it.” The simple rule is, that we are favored with the opportunity, and that we have the power. It is not that we are to do it when it is convenient; or when it will advance the interest of a party; or when it may contribute to our fame; the rule is, that we are to do it when we have the opportunity. No matter how often that occurs; no matter how many objects of benevolence are presented – the more the better; no matter how much self-denial it may cost us; no matter how little fame we may get by it; still, if we have the opportunity to do good, we are to do it, and should be thankful for the privilege. And it is to be done to all people. Not to our family only; not to our party; not to our neighbors; not to those of our own color; not to those who live in the same land with us, but to all mankind. If we can reach and benefit a man who lives on the other side of the globe, whom we have never seen, and shall never see in this world or in the world to come, still we are to do him good. Such is Christianity. And in this, as in all other respects, it differs from the narrow and selfish spirit of clanship which prevails all over the world.