God’s Perfect Agenda
Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
….Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! Psalm 96:3-4a NLT
Acts 3:12-26 (<<click here to read the passage)
Why are we so set in our ways? There are times when we refuse to move out of our way of thinking and other times it’s just easier to remain with our limited mindsets. It would take too much time or effort or resources on our part to go another direction. And when I say “we”, I’m not just talking about you and me, I’m talking about a majority of humanity from the beginning of time!
A note in my Life Application Study Bible says that beginning with Abraham God had promised that He would bless the world through Abraham’s descendants, the Jewish race (Genesis 12:3), from which the Messiah would come.
And the last part of the note is what grabbed my attention.
God intended the Jewish nation to be a separate and holy nation that would teach the world about God, introduce the Messiah, and then carry on his work in the world. After the days of Solomon, the nation gave up its mission to tell the world about God.
In the very beginning, God’s human creation decided to separate themselves from God’s perfect agenda. They allowed sin to enter the world and cut themselves off from continuing God’s work in the world He had created.
Through the centuries, there were a few here and there who truly strove to follow God’s directive for their lives…but sin made it extremely difficult. Our mindsets and free will constantly trip us up!
In Paul’s writings to the Romans, he hit the nail on the head. He said,
I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. Romans 7:15-20 NLT
That’s our problem but I need to pull up the reigns here. I finished writing this post, but it is way too long. So, I will put out the rest of it tomorrow! Hang in there, I pray that it will be worth waiting for!
Lord Jesus, plant this seed in our hearts. May it begin to grow and then grow even more when the rest of it is shared tomorrow. Amen!
Jan 19th, 2022, Wed, 7:36 pm
Consequences
An unexpected day off enabled me to get ahead a little bit on service preparation. Thank You Father for unexpected blessings!
Acts 3:12-26 (<<click here to read the passage)
I’m an odd duck of sorts. I’m an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene but have served in the United Methodist Church (UMC) for almost 20 years now. They are considered sister denominations, with the Nazarene church branching off from the Methodists more than a hundred years ago. Doctrinally we’re not identical, but very similar. Probably the biggest difference for me is how we’re governed.
For example, both denominations have District Superintendents. If you’re elected to that position in the Nazarene church, you serve in it until you retire – most of the time but not always. In the UMC, those positions are appointed by the bishops who serve above them. They fill that role for four years or so and either return to pastoral ministry or possibly retire.
Local pastors then are always getting new faces, new ideas, etc. Of course, there are pros and cons but overall, it works well. One of the challenges is that we regularly have a new “boss”. Since we’re all on the same team, it’s best for all if we follow their directives. We listen to them and do our best to obey them. The bad thing is, pastors can have their own mindsets and are ofttimes not easily persuaded to change course, just because the new guy or gal says so.
When Jesus came on the scene, being the true Boss, He ruffled quite a few feathers – so much so, that, according to God’s plan, it led to His death. As we know, that was by no means the end of the story. Jesus conquered death and rose victorious!
In today’s passage, the Apostle Peter boldly proclaimed who Jesus was and what He had come to accomplish. Under the Spirit’s inspiration, Peter regularly quoted many Old Testament Scriptures – most fulfilling prophecy from of old.
In this sermon, he quotes Deuteronomy 18:15 by stating,
Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet [i.e., Jesus Christ] like me from your countrymen; you shall listen to Him and obey everything He tells you. Acts 3:22 AMP (emphasis mine)
Well for many, that didn’t happen. A majority of the Jewish religious leaders thought more along the lines of “Listen and obey that young upstart? Who is He that we should listen to Him? We’re in charge and will do as we well please!”
Peter goes on to say in verse 23,
Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’ NLT
This reference is taken from Deuteronomy 18:19 and Leviticus 23:29. (Keep in mind these are parts of God’s Law which they were to know inside and out.)
It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he [i.e., Jesus Christ] shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him [and there will be consequences]. Deuteronomy 18:19 AMP (emphasis mine)
If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them]. Leviticus 23:29 AMP (emphasis mine)
If they were truly listening, that had to sting. If they didn’t change their mindsets, there would be consequences…they would be excluding themselves from the atonement made for them.
Before we get too high and mighty about their attitudes, we mustn’t forget that we have to accept Jesus as the Christ – the Messiah – as well. And now that we know, there are no excuses.
Jan 18th, 2022, Tues, 7:18 pm
Forgive and Forget
Thank You for a productive day, Father. Yes, it was a day to finish up year-end reports for my churches, but they are done!
Acts 3:12-26 (<<click here to read the passage)
One thing we all tend to struggle with is to forgive. I have written several times about our need to forgive. A key verse in that line of thinking is found in Ephesians 4:32,
Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you. AMP (emphasis mine)
Hopefully, we succeed at forgiving more times than not. But how do we do with the adage, “forgive and forget”? We struggle with forgiveness, yet it is nigh impossible to forget. It probably wouldn’t take much for many of us to recall incidents committed against us when we were children. And it’s probably a good possibility that even all these years later, it still can make us a little hot under the collar! “As a follower of Jesus, I may have to forgive them, but how in the world am I supposed to forget what they did!”
One Old Testament passage that comes readily to mind is one of David’s psalms, which reads,
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12 AMP
Can you picture that in your mind? If you began traveling north, eventually you would begin traveling south. But, if you started traveling east, you would never begin traveling west. It just doesn’t work that way! That is how far our God has removed our sins – our transgressions – from us!
The Old Testament prophet Micah shared the same train of thought.
He shall again have compassion on us; He will subdue and tread underfoot our wickedness [destroying sin’s power]. Yes, you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19 AMP (emphasis mine)
When Peter, in Jesus’ name, healed the lame man by the Beautiful Gate, he took advantage of the gathering crowd by once again proclaiming the word the Spirit gave him. After plainly showing them how that had had a hand in killing the Messiah, he laid out their only hope of salvation. He said,
So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day] Acts 3:19 AMP (emphasis mine)
The Amplified Bible uses the phrase blotted out, which is also found in the King James Version. Merriam-Webster defines the verb blot out to mean to destroy all traces of.
Do you get the point? God forgets! When we repent, he forgives and removes our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west. He cast them into the depths of the sea. He blots them out, never to the see, heard, or thought of ever again! Our almighty God who can do anything and everything chooses to forget! And He can help us do the same! Amen and amen!
Jan 17th, 2022, Mon, 7:01 pm
Not Satisfied with Gold
Sing a new song to the Lord!
….Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
Sing to the Lord; praise his name.
….Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Psalm 96:1-2 NLT
Acts 3: 1-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
There once was a very wealthy man who was near death. He was grieved because he had worked hard for his wealth and wanted to take it with him to heaven. So, he began to pray that he might be able to take some of it with him.
An angel appeared to him and said, “Sorry, but you can’t take your wealth with you.”
He implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules and continued to pray earnestly that his wealth could follow him.
The angel returns and informs the man that God will allow him to bring one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, he gathers his largest suitcase and filled it with pure gold bars, and placed it beside his bed.
Soon afterward he died and showed up at the Gates of Heaven. Seeing the suitcase St. Peter said, “Hold on, you can’t bring that in here!”
But the man explained that he has permission and asks St. Peter to verify his story with God. Sure enough, St. Peter comes back saying, “You’re right. You’re allowed one carry-on, but I’m supposed to check its contents before letting it through.”
St. Peter opens the suitcase to inspect what the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, “I don’t believe it! You brought pavement?!”
What better way to start our week than with a good laugh!
We may laugh but how often are we shortsighted when it comes to the things of God? God states in Isaiah 55:8,
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways.” NKJV
A case in point is the man lame from birth in today’s passage. He had done nothing wrong and was doing what he always did. Friends would deposit him by the gate, called Beautiful – not a gate into the city of Jerusalem but a gate into the Temple. It was really a perfect spot for someone of his “occupation” in that, as my Life Application Study Bible says, “It was a favored entrance, and many people passed through it on their way to worship.” and helping beggars was considered praiseworthy among the Jews.
So, when he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. v3 But the kicker is, he had no idea to whom he was talking!
When Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. v4-5
That they had no money was inconsequential for they gave him far more than what he asked!
How many times throughout his life had he wondered what it would be like to walk…to run…to skip…to jump! At this point, he had surely realized that those were just pipe dreams. He had never walked and never would. But…GOD!
He requested something very mundane, but God gave him something supernaturally miraculous! What he thought was helpful, God overran with a life-changing touch!
Lord Jesus, enable us to not be content with asking for the mundane. That may be where we live but may there always be hope for something supernaturally miraculous! May we not be satisfied with gold, for to You it’s just pavement! Amen!
Jan 16th, 2022, Sun, 6:27 pm
A Conquerable Great Divide
Thank You, Father, for answered prayers. When we had no answers, You provided one. And as was Your creation, it was good! All praise to You!
Acts 2: 42-47 (<<click here to read the passage)
Many, if not all, of us, have people in our lives that we would do absolutely anything for. Most often they are those who are closest to us – parents, children, siblings, and other family. They can be our closest friends, as well. We’d give them the shirt off our back if we were asked to.
Some of us are very generous with many of our resources – time, money, energy, effort. We eagerly give whatever is needed to help those less fortunate than we. But I would dare say, that even in those circumstances, there are limits.
In the earliest days of the Church, there didn’t seem to be any limits. Verses 44-45 state very clearly,
And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole]. And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need. AMP (emphasis mine)
When I read this passage a couple of days ago, the phrase that came to mind was the great divide that would have existed. Those who accepted the lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives during this initial time, I’m sure, were a cross-section of society – from the wealthiest to the dregs of society…masters down to the slaves they owned.
At least at this time they “had all things in common”. Can you imagine? It’s difficult, to say the least, to do so. But the Holy Spirit’s infilling was complete in them all and they were not driven by a greed to succeed but by God’s great love – His for us, us for Him, and that naturally ran over into love for one another! No strings attached generosity and hand in hand with it would have been genuine gratitude and humility from both the givers and the receivers. The key is that both giving and receiving were done totally in the Spirit!
…and that is where our problem lies today. There are those on both sides, if you will, who give or receive in the Spirit, but both get burnt by those who give or receive with only their hearts in mind. God doesn’t really factor in at all.
But should that great possibility stop us? How many of us hesitate to give to the needy for fear of being taken advantage of? How many hesitate to receive for fear of becoming indebted in some way or another to the giver?
Some years ago, my one church decided to take action with a progressive mindset. The church building sits on a main highway, and it was not unusual for needy travelers to stop and ask for assistance. Often, they were on their way to or coming back from a family funeral that was out of state and they were out of the funds they needed to get there.
We decided to purchase gift cards for a specific gas brand that had stations both north and south of us. They would be able to buy gas or basic foodstuffs as needed. Of course, there was always the possibility that they would be ripping us off and would by things we wouldn’t approve of, but the leadership decided that we would do what was right and allow God to address the rest. They would not have to answer to us, but they would have to answer to Him.
Lord Jesus, help us to be generous. It may be difficult to have all things in common but by no means we should not be willing to give of whatever resources we might have. And may we be generous for Your glory and not our own. Amen.
Jan 13th, 2022, Thurs, 7:02 pm