Author: kezha1

Do you ever think back fondly at a particular season of your life when God used you mightily, and wish you could go back? Maybe it was a time of personal Ministry, or public outreach when God was moving in awesome ways…and you were in the middle of it, serving with a joyful heart. But seasons change and so do we…and we can get caught up in the “what was” rather than in the “what is to be”. One of my favorite quotes from Oswald Chambers is, “Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been.” God is always forward focused, and our Spiritual growth needs to be geared that way too. Growing in the knowledge of God is an ever-deepening experience of Christ…of understanding His Truth…and should characterize every Believer’s course of life. We can’t continue to grow in the Lord if we keep looking back & reminiscing about the “good ole days”, for they’ll never return. And besides, the Lord has far more important work for us to do in the future.

Even though the righteous are often blessed of God this side of glory, many times there will be situations when health, wealth, & prosperity are not forthcoming, and we will have to wait upon the Lord. And with this waiting will come the call to stand firm…a persevering of our faith in view of unsurmountable odds…of being immovable, but not inactive. For as Isaiah wrote, there is hope in the waiting and through that hope our faith is transformed…infusing us with His strength to persevere…and giving us the courage to wait patiently. Granted, the waiting can be long, and you may wake up one morning and realize you’ve been waiting for 5, 10, or even 20 years for the situation to change. But in this waiting something has changed…and it’s you. Sure, the problem may still be there, but God now has given you His perspective to view it through His eyes. Yes, you may be still traveling through the Valley of the Shadow of Death…but you now have that deep down assurance that the Lord is walking every minute right beside you, His arm holding you close & guiding your feet as you traverse the unknown. For the longer we stand firm & wait, our patience grows & grows…not only for the Lord to work, but internally, for ourselves. And this patience is then manifested in compassion, grace & mercy towards others as we continue to stand firm & wait.

Paul saw the misinformed conscience of the unbeliever or “weak” person here as a real shortcoming. And he emphasized the responsibility of the strong (Those strong in the Lord) to be patient with the weak. Thus, this left no room for petty egos, prideful boasts, or haughty behavior to rule over & possibly ruin the relationships. But neither is Paul saying that we need to modify the Gospel Message just in order to please people. (Galatians 1:10) Using Jesus as an example, Paul quotes Psalm 69:9, where Christ’s willingness to deny Himself & suffer for the benefit of others should be our goal…for it’s in love, humility, & edification that we can reach the lost.

Job’s friends were brought back to God through his intercessory prayer on their behalf. We even see intercession on the Cross when Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) But how often are we stepping outside of our selfish & self-serving requests to pray on behalf of others…or even taking our eyes off our bellybuttons to look up & beyond to pray for a hurting world? We are called to pray for others…to stand in the gap on behalf of another before our Heavenly Father, praying for His Divine Will, regardless of the circumstances. And pleading that they would recognize & fully understand that God loves them & desires only the very best in their situation.

When friends talk about not growing in the Lord, I use the acronym GROW to help them determine what areas of their walk with the Lord needs attention.

G. Go to a Bible believing & preaching Church. A Church where the infallible Word of God is proclaimed not political/social issues, and the Pastor preaches from the Bible & not some book written by man. Go to a Church where Jesus is honored as the Son of God & Savior of the world, and not just some good man who lived a long time ago. Finally, if you are already part of a Bible believing Church… get involved in some type of Ministry within the Church. Stop being just a consumer on Sundays.

R. Read the Bible daily. As Paul prayed in Colossians, the Word fills you with the knowledge of His Will and understanding so that you may grow in Him. Or as Psalm 119:105 says, ” Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” You can’t expect to grow if the only time you hear God’s Word is on Sunday morning…that’s because you’re only hearing about Him, not experiencing God as you yourself read His Word.

O. Obey God in everything. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Or as II John 6 tells us, “We are to walk in obedience to His commands.” And obedience in everything means just that…everything! No picking & choosing or hiding things in the closet we don’t want to give Him.

W. Witness and tell others about Jesus. Sharing the Gospel with others can be scary, I know…but the Great Commission to go and tell others about the Good News of Jesus is something every Christian needs to do. Paul told the Church in Romans 15:14-21 that he felt they were more than competent to instruct others in the Gospel Message and then quoted Isaiah 52:15, “Those who were not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” Sharing Jesus with others is obeying His Word…but think of this possibility, your obedience in witnessing to someone may be the the first & only time they will ever hear about Jesus.

This was Job’s reaction when the Lord confronted him, which is close to Isaiah’s reaction to his vision of God…”Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5) The majesty, power, & astonishment of God had both Job & Isaiah groveling in their insignificance before their Creator, and that stark realization made them well aware of their helplessness & insufficiencies. So why should we be so upset when Satan whispers to us, “You’re worthless.” Or as Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Satan tells me I am unworthy; but I always was unworthy, and yet You have long loved me; and therefore my unworthiness cannot be a barrier to having fellowship with You now.” We are unworthy & will always be unworthy of God’s grace and mercy, but yet, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

It’s quite simple…the righteous love & study God’s Word, the wicked hate it. Faith, discipline & instruction come from revelation of Godly Vision within His Words, and through this knowledge, careful attention to our obligations can be perceived & kept. But when people reject God’s counsel, become unruly & unteachable, they become what Moses called the Israelites in Exodus 32:25, “running wild.” We are told here that happiness is found in knowing God & His Word which is in stark contrast with those who rebel against it. Or as Psalm 119:1-2 paraphrased says, “Blessed are they that walk according to the Law, who keep His statutes, and seek Him with all their heart.

Jesus displayed & demonstrated to His disciples the depth of His love for them by performing the most base & menial task…He washed their feet. Later, He commanded them in the attitude of a servant to do likewise. We are to be eager to serve one another…but we usually put stipulations on it. We want our serving to be adequately recognized, appreciated, and profusely shown gratitude by the person being served. But when Jesus washed the disciples feet He wasn’t looking for accolades or kudos…He was looking for heart changes. In Matthew 6:3 Jesus spoke of giving to the needy & serving them…and that these “acts of righteousness” needed to be done in submission to God & for His glory rather than for personal praise…and they needed to be done without fanfare, and expecting nothing in return…not even a thank you.

We are called to live in such a way that reflects God’s glorious attributes & character. And through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives, we then are being conformed into the likeness of Christ. (Romans 8:29) Which would be impossible on our own to do in our present physical earthly existence in this corrupt world. But as it says in II Corinthians 7:1, “Since we have these precious promises, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” Our reverence towards God is then the foundation and principal part of godliness or sanctification… guarding us against unrighteous wants & desires of this world.

Jesus is using the metaphor of the vine and the branches here to show the complete dependence we must have in order to be fruitful. For it’s only when nutrients flow freely from the vine to the branches that fruit can be borne. That’s why no person that’s genuinely united to Christ can be wholly fruitless. So likewise, branches that bear no fruit show a failure to obey God. When we abide or remain in Him, there’s permanence & steadfastness in the relationship…resulting in much fruit. But remember, with the fruitfulness always comes the necessary pruning to increase the crop…and at the time, pruning may be painful. But rest assured, the Master Gardener knows exactly how to prune to insure greater productivity in the future.