Author: kezha1

It’s true, God gives us the freedom to choose, but we are not free from the consequences of our choices. So consequently, during our lifetime we will make some really stupid decisions. And as Proverbs 19:3 tells us, it’s our own folly that ruins our life and brings on our own misfortune… (even though we want to blame God for it.) We make unwise choices out of selfish pride and the desire for immediate gratification…blind to sound reason and judgment…wanting what we want, when we want it. But when the results are not what we expected, or the outcome is full of heartache not happiness…we tend to blame God rather than our own foolishness. All our choices have consequences attached to them…some good, and some bad.

Ephesians 2:8 makes it plain…It is by the grace of God, through faith, we have been saved. And that faith itself is also a gift from God and not a human achievement. So, the only part we can play in this life-changing event called Salvation is to obey. For our obedience is the necessary fruit of faith…with faith implying a conscious act of our will in obedient submission to God.

Unlike the world’s view of power and authority, we must follow Jesus’ example as a lowly servant. When we are part of a gathering of the rich and famous, we revel in their limelight and delight in rubbing shoulders with VIPs. But this feel-good moment only puffs us up and does nothing to further God’s Kingdom. But when we choose to walk along side of the broken, the heartsick, the despondent, this speaks volumes of our character and desire to be more Christ-like. Hanging out with important people makes us feel good about ourselves…while trudging alongside the broken, builds up and comforts them in ways we can’t imagine. (II Corinthians 13:10-11)

Every human being is spiritually destitute and helpless in God’s sight. But it’s only those who realize their own spiritual poverty and mourn over their sinfulness – that will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Today we tend to point out a person’s strengths, beauty, and accomplishments, rather than their spiritual deficiencies. The poor are commonplace among us…but it says that I am truly blessed in my poverty. So think about this, I in myself have nothing that would allow me to enter God’s kingdom. I cannot enter by virtue of my goodness, strengths, or accomplishments – I can only enter as an absolute beggar with nothing to offer but my faith.

We are to be very mindful of our prayers and conversations with God. For listening to Him is better than speaking, and making rash promises we’ll never keep is worse than not making vows at all. So, listen well & carefully, giving your undivided attention to God’s direction, or as Job 6:24 tells us, “Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I’ve been wrong.” Remember, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit can easily be drowned out by anyone’s incessant ramblings.

The Apostle Peter was warning of false teachers of the time that were advocating and practicing immorality by twisting Peter’s declaration that as Believers we are free, (I Peter 2:16) thus it meant we were free from any restraint – including God’s moral law. These false teachers especially preyed upon new converts and those not yet well grounded in their faith & in God’s Word. What they taught sounded too good to be true, and it was…for in the end their form of “freedom” was far from free and came at a horrible price.

Our thoughts may be the most private areas of our life…but they cannot be hidden from God. And when our troubled thoughts are the result of trauma or abuse, they become distressing wanderings we can’t talk about. But know that God has an intimate understanding of those unspoken words and can heal you. He can take the flashbacks, the nightmares, and the panic attacks and make you whole again as you submit to His correction & direction…always filled with His comfort & love. Or as Psalm 139:23 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”

When we are offended, we become angry or upset by something that another person has said or done. Irrational emotions of resentment & rage can fly around as we feel insulted, attacked, and wounded. And to try and reconcile this relationship may be as difficult as breaking down the protective walls around a castle. For both people may be caught up & imprisoned behind the invisible walls of estrangement…which is so easy to erect, but so hard to demolish. Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word here for “offended” means a rebellious sin where people have lost the ability to distinguished between right and wrong.

The Twelve Disciples had spent three years following, listening, and watching everything Jesus taught & said…and still they didn’t get it. Time and time again Jesus would model sacrificial love for them, but they chose to be petty and self-absorbed. In Mark 9:33-34, they spent an entire trip arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest and deserved the most honor. But when Jesus asked them about it, there were only crickets & silent humiliation. Later, in Matthew 20:20-28, (right after Jesus had predicted His death again), James & John’s mother asked Jesus for her two boys to sit at the left and right of Him in His Kingdom. And when Jesus asked if they really knew what they were in for, they both had the audacity to answer, “We are able.” But when word got back to the other ten, there was utter indignation and anger. For despite all the teaching, preaching, and witnessing, they all still had competitive attitudes, and were preoccupied with personal gain & rights.

In the Old Testament both the fig tree & the vineyard were symbols of Israel. (Hosea 9:10, Jeremiah 8:13, Isaiah 5:1-7) In this Parable Jesus taught, the fig tree had been planted in the fertile soil of the owner’s vineyard, but for three years was barren…making the man think that this established tree would never produce fruit. So he instructed the vinedresser to, “Cut it down.” But the worker instead asked for patience & mercy for one more year that he might encourage & empower the tree’s fruitfulness. II Peter 3:9 tells us that Jesus came with compassion, patience, and mercy, not wanting anyone to perish. And Psalm 103:8-14 demonstrates this idea also, ” The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we were formed, He remembers that we are dust.”