STAGNANT?

“Do not say, why were the old days better than these?  For it is not wise…”  (Ecclesiastes 7:10 AMP)

Do you tend to get into your “comfort zone” of old ways and thinking?  I do.  I get comfortable with my concept of God and His love for me.  When I get comfortable, I relax my walk in Christ, rest from the spiritual fights, and let my guard down.  WHAM!  All of the sudden everything seems to go wrong.  “Lord, why is this happening to me?  What did I do?”  The question we should also be asking is, “What did I NOT do?”

I used to live in the mountains on some property where the water for our family cafe business and three families was supplied by a spring up behind us on the side of a mountain.  One afternoon in the early spring we joined “Mr. C” (the man who owned the property we lived and worked on) on a hike up the side of the mountain to the source of our water, a large spring-fed pond.  Mr. C explained that He came up on a regular basis to check the pond and make sure that leaves and debris do not clog up the pond.  He explained that for the water to remain good enough for us to use it needed to have fresh, uncontaminated water coming in and fresh, uncontaminated water going out; otherwise the pond would become stagnant, grow bad bacteria and become unsafe to use.  Because he did this regularly three families and a business had wonderfully tasting spring water to use and enjoy.

The Lord brought this simple lesson I learned as a 15 year old back to mind to make a point.  I am like that pond.  God has provided Living Water, Himself (John 4), to fill me.  He is the Word (John 1) and I could fill up and not allow any more in but without more refreshing from the supply Source the water would become putrid and stagnant within me; unusable by Him to refresh others.  I need to allow this spring of Living Water to continually flow into me.  Is that enough?  Now that I have that Living Water in my life should I not hold on to it?  No, because if I do not allow it to flow out of my life, it will again become stagnant.  What if I have sin in my life that I just cannot seem to overcome?  What if I allow the worries of this world to fill my thoughts?  These are like the leaves and debris that clog the outflow of the pond.  Again it becomes repulsive and stagnant.

“Purge (clean out) the old leaven that you may be fresh…uncontaminated…”  (1 Cor. 5:7 AMP)

We need to clean out the pond on a regular basis so the debris and leaves do not block it up.  How do we do this?  We start really trusting Him to take care of us not matter what the circumstances are around us.  We confess our sins to Him, repent of them, and ask His forgiveness and He cleans all that junk out.  Is it a "once-and-for-all" task?  Not at all!

“…for you have stripped off the old unregenerate self…and have clothed yourself with the new spiritual self which is ever in the process of being renewed...”  (Col. 3:9-10 AMP)

“Ever in the process” sounds like a continual flow to me.  A continual flow of fresh water in and out.  This is our goal.  So how do we keep this NEW FRESHNESS “ever in the process”?

“For my determined purpose is that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power out-flowing from His resurrection…”  (Phil. 3:10a AMP)

“Progressively” sounds just like “ever in the process,” does it not?  Herein is our answer.  Keeping our pond full, with fresh water from the Source coming in and flowing out unrestricted, only happens as we partner with God and purpose to know Him in an ever deeper way thus allowing the power of His resurrection to continually transform us.

How do I apply this to my life?  I spend time every morning with Him, reading His Word, discussing it with Him and getting His instructions for the day.  Am I perfect?  Far from it!  When I sin I do not wait until my nightly prayers to deal with it.  I stop and confess it right away.  If something touches my heart (the beauty of nature, the laugh of a child, the sorrow of a friend) I pray at THAT moment for the friend, thank God for the beauty, and praise Him for the laughter.  I spend time with Him every night using a devotion book.  I purpose that He is FIRST and LAST in my daily life.  This is how He helps me keep my pond clear, clean and pure, ever producing that Living Water to nourish myself and others.

Are you tired of everything going wrong all of the sudden?  Do you want power and victory in your life?  Do you long to live above the circumstances around you?  Get into God’s Word every day to start receiving that fresh Living Water from the Source.  Clean your pond (and keep it clean) thus allowing the Living Water to flow in and out freely so others can drink and be refreshed.

WALK THIS WAY

Did you ever play the game ‘Walk This Way’ as a child?  It is like ‘Follow the Leader’ yet you not only follow someone but you also imitate what they do as they walk.  It can be fun, challenging, and even have a reward at the end, depending on the leader.  It is not usually embarrassing because what you do the leader did already.

Did you know that God has called us to play “Walk This Way’?  Jesus became a man with the same weaknesses as we have (Philippians. 2:5-8) to be the leader of the game.  He has walked on ahead and leaves clear instructions on how to imitate Him.  In His Word we can see and follow His path in His way, imitating Him as we go.  Often we have fun, find it challenging and there are promised rewards at the end.

There are many places in the Bible where Jesus has called us to “Walk This Way”.  Sometimes it is just a simple command like the Great Commission (Mark 16:14-16) and sometimes it is a list of things like those contained in The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5).  I recently came across another list from the Lord in Psalm 15 which contains some of the things we are to do in ‘Walk This Way’.  Let me share it with you:

Walk blamelessly; do what is right.

Speak the truth.

Do not slander.

Do not do evil to your neighbor.

Do not take up a reproach against your friend,

            when he despises a vile person.

Honor those that fear the Lord,

            and those who keep an oath even when it hurts.

Do not loan for interest.

Do not take a bribe against the innocent.

The reward:

He who follows these things shall never be moved.

So I have a simple challenge for you today; Walk This Way!

HE WOKE ME UP THIS MORNIN'

Isaiah 50:4 states, “He wakens Me morning by morning”.  Have you ever been woken up by God?  On occasion God has woken me to pray when He has had a burden for me to pray for, but quite often He wakes me up in the morning with a worship chorus or song on my mind. 

There’s a song our Choir sings that I love, “Wonderful Is Your Name”.  Part of it goes like this:

You woke me us this mornin’,

Started me on my way,

Put food on my table,

You put joy in my day,

I’m glad Your love has never changed,

And wonderful, yes wonderful, so wonderful,

Wonderful is Your Name

All of my life I’ve never known You to fail,

You remain the same and,

            Wonderful is Your Name

All of my life I’ve never known You to fail,

You remain the same and,

            Wonderful is Your Name

God stated that He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (the Before all and the End of all)” (Rev. 22:13 AMP).  I started thinking about this a few months back and I purposed to spend the first part of each day in quiet quality time with Him.  I also purposed to spend some more quiet quality time with Him just before I went to bed at night.  God has blessed me for this obedience.  Throughout the day I recognize His voice telling me to do something or to avoid something.  He shows me His will and how to “speak a word in season to him who is weary”.  I have found great spiritual strength by starting and ending each day in fellowship with my Heavenly Father!

Jesus is our best example of how to spend time with our Heavenly Father.  Jesus made it a regular habit to go off by himself and spend time with God the Father in prayer (Mt. 14:23; Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; John 17).  How did this affect His walk while He was here on the earth?

“[The Servant of God says] The Lord God has given Me the tongue of a disciple and of one who is taught, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He wakens Me morning by morning, He wakens My ear to hear as a disciple [as one who is taught].  The Lord God has opened My ear, and I have not been rebellious or turned backward.”  (Isaiah 50:4-5 AMP)

A large group of scholars believes that the "Servant of God" mentioned in this scripture is the Messiah, the One Who will establish God's kingdom on earth.  God gave Him the ability to hear His will for each moment in the day and the ability to speak the right word to each who was weary.  One might argue that God did not have to give Jesus that ability because Jesus was God Himself, but we must remember that Jesus gave up all “the fullness of the attributes which make God God…and privileges and rightful dignity” to be an example to us on how to live (Phil. 2:5-8 AMP).

He is our example.  He spent regular quality time with God the Father.  Look what marvelous things He did.  He also promised us that we would do even greater things than He did (John 14:12).  Can you imagine what would happen if every believer spent regular quality time with God like Jesus did?

“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12 AMP)

THE MINISTRY OF WORSHIP (Part IV)

“When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you that your (unholy feet) trample My courts?  Bring no more offerings of vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility)…”  (Isaiah 1:12-13a AMP)

Ouch!  How would you like God to tell you this?  In Isaiah’s time Judah had gotten far away from God.  Isaiah was warning them in these first few chapters (1-6) of the judgment coming due to their prevailing wickedness and worship of idols within the Jerusalem temple itself.  They were coming to temple, giving their offerings and prayers to God then in turn giving offerings and prayers to idols all in the same visit.  How that must have grieved God’s heart and enraged Him as well.  We often do not want to think about God’s anger and jealousy over us but we must.

“…I cannot endure – (it is) iniquity and profanation, even the solemn meeting.  Your New Moon festivals and your (hypocritical) appointed feasts My soul hates.  They are an oppressive burden to Me; I am weary of hearing them.”  (Isaiah 1:13b-14 AMP)

When I go to Church, what are my motives?  Do I go to hear a good sermon?  How about some lively and moving music?  Maybe it is First Sunday and I want to pay my tithe?  These are all reasons and seem good in and among themselves but is that all there is to it?  Why even go, since I can always mail in my tithe, listen to music on the stereo or a good sermon on the radio?  Could it be that I go for the socializing around other people that think like me?  These are questions that may help me realize just what my motives are, but there should be just ONE motive to go to Church; I go to worship God.

“You do not know what you are worshiping (you worship what you do not comprehend)…a time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers.  God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).”  (John 4:22a, 23 AMP)

God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in reality, not in ritual where the body does what appears right but the mind is elsewhere.

“You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You're like tombs that have been whitewashed. On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they are full of bones and filth.”  (Matthew 23:27 CEV)

When we go to church and are gracious and kind to those around us, sing our songs of praise, give our tithes and offerings, and listen to and feel a little moved by the sermon, this is NOT worship.  It is ritual.  It is all action of the body and soul not prompted by the spirit.  Many believers worship this way and it is vain, all in vain, for it does not promote connection with God.  He is not the focus of the worship.

“People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts."  (1 Samuel 16:7b ASV)

God knows our inner motivations.  He knows if we are really worshiping or just “going through the motions”.  No wonder His soul hates hypocritical worship (Isaiah 1:14).

God created us (each man) as a whole creature, where our body, soul and spirit is intertwined (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  What one does affects the others.  True worship involves the whole creature; your spirit is stirred and connects with Him, your soul (mind, will, intellect and emotions) follows suit in focusing on Him, then your body responds by bursting out in praise and song.  This is worshiping in spirit and truth (reality).  There is no falsity, emptiness, vainglory or futility in this worship.  He is the focus of the worship.

There is a song our choir sings.  It just thrills my heart to sing it, especially the verse, “We were created to make His praise glorious!”  I long to do what I was created to do.  I long to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  I long to make His praise glorious!  How about you?