Month: October 2024

Live by the Spirit

Published on by DanLeave a comment

Written By Dan

It has been my observation; after listing the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians, Paul reminds the believers that they “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). This is his way of describing our turn from sin to Jesus.

In my house above the kitchen sink is a beautiful Christmas cactus, I have had it for a few years. I have watered it and ensured it gets light. It has graced me with growth, but none of its glorious flowers. Then a few weeks ago, I noticed that a bud had appeared, then the leaves changed color and the bud unfolded into a wondrous blossom. The transition this plant displayed was amazing. I think we are similar, the Spirit waters and gives us plenty of Light. This takes a while, but many of us do blossom into a magnificent flower with the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul says — For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin (Romans 6:5-7).

Being crucified with Jesus is the turning point – the place where we transition from death into life – the place where we start all over – the place where we experience the effect of free will for the first time. This does not mean we will never sin again, but it does mean we can move forward.

Paul says — Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:24).

I think, we are given an exceptional gift, a gift to walk forward, surrendered to God. Not so easy to surrender, goodness I know about resistance, being a rebel and all the things that go with not looking at the endgame, just looking at the pieces. Our surrender is an act of the will, our will, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Would we yield to him on our own? Not likely. Without help we just stand there, hoping no one would notice. Saying yes to God is no trivial thing.

I have noted when perusing both Romans 6 and Romans 12, putting God first is the only appropriate response to God. The only sensible response for God. The only logical response to God. If we embrace this response, we find the mercy he extends to us and the grace he created for us. If we continue to resist, well we will soon suffer a divided heart. We will have one foot centered in his will and one foot dragging behind, stuck in the world.

In this state, One could say that we are of two minds, we want God’s sheltering protection but we are not so interested in living within his circle of influence. We are willing to walk away from sin when it is convenient, but we do not walk away from sin when it is not convenient. I can rationalize and make ‘excellent logical reasons’ why my decision is ok, but in the end, God is not impressed, and he waits. He patiently waits. How about you? Do you find yourself rationalizing?

CS Lewis says – If we let God – for we can prevent him if we choose – He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a … dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine a bright, stainless mirror which reflects aback to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness.

So, what does this mean? This essay is about His amazing power to transform us, the Holy Spirit will lift our heart and carry to completion the journey of transformation for you and for me – The transformation leads to the renewing of our mind. First comes conviction, then conversion and filling. Then comes transformation. The final step is the renewing of the mind. This ‘thing’ works from the inside out. We can collect scripture about proper behavior and feel good, basking in the sunlight. Or we can allow the word to transform our heart and then allow the Holy Spirit to renew the source of our behavior – our mind. Please do not lose sight of Proverbs 23:7 – as a man thinks, a man is.

Hanging with God, at the deepest level, our heart and mind begins to crave God’s grace and mercy, rejecting the old ways that seem so comfortable in the past… What do we do? How do we respond to the craving? As a man thinks, a man is.

I choose Jesus.

Behold I Come

Published on by DanLeave a comment


Annie Johnson Flint

“Behold, I come”—the darkness lightens
Above all sorrow and all fear;
Beyond the clouds the Daystar brightens,
And our deliverance is near;
The groaning earth awaits the hour
When all the wrongs of time are past,
And clothed with glory and with power,
The King of kings shall reign at last.

Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus

Published on by DanLeave a comment

Long ago, God made a wonderful and exciting promise to the world. Someday he would send his own Son to the earth. His name would be Jesus Christ. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God promised that it would happen!

God used a special way to tell the world about his wonderful promise. How do you think he told the world? Over the internet? By television? No, such things hadn’t even been invented then. God spoke to people long ago about what he wanted them to know and what he was going to do.  Sometimes God told men to write down what they heard from him.

One of these men that God spoke to was Abram (later called Abraham). A very, very long time ago God told Abraham that he would become a father and then his son would become a father of many children, and then his children would grow up and have children. This would happen many times so that he would have many descendants. As many descendants as there are stars in the sky!

One of those descendants would be very special. He would bless the whole world.  Who do you think that descendant might be? That’s right-Jesus!

Sometimes God gave his messages to prophets. A prophet is someone who has a special message from God. God would tell the prophet things and the prophet would tell the people. Some prophets also wrote down God’s messages and these are part of the Bible. (Hold up your Bible and show the Old Testament.)

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God told a prophet named Isaiah that a great ruler would someday come. God even told Isaiah that the ruler would first be a child and what kind of mother he would have.

Who do you think that baby will be? That’s right-Jesus! Isn’t that amazing! God knew that this would happen hundreds of years ago!

Later on, God spoke to another prophet. His name was Micah. God told Micah the name of the city town where the baby would be born. He told Micah that the special person who was coming would be born in the town of Bethlehem.

Who do you think that the special person would be? That’s right-Jesus!

Finally, when the time was very close, God sent an angel to tell a young woman named Mary that she was going to have a baby.

The angel also came to Joseph, Mary’s fiancé, while he was sleeping. The angel told Joseph to marry Mary and be a father to her baby.

God sent all these messages before Jesus was even born. God promised over and over that he would send Jesus. And guess what? God kept every one of his promises.

Jesus was Abram’s great, great, great….grandson-just like God had promised.

Jesus was a special child born to a special mother. Just like God told Isaiah.

Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem. Just like God told Micah.

Mary had a baby and named him Jesus. Just like the angel said.

Joseph married Mary and took care of Jesus. Just like the angel told him to.

All of these promises were recorded in the Bible. The messages have been saved for hundreds of years. Now we can read the messages in our very own Bible. We are thankful that we have God’s Word, the Bible, to tell us about Jesus. God always keeps his promises!

Scripture References: Isaiah 9:6-7

Screenshot

Unmerited Grace for All

Published on by DanLeave a comment

Written By Dan

It has been my observation that we Christians look to the Bible for lasting meaning and hope; this search allows us to use our reasoning abilities as God intended. The Bible presents the reality of God (implied in Revelation 1:8), who has revealed Himself to all people (implied in Psalms 19:1-2).

The apostle Paul argued this point when he wrote, “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen; being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). This declaration, in which God reveals Himself through nature, is also shown to the heart of every person, for “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” (Romans 1:19).

John Calvin referred to this as the ‘sensus divinitatis’, which is an innate sense of divinity, an intuitive knowledge that God exists. Calvin wrote, “there exists in the human mind and indeed by natural instinct, some sense of Deity.” He further states, “All men of sound judgment will therefore hold, that a sense of Deity is indelibly engraved on the human heart.” Calvin also wrote, “there never has been, from the very first, any corner of the globe, any city, any household, without religion, [which] amounts to a tacit confession, that a sense of Deity is inscribed on every heart.”

The problem is not with God’s clear revelation, but with the human heart which is rebellious. For those possessed with sinful persistence, they suppress the truth with their unrighteousness (implied in Romans 1:18). These rebels have a sinful heart that ignores God’s grace to pursue earthly passions.

In Romans 1:21-23 Paul wrote — For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (NIV).

God never forces Himself on anyone. People are free to choose whether to accept Him or not. If they reject the gentle nudge from the Spirit of God, he does not render the final judgment upon them right away. Rather, God extends to them an undeserved period of kindness and goodness, regardless of whether they have yielded to grace or continue rebelling (implied in John 3:16). But death brings the period of kindness to closure.

This grace is dependent on God and not the attitude or actions of men. Jesus said of His Father, that “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Paul affirmed this grace, saying, “In the generations gone by, He permitted all the nations to go their own ways [in rebellion]; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:16-17). Here, God’s grace is obvious, Elohim provides what we need. He even blesses the unsaved and unrepentant. His love, mercy, and goodness are extended toward the undeserving entirely because of his earnest goal to see all of us yield to Grace before we die.

Salvation comes to us by grace alone (it is an undeserved gift), through faith alone (adding no works), by Jesus alone (as the only One who saves). Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation comes to us via the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (implied in Romans 10:9). We deserve death; but grace abounds through the ransom paid by the Lamb of God.

I choose Jesus.

Declare what is Right.

Published on by DanLeave a comment

Written By Dan

It has been my observation that we see a recurring message in scripture that Elohim is to be trusted above all else in this universe.  Idols are man’s creation – they have zero power, they are inert, lifeless, useless. Elohim reveals himself when it is necessary to accomplish a goal or we are in trouble. When our free will gets us into mischief then God intervenes as necessary to be sure we do not get too far into the weeds.

Isaiah 45:15-19 says — All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgrace together. But Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, for the ages everlasting. For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty but formed it to be inhabited— he says: I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, Seek me in vain. I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right. (NIV)

Isaiah mentions the everlasting salvation to be sure we are not discouraged too much.  Yet, Elohim must be true to his own sense of fair play and justice, if we make mistakes and fail to repent then we can expect issues. Sometimes, if training is required, even with repentance, issues come our way. Our job?  Stay focused. Keep our eye on God. The growth of God’s people is delivered in layers of grace and training. We learn, we get better, but we still seem to stumble. Fortunately, Elohim is longsuffering and patient with us. He knows how timid and helpless we are when faced with huge obstacles. Elohim knows we charge ahead foolishly and get ourselves all tangled up in the brambles. He smiles, then at the right time Elohim pulls us out of trouble, every time. The Spirit of the Lord is always working on our heart (implied in Zechariah 4:6), therefore the accidental troubles we encounter are mere speedbumps.

Isaiah 57:14-16 says – Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people. For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry for then they would faint away because of me—the very people I have created. (NIV)

The people who make our distractions (graven objects) sometimes create public personalities that we aspire to be like (worship).  They are makers of Idols (chaff).  Then they say — you need this thing or you need to hear this or you need to see this event if you want to live life to the fullest.  They quietly place a fence about our life — we find ourselves generating loads of activity as we aspire to emulate the public personalities or accomplish the specified objectives. We are trapped.

The deeper truth — It is God’s hope that we get still, listen to the Holy Spirit, and reassign our adulation to the one true living God. The makers of the public personas and distractions often see the emptiness themselves and they pull away from the façade as they get a bit older. They become more honest in their messaging and we all benefit. Consider the transition of some aging rock stars as they settle down, abandon drugs, and start leading godly lives.  Usually, something occurred in their life (an uncomfortable event) that helped them to see their sin and yield to the one true living God. It is amazing to see this happen with people– we all need Jesus – it does not matter what we do or how we live – we all need the one true living God.  In this transformation – we are able to declare what is right and live for God.

I choose Jesus.