I'm Looking Forward to All of This Being Behind Me...

Have you ever heard someone say that? What’s crazy is that it is already behind you!

There are several ways people look back. Some look back with a longing to go back. Back to “the good old days.” They usually say something like, “…it was so much better back when you-know-who wasn’t around…” or “...back before you-know-what happened…” or “...back when things were different…” Of course, things are different every day.

Others will look back with regret. This sounds something like, “…if only he would not have…” or “if only they would have…” or “…if only it would have been different…”

Still others will look back for fear of looking forward. This sounds like, “….but we have never done anything like that before…”

The Bible teaches us that there is only one way to look back; with gratitude. We can always look back and say, “Thank You, God! You are so good and have been so good to me!” Looking back with gratitude recognizes that the blessings that God gave you in the past are still with you today because they are eternal, like God. God and His blessings are related that way. Nothing that changes can change that. The only way to lose the blessings of the past is to lose your grateful heart for them today.

With all of the things that are changing in your life, know this; Being thankful is the only way to keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Being thankful is the only way to mature in Christ-likeness. The only way to look forward is to be able to look back with a thankful heart.

Being thankful does not ignore the problems and difficulties of the past. Being thankful enables you to see that you were not alone during those problems and trials; God was with you and got you through it, victoriously and He is still with you today.

Try this; “I’m looking forward because I know that God has taken all of this that is behind me and has formed Christ in me with it. Thank You, God. You are awesome, amazing, and all-together GOOD!!!”

The Prosperity Gospel is Bankrupt and Needs a Bailout

Have you ever heard of the “prosperity gospel?” What is that? It refers to the all-American message of success and accumulation, and it is bankrupt and needs a Biblical bailout! Praise God!!!

In our culture, success is usually measured by a lot of education, as in at least a college degree, if not post graduate degree; a good paying job, with benefits; a mortgage; good looks (usually meaning you have a membership at a health club regardless of whether you are healthy or not); two cars, some degree of recognition in the community (not with the police); and of course, storage space, for all of the stuff you don’t need but still hold on to just in case you might need it (we get attached to our things). In our culture “success” means that you do not struggle much; you have plenty of leisure time; things happen easy without delay or much effort. This is the American gospel of the abundant life, the prosperity gospel…and it has just about gone belly-up-bankrupt.

The Bible uses words like prosperous and abundance in a different way. Psalm 1 describes the blessed man as one who is prosperous, “…whatever he does, prospers.”  The Hebrew word for “prosperous” is saleah (pronounced say-lee-ah). It has the basic meaning of being victorious over an enemy. It is built on a root word that means to break through, as in breaking through an enemy’s defenses. This has nothing to do with the accumulation of things. It has much to do with trusting in the strength and provision of the Lord God Almighty for victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil! God says, “…no weapon formed against you shall prosper.” Isaiah 54:17

This is the kind of blessing we need in America, a blessing of victory over sin and the sinful lifestyles that have destroyed the foundations upon which our nation was built. But the blessing of prosperity, of victory over the enemy, does not come without repentance from the way of the ungodly, from associations with the wicked, and from a disrespect of authority that is so prevalent in our country. The break through that is needed will not happen until we meditate on God’s Word and sink the roots of our faith deep into Christ, receive the Holy Spirit as our life and daily nourishment, and present ourselves daily at the cross where the death sentence of the flesh can be carried out.

Another interesting use of this word, saleah, prosper, in the Old Testament is when David was anointed as king, when he was just a boy, by Samuel; 1 Samuel 16:13. It says that at that moment the Holy Spirit rushed upon David. He prospered David.

May the Holy Spirit prosper you in 2012!

Knock Off Everything That is Not a Horse

Michelangelo was one of the world's greatest artists and sculturers. He kept students around him constantatly who wanted to learn his talent. The story is told of how one day he stood with a student staring at a block of marble. The student said, "Master, what do you see?" Michelangelo said, "I see a magnificent horse. Can you see it?" The student just stared, wanting to, but not seeing what the artist could see. Finally, the student asked, "So how do we begin?" Michelangelo said, "We knock off everthing that is not a horse!"

This is exactly what God is doing in your life everyday, knocking off everything that is not Christ! But He will not do it without you. Everything good in your life, everything difficult in your life, everything triumphant in your life, everything tragic in your life, everything is a tool in the hand of God to form Christ in you, with you, through you, as you, in the world around you, for His own glory.

This is something to know, as James 1:2 instructs us. We do not rejoice in trials, we rejoice knowing something in the trials. What do we know? We know that the trial is in the hand of God. He is in control of it and He knows what He is doing with it in our lives. Not only do we rest in knowing that God has this thing under His control, we also know that God is using it to chip away everything of Adam in our lives. In Christ, we are in the creation, the new humanity, Jesus Christ. As we received our sin from Adam, in Christ, we receive our righteousness, God's righteousness, by faith in Jesus Christ. We are born from above and receive new life, a new spirit, from God. Jesus made this possible on the cross as evidenced by the empty tomb. But even in Christ, we still have much of Adam on us that needs to be chipped away. Some would call it the rough edges. The Bible calls it the flesh. It is death and it has no part in the new creation.

So how can I join up with what God is doing in my life today? Present yourself to the Lord everyday through prayerfulBiblestudy. The computer does not recognize this word, but it is one word in the Spirit, prayerfulBiblestudy. You cannot separte these. If you do, you will come up short of presenting your whole self, body, soul, and spirit, to God. Follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in your life as He convicts you, strengthens you, teaches you, and assures you. He will give you wisdom by His power at work in you, knocking off everything that is not Christ. It may be painful, but He is also the Comforter. Blessed be His Holy Name!