Lessons from the Gospels – Heart of the Matter

Today, a part of a Don Henley/Eagles song came to mind:

I've been tryin' to get down

To the heart of the matter

But my will gets weak

And my thoughts seem to scatter

But I think it's about

Forgiveness, forgiveness

The heart of the matter in the Christian walk is forgiveness. Without the forgivenesss of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there is no hope for us. Forgiveness is the heart of God and we are saved from eternal death by it

Jesus had plenty to say about our hearts too. Let’s examine our hearts through His words.

Matthew 15:8 [NIV] " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

Why would the people of God simply pay lip service to Him? Jesus says that can happened when our treasure, our dreams, and our goals, are not laser focused on the hope of the future.

Matthew 6:21 [NIV] “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We do not want to be “just going through the motions” of walking through life in tune (thought, word, and deed) with God’s will for us, while being distracted by the next shiny thing we could learn, earn, do or be in this life. And we definitely don’t want to be distracted by some political bruhaha or doomsday news prediction about what “they” are going to do if we don’t stop them.

One way we can tell if our hearts are not in the right place is by considering what comes out of our mouths. Gossip? Prejudice? Lies? Judgmental phrases?

Matthew 15:18-20 [NKJV] 18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 "These are [the things] which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

What is in our hearts comes out in our words and actions – good or evil.

Luke 6:45 [NIV] “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

So, what does God really want from us? Everything.

Mark 12:30 [NIV] “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Our WHOLE hearts. ALL of our love. EVERY corner of our minds. EVERY part of our souls. ALL of our strength.  He wants it all.

Our relationships must be passed through the filter of giving everything to God. Our jobs must be passed through the filter of giving everything to God. Our worship must be passed through the filter of giving everything to God. And so forth.

That kind of life is one that begins with a heart close to God – a heart entirely given to Him in whole-heart devotion and focus.

Mark 12:30 [NIV] “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

God wants our whole hearts and when we give them to Him, everything else falls into line.

And THAT is the heart of the matter.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me now in the comments section, or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels 7 – Two things

In the movie City Slickers, the character named Curly, tells Mitch to find his own “one thing” to guide his life. Well, today’s blog is about the two things that Jesus gave us.

1 John 4:20 [NKJV] If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Three out of the four Gospel accounts address incidences where the two great commandments are addressed. In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus was asked for the greatest or the first commandment and He responded that the first or great commandment is “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” But He did not stop there. Although no one asked, Jesus volunteered that there is a second commandment that is like the first. That is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

In incident found in Matthew, Jesus concluded with, “On these two commandments hand all the Law and the Prophets.” [Matthew 22:34-40]

In Mark’s incident, Jesus concludes with “There is no other commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:28-34]

In the incident recorded in Luke, Jesus was asked what to do to inherit eternal life. He turns it back on the lawyer who asked, saying, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” The lawyer then outlines the two great commandments and Jesus says he is correct. [Luke 10:25-28]

It is of great importance to us, sweet sisters, to see that these two great commandments are inextricably linked.

Although he does not address a similar incident in his own Gospel, John does show that he knew the importance of and the link between loving God and fellow man in one of his letters.

1 John 4:20 [NKJV] If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

John goes as far as saying you are liar if you say you love God if you hate a brother.

In a previous blog, I mentioned that I believed if the only scripture one had from the Bible was Matthew chapter 5, one would have everything needed in order to live as a Christ follower in this world.

Turns out, all we really need is a couple of sentences: Love God with every part of you. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus Himself said that the entirety of the Old Testament teachings/law and all prophesy hinged on these two.

Since prophesy has the role of outlining God’s plan of salvation for all people, we know that they tell us about God’s great love for us. If you study into God’s interaction with His people, Israel, you will see that He often took them to task or even punished them for either not loving Him (often shown in idol worship or Sabbath-breaking) or not loving their fellow man (search for scriptures about mistreating the widows or the poor or oppressing the immigrant).

Jesus said there is no other commandment greater. We can clearly see that the 10 Commandments [Exodus 20] can be broken into two parts – Commandments 1-4 showing how to love god and Commandments 5-10 showing how to love our fellow man. The 10 are just a more granular version of the two great commandments.

Jesus also showed how to love our neighbors or fellow man in Matthew 25:31-46. Feed the hungry. Clothe those in need. Visit the sick and those imprisoned. Take in strangers. NEWS FLASH: That word translated “stranger” is “foreigner”. I’ll let you explore that on your own for now. Might be a subject for a future blog.

Sisters, Christianity is not a complex set of rules and laws. It boils down to love. Love God. Love your fellow man. Show those by your actions and you will find that you have kept all the law and will have gained eternal life.

If the world does not see love when it sees Christians, we have failed to keep the two great commandments on which everything else hinges.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Letters from the Beloved – Sit. Stay. Abide.

1 John 2:28 NKJV] And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

The word “abide” here is a Greek word that means “to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy)”.

When your children were little, did you ever tell them that if they got separated from you in a store or park, they should stay where they are and you will come find them? Well, John, the beloved, seems to be giving us similar advice, when he tells us to “abide in Him”.

We are to stay in a place of proximity to Jesus. We are to stay in a state of closeness to Him. We are to stay in a state of expectancy for His return.

Abiding or staying can sometimes be as tough and counterintuitive to we adult humans as it is to a panicked 5-year-old at a city park. When trouble comes, we can be tempted to try something different. Or, more likely, to think something different.

Psalm 46:10 [KJV] Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

When we feel lost and disconnected, we may resist just staying in Him. But that is exactly what we need to do. Sit with the word of God, and the principals we have learned. Sit and meditate on what we know to be true. Sit and wait to feel His presence back with us.

You see, He does not move from us. He abides with us, as He promised.

John records this teaching of Jesus in a couple of places in his Gospel message.

John 6:56 [NKJV] "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”

John 15:5 [NKJV] "I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

When I feel lost and disconnected, I may sometimes be tempted to believe He is not there, and that I must go look for Him. When the thing I really need to do is sit still, abiding in the promise that He made to be in me if I abide in Him, and wait to feel His presence again.

The Old Testament addresses this concept of abiding as well, using the words “be still” in many cases. The most recognized of those is found in Psalm 46:10 [KJV] Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Hebrew word translated “be still” can mean to sink, relax, sink down, let drop. If we are fearful, worried or over burdening ourselves with “to do” lists, we can come to a time when the best thing we can do is lay our self-inflicted burdens down, relax and wait. This reminds me of the wisdom of the phrase “let go and let God.”

When things don’t seem to be going the way we want, rather than taking on more, shouldering more, hanging on to the things we think we must do, that is when we should be still and just abide. He promises to take up the burdens when we are willing to let go of them.

Matthew 11:28 [ESV] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.He’s not gone from me when my prayers are not answered as I hoped.

He’s not gone from me when I suffer because those I love are struggling. It’s just that it is time to let go and be with Him.

He’s not gone from me because I have tripped and fallen and am frustrated with myself. It’s just that it is time to let go and be with Him.

He’s not gone from me when I feel overwhelmed with life’s burdens. It’s just that it is time to let go and be with Him.

And I should not be gone from Him when these things occur either.

He promised to abide in me if I abide in Him. So, I must stay – stay in a state of obedience, stay in close relationship to Him by reading the Word and praying, stay in expectancy of feeling His presence again. I must be ready to let go and just be with Him.

If I feel lost and alone, it is time to just stay until I feel Him there again. He promises that He is there always.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved – As He Is Light

John, the beloved, uses the phrase “as He is” (mostly referring to Jesus) five times in his first letter. [See 1 John 1:7; 3:2, 3, 7; 4:17]

John tells us that:

·        Jesus is light, so we should walk in it. 1 John 1:7 [NKJV] 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light…

·        Jesus is pure, so we should purify ourselves. 1 John 3:3 [NKJV]. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. ...

·        Jesus is righteous, so we should practice righteousness. 1 John 3:7 [NKJV] 7 ... He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

·        Jesus acted a certain way while in the world, so we should act the same. 1 John 4:17 [NKJV] 17 …because as He is, so are we in this world.

It seems like an important distinction that Jesus is light, pure, and righteous, whereas we should “do” or “act” accordingly.

Today, we will start a series on these “He is” teachings of John, the beloved, beginning with light.

You and I know, sweet sisters, that we are not inherently “the light”. We are not born as light. The only One who walked on this earth as the light in and of Himself is Jesus.

John 9:5 [NKJV] "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." He shined that light into the world while He was here, through His example, His teachings and the miracles He performed.

We can become light by walking in the light.

In John 8:12 [NKJV] Jesus tells us how to become light, Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." We have the light when we walk as He walked – that is, when our example, teaching/words and actions are in line with His.

We gain more insight from John 11:9-10 NKJV] 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 "But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." So, we must walk as He walked and that means always walking in His light. We cannot do His work by walking in the night – that is by following in the steps on Satan (the father of darkness) and unbelievers.

Picture an old movie, where someone is standing in a circle of light provided by a streetlamp. Yes, the world is in darkness. But, when we walk in His light, it is like we are within that circle of lamplight. Only, unlike in the movies, the lamplight moves with us as we move through the world. It shines a light on the next steps we should take and allows us to walk in the light without the darkness ever touching us. Just like we are told in Psalm 119:105 [NKJV] Your word [is] a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Knowing the word of God, the Bible, and the Word of God (Jesus), is what allows us to understand where the light is but we must live within that light – that is follow the steps of Jesus and obey the word of God – in order to ensure we walk in the daylight like brightness of His lamplight.

Matthew provides important insight into why we must work to become a light in the world. Matthew 5:14-16 [NKJV] 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all [who are] in the house. 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

We don’t walk in the light to expose our own greatness. Like the moon, our light only exists because of the light of the Son (in our case – sun in the case the moon). Ours is a reflected light.

In fact, the better analogy might be that we are like solar panels. It is our job, sweet sisters, to become like solar panels. We are to absorb the light and then use the power it gives to provide light, warmth and goodness into the world so that the world praises the source of that light (and not we solar panels). We don’t praise solar panels, do we? They are just a conduit. A solar panel sitting in a warehouse is not doing its job – cannot provide energy or light to anyone. It must be set out where it can absorb the light.

Psalm 119:105 [NKJV] Your word [is] a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

And so we must walk in the light of His word, His example and His love, absorbing and internalizing it so that we can then provide the same into the world. Then the world has the opportunity to see the light we produce and praise the Son for sending the light through us.

If we walk in His light, purify ourselves and act in righteousness, we are walking in His footsteps in this world. We’ll learn more about this, focusing on purifying ourselves, in the next blog in this series.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved – Crammed with Joy

One thing I appreciate about a writer or speaker is when he/she explains the purpose of what they are about to impart. It prepares me to receive their message, understand it’s and be ready to put it to use in my life. John, the beloved, does just that in his first letter.

1 John 1:4 [KJV] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

It is great that his purpose is to give us joy. But the more interesting part to me is to understand this word “full”. What is John really saying about the joy he wants us to have because of this letter?

Full is the Greek word pleroo. One definition is literally “to cram a net”. John isn’t just saying, “I want you to have a lot of joy.” His words call to mind two miraculous incidents in John’s experiences as a disciple of Jesus. The first found in Luke 5:5-9 at the start of Jesus’ ministry, when He first called John, James, and Peter to discipleship. The second in John 21:6-11, when Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, when they had gone back to fishing.

In both cases, they had been fishing all night, but their nets had repeatedly come up empty despite all their efforts. However, at the command of Jesus they cast out their nets again and brought up a catch that filled their nets to the breaking point.

This is the fullness of joy that John is writing to give us. John wants to help us have so much joy that we are about to burst with it! That kind of joy would be infectious to others. Joy that spills out of, overflows our own life nets, will spread joy out into the world, beginning with those nearest to us.

This word can also mean “finish, accomplish, complete”.

This same word is used throughout the Gospels when they speak of events in the earthly ministry of Jesus as fulfilling the prophesies of the Old Testament about Him. [Just a few examples from the Gospel of John: John 12:36; 13:18; 15:25; 17:12; 19:12. Also see Matthew 1:22; 4:14; 13:35; 26:56 and many, many more.]

1 John 1:4 [KJV] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Maybe John meant that this joy should complete us – that we are incomplete as Christians without full joy. That sounds right to me. We can get so caught up in the struggles of life, especially the things that are going wrong, our personal trials or the sin that trips us up, the pain and suffering in the world in general or in the lives of those we love. But God wants us to have joy anyway. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, after all [See Galatians 5:22].

Perhaps John meant to signify both of these thoughts about joy. Could he mean that he wants us to be so crammed full of joy that it works to complete, finish, accomplish our purpose in this life? It seems clear that we are to have joy as obedient children of God. We have answered His call to worship. He doesn’t want this life to be pure slog, sorry and pain. Even if it is rough, like that of the early New Testament Christians, the words we are about to read in this letter from John the Beloved were written so that we can have the kind of crammed full joy that completes us.

I’m looking forward to studying what John has to say that he intended to accomplish joy in us. Aren’t you, sweet sister?

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org

Transformer

When you see the word “transformer” do you think of those toys that turn from a car or truck to a robot and back, or maybe the movies and cartoons about them? My grandsons are very much into transformers – just like their father was at one time.  

 The work of God is the work of transformation. In this life, He takes what we are and transforms us into what we were created to be = His own children.

 His work begins with transforming how we think and act in this life, as outlined in Romans 12:2 [ESV] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. He bends and shapes are hearts and minds, our words and work through His Holy Spirit till our hearts, minds, words and works are in His image.

 His work ends with a total transformation into something else entirely – something completely new and different from what we are now. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 [NKJV] 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.

 The word translated “change” in both verse 51 and 52 means “to change, to exchange one thing for another, to transform”. We will cast off mortal and put on immortality – no longer to look in His image but to actually be made into His image.

 But there is another kind of transformer that we should be thinking about. An electrical transformer is a  device that “transfers electric energy from one alternating-current circuit to one or more other circuits, either increasing (stepping up) or reducing (stepping down) the voltage.”

 Romans 12:2 [ESV] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

 We are meant to be conduits for God’s love, His grace, His Word and the Gospel message, transferring them into the world around us by speaking of them and, even more importantly, living them out. The love of God and the knowledge of God that we receive are not ours to hold onto.

 This is what Jesus told His disciples to do. Matthew 10:7-8 [NKJV] 7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

 The Holy Spirit is a spirit of power, not of weakness or fear. [See 2 Timothy 1:7] It is the power to change, not only us, but also through us to change the world.

 Unless, that is, you or I elect to be the type of transformer that reduces the voltage of the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not quench the Spirit.”  And Jesus warned against hiding that light of God under a basket or bed. [See Mark 4:21]

 We should also be a conduit for the Holy Spirit, passing along the high-voltage connection to God into words and deeds that transfer the love of God from within us out into the world around us. If we do, we will have the power to change this world – to light it up with love and hope and good. We are meant to be His transformers.

 Go out and charge up the world by being a transformer of the Holy Spirit.

 I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org

P.S. I am working on a series focused on the three letters of John the Apostle (1, 2, 3 John) and comparing them to his telling of his time with Jesus in the Gospel of John.  Hope to start sharing that with you soon.

Falling on the Stone

Speaking of Himself in Matthew 21:44 [NKJV] Jesus says, "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

In the prophesy of Daniel 2, we see that ultimately there is a stone that falls from heaven and crushes the kingdoms of this work. Daniel provides and explanation in verses 44-45 of Daniel 2 [NKJV] 44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 "Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold--the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."

The dream tells us that the Kingdom of God will be brought to earth by Jesus, who is the Stone that the builders rejected, but whom God has made the cornerstone of His Kingdom [Luke 20:17].

He is the stone that crushes those it falls upon.

But what about those who fall on the Stone and are broken? Who are they?

You can find several scriptures about women who were broken before God, weeping, and crying out before the alter or in the wilderness in the Old Testament. For example: Hagar in Genesis 21:16 and Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:7.

In the New Testament, we have examples of even more women, already broken by hurt, pain, sin or fear, falling at the feet of Jesus. See Mark 7:25; John 11:2, 32; 12:3.

The walls we put up against pain, doubt, fear, trial and trouble must be broken down to let the love, light and healing of Jesus into our hearts, minds and lives. To us, it is sin that causes us to break when we fall on Him, because His sacrifice was made to separate us from that sin. Sin can no longer inhabit the same space as Jesus, as it did when He was crucified for us. When He said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, it was at the moment and only that moment that sin inhabited the same space as Jesus. [Matthew 27:46] For eternity before that moment and for all eternity after that moment, this could not be.

Now, for us, His love breaks down who we were and puts us back together as who we are meant to be in Him. We fall on Him because we are broken by sin, and He lifts us up. We are broken by sin and He puts us back together, better than before.

The people who do not recognize their need for a Savior – who don’t see their own brokenness and voluntarily fall before Him – will be made to fall before the Cornerstone, the Rock of Israel to be broken down and rebuilt in His image in the furture. Much better to voluntarily break ourselves upon Him now.

Matthew 21:44 [NKJV] Jesus says, "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

But God and Jesus are our Rocks in so many other ways. Here are just a few examples:

·        The Rock of Salvation – 2 Samuel 22:47; Psalm 89:26

·        Rock of Refuge – Psalm 31:2; 94:22

·        Rock of Strength – Psalm 62:7

Jesus is not a Rock of offense to those who voluntarily seek Him. He has no need to be a crushing Rock or breaking Rock for those who understand their brokenness and seek wholeness in Him. For us, He is the Rock that protects us, gives us strength and is a place of refuge for the already broken to find rest.

Sweet sisters, when sin breaks you, or when you feel broken down by trials, fall before the Rock and He will put you back together again.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org

P.S. I am working on a series focused on the three letters of John the Apostle (1, 2, 3 John) and comparing them to his telling of his time with Jesus in the Gospel of John.  Hope to start sharing that with you soon.