Lessons from the Gospels 3 – Knowing

When Jesus said (as recorded in Matthew 11:12) "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence...” He may have been thinking about the time (before time began) that Satan attacked the very throne of God. (Luke 10:18) Or He may have been thinking about the time that Pharoah had all the Hebrew babies killed. Or when Herod killed the Jewish babies from age 2 and under because he knew the Messiah had been born – just not exactly when.

When I think of a major attack on the plan of God, I think of Matthew 4:1-11, where we see Satan attacking Jesus after Jesus had been fasting 40 days and 40 nights. Make know mistake about it, Jesus and the Father knew Satan would come after Him. The Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to prepare for it. I invite you to read the whole thing before reading the rest of this blog. I’ve pasted it at the end of the blog so that you can do so if you like.

This is not a physically violent attack, like the killing of babies, but it was a violent attempt to attack Jesus’ mind, heart, character and obedience.

Jesus used His knowledge of scripture – the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, as we read in Ephesians 6:17 – to cut away Satan’s temptations.

But He used more than just His knowledge of the words of God, sweet sisters. He used His knowledge of who He was, as outlined in them.

Satan knew the scriptures too. After his first temptation failed, Satan used the scriptures in his next two efforts. Satan did not know who he was. It seems like he believed he could still win. It seems to me that if  he really knew who he was – the loser in every battle – he might have acted differently.

What about you, sweet sister? Do you know, I mean REALLY KNOW who you are? Is that knowledge and belief strong enough to be a protection against the attacks that Satan throw at you? Especially the ones that being with “if”.

You one of the “beloved” children/people of God. Psalm 60:5; 108:6; Song of Solomon (the whole thing is an analogy of God’s love for His people).

You are blessed. Matthew 13:16; 5:1-10

You are the reason that Jesus came to the earth and gave His life. We cannot afford to only look at this from the vantage point that He came for everyone. He came specifically for me. He came specifically for you. Revelation 17:14; Matthew 20:16.

You are Holy and a member of the Royal Priesthood. 1 Peter 2:9.

Knowing scripture is so very, very important to withstanding the attacks of the devil. But it is not enough. If you don’t know who you are, if it is not a truth you feel to your core, the “sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God” is held in a weak hand.

Sweet sisters, let’s put up our strength in battle by focusing on really knowing who we are to our Beloved Father and to our Savior.

I welcome your comments and questions. Write me in the comments section here or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

[Mat 4:1-11 NLT] 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'" 7 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'" 8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me." 10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'" 11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Lessons from the Gospels 2– Camel Hair

Got any odd people at your church? Someone who it is difficult to talk to for some reason. Maybe they seem too intense. Maybe they always want to talk about stuff that makes you feel uncomfortable. Or they just monopolize the conversation. Maybe they just have really bad breath or odd mannerisms. Are you the odd person at church?

John the Baptist might have made me uncomfortable. He might seem a little odd if he walked into your synagogue back in the day. He dressed differently. He had a unique diet.

The gospel account given in Matthew makes it a point to call out some of what might have made John stand out as odd in his time. Matthew 3:1-4 [NKJV] 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' " 4 Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Jesus calls out some of the same very specific marks of John’s life and ministry that made his seem weird to the leaders of his day.

Matthew 11:18 [NKJV] "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'

How would you like that? After maybe decades of preaching in the wilderness, warning people about the need for repentance and reminding them of the coming of the Messiah, people essentially said, “He is so different from us that he must have a demon.” People can be cruel.

Here are some unique points about John, the baptizer:

1.      Miracle child to his parents. (Luke 1:5-25)

2.      Responded to Jesus in utero. (Luke 1:41)

3.      Knew his role was not the Savior, and that his role was preparing the way. (John 3:27-30)

4.      Had the privilege of not only baptizing Jesus, but also of hearing God call Jesus out as being His Son (confirming that Jesus was the one John was preparing the world for).

5.      And yet, near the end of his life, when he was in prison for calling out Herod’s sin, John had a moment of doubt about Jesus.

Matthew 11:2-3 [NKJV] 2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"

In spite of his doubt, Jesus praised John for his work. Matthew 11:4-11 4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 "[The] blind see and [the] lame walk; [the] lepers are cleansed and [the] deaf hear; [the] dead are raised up and [the] poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 "But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft [clothing] are in kings' houses. 9 "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 "For this is [he] of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' 11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Only Jesus, our Savior, lived a perfect, faith-filled, Spirit-led life while on this earth. John, the baptizer, the voice crying in the wilderness, who had the God-given duty and privilege of preparing the way before Jesus, was a very human person. He was a miracle birth. He had a God-designed role, which he fulfilled well, including baptizing Jesus. He spoke to a king about that king’s sin. He suffered martyrdom. He lived a life of faith and had at least one moment of doubt.

Matthew 11:2-3 [NKJV] 2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"

Don’t discount the odd ones, sweet sister – even if YOU are the odd one. God has a place, a role, and a purpose in each and every one of us that He calls in this life. Your unique purpose may seem odd to others, but it is your perfectly crafted, snug-fitting piece in the puzzle and process of the Kingdom timeline.

So, wear your camel hair proudly, beloved child of God, and never doubt that God called you, specifically, to play a part in that coming Kingdom. Jesus will praise you for doing your part.

I welcome your comments and questions. Write me in the comments section here or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Lessons from the Gospels 1– It Takes Planning

Every year, I spend some time reading through the four gospels again, leading up to what we (in Church of God 7th Day) call the Lord’s Supper and others may call the New Testament Passover. Every time I reread them, I learn something new, have something reinforced, and gain a deeper appreciation for God’s plan of salvation and Jesus’ role in that plan.

Join me on this nearly 3-month journey of review and rediscovery by reading through the Gospels. As I write the blogs it might be looking forward for you as I review my reading from the week before. Or, you can catch up to me by doubling up on daily reading. I will be reading just one chapter per day, and began on Tuesday, January 23rd, so, it’ll be pretty easy to catch up.

You are no more a random selection than was the timing and location of Jesus’ birth.

Reading for January 23-26 = Matthew 1-4. (Note: In future weeks, we consider the reading week to be from Saturday through Friday, since I blog on Friday or Saturday.)

Matthew 1 &2

There is so much packed into the first two chapters of Matthew that I could spend a couple of blogs talking about them. First there is the genealogy, which shows that the lineage of Jesus, on Joseph’s side, includes Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba – three women with unusual stories and extraordinary lives. That they are openly listed is a testament to God’s willingness to use the most unusual and even broken circumstances, or people, for His purposes.

But what I want to note for us today are the four prophecies about the Messiah’s birth that are fulfilled in in just these first two chapters telling His earthly story.

Matthew 1:23 recalls the prophecy Isaiah 7:14, telling of His birth to a virgin.

Matthew 2:6 recalls the prophecy of Micah 2:5, which pegs Bethlehem as His birthplace.

Matthew 2:15 recalls the prophecy of Hosea 11:1, foretelling that He would come out of Egypt and back to Israel at some point.

Matthew 2:18 which is the foreshadowing of the massacre of the innocents by Herod, found in Jeremiah 31:15.

The connection of all these details seems incredible in two ways: (1) That God gave these words to the prophets of the Old Testament so that they would know so many specifics of the birth of Jesus (2) That Matthew knew the scripture well enough that he could be inspired to connect them to the occurrences.

That is, it seems incredible from a human standpoint. Not at all incredible when you think about the fact that Jesus is the one who inspired the writing of the Old Testament, which told of His coming, which He and the Father had planned out before time began. [See John 17:5 and Revelation 13:8]

Maybe thousands of years (or, who knows, millions) went into planning every detail from the creation of the world to the fulfillment of the prophesied birth of His only Son and every aspect of His ministry on this earth. We will also see that His death was similarly detailed out for us.

Our God is a planner. He didn’t “wing it” with the birth of Jesus or the plan of salvation. The factors that needed to be controlled were perfectly orchestrated.

However, it is important to consider that, although always perfectly aligned with God’s will and plan, Jesus made His own choices in living His life. Every decision adhered perfectly to the law of God too. But the Father did not regulate has Jesus wore or ate or said each day.

When we take the time to align ourselves with God’s law and will by daily prayer and study, regular fasting and meditation, we too can find ourselves walking according to God’s purpose for us.

God didn’t “wing it” when He called you, sweet sister. I chose the time and place. He specifically selected you from the billions in the world today. Maybe the only one in your family or neighborhood or at your place of employment.

You are no more a random selection than was the timing and location of Jesus’ birth.

How comforting to know that you and I appeared in God’s planner as a link in the chain between creation and God’s Kingdom on earth. We don’t know for sure where we are on the timeline, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that you and I are here to do our part to advance the Kingdom cause and schedule.

I encourage each of us to take the time daily to stay connected to God and His Word so that you and I can fulfill His will, whether that is a big splash or a cup of cold water in the scheme of the Kingdom plan.

Are you a planner? Do you carefully select a new planner each year and get pretty stickers and colored pens to stay organized and mark important tasks or occurrences? Well, God is a planner. He has a very detailed and well thought out plan. We are His pretty stickers and colored pens, marking the important steps along the way. So, please be sure to schedule daily time for God and His word in your planner.

God has a plan and purpose for you. Do not doubt that, sweet sister. It is our job to stay connected to Him so we can stay aligned with His will.

I welcome your comments and questions. Write me in the comments section here or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Letters from the Beloved: Got Life?

Have you ever heard someone say, “Get a life!”? It typically means that the person saying it has gotten frustrated with the nosiness or interference of someone being too much “in their business”, and implies that if they had things in their own life that took up their time, there would be no time to be a busybody or to live vicariously through another person.

Frankly, there have been times in my life when I thought “I have no life”. The years when my children were young, and I felt that I had no life outside of childcare comes to mind. Sometimes, when we get old and less able to get out without assistance, or have a major illness, or are overworked on the job, we can feel that we don’t have a life. We need friends and family; we need connection to others for our mental and physical health. So, if you are feeling that you don’t have a life, I encourage you to reach out to a family member or friend for a chat or invite someone over for coffee. Another Mom might be very grateful for that – or another lonely single person or shut in.

But if you want real life – an eternal life – you need Jesus.

1 John 5:11-12 [NKJV] 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I sometimes feel frustrated that Christians focus on the differences in how we worship or believe over the things we have in common. I see Christians posting about their faith and particular beliefs or practices and that is great. I see Christians posting negative things about other Christian denominations, and I often wonder why it seems necessary.

Do we need to prove someone wrong when we don’t even know that person? Could we not just start with what we have in common? Yes, I am sure of my current understanding of the Bible, but I am also looking to grow. I’m open to learning from others.

I just don’t see the benefit of (or really any success in) beginning a conversation by doing the verbal equivalent of poking someone in the chest. But I guess that is the problem with social media. People (even Christians trying – they think – to preach the gospel) believe that they have to stand out, shout a warning, correct and so forth. I’ve got news for you: you are not Elijah. AND he was sent to the people of God, not to the non-believers anyway.

I worry that this is because they don’t have a life in Jesus – one that is truly connected to His message of love and hope and peace. So, they try for a mini war on social media, as if slashing people with the sword of the Spirit is how we were meant to change the world.

1 John 5:13 [NKJV] These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may [continue to] believe in the name of the Son of God.

The armor of God is meant to fight of Satan in my life, NOT to slay non-believers or believers who “don’t know the truth as I do”.

Hebrews 4:12 [NKJV] For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Notice that the scripture does not say that the word of God is a sword for slaying non-believers. The scripture does say that we are to divide our souls (human life, not immortal soul) from the Spirit. That is to cut out the human in favor of the divine.

If I have a life in Jesus (and I do), why shouldn’t I start with connection to others who have that same love of Jesus, who know Him to be Savior and Redeemer?

I believe in starting with connection – with what we have in common – and really getting to know someone. Only after I have connected to the parts we have in common can we truly discuss any variances in our understanding or knowledge.

1 John 5:13 [NKJV] These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may [continue to] believe in the name of the Son of God.

If John, the beloved, can choose to focus on belief in Jesus, even when instructing fellow believers with the same knowledge, why can we not do the same with those whose beliefs are somewhat different?

Anything else might come across as being too much in another’s business before you even know them.

The connection that I am suggesting is, of course, a starting point. But, sweet sisters, we will never get the opportunity for anything more if we try to start the conversation with our disconnections instead of our connections.

Can I offer a challenge? Would you join me for the next 7 days in posting messages of life – posts about the love of Jesus, belief in Jesus, gratitude for salvation/His sacrifice, and faith in God. Nothing negative. No differentiators. Nothing about news or politics or things other Christians might do differently. And I don’t mean “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything” like you momma might have told you. The challenge is to proactively and deliberately post positive things. Like me, you may also need to post things for work. I get that. But will you join me in a deliberate attempt to connect on a positive level and put love and hope out there for others to connect with you and to “get a life”?

See how you feel afterwards. And please write to me about that.

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

Letters from the Beloved: Three-fold Cord

1 John 5:6-8 [NIV*] 6 This is the one who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

Why was John, the beloved, adamant that it was water AND blood AND Spirit? These are not the three parts of what many religions would call the trinity. Remember that John, the Baptist, was baptizing with water before Jesus began His ministry. Many came to him upon repentance and were baptized in the water.

But that was only part of the process, as John, the Baptist, knew and confessed to his followers.

Matthew 3:11 [NKJV] "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

When Jesus was ready to begin His earthly ministry, He went to John to be baptized. At that time the Father sent a visible representation of the Spirit descending upon Jesus. Perhaps this was not just to show that Jesus was the beloved Son of God, but also to confirm what John had been saying – that is, that there was a further need for baptism by the Holy Spirt. The water of repentance was/is not enough.

Later, the disciples, who were likely all baptized by John as well (we know specifically that some were followers of John, so it is a reasonable assumption), received the Holy Spirit [See Acts 2:1-4]. Prior to receiving the Holy Spirit, they were hiding from the religious leaders of the time. After the receiving of the Holy Spirit, they became bold preachers of the Gospel, most being martyred for it.

This – the dramatic change possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—is why water baptism does not stand alone.

1 John 1:7 [NKJV] But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Jesus made it clear to the disciples before hand that they would only receive the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, after He gave His blood for us. In his recounting of the Gospel message, John, the beloved, records this part of Jesus’ final words to His disciples in John 14:16-21. The King James Version uses the word Comforter. It is rendered “Helper” in the New King James and English Standard Version and translated “Advocate” in the New International Version. These are the roles of the Holy Spirit within us or for us – advocacy, comfort, and help.

But the Holy Spirit cannot come to dwell in us as “old wine skins”. [Luke 5:37] We first have to be cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus.

1 John 1:7 [NKJV] But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Following the words of Jesus and the further writings of John, the beloved, we see that these three are in agreement because each one is needed in order for us to live out our faith.

The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, talks about the strength of a three-fold cord.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 [NKJV] Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Together, the cleansing blood of Jesus, the repentance and symbolism of water baptism, and the indwelling of the Holdy Spirit, are the unbreakable three-fold cord of our Christian walk. No one of them can stand alone in our efforts to truly be changed.

Let’s review.

The blood – Jesus’s cleansing blood washes away our sins so that we might become something new.

The water – Baptism is our outward symbol of commitment to putting off the old and becoming new.

The Holy Spirit – It’s indwelling is what drives change from the old person into the new person, whose spiritual image reflects God and whose outward acts do His work on earth.

Sweet sisters, we need all three, and, thankfully, our beloved John mapped it out for us.

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

*Please note that I’m suing the NIV for these verses. The King James and New King James versions have added text that are not in the original scriptures. These words were added by the translators to support the Trinity Doctrine. Adding things to scripture that were not inspired in the original text is a dangerous business. [See Rev. 22:18] The text is pure, God breathed and perfect without human additions.

Joy to the World

Today, I’m taking a break from our series with John, the beloved, to focus on joy.

Are you someone who selects a word of the year each year? I’ve never done it before. However, this year I felt inspired to choose the word “joy” for 2024.

The scripture that came immediately to mind is Matthew 25 – the parable of the talents – where we find the two profitable servants being told “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”. [See verses 21 and 23]

It is the Lord’s great joy to bring us into His Kingdom. Shouldn’t we also experience great joy in knowing that this is our future?

John 16:24 [NKJV] "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

In fact, all of heaven’s inhabitants rejoice when we repent – at the start of our walk with Christ, not just at the end. Luke 15:7 [NKJV] "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” When we accept the call, long before we find final rest in the Kingdom, there is joy.

There are many more places where we find joy being outlined as a big part of our Christian walk. We are not just to experience joy at our initial calling or when thinking about what the future holds. We have a whole life between those two events in which we should be experiencing joy.

God and Jesus are not waiting for the fulfillment of their plan in order to experience joy either.

Jesus’ earthly ministry began with great joy.

Luke 2:10 [NKJV] Then the angel said to them {the shepherds}, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”

We can rejoice every day because Jesus came to this earth – was born into human flesh – so that He could die for us – for our sins – and we could become, through His precious blood and the Holy Spirit, begotten children of God as well.

Where else should we, as Christian, find reasons for joy?

In being persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Luke 6:23

In receiving the Word of God. Luke 8:13

In receiving answered prayer. John 16: 24

In knowing that some of the last words of Jesus before He suffered and died for us included a request that we have joy.

John 16:24 [NKJV] "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

Sweet sisters, I pray that 2024 will be a year in which you are “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit”. [Acts 13:52 NKJV]

I’d love to hear if you have a habit of selecting a word for the year and, if so, what you have selected for 2024. I welcome all your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved: Love, Love, Love – Part 3

Today, we wrap up our-three part “Love, Love, Love” series from the book of 1 John. We know that John, the beloved, was all about love. He ended chapter 4 of 1 John with admonitions about love and he begins chapter 5 talking about the connection between love, obedience, and victory. That is a LOT to pack into just the first 5 verses. Let’s see if we can follow the arrows that John provides to chain these together.

1 John 5:1-5 [NKJV] 1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

John says:

1.      If you believe, you are a begotten child of God and you love all the others who are begotten, especially Jesus.

2.      Our love for others drives us to keep God’s commandments.

3.      Love not only drives us to keep the commandments but also causes them not to be burdensome to us.

4.      If we are begotten or born of God, we overcome – through faith.

5.      We cannot overcome unless we believe.

Okay, that is not a chain. That is a circle. We are going to have to dive into this one concept at a time.

1 John 5:1 [NKJV] 1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

We’ve explored this theme before, following John, the beloved. He repeated makes the point that to love God is to love others whom He created, whom He has begotten, whom He also loves.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

Jesus also taught that love drives obedience in Matthew 22: 36-40. Jesus said that all the law and commandments hang on love. I’ve often heard preachers say that the first four of the 10 Commandments of Exodus 20 teach us how to love God and the last six teach us how to love our fellow man.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

If we really love God we don’t find His commandments to be a burden. Jesus had this to say about the burden He puts on us: Matthew 11:30 [NKJV] "For My yoke [is] easy and My burden is light." Our love for God and His love for us make obedience a light requirement and not a burden.

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.

Once again, John provided continuity in his writing by pointing back to a quote from Jesus recorded the Gospel of John.

John 16:33 [NKJV] "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Just as Jesus overcame the world by His obedience to and faith in the Father’s laws and plan, sacrificing Himself for us, our faith in Him and His sacrifice, plus our obedience is what allows us to overcome the world as well.

5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Rote obedience gets us nowhere. It is belief that makes the difference. It is belief that drives true change. It is belief that then leads to obedience from the heart.

Mark 16:16 [NKJV] "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

What must we believe in? The love of God for us.

As John, the beloved said in his Gospel: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” {John 3:16 [NKJV]}

And so, we circle back to love. Love, love, love. It is the start of everything.

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

Letters from the Beloved: Love, Love, Love – Part 2

We are focusing on love for a couple of blog posts because John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, focuses on it so much.

1 John 4:20-21 [NKJV] 20 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? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God [must] love his brother also.

Do you feel, like me, that there seems to be an awful lot of hate in the world? In the USA we’ve had many mass murders that are based on hate of an entire group, race or religion. It happens around the world as well. The human race seems to be unable to disagree without spewing hatred.

Proverbs 31:26 And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

But that is the world. Satan’s world. We can hardly expect anything different than hate in a world led be the top hater of the human race (Satan). What about the body of Christ?

It is not for me to judge the hearts of my brethren. That is, when I hear meanness and see unforgiveness, I cannot say it comes from hatred. But I can point out that John, the beloved, has some pretty strong words about it.

When sermons and articles include name-calling, mocking and belittling of politicians and their followers, I don’t know if it is hate, but it certainly doesn’t come across as love.

Sadly, I’ve had more than one non-believing relative tell me that they don’t think much of Christianity or Christ Jesus because of what they see and hear out of those who claim to be followers of Jesus. Ouch.

To be clear, they are not faulting me (as one who calls myself a Christian) for sticking with the 10 commandments or for keeping the Sabbath or because I am anti-abortion or because I have asked that they not take God’s name in vain in front of me. No, they actually respect me for that.

Their disgust for those who call themselves Christians has everything to do with divorced parents who don’t pay child support and leave their own children to struggle, ministers who molest children or commit adultery and get a pass to continue leading a church (just in another city or state), with those whose politics include hateful words, and with those whose self-righteousness shows no compassion on children at the border or those who struggle with addiction.

We are Jesus’ representatives on earth. If we are not known for loving PEOPLE in word and deed, it doesn’t matter how much we love God.

Sweet sisters, I know you are loving. I am pained that there are not enough Christians out there whose primary focus is showing love by caring for others and speaking with kindness. [See Matthew 25:31-46 and Proverbs 31:26]

We have to work harder and be more public about it. We must ask God to help us always speak kindness, letting it be the law to us. We must show love in giving to and visiting the needly.

It isn’t fair to be judged by association. Our response to that must be to redouble our efforts to show the love that we have for God BY the love we show to our fellow man. Inside the church and without.

We cannot be with God and Jesus in heaven right now. We love them from afar in that sense, though they are with us in mind, heart and spirit, IF we show love to others.

I urge us all, then, to take on a purer version of the Stephen Still song, “If can’t be with the One you love, honey, love the one you’re with” and love the ones we are with on this planet. Every one of them.

They are sinners, every one of them – just like us. They are also the beloved children of God who just don’t know Him as well as we do (or at all) right now.

Love them anyway. How else will they believe that we love God?

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

Letters from the Beloved: Love, Love, Love – Part 1

John, the self-titled “disciple whom Jesus loved” talks a LOT about love in his letters. We’ll be focusing on that too for a couple of blogs.

We can understand how the love of Jesus and His example impacted John, by recalling that Jesus called John one of the “sons of thunder” for wanting to call down fire from heaven on some folks [Mark 3:17] and noting that later John used the word “love” 35 times in just the five short chapters of his first letter. What a change!

1 John 4:17-19 [NKJV] 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

I have often heard it implied that “perfect love casts out fear” in every circumstance. If that were true, then why does it seem that Jesus feared the severe trial He was about to endure in brutal beating and torturous death He knew He faced? He certainly had mental torment, if you don’t want to call it fear.

Of course, God’s love makes us less afraid of many things, and the more we grow in love and in understanding God’s love and plan for us, the less we will fear those who can destroy only the body. That is because we learn that what is ahead for us is so much greater and more wonderful than anything this current world has to offer.

I like the way the New Living Translation puts this segment because of the way it addresses the issue more frankly and in a more direct manner.

1 John 4:17-19 [NLT] 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.

But let’s not miss that John is specifically discussing judgement day. Those with the love of God in them, need not fear standing before the Father on judgement day. In fact, John says, we will boldly face that day and our loving Judge specifically for two reasons:

1.      Because love has been perfected among us – that is in the example of Jesus we have witnessed perfect love in action.

2.      Because, as the NLT puts it, “we live like Jeus her in this world”.

The fear of judgement comes when “we have not fully experienced His perfect love”.  If we are afraid of judgemen,t then we have not let the love of God into our hearts and minds. We don’t fully comprehend or understand it.

Maybe we are holding back on forgiving ourselves when Jesus, out of His perfect love in action, has already paid the price for our sins. Maybe we think that God cannot or will not forgive something, when He sent His son to die for us so that He could forgive ALL sin.

That is exactly what the sacrifice – the brutal, undeserved death of Jesus – was for.

1 John 4:17 [NLT] 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

If we, as Christians, fear judgement day, then we are doing love all wrong. Maybe, however, it isn’t that we don’t understand God’s love for us, but that we don’t understand His love for everyone else.

If “we have not fully experienced His perfect love” it may be that we are not extending that love to others. Maybe we fear judgement because we condemn others whose sins are different than our sins. If we are doing that, sweet sisters, then we do have reason to fear judgement day.

Maybe we are fearful of judgement because of what we read in Matthew 7:1-2 [NKJV] 1 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

These should be chilling words to us IF we are judging others, whom Jesus also died for and whom the Father also loves and forgives. We ought to live with care, and, as John advises us, “love others because He first loved us”. That is how we “live like Jesus in the world”.

More on love to come…

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

Letters from the Beloved: Has anyone seen God?

No one has seen the Father, except Jesus, as He tells us in John 6:46 [NKJV] "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.”

Or have they?

John 14:9 [NKJV] “Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?”

No, no human has seen the Father, but those who walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry have seen the Father in and through Him.

But Jesus has gone back to heaven to be with our Father. So, are we left with no way of seeing the Father? Of course not, as we will see in the passage of 1 John we will reflect on in this blog.

Once again, John, the Beloved, reinforces a message he first heard from Jesus and report in his gospel.

1 John 4:12 [NKJV] “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

John repeats that no human has seen God. But, through showing love, love that is perfected in us by God dwelling in us, we are showing God to the world around us.

In 1 John 4, verses 7-9, the beloved tells us more than once that God is love. Then, in verse 17, John says, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”

“Because as He is, so are we in the world.” Love is perfected when we live like Jesus lived on this earth.

When others see us, they should see Jesus and, thereby, see the Father as well.

But, sweet sisters, I must report with great sadness that too many people see ugliness like polarizing political rhetoric that has replaced the message of His soon coming Kingdom. They hear the gospel of name calling, condemnation and sin ranking instead of the gospel of peace. They see churches greedy for riches and ornate buildings with leaders who accumulate great wealth instead of humble servants who share the riches of the Kingdom and help the poor. They see warmongering justified by the tenuous thread of a single scripture conveniently interpreted to their side in the conflict.

Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world”. John 18:36

Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”. John 8:11

Jesus ate with sinners and was their friend. Matthew 11:19.

Jesus taught us that tragedy cannot been linked to someone being a greater sinner than us. Luke 13:2-4.

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

Jesus said, “the Son of Man has no place to lay His head”. Luke 9:58

Jesus warned against leaders accumulating wealth at the expense of the needy. Matthew 23:14.

Jesus taught us that we will be judged by how much we help the needy. Matthew 25:31-46.

Jesus said, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”. Matthew 6:20.

Sisters, we can work toward righting the focus and reputation of the modern New Testament Church, through prayer and fasting, by setting a fight example both in the church and in our work/home/community, and by holding church leadership accountable, as Jesus did [See Matthew 23:15 and others].

1 John 4:12 [NKJV] “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

Sweet sisters, we were not called to judge others or get into political arguments or to build fancy church buildings.

But the most impactful thing we can do is to truly walk as Jesus walked on this earth. Setting that example – being the salt and the light in this world – is what we were called to do. Matthew 5:13-16.

Clothe the naked. Feed the hungry. Visit the sick and imprisoned. Let’s each be an army of one to spread love and peace by fulfilling the needs of others. We may not be able to turn around the reputation of the church, but we each have to opportunity to be an impactful example of Christ and the Father by being in the world as Jesus was when He was in the world.

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

Letters from the Beloved: This is a Test

In 1 John 4:1, the beloved disciple tells us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

We would do well to test the words of prophets and preachers against the inspired word of God, as John instructs us to do. Even in this age of ready access to information, those bringing false doctrines or false predictions sometimes creep into our congregations.

It would be good for us to be like Bereans, who, according to Acts 17:11, “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

However, there is another thought about testing the spirits that I’d like to explore.

The word translated “spirit” in this passage is the Greek word pneûma. It can mean a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze, mental disposition, or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit, mind.

While this word is the one often translated “Spirit” in “Holy Spirit”, it is interesting to me to note that it could mean “mental disposition” or “mind”.

It may be important to some of us to not believe everything that comes into our own minds. For many women I know (me included) negative self-talk is a habit we need to break. We might need to test our own thoughts to see if they are true.

When we are tempted to believe we are not worthy, we should recall that the scriptures tell us that the Worthy Lamb (as Jesus is called in Rev. 5:12) gave His life for us. How can we be unworthy when the Worthiest One was willing to be sacrificed for us?

Acts 17:11, “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

If we are tempted to believe God does not care, we should read that prayer of Jesus found in John 17, to see how our Savior, on the eve of His arrest, trial and death, asked the Father to watch out over us. Some of His last words and thoughts were focused on caring for us. John 17:15 [NKJV] "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”

If we are tempted to think that God either doesn’t see or has forgotten the good things we have done, we should recall Hebrews 6:10 [NKJV] For God [is] not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, [in that] you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Scripture tells us that He remembers and rewards even the smallest of good deeds, as we are told in Matthew 10:42.

If we are feeling that our future prospects are bleak or things seem dark and troubled, we should recall Jeremiah 29:11 [NKJV], where God says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. He is thinking of good, peace, a future and hope for us.

Of course, we can and should work to become more like Jesus and our Father. But when we undervalue ourselves, we disrespect His greatest creation – US!

Satan wants us to devalue ourselves. He’d like us to think that God has evil intentions or is holding out on us. That’s the first lie we see him using on mankind in the Garden of Eden. [See Gen. 3:5]

Test the words of the preachers and the prophets, sweet sisters, to ensure that they are true and God-inspired. And, please, be sure to test your own thoughts to see if they are from the Lord or a trick of Satan.

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

Letters from the Beloved: How to Abide

John, the Beloved, uses the word “abides” 5 times in his gospel. In every instance he is quoting Jesus teaching us the importance of abiding in God or God in us.

It’s no wonder, then, that John frequently talks about abiding in God and Jesus or having them abiding in us. He uses the word abides 13 times in 1 John.

Today, sweet sisters, let’s see what the beloved has to say about how to abide in God and how to have Him abide in us.

·        We must walk how He walked. 1 John 2:6 [NKJV] He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

·        We must not sin. 1 John 3:6 [NKJV] Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

·        We must keep His commandments. 1 John 3:24 [NKJV] Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

·        We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 4:15 [NKJV] Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

·        We must abide in (or live in) love. 1 John 4:16 [NKJV] And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

John also said that we know He abides in us because of the Holy Spirit He has given to us. [1 John 3:24, latter part] The Spirit is the proof of God in us. But a life of love and obedience, plus confessing Jesus is how others will know that we abide in Him.

The Greek word translated “abide” or “abides” in these scriptures is also translated “remain”, “tarry”, and “dwell” (or forms of these) throughout the New Testament. I find one especially touching.

In Matthew 26:38, Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, as He was about to wrestle in prayer in the garden, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.” [KJV] The New King James uses, “Stay here”. But the use of “tarry” hits me differently. To me it brings a little more weight to how human He was in that moment and in need of His friends to wrestle with Him, support Him and just be with Him as He was about to pray, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me…” (verse 39)

1 John 2:6 [NKJV] He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Jesus very much wants us to be in the struggle to save this world with Him. He is the only Savior, of course, but we are His laborers in the work.

And He is very much willing to tarry with us when we need a faithful friend to just be with us through troubling circumstances.

Abiding in God and Jesus is part of day-to-day walking the Christian walk. But oh how sweet it is to know that when we need Him to just be with us in those tough moments, He is there.   

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

Backed up to the Cloud and Searched Until Found

Luke 15:8-10 [NKJV] 8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds [it]? 9 "And when she has found [it], she calls [her] friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!' 10 "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

This evening I spent some time being as frantic as that woman must have been.

Earlier this week I finished tonight’s blog, translated it into Spanish and even created the graphic in both English and Spanish. All I needed to do was post tonight. I congratulated myself on working ahead.

Hebrews 6:10 [NIV] God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

Except that my computer upgraded itself last night and the blog is gone. So is the blog I wrote for last week, which has been posted and could be recovered from the Website.

So, I did the computer search equivalent of “sweeping and searching carefully” through files and folders and even the Cloud Drive. Nope. Gone.

And I wondered, “How would the story have ended if she didn’t find her coin? What would she do then?” Well, this is not one of those “Choose Your Own Ending” novels. She found her item of value. But I did not find mine.

Lesson learned. Don’t just hit save frequently, which did not, in fact save my blog from the back up that chose an earlier version of my blog document. Go ahead and back up to the cloud (which I have not been doing).

There is no backup plan for salvation. There is only one plan = God’s plan, which He laid out before the world began. Titus 1:2 [KJV] In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

There is no backup plan for salvation. There is only on name by which we can be saved = the name of Jesus Christ. John 3:18 [KJV] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

There is no backup plan for salvation. There is only one Good Shepherd whom we must follow. John 10:14, 27 [NKJV] "I am the good shepherd; and I know My [sheep], and am known by My own.” 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

When I could not find my blog, I gave up and started this one. Hopefully, I will be able to recreate the one intended for this week, based on 1 John 3:24. But I was too disappointed and sad (maybe a little mad at myself too) to restart that one tonight.

I gave up searching and just gave into the fact that it was irrevocably lost.

The good news, sweet sisters, is that One and Only Good Shepherd never gives up. If we are lost, He will never stop searching until He finds us.

Luke 15:4-7 [NKJV] 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 "And when he has found [it], he lays [it] on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 "And when he comes home, he calls together [his] friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

Let us rejoice that we will always be found by our Good Shepherd. And we can rejoice with the angels in that fact.

One more thing to rejoice about regarding backups: Your good deeds are backed up to the Spiritual Cloud, filed in God’ memory, where it will never be lost.

Hebrews 6:10 [NIV] God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

Take that, Microsoft Update!

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

Letters from the Beloved – Condemned or Confident?

Let’s be clear, if we repent and ask forgiveness, God forgives us. In fact, Psalm 103:12 [NKJV] tells us that, “As far as the east is from the west, [So] far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Our sins are gone. Outta here!

So then, why would John, the Beloved, need to say this: 1 John 3:20 [KJV] “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.”?

The New Living Translation put is this way: “Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.”

The fact that I may feel condemned or guilty, even though God has pronounced me innocent by the sacrifice of Jesus, must be perplexing to the heavenly beings. The fact that I would retain a feeling of condemnation or guilt after my sins have been removed as far as east is from west, might feel like a bit of a slap in the face to Jesus, who went through a horrible death to remove my sins from me.

Do I think I know better than God? Do I think the sacrifice of Jesus is not enough for me – for my sins? That’s not logical. It is, however, all too human.

The love of God is unfathomably great, generous – even reckless as the praise song “Reckless Love” (Cory Asbury) describes it. We don’t deserve it, could never earn it. So, sometimes we can get tempted by Satan to doubt it – to feel condemned in our hearts.

Perhaps our doubts stems from the fact that it takes so little to receive God’s forgiveness. He is not like the many false gods who require human sacrifice – passing sons and daughters into the fire to appease him. Instead, our loving Father sacrificed His son for us.

Unbelievable. Incredible. I know my sins. I am undeserving. But, when I repent, confess, and call upon the sacrificial blood of Jesus, God gives forgiveness to me anyway.

Sweet sisters, as incredible, expansive, endless, and reckless as the love of God may seem to us, we must give His forgiveness the respect it is due. That is, we must accept it, leave those sins far away (where God put them) and walk confidently forward in forgiveness.

We must let go of guilt and condemnation. Satan doesn’t want us to. But our Heavenly Father insists that we do.

The Beloved Disciple tells us in 1 John 3:21-22 [NLT] “Dear friends, if we don't feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.”

Did you catch that? We know that if we don’t forgive others, God will not forgive us. But John seems to be saying that if we want to receive our petitions, we can’t languish in unforgiveness of ourselves either. Nothing can stop our faith in God like holding on to the guilt and unworthiness that Jesus has washed away. We are holding up our own answered prayers when we hold onto guilt and condemnation.

Let it go! God wants to put it as far from you as the east is from the west. Hand it over. As we said as children, “no takesies backsies”!

If our prayers feel stuck, it might be because our hearts still condemn us for what the Father has sought to put away.

“Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.”

Every human is a mix of good and evil. We will struggle with sin until the day we die. But we, as believers, have a resource for removing condemnation and guilt, giving us the freedom to walk in obedience and bold confidence – giving us the potential to receive whatever we ask.

Let me leave you with the potent words of Dara Maclean in her song “Suitcases”:

You can't run when you're holding suitcases
Yes, it's a new day, throw away your mistakes
And open up your heart, lay down your guard
You don't have to be afraid

 Just breathe, your load can be lifted
There's a better way when you know you're forgiven
Open up your heart, lay down your guard
You don't have to be afraid

 There's nothing holding
You back now, just run

 Drop the baggage of past condemnation and run your race with the lightness of forgivenes, sweet sister.

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

No One Wants to be Job, Part 2

If you’ve never had something happen that was so traumatic (for your or someone you love) that you collapsed to the floor, face down and prayed something like, “What the inferno, God?!”, I’d just like to tell you that the day may come for any Christian.

John 11:41-42 [NKJV] 41 Then they took away the stone [from the place] where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up [His] eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said [this], that they may believe that You sent Me."

Not every Christian will go through Job-level trials. Not every Christian will know someone who does. But I believe that most of us who walk the Christian walk for more that a couple of years will have a moment or moments like this.

Last week I talked about being “Jobed” by God – that is God allowing Satan to persecute you to something like the level that Job endured. I also mentioned that when this happens to someone we care about, one of the best things we can do is to respond like Job’s friends – in the first seven days they were with Job. That is, we can sit quietly with them and share in their suffering.

When we are done sitting together in quiet reflection, we are going to want to pray a mighty prayer that saves, keeping in mind James 5:16 [NKJV] 16 … and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

“Effectual fervent” is defined as “to be active, efficient:—do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, shew forth self, work (effectually in)”.

If you are hoping for a magic formula for prayers that work, you may be disappointed. These words really mean no more than being active in prayer. No secret recipe for specific words to say or position to sit in, or length of time or warrior’s prayer closet needed.

God is simply telling us to mean it when we pray. Don’t phone it in. Be active in the prayer.

When we pray about Job-like trails, we will probably get emotional and that is perfectly fine. God can handle your tears and shouts. That is being active in prayer. We won’t “phone it in” on those days.

But let’s also keep in mind that if our prayers are focused by quiet and still, even just in our hearts, they can be “effectual” and “fervent” too. Remember: there is no magic formula. We should not make God out to be like Baal – or at least like the servants of the false god, Baal, thought he was – needing cries and jumping around and cutting ourselves to get attention. [See 1 Kings 18:20-29]

Elijah’s prayer was two verses long (compared to 9 verses – and multiple hours – of cutting and crying and pleading from the prophets of Baal) and brought down fire from heaven.

1 Kings 18:36-37 [YLT] 36 And it cometh to pass, at the going up of the [evening-]present, that Elijah the prophet cometh nigh and saith, 'Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to-day let it be known that Thou [art] God in Israel, and I Thy servant, that by Thy word I have done the whole of these things; 37 answer me, O Jehovah, answer me, and this people doth know that Thou [art] Jehovah God; and Thou hast turned their heart backward.’

Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead with a short prayer of thanksgiving. John 11:41-42 [NKJV] 41 Then they took away the stone [from the place] where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up [His] eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said [this], that they may believe that You sent Me."

Job-like trials do not happen to God’s people behind our Heavenly Father’s back. He knows what’s happening. You don’t have to be long and loud to impress God with your sincerity and faith. Be honest. Be truthful. Believe. God knows your heart. Just be you before Him and you too can “avail much” for yourself or others being “Jobed”.

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

No One Wants to be Job, Part 1

Ask any believer – child or adult – which Biblical character they’d like to imitate or whose life they’d like to live, and you may get answers like Abaraham, Daniel, King David, one of the Apostles, Esther, Ruth or Deborah. But I’m pretty sure no one is going to say Job.

Don’t get me wrong, we all admire his faithfulness in such a severe trial. But no reasonable, self-respecting human is going to ask to go through that. In fact, we all probably secretly hope, or maybe some of us even boldly pray, that God will not “Job” us.

I certainly don’t want to be “Jobed” by God. It would be nice to know that the Heavenly Father was as proud of me and my uprightness as He was of Job’s. Looking at my life from the inside out, I don’t envision God saying, “Have you considered My servant, Nancy, that there is none like her on the earth, a blameless and upright woman, who fears God and shuns evil?”. [See Job 1:8] God pulled His hedge of protection away and let (almost) the full force of Satan’s evil access to Job.

While we may hope and pray not to be “Jobed” (or tried as Job was), I believe we all also hope and pray that if it ever comes to that we will show the faith and uprightness that Job showed in spite of a horrific trial. If I ever lose everything in one fell swoop, as Job did, I want to face it with the kind of faith he did and come out on the other side knowing that I was forever changed for the better by the experience.

Job’s story is definitely a “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” tale.

Job 2:13 [KJV] 13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that [his] grief was very great.

I’m thinking of Job and about being “Jobed” today because a God-fearing, God-serving, loving family is swimming in the churning sea of a life-altering trial right now. What they are going through has already forever changed their lives and they have no idea when they will come out on the other side – or whether that will happen in this life or the next.

If someone you know is having a Job-like trial, there are a few easy options from the Bible that strike me as a good way to help:

1.      Be like Job’s friends in the first seven days they were with him and just sit with your friend. Don’t give advice, don’t try to tell them it will pass, and don’t compare your trials to theirs (even if yours truly is worse). Just sit. Just be with him/her. [Job 2:11-13}

2.      Don’t be like Job’s friends after the first 7 days =

a.      Don’t try to analyze why they are facing this trail.

b.      Don’t point out their faults.

c.      Don’t try to speak for God.

3.      Pray without ceasing [1 Timothy 5:17]. And then pray some more. Ask everyone you know who is a God-fearing person to pray too.

4.      Stick with them through it all. [Proverbs 18:24] Don’t get weary in prayer or sitting with them. Proverbs 27:10 [NLT] Never abandon a friend--either yours or your father's. When disaster strikes, you won't have to ask your brother for assistance. It's better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

No one wants to be “Jobed”, but it may happen to you or someone you know someday. It may happen to me. If it does, we will need true friends to help us through.

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

Some Fishy Multiplication

This week I was reading a book that I got at the Shine Women’s conference in Tyler, TX this past September. It is the story of the woman who started Shine, Suzy Shepherd, titled “You are a Warrior – How to Live a Life Worth Dying For”.

In it, Shepherd mentions the story of Jesus turning the 5 loaves and 2 fishes into a meal for thousands with 12 baskets of food left over. Interestingly, this is the story I’ll be teaching my 3–6-year-olds in Sabbath school today. (John 6: 1-14)

What Shepherd points out that I want to focus on today is that a “lad”, which means “little boy”, seems to have willingly given up his small lunch. What faith! What trust is Jesus! This little boy gave up what he had, gambling that he could go hungry or at least that it still might not be enough for everyone. Maybe this was his family’s lunch. Or maybe the loaves and fish were small enough that they were meant on to feed him. Perhaps he’d brought them along to sell to others.

No matter why he, after all this time, still have food when no one else seemed to have the assurance of making it home without fainting, we don’t know. What we do know is that he risked all he had for the sake of the greater good. He put his faith in Jesus.

I cannot help but connect this story to Luke 18:15-17 [NKJV], where it days,  “15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw [it], they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to [Him] and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

There is nothing at all fishy about the trust of a little child. This is how they operate, at least until the world starts teaching them differently. What is a bit “fishy”, is that (1) It was only after the crowd was fed that the declared, “This is truly to Prophet who is to come into the world.” And (2) That the adults either lost or never actually understood the spiritual implications of Jesus’ act of feeding them, as we see in John 6:26-27 - 26 “Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

Sweet sisters, we can not afford to be fickle in putting our faith and trust in Jesus – one day praising His miracles, the next day forgetting the spiritual in our rush to see some physical blessing come our way.

How often do we forget that He is able to multiply our offerings – whether money or goods or talents – into something that honors the Father and nourishes the spiritually hungry, lost and weary? How often do we just hope to hear or read about big numbers being donated, instead of focusing on big changes in our lives, the members of our churches and our communities that come from our willingness to give what paltry thing we have over to our Savior?

How often do we disparage our small gifts, means or abilities instead of trusting in Jesus’ ability to multiply? You see, when we give a little, He is the one who blesses and grows it to His use.

Do any of us sometimes have the opposite issue – thinking what we give is something big because there are so many zeros behind the dollar amount or because we receive praise and thanks from others? Even if there are 6 digits behind the dollar sign, it is a paltry thing because it is only a fraction of the power, majesty, wealth and abundance of God. Only He can put our gifts to good use. Only He can multiply the productivity of our offerings.

John 6:27 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

We are required to do our part with the talents we are given. (Sett Matthew 25:14-30) We cannot elect to just sit on them. BUT we should understand that the multiplication – the effectiveness and growth --actually is the work of God. I could preach all day. I could give all my money to the poor. It might come to nothing without the blessing of God that multiplies the effectiveness of those gifts.

1 Corinthians 3:7 [NKJV] So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

The lesson – at least one of the lessons – of John 6 is that, while we must give what we have, the more important thing to focus on is the work that God then does with what we give.

There is no way for me to multiply 2 fish and 5 loaves to feed 5,000. But if I am willing to give up my lunch to His service, Jesus’ math can handle it, with basketfuls to spare.

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

Connection: To Infinity and Beyond

We have been focusing on connections this week. Today, I invite you to connect to the future that God gave in a vision to John, as outlined in my most favorite scripture.

Revelation 21:4 [NLT] He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."

The beauty of this scripture brings me to tears (ironic, I know). As we see the pain and sorrow, the death and crying all around, from those near, like family and friends, to those far, in impoverished and war torn countries, we long for the fulfillment of this scripture.

The land and the people will be washed with healing waters. Romans 8:22; Rev. 22:1-5.

And all those who thirst for Him, for a better life, for opportunity, for truth, for a better life will find living water. John 7:37-38

Today, I invite you to connect to your future - our future. This world is temporary, but what we look for, hope for, and pray for, what God offers to all who believe now and in the future, will last to infinity and beyond!

Praise God that this is His promise to us!

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

Connection: Connect to Someone Different

The early New Testament Church had a connection problem.

There were whole cities who lost out on miracles because they could not connect the Messiah who came with the Messiah they expected. (See Mark 6:1-5 for example)

The disciples could not always connect the dots properly between Jesus’ words and what they were to learn. (See Mark 16:6-12 for example)

The leaders of Jesus’ time had trouble with the fact that Jesus connected with “sinners” because they ranked the sins of others as worse than their own.

They had trouble connecting with the fact that the Gospel was meant for people like the Samaritans and the Gentiles.

But the Gospel message is for everyone, regardless of race, country, social status, gender, history, etc. Our shared state of “sinner” and “redeemed” and, most importantly, “child of God” is all the connection we should need.

So, today, I invite us to connect to someone “different” than us. LMK how it goes.

You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Connection: Connect to Your Dream(s)

I’m reading the book of Mark right now, looking at the ministry and works of Jesus through this shortest of the Gospels. Today, as I read chapter 5, I was struck by the response or reaction of the people of Gardarenes to the miracle of the casting out of a legion of demons from the man living among the tombs.

Rather than being amazed (in a good way) or joyful or thankful, they were fearful and asked Jesus to leave. And I wondered how many times fear has led me to not asking for something - or just asking too small.

Today, I invite you to connect or reconnect to a big dream that you have been fearful or hesitant to ask for in the past. Do not ask small and risk turning away big miracles and greater works of Jesus in your life.

Almost anything we asked can bring glory to God if done according to His will. So, do not second guess God and whether or not He will give you the desire of your heart. Just ask and expect God’s mightly response.

He may surprise you with how He responds or how He makes it come true. However, sweet sisters, we cannot let fear of a no, or worse, fear of a “yes” cause us to turn Jesus away when we know in our hearts (and from scripture) that He wants to give BIG.

If you are bold enough, please share your dream with me, so that I can pray for it too. You can write me in the comments or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMInistries.org.