Not Far Away

"For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.
It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it."
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (NKJV)

There are some things that are near to us and some things that are far away.  For example, the ground we walk on is obviously very near to us.  On the other hand, the moon is very far away and only a few people have ever been there.  If something is near to us, it is easily accessible, but if something is far away, it is not as accessible and not so easy to get to.  If you needed something, it would be good to have it nearby rather than far away where you could not make use of it. 

People have a lot of different ideas about who God is and how God speaks to us; some people think it is all very mysterious.  Some people think that God is too distant and uncaring to interact with us and it would be extremely rare to actually hear from God.  But God has given us His Word, the Bible, and we have it available to us in so many ways.  This is really great news for us!  The God who created the universe has given us His Words to read, study and learn from.

We don't have to wish some angel would come down to us from heaven with God's Word, we already have it!  We don't have to find some explorer to go over the ocean or search through the deepest jungle to find God's Word, we already have it!   There is no need to climb a mountain or cross the desert to find God's Word, we already have it!  Yes, thank God, we have the Holy Spirit and God has given us men and women who are great teachers and preachers of God's Word, but thank God for His Word, the Bible, that is available to each one of us.

The Right Question

"Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."
Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)

If I was interested in what the temperature was, should I ask someone if it was raining?  If I did ask someone if it was raining, should I be surprised that they did not tell me if it is hot or cold outside?  If I said to someone, "What time is it?", when I really needed to know what the date is today, should I be unhappy and frustrated when they do tell me the time?  If we have a question, and we want the right answer to our question, we would of course have to first ask the right question.

One thing I have seen over all the years I have been a Christian, and in the years I have been teaching in Bible schools and churches, is that many believers are frustrated and living below the standard that God has for them.  God has provided so much for us through Jesus, and God has a great plan for our lives.  As we find and fulfill God's plan and purpose for our life, we will experience the abundant life that God has promised us and that Jesus talked about in John 10:10, but we must put God and His Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33).

God tells us that if we call on Him, He will answer us, and show us things that we don't know.  But we first have to ask and we also need to be sure we are asking according to God's will.  Our first question should always be, "Heavenly Father, what is your will for my life?" rather than, "God, how can I fulfill my dreams and plans?", or "God, how can I have all your blessings?".  As we ask the right question about God's will for our life, we will find the answers to the other questions that we have about the details of our life.

Walking In Love - How Hard Did You Look?

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;"
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NKJV)

When you lose or misplace something, you usually look for it until you find it.  How hard you look for something depends on how much you want to find it.  For example, one time I misplaced my passport.  If I am not carrying my passport with me, there is one place I usually keep it, and when I could not find my passport, I looked as soon as I could, every place that I could, until I found it.  But, if I had lost an old pen, I would not bother looking for that, because it has no real value to me.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul talked about what real love is and how love acts.  One characteristic of love is seen in 1 Corinthians 13:5 where it tells us that loves "does not seek its own".  In other words, love does not seek what it wants, love seeks what others want and need.  If you are really walking in love and displaying the love of God towards someone, you are not focused on what you want, you are interested in what the other person is interested in and you are looking for the things they are looking for.

In the area of walking in love, how hard do we look to help others and meet the needs of others compared to our own?  Are we only seeking what benefits us, or are we considering others and seeking what is best for them, regardless of our own interests?  If things were reversed, how much would we want others to help us find what we are looking for?  True love helps others find what they are looking for; this is an area that we can all develop in.

Take That Step

"So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"  Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
Acts 9:6 (NKJV)

Most people like to have things figured out in advance.  Some people are more spontaneous than others and are willing to take a step without knowing what the next one might be, but almost everyone likes to have a plan where they know what is going to happen next and what needs to be done to be successful.  For many of us, the more information and details we have, the more willing we are to do what we need to do.  But whether we know one step, two steps, or three steps we need to take, we still need to take the first step.

Paul, who was formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, did great things for God once he met Jesus.  Many people admire the Apostle Paul and desire to do great things for God like he did, but they don't know where to start.  The good thing is, that anything we do for God starts with the first step.  And, we can learn a great lesson from the life of Paul, we need to take the step we know to take, no matter how many steps after that we may or may not know about.

In Acts 6, we see that Paul wanted to know what God wanted him to do, and all Paul got was a first step.  What if Paul had not taken that first step, would he have ever known the next step and done the things God wanted him to do?  What if Paul had said he was going to wait until God gave him some more information before moving?  If that was the case, Paul would never have moved.  We need to be like Paul and take the step we have now.  As we do, God will give us more steps, and lead us step by step into His wonderful plan for our life!

Anticipation Or Trepidation?

"For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
Psalm 107:9 (NKJV)

Have you ever had to go someplace that you didn't really want to go?  Maybe it was a visit to the dentist, or going somewhere that involved seeing someone you did not want to see.  But, on the other hand, have you ever had someplace to go that you could hardly wait until you got there?  Maybe you had been planning a great vacation and you were excited about the trip long before you took it and you were filled with anticipation, rather than anxiety and trepidation as in the first situation.

Every year as we go from December to January and another calendar year approaches, some people eagerly look forward to a "New Year" with anticipation while others have a sense of dread and only feel trepidation.  Some people view the future through the experiences of the past and they are not looking forward to what may come next.  But no matter what the past has been like, we need to remember that God is on our side, His Word is true, Jesus is still our Lord and Savior, and with God our future is always bright!

While there are problems and challenges in life, none of that changes God and His Word!  We need to anticipate that good things will come to us this next year.  God is ready and willing to satisfy the longing in our soul of better days ahead and good things coming to us.  No matter what we have had in the past and what has happened this last year, we can still expect the best with God in the next year!  It is up to us how we face the future, and I choose to have an expectation that God is good and the best is yet to come!  How about you?

Simple Math

"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 
But be ye doers of the word, and not hears only, deceiving yourselves."
James 1:21-22 (NKJV)

Of all the subjects I had in school, my favorite was history and math was my least favorite subject.  But even though I did not do as well in math as I did in history, I still know some simple, basic principles of math.  Two plus two equals four, and four is a greater amount than two.  Those are some very simple mathematical concepts.  No one could just say that in their opinion, sometimes two plus two is two, or that two is greater than four, those statements are simply wrong.

James 1 talks about saving the soul through receiving God's Word.  James wrote his letter to believers, not trying to get them born again, but to help them understand that God's Word would make a difference in their mind and in their life.  While it is really not possible to spend a greater amount of time each day in God's Word than we do with everything else, we do need to have a regular time of reading and studying the Bible to add God's Word to our life, so that our thoughts and ideas are in line with God's.

There are a lot of thoughts that may go through our mind, so we need to be sure that we are filling our mind with God's thoughts from His Word.  If someone reads the Bible for five minutes a day, but spends an hour on social media or watching television, are they renewing their mind and saving their soul?  Spending more time with things that are contrary to God's Word than we do with God's Word will not help us renew our mind, that just does not add up right, it's just simple math.

Part Of The Process

"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 (NKJV)

Over a period of several months in Germany, I watched the process of a building being built.  First, workers came to clear the ground and to prepare for the foundation.  Then, workers arrived to set the foundation for the building, and other workers came to build the walls, the roof, and so on.  The question is, who built that building?  The answer is that every worker who was a part of the process built it.  It was not something that just one person did, there were many people involved in the process. 

The church in Corinth had a problem where some people were focused on their favorite minister, like Paul and Apollos.  Paul wrote to them about how doing this was wrong, because while he had one part to play and Apollos had another, God giving the increase was the most important thing.  Without someone planting, there is no watering, and if someone planted but no one watered, the planting would be useless.  But, without God being involved, none of it would matter; each person has a part in God's process of building the Church.

Today, we all have some people that we identify with and receive from more than others, but each one is just a part of the building process.  The same is true with every believer in the Body of Christ.  Each member of the Body is important and has a part to play in the process of building the Church.  We all need to recognize our part of the process and get involved, and we also need to remember that the most important thing is that we are a part of God's building process, not our own, and God causes it to grow and increase, not us.

Dead Or Alive?

"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."
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) 

There are two basic conditions a person could be in, dead or alive.  That may sound strange, but it is a fact that a person is either dead or alive, you cannot be both at the same time.  Someone may be in a coma or a serious physical condition because of a medical issue, but that person is still alive.  Someone is considered dead who has stopped breathing, their heart has stopped beating, and there is no more brain function.  No one could be seen as being both alive and dead, it is one or the other.

One advantage that Christians have over other religious beliefs is that we have the Word of God available to us.  Some religions follow the teachings of some great leader, and some groups have things that they say come from their god, but it is different for those who believe in God the Father and Jesus Christ, or at least it should be.  Christians talk about the Bible as having come from God, but unfortunately the Bible is not the final authority for many and it is not a living reality in their lives.

We either take the Bible as the living Word of God or not, the Bible either came from the Creator of the universe or it did not.  If the Bible is not alive to us, if we do not acknowledge the Bible as God's Word, then what is it and why pay attention to it?  As Hebrews 4:12 tells us, God's Word is alive!  The Bible is God's Word, not some dead book of historical facts and stories that are nice to hear.  We need to take God's Word for what it is, realize it has extreme importance for our lives today, and do all we can to learn and understand it

Information, Misinformation, Disinformation

"Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus said to him, "It is written again, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
Matthew 4:5-7 (NKJV)

There are many ways that people get information and find out about what is happening in the world.  However, not all of the information we receive today is accurate and factual.  Some of what is presented as information (facts, knowledge, and data), is really misinformation (incorrect or misleading information), and even disinformation (false information deliberately spread to conceal the truth).  The question then is, how can we tell what is accurate information and what is not? 

The answer to what is information, misinformation, or disinformation depends on the topic.  For example, if I want to have accurate information about my computer, I should go back to the owner's manual from the computer company and not just ask the first person I see on the street.  For Christians, we have to go back to our best source of information, the Bible, to see what is true and accurate for us; this of course means we need to spend time in God's Word to know what it says.

When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, the devil presented Jesus with misinformation.  The devil quoted most of Psalm 91:11-12, but the devil presented what was said in a misleading way.  Jesus was very familiar with God's Word and His response was to bring accurate information from Deuteronomy 6:16 to refute what the devil had said.  This is the way we must also respond, with God's Word.  We need to know the facts of God's Word for ourselves to avoid and recognize whatever misinformation or disinformation the devil and the world present to us.

The Thankful Choice

"And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
Gideon said to Him, " O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?  And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?'  But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."
Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.  Have I not sent you?"
Judges 6:12-14 (NKJV)

What if someone presented you with a stone and told you that you could keep the stone or you could have a piece of chocolate instead?  Unless you did not like chocolate, you would probably get rid of the stone and take the chocolate.  Would it be logical to just feel bad and complain about having a stone when you could have the chocolate?  Maybe you would rather have something else instead of the chocolate, but wouldn't it be better to focus on what you do have than what you don't? 

In Judges 6 we read about Gideon.  Gideon was an Israelite who lived during a time when Israel was being dominated by their enemies.  The good thing was that God wanted to use Gideon to defeat Israel's enemies.  But, when the Angel of the Lord came to tell Gideon the good news, all Gideon could do was focus on his problems and questions about why things were not better than they were.  As Gideon was being presented with the answer to his problems, all Gideon could do at first was to complain about the situation.

So often we are like Gideon, we spend time looking at the negative aspects of the situation we are in, rather than consider the positive things.  Gideon could have made the choice to be thankful that God was ready to deliver Israel, or that God was going to use him, rather than wonder why he did not see some things the way he thought he should.  What about us, are we going to be thankful about the positive things that are going on, or will we complain about the negative things?  We need to make the thankful choice and give thanks for the things we can, and not just complain about the bad things in life.

Our Defense

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence."
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler."
Psalm 91:1-4 (NKJV)

One thing that has always been important for soldiers is protection and defense.  In ancient times, one of the best defenses and protections a soldier could have was a shield.  There were different types of shields, some were large and some were small.  Small shields were called a buckler, and they were used for close-quarters combat.  But, no matter what the size, soldiers wanted to have a shield; without a shield a soldier was defenseless and an easy target for the enemy. 

The Bible tells us that we have an enemy, the devil.  We need to be sure we are taking advantage of the spiritual armor that God has provided for us, as Paul talked about in Ephesians 6:11-18, to be able to defend ourselves against any attack from the devil.  One part of our spiritual armor that is very important is the shield of faith.  But what is the shield of faith all about?  Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, so the shield of faith has to do with God's Word.

God's Word is what is used as our defense against any and every attack of the enemy.  As we look at what Psalm 91 shows us about God's protection, we see in verse four that "His truth will be your shield and buckler".  If God's Word is our shield and buckler, then without God's Word we are defenseless.  We need to fill ourselves with the Word of God to have a shield that is strong enough to withstand any attack that the enemy brings.  Build up your defense today through God's Word, don't let yourself be defenseless.

Airplane Windows

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

One thing that has always puzzled me is how often people open the shades to look out the airplane windows on international flights.  On international flights I have taken, from the USA to Europe or from Europe to the USA, most of the flying time the aircraft is over the ocean, as well as up in the clouds, so there is really nothing to see.  Still, people will repeatedly open the window to look outside, and pretty much all they ever see is clouds.  It would be better to just sit back and do your best to enjoy the flight.

Faith is a key element in the Christian life.  We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), without faith we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6), the just shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11), and we walk by faith not sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  All of this talks about faith, which comes from God's Word (Romans 10:17) and is not based on what we see (Hebrews 11:1).  From this we learn that we are saved, we please God, and we live by God's Word and not by what we see.

Too often, instead of taking a stand in faith on what God has said in His Word, we are looking around for some natural evidence that will help us locate ourselves in what we dealing with.  But, with anything we are facing in life, from the point of our salvation onward, we need to put our confidence and trust in God and relax in our faith knowing that God's Word is true and He is faithful to do what He has said He will do.  Take your stand in faith on God's Word and don't bother "looking out the windows", there is nothing we need to see out there.

How Do You Take It?

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Acts 17:11 (NKJV)

Many people like coffee and there are a variety of ways that people take their coffee.  When I am on an airplane, for example, and I ask for coffee, they always ask if I take it with cream and sugar.  How I take my coffee will make a difference in how it will taste to me.  If I add a lot of cream or a lot of sugar to the coffee, it will have a big impact on the taste of the coffee.  But one thing is for sure, you have to start with coffee because that is the basic ingredient of the drink.

The people in the city of Berea were people who "received the Word with all readiness of mind".  The Bereans were people who had the right attitude about God's Word and they received the Word, they took the Word, in the right way; they were eager to hear and receive the Word.  Just like you could add a lot of cream or sugar to your coffee to make it so that the taste of the coffee is dramatically altered, you can take God's Word in a way that will dramatically alter the "taste" you have of the Word of God.

If we read and study God's Word with the wrong attitude, we are taking it the wrong way and we will miss the benefits of it.  As James 1:21 tells us, we need to receive the Word with meekness, which is talking about humility and a mild attitude rather than a combative and resisting attitude.  How we take God's Word will have a major impact on our spiritual growth and development, as well as our ability to work with and help other people.  We all need to have the right attitude about receiving God's Word.

Well Done, Or Just Done

"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
Acts 20:24 (NKJV)

In a school, you will take classes about different subjects and for each class you will receive a grade when that class is done.  Sometimes a person does an excellent job with the subject they are learning about in class and they receive a very good grade, and sometimes people do not do so well and they receive a poor grade.  The main goal is to pass the class, and while everyone wants a good grade, some people are just happy to finish the class and pass.

In Acts 20:24, Paul talked about finishing his course, with joy.  In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul said he had fought the good fight, finished his race, and kept the faith.  Paul did not just say that he finished the course, but he finished with joy!  Paul did not say he just fought and had faith, but he said he fought the good fight and that he had kept the faith.  Paul's goal was not just to finish and be done with what God called him to do, Paul's goal was to finish in the best way that he could!

In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the faithful servants were commended for doing a good job with the words of "Well done" and not just, "Well, at least you are done".  In the same way, Paul did not want to just barely cross the finish line of the race that God gave him to run, Paul wanted to fulfill the will of God as best he could. Paul did not want to just pass the class and make it through, Paul wanted to get the best "grade" he could for doing the will of God.  We need to have the same attitude that Paul did and strive to do the best we can in the will of God.

All The Weights

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." 

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) 

For most of my adult life, I have run for exercise and even for fun.  When running, you want to be sure you dress correctly and wear clothing that is designed for running.  With the shoes and clothes you wear, weight is always a consideration.  You never want to carry more weight than you need to, because the more weight you have the harder it is to run and the sooner you are tired out.  With less weight, you can run faster and longer than you would when you carry more weight. 

Hebrews 12 talks about us running our race, which is talking about living our life, doing the will of God.  Hebrews 12 tells us to lay aside all the weight and sin that would hinder us from running our race for God.  Most people will acknowledge that sin is bad and we need to eliminate sin from our life.  But what many people don't realize is that while sin is bad and will hinder us from fulfilling the will of God, the weights we carry in our life can hinder us just as much as sin can. 

It is easy to realize that robbery and murder are bad, but what about bitterness and lying?  Bitterness and lying can be weights in our life.  We could also spend an excessive amount of time on social media, watching movies, television, or sports and that can be a weight in our life.  These types of things are not really bad in themselves, but too much of them can become a problem.  We all need to examine our lives, and allow God to show us if we have any extra weights in our life that we need to get rid of, so that we can run the race that God has called us to.