Keep An Eye On That

"And say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it:"
Colossians 4:17 (NKJV)

Have you ever had someone tell you to keep an eye on something, or have you ever told someone that?  The reason for saying this is that you or another person wants to make sure that a certain thing stays where it is, or because there is something that has to be monitored for some reason.  No one would tell you to keep an eye on something that is unchangeable, but rather the thing in question needs someone to pay attention to it so that everything is the way that it should be.

In Colossians 4:17 Paul tells Archippus to, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it".  The words "take heed" mean to "keep an eye on", or "to look at".  This shows us that it is also possible to not keep an eye on or look at something.  The reason Paul gives for this attention is so that Archippus could fulfill the ministry he received from the Lord.  An interesting question here would be that if Archippus had not kept an eye on the ministry he received from God, would he have fulfilled it?

Paul says that Archippus received something from God, but that Archippus had to keep an eye on it for it to be fulfilled.  Is it possible that without some attention given by Archippus, God's plan and purpose for his life would not have been fulfilled or completed, and is that same thing possible in our lives?  Even though God has a wonderful plan for us, if we are not keeping an eye on things, we may not receive or do everything that God intended.  We need to be sure to properly pay attention to everything that God has given us in our lives.

What And How You Hear

"If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.
Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.
For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
Mark 4:23-25 (NKJV)

One thing that I notice, on almost every flight I take, is that when the safety instructions are given, most people don't pay attention.  Normally, I will pay attention to the flight attendants during this time, if for no other reason than to be respectful and polite while they do their job.  The flight safety instructions are for the benefit of those of us on the airplane, and it is important information that is being given, which could actually mean the difference between life or death in some situations, so it is good to pay attention to what is being said.

When we read about Jesus and His ministry in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we see that Jesus did a lot of teaching.  There were a lot of people who heard what Jesus said, but not everyone benefited from His teaching, a prime example of this would be the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  Because these people heard, but were not really listening to what was said, they did not get what they should have from Jesus' teaching.  What they heard was right, but how they heard was not so good.

What we hear and how we hear is important.  We need to pay attention to God's Word when we hear it, and be careful that we don't make the mistake of looking at the Word like it is trivial, because we have heard it before, we think we already know it, or we think that what we are hearing does not really apply to us.  When we have the opportunity to hear God's Word, whether we are reading it for ourselves or we are in church or some other meeting, we need to have open, and receptive, ears to hear the Word and receive the Word.

When The Rooster Crowed

"Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!"
A second time the rooster crowed.  Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  And when he thought about it, he wept."
Mark 14:71-72 (NKJV)

For most people, when they do something wrong, whether it is intentional, or even unintentional, it is when they recognize what is wrong that they regret what they did and wish they had not done it.  But the thing is, while everyone makes mistakes and does things wrong, the real difference is what people do next.  To do something wrong and regret it is one thing, but to turn away from that wrong and not just stay in the place of regret is another thing all together.

Peter was someone who walked with Jesus, heard Jesus teach, saw the miracles and healings that were done through Jesus, and Peter still denied Jesus.  We can sit back and read about Peter's denial and say we would never do such a thing, but the truth is that we have all done things we should not have done.  This is when we need to understand that God still loves us, although He does not approve of what we have done, but God wants us to turn from our mistakes and come back into right fellowship with Him.

Just like when Peter heard the rooster crow, where he realized and regretted his mistake, we too will find ourselves in situations where we realize a mistake was made and we feel terrible about it.  In the same way that the angel at the tomb specifically mentioned that Peter needed to be where Jesus would be, we need to realize that God is calling us to return to the relationship we once had with Him.  Next time you make a mistake, don't just regret it and condemn yourself, turn from the problem and realize that God's love never changes, and the best place for us to be is in a close relationship with Him.

Seasonal Work

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:"
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

Even though I grew up in Wisconsin, I never shoveled snow in July.  During the months of November, December, and January I usually did some snow shoveling, but I never cut the grass during that time.  Unless there are some strange weather patterns taking place, snow shoveling is done in the winter and people cut grass in the summertime.  Each season of the year has some different things that are usually associated with it, and that is fine, because we understand that there are different seasons.

Just like there are different seasons during the year, there are different seasons in our life, naturally and spiritually, and the things we do and how we do them will differ.  If we do not understand the different seasons we go through, naturally and spiritually, we may have some problems.  In the same way that we grow and develop naturally from childhood to being an adult, where what we do and how we do those things change, the same is true spiritually as we grow from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity.

As the Bible tells us, there is a time and season for everything, but we are not always in the same season.  And while there should be development and improvement with what we do in our life and our relationship with God, and how we do those things, just because there is a change does not mean we are missing something.  Even though things in our relationship with God and what we do to serve Him changes, it does not mean that something is wrong, we may just be in a different season than we were before.

And You ...

"In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,"
Colossians 2:5-7 (NKJV)

The word "and", is used as a conjunction, which means it is a way to connect two words.  A person could say that they did something, but by adding the word "and", along with another person, there is then the indication that both people were involved in that thing.  For example, someone could say, "I had a great day today", or they could say "I had a great day today, and so did Jim".  This second sentence shows that both of the people shared in the same experience and it was not something limited to the one person.

Christians know that Jesus died on the cross and that He rose from the dead, this is something that is a basic part of Christianity.  But what Christians don't always seem to understand is that how everything Jesus did, He did for us.  Jesus did not need to go to the cross for His own sin, Jesus bore the sin of the world.  Yes, Jesus conquered sin, rose from the dead, and defeated the devil, but as the Bible clearly shows us, we were included in everything Jesus did.

As Colossians 2:6 tells us, Jesus was raised from the dead, and you were too!  Jesus defeated the devil and sin, and you did too!  Everything Jesus did was credited to us, because Jesus suffered and died in our place, and by our faith in what Jesus did, we too partake of those benefits.  This is in no way trying to diminish Jesus and what He did, but this is to help us understand that we too were raised to a new life in Christ.  So, when you read about all of the great things that Jesus did, remember it is credited to you too!

Ready, Set, ... Wait

"Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Acts 13:1-2 (NKJV)

When I was involved in running sports in high school, normally, before the race began, we knew about the course we were to run and we did everything that we could to prepare ourselves.  But even after we got ready and lined up at the starting point, we still had to wait for the race to officially begin.  Usually there was some official who would signal the beginning of the race, but until they let us know it was time to start, we were not allowed to begin the race, and if we did, it was called a false start and we had to line up again.

In Acts 13, we see the beginning of the ministry of Barnabas and Paul, who was then known as Saul.  In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."  We can learn several things from this.  We see that there was something that Barnabas and Paul were already called to do, by God, but it was not until this point that the Holy Spirit gave them the go ahead to be separated to the work they were called to.

Barnabas and Paul were already called to do something, but it was not until the Holy Spirit gave them the signal to start that they began.  Sometimes with what God has called us to do, it is a case of, ready, set, ... wait.  Spending time with God, through His Word and in prayer, we learn what to do, when to do it, and how it needs to be done, we don't just decide for ourselves.  Even if we know what to do, without God's timing and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will not have the success we should, and we may not even accomplish what God is calling us to do.

Trash Or Treasure?

"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."
James 1:21 (NKJV)

To determine what something is worth, there has to be some way to evaluate it.  It has been said that one person's trash is another person's treasure, in the sense while one person may not consider something to be valuable, another person sees a value in that thing.  But this idea is very subjective and based on personal opinion.  The only way to really know if something should be considered trash or treasure is if there is some objective way to evaluate it, by taking personal opinion and preference out of the situation.

There are many standards that could be used to evaluate something, but those standards are often just based on current trends or popular opinion.  The only way to know what is truly valuable, what is good or bad, and what is right or wrong is if there is some objective standard to look at.  Fortunately, there is such a standard, we have the Bible to show us what is true and false, what is good or bad, and what really is trash or treasure.  God's Word has stood the test of time as an accurate standard that can be used to determine what is right and wrong.

So many times, people, even Christians, try to use something other than the Bible as their standard for evaluation, but this is a dangerous thing to do.  As James says, we need to "lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word".  Without the standard of God's Word, how will we know what is filthy and wicked, or clean and good?  The Bible, God's Word, is the standard for Christians, or it at least should be, and God's Word will show us what is good or bad, trash or treasure.

Are You Really Ready?

"If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?  And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?"
Jeremiah 12:5 (NKJV)

The phrase, "I can do that myself" is something that children will sometimes say when an adult tries to help them with something that the child thinks they are able to do on their own.  But what often happens is that when the child tries to do the thing they were so confident about doing, the child is not really ready to actually do that thing successfully.  While children do grow up and take on responsibilities of their own, they first have to learn and develop in how to do those things by themselves.

Spiritual growth and development are something that should be normal for a Christian; if that is not taking place, then something is wrong.  But what can happen with natural children can also happen with spiritual children.  Sometimes a Christian senses God leading them into some type of ministry work, and that Christian does everything that they can to take a step into doing that thing right away, only to find out that they are not yet at the necessary point of spiritual development actually needed to do that thing.

We all need spiritual growth and development, and what God is giving us to do today will actually prepare us for the tomorrow that He has planned.  If we are not faithfully and successfully doing what we have at hand to do today, how will we do the "bigger" things that God has planned for us in the future? Our biggest question should not be about what bright future does God have planned for me, but what opportunities has God given me now that I can be faithful in, because these things will prepare us for our bright future with God.

Waking In Love - Love Is Not Envious

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up."
1 Corinthians 13:4 (NKJV)

Envy is defined as an awareness of an advantage of some kind that someone else has, and the desire to possess it.  This "advantage" could be some material thing, or it could be a position that another person has, or some favor that was shown towards someone else.  Often, envy and jealousy are seen as the same thing, although not everyone might agree with that.  The point is that when someone has, or is doing, something that you are not, and you wish you had what they had, that is envy.

In Galatians 5:21, we are told that envy is a work of the flesh, 1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us that love does not envy, and Romans 5:5 says that the love of God is in our hearts.  From these verses we can see that if we have envy over something that someone else has, it is something coming from the flesh, from our natural desires, and not from the love of God that is in us.  If we are envious about something, it shows us that we are being motivated by the wrong desires and looking to the natural rather than the spiritual side of life.

If we are envious, then we are focusing on the wrong thing, and instead of trusting in God and what He can do for us, we are comparing ourselves to others and giving in to the idea that somehow someone has some advantage over us.  God loves us and if we put our faith in Him then He will supply whatever we may need, just as much as He has done for anyone else, so there is no reason for us to envy or covet what someone else has.  We need to walk in love and be glad for the good things we see in the lives of others.

Who Identified You?

"By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,"
Hebrews 11:24-25 (NKJV)

Everyone has a way that they are identified, and usually that identification is done using your name.  Normally your name is something you are given by your parents.  Sometimes, a person may use a different name or get a nickname from someone, but it is your actual, legal name, that you have to use to be correctly identified.  No matter what other people may call you, or how someone may refer to you, you have to use your actual name to identify yourself and to do business.

While our natural identity is important, our spiritual identity in Christ is more important.  Hebrews 11 gives us an example of this as it tells us that Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  Naturally, in his situation of being raised by Pharaoh's daughter, many people probably referred to Moses in that way, but that is not how Moses identified himself.  Moses identified with the people of Israel, God's people, although it would have been easier in some ways to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.

Our identification as a child of God is vital to living in the reality of what Jesus has done for us, and in fulfilling the will of God.  It does not matter how other people may have identified us, or what they have called us, we need to find out how God has identified us and focus on that.  For example, God has identified us as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), and more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).  Don't let others define you or just accept what others have said about you, and believe that is the way it has to be.  No matter what others may say about you, identify with who you are in Christ.

Brighter Or Dimmer?

"The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple."
Psalm 119:130 (NKJV)

Some lights have an adjustment on them that allows you to make the light shine brighter, or you can turn the light down to make things dimmer.  Usually, people want more light rather than less, especially if they want to have a good view of what they are looking at, or even if they are reading something.  If the light is dim, then you need to increase the amount of light that is being generated.  By turning the light down, or even turning it off, you would have less light available, and that could be a problem.

In the Bible, light is often associated with understanding, as we see in Psalm 119:130.  God's Word gives us light; God's Word gives us understanding.  If we looked at this in the opposite way, so to speak, you could say that not having God's Word means you do not have light or understanding.  There are many things you can read, hear, or study, but if those things are not based on God's Word, you would actually be reducing the amount of true light and understanding that you have. 

Without the light and understanding of God's Word, and continually being in that light, and also increasing the light, we are really in the dark and in danger of our understanding being diminished.  There are a lot of things someone could learn about that would bring knowledge, and even some wisdom, but it is God's Word that gives us the light and understanding we need to recognize what is true and false, to live the life God has called us to live, and do the things that God has called us to do.

Living In The Present

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV)

Everyone understands the concepts of past, present, and future, at least in theory.  These things are not so difficult to understand, but if somehow someone would get confused about these things, they would have a bigger problem than just a mistake of grammar.  The past is what has already happened, the present is what is happening now, and the future deals with what will happen later.  While it may be nice to remember the past, or dream about the future, we live in the present; we do not live in the past or in the future.

Paul gave us some great, godly wisdom in Philippians 3 when he wrote about forgetting the past and reaching forward towards the goal of the call of God in Christ Jesus.  Paul could have thought about his past and the mistakes he made, or even about how he had achieved the position of a Pharisee.  But Paul knew that to move forward in the call of God for his life, he had to leave the past behind.  This is true for all of us as well, because God has a plan, a call, for each of us, and to fulfill that call we must leave the past behind.

And while Paul talked about forgetting the past and reaching forward to what God had for his future, Paul knew that just focusing on the future and not living in the present would not work either.  If all we would do is think about the great possibilities of the future, we would not get much done in the present.  Yes, remember the good things and victories of the past and dream about the bright future you have with God, but be sure to do what God is calling you to do and be a doer of the Word, today, because we live in the present, not the past or the future.

It's Not So Strange After All

"Beloved, do not think it is strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."
1 Peter 4:12-13 (NKJV)

Have you ever watched a show on television or seen something in a movie and thought, "Wow, what a great life that person has"?  There may have been something about that person or their life that you really liked and wished you could be like that.  The problem is that television shows and movies are not reality!  In the real world, things are not always so storybook perfect.  Life can be difficult at times, and what we see portrayed on television and in movies is not always a true depiction of life.

When Peter wrote his first letter, there was a lot of persecution going on and Christians were even being killed for their beliefs.  Peter wrote to encourage those believers and reminded them that what was happening was not some strange thing, but trials are something that everyone will face in life.  While we may not be threatened by someone who wants to kill us for our beliefs, because we are living in this world we will face challenges, and as Christians, our enemy, the devil will do everything he can to stir up problems in our life.

Some Christians seem to think that you can get to a point in your spiritual development where you never have any problems and everything will always go smoothly.  Unfortunately, that is not reality.  The good news is that God gives us a way to successfully deal with the problems we face  So when trouble comes, and it will come, don't just talk about the problems, be ready to stand in faith on God's Word, saying what God's Word says about your situation.  Trouble and trials will come, but with God on our side we can always be victorious!

A Pattern To Follow

"Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 1:13 (NKJV)

Several years ago, I worked in a factory where a lot of things were made out of metal.  There were various stages of production where different pieces were made and then assembled to make the final product.  We had several patterns of the different things that were being made, and these patterns were used to show someone how to correctly do the work that had to be done.  Without an accurate pattern, things could be done all kinds of ways, with some of those ways being the wrong way.

In the letters that Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, it is interesting to see how Paul encouraged them to do and say things in the same way that he had.  Paul said he gave them a pattern to follow with the words he used, the things he said.  The word "pattern" here, can mean an outline, an example, or a pattern.  Paul gave Timothy and Titus a pattern to follow with what he said.  Paul gave them an example, that they could follow, so they would know how to say the right kind of things.

In Titus 2:1, Paul wrote about saying things that promote sound doctrine, good teaching.  In Titus 2:8, Paul said we should have the kind of speech that cannot be condemned, saying things that others could not find fault with.  Ephesians 4:29 says that we should not use any corrupt (rotten, corrupt, or poor quality) speech.  We may not be an apostle like Paul, but we can help others by giving them a good pattern to follow.  Our words can, and should be, a good example for others to follow.

The Right Approach, May Not Be The Direct Approach

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."
Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)

When traveling by airplane, how you land at an airport is determined by several things, including the way the wind is blowing, which actually helps the plane to slow down and land.  An airplane may even travel past the airport it will land at, and then turn around to land into the wind.  If you were a passenger in an airplane, and the plane you were flying on past the airport you were to land at, you might think something was wrong, but the plane is just taking the best route to successfully arrive at its destination.

God knows what is going on in our life right now, what has happened in the past, and what direction we need to go in the future.  In Psalm 32:8, God said that He would teach us the way we should go and that He would guide us.  God has an overall plan for our life, and God will guide us and help us in our everyday life as well.  One thing that I have learned is that sometimes we don't seem to take a direct route in the will of God, but the way we go seems a bit different than what we might have expected.

God may direct us in a way that seems strange to us, but that direction really is the right way in the plan that God has for us.  Sometimes God will direct us to do something, or get involved in a certain thing, because He knows how that experience will help us in the future.  We first of all need to realize that God can and will guide us in life, and we then need to learn to follow His direction, even when it seems to us that the way we take is not the best way to reach our destination.