Knowing Who You Are, And Are Not

"Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"
He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."
And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not."  "Are you Elijah?"  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."
Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"
He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah said."
John 1:19-23 (NKJV)

To understand something, it is necessary to know what it is, and it can be helpful to also know what it is not.  Understanding that water is something you drink and gasoline is something you put in your vehicle is necessary.  Understanding that a mountain lion and a cat are different, is important to know when you are considering getting a pet.  And understanding that someone who plays professional basketball is not going to do well trying to be a jockey riding race horses, helps someone know what work that person is better suited for.

When John the Baptist was questioned by the Jewish religious leaders about who he was, John told them who he was, but John also told them who he was not.  John had an understanding about who he was, and what God had called him to do, and John also knew who he was not.  By understanding both who he was and who he was not, John was able to do what God had called him to do.  If John had not understood not only who he was, but who he was not, John may have had problems fulfilling God's plan for his life. 

There are many Christians who struggle in life because they do not recognize and understand who they are in Christ, and they fail to understand what God has called them to do, and they do not know what He has not called them to do.  As we develop and grow in our relationship with God, we can learn who we are, and we can also see who we are not.  Knowing what God has called us to do, and also understanding what God has not called us to do, will help us be effective members of the Body of Christ, and fulfill God's will for our life.

How Do You Know For Sure?

"The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endure forever."
Psalm 119:160 (NKJV)

There are many sources that people get information from.  In the past, people relied on newspapers, magazines, and radio or TV broadcasts to give them news and other information that was necessary.  Today, people still use these methods from the past, and a vast number of modern methods that come to us through the Internet, to share news and information.  But to be sure the things we hear are correct, we need a source to check what we hear, to know for sure if things we hear are right or wrong.

For Christians, and all the things we hear, how do we know for sure whether or not what we hear is true and accurate?  Is it enough for us to rely on the person who is telling us something because they have some title or degree?  Can we trust the accuracy of someone who seems to speak with authority and has many years of experience in Christian service?  The answer of course is no, because if we want to know for sure what is correct, we must go back to the source of truth for us, the Bible.

God's Word is the truth and it is the reliable source for Christians in our life and service to God.  No matter who tells us something, no matter how exciting it sounds, how we feel about something, or what our past experiences may be like, the only way to know for sure what is true is to consult the Bible and see what God has to say about it.  It is wonderful that we have so many methods available to us today to bring us good teaching and preaching, but we must always be sure to check what we hear with God's Word to know for sure what is right or wrong. 

Better For Who?

"For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
Philippians 1:23-24 (NKJV)

Normally when we do something, we are doing something that we like, that in some way will benefit us.  Most people would not do something that they do not like to do, or get no benefit from, unless they were doing something that had the specific goal of benefiting someone else.  We can do things that are strictly for our benefit, or we can do something that will bring a benefit to someone else, which may somehow also benefit us, but what we do will often be better for one person than it is for another.

When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he was in prison, and Paul talked about how he desired to leave this world to go and be with Jesus, which, as he said, would be far better.  But Paul said that while he wanted to leave here, which would be better for him, Paul understood that it would be better for the people in the church in Philippi if he stayed.  If Paul left this world to be with Jesus, that would be great for Paul, but he would no longer be in a position to help the Philippians. 

Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21 that to live is Christ, but to die is gain, but Paul also said it was better for the people at Philippi if he stayed with them and did not leave this world.  Paul based his decision about what to do on what was better for those people and not what was better for himself.  Rather than just focusing on doing what we want that is just for our benefit, we should be the kind of people who prefer others before ourselves and do what is better for them.  This is the attitude that Paul had, that we see in the life of Jesus, and it is the way we need to live too.

Start Where You Are, And Do What You Can

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."
Deuteronomy 29:29 (NKJV)

If you were going to take a trip somewhere, you would obviously start the trip from where you are at the beginning of the trip.  If you were building a house, you would have to lay the foundation first before you can put on the roof.  If you were going to buy something, you would first have to go to the store to be able to purchase what you wanted.  With all of these things, you have to start where you are, doing what it is you can and know to do first, before you do anything else.

Sometimes people have dreams, and even dreams that God has given them, or they desire to do something that they see in the Word of God, but they do not know how to go from where they are to where they want to be.  Deuteronomy 29:29 gives us help with this, as we are told that the secret things belong to God, but what has been revealed to us is what we need to do.  The things we know are the things we need to focus on, and that is what we need to start doing right now.  We always have to start with where we are, doing what we can do right now, to get to where we want to be.

It is very easy to get focused on long-term goals and what we would like to do in the future while never actually doing what we can right now.  To achieve our long-term goals and get to our bright future with God, we need to do what we can do now.  Sometimes people get so focused on what they want to do someday that they do not do what they can do today.  The question is not so much what we want to do, but what is it that we know that we can do right now.  This is how we can get to the bright future that God has for us.

Who Opened The Door?

"Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,"
2 Corinthians 2:12 (NKJV)

Doors can be found in many different places, there are many different types of doors, and, usually, all doors can be opened and closed.  If a door is closed, and someone wants to go through the door, then someone has to open the door.  In some places, certain people are given the job of opening a door, and there are some doors that only certain people have access to.  Doors lead to rooms, hallways, and other areas, but if a door is not open, no one is able to go through it to what is beyond the door.

In 2 Corinthians 2:12, Paul talked about going to the city of Troas to preach the Gospel, and how God had opened a door for him, God opened up an opportunity for Paul, which most likely had to do with Paul preaching the Gospel.  Paul could have said that he opened the door himself or that someone else opened a door for him, but Paul said it was God that opened the door.  Paul went to Troas with the goal of preaching the Gospel, but the opportunity Paul had there in Troas was given to him by God.

Christians are sometimes like Paul where they have a goal in mind, but they need an opportunity, they need a door to open for them.  Too often, people try to create a door, or open a door themselves, and they do not have the success that they want or should have.  The best thing is that we know what we should do, and we are prepared to do it, but we allow God to open the door of opportunity we need, to do what we plan to do.  We need to trust God, not only to follow His direction in our life, but to allow Him to open the door we need, to be able to do what He has directed us to do.

That Is True, But ...

"And they reported to him and said, we came to the land where you sent us, and indeed it is flowing with milk and honey; and this is its fruit.
But the people that live in the land are fierce, and the cities are walled up, very great.  And also we have seen the children of Anak there.
Numbers 13:27-28 (NKJV)

Things that are true are just that, true.  Two plus two equals four, even though whatever you are counting may be different than what someone else is counting.  Adding two of one thing to two more of that thing is always four.  It would be foolish to spend time debating if two plus two of one thing is the same as two plus two of something else, and then acting as though the sum of two plus two is not always four.  We just need to take the truth we know and make use of it in our life.

In the Old Testament, God led Israel to the Promised Land.  God told His people about all of the great things that would be there in the land for them, and He said that He would be with them and help them.  But, when the people who were sent to look over the land came back with their report, they did not just agree with God that this was their promised land, they talked about the natural challenges and really disagreed with God saying they could not take the land.  Those people basically said that what God said was true, but it would not work for them. 

God never said our life would be easy, or even fair, but God has told us in His Word that He is with us, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, God will supply everything we need, and that the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us.  Our attitude should never be that, "Yes what God said is true, but ...".  Instead of focusing on the challenges and problems in life, we need to keep our focus on God's Word and make sure that it is our standard of truth, realizing that no matter what may happen in life, God and His Word will never fail us!

What Are The User Reviews?

"Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips."
Proverbs 27:2 (NKJV)

When you go somewhere to buy something, you expect the salesperson to be positive about what they are selling you.  No matter what the product might be, the people working for the company will tell you how great the thing that they are selling is, and why you should buy it.  But the real question is, what kind of reviews has that product and that company received from people who have bought that product and have used it?  It is always good to check the user reviews about something, and not just listen to what the people with the product have to say.

As Proverbs 27:2 tells us, it is not right for us to just praise ourselves and talk about how wonderful we are, that gets into pride.  We may really be wonderful people, but it is not so wonderful if we are the only one who is always talking about how great we are.  The real question is, what do others say about us?  What kind of "user reviews" are we getting from other people?  We may talk about how great we are, but if everyone else who knows us has nothing positive to say, then we have a problem.

It is interesting to see how often character and reputation are talked about in the Bible.  Acts 6:3; 1 Timothy 3:1-2, 7, 10 all talk about looking for people with good reputations to fill places of service and leadership.  Someone may tell you about their talent and what they have done, but, what kind of "user reviews" have they received?  While we should not do things to just try and get other people to praise us, or live our life for the approval of others, what others say about us shows what kind of reputation we have, which impacts our influence on, and ability to help, others.

Not Too High, And Not Too Low

"For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."
Romans 12:3 (NKJV)

Keeping things in their proper setting is important.  There is a normal reading for things like a person's temperature, and a proper setting for how hot or cold some foods should be kept.  If your temperature got too high, or too low, it would be an indication of a problem.  If some foods are kept at the wrong temperature, they could spoil.  But the first thing that is necessary, is to know the proper reading for your temperature and the proper temperature for keeping food.  This same principle applies in other areas of life too.

In Romans 12, Paul wrote that it is important for a person to not think more highly of themselves than they ought to think, which means that there is a proper way to think about ourselves which would not be too high, or too low.  Thinking wrongly about ourselves is a bad thing to do, and can have negative consequences.  We need a proper view of who we are in Christ, as well as seeing other people the way that God sees them, and have the right perspective on everything.

As Paul points out in Romans 12, we should not think too highly of ourselves.  And it is also true that we need to be sure we do not think too little, or too low, about ourselves.  The only way to do this is by learning what God's standards are for ourselves, others, and everything in life.  By knowing what God thinks about things, we can see how we should think.  We do not want to think wrongly about anything, including ourselves, and we need a proper, biblical view to have the right view and not think too highly, or too lowly, about ourselves.

Something For Everyone

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)

Some stores specialize in certain things, while other stores offer a larger variety of items.  For example, you can go to a bookstore to buy books, a shoe store to buy shoes, or a pet store to buy a pet, or what you need to take care of a pet.  But you would not go to a bookstore if you were looking for shoes or a pet.  But there are some stores, which in the past were called variety stores, that offer many different things, and practically everyone can find something that they need in this type of a store.

There are many misunderstandings that people have about God and the Bible.  One big misunderstanding that people have is about how God deals with people and what the Bible is all about.  There are people, including Christians, who believe that there are different classifications of Christians and that the Bible is mainly directed towards a certain group of people that God sees as a higher, or different, class of Christian.  This is completely wrong, because every believer is a part of the Body of Christ and the Bible was written for all of us. 

Many people think that the Bible is mainly for some type of super spiritual people, like pastors, missionaries, or Bible teachers.  People often fail to understand that the Bible has something for everyone.  As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, all Scripture is given by God, and it is given to equip the people of God for every good work.  God has given us His Word so that we can be prepared to do everything that we need to do in every area of our life. God's Word has something for everyone, and God's Word will equip us to do what God has planned for us to do.

Submit And Resist

"Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 (NKJV)

Submit and resist are two words that mean different things, and those words could be said to be the opposite of each other.  One meaning of the word submit is "to yield to".  The word resist is the opposite of submit and it means "to oppose something or someone".  If you submit to something, it often means you are resisting or opposing someone or something else.  No one can submit to and resist the same thing at the same time; you are either submitting to something or you are resisting it.

In James 4:7 we are told to submit to God and resist the devil.  The word submit here means "to subordinate, to obey", and the word resist in James 4:7 in the Greek means "to stand against".  James tells us that we must obey God and stand against, oppose, the devil.  How do we submit to God?  We do what God says, we follow His plans and His direction in our life.  We are also told to resist the devil.  How do we resist the devil?  By opposing what he says and by not following his direction or plans.

The Bible shows us that we must submit ourselves, and every area of our lives, to God, and we must resist the devil and his influence in every area of our lives.  Jesus gives us a great example of this from when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness.  When the devil tempted Jesus, Jesus replied with the Word of God.  Jesus submitted to God by focusing on Scripture and Jesus resisted the devil by opposing what the devil said that would have taken Him away from what God had said.  We need to follow the example of Jesus as we submit to God and resist the devil.

Designed For A Purpose

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)

Every product you can buy was designed for a certain purpose.  But if the product is not used for that intended purpose, then that thing will not be as effective as it could be if it was in fact used for the purpose it was designed for.  For example, if you took a nice pen, and put toothpaste on it and tried to brush your teeth with it, you would obviously have less than good results, because a pen was not designed for you to brush your teeth with.  To get the best use out of something, we have to use it for what it was designed for.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God's workmanship, God is the One who created us, and He designed us for a purpose.  One of the highest goals any Christian can have is to discover and fulfill the purpose and plan that God has for their life, what He designed them to do.  Once we are saved, we are then supposed to do the good works that God designed us to do.  Our good works do not save us or earn us some position with God, but once we are a part of God's family, we are then supposed to do the good works that God designed us to do.

In 1 Peter 4:10, it tells us that each of us has received a gift that we can use to serve one another.  But, if we do not understand what we were designed to do, we may try to do something God never intended for us to do.  By spending time with God in His Word and prayer, by taking advantage of the opportunities we have to serve others, inside and outside of the church, we can all learn what purpose God designed us for and then be faithful in that.  True fulfillment in life is found when we recognize God's plan and purpose and then fulfill it.

Rooted And Built Up, Or Uprooted?

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Colossians 2:6-8 (NKJV)

Trees need to have good roots to grow and develop; a tree without a developed root system could easily be uprooted.  A tree that is deeply rooted has more stability than a tree without a good root system.  If some storm would come, or something would run into the tree with enough force, the tree without the deep roots could be easily uprooted.  No tree could survive if it was planted in one place for a short time and then uprooted and put into a different place again and again.  Trees need strong, developed root systems to grow.

In Colossians 2, Paul talks about how those who have received Christ need to walk (to live) in Him, and be rooted and built up in Christ, established in the faith.  We are planted and rooted in Christ at salvation, but there are things that could uproot us and lead us away from where we are supposed to be, which is what Paul was talking about.  Once we are planted in Christ, we then have to grow and develop in our knowledge of God and His Word to develop deep roots in Christ and be built up and established. 

Paul warned us to be on guard so that no one would "cheat" us, which means to be carried away, through wrong doctrine.  Paul is saying that through wrong teaching we could be taken away from where we should be, we could be uprooted, instead of being deeply rooted in Christ.  By spending time with God in His Word and prayer, and spending time with other Christians, we can develop deep roots in God and our life in Christ.  We need to be rooted and built up in Christ and not let ourselves be uprooted and led astray by anything or anyone.

Who Are You Following?

"Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."
Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"
1 Corinthians 1:12-13 (NKJV)

On various social media platforms, you can like or follow someone or some group.  Obviously, the people or group you follow would be those you support and are interested in, otherwise you would not follow them.  You show what you think about someone or something by how closely you follow them, and if you like what they are doing.  If you really like someone or something, you would want to be closely connected to them, and you would not want anyone or anything to get in the way of your connection to that person or group.

There are many pastors, teachers, preachers, and groups in the world who are proclaiming the Gospel message.  Through social media, and other methods, we are able to connect with and follow these people and groups, which is a great way to continue to learn and grow in our knowledge of God, His Word, and the work that Jesus did for us.  But we all realize, or should realize, that we have to be sure that we follow God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God first and everyone and everything else second.

Most people would not say that they follow some person more than they do Jesus, but do we focus more on some person and their teaching than God's Word and what it tells us?  Are we more in tune to the direction that we receive from some teacher than we are from the Holy Spirit?  While it is good to follow people who are telling us about what Jesus has done for us, we must be sure that we don't get so caught up following them that we lose our focus on following Jesus first and foremost.

All Shook Up?

"Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 (NKJV)

While there are some things that need to be shaken to be effective, most things and people do not do well if they are shaken up.  Shaking someone, as in an earthquake, rocking them back and forth in a violent manner, or forcing them up and down repeatedly, will have a negative effect on them.  If something or someone has been shaken too much, then something needs to be done to stabilize that thing or person.  We all need physical stability and security, without that, there can be a multitude of problems.

When he wrote his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul let them know that he did not want those people to be shaken or troubled in any way.  It seems that somehow some wrong teaching had come to the Thessalonian believers, and the results were not good.  When there is wrong teaching, there will be instability, and people can become shaken and troubled.  Paul did not want them to remain in this position but to be stable, and he wanted to stop the shaking, so to speak, by giving them some right teaching.

Although Paul was specifically writing to the Thessalonians and encouraging them to not be shaken or troubled concerning the return of Jesus, this same thing happens in other areas too.  When Christians are not sure what is right and wrong, they can be shaken, and they are then not doing the things that they should be doing.  The solution is to give people correct teaching of Bible truths to counter the wrong teaching that has caused the shaking and the trouble.  We should not be shaken, but we need to be stable, solid Christians who do God's will.

Well Pleasing In His Sight?

"make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:21 (NKJV)

Were you ever with a group of people who were trying to decide on something, and there did not seem to be any agreement about that thing?  Often in these situations there are differences of opinion, because each person has their own ideas and their own desires about what they want to do.  The only way anything gets accomplished is if some people yield to the desires of someone else rather than insisting on doing what pleases them; they do what someone else wants instead of what they might want.

In Hebrews 13, there is what might be called a prayer, or a benediction, where it talks about God making someone complete (meaning equipped) in every good work to do God's will, and working in them what is well pleasing in His sight.  This is something that every Christian should want to do, to live a life that pleases God and fulfills His will.  Other places in the New Testament talk about living a life that fully pleases God (Colossians 1:10) and that our goal should be to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9).

Our goal as Christians should be to live a life that is well pleasing to God, but it is easy to see that some believers have a greater interest in living a life that is well pleasing to themselves.  While God does not want us to be unhappy and live like we are His slaves, with no will or desires of our own, living a life that is well pleasing to God means that we must make His will our will, no matter what that means for our plans and desires.  If our goal is to please God, it can mean that there will be times we must yield to His will instead of ours.