Reflections

“Now grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people, for who can judge this great people of Yours? ””. 2 Chronicles 1:10 HCSB

King Solomon asked God for wisdom when he could have asked for anything.  As a result God granted Solomon’s request and also gave him great wealth.  Wisdom is such a valuable commodity in the Kingdom of God.  It is more precious than gold and silver.  We should value wisdom above any material possession.  King Solomon wanted wisdom to reign over Israel.

Wisdom is the one thing we can ask God for that will be freely given to us. We should love wisdom and seek God for His wisdom. Wisdom should guide us in all we do. If we do not have the answer then ask for wisdom. If you are struggling in life, ask for wisdom. God calls us all to walk in wisdom. So, the next time you pray, ask God for wisdom.

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“Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”” Jeremiah 1:12 NKJV

Do you spend time listening to God?  God’s primary way in speaking to us is through His word.  However, do you spend time in prayer allowing God to speak?  It is important that we are not monopolizing all the time in prayer speaking.  We must take time to listen to God.

One word from God can change your entire situation.  God told Jeremiah that He is ready to perform His word.  Throughout scriptures and prophesies you see God’s word coming to pass.  God will do what He says.  Isn’t more powerful to trust in God’s word that He will perform instead of us trying to convince God to perform our words?  Think how radical your prayer life would be if you just listened for God’s word and had faith, He would perform it.

Trust in God’s word. If you struggle hearing God for yourself then spend more time studying to word of God and meditating on it day and night. It is much easier to hear God when we have hidden is word in our hearts.

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“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand.”

1 Chronicles 29:14 HCSB

Churches try so many ways to motivate people to give.  People are promised blessings if they give.  Prosperity is taught to encourage giving.  It is an area of controversy for many.

However, King David tells the Lord that everything he has given comes from God.  King David understood that God owns everything.  We are just stewards of what God has entrusted to us.  So, when we give to God, we are giving back what He gave us.  God is so generous, and He wants us to be generous.  That is why we are told it is better to give than to receive.  That is also why God said we rob Him when we do not bring Him our tithes and offerings.  Everything we have comes from God and belongs to God.

Think about an Apple.  If you eat an apple, you will find five seeds in the Apple that is capable of growing five apple trees.  If we do not plant the seeds, we cannot see more apples. It is the same with God.  If we want to see more then we need to sow what God gives us.  Often times God gives in seed form, and we give to God our harvest.  So much harvest comes from the seeds God gives us.  This is why God loves a cheerful giver. 

Giving is God’s nature and it should be our nature as well. If it were not for God, we would not have anything because it all belongs to God. He gives to us so generously.

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“Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name.”

1 Chronicles 29:11-13 HCSB

King David was a great worshipper.  King David is described as a man after God’s own heart.  God chose David to be King over Israel.  Compared to the other Kings it was David that worshipped God with all that he was.  King Solomon and others brought idol worship and caused Israel to sin.  King David never worshipped another idol or god.  King David had his own shortcomings, but he was a true worshipper.

Jesus talks about God looking for true worshippers who would worship Him in Spirit and truth. Are you that worshipper. Do we spend time reflecting on the nature and goodness of God and give him praise. Maybe we only think to offer praise when God does something for us. Let us learn from King David and worship God at all times.

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“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.”

II Corinthians10:3NKJV

Conflict and strife are unavoidable.  We have to remember that our fight is not with people.  We fight in the spirit.  Unfortunately, the enemy is calculating in getting us to fight one another by creating strife amongst us.  It is a spirit that we have to guard against.

In marriage counseling we tell couples they are not each other’s enemy.  They are friends on the same side fighting against the evil one.  We cannot allow our conflicts to spiral out of control creating enmity between our loved ones and friends.  How do we guard against this?  By loving others.  This is why Jesus said the second command was to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We are told to even love our enemies. 

If we are able to recognize that the catalyst in our conflicts with other is actually spiritual then we can understand why we are told that we do not war in the flesh.  One of our weapons is love.  Jesus doesn’t commend us for loving those that love us back.  We are encouraged to love all along with God.  Actually, the Bible says if we say we love God and hate our brethren then God is not in us.  Often times the proof of our love is how we resolve conflict and strife in our relationships.  It is not always easy, but we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and if we walk according to the Spirit the fruit of the spirit will fulfill the law to love other.

So, remember our battle is not with people. We are to try and live in peace and harmony with others. Even if we are wronged, we are told to forgive others.

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“But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

2 Corinthians4:3-4HCSB

Are there people you are praying that will be saved?  Have you shared the gospel only to be rejected?  Do not be surprised because Paul tells us that Satan has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel.  So, when you pray for those, you want to see saved, pray that the Holy Spirit will remove the veil and allow them to see the light of the gospel.

We are encouraged to share our faith with others. We are commanded by Jesus to preach the gospel. We are to allow the light of the gospel to shine forth in our lives. It is not our job to remove the veil but partner with the Holy Spirit to testify about Jesus and trust the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to convict the world of sin, reveal the truth about Jesus, lead our regeneration and guide us in righteousness. Let us allow the light of Jesus to shine in this lost and dying world.

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“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:38-39 NKJV

We cannot carry our lifestyle to follow Jesus.  So many today want to maintain their status quo.  This is really what progressive Christianity is about.  The ability to remain relevant with today’s culture and claim a life with Jesus being able to take everything with you.  But Jesus said we must take up our cross and follow after him.

What does the cross represent – death (one must die to self), the remission of sins, a new creation, the old things have passed away for the new. It is a shedding of our carnal selves and taking on the spirit of Jesus. It is a sign of loss but also victory.

Jesus says that if we lose our life for His sake we will find it again – we will find a new life in Christ. The old must die. We must let go of those things in our past. We have to let go of our sinful man that only sought to fulfill the desires of the flesh.

Jesus had many followers. Great multitudes would follow Jesus. But they were not truly His disciples. Look at what He says one must do to follow Him:

“And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”Matthew 8:18-22 NKJV

Others would come to Jesus saying they would follow him but wanted to hang on to their lives:

“Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”” Luke 9:57-62 NKJV

Jesus was talking about people who said they wanted to follow Him.  He goes on to say:

“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”” Mark 8:34-38 NKJV

Right here Jesus is telling the people what it will cost to follow him. They have to let go of their lives, the things that brought them goodness.

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“Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”  Mark 10:17-22 NKJV

The Rich Young Ruler was so happy to see Jesus.  He came running to Jesus and knelt before Him.  This indicated the young man knew who Jesus was and that he knew the secrets of eternal life.  Majority of people even unbelievers long to know the secrets of eternal life.

The Rich Young Ruler asked Jesus what should he do to inherit eternal life?  There was excitement and anticipation.  So Jesus discusses the commandments.  To the young man’s delight he was able to answer Jesus with confidence that he kept all the commandments from his youth.  He was a good man.  Most likely had a good reputation considering that he was rich and a ruler.  He was a man that had authority.

Jesus looked a this young man with love and told him he lacked one thing. Jesus was talking about His destiny, His calling. Yes the young man was asking about eternity but Jesus had a plan for this young man. So Jesus asked him to sell whatever he had, give to the poor, but notice the reward – treasures in heaven. By giving up earthly treasures Jesus was telling him he would have treasures in heaven. That would be his reward. Then Jesus asked him to come back to Jesus, take up his cross and follow Jesus. That was the young man’s calling to come and follow Jesus. Unfortunately, the Rich young ruler was sad when he heard what Jesus was asking of him, because he could not give up what he possessed. He didn’t want to let go of all the good things he had. So he walked away in sorrow.

Jesus gave this Young Rich Ruler a command. This was his assignment. The young man chose to disobey Jesus in this aspect. Although he was someone who kept the law from his youth. This path he could not choose for the sake of Jesus. It would cost him all his possessions. He didn’t know or have faith in what Jesus was telling him. His trust was in his possessions. It was through his possessions and good works that he wanted to demonstrate that he had faith in God. Isn’t this true about so many of us today. We think we are demonstrating our faith in God by believing in what God can give us and what we can receive based on our asking and praying. But for the Rich Young Ruler true faith was following Jesus to see what Jesus had to offer. To take up his cross and follow Jesus. This is real faith. So what if he possessed all the riches. He could not take it with him into eternity. Jesus was telling him to let go so he could have the treasure of heaven. But that is not visible now or tangible. The Rich Young Ruler really did not have eternity in mind, but Jesus did because what Jesus was offering him would be for all eternity. Following Jesus is an eternal journey full of eternal promises but it comes at a cost in this life that we have today.

Many walk away from their calling. They do not want to take up their cross. They do not want to let go of the “good” things in life. It could be a career, a relationship, friendships, family, a place of comfort, even some find comfort in dysfunction. It costs us to follow Jesus. There is no promise of absolute perfect health, wealth and prosperity in following Jesus. It may cost you everything and in exchange you get trouble, suffering, oppression, tribulations in this life. You may fall out of favor with men. Some find the cost too high.

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“For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”

Job 19:25-27 NKJV

Have you ever thought what it will be like to see Jesus with your own eyes?  It is wondeful that we believe in Jesus even though we have not seen Him face to face.  Even Job longed for the day He would see Jesus.  This Hope is what should spur our faith.  We have only tasted what Jesus is like.  The day is coming when our eyes will behold Him, and we will see Him face to face.

This reminds me how over 20 years ago I met my husband on eHarmony.  We lived in different states, so we mostly talked on the phone.  There was no FaceTime or Skype at that time.  All we could exchange were photos.  Finally, two months after our first connection we were going to meet in person.  I remember the excitement and I wondered would he look like I imagined?  It was wonderful seeing him up close and in the flesh.  I truly enjoyed our time together.  When he left town, it made our phone conversations much more enjoyable since we finally met face to face.

I often reflect on what Jesus must look like in person. We have several images, but they will never capture the fullness of Jesus. I find it thrilling that one day we will be face to face with Jesus. It excites me that He knows me and knows my name. I am not a stranger to Jesus. This is what my Hope is rooted in – the return of Jesus Christ and the day we will see Him in the flesh. What a glorious day that will be.

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