'SHIP 004

'SHIP 004

Obedience.  Where do I start?
How about here?

Psalm 51:17 ESV
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. "broken"  Heb. "sabar" = crushed, maimed, crippled, crushed, burst
"contrite"  Heb. "daka" = crushed, broken, sore
"despise"  Heb. "baza" = hold in contempt or worthless

Luke 18:9-14 ESV
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: [10] "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' [13] But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Any quesitons?

Luke 7:2-4, 6-10 ESV
Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. [3] When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. [4] And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, [6] And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. [7] Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. [8] For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." [9] When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." [10] And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Does that help?

We see here the clear distinction between lukewarm and not.  We see here brokenness and contritenss and pride.

Revelation 3:17 ESV
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

"not realizing"  Greek:  Not seeing, not knowing.  In the perfect tense indicating completed action/results.  Unable to know/see/understand, hence they are "blind."

What a condition for a believer to be in and how common.  I've known myself to be thus and find it very hard work to not fall into it again and again.  There is a difference between being "comforted" and being "comfortable."  It is in distress we are comforted.  Comfortable tends to lead us in to lukewarmness.

Consider:
Proverbs 30:7-9 ESV
Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: [8] Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, [9] lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?"or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

So, obedience?  Yes.  We can begin our obedience by examining our hearts through the Word and prayer.


Luke 12:34 ESV
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

John 7:38 ESV
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

Romans 6:17 ESV
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,

Colossians 3:12-17 ESV
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. [14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. [15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Obedience flows from faith.  Faith (trust) in all He has said about who we were and who we are is the foundation of our brokenness and contriteness of heart.  Too often we charge forward joyous in who we are and we forget the cost.  No, we aren't to dwell on our lives before our redemption but then we can not allow ourselves to forget either.

Perhaps the clearest picture of examining our hearts as an act of obedience is gound in the following:

1 Corinthians 11:28 ESV
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Though we should labor to never forget the wonder of our redemtion and the cost, it is at the Lord's Table that this is most magnificently presented.  We remember His body and His blood that He freely gave for us and we remember that He will come again and we will feast with Him.  There is, for me, no more appropriate and powerful time to examine my heart and its need and His provision than in the rememberance of His great grace.

KingSHIP 002

'SHIP 002

James 4:7 ESV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

"Submit."  We can find all kinds of soft ways to translate this word but in the final analysis it means, "to obey."  In a military usage it means to obey the commands of a superior.  In non-military usage it is a voluntary "giving in," or "cooperating."  Now which do you suppose is intended here?

For me the non-military usage would only result in a hypocritical obedience.  It is voluntary - a giving-in, a mere cooperation.  The military usages however is more to the point.  One does not "cooperate," with one's King and one only "gives-in" under pressure.  We are called to obey not cooperate.  We are called to kneel, fully acknowledgeing our sovereign Lord, not just give-in.

So we might consider actually putting in the word, "obey," to replace "submit."  Submissison/obedience is not something God asks.  It is something God commands - demands.  We can't satisfy this by just cooperating or givein-in.

Now along with the fact that God has every right to command our obedience there is the second side to this.  That is the command to resist the Devil.  This word means to oppose, to set one's self against.  It's more than a "No," it is a "Not ever!"  What part of "adversary" (1 Peter 5:8) do we not understand."

Now, many people may "resist" the Devil - they do not give in to the worse of their inclinations - but--BUT, they do not stand a chance because although they may be saying "No," there is nothing behind it.  We, on the other hand are first saying, "Yes," to God's commands and then we are opposing the Devil.  It is only the resistance of those submitted - under the command - of God whose resistance has any value.

Ok - we're not talking legalism here.  But, how any true believer can get around the need for obedience to the Lord God is beyond me.  To paraphrase Bonhoeffer, "Only those who obey beieve and only those who believe obey."  

Now, according to the Jewish rabbis there are 613 Law/Commands.  Well and good, no arguement.  But, having the full revelation of God we can begin with what Jesus told us are the two key commands.  Love God (utterly) and love your neighbor.  It is not beyond our abilities (guided by the Spirit) to start there and figure it out.  Is it?

But - God is really really good.  He has provided well:
Ephesians 4:11 ESV
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

Ok - we have no Apostles today (see the requirements in Acts).  Prophets?  Well that all depends upon how you define prophet.  We do not need any new revelations.  But we do need those called to warn us, to cajole us, to call us back to Him.  So if that's the type prophet you have in mind -Ok - I can go with that.

But we do have evangelists, shepherds and teachers (not to mention elders and deacons) who are all called to serve the Body in their callings.  So, we do not need to stumble around in the Word with no direction, guidance or help.  Actually I don't think we honor God when we forgo the ministry of those He has called for our instruction. 

We are commanded to renew our minds, to grow in His likeness and we are given those He has called to walk alongside us and guide us.  To me, to refuse their ministry is to be disobedient.  As I like to say, "There are no Lone Rangers is the Kingdom!"

So, let me ask you.  Are you under the guidance, shepherding, teaching, etc. of a godly and sound teacher?  And - are you part of a submitted fellowship where you are challenged in and by the sound teaching of the word of God?  Be careful here.  It's common in our day to suppose that we are becasue there are lots of people and we feel good about the sermons.  That is not the measure of soundness not godliness.  The Roman Circus always drew more people than the early church.

Are you convicted where you are?  I mean are you consistantly being called to holiness and realizing how fall short we all fall and are you challenged and encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to grow in your faith?  Or is it more a case of "I'm OK-You're OK - and here we are together?"  

The whole of the passage we're launching from in James reads:
James 4:7-10 ESV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

I would draw your attention to verses 8b and 9.  Hello!  That should be a part of your Christian experience along with joy and peace and comfort.  No?  Mmmm curious, it was Paul's experience and he was a wonderful teacher.

Romans 7:21-25 ESV
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. [22] For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, [23] but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. [24] Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Submit - Resist > aptly describes the contenders for our attention and efforts.  

010313

Journal 001

Oh Lord, what more do I need to learn before You deliver me from these shadows?
I know that You discipline Yur chidren out of love.
I know that we are those through who you manifest Your glory.
But Lord, it's is so hard when we don't see the why and how of either.

You teach us to trust You by our being in need of trusting You.
Sometimes that means hard and cold places.
But they are indeed hard and cold and frightening.

We are so prone to seek ways to placate You.
But that is our error, our flesh.
You are not a God like othere gods.
Who can be bought or bribed.

You are not a God like other gods who demand their pound of flesh.

Indeed, You have cancelled our debt.
Your Son has aid the price for our redemption.
We owe You nothing but love, thanks and duty.

Yet we are week and the flesh cries out to be heard.
The flesh, so steeped in the world, so intwined with covetousness,
cries out, "Lie, a lie, you have been a fool."

But Lord, our hearts know better though our flesh denies.
What help Oh Lord can You send as we stand in the shadows?
What is the Comforters comfort.
Is there no loner provision - Oh but there is.

Lord, we cry out to You for deliverance
from our troubes.
And yet we desire gretly to wait uon You
wonderous works.

When there is no comfort here,
we so long to be with You.
and yet even in that You command.
But our hearts weaken and we cry out.

We ask Your deliverance from our troubles,
provision to just be reieved of our anxiousness.
We beg Your mercy and blessing
yet we fear our duplicity in them.

Oh Lord - help us to see and feel
the comfort we know You have given
the comfort You are giving.

We have grow blind and insensitive.
We have grown weiry and weak.
Oh Lord, though our travail
may indeed be trivial
Yet is is travail and it is ours
and it hurts.

Comfort us
lead us out of these shadows
let us sit and labor in peace and strength.

Peter’s Pen 1st Peter 2:16

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.   (1Pe 2:16)

Free!

Free?

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.   (Rom 6:22)

This is the whole of our freedom.

Whether Peter is referring to a freedom from the Law is not certain, but we know that Paul references it:

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.   (Gal 5:13)

We are free from the bondage of sin and free from any pretense that we can in and of ourselves resolve the conflict we had with God when we were still unredeemed. 

We are free but it is not a wide-open freedom rather it is a freedom in Christ, by Christ and for Christ.  What we undertake, that we cannot undertake in His name, is never an act of freedom.

Jesus said:

Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (Joh 8:34-36)

Sin and freedom are mutually exclusive.  We are free from the imposed rule of sin but when we sin, we are submitting to that which has no rights over us.  When we sin, we are re-shackling ourselves – binding ourselves to that from which we have been loosed.

We receive our freedom for we have been redeemed, forgiven, saved.  But though the grace of God has no limits for us, to abuse and misuse it, to rebel against His rightful authority over us, is to bring into question the surety of our redemption. 

Consider:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,   (Heb 12:1)

Forgiven we may be – free of sin’s bondage we may be – but free of Christ, never. 

It is sometimes the way of believers to see themselves so utterly apart from the “world” that they may do or say what they will for they are “saved.”  Yet this is a freedom, a salvation that is defined by the One who provided it, the One into whose hands God has delivered all things.

Many use their freedom to vilify unbelievers.  Many use their freedom as a red cape to a bull.  Many use their freedom as an excuse to disassociate from those to whom they are called to witness.  Many use their freedom to – just go along as they have – only avoiding the grosser types of sins.

But this verse has a catch.  We are free – free servants of God.

But – that word “servants” is troublesome.  The “authorities” I regularly consult in my studies hold that it is more accurately translated slave.

One reason for this is quite simply:

for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.   (1Co 6:20)

and 

For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.   (1Co 7:22-23)

We were bought out of our bondage to sin to be the slaves of Christ.  In this we have great freedom – freedom from sin and freedom to serve God as His.

Though it may irritate some, our freedom in Christ is far beyond any freedom a document written by man can give – anyone.  The tough side of our freedom is that we are free to be oppressed, harassed and even killed because of it. 

In chains, on the rack, in dungeons, on desert islands, and even in the flames we are free.  We have to keep in mind that this freedom is not of man and indeed is often opposed by man.   With this freedom we need to accept:

Luk 21:17  You will be hated by all for my name's sake.

Peter’s Pen 1st Peter 1:20-21

1Pe 1:20-21  He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you  (21)  who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

It’s easy to read a verse like this and kind of say, “Yeah, duh,” but we do really need to read it slowly and carefully.

Breaking it down can help (as with many other verses).

(20) He was foreknown before the foundation of the world

but was made manifest in the last times

for the sake of you

(21)  who through him

are believers in

God,

 who raised him from the dead

and gave him glory,

so that

your faith and hope

are in God.

This verse sweeps away any confusion about who is in control of our redemption.  It makes it clear what the source of our faith is and nails not only why but how we have faith in God.

We always need to get very tired of laying the responsibility of our redemption on our own shoulders.  When we do, we are crushed.  But when we accept that all of it is of God – not only its beginning but its final result as well - we are free to praise and free to obey.

Oh what wonderful grace and mercy God has bestowed, is bestowing and will still bestow on those and through those for whom He made His Son the manifest Redeemer and Redemption.

As the lyrics to a great song says:

If I stand let me stand on the promise that You will see me through.

And, if I fall let me fall on the grace that first brought me to You.

Evangelistic Insight ???

Psa 36:11  Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

The message at worship today had a plethora (cool word) of really great points and insights.  It was a wonderful morning.

Not only was I personally blessed but I had a lot put in my “hopper” to consider and pray over.  One thing in particular ended up on the top.  It was the opposition to the Gospel.

While I was reading this afternoon I came across Psalm 36 which I used in the P & Me blog today.  As I read the rest of the Psalm, verse 11 jumped off the screen.

Here is a good description of the problems we might have while we seek to share the Gospel.  The first problem is us.  If we do not remember from whence He has bought and brought us we will run the danger of an arrogant spirit.  We will fall into the “us” and “them” trap.  We will come, not in the humility of Christ but the arrogance of the flesh.

Ok, maybe – maybe we can see ourselves as better off than the unredeemed sinner but there is nothing we can claim that will ever make us “better.”  If Romans 7 doesn’t convince us of that, nothing will. 

Yes, there is bad news before the good news but the good news is about Him not about us.  Actually the only power in the Gospel is Him.  Our, “How I came to Jesus,” story may be powerful but that’s not the Gospel.  He is the Gospel.

The world thinks we think we are “good” people because we are believers.  The world thinks that because “we’ve” somehow (arrogance??) conveyed that idea.  I am called (don’t want to impose my view on you) not to oppose evil in the world – but rather to proclaim the coming of the Savior.  I am not the overcomer of sin – not even in my own life.  Rather I am the proclaimer of good tidings of great joy.  Maybe if we presented the Gospel with more “I was” than “you are” in it we would avoid any appearance of arrogance.

The second part of this verse is tough.  To be honest, if I had a dollar for every time I’ve held my tongue or stated something “safely,”  I’d be rolling in $.  My sin – my problem – that He can overcome.

But we all know the feeling of discomfort when we are talking about our faith.  Do I say this, do I say that?  We don’t want to offend but folks we have to accept that the cross in all its meaning is, well, offensive.

There is insight in the words of Paul:

1Co 1:21-24  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.  (22)  For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,  (23)  but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,  (24)  but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

AND

2Co 4:8-10  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  (9)  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;  (10)  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

Consider Psalm 36:11, as you pray for the opportunity,  wisdom and call to share the Gospel with others.  These are two biggies that can hinder His work through us as we go about His work,  at least they are for me.

Walk with P & Me 082612

Today is the lord’s Day and it appears He was working in hyper-drive.  Patti and I woke up kind of numb and sluggish and our concerns seemed so very distracting.

But, knowing there was no better place to be we got it together and went to join our brothers and sisters for worship.  Things got funky from there on.

A dear brother stopped by us and asked how we were bearing up.  I responded with my typical, “We’re hanging in there.”  For some reason he persisted in patting us and asking about us and to tell the truth, for a moment, I was a little irritated. 

But, I realized that while I was trying real hard to distract myself from our needs and worries, God was trying to comfort and encourage us through this brother.  That was a smack in the back of the head!  Here I am feeling sorry for myself and here’s God providing comfort and care through another and I’m being a fussy camper.

Thankfully I wasn’t so full of me that God couldn’t get through.  Or rather God was a lot bigger than the “me” I was full of and there was no way I was gonna get away with my little “pity party.”  Whichever it was He lifted my heart and my spirit all the while convicting me of my whining (and Oh was I whining).

Then a brother I really love came by and showed me his new I-pod.  He was so excited as it is a great tool for him in his work and ministry.  He was absolutely joyous.  Well, my first thought was about Patti’s computer which is ancient and holds a charge for about an hour and is still XP.  Then  I thought about how ai had planned to get her a new one and to look into a new tablet for me.  Needless to say my “joy” in my brother’s I-pod was at least a little less that sincere.

Bam – again I found my heart all stuck with “me.”  Conviction?  Oh yeah! 

Then we gather around the Lord’s Table – ouch – just what I needed, a reminder of my unworthiness.  But as we took the elements my mind and heart were turned to Him and His worthiness and my being His and what it cost Him.  I’m not saying that I experienced what we think of as a miracle but I did experience something comforting and correcting.

OK, then comes the message.  Let me give you a little background. 

The other day I was listening to Alistair Begg and happened to click on a message concerning evangelism.  Now I’ve never thought of myself as being an “evangelist.”  My gift is teaching so I left evangelism to the evangelist.  But this program – an evangelistic study of the Gospel of Mark caught my interest.  I began to form my prayers around its potential in Us In Him.

The message today – basically evangelism – the Gospel.  Ouch!!!  Not wholly convicted but close.  Now I’m (actually we are) praying about  this course as part of Us In Him.  We don’t know – we kind of think maybe – but we are being taught to wait upon Him.  And since He’ll have to provide the means for us to use the courses – we have some idea what we’re waiting for.

I write this because we rarely share this kind of experiences with one another.  Is it a big deal?  Well, it was for me. 

In one morning I went from numb and nasty to grateful and hopeful and He used both my sinfulness and His grace in others to change my mind and heart. 

I had this thought about the Marianas Trench out in the Pacific Ocean.  It is so deep that light never penetrates.  I am considering its relation to my heart.  I am discovering that there are depths to my heart I have never plumbed.  Nor have I asked God to do so – not really.  Oh, I’ve asked Him to heal my booboos and remove the most obvious and common corruptions but I’ve asked for what I find comfortable and not what needs to be done.

I found this and am thankfully hopeful:

Psa 36:1  Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. ff

Why?  As a former unredeemed “wicked,” person this was me.  I have been content to let God do a “detail” job on me (like you do a car) but I can’t remember asking Him to plumb those depths of my heart that rival the Marianas Trench.  It’s an awesome thing when you find those deep dark places.  You find them by what comes to your mind or jumps out of your mouth.

Today a couple of those weird darkness/bottom feeders rose close enough to the surface to be seen, recognized and taken to the only one who can deal with it.  I’m thankful for that and am looking to build a rememberance of it – maybe a pile of mental stones.  God has done good work for me,  but today I learned He has just begun.

Peter's Pen 1

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."    (1Pe 1:13-16)

I hope to be beginning a series titled “Peter’s pen.”  My intent is to produce a kind of “walking devotional,” drawing from Peter’s pen things that bless me and I hope bless you.  To be honest, I am also doing this because it keeps me focused on Him and off all the hooplala of the election campaigns and cultural conflicts.  I find that I can am too easily distracted and diverted in my thoughts and prayers by things which are interesting and exciting and important – but not the point.

Peter writes:

“preparing your minds for action”

Interestingly, “for action” isn’t in the Greek.  It is implied however by the imperative to “prepare.”

“Prepare” means to “gird up.”  Girding up back them meant that you drew up the bottom of your robe or cloak and tucked it into your belt  so you were ready for – well – action.  We might say today, “roll up your sleeves.”  The very act of girding up implies there will be active work to do.

What we are to “gird up” or “prepare” is our minds.  Mind = the mind as a faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring. 

It doesn’t look like we’ll be digging ditches or climbing trees. 

It is our faculty of understanding, feeling and desire that is going to get the workout.  Now isn’t that something?

The Puritans taught that the mind (understanding) should inform the affections (feeling and desires).  They also taught that the mind was most secured and well-fed by the Word of God.  They taught that one could never get enough of the Word in one’s mind.  The more Word the more sturdy the wall, the more discerning the understanding and therefore the godlier the feelings and desires.

I can’t help but think of that last Passover, the events in the garden and Peter’s denials.  We tend to look back and see a wonderful fulfillment of God’s promises.  Yet for those present it was, in those moments, a horrible horrible night.  The trauma and terror had to have been beyond what we can conceive.

We’ve all had those times when we stand or sit absolutely gob-smacked by events.  We are more than stunned.  Our minds race and reel.  Our feelings are “all over the place.”  We are beyond confused, beyond understanding.  We are even beyond believing what’s happening.

Ever dreamed you were falling?  For me that seems an appropriate picture.  Sure we wake up but we wake up with a jerk and a sense of terror.  Nothing seems real yet everything seem too real.

Remember, the apostles had their own idea of what was to come.  They were confident and secure as we see in both their singing and sleeping.  “Blind-sided,” is a gross understatement.  Everything changed on that night and everything they hoped for seemed to just disappear.  It had to have been a sense of utter failure even betrayal.  It wasn’t, of course, but try to imagine how they felt in their limited understanding and incorrect expectations.

We however know the whole story.  We can see it clearly.  We know it was part of His plan for redeeming us.  Yet for them, then, it was devastating.

Here may be one of Peter’s reasons for admonishing us to prepare our minds.  We must know the whole truth of God’s Word and plan.  We must understand His way and the world’s way and the conflict between the two. 

I am put in mind of His statement:

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  (Joh 15:19)

Our minds must be girded, prepared to live in and with that truth.  How many times are we blindsided in our relationships and activities in the world?  Why are we shocked and numbed by the criticism, condemnation and persecution we encounter?  Why do we expect the world to play nice with us?

Jesus said:

"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Mat 10:16)

We need to wrap our minds around that.  It is His truth and our reality.  I think we need to accept His words and keep them in the forefront of our minds.  We need to appreciate this statement and its warning and fill our minds with the hope of His promises. 

Perhaps I’ve said it too much but my Lord did not die so I could be successful or popular or powerful in the world.  Rather He died to overcome the world for me and to prepare a place for me with Him.  The hope of “heaven here” sadly obscures the real hope we have of “heaven when.”