Tag: Prayer and Praying

What Does the Bible Teach us About Sexual Orientation? What is our God’s Answer for the Complex Question of our Sexual Orientation? Genesis 1:26-28

When a baby is born, the first thing usually said is, “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!”

The sex of a child is based on biology-anatomy and chromosomes. But, for some individuals, their sense of gender does not always match their sex.

That mismatch was brought to our attention in 2015 when Olympic superstar Bruce Jenner announced that he no longer wanted to be Bruce. Several months later he was introduced on the front cover of Vanity Fair as Caitlyn Jenner.

That same year, same sex marriage was legalized in all fifty states on June 26, 2015, by an act of the United States Supreme Court.

Who would have thought that momentous decision was possible but just a few short years earlier?

But the speed at which our culture’s view on gender and sexuality has changed with lightning speed.

I remember reading that the Facebook in the U.S. used to list over 50 gender alternatives, if the word ‘alternatives’ are the right terminology whereas in the United Kingdom. a person has over 70 gender alternatives!

However, I believe that now one is able to custom list one’s gender preference throughout social media. So, I do not know how many options there are today?

When I was praying and considering what topic my devotional time to today, I felt directed to this one on Sexual Orientation and what God has to say about it.

I believe this extraordinarily complex topic was important for us to examine in light of the current socio-cultural conditions.

Not only is there real divisive pressure in the contemporary culture to accept modern conceptions of sex and gender, but children are also being taught that at school too. “Drag Queens” are reading books to children in Public Libraries.

Where young children are involved, parents become, rightly so, very protective.

While I could write a multitude of sessions on this topic, I am going to cover it in only one session.

Therefore, this devotional will be necessarily cursory.

However, I believe, at least I pray I believe, it will be sufficient (by the grace of God) to give a biblical answer to the issue of sexual (and gender) orientation.

I have become aware of the book; The Gospel & Sexual Orientation by Michael Lefebvre (2012) and I am going to my Kindle to read it to better educate myself.

I have also become aware of the book; Gender as Calling: The Gospel & Gender Identity (2017) and I am going to my Kindle to read it to better educate myself.

I encourage my readers to read them to better educate and inform themselves.

I should also mention that I have no University Degrees, expertise in medicine, biological sciences, or any branch of social work or psychology or counseling.

My perspective on this is this – 40 years ago, the circumstances of my life required me to “fight this battle of intimacy and orientation” with my soul.

I fought it very privately for the first twenty years with no thought of God other than extreme anger and even stronger feelings of the absolute worst betrayal.

Then, circumstances changed drastically, and I accepted Christ as my Savior.

I spent the next eight years privately trying to sort things out with God and then in 2008 I met the woman who in 2010 became my wife of twelve + years now.

There are reasons and rationales galore why I remained a bachelor for 48 years.

God alone knows them all.

God alone collected and recorded in His Book, every single one of my tears.

Psalm 56: 8 Amplified.

You have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not recorded in Your book?

It’s only but by the Grace of God, My Savior

– I fought the wars, I ‘bled,’ carried the scars, cried the tears and then

ULTIMATELY GOD WON!

I leave the details, for obvious reasons, strictly between my God and Me and those I have learned by time and tragedy and betrayal to implicitly trust.

I also will point out that I have no Seminary training nor Ordination license.

My training is “limited” to what I try to read and grasp in God’s Scriptures.

And so, I believe my approach to this topic is more theological and pastoral.

My concern in this devotional is what the Bible teaches about this topic, and also how we as Christians and as the Body of Christ – the church should help, counsel, those wrestling with issues related to sexual and gender orientation.

As the Body of Christ, God’s Church in the world, it is a very righteous effort to rigorously and vigorously examine the Word of God as it relates to such issues.

“One God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – One Faith – One Baptism.” Amen!

God is absolutely Sovereign over His own Creation.

God is the Author of all life – Psalm 139:13-18 Amplified.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace

Genesis 1:26-28Amplified Bible

26 Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Let me briefly define a few terms so that we are thinking about the same thing:

* Sex-refers to the biological classification of a person as male or female based on physical features.

* Gender-refers to the social and psychological classification of a person as male or female based on personal perception.

There are a few instances in which a person’s physical anatomy is different from his or her chromosome make-up. That is very rare, and very difficult emotionally, very difficult pastorally, and beyond the scope of this writing.

Historically, a person’s physical sex and social gender were regarded as unified.

So, a physical male was also a social male, and physical female was also social female.

Today, however, this historical view has been challenged.

A person’s sex and gender are no longer regarded as necessarily matching.

Today, a physical male may be gendered as a female, or vice versa.

That is where the term transgender comes in: a transgender is a person whose sex and gender do not match.

Lesson

What is God’s answer for the issue of sexual orientation?

Let’s use the following outline:

1. Current Concerns about the Issue of Sexual Orientation

2. Culture’s Answers to the Issue of Sexual Orientation

3. God’s Answer to the Issue of Sexual Orientation

I. Current Concerns about the Issue of Sexual Orientation

First, let’s look at current concerns about the issue of sexual orientation. Why do we even need to examine this issue?

Sexual orientation and gender identity are at the forefront of today’s culture. A tremendous amount has been written about it. Laws have been changed. The media accepts that sex and gender do not need to match for people. And as I said, even social media, like Facebook, allows people to self-identify.

People who wrestle with sexual orientation and gender identity issues often struggle very deeply, and very privately although admittedly not all do.

A Transgender Remembrance Day poster stated,

“34% of trans people attempt suicide. 64% are bullied. 73% of trans people are harassed in public. 21% of trans people avoid going out in public due to fear.”

If these numbers are accurate, even if they are not close, that is sad testimony.

Our culture has been pressing very hard, especially in recent years, to accept whatever sexual orientation or gender identity a person chooses.

However, as we consider issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, we must be sure that any answers are in complete agreement with God’s Word.

We must not capitulate to “political correctness,” social media posts, medicine, science, or psychology unless its propositions are consistent with God’s Word.

Second, notice culture’s answers to the issue of sexual orientation.

One current view promoted is sexual orientation is determined by our biological make-up. They say sexual orientation is akin to eye color or left-handedness.

And with regard to gender, transgender activist and entertainer, Chaz Bono, said,

“There’s a gender in your brain and a gender in your body. For 99% of people, those things are in alignment. For transgender people, they’re mismatched. That’s all it is. It’s not complicated, it’s not a neurosis. It’s a mix-up. It’s a birth defect, like a cleft palate.”

The Question is being asked, researched and only relatively briefly studied:

Is Homosexuality in our Genetic make- up? I have no Idea whatsoever.

Is there a “Homosexual Gene?” Again, I have no Idea whatsoever.

It is far beyond my expertise ergo I can give no answers, nor I can offer one.

I suppose it is possible that future science will more thoroughly demonstrate that the biological factors associated with such conditions are truly causative.

I suppose that even the opposite may eventually be scientifically demonstrated.

Eventually it may even be discovered that there is indeed a “gay gene,” so that even homosexuality can be said to be congenital.

Again, this is beyond my expertise, and I leave it to the scientific community to do all of the necessary research and studies and the certainly inevitable debates.

The answers to these questions are extremely important; however, I believe they do not in and of themselves call for any reform of the church’s historic doctrine of man, of human sexuality, the undeniable impact of original sin.

Another current view promoted is that sexual orientation is determined by psychological and environmental factors.

Alfred Kinsey eventually stated,

“I have come to the conclusion that homosexuality is largely a matter of conditioning.”

Perhaps this is why sex authorities Masters and Johnson emphasized,

“It is of vital importance that all professionals in the mental health field keep in mind that the homosexual man or woman is basically a man or woman by genetic determination and homosexually oriented by learned preference.”

There are people who have “same-sex attraction” (SSA).

And there are also people who have what is known as “gender dysphoria,”

which is defined as an experience of clinically significant distress due to a “marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, of at least six months duration.”

Our culture’s answers to the issue of sexual orientation and gender identity are inadequate. The vast majority of people dealing with these issues still struggle.

So, then, the question: what is God’s answer to the Body of Christ – HIS Church?

Matthew 28:18-20 Amplified Bible

18 Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 10:16Amplified Bible

A Hard Road before Them

16 “Listen carefully: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves [have no self-serving agenda].

So, what is God’s answer?

III. God’s Answer to the Issue of Sexual Orientation

Third, let’s examine God’s answer to the issue of sexual orientation.

Biblically, a person’s social gender is identified with his or her anatomical sex.

People are created by God with a male or female anatomical sex, and that sexual identity marks the person’s gender identity.

(There are, however, a very small number of people born with ambiguous anatomy, but that is echelons beyond the scope of this devotional message.)

The Bible’s foundational statement on sexual orientation and gender identity is Genesis 1:26-28:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'”

Note this passage of text introduces God’s design for humanity as “male” and “female.”

These two categories are not merely descriptive of all humans; they are prescriptive.

These are not the two outer ranges, with a gradation between them.

No, there are only two categories: male and female.

This passage of text also conflates sex and gender.

The biological classification is exactly the same as the social classification.

The reproductive and social duties of the man is presented within the same gender, as it is for the woman.

Lefebvre notes,

“Nowhere in Scripture are men or women exhorted to question their gender identity based on tastes or mannerisms-let alone their sexual orientation.”

Modern proponents for the sexual revolution say the Bible does not condemn homosexuality when it is properly understood.

They say that homosexual promiscuity in the Bible related to cultic prostitution or to rape or to pederasty.

They argue that the Bible approves of homosexual relationships, if they are true committed, life-long, monogamous relationships.

The theological problem is Scripture simply does not teach what they assert.

There are a number of passages in Scripture dealing with the complex issue of homosexuality.

These are: 

Genesis 19:1-29 (the account of Sodom and Gomorrah), 

Judges 19:1-30 (the Levite’s concubine), 

Leviticus 18:22; 20:13 (the Mosaic prohibitions), 

Romans 1:26-27 (Paul on unnatural desire), 

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (Paul’s list of defilements), 

1 Timothy 1:8-11 (Paul’s application of the Ten Commandments), 

Jude 5-7 (Sodom and Gomorrah remembered).

We don’t have time to examine each of these texts, but I do definitely invite readers to do their own process of discernment and independent studies.

God’s answer, however, must also, by necessity, be given pastorally.

First, the Bible clearly teaches that there are only two sexes: male and female.

There are two genders, and these genders correspond to our biological sex.

Second, if you are experiencing sexual orientation or gender identity issues, please find qualified professional help, talk with someone whom you trust.

Third, grace is available to all.

All of us deal with sin and suffering in our lives.

Paul struggled with an unnamed affliction that God never removed from him (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). But God did promise that his grace was sufficient for him.

Fourth, the gospel provides the only hope for us to fulfill the Great Commission.

Luke 18:9-14 Amplified Bible

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [posing outwardly as upright and in right standing with God], and who viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood [ostentatiously] and began praying to himself [in a self-righteous way, saying]: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—swindlers, unjust (dishonest), adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even raise his eyes toward heaven, but was striking his chest [in humility and repentance], saying, ‘God, be merciful and gracious to me, the [especially wicked] sinner [that I am]!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his home justified [forgiven of the guilt of sin and placed in right standing with God] rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself [forsaking self-righteous pride] will be exalted.”

God promises the total redemption of our whole man in Christ Jesus, our Savior.

In this life, we must continually make humble use of the means of grace, gifted to us by God, to Scripturally deal with our sin, grow, mature in Christlikeness.

John 8:1-11 Amplified Bible

The Adulterous Woman

8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning He came back into the temple [court], and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began teaching them. 3 Now the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the center of the court, 4 and they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women [to death]. So, what do You say [to do with her—what is Your sentence]?” 6 They said this to test Him, hoping that they would have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and began writing on the ground with His finger. 7 However, when they persisted in questioning Him, He straightened up and said, “He who is without [any] sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then He stooped down again and started writing on the ground. 9 They listened [to His reply], and they began to go out one by one, starting with the oldest ones, until He was left alone, with the woman [standing there before Him] in the center of the court. 10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She answered, “No one, Lord!” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.”]

2 Corinthians 5:17-21Amplified Bible

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. 18 But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].

20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. 21 He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].

Finally, let us be a fellowship of God’s people who love all people, regardless of the issue with which they are struggling.

It grieves my heart greatly when I hear people make off-color comments about those struggling with sexual orientation gender identity issues.

May we celebrate and love others as God first celebrated and loved Us. Amen.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, thank you that nothing is impossible for you. Hear my prayer for a miracle. Fill me with faith that you can answer. What seems impossible to me is within your power. When I can’t think of a solution, you are still able to act. Please help me believe that nothing I face in life can compare to you. You are the God of the impossible. Neither death or life, angels or rulers, things present or future, height or depth, or anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from your love. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Alleluia! Amen.

 https://translate.google.com/

Where God’s Charity and Truest Love Prevails. Making our Relationships Work. The Role of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage. Genesis 1:26-28 and 2:24-25.

Making our relationships work involves how we relate and connect to one and to each other as male and female… a connection involving us as sexual beings.

So, today, by the charity of God, His unconditional love, we are now going to get deeply personal and try to consider God’s design and desire for sexual intimacy.

I know that sexual intimacy is a topic that can often awaken plenty of interest.

I know, also, that sexual intimacy is a topic that raises many “red flags” as well.

I also know this topic of sexual intimacy can likewise tend to be a very sensitive, even embarrassing or humiliating subject or traumatic, even traumatizing one.

It’s about something very personal and intimate.

In a culture and economic climate that wants to turn sexuality into a source of public commodity and consumption… something still feels very personal and intimate when the topic is brought up and an effort is made to “give it to God.”

I certainly want to respect and protect that personal nature and sensitivity. 

We live in a time that prides itself on being sexually free.

Yet the reality, I believe, is that we are actually sexually conflicted.

We will not hesitate to politicize, we freely weaponize sexual intimacy in Congressional Hearings considering changes to the Roe Vs. Wade Supreme Court decision and in testimony and “political” speeches before Senatorial Hearings considering the nomination of our Supreme Court Justices.

It’s been said that what a culture tries to laugh at is what is most unresolved within it.

Our comedy is obsessed with sex because there is so much tension unresolved within us.

On Awards Shows, a man can make “very personal comments” about another man’s wife on National Television – and then “get slapped around and down.”

Our personal feelings about being sexual can elicit a mix of goodness and guilt…beauty and shame.

Sexuality is such a deep part of our identity and a deep part of our insecurity.

We live in a tension marked by both repression and obsession… inhibition and indulgence.

The only one NOT hung up in sexual confusion… is God.

God surrounds us … to speak of a gift that needs to be restored…. to speak of a gift often negated or neglected.

He says, “I made the stars… the seas… but lastly, I made you as male and female… as sexual beings.”

It’s God who created us as bodily beings. So, I’d like to stop and ask you to join me in a brief moment of prayer…and opening our hearts to God’s heart for us.

Let’s hear again the words from the first book of the Bible… as God gives poetic summary of who we are…

Genesis 1:26-28Amplified Bible

26 Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

Genesis 2:24-25 Amplified Bible

24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed or embarrassed.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

From these ancient words of God, we are each poetically reminded of that God alone created sexuality…. and the potential for sexual intimacy.

It’s not like God created the first humans, went on lunch break and then came back and was like, “what are they doing? Who taught them that?!”

The original state was His idea. And how different it is from what we often feel.

Last verse (25) – “The man and his wife were both naked, but they weren’t ashamed of it.”

Can you imagine that?

A nakedness of body that had nothing to hide from God or anyone…no shame.

No shame from their past.

No shame that comes from falling short of some expectations for performance.

The truth is that…

Our sexuality is rooted in God…. and reflected in…

• Our Complimentary Nature (‘male and female’)

We are uniquely created as male and female… to reflect the complimentary aspects of God’s character.

It’s helpful to ask what God says about when they become sexual beings.

When did they become male and female?

Was it when they left and joined partners? No

Was it when they united and created life? NO

At the very moment they were created…they were either male or female.

And that speaks to a valuable truth: You and I will never be or become more fundamentally a man or woman than you and I already are.

Now I acknowledge how deeply some find conflict with being male or female… some physical … some psychological…

I believe it is a conflict that is incredible deep because it is with something real… our biological nature as male and female is not something we can ever escape… but we must yet, by the charity and mercy of God, somehow navigate through.

• Creative Potential… (‘be fruitful and multiply’)

Male and Female were told to ‘be fruitful and multiply’ as their physical union could create new life.

God who is creating endows us with creative power…including the ability to create life.

Sexual intimacy is not reduced to the power and purpose of creating life… but neither can it be understood outside of that sacred power.

The command to go and multiply is not simply a matter of following an order… but reflecting the very divine order or nature itself.

In essence we are “continuing God’s creation act” from chaos into order.

It’s notable… that when God calls a people of this earth through whom he would miraculously make himself known

… what is the sign of the covenant

… circumcision… a marking out of the life creating male anatomy.

A sacred reminder that our sexuality is rooted in the Divine order.

• Covenant Partnerships (‘leave and become united’)

God describes that we were given a purpose… and a means to partner in fulfilling that purpose.

We were created as complimentary beings…able to create life… and therefore a man will leave his initial family to create a new union.

This partnership is the essence of marriage.

Now I know that some rigorously question the nature of marriage today.

Some may say that there were many forms of marriage in the Bible… the ancients would practice polygamy in which a man may have had many wives.

There were obligations to provide for the lineage of a brother who dies…by taking his wife.

The ancient cultures had some patterns that may seem strange in light of what God’s original design of an individual man joining an individual woman

… but the truth is…. that as God began to form a people… the understanding of marriage turns back to this original design… of a man leaving his father and mother… cleaving…. becoming bound to one woman…and becoming one flesh…uniting in a sacred intimacy only with her.

What is described is how the “becoming one flesh” …the physical union… consummates the commitment.

When two become one…. they then experience oneness in sexual union.

This helps us begin to understand how sexual oneness is designed for marriage… where the bonds of oneness have been divinely established.

The very nature of “passion” reflects the desire to give ourselves fully…with great fervor. Sexual Intimacy and Sexual passion are about giving ourselves physically and personally to another.

I believe it can be captured this way…

“Sexual passion is the stimulating of a God-given, God -driven longing from deep within us for oneness, for uniqueness; through the pleasure of releasing both personal and physical boundaries, leading to the uniting of one’s body and being, designed by God (Psalm 139:13-18) as a part of a lifelong partnership.”

I realize that within our current culture we have been trying to negate this idea.

The so called “sexual revolution” may have rightfully challenged the unhealthy repression of sexual desires…but in trying to ignore that sexual intimacy as that which God intended to unite us…it has instead, … been politicized, weaponized, and traumatically divided, torn apart, what wasn’t designed to be separated.

Experiencing oneness without being one deeply violates our personhood.

I acknowledge and recognize that may be hard for some to accept… and you may not agree at this point.

I don’t have the time today to engage how to consider such a truth today.

But I would suggest that through study of scripture and through prayer, the truth of our sexual nature speaks from both within us…and from around us.

The physical and personal were not neat to be separated.

Freedom is found when body and being are united…. when experiencing oneness is bound within the God created bonds and bounds of oneness.

Sexual intimacy is designed to unite us.

As Reverend Dr. Timothy Keller describes…

“Sexual Intimacy is a way to say to somebody else, “I belong completely and exclusively to you,” and if you use it to say anything else, it’s a lie. It’s a nonverbal piece of communication God designed, and it’s meant to carry a message…God said sex is a way to give yourself totally to somebody else and to say, “I belong completely and totally and exclusively to you.”

The simple truth is that no little girl dreams of the day they will find themselves in the arms of a stranger. No little boy dreams of the day they will be addicted and consumed by looking at a computer… or engaging in something rough and abusive. At our core, we were not designed for such separation of body and soul.

Our culture has invested more into the promotion of casual sex than any other idea I can think of.

We simply have to decide … is it really a progressive idea… or a regressive idea?

Do I really believe that becoming like the prevailing culture, succumbing to the prevailing social media driven peer pressure, is fulfillment of my personhood?

Godly Restoration comes with realigning the longings of being and body… rediscovering what it means that we are human beings expressed in bodies.

Our current cultural desire to try to separate physical pleasure from personal commitment….is not because we don’t feel the connection…it’s not because the facts regarding social cost aren’t clear … it’s because we have found it hard.

Self-Discipline, Self-control is hard… and it’s hard when there is such a long period between when sexual desires arise, and marriage tends to arise.

And it’s this tension which the Apostle Paul addresses.

He writes to those who are living in Greece…the city of Corinth.

And here is what he says…as captured in a paraphrased translation.

II. God’s Desire for Sexual Intimacy in Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1-7The Message

To Be Married, to Be Single . . .

7 Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, is it a good thing to have sexual relations?

2-6 Certainly—but only within a certain context. It’s good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder. The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality—the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out. Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it’s for the purposes of prayer and fasting—but only for such times. Then come back together again. Satan has an ingenious way of tempting us when we least expect it. I’m not, understand, commanding these periods of abstinence—only providing my best counsel if you should choose them.

7 Sometimes I wish everyone were single like me—a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.

The words of the Apostle Paul here may not sound like the greatest promotion of marriage.

In fact, the wording of other translations can sound even more like a “resignation” …as if to say “if you must get married…it’s okay” … as if Paul merely resigns marriage as a necessity for the less self-controlled.

Admittedly, it does not quite have that Hallmark Valentine’s Day card feel.

But the first verse helps us understand what Paul’s intent is.

He begins. “Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, is it a good thing to have sexual relations?

While Paul certainly has reasons to see the benefits of celibacy

… we need to understand that he is beginning to address particular issues and questions raised by those in Corinth.

Other Translations. – ‘Is it good for a man to touch a woman?’… euphemism for sexual relationship.

To really understand the question, we need to remember the philosophy that was pervading the culture at the time…

Corinth…the city to which he is writing… was part of Greece…and just 40 miles from Athens.

The idea can be summed up as DUALISM = a complete separation of material and spiritual… and that which is of the earthly desires and bodily life being deemed either an enemy of the spiritual or at least irrelevant.

Out of this false separation, some conclude we can do anything with your body we would like.

Others found in this dualistic thinking a more ascetic approach to life… detach themselves from their sexuality.

This included those who were married thinking that such physical pleasure may be unfitting of spiritual life.

Such marriages are called “Platonic marriages” after the Greek philosopher Plato.

Many people married but did not consummate the marriage with a physical joining together; instead, they did that kind of physical activity with temple prostitutes and child slaves.

As some may or may not recall

…the city of Corinth had one of the most massive temples of its day… the Temple of Aphrodite…which has been uncovered and can be visited today.

It housed an estimated 1,000 priestesses who served as temple prostitutes…. A form of sacred legal prostitution.

That may sound crazy to us… the idea that a culture would invest so much to create non-relational sex…give it an almost sacred glorified place.

I wonder if we haven’t invested far more than that considering the length and breadth, height, depth and width of the reaches of technology, social media, to create our own “temples of sex”… where we try to find “virtual” not eternal life.

Satan’s great strategy, when it comes to sex, sexual intimacy is to do everything he can to hyper encourage sex outside of marriage, and to discourage sex within marriage. It is an equal victory for Satan if he actually accomplishes either plan!

So, Paul wants to make it clear: Physical intimacy in marriage is GOOD.

That may sound like the most obvious statement ever made… but I actually believe that a part of us may wonder. We need to really know that sexual intimacy in marriage is GOOD and not just a good thing but a God thing.

Whatever feels awkward in connecting God with our sexual pleasure is a reflection of something corrupted.

He wants us to stop letting sexuality become defined as something bad in itself.

Paul is not saying sex is the only reason for marriage, or the most important reason for marriage.

Paul is simply confronting their negating of sex, sexual intimacy within God’s covenant of marriage.

Our feelings about sex today, including sexual intimacy in marriage, are often still caught between obsession and repression.

…. And Paul here reminds us that neither the indulgent nor the inhibited are really enjoying true sexual freedom.

Apostle Paul concludes saying he himself embraces his circumstances of being unmarried. He was almost certainly married earlier in his life

… but is likely widowed now.

And he values the freedom to serve God’s work with the freedom this gives him.

That affirms that marriage is not an end in itself… there is a larger purpose.

He knows that sexual intimacy is not essential to life…but it is powerful…and cannot be negated or neglected.

So his advice is simple…

1. Experience sex only with your spouse

Paul writes in verse 2: …But since there is so much immorality…

“It’s good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder…”

So Paul is saying sex only within marriage…

In a world that directs us away from relational intimacy

…. God calls the heart back to home.

This is the wisdom we hear in the Book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 5:15-19 (NIV)

Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. 16 Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? 17 Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. 18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 A loving doe, a graceful deer– may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.

2. Satisfy your spouse’s sexual needs

Look at 1 Corinthians 7 verses 3 and 4:

“The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality—the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other…”

The husband and wife have a marital duty to each other.

And in this context, that “marital duty” is sex.

Paul is saying that you and I are to satisfy our spouse’s sexual needs.

Paul says that we should not be depriving each other of what our bodies offer each other. He’s referring to the powerful DESIRE he had just described.

He’s not speaking about creating children…but of the pleasure itself.

As people who really value our spiritual nature, we may be quite comfortable acknowledging that physical intimacy is good, but perhaps a bit awkward with acknowledging, thinking, believing Creator God really intended such pleasure.

Paul not only affirms but even calls for both husbands and wives to ‘satisfy’ one another. Yes… it is a sacred means for being co-creators of life… but there is also a very necessary dimension of pleasure… of satisfying natural sensual desires.

In the Song of Songs…we hear of very sensual love…a love story shows marital sex to be erotic and personal, romantic and fun, passionate and patient.

As God’s gift to the intimacy between husband and wife, physical intimacy should be HIGHLY VALUED, THOROUGHLY ENJOYED on a REGULAR basis.

All of these adjectives will vary in diverse measures and to varying degrees…

Will our value always be the same?

No… but we can still each share in valuing it.

Will the level of enjoyment always be the same?

No… but enjoyment can always be a part.

What is regular?

That is to be defined through prayer and the comfort of the husband and wife.

So how can we develop such a sexually healthy marriage?

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Amplified Bible

9 Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor; 10 for if [a]either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, then they keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? 12 And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Please let me mention four quick points…

But FIRST and FOREMOST, and UTMOST,

Pray God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit into the moment.

Examine and be aware of the eternal equation: God plus Husband plus Wife

– Relational and Sexual intimacy in the Covenant of marriage always and forever begins and ends with God as Sovereign.

With God listening, and with Holy Spirit Guidance, being Husband and Wife in the image of God means you are having those “uncomfortable” conversations,

1. Confronting your SHARED sense of autonomy, individuality and uniqueness

2. Discovering and Challenging and Exploring your issues of fear and trust.

• Sex is never just about sex. It’s about connection.

3. Intentionally seek to know the other’s needs… which involves talking

4. Be considerate, intentional, utmost respectful about the sexual relationship

Finally….Paul makes one more main point…

3. Guard your relationship from the tensions and temptations which will seek to threaten it.

Paul says…we need to realize there is that which is set against us.

He warns us…there are spiritual forces who sees marriage as a sign of God’s covenant love on earth… a signpost of God…and wants to utterly tear it up.

He will try to draw every married life away from its center – GOD!

To submit to one another and to God (Ephesians 5:22-33),

to submit and to yield to one another sexually, intimately in marriage is to truthfully, faithfully, obediently step forward into God-created intimacy.

“My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.” Song of Solomon 2:16

These are poetic words of belonging, words that for an engaged couple can generate tender imagining and anticipation of what life together will be.

Lived into and lived out by a married couple, these words can hold together in intimacy what much of the world seems to determined to break apart.

Intimacy in marriage, sexual and otherwise, was created by God and is to be fervently and vigorously fought for, delighted in and also fiercely guarded.

To yield to one another sexually in marriage is to step into God-created intimacy that takes us out of ourselves and into places where the walls can crumble, and we can be tenderly vulnerable and real.

There is peace and expansiveness of heart that come with this intimacy, one that offers such glorious contrast to the confusion and momentum of the world.

We must be willing to fight for intimacy in our marriages, to fiercely guard it.

We fight for it by being attentive to each other’s hearts, by yielding to God in a way that allows us to more easily submit to God, freely yield to one another.

We guard it by being intentional, considering what pulls us from intimacy and stepping away from those places, considering what brings us life and stepping deliberately into those places.

“My beloved is mine, and I am his.”

We long to belong.

First and Foremost, unto God, our Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Then to each other, in the image of God into which we were created.

The Covenant of Marriage, as an intimate coming together before God, offers a sense of divine connection, belonging that mirrors our belonging to the Father.

While the risk-reward vulnerability that intimacy brings is sometimes hard or scary to step into, it is such a wonderfully holy place that God gives unto us, a place of delighting in each another that echoes of our Father’s delight in us.

God’s demand is that we love each other perfectly and consider the needs of each other before our own, even in the bedroom.

We know all too well how hard it is to make marriage and intimacy work and it is no surprise that we cannot do all that is required of us.

Sometimes it feels like we can barely do any part of it.

This is the weight of sin and the work of God’s law.

When we see those failures, we don’t just need to forgive each other, we look to Christ who forgives all our sins – who forgives all our sexual sins and failures – and we embrace his righteousness as we seek to move forward.

This is the work of the gospel, peace and forgiveness in Christ that flows over to one another.

He alone empowers us to do good in all our duties.

So, we do love one another.

We do try to set aside our own needs and serve one another in Christ-like love. We live in the strength of the gospel to the glory of God, even in the bedroom.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, the gift of marriage and its many blessings come from your loving hand. Thank you for these gifts which enrich our home and strengthen our relationship.  Continue to work your love in our hearts that we may grow in grace and our understanding of your plan for marriage and sexuality.

Give us an extra measure of charity and selfless love in our intimacy as we strive to set our own needs aside and look only to serve one another. Thank you for the grace that forgives us and spurs us forward to forgive one another when we fail.

By thy charity and mercy, do not let us lose heart in our journey and sustain us when we face overwhelming despair. Bring us your love and mercy every day as we look to honor you in our marriage, reflect your intimate love to the world.

In Jesus’ name, Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

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Parenting! Will you bless your children? Will you affirm and love them the way God originally intended? Genesis 1:26-27

Father God calls, covenants, every generation of Christians to see to it that the next generation hears about His mighty acts. God does not drop a new truth from heaven on every generation but intends that the older generation will teach the newer generation how to read and think, trust and obey and rejoice.

The Goal of Parenting: Eternity in the Everyday

God’s ordinary way of shaping children into radically committed, risk-taking, countercultural, wise, thinking, loving, mature, world Christians is through parents who themselves teach and model a God-centered, Bible-saturated “Christian” worldview to their children.

The High Calling of Fatherhood

The overarching guide for every father should be to live in such a way that his children can see what God the Father is like. Children should see in their human father a reflection — albeit imperfect — of the heavenly Father in his strength and tenderness, in his wrath and mercy, in his exaltation and condescension, in his surpassing wisdom and patient guidance.

The Deep Impact of Motherhood

Motherhood is the transmission of a God-centered, Christ-treasuring vision of life to our children. Mothers have a covenant calling that can become the long-remembered ground of faith, not just for their own children but for the untold numbers of other children who will be affected and influenced by them.

Discipline: To Train the Heart

Gracious parenting prayerfully leads children from external compliance to what socio-cultural peer pressures dictate “must be” done to joyful willingness to do what Mom and Dad tell them, ask them, to do from the kindness of their heart.

Children must learn to obey before they are able process obedience through Christian faith. When saving faith comes, the obedience which they’ve learned from fear, reward, respect, becomes the natural expression of their own faith.

Parenting in the Hardest of Times

If you are parenting in the worst of times or want to get ready for parenting in the worst of times — or simply want hope in the worst of times — look to Jesus, take this posture: brokenness because of our sin and boldness because of Christ.

Genesis 1:26-27 Amplified Bible

26 Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

On the parenting front, if you are not a parent, a single, or not able to have kids, this is still for you because you were parented.

Somewhere along the line you were a kid and had parents.

There are two things I want you to do this morning, write down tips on what you need to do to help others, and write down things you were missing.

This is not to turn around and tell your parents what they did wrong, but it is a space and a place for Father God to come restore and heal you.

God is your Father and Restorer and it’s a place to meet with God.

Another thing on the forefront is to acknowledge parenting is hard.

It takes two, which is why God put us in partnership.

If you are a single parent, you know it takes a community around you.

It’s difficult and challenging.

Sometimes, mom and dad have to figure it out together.

Parenting is tough.

It is unique, but it is God’s will.

God’s plan A is family to glorify God and raise children in a way that they experience the fullness of God’s heart. 

Genesis 1:27-28, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God created male and female and He blessed them.

It was a good thing. Then, He said go and bear fruit and multiply, and care for these precious ones that they might glorify God in the earth.

May every generation be better than the one before it.

May every generation far exceed where their parents were in that journey and find the grace in God.

There is no Plan B; parenting is Plan A for His glory.

Just a reminder, especially to parents of little kids, children are a blessing from the Lord.

Remember, God created us male and female, and He blessed them, He let them know they were worth everything to Him.

The psalmist picks this up in Psalm 127:3-5,

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.”

This is God’s delight, His design, and His desire.

Whether you are experiencing this or not as a parent, you have promises from God that He will absolutely bless your children. It is His design and desire.

The question is:

Will you bless your children?

Will you affirm and love them the way God intended?

The one thing your kids need to know is that there is a mom and a dad, two people on the earth that will be for them, always, no matter what.

No matter the ups and downs, the failures, the successes, there is somebody that values them above all others, and that’s you.

That is why we don’t compare our kids to other people. “Why can’t you be like so and so?”

Of course, it is fine to say, “Look at that attribute in that person’s life.”

To point to Christlikeness, but at the same time, you do not compare your kids to other kids.

It devalues them.

It makes them feel as if they are not the most important person to somebody on the earth.

Everyone wants to know, “Who is going to love me? Who is going to value me?”

Mom and Dad – you are that person.

There is no one else that God has chosen to be the number one cheerleader for your kids.

This does not mean your kids are perfect or don’t have problems.

It doesn’t mean they aren’t challenging or a wipeout.

They need to know there is somebody on this planet that will love them like nobody else and will advocate for them no matter what, and it is you.

That is one thing you can be for your children.

Despite of what else is going on, consistently let them know they are a blessing. 

Mom and Dad, it’s absolutely okay to brag about your kids.

You say, “I get so tired of so-and-so bragging about their kids,”

You know what?

I don’t. I’m done with that.

I love hearing other parents brag about their kids.

You brag.

Somebody must be their cheerleader.

Somebody to actually and genuinely think and to say and to communicate to them that they are the best and most loved in the world and be on their team.

Because every kid needs it, and so do you.

Children are a blessing form the Lord, let’s act like it so they can experience God’s blessing over their lives.

The other thing to mention with this is we know everybody is tainted by sin.

Each one of your kids is marred by sin as you are.

When your kids are not a blessing, like coming out of the womb and screaming, or just all over you and crazy doing stuff you cannot tolerate or understand.

When you are thinking, “I think my kid has a demon…”

No, they are born in the beauty of God, but with sin in their lives and they manifest that sin.

It is your covenant role to deal appropriately, lovingly and biblically with that, in order to lead them towards more Christlikeness.

It is a journey, and they are sinners just like you and me.

That is why we have Jesus.

That is why Jesus has to be the exact center of our hearts and the exact center of our homes, core thinking, exactly where we are leading our kids for answers.

He is a Redeemer, a Restorer, a Renewer, and an Empowerer.

He is who we are trying to be like, and He is who we are adapting to.

With Jesus as the Restorer and the Center, we always have hope, even in the most difficult and challenging situations with our kids.

The question becomes as parents, “What is our role? What does it look like?”

I have found some Scriptures that have really helped me to build faith, day-by-day, in my own stepparenting journey.

I want to share a few with you. 

Psalm 128:1-3, “How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy, and it will be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table.”

When it says “your children shall be like olive branches” that means anointed.

They should be anointed by God.

They will be like the anointed ones around your table, living in the abundance of God.

I claim that every day, I pray it every day over Laura and Joe and over their child.

Another Scripture I pray is 

Psalm 112, “Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.”

Praise God! God’s children will be mighty on the earth. They may not stand on a stage; people may not even know who they are, but they will be mighty on the earth in God because this is true of those who reverently fear, worship the Lord.

Psalm 103:17 “But the loving-kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him in His righteousness to children’s’ children.”

I don’t know if you do or have seen the theme, that the blessing and promises is directly linked to the fear of the Lord.

Our Covenant as a parent is to fear the Lord.

Fear does not mean to draw away from, it means to run to.

It means to acknowledge that God’s ways are right, and mine are not…

That the way I live my life, the way I think and treat Laura and Joe their child, my Grand Son, is Christ-centered, biblically centered, God honoring.

Anything that doesn’t look like Jesus is out for me and my household.

Fearing the Lord is acknowledging, keeping God central in all things so He might be the power source of life to fulfilling the promises He has over kids.

We are all God’s Children –

John 1:12-13 ” 12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 13 who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].

The issue becomes whether or not I fear the Lord.

Am I responding to God?

Am I adapting to God?

We aren’t talking about any degree of perfection here; nobody on this planet is perfect or will be perfect until Jesus returns or until we meet Him face-to-face.

But there is a journey towards Christlikeness that is an absolute must, mom and dad.

Jesus must be the absolute center of our hearts therefore the absolute center of the way we parent and love.

I in no way want to impart on to my kids that I am perfect, because they know and have seen that I am not and never will be anywhere near perfection.

What I want to put on is that I am a repentant man.

I want to be known as the ‘parent’ who tries to keep Father, Son, Holy Spirit as close to the very center of my heart and my soul not as “the very best parent.”

Because if I learn how to repent, learn how to respond to God, and humble myself to others, there will always be grace for the next challenge before us. 

You tend to respond to life with strength when you see your Father’s face.

Obviously, God Himself, but parents, we have the opportunity to be that face as well in their lives.

You are their number one influencer.

Moms and Dads, you are the one who puts identity on your sons and daughters.

You are the ones that calls a woman a woman, and a man a man.

You are the ones who hugs and holds and affirms them in such a way that they don’t need the arms of another man until the appropriate time which Father God has ordained exclusively, inclusively for them.

They don’t need, and prayerfully won’t see the need, to drift off to find love somewhere else, because they are supposed to be finding it with God in you.

God calls Himself Father in the Scriptures.

God portrays Himself as male.

Though He is both nurturing and consistent and strong,

He describes Himself as Father.

Until your kids connect with Father God, you are it.

Our Parenting is about how we ourselves live our lives in God, how we have established the ‘mirrored lives in Christ’ for them to model their life after.

The only way we can succeed as parents is by the power of God’s Spirit.

Even if you are the most educated, the most enthusiastic, and the trendiest parent around, you still need God’s Holy Spirit to help you.

This is why it’s so important for us to ask the Lord to refill us with His Spirit every day, so we can operate in His power.

Also, we need to ask the Lord to help us parent our children with HIS heart—and we need Holy Spirit’s help for that, too.

Carrying God’s heart for people doesn’t come by fleshly power or effort, even if those people are your children.

We have to ask the Lord proactively to give us His heart!

Asking the Lord to give you HIS heart for your child will transform your parenting.

God’s heart for your child is the same as it is for you:

  • He’s full of love and hope.
  • He believes the best about you.
  • He never remembers the sins He has forgiven.

If you pray and earnestly ask the Lord to gradually give you His own heart for your children, you will gradually be able to love them more and more each day with a holy fervor that eclipses the stress of day-to-day childlike behavior.

You will be able to remain filled with hope not only for your child’s life, but also for the success of your day together!

Also, God’s heart will enable you to move past their “little” glitches (like temper tantrums) and still be able to treat your child with love and affection.

Second Corinthians 12:9 says, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Every parent is familiar with the feeling of weakness.

However, we don’t always realize that God’s grace is a very tangible force that has a very real physical, discernible, extremely powerful impact on our day.

When I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed, I ask the Lord to make His grace tangible in my life.

In other words, I’m asking Him to manifest His supernatural help in our family in such a way that:

  • Things just work and flow, and they aren’t stressful;
  • I am able to stay filled with peace and joy, no matter what happens; and
  • I can take things in stride, not feel overwhelmed, and maintain a “can-do” attitude throughout the day as I spend time with my child.

By contrast, on the days when I forget to pray this prayer,

I often feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Little things feel like insurmountable challenges. I lose courage and feel like hiding, instead of operating in the peace and power of God.

God’s grace truly is sufficient for you and me—and “grace” isn’t a pie-in-the-sky concept. It’s the very real power of God that He applies to your life to make everything work and flow. It produces peace in your home and in your soul.

Therefore, on mornings when you don’t know how you will face the “coming catastrophes of today”, Pray! ask God to make His grace tangible in your life!

Let’s not miss the opportunity of a lifetime.

Our loving Father has promised to instruct us and teach us in the way we should go and to guide us with His eye upon us (Psalm 32:8).

This promise applies to our children also!

When you consider the other verses above, we can see that God Himself has promised to disciple our children personally.

As parents, of course we can and should guide and teach our children.

That’s our covenant role!

However, if we will also ask the Lord to personally teach them, guide them, and help them stay on His path each day, then His Holy Spirit will work in their hearts. He will lead them, disciple them, and even convict them when needed.

Parents are their children’s main influencers, and it is their covenant role to create a Christ-like environment, an environment of safety and peace in our households so our kids can know how to flourish in their coming generations.

They are taking on the world, the flesh and the devil every day, as we are.

Home should be refuge. Home should be a sacred place where there is every opportunity in the world to flourish, to be successful and supported, to walk through life and talk about everything. That is what we are trying to create.

God our Father wants our days with our families to be as precious and as sweet.

However, the enemy often tries to use the cares of this world and the stresses of life to rob us of our enjoyment of that time.

On days when you feel like hiding in the closet, pray specifically as follows:

  • Ask the Lord to help you fall in love with your children all over again. 
  • Ask Him to help you delight in their sweet kisses, in their hugs, and in their learning, growth, and development. 
  • Ask Him to give you creative, fun ideas for activities you can do together… and ask Him to give you the desire to do those activities.

If your children still live at home, you already know that your years of seeing them every day are numbered.

Eventually, they will grow up, move out, and build lives of their own.

Therefore, it’s important to ask God to help you make the most of every day.

Fellow Parents, Listen, not only are we not perfect, and we’ve got problems.

It’s so important that we pray daily for our children to be humble and to submit to the Lord in all things.

In order to bear any kind of good fruit in their lives, our children will have to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. (Even salvation requires us to humble our hearts before Jesus as we receive Him as Savior and Lord!)

When both we and our children are humble and obedient before the Lord, our family lives will naturally fall into place. God’s word—and the instructions found therein—will have first place in our hearts and homes. That means:

  • We will love and honor each other.
  • We will prefer other people as better than ourselves.
  • Our children will obey us as their parents.
  • The sweet sounds of worship and prayer will exude from our hearts and fill our homes.

But it all starts with humility, and with God’s Spirit changing our hearts to make us like Jesus, helping us to yield to all of the Father Day in and day out.

We are always working through something.

The goal is not perfection; it is a response to imperfection that is the goal.

How do we respond to imperfection?

It is what allows life, health and grace in the journey.

May we be those who respond well to the imperfections of life.

Find Jesus as central, find God’s grace is enough and we journey together as a family until death do, we part. Amen.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Lord, give me new eyes. Help me see each challenge as an opportunity to train my children toward right thinking and right living. Lord, give me a brand-new attitude. Remind me that any moment of the day can be a “start over” moment and a chance for an attitude adjustment. Lord, give me a new focus. Help me to pluck any worries from my mind and place them firmly in your hands. Lord, give me compassion. Remind me what it was like to be my children’s ages and have to face the struggles of growing up. Lord, give me wisdom. Help me to see my children as who You designed them to be, instead of the images I have set and locked securely up in my mind, of exactly who I’d like them to become.

God, You are my Parent. Earnestly I seek to guide myself, my family upon You!

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Parenting by Faith. Why is Faith in God so vitally important to today’s Families? Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Ephesians 6:1-4.

“UNLESS THE LORD BUILDS THE HOUSE, THEY LABOR IN VAIN WHO BUILD IT” – PSALM 127:1

Families are to be built upon loving and worshiping the Lord God with all our hearts, with all of their strength, with all of their bodies, minds and souls.

In our marriages, raising children, building up and edifying our families, are “cultural icons, technological idols” undermining such a genuine worship?

Are there practices and values we need to confess, repent of, and forsake?

As Parents, are there priorities we need to faithfully reevaluate?

Is there a place for genuine “faith in God” in our homes and in our families?

Are there “faith-filled” “faith-testing” matters we need to prayerfully discuss with our spouses and then frankly share the results with our children?

“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14).

Is there such a thing as “Painless Parenting?

Pain – even excruciating pain – is a natural part of the family process in our broken world.

Women know better than anyone that pain is how the family got started. And the aches and the pains, the hurts and the hassles, will continue to intrude into the parenting pathways through the years – whether we like it or not.

That is why a vital faith in Jesus Christ is so utterly crucial to a ‘happy’ family.

God equips us through faith to meet all of the challenges of parenting and raising a ‘Godly’ family in these 2022 days of idolatry and brokenness.

Even in the most toxic of environments which constantly challenge “Faith” in the context of faithfully holding together faithful, faith-filled mom, dad, kids.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9Amplified Bible

4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one [the only God]! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your [a]children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. 8 And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand (forearm), and they shall be used as [b]bands (frontals, frontlets) on your forehead. 9 You shall write them on the [c]doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

WHY IS FAITH IMPORTANT TO FAMILIES?

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health recently published a paper that concludes that a religious upbringing is linked to better health and well-being during early adulthood.

At first, when I read this, I thought this was great news, since we’ll literally do anything to improve our kids’ chances of being happy and healthy adults, right?

Then I started considering the real-world reasons why we think faith in God is important to our family.

It’s a lot more complicated than our, as parents, or stepparents, just wanting, willing, them to be well-adjusted adults, though that’s apparently of a great benefit and blessing too.

So why is it important to us to raise our kids in the Christian faith?

The 2022 fact is that a lot of young people take a break from their church-going habits as young adults, “stretch their wings,” explore their life” then return to their Christian roots and practices when they get married and have children.

There’s something about raising families, bringing kids up in a church, with the habits and lessons of Sunday School, worship and service that we, as adults, feel is good for our families and pleasing in the sight of the Lord our God. (Verse 7)

Maybe part of that “something” is knowing that the Christian faith has truly provided billions of Christians for thousands of years the spiritual tools for approaching our earthly lives with courage, peace, community, hope and love.

Modern bookshelves are filled with books about how to lead healthy, happy lives (and how to raise well-adjusted kids) and the lessons look similar to those the bible has taught for millennia.

Scripture teaches us lessons about love, forgiveness, compassion, community, loyalty, praise, grace, trust, overcoming adversity, gratitude and perseverance.

We are given commandments that help us, and our communities stay on course.

We are taught to take time to pray, providing important moments of praise, and very desperately needed moments of peace, reflection, conversations with God, our Creator and our Father, which are physically and spiritually edifying and ethically and morally healing to our bodies and our souls.

And our Christian identity provides a powerful framing to understand self-worth rooted in God’s unconditional love and purpose.

These are just some of the foundational elements of our faith that create fertile ground for cultivating a life well lived.

Certainly, our faith does not guarantee an easy life.

Growing and cultivating that “most perfect of Roses” still comes with thorns.

As adolescents, teenagers, emerging adults and throughout our adult lifetimes, we will face severe, even catastrophic adversity, cultural opposition, deep loss, betrayal, societal conflict and suffering that will challenge and test our beliefs.

God’s message from thousands of years ago, from that barren wilderness is still incredibly relevant, perhaps even more so in the year of our Lord 2022.

There is no shortage of “complexities” which today’s families must navigate.

Considering our socio-economic, socio cultural, counter-cultural complexities, Families in all stages desperately need a strong faith foundation to live through the challenges and the questions, return to scripture, consult our mentors, lean deeply, heavily into our Christian communities, and recall the power of prayer.

So, we can consider faith-building as an essential part of our job as parents and stepparents “to faithfully prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child.”

Our own journey of faith gives us an enduring, perhaps even wiser, relationship with an ever-present Father, Son and Holy Spirit, along with a whole toolbox of “soft and hardcore” lessons, resources that helped us through our earthly lives.

And it gives us the gift of a community of believers who share our commitment to each other and the teachings of Jesus to love God and serve the world.

And finally, it gives us the sacred promise and Shalom of eternal life when we have faithfully’ done all we believe we can when we come to the end of this one.

It is our responsibility to pass on these awesome gifts to the next generation.

So, we faithfully try to keep our kids closely by our sides upon our own more experienced Christian journeys, teaching them the gifts of a relationship with God along with the responsibility to care for and minister to others as Jesus did.

Verse 7 We teach, lead, pray, show and then hopefully send them out into the world with their Christian toolbox abundantly filled with faith, hope and love.

And along the way, the wisdom of God, from God, becomes abundantly clear to them that “it’s not what you leave for them, it’s who and what you leave in them.”

Deuteronomy 6:5 speaks of the central truth for developing a godly family:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Ephesians 6:1-4 Amplified Bible

Family Relationships

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord [that is, accept their guidance and discipline as His representatives], for this is right [for obedience teaches wisdom and self-discipline]. 2 Honor [esteem, value as precious] your father and your mother [and be respectful to them]—this is the first commandment with a promise— 3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may have a long life on the earth.

4  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by showing favoritism or indifference to any of them], but bring them up [tenderly, with lovingkindness] in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Consider Ephesians 6:1, for example: Children, obey your parents in the Lord [that is, accept their guidance and discipline as His representatives], for this is right [for obedience teaches wisdom and self-discipline].

Children, obey your Parents – How? IN THE LORD!

That means Children of God, Mom and Dad obey God, your Father –

How? IN THE WORD OF THE LORD!

Or Husbands read Ephesians 5:25-30

25 Husbands, love your wives [seek the highest good for her and surround her with a caring, unselfish love], just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify the church, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word [of God], 27 so that [in turn] He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy [set apart for God] and blameless. 28 Even so husbands should and are morally obligated to love their own wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own body, but [instead] he nourishes and protects and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,  30 because we are members (parts) of His body.

Or Wives read Ephesians 5:22-24

Marriage Like Christ and the Church

22 Wives, be subject [a]to your own husbands, as [a service] to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as Christ is head of the church, Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives should be subject to their husbands in everything [respecting both their position as protector and their responsibility to God as head of the house].

HUSBANDS, WIVES BE SUBJECT TO ONE ANOTHER AS SUBJECT TO THE LORD!

All of these instructions to the family wrap around the central core of faith in:

God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!

Do not try to build your family without faith in Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Throw yourselves upon the full weight of His grace and mercy and say to Him:

“Lord! I know, We know, that apart from You, I, We, can do nothing but mess this gift of family up. So, I am, We are, going to hang on to You, with all of our hearts, with all of our souls, with all of our bodily and spiritual strength, with all of our minds, with both hands, with both sets of our aching and tired feet. Together, with You, I, We, will make this family work unto Your glory alone!”

Being a “Godly” family is such a big responsibility.

A family’s love, emotional presence, approval, and support for their children—from their early lives, through their teenage years, and beyond—is a significant factor in helping them to become secure, able to love and give to others.

On the other hand, a lack of love from a family can contribute to various kinds of anxiety and insecurity in relationships and in life functioning.

Fatherhood and Motherhood matters so much.

Yet, obviously, painfully, neither is an easy task.

That’s why the words of God from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and the apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:22-30 and 6:1-4 are so foundational, edifying helpful for us.

Moses and Paul here give instructions to fathers and mothers. It’s not a detailed manual for exactly what to do in every situation. But what Moses says, and Paul says, here is fundamental, goes a long way to helping us see how to be a family.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

God, our Father, show us your children loving devotion and grant us your deliverance. As Mothers and Fathers and Families, incline your ear and answer us, for we are challenged by great hardship. Restore us, O God of our salvation.

We ask for a miracle from heaven for our families, that we may rejoice in you. Surely your rescue is near to those who reverently fear you. O Lord, we praise you that your righteousness looks down from heaven. We praise you that you will indeed provide our families what is good, and we will see increase. Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

The Miracle of delayed Miracles. After what literally seems like a lifetime, the Lame WILL finally LEAP up. Acts 3:1-10

It is said that in our technology, internet driven age, we have become the most time-conscious people in the history of the world.

Nowadays, we are always people in a major league hurry for everything to happen immediately, instantaneously, most definitely, preferably sooner.

When we get our oil changed it is “quick lube”.

Our packages are delivered by “Federal Express”.

Our food is “fast”.

Our rice only takes 1 minute.

Our coffee faster “instant”.

We drive on “expressways”.

When we need a loan, we go to the internet, fill out some basic information. Then we click a button or two and quicker than we blink, “instant approval”.

When we deposit our checks into our bank accounts using our smartphones, it tells us that it is immediately available for our use – no more waiting 24 hours.

How much of our world – stock markets, financial institutions, multi-billion-dollar business decisions, diplomacy and world government actions depend on moment to moment, instantaneous and immediate means of communications?

Our computers and phones are equipped with “instant messenger”. Someone said, “Americans are people who shout at their microwave ovens to hurry up”.

That is probably true as my wife will frequently tell me: “stop shouting at the microwave to cook faster because it won’t, and you know it.”

We don’t like delays.

Delays are at best inconvenient, most of the time they are irritating and often they are downright infuriating.

Think of morning rush hour traffic, the expressway and road construction for a moment. Because of the work the speed limit has been reduced to 35 mph, you are going to take the fastest shortcut to the nearest Walmart it takes 10 minutes instead of the usual 5 minutes … that is irritatingly inconvenient.

Imagine those same conditions. You are headed to work; the traffic is down to one lane, and you are 10 minutes late for work… that is irritating.

You are on your way to work. You are taking the kids to school first, traffic is stopped, five men are standing around watching one man work, you look at your smartphone and angrily realize you are 20 minutes behind schedule…

that can be worse than infuriating.

Many times, we allow delays to ruin our day.

But if we knew what we may have encountered if we had been on time we would be eternally grateful.

When have you called on the Lord to move in your life and He did not respond instantly, immediately, when or how you wanted Him to?

Perhaps from moment 1 of minute 1 of hour 1 of day 1 this caused you to be more than a wee bit angry, frustrated, saddened, numbed out, even 100% doubtful.

Perhaps the absence of that “immediate” “instantaneous” response has ended up defining your whole existence – and you come to literally expect “nothing!”

No answers! No Miracles! No Nothing!

What does it do to your self-esteem to expect nothing from no one all the time?

Acts 3:1-10Amplified Bible

Healing the Lame Beggar

3 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.), 2 and a man who had been unable to walk from birth was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at that gate of the temple which is called [a]Beautiful, so that he could beg alms from those entering the temple. 3 So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking [them] for coins. 4 But Peter, along with John, stared at him intently and said, “Look at us!” 5 And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have; but what I do have I give to you: In the name (authority, power) of Jesus Christ the Nazarene— [begin now to] walk and go on walking!” 7 Then he seized the man’s right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankles became strong and steady, 8 and with a leap he stood up and began to walk; and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 All the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they recognized him as the very man who usually sat begging for coins at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement and were mystified at what had happened to him.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Pentecost having taken place, and the infant Church having been shown to be established, Luke now goes on to deal with the way in which the infant Church rapidly expanded.

In Luke’s summary of the life of the early Church, he has told us:

And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. (Acts 2:43 NASB)

Today, I pray we are going to see one of the “many wonders and signs” which the apostles did-the story of the lame man who was healed at the Beautiful Gate of the temple.

Evidently Luke has selected this miracle first in order that it might teach us something very significant.

Let us try to follow a timeline to these events.

Nobody knows for sure how much time passed between the events of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3.

It was probably a relatively short period of time.

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. (Acts 3:1 NASB)

Peter and John being together seems to suggest that the apostles continued to go around in pairs as they had done while preaching during the ministry of Jesus (Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1), and as Paul would do with Barnabas in the future.

I definitely believe there was a significant reason for this; They were sent out in pairs for Koinonia, keeping company, encouragement and mutual support.

Even today we see the greater effectiveness of believers working together and ministering to each other, encouraging each other, supporting each other.

Here we see the new followers going to the Jewish temple to worship as is their usual daily practice.

At the end of the Gospel of Luke it says:

And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple, praising God. (Luke 24:52-53 NASB)

And then in Chapter 2 of Acts it says:

And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, (Acts 2:46 NASB)

So, their place of worship hasn’t changed, but they now understand that Jesus is the Christ, and they are worshiping Him.

Later they will separate from the temple.

“The ninth hour, the hour of prayer”-It appears that there were three hours of the day devoted to and destined by the Jewish people to public prayer; perhaps they are referred to by David:

Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice. (Psalms 55:17 NASB)

There are three distinct times marked in the book of the Acts.

The THIRD hour, Acts 2:15, answering to our nine o’clock in the morning; the SIXTH hour, Acts 10:9, answering to about twelve with us; and the NINTH hour, mentioned in this verse, and answering to our three in the afternoon.

This afternoon prayer time immediately preceded the evening sacrifices, so by an overwhelming margin this would have been the most highly attended of the prayer times.

We’re talking about literally thousands and thousands of people flooding through the gates through this magnificent structure called the temple.

And a certain man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. (Acts 3:2 NASB)

The Scripture tells us that this man was crippled.

But more than that, this man was crippled from birth.

Think about the tragedy of that.

He had never been able to stand and walk, to run and play like the other boys.

His parents had to carry him everywhere.

I’m sure many opportunities had been denied him because of his affliction.

Now, he’s a grown man and every day friends must carry him to the temple so he may beg for a living.

A tragic situation indeed.

We can only speculate concerning what effect this must have had on his heart.

He could easily have been bitter.

There had never been a day in his entire life when he had not been a burden to somebody.

He could not walk; he could not work.

This was not a day when there were concrete wheelchair ramps for those who were this extensively, severely physically disabled.

In fact, there were no wheelchairs or handicapped parking places! All he could do was beg, sit there, and hope that people would have pity on him.

Evidently, he had been brought to the temple habitually for a long, long time, and Jesus must certainly have seen him as He passed into the temple.

We are not told what this man had heard about Jesus or whether he had ever tried to reach Him to be healed.

It would seem that the man might have or even would have given considerable thought to Jesus during those times when He visited Jerusalem and especially that final week of His public ministry, before His death.

This was a week characterized not only by daily appearances in the temple for teaching but also to heal:

And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. (Matthew 21:14 NASB)

Many had been healed, but here he sat, still lame, and now since Jesus had been crucified, maybe even hopeless.

Beggars regularly sat at the gates of temples and shrines hoping to benefit from donors when they would be feeling at their most pious.

The Beautiful Gate.

The Beautiful Gate was in the courtyard of the women.

This beggar didn’t go through it to the temple itself, the holy place.

Josephus observes (Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. 5, sect. 3) that the temple had nine gates, which were on every side covered with gold and silver.

Josephus also tells us that during the siege (66-70) this gate opened of itself. The Jews saw this as a sign that God was leaving the temple.

And when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms 4 And Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze upon him and said, “Look at us!” (Acts 3:3-4 NASB)

“Look at us,” we don’t usually look at beggars, we look away. Peter looks right at the man, and tells the man to look at him to get his full attention.

And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. (Acts 3:5 NASB)

Notice that he was “expecting to receive.”

He expected to receive because giving of alms was a required duty of Israel:

“For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’ (Deuteronomy 15:11 NASB)

So, it was a constant custom for all who entered the temple to carry money with them to give to the treasury, or to the poor, or to both.

It was on this ground that the friends of the lame man laid him at the gate of the temple, as this was the most likely place to receive alms:

But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene-walk!” (Acts 3:6 NASB)

This man had never walked-he had no clue how to walk.

Yet this is what Peter tells him to do.

This is a cruel thing to say to a lame man.

Unless you have the power to make him walk, and Peter did.

By “name” he implied “the full revelation of the person mentioned.”

The title that the angel gave to Joseph for the baby, “Jesus,” meant “Jehovah saves.”

It was our Lord’s given name and “refers to his birth, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension.”

It was a title that encompassed His saving work.

The title, “Christ,” means “Anointed One” or “Messiah,” and emphasizes that Jesus is the “exalted Son of God.”

Or as Peter adds in his sermon a bit later, Jesus is “the Holy and righteous One…the Prince of life.”

What Peter carried with him was the authority of the name of Jesus the Messiah of Nazareth.

He was here with all the authority of the Messiah.

And by that authority he now commanded him to rise from the dust and walk.

He thus turned the man’s attention wholly on Jesus as Messiah.

The mention of the Beautiful Gate combined with the mention of silver and gold had to immediately draw his reader’s attention to the connection between the two comparing, the old temple with its splendor, but ineffective, with the new temple of His people founded on the power of the Lord Jesus Christ:

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. (1 Peter 1:18-19 NASB)

That old system with it’s silver and gold couldn’t redeem, but Jesus the Lamb could.

And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. (Acts 3:7 NASB)

Peter commands the man to walk (literally, continuous action-“be walking”) and grabs him by the right hand to raise him up.

If Peter had not grabbed this man, he may never have attempted to get up.

Let’s remember here that our author is Luke, who is a medical doctor.

Several of the terms used in this text are very precise medical terms.

For example, when Luke is talking about feet and ankles, he uses two words that are very unique, very specialized.

This is the only time these two words show up in the Scriptures.

They’re medical terms to describe the deformity, the problem with the feet and the ankles.

When Dr. Luke talks about the man leaping up, it’s a medical term that basically means for the long-deformed sockets to fall back into place where they belong.

And with a leap, he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. (Acts 3:8 NASB)

He didn’t have to go slow until he built up his weak leg muscles.

He didn’t have to go for months of physical therapy to learn how to walk (remember, he had never walked before!).

He not only could walk, but he could also leap, and leap he did, over and over again! He was instantly healed.

The healed man knew where his healing had come from.

He didn’t shout praises to Peter and John.

He didn’t praise his own mental attitude, saying, “I knew that if I just kept a positive mental attitude, someday I’d be healed!”

He didn’t boast in his great faith as the cause of his healing. No, he simply praised God. God and God alone, by His great mercy, was the cause of his cure.

The very behavior of this former cripple was a sign to those who had eyes to see.

The word “leaping” is the same Greek word used in Isaiah 35:6 in the LXX:

Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. (Isaiah 35:6 NASB)

When does this happen?

In the new age of Messiah. Speaking to true Israel God says:

Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. (Isaiah 35:4-6 NASB)

The word used in Isaiah 35:6 is of the leaping of the lame when they are healed in the new age.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/isa/35/6/t_conc_714006

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1801/kjv/wlc/0-1/

Thus, this lame man’s leaping indicated that the new age was here.

How could Peter heal this man like this?

Well remember what Jesus had told him:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. (John 14:12 NASB)

When Rabbi Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, they must have sounded incredibly mystifying to them considering the miracles they already witnessed.

Yet what he had promised was happening.

It was as if Jesus were still with them working through them in great power.

Peter could do this because he had the gift of healing.

Peter at will healed this man.

There is no indication that the man had faith in Jesus to be healed.

In 3:16, Peter explains to the crowd that it was on the basis of faith in the name of Jesus that this man was healed, but Peter seems to be referring to his own faith, not to the man’s faith.

We’ll talk about this more in a few moments.

This lame man at the Beautiful Gate had not been healed by the Savior Jesus in the days of His flesh, though He so frequently taught in the temple; but he was healed by the power of His Name, now that He was glorified in heaven.

And all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (Acts 3:9-10 NASB)

They all recognized him as the lame man who had for so long begged for alms at one of the gates of the temple.

He was a well-known, local man and crippled from birth.

There could be no question about the authenticity of his condition.

And now here he was walking and praising God within the temple.

And while he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. (Acts 3:11 NASB)

That word “clinging” is an interesting word.

Most of the time in the New Testament it is translated “arrested.”

The apostles took a position in one of the open colonnades which faced the inner side of the temple wall, called Solomon’s Portico and this man who was healed hung on to them tightly.

It also tells us that the people came running in amazement.

We’re talking about thousands of people.

We’ll see in chapter 4 that there were thousands and thousands of people gathered here that came running from all over the courtyard.

These people were astonished by this, so much so that they ran.

Now there is another crowd and another opportunity to preach, and Peter takes it. What did Peter say? Come back next week and you’ll find out.

What is the significance of this story?

Well, I suppose that Luke’s purpose for incorporating this story is many.

First, it illustrates the wonders and signs spoken of earlier (2:43).

Secondly, in order to illustrate that those who will come to Christ are those who have recognized their spiritual lameness and need and have looked to Him as the only One Who can heal them.

Both the Hebrew Testament and the teaching of Jesus stress that those who will be saved of old Israel are like the lame.

In Isaiah we read, in the context of the coming of the Lord as Judge, Lawgiver, and King:

Your tackle hangs slack; It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly, Nor spread out the sail. Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided; The lame will take the plunder. (Isaiah 33:23 NASB)

The thought here is that it is God’s weak and helpless but restored people, who will finally, in God’s Day, triumph and enjoy the spoils of victory.

In Jeremiah we read:

“Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; A great company, they shall return here. (Jeremiah 31:8 NASB)

The blind, and the lame will be among the very first people of God who return triumphantly from far off to enjoy God’s coming Rule.

In Luke the maimed and the lame were the ones who were to be called when someone gave a supper”

“But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, (Luke 14:13 NASB)

This was immediately followed by the parable of the man who made a great supper representing feasting in the Kingdom of God.

Here the Holy Spirit through the apostles makes clear that in the Name of Jesus salvation is offered to ‘the lame’, and that something better than the temple is among them.

This lame man represents those of Israel who recognize their need and are open to God’s call.

The later mention of his having been lame for “over forty years” may well have been a reminder of the “lameness” of Israel in the forty years in the wilderness.

I think there is a comparison here of the old and new temple. The old temple-was no help to him. The new temple-body of Christ brought life.

And thirdly, in order to evidence the fact that the new age had come by the fulfillment of Isaiah 35:6, “then shall the lame man leap like a deer,” Luke is telling us prophecy was being fulfilled. The kingdom had arrived!

We see in this text in Acts 3 a remarkable miracle.

And because it occurs here in the book of Acts, there are many people who say,

“This is what ought to be occurring in the Church all the time. People ought to be healed like this every day.”

Acts 2:43-47 the new Church devoted to the Apostles doctrine and fellowship, which consisted of breaking of bread and prayers.

This should be a pattern for the Church for all time.

If that is true, shouldn’t the Church also expect miracles of healing today just as they saw then?

Are there people today like Peter who can heal people?

As you know, the Church is divided on this and a myriad of other issues.

So, let’s try to justify our position from the Scripture alone. Peter could heal people like this lame man, because he had the gift of healing:

to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, (1 Corinthians 12:9 NASB)

This is the spiritual gift of being able to restore to health.

A spiritual gift is a God-given capacity through which the Holy Spirit supernaturally ministers to the Church.

According to Ephesians 4:11-16 the gifts were to be used to bring the Church from a state of infancy to adulthood.

The purpose of spiritual gifts is to build up the body; once the body is mature, we no longer need spiritual gifts.

There is a lot of confusion today about spiritual gifts; do you know why that is?

It’s because they were for the last days, and when the last days ended, so did the gifts.

This is why so many believers have no clue as to what their gifts are, they don’t have one.

Just as the manna ceased when Israel got in the land, so did the spiritual gifts end when New Israel entered their inheritance in A.D.70.

At the end of the forty years the miracles ended.

There is a difference in Scripture between God’s healing of individuals and the gift of healing mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12.

If this were not so, we would find no healing before Pentecost.

But we see God healing many people in the Hebrew Testament.

He calls Himself:

And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.” (Exodus 15:26 NASB)

God says, “I am your healer”.

God has always healed independently of any gifts of healing bestowed upon an intermediary.

God healed Abimelech in Genesis 20:7; Miriam in Numbers 12:14; King Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:4-5.

They were all healed in answer to prayer.

All through the Hebrew Testament God graciously intervened in the sicknesses of men and healed them.

With the gift of healing God was now doing a new thing.

He was endowing individuals with the ability to heal as the Lord heals.

Peter had this gift.

We see it used here in our text in Acts 3, we see it in again in Acts 5.

The gift of healing was an endowment of specific individuals who could exercise the miraculous gift at will, independent of faith or expectancy in the individual being healed.

As I have already said, there was absolutely no expectation of healing on part of the lame man at the gate Beautiful.

Neither is there any question of whether he had faith to be healed, he wanted money, not a healing. Faith is not mentioned. According to verse six, Peter exercises this gift and heals this man independent of anything in the man.

What was the purpose of the gift of delayed healing? 

Did God want everybody to be immediately, instantaneously healthy so they could immediately and instantaneously enjoy life more?

Does God want everyone to be healthy and wealthy?

Absolutely not!

But there are those today who say it is actually wrong for a Christian to be sick.

They tell us that Jesus died not only for our sins, but for our sicknesses as well.

Quoting Isaiah 53, “by his stripes we are healed”.

They say that this means that in the atonement there is physical healing for everybody.

That is a gross misinterpretation of Isaiah 53. It has nothing to do with physical healing.

The gift of healing was a sign!

And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. (Acts 2:43 NASB)

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/act/2/43/t_conc_1020043

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4592/kjv/tr/0-1/

The Greek word used for sign is semeion, which means: “a mark, an indication or a token.”

It is used of miraculous acts as tokens of divine authority and power.

The gift of healing was given as God’s signature as it were on the Christian Gospel to demonstrate that it was of Him.

The key to understanding Peter’s healing of this lame man starts in verse 12?

Peter got the crowds attention and then began to preach Christ.

I. You May Request a Miracle Today – Everyone here has needs, wants and desires. But there are also some who seek instead a mighty move of God.

We encounter those situations that are so severe that it is clear that God is our only hope! For those who are in that situation today….

A. There Is A Desire –

v1 ¶Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

As Peter and John approach the temple, they encounter a man with a certain request.

He asked them for “an alms”.

This is defined as money or food given to poor people.

This was a simple request, and it was how he spent each day of his life.

But it is safe to assume that this man possessed a much greater desire.

He had condition that prevented him from walking.

He was unable to live as others lived and to do what other did.

Being lame was an issue that greatly impacted his life.

You and I may be facing complex issues and circumstances which are having a tremendous impact on our lives.

In vast this vast assembly today called “the Body of Christ” the church, there are many diverse people with many diverse and different problems.

Perhaps you and I are facing a situation at this very moment, and it seems that there is no hope for you and there is no hope for me.

Our greatest desire is for the Lord to immediately and instantaneously come on the scene and work a mightily impactful instantaneous miracle in our life!

Let the story of this man encourage you.

All he wanted was some pocket change, but he received an entire life change!

As Peter and John met with him that day, he received more than he could have ever asked or hoped for.

And Jesus is still working miracles today!!

But Jesus doesn’t always work when or how we would choose.

Not only is there a desire, but we also must one day observe that:

B. There May Be a Delay –

v2a a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful.

This man had endured this struggle his entire life.

We are told that he was “lame from birth”.

Your issue… your need for a miracle may be something that you have dealt with for many years.

Because of your waiting you may be frustrated, discouraged and even angry at God.

Notice:

1) Delayed Miracles May Cause Disappointment

– Consider the location of this miracle. When Peter & John found this man, he was at the gate of the temple.

There were some compassionate people who would take this man each day and place him beside the beautiful gate.

At this point in history Jesus has already ascended to Heaven.

But is the very recent past Jesus had been in this very area.

It is possible (I believe even probable) that this man was present on many occasions when Jesus was in the region.

He may have heard the news of this Man from Galilee and all of the miracles that He had performed.

Maybe he heard that Jesus had spit on the ground and made clay, placed it on the eyes of a blind man and he received his sight.

Maybe he heard that Jesus put His finger into the ear of a deaf man, and he began to hear.

Maybe he heard that Jesus encountered 10 lepers and at the sound of His voice they were cleansed.

Maybe he heard that there was a Centurion who approached Jesus on behalf of his servant and without even being at the same location the servant was healed.

Maybe he heard about a woman who has an issue of blood for 12 years and when she touched the hem of His garment she was instantly healed.

Maybe he heard about a man named Jairus whose daughter was sick and then died, who was healed by this Jesus.

Maybe he heard about a man named Lazarus who had been dead for 4 days and was raised to live again when Jesus called his name.

Perhaps he heard these things and was resentful.

With all of these miracles in the very region where he lived WHY was he left out!

Perhaps he lived for years thinking that “today could be the day that I receive my miracle”. And for years it didn’t happen.

You and I may be in a similar situation.

For a very long time you have longed for God to move in your life.

Perhaps you have prayed day after day for God to intervene to no avail.

You look around and see God working in the lives of others.

You trust Him and you call on Him… you plead with Him, and it seems you are wasting your prayers and your time.

Your delayed miracle may have caused you great disappointment.

After a while that disappointment may turn into doubt.

Notice also:

2) Delayed Miracles May Cause Doubts –

You pray and pray, and it feels that your efforts are futile.

You may ask is it worth it?

You may wonder if God is there?

You may feel that He just doesn’t care.

You are tired of waiting.

You are weak and weary.

Some of you may have gone beyond doubts and now you are angry at God.

You blame Him for your situation.

You ask why He let this happen to you?

Because of your doubts you have given up on God!

I hope that you will see through the story of this lame man that just because God doesn’t act when you want Him to…

Just because He doesn’t respond exactly how you want Him to…This doesn’t mean that He has forsaken you!

God always has a plan and a reason for the struggles in the lives of His children. You May Request a Miracle Today, and you may not receive it.

But there may come a day when you least expect it that God shows up and does something amazing. And that day could be today.

– Notice:

II. You May Receive A Miracle Today

– As this man was placed at the beautiful gate that morning, he had no idea that this was the day his life would change forever. All he wanted was some money or some food. But he didn’t get want he wanted, he got something much better!!

You may have been calling on God to do something specific in your life.

As of now it has not happened, in fact it may never happen!

But today may be the day that you receive a miracle.

And you may find that God has an even greater plan than you could have ever imagined.

Look with me to Acts 3 verses 4-6 as we consider:

A. The Method Of God’s Miracles

– v4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

God is absolutely Sovereign, and He absolutely knows best.

He knows the reason for your struggle.

And when He works a miracle, there is a reason for that as well.

If this lame man had his way, he would have never been born with his condition.

And I am sure that he would have loved to be healed many years earlier.

But God was not ready!

God had a plan that would literally amaze those who were present. As a result, this man was used by God in a mighty way. (More on this in a moment.)

You may not have chosen your current circumstance.

You may feel that you know what God should do.

But God may have another plan concerning your miracle.

At times, all we can do is trust Him to do what is best!

The great lesson for us in this rather long devotional is not so much about the miracle, but the reason behind it.

– I want to look to verses 7-11 and consider:

B. The Motivation For God’s Miracles –

v7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God: 10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. 11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

Peter lifted this man up.

His legs received strength.

He was filled with Joy.

He walked,

He leaped and

He praised God.

Something that had long seemed impossible had FINALLY happened.

This was truly a “DELAYED” miracle that would change his life forever.

Maybe you are in a similar situation.

For whatever reason you NEED a miracle.

We believe that God is still working miracles today…right???

1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
was blind, but now I see.

2. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed.

… RIGHT?

… RIGHT?

… RIGHT?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Lord, my Rock and Redeemer, thank you that you are my ever-present help in times of trouble.

When all I can see around me is trouble, help me to trust in what is unseen. Remind me of the truth of your power, that you surround me and no one can pluck me from your hand.

Remove my crippling fear, replace it with wholehearted faith in you, my God. You are the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God. To you be honor and glory forever and ever. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

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Expecting a Miracle. Matthew 9:18-30.

As we intentionally lift our eyes above the chaos and confusion that surround us, Jesus fills our hearts with hope and restores our faith in His good plan.

And, though it seems like a difficult thing to do, now is a better time than ever to expect a miracle!

In a society driven by social media platforms, one smartphone application after the other to make our lives “easier,” virtual reality and geopolitical reality and global intrigue and political reasoning above all, even as Christians, elevating our expectations and embracing the supernatural reality of God seems a stretch.

Nevertheless, we serve a God who loves to break the rules!

I devote much of my writings on this often because I believe that miracles have the potential not only to impact our lives as individuals, but to display the glory of the Lord in a way that will draw many people to a saving knowledge of Him.

Far from being unique to a particular season in history, demonstrations of divine power have been happening since the dawn of Creation, and many were recorded in the Old Testament, long before our Savior Jesus came to earth.

Fascinatingly, though they remained common when Jesus appeared, they weren’t all happening at His hand.

In fact, there were other rabbis besides Him who were able to invoke a manifestation of the miraculous power of Yahweh.

This is because faith is the fuel of miracles, and it is not reserved for any one person or season in time.

Even today, cultivating a deep and vital confidence in the omnipotence of Almighty God is the beginning of experiencing His wonder.

The earnest expectation He will intervene in our daily lives opens the door to seeing Him do exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ever ask for or think!

Faith releases God’s power and our source of faith is the Word of God.

Faith is a work of God and not our own work and therefore releases to God all the impossibilities we strive far too hard to hang on to and (gasp) magnify.

Matthew 9:18-30 Amplified Bible

Miracles of Healing

18 While He was saying these things to them, a ruler (synagogue official) entered [the house] and kneeled down and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just now died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and began to accompany the ruler, with His disciples.

20 Then a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the [tassel] fringe of His outer robe; 21 for she had been saying to herself, “If I only touch His outer robe, I will be healed.” 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Take courage, daughter; your [personal trust and confident] faith [in Me] has made you well.” And at once the woman was [completely] healed.

23 When Jesus came to the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players [who were professional, hired mourners] and the [grieving] crowd making an uproar, 24 He said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead, but is sleeping.” And they laughed and jeered at Him. 25 But when the crowd had been sent outside, Jesus went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26 And the news about this spread throughout all that district.

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, screaming loudly, “Have mercy and compassion on us, [a]Son of David (Messiah)!” 28 When He went into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe [with a deep, abiding trust] that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith [your trust and confidence in My power and My ability to heal] it will be done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus [b]sternly warned them: “See that no one knows this!”

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

What I would not give to have a day with Jesus as he walked this earth.

They were amazing times! Amazing teachings!

The great thing is that we can take ourselves to those days by simply picking up a Bible reading it and imagining that day as if it were today.

I want to take you back to one of those days as it is being depicted in the Gospel of Matthew 9:18-30.

Here we are given a glimpse of a day in the life of Jesus.

And during this day we hear about three amazing and miraculous healings – a girl, a woman, and two men.

Each is healed from a different illness, and each is healed in a different way.

But with all three, Jesus is directly involved.

The first is a ruler of the synagogue from Capernaum – a leader in the community. He is grief stricken that his twelve-year-old daughter has died.

According to Luke his name was Jairus and he of course has heard Jesus teach – possibly knows him since Jesus had taught many times in Capernaum and certainly in the synagogue.

Jairus had also witnessed many miracles or at least heard of many miracles of Jesus. Most recently a boy from the village of Nain was raised from the dead.

So, he seeks Jesus out – he’s desperate.

He says something revealing his incredible faith: “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

Later Jesus arrives at the home where all the neighbors and relatives are grieving.

They laugh when Jesus says that she is just sleeping.

They know she is dead and that’s the end.

There is no faith in their hearts.

So, Jesus sends them out, takes her by the hand and calls her to arise.

The second healing involves a very different person – a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve long years.

That was not just irritating but it separated her from society.

She was unclean meaning that she was not allowed near the temple or the synagogue. She must touch no one and no one can touch her.

While Jairus was experiencing the joy of his daughter and life in his home for twelve years, we have all those years that this woman was grieving alone.

No husband, no children, no connection with the fellowship of believers.

It was a very lonely life.

In a moment she sees Jesus passing through the crowd.

She has heard him teach and preach.

This is her chance. And in faith she reaches out from the ground and grabs the tassel from the corner of his robe.

Jesus feels the power released from him to heal her but doesn’t know who it is.

Jesus asks who touched him. She confesses her faith that if she touches only his garment, she will be well. And Jesus affirms: Your faith HAS made you well!

The third healing is that of two blind men.

They too are desperate.

They will follow Jesus wherever he will go.

They see him along the way and follow him from the home of Jairus all the time crying out “Have mercy Son of David!”

This was the special title they give to Jesus of Messiah.

He’s not just a teacher but the Savior of the nation.

They follow and follow all the way to the home where Jesus is staying and finally when inside the house, Jesus confronts their faith:

“Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Hearing their faith, they are healed by his touch.

These are three amazing and wonderful and different stories of healing but what binds them together?

Faith.

Each is an example of the power of faith and teaches us the great treasure that is right in front of us every day.

Do we realize how much faith changes our lives and the world around us?

What do we learn about this great treasure of faith?

1. The first lesson about faith is this: faith is the key that releases the power of God. The opposite is true as well: a lack of faith limits the power of God.

Notice first of all what Jesus tells this woman who has been healed of her flow of blood in verse 22: “Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.””

Also notice what he says to the blind men in verse 29-30: “Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened.”

It was clearly their FAITH which healed them both.

It was also FAITH which the synagogue official had.

All of them had absolute confidence that Jesus not only could but would heal.

From their statements there was no doubt.

And that is the key for the work of God throughout the Gospels.

Somehow God’s power is linked with faith.

In fact, if there is not faith – his hands are bound.

When Jesus was in Nazareth, his hometown, he spoke in the Synagogue, but people rejected him as the Savior.

He was just the hometown boy. And so, his ministry there was also very limited: 

Mark 6:5-6 “And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief.”

Why are there so few miracles today?

Why don’t we see what happened in the Gospels and in the book of Acts?

Why do we refer to the days of miracles as “Bible times”?

Jesus said John 14:12 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

Why don’t we see that?

Because we live in a time in which there is little faith.

We believe only in that which we can touch, see, and measure.

For the most part, we do not really believe in the power of God as they did.

2. But there is another lesson about faith which is good news for us: we have a source of faith which is the Word of God.

I have read these miraculous stories of healing many many times and I am continually amazed at their faith.

We wonder if those people were just born that way?

Did they have a greater religious inclination?

Were they just more spiritual?

No! They were not one inch any different in their doubts than we are.

But what made them different than others were the fact that they received the teaching of the Word of God.

You see we’re not born with faith.

It’s not a talent or ability that some have, and some don’t although it does seem easier for children to believe than adults.

Faith comes from outside of us. Just as Jesus told the story of the farmer who planted the seeds in the soil and the plants grew up – so God plants in our heart the Word of God which results in steadfast faith that grows and produces fruit.

If you have your Bible turn back with me to Matthew five.

Now if you have a red-letter Bible, you can see that chapter five is all red, so also are chapters six and seven.

This is the sermon on the mount.

Miraculously, Hundreds of people sat and Miraculously listened to Jesus teach.

And miraculously, what happened?

It was planted in their souls! Faith was produced.

Miraculously – They trusted in Christ.

Miraculously – They believed he was Messiah, Lord, miracle worker.

Miraculously – Their hearts were transformed.

And look at the additional MIRACULOUS results…

• A leper kneels before him having faith that Jesus can heal him…and he does (8:2ff)

• A Centurian’s servant healed – from a distance. Greatest faith of all time! (8:5-13)

• Many others (8:16)

So also, with each of these three stories of healings we just read.

Their Miraculous faith didn’t come from nowhere.

It was planted by the Word of God.

They had heard Jesus teach.

They were open to God’s Word, and it produced faith.

Romans 10:17 says: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

It’s no wonder so few are saved and so few are seeing the miraculous working of God today. Because if the Word of God is rejected, faith will NOT be planted!

Today the Word is attacked left and right as just a book, just stories and fables, unreliable, one of many ancient and “too far out of date” irrelevant classics.

And if we throw out the Word, do not receive it, how will God touch our souls?

Beware!

Miraculously return to the Miraculous Word of our Miraculous God, which is able to Miraculously heal your souls, Miraculously plant faith and release the Miraculous power of our Miraculous God today! Expect the Miraculous today!

3. A third lesson about faith is concerning the power of faith – Faith is a work not of man but of God.

Just as we’ve seen that faith comes from the Word of God, so also the power of faith is not in ourselves but in the power of Jesus Christ and it is to him that glory is given.

Look at the two blind men that follow Jesus to his home.

They call him Son of David – in other words, Messiah.

They say the right things and yet what they say needs to match what they believe in their heart.

There are many that say one thing but believe something completely different.

So Jesus tests their faith – “do you believe that I am able to do this?” In other words, “You believe that I am the Messiah, the king. But do you believe I am God? That I have power? And their answer? “YES, we do!” There is no doubt.

But what I desperately want you the reader to see here is that this is the power of JESUS. It’s not just some magical ability or a “virtual reality” of these men.

The miracles that come from faith are God’s power alone. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Salvation or any other miracle that happens through faith is a work of God’s power alone.

It gives no credit to us, or to any other person but gives glory to the Lord of the universe – God Almighty.

4. Fourthly, we can learn the lesson faith releases to God all the impossibilities.

The greatest impossibility is the salvation of a lost soul.

We are born self-centered, self-seeking.

We are born living for the flesh and in the world.

And yet God does a miracle through the Word and touches our hearts.

He creates faith and brings us to confession of sins and faith.

We trust in Christ alone and are totally righteous through Him.

God takes the soul that is long lost and far from God and transforms that life!

Jesus spoke of the impossibility of a rich man being saved is like a camel going through a needle.

And then he said this: “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” (Matthew 19:26)

“For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

When Mary was told that as a virgin, she would bear a son the angel told her: “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

To the father of the boy possessed by demons Jesus told: “All things are possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

By some Miracle revelation, do you and I see the common theme here?

A Miraculous Faith is simply releasing all of our burdens, all of our fears, all of our impossibilities into the hands of God because we cannot deal with them.

We cannot do ANYTHING.

We are totally helpless.

But our Miraculous God can do the impossible.

A Miraculous Faith Miraculously lets everything go out of our hands and into his hands because, Miraculously, God can handle it better than we can.

Miraculously, we can trust him.

But the main question concerning any miracle is this: is Jesus being glorified?

Are we lifting ourselves up to our own altars?

Is Father, Son and Goly Spirit the One to be lifted up and praised above all?

Miracles are not self-serving.

They are not just to give us what we want but to give the Lord praise.

My readers, now more than ever, the Lord wants to do a miracle in your life!

If you believe that and own it as truth, your faith will grow larger and deeper, and your awe at the magnificence of His power will propel you to hold onto hope, put down deep roots, cultivate unshakable confidence in His character.

While the world around you has limitations, God’s power is limitless, and He invites you to cling tightly to the truth that nothing is impossible with Him.

When time has run out in the natural and you’ve reached the eleventh hour, His supernatural abundance has only just begun.

No matter how great the task or how large the dream, He is ready, willing, and able to rise to the occasion.

Stretch your tent, expand your capacity to receive, expect to see His glory, and know that He will meet you Miraculously at the point of your earnest desire.

Do we NEED the Lord or are we self-sufficient?

People in these stories couldn’t live without him.

They were desperate.

Are you and I desperate enough to take and receive everything he says to you?

Are we living and ministering with the expectation a miracle is less than one second away from being realized and visualized and genuinely actualized?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Perform miracles in my life Lord to display your awesome power and glory. Despite of the sinner I am, please, increase my faith to trust in you. May my whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless to the end. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior, Gloria! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

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Searching for a Miracle. Considering the Power of Salvation. “If I could but touch the hem of His Garment.” Mark 5:25-34

People today are searching for many different things.

o Some are looking for love

o Some are looking for money

o Some are looking for opportunity

o Some are looking for answers

o Some are looking for fulfillment

o Some are looking for physical and spiritual healing

o Some are looking for a touch of humanity

0 Some are looking for acceptance and belonging

To state the obvious, some are just looking for a miracle – ANY miracle!!

Whatever the reason, they are facing certain situations seemingly beyond their control, beyond their human resources to cope, their only answer is a miracle.

Webster’s defines a “miracle” as: an event that appears to be contrary to the laws of nature and is regarded as an act of God

You may find yourself at a place where you cannot solve your problem on your own, you have tried everything, you have looked everywhere with no success.

Through your struggle you have failed to look to the One who can do what no other can do.

We serve a miracle working God and nothing is beyond His power.

Just think for a moment about some of the miracles that Jesus has performed in the Gospel …

He:

o Turned water into wine

o Healed the Nobleman’s son

o Cast out demons

o Healed Peter’s mother-in-law

o Healed many of the sick in the city

o Cleansed a leper

o Healed the Centurion’s servant

o Healed a paralyzed man

o Healed the man with the withered hand

o Raised the widow’s son

o Spoke unto nature itself and calmed the raging storm.

As we come to our selected text we find one miracle being interrupted by another miracle.

First look to Mark 5:24 “And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him”

We arrive in the midst of the story of Jairus and his sick daughter.

She was 12 years old and at the point of death, in fact she did die.

Jairus went to Jesus for a miracle and that is exactly what happened, Jesus raised the little girl from the dead.

As they are headed to Jairus’ daughter, Jesus is interrupted by the lady that we read about in verses 24-34.

She is described as a “woman with an issue of blood”

She is a lady who is searching for answers …she is searching for a miracle.

Today, I want to devote our time and attention to the subject “Searching for a Miracle”

In this coming encounter between Jesus and this lady we see certain elements of our lives today which may come in the life of one who is searching for a miracle.

Mark 5:25-34Amplified Bible

25 A woman [in the crowd] had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much [suffering] at the hands of many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse. 27 She had heard [reports] about Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His outer robe. 28 For she thought, “If I just touch His clothing, I will get well.” 29 Immediately her flow of blood was dried up; and she felt in her body [and knew without any doubt] that she was healed of her suffering. 30 Immediately Jesus, recognizing in Himself that power had gone out from Him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched My clothes?” 31 His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in around You [from all sides], and You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 Still He kept looking around to see the woman who had done it. 33 And the woman, though she was afraid and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has restored you to health; go in peace and be [permanently] healed from your suffering.”

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Mark 5:24-34 tells a story of a woman who had suffered a tremendous amount.

It had been twelve long years of suffering.

This disease was only getting worse, every dime she had had been spent in an effort to find a cure, there was none.

No physician or amount of medicine of the day was helping or would help.

All hope of any help was beginning to fade, and the future looked bleak.

The Bible does not tell us her name or her back story.

However, from the little information that we are given, we know that she had come to a point in her life where she was beyond desperate and out of options.

This is a story of not only suffering, but faith and courage.

This woman seeks out her last possible miracle of hope from the one whom she has not only heard has healed many but believes them all to be genuine, true.  

Her beyond desperate pursuit of the power of Jesus Christ gives us a picture of what it means to be driven forth by our faith, to hang on to God’s faithfulness.

There are three main lessons I wish to highlight from this miraculous story.

  1. To be desperate for God’s help
  2. Our faith is to be rooted in Christ’s power to work out any trial we face
  3. God lovingly welcomes us when we come to Him.

Come to God in Desperate need of Him

Scripture tells us that she had gone through all the options that one had to find a cure to her disease. The account in Mark 5:25-26 says she had

“suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.”

Miracles… we get really skeptical in a really big hurry when we hear that word.

Even Christians roll their eyes when you speak about God working a miracle.

We fail to realize miracles still happen today just as they did in the time of Jesus.

It is one thing for an unbeliever to be skeptical about a miracle, but if you are saved you’ve already experienced the greatest miracle of all time SALVATION!!!

Some people have to reach a devastating situation first before they are willing to open their eyes and see the power of God is their only hope and to see that the power of God unto Salvation can, will work a miracle in their life, even today.

Look at this woman’s situation for a moment:

A. The Sickness – v25a And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood

“An issue of blood” – speaks of hemorrhaging, or bleeding, from some part of the body.

This woman endured a continual flow of blood.

Due to her constant blood loss, she would have been incredibly weak, anemic.

She would have been pale in appearance and would have had no energy at all.

Do you know what it is like to have no energy at all?

It is frustrating and discouraging.

We can assume as a result of her physical ailments, she may have experienced much more than physical weakness but too, depression and discouragement.

B. The Span – v25b “twelve years”

– Not only did she face serious health problems, but she also found no relief.

She had endured this disease for 12 years …over a decade of sickness.

This woman would have been considered severely unclean, even untouchable according to the Law.

This would have resulted in social isolation:

Leviticus 15:25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. 26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. 27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

Could you imagine 12 years of continuous unyielding isolation and separation?

What a sad existence.

C. The Suffering – v26a And had suffered many things of many physicians,

She not only suffered the effects of her disease, but she suffered as a result of those whom she has hoped could heal her.

For a long time, this woman had been looking for answer but to no avail.

The Doctors were no help at all; you can read into this verse that they did more harm than good for this woman.

D. The Spending – v26b and had spent all that she had, – The doctors and their useless remedies had not helped her.

But they apparently took her money anyways.

After all of her searching and trying and suffering now she had spent everything she had. Here she is, sick, separated and desperately broke – but still spending!

Yes! I would absolutely say she is in a place of severe desperation!

Oh, but it still gets worse!

Notice:

E. The Ceaseless Spiral – v26c and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

– After 12 years and many doctors, after hoping and repeatedly praying that the next remedy would finally, ultimately be the one to cure, to heal her, things just get worse (as if she needed worse) …literally her life was draining out of her.

During this time period, it was common practice for those who were diagnosed with difficult medical cases, to consult with numerous different doctors.

They would undergo many forms of treatments and the supposed cures were often very abusive and would lead to the patient feeling worse than before.

This woman was so desperate that she not only went to so many different doctors but spent all of her money to find a cure.

The account in Luke 8:43 suggested that the woman could not be helped because her condition was incurable.

She was left feeling hopeless, untouchable and desperate to find an answer.

There was literally nothing that could humanly be done to help her and from a human standpoint, she was out of options.

It was only until she had heard about Jesus coming that she became aware that this would be her last try at a miracle, and final attempt at being made well.  

“She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.”

The passage tells us that there was a large crowd of people.

This woman, on the point of physical and spiritual death, who was most likely physically and emotionally exhausted, pushing her unyielding hopelessness and weaknesses aside,

“came” through the crowd of people to “draw near to Him.”

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4334/kjv/tr/0-1/

There was a “quiet” “unnoticeable” sense of desperation to get to Jesus because of her quiet faith that only He could bring her the hope that she was looking for.

Her eager attempt to “quietly” push her way through the crowd was a true picture of someone who is in desperate need of Christ.

The true lesson is not in our own ability to bring a solution to the trials we face, it is in our coming to the power of God with a heart which longs and yearns for the power of Salvation in Christ ALONE to come and to enter in and fill the void, of our untouchable measures, seasons of sadness, hardships we all go through.

It is crying out as the Psalmist did in chapter 63:1.

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

This is a cry of desperation and longing for the miraculous power of God.

Furthermore, a desperate heart, beyond desperate for the miraculous power of God, hangs on with every imaginable amount of energy to the truth found in

Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” We know that when we come to God, desperate and open, we can also trust Him fully with our lives and find rest in the one who is our true refuge. 

As I mentioned, sometimes folks come to a place of “severe desperation” before they are willing enough to look to the power of Jesus for a miracle.

You may be here reading this devotion and spiritually you are in much the same situation as this woman.

You are suffering desperately with a desperately unclean disease …SIN!

You are looking for help, hope and happiness

You have searched everywhere with no success

You have looked to other people, and they couldn’t help you

You have spent entirely much money trying to buy things that will provide you with happiness …it didn’t work

You have dedicated yourself to your career goals and now you are desperately miserable; without the needed resources, you have a void that cannot be filled.

You thought a new “brand” of relationship might solve your problem

You thought that maybe more material goods, money would make life better

You may be turned to drugs and alcohol, crime, to numb the pain you face.

You have tried it all AND NOTHING IS WORKING!!

YOU ARE MISERABLE AND YOU NEED HELP NOW!

You my friend are at a place of “Severe Desperation” and that may be the best place for you to find the answer that you need!

This woman was at that point in her life too and she sought, found the answer… but how?

That is the next thing I would like for us to see.

Consider:

Our Faith is to be desperately rooted in Christ’s power to work out any trial we face

Verse 28 tells us that her faith was so deeply rooted in Christ’s power to save her from her trial,

“For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well”

II. The Specific Information Involved

– v27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

Notice the phrase -“When she had heard of Jesus”

How did she hear of Jesus?

o She didn’t have a Facebook account

o She did not have a Twitter or Tik Tok account

o She didn’t have any Internet or Wi-Fi services

o She did not have ZOOM or Tele-Medicine

o She did not have any Cable television to watch the Health News.

o There was certainly no Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

o There were definitely no Libraries at any National Institutes of Health.

She heard of Jesus because there were some excited people in the area talking about the man who had done so many miracles.

We have already reviewed the miracles of Jesus thus far in the Gospels.

It is possible that she has had a first-hand encounter with one of the people who were healed.

Maybe she had heard from or spoke with someone who witnessed one of the previous miracles.

Maybe she heard from someone who heard from someone who witnessed the miracles by actually and genuinely receiving the miracle.

I can’t prove this, but I would think that instead of any 3rd or 4th hand info, she may have heard an actual 1st hand account …a personal testimony, of someone who was radically changed by the powerful touch of Jesus Christ.

Here is why I believe this – Notice her statement “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” That statement alone shows extreme faith…

Somebody, face to face, soul to soul, shared powerful testimony with this lady!

“It is no secret what God can do”

“What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you”

“With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you”

“It is no secret, what God can do!”

Regardless, we know somebody told her of the healing power of Jesus Christ!

The one and only true source of where our faith can truly be placed, is in Christ.

As a human, the common thing to do when you’re sick, is turn to medicine and make a doctor’s appointment.

We go there expecting a clear answer to why we are feeling sick and a cure to our ailment. There is almost a sense of hope that is placed in the doctor.

I am not the least against modern day medicine at all, I come from a family that is filled with Professional Nurses – Myself, my late Mother, a RN for 40 years.

I have repeatedly witnessed the miracle of modern medicine through the skilled hands of many surgeons as both of my wife’s have been replaced giving her the ability to walk pain free and her arthritic back has been surgically reenforced.

I have the utmost respect for the men and women of our health care services.

The point here is that ultimately despite her diagnosis, this woman’s faith was set on the ONLY one who knows her biological make up better than any doctor.

God is the creator of our human bodies and knows exactly what we need.

This woman recognized despite her best efforts to get help from many doctors, Jesus Christ was the true source that could help her through this difficult trial.

Whenever we are faced with that beyond desperate situation that seems almost impossible to face, we are sometimes driven by our desperation to look to other “material” “worldly” things to bring us a solution, a peace to our circumstance.

This woman’s faith was so strong that notice how in verse 28, she mentions touching his garments, not even Christ himself.

She believed that in Christ’s unlimited power that her words held no doubt that if she “touched” the hem of Christ’s garments, she WOULD be made well.

If she was able to even slightly “… to fasten one’s self to, adhere to, cling to …” the hem of his garments, she WOULD IMMEDIATELY be MADE WELL.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3916/kjv/tr/0-1/

MADE WELL … Open this link to see the deeper meaning of this phrase!

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2476/kjv/tr/0-1/

The main lesson here does not lie in the outcome of her faith.

This woman could not foresee the future.

The Bible does not tell us that her faith predicted the future.

What scripture does tell us is that her faith was so strong that she knew her answers lied with the power of Salvation through Jesus Christ ALONE.

The end goal was to turn to Jesus Christ and look to Him for strength regardless of the outcome.

Unfortunately, too many people today are keeping secret what they should be shouting from the housetops!

People need to hear the specific information concerning what Jesus can do in their lives!

When people experience “Severe Desperation”, and they are given the “Specific Information” then there may be a “Supernatural Transformation”

III. The Supernatural Transformation Involved

– v28 … For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

What do we see in verse 29? …A MIRACLE!!!

This woman exhibited great faith in her determination to get to Jesus.

In past miracles the people were healed by the words of Jesus Some were healed when Jesus reached out and touched them.

This woman says, “All I need is to touch a piece of His clothes and I know I will be healed”

Her determination is also seen in the fact that she fought her way through the crowd to get to Jesus.

v30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

There was a great crowd gathered around Jesus.

This weak, frail, sickly and desperate woman fought through the crowd with what little strength she had.

She finally gets to where Jesus is, and risking quite literally everything she had left within her, she reached out and quietly touches “the hem of His garment”

We are told that “immediately the fountain of her blood dried up.”

The miracle that she had been looking for and longing for had happened.

The thing that she had spent so much time, money and effort on was wiped away in an instant.

This woman who was deemed unclean by the law is now clean because of Jesus!

WE CAN RELATE TO THAT!!!!

Listen to what Paul said in

– Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

When it came to the Law, we were helpless and hopeless.

We were deemed unclean!

Just like this woman we did not possess even the minimal ability to solve our problem, but praise God through the touch of Jesus Christ we’ve been healed!!

This woman with her physical disease sought Jesus, when it came to my own spiritual disease Jesus sought me

Who He was and what He did

How He loved and Who He is

Jesus is the miracle to me

What could be more miraculous?

That God Himself would come to us

Jesus is the miracle to me!

God lovingly welcomes His Children

When confronted by, with the fact Jesus had asked who had touched Him, He wasn’t asking because He didn’t know, He was beckoning her to come to Him.

Jesus is all knowing and sovereign, yet He still wants us to come to Him with an open heart and a burdened soul. He wants to hear us pour out our hearts, it is a clear indication that we’ll trust Him when we come with our burdens and joys.

Her approach to Him is described as being fearful and notice how the text says that she “fell down before him and told him the whole truth” (vs 33).

Her admission to touching His garments is so much deeper than the physical.

It also shows us a picture of what a true, repentant sinner looks like when being convicted of their sin.

She makes no excuses, she does not try to run, she comes and surrenders it all to Him.

Surrendering our sin, anxieties and worries about life is not a natural human reaction.

We tend to come kicking and screaming before God, as a last resort because our own attempts have failed.

Regardless of our attitude, when we finally plead for God’s help, His response is always filled with Grace towards His children.

Here he looks at this woman and lovingly says,

“Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed for your disease”

She is not only cleansed physically but, in that moment, has experienced the miraculous healing power of salvation through Christ ALONE in her life.

You and I too have that same opportunity to come before God and surrender it all to Him.

Like this woman, you and I will desperately try and live life in our own ways, rejecting that there is a God who has been there along.

The God who loves you and paid the penalty for our sin by dying a painful death so that we would not have to.

If we miraculously choose to place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the one who has the miraculous answer to life’s struggles and our reason to experience joy. He also miraculously looks at us and in the same way miraculously says;

“Daughter or Son, your faith has made you well”.

What HE did for this woman He can and will do for you!

A woman one day Tried many physicians

But daily grew worse in the bible were told

But when she had heard of this man called Jesus

She found what she needed for her body and soul

She said: If I can just touch the hem of his garment

If I could just touch one part of his robe

I know I’d be healed my sins all forgiven

If I could just touch him I know I’d be whole

One day I sat by the wayside begging

But nobody could help me down life’s weary way

Then my Jesus passed by, and He heard my sad crying

And He Reached down His hands and he saved me that day!

Do you need a special touch from the Lord today?

Are you “searching for a miracle”?

You have a choice; you can “bump into Jesus” like so many in the crowd that day or you can reach out and literally risk everything, touch Him with purpose.

AND MIRACULOUSLY BE MADE WELL AND LIVE!

You can find a miracle today!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Perform miracles in my life Lord to display your power and glory. Increase my faith to trust in you. May my whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless to the end. Through the miracle of salvation in Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Happy, Blessed, Highly Favored are those whose Strength is in the Lord: The Secret of Usefulness. Psalm 84

At the end of the celebration of Passover, in Jewish homes scattered throughout the world, the parting toast is, ‘Next year in Jerusalem!’

The sentiment echoes a common consciousness, a deep restlessness if you will, which is forever drawing God’s people back from “the near uselessness of their place of exile” towards “the usefulness of their roots in the land of their forefathers.“

The Psalmist was one of those who had been familiar with the days of worship in the tabernacle in the holy land.

Immediately prior to the building of the Temple by Solomon, the tabernacle had been situated in the City of David, just below the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

It has been suggested that Psalm 84 was written by King David when he left Jerusalem during the rebellion led by his son Absalom.

David belonged seated on the Throne of Israel. That is where God placed him. This is [place where King David was the most useful to God and His Kingdom.

But David’s fatherly judgement became severely impaired. Absalom took great advantage of that and by force of Arms, compelled David to leave his throne.

A King not seated on his throne – in “exile,” in “hiding’ was of no use to God.

David could not wield his Kingly power – becoming essentially useless to his people, to his nation and too his God – there needed to be a significant change.

The progression:

Useful to Self – Useless to God – then in Christ, 100% usefulness to God.

Psalm 84Complete Jewish Bible

84 (0) For the leader. On the gittit. A psalm of the sons of Korach:

2 (1) How deeply loved are your dwelling-places,
Adonai-Tzva’ot!
3 (2) My soul yearns, yes, faints with longing
for the courtyards of Adonai;
my heart and body cry for joy
to the living God.

4 (3) As the sparrow finds herself a home
and the swallow her nest, where she lays her young,
[so my resting-place is] by your altars,
Adonai-Tzva’ot, my king and my God.

5 (4) How happy are those who live in your house;
they never cease to praise you! (Selah)
6 (5) How happy the man whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are [pilgrim] highways.

7 (6) Passing through the [dry] Baka Valley,
they make it a place of springs,
and the early rain clothes it with blessings.
8 (7) They go from strength to strength
and appear before God in Tziyon.

9 (8) Adonai, God of armies, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Ya‘akov. (Selah)
10 (9) God, see our shield [the king];
look at the face of your anointed.
11 (10) Better a day in your courtyards
than a thousand [days elsewhere].
Better just standing at the door of my God’s house
than living in the tents of the wicked.

12 (11) For Adonai, God, is a sun and a shield;
Adonai bestows favor and honor;
he will not withhold anything good
from those whose lives are pure.

13 (12) Adonai-Tzva’ot,
how happy is anyone who trusts in you!

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

“How lovely is your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts,” he intoned (Psalm 84:1).

Not that God dwells in tents or buildings or any other human habitations: but nevertheless, our soul is only ever satisfied (as Augustine of Hippo is often quoted as saying) when it finds its rest in the LORD (Psalm 84:2).

In fact, our ultimate rest is only found in Jesus, the Word who became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled!) among us (John 1:14).

The Psalmist compares his soul to the sparrow, and to the swallow, little birds that are forever flitting around seeking a home (Psalm 84:3).

Not that either of these could ever safely nest on the altar of sacrifice (!) – but his soul has found its rest in the altars (plural) of the LORD of hosts.

Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22), and his rest and ours is found first in the altar of burnt offering, where the sacrifice is presented (representing to us the Cross of Calvary) and next in the altar of incense, where the risen Lord Jesus lifts our prayers, mingled with His, up to the LORD.

The Psalmist calls the LORD of hosts, “my King and my God” (Psalm 84:3).

The Christian faith is deeply personal, a relationship rather than a religion.

Blessed are those who abide in Christ, and He in them (John 15:4; John 15:7):

THEY “shall ever be praising Him” (Psalm 84:4), and THEY ‘shall have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming’ (1 John 2:28). “Selah.”

Think on this.

Pray over and upon this,

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the ways” (Psalm 84:5).

So reads the Hebrew, without adding any extra words into the translation.

The word for “ways” here speaks of a prepared way, as for when a ruling monarch is approaching on their royal tour (cf. Isaiah 40:3-4; Matthew 3:1-3).

So, ponder these questions for just a few moments, what kind of person is able to genuinely say, ‘my strength is in the LORD’ (cf. Psalm 84:5) or ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13)?

It is a person whose heart has been prepared by the Holy Spirit, that they may ‘repent’ (meaning ‘change their mind about God’)!

The light of God has shined into their hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6), and they are made new people in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Not only are we made new people, but now we are enabled to “walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11) upon the path of righteousness.

We have a new purpose, a new direction, a new usefulness in our lives. ‘This is the way, walk ye in it,’ says the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 30:21).

When we are walking in God’s way, it is the LORD who leads us (Genesis 24:27).

When we face trials in “the valley of tears” (Psalm 84:6), we can each be 100% assured that the LORD knows our way, and will not only bring us through, but will bring us out better (Psalm 23:4; Job 23:10).

In all these things we are made ‘more than conquerors through Him that loved us’ (Romans 8:37-39).

The pilgrimage of this life may well be for us a vale of tears, but nevertheless we go on from our strength to His strength, our uselessness to His usefulness and will at last appear before God (Psalm 84:7; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:17; Romans 8:18).

‘In this world you shall have tribulation,’ said Jesus, ‘but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33).

In our sin, we are essentially useless to God.

Lives lived in a “never-ending” state of being called: complete uselessness

The promise of Hope: “But be of Good Cheer; I have overcome the World”

Translation: Jesus overcame our sin and has made us 100% useful to God!

God lives – We live and our sin dies – crucified with Christ! (Galatians 2:20)

In our sin we were Useful only to ourselves, Useless to God

By profession of faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 10:9-13) – Usefulness to God.

Here the secret of usefulness is set forth by God before us in Psalm 84:5-6 CJB

5 (4) How happy are those who live in your house;
they never cease to praise you! (Selah)
6 (5) How happy the man whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are [pilgrim] highways.

Many of us have either been “useful” or “useless” Christians for a long time.

When you get in difficulties or troubles or pressures, where is your strength?

Have you found that your strength is not within yourself but in God alone, that He is the ONLY One who genuinely makes a difference?

One Saturday night I came home after a rather long day away from my church responsibilities, and I was very tired and looking forward to some useful rest.

My wife told me some of the things that had been happening, some of the pressures that had come that day from the church and from the family.

They were the kind of things I would normally want to lay before the Lord and pray about.

Except, on this particular Saturday, I didn’t feel like praying. I was tired, and I only wanted to go straight to bed. I just thought to myself, What’s the use of praying now, anyway? I’m so tired that my prayers wouldn’t have any power.

Then it struck me: What a thing to say! What difference does it make how I feel?

My reliance isn’t upon my prayers but upon God’s power.

It always bothers me to hear Christians talk about the power of prayer. 

There isn’t any power in our prayer or our praying.

There is only power in the God who answers prayer.

I was swiftly rebuked in my own spirit by the remembrance that it makes no difference how tired or exhausted I happen to be.

So, consequently in that exact moment I prayed–very briefly, because the power of prayer doesn’t lie in the length of it, either.

Charles Spurgeon used to speak of those who had the idea that the power of the ministry lay in the lungs of the preacher.

But it doesn’t lie there, either.

Power lies in the power of God who is behind prayer. 

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you.” meaning our strength is in God alone and not ourselves as we look at ourselves looking back at us in a mirror.

Some time ago I was trying to sell my car.

Intending to put an ad in the paper, I read through several car ads to learn how to phrase it.

I noticed a phrase that appeared again and again throughout the ads.

It said, “Power all around.” 

At first, I didn’t know what it meant. Then I realized it meant power steering, power brakes, automatic transmission, power windows, power doors, power seats, power mirrors and, in the case of a convertible, a power top.

Literally Power all around!

All this power is designed to take the terrible strain out of driving so that all you need to do is sit there and push a few little buttons and things will happen.

What a tremendous description of the “useful” Christian life!

Power all around!

The Power of God!

The Power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ raising us unto Eternal Life!

The Power of the Holy Spirit – Pentecost!

Not one ounce of any of Father, Son and Holy Spirit power is ever useless!

We just have to a useful way to plug our “useless” selves into it and stay there!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

God of power and might—we give thanks for a song in our hearts.
Our souls long for You;
Our heart and our flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Happy are those who
live in your house, ever singing your praise.

Hear our prayer; give ear, O God!

Behold our shield, O God of our Salvation;
Guide us in times of trouble, through night of sorrow,
and days when deceit lives in our heart more than love,
and hate for the stranger, more than love.
Speak gently to your anointed ones, that we may hear.

Hear our prayer; give ear, O God!

Help us see the stranger, who comes because Your song
is in his heart and on her tongue, ringing through—
help us to hear, to see, to embrace You—
in him, in her, in you, even, in me—
with outstretched arms and mighty hands.

Hear our prayer; give ear, O God!

God of my Strength—we give thanks for a song in our hearts!  Amen.

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I am reaching for the unquestionably great promise of now unquestionably living the unquestionably great life of Christ – seeking God with my WHOLE heart, my WHOLE soul. Acts 2:37-39

The first Pentecost after Jesus’ death and resurrection was the birthday of Jesus’ church.

The Holy Spirit moved in Jesus’ apostles; they suddenly proclaimed the good news to people from many parts of the Mediterranean area (Acts 2:8-11).

Thousands were baptized, forgiven of their sins, and given the Holy Spirit as God’s gift.

But even in the unquestionable greatness of that day, there was the promise of more unquestionably great days to come.

The promise of God’s forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit are for all whom the Lord calls, including us and others he will call.

Like all unquestionably great stories with unquestionably great promises of an unquestionably great future attached to it, they must all begin with a minimum of at least one someone somewhere who will take the risk to jump in with both feet with at least a minimal degree of belief it will actually, absolutely be true.

Someone, somewhere, somehow must dare to question the “truth” of such an unquestionably great promise – it must somehow be proven if it is to continue.

Life must be lived – but we have that choice to determine how we should do so.

“Nothing Ventured – Nothing Gained”

“Go for the Gusto or Just plain Go Away.”

Live as if it is only according to the principle of “maintaining the Status quo.”

Live as if there is the possibility that the unquestionably great promise being offered of unquestionably great things coming your way – if you’ll take a risk.

“As a guiding principle, life shrinks, and life expands in direct proportion to your willingness to assume risk.” Casey Neistat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Neistat

The Holy Spirit moved in an unquestionably powerful way that first Pentecost Day.

Unquestionably remarkable and unquestionably miraculous events took place in the thousands of lives of those who had gathered Jerusalem that day.

Lives were unquestionably changed.

Unquestionably a great promise had been fulfilled by God to come among them.

Now, how would these people respond to such an unquestionably great event.

A shrug of the shoulders and the maintenance of “Status Quo?”

Somebody “girding their loins” learning how to get trained up in the operation of the Gospel Train of God – because now people could know – that God is now completely on our whole life’s train track – and there’s no stopping God now!

Peter makes a promise for all those everywhere who will turn their hearts to God and submit themselves to him in baptism, fully trusting in Jesus as their Lord and Savior!

They will be filled with God’s Spirit and forgiven of their sins because of the mighty name and gracious work of Jesus Christ.

This whole passage (Acts 2:33-47) demonstrates that Peter and the apostles had begun fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20):

they were making disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching people to obey what the Lord commanded.

Like those early disciples, let’s accept the challenge, share this grace so the whole world can unquestionably know Jesus is not only our Lord, He is also unquestionably Savior and King for all who hear God’s call and trust in him.

God’s great promise of Holy Spirit guiding, getting our whole life on His track!

This unquestionably great promise of God is extended too literally everyone!

Without exception – one promise for literally everyone to come to and “LIVE!”

If that first person would dare to come forward out of the crowd – and prove it!

By the power of the Holy Spirit, have you or anyone you know ever shared this life transitioning message of promise, forgiveness, and power with others?

Acts 2:37-39Amplified Bible

The Ingathering

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart [with remorse and anxiety], and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is for you and your children and for all who are far away [including the Gentiles], as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself.”

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

The Bible says in Acts 2:38 

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”.

The word repent is to express sincere regret, remorse one’s wrongdoing and sins. Repentance is the action we ourselves choose to exercise of turning away from that wrongdoing and sin and our choosing not to partake in that again.

The thing we really need to understand is that repentance is not a one-time event that one does to receive salvation.

True repentance causes a person to say,

“I want to live in Christ, prove it with a 180-degree change of their direction.”

Repentance requires true brokenness.

It is NOT asking our God for forgiveness with the intent to sin again, but is an honest, regretful acknowledgement of sin with a true and total commitment to change – to choose between sin’s “status quo” and freedom in Christ Jesus.

I remember some years ago while I was still young in “my Christianity” we had a Pastor at our spiritual retreat, and I remember him saying to us one Sunday:

“We all need to change every day therefore we need all to repent everyday”.

I was then still in the ‘young’ mind-set that repentance was something just for salvation until I found myself having to repent not committing some atrocious sin prese but omitting something, like not studying like I should, not fasting in the “prescribed biblical way” and when I was or was not praying like I should.

Since God was dealing with my “youthful Christianity” as the first partaker with that message, I had to repent because I began to see what I was omitting and falling short of the glory of God in my life personally (Romans 3:23).

I began to be like David and pray like he did in Psalm 51:6-10 

“Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me”.

Now before someone gets the wrong impression, I am not talking about my committing a sin that is punishable with Hell’s damnation, but I am talking about realizing your personal short comings, being totally pleasing unto God.

There’s a saying that confession is good for the soul. It comes from an old Scottish proverb, which said in full, “Open confession is good for the soul.”

There is biblical truth in that!

When John the Baptist was preparing people to meet Jesus, his first advice was to repent.

Peter then on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:38 said

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”.

I remember being handed a two-sided bookmark for my Bible which had this prayer printed on its front and its back –

A Prayer for Daily Repentance

Dear Lord, thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you for not abandoning us to our mistakes, but for reaching out instead to bring us home. Help convict me of sin and help me accept your mercy without shame. Thank you for the love you have poured out for me and all your children. Help me live out of that love today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

That was almost seventeen years ago, and I believe I still have that bookmark.

I truly believe my “Christianity” has grown up and matured just a bit in these intervening years since my long weekend attendance that spiritual retreat.

But sometimes I find that my premise of a “more mature” Christian life being tested by the unquestionably life changing events of these last several months.

We have experienced unprecedented life events that leave us bewildered at best.

The truth of the matter is that these past two years have changed society as a whole and will continually and continuously change many of us personally in ways unlike any we could not have even imagined, for many more months.

For many, the old pattern of life has been broken, and a new one has come into play. Social distancing has changed the way we will each choose to interact with people probably forever. Hand shaking and the ever-popular hug except for our close family members will if ever done again will be done with extreme caution.

When we look back over the last two years, we have been inundated with events, information, rather good or bad, racism played out to the fullest, hatred spewed from the mouths of leaders both political and spiritual, never before imagined acts of gun violence being done in the United States carried out by Americans.

We see the War in the Ukraine.

We have seen hospitals pushed to the limits; deaths reaching and seemingly passing Biblical proportions. We have experienced seismic paradigm shifts in politics, life and religion, today is so majorly different then it was only a year ago. In the prophetic, immortal words of Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On”. 

I can honestly say for myself and maybe for a lot of you I haven’t watched CNN or other major news stations as much as I have these past two years in my life.

I, like many of you, am completely inundated by my television set with all the bad news, all the intrigue, killings, politics, civil uprisings, unbelievable reports of increasingly lethal mass shootings, deaths, panic, Breaking News Headlines.

I saw this statement that said there are more televisions in the average home than there are people. And this does not include other electronic devices upon which television shows and programming can be watched.

I believe it can literally be blamed that the increase in violence, unrest, hatred, and godless upheaval being seen in our society today is a direct result of what is coming across our computer and television and other social media outlets.

The Bible says it like this in Galatians 6:7 “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

“We must reap the change which only comes from living Christ to the fullest.”

For 20 years, I “grew and matured in my faith” in the church and I know for a fact many times this scripture will be used when it comes time for the offering.

However, today I am going to deal with something different because we need to understand we reap what we sow more today than probably any time in history.

We are sowing not so much monetarily into a ministry or church organization, but we are sowing and having sown more than you realize into your spirit. We are allowing things to affect us in ways more than we normally would. Many of us have developed new patterns and habits that we did not have just a year ago.

Now is the time that we need to be cognizant of the influences of our lives and what is being sown into our spirit.

Proverbs 4:23 says “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”.

In the Old Testament the word “heart” is used more than 800 times, but more than 200 times it deals with one’s thoughts, emotions, and the wellsprings of the choices we make about living life, those things that motivate and mold us.

Solomon says in Proverbs 23:7 “For ah he thinketh so, is he?” WHY – Because this will control the rest of your life. What you think is what you are.

Your thoughts rather positive, negative, good, or bad control your attitudes.

Your attitudes are the sum of your thoughts.

Your attitudes lead to your actions.

That is why we must guard our hearts and be careful with what we allow to be sown or what we sow into our spirit.

It is so easy to be influenced by what we see on T.V., the internet, read in the paper or are texted across and upon the whole host of social media outlets.

Luke 22:31 says “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat”.

That means to continually and continuously confuse and poison your heart.

Don’t be confused by the manipulation of people.

The devil wants to continually and continuously contaminate and corrupt your WHOLE heart. You must guard your heart against contamination from jealousy, philosophies, traditions, speculation, arrogance, pride, lies and everything else.

God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit wants your heart for Himself.

It was the basis of your original union with Him.

God didn’t appeal to your intellect; He asked for faith.

The enemy despises your heart because it is with your heart that you believe unto righteousness. 

Romans 10:10 says “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”

Reaching for the promises of God, the unquestionable truth of abundant life in Christ, we must live to fully protect our hearts from being contaminated at all.

We must guard our hearts from anything that is contrary to the Word of God.

When you realize how much is sown into your heart by the avenue of your eyes or your ears, then unquestionably, we need to pray, ask God for a clean heart.

I’m not asking for high men to know my name, I’m not asking for fortune or my “15 minutes of fame” but give me ‘Lord a clean heart and I’ll follow thee.’

The best way to guard your heart with all diligence is to seek God with your whole heart.

Seeking God with All Your Heart!

The Bible promises that if you seek God with all your heart, then you will find Him.

If you seek to know God in real and personal ways with all your heart, then you will get to know God by Him revealing Himself to us.

I believe this is called Progressive Revelation!

When I say progressive revelation, I believe it is a move originated from God, not man which God brings us through spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity.

It is a growing process that is done by the planting of good seed.

This is what the devil is trying to stop from happening in your and my life at any chance he can. 

Luke 22:31 says “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat”.

Meaning of Seeking God

In the Bible the words for “seek God with all your heart” means to: to seek the face of God, the glory of God and not just His hand.

It is to desire Him more than one desires oneself.

Psalm 42:1 says, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God”.

It is fixing our conscious and focusing our attention and our heart’s affection on God.

This setting of the mind is the opposite of mental coasting.

It is a conscious choice to direct the heart toward God.

This is what Paul desires for the church in 2 Thessalonians 3:5 “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ”.

It is a conscious effort on our part.

To seek God with all your heart is all about having a love and desire to know Him.

Paul said in Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”. 

1 Chronicles 22:9 says, “Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God”.

Understand this is not some emotional aspect of seeking God like He is lost, God is not lost, but striving to find that which has been hidden. 

Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter”.

There is always something through which or around we must go to meet God spiritually, emotionally, and consciously.

It is this going through or around is what seeking is.

Paul said I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.

The woman with the issue of blood came in the press to “just touch the hem of His garment.”

My own repentance was due to the fact that I was unquestionably letting things block me from seeking His face like I should have but the honor was my own making the living choice, searching Him out in the midst of what was going on.

Please Understand there are always going to be obstacles which we so need to avoid, seeds that are trying to be planted that bring nothing but weeds in our lives that try to block out our sight of God, that try to slow or stop our maturity. 

Matthew 13:25-26 says, “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also”.

We must be aware of the tricks of the enemy and know the things which causes us to become insensitive to God and the try to block us from seek Him with our whole heart.

That is, unquestionably, what unquestionably seeking God with our whole heart and unquestionably our whole soul is all about.

Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near”.

The Lord is always near – Acts 2:1-13

Job 8:5 says, “If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty”.

This is what David was doing in Psalm 51:6-10 

“Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me”.

and what I did this week. WATCH THIS:

– Unquestionably seeking God involves my calling and pleading unto the Lord.

“O Lord, have mercy on me, open my eyes, my ears, my heart to be sensitive to you Lord. Unquestionably remove anything that is not like you, unquestionably cleanse me from all unrighteousness for I want to unquestionably know you Lord. “

This is humility which is essential in seeking God. 

Psalm 10:4 says, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts”.

We must avoid pride in order to seek God with our whole heart.

Remember in the beginning of this devotional we talked about reaping what we sow. We guard our ever-questioning hearts, and we can seek all of God with our whole heart by unquestionably reducing the trash that we put into our spirit.

Guarding your heart is more about feeding your soul than avoiding sin.

When our heart is strong, we can resist the temptations that cause many to stumble.

Minimize the trash in will reduce the trash out.

Unquestionably guarding your heart includes unquestionably seeking God, but we cannot ignore the instruction to strive to minimize the trash from our lives.

Some trash is easy to identify. Moral corruption, perverse sexual behavior, evil towards others. Other trash is more difficult to discern and to remove.

A lack of faith, unforgiveness, materialism, pride, hatred, racism, bigotry envy, strife. Trash, big or small, is still, unquestionably, nothing but stinking trash.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”.

Unquestionably guarding your heart is unquestionably critical to experiencing all that God unquestionably desires for your life.

God in His infinite wisdom knew that we would have problems with guarding our heart with all diligence, so He created us and made it impossible to be able to focus on more than one thing at a time.

So here is a little secret on how to unquestionably guard your heart, seek God.

Philippians 4:8-9 unquestionably says to our questioning hearts and souls,

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do and the God of peace shall be with you!”

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Praise to you Almighty and gracious Father. You have given me hope when there was none. You have given me unquestionable strength when my questionable resolve was gone. You have unquestionably blessed me with grace and poured your love into my heart through your Holy Spirit, your gift from above. For your love, grace, forgiveness, salvation, and Holy Spirit, I praise you. In Jesus’ name. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

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I have encountered the Resurrection. Receiving the free gift of God’s Grace: “Charisma” Romans 5:15-21

1. Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Refrain:
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!

People love to receive presents, especially good ones that are useful, and that reveal how the giver put forth some thought and effort into the purchase.

In the Bible we are continuously told of the best and most beneficial gift of all.

Many will seek the favor of a [a]generous person,
And every person is a friend to him who gives gifts. (Proverbs 19:6 NASB)

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it. And God has so worked, that people will [a]fear Him. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-14)

7 “[a]Ask, and it will be given to you; [b]seek, and you will find; [c]knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what person is there among you [d]who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, [e]will give him a stone? 10 Or [f]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 So if you, despite being [g]evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:7-11 NASB)

The Apostle Paul proclaimed, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b)!

God offers to everyone, without exception, the free gift of eternal life, and the free gift of His grace to make the choice to walk in, experience spiritual victory.

Even so, there are those individuals who have refused eternal life in the Son; and there are even those within the body of Christ who are not abiding in their God-given freedom.

The reason why some people are not living in victory is because they have not yet understood or received God’s grace.

Those who have not fully received His grace are walking about in judgment and condemnation.

For the “unbeliever” who has not accepted the gift of God,

he or she is indeed condemned to eternal separation from the Lord.

But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His [a]face from you so that He does not hear. (Isaiah 59:2 NASB)

and a fiery judgment

11 “But when the king came in to look over the [a]dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place.’ (Matthew 22:11-13 NASB).

The Bible is abundantly clear in this matter.

For the “believer” who has not fully comprehended the gift of God, he or she is living in bondage from a self-imposed form of condemnation or self-reproach.

God offers the free gift of His grace and a complete pardon from sin; however, His gift does no good just sitting there all wrapped up and looking pretty.

God’s gift must be received and opened; and in this devotional message today,

Faithfully, hopefully, prayerfully, Gracefully, our goal is that we are going to come to a more informed understanding of what is entailed in receiving and benefiting from the greatest gift of all time.

Paul Shared God’s Gift of Grace.

Today, we are going to look at some words shared by the Apostle Paul. Paul is someone who felt compelled to emphasize “the free gift of God.”

In both Romans and Ephesians (2:8, 3:7, 4:7) he taught extensively about the gift of God’s grace, for he believed that receiving this gift was essential for redemption unto God and eternal life.

In Romans chapter five, Paul stressed in great detail the significance of what he called “the free gift of God.”

Right now, I want to invite us to brush off the dust on the covers of our bibles, to open them together with me in humble honor of the reading of God’s Word.

Romans 5:15-21 New American Standard Bible

15 But [a]the gracious gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one offense, [b]resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the gracious gift arose from many offenses, [c]resulting in justification. 17 For if by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

18 So then, as through one offense [d]the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness [e]the result was justification of life to all mankind. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20 [f]The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

In this passage Paul emphasized the word “gift” six times.

If we view the original Greek, there are two words from which the English word gift has been translated.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb95/rom/5/15-21/t_conc_1051015

When Paul spoke of the singular word “gift” he used the words dorea or dorema, which are simply translated as gift or bounty.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1431/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/

When he utilized the phrase “free gift” he used the word charisma, which by definition means “a favor with which one receives without any merit of his own,” and “a pardon of sin and eternal salvation.”

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5486/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/

Paul also directly mentioned “grace,” and he used the word charis, which means “good will, lovingkindness” and “favor.”

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5485/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/

The words for “free gift” (charisma) and “grace” (charis) are interchangeable; therefore, when Paul spoke of the “free gift” (Rom 5:15, 16, 18) he was referring to the free gift of grace.

In Ephesians 3:7, Paul declared, “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace” (3:7a NIV).

https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb95/eph/3/7/t_conc_1100007

The Bible teaches that God’s grace is a free gift that He offers willingly to those who will freely receive it.

There Is One Who Receives the Gift

The One who offers the gift of grace is God.

The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave . . .” (Jn 3:16).

The Lord “gave” to the world – to each and every person. Love is not so much shown in the words “I love you” as it is demonstrated by action.

John said, “Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18); he also said,

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

God revealed His love by “sending” or “giving” the gift of His Son “to be the propitiation,” or rather the atoning sacrifice, to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind.

Notice the word used to express the degree and measure of that Love – Agape.

USED THREE TIMES IN THAT SINGLE VERSE!

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When Paul declared, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” in Romans 6:23.

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The word “gift” is translated from the Greek word charisma, meaning grace.

The “gift of God” is therefore the “grace of God.” God is the gift giver, and He offers the gift of His grace.

Paul identified the gift as “the grace of God” (Romans 5:15), the “abundance of grace” and “the gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17).

Grace is the Lord’s gift of righteousness to mankind.

The Bible says that through Jesus all who believe in Him are to become the “righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Therefore, God saw that mankind needed to receive the gift of righteousness.

The Gift Giver Considers the Need

When someone wants to give a gift, then he or she must first consider the need. So, why is an abundance of grace and righteousness necessary for mankind?

Paul spoke of the death, judgment, and condemnation that resulted from the one man’s offense, disobedience and sin.

The “one man” he referred to was Adam (Romans 5:14), the very first man created. If you will recall the biblical account, he and his wife Eve ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God had commanded the man and woman not to eat of this tree, and when they acted in disobedience and ignored God’s commands, sin entered the world.

At that moment they were evicted from paradise and separated from God (cf. Gemesis 2:16-17, 3:1-24).

Adam committed the very first sin in history, and sin has plagued mankind ever since (Romans 5:14).

Adam demonstrated how sin results in death, judgment and condemnation.

Paul said, “Through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation” (Romans 5:18).

When Adam sinned then all mankind became enslaved to sin.

Paul said elsewhere, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

There is not one single person on earth who is without sin (Romans 3:10), and sin results in death. Paul stated, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23);

and the death he referred to was a spiritual death of eternal separation from God in the flames of hell.

Mankind was condemned to death, and the Lord saw that the need was for life.

The Gift Comes with a Price Tag

Every gift comes with a price tag, meaning there is a purchase price to be paid.

Just as sin came through the “one man” Adam, the gift of grace came through the “one Man” Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15, 17-19, 21).

We read that this gift came by way of His “righteous act” (Romans 5:18), or His act of payment.

What was the price for God’s grace and forgiveness to be shown to the world?

In Acts, Paul said that Christ “purchased [us] with His own blood” (20:28).

He also mentioned how “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3),

and that “when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

Jesus purchased the world’s freedom with His own life.

The story goes,

When Billy Graham was driving through a small southern town, he was stopped by a policeman and charged with speeding.

Graham admitted his guilt but was told by the officer that he would have to appear in court.

The judge asked, “Guilty, or not guilty?”

When Graham pleaded guilty, the judge replied, “That’ll be ten dollars – a dollar for every mile you went over the limit.”

Suddenly the judge recognized the famous minister.

“You have violated the law,” he said. “The fine must be paid – but I am going to pay it for you.”

He took a ten-dollar bill from his own wallet, attached it to the ticket, and then took Graham out and bought him a steak dinner!

“That,” said Billy Graham, “is exactly how God treats repentant sinners!”

The price of your redemption unto God was Jesus’ death. The Bible says that everyone is supposed to die for his or her sins (Romans 6:23);

however, Christ stepped in and took your place in death.

He took the penalty upon Himself, so that those who believe in Him (Romans 10:9) would not have to perish.

In Galatians, Paul said,

“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:3-4).

Jesus died for all mankind in order that those who choose to believe will have life.

Paul stated that the life he now possessed was “by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The Receiver Appreciates Its Worth

God has given the free gift of His grace, which is His divine favor and pardon from sin.

Paul declared, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

In order to receive this gift, you must first appreciate its worth.

What did it cost? It cost God His one and only Son.

John said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

The forgiveness of sin is impossible to earn.

It could have only come by way of God’s perfect Son.

The Bible further says,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

You and I must make the sincere effort to realize the cost of our salvation and recognize that the cost is far greater than anything you could pay by yourself.

If you and I believe that you and I can work our way into heaven, then you and I will forever be working and always owing.

Paul said, “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt” (Romans 4:4).

Jerome was a church father who translated the Greek manuscripts into Latin and put the Bible in the language of the people.

He purposefully lived in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

One night, Jerome had a dream that Jesus visited him.

In the dream, he collected all of his money and offered it to Jesus as a gift.

The Lord said, “I don’t want your money.”

So, Jerome rounded up all of his possessions and tried to give them to Jesus.

The Lord said, “I don’t want your possessions.”

Jerome then recalled the moment in his dream when he turned to Christ and asked, “What can I give you? What do you want?” Jesus simply replied, “Give to me your sin. That’s what I came for; I came to take away your sin.”

The Receiver Recognizes the Sacrifice

In order for us to receive God’s free gift of grace, we must also recognize and acknowledge Jesus’ great sacrifice.

Do you and I truly understand what Jesus did for us, and do you and I know what it is He offers us?

Jesus told the woman at the well,

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (John 4:10).

If you and I truly understand the gift of God’s grace, and we realize that Jesus is offering you the gift of Himself and the gift of living water and eternal life,

then we should be unhesitant in receiving this indescribable gift!

You and I should be impossibly eager to take hold of it immediately!

The Receiver Must Unwrap the Gift

Once you and I appreciate the worth and recognize the sacrifice involved in the gift of grace, then you and I must receive it and unwrap it.

Grace will not take effect in your life until it is embraced.

In verse 17, Paul spoke of the need to receive.

He said,

“Those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17b).

You and I obtain life in Christ by “receiving” the abundance of His grace; and once you and I have received the gift then you and I must unwrap it.

The Bible shares how to lift the corner of the wrapping paper and open the gift of eternal life. 

Romans 10:9-10 says,

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

When you and I finally recognize the sacrifice of God’s one and only Son who paid the price for your sin, then our understanding must move from the head knowledge unto and into our heart knowledge before grace will take effect.

You and I must not only know in your mind what Jesus did, but you and I must believe and confess with all of your heart that He died for your sin and mine.

God offers you the free gift of His grace this very moment.

He has seen yours and my own futile attempts at becoming right with Him.

The Lord knows you and I are helpless sinners,

and that is why He gave His one and only Son.

Jesus wants to be our atoning sacrifice to step in and pay the price for your sin. He wants to give you the gift of eternal life.

Will you and I genuinely allow Him?

2. Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
threaten the soul with infinite loss;
grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
points to the refuge, the mighty cross.
(Refrain)

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!

3. Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
brighter than snow you may be today.
(Refrain)

4. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?
(Refrain)

In Revelation we read,

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (22:17 NIV).

If you and I genuinely desire God’s gift of grace and salvation then you and I have to reach out and take it, tear into it with enthusiasm, and unwrap it!

I want to extend Jesus’ invitation to come, and invite you, the reader, to receive the gift of grace, the 100% free gift of salvation from your sins and eternal life.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, the more I recognise my sinfulness, the more I understand the incredible grace that is being poured out on me and on all humanity. Thank You that the more my sin is exposed, the much more I realize what amazing grace has been bestowed on me – and on all who have trusted Christ for salvation, for the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting. Thank You in Jesus’ name, AMEN

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