Coming to Christ, the Necessity. The Battle Thereafter is Real

Coming to Christ, the Necessity. The Battle Thereafter is Real.

by David Brenneman 

"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:8-12.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer." Psalms 19:14.

"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin." Romans 7:14-25.

As the Disciples who became the Apostles were bound by the Spirit to teach and proclaim, thus so are we who are saved in Christ, to preach the Word in season and out of season. When people want to hear it and even when they don't. 

This too comes at a price. The wars and battles without and within. Those people see and those they do not. 

We indeed are to be living examples of a life changed by God through the work of the Spirit of God within us. We absolutely shouldn't be so blended in this world that they see no difference between us and the world.  

Life change is what's to show that the Spirit is really at work in the lives of people. Not our possible arduous efforts on our own to appear to be working towards salvation. Salvation is the free gift of God through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. There is by no other name under the Heavens by which you must be saved. We just read that. 

Then comes the inevitable. For me, I came to Christ at a very very early age. I believe that I was around 7 years old. I certainly was excited about it. Can tell you even today that it was a very bright sunny day. After affirming my decision to come to Christ I looked out the window up towards the sun and it is still the most beautiful memory I have of any day. The beauty of that particular sunny morning is forever in my mind. All it took was 24 hours for the battles to begin. My first day in school after coming to Christ for salvation was fraught with problems with my peers mocking me and ridiculing what I had to say. I was right into the thick of Spiritual warfare.  

Some don't experience this while I have heard stories of others who did go through the same or similar. 

To borrow words from the Apostle Paul...I pressed on. Understanding everything that was going on was an uphill battle. It took years until some of it began to make some semblance of sense. Whether I saw it or not Jesus was with me all the way.  

"Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 2 Timothy 3:12.

Pretty much this a fact of life in the lives of Christians everywhere on any given day. 

Thomas Chisholm wrote "Living for Jesus" in 1917.  

"Living for Jesus, a life that is true,

Striving to please Him in all that I do;

Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,

This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,

For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;

I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;

My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone."

Letting go of me is a daily battle. Very much what Paul wrote of his own struggles with his own heart. 

We aren't going to get the Christian life right every time on every given day. 

We do, however, have access to the One who is the forgiver of our sins. He is able and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's yet another of His promises. 

While each day is new...so can and will be the possible battles. It's one of our tools to make it through each day by remembering what Paul wrote to the Philippians.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:4-9.

Paul not only wrote what the Spirit directed him to write, he wrote from his very own heart.  

His life experiences are here for the world to see and learn from.  

He kept reminding himself of the victories in Christ that he had.

He kept reminding himself of the truths of God's word. 

He kept himself in prayer. 

These and other lessons are for us to pursue as well.  

It's sometimes hard to comprehend but yet it's there for all to contemplate...to consider...to remember. "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation." 1 Peter 4:12-13.

Paul exhorted Timothy to fight the good fight. Run the race. Finish well. 

This is for all who are claiming the Name of Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.  

We come to Christ for salvation we ARE in the race. We ARE in the fight, the very midst of the battle. 

Obeying God in Christ Jesus is the only way to finish well. 

It's on each of us to continue to return to the feet of Jesus daily to grow with respect to our salvation in Him. Setting aside significant and meaningful time to be with Jesus. Satan's wanting Christians who aren't a threat to him. Those who redefine sins as mistakes. Those who cling to idols and define them as other things not seeing them for the traps that they are...thereby getting them to waste their time rather than investing in Jesus. 

We then will one day give an account of our lives before Jesus. 

Way more than a job review of work performance. Every thought and intention will be laid bare before Jesus as well as what was seen in our lives. Every struggle every battle associated with every breath we ever took.

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality." Colossians 3:23-25.

It's game on. 

It's time to take your walk with Jesus seriously. 

The battles are real and everyone in Christ will experience them.

Take up your own cross and follow Him. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation. 

What is REALLY Important?

What's Really Important?

by David Brenneman 

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,  and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:7-11.

You can see it interlaced in what we read in the Gospels, that is, the changing of how the Disciples were being taught to view things in life is very apparent.  They were being taught to value what God values.  They were being taught how to be workers in His fields.  

When you go to work for an employer, for the most part, your personal views on things like your appearance, what you are to have with you, what your workspace may look like, are all determined by your employer.  They decide what personal protective equipment you must wear.  They decide if you are permitted to personalize your workspace.  They decide if you can have a cell phone on your person or not.  All these are what you are taught going into a new job. 

The Disciples were taught many things, only a sliver of which we read in the Bible. 

But what we do read is enough to gain an understanding of what is truly important in God's eyes and in His economy. 

Excuses abound as to why so many who have come to Christ aren't engaging in their OJT.  On the job training.  

It's nothing new.  Jesus spoke to it.  People who placed things that are of this world before following Jesus. 

"And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”  But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”  Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.”  But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:59-62.

Also in Matthew chapter 8.

For those who wonder if the Disciples questioned this: "Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last; and the last, first." Matthew 19:27-30.

With you, do you place things or people or events or anything above the time, energy and effort due to Jesus in your life that is to be in Christ?

Most of us know the passage where Jesus said that we must all take up our own cross and follow Him.  That cross isn't some small thing.  It was at least 8 to 12 inches square and over 7 feet long.  The cross beam was over 5 feet wide.  There's nothing anyone could carry besides the weight of that cross. 

It requires a person's everything. 

In following Jesus it also requires us to learn what's important to Him in order to please Him and yes it may often not be what pleases us.

It's an amazing time when you really are setting time aside to be with Jesus.  You really can have your mind opened to the Scriptures as had happened to them.  

The grandest scheme of Satan is to get Christians to believe that going native is acceptable and good for living a successful life. 

We're to be different, not the poster children for compromise.  We are to live life in Christ Jesus in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.  If we're no different than anyone else what will they see?

There's to be nothing more important than our relationship with Jesus.  

"More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord"

So what does that say concerning how we are to live life?

What does that say to you?

How you dress, how you spend your time, your money, tells a story.  How you speak, what flows from your mouth tells what's important to your heart.  Jesus said that what flows out of the heart of man defiles the man.  "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man." Matthew 15:18.

That account of our lives before Jesus?  It's all about how much we valued what was important to Jesus reflected in our lives.  It's an unfiltered reflection of either Jesus or ourselves.  Our thoughts, actions, intentions, things we said or didn't say.  

My Dear Reader, either we live our lives reflecting His workmanship in us for those good works that He prepared for us to be doing in Christ or we reflect ourselves. 

We aren't to be just like everyone else.  We are to make whatever is important to God important to us.  Jesus took His Father's business personally to the point of death on the cross.  Obeying His Father was always the most important thing in His life. 

Take a good look at what all you have been making important in your life.  We buy things, wear things, speak of things, that reflect what we have elevated as important in our lives.  

The sober question is this:  is living an approved life in God's eyes the most important thing to you or are you unrecognizable as a follower of Jesus Christ?  

Are you more concerned with keeping up appearances than what's important to God?

You have to decide.  The very fact that you're still alive means that you still have the choice to make the right decision.  You still can turn your whole heart over to Jesus once again.  

You CAN choose, but will you?

What is REALLY Important to you?

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation. 

In Training...In Tribulations

In Training...In Tribulations

by David Brenneman 

"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:3-5.

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." John 14:26.

"He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze." Psalms 18:34.

It's been said for decades concerning exercise..."no pain, no gain". "If you want results, you have to work at it." "If it's important enough, you'll make the time for it."

Things like these people try to use to motivate people. Just look at the ads for getting people to go to the gym. 

In spiritual life you can't work out for an hour a week and expect to run or even to walk with Jesus. 

You can't expect to learn from the Spirit if you aren't engaging in the Word of God.  

You cannot at all expect the transformation mentioned in Romans 12 by spending most of your life as a couch potato. 

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2.

Spiritual training is supposed to change your outlook on life. It's supposed to enable you to stand your ground, to stand firm, in the Lord with the whole armor of God on you.  

There's work to be done in the Lord but if you aren't even concerned enough to associate your obedience in training with the account you will give one day before Jesus...then my Dear Friend, what will you say for yourself?

What will you say was more important than God speaking to you? What will you say was more important than finding out what's important to God and living it out before men and women?

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17.

You, my Dear Reader, have before you two ways to live.  

You can't serve two masters. You will cling to one and despise the other. You will hate one and love the other. Jesus said this.  

Everyone faces trials and tribulations. Anxiety happens to everyone when the training gets intense or the situation called for training that the person didn't participate in. The Apostle Paul struggled with anxiety. If he did, they all probably did. But Paul said he wouldn't trade it for anything. 

What are you doing with your time with your energy with your days?  

Are you graciously giving the One who saved you from an eternity separated from God 30 seconds to 30 minutes of your day? Don't you see how incredibly wrong that sounds in light of what Jesus did, what He went through, to save you from that?

Don't you see how easy it is to cling to things that are of this world that do nothing to grow you in Christ?

You are going to face life's battles. It's a promised inevitability.  

The training in righteousness you get from the Spirit of God prepares you in advance. No one from the streets, with no training, compares to an Olympic runner.  

Was what Jesus did for you really worth what little you give back to Him?

Devotionals can be good but it's your Bible that is the work of God that has the power to transform a life. Get in it. Wear one out from something more than degradation from accumulated dust on the cover. Read the study notes. Before you add any devotionals, get your Bible reading habits formed. 

Ask the Author how to better understand what you are reading. 

Ask your Teacher, the Holy Spirit, to explain things. 

"Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord; Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways." Psalms 119:11-15.

You can't hide in your heart what you haven't stopped to really consider. 

You won't begin to understand how to navigate life's tribulations without your knowledge of God and His Word. You will not have a rich, vibrant, relationship with Jesus if you are not even trying to get to know the One who saved your life. 

Now, what are you going to do, starting today, to get your life right before Jesus?

What needs to go from your life that's been in the way of you learning to become more like Christ?

If your salvation in Christ Jesus is as important to you as you confessed it to be when you came to Jesus to be saved...it's it about time your words and actions aligned?

Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice. Are you at all listening for His voice? Are you trying?

Get off the couch. He put you in the game. It's time to get back to training in righteousness the way the Spirit wants to do with you.

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

No, You're Not Forgotten

No, You're Not Forgotten 

By David Brenneman 

"So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? " Luke 15:3-4.

The wandering of a soul causes Jesus deep sorrow. He cannot bear the thought of one perishing. Such is the love and tenderness of His heart that He cannot bear one of His own should be in jeopardy. He can take no rest as long as a soul for whom He shed His blood still abides under the dominion of Satan and under the power of sin. Therefore the Great Shepherd neither night or day forgets His sheep. - Pastor Alistair Begg 

We often don't see the forest for the trees. We see our plight, our problems, our issues, our weaknesses even and not much else. We feel the weight and are consumed with wondering if Jesus heard our prayers and if He did, why hasn't He done anything.  

We also are often at the other end of a string of bad decisions and the choices we made appear to be irreparable.  

We have a deep seated anxiety that's more or less PTSD. Post traumatic stress disorder.  

In no way has Jesus ever forgotten a single individual who has ever lived or will live. For those whom the world hasn't judged worthy to be granted a chance at living life due to abortions, these He draws to Himself immediately. There's no one in any corner of the universe that is misplaced or forgotten by Jesus. 

Our anxious thoughts can surround us quickly. But they are of no surprise to God. Look how quickly Peter went from walking on water to sinking. Look at how quickly David went from doing great as a King to his downfall due to his illicit relationship with Bathsheba. Right straight into justified murder.  

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalms 23:1-6.

The Apostle Paul struggled greatly with anxiety. I think Peter did too.  

Concerns for the Churches weighing on them daily. There was no texting or email or phone calls to get word on how people were doing. 

In our world it may be something smaller. Might be our health taking a turn. Might be choices to make concerning employment or where to live. Dealing with unruly neighbors day in and day out.  

Yet another of Satan's schemes is to overwhelm people. Realize my Dear Reader that he started mankind down the slippery slope of sin with "Did God really say?".

The insertion of a seed of doubt can produce a sunflower size problem. 

Sometimes we struggle to keep our head in the game. So overwhelmed between resting and working. I call it the Mary-Martha syndrome.  

I have had more occasionally than I want to recall in my life of when I doubted that Jesus remembered me. Yet in every single case quite the opposite was true.  

"He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart." Psalms 15:2.

We need to speak truth to ourselves regarding what Jesus says is true about us and our relationship with Him. 

Thoughts can be a runaway freight train. Can be a small rock slide turned avalanche. Can be a small rain turned thunderstorm. It doesn't take much to do exactly as what happened to Peter on the water.  

Fight back. 

"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;" Ephesians 5:19-20

You can't expect a Godly response from secular reasoning or materials. If you keep looking at everything else, looking to everyone else, rather than staying focused on Jesus and what He said is true...into the downhill spiral you go.

We regard Him as the Great Physician. Yet don't realize the importance and depth of the spiritual surgeries He must do in our lives. He is NOT going to leave you to stay the way you are. The work of the Spirit is to conform us into the likeness of God the Son.

Quite often a skilled surgeon in the physical world will say absolutely nothing during a delicate situation. Yet we know he or she is there.

Jesus does these daily and in like manner...doesn't follow that He's off somewhere else.

Go back to the basics. Jesus so loved you that He gave His life for you. He saved you and He isn't going to leave you to at all fend for yourself. Your life is that precious in His sight. 

What's more in this parable about the 99. He knew exactly which sheep was missing. Jesus said His sheep hear His voice and He knows them.  

1 out of a 100 or 1 out of 8 billion, doesn't matter to the all knowing Savior, King and Lord of the Universe.

Rest in His arms. Don't keep fighting to get up when you shouldn't. Be at peace with knowing He is there even if silently. 

If indeed you are saved, have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation...then this is for you: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." Romans 8:28-30.

Dr. Charles Stanley: Our situations in life are going to be there only as long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in our lives.

Look in a mirror and tell yourself "I trust you Lord".  

Speak truth to yourself. Pray these truths back to Jesus. 

Note the last portion. 

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9.

Wrap your arms around Jesus and know that you know that you know that He is right there with you.

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

A Heart Undivided

A Heart Undivided 

by David Brenneman 

"Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:25-27.

“Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Luke 14:34-35.

"The ancient Near Eastern concept of hate did not involve intense feelings of loathing or revulsion, as the modern Western concept does. To hate something meant to place it in a lower position than something else. Jesus was not exhorting His followers to loathe their families but rather to ensure that God reigns supreme in their lives. (Matthew 10:37,38)." - Dr. David Jeremiah notes on Luke 14:25-27.

"Our Lord does not use the word "hate" in our common acceptance of the term, for no man would hate his own life. He means that the love of all must be secondary to his love we bear to Him. Compared with our love to our Lord, all must be more like hate. We must be willing to give up everything--to give up even ourselves, our entire selves--to Him, for Christ will have all or nothing. He will never divide the human heart with any rival. If we profess to serve Him, we must have Him for our only Master and not attempt to serve two masters." Pastor Alistair Begg notes on Luke 14:25-27.

How divided the human heart can be in our world!

To be honest I was very confused reading this passage until the study notes came into play. Pastor John MacArthur shares a similar explanation of the differences between what we think of as hate and what Jesus meant by it.

The world is going to get people to redefine the priorities of the heart. Will get people to justify the divisions they have placed in their hearts. They will indeed fiercely defend their hearts with who or what is a priority for them. 

Satan's schemes very much include divisions of the priorities we include.  

Our sin nature really wants to be a higher priority in us than even Jesus. 

What really have you lied to yourself about with regards to what's most important to you?

The Disciples spent over 3 years learning how to place and keep Jesus as the most important person in their hearts above all. Just as we just read, above family, friends and self and all things. 

Heard someone once say that they realized the error of their own ways when something they said they loved was very quickly removed from their lives. They learned in that moment a hard lesson unto themselves as to putting the word "love" with something high in their heart. 

Our society has taken to severely water down what love is and what ot truly does and means to the human condition. 

People everywhere, and it's not at all just unbelieving people, really do place people and things as more important in their lives than Jesus and what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. 

The levels of delusional thinking is somewhat bizarre to watch. People so immersed in what they "love" that they don't see they are indeed trying to serve two masters. 

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Matthew 6:24.

It's not just wealth. You cannot serve God and ___________. Fill in the blank. Not God and everything in the world. Not God and anything in the world.  

Many "love" sports teams. A great deal don't even recognize that they are actually worshipping these sports teams. They get far more enraged at their teams getting dissed or slandered than they at all do the Name of Jesus Christ. 

Many "love" their jobs to the same extent. Many push their relationship with Jesus aside except for maybe Sunday mornings twice a year because they place their things or people in their lives higher than Jesus. 

Some place their hobbies higher than Jesus in their hearts.

They lie to themselves about who or what is really most important to them. They SAY Jesus is the forgiver of their sins and the leader of their lives yet their heart shows a wholly different story. 

Their attire shows that they worship someone or something else. 

Their words show that they worship someone or something else. 

Their possessions show that they worship something else. 

No one nor anything should be more important than your relationship with Jesus.  

Just like nobody or nothing should be leading your life but Jesus through His Spirit.   

Our attachments to people and things need to be kept in the right priority after our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

God, then, spouse, then children, then others then possessions.

You read that opening passage...now consider it again with this one.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit. You shall love your neighbor as yourself." - Jesus. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.

Personally this is what caused me to reject wearing clothing or even hats with most logos on them. I don't want people to stop and think about corporations or teams of any kind. My life is supposed to be a testimony unto my personal relationship with Jesus.  

Think about your life with Jesus. Is He truly the leader of your life or are you really the one who's placed people and or things above Him in your life?  

When we all stand before Jesus all the self-deceptions are going to be burned away and the reality of how our lives was will be revealed. 

Let there be no division in your heart. May the Lord be your all-in-all. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

Real Love

Real Love 

by David Brenneman 

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:7-19.

The world has tried, through the spoken word, the written word, through songs, through all forms of media, through every means imaginable, to portray what mankind says that love is. Yet in everything tried, everything imaginable, it's not close to being accurate. 

Jesus said: "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." John 15:12-13.

And: "And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" Matthew 22:37-39.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." John 14:15.

Love is more than just some emotional thing that we try to wrap our minds around. It isn't solely tied to sexual matters either.  

We cannot know what real love is until we learn it after coming to Christ for salvation. It's because He first loved us. His example to us is what we are to share with the world.  

It's nothing that we turn on or off as a situation presents itself to us. 

When we are walking with Jesus we are to be as God directs us through His Spirit. Doesn't matter what anyone pressures us to say or to be, it's the Word of God that stands forever.  

Satan has been trying to hijack the Word of God since it was written. Trying to sway the human race to turn from God to him. He's after the very Throne of God. As it is written "It is Finished!" Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. All that's left is the rest of the Word of God to play out. It all must be fulfilled. Besides the resurrection, people yet unborn would be coming to Christ for salvation. Over the centuries regardless of how much mankind has tried to change or how much Satan's tried to interfere, the true love of God has prevailed. 

We are to become disciples as we are to teach others to become disciples of Christ Jesus. It's not just for the men of God, the Pastors who lead churches, nor just the Elders or Deacons and Deaconnesses. Yes, Biblically speaking there are only those leaders in the Church. There are no women preachers. The Bible says that women may teach women and young children. Anything else isn't from God. 

In our learning what it means to be a disciple we learn the love of God and in turn learn to show it and share it. 

It's been twisted so much by Satan that most don't see the war between what's right and what is wrong. Much harm has been done to give the world a very much misguided experience in what living life for Jesus is supposed to be about. 

We aren't to sit in judgment on others to decide who is or isn't worthy of the gospel message. We love as we are loved by God.  

We are learning how to love the right way when we stay in intimate fellowship with Jesus. Jesus said that the Spirit would teach us all things that Jesus commanded. 

There's no such thing as individual interpretation of the love of God in Christ Jesus. It is what the Spirit teaches us that it is. We are to love as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. We are to take that out into the world.  

When we stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives before Him...it will include how we loved others as He loved us. It will include how we forgave others as He first forgave us. Plainly put Jesus said that if we don't forgive from our hearts, that is to do so beyond lip service, then we won't be forgiven.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life. 

We who are in Christ will have eternity to try to wrap our minds around how truly deep the love of God in Christ Jesus is for us. 

"so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19.

Our sin nature twists what our minds try to comprehend about the things of God. We have much to learn in Christ.  

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His word what a glory He sheds on His way. While we do His good will He abides with us still. Never fear only trust and obey. Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. 

Returning the love of Jesus to Jesus we learn how to love Him more and how to truly love others. 

Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit. Loving your neighbor as yourself.  

The first points us to Jesus.

The second points us to the world. 

Real love isn't defined by the world.

Jesus defined it by His obedience to His Father by going to the cross to save us all from our sins.  

Love God, love others. As He first loved us. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

What has Your Attention?

What has Your Attention?

by David Brenneman 

"I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Psalms 16:8.

What you focus on has your attention. If what you're mind is set on is before you then that's all you will consider. 

If it's a game, then odds are good that the proof of what has your undivided attention will manifest itself when anyone or anything interrupts you.  

If your mind isn't set then it's going to go anywhere it wants to wander to.

If your determination isn't set then anything goes. Moreover you will do this often enough and it won't bother you.

Does it bother you at all when you're not giving Jesus the attention due Him?

Does it bother you at all that your mind wanders among the worldly thoughts and desires you have, yet you don't seem to miss fellowship with your Savior?

These things should bother those who look to Jesus to be the forgiver of their sins and the leader of their lives. 

When someone drives down the road...the road should have their undivided attention. In our world today we have so many people who can't put their phones down to drive safely. They even promote roundabouts as a solution to those who can't stay focused long enough to navigate a stop sign. 

Our world is increasingly distracted from the things of God that lead to a more intimate relationship with Jesus.  

We just don't realize it or recognize it. I am as guilty as the next person. It's easy to justify wasting time calling it all manner of things such as decompressing from the day. Convincing ourselves of what we earned or deserved.  

We do not store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven where moth and rust do not destroy when we aren't focused on the teachings of the Spirit of God.  

Daydreaming is frowned upon in schools everywhere. Not focusing on the subjects in class is frowned upon. Children are disciplined to focus and then lose that after they graduate to a world that says it's not important. 

To set your mind on the things that are above and not on the things that are of this world wasn't something that was a good suggestion a few thousand years ago and isn't applicable to today. It's part of the unchanging Word of God that is as relevant then as it is today.

If all the workouts you get Spiritually happen on a Sunday Morning then you will never learn to run with Jesus. You won't ever learn the discipline necessary to keep pace with Jesus.  

Those who train for the Olympics have to have an inordinate amount of focus to pursue their dreams. 

What we train for in Christ is much more than the Olympics.  

What have you allowed to take your focus off of your walk with Jesus?

We can use all the right words to fool people and ourselves to sound all Christiany. But we cannot fool Jesus.  

Remember that...Jesus will return to give to each man and woman according to his or her deeds.  

EVERYTHING will be looked through. Every thought and intention. Everything seen and unseen. Everything that took our lives left instead of right, right instead of left.  

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

What you truly value is your treasure. If it's not Jesus then it most assuredly is something else. 

To be truthful, for a long time now I struggled with not having a dream to shoot for. It's taken a lot of work on this often stubborn soul to get me to realize that there's nothing in this world worth shooting for. It's been a waste of my time, energy and effort to pursue worldly desires for success and notoriety. I instead listened to the Spirit and turned to taking that time to get my head and heart deeper into the Word of God. 

You cannot learn to focus on your walk with Jesus if you aren't putting in the effort to achieve it.

You cannot blame God for your life not going the way you want when you are the real problem...not whether or not you were obeying God. The Scriptures say that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He didn't change...we did. 

We choose what gets our attention. We choose what gets us. 

We choose to fully follow Jesus or we choose the couch.  

We choose to accept His will for us or we pursue our own will.

Either what He did to save us means everything to us or it doesn't. 

It meant everything to the Disciples turned Apostles and it revolutionized the world. They taught new disciples to do as they were taught.  

What of you? What gets your undivided attention? What have you willingly put in place of Jesus in your life? You wonder why your prayers aren't being answered...it has everything to do with obeying God before its a considered prayer. You wonder why your stress level is so high...why this peace of God is missing from your life. It's rooted in obedience to God's Word.  

We know not how long we have on this Earth. We do know that we should always give of our best to Jesus. Not our seconds or thirds. The Bible says our first fruits.  

So what if a game is on...if Jesus says that He wants to talk to you would you do it with an undivided attention?

So what if the world around you is in chaos...Jesus still wants your attention.  

When Peter stepped out onto the chaotic water to be with Jesus he was fine because his focus was on Jesus. When he turned his focus and attention to the churning waters he began to sink.

There you go. 

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. 

You can change your direction today. Refocus on what's important to Jesus for you today. Start working out with Jesus so that you can run with Him. Keep pace with Him. 

It's going to cost you. But it's worth it. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.