I've Got To Work?

I'm going to write about something today that has taken me a while to put together but I just feel that today God is telling me it is time to tackle it.  This isn't something that I ever remember being taught in church but I keep running across Scriptures that I just can't ignore.  So if this differs from what you've been taught I would encourage you to not take my word for it but study it yourself.

Let's look at this Scripture.

Revelation 22:12-13(NKJV)

12“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 

13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the £Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Our reward in Heaven is going to be in proportion to the work we do on behalf of God?  I was always taught that my salvation was by faith and that works had nothing to do with it.  And that is true.  Here is where I was getting mixed up.

I was equating my salvation with my reward in Heaven.  Thinking that they were one in the same.  I have come to the conclusion that while they are related they are not necessarily the same. 

Our salvation is indeed based on faith and our works have absolutely nothing to do with that.  I want to be perfectly clear on that point.  Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is the only thing that gets us into Heaven.  Were are you on that decision?  Have you accepted Jesus yet?  If not, why not do it now?  Have a conversation with Jesus right now.  "Dear Jesus…..".

In essence accepting Jesus is the minimum.  It gets us in the door of Heaven so to speak.  Where I now believe my understanding was lacking was thinking that once we got to Heaven we would all be treated equally and we would all get the same reward. 

But as you can see from the Scripture above, Jesus himself said that He would be rewarding people according to their works.  If this was the only place in the Bible that said that then I would probably not think that much of it.  It's one of those things that just has to be taken in balance.  But it's not the only place in the Bible where it says that.  Take a look at a couple of other examples.

Revelation 2:23(NKJV)

23I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

Jeremiah 32:19-20(NKJV)

19You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. 

20You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself a name, as it is this day. 

It appears to me that our actual rewards in Heaven will be determined by the work we do for the Kingdom while we are still here on earth.  Those that accept Christ but then never really attempt to get to know Him by being in the Word, going to church, serving, etc will go to Heaven but their rewards in Heaven may be a bit skimpy.  Those that go all out for God while they are here can expect to live in a better Heavenly zip code if you will.

Let me give another reason I have come to this view.  Take a look at this passage from Matthew.

Matthew 20:20-23(NKJV)

20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

21And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

22But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, £and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

23So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, £and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

Here we have Jesus telling the lady that there are certain honors in Heaven that even Jesus can't give out.  They are reserved for whom God favors.  So even here we see that not everyone will be treated equally in Heaven.  There will be a hierarchy. 

So what is the takeaway from this lesson?  Accepting Jesus Christ is the single most important thing you can do to get into Heaven and it is only dependent on your faith.  However once you've accepted Jesus, go nuts in all that you do for God.  The more you do for Him the better it is going to be in Heaven!  You can have an average Heavenly experience or you can have a superb Heavenly experience, you choose!

He Who Overcomes Shall Inherit All Things

Revelation 21:6-7(NKJV)

6And He said to me, “It£ is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 

7He who overcomes £shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 

I wrote about being an overcomer earlier this month in this post "Are You An Overcomer?".  This is just a great passage to use as a reminder.

God wants us to be overcomers.  It's one of the characteristics that God seems to place a high value on.  Why do you think it is so important to God that we be overcomers?

Not that I presume to know what God is thinking but let me just tell you my theory. 

Being an overcomer is an attitude and a lifestyle.  It's the whole glass half full or glass half empty thing.  How do you view your life and the world around you?  Do you naturally assume God is in control and things will work out or do you automatically look to the negative, hopeless side of things?

In a nutshell I think that the reason that God is so big on overcomers is that it is an outward sign of someone who lives a life of faith and hope and isn't that what we are called to do when we accept Jesus?  Overcomers live a life of faith and hope and so Jesus is a natural fit for many of them. 

Are you an overcomer?  If so get ready for some great blessings from God.  If not then it is time to become one and the best place to start is by accepting Jesus.  Have you done that yet?  If not why not have a conversation with Jesus right now.  "Dear Jesus…..".

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

Psalms 100:1-5(NKJV)

1    Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

2    Serve the Lord with gladness;     Come before His presence with singing.

3    Know that the Lord, He is God;     It is He who has made us, and £not we ourselves;     We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4    Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,      And into His courts with praise.     Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5    For the Lord is good;     His mercy is everlasting,      And His truth endures to all generations.

How important is being thankful as part of our relationship with God?  As you can see in the Scripture above He wants us to come to Him with a thankful heart.  Let's take a look at a couple of other Scriptures.

Romans 1:21-22(NKJV)

21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 

In this Scripture it is talking of those who know of God but who don't really know God.  One of the missing attributes from the relationship is thankfulness.

Colossians 3:15(NKJV)

15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 

And here again in Colossians we are reminded to be thankful.  But thankful for what?  That's for you to decide.  I would start with being thankful that God sent His son Jesus to cover all of our sins.  From there take a look at your life and figure out what it is that you are thankful to God for, and then let Him know!

Blessed Are...

Revelation 19:9-10(NKJV)

9Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 

10And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

I did a word search and I found that the phrase "blessed are' appears 44 times in the Bible.  Let's start by making sure we are all on the same page as far as definitions go. 

bless·ed

1. consecrated; sacred; holy; sanctified: the Blessed Sacrament.

2. worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship: the Blessed Trinity.
3. divinely or supremely favored; fortunate: to be blessed with a strong, healthy body; blessed with an ability to find friends.

4. blissfully happy or contented.

5. Roman Catholic Church . beatified.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blessed?s=t>

One of the great things about accepting Jesus is that we get to begin living the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle.  What is the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle?  Glad you asked.  Take a look at definitions 3 and 4. 

Divinely or supremely favored.  When we begin to live the "Blessed Are…" life we begin to experience the super natural favor of God.  Things start to line up and go our way.  All the time?  Of course not.  But certainly more often than before we were in the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle.

Blissfully happy or contented.  When we live the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle we learn to be happy and contented in the moment, right where we are and with what we have.  Again does that mean everything becomes perfect?  Of course not.  But it does mean that we get to start experiencing contentment in our lives that we have not experienced in the past.

So how about you?  Would you like to experience the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle?  It starts with simply asking Jesus into your life.  Why not have a conversation with Jesus right now?  Go ahead.  Share with Him what is on your heart.  Invite Him to take over your life and you too can experience the Blessed Are…" life.

Dear Jesus... 

Called, Chosen, and Faithful

Revelation 17:14(NKJV)

14These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Wow.  Called, chosen, and faithful.  For some reason I really like the sound of that. 

Called.  God called us to come to Him.  He issued the invitation.  What do you do when you issue an invitation?  You choose who you are going to send it to.  God chose to send the invitation to us!  Pretty cool.

But what I really want to focus on is the last part.  Faithfulness.  Let's look at the definition of the word faithful.   

faith·ful

1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

2. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

4. reliable, trusted, or believed.

5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faithful?s=t>

What I want to point out here is that of the three words: called, chosen, and faithful; two of those words are in God's control but one of them is not.  It's in our control.

Think about that.  In God's magnificent plan, a part of that plan depends on us.  Now please don't take this out of context.  I'm not saying hey look how great us humans are.  That's not my point.

My point is that God gave us free will and that is even evident here in His plan.  His plan is that we will be there with Him at the end.  He actually has faith in us that we will come through for Him in the end and be faithful.  Now He has the power to make sure that happens but He doesn't use it.  He depends on us to ultimately make the correct choice. 

Now does He expect that of everyone?  Nope.  Only of those who have accepted His son Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.   Have you done that yet?  Do you want to be standing there with God at the end being counted as one who was faithful?  If so then why not just ask Jesus to come into your life right now?  Just talk to Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

Now why does He expect that of those who accepted Jesus but not of the others?  Well I believe its because God knows that He has equipped those that follow Jesus with the ability to be faithful and come through for Him.  And here is the final point I want to make. 

If God has that much faith in you, what's holding you back in life?  If He will give you the courage to be faithful to Him in the end times, what else has He given you the courage to accomplish today? 

When Is He Coming?

As I've written before, it's not for us to know.  Scripture tells us that even Jesus doesn't know the appointed time.  Jesus is hanging out with God in Heaven.  Some day God is going to snap His fingers and tell Jesus its time to go.  Jesus isn't going to get anymore advanced warning than we are. 

Revelation 16:15(NKJV)

15“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

See what I mean?  We are told to be ready.  Or as the Boy Scouts say "Always be prepared."  Now what does it take to be prepared?  First and foremost you need to ask Jesus to come into your life.  Have you done that yet?  Its easy.  Why not take care of that right now.  Something like this.  "Dear Jesus……" and just talk to Him. 

There, now that that is taken care of I want to cover something that I ran across today regarding the end times.  This is an example of why it is so important to be in the Word daily and have more than a cursory understanding of Scripture. 

Do I think the end times are imminent?  Personally I do not but I am ready just in case.  The reason I don't think it is time yet is that there still seem to be too many recognizable prophesies that haven't happened yet.  But here is a verse that you could use to make it seem as if it was imminent.

Revelation 16:12-13(NKJV)

12Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 

13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 

Take a look at this map. 

What's going on between Israel and Iran right now?  If Iran wanted to attack Israel what would they have to do?  They'd have to cross the Euphrates.  In his book Epicenter, Joel Rosenberg suggests that as he reads Ezekiel 38 and 39, he believes it will be Russia and Iran joining forces to attack Israel in the Battle of Armageddon.  As you can see from the map, both of them will have to cross the Euphrates.  Is this the preparing for the way of the kings of the east that Scripture is talking about?  Can you see how someone could use what is happening today to make it seem like it is time?  Interesting isn't it?

This is just one example of how people sometimes take Scripture out of context in my opinion and why it is so vital that we read Scripture for ourselves.  And then we need to listen to the Holy Spirit for discernment.  And above all be observant to what is going on in the world because even though I don't believe the time is near, if I see in the news that the Euphrates River has suddenly dried up, I'll know that the thief in the night is on His way and I'll be ready.  How about you?

45 years? Are You kidding me?

How long are you prepared to have faith and believe in God's promises?  Is there a point where you would give up and say I guess God isn't real?  Or are you all in?  Is the amount of time it takes irrelevant?

Joshua 14:6-12(NKJV)

6Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. 

7I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. 

8Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. 

9So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ 

10And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 

11As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. 

12Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”

Think about that.  Caleb had faith in God's promise for 45 years and he showed up to collect on that promise at that allotted time.  We don't know if he had doubts in those 45 years.  What we do know is that he seemed pretty confident when he made his claim.

Are you that confident in God's promises?  Do you believe that He will always honor His promises?  Would you like to be sure?  Then spend time daily in prayer and in the Word seeking God.  Get to know Him.  You'll be glad you di

But God, It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time!

 

Joshua 9:14-15(NKJV)

14Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. 

15So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.

You know it is an interesting thing turning your life over to Jesus.  It's a pretty unnatural thing to do.  It goes against the grain for most of us.  We like being in control.  We like making decisions and directing our lives.  It's hard to give that up.

And yet the example above is a great example of what can happen when we don't run things by God.  In the story above you had a group of people who came to the Israelites with a sob story of how they had traveled a long way and they wanted to make a treaty.

To the Israelites the story sounded plausible so they said "OK let's make a treaty".  The Israelites went so far as to give this people food and clothing.  Well as it turns out this group of people lied.  They weren't from a long ways away.  They were from right next door. 

Where did the Israelites go wrong?  They didn't run it by God before acting.  Do you recall God ever telling them to make treaties with anyone when they took over the land flowing with mild and honey?  No.  What did God tell them to do?  Kill every man woman and child. 

So by not checking with God first, even though their intentions were good, they managed to act against God's instructions.

How often does that happen to us?  What is usually the cause?  That's right, not running it by God.  We don't mean to go astray.  We have all the right intentions.  We just didn't check with God first to make sure we were on the right track.

So as we go forward let's try to remember to actually go to God and run things by Him before we act instead of always going to Him afterwards and having to ask forgiveness because we screwed up again! 

The Bible-A War Manual?

Kind of a weird thought isn't it?  A lot of people think of God as peace and love, etc.  However there is a warrior side to God.  A violent, vengeful side.  That somehow doesn't square with how a lot of people like to view God. 

Then as we move on to Jesus, the image of a warlike, violent, and vengeful God seems even more foreign.  After all it's Jesus that tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, etc.  But look at what Jesus said in Matthew.

Matthew 10:34-36(NKJV)

34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 

35For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 

36and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ £ 

As I have written many times in the past, the Bible is a book of balance.  There is no contradiction in my mind between a peaceful God and a warrior God.  As Ecclesiastes say "there is a time for everything under the sun".

So your probably wondering where I am going with this.  So am I.  This is kind of evolving as I'm typing.

I've been reading in Joshua.  The Israelites have crossed the Jordon.  They've taken some land and had some success so they decide to go against another country, AI.  They do so without inquiring of God.  They go up there and get their tails kicked.   

So now in Joshua 8 they go to God and He tells them now it's time to try again.  God tells them how to set an ambush.  This is what I mean about the Bible as a war manual.  It actually teaches you tactics.  In this case God knows that because the other country was victorious in their first battle, it will be easy to get them to chase the Israelites.  Therefore they will be able to lure them out of their city and get them to leave it undefended.  Pretty cool.

So what does that have to do with today?  Am I suggesting that we attack and burn down someone's city?  Not at all. 

But aren't we in a war today?  A spiritual war?  Don't we do battle with Satan on a daily basis?  Both on a personal level and also at the community level .  On a personal level in our daily lives and on the community level in a battle for  the hearts, minds, and souls of our community. 

So we need to know how to win the battle.  What strategies to use, etc?  Where do we get that info?  From God.  He has given us the manual for fighting the battle.  It's up to us to use it.

It starts with that personal relationship with Jesus.  Have you won that battle with Satan and accepted Jesus yet?  Why not?  It is the first and most important battle.  Win that one and the rest gets easier.  Lose that battle and I am afraid all is lost for you.  So what are you waiting for?  Be victorious.  The choice is yours.  Just simply talk to Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

Salvation Belongs to God

 

Revelation 7:10(NKJV)

10and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 

Did you ever think of that?  It belongs to God.  It's His.  He owns it.  He doesn't have to share it with anyone.  He can do whatever he wants with it. 

And He choses to offer it to us.  How cool is that?  But here is the catch.  Because it is His and He owns it, He gets to set the terms of that salvation.  We don't get to pick and chose how we get our salvation.

It's not we each find our own path to salvation.  It's not up to each individual.  There is only one way to get salvation and that is to do it God's way.  And what is that?

Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Have you done that yet?  It's pretty easy.  God is willing to share salvation with you if you are willing to do it His way.  Why not do it right now?  Have a conversation with Jesus.  Share with Him what is on your heart.  "Dear Jesus…".   

Where's Your Pile Of Stones?

Let me set the stage.  We are in the book of Joshua.  Moses has just died.  God has directed Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land.  The Priests and the Levites along with the Ark of the Covenant go into the Jordan River.  The Jordon River stops flowing so that all of Israel can cross over on dry land.

Joshua 4:2-3(NKJV)

2“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, 

3and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’”

Joshua 4:20-24(NKJV)

20And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. 

21Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 

22then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; 

23for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, 

24that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Here's a question for you.  Has God ever done anything miraculous in your life?  Each time He does are you collecting a stone?  Where's your pile of stones?  What?  You only have one or two.  Actually they are only pebbles?

Folks we serve a great God.  Depend on God to do great miracles in your life all the time.  Serve God and at the same time collect a big ole pile of stones.  To what purpose?  Great question.  For the same purpose that God gave in Joshua 4:21-24.  As a testimony of what God has done in your life and by example what He can do in others!

Are You An Overcomer?

Revelation 3:5(NKJV)

5He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Revelation 3:21-22(NKJV)

21To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Notice the wording here.  Jesus is very big on people being overcomers.  Just so we are all on the same page, let's take a look at what it means to overcome.

o·ver·come

1. to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat: to overcome the enemy.
2. to prevail over (opposition, a debility, temptations, etc.); surmount: to overcome one's weaknesses.
3. to overpower or overwhelm in body or mind, as does liquor, a drug, exertion, or emotion: I was overcome with grief.

4. Archaic . to overspread or overrun.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/overcomer?s=t>

One of the things that is left unsaid here is that in order to overcome, there is usually a struggle involved.  We all have to go through them.  As I've written about before, the struggle is where most of our personal growth comes from. 

Now why is Jesus so attached to overcomers?  Because He is one also.  Take a look. 

Revelation 3:21(NKJV)

21To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

This is just another example of how Jesus sets the example for us.  Now what is the single most important thing to overcome?  Satan trying to keep us from accepting Jesus.  Have you accepted Jesus yet or are you still listening to that voice that is casting doubt and stopping you from living the life that God has in store for you? 

Why not begin your new life as an overcomer right now by overcoming Satan's deceptions?  Simply say "Dear Jesus, please come into my life.  Help me to be an overcomer like you.  Thank you for the great life that you will lead me to.  Amen!".

And there you have it.  The beginning of a new life as an overcomer.  Going forward make it a habit to attack life with this new attitude.  I am an overcomer through Jesus.

Revelation 3:22(NKJV)

22“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Safety In The Fathers House

The passage today is from the story of Rahab.  She helped two Israelite men avoid capture in Jericho.  For doing so she was promised safety for herself and her family when the Israelites came into the land and took it over.   Take a look at this passage.

Joshua 2:17-20(NKJV)

17So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, 

18unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home. 

19So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 

20And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.”

I think this passage is a good analogy to that whole process of being saved or not.  As people come to know Jesus we then go out and tell others about Him.    If others accept Jesus we bring them into God's house.  They are saved.  God has promised to take care of them. 

But what about the ones who chose not to accept Jesus?  There are many who wonder how a loving God could send anyone to hell?  Look what this passage says about those who choose to go outside the safety of the house.

  19So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless.

It was a choice they made.  God didn't send them to hell, they chose to go there by rejecting Jesus.  It was their choice so their blood was on their hands so to speak. 

God sets the rules for how we are saved.  We have the choice to play by God's rules or not.  Who's rules are you going to play by?