WE’RE MADE TO LOVE AND WORSHIP GOD
Life has no meaning without a purpose. The purpose of life begins with God, our Creator. Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth (the things we can see and the things we can’t); the spirit world with its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory. (Col. 1:16, LB)
The first purpose of our existence is to love and worship God. “And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.’ And the four living creatures kept saying, ’Amen.’ And the elders fell down and worshiped.” (Rev. 5:11-13)
When a lawyer asked Jesus what the most important commandment was, He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt. 22:36-38) Worship is the overflow of a heart that truly loves the Lord. It is not just going to worship services, singing, listening to messages, and attending Bible studies as a habit. God loathes lip service from a person whose heart is cold toward Him. True worship is our response to who God is, what He has done and what He will do. It involves daily presenting our “bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.” (Rom. 12:1)
The key to worshipping God from the heart is gratefulness. “I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me. He forgives all my sins. He heals me.” (Ps. 103:1-3) God wants us to be grateful, thankful people. Too often, we are grumblers and are unappreciative of His many blessings. In Luke 17, we read that Jesus healed ten lepers but only one came back to Him, fell on his face and thanked Him (v. 15-16). Jesus healed him not only physically but also spiritually because of his thankful attitude (v. 17-19). The secret to becoming thankful from the heart is not to focus on problems but to count God’s blessings and to express our gratitude to Him.
As we thank and praise God in worship, we know Him more and live Him more from the heart. God has everything but He cannot have our love until we give it to Him. Instead of making us into robots, He gave us a free will so that we could choose to love and worship Him. This was a risk He took because He loved us and wanted us to love Him back voluntarily.
Not only does God want us to love and worship Him with our whole heart but He also wants us to love and worship Him with our mind. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24) Worshiping God in spirit is in the heart and worshiping Him in truth is with our mind based on God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible. God desires for us to know Him so that we can worship Him in truth, with our mind.
We can learn to worship God in spirit and in truth from King David who worshiped Him, singing heartily to the Lord even in the midst of his extended suffering because he knew God. He prayed to God, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.” (Ps. 13:1-6, NIV) David worshiped God with praises and songs even before God solved his problems because he knew the truth about God’s faithfulness and loving kindness.
Do you know how much God loves you? If you judge God based on your circumstances, you may doubt His love. We must never judge God based on circumstances but we should judge circumstances based on God’s love. You may be like some Christians who fear that if they give their lives to God, He will make their lives miserable. But God is love. “For God so loved the world, He gave us His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Are you convinced God loves you? “Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?” (Rom. 8:32)
Our response to God’s unfathomable love should be a life of worship. How do we do that? Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters… (Col. 3:23) Jesus said, “Love God …with all your strength…” (Mark 12:30) Why? It is because you must do everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking. (1 Cor. 10:31) Everything becomes an act of worship when we do it for God. We can be the best mother, father, employee, employer, teacher, engineer, account, student, cook, for God. Brother Lawrence learned this secret of worship. Daily he practiced the presence of God and whatever he did, even menial work, he did with all his strength for the Lord.
We were made to love and worship God. This is first purpose for us. If we don’t worship Him, we will worship something or someone else. The Bible warns us that “those choosing other gods shall all be filled with sorrow; I will not offer the sacrifices they do or even speak the names of their gods.” (Ps. 16:4, LB) However, God promises… “to those who delight in the Lord, He will all their hearts’ desires." (Ps. 37:4)
You were created for God’s pleasure and you please Him most when you “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength,” and in response to His love, “worship Him in spirit and in truth” in all that you do.
Are You Willing to Give Sacrificially to God? Sacrificial giving is giving above and beyond what is required of you. God gives us a good illustration of sacrificial giving in the book of Haggai. Haggai is a story of how the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. The temple was destroyed in 586 B.C. by the Babylonian army. Rebuilding started in 538 B.C. but was stalled because the Jews forgot their purpose and lost their priorities as they put their energies in beautifying their own homes. Haggai encouraged the people to finish rebuilding the temple. Opposition from hostile neighbors had caused them to feel discouraged and to neglect the temple, and thus neglect God. But Haggai’s message turned them around and motivated them to pick up their tools and continue the work they had begun. Judah’s problem was confused priorities. Like Judah, our priorities involving occupation, family, and God’s work are often confused. Jobs, homes, vacations, and leisure activities may rank higher on our list of importance than God. What is most important to you? Where is God on your list of priorities? Where Your Treasure Is… …there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). When you give sacrificially, you make God your top priority. You say, “God, You’re number one in my life.” You are also saying that He is the one great passion in your life. As you do this by faith, you will be amazed that as you give to God, you will love God more and more. The more you give to anything, the more you will love that recipient of your giving. When you give sacrificially, you are making His purposes upon which your life is built. And that your life becomes significant only in light of the pursuit of God’s purposes. David is described in Acts 13:36 as one who had served God’s purpose for him. What an epitaph! David served the purpose of God in his own generation. We are called to serve the purpose of God in our generation. Among David’s many accomplishments was the raising of funds that built the first and most magnificent temple in Jerusalem. David’s son, Solomon, was the one who built the temple, but it was David who gave generously of his own money and encouraged others to give to completely fund the project. Calculating what David and his congregation gave for the temple at present value, he gave 1.5 billion dollars while the congregation whom he inspired raised the equivalent of 53 billion dollars! And so like David, you are called to serve the purpose of God in your generation. Today, as we intend to build a worship center, we are not just building a building. We are pursuing the dream that God put in our hearts to make committed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, to transform this nation and then the world through evangelism and discipleship. Building a building is just a step in the pursuit of our vision to obey the Lord. When we give sacrificially to God, we are giving to the highest cause on earth, which is the salvation of souls. "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul" (Mark 8:36)? God’s priority is the salvation of souls "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). The highest cause on earth is to seek the lost souls of men and women and to help save them through the Holy Spirit’s work by faith in Jesus Christ. When you give sacrificially to God, you will be living in the highest plane possible, because you will be basing your life on the highest cause available on earth. …to See Your Faith & Spirituality When you give sacrificially to God, you see the extent of your faith and spirituality. But you can’t live in sin and give to God and claim to be spiritual. You cannot live in sin and give to God and buy your spirituality. You see the extent of your faith and spirituality in sacrificial giving because it is risky at the human level. You expose yourself to financial need because to the world’s eyes, sacrificial giving does not make sense. You just believe in God and put your life in God’s hands, acknowledging by faith that He is the Great Provider – the Jehovah Jireh. Like Abraham, you have no idea what you’re doing except you’re trusting God (Genesis 22:6-14). Sacrificial giving, financially, is as strong an expression of faith as Abraham’s offering of Isaac, because like Abraham, you would be walking by faith and not by sight, which is what God wants you to do. Sacrificial giving will test how deeply you have internalized certain ideas that sound good and that you have a mental agreement to them, but sometimes you don’t believe them. Concepts like: God is good; God is almighty; nothing is impossible with Him. Does God keep His promises? Yes. Does God love you and care for you? Yes. "And [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on'” (Mark 12:41-44). It’s not the amount that is at issue, it’s what it means to you. Superabundant Blessings Guaranteed! When you give to God sacrificially, you guarantee to yourself God’s superabundant material blessings. When you give to God sacrificially, you cannot outgive Him. During Haggai’s time, the people forgot their purpose, and lost their priorities. They abandoned the building of the temple, and so it just stood there in ruins. Then Haggai showed the Jews how their wrong priorities had made their lives poor financially (Haggai 1:5-6). Since they were not paying attention to the building of the temple, they were paying attention to building their homes, and to feeding themselves, clothing themselves at the expense of the house of God. He said, “You are making money, but it’s put in a purse with holes. The Jews obeyed very quickly so God blessed the people immediately, even before the temple was completed (Verses 12-19). When you obey God, when you do something for Him, God says, “I am with you. I will bless you." Giving to God will not make you poor. Rather it will lead to even greater material blessing. "But remember this—if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much" (2 Cor 9:6). "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return" (Luke 6:38). As a matter of fact, it is the lack of giving that is guaranteed to put you in financial need. If your life is characterized by financial need, you have to ask yourself this question: Am I a giver or am I not a giver? "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap" (Gal 6:7). When you give sacrificially, you not only guarantee your present income but you also guarantee the increase of your future income. You can’t buy spirituality and you need to walk in the Lord and be godly. But you also need to give. In Malachi 3:10, God is condescending His Almighty personality to our level, and saying, “Why don’t you test Me? Give to My causes. Test Me if I will not open up for you the windows of heaven.” Do you get the picture of God opening up the floodgates of heaven? When you give to God, He will open up the floodgates of heaven as when He flooded the earth. And He will pour out for you not water but overflowing blessings. Knowing all of these things now, are you willing to give sacrificially to God? Why don’t you do it and see for yourself the results of giving sacrificially to Him?
"For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward him, so that he can show his great power in helping them…” (2 Chron. 16:9)
God is looking for people He can bless and He looks at the heart in doing this. What kind of a heart does He look for? It is a heart that is completely or wholly His. A person after God’s heart is someone who will do ALL His will (Acts 13:22). God wants total obedience. He wants your whole heart, not half or three-fourth of it. David was such a man whose heart was totally devoted to God. But he also sinned. When he fell and God spoke to Him, he repented. You may fail like David but if your heart is 100% devoted to the Lord, you will respond to Him and His correction. Where you are right now is not as important as the direction of your life. The moment you give your heart to God, your direction will determine if you are going to move close to God. Sadly, some are moving away from God. Are you moving toward God because you have given Him your whole heart? Or are you moving away from God because of painful experiences? If you move away from God, you won’t be able to experience the reality of God’s power in your life.
God owns everything. He does not want your money. He does not want your power or strength. God wants something only you can give – your whole heart, your love for Him. He gave you His whole heart when Jesus, His only Son, died on the cross for you. And for Him to ask you to give back your whole heart to Him is not unreasonable. God gave you His life, why should you not give Him your whole heart?
God Will Bless You!
One good example of how God will bless a person who is fully committed to Him is found in 2 Chronicles 14. Asa, king of Judah, did good and right in the eyes of the Lord as he obeyed Him totally. As God saw that his heart was right, He gave Asa REST; meaning peace and security from wars and without any trouble from neighboring nations. Similarly, God says to you, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). A famous cartoonist wrote before he took his own life, “I have very few problems. I have many friends. I have traveled all over the world. But I’m tired of inventing devices to fill the 24 hours of the day.” Famous Elvis Presley tried to drown out his troubled heart by playing his guitar and experiencing all the things that money could buy. He died from drug addiction without ever experiencing the peace that he was looking for. Money, prosperity, people, relationships, will not give you real peace. You won’t find peace or rest in a place or in anything in this world. You may also be burdened with sin and vices. You cannot have peace until your heart is right with God. When your heart is right, God will give you rest.
God will also give you PROSPERITY as He did to Asa (2 Chron. 14:7). God says that when you seek Him, He will supernaturally provide for you (Matt. 6:33). It is His desire to give you an abundant life – meaningful and joyful (John 10:10). Of course, having peace and abundance does not mean the absence of problems. God also wants to give you VICTORY (2 Chron. 14:9-12). And the secret to having God’s support is to give your heart completely to the Lord. And that means becoming prayerful, in whatever circumstances – in and out of problems that are big or small. Your prayer life determines how devoted you are to the Lord. If you are devoted to the Lord, you are dependent upon Him; and therefore, your prayer life is vibrant. You will not be prayerful until you realize there is a big war out there, and Satan is alive and active. He comes up with many strategies to discourage and pull you down (Eph 6:10-12). And the fiercest battle is now being waged in your heart. But it is God who gives the victory! The day that you make the decision to give your whole heart to God is the day that He will set you free.
Obstacles to God’s Blessings
In 2 Chronicles 16, King Asa committed mistakes that can be considered as obstacles to God’s blessings. When he was young, he was faithful to God. But when he became old, something happened to him. God actually tested him and he failed.
Because of his past success, he became PROUD. In reality, the more you walk with the Lord, the more He will bless you. When God blesses you, you become successful. But the danger is to forget that the blessing comes from God and you can become proud of yourself. "Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). When you become proud of yourself, you begin to depend on your own (human) wisdom.
It’s so easy for believers to block God’s blessing once you’ve become proud and begin to listen to human wisdom, instead of listening to God. This is MISPLACED CONFIDENCE. But "there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Prov. 16:25). "The best-equipped army cannot save a king—for great strength is not enough to save anyone. A war horse is a poor risk for winning victories—it is strong, but it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are watching over those who fear him, who rely upon his steady love. He will keep them from death even in times of famine" (Psalm 33:16-18)!
Once you stop trusting God, it would be easy for you to REACT TO CORRECTION. Asa became angry with the person who warned him about his disobedience. He may have started well at a young age because he was devoted to God. But he did not finish well because he was afflicted with disease and died miserably. He became STUBBORN and did according to his own wisdom. In the same way, Christians can become stubborn that no matter what God does to them, they will not listen.
A Heart that Believes
"For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation. For the Scriptures tell us that no one who believes in Christ will ever be disappointed" (Rom. 10:10-11). God says that if you trust Him, you will never be disappointed. You might be facing enormous challenges and problems right now and people may be disappointing you tremendously, but God won’t ever do that to you.
A true Christian is somebody who gives his heart completely to Jesus. He trusts Jesus 100%. Have you given your heart completely to Jesus without any mental reservations? Or do you have a mindset that wants to follow God only when it’s convenient? This is deception. You have to be honest with God. “Lord, I am weak. But Lord, I want to follow You. And no matter what it takes, I will follow You. I surrender my life to You…” This is the heart that is completely His. Think about it. Have you really given your whole heart to Him?
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Jerusalem's walls were up again, but only half of the work was done. Without people, the walls did not serve its purpose. Some Jews willingly volunteered to migrate from their hometowns, while a tenth of the population was picked by casting lots. Jerusalem, the holy city, also became the place where the leaders and officials settled. Nehemiah chapters 11 and 12 listed an honor roll of those who were willing to relocate, to be where the action was to be in active service to God. The names may be insignificant to us, but each was meticulously recorded and shows that to God, they are important. From this we can glean the following: 1. PEOPLE MATTER: a) Each work we do is important. God remembers what we do for the sake of His Name. Every effort to build up the Body of Christ is significant in the eyes of God. Even a cup of cold water given to another in His Name is taken into account (Matthew 10:42). “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints” (Hebrews 6:10). b) Each person is important:
We matter to God. Jesus died for our sins and hence we have been established as members of Christ's church and adopted as heirs of God's kingdom. With that privilege is the call to step out in faith to leave our comfort zones to gather in the rest of those who matter to God. Abraham was called to unfamiliar territory to father nations of descendants. Moses was sent to Egypt to deliver his people from bondage. The apostle Paul died as a martyr for Christ's cause. Missionaries like Hudson Taylor, David Livingstone, and Jim Elliot, crossed continents and risked their lives to spread the Gospel. We, too, are commissioned to go where the Gospel needs to be heard (Matthew 28:19-20). Who among us, like the prophet Isaiah, will rise up to heed the call? If people matter to God, they should matter to us. 2. PRAISE MATTERS. The attitude of our heart matters more to God than what we do for Him. Hence, we must: a) Worship with gladness. The dedication of the finished wall of Jerusalem heralded the consummation of Nehemiah's work. There was jubilant celebration marked with festive music and singing. The sound of rejoicing resonated for miles around (Nehemiah 12:27, 31, 43). Philippians 4:4 exhorts: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” When we meditate on all that Christ has done for us, we all have a reason to rejoice! b) Worship with gratitude. The people's celebration was about God's great deeds in their midst. Praises were lifted up to God through songs of thanksgiving (Nehemiah 12:8, 24, 27, 46). Someone once said: “Joy often comes when we stop wailing about the troubles we have and offer thanks for the troubles we don't have.” Are our lips filled with thanksgiving? Or are we like the nine of the ten lepers whom Christ healed but never bothered to give thanks (Luke 17:11-19)? May our prayer be: “God, You have given me so much. Give me one more thing – a grateful heart.” c) Worship by giving. Giving flowed out of the Jews' joyful and grateful hearts. They generously gave what was required in tithes and offerings for the upkeep of the temple and its workers (Nehemiah 12: 44-47). By God's grace, CCF has grown into its present size. Its vision is to have a church planted in every city across the Philippines, and to have outreaches throughout Asia and the world. Hence, we need a facility that can train by the numbers beyond our paradigms. God willing, as the Spirit moves us to give generously, we can start building the CCF Worship and Training Center when the year 2008 rolls in. C. S. Lewis said: “Aim at heaven, you get earth thrown in. Aim at earth alone, you get neither.” How are our spiritual vital signs today? Are we joyful, grateful and generous? Do we care enough for the lost? May God create in us a heart attuned to what matters to Him, committed to go where He wants us to go and do what He wants us to do. |
“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.” (1 Peter 2:18)
re you employed? Can you be part of a labor union? Should you join a strike? The answers are found in the First Epistle of the apostle Peter that lists the reasons why Christians are called to submit to the authorities who God has put above us. These include government and private authorities, our bosses and employers. The verse above was addressed to Christians, the majority of which were slaves or servants (from the Greek word “Oiketes” meaning “domestic help”) during Roman domination over Israel. During that time, there were 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire. These were not just house-helpers, but doctors, teachers, poets, musicians, farmers, etc. The Romans could afford to hire professionals and other educated people of all classes to do their bidding. Peter’s advice to submit to our “masters” is therefore addressed to Christians of all social levels and professions. And that includes us today. Do you know that 80 percent of our waking hours are spent at the workplace? Why is it so important to submit to our employers in this critical area of our lives.
IT PLEASES GOD. Submission to authority is not easy or natural for many. That’s why we love songs like “Born Free” and “My Way.” We like to be “anti-establishment.” The word “submissive” comes from a military term hupotasso which means “to place yourself under.” “Master” comes from the Greek despotes, or “despotic.” “Unreasonable” comes from skolios, meaning wicked, crooked, perverse. It’s the root word for scoliosis, an ailment that makes the spine crooked. How would you like to submit to a crooked despot? This may seem degrading and unprofitable, but Peter says it is an act of faith that brings God tremendous honor because it sets us apart from the world and is a vivid display of His power and grace within us.
It’s a different story, however, when the master and the slave both surrender their lives to Christ. When that happens, social barriers break down - a phenomenon that happens in the family of God. During Roman times, a slave had no legal rights. They could not intermarry (but were allowed to cohabit), their children were the property of the master, & they could not go to court. But when both master and slaves became Christians, sometimes the servants became abusive & lazy. Hence this admonition from the Epistle to Timothy: “Let all who are under the yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine may not be spoken against. And let those who have believers as their masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but let them serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved.” (1 Timothy 6:1-2) By wholeheartedly obeying good and bad employers that God puts over us, we are really submitting to God. As Paul puts it: “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” (Colossians 3:22-23)
CLEAR CONSCIENCE. True followers of Christ are called to display radical Christianity rather than cultural Christianity. The latter is only a shallow or surface display of Christianity. There once was a Mafioso, a gangster associated with Al Capone who went for an altar call during a Billy Graham crusade. The crowd became excited to see how he would change. But the man continued to operate in the underworld. A pastor finally confronted him and asked why he continued to do these things. His answer was, why not? If there are Christian doctors, musicians, & athletes, then why not Christian gangsters? Radical Christianity however will radically change your life and behavior. Submitting to an unreasonable boss is a radical act of faith born of good conscience. Peter writes: “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. (1 Peter 2:19) If you don’t obey authority, your conscience will bother you. We can rationalize all we want with our minds and mouths, but it will not silence the still, small voice within. In his letter to Timothy, Paul tells us to “keep faith and a good conscience.” Because “…the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5)
CHRIST-LIKE CHARACTER. As Christians, we have forgotten the meaning of the word “suffer.” We think that after coming to Christ, we will live happily ever after. That is true. But in the meantime, part of true happiness is undergoing righteous suffering. Peter writes: “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience. But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. He committed no sin and no deceit was found in His mouth. And while being reviled, he did not revile in return; while suffering he uttered no threats but kept entrusting himself to Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:19-20) Twice in the Bible, Christ is referred to as giving an example of submission to authority. The first is when he washed the feet of His disciples, the second is his suffering. Both suggest humility and meekness—strength under control. When Christ was reviled, sneered at and insulted, he did not strike back. When we are verbally abused, our old nature will want to give back a piece, not only of our mind, but our mouth & fist as well. But Christ demonstrated strength and power by refraining to do this. He said He could have called on 10,000 angels to intervene when arrested by the Romans. (In the Old Testament, one angel killed about 300,000 Assyrian warriors.) But instead Christ chose to entrust and submit His fate to God.
IT DEVELOPS OUR FAITH. When we submit to authority, we learn to trust God with our problems and leave Him to deal with injustice. In the Old Testament, the authority over David, a mighty warrior with many followers, was the mad and jealous King Saul, who was obsessed with killing him. David could have led a rebellion against him, or killed him on several occasions. But David chose to honor Saul, saying “Far be it from me because of the Lord…to stretch out my hand against him since he is the Lord’s anointed. And David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul.” (1 Samuel 24:5-7) In due time, God deposed Saul and installed David as king over Israel.
GOD WILL FULFILL HIS PURPOSE IN YOUR LIFE. What is the ultimate purpose of submission to authority? It is to fulfill God’s overall plan of salvation - healing, deliverance and protection for us, and eventually to use us to share Him with others. Peter writes: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:24-25) Submission to authority truly brings several benefits especially to us, Christians. It is worth the sacrifice, indeed!
THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM:
SUBMISSION TO AUTHORITY (Part II)
How do you practice Christianity? In the first three chapters of the first book of Peter, you will see that it’s all about submission to authority. When you live your life in trust and in obedience to the Lord, people will look at your life and they will see the difference. And one of the major differences they should see in your life is how you submit to authority. People are watching you carefully and they are looking at your every move to see if this Christianity you profess is real in your life. Are you attracting people to Christ today through your excellent behavior?
1 Peter 3:7 says, “Likewise, you husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” According to this verse, what are the responsibilities of the husband to the wife?
A. PHYSICAL: dwell with them. The word dwell, in other translations to live, means much more than sharing the same home address. In the Bible, when they use the word dwell or live, it is often used as a reference to sexual intimacy. Marriage is fundamentally a physical relationship. Husbands, you are to lovingly be intimate with your wife in holiness and purity. This means only with your wife and not with other women.
B. MENTAL: according to knowledge, means knowing your wife, living with her in an understanding way. Get to know your wife by regularly spending time with her alone. If you are single, do you spend time understanding your parents? Many singles today are so concerned with themselves. They do not even spend time trying to openly communicate with their parents. They are more concerned with getting to know their friends more rather than their parents. Your parents will not care how much you know about God and the Bible if they do not see how much you care for them.
C. EMOTIONAL: giving honor to the wife, means to admire, respect, appreciate or cherish. When Peter said, “that she is a weaker vessel”, he is not saying that she is weaker mentally, spiritually or emotionally but rather physically. This means that you must treat your wife as a beautiful, expensive, fragile vase. Treat her as if she contains precious treasures in her life. Peter also says that both the husband and wife are co-heirs with God’s grace of life, which means that both are equal in His eyes.
There are five ways to express your love to your wife:
1. TALK – spend time communicating and be transparent about your feelings. Share personal thoughts and express affirming words to her. There are some men who have forgotten to complement their wives and praise them for their beauty. Some even crack jokes about their wives in the presence of others. That is so hurtful and disloyal. You might do it unknowingly but your wife feels it deep in her heart. Do not ever make jokes about her in public. You are to love your wife. Let her feel that she is precious because she is God’s gift to you.
2. TOUCH – this is the physical side of expressing love- hugging, kissing, and much more. Do not fail to remember to touch your wife without having to lead to sexual intimacy. Wives just sometimes want to be hugged. They want to be embraced and feel your touch without having to lead to the physical act.
3. THINGS – gifts and other material things as an expression of your love for the other person.
4. TIME – spending undivided attention with your wife. But some men work overtime in order to buy things that their wives cannot even use – things which are trivial. If what you’re earning today is enough, then do not worry about the overtime. Spend that time with your wife and your children.
5. TASK – this is best expressed when you do acts of service for your wife. For some it might be fixing things around like plumbing and all the electrical things in the house. Your wife wants all things in the house to work properly and you can express your love by making sure that it does.
D. SPIRITUAL: that your prayers be not hindered. Husbands ought to be the spiritual leader of the wife. As the spiritual leader, you are to make the decisions for your family. You must grant honor to your wife by considering her feelings, desires, and opinions when you make a decision. Do not abdicate, do not relinquish, do not let go, do not pass on your responsibility to your wife. God has appointed you as the leader of your home and you are accountable to Him. Before you make any decision, you must consider all the options wisely. Discuss them with your wife and listen to her opinion because her opinion is very important. Then seek Godly wisdom from counselors and look into the Word of God for guidance. You also need to pray about the decision and wait for God to lead you before you implement the decision. When your wife knows that you are in a right relationship with God, she will have peace in submitting to you.
Live in such a way that people will clearly see and hear the message of Jesus Christ through your life. For a marriage relationship to work and for your life to work, you need to have God in the center of your life. Submit to Him and He will work things altogether for good, making you an effective witness to lead others to know Jesus Christ!
THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM:
SUBMISSION TO AUTHORITY
SUBMIT EXPECTANTLY UNTO THE LORD.
Many of us still have loved ones who are not yet committed to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. And we keep trying to share the Bible to them. Oftentimes, we do this by using mere words. But the Bible suggests that we change our strategy by submitting from the heart. The idea here is to honor the people around you as they observe your respectful behavior. Why? So that through your actions they will see how the Lord is working in and through you. This goes along with the statement, ‘What you are speaks so loud that the world cannot hear what you are saying.’
God assigns human authorities over us. Some of them are reasonable and some are unreasonable. It is easy to submit to those who are reasonable but it is difficult to submit to those who are not. Yet the Bible says that we should trust God because He is the one who appointed these people over us. So, what do you do then? You submit but do it for God. By doing this, your attitude toward submission will surely change.
SUBMIT INTERNALLY BY DEVELOPING YOUR INNER BEAUTY. Peter writes: “And let not you adornment be merely external – braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses. But let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:3-4)
Sadly, many people do not realize the importance of developing inner beauty. They are too preoccupied with the externals. Why? Their security is based on the approval of men rather than the Lord’s. Their self-worth comes from what people say about them. But none of this will last because eventually our outward appearance will change. Most of us do not realize that we are getting older by the minute – the time will come when our outward beauty will fade away. God is not after our external appearance. He is more concerned with what we are inside. The Bible says that the focus cannot be on the outside. When you want to win people for the Lord, you must learn to submit from the heart. Give your life to Jesus and begin working on your inner beauty, which is the real beauty. It means having a gentle and quiet spirit. A spirit that is not assertive, not fighting, and not always insisting on rights.
SUBMIT COURAGEOUSLY BY SURRENDERING YOUR FEARS. Submission may lead to some fears. What if your boss, husband, parent, or leader makes a wrong decision, what are you going to do? Remember that there is only one instance when you must not submit to authority: When they ask you to do something against the Bible. But other than that, you should submit.
We have a tendency of wanting and forcing people to change. This is often the source of problems because we focus on the things beyond our control. We keep on grumbling, we keep on complaining, we keep on blaming people, and we keep on criticizing leaders. Changing people is not within our control, it is God’s job. We should focus on what is within our control. And that is developing the beauty of our inner soul. Our job is to respect and honor those who are above us.
Peter writes: “For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, use to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands. Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.” (1 Peter 3:5-6) Before you can submit, your hope must first be on the Lord. Your happiness and well-being should not be based on other people, but rather on God. Not on whether your husband, parents, or boss changes or not because your security is founded on God. You will never experience real peace if your security is based on men, possessions, or money.
You overcome fear by taking hold of God’s promises. It is impossible to submit in faith if you do not know the promises of God. If you have a big concept of God, you can easily submit to any authority because you know that He is after your interest. God can even overrule the mistakes of men.
If you want to influence your loved ones – family & friends - to follow Jesus, you must submit to God first. Let them see your behavior. Let them see real submission that comes from the heart. Show the inner beauty that can only be seen by putting your faith in God and submitting to Him.
How many of us like to submit to authority? Many of us would probably give ‘NO’ for an answer because of our sinful nature that leads us to do want we want to do. In other words, we are our own boss. Many believers focus on doctrine and on what they believe in rather than on behavior. The Bible tells us to keep our behavior excellent. We must never forget our responsibilities especially during tough times. Remember that when we are under trials and persecutions, we have the tendency to blame others. But the Bible says that we should be responsible to keep our behavior excellent. What does this mean? Our behavior should be such that when people see us, they will say, “That is what I would like to become- excellent, because that represents Jesus Christ!” SUBMIT TO AUTHORITY FOR THE SAKE OF THE LORD. Peter writes: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” (1 Peter 2:13) The word ‘submit’ is a martial term, which means to arrange in military fashion under the commander. In other words, God is a God of order. It has nothing to do with superiority or inferiority; it is God’s chain of command. It means that all of us should submit for the Lord’s sake. This is in the imperative – it is a command and not a suggestion. And to make it easier, Peter tells us that we need to see submission through God’s perspective. What are the authorities described in the Bible? First is Government authority. The Bible clearly states, “For there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God. Therefore, he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2) This means that we must submit even to bad governments. Although God is not endorsing these governments, He is reminding us that even though we are citizens of heaven we are still citizens of a country. Our role is to submit to it because the worst regime is still better than nothing at all. Next is Employer authority. Peter writes: “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.” (1 Peter 2:18) Third is Husband authority, which Peter writes in his first letter, “You wives, be submissive to your own husbands, so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of the wives.” (1 Peter 3:1) Fourth is the Pastor-Church authority. When you join a congregation, you have to learn to submit to the leaders. The Bible says, “Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls.” (Hebrews 13:17) The last one is Parental authority. As children, God commands us, “Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor you father and mother, that it may be well with you, and that you may live long in the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3) Submitting to authority is one part of experiencing God’s blessings. The only time we don’t listen to authority is when we are asked to do something that is against the Bible. SUBMIT TO AUTHORITY TO SILENCE CRITICS. Peter writes: “For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” (1 Peter 2:15) When you submit to authority, you are doing something right. And by doing right, you will silence the foolish men. The Bible reminds us that unbelievers are watching us. You may not realize this, but one of the reasons you should submit to authority is because they are watching you. For what purpose? Not to commend you, but to condemn you. Many of them look at us believers to criticize us in the event of failure to do God’s will. But the passage tells us that the most powerful tool in evangelism is our behavior. Evangelism will only be effective provided that the messenger will live out the message. That is why we must constantly ask ourselves the question: “When people look at my behavior, are they drawn to Christ or are they repelled?” You must realize that the world gets their ideas about God from God’s people. SUBMIT TO AUTHORITY BY SUBMITTING FIRST TO GOD. Peter writes: “Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.” (1 Peter 2:16) The Bible tells us that once you come to Christ, you are set free. There are no more slaves; no more masters. But it also says that even though you are free, you shouldn’t use it as an excuse for evil. In fact, Peter urges us to become bond-slaves of God. This is a very strong statement. It means that you are making a commitment to become a slave of the Lord for life. Many people want to be free. But they have a misunderstanding of what true freedom is, thinking that it is the ability to do anything they want to do and when they want to do it. But that is not freedom, it is actually slavery. True freedom is the ability to say ‘YES’ to God and say ‘NO’ to sin. The Bible says you are truly free when you become a bond-slave of God. Submission to authority is an issue of the heart. You first submit to God. And because you submit to God, you can now submit to authority. In the final analysis, all submission to authority is an act of faith. Then Peter continues by writing, “Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:17) When you submit to authority, it comes from the heart. Therefore, you are giving the highest respect to the one in authority. Submitting to God is proactive. It is an act of faith, believing that God is in control and that He will protect your interest and your rights. When you submit to authority, you have to give God the opportunity to move at His time. There are no short-cuts. So, do you submit to authority?
What am I here for? Have you asked yourself this question? How do we know God’s will? Do you become stressed when making decisions? It takes faith to make a decision and in order to make right decisions in life, we need to set direction in our life before we set out in a direction. This means that we need to establish principles that will guide us in decision making. There are five principles to apply when making a decision that will enable us to discern God’s will and to experience freedom and peace in the process. ARE THERE NO CONDITIONS ON THE LORD FROM ME? Our heart must be willing to obey God completely without exceptions. For example, “Lord I’ll do anything you want me to do, EXCEPT…” or “I’ll go anywhere you want me to go, EXCEPT…” We can’t put conditions on God and expect Him to lead us. What does God want? “I urge you, therefore, 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” (Rom.12:1). God does not want your money, time or talent. He wants YOU. When He has YOU, He has everything else. The apostle Paul said about David, “…He (God) raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will’” (Acts 13:22). Although David made mistakes and sinned, there were no conditions in his heart to doing God’s will. This heart, that will do all of God’s will, is foundational to the four other principles in making the right decisions. We must be willing to do everything God wants. HAVE I BEEN HONEST WITH GOD ABOUT MY TRUE DESIRES? Sometimes we do not tell God our hearts desires because we think what we have to say is not important to him, or we that our desires and feelings are not spiritual or valid. But to know God’s will we need to be honest with God about our desires, about what we want. God promises us, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). He cares about our hearts' desires. Human fathers who are imperfect generally give value to their children’s concerns no matter how insignificant they may seem to be. How much more our perfect, heavenly Father, the Creator of all things, cares about our desires and concerns. Jesus, the Son of God, honestly expressed to His Father that, if at all possible, He wanted Him to remove the suffering and death that He had to go through to save mankind (Mark 14:36). But although He asked this, He still submitted to His Father’s will without any conditions. In the same way, Paul, who went through so much suffering – being stoned, imprisoned, whipped – asked God three times to take away his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7-8). But God said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (Verse 9). When we delight in the Lord, He will give us our hearts’ desires, if it is according to His will (Ps. 37:4). But some of us don’t receive because we do not ask (James 4:2b). So we need to be honest with God about our true desires. Our assurance is that He will only give to us what He knows is best. DO I KEEP ALL OPTIONS OPEN FOR GOD TO USE AND DIRECT? When making a decision, we might eliminate the option that we really like because we have the misconception that God wants us to do what we don’t like to do. This is putting conditions on God and could lead us to making the wrong decision. There are also times when we try an option a few times and then disregard it because it didn’t work out. We have the incorrect assumption that it is a waste of time to try that option again. But what if God wants to teach you persistence? Peter, who had fished all night and caught nothing, obeyed Jesus when He told him to throw his nets on the other side of the boat. As a professional fisherman, he could have considered it a waste of time to cast the nets again. But, because He knew the Lord, he kept his options open and got a very big catch! God says that you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow…that’s why you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that (James 4:13-15). His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:8-9). We should not limit God’s options for us. DO I KEEP MOVING IN MY WORK AND MINISTRY DOING WHAT I AM DOING, AND JUST FOLLOW GOD’S LEAD FROM THERE? Don’t stop ministering or doing what you know to be God’s will when you are trying to figure out God’s new direction for you. The tendency of some people when they start to sense a change in direction is to take a long leave of absence to sort things out. But, God wants us to be faithful in what He called us to do until He shows us how to move on in a new direction. In Luke 16:10 it says, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” Paul and his companions, while on their missionary journey, tried to go to Bithynia but the Holy Spirit stopped them from entering that place. Instead of discontinuing their journey, they kept on traveling until they came to Troas where God gave them a vision to go to Macedonia to minister to the people there (Acts 16:6-8). This is a very important issue because it affects how we transition in our direction. And remember that God’s leaders don’t seek positions; those positions seek them. God will open up the doors of work and ministry that He wants us to walk through as we are faithfully serving Him where we are. AM I TAKING TIME TO BE ALONE WITH GOD AND QUIET MYSELF TO HEAR HIS VOICE? God doesn’t want you to be anxious and worried when making decisions, but rather He wants you to be relaxed and joyful. He says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps.46:10). Christ Himself would often slip away into the wilderness and pray (Luke 5:16). Jesus spent time alone with His Father and He prayed about everything. Take time to be quiet before God, to pray, to read His Word in order to discern His directions and will for you. Faith always has an element of the unknown, but not the voice of God. You can always know His voice when you have set your direction before setting out in a direction. When God sees that you’ll do all that He wants you to do without any conditions, when you are honest with Him and tell Him your true heart’s desires, when you’re open to God’s options, when you continue to be faithful right where you are, when you take time to quiet yourself before Him, read His Word and pray, it won’t take that long for you to hear His voice. Your heart will be like fertile soil that is ready to hear your Master say, “This is my will, walk in it.” Have you set your direction?
Nobody likes facing tough times. But one way or another, you will face tough times. For Christians, there is only one option: TO BE VICTORIOUS IN THE FACE OF TOUGH TIMES. Why? First, to prove the strength of your faith and your foundation in the face of testing. Second, to bring praise and glory to God. And finally, to bring Jesus to the lost and the hopeless. Your faith will be tested & your foundation will be shaken to be proven strong & faithful, that will lead to spiritual growth. Growing up means making Jesus the foundation of your life.
‘Foundation’ is a body or a ground upon which something is built. It is the most important part of a building. The buildings we see around us won’t be where they are without any solid foundation. If you’re a serious builder, the first thing that you should consider is building a solid foundation. In Italy, they have the famous leaning Tower of Pisa. Every year, this tower leans farther by 1/20th of an inch. Since it was built, it is already seventy inches off line. Experts say that it will collapse by the year 2007. Amazingly, the word ‘Pisa’ means marsh land or soft land, and the actual depth of its foundation is only ten feet, that is why it’s tilting.
Paul writes: “Let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 3:10-11) Jesus is the only foundation, according to this passage. You can build your foundation on something else, but at the end of the day, you will realize that only Jesus will last. This is exactly the warning of Paul in the following verses, “If any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident. For the day will show it because it is to be rebuild with fire. And the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13) Gold, silver, and precious stones symbolize wealth, money, and possessions. According to the Bible, if we build upon these foundations, we must be sure that it will survive the testing of fire. You build your life upon something. And according to the Bible, Jesus is the only foundation that we can build our Christian lives on, to grow and make an impact in this world.
Why make Jesus the only foundation of your life? Jesus Christ is the living stone, the cornerstone: “…and coming to Him as to a living stone. As the scriptures express it, see I am sending Christ the carefully chosen, precious cornerstone of my church and I will never disappoint those who would trust Him.” (1 Peter 2:4-5 NLT) Peter claimed that the foundation of the church is no other than Jesus Christ. He will never be faulty if you make Him your cornerstone and your foundation. He will not be shaken and forever He will remain strong. Jesus never fails. He promises that in Hebrews 13:5, “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have, for He himself said, “I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you.”
How do you make Jesus the foundation of your life? First, believe in Him & this involves not only the intellectual apprehension of the truth but requires surrendering to that truth. It means practicing a lifestyle change consistent with the truth that Jesus is the only cornerstone. There should be a change, a transformation. And there should be practice. You have to grow and it will involve a change in character. Second, come to Him. The picture here indicates a close and habitual approach and an intimate association with Christ. Just like the picture in John 15:5, where it talks about the vine and the branches. You’re supposed to be connected and intimate, not far away from him. It is a continual, daily, moment by moment dependence on Jesus Christ.
Once we make Jesus the foundation of our Christian life, we become living stones that are part of a spiritual house, a living body - that is called the Church. We become part of the chosen Holy people set apart for God’s use. In other words, we are royal and holy priests, of royal blood. Why? Because the moment we accepted Christ into our lives, we have been adopted into God’s family – our God who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And that makes us royal. As royal priests, we are expected to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. A whole body must be involved in terms of what the body does. And a clear description of this is in 1Corinthians 10:31, “Whatever you do whether you eat or drink, do it all for the glory of God.” We are also expected to proclaim the Excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. This means as priests, we need to evangelize and eventually disciple others. We can practice this by being part of a D-group, for this is the only way you can grow to become a committed follower of Jesus Christ.
Don’t build upon any foundation that will not prove strong in the face of tough times. Grow up in Christ-likeness for this is the only way that you can become a blessing to others. It’s all in your hands, either you make Jesus the foundation of your life and win, or not at all and lose. Which one is it?
We must learn how to live as God’s chosen people because that is our position in Christ. We did nothing at all to deserve to be His people. That’s why we are called chosen – it was God’s choice. Because of this, we need to grow up into the role of who we are because of Christ. But how do we live as God’s chosen people? Peter writes: “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:11-12) This is the mindset that we need to have for as long as we walk on planet earth.
WE SHOULD HAVE AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE. This means that our mindset should be that of an alien or a stranger. Why? Because we are just temporary dwellers in this world and our real home is in God’s eternal kingdom. But for most of us, it is very difficult to adopt this mindset. Our natural human tendency is to seek a sense of security and permanence. The problem arises when we begin building our foundations on this world rather on our Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps unknowingly, we do not realize that we are digging our roots in this world more deeply than we should. And a couple of things can happen as a result. First, we will miss out on the blessings and other exciting things that the Lord longs to unfold before our eyes. God wants us to be involved in things of eternal value; things that will stand not only the test of time, but the test of eternity itself. We miss out on that when our focus is on the things of this world. The second thing that happens is that we expose ourselves unnecessarily to the danger of what the Apostle Peter calls the lust of this world or fleshly lust, which will wage war against our soul.
The Lord Jesus Christ reminds about the temporal nature of the sugar coated poison that the world offers. He says in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” There is nothing wrong with having material possessions. It is the mindset that is important. It’s not a matter of how much or how little we have; it’s where our heart is. It will be good for us to adopt the mindset of Abraham. In Hebrews 11:9-10, it says, “By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
We are living behind enemy lines. John writes: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19) We are as of now in occupied territory. That’s why it such a serious thing when we fall in love with the world. In James 4:4, it says, “…whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” In times of war, collaborating with the enemy is a serious offense. That is why we cannot work together with the world. When we give our hearts to the world, we are making ourselves an enemy of God.
WE SHOULD HAVE GUARDED HEARTS. It means that we should abstain from fleshly lusts because it will dishonor, defile, and disrepute us if we indulge in them. John writes: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:16-17) This passage tells us about three particular lusts. First one is the lust of the flesh, which refers to the things that pamper our appetites. This is the “feel good” orientation of the world. It refers to such matters as sex, drugs, and alcohol. We as Christians must have nothing to do with misuse or the abuse of these things.
The second one is the lust of the eyes, which is the “look good” orientation of this world. It’s not just a matter of being preoccupied about how good you look. It is the one that says, “If it looks good, you look. And you look some more. And you look as long as you want and as long as you can.” This refers to that which gratifies the sight. It is the things that we allow into our minds through the portals of our eyes. It also applies to whom we want to be seen with – the company we keep. As normal human beings, we would like to be seen with the rich and famous, the influential, the good-looking and good smelling people of this world. That’s natural. But are they helping us walk closely with God? Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.”
The last one is the pride of life. This refers to being arrogant or proud about the things that we do or the things that we have. And pride is the mother of other sins – arrogance, anger, envy, jealousy, strife, etc. The Word of God warns us, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughty spirit before stumbling.” (Proverbs 16:18)
WE SHOULD LIVE AN EXCELLENT LIFE. Peter writes: “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12) The definition of excellence is performing the function for which it was designed. We have been created for the glory and pleasure of our foundation – the Lord Jesus Christ. It means that His priorities for our lives are the ones that we should practice day in and day out.
In January 28, 1945, 121 soldiers from the US Army 6th Ranger Battalion were tasked to walk 30 miles into enemy territory and rescue 500 American and British POWs, in a Japanese prisoner camp near Cabanatuan City. This was a very important mission and it would be wise to look into their mindset. Number one – they knew they had an important mission. Number two – they knew it was dangerous. And number three – they only had a short time to do it. With this mindset, they walked into enemy territory and burst into the enemy camp. They rescued more than 500 prisoners with only a handful of casualties in less than 30 minutes. The sad part is though, for many years people completely forgot about this heroic incident in World War 2. It’s like nobody knew until one man took note of the story and wrote the book Ghost Soldiers, which captured this very moving story of a very daring rescue.
We live for the glory of God, but many things that we do on this earth will not be remembered by people. They will never write a book about us. But be assured that whatever we do is written in the Book of Life…our names are in His book and our deeds are in His memory. The Bible says that someday when we enter glory, our Lord will welcome us and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You lived indeed as my chosen one.” Remember this: Only one life, but it will soon be past; and only what is done for Christ will last.
“Let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8,9)
hat do we do when we’re slandered, insulted, rejected, persecuted, facing all kinds of struggles and difficulty? Do we get mad and get even, launch a pity party, wallow in bitterness, take a vacation from our Christianity, plot a revolution? The Book of Peter, written for Christians facing struggle and suffering, recommends a more powerful, supernaturally inspired response: give back a blessing. That’s our calling as sons and daughters of God and the secret to turning an oppressive, tragic circumstance into great blessing and reward.
God has called us to a supernatural life. It is radically different, transcending human wisdom. He says love those who hate you, bless those who curse you. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)
Christ calls us to follow Him, even if it means going the way of the Cross for a time. Because it ends in resurrection, riches, a position of eternal significance and stature in His Kingdom. Right thinking produces right behavior. Peter reminds us that we are “chosen race, a royal priesthood, God’s own possession.” (1 Pe 2:9). We are “born again… to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable… protected by the power of God through faith…” (1 Peter 1:3-5) We are saved from hell, guaranteed heaven, guarded day and night by God Himself! (See back of this Chronicle)
Are we a blessing? Or a thorn in the flesh? One assurance that we are truly saved is our desire to bless others. Blessing is the initiative of God. He told Abraham “I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) God wants to start a cycle of blessing through His people. As we bless others, we are blest. And as we are blest, we bless others all the more, and they are able to bless others. But if we have not received the blessing of God, we cannot overflow with blessings toward others. We cannot give what we do not possess. Man is naturally self-centered. Even when we go to church or our Bible groups, we ask-- will the pastor, the message, the music bless me? It’s time we asked—how can I be a blessing to others? Here are God’s recommendations:
BLESS OTHERS WITH CHRISTLIKE CHARACTER. The test of our spirituality is not whether we’ve gone to seminary or memorized Bible verses, but the Christlike way we relate to people. We are called to be “harmonious.” This comes from the Greek word “Homophron” which means to be of the same mind and purpose. It’s not necessarily uniformity but unity. This is essential to building a community. The secret to achieving this is selflessness. Paul puts it this way: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others.” (Philippians 2:3,4)
A second Christlike quality is being “Sympathetic.” This comes from the Greek “sumpathes” meaning the willingness to suffer together. We are called to comfort the afflicted, lift up the downhearted, help bear one another’s burdens.
The third trait is to be “brotherly.” It comes from the word “philadelphos.” (Philadelphia means city of brotherly love). As Christians, we are not to treat each other as strangers, acquaintances, or even distant relatives, but as close family members. Brothers and sisters can disagree, even quarrel, but they do not cease to be family. In the same way, we are called to be bound to one another in love as brothers and sisters in Christ.
A fourth trait is to be “kindhearted,” from the Greek “eusplanchnos.” This suggests tender-heartedness, good-heartedness. For Asian men, this can mean laying aside our strict, macho demeanor and become loving and playful with our children, affectionate and encouraging with our wives. It means being forgiving and gracious with those who have hurt or failed us.
A fifth trait is to be “humble in spirit,” from the word “tapeinophrones” which means lowly-minded, courteous. Proud people are never a blessing. Pride is like body odor. It’s offensive and you’re always the last to know you have it. But humility truly reflects Christ who became mortal man and submitted to a criminal’s death to save us.
BLESS OTHERS WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. We are to love life! Do you look forward to getting up in the morning? Life is a gift from God. Every day is precious. Psalm 118:24 says “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” When we realize this, we start to have a positive disposition, a spirit that rejoices in the Lord always which brightens the hearts and lives of others. A positive person is also a thankful person. Paul says: “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) When we rejoice and give thanks, even in the midst of physical sickness and emotional pain, we reflect the power and grace of Christ within us, and remind ourselves and others to have an eternal perspective. If our lives were a book, our existence on earth is only the first page. The best and brightest times are yet to come.
BLESS OTHERS WITH YOUR WORDS. As Christians, our words have great power to build or destroy. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21) It’s also another critical test of our spirituality. The book of James tells us: “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.” (James 1:26) We must avoid gossip, slander, green jokes and negative proclamations and share life and hope through our words.
BLESS OTHERS WITH YOUR DEEDS. We cannot divorce God from our lifestyle, blessing from our obedience, Christ from our character, our faith from our daily walk. We must demonstrate Christ’s love through our actions. Our lives may be the only Bible some people will get to read. We must live righteously, share Christ’s love by helping others meet their emotional, physical, spiritual needs. We can only do this by constantly experiencing God’s goodness and letting Him meet our needs. King David writes: “O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! …they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.” (Psalm 34:8-12)
Do you struggle with temptations? Of course, we all do! They come in different ways, shapes and forms. But we can learn from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself when it comes to dealing with and being victorious over temptation. "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' Jesus answered him, 'It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,' he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.' Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him (Matt. 4:1-11, NIV). Some people may be thinking that this was the only time Jesus was tempted, that He was never tempted again after that. But we "do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin" (Heb. 4:15). And "because Jesus himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted" (Heb. 2:18). There’s no doubt about it. He also suffered when He was tempted. “He walked where we walk, He stood where we stand, He felt what we feel, He understands.”
Temptation is not a sin, but an opportunity to obey and please God. Why is this important to know? When you and I are tempted, we have the tendency to feel guilty; especially when we have been walking with the Lord Jesus for sometime, and then all of a sudden, this temptation comes into mind, and we realize, “Am I still tempted this way? I thought I was over this thing.” Temptation is not sin but a decision point: Are we going to give in or are we going to follow God? Pastor Rick Warren says: “Every temptation is an opportunity to do good. On the path to spiritual maturity, even temptation becomes a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block. When you realize that it is just as much an occasion to do the right thing as it is to do the wrong thing. Temptation simply provides the choice.” At every temptation, we are at a decision point. And we have to make a choice between two paths to follow: if we follow God, almost always, it will entail a short-term sacrifice of self-denial, not giving in to our sinful desires in exchange for future, even long-term blessings. If we follow temptation, what we are choosing is short-term relief or pleasure in exchange for future consequences. Actually, temptation is an opportunity to please God.
The knowledge and the practice of God’s truth triumphs over temptation. Jesus didn’t just know what was written; He did what was written. The blessing is not so much in the knowing but in the doing. Our worst temptations can happen in the wildernesses of our lives: a deep, painful and sorrowful trial that we may be undergoing, something that is not of our own doing that just was never expected that leads us to question God’s goodness; or the consequence of wrong decisions or of sins in the past that makes us struggle. "The devil is like a lion who is prowling about looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8) and he is a dirty player. In other words, if we are going through suffering, he will hit you and me when we are down.
How Are You Tempted?
The essence of Jesus’ first temptation is: To fulfill our needs our way right away (Verses 1-4). These may be legitimate needs – financial, emotional, relationships, health, etc. And we get tempted in fulfilling our needs immediately. One can be tempted to steal out of a desperate financial need to provide for his or her family. Another one whose problem is anger may be tempted just to vent out his or her anger without thinking about the consequences (like damaging relationships and reputations and even putting a stain on God’s name). Or another person may be tempted to leave his or her spouse because of a relationship problem. You may be able to run away from a relationship but you may not be able to run away from certain health problems like cancer.
The essence of Jesus’ second temptation in the desert is: Testing the boundaries or limits of the goodness of God (Verses 5-7). It’s amazing how the devil can quote Scripture. It’s also amazing how we can use Scripture to justify sinful behavior. Sometimes we trifle with temptation and toy with sin. We want to get ourselves close enough to see, we sometimes live on the edge playing games with God. But that’s a game that we will lose. And if Jesus had jumped off that edge, He would not have been pushed off; it would have been His choice. In the same way, if we go over the edge, no one can ever say, “The devil made me do it.” Because it will be your choice; it will be our choice. We can become like Lot who pitched his tents near Sodom (Genesis 13:12-13), which made him literally live on the edge of sin. Eventually, he was found living inside Sodom itself and even becoming a leader of the city (Gen. 14:11-12; 19:1). Rescued by God’s angels, "Lot, who a righteous man, was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)" (2 Peter 2:7-8). When we expose ourselves to temptation instead of overcoming it or fleeing from it, we allow it to torment our soul. And if we live on the edge, and we keep pushing and pushing, testing the boundaries of God’s goodness, we will lose that game for sure.
The essence of Jesus’ third temptation is: To seek the blessing but skip the process. Between the time that we seek a legitimate blessing and the time that God bestows it, There is a process where God wants us to do or to learn something. In the case of the Lord Jesus Christ, what the devil was telling Him is this, “Jesus, I can give You whatever the Father’s going to give You. I’ll give You all of these kingdoms, You know it says everything was created by You and for You, I’ll give You all these kingdoms. You can skip the process. Great deal, Jesus! All gain, no pain! What a deal if you bow down and worship me.” But Jesus said, “No shortcuts!” He did not skip the process. If you are in a trial, facing difficulties, you should seek the blessing of God and seek Him to give you the desire of your heart. But there is a process and the purpose for it is "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28-29). Each time you are tempted and make the right choice, which is to follow God, you become more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ, to His glory and to His honor. If there will be a shortcut, it will have to come from Him; it cannot come from anyone.
When Jesus was told by the devil, “Take the shortcut, Jesus. Make it easy for yourself.” Jesus said “No!” Aren’t you glad He did? Jesus said ‘no’ because of you. Jesus said ‘no’ because He loves you. Jesus said "no" because He wants you to be in his kingdom for all eternity. And this is the day that you can make that decision, whoever you are, regardless of what you’ve done or where you’ve been, Jesus doesn’t care about that…..He just wants you. And once you have Jesus, you can also say ‘no’ to temptations. It takes a moment by moment decision to win over temptations. It’s your choice... so, do you want to win or not?
Does it matter if you know or don’t know your purpose in life? Yes it does! If you don’t know the purpose of life, you can actually make wrong decisions and life can even seem empty. Ernest Hemmingway was the envy of many. A Nobel Prize winner, he was a successful author, a world traveler, a rich game hunter, even a bullfighter, married four times, and lived his life without any moral restraints. But one fine Sunday morning, he got his shotgun and blew his head off. He said, “My life is as empty as a vacuum tube without a battery, and there is no current to plug into.” Here was this man…very successful…yet he committed suicide.
"I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless" (Eccles. 2:18-23).
You, too, might be feeling tired and weary like life has no meaning at all…you just keep on going round and round…wake up, go to work, go home…same cycle of life everyday. Ephes. 5:17 says, "Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to". Do you know God’s will for your life? Have you thought about it? The daughter of the famous Elvis Presley said, “My father was always searching for something. He never understood the purpose of life.” Elvis Presley died from complications of drug abuse. Many other people are actually destroying their own lives because they don’t know their purpose in life. In the same way, your life can be wasted if you don’t know your purpose. And you will never know the purpose of life until you go to the Designer and Creator of life, to the One who made you. Bertrand Russel, the famous atheist once said: “Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.” Why? Because many people today believe in evolution and that we came to be by accident and that everything that happens is a product of chance. But we were created for a purpose and it is important that we know that purpose.
Look at Paul’s example. He knew the purpose of life. "Therefore, we do not lose heart, though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day. Momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen. The things which are seen are temporal, the things which are not seen are eternal. Therefore, we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Why is it important that you know your purpose in life?
If you know the purpose of life, you will have endurance. Many times, you get discouraged and want to give up. Many people quit too soon because they don’t know their purpose of life. When you know your purpose the Bible says, "the outer man can be decaying but the inner man is being renewed." You don’t lose heart and don’t get discouraged with problems that come your way. You actually won’t be afraid of them and be able to endure to the end because you know that Jesus came not just for us to have life but to live with Him for eternity.
If you know the purpose of life, you will have perspective. You will see things differently. You won’t be afraid of pain because you will see affliction as a momentary event in contrast with a glorious existence for eternity. You are renewed many times when God allows problems to come into your life because they are God’s primary method in developing your character. You may not like it, but they shape your character. Eventually, God wants you to be so prepared that when you enter heaven, your character will be fully developed. The saddest thing in life is to suffer without gaining the benefits of the suffering. This happens when you do not respond properly to the problems that come your way. No matter how hard you try to avoid it, you will still have problems. You might as well realize that problems are not your enemies but are meant to mold your character. When you know the purpose of life, you will have a godly perspective.
If you know the purpose of life, you will have focus. The truth of the matter is our eyes are always focusing on the temporal. That’s why many get tired of life. The purpose of life is not for us to have what we want right here and now. God does not owe it to us to give us our desires and requests in this world right now. God has a better plan because this world is temporal. If you have the right focus, you will know what your priorities are…what is important and what is not. You will also know when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’.
If you know the purpose of life, you will be prepared for eternity. Are you prepared to meet the Lord? In Luke 12, we find a man who became successful and said to himself: “I say to my soul, 'You have many good laid up for many years. Come, take your ease. Eat, drink, be merry.'"But God said to him, "‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ So is the man who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:19-20). Physical death is a divine appointment. "A man is destined to die once and after that comes judgment" (Heb. 9:27). In the Philippines, it is normal to be late for an appointment. But this is one appointment you will never be late for and can never cancel. When it’s time, it’s time. "For we must all stand before Christ to be judged and have our lives laid bare—before him. Each of us will receive whatever he deserves for the good or bad things he has done in his earthly body" (2 Cor. 5:10). This was written to prepare you for eternity. Are you ready to meet the Lord today?
So what on earth are you really here for? It all starts with God…
The "God Did It" Leadership
What laid waste for 140 years became Israel's bastion in a record 52 days. It was not just about restoring broken walls, but about moral recovery and nation-building through the leadership and influence of Nehemiah who was able to foster unity among his people and instill a sense of purpose in them.
One man made a difference in the national affairs of Israel, but everyone was quick to admit that all these came to be only with God's help. “...the wall was completed on the twenty fifth of the month Elul in fifty two (52) days. And it came about when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God” (Nehemiah 6:15-16). With Nehemiah as God's instrument, he exemplified the 3 C's of “God did it” leadership:
1. COURAGE. “Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. And I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, ‘You are exacting usury, each from his brother!’ Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. And I said to them, ‘We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?’ Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. Again I said, ‘The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? And likewise I, my brothers and my servants, are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury. Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you are exacting from them.’” (Nehemiah 5:6-11).
Courage is the willingness to do the right thing not because it is popular nor safe, but because it is the right thing to do. A courageous leader will stand up and do it alone even if he's one against many. Criticism, opposition or intimidation will not daunt him, knowing it's the Lord's battle, not his.
The glum economic state of Israel in Nehemiah's time plunged the Jews into poverty. The poor resorted to borrowing money from usurers and mortgaging their properties, forcing many into slavery to fill their stomachs and pay off debts. They were at the mercy of the rich who took advantage, and the government officials were calloused toward their plight, adding to their burden through taxes.
Nehemiah was incensed with righteous indignation over this. With a straightforward public address, he was able to correct the situation through a reproach. Eyes were opened and hearts were convicted. Because Nehemiah refused to condone wrongdoing, his courage to point it out to others resulted in them being led to do what was right.
Our highest potential never gets discovered or maximized, and our highest ideal is never achieved because we entertain fears and allow them to immobilize us. Eddie Rickenbacker said: “Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared.” Satan sows fear in our hearts and minds so we won't venture out in faith, incapacitating us from moving into all that God has for us. It robs us of the opportunity to see God's power at work. Ultimately, we miss out on experiencing His grace. Some chicken out at the thought of completely surrendering their lives to Christ, while other people's mettle gets tested by a call for higher service. Where there are no risks involved, no courage and faith are required. When we are afraid, but we go right ahead and do it because it is God's will, that is courage.
2. CHARACTER. “Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor's food allowance...But I did not do so because of the fear of God...Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the governor's food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people” (Nehemiah 5:14-18).
As the age-old cliché goes: “If you can't lick them, join them.” It takes courage to go against public opinion, but it takes character, built by moral fiber, to refrain from doing what everybody else is doing. If reputation is what people say about us, character is what God thinks about us. What we do when others are not looking defines our character.
One's character is often tested when he is given power. Nehemiah eventually became governor of Jerusalem, but he and his family never dipped their hands on the allowance allotted to him as an official, although he was entitled to it. He did not use his position to take advantage of the people, but instead sacrificed for their sake, using personal resources to serve their needs. Leadership by example with strength of character puts Nehemiah in a position of moral ascendancy worthy of emulation.
3. COMMITMENT. “Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, ‘Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.’ But they were planning to harm me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?’ And they sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way” (Nehemiah 6:1-4). When we serve God, our commitment will surely be challenged, so if we're in ministry for the wrong reasons, we will reach a burn-out point, be disappointed or discouraged and altogether quit. Satan wants all Kingdom-building to cease, so he will either intimidate us or use subtle ploys to distract us until he is able to ground us to a halt and the work is left undone. Commitment, though, is pursuing a purpose with persistence, not allowing ourselves to be disturbed or sidetracked.
Just like a marriage vow that bars the option of walking out the door in divorce, commitment will press forward till the finish line. Until our mission on earth is complete, we must never throw in the towel. Jesus blazed the trail when He Himself took the road of commitment. It brought Him all the way to Calvary. He could have exercised His prerogative not to drink of the cup of suffering, but He willingly did so because of His covenant of love and commitment to us.
What vision is God impressing in our hearts? Having courage, character and commitment, with God as the source and our focus, we can never fail. God gives us higher heights to scale so we would look up to Him in total dependence, so that no man can take credit when he reaches the pinnacle of success, and only God gets all the glory.
Purpose Predetermines Priorities
Success can make or unmake a person. More often than not, it's the latter. The quest for success can push us into a deadly quagmire of meaningless pursuits ending in catastrophes, like sinkholes sucking the life out of us.
Solomon, the wisest, brightest, and wealthiest man who ever lived, had “been there, done that,” but later came to the same conclusion. His words, immortalized in the Book of Ecclesiastes, were penned right in the middle of the “sinkhole” that his life turned out to be. “I enlarged my works, built houses, I planted vineyards made gardens and parks… I bought male and female slaves, flocks and herds, collected silver and gold, became great and increased more than all who preceded me, all that my eyes desired I did not refuse. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (Eccles. 2:4, 7-11).
We join the rat race, buying into the world and everything it offers, only to discover at the end of the line that we have sold our souls. Some have turned into ogres and have been submerged in misery. In Hollywood, for instance, behind the façade of the glitz, glamour, big bucks, and fame, are failed marriages, delinquent children, drug addiction, empty lives, and anguished souls.
So how do we become successful without falling into sinking black holes? The brief passage in Luke 4:42-44 offers a very basic key to living life successfully here and now. “...when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place. And the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them. But He said to them, 'I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.' And He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea” (Luke 4:42-44). Jesus had just been through a 40-day fast. Hungry and harried by the desert experience, He nonetheless wasted no time in launching His public ministry – preaching in the synagogues, healing the sick, and casting out demons. Jesus had it all figured out, knowing exactly what His life was all about and why He was here. He knew His purpose, and nothing could deter Him from it. Neither did He let Himself be tyrannized by the urgent, nor did He allow His judgment to be clouded by the swirling emotions and needs of the people around Him, however legitimate those were. Jesus did what He was mainly called to do. The pressure to do what is good but not best can undo the very best of us, but not Jesus. He never fell into those traps because He knew when to say “No.” His purpose predetermined His priorities. No one, not even Jesus during His time on earth, could be all things to all men. Following the path of His purpose, the choices became quite simple, even when the very lives of people He loved were on the balance.
What are we here for? Why is God keeping us here when He could have immediately brought us home to heaven at the instance of our salvation? Jesus spells it out simply and plainly as a matter of first importance in the Sermon on the Mount. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).
Either people are drawn to God by what they see us do or they are repelled from God. In Old Testament time, God gave laws to be observed by the Jews to set them apart from the other nations as His chosen people. “I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me... observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?” (Deut. 4:5-8). Show and tell is the name of the game. Just as they were God's living exhibits to the nations at that time, so are we to be to the people around us today. Where we are is where God appoints us for the job of being “salt” and “light” so that the Gospel may be proclaimed.
In Rembrandt's paintings, he causes the eyes of observers to move instantly away from the shadows to the light. Marilyn McIntyre in a book entitled “Drawn to the Light” put her finger on Rembrandt's genius. She says “drawn to the light” is exactly what you experience standing before Rembrandt's paintings. And that's exactly the effect we should have on people in this dark world. Ironically, surveys show that Christians are just as racist, just as promiscuous, and just as high in divorce rate as non-Christians. Is it any wonder then that people cannot see the difference between those who strongly profess the Christian faith and those with bogus faiths to cling to?
Immediately after telling us what our purpose for being here is, Jesus explained in Matthew 5 and 6 how our purpose ought to affect and saturate our thinking and decision-making. Anger management (Mat 5:21-24), compromise settlement rather than lawsuit (Mat 5:25-26), marital integrity and fidelity (Mat 5:27-32), transparency and trustworthiness (Mat 5:33-38), response to intimidation, insult, and aggression (Mat 5:39-42), loving the unlovable (Mat 5:43-48), authentic spirituality vs. hypocrisy (Mat 6:1-18), investments (Mat 6:19-24), and anxiety management (Mat 6:25-34), serve as guidelines for focused Christian living in fine detail. Life need not be complicated and complex. God's Word is the standard for living simply.
Hollywood icon Jane Fonda, now 67, spans 35 years of being in the limelight with an Oscar Award for Best Actress. In her search for answers to what life is all about, she has tried a variety of gods: stardom, sex, political power, and communism (thus the monicker “Hanoi Jane”). She's been in and out of marriage several times, the last of which was with Ted Turner, owner of CNN, whom she eventually separated from just recently. From her autobiography, “My Life So Far,” this is what she writes: “I'm on a mission. I'm in my third act, presuming I live to be about 90. I want to inoculate as many girls and boys as possible to let them know it doesn't have to be this way.”
Not knowing our purpose can muddle up our priorities. We can free ourselves from the stress and strain by not trying to be several people doing several things all at once. We don't have to be a basket case, either. It doesn't have to be that way, if we know what we are here for, if we set our priorities right, and if we are centered on Christ. Jesus Christ Himself established the precedent to finding that center and staying there. But He said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). When our priorities are predetermined by our purpose, we know when to say “Yes” and “No” with confidence.
Bring Back the W.O.W. into Your Life
When was the last time we had the WOW in our life? Are we experiencing a loss of appetite for the things of God? Do we lack joy and excitement? Is our prayer life weak? Are we angry and bitter with God? Then our fire for the Lord has already been extinguished and we are watching its dying embers.
The Jewish populace was full of zeal as they embarked on the wall restoration in Jerusalem. “After the wall had been rebuilt…” (Nehemiah 7:1), there was reason to celebrate the completion of such a colossal task. But were they going to sit on their laurels and marvel at their accomplishment? No, for it sets the stage for a higher calling: to bring the citizens back to Jerusalem (chapter 7) and bring the people back to God (chapter 8 onwards). When we look at our own country, the Philippines' greatest need is not economic prosperity or political stability, not a change in leadership or government system, but a great spiritual revival. We were once broken jars made whole again through God's gift of salvation in Jesus Christ – a “Wow” thing, definitely! As time passes, however, we lose the joy of our salvation and the fire in our hearts starts to flicker until it eventually snuffs out. So what will bring back the WOW into our individual lives and ultimately turn this nation back to God?
1. WORD OF GOD. With the work done, the Jews assembled together in the town square to wait for God to speak to them. They devoured the Word of God as they listened attentively to the public reading of the Scriptures from early morning till noon (Nehemiah 8:1-3). There was a clamor for the Word of God because they had tasted His goodness through the wonders of His mighty hand - the completion of the work in a record-breaking 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15-16). Because they had a high view of God's Word, they built a podium for the purpose of preaching the Word and the people stood up when the Book was opened (vv. 4-5). They gained insight and understanding as the Word was explained to them by God's workers (vv. 7-8).
What if we treated our Bible with the same importance as our cell phones? We incessantly check it for messages throughout the day. We keep it close by in case of an emergency. Wherever we go, we carry it around and when we cannot get connected, we get bothered. And finally, we make sure the battery never runs low. Is the Bible just as important to us? "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every w
