Brotherly Love

Psalm 133 is only 3 verses long and begins with... "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments ; As the dew of Hermon, as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, life forever."

We strive to maintain the unity of the body of Christ and dwell together in unity and harmony with our brothers. That's not always an easy thing to do. I've always said, "when you have more than one person in a room, you ALWAYS have more than one opinion" and that sometimes creates difficulty in unity. But here we have a Psalm telling us about the Excellency of Brotherly Love.

So, how does brotherly unity relate to the anointing with oil? Anointing with oil in the Old Testament as they did with Aaron was a kind of "sanctifying the call of God in his life. So is the Psalmist saying to us that we should "soak" ourselves in brotherly unity? Not a theological dissertation but just a thought! So when James writes in 5:14... "Is there any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord" maybe along with the healing power of the anointing there is also a sense of healing power in the love we show one another. Sometimes I think that if we anointed the sick like they did in Bible days, we would drown most of them. Verse 2 talks about the oil running down the beard of Aaron and falling onto the "skirts of his garments."

So what does it mean? Three small verses filled with love and compassion for unity among the brotherhood of man. Sort of like a picture of men dwelling together in peace and harmony. It sure beats the alternative of fighting, arguing, complaining and not getting along. I experience first hand what is like to be in "disharmony" with brothers and it is really hurtful and lonely sometimes.

However, I see that we are all just one part of a big family. Bigger than our own individual families. The Psalmist here is extending this family a good bit further than just our brothers and sisters. And in that "brotherly unity" God offers His blessing -- "Life forever."

Dave

Are You Thankful For The Holy Spirit?

John 14:16 says... "And I will ask the Father; and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever". Another helper in this life? Isn't it a good feeling to know that you have a helper here? A Helper who lives within you and talks to you? One who convicts and convinces you concerning daily life?

This is a tough life to live without any help. Especially as a Christian. We are constantly being challenged by Satan to "break fellowship" with the Father, and we have the Holy Spirit who resides within us to help us overcome the schemes of the devil.

Verse 17 explains that the world cannot receive this Holy spirit because it does not behold Him or know Him. But,! We know Him and he abides in us. Praise God for His wonderful gift.

Finally, in verse 19 it says... "After a little while the world will behold Me no more, but you will behold Me; because I live, you shall live also". Does that sound anything like what America is facing today? Curious to see what is happening in America today as it relates to Christianity and it seem to fit perfectly within this verse.

Cherish the Holy Spirit within you and allow Him to be your daily Helper.

Dave

Dying to live!

About a week before Passover, Jesus finds His way to Bethany and here Mary anoints the feet of Jesus. Then the next day Jesus makes His triumphal entry, fulfilling the prophesy of Zechariah 9 of Him riding into town on a donkey's colt.

People began to accumulate to worship Him and Jesus said in John 12:23 "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." So many times Jesus had said to his Disciples that His hour had not yet come, but here begins His glorification. And the truth He shared with them at this time was truly magnificent.

Verse 24: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

He uses an analogy here that the people could understand because they knew that seed had to be planted into the earth in order for it to produce its fruit. And throughout all of His ministry He had been explaining this process and they just didn't get it. Even though they understood the seed analogy, they could not see past their own physical death.

Verse 25: "He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal."

Now this is where it gets interesting as Jesus shares with them that lovers of this world will eventually lose their lives (here He references their souls and eternity), whereas those who hate this world and do not conform to its deeds really have something to gain. If we are lovers of this world and conform to its ways, we will not achieve the place in eternity that God had planned for us. However, understanding that we are not of this world and do NOT conform to its ways is our "ticket to heaven" and eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul reminds us in Romans 14:9 "For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living." Just as the wheat falls into the earth and dies (in order to bear fruit), we too, will someday experience this death in order to experience eternal life. It's really not difficult to understand at all. Jesus is saying that you must love Him more than this world to experience life with Christ.

Verse 26: And here He makes this promise to us and that is, "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the father will honor him."

Jesus says you follow me, serve me, love me, and I will see that your place is with me and the Father with honor. Again in John 14:3 He tells His disciples that His purpose in all of this is to go prepare a place for them and if He goes, He will come again and receive them so that where He is, there they may be also (paraphrased).

So, if you are a child of the King, if you know Jesus as your Lord, as your Savior; If your salvation is secure, then this analogy fits into your life. A grain of wheat must fall into the earth and die in order to live. So we're really NOT living until we die. We are DYING TO LIVE!

Dave

"Rooted and Grounded in Love"

Tonight as I sat and watched "The Biggest Loser" on TV their actions made me think of a scripture passage in Ephesians 3:17-19. I made reference to some of these verses last week, but while watching this show it made me think of the commitment they made to lose weight and I thought about the commitment we made to trust Christ. The passage begins by saying "...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

I thought about how they all seemed "rooted and grounded" in their mission to lose weight (several of them to help save their lives). And then I thought about we as Christians and our responsibility to be "rooted and grounded" in our faith. I thought about the changes in my health over the last 4 years and how many times I may have slipped on the treadmill. But as I deal with the good and bad things that happen to me in my life, I am reminded of that part of the verse that says "...that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

In July of this year I will have dealt with the diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma which was found in Stage 4, meaning if it had not been for the decision to have the back surgery, we NEVER would have known. So I feel very "rooted and grounded" in my faith in Jesus Christ and am confident that He has been directing my footsteps all this time. My commitment level is greater than ever before and my desire in life is to share my thoughts about God's Word, with anyone who will take the time to read or listen to them. I was informed when we found out about the cancer what the statistical timeframe was but I firmly believe that God has different plans.

So as you look forward into the year 2009 and beyond, make sure you find yourself "rooted and grounded" for our God is an awesome God, able to move mountains as needed. And oh, by the way, I am never without the feeling of "all the fullness of God."

Dave

Your Foundation: Rock or Sand!

The text tonight is from Matthew 7:24-27 and verses 24 & 25 say (Jesus speaking) "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock." Of course, most of you can recognize the analogy here being the "building of our faith in Christ."

There are some very strong Christians who literally live in a "hell" on earth. At the very end of an extreme trial in their lives, along comes another; more wind, rain and floods. But even though it looks bleak, they look up, and release their will to the Father with a strength impossible to maintain in human form. My own children and family have experienced this seemingly "unending" cloud in their lives. My middle child mentioned that bothersome "hanging cloud" in her families life just the other day.

Then in verses 26 & 27 He says "And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall." And naturally, we all know people like this. "Everything is wrong with everything. Nothing is ever going to go right. My life is a mess and always will be." We have trouble ministering to these people because they have no hope. We realize that apart from the 70 plus years we have here on earth, HOPE is all that we have. And our HOPE is in Christ Jesus. We try to help physically and spiritually, but they always seem to have a negative response.

Christ has given us the answer right up front. He has told us to "tie our ship to His dock" and even though we will experience the rain, floods and winds of life, we do not experience them alone. Again, our HOPE is in Christ Jesus, not anything that this world can provide for us.

Finally in verses 28 & 29, the people marveled at His teaching, "as one having authority, and not as their scribes." Kind of like the story of the Three Little Pigs we were told as children only this story has the strength and love of a Creator behind it.

When life looks like something you just cannot "do" anymore, you can take comfort in knowing that, even though you don't feel it, someone is leaning against you, encouraging you to stand tall. Give your Whole Heart and Life to Jesus and let Him shelter you from these storms.

Dave

Are You Really Attached To The Vine?

John 15: 1,15 "I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser...I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him. he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing."

The verses in John 15: 1-6 basically describe the "pruning" process of a Christian man or woman. Jesus is the "trunk" and we are its branches. You all know the process of pruning plants. It becomes necessary to "cut off" the old dead branches from the vine in order for it to grow stronger. A lot of us explain going through trials as the "pruning" process with God.

This does not mean, of course, that God cuts us off from Jesus, but rather the pruning stage is a process of the "cutting away" of things in our life that get in he way of His will for us. And this process is, for the most part, painful. Over the years I have experienced my share of "being pruned" and it is not always a pleasant event in life. But it becomes necessary for our spiritual growth. I am a different man today than before I was given the news about the cancer. Any family can attest to the difficulty of that kind of pruning, but it has literally changed my attitude, my spirit, my walk, my family relationship and my desire for God.

So I can truly say that some of the pruning process that God has taken me through over the years has not only helped to create more fruit in my life, but it has brought me much, much closer to God.

Most of you are experiencing trials of some nature today. And so as to NOT sugar coat it, those trials could get much worse. He says in verse 2 that every branch that does not bear fruit is taken away but "...every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit."

So as we go through some of these trials it is important that we remember that God is walking through the garden, cleaning out the "clutter" in our lives and creating healthy "branches" in order for us to be fruitful.

Is it your hearts desire to share Christ with someone today. It's a brand new work week. Why not get started off on the right foot. He is waiting for you to brag about His Son. Not absolutely sure where to start. Click here!

Dave

To Him Be The Glory

In Ephesians 3:20,21 Paul makes a very poetic statement about God and His glory. He says... "Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

Does it ever come to mind how powerful our God is? Do you ever just stop on the sidewalk on a bright sunny day an look at the awesomeness of His creation. Paul is so impressed with His greatness that he uses the phrase "exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask OR THINK! Paul cannot just use one word to describe God's power but two words, side by side, almost like he was ready to make a list of superlatives for God and His power and love for us.

But look at the previous verses and see how Paul gets "all wound up" with praise for the Father. He starts in verse 14 by saying "...I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

I made BOLD all the words that I believe Paul would have emphasized if he were preaching this message today. Do we feel this way about God? Do we have this kind of "undying" love and devotion for our Creator? Are we trying to see that others get the opportunity to have this passion?

We have a God who could make a mountain out of a mustard seed, give sight to the blind, bring the dead back to life, part the sea. I want to feel this passion in my heart for God. I pray every day that God creates more and more love and passion (for Him) in my life. Don't you?

Dave