Forever Begins NOW

^{Psalm 23:6} Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
   forever. 

In the twinkle of an eye we will pass from life to life. Our spirits, the part of us that communicates with God the inside part of us, our personality will not pass through death. We will be translated from this earthly life to the heavenly life the moment our spirit departs our worn out bodies. Eternal life begins now.
APPLICATION
I need to cultivate an eternal perspective, keeping my mind on heavenly things.
 

^{Collosians 3:1} Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

I'm Overwhelmed

 ^{Ps. 23:5} 
You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows. 

The good shepherd cares for the sheep. He protects them and stands between the sheep and the enemies who seek to devour them. He cares for them lavishly by pouring out on them his love and tender kindness unmatched in all the earth. When we are faced with the reality that the King of kings, the creator of the universe really is the one who desires to love us and to care for us we begin to become overwhelmed. We have created a trite and ever present saying in our culture, "God Loves You". We have barely a concept of what is wrapped up in those three simple words. I believe that David began to understand the depth of God's great love for him as he penned these words.
APPLICATION
To be mindful of the fact of God's love for me and all that that means and matters to.

Emmanuel - God With Us

 ^{Isa. 55:6} Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call on him while he is near. 

In the time of Isaiah, to seek the Lord was an arduous task beginning with the selection of one of your sheep or goats from you flock which would have to be killed on behalf of your personal sin, then an overland hike most times on foot to Jerusalem where the temple was with your family and animals, and then the process of paying the temple tax or exchanging your money into "acceptable" temple currancy and then going through the cerimonial cleansing and then on to the priest who would slit the throat of your animal while you rest your hand on its head. Then your conscience would be clear for you to be acceptable to your God. When Christ died on the cross the temple curtain that separated the inner sanctuary from the rest of the temple was torn from top to bottom. This signified that the holiest place that only the high priest was allowed to enter to plead for the forgiveness of sins for the people was now open and available for all to boldly enter in to find mercy and grace for themselves.
Now with the new covenant, the new agreement between God and man we have a dispensation of grace and all that is needed for us to access this presence with God is to focus our minds and appeal to Him in our hearts or to open our mouths and speak for He is with us indeed in us, and we, our bodies are the temple of the HS. So when Isaiah pleads with us to seek the Lord while He is near we are to relish in the access we have grown so accustomed to that those of old would not even begin to comprehend. Let's not take for granted that which we have been so lavishly and freely given.
APPLICATION
To be mindful of the precious gift we have in prayer and to cultivate a mindset of the presence of the HS, being willing and ready to keep Him at the forefront of my heart and mind.

Definitive Study on Servanthood

So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty. Luke 17:10

We see here in these four verses of Luke 17:7-10 the quintessential formula for servanthood, which as discussed before is ever elusive in our culture and so patently difficult for us to truly grasp and live out.

Found in this passage are five distinct characteristics which are highly instructional for believers in Christ everywhere, especially for those going cross culturally into the mission field... so listen up and take note.

The servant first of all has to be willing to perform task upon task. In this narrative the servant worked all day in the field and then came in and was expected to prepare the meal for the master and then also to serve him at table. so the first characteristic of a servant is to perform thing upon thing.

Secondly it is not mentioned but obviously implied is that the servant did not deem the master selfish for this presumed blatant disregard of the servants "rights". The servant after all has no rights, they have been voluntarily given up. Also the servant does not look on at another servant and say "hey, what about him, why do I have to do more than he?" No the true bondservant does thing upon thing and does not entertain the inward struggle of judging his master on his fairness toward him.

Next is the fact that the servant is not thanked and that the idea of the servant even expecting to be thanked is out of place since he is only doing what is right and just for him to do. Therefore we have the servant doing thing upon thing, not thinking ill of the master, and not expecting to be thanked, so far so good, let's proceed.

The fourth characteristic found in the true bond servant is that he does not pat himself on the back for a job well done, he does not allow pride to elevate himself by thinking that he has done anything noteworthy or especially meritorious. For fifth and the last characteristic of a true bondservant who is rightly attuned to the Spirit of God is that he knows that he is in all of this merely performing his duty, and nothing more.

So in a nutshell:

1-Thing upon Thing.

2-Not thinking the master selfish.

3-Not expecting to be thanked.

4-Performing these and not becoming prideful.

5-Inherently knowing that his position is that of a servant.

APPLICATION
I need to meditate and imprint into my heart and therefore transform my mind to grasp these 5 characteristics, to wear them like a garment to strive to walk in this way and to measure myself against these un-American yet quintessentially Christian attitudes and character traits.

Principals in this devotional found in Roy Hession's Calvary Road

Thanks, I don't think so?

Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? Luke 17:9

So as this saga unfolds we have the servant first recieving task upon task, he worked all day and then comes in and is expected to prepare the meal and wait on master as he eats, then he should do all this and not expect to be thanked.  Wow.

How often do we do things with an ulterior motive of something in return. From the insignificant hand wave when we let a driver cut in front of us to the favor or act of service we may perform, scratch my back and I'll scratch yours... We automatically expect some sort of acknowledgement in response. The great I, Me or Self is always looking for that nod or recompense.

Self is inclined to keep score and demand its rights, those rights which should no longer exist if indeed we belong to Christ. It reminds me of the scene when Mother Theresa was at the banquet to receive her Nobel Peace Prize. She was not found on the dias or at any special table eating the lavish banquet prepared in her honor, but was out in the galley and hallways with the help eating a bowl of rice for it was all she needed. That is a picture of laying down rights, she had the right to that meal but she deliberately decided not to avail herself though her flesh would enjoy and even revel in it.

APPLICATION
I need to check my motives. I need to be able to become satisfied that the laying down of my rights is my goal and should be sufficient for me, and to discipline my flesh to not expect anything in return for any service or favor I perform for anyone.

A Study in True Servanthood

  LUKE 17:7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’

The one true measure of being a servant is to test your heart when you are indeed treated as a servant. What happens on the inside? Does the ugly, fleshly self demand his rights? Do the words "how dare you" begin to form on your lips? Do you think "who do you think you are?" " I don't have to take this..." 

These are all catchphrases that we have learned from our ME centered culture. Our american culture is unique as we are "the people" who elect our own leaders and they are to be civil servants. We are adorned with freedoms such as the freedom of speech which allows even encourages us to question our leaders, to disagree with our leaders, even to ridicule and denigrate them. 

But first we are to live under the banner of Christ. First and foremost we are christians, then americans then our nationality of heritage (italian in my case) and then last we are to be labeled as our party affiliation such as republican or democrat etc. 

So chief among the characteristics of a christian is to be a servant. We in our culture really do not know how to actually do that. These next few verses will shed some much needed light on this all important subject.


APPLICATION
I need to find deliberate ways to humble myself to take on the nature of a servant not just do things that are servant-like from time to time but to renew my mind into the mindset of servant-hood. I will do my best today to do whatever is asked of me right away without any delay. Immediate obedience is a sign of a true servant.

Faith = Obedience

Luke 17

 ⁶ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

At the intersection of obedience and God's will we will find the awesome power of God. Faith is the vehicle in which we can drive through that intersection. How does obedience = faith you may ask? 

We see in the account of the Israelites in the desert having no faith was counted against them as disobedience.

² For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.^[a]

⁶ Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,

 By faith we trust God for salvation, by faith we walk in obedience to His purpose and plan for our lives, by faith we have the grace to endure hardship and accomplish the things He sets out for us today, by faith we persevere through an unbelieving generation vexed in our spirits yet we continue in obedience by faith knowing that our calling and election is sure and there we find peace.

APPLICATION
Like the disciples I need to pray that the Lord would increase my faith, and that it would work its way out in greater obedience. Therefore today I need to perform an act of obedience by faith that is just between me and the Lord.

His Abundant Provision

²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

God has not ordained a welfare system organized by the government. The fact that we have not only federal as well as state sponsored assistance programs is an indication that the church has lapsed in its responsibility to carry one another's burdens, and to share with those in need.  In previous generations it was considered distasteful, or even shameful to accept government assistance, yet now in this generation close to 50% are on some form of government assistance. From college students on food stamps to farmers on subsidies to plant or not plant certain crops to whole industries like auto manufacturing being propped up by the government.

The underlying issue is that what we earn is NOT all ours to consume as we see fit. That notion has led to an over indulgent ME centered society. What we earn is God's provision to meet our own needs and then to seek Him for how we can bless others by the leading of His Spirit, according to His Word. God has blessed the USA beyond any stretch of the imagination in order for us to be a blessing toward others. That is why I am grateful to work for PFM because we exist to lead people toward serving the Lord with His provision by blessing others. May God continue to guide and direct us toward even greater impact in the months and years to come.

APPLICATION
I need to re-examine my finances to see where I can direct even more funds toward the expansion of the Kingdom. And I need express gratitude toward God for the ways that He has so abundantly lavished His provision on me.

Is It Possible To Affect God's Heart?

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

The first thing I think of when I read this verse is that Love rejoices with the truth. Pr. 13:6b If we are not honest with each other then our relationships are corrupt and hypocritical. The results of a community that is unable to trust anyone would eventually lead to isolation and therefore an utter lack of intimacy or relationship on a "real" level. This state of affairs over the course of generations would lead to total dysfunction. Relationships are based on trust, trust that what you are saying is true and not contrived or manipulated. That trust once broken is very difficult to re establish.  If trust is not present in a community it is like a body that works against itself, like an auto immune deficiency also known as a disease that harms and eventually kills the body.

APPLICATION
I need to place a guard over my mouth to be careful to speak only what is true and right.

Pr 23: ¹⁵ My son, if your heart is wise,
   then my heart will be glad indeed;
¹⁶ my inmost being will rejoice
   when your lips speak what is right.