Set Apart

 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.  John 17:23

Jesus wants us to be like Him in complete unity with the Father. Isn’t that our prayer as believers, to be in unity with the Father, to hear His voice and move at His command. I am reminded of the words of a song, “I have one deep supreme desire, that I may be like Jesus.” Like Jesus in His devotion, obedience and unity with Father, God. But how deep does that desire go in my life?

Today as I was meditating, I was reminded that to be like Jesus, to know the Father intimately is to be sanctified (set apart), which takes an enormous amount of focus, discipline, and surrender. I cannot set myself “set apart”, but He sets me apart when I accept His forgiveness and surrender my life to His will. I am set apart to follow His example to be in unity with the Father.

What does it look like to be in unity with the Father and Son and set apart for His work and glory?  It means giving up some innocent pleasures if they deprive me of time and energy to do His bidding.  It means staying in the Word of truth and allowing it to direct my steps. It means treating others the way Jesus would treat them. It means to be “set apart.”  When something is set apart, it stands out because it is different, unusual, uncommon, sometime a bit shocking and even thought provoking, all in a good way.  Would those words ever describe you or me?  Do I stand out in a positive, even convicting way while others around me follow the people-pleasing, follow -the- leader world, or the Sunday go to meetin’ crowd? How much am I willing to be sanctified -set apart- for God? The choice is mine, but the power comes from my obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, thank You for truth which is not always easy to hear or follow. If this is a truth that I need to heed, don’t let me forget or move on until I understand exactly what You are putting Your finger on in my life.  Help me not to worry about what others think or do, but to be willing to be “set apart” for You! Thank You, Father, for loving me enough to use the Holy Spirit to call me deeper in my unity with You!

Grafted In or Cut Off

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:1-2

Jesus continues to teach his disciples what true discipleship looks like and what you can expect as a disciple. Throughout this chapter He speaks of fruit-bearing and encourages, yet warns his followers of the rewards for producing fruit and the result of not producing fruit. What shouts at me today is the fact that He says, “He cuts off every branch in Him that bears no fruit.”  The preposition “in”, indicates that they are both “in Him.”  Those who chose to believe but refused to grow He cuts off.  Let that sink in, just because you once prayed a prayer of repentance and believe in Jesus, does not guarantee heaven, at least according to this and other passages in the Bible.  Your eternal security rests in the vine, the source of your salvation.  If you choose to be grafted in and then refuse to grow, you will be cut off.  That’s a scary truth in this passage.

But the question remains, what does the fruit of the vine look like? How do we know if we are growing? So often in the church the fruit that was overwhelmingly emphasized was the fruit of soul-winning. If you hadn’t won a soul in the last year, you were not bearing fruit. But I believe the fruit spoken of here includes so much more.  Galatians tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, kindness, and self-control.  You only obtain this fruit by staying in the vine, in constant communion with the source of life. You produce fruit unto righteousness that looks just like the vine itself. Your fruit includes faithfulness, humility in repentance, continual watering of the Word, acts of compassion, obedience, suffering for Christ’s sake, and self-control in your daily life.

Jesus, we know You are the vine and source of life. Thank You for grafting us into the vine. Thank You for sending the Spirit of truth to teach us what it looks like to be in the vine. Thank You for supplying grace and mercy that we might produce fruit unto righteousness and for pruning us to increase our fruitfulness. You supply everything we need to grow and be fruitful. Thank You for being our Master Gardener.

Totally at Home with Jesus

“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.   John15:9-10

Jesus has just described the metaphor of the vine and the branches and staying connected to the Father through Him. He has operated out of the Father’s love and passed that love to His disciples. And now He encourages them to be at home, completely comfortable in His love.

Home is the place where you let your hair down and relax, where you feel secure and protected. Home is a warm fire on a cold night, where you can be yourself and not worry about trying to meet other’s expectations. Home is where the heart is! Is that how you feel about Jesus?  Do you feel you can let your hair down and relax and feel protected in His presence?  Do you enjoy the warmth of His presence in a cold world without trying to impress Him with your churchiness or holiness? Is your heart so totally one with His, that you are comfortable no matter where He sends you or what He asks of you?

Jesus, help us to feel totally at home in Your love today.  Even when we fail or sin, we can feel perfectly loved and know Your immediate forgiveness. You know us intimately, understand us completely and love us unconditionally. Keep working on us until we fully accept that love. We will only receive that love as we sit by the home fire daily with you.

Never Orphans

I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you. 19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 On that day [when that time comes] you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. 21 The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].(AMP)

Jesus continues His discourse on leaving the disciples. Here He refers to orphans, which I’m sure is how some of them were imagining themselves to be when He left. Apparently, a Rabbi’s students were considered his children and when they died their students (children) were considered as orphans. The disciples would have known this and feared being left as orphans. Jesus said He would not leave them alone as orphans.

Spurgeon had some ideas about this that I embellished in my mind.

                An orphan’s parents are gone (dead); Jesus said HE would be alive in them.

                An orphan is left alone; Jesus told them He would never leave them alone.

                An orphan has lost their provider; Jesus promised to meet all their needs.

                An Orphan is left without instruction; Jesus said the Holy Spirit would teach them all things.

He closes this section with another reminder that this promise only applies to the ones who keep His commandments. We can memorize His commandments and can shout them to those around you. But, if we don’t KEEP His commands, we don’t really love Him. His commands must become second nature to us.  We are not homeless, lonely, bereft orphans. We are God’s beloved children who will one day sit on the Father’s lap and hear, “well done child; I love you.!

He closes this section with another reminder that this promise only applies to the ones who keep His commandments. We can memorize His commandments and can shout them to those around you. But, if we don’t KEEP His commands, we don’t really love Him. His commands must become second nature to us.  We are not homeless, lonely, bereft orphans. We are God’s beloved children who will one day sit on the Father’s lap and hear, “well done child; I love you! Thank You, Jesus!!

A Holy GPS

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another [c]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you. John14 :16-17 (AMP)

Jesus had just reminded his disciples that love for Him meant obeying His commands. His commands were to love your neighbor, forgive your enemies, consider others better than yourself, endure suffering for the Kingdom’s sake, and to live like He lived. He would no longer be there beside them guiding, encouraging, and even rebuking them. How could this be possible? He had lived in the “human” and knew the challenges they would face. He understood their frailties, temptations, and questions and encouraged them with this promise of a Helper who would never leave them. He would provide the strength and power they needed to live like Jesus in this world.

There is so much more that can be said about this promise and how it plays out in our lives. The older I get, the more I wonder what I have missed out on over the years by not fully grasping these words. He is Truth, Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, all things that Jesus was to the disciple while on earth. And the best part was He was promising to live in them, not just be in their physical company! He would no longer be far away when Lazarus died. He would no longer hear about His disciples struggling in another village while He was pursuing demons elsewhere. Now HE would be IN them continually in the form of His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus himself!

The question for us today is how much of this promise am I realizing on our journey with Jesus? Have I relegated Him to being my backseat driver. You know, “I’m driving, and I’ll let you know when I need you.” Or is He my GPS, giving directions for each turn, each stop and each attraction along the way? Do I heed His warning of roadblocks, construction, or closures ahead? Is my tank of faith and praise full, only half full or nearly empty?  Who is in the driver’s seat as I head into this day?

OH, Jesus, thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit to empower us to be like You. Help me to acknowledge and accept this beautiful gift in its fullness. I put my complete trust in You as my HSPS (Holy Spirit Pilot System) for the rest of my journey. Help me to seek and accept Your guidance and wisdom to complete Your will in my life this day!

Love Equals Obedience

If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments. (AMP)

As I continue working through John 14, this is probably one of the most challenging passages. Christ had just told His disciples how to show their love for Him. True love would not be just emotional and theoretical, it would be lived out daily by obeying His words. He wasn’t just referring to the Ten Commandments, but to His words to them over the last three years as they walked with Him. He was leaving them, and He was telling them to walk like him, talk like Him, love like Him, become more like Him with every act of faith and obedience to Him.

I can see the disciples looking at each other like, does He know what He is asking? Of course we love Him, but…  But what? We walked with Him in the flesh and yet, doubted, denied, failed and questioned his tactics. Now, He is leaving us and is asking what looks like the impossible! Notice, Jesus didn’t mention their past faults and failures, He seems to be saying,” since” you love me, I know you want to keep my commandments.  I know you are feeling overwhelmed at the thought of me not being here to guide you, but don’t worry, I have a plan. First, you must concentrate on what love for Me looks like.

So, the question today is, how much do I love Jesus? Have I completely surrendered my life to Him?  Do I obey His commands 100% of the time, or just when it is convenient or fits my lifestyle?  Do I consider how much He loves me, and that my disobedience breaks His heart. If you are a parent, you understand that kind of heartbreak. Do I realize how much my obedience pleases Him and what He can accomplish through me for the kingdom. Oh, Father, I do not want to break Your heart or ignore your commands. I want to live in daily obedience to Your commands and glorify Your Name with my life. Thank You for loving me and providing all I need to live in obedience to Your will.

Greater Things?

John 14:12Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

This verse has always troubled me. How is it possible that anyone can do “greater things” than Christ? Jesus is answering Phillip’s question asking Jesus to show His followers the Father. Jesus answers,

“  10.Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not say on My own initiative or authority, but the Father, abiding continually in Me, does His works [His attesting miracles and acts of power.”

Then He gives the unbelievable statement in verse 12. But, how can I do greater things than Jesus??

The disciples and believers in Christ were going to be able to reach hundreds and thousands that in His sacrificial limited human body Jesus would never reach physically. They were going to carry the gospel into many different regions and nations in years to come. Think of the apostle Paul and his travels.  Think of Peter and the thousands that he reached for Christ. Think of the great evangelists in each century who have led hundreds to Christ. Yes, but I’m not called to preach the gospel, right?  So, how does this apply to you and me today?

As much as my generation pronounced TV and movies as sinful and today, we sometimes decry technology, these very resources allow us to reach millions throughout the world with the gospel. God can use anything for His glory, when placed in a believer’s hands. We, too, can do greater things for His kingdom, but are we? How many of our Facebook, Twits, Twitters and Tweets testify of God’s goodness, protection, power or blessings in our lives?  What if we posted just one testimony or scripture a week on our social media? We might lose a few followers (Peeps or whatever they are called), but our witness for Christ might just be what someone needs and used by God to change the life of someone in despair, discouragement or dissolution.  Think about it! Hum?

Dear Jesus, this is convicting, and I(we) need Your strength and power to let Your light shine through all the resources at my(our) disposal. The enemy would like to own all communication resources, but we, as Your people who are called by You Name need to step up to the plate and reclaim our media posts for your glory. Holy Spirit speak through us and help us to Do those greater things You promised!

No Realtor Needed

John 14:1-4   “Do not let your hearts be distressed.[a] You believe in God;[b] believe also in me. 2 There are many dwelling places[c] in my Father’s house.[d] Otherwise, I would have told you, because[e] I am going away to make ready[f] a place for you.[g] 3 And if I go and make ready[h] a place for you, I will come again and take you[i] to be with me,[j] so that where I am you may be too. 4 And you know the way where I am going.

I am going to dwell in John 14 for a few days. This chapter is so rich with hope and direction that I cannot resist it. Here Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the future they have with Him.  Many mansions, here more accurately translated dwelling places, reminds me of Noah’s Ark where each set of animals had their own space. Bigger animals, bigger space, smaller animals, smaller space, each according to their needs.  Here Jesus says He is preparing a perfect place for you and me. Whether that is a private space, or a family dwelling is not the issue, it will be exactly what we need.

Next, I notice that Jesus tells them, they know how to get to this place He is preparing. He has spent three years showing them the way to the Father. All they need to do is follow His teaching and obey His commands. Believe in faith, obey in faith, and wait in faith, knowing He is faithful to all His promises.

My question today is, am I believing, obeying and waiting with the assurance that there is a perfect dwelling place awaiting me with the Father, Son and Holy spirit. A place where all my questions will be answered, all my needs, physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional will be met and I will never have to worry about being evicted! 😊

Father, I want to see You in all Your glory and dwell with You forever. I do know the way. Help me to surrender to that way and believe in all You have done and have prepared for me. Help me when the enemy tries to tell me that I am not worthy, and this promise is too good to be true. Help me to stand firm in my faith and obedience and to stay on the path that You have made plain in Your Word! I love You!

Righteousness Pays Off

When his master saw that the Lord was with him(E) and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Genesis 39:2,3

Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph in everything he did. Hum? How did Potiphar know it was the Lord? Joseph had displayed such integrity and character that he stood out.  I believe that he also spoke of his Lord and gave Him credit for who he was. They knew where he came from and had heard of the God of Israel.  Now, Joseph puts that God on display in front of these Egyptians.

This chapter reads like a soap opera – the good guy gets caught in a horrible situation, gets accused of a crime of which he is not guilty, gets sent to jail, while the real criminal, Potiphar’s wife, gloats in her success. But, even in prison His God is with him, and he is successful. Nothing can stop God’s Plan!  He will use us in whatever circumstance we find ourselves when we give Him the credit and praise by living a life that reflects HIS character and love.

Living that kind of life is not always easy. Sometimes it comes naturally, and we aren’t even aware that we are doing it. Other times, it is by sheer will, determination, and pure grit without emotion, but knowing it is the right(eous) thing to do.  Lord, help me in those times to hold firm, even when I don’t feel like it, even when everything in me wants to lash out, defend myself, or protect my rights.  God give me such confidence in You, that I can trust You to shine through and bring all things under Your control for Your glory and even my benefit and Your purpose!!  You are always faithful to Your plan!

No Other Gods

 “Send away the ark of the God of Israel; let it be returned to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people.” I Samuel 5:10

Every city that possessed the ark was cursed with disease.The Philistines expected to just add the God of Israel to their list of Gods. He would be just another god to them. But the God of Israel was not just another god. He was the GOD of all creation!  When they saw what was happening to each city, you would have thought they would have realized His power and that He was not like any of their gods. They saw His power yet refused to surrender to it. Disaster followed wherever the true God was not worshipped.

Application

First, do I have any gods, things more or as important as God, that I am secretly or openly allowing to control my life, to influence my decisions?  Do my words say one thing, while my actions and choices reveal another?

Second, I look at our country. Are we in danger of disaster because we are worshipping political power, greed, pride, and sinful behaviors? Does the phrase, “In God we trust,” have any meaning at all? Is God’s name used only in vain, or is there any respect for the God of our forefathers?

I am reminded that we always have a choice to bow in submission to the Ark of God’s presence and power or the gods of this world. Although His judgments may seem slow, they are always sure!  We will reap what we sow, personally and collectively.  The God of Israel is the ONE true and Living God of all ages and He will have NO other gods before Him.!!

Prayer

Lord, Jesus, help me to examine my heart for any gods that I have placed along with You in my life. Reveal anything that I cling to for security. Holy Spirit, fill me with faith to believe what You say and live out my faith daily in the small things as well as the great. God, help our leaders to re-evaluate their policies and laws in accordance with Your Word and commands. Help us to return to the God of our fathers.