Word and Heart!

Word and Heart!

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 AMPC

Meet the Word spoken about in today's extract: it is referred to as the Word that God speaks, which means its origin, purpose and direction is of God. If it is of and from God, it means it carries all of God's nature, power and authority. The Bible is replete with examples of people and situations that encountered this God and we know none of them remained the same,either for good or the reverse. That's the power in the Word.

Today's extract also speaks about the nature of the Word-alive and full of power- of course, it is backed up by the greatest power in the world. It means the Word is a Person, of great wisdom, power and might. The Word is referred to in various ways but none signify weakness or inability. It is referred to as active- it is an instrument of change, a conviction to something eternal and a motivator to an inspired and Godly life. You do not come in contact with it, and it leaves you the same way. Today's extract says the Word is sharper than any two-edged sword- cutting either way- to the speaker, to the listener, to the reader, to the hearer.  As it adresses the life of the one reading it, so does it affect the lives of all who hear or speak it or apply it.

How deep does the work of the Word go- to the fine line between the soul and the spirit; to the joints and marrow; able to discern the fine lines of motive and reasons for all I do. It can deal with the hypocrisy of my heart and reveal me to myself. It can deal with the pride in my spirit and make me humble. It can deal with fleshly lusts and make me utterly dependent on God. It is not about what I say to myself, but how God sees me.

Men may applaud my actions and reactions; God weighs and judges my heart and its intentions. What would be the verdict of the Word if He were to judge me now? Can I subject my heart and life to the amazing power of the Word? Well, at some point in time, his Word will do its work. It is only better if I submit willingly now, before it is done in judgment. His time of favour is here.

God and Man 2

God and Man 2

Teach me to do Your will [so that I may please You], For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. PSALM 143:10 AMP

The natural man has priorities and pursuits that differ from what the spiritual man desires. What I consider as important to me are formed out of my relationship with God. If I am truly surrendered to God, it will show in my life's experiences. If it is not so, it will also show in the things I consider to be important. David, who wrote this psalm, is a study in dependence on God. He didn't always have it right, but his heart was right before God, and his life story shows that God will always be found by those who sincerely seek him out.

Today's extract starts with a request borne out a certainty of relationship. David asks God to teach him how to do His will, because he was sure God was his God. Dp I know my relationship status with God? Is He the One holding the reins of my heart or am I struggling for control with Him? Does He have the whole of my heart or are there areas where I am fully in charge? Well, it is not the answer you give that matters; it is the quality of your life and the true state of your heart, as detemined by God, that matters.

Doing God's will does not come naturally to fallen man. Man has to learn to submit to God and allow Him work. When God truly becomes God in my life, i cease to struggle for relevance, importance or impact. When I learn God's will and pursue it by his power, then I discover the treasures and blessings that come from knowing and following God. That is why having God's Spirit in me is a non-negotiable part of life, if that life will be worth anything. God alone knows the present, as well as the future and eternity, and it will only be wise, in the face of the uncertain future, to commit my life into the hands of the One who holds it all together.

Most important question: who is God to you: an idea, a concept, head content or heartfelt relationship? Whatever the truth of your response is, remember that there are eternal consequences to every sutuation. He wants to reveal Himself to all; would you let Him? His time of favour is here.

God and Man!

God and Man!

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” MATTHEW 19:26 AMP

True life starts with a fundamental understanding of the dynamic relationship between God and man. In today's extract, a rich, young ruler came to Jesus, after hearing him speak, desiring to know what good thing he had to do to be worthy of eternal life. That's the same question most people are asking: focusing on what they can bring to the table of God's mercy and grace, forgetting that the gift isn't accesssed by works, no matter how good, but by faith first, then proven by works.

The rich young man had everything: he even  knew the commandments and according to him, had kept them all his life. Oh, the deceit of the human heart that thinks it has arrived when it has not even started the journey. The man knew the letter of the law, but at the first test of the spirit of the law, he fell away. Have I fallen into the same trap, thinking I can negotiate heaven only with the works of my hands? And of course, when Christ demanded practical living, the man went away sad.

Today's extract speaks to the statement about the rich getting into the kingdom of God, but it is also true about everything else about God. Man looks at things from his own narrow understanding; God sees the whole picture, because He's the photographer, picking and setting the scenes and determining final output. When God promises a thing, it does no good for me to begin to wonder just how it will come to pass; I just need to know who has made the promise. That should be enough for me.

Is there any situation I have taken to God and it seems man is saying it is impossible. God is saying: 'Don't bother too much about what man says; he's limited in power, but I am limitless. When man's opinion has been heard and thoroughly examined, you realise that God is able to put expert opinion aside, simply to prove his power and authority. What is that situation threatening my peace? Hear God's Word today: with man, it is impossible, but with God, all I seek, in accordance with His Word, is possible. His time of favour is here.

New!

New!

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 KJV

There was a time that Israel had to suffer for their rebellion against God. They had eaten and become full, and they thought they could do the rest on their own. Of course, God gave them over to their enemies, particularly the Babylonians, who oppressed them for so many years. It is a clear principle by God that unconfessed sin brings punishment. If I persist in sin, I can only expect the natural consequences, which is death.

However, God promises a new thing, a new beginning, a fresh start. As I read the verses  before today's extract, I am reminded of the mercy and grace of God. I am reminded again that I stand where I am because of God's unconditional love, not because of anything I have done to deserve the good. All I read here is an outflow of God's mercy, where he decides on the timing, value, direction and impact of whatever is within his power and might to do.

If God were to do the usual, maybe it won't catch our attention, but here He's promising to do the unexpected. The wilderness is seen as barren land, where no one wants to go. The desert is seen as a dry land, where survival is minimal, yet God seems to be promising something uniquely different from all we have come to know and expect. The greatest obstacle to faith is the usual and the regular, but God is saying here: 'I will blow your mind by doing what nobody expects'. And if it is God at work, you can bet He knows what He's doing.

Is there any situation you have taken to Him that seems lost? Trust His eternal power, might, authority, dominion and victory over everything. He's God. Simple, yet profound, and all of creation, seen and unseen, answers to Him. His time of favour is here.

Complete!

Complete!

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.
Philippians 1:6 AMP

Paul writes here, thanking God for the faith and practical Christianity of the Philipian church. This was a church of elders, bishops and members who believed in God and whose lives were public testimonies to that relationship. They supported the work of the ministry and helped to spread the good news about Christ the saviour. The first question then is: "Have you met this Christ? Does He know you as His own? Are you working for Him or for yourself?

I just note that it is God that is at work; the focus isn't so much about man's labour, work or achievements. A man is said to succeed only when He is where God wants him to be and he's busy at the assignment he has been given. Too many times, out of envy and jealousy, we have coveted other people's gifts and assignment, abandoning our own. It is what God ordains that He will sustain to the end, and if He has not commissioned the project you are on, then it means you cannot guarantee its successful completion.

It is also made clear that everything God is doing now on earth has an expiry date. We make a distinction between the work and the person. Everything God has asked me to do will be perfected on the day Christ returns for me, either by physical death or rapture, but for me, it is just a passing phase into eternal life. I am being prepared for eternity; all I do now are seeds towards my eternal reality. I am the vessel through which God's power, might and grace are made manifest, so the fundamental question is this: What are my present pursuits and priorities? Are they inspired by God or presently sustained by popular opinion?

The end is coming; this present earthly life is just a passing phase. I work down here with a consciousness that I am aiming for an incorruptible crown, tied to my working out God's divine purpose, not my selfish interests. Is it the same for you? His time of favour is here.

Attitude!

Attitude!

Worship the Lord and serve Him with reverence [with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder]; Rejoice [yet do so] with trembling. PSALM 2:11 AMP

When I place today's extract in context, it becomes even clearer how mighty and awesome God is, and why you can't treat as you would treat a fellow human being. God is not your regular buddy, who you can pat on the back and send to do your bidding; He's called the Mighty and Terrible One for a reason, and the verses before today's extract puts that in focus.

Men will be men; seeking to prove that they are bigger and better than who they are; men will will fill their hearts with evil devices, thinking that by sheer force of will or intellect, they can get away with anything. However, the charge today is to all men who think they can outsmart God or put Him in a box or predict His moves: you know nothing about this God except what He chooses to reveal. You cannot determine his path unless He gives you an insight into what He's doing, and invites you to join in.

That's why I am asked to worship God and serve Him with reverence, which is the right mixture of fear, wonder and awe. This will not make sense to anyone who is yet to fully understand who God is, and what He can do. If I do not know the value of a thing, abuse is inevitable. If I do not know the God I am called to worship, how do I offer him anything acceptable? I am also charged to rejoice, but to do so with trembling. This picture just evokes a sense of caution, so it keeps me grounded. I do not ever lose sight of the fact that I exist solely at the pleasure of God.

So, attitude matters. The world will see the activity, but God focuses on the inner man. Worship could be physical or internal, rejoicing may be an activity or mentality, but God looks at the state of the heart offering these sacrifices. If God were to show me the state of my heart right now, would I like what I see? Can it be said of my heart that it is right with God? His time of favour is here.

Timeless!

Timeless!

Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 PETER 3:8‭-‬9 AMP

First, it must be established that God isn't your regular guy; predictable and logical. He does not do things the way the natural man would expect, and that's why He is called God. Man defines life on the basis of time and seasons, and we expect specific milestones at specific times in our lives. The world makes it worse by trying to place our lives on a tight schedule, telling us what we must do by certain times, and giving the impression that we have failed if those things have not been achieved.

Meet the God who is not bogged down by such ephemeral considerations. To God, a thousand years is like a day, and a day is like a thousand years. He dwells in timeless reality, he's not bound by the limits man is tied to, he has an eternal timetable for his purposes and plan, and nothing down here can defeat that plan. One of his great plans is the eternal salvation of all men. He gave up his own Son so that we all could be saved, and he keeps holding out His hands, waiting for us to accept his gift and enjoy the life on offer.

Sometimes, you look around and see the pervasive evil around, and you wonder where God is. You would wonder whether God is truly in control of the affairs of the earth, but then you ask yourself: if God were to deal with me as a person based on my actions and thoughts, would I still be alive and standing today? If I acknowledge that I am a product of mercy, it makes it clear to me that God's patience isn't misplaced and if He could be patient with me, then I can also expect Him to be patient with other people.

Nobody is so far gone that s/he is beyond the grace of God. I could look at a life and conclude that that person is so wicked and deserves death, but thank God He is not like man. However, please note: The same grace He is extending to all men is based on time, and when it expires, only judgment remains. Whilst I still have time, I run to God and accept his gift. What's your response? His time of favour is here.