Organ donation.

Organ donation is an amazing thing, but recipients of organs often need to be in fairly good shape to get them.  Amazingly, God found us in terrible shape but still gave us an organ donation. He says, 

"I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Eze 36:25-26)

We've been given a new heart and a fresh start. If we go back to the same things and lifestyle that made us sick, instead of working to grow stronger, we can risk wasting that new heart. Let's recognize how precious this new heart is and grow stronger every day, taking care of this gracious gift we've been given. 

Grace does not make sin less dangerous.

Grace does not make sin less dangerous. 

In Genesis 4:7 God warned Cain, "And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."  In Hebrews 3:13, He cautioned, "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." 

Sin has the power of deception. Examine yourself against the mirror of the Word. (James 1) Look upon your inner man. Be honest. If you ignore a monster in the mirror, sin's power of deception will be your master, and it may become a nightmare from which you never wake up—the worst reality of all. 

What is righteousness?

Elli Poysti, a very spunky cowgirl-turned-city-slicker, asked me, "What does being righteous mean? What does righteousness look like?" Those are really great questions. I'm hoping that Mike and Nettie Clouse and the rest of our study group get some good answers. It should make for an awesome study. 

As much as I'd like to say that God gives a couple of bullet-points on this topic, reading His word shows that God says a TON on righteousness, so it's important to know what it means. For example, He says, "And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever." (Isaiah 32:17) He also compares being good with being righteous, notes that there was righteousness in the Law, but a type which did not give life, that we must ourselves have "righteousness which exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees," or we won't have eternal life, and points out that faith is inextricably intertwined, and thus partially defined, by righteousness. 

Anyway, some things to consider. Afterward, answer the questions originally asked based off these passages.  

1—The Greek word "dikaiosune" means ""the character or quality of being right or just;" it was formerly spelled "rightwiseness," which clearly expresses the meaning." The root word, "dikaios," means to be "just," as in justice. Righteousness, applied to us, means, " right action."(Vines Theological Dictionary of Greek: http://www.menfak.no/bibelprog/vines?word=%AFt0002409)

2—Righteousness is an aspect of being saved: "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (I Peter 4:17-19). 

3—Righteousness is a part of our decision-making as Christians. ""Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." (Jn 7:24)

4—Righteousness can be of the wrong variety, such as the Jews who: "have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God" (Romans 10:2-3).

5—Righteousness is critical to salvation: ""For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

6—Righteousness is faith, "For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS."

——>And this faith is borne out by actions. "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed [i]by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.  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." (Heb 11)

7—Righteousness doesn't necessarily mean "goodness." "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. (Rom 5:6-7)

8—Righteousness in the Law (which we are no longer under) could be a harsh mistress. Paul said of himself, "as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless." (Phil 3:6)

9—Rightousness and justification/salvation are not the domain of the "undeniably perfect," "religious leaders," etc., and may come from surprising places. However, rightousness lives in action, and grows from a desire to love and live like Christ, and to please God.  Check out this little stunner: "In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?" (James 2:25)

TLDR: Righteousness is following Christ, which makes sense, as He said, "“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). It is demonstrated in our lives, and we exhibit it because of God, and the working of belief in us. Ultimately, it is an expression of our character, and is notable for making us appear more like Christ, and less like the world. It can be of a type that does us no good: self-righteousness, or righteousness based off our own thoughts (ignorance) and not God's.  

Righteousness, however, is not merely making the right actions. It is not merely justice. It is tied up in our character and our motives. 

Here is one thing I studied a while back, though, about being GOOD and exceeding being merely righteous.  https://www.facebook.com/notes/lucas-necessary/son-of-encouragement/720620628033106

Food for relationships.

 Starving to death has to be one of the worst ways to die. In relationships, starvation can also occur, and often because our relationships aren't being fed. That's why "Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work." (John 4:34)

Are you and your romantic partner eating?    Do you wake up every day and say, "The Lord has made this day for me, and I need to be about His business?" I love Paul's approach in Acts 22:10 where he said, "‘What shall I do, Lord?"  That's a great way to keep feeding any relationship! :)

Much needed rest.

Ever been exhausted? Tired with the ongoings of life? Worn down? God wants us to be workers for Him, but He also knows that workers need breaks to recharge. That's why, "He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." (Mark 6:31)

I find myself somewhat aligned with Jesus in that respect. "One of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." (Luke 6:12)  When I need to recharge, I go to explore the beauty of God's creation. It's a great time to pray and listen to podcasts from my spiritual family. 

Do you take the time to rest? 

The nature of loneliness—ever felt it?

Ever felt lonely?  There's a reason for that being a part of our nature.  God said of mankind, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." (Gen 1:26)  In John 14:11, Jesus said, "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me," showing a part of His image: unity. 

Part of God's image is that He has never been alone. He exists together as the Father, the Christ, and the Spirit. Being made in His image, being alone is difficult for us, and as Christians, we need to look for ways to be united with other Christians. We need to seek out other Christians to grow. When we embrace being joined with other Christians, we soothe loneliness and we show ourselves "diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit." (Eph 4:3)

As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her sons.

With thanks to Rio and Miriam, about something that has been on my mind.

I have personally watched Christian friends slip into the world, committing both spiritual suicide with themselves, and spiritual murder with the things they did with others, and encouraged others to do. And those times have been the most painful of my life, bar none.  And those times have been the most painful of my life, bar none. A lot of that pain comes from the pain of knowing what I've been, and the damage I've caused in the past.

Even if you don't personally like the person that much, the pain is devastating, because there is nothing you can do.  You cannot be the conscience for someone who wants his or her conscience to be seared.  Often, these people will apply a veneer of godliness, so that they can look at their fake reality and call it real, but the poison runs deep and is killing them.

What do you do? Do you delete such a person from your life? Do you utterly abandon them?  

I have often done that. I don't think it's right. It was my selfish way of protecting myself from pain. I once encouraged my mother and sister to abandon someone who caused them great pain and tears. They refused.  Instead of letting the person simply get off easy, they were loving but also truthful.  Their efforts were met seemingly forever with rejection and cruelty.

And yet God says, "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!" (Psalms 126:5)

Who wants to sow a field with such effort that it causes them to cry? Isn't it easier to just abandon that plot and more on to easier territory? 

My sister and mom didn't. They sowed in tears. Eventually, the person they loved changed. Hard times came. Rock bottom was hit. This person was abandoned. And suddenly, the person realized that through everything she had done, despite the evil of it, two people were still compassionate. Compassionate despite the way they'd been treated. And indeed, none of the person's actions had been more than passing pleasure.  And in the end, my mother and sister reaped with joyful shouting.

Compare that with two of my own examples. Both times, I saw someone reverting back to their old friends and old ways, including drinking. Both times, I said, "That hurts me and is repulsive behavior. You're otta' my life."  And both these people, now, are fully surrounded by the world, molded into it as a part of it, horrifically deep.  Attempts by me now to say, "Hey, I care about you," have no weight behind them. Because I gave up. Instead of being loving but correcting, I threw away anything, including hope, no matter how small.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." 

Are you like that? If you persist in love, will you not remain green? Are you afraid of the pain, and willing to wilt away from hope and caring? There is only one way to bear fruit, and it is through persistence. 

Sometimes, however, when you are persistent, people will reject you. It happens. As my friend Rio once told me as a wake-up call, and this is paraphrased "Sometimes nothing you do can reach people, and you'll be consumed."  You have to know when that point is, but you can also make the conscious decision to not simply and utterly reject them.

The truth with the person struggling is that we do not know if they will be overcome, or shall overcome.  We cannot make the call with their struggles, or with their future.  We cannot condemn their hearts, but can see their difficulties. 

And more importantly, sometimes people have to hit utter rock bottom. They have to be at the lowest, where the sun does not shine, before they decide they don't want to be in the pit. 

God tells us that a struggle is present, and that it shall not come without weeping. For our struggles, for our help, and for the struggles of others, it is often true that much pain must be endured before we conquer. 

In Isaiah 66:8, God confirms this and says, "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons."

New birth does not come without pain and persistence, but we have to maintain the hope of beautiful things to come. We must have the attitude that we would, "could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." (Romans 9:3)

And if you're sad, hurt, and damaged, remember, "Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD." (Proverbs 16:20)  When you're feeling darkest and down in the dumps, dwell even stronger in the Word.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

It's Hard to Forgive!

It's Hard to Forgive!

Do you find it difficult to forgive others who have hurt you?

This is no simple question. Sure, if someone does something unintentionally, or is apologetic... It's pretty easy to forgive them.

What if they hurt you purposefully, callously, and could not care less if you've been deeply wounded by their words and actions?

Should we wait for an apology that may never come?

Many of us are familiar with the verses like this one:

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15
(see also Mark 11:25, Col 3:13)

We know that for God to forgive us, me must be forgiving of others. Sounds simple, right? So what is it that holds us back, that makes it so gut wrenchingly hard sometimes to just let go of the infractions we tightly grasp in our fists and hold over the head of the offender?

For that we must look at our own hearts. What are we storing up? Anger and bitterness, or joy and compassion?

"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

If we store up anger and resentment, it will show up in all parts of our life-- creating new victims, and continuing the cycle of hurt. BUT, what if we do this instead:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8

Oh what joy it will be to find that HEALING! The kind of healing that penetrates beyond the surface and into our very bones!

We may never understand why that person did what they did! They may never offer a meaningful apology, if they offer one at all. But does it matter whether or not the offender deserves our forgiveness? Does it matter if they appreciate it? It's certainly a nice thought and a great hope. And perhaps our attitude of forgiveness can prick their heart and start them on the path that leads to redemption. (That's not to say that we should allow ourselves to be hurt again-- some situations require that we keep a distance for safety sake.)

But when it comes to forgiving those who have hurt us, we must first remember that God tells us it is vital. After all, we have a Savior who ***gave His very life*** so we ourselves could have forgiveness-- and He did this for everyone, when no one deserved it, whether they loved Him or not. God wants us to extend that same love to others.

It may take time, and it won't be easy, but we must work to empty our hearts of dark thoughts and allow them to be refreshed by the healing power of God's ways.

Need a good place to start renewing your thoughts? Here is some wisdom from Phillipians 4:8-- "...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

And Col 3:12-13--
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."


One more thought-- forgiveness is a topic with many sides and faces. For those dealing with difficult people on a daily basis-- I pray for you. It is a hard journey to have to forgive the same hurts over and over, with no relief in sight.

"Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." Matthew 18:21-22

Wow. That's hard. Almost seems impossible, but remember: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Phil 4:13

Keep fighting the good fight and be a light for the sake of Christ-- and when you are weak, when you fail, have mercy on yourself. Pray for strength and try, try again.

How Do We Find Peace When Someone Hurts Us?

Have you even been deeply hurt by another person?

Has your world been turned upside down in an instant because of someone else's sin?

Sadness, anger, confusion and despair are certainly some of the natural reactions, but what should Christians do with these feelings? It would not be healthy to repress them, nor should we allow them to become destructive forces in our lives. But HOW do we find PEACE???

The answer is in giving our troubles over to our Savior. He loves us and gladly carries our burdens. When we have hard times, we MUST share our sorrows with God in prayer. We must LISTEN to Him, TRUST Him, and LOVE Him. In doing so, we just might find it easier to love those around us, even when they hurt us. We might even find the kind of compassion that Jesus felt toward us when He gave His life for us-- when we were yet sinners who did not love Him. And ultimately, we must believe that He not only forgives us, but helps us forgive others as well.

In the book of Psalms, King David freely expressed his many troubles and frustrations to God, but always knew God loved him and was with Him. His words still offer great encouragement:

"Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22

"In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life." Psalm 56:10-13

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah. God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!" Psalm 57:1-3

We don't have to carry our burdens alone. God is strong!-- He will take them.

We don't have to suffer our hurts alone. God is kind!-- He will comfort us.

Let Him! ...and you will be on the way to finding peace. 

Do we have the Holy Spirit, or just the spirit of man?

BQ: Some people will say that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is simply "the spirit," meaning that of man, and not the Spirit of God. Is there any evidence that this is false?

Well yep, there's a lot of evidence. In the Greek, the word "pneuma" can mean both breath and spirit. Often the translators made it "Holy Spirit" based on context. However, some places explicitly modify the phraseology to specifically mean the spirit of deity.  For example, 2 Tim 1:14 says, "Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you." This isn't a generic penuma/breath/spirit, but it is modified by "hagios," meaning, "sacred, holy." 

A good question is, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" (1 Cor 6:19)






BQ: Yesterday we saw some evidence that a "holy spirit" inhabits Christians, but what if it just means, "sacred spirit," and it's just man's spirit that we need to consider sacred? Is there any other evidence that it's more than just the spirit of man?

You know that the answer is yes, huh? : P Two references we see are in the original texts as 'pneuma theos' and 'pneuma christos,' which translated mean, "Spirit of God" and "Spirit of Christ." Observe Romans 8:9-11

"However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

Essential elements of perfection

BQ: We know that God is perfect, but what are some aspects of perfection? What does it mean? This is a very minor overview of the essential elements of perfection. God gives us the goal, and like any assignment, we're to aim for the 100%! "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mt 5:48) The gauntlet has been cast down, so it's up to us to start figuring out what made Christ perfect, so that we can model ourselves after Him.

For today, we'll look at Mt 19:21, which says, "Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” This was a very specific statement in a very specific circumstance, but part of perfection is putting aside self and rendering sacrificial service. That's why God says, "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (James 1:27)

Want to walk as Christ walked? It'll take some self sacrifice to make that dream complete!

BQ: Looking at the essential elements of perfection, and thus the things which God directs us to strive toward, we've seen that self-sacrifice goes a long way, and is essential in making a person more like Jesus and less like the world. Today we'll look at a simple verse, Col 3:14:

"Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."

I've blown by this a billion times, but it only recently truly struck me that being united comes PERFECTLY, COMPLETELY through love. Love is active,  and so being united must be both a decision and a desire. 

BQ: More on the essential elements of perfection. Today we'll examine faith and works, from James 2:22. 

"You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected."

We know that our faith must be placed correctly, and that faith is indeed a matter of salvation. However, to have perfection of faith requires it to go hand-in-hand with what it naturally produces: loving, sacrificial work. See how it's all tying together? Want perfect faith? Without works, perfect faith doesn't exist, because, " For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26)

BQ: We know we want to be Christ-like. It's the perfect goal, and that picture has to be in our minds for us to soar upward. Today we'll look at another verse on perfection. From James 3:2,

"For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well."

Perhaps the hardest thing to control is the tongue. It's so easy to speak a harsh word, or, even more, to simply be careless with our words, and thus hurt people. However, in order to resemble Christ, we need to make what we say a priority, and not just in avoiding harsh words, but in being active in doing good. Remember the verse on faith being perfected by works? About faith without works being dead? We cannot simply choose to be lazy and say nothing, but instead we must excel in our speech, encouraging, exhorting, and lifting up. (And even at times rebuking—but in love, and with gentleness.)

BQ:  Ultimately, how was Jesus perfect? In the following manner:  "but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him." (1 John 2:5)

The truest love comes by loving God's word, and striving to be like His Son. Not only does it do that, but it allows us to see that we're truly in Christ. It comes when we're striving to be like Christ. It's like pulling hard and, by doing so, opening a floodgate of love. :) There's much more that could be said on all this, but I want to keep it pretty short! 

Mercy is greater than Law.

BQ:  One thing that I love about God is His outstanding mercy. The Old Testament boggles the minds of some people, yet it's rich with physical representations of spiritual realities. One of these physical examples is that of mercy. In the Old Testament, there was the Ark of the Covenant, which is the agreement between God and His people—the Law. Do you know what was placed above the Ark; above the Law, being supreme to that covenant? Look at Exodus 26:34,

"You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies."

It's easy to breeze over this verse, but it's incredibly important.  It shows that mercy ranked higher than God's law, even in the Old Testament, and the gorgeous proof of this is seen in the placement of the mercy seat above and on top of the ark of the covenant containing the sacred law.

Does God vary over time?

Strange teaching.

BQ: Humans have a lot of variation. Does God? Is he a shifting goalpost?

Q: How much variation is there with God?

A: Eph 4:4-6, Gal 1:6-9, James 1:17, John 14:6, and Heb 3:8-9, which reads, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings..."
(PN14)