Heart Condition

Are you continually looking for more? Are you jealous of how much others have? Do you look upon those with much and think they acquired it dishonestly? Are you angered by your lack and the plenty of others?

We have often heard it said the world is not fair and it is true. We can easily observe the haves and the have nots. You may fall into one of those categories or somewhere in between. However, many of us will look at ourselves as being in the second category.

Why do we think we fall in the have not category? We always want more. Take a look at today’s passage. Read it slowly. Pay close attention to what Jesus is saying. Contemplate what He is saying. Read it as many times as you need for His words to sink in, have an impact.

Do you see what He says about receiving more? If we are willing to give, we will receive. Sound contradictory, paradoxical, upside down? The Apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that God loves a cheerful giver. If God loves a cheerful giver, it makes sense that He will provide the giver with the means to give.

Also notice how Jesus groups judging, condemning, and forgiving, with giving and receiving. These are all about attitude. They are about the heart condition. God is all about our heart condition. Perhaps we should be about our heart condition as well.

I pray we all take Jesus’ words to heart. I pray we desire to change our heart condition. I pray each one of us asks God to make our heart to be like that of Jesus. Give up judging. Stop condemning. Be willing to forgive. Give generously to those in need. Give generously to God. Receive God’s blessings.

Luke 6:37-38 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Humbly Submit to God’s Plan

Have you ever thought you were following God’s plan for your life only to find out you were not? Was it because you were following your own idea of what God should do? Were you pursuing what you what you thought would be ideal in a perfect world?

We are like Peter sometimes. We think we know what God should do or what He is about to do. We take initiative. We start down a path. Or we simply pray, telling God to bless our efforts with the false sense we are doing what He wants.

There are times we must step back. We must pause. We must ask God what His plan is. We must listen for His quiet voice to lead us. It is when we do this, we find we are truly following His plan and are richly blessed with success.

Yes, Peter thought it was horrendous that Jesus must die. We might forgive Peter since he was just a fisherman and not highly educated. But even those who are highly educated go off doing their own thing. In fact, it is sometimes because of their high level of education they think they know what God is doing.

It is the humble who will follow God’s plan. It is the person who realizes they are nowhere near as intelligent as God who will hear Him speak. It is the willing soul who takes up the mantle of God and proceeds to carry out His work.

I pray we all humble ourselves before God. I pray we give up pursuing our own desires. I pray each one of us will spend time asking God to reveal His plan to us and willingly follow it. Humble yourself before God. Ask God to reveal His plan to you. Commit to following God’s plan rather than your own. Know that God will bless you.

Mark 8:33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

God’s Will Be Done

What are you praying for? What do you pray for yourself? What do you pray for others? Are you praying for material possessions? Are you praying for guidance? Do you pray for wisdom and understanding? Do you pray to know the will of God?

We pray for many things. We often pray for personal blessings or decisions in this world. In fact, they often have very little to do with God’s work. Praying to know His will for our lives or what we need to do to fulfill His plan is far too often low on our priority, if thought about at all.

Read today’s passage, then read it again. The Apostle Paul and his companions were praying continually for God’s will and His blessings to equip the church in Colossae for His work. They prayed that the church would bear fruit and be granted the strength and power of God to do so. Isn’t that amazing?

What do you suppose would happen in our churches if we prayed as Paul prayed? Perhaps we would see amazing ministries going on. Perhaps we would see our members filled to overflowing with the Spirit of God. Maybe, just maybe, we would see our churches flourishing and making a huge difference in our communities.

Would it not be wonderful to make a positive impact on our communities? Would it not be exhilarating to live in the light of the kingdom of God? Wouldn’t it be amazing to live in the knowledge of having an inheritance that cannot be taken away from us? It is all there for us to take hold of. It comes as we give up ourselves and take on Jesus. It comes as we spend time praying earnestly that God reveal His plan and empower us to execute it for Him.

I pray we all pray for wisdom from God. I pray we earnestly seek to know His plan. I pray each one of us will ask God to empower us to carry out His will and give us the courage to do so. Earnestly pray. Ask for wisdom. Ask for understanding. As to be empowered. Ask for courage. Seek to carry out God’s will.

Colossians 1:9b-12 We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Priority Prayer

What do you pray for? What is at the top of your prayer list? What remains on your prayer list every time you pray? Is it something personal? Is it something that will help you follow His plan? Is there anything that is always on your prayer list?

We pray for many things. We pray for good health, jobs, good weather, safe travel, healing, justice, equal opportunity and treatment, wrongs to be righted, and the list goes on. But is there something we should pray for that is more important than all of these?

I propose there is. The Apostle Paul says he continually prays for wisdom and revelation (or understanding) for the church in Ephesus. He does the same for the church in Colossae in Colossians 1:9-13. Praying for wisdom and revelation/understanding means to ask God to grant us a look at His plan, to understand what He is doing. The purpose is so we can follow His plan.

It is with wisdom we can make better decisions. It is with understanding that we can do what God wants us to do. It is with both that we can step into a situation to bring about calm, reasoning, and provide a positive way forward. It is with both wisdom and understanding that we can see things as God sees them.

Asking God for wisdom and understanding is not just for us. We should also ask they be granted to family, friends, co-workers, and other Christians. God is willing to grant them if we ask with an honest yearning for them.

I pray we all ask God for His wisdom. I pray we ask God to reveal His plan and grant us understanding. I pray each one of us will seek to know Him better with an honest heart. Pray continually. Pray for what is important to you. Pray to know God. Pray for wisdom. Pray for revelation. Pray for understanding. Pray with an honest heart.

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Follow Good Guidance

Have you been in a class and not really understood what was being taught until much later? Has someone tried to explain something to you, and you just didn’t get it? Did it all of a sudden make sense several minutes, hours, or even days later?

We have all had times when we didn’t understand something initially, but it made sense later. We have had that “Ah-ha” moment. Something happened that caused us to put the pieces together. We remember what we were told earlier.

I can remember being told to do something a certain way, not understand why, did it the way I thought, and things didn’t turn out well. I remember thinking, “I should have done it the way I was told.” Being a parent, I have given advice to a child, seen it ignored, seen them struggle or fail due to not listening, but not said, “I told you so.”

In today’s passage, we see both of these situations play out. The disciples did not fully understand what Jesus was telling them until after the resurrection. Jesus had told them on multiple occasions He would be tortured and killed. They couldn’t or didn’t want to believe it. After seeing the resurrected Jesus, what He told them made sense, they saw it come to fruition.

Nowhere in Scripture do we see Jesus say, “I told you so.” Instead, Jesus allows them to see the truth for themselves. He allows them to put the pieces together. They then go about doing the work He set before them. They understood they needed to tell others about what happened. The news was too good to keep to themselves.

I pray we all listen to good advice. I pray we seek to understand what God is telling us. I pray each one of us follows Jesus’ commands rather than finding out later we should have. Listen to good guidance. Follow Jesus’s commands. Seek to understand. Know that God wants the best for you.

John 12:16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

Ask The Question

Have you ever heard someone speaking, thought it was profound, but didn’t understand? Were you afraid to ask the person explain it to you? Were you afraid you would sound uneducated, ignorant, or foolish?

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard something said and did not understand what the person was talking about. I believe we have all been there. For much of my life I was afraid to ask for an explanation. I didn’t want to appear foolish. I didn’t want to appear like some back woods uneducated simpleton. Thankfully…those days are gone.

I still hear people say things I don’t understand. The difference between then and now is I will ask for an explanation. I’m no longer afraid to say I am ignorant. After all, the definition of ignorant is that I simply do not know. I have not come across that subject before. If I learned nothing over the years, I have learned this, not one person in this world knows everything. There is no shame in stating we don’t know and ask for an explanation in order to learn.

Unfortunately, in today’s passage, the apostles have not yet learned this truth. Jesus is telling them a very important prophecy. He is giving them a message to prepare them for what is to come. They don’t understand and won’t ask the question. The good news for them is they will understand in time.

That is the good news for us as well. If we will continue to seek to understand, continue to read Scripture, continue to ask God to reveal the meaning of it, and be unafraid to ask questions of those we respect in the learning of God’s Word, we will gain understanding. This principle applies to gaining a better understanding of God, our jobs, our friends, and our family. Asking questions is not a sign of foolishness. Quite the contrary. Not asking a question to learn is foolish.

I pray we all seek to understand God’s Word. I pray we seek to know Jesus better tomorrow than today. I pray each one of us earnestly seeks to understand Scripture, God’s plan, and our own purpose. Read God’s Word. Ask questions. Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Seek to understand. Stop being foolish. Be wise. Seek to know God.

Mark 9:30-32 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

To Know God

Do you read or hear God’s Word and fail to understand it? Do you struggle to determine the meaning of Scripture? Do you desire to understand it? Or do you merely take a superficial approach to it? Do you know there is a difference?

There are many, many people in this world and in our churches who claim they don’t understand Scripture. They will claim it is too difficult for them. Unfortunately, their lack of understanding reveals their lack of desire to understand.

Satan hardens hearts and minds. He lures people away from God’s Word by enticing them to chase after the things of this world. He tells us we need to be know what is going on in other people’s lives. The more famous the other person is, the more important it is we know about them. We believe the lie. We believe what is published in news media, social media, and tabloids tells who the person is.

We can quote the names of every actor on our favorite television program but cannot name the twelve apostles. We can spout statistics of our favorite sports team and its players but can not state just half a dozen places the Apostle Paul visited on his three mission trips.

Do not misunderstand. I am not saying we need to memorize the entire Bible, though that wouldn’t be a bad thing. We do, however, need to pay attention to the lessons and sermons. We do need to read Scripture with a desire to understand. Understanding does not come in just a moment. It takes time.

While studying for a very challenging professional test, I purchased the most recommended book to study. The author stated it was not until we read something three times that we retain it and understand it. We might want to take that approach to reading Scripture. How many times have you sat down to read just one book or one chapter of a book in the Bible? Satan loves to lure us away from knowing God’s Word.

I pray we all spend time reading Scripture. I pray we determine to know Scripture as well as we know meaningless worldly trivia. I pray each one of us will turn our eyes and ears to Jesus for understanding. Read God’s Word. Seek understanding. Read it multiple times. Ask Jesus to reveal its meaning to you. Make knowing God a priority.

Matthew 13:14-15 “In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’”

Worship Only God

Who do you worship? Who do you serve? Do you think you serve no one? Do you serve whoever will promise you the biggest reward? Have you spent time thinking about the reward being promised?

We often commit to the person who is promising something we like. We see it in our politics. We see it in our workplaces. We see it in our schools. It comes down to what sounds good for the moment rather than what is best in the long run.

Today’s culture is all about the moment. What can I get today? We want whatever we want, and we want it now. Patience is gone. Due to our impatience, we will succumb to the temptation to get what we want in any way possible, even if it means selling our soul.

In today’s passage, Satan tempts Jesus with all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus rightly declines. Why? He knew He was not only going to inherit them anyway, but He also knew that worshiping Satan was wrong. He knew He was to worship God only. He knew it was only by worshiping God that He would inherit it all.

Notice what happens when Jesus refuses to fall prey to Satan’s scheme. Satan leaves Him. Have you connected the dots? When we refuse Satan’s temptations, he flees from us. He knows he cannot defeat God. He knows that Jesus has already defeated him. When we stand strong in Jesus’ name and are willing to wait for the best reward, we no longer need to fear Satan.

I pray we all decide to stand strong in Jesus’ name. I pray we refuse to fall prey to Satan’s schemes. I pray each one of us will ask God to strengthen us with His Spirit to resist evil. Stand strong. Resist evil. Refuse to fall prey to Satan’s schemes. Watch Satan flee. Be free of fear.

Matthew 4:8-11 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Showing God’s Love

Do you want the world to know that God loves them? Do you know how to make it apparent to them? Will you work to fulfill Jesus’ desire for all of us? Are you willing to stand in unity in Jesus Christ?

Sometimes we make it very difficult to be loved by others. Sometimes we don’t want to love others because of something they have done or said. Yet, Jesus calls us to love one another.

But merely saying we love one another isn’t enough. It takes action. What action? It requires the unity of the body of Christ. In the last few verses of John 17, beginning in verse 20, Jesus is praying for us. His desire is that we have complete unity.

What is complete unity? It is standing shoulder-to-shoulder against the evil of this world. It means we set aside petty differences with one another. It means working together as one to teach others about Jesus and His life-giving grace and mercy.

As we stand together in unity, showing love for one another, we show the world the love of God. When we fight, bicker, argue, and put our disagreements in the public eye for all to see, we become like the world rather than Jesus.

Make no mistake about it. We can’t simply put on a show. We must allow God to change our hearts and minds. We need an attitude adjustment. The tiniest of cracks in our armor allows Satan’s arrows to sneak through.

I pray we all want to show God’s love to others. I pray we are determined to be unified in Jesus Christ. I pray each one of us gives up our petty sniping at one another in favor of unity in Jesus so we can put the love of God on full display. Be unified. Set aside petty differences. Stand together. Show God’s love.

John 17:23b “Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Eternal Love

Have you thought about how long God loved Jesus? Do you think it is two-thousand years? Do you think it is thirty-three years? Do you think it is longer? Would it be nice if we were to be certain, if we were told?

Jesus does tell us how long God the Father loved Him. As we look at today’s passage, we are told the Father loved Jesus before the creation of the world. Have you ever noticed that before? But it should not be a surprise to us.

Why should it not be a surprise? Let’s walk through the clues just briefly. As we look through Genesis chapter 1, we see over and over “God said.” This is God’s Word that is being spoken. Now, let’s look at John 1:1-2, 14. Those verses say the Word was there at the beginning, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Then, the Word became flesh and walked among us.

When we piece this information together, we come to understand that Jesus was known as the Word of God in Genesis 1. When He was born of Mary, He became known as Jesus. We can also conclude that all things were created through Jesus, even if known by a different name. Doesn’t this make sense? After all, we also know Jesus by Immanuel, which means “God with us.”

There are literally thousands of connections throughout the Bible. Those connections are made between various books and the two testaments. As we study the Bible and see the connections, we see the bigger picture of God. In this case, Jesus tells us the Father loved Him since before creation and we can see why through the connections pointed out.

I pray we all study the Bible and see the connections. I pray we know that Jesus existed before creation. I pray each one of us understands the Father loved Jesus before time began. Read the Bible. Study God’s Word. Know the Father loves the Son. Know Jesus has always existed. Know that God’s love is for eternity.

John 17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”