June 8, 2010 The Glory of Wisdom and Counsel

Today, the glory of God shines forth in two awesome examples of the how the Holy Spirit manifests Himself as wisdom, understanding and counsel (see Isaiah 11:2)-- King Solomon and Stephen.  I never would have thought to connect them, but there it was.  I hesitated to even mention it for fear of it being too obvious.  But then, the glory of God is obvious each and every day when then sun rises and we think our first thought-- but plenty of people manage to miss it.  It's always in good taste to magnify the Lord!

I'm not going to write a big essay on these two, because I think you're intelligent enough to see what I'm talking about.  I'll simply refer you to a few verses to get you started on your own study.  God honored Solomon's request for "understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart." 1 Kings 3:12.  "And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice." 1 Kings 3:28

The Apostles told the people to chose deacons from "men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom." Acts 6:3.  "And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people." Acts 6:8  (Notice that Stephen was not one of the Twelve, yet he did signs and wonders).  When he was taken before the council for his "blasphemy", they saw his face shining with the glory!  What was the glory?  The Spirit of God!

In the next few days, when you read about Stephen, look to see how the same Spirit of discernment was working in him as in Solomon when the king judged a case.  Why did he get a different reaction from the same people than did Solomon? How does Solomon's heart for the nation compare to Stephen's?  What does this tell us about the prerequisites for making righteous judgments?

There is great glory in wisdom and discernment!  I want those-- don't you? We can't be sure what kind of outcome we'll have when we function in the Spirit of wisdom and counsel, but I believe it is a great need, not only in our daily lives, but for the nations we represent.  Whatever the turn of events, we can be assured that God's glory will rest on the one who serves Him with faith, love, and humility enough to give His timely counsel with razor sharp clarity of discernment and wisdom.  We could even end up glowing like Stephen did!

May 15, 2010 Goliath Is Whatever Defies God

The concept of "safety in numbers" doesn't hold up when we're dealing with our own personal nemesis.  The armies of Israel were terrified of this one giant.  Perhaps that fear came down from the top, as King Saul was afraid too.  The challenge was to fight this giant one-on-one, and nobody wanted to do that.

The truth is, we really stand alone against the world, the flesh and the devil.  Are you thinking, "that's not right!"  Did you ever think about the fact that Jesus Himself stood against Goliath in the wilderness-- alone?  ("And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening." 1 Samuel 17:16) Goliath isn't just the devil, it's anything that defies God.  Dares you to get past it.  Intimidates you.

I say that David had already faced his nemesis, and found his Champion!  The Scriptures call David a prophet, and I can see why.  In some way or another, he saw Jesus in the wilderness defeating the very giant David faced in the Valley of Elah.  Seeing himself covered by the Lord, he could easily stand in confidence to face each and every Goliath in his life, and become a champion himself. 

This is your destiny!  This is your champion mindset; this is what you say to your giant:  “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world." John 8:23

You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus!  Find yourself in Him!  He has already conquered your nemesis; therefore, there is nothing that can defeat you.  You have the five stones of the grace of God.  And all it takes is one.

May 6, 2010 The Seed of Blessing

I've always loved the story of Ruth and Boaz.  Besides being a great study of ancient Hebrew culture, it is a powerful vision of the redemptive power of love.  In Ruth's story, I see the law of increase at work, as words of blessing and acts of kindness are planted, growing into a harvest of favor and blessing.  Ruth's words of blessing and acts of kindness towards Naomi, her mother-in-law, brought a harvest of favor to her through Boaz.  Boaz's words of blessing and acts of kindness to his own workers, family, and Ruth, a foreigner, brought him a harvest of favor and blessing from God.  Together, these people who loved God, knew His goodness, and followed Him in word and deed, brought forth the Seed of blessing into the world.  Through them came the earthly lineage of Jesus.

Then we see Jesus, walking through Cana of Galilee.  He had already blessed them at the wedding, where He did his first miracle.  Again He blessed them with His words, "Go your way; your son lives."  Wherever He went, He sowed words of blessing and acts of kindness.  Whoever believed Him reaped God's favor.  Look how much increase had come down through Boaz and Ruth! 

We are part of this lineage of blessing-- through Christ we have been grafted in.  There has been no end to the increase of His Kingdom by His word and His power.  His word is planted in us, and by faith, we can also receive the blessing and give it.  As our character is established in Christ and our obedience is built by training and practice, we should see the same power of God's favor coming from the words of blessing and acts of kindness the Spirit prompts us to sow.  If we could only get a hold of how overly-abundant-beyond-all-we-can-think-or-ask God's favor is through Christ, there would be no lack of provision, no lack of the power of God.

March 30, 2010

I would rather put my efforts into trying to touch Jesus with the faith that it takes to be completely healed, than to spend all my time and money on physicians, only to be disappointed. 

These passages are a pivotal part of the Scriptural core that holds together my belief that Jesus is our Great Physician who we can always turn to for healing of all types.  Of course, we all have to walk in what we have faith for.  The woman above had faith in the doctors, until she realized they couldn't heal her.  When she finally turned to Jesus in faith, He did what they could not do.  I opt to just go to Him.

Jesus is Life.  He can restore life to anything that needs it.

January 21, 2010

I see a deep resonance between the story of Joseph and the story of Jesus. I realize this is not a new revelation, but I'm seeing it a different way than I have before. This might help you if you've been rejected by your family and close relations because of your testimony of Christ.

Joseph was rejected and sold into slavery-- by his brothers. Jesus could not do many deeds of power in his own home town because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58 His own people ended up killing him. But Joseph and Jesus were both raised up to be the savior of their people, and beyond.

Rejection could be the platform from which you are raised up to bring salvation to many. Forgiveness is a deed of power that overcomes.