Tag Archives: Luke

A testimony of personal sacrifice

Posted on September 14, 2016 by | Comments Off on A testimony of personal sacrifice
sacrifice

© Rudi Jetten | Dreamstime Stock Photos | 190753

Personal sacrifice. Two of the most difficult words for any Christian. Since 2006 I have come to learn a great deal about my faith in Jesus. I am still learning what it means to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. There’s always been a passage of scripture that I really didn’t understand. It’s found in the gospel of Luke: Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me (Luke 18:22). For years, before and after the date I received Jesus as my Savior, I’ve heard preachers say this verse is really geared to showing God’s hatred of the wealthy. Is that really so?

The ruler can be any of us – so about those possessions?

The verse I shared above has always been applied by most preachers to be about rich people. Jesus also taught, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25). In our society there is a hatred of the wealthy. Even those who do not believe in God or the Bible will use its teachings as means to show how wealth is bad. What is it about personal wealth that God hates?

It is not wealth that is bad; it is the love of wealth where sin resides. All through the Old and New Testaments we see where God has used those who possessed wealth to carry out His goals. In all honesty, While Jesus is teaching about wealth, it is not wealth He is teaching against. Think for a moment about His time with Nicodemus as told in the third chapter of John. No where in the conversation does Jesus condemn Nicodemus for his possessions, position, or wealth. What Jesus is teaching throughout the gospels is anything we value more than our relationship with God becomes sin. While the most obvious is wealth and riches, there are others that we easily place before the Lord.

Within my own life, the Lord has dealt with me about the things I have placed before Him. Everything from jobs, hobbies, education and degrees, personal relationships, and possessions had to be placed in proper perspective when it came to my relationship with the Lord. These were my possessions and like the young ruler, I was hesitant to give them to the Lord.

Personal sacrifice isn’t easy; what’s the price of your soul?

It is a simple and straightforward question. It actually stopped me in my tracks a couple of years back. As I was trying to balance a career with the Boy Scouts of America, plus the demands of family and my personal responsibilities to the Lord, I soon found myself placing my position before both God and my family. It happened gradually and very much unintentionally. I hadn’t realized how far away from the Lord I had gone until the morning I learned that the council I worked for was being merged with another and my position would be ending by the end of that month. As I began to pray to the Lord for guidance in finding a new job, it was then I realized how far and long I had moved spiritually from where the Lord wanted me.

But the personal sacrifices the Lord asking from me didn’t end there. The apostle Paul wrote, Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ (Philippians 3:8). Before he received Christ as his personal Saviour, Paul (Saul) was well-known. He was a man of great power and authority. He had wealth and possessions. When he became a follower of Jesus, he was willing to sacrifice everything for Jesus. He even wrote to the Christians in Rome, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

Personal sacrifice pales in comparison to God’s sacrifice

If God were willing to send His own Son to die in my place, then what right do I have to hold onto things that He has laid on my heart to cleanse from my life? It is hard to forget Paul’s reminder, For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20). Almost six months ago, the Lord began again to work within my heart. Since then, I have gotten rid of about 14 inches of CDs, four movies, and am planning to get rid of more as the spirit leads. Was it hard? Yes, when the Lord first began to lay it on my heart to rid myself of them it was extremely hard. But as I continued in my personal devotions I became more convinced there was more to it.

Personal sacrifice is about our obedience to God. It is about putting our faith in Jesus and accepting His lordship over our lives. We must be willing to give every aspect of our life to His lordship. 

Comments Off on A testimony of personal sacrifice

Posted in Christian Living, My Walk

Tagged , , , ,

False salvation – a warning because I’ve been there

Posted on September 1, 2016 by | Comments Off on False salvation – a warning because I’ve been there

false salvationFalse salvation can happen to anyone. The worst part of all, false salvation can leave a person asking if God is actually real. False salvation does not satisfy the soul but leaves it empty and longing for something to fill it. Yesterday evening, I was on the phone with one of my best friends, Ron. And during that call, he asked me about a recent Facebook post I had made over the weekend about becoming a Christian in 2006. He has known me since 2000 and was surprised to learn that I was not saved. 

False salvation can appear to others as being real

In my own personal story, in 1988 I was looking for answers. My father had moved in the middle of my senior year of high school. That summer, I entered into college and was searching for answers. I knew there was more to life and began to experiment in everything that life on the college campus had to offer. Many people who experience a false salvation have a similar experience. They are aware that there is more out there and search for it. Unfortunately, many real Christians, some are even ministers, have little understanding of how to show someone the way to finding the Jesus of the Bible.  

Within the gospel of John, there’s a key verse: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). When you’re searching for answers and when you know something is missing, it is easy to get caught up in an emotional experience. This is what happened to me. I was already searching, had someone share the gospel with me, then invited me to church. Once in church, I walked down the aisle, knowing in my heart that something was missing. I was simply responding because I knew it was what I was supposed to do. I prayed a certain prayer at the altar with another man of the church – because I was supposed to do it. Later, at the evening service, I was baptized but felt no different on the inside then I had before.

False salvation rejects the discipleship of the Bible

There’s a verse in the gospel of John that goes along with one of the things I had to learn the hard way. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26). When a person has a false profession of faith, no matter how much preaching they hear, no matter how much Bible reading they do, or regardless of how many services they attend, a person who is not saved will never have spiritual growth. Think of it this way, one cannot fill a flower-pot with dirt and expect a plant to grow if there has never been a seed planted.

The writings of Paul discusses the inner spiritual battle Christians have. For the believer, the battle between the sinful nature of mankind and the desire to live as Jesus has called us to do is a real, constant one. For someone who has a false salvation, there is no such battle. There’s the battle of knowing that something shouldn’t be done, but no real guilt afterwards. There may even be a justification along the lines of “God knows I am only human,” or “all Christians struggle with some sort of sin…” It is not a matter of how smart someone is or even if they know what being a Christian means. It is a heart matter. Until someone is truly ready to surrender their entire existence to Jesus, there cannot be any hope of salvation or redemption. Without redemption, there can be no spiritual growth.

False salvation and the fallacy of self-determination

The lost world has a fundamental misunderstanding of Christianity. Its understanding actually impacts how some who self-identify as Christian live their lives. There’s a song performed by Carrie Underwood called, “Jesus, Take the Wheel” that perfectly illustrates what anyone seeking genuine salvation has to do. There’s a couple of verses that comes to mind: Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able (Luke 13:24) and, And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).During His earthly ministry, Jesus was asked how someone could get into Heaven. The gospel of Matthew records Jesus’ response: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Matthew 22:37).

These verses paint a very disturbing picture for someone who has a false salvation. They may have the head knowledge of who Jesus is but their heart remains affixed to this world. They are carnal in their lifestyle and/or in their thoughts. Before I was saved, I wanted to have both – the assurance of an eternal home in heaven and to be able to live my life according to my own terms. I didn’t know it then, but Paul had actually wrote about this very thing: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16). What I didn’t realize at the time was that I really didn’t have the control I thought I had over my life. I was a slave to sin. 

Continued on the next page.

Pages: 1 2

Comments Off on False salvation – a warning because I’ve been there

Posted in Christian Doctrine, Our relationship with God

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Do you have obscured vision?

Posted on May 16, 2016 by | Comments Off on Do you have obscured vision?
© Sjanie Gonlag | Dreamstime Stock Photos

© Sjanie Gonlag  Dreamstime Stock Photos

Obscured vision can keep us from some of life’s most simplest pleasures. As someone who suffers from chronic migraine headaches, there are times where my eyes cannot focus. While others may not know, except for when I grab my bifocals, I do. For me, it becomes difficult to even do the simplest of tasks when I face those moments of having obscured vision. Obscured vision is simply having something, such as a health condition or physical object, that acts as a barrier that keeps us from focusing on a target.

Obscured vision comes from a lack of focus

Within our Christian faith we can also develop obscured vision when we shift our focus away from the things of the Lord. I’m reminded of the verse, No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13). Jesus, in speaking with his disciples, was telling them that either they could follow after Him or follow after the world, but not to do both. Through the scriptures, He calls upon us to do the same thing; as long as our loyalties are divided between this world and following after Jesus, we will always have obscured vision. Paul understood this and wrote, Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier (2 Timothy 2:3-4). He was providing Timothy, and us, with the most important advice to support clear vision – to stay firmly focused on Jesus and the work He has called us to do. He knew that Timothy, or any Christian, would not be effective for Jesus if there were other distractions in his (or our) life.

We live in a world that has an abundance of distractions that can easily give us obscured vision. It is easy to become distracted by a favorite television show, a hobby, and other things that keeps us from focusing on things that strengthen our walk with the Lord. It is easy to become distracted and develop obscured vision when we know we need to read the Bible, spend time in prayer, or share the gospel with others. I think of this passage of scripture: And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.  And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:57-62). 

In the case of the first man, Jesus was warning him that if he was to follow Jesus he wouldn’t have a home in the traditional sense. For many people, and it is no different two thousand years ago than it is today, where they live is decided upon two main factors: where they grew up or where the extended family lives. Please do not underestimate the power of this – when I was in the service I saw a number of marriages end when the spouse would refuse to move to where the Army was sending the wife/husband. For some people, the familiarity and need to have family nearby overrides all else – including the willingness to follow Jesus. The second man wanted to follow but stated he had a family obligation – to go bury his father. Contrast this with Abraham and the testimony that is preserved within the Bible: And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:15-18). It is not that God wants us to forsake our family obligations, but that He wants us to place our family – the ones whom we love – in His hands and simply serve Him. This is exactly what Abraham did. He was determined to fulfill the ultimate sacrifice – the offering of his son – as requested by the Lord. Our desire to follow the Lord should be so strong that we trust Him completely with our family and loved ones. (1)

The third man told Jesus he wanted to go home and tell those there that he was going to follow Jesus. He responds by telling them, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. It wasn’t that the Lord didn’t want this man to bid farewell to his family and friends, but this man was placing that desire above all else, including his following after the Lord. This man didn’t want to postpone his following Jesus for the sake of saying goodbye; he wanted one last day living within his old lifestyle. 

In all three of these men and the lessons as taught by Jesus, He is using these three specific sets of circumstances to warn us about losing our focus on Him. In each case, the Lord is teaching us that if it comes to the choice of where to live or following Jesus, our obvious choice is to follow Him. Missionaries, pastors, and other Christians have answered that call and have moved to locations far from home and although they miss their families and friends, their devotion to Jesus and the desire to answer His call overrides every other concern. He must come first in every aspect of our life; He must come before our family, where we live, what occupation we have, even what our hobbies and recreational activities are. If we want proper perspective in our life’s journey, we must stay firmly affixed to Jesus and not the convenient distractions of this world.

Continued on the next page

Pages: 1 2

Comments Off on Do you have obscured vision?

Posted in Chrisitian Philosophy, Christian Living, Our relationship with God, Our relationships with other Christians

Tagged , , ,