Today I had my monthly IV drug therapy treatment. It took longer than last time because of my blood pressure. Stephanie and her two boys are visiting for a few days. So, they came to Fort Collins with their cousins from Lakewood to enjoy some time together. We took advantage of the grand opening of a new restaurant in town to sample some of their menu items.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY….. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind…..” Jeremiah 17:9, 10 ESV

How often we have you heard advice given to, “follow your heart.” Doing what you “feel” is right can be dangerous, especially if it goes against what you, “know” is wrong.

In vain we often see individuals comfort themselves and others with, a “as-long-as-you-are-happy” approach to life. When we do that, it elevates personal “happiness” and “comfort” over commitment and doing what is right, even if it creates discomfort, inconvenience or pain.

If we are going to “follow our heart” we must first make sure that our heart is fully following after the Lord. The prophet speaks to God’s people and says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:5 ESV) 

Our heart can be a guide, but it can also be deceitful. Our hearts can be an extension of our “flesh” if we don’t keep its passions and priorities in the right direction. The Lord spoke to King Asa of Judah, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV)

King Asa was for the most part a righteous King. He was successful as he followed the Lord, but he soon ignored the connection between his success and his loyalty to the Lord. He continued to follow his heart, but his heart stopped following the Lord.

Our hearts left “on their own” can be a false and undependable guide. But as the Apostle John declared, “…we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3:20 NIV)

In contrast to trusting “just” our hearts we see the prophet declare the Lord’s message, “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…” (Jeremiah 17:7,8 ESV)

We may not always be able to trust our hearts, but we can always trust the Lord. We can surrender our hearts to the Lord, and allow the One who “knows everything” to “test and know our hearts” and to reveal our hearts to us. That’s the safest place to be.

Prayer for today…. Lord, search our hearts and help us to surrender all that we are, to all that we can to You. Then we can be confident that our hearts are being directed by Your Spirit and not our own desires.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 ESV

Happy July 4th – Independence day! I have been thinking about the parallel between political freedom and spiritual freedom. This verse above is a good one for Paul’s statement, among many others of spiritual freedom from the bondage of law and sin and human efforts to attain salvation.

Thomas Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” is the document signed on this day in 1776 that declared a separation and freedom of 13 English Colonies, from the political ties and the political bondage to Great Britain.

Our history reveals that our political freedom was “declared.” It then had to be “won.” And freedom must also be guarded or maintained.

The 13 Colonies of Great Britain “declared” themselves independent but they really became “free” when the final war for independence was fought on September 3, 1783, followed by the signing of the treaty documents on January 14, 1784.

Finally the Constitutional Convention resulted in the new constitution for the Republic being signed on September 17, 1787.

It as after this convention that a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, “What kind of government have you given us?” He responded, “A republic if you can keep it!”

We then see the greatest test of the nation come in 1860 with the Civil War after the election of Abraham Lincoln. “Four score and seven years” after Thomas Jefferson wrote, “…these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States….” Lincoln pledged on the fields of the Gettysburg battleground, “….that the nation, [conceived in liberty and the proposition all men are created equal] shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Spiritually our freedom in Christ must be declared, secured and maintained. Unlike political freedom, spiritual freedom is not “our” efforts but trusting in that which Christ has provided. However, there must be a desire to secure that life, the gift of freedom from sin and receive life in Christ.

We must understand that the “gravitational’ of the “world” and our own “flesh” as the apostle John describes, as does Paul, constantly “war” against our spiritual freedom. We “hold this truth,” Christ has set us free, or in Paul’s words, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free…” (Galatians 5:1 NKJV)

Liberty spiritually, like freedom politically requires vigilance. We see it in Paul’s words.

“Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be strong, be courageous…” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

“Walk as children of light….and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness…” (Ephesians 5:8-11 ESV)

“…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,  and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV)

 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11 ESV)

Peter says, “…be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

Freedom! It is one thing to declare. It is another to secure. It is another to maintain.

Prayer for today…. Lord, thank You for the freedom we have politically in our nation and for those who have “kept it.” Thank you for winning the battle for our spiritual freedom. Let us be vigilant and eternally grateful for the life that we have in You.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.” 1 Corinthians 4:11-13 ESV

I recall the young man who had great aspirations for ministry. He was impressed by the speakers who addressed hundreds of youth at large conferences and decided, “that is what I want to do!”

Our natural tendency is to focus on status and make “superstars” out of “everyday” people. That is at least what Paul saw happening with the Corinthians and their divisions over who was the “best” of the leaders. What is Paul? What is Apollos? Was it Peter? And then the super-spiritual saw through the shallowness of human comparisons and “one-uped” the others and said, “We are followers of Christ!”

Paul uses an extended discourse to address this issue. I don’t believe we can really appreciate all that was happening in his day with this church. But we do see how Paul responds, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1 ESV)

Regardless of what others said of the leaders of the day, Paul said we are “servants” of Christ and the gospel. He goes on and says, there is one criteria, one requirement that forms the basis of servanthood, “faithfulness!” (1 Corinthians 4:2) As Paul continues we see, “faithfulness regardless of the challenges, obstacles and difficulties that serving Christ brings.

Paul tells the Corinthians that they are the ones who are in the favored position. He says, “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.” (1 Corinthians 4:10 ESV)

It is easy to look at the life of others and believe it to be one that is desirable and “trouble-free.” Even present day ministers that find themselves traveling extensively can be viewed with envy by others that never seem to leave the borders of their own state. However, after a while the lure of “travel” loses its attractiveness.

Paul tells that Corinthians about his life. More to enlighten than to complain. While those in Corinth had homes and a stable source of food and adequate clothing, Paul said, “…we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands.” Perhaps it was a “taste” of this lifestyle that lead young Mark to desert Paul and Silas on their first missionary journey.

Faithful servants must not only be prepared to endure hardship, but they must be prepared to respond spiritually, not react carnally. “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat.” God-honoring responses to others and the situations one can face can be one of the greatest tests of being a faithful servant.

Paul ends by saying, “we have become….like the scum of the world…” Once again Paul is speaking from a “human” perspective. The challenges of life and ministry did not discourage or cause Paul to lose his focus. Even the things in his life that were “resume’ builders” Paul laid aside. He tells the Philippians, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8 ESV)

Paul realized that the “glory” of life is not in this life, but in faithfully serving Christ and trusting each day of our lives to Him. As a matter of fact, the glory in this life will pass away, but the glory that comes from Christ, lasts forever. That is a good for us to remember.

Prayer for today….. Lord, that You for granting us the perspective of life that is needed so we can be prepared to accept all that life brings. Enable us to simple commit to be faithful followers of You and to look forward to the “glory that will be reveal in us.” (Romans 8:18)

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?” 1 Corinthians 3:3 ESV

The contrast between the spiritual and carnal or human nature is observed and commented on throughout scripture. James wrote, “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” (James 3:16 NIV) Paul wrote about the “works” of the flesh in contrast to the “fruit” of the Spirit.

As Paul was encouraging the spiritual growth and vitality of the Corinthians, he was obligated to point out the evidence of their carnal or human way of acting. He offers as evidence “jealousy” and “strife.” It seems that these two are inter-related.

Jealousy is simply a desire for what someone else has. It may be power, position, love, loyalty or money. It not only creates a sense of coveting what others have, but impacts ones attitude and disposition toward others and impacts their own sense of well-being and contentment. We can see jealousy rear its head in the attitudes and conduct of people.

One of the ways jealousy is manifested is in conflict and strife. At times they may not seem related, but if you “uncover the layers” you will often find the “jealous spirit” or attitude that rises to the surface.

We are seeing this played out in our current day in the political arena. The political power and position that was viewed as a “given” to one party is know held by another. That “jealousy” is seen daily in the strife and tensions in our national political arena.

James observed, “…You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.” (James 4:2 NIV)

In Corinth the tension was not jealousy over the standing and popularity of political figures, but of ministers of the gospel. There was an attitude that to be loyal to one minister of apostle required conflict or competition with the others.

Paul calls this the “human way.” It is how people act who have a limited understanding of life and in this circumstance of the gospel and the body of Christ.

Paul points out that division and the “party or groupie spirit” was not the spiritual perspective. It was not the attitude held by the leaders of the day. There was no keeping tabs on who performed the most miracles, secured the greatest number of converts, started the most churches or had the most compelling “preaching style.”

The bottom line was, is the gospel being advanced? Is the kingdom of God expanding? That effort requires an understanding of the various roles that are needed and who plays a certain role in a specific situation. As a result Paul says, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God…” (1 Corinthians 4:1 ESV) Paul was not using a singular “us” in referring to himself, but to Peter, and Apollos and others.

He explains, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered,but God gave the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:5,6 ESV)

Unity, acceptance and understanding is the way of Christ, jealousy, strife and division is the “human way.”

Prayer for today…. Lord, help us to reflect spiritual attitudes and understanding in our lives. Help us to influence the world around with spiritual principles, while we are on guard for “human ways” that want to influence the Church and the lives of Christ followers.