You ever get tired of renting films that you think might be good only to find out you have your money on a movie that stinks? I know I have. Lately, I have been renting quite a few faith-based movies lately and thought I would share some reviews with you. These are all worth watching and are well done, and will stir the heart. Many Christian films that have been done have been of poor cinema quality and looked cheaply made, but not these. These have used small budgets, but have done fairly well at the box office and rentals. The story lines are interesting, and in all these there is an “Andy Griffith Show” feeling I get from watching these taking me back to a time when morals and values were more prevalent in film. They are refreshing, uplifting and films every family and couple should take the time to rent and watch. In this writer’s humble opinion you will not be disappointed.

Facing the Giants

Facing the Giants is the story of a high school football team that has a poor record. Grant Taylor is the head coach for the Shiloh Eagles. They have endured losing season after losing season, and the powers to be are trying to replace Grant as the head coach. As it is with many of us, Grants problems on his job seem to mirror his own personal life. He is financially strapped, does not have reliable transportation and his wife and he cannot conceive a child. Fear and failure have taken ahold of his life and he is in turmoil.

In desperation he calls out to God in his time of need. He decides to begin to give God glory and praise after every game no matter the result. He also exhorts his players with a new coaching philosophy and urges every player to give 100 percent. With God at the foundation of his life and his team things begin to take a positive turn.

God is the God of the impossible and this film will stir your heart as the gifts and goodness of God are played out on the field and in the personal life of coach Taylor and the Shiloh Eagles.

Fireproof

There is a saying among firefighters that goes never leave your partner behind, at his job Caleb lives by that adage.  At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules. His wife Catherine Holt is the daughter of firefighter and married a firefighter just like her daddy. But after seven years of marriage they are looking at getting a divorce.

They argue over jobs, finances, housework, and their life is in shamble. Seeing all this Caleb’s father steps in and issues Caleb a challenge. He challenges Caleb to “The Love Dare” a 40-day experiment. Out of respect for his father Caleb agrees to do it.

While trying to stay true to his promise, Caleb becomes frustrated time and again. But is it too late to rescue his marriage? His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt is ready to face his toughest job ever…rescuing his wife’s love. Catherine doubts Caleb’s honesty in his attempts to win her back, because of his initial lack of effort in completing the Love Dare, but Caleb’s father and his friend Michael encourage not to give up. Michael is used by God to bring Caleb’s heart to the foot of the cross.

Catherine becomes ill and Caleb stays home from work and takes care of her. It is at this point Caleb tells her about the “Love Dare” at which time he then fully apologizes to Catherine for his past selfishness. God opens doors and performs a miracle in their troubled marriage. The couple then renews their wedding vows in an outdoor ceremony, this time as a marriage in covenant with God as the center. A wonderful love story that stirs the heart and shows the ability of God to save any relationship.

The Grace Card

Mac McDonald is a police officer patrolling the streets of Memphis. Seventeen years ago he lost his son to an accident and the bitterness and pain of that event has eroded his love for his family and those around him and has left him leaves him angry with everyone, including God. Mac’s anger is destroying his career in the police department, and his family life is in shambles as he constantly argues with his wife. His family faces financial difficulties and his surviving son Blake is hanging with the wrong crowd and troubles at school.

Mac is partnered with Sam Wright a rising star on the force who is a working pastor and a loving family man. Sam has started a small start-up church, and works as a police officer to provide for the church and his family. Sam and Mac have problems as partners but God will use these differences as a tool to reach Mac.

Enter the Grace Card….This movie shows the power of God’s grace to rebuild relationships and heal deep wounds, giving comfort and restoring joy. There is no greater power than the love of God which will change the life of Mac and everyone who watches this wonderful film.

What If…

Ben Walker was called to be a preacher. But he made a decision fifteen years ago to leave his college sweetheart Wendy, and desert his faith in God in order to follow a lucrative path in the business world. He is a great success in the business world and is a high paid executive with a luxury car and has not set foot in a church in 15 years, and is about to consummate a marriage to a materialistic fiancé.

He is enjoying a joy ride in his new Mercedes when it breaks down out in the countryside. A tow truck driver/mechanic comes to tow his car. The driver is an angelic messenger sent in the form of a mechanic who tells him that he needs to see what his life would have been like had he followed the plan God had for his life. Suddenly in a dramatic life switch Ben wakes up in a new life where he finds his luxury car and trophy girlfriend have become a wife and two children. He finds  himself married to Wendy, getting ready for church on a Sunday morning, where he is the new pastor of a church where he has to deliver the morning sermon. It is comical at times and there is a great theme that warms the heart.

In this new life Ben rediscovers the value of faith and family and God opens a path to restore the broken hearts of his past. This film has a of “It’s a Wonderful Life” theme at its core where Ben learns to appreciate the value of faith and the love in his life. This movie delivers showing that God is a God of love, restoration and reconciliation.

Courageous

As police officers, Adam, Nathan, and their fellow officers protect and serve the public. In this heartwarming film they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared for, being a father, can they serve and protect their families.

Their lives interwoven in this film where fatherhood is at its core, and there are difficulties being a loving father with their children. Can they find a way to reach them with the love a heavenly father as an example? When tragedy strikes one of the fathers, these men bind together as men and fathers renewing their faith, and their fatherhood. They commit to draw closer to God and their children. Together they make a decision that will change all of their lives.

You will find yourself laughing, crying, and cheering as these men in a godly pact aspire to be the kinds of father committed to God living a life that will have a positive and lifelong impact on their children. Courageous is a film that reminds us all, that honor begins at home. This film will bless you.

So like me if you are sometimes is less than thrilled with the current selection offered at your local movie theater, you can watch these films from the comfort of your own home. I rented all these at Redbox, and I can say for the cost of $ 1.20 they are a bargain to say the least. I pray you enjoy these as I did- you will laugh at times, and be teary eyed at others, and be left with a good feeling at the end as you are entertained and God is glorified.

Deuteronomy 32:2

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

What God is teaching here is to allow His Word to fall on our lives like rain, shower after shower, a continuous rain, whose drops are multiplied beyond calculation, upon our lives.

The word of God is powerful when spoken from our lips, and it is suited to every place, occasion, person, and state. Paul said that through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently God spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—His powerful words! Our lives are fed by His Word with His showers of gentle rain, preparing the soil of our lives for the germination of our spiritual grain, and causing His Word like a tender plant to take root in our hearts.

• If you are facing trials and tribulation . . .

Romans 8:38-39

PAUL SAID

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

YOU SAY

None of what I am enduring right now fazes me because Jesus loves me. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, neither my  fears for today nor my worries about tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between me and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced me.

• If you have troubles . . .
  

PETER SAID

1 Peter 4:12-13

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

YOU SAY

I know the painful trial I am suffering through is nothing new, many others have suffered the same and You have rescued them. I am glad that I am able to share in some of the suffering that Christ experienced. I pray Your glory be revealed in me growing more lively and strong, as You are my anchor, sure and steadfast, amidst the greatest storms. I will not be depressed, but I will rejoice and be glad as I realize that this is but a spiritual refining process to my benefit, with Your victory and glory waiting just around the corner.

• If you are troubled and in need of comfort . . .
  

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

PAUL SAID

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

YOU SAY

I give all glory and honor to my God, Abba, the Father of my Master, Jesus my Lord, the Messiah! Lord You are the Father of all mercies! You are my God of all healing counsel! You come alongside me when I am going through hard times, and I delight as You bring me someone else who is going through hard times so that I can be there for that person just as You are there for me. I have plenty of hard times that come as a believer in Christ, but nothing is greater than the good times of Your healing comfort. I will receive a full measure of that comfort from You- pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

• If you are burdened and afraid . . .
  

ISAIAH SAID

Isaiah 41:13

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

YOU SAY

I realize God that you have a firm grip on me and you are not letting go. I will not panic as I realize that You are right here to help me. When I am feeling weak, I know you will strengthen me. When I am ready to fall, You will uphold me with Your right hand which is full of righteousness and love. I know you will help me, You will hold me by the hand in my distress-You will bring me laughter and joy.

• If you are worried . . .
  

DAVID SAID

Psalms 55:22 Cast your cares and worries on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

YOU SAY

God, I commit myself and all my cares and worries to you. I commit everything in my life, my family, my friends, my marriage, my job, and my health, I give them all to you. Things are too much for me to bear and sometimes I feel this weight of worry is about to crush me, so I come and give it all to you. You are my grace and my strength, and You will sustain me no matter what I have to endure. All my pain, sorrow and worries I now lay them at the foot of the cross where You took my burdens and bore them for me on Calvary.  I give it all over to you.

Romans 10:8 The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming.

The word that saves is right here, it is in your mouth, and as close as the heart beating in your chest. Proclaim it in faith God’s word tells us. It’s the word of faith spoken by our lips that welcomes God to go to work and set things right in our lives.  Say the welcoming word to God—“In Jesus name I pray”-speak His word and He will make your words come alive.  You’re not “doing” anything;  you’re simply calling out to God, trusting Him to do it for you. That’s the benefit of His salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right for you, and then you say it, right out loud: “God You have set everything right in my life, all my hope and trust is in You!” Want Life?Just Say the Word!

I Don’t Like Labels

Labels are for filing

Labels are for clothing

Labels are for jars

LABELS ARE NOT FOR PEOPLE!

At any given time you can go to any bookstore and pick up a book on any wide variety of subjects that label people and put them into categories that are convenient for us to define them as being different than “us”.

When we as believers label others who are different than what we perceive to be the norm, we are alienating them and inn essence taking the place of God the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is but another reason why many in the secular world are put off by the Gospel and will have nothing to do with Christianity.

The word of God is direct and straight forth in its direction to believers. We are to help and care for those who are different than us. We are to love them with the love of Christ. We are never to judge them, alienate them, or label them. When we put a label on someone, be they the saved or unsaved we are placing a wedge between us and them. When we labels those that are different than us for lack of a better explanation, we limit the ability of God to work in us a His representatives to the world. We are to be salt and light to the world. We are to be led by the Holy Spirit who in turn draws all unto Christ that redemption might have its way in their hearts.

Man had derived many formulas and test to put labels on individuals so that we, who see ourselves as “different” from them, can learn how to interact with them.

I hate labels.

Labels are not who we are!

Many of us use labels because we lack the spiritual and intellectual ability to care enough to be led by the Lord to love enough to try and understand the complexities of our fellow man.

We as believers use labels to categorize other believers to see if they meet our standard of who we think “we are” in Christ, and who we think they should be in Christ.

And when it comes to labels we don’t have to affix labels to ourselves to let everyone know who we are.

Many of us in Christ tend to label ourselves as spirit-filled, a fundamentalist, a King James only person, a traditional, a contemporary, an evangelical, a legalist, liberal, conservative -etc., but we  do not have to label ourselves as such. If you really are who you want to label yourself as, everyone will know, as the Spirit of God in you will bear witness.

Psalm 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

We are the redeemed of the Lord and as such, the only label we such attach to ourselves is the label of “redeemed”. Everything in us, is of Christ, and everything that we are, is of Christ. As Paul stated it is not I but Christ who lives in me.

We have gotten into the ugly habit in the last century of creating labels and affixing them to people to put them into little boxes that separate them from us and many times negates the need for us to reach outside our comfort zone as an instrument of God to reach someone who is hurting and in need.

We can say, he is a drunk, a drug-user, she is a prostitute, an adulterer, a narcissist, a hypocrite etc., the list can go on and on. We use labels as smear words instead of pleading the blood over the lives over individuals.

We can instead use positive epithets to release the power of God to work and heal lives

Instead of saying they are such a failure- We can proclaim in Christ that they can overcome. Though the conflict in their life may be hard, and they be cast down, the Lord will rise up for them to overcome. Our faith in Christ, the source of victory, may we be used as the instrument in Christ to help them overcome.

1 John 5:4 For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

Instead of saying that person is unfriendly, mean and a loser with no friends, we can share that our Lord Jesus never will forsake His children who trust in and love him. He love all His own which were in the world. He loved us all, even unto death upon the cross. He is a friend indeed.

Proverbs 18:24 You are a friend who sticks closer to me than a brother.

There are those among us with failed relationship, broken hearts and marriages that sometimes find themselves broken and lonely. Instead of saying that they deserve to be alone, because they were unfaithful or abusive, we can bless them with the comfort Christ offers. This promise contains the sum and substance of all the promises; to I will never, no, never leave thee, no, never forsake thee. In the original there are no less than five negatives put together, to confirm the promise to those who are washed in the Blood of the Lamb have the gracious assurance of the presence of God with us, in life, at death, and forever more. That is a comfort that many a broken heart needs to hear.

Psalm 119:76 May your unfailing love be my comfort.

When using terminology to describe someone we are to use the examples given in God’s word to affix to them.

Man uses negative connotation almost always when attaching labels to someone, whereas God uses positive epithets to describe His children. Let us take the example of King David.

We all know that David committed adultery, and murder, as his list of sins is quite lengthy. Today’s society would label him as an adulterer, a murderer, possibly a narcissist, egomaniac, etc. But God takes a different view of His child.

Sweet Psalmist of Israel (2 Sam. 23:1)

These are the last words of David: “David, the son of Jesse, speaks–David, the man who was raised up so high, David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, David, the sweet psalmist of Israel.

Here we see David, as a worshiper, the sweet psalmist, anointed of God, and raised up by God.

A man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14).

The LORD has sought out for Himself David, a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people.

This here is the epithet for which David is most remembered.  He was called a man after God’s own heart because of his faithfulness, devotion and his broken spirit toward God in the repentance for his sins.

God attaches to us epithets of blessings not labels of shame.  He calls us

His child. John1:1

 His friend. John 15:15

 His heir. Romans 8:17

 His new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17

His righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21

His chosen, being holy, and blameless. Ephesians 1:4

His redeemed and forgiven. Ephesians 1:7

His member of Christ’s body and a partakers of His promise. Ephesians 3:6, 5:30

His overcomers . 1 John 5:4.

His chosen. 1 Thessalonians 1:14.

I hate labels, ESPECIALLY in the body of Christ.  We as human seem to like labels as we are constantly inventing new ones every day, and I am not sure how much good if any they do us. One thing attaching labels does do is creates a “ME” vs.  “THEM” mentality.

People will always look to label; but the great thing about those labels is that they can be peeled off. And God is the one that will peel them off. Labels are placed on others mostly by those with uneducated affirmation, ignorant accusations, and by narrow minded critics.

We need to stop worrying about attaching labels and start letting Jesus fix people’s lives as we open our hearts and minds and become instruments of His mercy. We need to let the love of Christ in us work through us to start and transforming the lives of those around us.

God shows us in

Isaiah 58:6-7

“This is the kind of fast day I’m after:  to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts.

What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families.

Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage.

Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.

The only “label” that matters is the label that God defines us by, and that is the only one that matters in eternity, and that is the label of REDEEMED.

A New Heaven and New Earth-The New City

When time as we know it comes to an end, and the earth as we know it is no more, everything that exists will have changed. For starters,  Satan and all of the demons of hell, along with all of humanity that have rejected Christ and the grace that he offers will have been cast into the Lake of Fire. At that time, those who have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb will now reign and occupy their new home; their reward for their faithfulness—the New Heaven and New Earth.

All the saints of the ages, and those alive now and in the days to come will find themselves at that time living and worshiping with the Lord in this New City.

There will be a 1000-year Millennium Kingdom, and it is during that time Jesus will come down from Heaven and rule from the city of Jerusalem in Israel.

When we get the New Heaven and New Earth – we will now get Heaven itself with all its glory, its angelic host and the Lord God Himself, literally coming down from Heaven to this New City—living and dwelling with the redeemed for all of eternity.

Let us take a look at some of the marvelous attractions and wonders that we will experience in the New City.

Here are some of the things that we have to look forward to in that New City; the main attractions if you will . . .

The earth as we know it will be gone. The changes will be dramatic. Everything that now exists will no longer be a part of our reality. The atmosphere will change, climates will change, and all weather will change. There will be a new earth and a new atmosphere. Currently almost 70% of the earth is covered by water.  Lake Erie will be gone, as well as the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and all the rest of the large masses of water across the world.  They will no longer exist.

Revelation 21:1

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had PASSED AWAY. Also there was no more sea.”

Next time you get a chance to enjoy the beauty of a full moon, spend the time to take it in because in the New City, there will be no more viewing of the moon, because there will be no more night. The forecast will be Son-shine, Son-shine and MORE Son-shine.  It will be light at all times. The light of the sun will no longer illuminate our planet for in that New City the glory of the Lord will light up our new abode with an illumination that is greater than the sun and all the stars. There will be not be a physical structure for a temple because God and Jesus will now be the temple as they abide and dwell in each one of us.

Revelation 21: 22-25

“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple. And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb its light.

And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).

In that New City there will be no more funerals,  as death and all its grasp over humanity has been cast in to the Lake of fire with Satan, and the Adamic curse will have been broken and removed forever.

Revelation 22:3

And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

One of the most traumatic experiences that we as humans face in addition to death is the pain and suffering that we watch our loved ones endure, and that we ourselves suffer through here on earth. All of that will be gone. Hallelujah is all I can say. No more headaches, backaches, heartaches, suffering, crying, sadness, or pain. Disease, sickness, mortality—Gone, gone, and more gone. Our bodies with all its frail design that breaks down and hurts and suffers will be no more. Those in wheelchairs here on earth will no longer need them in that New City. All manner of physical deformities will no longer exist. We will all be the recipients of brand new—designed by God himself—glorified, spiritual bodies. Did you know that our new glorified bodies will not have tear ducts, because every tear will be wiped away.

Revelation 21:4

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

The Bible tells us that the New City will be come down directly from heaven.  It will be in the shape of a square.  The base of the new City will literally be 1500 square miles wide—from north to south, and east to west. It will cover an area almost ¾ as large as the contiguous United States, and with all the extra room without seas or lakes to occupy the space, everyone will have plenty of room.

We all marvel at the great architectural feats of man throughout history—from the great pyramids, to the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower,—but they will pale in comparison to The New City, whose walls are made of jasper, and the city itself formed from pure gold. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world at 2717 ft., slightly more than half a mile high. The New City is 1500 miles high, talk about a skyscraper, it will be 2914 times taller than the tallest structure on earth. The foundations of the walls of the New City will be adorned with all kinds of precious stones—jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, etc.  You get the point.  The Bible tells us there will be 12 foundations each made from a precious stone.  This beauty is unimaginable, and my human mind is unable to comprehend its fullness.

There will be 12 gates in this New City, all being made of solid pearl.   There will be no potholes in the streets of The New City as they are all made of pure gold.  There will be 3 gates each to the north, south, east, and west.

Revelation 21:2

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Revelation 21:10-21

 “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

And she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as its breadth . . . And the construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”

We, the redeemed of the blood of the Lamb will be the temples of God as Jesus dwells in us in the New City. God will walk among us as a father does in his own home caressing and caring for us, His children. Many of us have warm fuzzy memories of our father coming home from work as we would run to the front door to great him, as hugs from dad were the highlight of our day. This will be a constant occurrence for us, his children, as we are loved in the arms of our heavenly Father. We will be exceedingly glad.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. Revelation 21:3

The big question Is . . . Who all will live in the New City?

Not sinners, not those whose mind and conscience are defiled. Those whose conversations are filled with lies and deceit will not enter there; neither will those who are self-righteous, filled with their own glory. The New City will be filled with those whose righteousness is as filthy rags, only those will be admitted who are washed in the blood of Christ, and wrapped in His righteousness, and as so are found without spot or wrinkle.  The blood of Christ Jesus is the ink that fills the quill that will write the names of those that are entered into the Lamb’s Book of Life. It is only by that blood we are redeemed, and it is only by that blood that we gain entrance to the New City.

No one unclean, or anyone who does anything detestable, and no one who tells lies will ever enter it. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter it. (Revelation 21:27)

I remember my children were small as they used to play with water paints. I remember taking water colors and writing on my daughter’s forehead “Daddy’s girl”. I can only imagine God inscribing on my forehead with the glorious colors of Heaven, with  my new name written by His hand on my forehead, “Abba’s boy” Darrell or whatever NEW NAME He bestows on me; What a glorious day that will be!

 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. And they shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:4-5)

1 Corinthians 10:33

I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

God is asking us here to be an example to the world, to show ourselves as an extension of our Lord to love and care for others. We are to be faithful servants of Christ Jesus and stewards of the glorious grace that has been given unto us.

In Christ, as we minister to the unsaved, we are not to use God, the church, or our faith as a means of personal profit. Grace has been given unto us that we might impart that of which we have partaken and share it with others in need of salvation. Grace has not been so wonderfully poured out in our lives that we use it to seek our own profit. We are not to use our salvation as an instrument to obtain worldly profit and advantage, riches, or wealth. There are those within the Body of Christ who use the grace of our Lord as a tool for their own profit to obtain the rewards of life, ease, rest, and pleasure. That is not the purpose for which the blood of Christ was poured out, and those who in vanity, selfishness and pride misuse and apply God’s grace for their own agendas will be cast out as pure evil at judgment.

Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, ‘My Lord, my Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name have cast out demons, and have done many mighty works in your name. Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

My personal version of Matthew 7:22-23 reads:   Many will say to me on that day ’My Lord, My Lord,  have we not preached and held large conferences/crusades with thousands in attendance proudly distributing programs with your name printed on every page,  and  on our cable television shows have we not cast out demons and healed the sick by  asking viewers to lay hands on their television sets—as we prayed with them in your name, and have we not sold millions of books, DVDs and CDs using your name, often giving free CDs for a love offering of any amount to support our ministry—all these things in your name. Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

I’m not saying that all television, cable, crusades, and media ministries are inherently evil.  The Bible says that by their fruits we shall know them—not by their jets, their large homes, or their bank accounts.  I’ll leave it at that.  You be the judge . . . No, let God be the judge.

God will bless His word and the testimonies of the words, preaching and ministry of those who use the Gospel for their own selfish gains: but He will never esteem them. Those who seek their own at the expense of the blood of Christ and precious souls are destitute of the spirit of His Gospel, unholy in their hearts, and unrighteous in their conduct.

As I look around me, in pulpits and on the airways I see many that appear as prophets in their own pulpits; how many writers, teachers, pastors, and other evangelical spokesmen, the miracles and teachings of whose ministry, learning, and words, we admire, who are nothing, and worse than nothing before God, because they perform not His will, but their own?

What a terrible consideration, and a blasphemy of God’s grace that there are those that God has bestowed such eminent gifts, whose ministries are sources of blessings received by believers, should be only as a guide in the way to eternal salvation in Christ, as they point out the way to others, without walking in it themselves!

We as recipients of the greatest gift ever given are to be servants unto the gospel and its purpose. Paul says, “I do what is best for others so that many may be saved”.

Paul neglects his own personal agenda, and anything else that would be an offence to others, or a hindrance to the Gospel for the means of promoting the spiritual profit and edification his fellow-man, that they might be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. We are to follow this example that we might instruments of His grace for the spiritual good and salvation of the lost, by preaching the Gospel to them without having our own personal agendas and visions of personal profit from the presentation of the blood of Christ.

There are ministers and proclaimers of grace that have promoted themselves to “rock star” status as they are carted around the world in their private jets and chauffeured limousines, placing themselves far above those in the body that they are called to serve, giving away signed photographs of themselves, engrossed in their self-promotion and personal agendas.

But not Paul . . .

I dare say that there is not one among us that has the power of the calling and the ministry of Paul; and how did he act? He emptied himself and humbled himself for the glory of His risen Savior.

We see in Paul a noble act of self-denial and true greatness! How worthy of the grace that he received. What a great an example we have by his conduct. How noble, generous, and kind as his desire was to give to others. The grace of the Lord in him produced a nobleness of heart that resulted in his own personal sacrifice for the happiness of all those he came in contact with.

I have read stories of men and women in the early church that sold themselves into slavery that they might have access to share the gospel with the enslaved. I am humbled by these examples of such personal loss and humility to the cross, that the gospel and the richness of salvation might be shared with the lost.

1 Corinthians 9:22

To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

I am made all things to all men –We can take this example and apply it to our own lives as instruments of His grace. In grace Paul shows as here that he gave up his own will, his own way, his own ease, his own pleasure, and his own profit, that he might save the souls of all that his ministry came into contact with. We are to be observant to follow this example, the end result and the manner in which he pursued his ministry and walk with Christ. It was not to get wealth, fame, endorsements, or honor, but to bring salvation to the lost! His ministry was not to enrich and glorify his own life, but rather his life was given as a sacrifice for grace that he had received for the sole purpose of those that were lost.

It is the glory of a believer, layman and minister to deny themselves that they may serve Christ and to reach the lost and save souls. Doing good in humility and kindness for the sake of others is to be the business of our life, that we might be like Paul, emptied vessels for His purpose to reach a lost and dying world, for His glory and not our own . . . In His Name.

John 3:30

King James

He must increase, but I must decrease.

New International Version

He must become greater; I must become less

New Living Translation

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

International Standard Version

He must become more important, but I must become less important.”

He must increase – his authority and influence in our lives, our thoughts, our words, and our actions must grow.

John the Baptist understood the Kingdom principle of Christ as being the Lord of His life and realized that in order to fulfill God’s will for His life that the things that were important to him had to take a back seat to the calling that God had placed on His life.

We must decrease – The purpose of our lives is to point the world towards Him. We are not to form religious affiliations to glorify ourselves, or to set up a religion of our own.  As the light from the evening moon fades away and is lost in the rays of the rising sun, who we are in the flesh is to fade away in the glory of His light. It should be an honor for any one of us, to accept in humility, and with a willingness to be esteemed as nothing–if we can honor Christ.

The greatest honor that any one of us can have is that we are permitted to lead sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing so honorable, and that will bring more joy, both in heaven and here on earth as sharing Christ and the gospel. We find our greatest purpose and honor as we stand near the Son of God, leading the perishing to His cross.

Any one of us–be we a person or a ministry–that has selfish ambitions for personal, financial gain, or self-promotion from the presentation of the gospel and under the guise and cover of Christianity is in danger of eternal damnation. There are many who promote a form of “Self Christianity”–a perverted presentation of that gospel which glorifies themselves and their ministry all the while using Christ as a tool for their own purpose, for their own glory, when in fact we are to be His tools for His purpose, and for His glory.

It is not only in the ministry that we find this taking place. In the flesh we are drawn to find our own self-worth and our own self-importance.  If we, however, use our identity–use our “self”–to reflect the grace we have received in Christ Jesus, interacting with our family, our church, friends, and relationships, replacing Jesus as Lord with our own ambitions and our own needs as Lord; that at its heart, is another form of idolatry, no different from adultery, physical abuse, or bowing before a statue of Buddha.

Many unbelievers observing this is in us, do not reject Christianity, but the “Self Christianity” they see in us. We, with our own flesh, become the stumbling block of others coming to know Jesus Christ, eclipsing His glory with our worship of our own self-importance instead of that of the Son of God. When unbelievers are around you, what emanates from your words and actions? Is it you or Jesus Christ?

Much of the world has become polluted with the “Self Christianity” version of the gospel, so much so that we now have ordained openly homosexual priests and ministers proclaiming their perverted version of the gospel.  I recently read an article discussing whether or not to accept atheists as chaplains in the military. There are numerous ways to pervert the message of the cross, but there is only one way to follow Him and that is in righteousness and truth.

To help us with this dilemma, Paul gives us the formula to overcome this syndrome.

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20

There is a humility–an emptying of ourselves–when we crucify our flesh, our carnal man, our own selfish wants and desires with Christ, which results in a divine liberation that comes with understanding of what it means to crucify yourself with Christ. Let’s look at our own Lords example:

Philippians 2:5-8 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,  being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!

You can begin this process of taking on the same attitude that Paul instructs us to take here in Philippians by acknowledging your own “human feelings or emotions”—all of them: the good, the bad, and the ugly. See them for what they are in truth to yourself and before the Lord… Look clearly at the hurts and wounds you have suffered at your own hands and from the hands of others, such as lies, deceit, game-playing, manipulation, and hypocrisy, etc., and crucify them with Christ. Look at you own natural defenses, be honest with yourself and offer that person before the Lord and His mercy. Let Him open your eyes and free you from yourself: Let Him become your fulfillment.

Turn away from all the carnal, anti-Christ satisfactions of the secular world that is pushing Jesus from the center of your life and replacing Him with “you”.  Surrender your will to Him so He can renew you.  Let Him be Lord of who you are.

Ephesians 4:18-24 Some have a dark understanding and are separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of hardened hearts- they’ve lost all sensitivity and they are given over to sensuality and indulge in every kind of impurity. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. You have heard and know the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is corrupted by its deceitful desires; be made new in the attitude of your minds; put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Here is what Paul is saying, die to your “self”, reduce who you are, and increase who He is. That’s what being “born again” is all about: putting away the old self, along with all its illusions, and putting on a new self, a new creation in Christ. And in doing this, even as our Lord was, you become an instrument of God’s will, dedicating your being, your talents, and completely becoming His servant for His benefit and the benefit and salvation of others and their needs.

Mark 8:34-37 Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

When we die to ourselves we no longer have to wrestle with selfishness that can impede the effectiveness of His Spirit in our lives, which compromises our contribution to the Body of Christ.  Fear in the flesh becomes nullified when we realize that we have nothing to lose (we are dead); we have been crucified with Christ.  God requires that we live boldly for him in each area of our lives.  This can only be accomplished by truly dying to ourselves. As you submit yourself to Christ, and reduce who you are, He increases. And in Christ . . .

• We have direct access to the throne of grace through Christ Jesus
• We are assured that God works for our good in all circumstances.
• We have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
• We have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.
• We are born of God and the evil one cannot touch us.
• We are God’s temple.
• We are seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
• We can do all things through Christ, who gives us strength.
• We are Strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might

Genesis 21:6

Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

When we laugh, everything in our mind that can bring us down, and all sorrow is removed. Laughter itself is so powerful that it will engulf all of our senses when experienced, while overwhelming us with its presence, and submitting us to its delight. Thank God for His wonderful gift of laughter.  – Darrell Creswell

Louis Armstrong once sang-

When you’re smiling……When you’re smiling

The whole world smiles with you

When you’re laughing…….When you’re laughing

The sun(or Son) comes shining through

There is great joy and expectation when God comes into someone’s life—when they are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Genesis likens this experience as being like that of a child being born to a woman who had not previously had any children. The birth of the new child changed EVERYTHING. God brought her laughter, signifying great joy in her life.

There are few expectations in the Bible that came with the wonder of the birth of Isaac. He was born according to the promise, born when it was considered impossible by man—given the circumstances. Sarah was old and barren. She was well past child-bearing age.  According to the human condition and time table, it was impossible for Sarah to conceive a child—but God’s time is not man’s time.

God’s promises and mercies will certainly come at the time which He sets, and only He knows what is the best time for you to receive them. Sarah named her son Isaac, the word translated literally means laughter.  When we receive great blessings, and happiness comes into our hearts by the wondrous gifts from God, and joy and comfort rises in our soul, it is good to remember how the beginning of the situation was when we first received our promise.

When Sarah received the promise, she laughed mockingly with distrust and doubt. She could not believe that such a thing was possible. When God gives us the joy and happiness—by His mercies which we so long for in life, when we have doubted and distrusted His promises—we ought to remember, with sorrow and shame, our distrust of His promises.  We ought to remember that when we wanted them, we pursued them in our own fashions—not waiting on God in His wisdom to fulfill His designs for our life, in His timetable. God’s fulfillment of His promise filled Sarah with joy and wonder.

God’s promises to us will always surpass our own thoughts and expectations: We cannot even imagine that He will do so much for us, we who deserve so little. Who could have imagined God would send his Son to die for us, give us redemption by that death through His Spirit to make us holy, and even submit His angels to our care to watch over us? Who could have imagined that all the great sins of humanity would be pardoned by the Creator of all that exists and such worthless worms such as you and I would be taken into covenant with Him and adopted as His own children? That alone should bring great joy and laughter always into our lives and fill our mouths with praise. Sarah finally understood that when God says it, believe it, He will perform it as she exclaimed “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” I am smiling with Sarah now, thousands of years later, still rejoicing in the goodness of God.

What God’s word is shows us here is that God brings joy into our lives and to all those around us. Likewise, when Christ becomes a reality to you, redeeming you from sin, He will bring joy and laughter into your life. The existence of the blood of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit working in your life will add a whole new dimension to your life. Your life will be changed, and as your life is changed you will begin to influence and change those around you—not only in your own life, but in the lives of those at your job, your family, and your church.

There is such a revolutionary change that occurs inside a person when they are redeemed, that they cannot just “add Jesus”, and carry on with their lives doing things the same way they have been. It is no longer “business as usual”. When Jesus becomes Lord in a person’s life, everything, and I mean “everything” changes. If you were not expecting good things to come your way before you accepted the Lord, that is about to change. You can begin to look forward with excited optimism to more—to feeling more, experiencing more, living more, and sharing more. Your life will become more of a blessing to those around you. Why is that, you may ask? Because a life in Christ Jesus is a richer, fuller, more fulfilling, and satisfying life. He wants to bring you laughter and joy.

Instead of the old weight of sin that used to weigh you down, and cause chaos and heartache in your life, you can now begin to look forward to, and expect blessings in, your life. And there is an added bonus. When the blood of Jesus takes hold in your life, all of a sudden your life begins to bless others’ lives. As you begin to interact with those on your job, interact at home with your family, and interact with those in your church, the love of Christ and the power of God will begin to be demonstrated in your life, affecting everyone around you.

We can see in this scripture that there is joy and laughter as God adds to your life and brings about change through His promises. Change for today. Change for tomorrow.  God is saying that you have a new birth, be excited about it. Expect miracles. Expect growth. Things are going to happen. Make room for more births into the kingdom of heaven. Start doing something, start enlarging and expanding your way of thinking. You are a child of the King, a representative of the Living God, and He is going to give you great joy, peace, and laughter if you can wrap your mind around what he wants to do in your life.

How do I know? Because His Word says that He said so! He tells us in His Word to move ahead and experience the power of the living God in our lives. He is saying, do not believe small for you are in the service of the Almighty God, equipped by the blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, so “Believe Big”. And as you use this kingdom principal things are going to happen, there is going to be growth in your personal life, more abundance in your family life, and as you share Him, He will bring joy and laughter to your life, and to the lives of those around you.

Everything depends on you! If we move and act by His Spirit working in our lives and allow ourselves to become engulfed in His glory, and submissive to the work He has called every believer to, we can shake up our entire nation—we can bring life and joy in our city. Instead of sitting around saying, “Oh I’m just so glad to be saved”, he compels us to take action and move forward. We have His assurance that if we will just act, do something; if we will just stretch out in faith, He ensures us that we will never be embarrassed, we will not fail, God will perform upon our actions. So do not hold back in your life. Expect great things to happen as you began to share with others the power of the living God that is inside of you, spreading the joy and laughter with others that He has given you.

Do you want to see God in action; do you want to see the power of the living God? Do something as his conduit; don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed. Stretch out; don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short; it is all up to you. God is looking for you to just believe, to follow His instruction, and when you do, He will rock your world and the world of those around you—if you will just have faith in Him and receive His promises into your life. He will perform His promises in your life, and just like Sarah, you will say “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

When we laugh in His joy, everything in our mind that can bring us down or bring us sorrow is removed. Laughter itself is so powerful that it will engulf all of our senses when experienced, overwhelming us with its presence, submitting us to its delight. Thank God for His wonderful gift of laughter.  – Darrell Creswell

Philippians 3:13

Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and pressing on toward what is ahead.

Paul is stating here there is but this one thing I do; there is this one thing I am intent upon; that I constantly attend to, and that I earnestly pursue. He is showing us that it is to be the main principal thing that we are to set our hearts and minds upon, and we should let it permeate every fiber of our being. It should be at the center of all of our thoughts, desires, affections, time, and efforts.  It is more important than whatever gifts, or honors we may have receive. Paul is showing us that we should consider everything as incomplete till we have finished our course, received our crown, and have our bodies raised and fashioned after His glorious body.

This one thing I do – This is to be as it is the sole business and purpose of our life. We are to forget those things which are behind us, things we have been through, good and bad, and press forward. Our purpose is not influenced by that of others as we consider our calling, our Lord, and our end. As the world around us wastes its time in frivolous affairs and trifle pursuits, we are to have none of it as eternity is at hand and at stake. The past is gone and eternity with Christ is before us.

The one thing- Forget the past.

 Forget and let go of past heartaches

Forget and let go of past painful relationships

Forget and let go of past memories that sadden and hurt you

Forget and let go of old attachments that bind and restrict your heart

Forget and let go of thoughts from the past that bring you bitterness, pain and anger

The Psalmist said it best in Psalm 27:4 I have asked one thing from the LORD. This I will seek, to remain in the LORD’s house all the days of my life in order to gaze at the LORD’s beauty and to search for an answer in his temple.

In the secular world people will tell you that what has happened to you in the past is the determining factor for the direction of your future. If you came from a broken home, a home of alcoholism or drugs, that these factors will determine the future for your life. We are told if we had abusive parents, found ourselves in trouble with authorities as a youth, these conditions and action will decide our future as we struggle to deal with our past.

But we as Believers, those who have been redeemed by the blood of the precious Lamb, live in liberty and freedom from the conditions of our past because Jesus Christ through His sacrifice has overcome our past. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17-This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.

There is such a revolutionary change that occurs inside a person when they are redeemed, that they cannot just “add Jesus”, and carry on with their lives doing thing the same way they have been. It is no longer business as usual. When Jesus becomes Lord in a person’s life, everything, and I mean “everything” changes. If you were not expecting good things to come your way before you accepted the Lord, that is about to change. You can begin to look forward with excited optimism to more. To feeling more, experiencing more, living more and sharing more. Your life will become more of a blessing to those around you. Why is that you may ask? Because a life in Christ Jesus is a richer, fuller, more fulfilling, and satisfying life.

Instead of the old weight of sin that used to weigh you down, and cause chaos and heartache in your life, you can now begin to look forward to, and expect blessings in your life. And there is an added bonus. When the blood of Jesus takes hold in your life all of a sudden your life begins to bless others lives. As you begin to interact with those on your job, interact at home with your family, and interact with those in your church, the love of Christ and the power of God will begin to be demonstrated in your life affecting everyone around you.

The miraculous event of salvation in our lives means that in the eyes of God the sins we have committed he has completely wiped away they have been totally forgive. This tremendous gift that God has given us through His Son Jesus Christ is so powerful that all our sins are completely removed from the memory and knowledge of our Creator.

Isaiah 43:25“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.

The author of this, the greatest of all gifts, the eternal blessing of grace is the Lord, is the great I am, “I, even I am He”;

I am He who has been so mistreated by humanity

I am He whose commandments have been broken repeatedly;

I am He and who is the Lawgiver that is able to save or destroy;

 I am He and who hates and abhors sin, and yet who is fair and just; and yet freely forgiving all sin

We are the recipients of the greatest honor ever bestowed; God gives us forgiveness and it is an honor to Him to do so, for none can forgive sins but Him. God forgives sin for his own sake; it is not procured by anything that any one of us can do, or by anything we deserve. It is not by our riches, not by our righteousness, not by our works or good deeds, not by our obedience to any laws or commandments; it is not for the sake of these things that the Lord forgives sin, but it is for His own sake, and the sake of His Son, our Lord and Redeemer Christ Jesus. His gift to us is unmerited and distinguishing grace; it flows freely from the grace of God; it is through the blood of Christ Jesus. To read these words here in Isaiah make my heart leap with joy, for we are forgiven according to the riches of His grace and mercy.

We as humans are not able to wipe away the memories of our past as easily as God does, but we are not to be controlled are motivated by the sins or conditions of our past as we are a new person in Christ and our future is filled with hope in Him.

The eyes of the world and the secular community focus on overcoming. We as Believers need to focus on what we are becoming. As we follow Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives we are being conformed to the image of Christ. In Christ as the Holy Spirit works in our lives; all hurts, injustices, pain and abuses of our past will eventually be addressed, healed and comforted by our Lord. What a wonderful blessing this is. As we now walk in Christ our future shines so bright and is full of hope, richness and the excitement. Living a life that has been redeemed is far greater than anything that happened in our past.

If you have problems dealing with and overcoming your past, simply pray and ask the Lord to open your eyes so that you may be able to see the wonderful and incredible future that lies in front of you, here in this life and the life to come. May your vision of your future be transformed and be as Paul’s as he wrote in the beginning of the piece…. Forget the past, let go of all the things that would take away your joy and happiness and set your mind upon Him and let Him give you all the happiness you so richly deserve as a recipient of the greatest gift ever given, God’s grace in Christ Jesus.

 Proverbs 16:2 -  A person’s ways may be pure and innocent in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.

I find that it is in our nature to easily and quickly question the motives of other people; while at the same time we are slow to question our own. Many times when we are offended by others, we quickly assume that their motives were intentional and hurtful. Yet when the situation is reversed and we are the ones that have offended we many times are quick to make excuses for our offense, believing that others are just too sensitive.

We may do things that we believe are proven and true, but we are to be reminded that God is the judge of our motives, as He weighs the spirit of a person. What this means is that He searches and tries each one of our hearts, thoughts, and minds. It is God—and God alone—that sees all, and knows all. He sees, and knows all of our actions. He observes what is the nature and quality of all that we do. It is God, and God alone, that stands with a pair of scales in his hands, weighing precisely our deeds, our intentions, and the results of same. He is omniscient and He judges based on truth and justice, in the balance of the sanctuary, according to His righteousness.

We as believers are to seek Him to have our hearts and minds stayed on Him, and as we interact with the hearts of others, we are to do so as directed by His faith and His love. Being that we are born of a carnal nature, and limited in our own natural wisdom, we many times can only see as far as our own hands when judging ourselves and our own actions. Regardless of how we monitor and perceive our own motives, He will examine our motives in His wisdom.

I have had people ask me, “is it possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason?” The answer is, yes it is possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason.

We read in Isaiah where people were attending worship services, but worshiping God with unclean hearts. They were doing the right thing, but for the wrong reason. God tells them in Isaiah 1:15

When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.

God replies here, and in many of the following verses, that worship and “playing church” will not be acceptable to Him unless it is a pure, unadulterated offering from the heart. He demands righteousness from us—His children. That righteousness, in and of ourselves, we cannot obtain. It is only in the blood of Christ Jesus where can find cleansing and forgiveness of our sins. It is by His blood we are atoned and able to stand before God as we are covered by the blood of the Lamb. We must come before God in the righteousness of Christ—without this, all external offerings and worship are in vain.

We read of such people in Proverbs 30:12- There are those who are clean in their own eyes, but are not washed of their filth.

God seeks the offerings of pure worshippers; those whose hearts and minds are stayed on Christ, and are walking in relationship with Him. He does not desire—nor will He hear or accept—worship or sacrifice from the hypocritical and the profane, regardless of their actions, no matter how right they might seem to man.

Although they were going to church because it was the right thing to do, they were just going through the motives, but God knew their hearts, and saw the truth of their motives. God instructed them before they were to come and pretend to worship Him, to first wash their hearts and make them clean before Him. He tells them to stop living unclean lives, and to stop intentionally doing wrong and evil deeds. The sentiment here is, that because they indulged in sin, and came—even in their prayers—with a determination still to indulge in it with unclean hearts and impure motives, God would not hear them.

Psalm 66:18 : ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me;’

This is the reason why many prayers are not heard –we must come before our Lord, in pureness of heart and with actions that are motivated by innocent thoughts and desires. The truth is abundantly taught in God’s Holy Word, that if we will forsake our sins, and come before Him, honestly and humbly; our sin, no matter how great, is no obstacle to forgiveness.

He instructs them to clean up their hearts and motives, and He will help them, and in return forgive their sins. God instructs them to “learn to do right” in Isaiah 1:17, and in then in verse 18 He says-

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall become as white as snow.

We are able to kneel at the altar and sacrifice of Christ Jesus, and to bathe our sin in the fountain of his blood. We are able to find our righteousness in virtue and efficacy of his blood and sacrifice. We are recipients of God’s grace and mercy through Christ, and we are promised in His Word that He will forgive us if we repent and confess before Him our sin. God reasons with all of us in His Word to see the sacrifice of Christ and to be sensible, humble, thankful, and to partake of His covenant promises and proclamations to forgive sin.  In pureness of heart, and with innocent motives, we receive His grace over sin; we receive the righteousness of Christ to justify, we receive his blood to cleanse from sin, and we receive his sacrifice to atone for it.

Then we are the children of God in Christ, washed in his blood, and clothed with his righteousness. God seeing no iniquity in us, He will deal graciously with us, and we will be found without fault, spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.  It is then we can stand and worship before God and freely receive.

Let us be reminded that many things can cause us to do what we do. We have the choice to let our actions be motivated by compassion, love, and faith—rather than selfish motives such as pride, lust, greed, and personal ambition.

James 4:3   You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures.

As we read in Isaiah 1, we can do the right things based on the wrong motives, and this is unacceptable to God. Let all we do be based on the love that we have freely received from Christ, and in all our actions and motives let it be that love that is our guide. Let us stop and check our actions and motives to see what lies behind them as we interact with God and others. Let us ask God what He sees in us when he weighs our motives.

1 Corinthians 16:14 -Let all that you do be done from motives of love.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

We are bombarded by the media in commercials, ads, books, magazines, etc. to examine ourselves and our lives and to be dissatisfied with what we see. We are constantly bombarded with things that will make our life better and more complete and content. We are shown how much our lives could be if we to purchase a certain product or item. There are self-help info-commercials and programs to “make our life better”.

We are constantly shown examples of people whose lives seem to be better than ours, or perfect, because they have a certain product or lifestyle which can be obtained and/or enhanced by the purchase of a certain product. We are invited to compare others’ lifestyles to our own, and in so doing the advertisers wish us to be dissatisfied with ourselves. If our satisfaction in life comes from earthly possessions, or on what we own and possess, those possessions can be altered and taken away. If we base our contentment and satisfaction in life on the Lord Christ Jesus, there is absolutely nothing or no one that can take that away from us.

Paul is saying to us here “that I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content”; or “to be sufficient”. In El Shaddai, we serve a God that is all-sufficient. He teaches us to be content and satisfied with our present state and condition. Jacob declared this very same thing in Genesis 33:11.

God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.

We are to be content with the things that we have, be they more or less, knowing that in God we have enough. As we are in Christ and as His Spirit lives in us, we are to be a people who find our sufficiency in God—we are to be thankful for everything we have, be it more, or less.  We are to be content in every state, whether it be trials or blessings; adversity or prosperity. We are instructed to be patient and to submit to God’s will for our lives. He has the plans and hope for our future. We should cheerfully, and in full contentment accept whatever He decides is our portion in life, and in all things we should give thanks to Christ our Lord.

The key given here in scripture is to not be content with the things we have, but rather with who we are. The world—and all the things in it—cannot give us this, or teach us this. This is not something that we can acquire by our carnal nature, but only by and through His grace. Learning to be content and satisfied does not come naturally.  It does not come by what we learn from man, but it comes to us by what we learn from God, from our relationship with Christ, and under the teachings of the Spirit of God. We learn as students in the school of heartache and trials, from courses in a lifetime of experiences, sorrows, afflictions, and distresses. God takes the things which we experience and He teaches us, not by prosperity, but by the adversities in which we face, endure, and overcome.

There are many things of this world to entice and excite us, but they pale in comparison to our heavenly grace. It is God that decides how every person’s state and condition is to be settled. It is God that decided when we came into this world, and it will be God that decides when we go out of it, naked and bare of this world’s things.

Our worthiness and mercy are to be found in the nail-scarred hands of our Lord Jesus. He is our portion and reward in this life and in the life to come. In Him is our profit and pleasures of a life of contentment. In Christ, we have available all the promises which God has made to having such a life; and in Christ we have the hope of the future glory and happiness in the New City not built by human hands. In Christ, we the redeemed can say—even those among us who possess even the smallest of earthly possessions—this life in covenant with God, written in the blood of Christ Jesus, with grace here on earth and heaven hereafter, He is enough.

1 Timothy 6:6  A godly life brings huge profits to people who are content with what they have.

The meaning is that our life in Christ should be regarded as our greatest and most prized possession. “Content.”  This word, used here, refers to a state of mind; a calm and satisfied feeling; freedom from whining, griping and complaining. This refers to being satisfied with who and what we are with Christ as the center of our lives.

Contentment here is used to denote a person satisfied with their lot in a life that is guided by God. If they are living in Christ, united to God by His Spirit, there will be a peace of mind, and this is exactly what is to be regarded as true riches.  The true gain in life—the real riches which we ought to seek—is a life filled with the goodness of Christ. Delighting ourselves in this will result in having a contented mind; thereby, living a contented life. If we can submit ourselves to His will, let Him be our portion, let Him be our joy, and let Him be our object of desire, then this will do so much more to promote happiness and contentment in our lives than any other “thing”.  This will do more for us than all the wealth in the world could ever do, and this is what should be regarded as our greatest desire and objective in life itself.

The world’s self-serving carnal religion invades every avenue of our lives inviting us to become free-hearted, and fulfilled by what they have to offer, but we should decline such offers and not even entertain them for a second.  It is not desirable to become too intimate with ungodly things which promise to make us happy and content. Things that promise us such will expect us to join in their vanities or at least to wink at them, smile with them, as they blame, and perhaps mock at, the real source of our joy, happiness and contentment. Things that promise us happiness will either be a snare to us, or bring offense within us. Only in Christ will we find the peace that the world cannot give, and a satisfaction that is only obtained by grace. Be content in Christ—no matter the circumstance—and you will have a life full of joy and happiness. Finding contentment in Christ will free you to enjoy all the good things that God has given to all who will believe.