How Close?

Lately I find myself dealing or even wrestling with something in my heart.  In talking to other Christians, I find I am not the only one.  There is a battle going on inside of my heart and spirit concerning how close to Jesus I am willing to get.  I know I am a Christian.  I know Jesus has forgiven me.  I know He is my Savior, and I know more and more He is becoming my Lord.  Yet, in my spirt, my heart, my gut even I can't settle with that.

So what do I do?  A few Bible stories or passages come to mind to help me understand at least a little bit.  In Genesis 32 we read about Jacob wrestling with God and having his life transformed in that encounter.  The part of this story that always jumps out to me is in verse 24: 

So Jacob was left alone,and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.

Jacob didn't have his family or friends to tag in if he got tired.  This was one on one with God.  As much as I find myself wanting others to wrestle with God along with me, it is ultimately up to each person individually.  When you are a people person that can be so tough.  Is it truly worth it to go that far and maybe be alone in the process?  Important questions accompany this important battle and decision.

I also think of Paul's words to the Philippian church:


I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.  ¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:10-14

Sometimes I feel that strain in myself.  I want to know Him, but I also struggle with where I have been, where I am and what I may have to give up in order to know Him more.  Is it worth it to go closer and further, or is it ok to just settle for where I am at and be happy with that?  Tough questions.

Finally, I consider the picture painted by the prophet Ezekiel:

³ As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. ⁴ He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. ⁵ He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross.  Ezekiel 47:3-5

As the river got deeper, man was forced to give up more control.  Is this the ultimate issue of the wrestling - letting go of control and letting God move me along by His Spirit?  Again, how much will I give up.  I often find that it isn't about having more of God, but it is about allowing Him to have more of me.  Will I do that?

So, here I find myself.  How close will I get to Christ?  Is it worth it?  My flesh screams NO! RUN!  Yet, my spirit and my heart screams I SURE HOPE TO FIND OUT.  This is a question each of us must answer.  

Some will choose to not go further and closer and the reality is that will be ok.  You don't HAVE to get closer, but the privilege is available.  All may draw close.  Not all will.  But there are some that simply must.  

Why Should I Tithe?

As a pastor, I am often asked about tithing.  Is it important?  Is it necessary?  What does it mean?  These questions and many others often arise over this area of money and the church.  For some, there is a misconception about the church simply being takers or just after people's money.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  I am not going to try and rewrite an opinion or dialogue or debate the topic.  However, what I am offering here is a simple teaching outline I generally use in any setting to outline the importance of tithes and offerings unto the Lord.  I welcome any feedback or thoughts.

Rodney

The Habit of Tithing/Giving Offerings:

On every Lord’s Day each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week and use for this offering.  The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn. (1 Corinthians 16:2[LB])

But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness . . .—see that you also excel in the grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:7)

*A “tithe” is giving the first part of my income (10% of the gross).

*An “offering” is anything I give in addition to my tithe.

Five Benefits to Giving

1.   Giving makes me like God.

. . .God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…(John 3:16)

2.   Giving draws me closer to God.

. . .For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

3.   Giving is the main ingredient to true wealth.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them . . . to be generous and willing to share.  In this way . . . they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

4.   Giving is an investment in eternity.

…Give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given [you].  By doing this, [you] will be storing up real

treasure for yourselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity! (1 Timothy 6:18-19 [LB]).

5.   Giving blesses the giver.

A generous man will himself be blessed. (Proverbs 22:9)

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

Give, and it will be given to you . . .  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)

Why Should I Tithe?

1.   Tithing demonstrates that God has top priority in your life.

The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God in first place in your life. (Deuteronomy 14:23 [LB])

2.   Tithing is a reminder to you that your money/wealth was given to you by God.

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

3.   Tithing expresses my thanks to God.

Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. (Deuteronomy 16:17)

4.   God tells us that not tithing is robbing Him.

Will a man rob God?  Yet you are robbing me!  But you say, How have we robbed you?  In tithes and offerings. … Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. (Malachi 3:8-10)

5.   Tithing gives God the opportunity to prove He wants to bless you

Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Malachi 3:10)

THE ATTITUDE OF GIVING

1.   Give willingly (2 Corinthians 8:12)

2.   Give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7)

3.   Give sacrificially (2 Corinthians 8:3-4)

4.   Give generously (2 Corinthians 9:6)

What is Judging?

It seems often that Christians get accused of judging others, so I thought I would share a few thoughts on the topic.  Let us consider the common verse used to accuse of judgment. 

^{Matthew 6:25} “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Before we look at the "judge not" portion, let us consider the context of what Jesus is saying here.  First Jesus is instructing that we should not worry and fret over life and the provisions of life.  We can spend so much time concerning ourselves with the basics of life that we miss those things that are really important.  Jesus tells us that the Father already knows that we need the basics of life and none of us can change our stature or position by worrying.  So, 6:33 instructs us to seek first the Kingdom of God and all the things and needs will be added.  Each day brings enough troubles that we don't need to waste our lives worrying about tomorrow.  

So, Jesus is establishing the importance of the Kingdom and stressing not being drawn away by other things.  Then, He addresses judging.  Most often we hear 7:1 quoted in terms of passing judgement on others and putting others down.  In context, however, what I hear Jesus saying is that we need not spend all of our time and energy worrying about or focusing on the things we think are most important or those things that we think we can do or handle.  Instead of spending our time saying, "I need to fix this and you need to fix that," it would be better for us to focus our attention on what God is doing and the advancement of His Kingdom.  Out of that, everything else will fall into place.  

When our focus is on God's Kingdom and what He is doing in our lives and through our lives, it enables and allows us to see clearly to be able to help others in their own journey rather than coming across as being know-it-all judgers.  Most of what gets accused of being judgmental is true because we can often become guilty of making our focus and intention about improving someone else at the expense of God's Kingdom in our own lives.  Judgmental attitudes usually stem from our own desire to justify what we are doing in light of what we perceive others are doing.  

 I find in my own life that when I am not allowing God to work in me then I do have a tendency to become quite judgmental.  In some ways I assume I can avoid or bypass the dealings of God by helping others deal with the issues I perceive they have.  That is when we work on the speck in the eye of someone else while trying to avoid the beam in our own eye.What God has called us to, however, is to allow Him by His Spirit to bring us more in line with His plan and His Kingdom and then put us in positions, places and opportunities in which we can be a blessing to others in the way that we help them find truth.  When we are able to see and realize our own lack and allow ourselves to be changed, then it produces in us the compassion necessary to help others along in their journey as well. 

By following this pattern and work in our own lives, we begin to fulfill these words of Jesus:

 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John 7:24).  

As we allow God's Spirit to work in and on our lives, we are able to rightfully see and understand to judge righteous judgment; because we will no longer be approaching the issues from our perspective or perception, but will rather be seeing from a Kingdom perspective.  

You Have a Future

It occurs to me that there are so many people living as though they have no place to go.  There are so many who do not understand all that God has promised and desires for them.  I want to declare today that YOU HAVE A FUTURE!


One of my life verses is 


For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)


It is interesting that this verse was declared by the prophet Jeremiah while the people of God were in exiled captivity to the Babylonians.  They had lost family.  They had lost property.  They had lost homes.  They had lost their very identity.  Yet God spoke to them that He had plans to give His people hope and a future.  


Doesn't this seem so separated from reality?  How is it that God can declare or promise hope and future when reality says all hope is lost?  Is God out of touch with reality?  Or, is God ahead of where we are and preparing us for where He is taking us?  Jesus said something very similar to what the prophet Jeremiah declared.  


The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10 (Amplified Bible)


How many find themselves in a situation similar to the exiled children of Israel; being held captive by the enemy and his lies?  Consider what Jesus says the thief (the devil) comes to do.

1. He comes to steal.  This is his attempt to erase your past and take away all the good that has been done in and for your life.  This is spiritual identity theft.  If he can steal away where you have been and what has happened to you then he can steal away who you are.  I imagine when the children of Israel were taken into captivity they felt that all they had worked for and seen happen throughout their lives was suddenly stolen away.  They had nothing left.  The enemy wants to steal from you and make you feel that you have nothing left.  
2. He comes to kill.  This is his attempt to erase your present by erasing you.  Death happens the moment life ceases.  I am sure that many of the Israelites would have preferred to just die rather than be in exile.  The enemy wants you to view your present and see no reason to want to live.  Seldom does this develop to the point of physical death, because so many have allowed the enemy to kill their spirits to the point of having no life remaining in them.  
3. He comes to destroy.  This is his attempt to erase your future.  If he can steal your past and kill your present he can definitely destroy your future.    It is a dangerous place to be to feel you have nothing to go back to and nothing to look forward to.  This is a place the enemy longs to bring you. This is the place the Israelites surely found themselves in.  

But, that is not the end of the story.  Just like through the prophet Jeremiah, God promised hope and a future; here through Jesus we are promised ABUNDANT LIFE.  Jesus steps into the picture to restore back what has been stolen, to revive what has been killed, and to destroy the works of the devil.  

The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.  1 John 3:8

This means YOU HAVE A FUTURE.  You do not have to be held captive by the lies and works of the enemy.  God has spoken life and that settles it.  Reality and facts around you may say one thing, but the TRUTH speaks of life, of hope and of a future.  In their song, "The Voice of Truth", Casting Crowns makes this powerful declaration:

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Let us always listen to the voice of Truth and not allow the lies of the enemy or our view of circumstances to steal, kill or destroy.

God's Sexual Standard

In light of all the attention the topic of sexuality gets in society, I felt it appropriate to share a blog on the issue.  


In terms of right or wrong concerning relationship and sexuality, I will say this. I place my faith and thoughts on God's Word. And, I always refer to the beginning of God's Word to find His original plan. The way I see it is that anything in opposition to God's original plan is that which man has instituted or initiated. The only exception is if God clearly gives an update later in Scripture. The cross becomes our filter. Anything outlined by God in the OT is filtered through the cross and He either removes it (such as sacrifice), modifies it (such as emphasizing our hearts desires rather than just our actions), or the issue is left alone. If something is left alone, then we can understand that God's original plan is still in place. 

In terms of sexuality, God declared in the beginning that He made male and female and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply within the context of marital relationship. That plan was never changed Biblically and therefore anything contrary to that is contrary to God's plan. We don't have the luxury to pick and choose which things we support or speak against. The husband/wife sexual relationship is the most intimate thing given to us by God and it is the most spiritual activity that a married couple can take part in together on this earth. That is the way God has planned and intended. From a biblical standpoint anything outside of that is against God's plan. 

We can understand just how big of a deal this is by reading in the New Testament epistles whenever Paul would address a church or a group about various sinful activities and behaviors. Any time that a list is compiled and presented, the item listed first is the most important and/or most dangerous. A perfect example is Galatians 5 which deals with the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Within the works of the flesh, the first and most dangerous involves sexual sin or that which is contrary to God's intent and plan. The enemy from the beginning has utilized that understanding and has come against God's plan for man. Sexual misconduct even comes in ahead of things such as idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, murder, etc. In fact, for someone that commits adultery, they are literally breaking more than one of the ten commandments. They are adulterers, they are stealing, they are murdering their spouse and the spouse of their adulterous partner, they are dishonoring their father and mother who they left to cleave to their spouse, they are coveting. Throughout Scripture we understand that variation from God's sexual design and intent is a huge attack from the enemy. 

What we deal with in society in terms of fornication, adultery, rape, incest, homosexuality, pornography, and the like is the product of decline and a break from God's will - His good, acceptable and perfect will (Romans 12:2). Many like to speak of God's permissive will, but in reality that just is an attempt to justify what it is we want to do. God will permit us to do what we choose - He gave us free choice. But, that doesn't make it His will. If it doesn't line up with what He said, it is not His will. I don't view that as debatable or even as my opinion. I don't have the luxury of an opinion in terms of dealing with God's Truth. I take the responsibility to Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) very seriously. 

Now, I will say this. The fruit of the Spirit is also introduced with the one of most importance - LOVE. The most essential element is love and it is that love that drives me to always speak the truth and to never get my opinion or feelings involved. Trust me, as a pastor and even as a Christian it would at times be much easier and even much more appealing personally to say what I know people want to hear. However, I cannot do that. I realize I don't always succeed in speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). However, that is always my intent.