Posted by: missionventureministries | July 11, 2011

TRUST IN MY PROMISES – John 14:1-3

john-14-e

These are some of the most beautiful verses in the Bible. Jesus says, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” –  John 14:1-3 

God gave many promises both in the Old and the New Testaments. He promised the children of Israel a land where there would be milk and honey. It took a while for the promise to be fulfilled, but it was fulfilled.

He promised a Messiah, and that took a long time. But it, too, was fulfilled. Jesus the Savior was born in Bethlehem about 2000 years ago.

In the above verses, God promises that He is coming back for us. At the appointed time, true believers will be with Him forever. This promise will soon be fulfilled, as well. 

I go to prepare a place for you – By His going is meant His death and ascent to heaven. The representation here is taken from one who is on a journey, who goes before his companions to provide a place to lodge in, and to make the necessary preparations for them. It evidently means that Jesus, by the work He was yet to perform in heaven, would secure their admission there. 

We understand from John 14:2-3 that one of Jesus’ purposes when He returned to heaven at the ascension was to prepare a place for His bride.  

Jesus was comforting his disciples by saying, I am going to be taking you to My Father’s house, and it will be your home, too. He says, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places.” The Greek word Jesus used is abode (house, residence, quarter). The word that Jesus used comes from the Jewish custom that when a son got married, he went to his father’s house and built an additional dwelling place for him and his bride to live in before he returned to bring her home and consummate the marriage. For additional information go to: http://www.arielm.org/dcs/pdf/mbs039m.pdf

Time is short and Jesus is coming back soon for His bride. Those that have given their life to Jesus and made Him their Lord and Savior will be going to the Father’s house. We will get new glorified bodies, and we will live with Him forever. 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 tells us: “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all (the true believers) be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.”

We can trust in the promises of God as Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6. What a wonderful promise! He is saying, I am not just going to show you the way, or tell you the way, or write out the instructions on how to get there. I am going to come back for you and lead you to My Father’s house. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Whatever your burdens are, the solution to a troubled heart is still the same, to trust in Jesus and make Him the Lord and Savior of your life. He said: “I’ll never leave you.” Trust in Jesus’ promises.

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Posted by: missionventureministries | July 4, 2011

LEARNING TO ABIDE IN CHRIST – Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

This verse tells us that Christ invites us to leave our cares at His feet and rest in Him.

In today’s world, many of us face many pressures on a day to day basis. We are often expected to find a satisfactory balance in making time for ministry, family, friends, job and ourselves. And it is easy to become frustrated and exhausted. How can we learn to experience the rest to which Christ lovingly invites us?

God’s intention is for us to experience rest for the body, soul and spirit. This can come only from completely trusting Him and truly surrendering to Him all our burdens. We must choose to lay our burdens at His feet and leave them there.

The Psalmist was persuaded of God’s ability to satisfy the need of his soul when he said: “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.” – Psalms 62:1-2

He continues encouraged by his own soul: “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall not be shaken.” – Psalms 62:5-6

In order to fully understand this concept of rest, we need to also study Matthew 11:29-30, which says: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

It is Jesus’ invitation to take His yoke upon our shoulders. He uses an example from farming, so familiar to his disciples, to illustrate His teaching. The ox-yokes were made of wood; the ox was brought, and the  measurements were taken. The yoke was then roughed out, and the ox was brought back to have the yoke tried on. The yoke was then carefully adjusted, so that it would fit well.

The yoke was a wooden frame used to harness together a pair of oxen at their necks so that they could pull a plough or some other load. It was a balancing device. Sometimes a younger ox needed to be taught to work and thus was paired with an animal of more experience. This beautifully illustrates our relationship with Christ. As we walk by his side, sharing the yoke and burden, the load does not disappear but is made lighter.

In fellowship with Jesus, we learn that His yoke is not harsh and oppressive, but reasonable. Jesus gentle company brings us peace and comfort and He enables us to keep going. That’s why the Apostle Paul could say: “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6

How can we learn to experience Christ’s presence in a way that brings peace and comfort? How can we truly share our burdens with Him? Our part is to maintain a moment-by-moment relationship of fellowship with Him. This will require a determined, conscious effort on our part as we seek “to work out our salvation with fear and trembling” – Philippians 2:12. After we accept Jesus into our hearts and lives, as we are invited to come to Him and find rest (Matthew 11:28), the next step is to accept His yoke of obedience and let Him help us (vs 29). As we learn from Jesus, we are taught to abide in Him.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” – John 15:4

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Posted by: missionventureministries | June 27, 2011

MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE – John 10:27-29

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. – John 10:27-29

What a wonderful and reassuring passage this is to the true believer. The Lord Jesus is telling that those who are His are His for all eternity. He is holding them in His hand and is caring for those that the Father has given Him.

Six separate statements are made concerning “My sheep”:

(1) Listen to my voice,

(2) I know them,

(3) they follow Me,

(4) I give them eternal life,

(5) they shall never perish, and

(6) no one will snatch them out of my hand.

These are six distinct things said about those who are His sheep.

The sheep belong to Christ; they are “My sheep.” They are His because He, “The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep” – John 10:11. He purchased them with His own blood. And they have been given to Him by the Father. Ownership means lordship. That which is owned has no right of will contrary to the will of the owner. It has liberty to go, only within the limits granted by the owner. It is perfectly clear then, that the Good Shepherd does not grant His sheep what has cost Him so much to place in His own hand for safety. And the sheep (the true believer), would never want to leave their beloved Savior’s presence.

God’s hand is a hand that holds. When a father or a mother hold the hand of a small child to lead him or her safely through some place of real danger, that father or mother will not let that little hand go, even though the child might try to pull away. 

Just as a shepherd protects his sheep, the security of Jesus’ sheep rests with Him as the Good Shepherd, who has the power to keep them safe and to protect His sheep from eternal harm. Satan can not harm their souls or take away their eternal life with God. Verse 29 makes clear that the Father ultimately stands behind the sheep’s security, for no one is able to take from God, who is in sovereign control of all things (Colossians 3:3 – For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God).

There is no stronger passage in the Old or New Testament for the absolute, eternal security of every true believer. The question left then is, has the sheep (the true believer) the power to remove himself from God’s  hand contrary to His will and purpose? To admit this, would be to contradict Jesus’ words: “My Father . . . is greater than all.” The “all” includes the sheep. It also would contradict His words, “they shall never perish.” The true believer will never perish; he will also never want to disobey or leave his Savior’s side, because he has made Jesus his true Lord and Redeemer of his life and cherishes the ultimate sacrifice paid for him on the cross.

When Jesus said, “My sheep shall never perish,” it is unconditional and final. It is to be accepted in simple faith and made the subject of rejoicing and thanksgiving.

John 6:37-39 states: “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me; that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.”

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Posted by: missionventureministries | June 19, 2011

What is Faith? – Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” – Hebrews 11:1

 True faith is confident obedience to God’s word in spite of circumstances or consequences. Faith is described in a two-fold way. It is the “substance of things hoped for,” and “the evidence of things not seen.”  Faith is where the promises and work of God are made real to His redeemed and is vital to the Christian. 

  • Ephesians 2:8-9, we are saved by faith.
  • Romans 1:17, we live by faith.
  • Romans 4:13, we receive righteousness by faith.
  • Romans 5:1, we are justified in Christ by faith
  • Romans 5:2, we have access to God’s grace by faith.
  • 2 Corinthians 1:24, we stand firm in our belief by faith.
  • Galatians 3:14, we receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.
  • 1 Timothy 1:4, we do God’s work by faith.
  • Galatians 5:5, we wait for the return of Christ by faith.

According to Webster’s Dictionary faith is “an unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence.”

Faith is a fundamental duty for every believer: “Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”  – John 6:28-29

Faith is a defensive weapon in spiritual warfare: “In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  – Ephesians 6:16

Faith is essential in prayer: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”  – James 1:5-6

 God designed a way to distinguish between those who belong to Him and those who don’t and it is called faith. Very simply, we need faith to please God. God tells us that it pleases Him that we believe in Him even though we
cannot see Him. Faith is an indispensable element for pleasing God. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” This is not to say that we have faith in God just to get something from Him. However, God loves to bless those who are obedient and faithful. We see a perfect example of this in (Luke 7:50). Jesus is engaged in dialog with a sinful woman when He gives us a glimpse of why faith is so rewarding. “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The woman believed in Jesus Christ by faith and He rewarded her for it.

Faith is what sustains us to the end, knowing by faith that we will be in heaven with God for all eternity. “And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:8-9.

Faith is vitally important in the life of the Christian. It is by faith that you are saved; you are justified; cleansed, and look forward to the return of Jesus. Faith is where you please God, admit your dependence upon Him, and continually seek to rely upon Him and His grace.

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Posted by: missionventureministries | June 13, 2011

Understanding the Meaning of Humility in the Bible – 1 Peter 5:5

Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble – 1 Peter 5:5.

God says when you are humble; you are free from pride and arrogance. You know that in your flesh you are inadequate, yet you also know who you are in Christ.

You are able to be a peacemaker without needing to fight for your rights. You are able to walk humbly in the power of God’s Holy Spirit, not your own personal power.

Godly humility is being comfortable with who you are in the Lord and therefore putting others first. The meaning of humility in the Bible is one of loving others, not being weak. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” – Philippians 2:3.

Jesus gave us a good example of humility in action. Although he was humble, he also was strong. I am gentle and humble in heart – Matthew 11:29.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature 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! – Philippians 2:5-8

You can defuse arguments when you are humble and you do not have to win every argument. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger – Proverbs 15:1.

You can handle unfair treatment peacefully when you are humble and you can respond to unfair treatment without being overcome by bitterness. Godly humility means you do not feel a need for vengeance or revenge. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you – Ephesians 4:31-32.

When you are humble, you can respond to and learn from criticism without being defensive, whether it is deserved or not. Likewise, you can be aware of your failures without being emotionally devastated.

You can ask forgiveness when you are humble. Therefore, if you are offering your gift t the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you; leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” – Matthew 5:23-24.

You can talk courteously and lovingly, regardless of the situation, even if you need to be firm or take strong actions. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen – Ephesians 4:29.

When we humble ourselves, we feel strong in the Lord. We don’t need to be defensive, because when we as believers listen to our Father, He lets us know that we must examine our motives and attitudes.

We also must examine how we take action and when we do, we need to maintain a humble spirit: Jesus was meek of spirit, yet he chased the money changers out of the temple (Matthew 21:12 and Mark 11:15-16).

When we understand and put into practice what the Bible says about God and humility we can live peacefully and humbly in the sight of God and our fellow men.

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Posted by: missionventureministries | June 7, 2011

How to Worship God in Spirit and Truth – John 4:24

Most Christians are familiar with the Bible verse in John 4:24, where Jesus said we need to worship God in Spirit and in Truth, but how many of us actually do what it says? Do you know how to worship God in spirit and truth? Are you sure God accepts your current form of worship? Do you worship in accordance with Scripture?

The Apostle Paul described true worship perfectly in Romans 12:1-2: “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable, or well pleasing and perfect.”

This passage contains all the elements of true worship. First, there is the motivation to worship: “the mercies of God.” God’s mercies are everything He has given us that we don’t deserve: eternal love, eternal grace, the Holy Spirit, everlasting peace, eternal joy, saving faith, comfort,strength, wisdom, hope, patience, kindness, honor, glory, righteousness, security, eternal life, forgiveness, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, freedom, intercession and much more. The knowledge and understanding of these incredible gifts motivate us to pour forth praise and thanksgiving—in other words, worship!

Also in the passage is a description of the manner of our worship: “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice.” Presenting our bodies means giving to God all of ourselves. The reference to our bodies here means all our human faculties, all of our humanness—our hearts, minds, hands, thoughts, attitudes, everything—are to be presented to God. In other words, we are to give up control of these things and turn them over to Him, just as a literal sacrifice was given totally to God on the altar. But how you may ask? Again, the passage is clear: “by the renewing of your mind.” We renew our minds daily by cleansing them of the “world’s wisdom” and replacing it with “true  wisdom” that comes from God. We worship Him with our renewed and cleansed minds, not with our emotions. First Corinthians 2:16 tells us we have “the mind of Christ,” not the emotions of Christ.

There is only one way to renew our minds, and that is by the Word of God. It is the truth, the knowledge of the Word of God, which is to say the knowledge of the mercies of God, and we’re back where we began. To know the truth, to believe the truth, to hold convictions about the truth, and to love the truth will naturally result in true spiritual worship. It is conviction followed by affection, affection that is a response to truth, not to any external stimuli.

True worship is God-centered worship. People tend to get caught up in where they should worship, what music they should sing in worship, and how the worship looks to other people. Focusing on these things completely misses the point. Jesus tells us that true worshipers will “worship (God) in  spirit and truth” (John 4:24). This means we worship from the heart, the way God has designed us. Worship can include praying, reading God’s Word with an open heart, singing, participating in communion, and serving others. It is not limited to one act, but is done properly when the heart and attitude of the person are in the right place.

It is also important to know that worship is reserved only for God. Only He is worthy and not any of His servants (Revelation 19:10). We are not to worship saints, prophets, statues, angels, any false gods, or Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Worship is done for God—because He deserves it—and for His pleasure only. Worship can be public praise to God (Psalm 22:22, 35:18) in a congregational setting, where we can proclaim through prayer and praise our adoration and thankfulness to Him and what He has done for us. True worship is felt inwardly, and then comes out through our actions. “Going through the motions” out of obligation is displeasing to God and is done completely in vain. God can see through all the hypocrisy and He hates it. He demonstrates this in Amos 5:21-24 as He talks about coming judgment.

True worship is not confined to what we do in church or open praise, although these things are both good and we are told in the Bible to do them. It is the acknowledgment of God and all His power and glory in everything we do. The highest form of praise and worship is obedience to Him and His Word. To do this, we must know God; we cannot be ignorant of Him. Worship is to glorify and exalt God, showing our loyalty and admiration to our heavenly Father.

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Posted by: missionventureministries | May 31, 2011

BEWARE OF A FALSE GOSPEL – Galatians 1:6-8

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel– which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” –  Galatians 1:6-8

The problem with a false Gospel already existed in Paul’s day and continues to this day. There is a serious mistake being made today in many pulpits, books and other forms of Bible teaching. Many are teaching a “counterfeit gospel” or “another gospel” as mentioned in the verse above. Paul goes on to teach that this “different” gospel is a perversion of the true gospel, and instead of bringing peace, it brings about a troubling of the mind.

The devil is a master manipulator and imitator. One of the greatest tactics he has used with tremendous effect over the centuries is to imitate something, to offer a counterfeit version of it that is close enough to be believable to some but far enough away from the truth to actually damage the person who believes it.

Here are some points that represent a “false gospel”:

  • Christianity without Christ
  • Forgiveness without repentance
  • Salvation without regeneration
  • Heaven without hell

False gospels also teach “works” as a requirement for salvation. Mormonism, Catholicism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, and others all require that “works” be done “before” salvation can occur. The true Gospel says that works are a result of salvation, not a requirement for salvation!

Many may ask, what is the Gospel? Let’s take a look at what the Scripture says:

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

This passage indicates the basic historical events of the gospel — the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21

There is only one true gospel in Christianity, but there are many false gospels. God’s “good news” is always about Christ—His person and work—but His work is from eternity to eternity, and He is both the mighty God and perfect Man. Therefore, with Paul we can say: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” – Romans 1:16.

The gospel is the “everlasting gospel,” focusing on Him as the one “that made heaven and earth” (Revelation 14:6-7). It is also the “gospel of the kingdom,” focusing on Him as the coming “King of kings” (Matthew 4:23; Revelation 17:14). 

It is the wonderful “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), and “the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:13). Thus it also is the true “gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15), reconciling man to God.

Because Christ is God, this “gospel of Jesus Christ” (Mark 1:1) is surely the one true “gospel of God” (Romans 1:1). This is the gospel which we have been commissioned by Christ to preach “to every creature” (Mark 16:15), so we need no other. And since it is, indeed, “the glorious gospel of the blessed God” (1 Timothy 1:11), we should never desire another. The true gospel meets every spiritual need for time and eternity.

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Posted by: missionventureministries | May 24, 2011

WE ARE JUSTIFYIED BY FAITH – Romans 3:21-26

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:20-26

Do you remember the day you asked Jesus to become the Lord of your life and asked Him to forgive your sins? First you repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ. In that moment you were justified, or declared righteous before God.

The word justified is important. It refers to your status before God. When you put your faith in Jesus, God, the Judge, hands down the verdict that you are righteous. He transfers the perfect, sinless record of Jesus to you.

This is an amazing grace because in the moment that you first believed, God completely and totally forgave you or all your sins. He not only blotted the record of your sins away, He credited the righteousness of His Son to you.

Justification means to be declared righteous. It is our position before God. Justification is what Christ did for us. It takes place immediately and is complete upon conversion. It means that the believer that just accepted Christ or the saint that has known Jesus for many years are justified in the same way. Justification means being totally justified in the sight of God.

Sanctification on the other hand is the ongoing work. Once God declares a sinner righteous, He immediately begins the process of making that sinner more like His Son. The Lord does this through the work of His Spirit, through the power of His word and fellowship with other believers. The first thing that begins to happen is that God takes away our desires for sin; He renews our mind and changes our lives. This ongoing work is called
sanctification. 

Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ, of growing in holiness. This process begins the instant you are converted and will not end until you meet Jesus face to face.

Sanctification involves work, so empowered by the Holy Spirit that we fight against sin, we study Scripture and pray. We flee temptation when we are faced by it. As we trust the Lord and strive for holiness, we are being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. As we practice sanctification – Christ works within us. In contrast justification happens once for all, upon conversion. Sanctification is a process. We will be more sanctified as we continue in grace motivated obedience.

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law . . .” – Romans 3:20. None of us  can earn God’s approval and love by our good works. None of us can add to the finished complete work of Jesus on the cross. He paid the price of our sins.

Our participation in the process of sanctification comes only after we have been totally accepted and made right before God through faith in Jesus. So if we love Him, we should work hard at obeying God’s word. We read the Bible, pray and meditate on Scripture. We memorize Scripture and share the gospel.

We need to remember that it is not through works that we are justified. Our work is motivated by the grace God has poured out in our lives.

Praise God that we can approach His throne with confidence because believers are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

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Posted by: missionventureministries | May 17, 2011

FOCUS ON CHANGES YOU SHOULD MAKE – Matthew 7:3-5

Most people, when they have a problem with someone else, focus on what that person did wrong. We think the problem will get better if the other person would change. Yet we need to focus on what Jesus said: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” – Matthew 7:3-5.

Jesus said we must first focus on our own weakness and changes we need to make. This is not to say that those around us don’t have faults, bad habits and sin in their life. We all do, but despite that, God wants us to focus first on what we must do and how we can and must change.

The Bible says that we must overcome anger and not use it as an excuse to sin. Paul wrote, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” – Ephesians 4:26-27.

We need to learn to:

  • Ask forgiveness from God and from others.
  • Learn how to react to aggravations or disappointments in a Christ like and loving way.

Yes, sometimes we need to confront others’ sins. But this should be on rare occasions. If we look again at Matthew 7:3-5 we will see three elements Jesus
spoke of:

  • First, we must take the plank out of our own eye.
  • Then we can see clearly.
  • Once we see clearly, we can lovingly remove the speck from someone else’s eye.

If we try to remove the speck from the other person’s eye without first taking the plank out of our eye, we cannot see clearly and will hurt the other person. Paul made a similar point in Galatians 6:1 when he wrote, “brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.”

You may feel that you have suffered grievous wounds and desire revenge; however, the Bible warns that it is God who avenges, not us (Psalm 94:1). Jesus tells us “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” – Matthew 5:44. We are also to forgive others (Matthew 6:12). Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:15 to: “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else”  and  Peter wrote: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” – 1 Peter 3:9.

These are directives that are at times very hard to follow, but if we love the Lord we need to pray and ask Him to change us, and He will. The results will be not only a change in us, but and inspiration to others to change too.  It is so easy to see someone else’s fault, but when it comes to seeing our own faults that is another story. We need to ask God to help us see clearly. We need to ask ourselves: Did I contribute to the problem? Have my actions helped set the stage for the current problem? As we become aware of how our emotions, actions and words affect others, we will likely discover that we contribute to problems more than we realize.

Spend some quiet time with God, asking Him to show you where you need to change. You can also ask  someone who seems upset, “Have I offended you?” Or, “You seem upset. Have I done something wrong?” If you do this, listen carefully without getting into an argument. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” – James 1:19. Seek to truly understand the person’s opinions and emotions. When you understand where the other person is coming from, look for ways to minister as you share with them. Jesus said: “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” – Matthew 20:26-28. We need to lean to emulate Christ’s humility.

We need to speak courteously and respectfully. God wants us to speak with love and courtesy, whatever the circumstances. Remember “a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” – Proverbs 15:1. We also need to keep in mind to stay balanced because although it is important to focus on changing ourselves, it is possible to take this principle to unhealthy extreme. We should not blame ourselves for all the problems in any relationship.

Even though we need to concentrate on changes we need to make, we should not blame ourselves for everything wrong in our relationships. Of course there are things we all need to work on. On the other hand, we are not the only ones with problems. It is reasonable to be aware that others have faults; however, we need to learn not to concentrate on them and pray and ask God to take care of them.

Remember sometimes you need to talk about problems and the key is to do it God’s way, with courtesy and respect. Jesus said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” – John 13:34-35.

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Posted in FOCUS ON CHANGES YOU SHOULD MAKE – Matthew 7:3-5, Matthew 7:3-5 | Tags: ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | May 10, 2011

DO NOT BE AFRAID – STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD – Exodus 14:13

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.” – Exodus 4:13

This verse contains God’s command to us as believers for those times when we are confronted with dire circumstance and extraordinary difficulties. What must we do when we cannot retreat or go forward and the way is blocked to the right and to the left?

God’s word says: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm.” So the best thing we can do at this time is to listen only to the Holy Spirit, for others will come with their suggestions and ungodly advice, but the Lord says: “Be still, and know that I am God” – Psalm 46:10.

“Do not be afraid” is one of the great messages recurring all through the Scriptures and Isaiah 26:3 sum it up perfectly, why we should not be afraid – “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.”

The enemy however, will come and will whisper, “Give up”. But even in the worst of times, God would have us be joyful and courageous, rejoicing in His love and faithfulness.

Fear will tempt us to act the way the world does and try to convince us that it is too difficult for us to continue living the life of a Christian. In a moment of weakness we might think that being a Christian is too hard, yet no matter how much Satan may pressure us to follow his course; we cannot, because as believers we are God’s children and Jesus paid with His life for our salvation.

Impatience and anxiety will come, crying. “Get up and do something!”  But the very thing we should be doing during this time is having our eyes fixed on the Lord, because He will not only do something, He will do everything. As Moses said to his people, “you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.”

God has us right where He wanted us to be. The sons of Israel were in the perfect will of God and yet their faith was being tested. We might be in a situation were we are surrounded, and the enemy is coming up from the rear. The enemy is mocking and telling us how foolish it is to trust God; and tells us that it will do us no good to have faith. However, God had a purpose in bringing the children of Israel to the Red Sea and He has a purpose for the Red Sea we might be facing in our lives. When we face difficulties in life, God wants to accomplish two things:

  1. He wants to make known His glory to others and
  2. He wants to teach us to trust Him completely.

Exodus 14:4 states, “But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

We must rely on God’s promises. He said, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still.” God promised them that He would take care of them and that He was going to fight their battle for them. All they had to do was stand firm and be still which simply means they had to focus on God and on His promises; and the same goes for us today.

God has a plan; it may be something different than we could ever imagine, but He has a plan. He will get us to the other side of our Red Sea. He has not left us; we are not on our own. We do not have to fight this battle, we just need to stand still, firmly grounded in our faith and know that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” – Ephesians 3:20

However, the enemy will not give up easily. Pride will come, boasting, “If someone is blocking your way, take care of the situation yourself.” Yet true faith never listens to arrogance, impatience, fear, or despair but only hears God saying. “Stand firm,” and then faith stands as immovable as a rock. 

We must maintain the posture of one who stands firm, ready for action, expecting further orders, and cheerfully and patiently awaiting the Master’s voice. It will not be long until God will say to us, as distinctly as He told Moses to tell the children of Israel. “Move on” – Exodus 14:15 

In times of uncertainty, wait; if you have any doubt, wait; never forcing yourself into “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

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Posted in DO NOT BE AFRAID - STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD – Exodus 14:13, Exodus 14:13 | Tags: ,

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