Close to Knowing Christ, Near Christ, By Christ, or In Christ? – Purity 671

Close to Knowing Christ, Near Christ, By Christ, or In Christ?  – Purity 671

Purity 671 03/04/2022  Purity 671 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the setting sun being reflected on the frozen surface of the Schodack Creek from the vantage point of my front porch comes to us from yours truly as I was motivated to get out of my car and go around to the front of my house to capture this sight at the end of the work day yesterday.  

Even though the temperatures were chilly yesterday, I found myself rejoicing over the sunshine and my relationship with the Lord as I reminded myself once again of how He has blessed me with my home “down by the River”. 

Now wait a minute, you may say, didn’t he just say it that the sun was reflecting on the frozen surface of the “Schodack Creek”?

Yes I did.  Although the waters directly in front of my home are declared on Google Maps to be that of the Schodack Creek, they are fed by the Hudson River just down the road a piece.  When I look to the left from my porch, I can see the waters of the Hudson River and the point where the River splits to become the Schodack Creek.

So even though there is a “creek”, ( and a state highway, and some Amtrack train tracks for that matter), directly in front of my house, I know and can see that these are the waters of the Hudson River. So when I refer to my house, I have always, I’m pretty sure for the most part, called it my house “down by the River”.

Now when people ask where I live I have said that I live on State Route 9J in Stuyvesant which is “right on the Hudson River”, south of Albany, because State Route 9J, the road on which I live, runs parallel to the Hudson River all the way from Columbiaville to Rensselaer NY.

When I tell people “I live on the Hudson River” I am always clear that I don’t have river access because the property across the highway, where the train tracks run is not deeded to me. But as other photos I have taken in the past from the front of my property, that pan left, show, I do have a wonderful view of the Hudson River.   

Since my wife has come to affectionately call my place “River House” and we both call it that now, and as today’s photo was focusing straight towards the creek in this photo, my heart is convicted this morning to confess all the truth regarding the location of my home, short of providing everyone with my exact address, which I guess is “out there to be discovered” and, available on a need to know basis.  I also will not be giving a tour of the interior of my home or at least, not today anyway.

Well, with all that said, I am happy to report that we have made it to the weekend, and it is my prayer that all my friends take some time to thank the Lord for all He has done in their lives and how He made a way for us all to be reconciled to Him through His Son Jesus Christ.   

You know, one term for being a follower of Jesus is being “in Christ”. And that designation can be a little confusing, 

Being in Christ is a little like my house “down by the River”  or my address being “on” or near the Hudson River.  

Obviously, Jesus came to earth as the Word made flesh over two thousand years ago when He lived a perfect sinless life, preached the gospel of the kingdom of God, performed miracles, was persecuted, tried, crucified, died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. Try saying that three times fast….

Anyway, to be literally “in Christ” in some weird physical sense like being “in the heart of Jesus”, is a physical impossibility.   Being in the “body of Christ”, does not mean being in His physical body next to His spleen and near His liver. 

The physical body of Christ has been glorified and Christ is still using it as He is seated in the heavenlies where He is interceding in prayer for all His followers until the day He will return in glory to judge the living and the dead as the Bible, and the Nicene Creed, affirms.  So being “in Christ” or in the body of Christ, obviously doesn’t literally mean being “in” Christ!

Being “In Christ” is a term that describes our relationship with Jesus. Christians place their faith “in Christ” – meaning we surrender to His Lordship; we believe that He was the Son of God and that His death on the cross was meaningful.  Being “in Christ” includes believing that Christ’s death was God’s redemptive plan for man and that we believe it and participate in that plan by putting our faith in, or trusting in, Jesus to save us.

So in terms of justification (being declared righteous), when we are “in Christ” we make the decision that when we come before God we will not try to defend ourselves based on our own merits.  When we are “in Christ”, we are putting all of “our chips” on Jesus and we are “all in”.   When we are in Christ, we admit that we are sinners that have no hope of being declared righteous based on our good works or nice attitudes.  When we are “in Christ”, we have admitted that there is nothing that can save us and that there is nothing that we are trusting in other than Jesus.  

When we put our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, spiritually we are united with Christ’s death and resurrection. The person we were before we put our faith in Christ dies, and we are made new creations as we are raised to life “with Christ” “in His resurrection. Putting our faith in Christ, gives us a new spiritual life that will go on for all eternity in God’s kingdom, in heaven and then on the new earth.

So this is one reason why Christ said we must be “born again” in John 3. We receive new life when we are “in Christ”.   

As I have tried to express, being in Christ is more than mentally agreeing that there was a man named Jesus who was a wise teacher or a worker of miracles. I can admit that other men have done good things and said wise things but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have a relationship with them.

Being “in Christ”, is even more than agreeing that Christ was the Son of God.  Again, we can recognize that someone is special or has great authority,  but our recognition of that fact doesn’t mean that we trust in them or submit to their authority.   

Doing these things, acknowledging what Christ did or even who Christ is, could be described as being “close to knowing Christ”,  or being “by Christ” or “near Christ”, but not “in Christ”.  

Just like my house is “down by the River” or my address is “near the River”,  my house and my address are not “in the River”.

So even though you may admit to who Christ is that acknowledgement only makes you “close” to Christ.  And as the saying goes "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades” which generally means that close doesn't count.  A close loss is still a loss. And when you are only “by Christ”, “near Christ” or “close to Christ”, if you don’t get “in Christ”, you will be lost.   

The difference between being in or out of the kingdom of God will be based on your relationship with Jesus. 

Knowing about Him is one thing, putting your faith in Jesus and following Him is quite another.  

When we put our faith in Christ, we become members of God’s royal family and membership has it’s privileges: like eternal life and the fruit of the Spirit growing in our lives. 

But you have to be “in it to win it”, so as we continue in the season of Lent before us I encourage you to draw close to God and confirm that you are “in Christ” by following the Lord’s will for your life. 

And if you know the Truth, the Way, and the Life already, be sure to share Him with those who may be “close” to knowing Jesus but whose selfish hearts may keep them out of that number when the saints go marching in. 

 

Today’s Bible verses come to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is :

Mark 9:23 (NLT2)
²³  “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

Today’s Bible verse comes directly from the words of Jesus and is part chastisement and part encouragement for those who doubt the ability of God to help them.   

This section of scripture details one of Christ’s miracles where Jesus heals a boy who is afflicted with by an evil spirit which causes him to foam from the mouth and to be violently thrown about. The boy’s father asks for Jesus’ help but adds the phrase ‘if you can” to his request. 

Jesus responds with today’s verse, chastising the father’s lack of faith, but encourages the man by assuring Him that anything is possible to a person who believes. Christ’s words are proven true as this man decides to proclaim his small measure of faith, and although he requests help with his unbelief,  is rewarded t with a big miracle, as the evil spirit is cast out of his son at the command of Jesus.

The operative lesson that we can draw from this testimony from the life and times of Jesus Christ is that we are to have faith in Jesus to help us and that because of who Christ is and because of what God can do, we should never declare anything as impossible.  

The biggest lie the enemy tells us is that somethings are impossible.  The enemy will tell us that it will be impossible to get out of certain situations or that it will be impossible for us to change. 

But when we get that discouraging and demonic message, we have to remember that anything is possible with God and that our faith in Christ gives us power to do things that simply were impossible before coming to Christ.  

So don’t proclaim your unbelief, instead trust that all things are possible with God if we believe and it is in accordance to His purposes.   

Remember, we don’t know God’s plan perfectly, so we might not always get what we want but when we are in Christ we always get what we need.

And if you need something that seems impossible, go to the Lord and He will either work out a positive solution through a miracle, but more likely though His providence, or He will give you the strength, love, and guidance that you will need to carry you through.

 

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s Codependency: Balancing an Unbalanced Relationship.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s  books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $5.00.

F. Recovery Step #4: Find the Road to Freedom

When you are behaving in a codependent way, you are trying to get your needs met through a drive to "do it all" or to be another person's "all-in-all." However, you can "travel the road to recovery" by releasing your desire to control or to change the person you love.

RELEASE

Recognize that you are overly dependent on a person and instead place your dependency on God.

Admit that your codependency is a sin.

• Pray that God will give you the desire to put Him first and to please Him in all your relationships.
• Determine to look to the Lord to meet your needs for love, for significance, and for security.
• Realize that God did not create you to meet all the needs of another person.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Examine your patterns of codependent thinking.

Don't believe that pleasing people is always Christlike.

• Don't think that you should always assume the role of peacemaker.
• Don't fear losing the love of others when you allow them to suffer the consequences of their negative actions.
• Don't say yes when you really believe you should say no.

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place." (Psalm 51:6)

Let go of your "super responsible" mentality.

Confess that you are trying to be like God in the life of another person.

• Trust God to be actively working in the life of your loved one.
• Realize that you cannot make another person be dependable or responsible.
• Rest in God's sovereign control over all people, events, and circumstances.

"What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone." (Exodus 18:17-18)

Extend forgiveness to those who have caused you pain.

Reflect on any type of abuse you have experienced in the past—verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual.

• What has been unjust and painful in your life?
• Whom do you need to forgive?
• Would you be willing to release this person and your pain to God?
• Choose to forgive again whenever your angry feelings resurface.

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13)

Prayer of Forgiveness

"God, You know the pain I experienced in my past. I don't want to keep

carrying all this pain for the rest of my life. I release (list hurts) into Your

hands, and I ask You to heal my emotional pain. Lord, You know what

(name of person) has done to hurt me. As an act of my will, I choose to

forgive (name). I take (name) off my emotional hook and put (name)

onto Your emotional hook. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for setting me FREE.

In Your holy name I pray. Amen."

Appropriate your identity in Christ.

Learn to live out of your resources in Christ Jesus.

• Know the truth: "I can be emotionally set free because Christ lives in me."
  "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
• Believe the truth: "I can change my dependency on people through the power of Christ in me."
  "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)
• Appropriate the truth: "I will nurture only healthy, godly relationships because I have been given Christ's divine nature."
  "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Set healthy boundaries.

Communicate the necessity for change.

"I realize that I have not been responding to you in a healthy way. I have been far too dependent on you to meet my needs. And I have sought to meet all of your needs. I am committed to having healthy relationships and to putting God first in my life. I know that I have had negative responses to you, and I intend to begin having positive responses by making decisions based on what is right in the eyes of God."

• Establish what you need to ask forgiveness for.
  "I realize I was wrong for _____ (not speaking up when I should have, not being the person I should have been in this relationship...). Will you forgive me?
• Establish what your limits of responsibility will be.
  "I feel responsible for _____. But I am not responsible for _____ (making you happy, making you feel significant...). I want you to be happy, but I don't have the power to make you happy."
• Establish your limits of involvement.
  "I want to do _____ with/for you, but I don't feel led by God to do _____."

"The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." (Proverbs 27:12)

Exchange your emotional focus for spiritual focus.

Make God and your spiritual growth your first priority.

• Attend an in-depth Bible study in order to learn the heart of God and to grow spiritually with the people of God.
• Memorize sections of Scripture in order to put God's Word in your heart and to learn the ways of God.
• Redirect your thoughts to the Lord and take "prayer walks" (talking out loud to the Lord as you walk regularly in your neighborhood or on a trail).

"Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word." (Psalm 119:35-37)

The cure for codependency is rooted in developing an ever-deepening relationship with the Lord. Your increased intimacy with Him will naturally conform you to His character. When you let the Lord live inside you, you can live in His power. This means that because Christ was not codependent you have His power to overcome codependency.

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

CODEPENDENCY PRAYER

"Lord Jesus, I renounce as a lie the thought that I could ever be truly abandoned or alone.

—Thank You that You will never abandon me or leave me without support.

—Thank You that no matter what I do or what my circumstances, no matter who is in my life or not in my life, You will be with me and provide for my needs.

—Thank You that Your plans for me are for my good and that You will carry them out.

—Thank You that You are not dependent on anything or anyone other than Yourself to bring about Your good intentions toward me.

I trust in You and You alone to give me meaning and purpose and fulfillment in life.

In Your holy name I pray, Amen."

 

Biblical Counseling Keys: Codependency: Balancing an Unbalanced Relationship..

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Braving the Storm - Representing the Kingdom by Showing Up - Purity 624

Braving the Storm -  Representing the Kingdom by Showing Up -  Purity 624

Purity 624 01/10/2022   Purity 624 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the ice covered shores of Lake Ontario in Oswego NY underneath a light blue and pink sky of morning comes to us from Celestial Blue Photography as Rocco Saya is once again out and about and braving the chilly weather to capture scenes of God’s creation.    

It’s Monday again and the local forecast in my neck of the woods calls for below freezing temperatures for the next few days which may leave some of us with the desire to just stay inside and not go out there.  But as providers for ourselves and our families we will brave the cold and get out to do the work that provides for our needs and wants.    

Yesterday, in Easton NY, we awoke to a glazing coating of ice covering everything and sleety rain that made me question whether or not I should go to church or just catch our service online. But as someone who had on average a 45 minute commute 5 days a week for nearly 25 years I have experience in driving in northeast winters and know what to do: go slow and be careful.  So my wife, stepdaughter, and I headed out and quickly discovered the way we were headed hadn’t been properly salted yet as an oncoming driver warned us that just down the hill from where we were headed there was a car off the road whose driver was warning them to not come that way as the road was a sheet of ice.  

I have been reading through Proverbs lately and that wisdom and my experiences has taught me to heed a warning. So we turned around and went to the main highways to get to church and found the way to be less icy and made it to church in time to catch the last song of worship before the pastor’s message.   

The crowd was a little smaller than usual, but I was impressed by the number of people that “braved the storm” and brought themselves to the in-person service even though our church provides online viewing of services.  This fact demonstrated to me how we, as Christians, value community and how we wish to honor the Lord by showing up to his corporate gathering no matter what the weather is like.  

The Pastor reported that the first service had four new attendees and it reminded me of the importance of being faithful and showing up.  My wife reported that after our service she witness a child who must have been a new attendee to the 10:30 service, tell their parents that they “liked this church!” and wanted to come back again.  If the church was closed due to the weather those 4 new attendees from the first service and this child who delighted over what they found at our church would have left and may never have come back again.

The church was open because that’s just what Christians do: they are faithful to worship the Lord and show up to work for His glory.  

It all reminds me of Charles Spurgeon’s testimony of his salvation. Spurgeon got saved because of a snowstorm and the grace of God, of course.  As a 15 year old Spurgeon grew up in a Congregational church but believed he was lost to the fires of hell because of his sinful nature. One winter day his path to church was diverted by a snowstorm and seeking shelter from the storm he ended up attending a Methodist service where the regular pastor had been prevented from attending.  An unknown substitute lay preacher stepped into the pulpit and read his text—Isaiah 45:22—“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.”

“Spurgeon’s Autobiography records his reaction:

“He had not much to say, thank God, for that compelled him to keep on repeating his text, and there was nothing needed—by me, at any rate except his text. Then, stopping, he pointed to where I was sitting under the gallery, and he said, ‘That young man there looks very miserable’ … and he shouted, as I think only a Primitive Methodist can, ‘Look! Look, young man! Look now!’ … Then I had this vision—not a vision to my eyes, but to my heart. I saw what a Savior Christ was.… Now I can never tell you how it was, but I no sooner saw whom I was to believe than I also understood what it was to believe, and I did believe in one moment.”” (https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-29/spurgeons-conversion.html)

Spurgeon walked out of that service and back into the snow a Christian and he would go on, with the Holy Spirit’s anointing, to win countless souls for Christ and became known as “the Prince of Preacher’s”   And the Lord used a snowstorm and a substitute lay preacher to bring the word of salvation that made it all happen.  

Spurgeon knew he wasn’t right with God, but he hoped for heaven, so he went through the motions of going to his regular church where he was deaf to the gospel, but God knew his fear and used a snowstorm and a church that preached the message of salvation through faith in Christ alone to save him and many others.   

So brave the storm and keep seeking the Lord and keep showing up to represent His kingdom and the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  You never know when the Lord will direct your path in a way you didn’t expect or if He will ask you to step in to serve in someone’s place to be used by the Him to do a work that will bring someone out of the fires of hell or that will give God glory.

So bundle up if it’s cold out there and remember that wherever you go God is with you and wants you to get to know Him more and seek His purpose for your life.  So keep walking and talking with God because he can change things from “just going to the motions” to something wonderful when you least expect it.    

 

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Romans 8:33 (NLT2)
³³  Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.

Today’s verse reminds us that God gives us right standing with Himself by Himself, meaning through grace and the work of Jesus Christ.  

That means we didn’t earn our salvation and we can’t earn our salvation. Our right standing with God only comes through our placing our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.     

That is great news because that means no one can accuse us of “not doing it right” or that we have failed to do something to be a Christian.  While there will be many things that we can and will do on the path of Christian Discipleship that will show ourselves and others that “I really am a Christian!” those Christian disciplines don’t make us a Christian, our faith in Jesus Christ does.  

“Does that mean I don’t have to do anything?!”  Yes, it does. 

But if you have been forgiven of all your sins and have been granted eternal life in God’s kingdom, you shouldn’t want to “do nothing”.  

If your heart towards the Lord would lead you to just keep on living your life for yourself without pursuing the faith that gave you salvation, you should question who it is you believe in.  Do you believe in Jesus, or do you believe in yourself? 

Christ never asked anyone to believe in Him. He called people to follow Him.  So if we are not following the Lord’s call on our lives to know His word and His will for our life we should wonder if we really are “in this thing” called Christianity.   

If you don’t produce any fruit, the enemy and the world will accuse you of not being a Christian.  

Now if you have put your faith in Christ, those accusations don’t change your standing with God but instead of making you fear your salvation they should motivate you to follow the Lord so that you can have the assurance of your salvation and find your purpose in His kingdom.  

Accusations are one of the enemy’s weapons to make us unfruitful Christians and to torment us. Our best defense against the accusations of the enemy is to endeavor to represent the Kingdom of God by learning what God’s word says and by applying it to our lives.  The more we walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit and live a Christian Disciple’s life the more we will see how the enemy’s accusations are meaningless because we are covered by Christ’s atonement on the cross and we are actively following Him.   

So if someone accuses you of “not doing it right” or says your sinful ways prove you are not a Christian, tell them that it is only by Christ that you are saved and that although you may not be perfect you are a child of God because of your faith in Jesus and you are in the process of leaving the darkness of this world behind and are following Jesus to be more and more like Him. 

Our walk isn’t about perfection, it’ about progress, and its about putting your faith in and following the one who is perfect: Jesus Christ. 

 

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

Today we continue to share from Dr. Neil Anderson’s . “Restored: Experience Life with Jesus”. Today, we continue sharing from Chapter 4.   

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Neil Anderson’s books for your own private study and to support his work.

BEGINNING STEP THREE

 

Let me encourage you to ask God who it is that you need to forgive and then I will explain what forgiveness is and how you can do it. In the following prayer, all you are asking for are the names of the people you need to forgive.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for the riches of Your kindness, forbearance, and patience, knowing that Your kindness has led me to repentance (Romans 2:4). I confess that I have not extended that same patience and kindness toward those who have hurt or offended me. Instead I have held on to my anger, bitterness, and resentment toward them. Please bring to my mind all the people I need to forgive in order that I may do so. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

MAKING THE LIST

When you have finished praying, write down on a piece of paper every name that comes to your mind. About ninety percent of the time, mother and father are mentioned first. The first few names that come to your mind are usually the people who contributed to your greatest source of pain. Some may be tempted to think, “There isn’t anybody I need to forgive.”

That is highly unlikely since we have all suffered at the hands of someone else. Write down the names that are coming to your mind right now. The Lord wants you to live a liberated life in Him, but you can’t if you are bound to the past in bitterness. He has commanded you to forgive for your sake, so He will bring to mind both the people and the events that you are chained to in unforgiveness. When you forgive, you set the captive free, only to realize that you were the captive. Who are the relatives you need to forgive? Teachers? Employers? Friends? Co-workers? Church leaders?

DEALING WITH SELF AND GOD

The two most overlooked names are “yourself” and “God.” In many cases, anger toward self or God is greater than anger toward any other person. The devil capitalizes on our ignorance of God and His ways and on our irresponsibility by pummeling us with thoughts such as God isn’t going to help you. He doesn’t love you. How can you be a Christian and do the things you do? Look how weak and helpless you are. People who struggle with such thoughts are angry at themselves and/or God, and are disillusioned by the Christian life.

The concept of “letting go” of anger, guilt, and condemnation toward self is something many have never considered. Those feelings are rooted in our failure to understand God’s cleansing and forgiveness. Only God can forgive our sins, which separate us from Him, and He has. But we need to forgive ourselves for our failures, for letting God down, and for hurting others. Otherwise we believe the subtle deception that we must atone for our own sins.

Believers paralyzed by condemnation are being victimized by the accuser of the brethren (Satan), or by their own faulty consciences, rather than the truth of God’s grace. The latter is psychological guilt based on years of performance-based living and legalistic religious beliefs. These kinds of people live as though Christ’s death was not sufficient to cover their sins. You can hang on the cross if you want to, but it won’t do you any good. The Apostle Paul warned us when he said, “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in selfabasement.”₆₇

You are not being presumptuous by forgiving yourselves, because you are not accomplishing forgiveness from God. Only God can forgive our sins through His Son. Forgiving ourselves is actually receiving forgiveness from God. Forgiving ourselves is saying in effect, “Lord, I believe that You have forgiven me and cleansed me of my sins. Because of Your great love and grace—not because I deserve it—I choose to no longer condemn myself when You have forgiven me. I receive Your forgiveness and cleansing.”₆₉

 ---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Did Jesus Ride in on Dominick the Donkey? - The Lord has Need of It - Purity 590

 

Did Jesus Ride in on Dominick the Donkey? - The Lord has Need of It - Purity 590

Purity 590 12/01/2021   Purity 590 Podcast

Good morning

Today’s photo of a snowy roadside forest comes today from yours truly as I was somewhat shocked to discover that winter is not only coming, it has already arrived for some as my work took me to Petersburgh NY where the residents have already had to shovel and plow a few inches of the white stuff off of their driveways and sidewalks.  

Yup, it’s December and even though winter doesn’t officially arrive until the 21^st and I am blessed to be on the upper regions of New York’s Hudson Valley and have had no accumulation of snow thus far, I don’t care when the snow comes, for me when there is snow on the ground it’s winter.   

But not for me, not yet. Oh I hope I didn’t just jinx myself! Oh by the way, what I did just there, thinking that what I say will result in negative or positive affects on the created universe walks the fine line of superstition, faith, and magical thinking.   

Jinxes are one way that man tries to make sense of his created universe and the narratives we create can seem to make sense. I said x and y happened, but we have a tendency to only notice when those outcomes come or tend to craft the narrative with the benefit of hindsight.

 “Oh this thing happened? Why? Oh before x, I (the mighty and all powerful I) did or said y, thus causing x?”  

But that’s not really a causal relationship. ME causing things to happen is not necessarily true.  

So even if snow should fall on my beloved River House today, it is most likely not because God chose to humble me because of my words. Although, because God is sovereign, it could.  It’s all part of the mystery of our lives and trying to determine what is and is not God’s will, and what He is making happen and what He isn’t.     

Just because we can make up a compelling narrative about something doesn’t make it true. 

For instance, it’s December so Christmas music is being played and will be played on the airwaves, over the internet, and piped into stores from now until the 25^th.  One of the “Christmas” songs that is beloved by some and hated by others is “Dominick the Donkey.”  

Now if you don’t know the lyrics of the song or the contents of the Bible, I might be able to convince you that Dominick was the name of the donkey that Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on the day that is celebrated as Palm Sunday.  

Right? It makes sense.  But wait that’s Easter…

Or I could say that Dominick was the Donkey that was original resident of the manger before Joseph and Mary’s arrival in Bethlehem forced him out of his stall but blessed him to be one of the animal witnesses of the birth of Jesus.  

No, No, No, or even better, I could say that  Dominick the Donkey was Joseph’s donkey from the start who carried the pregnant Mary to Bethlehem!  He then witnessed the Birth of Christ, AND then helped Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, escape from Herod’s men to Egypt! Dominick the Donkey helped Biblical prophecy’s come to pass!  

While my narrative is pretty cool and rather epic…. And I think could be the latest Christmas special, if it is not already, none of it holds up to the word of God.

According to Blueletterbible.com, the name Dominick appears 0 times in the Bible. 

And the names of Jesus, Christ, Mary, and Joseph appear nowhere in Lou Monte’s original lyrics for “Dominick the Donkey”. 

What I could suppose, almost logically, and sounds good doesn’t reflect reality.  So as much as we sometimes would like to “name it and claim it”, we need to be careful what stories we are telling ourselves and others when it comes to the interplay of our faith and the things that happen.  

The best way to do that is to align what we say and do with the truth that is found in the word of God. 

While God has done miraculous things for His people in scripture and is capable of doing anything, we have to be wise and discerning and realize that even in the time of the Apostles and the early church when miracles were happening to confirm the truth that Jesus is Lord, there was a good deal of suffering going on and the Apostles were not anointed supermen and very few people were raised from the dead. 

So as we call for revival and for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on us, we should realize that our prayers will be answered, and the gifts of the Spirit will be given according to the Lord’s will.  God calls the shots and even if we craft our prayers to be spoken in scripture language and have met all the “right conditions”, He decides what will come to pass and He decides what gifts of the Sprit or otherwise will be given. 

As we walk into the Christmas season, let’s endeavor to know what the word of God says and to correct others, and ourselves about the things we might just be “supposing” are true.   Let’s try to not push our own narratives and instead decide to just proclaim the gospel.  Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  That’s what people need to hear.

Let’s make sure the season is full of joy but maybe a little less “magic” as we seek to speak the truth in love that will usher the curious away from Santa, the Grinch, and HE HAW HEE HAW, even the Italian Christmas Donkey and instead give them the hope that never dies and the life of peace and purpose that never ends:  a life lived to give glory to God that is saved through faith in Jesus Christ.  

So just as Christ sent His Apostles to “borrow” a donkey for His purposes, use whatever trappings of the holiday season to remind yourself and others for the reason of the season. And as we represent the kingdom of the God, try to believe in miracles but accept that even if our prayers for mighty moves of God are not met to our expectations, remember that Christ is enough, our created universe and our salvation through faith in Him are the miracles that we can know, enjoy, and experience on a continual basis.  

So keep walking and talking with God, believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and share it as much as you can as we step into December and take another step closer to Christmas Day and seeing our Lord face to face. 

 

Today’s Bible verse is drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.  

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Mark 13:31 (NLT2)
³¹  Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

 

Today’s verse comes from the words of Jesus and assures us that His words will never disappear.

One of our biggest fears is death and an understanding of science tells us that even the universe will eventually run out of energy and die.  Our own observations and understanding of how things are paint a bleak picture of what lies ahead.  Everything seems like it is slowly disappearing before our eyes.  But Christ tells us a different story.

Today’s verse really challenges anyone claiming that Jesus was just some wise teacher. 

This “wise teacher” claimed to be the Son of God and God the Son. That’s quite a lesson.     

Here Jesus indicates that the current created universe will “disappear”, but His words will never disappear.  

So Christ came to the earth to assure us that there was more to life than what we could see.  He came to give us peace with God and to give us something that we could stand on: His word.  

Jesus assures us that He and His word transcend the created universe and that His wisdom and truth will endure forever.

Revelation proclaims that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and that God will share it with those who have put their faith in Jesus and receive everlasting life.  

We receive a new life when we place our faith in Christ, but in order to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit of peace, we have to trust in His word. 

It’s His word that tells us all we know about God and salvation, if we can’t trust His word to be true, we can’t have a true relationship with Him. 

When we come to faith in Christ, we essential say I” believe in what you say, Jesus”.

So take peace from today’s verse and remember that when you put your trust in Jesus that you can continually trust in His word and use it to ground you in His peace even as you walk through a world that seems to be falling apart.  

 

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s “Evil and Suffering… Why? Is God Fair?

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work.

G. How to Accept the Sovereignty of God

The word sovereignty means "supreme power" and "freedom from external control." These definitions describe God perfectly because no higher power exists, and He is certainly free from other controlling influences. The Bible says ...

"He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning." (Daniel 2:21)

SOVEREIGNTY

S—Seek God in prayer for discernment in your circumstances.

"Lord God, how I need Your wisdom, Your discernment, Your understanding."

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray." (James 5:13)

O—Open your heart to God with complete honesty about your feelings.

"I am so confused—my emotions go up one minute, down the next."

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." (Psalm 55:22)

V—Verify your belief in God's love for you.

"Thank You that You love me, no matter what."

"Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love." (Lamentations 3:32)

E—Expect God to change your life through the truth He reveals to you.

"Thank You that through this trial, You will teach me and change me."

"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." (Psalm 119:71)

R—Realize that God is all-powerful and sovereign over your circumstances.

"I realize that all power is in Your hands."

Pilate said ...

"Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" (John 19:10)

Jesus answered ...

"You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." (John 19:11)

E—Expect God to work through all things to prove your faith and to bring Him praise, glory, and honor.

"I realize that You will use all situations, even bad ones, to strengthen my faith and to glorify Yourself."

"The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:10)

I—Invest time in studying Scripture and in prayer.

"I want to immerse myself in Your Word and in Your truths."

"I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." (Psalm 119:15-16)

G—Gain an eternal perspective of God's purposes for your present pain.

"I want to see beyond this situation to Your purpose for it."

"'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'" (John 9:3) (Also read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.)

N—Never allow bitterness to grow in your heart.

"I refuse to be resentful, but choose to rejoice in my relationship with You."

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce not food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

T—Turn to the indwelling Christ, who provides you with His power for victory.

"Thank You that I can rely on Christ within me to live His life through me."

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)

Y—Yield to God's sovereignty. You may never understand or have any answers for your suffering.

"I don't have to have all the answers, but I can know the God who does. I yield myself to Your sovereign control."

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

No heartache is wasted when put in the Master's hand.
When we enter our home in heaven,
we will see how our sorrows gave us sympathy ...
how our tears gave us tenderness ...
and how our crises gave us compassion.

—June Hunt

Biblical Counseling Keys: Evil and Suffering... Why?: Why God? Why?.

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship