Author Archives: cameron

Decisiones Que Nos Definen

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Todos tomamos una incalculable cantidad de decisiones, sobre todo, todos los días… Ya sea para tomar un sándwich o un batido de proteínas, para girar a la izquierda o a la derecha, para hablar o no, etc, etc, ya te lo imaginas. Vivimos nuestras vidas en un estado constante de elección basada en nuestro sentido desarrollado de preferencias. Somos conocidos por nuestras preferencias. El Señor ha dado poder a cada ser humano para que pueda tomar decisiones, algunas que cambian la vida, y otras tan sutiles que son prácticamente imperceptibles, las llamo microdecisiones. De “La Misión en Vacaville”, California, escrita por David Crone, la siguiente es una lista de grandes decisiones que pensé que valía la pena presentar para nuestra consideración, con esperanza, para influir en qué, cómo y por qué decidimos las cosas que elegimos.

“Estas son algunas de las decisiones que definen quiénes somos como comunidad y cómo elegimos vivir nuestras vidas. Estas decisiones no son destinos, sino viajes…”

  • Hemos decidido que enseñar el Evangelio sin demostrarlo no es suficiente. La buena predicación, la buena doctrina y ser buenas personas no son suficientes.
  • Hemos decidido que tener un buen club de iglesia no es suficiente, un buen compañerismo no es suficiente, y solo ser miembro de ese club no es suficiente.
  • Hemos decidido que tener buenos estudios bíblicos es bueno, pero no lo suficientemente bueno, que simplemente llegar al cielo no es nuestra meta, y que saber acerca de Dios sin conocer y experimentar verdaderamente a Dios no tiene sentido.
  • Hemos decidido que tener buenos programas no es suficiente, que el cambio sin transformación es intolerable, y que permanecer donde estamos no es una opción.
  • Hemos decidido que regalar sin carácter es inútil.
  • Hemos decidido que cantar canciones sin adorar está vacío, y tener reuniones sin que Dios aparezca no tiene sentido.
  • Hemos decidido que tener fe sin obras no es suficiente y tener obras sin amor no es aceptable, que nuestra función surge de nuestra relación primero con el Padre y segundo con los demás.
  • Hemos decidido que leer sobre el libro de los Hechos sin vivir el libro de los Hechos es impensable.
  • Hemos decidido que la fe confiada es buena y la fe audaz es mejor.
  • Hemos decidido que escuchar acerca del Espíritu Santo sin experimentarlo es una tontería, que creer en Su presencia sin verla manifestada en señales y maravillas es hipocresía, que creer en la sanidad sin ver a las personas sanadas es absurdo, y que creer en la liberación sin que las personas sean liberadas es absolutamente ridículo.
  • Hemos decidido ser llenos del Espíritu Santo, guiados por el Espíritu Santo y empoderados por el Espíritu Santo; cualquier cosa menos no funciona para nosotros.
  • Hemos decidido ser los que cuentan las historias del poder de Dios, no los que escuchan sobre ellas.
  • Hemos decidido que vivir salvos, pero no sobrenaturalmente es vivir por debajo de nuestro privilegio y con menos, de por lo que Cristo murió.
  • Hemos decidido que somos un barco de guerra, no un crucero, un ejército no una audiencia, las Fuerzas Especiales no los espectadores, los misioneros no los miembros del club.
  • Hemos decidido valorar tanto a los pioneros como a los colonos: pioneros para expandir nuestro territorio y colonos para construir en esos territorios. Pero no somos okupas, personas que ocupan espacio por el que otros han luchado sin mejorarlo.
  • Hemos decidido ser infecciosos en lugar de inocuos, contagiosos en lugar de puestos en cuarentena, mortales en lugar de benignos.
  • Hemos decidido ser amantes radicales y dadores elocuentes.
  • Hemos decidido que somos una estación misionera y no un museo.
  • Hemos decidido que es mejor fracasar mientras buscamos lo imposible que Dios ha planeado para nosotros que tener éxito conformándonos con menos.
  • Hemos decidido que nada menos que Su Reino venga y Su voluntad se haga en nuestro mundo como lo es en el cielo nos va a satisfacer.
  • Hemos decidido que no estaremos satisfechos hasta que nuestro mundo clame: “Estos que han transformado el mundo entero también han venido aquí” (Hechos 17: 6).

Me doy cuenta de que es mucho en lo que pensar, pero si simplemente comenzamos el proceso de pensar, pensar, pensar y considerar cuidadosamente ante el Señor…Nuestras decisiones, elecciones y preferencias cambiarán. Dejemos que nuestras decisiones sean más una determinación de poner nuestro rostro hacia la vida para un gran progreso. Debemos decidir poner esas decisiones en marcha, soltar el embrague y seguir el camino como Dios ha diseñado para nosotros.

Gracias por escuchar, soy Social Porter para el Ministerio Viviendo en Su Nombre.

Traducción por Alfredo Magni Sozzi.

El Peso de la Verdad

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Hoy es sobre la verdad, la verdad en Cristo, que es la Bondad Suprema.

Somos conocidos por nuestras preferencias, de forma sutil, pero sin embargo, nuestras preferencias nos revelan a todos los que nos conocen. Una preferencia es un mayor gusto por una alternativa sobre otra. Pablo escribió en Filemón 1: 8-9, “En consecuencia, aunque soy lo suficientemente valiente en Cristo para ordenaros que hagáis lo que se requiere, sin embargo, por amor prefiero apelar a vosotros”. Prefería apelar a ellos mediante la discusión, la verdad y las Escrituras en lugar de ser un endurecido creador de reglas, caminando por ahí declarando mandamientos. Él quería que llegaran a conclusiones justas dentro de sí mismos, con respecto a ser honestos, ser obedientes a Cristo y decir la verdad de quién era Jesús y quiénes eran en Cristo.

Si mentir es una maldición, y las maldiciones no tienen peso, la honestidad es un honor, y permanece en la gloria, y la gloria tiene peso, como en la presencia pesada de la gloria de Dios. Amamos y odiamos la verdad. No podemos escondernos de ella, ni nos resulta demasiado fácil de decir. Decimos que la verdad es seria, tiene pesadez y gravedad, y es importante en el fondo. Algunos consideran que es una carga que hay que soportar que causa presión, sin embargo, la verdad siempre es influyente y necesaria. La gloria encuentra sus pies en la verdad. En nuestros procedimientos judiciales, se supone que debemos poseer el peso de la verdad en todas sus ramificaciones mientras ejercemos el peso de la autoridad, ambos dispensados por el peso de la ley.

Si queremos poseer la sabiduría y la autoridad para prosperar el Reino de Dios en el ministerio, entonces hacer de la verdad un elemento de acción máxima en nuestra lista debe ser primordial. La verdad es más que hechos, expone las motivaciones detrás de las acciones. Como ejemplo, un hombre robó una manzana, eso es un hecho, pero la verdad es que no había comido durante tres días y estaba tan hambriento que se vio obligado más allá de sus límites morales a tomar lo que no era suyo. Como otro ejemplo, un hombre conducía por la carretera cuando otro vehículo se acercó. y lo pasó a gran velocidad, pasando imprudentemente, haciendo que se desviara. Cuando finalmente se acercó al otro vehículo debido al tráfico, mientras bajaba la ventanilla para gritarle enojado al conductor imprudente, el conductor imprudente bajó la ventanilla y dijo frenéticamente: “Mi casa está en llamas”. Ahhh…. La verdad fue bastante reveladora, y se encontró gracia para las circunstancias de los otros compañeros.

El 19 de septiembre de 1692 en Salem Village Durante los juicios de brujas, un hombre se negó a ser llevado a la corte, y como resultado, fue despojado de su ropa, se colocó una tabla sobre su cuerpo y luego se colocaron rocas pesadas lentamente sobre la tabla para aplastar la verdad de él con la esperanza de obligarlo a admitir lo que querían de él. Era como una metáfora en la que el peso de la verdad iba a aplastar una confesión del hombre. No funcionó, no confesó nada más que compromiso con Cristo, y murió, por supuesto. Es extraño que nadie confesara la verdad, se equivocaron al hacer lo que hicieron. Podemos rastrear la idea del peso de la verdad de la verdad bíblica a la verdad legal, y luego la verdad de la conciencia individual. Pero al final, la verdad, toda la verdad en Cristo, es como un ancla que nos mantiene firmes, aunque cuanto más honestos y veraces somos sobre nosotros mismos y el mundo que nos rodea, más parece contradecir la verdad tal como la ve nuestra sociedad.

Ser honestos y decir la verdad con todo nuestro corazón nos da impulso en el Espíritu, tenemos peso para lograr y hacer una diferencia. No nos equivoquemos, poseer la verdad acerca de nosotros mismos puede ser terriblemente no fácil, pero si queremos entrar en el ministerio, entonces necesitaremos Su autoridad.  Y si vamos a obtener autoridad del Señor, tendremos que dejar que Él desarrolle nuestro carácter, y eso requiere honestidad que puede parecer aplastante para algunos, y liberadora para otros, todo al mismo tiempo. No podemos escondernos de ella, y difícilmente podemos soportar poseerla, pero debemos poseerla.

¿Cuán enserio estamos dispuestos a ser sinceros con lo que el Señor nos ha dado? En 2 Crónicas18 Acab y Josafat iban a ir a la guerra contra Ramot Gilead. Josafat no estaba tan seguro de que llamara a Acab para que sacara a los profetas a escuchar lo que tenían que decir. Los profetas más prominentes de Acab vinieron y dijeron: “¡Sí, sube! ¡Serás fabuloso!” Josafat todavía no estaba tan seguro, así que preguntó si había un hombre de Dios en la casa. Acab dijo que tenía uno en prisión, pero nunca dijo nada bueno sobre el rey. En aquellos días, profetizar cualquier cosa al rey que no fuera lo que quería escuchar era una buena manera de ser asesinado. Pero este tipo, Micaías, se dedicó a decir la verdad como el Señor se la dio. Cuando se le preguntó si debían ir a la guerra, al principio, dijo: “Oh, sí, sube, serás genial”, y Acab le ordenó que dijera la verdad. Así lo hizo. Le dijo a Acab que iba a morir. Acab se enojó y dijo que trataría con Micaías cuando regresara. Micaías dijo: “Si alguna vez te vuelvo a ver, no soy un hombre de Dios”, con lo cual, Acab dijo que lo alimentara con pan y agua, y eso es lo último que escuchamos del hombre de Dios. El profeta dijo la verdad, incluso a riesgo de su propia vida, porque la devoción a Dios era más importante que salvar su propia vida. Micaías tenía alta fidelidad, fue leal a su fuente hasta el final.

Jesús es la verdad y no hay mentiras en él. Nos deshonramos con las mentiras que nos decimos a nosotros mismos…. el Señor quiere que tengamos una autoridad que cambie el planeta, pero no viene por ideas poco realistas de que somos más de lo que Dios dice que somos. El Señor nos inspira a construir amistades con aquellos que están dispuestos a poseer un puente entre ellos, que pueda soportar, bajo el peso de la verdad. Diré de nuevo, la falsa esperanza es mucho más cruel de lo que la verdad jamás pensó ser.

Ser honesto, honra al Señor. Decir la verdad es como Cristo. Ser responsable de nuestras acciones es parte de decir la verdad y ser honorables. Se necesita un verdadero carácter construido por Dios para vivir así.

Cuando venga el Espíritu de verdad, él os guiará a toda la verdad, porque no hablará por su propia autoridad, sino que todo lo que oiga, hablará, y os declarará las cosas que han de venir. Los labios mentirosos son una abominación para el Señor, pero aquellos que actúan con fidelidad y verdad son su deleite. Por cierto, fidelidad significa lealtad a nuestra fuente, Cristo Jesús. El Señor está cerca de todos los que lo invocan, de todos los que lo invocan en verdad.

Gracias por escuchar, soy Social Porter para el Ministerio Viviendo en Su Nombre.

Traducción por Alfredo Magni Sozzi.

El Peso de las Mentiras

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Incluso cuando vivimos bajo la necesidad apremiante de honestidad, incluso en eso, a menudo nos vemos obligados a mantener algunas cosas en secreto. A veces, hay un desgarro en nuestra alma como la tensión de tener que revelarnos a nosotros mismos versus guardar secretos para que no seamos descubiertos … Es un peso, no alas. Los secretos son necesarios a veces, después de todo, Dios tiene secretos, pero Él nos promete que, al final, todas las cosas serán reveladas. Algunos secretos son necesarios, pero cuando guardan demasiados, se convierten en una carga creciente que corroe todo lo que somos.

El Señor conoce toda nuestra vida y ve nuestro yo torturado mientras nos escondemos, nos deslizamos y hacemos coartadas, mientras que el mundo rico y colorido en nuestro corazón lentamente, casi imperceptiblemente, se desvanece a sombríos tonos de escala de grises…de la carga de mentiras nos decimos a nosotros mismos.

Nos decimos a nosotros mismos la verdad de que somos más que conquistadores, pero luego lo estiramos en nuestra imaginación para creer algunas de las cosas más salvajes que jamás hayas escuchado. El Señor dice que Él está con nosotros, y todo poder en el cielo y en la tierra está en Cristo que está en nuestros corazones. Pensamos que Su poder es nuestro poder, así que andamos por ahí reprendiendo árboles, atando sombras, maldiciendo las malas hierbas, ordenándonos a nosotros mismos caminar sobre el agua., todo el tiempo nuestra casa es un desastre, necesitamos un baño, tenemos facturas que pagar, nuestro cónyuge e hijos necesitan nuestra atención … Y las mentiras que nos decimos a nosotros mismos simplemente nos inclinan al suelo en expectativas rotas y decepción.

Creo que mucha gente a menudo se siente atascada…. Parece que no podemos vivir, y no es hora de morir, supongo que se parece mucho a estar estreñido. Se siente como un espíritu frágil dentro de nosotros, y estamos cargando nuestras decepciones, en mochilas, sabiendo que nunca nos liberarán, ni por un segundo. Las mentiras que nos decimos a nosotros mismos claman por ser resueltas y nos atan mientras tanto. Solo Jesús puede liberarnos, pero tenemos que estar dispuestos a dejar que el cementerio de cosas viejas renuncie a que está muerto.

Hice un intento por ser pastor durante 2 años y medio. Luché, y lo intenté, me estrellé y me quemé cada semana donde nadie podía verme. Lloré mucho. Dios me transformó, mucho. Cada semana lo intentaba de nuevo, cada semana era extraordinaria, cada semana me alegraba y me golpeaba de decepción al mismo tiempo, y cada semana, mucho más que el miércoles, recibía correos electrónicos de quejas sobre cómo no hicimos esto, no dijimos eso, deberíamos haber cantado esto, orado demasiado, no lo suficiente … solo murmurando y quejándose. Un domingo por la tarde, sentado solo en el porche, tuve una revelación…. Me había estado mintiendo a mí mismo diciéndome a mí mismo que podía ser esa persona, pero la verdad era que NO tenía lo que se necesitaba para usar legítimamente el título, simplemente no era mi regalo. Ese fue el día en que me di cuenta de que podemos superar nuestros dones asignándonos un título para el cual no tenemos ningún don en particular. De hecho, el peso de la mentira de que yo ERA esa persona era una carga, mis pies se volvieron cada vez más lentos, hasta que, metafóricamente, arrastraba los pies, apenas podía mantenerme de pie. Curiosamente, observé a otras personas que también estaban inclinadas por el peso de sus propias mentiras. Personas que se decían a sí mismas que eran profetas, pero había muy poca evidencia de ello. Oh, lo intentaron bien, le dieron un valiente esfuerzo, pero sus palabras simplemente cayeron al suelo para ser arrastradas por el polvo. Sin embargo, otros se dijeron a sí mismos que no tenían dones reales, mientras exhibían hermosas enseñanzas o servían dones con extraordinaria perspicacia, pero negaban rotundamente el don de Dios en sí mismos.

Nos decimos a nosotros mismos que conocemos al Señor, pero muchos no pueden hablar de Sus atributos. Decimos que vamos a la iglesia porque es lo correcto, pero nunca cuestionamos qué es lo que somos. ¿Tan insistentemente asistiendo? Le decimos vehementemente a la gente que no nos juzgue, sin embargo, solo tenemos una vaga idea de qué es lo que tenemos de nosotros mismos que no queremos que juzguen.

Una mentira es una maldición, y las maldiciones no tienen peso. La gloria tiene peso, las maldiciones no. La luz tiene peso, la oscuridad no. Con esa observación, ¿qué tienen las mentiras que se dice que “pesan sobre nuestra conciencia” tan pesadamente? Creo que el peso de las mentiras es la carga o la violación de nuestra conciencia, la vergüenza que nos traemos a nosotros mismos y el deshonor de no ser honestos. Cuando no somos honestos, simplemente no somos honestos y eso nos desgasta. Como una fila de trozos de madera raspa, las mentiras raspan trozos de nuestra conciencia, hasta que nuestras mentiras ya no nos molestan mucho. Tienden a multiplicarse, porque se necesita una mentira adicional para cubrir la última mentira, por lo tanto, el peso sobre nuestra conciencia de deshonra trae más deshonor en nuestra continuación para escondernos. Las sombras se hacen más largas en nuestra mente y corazón. Mientras tanto, crecemos más y más lejos del Señor, quien nos ama y simplemente nos pide que nos limpiemos con Él.

Debemos elegir ser honestos. No duele mucho, excepto nuestro orgullo. Ser honesto es tan saludable como comer buena comida y beber agua limpia. Creo que hay gloria que crece en nuestros corazones cuando somos honestos con Dios y con nosotros mismos. Y si eliges deshacerte del peso de las mentiras por un estilo de vida honesto, prepárate para indirectamente hacer que otros se sientan incómodos. Se retorcerán, dejarán de llamarte, te evitarán en la tienda, no responderán a correos electrónicos o mensajes de WhatsApp. Pero tú y yo, vamos a seguir siendo diligentes para salir del peso de las mentiras que nos han dicho y creído por conveniencia, o tal vez incluso porque las mentiras sonaban altamente probables para nuestro ya triste estado mental.

2 Reyes 12:15 habla del obrero que era tan honesto que la gente no tenía que pedirles cuentas… Porque eran correctos en todo lo que hicieron. No mintieron sobre a dónde fue el dinero, no mintieron sobre el trabajo que dijeron que hicieron, pero no hicieron, no mintieron usando alguna promesa futura para hacer que todo se equilibrara, ni mintieron sobre cuándo se haría el trabajo. Eran honestos, y Dios lo tenía registrado en la Biblia. ¿Te imaginas, siendo tan honesto, que el Señor escribió tu nombre en la Biblia para que todos, en todas partes, lo vieran para siempre?

El peso de las mentiras nos inclinará al suelo, y sólo Dios puede levantarnos. El Salmo 3:3 dice que el Señor es la gloria y el que levanta nuestra cabeza, pero amigos, tenemos que estar dispuestos a abandonar nuestras desilusiones también.

Gracias por escuchar, soy Social Porter para el Ministerio Viviendo en Su Nombre.

Traducción por Alfredo Magni Sozzi.

Who Are You Anyway?

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          Contrary to popular belief, we all really do need a mediator. We have a conflict within us between life and death and there needs to be a judge and peacemaker to help resolve our conflicted thinking and crisis of conscience.        

         Hebrews 9:13-15, “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason, He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

         How will God reward us in Heaven when we have led a life of constant self-condemnation? i think that for many of us, we’ve bought into the lie that we are alone and nobody cares, making it easy to aim our own condemning finger at ourselves. Either way, it’s still all about ourselves… the consummate victim and martyr. Being a victim is as much about domination as being a controller.

         It is not true that we are alone, nor is it true that no one cares. Maybe that works for many of us because we’ve got this idea that if we were God, we wouldn’t have anything to do with us either… but in light of that, i’m very pleased that i am not God, and He is exactly who He says He is.

         Are we just old sinners, doing sinner things with sinner people, thinking sinner thoughts, going sinner places for sinner reasons?

         What is it we know about ourselves that if God found out, we are sure He wouldn’t like us anymore? Do we think God is somehow blind to the entirety of our lives, and we must continuously hide?

         If the sacrifice of bulls and goats was only good to cover sin for a year, how much more is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ sufficient to cover your sins? i believe there are two kinds of secrets, the ones we hide from others, and the ones we hide from ourselves. Without foundational honesty, our hearts shift from vision… a singleness of eye, to di-vision, a multiplicity of vision. To buy into the lie from hell that we are nothing and a zero… and always will be because we are just old sinners… is a lie that divides… our heart, making the condemning vision of ourselves our truth, never taking into account how God sees us. How the Lord sees us is, by far, the correct perspective.

         i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the deck area of a rural cafe overlooking the Ockluhwahhah River.

         Who are you anyway? We all know who we say we are, but in our heart of hearts, do we see Jesus staring back at us in the mirror, or do we see the eyes of Judas the traitor, imagining reproach in our own faces with tears of condemnation leaking from the corners of our eyes? Who does God say you are? Do you really believe it?

         Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Friends, take it from someone with some hard-won wisdom, it is right nigh impossible to rejoice and be glad in the day which the Lord has made when all your thinking is busy being just an old, no-count sinner.

         Matt19:19 says to love your neighbor as you love yourself, not loathe your neighbor as you loathe yourself.

         Objective honesty is the truth according to God; Subjective honesty is the truth according to me. When our subjective truth is so negative, looming and large, as it apparently is in many, it diminishes the objective truth, so much so that it can be difficult to grasp what God says about us. i figure we can either be mind changers or simply be the ones with changing minds. Who are you anyway? And even more important… to whom do you belong… or who’s your daddy?

         i was raised in the southeastern United States… the Bible Belt. After i met the Lord in 1973, for more years than i can count, i was constantly, constantly, constantly told who i was not, what i did not, all that i could not, and everything i would not…i can’t remember but a scant handful of times in the first 30 years of my walk with the Lord that i ever heard anyone tell me how the Lord sees me, other than to say, “He loves you”, then quickly adding not to get too proud about it, lest you prove Prov16:18 true… you know… that part about pride going before a fall… then adding “And brother you’re pretty close so you better watch out!” My world was filled with watch out, be careful, and don’t.

         How long can we live in the subjective truth, the truth according to ourselves, while striving to rise above the constant pointing out that we are sinners? There is an incredible conflict in us which says i’m just an old sinner man and can never rise above my wrongness of character, and the other which is the perspective of God Himself who says we are beautiful and loveable. Maybe, when God says we are made righteous by the blood of Jesus, it’s just too good for most of us to bare… . because i feel badly about myself doesn’t change the fact that Jesus, by His blood on Calvary’s Hill, made those who believe on His name righteous. Just because it seems too good for me to bear, doesn’t make it not true. Romans 8:1, “Therefore, now, there is not even one bit of condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit, that of the life in Christ Jesus, freed you once for all from the law of the sinful nature and of death.” There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

         Yes, we all fall short of the glory of God, great day, haven’t we constantly, day and night, been reminded of just how “no good” we are? What do we do then with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Is it enough? If we’re going to be under the law, of which no man is justified, made free or whole, then all we’ve got left is condemnation. If Jesus satisfied all the law, i must ask the question, Who’s side are you on? If we have tasted the grace of God and gone back to doing the law, the endurance and surrender of Christ is made of no effect and there is no other sacrifice to be made. We are free, by the blood of Jesus and no going back to Egypt allowed, if you catch my drift. We are either in the law camp of condemnation or the grace camp of Jesus.

         Did God speak to you…by His spoken word, through the church, or by His written word? Either way, i believe He certainly has spoken to you, one way or another… therefore, three questions really need to be answered. 1. You need to know, did God, indeed, speak to you? 2. What EXACTLY did He say? And 3. What are you going to do about it?

         i’d like to unfold those three important questions a little bit. There are people who don’t believe God speaks to anyone anymore, which if you take scripture seriously, that is silly. i figure He has a mouth, we have ears, why wouldn’t He speak to His kids? Maybe it’s more that many people think it’s too scary, or maybe they believe they are too low, insignificant, or sinful for God to speak to them… i find it peculiar that it’s not them who can’t hear, but God who doesn’t speak.

         So let’s suppose the Lord DOES speak to us… c’mon, play along… suppose He did. In that case, we’d have to follow His path of possibilities. If all things are possible with our God, as it says in Mark 10:27, then isn’t it possible He has spoken to you? AND… if He was speaking, it seems to logically follow, you’d probably want to better understand exactly what He was saying… right?… because you don’t want to misunderstand, add anything to His words or leave anything out. If He said to clean up your room, you wouldn’t want to turn it into cleaning everyone’s room all the way down the street, when He only asked you to clean up your own room. From there, we must pursue the Lord to know how to take action. He doesn’t talk to us just to hear Himself speak…it is for our benefit. It may take time to understand what to do, so be patient. One time, it took 9 years to conclude what was initially spoken to me by the Lord in a dream… as another example, it was a long time before Abraham and Sara saw the word of the Lord come to pass concerning Isaac.

         i believe a large part of the body of Christ is in the middle of an identity crisis. Our Savior is speaking to us, and one of the primary subjects He is speaking to us about is “Who are you anyway?” We’ve established that the Lord is indeed speaking to us… If you don’t believe it, read your Bible…God’s voice is loud and clear. What else does the Lord say about each of us other than our selective reading which only points out our short fallings?

         Years ago i saw a woman with a Bible in which she had taken a Sharpie Pen and blacked out all the scriptures she didn’t like… she had literally created a redacted Bible. i asked her why she had done that and she replied that some were too good to be true, and others were too cruel to be true and she just wanted to read the moderate parts because she was a very moderate person. Similarly, we can’t read a redacted Bible, only picking out the scriptures that point to our badness, and all our sins… we must read the rest of what God says about us… and those scriptures that seem too good to be true, if we are going to walk in sound doctrine, we must DO something with those verses and no longer continue to ignore them. The Lord HAS spoken to us, we have a record, and at the very least it’s good enough to understand what He’s saying, so now… what will we do with the entire counsel of God? Ummm… tough question there, huh?

         When we are constantly bombarded by information concerning what sinners we are, we can only hear just so many calamitous stories before they set a bias in our minds.  

         Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

         The word “workmanship” is originally a Greek word, “poiema”… it is where we get our English word for “poem”. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God’s poetry, and if we are His poetry, it just doesn’t seem right for us to call bad what God has called good. If we, who belong to Christ are His poem, His righteous rhyme, and joy, who do we think we are to re-decide what God has declared?

         You, yes you are God’s poetry. He knows all your secrets, all the things you may not want anyone to ever know, yet He still loves you and would still like very much to have a never-ending conversation with you. Yes, i realize that if you were God, you maybe wouldn’t want to talk to someone like yourself, but you aren’t God, He is, and He has chosen to talk to you, that is if you have time. If you don’t have time now, believe me, eventually, you will have time and the Lord will be ready.

         For years, i was under the impression that the Lord was just barely able to contain Himself toward my smaller sins, though numerous and proliferate, but He wasn’t so quick to forgive concerning the larger ones. The implication was that if i didn’t get my act together, God would leave me for reprobate in the desert, so to speak, and there wouldn’t quite be enough of the Savior’s blood which could wash me clean from sin. That is NOT what the Lord says. We must do something with Psalm 103:11-12, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, He has removed our transgressions far from us.” It doesn’t say, as far as east is from west until it suits Him to go get them back to use as leverage against us, neither can we go fishing for them to bring them back to make ourselves pay over and over, being filled with regret. That is the way the devil thinks, NOT the way God thinks. Your sins have been thrown into the sea of forgetfulness…but just to be clear though… the phrase sea of forgetfulness is not actually in Scripture. When people mention the “sea of forgetfulness,” they are usually referring to several passages that talk about God’s forgiveness, and how when we are justified in Christ, God forgets our sins so completely that they might as well be buried at the bottom of an ocean. 

          The main passage that contains the idea of a sea of forgetfulness is Micah 7:19, “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

         Isaiah 1:18, says, “God will make our scarlet sins as white as wool.” A sea of forgetfulness represents a place where our sins are sent so very far away from us, that they can no longer affect us.

         In light of that, the Lord sees you as a son, daughter, beloved, and friend. We’ve got to get the vision… out of our heads that the Lord is some tooth-gritting, raging galactic hurricane that can’t wait to burn desperate sinners, those monsters of iniquity to the ground. THAT is NOT God’s heart. Sure, He is holy and righteous, unwavering in excellence above all the earth, but the problem isn’t the way He sees us, it’s in how we see ourselves. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” A man recently said that Jesus used death to defeat death and became sin for us. He got what He did not deserve, death on a cross, that we would get what we do not deserve, righteousness. If God says, by His son we are righteous, just because we are uncomfortable with that, doesn’t make it any less true.

         C’mon church, let’s get a hold of this and see ourselves as the Lord sees us. 2 Cor 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” What part of all doesn’t mean all? All means all, not mostly, pretty much, or for the most part, and God is not kidding around. If we’re going to be balanced believers, walking in sound doctrine, then we must take ALL scripture into account, and if we’re going to do that, then we can’t continue to see ourselves as just an old sinner, barely scraping by into Heaven with the faint aroma of sulfur and brimstone on us because we so narrowly missed hell. Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” To barely get into Heaven means all powerful God very nearly couldn’t save us. Is there any part of you that His blood does not cover? If not, that is to say, the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, was insufficient. He could save others, but couldn’t quite save you. Really? C’mon, really?

         That’s absurd. What is it your eyes see that you think God’s eyes do not? Maybe you feel you’ve somehow walked far from the Lord and the world has inserted itself into your thinking… nevertheless, the Lord has not stopped calling after you,

“Come home!” Maybe you’re afraid God will be mad at you. In Is54:9, the Lord says He will no longer be angry with us. i can assure you, having wandered away myself, the true heart of God says, “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance”, Luke 15:7.

         Maybe you feel surely you are lost for good, but i can guarantee you, God knows exactly where you are, and you have not escaped His attention… you’re not just some old no-count sinner… don’t call foul what God has declared sanctified… the Father knows His children and calls them by name…and He calls you by name. The Lord is confident in His ability to love you back from the edge of destruction and has made a way for you to find your way home and be welcomed with open arms.

         i read somewhere that your worth and value are not determined by the popular clique group that rejects you! Ultimately, not what YOU think, but what does God think of you… THAT’S where the buck stops… with God. If we’re going to be in a club, all we have to do is believe we are all right and everyone else is wrong. But to be a Christian, we have to believe we are all wrong, and there is only One who is right. If He says you are more than a conqueror, then take Him at His word and believe it. What…have you got… to lose? To say anything is “just” this or “just” that… is a subtle way of belittling, as a result, in the mind of many believers, not only are they sinners, but out of their mouths comes a further belittling of themselves by being “just old sinners”. Start speaking life to yourself in the mirror every day.

         Acts 10:15 has a powerful statement we should apply to ourselves… “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” The word “common”, in this case, means profane. From God’s perspective, if we are His poetry, His beloved, who are we to re-decide His decision, calling ourselves profane? He says we are lovely, we say we are just ugly sinners. God says we are beloved, we say we are just sinners, barely liked, much less loved. God says we are righteous in Christ, we say we are sinners and don’t deserve anything good.

         You can snuff out all the flaming missiles from hell with your shield of faith, and you, yes you are a child of God, born of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God which lives and abides forever. Amen. And that’s just a start.

         Because for so many years i went through an identity crisis, over the years i’ve compiled a list of who God says i am. i hope you’ll adopt these for yourself as i have.

         You, yes you can do all things through Jesus Christ, you are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. Did you know you are alive in Christ, free from the law of sin and death? You totally are! You are far from oppression and fear is not part of your makeup. 1 John 5:18 says you are born of God and evil does not touch you… You are made of Holy Ghost teflon and the curses of darkness do not stick to you. Prov 26:2 is the truth, a curse does not stick without a cause, and Jesus has made it so there is no cause for curses to cling to you. Eph1:4 says you are holy and without blame before the Lord in love. We can not curse what God has blessed, just ask Balaam… read his story in Numbers 22. If Balaam couldn’t curse what God had blessed, then we need a different story in our mouths about ourselves than being “just a sinner”.

         You have the mind of Christ, and the peace of God in you passes all understanding… God said so, therefore it is true. 1 John 4:4 says you have the Greater One living in you… confess every day to yourself, if necessary, that greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world. Tell yourself that as often as necessary until you get it down…in… your… head!

         You really really do have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and, yes, actually actually, the eyes of your understanding have been opened.

         You are a new creation in Christ, new, all new, never been another you like you are now. You are alive in Christ, fully alive, not just barely getting by, and the light of the gospel shines in your mind and heart. You are blessed in your actions and are a doer of the Word of God. Not only are you more than a conqueror, but according to 2 Cor 5:21, you ARE the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. You are either righteous or you’re not… if you’re only mostly righteous then you’re not righteous… according to the Lord, if you believe in Jesus Christ, God calls you righteous… that may seem too good to be true, but it is true because the Lord said so.

         Who are you anyway? Just an old sinner, sludging along like some desperate bunker dweller, or are you who God says you are, an overcomer by the Blood of the Lamb, and an ambassador for Christ? 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellency’s of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

         You are beautiful in the eyes of your Heavenly Father, beautiful and beloved as Jesus is beautiful and beloved. You are blood brother to the Son of God, not some no-count sinner. Lift up your chin church, stand up straight and put one foot in front of another, any day can be your new day to begin walking in your calling.

         Drive carefully this week, think about what you spend your time thinking about. Be consistent and repeatable, we are almost home. Amen, and amen!

Ugh! Mammon!

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Ugh! Mammon! What a word… the more i say it the more the word feels like something very unpleasant in my mouth. The way it is used in scripture speaks of more than just money, which is what most of us have been taught… it is more than just money, it is a heart posture, a soul focus and money is more a result than a cause.

A few years ago the Lord began speaking to me of mammon, what it means, how it impacts things, and why, if Christians are so taken with the Lord, can we get so entangled with this ugly… thing… mammon… it is a real golden calf of sorts. Getting in bed with mammon eventually makes us someone of constant sorrows, afterall, without Jesus, there is no real happiness in the end. And yes, i realize “happy” is a very subjective word, but, God is happy, so i believe His desire is for us to be joyful and happy also.

Mammon elevates us in the moment, it spikes and then trails off in a negative direction… it starts high and then the thrill deteriorates until the next high… like drug use… we spend so much time trying to get back that initial spike of exhilaration, as a result, little by little we, pursue our devotion to stuff, and things, or for some maybe, the possibilities of fame and power, but it never quite becomes as satisfying and delicious as the first time we encountered “mammon”.

In the days of old, if a man was caught being disobedient to a cruel lord of the land, sometimes, the master would have a dead body tied to the living man, and through contagion, which is the communication of disease by direct or indirect contact of dead things with living things, the man would eventually die a terrible death. If we hold “mammon” to ourselves, it will eat a hole in our pocket, and upon laying against us… all the terrible soul-sicknesses will begin to invade us, inserting themselves into our thinking, making us become dull-eared, dim-eyed, and thick-skinned toward the Lord. It won’t be long until we are “distant” from God, and we’ll wonder how we got so far from home… never meaning to have become so removed, yet there we are. Mammon is sneaky and insidious, and hell knows mankind can easily get sucked into an addiction to it.

This evening’s topic is “mammon”, absorbing and grave, personified and opposed to God.

Mammon! It even sounds like something i want no part of…The Lord calls it a way of death. As previously mentioned, it is absorbing, grave, insidious, personified, and opposed to God. Cunning and deceitful, it looks good at first and reassures us all things are well as we are slowly swallowed alive down the vortex of the never-ending gullet of a world without God. Like a child playing with a very dangerous toy, the Lord says to us, specifically and plainly, “Don’t touch that! Mammon and all it represents is bad for you and everyone in the sphere of your influence. Put it down and don’t handle it!” Mammon can easily be represented by the character Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, when coveting the one ring, calling it, “My precious!!”

Early on, believers in Christ began to use the word “mammon” in a way that expressed contempt and disapproval… it also was used in reference to gluttony, excessive materialism, greed, and unjust worldly gain. Amongst mammon’s subset of qualities is covetousness, which says “i want what i have and what you have too.” Covetousness is idolatry because mammon is idolatry at its core.

Colossians 3:5, “And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God.”

Those words, “doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy,” is the foundational attitude representing the idea of mammon.

Go ahead… say the word to yourself a few times… feel the way your mouth makes the letters… the word has a stop in the middle meaning you’ve got to stop saying one thing to start saying something else. To me, it’s just ugly to say out loud. More importantly, watch the vision in your head when you say the word… slowly, several more times… i don’t know about you, but i see dark clouds, encroaching dire gravity, weights not wings, which sing us a lullaby to doze us off while regret grows gently around our feet, binding up our courage and growing roots through the foundations of our confidence… it is like a dark, circumvoluted path that is riveting to our soul… mammon finds life in us like a seed planted in a rock wall… when it grows, roots break down our barriers and eventually tumble our fortress defenses.

The use of the word isn’t so much about what you’ve got, but more what you trust in… the word comes with a leaning toward vices that spring from idolatry and are peculiar to its practices… another word that comes to mind is avarice… mammon breeds covetousness and avarice. Hear this: friends, these are the days of the golden calf, something to worship other than the Lord… glittering, shiny, just… dazzling, and many of us get so lost in the dazzle… money dazzle, eye candy dazzle, everything, even architecture is just dazzling and hypnotic.

Col 3:5, as translated by Kenneth Weust, a noted Christian New Testament Greek scholar of the mid-Twentieth century reads, “By a once-and-for-all act, and at once, put to death your members which are upon the earth: fornication, impurity, depraved passion, wicked craving, and avarice which is of such a nature as to be idolatry;”

There should be an incredibly poisonous snake named avarice which, when bitten, we die an unhalting, slow, agonizing death by which only the blood of Jesus can arrest its continual march to stop our hearts.

The root word for mammon comes from a Hebrew word which means “your treasure, what you lay up or store up.” It’s the same root word for what Isaiah 33:6 calls “treasure”. This is important to understand: A literal translation of the word “treasure” means the head and heart are connected by the things we pursue… i’ll say it again, treasure means the head and heart are connected by the things we pursue.

We all realize there is nothing wrong with “treasure”, but when our treasure becomes our god, now we have problems. The obsession with greed and treasure was so great, many early believers held mammon to be personified as a demon. It was seen as just that powerful.

When we are “near” God, there is no room for the subtle and corrupt things of the world to get a grip in us to grow, but when we are “far” from the Lord, the world inserts itself into our thinking through the cracks in our character, like a snake in the grass, it just slips along until it starts influencing all our thinking. Mammon is about who or what you have confidence in, and in the case of Luke 16:13, Jesus counsels us to either be on the left or be on the right, but we can’t be in both places.

In a believer, mammon breeds chaos. The word Babylon is first used in 1 Kings 17:24, literally meaning confusion and chaos. People who try to do both grace and law, with one foot in the New Testament and one foot in the old, have a heart of Babylon, or confusion… we can’t do the law and grace at the same time. 1Cor15:56 says the strength of sin is the law, and if we have tasted the grace of God which came by Jesus Christ, then according to Gal5:4, we have gone backward and lost our hold on grace. i think Babylon and mammon live on the same street and are close neighbors.

Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Serving the Lord requires the surrender of our worldly ways, humility to get low, and the relinquishing of our past lives for a better one which He will lead us into. This world we live in beckons us to live in such a way, our attitude is: ‘I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” So, don’t worry about anything, you’ll be dead soon, so what does it matter? The Lord says in Prov 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” God doesn’t ask for our heart so He can prevent us from having good things, but so He can position us to actually have good things which cause us to live, not die.

Jeremiah 24:7, “Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.”

Love says, “Give me your heart.” Mammon says, “NO! Give it to me!”

In Jeremiah 24:7 is a word that is the 12th most used verb in the O.T… it’s the word “return”… and better than any other verb, it combines in itself the two requisites of repentance: to turn from evil and to turn toward the good, and that is Godly good, not just good as the world understands. The Lord beckons to us to give Him our heart, yet the world we live in croons to us to join in its dark, godless state and leave the Lord out of everything we do.

If mammon and avarice were a large, corporate service provider, i think their advertisements and sales pitch would sound like this:

“We at Mammon and Company thrive on facilitating a belief system which serves people’s needs… right away. Most have a mortgage, a family, and, according to them, an extremely demanding job. People DON’T want a religion that complicates their lives with unreasonable ethical and moral demands. Mammon and Company has done the research… we find that God requires a huge amount of commitment concerning things like “single-deity” clauses, compulsory goodness, and a never-ending litany of over-spiritualized, mystifying mumbo-jumbo. It’s no wonder people are switching over to Mammon and Company. We know we aren’t the biggest player in the spiritual race, but our ability to deliver on our promises is… well, unique, and our moral flexibility is absolutely unmatchable. Why? Because you deserve to enjoy life – guilt-free.”

That was a parody, but can you hear the insidious, near reasonableness of the creative advertisement? … that is if you don’t think about it, letting the world appeal to your needs, pointing out how you don’t have what you want, and that they can fulfill all your needs, just give mammon your heart.

Love says, “Give me your heart,” mammon greedily says, “No! Give it to me!”

Love says, “Be content with what you’ve got.” Mammon says, “Get everything you can by hook or crook.”

Where is your treasure? Jesus said in Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Friends, let us cease our efforts to gain prominence, positions, titles, possessions, manufactured personas, and a greedy grabbing for the supernatural. It is the Lord’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom, stop being afraid, it is His choice to give it to us. Make a provision from your wealth and give to the poor; provide for yourselves money-bags which don’t deteriorate with use, a treasure which is unfailing, in the heavens, where a thief can’t get in, not even a clothes-moth can destroy, for where your treasure is, there also is your heart.

Many years ago, i was having a hard time sorting out what spiritual direction to go. i wondered where my heart was on some very real issues. As i dropped the plows into the ground one day, over the roar of the tractor i plainly heard the Lord say, “If you can’t find your heart, go look for your treasure… your heart will be laying around there somewhere.” Again, where is your treasure?

Mammon says to grab all you can, get it for yourself, and only share if it means an increase in your profit margin. Most wealthy people aren’t wealthy because they are so generous you know… and that amazingly cool guy that is a Christian music producer…you know, the one who is so interested in your project? Remember, he probably doesn’t drive a fancy car and have a suite on Hollywood and Vine because he’s such a good guy.

1 Timothy 6:7-9, “for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

Love says, “Be honest and just.” Mammon says “Cheat your own father if you can gain by it.”

It’s always about what you can get, even if you have to step on the neck of the person in front of you.

Love says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honest, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Mammon says to not worry if it is true, who cares if there’s any honesty as long as you’ve got your legal paperwork done, no one really wants justice, purity isn’t relative today; it says life is most beautiful when you’ve got yours and theirs too, always commend yourself first. Mammon says that having what you want when you want is true excellence, and always remember, you and only you are worthy of all praise, you are your own beginning and end… constantly think of these things.

God and mammon are completely opposed. Love says, “Be giving.” Mammon says, “Hold tight to what you’ve got!” Love says open your hand, releasing the provision God has provided to those around you. Mammon says let others fend for themselves. They’ll get what they deserve, and it serves them right.

The Lord says in Proverbs 25:21, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,”

Mammon says if your enemy is hungry, too bad, this is my food and water and you don’t get any… well, unless you want to work a deal… what have you got in mind?

Jesus said in Luke 6:30, “Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.” Mammon says take from the one who begs, and from the one who steals, prosecute them till they drop and take all their stuff.

In the “meaning of things”, the dictionary doesn’t give significance to your words, nor is your content and context derived from some approving agencies’ board members, sitting in their high places, vowing and disavowing potential ministers and ministries. In the eyes of the Lord, we are not defined by our stuff, but by Christ who lives in our hearts. If our hands are influenced by mammon, we will have shut up riches and closed hands, we will become narrow-eyed, tight-lipped, and our mind will become darkened and dull… thick-skinned toward the Lord.

In 2001 i was at church one Sunday and as i walked out that afternoon, i had an open vision. In front of my face, as plain as day i say in full technicolor, a man’s hand… it was open, palm up, and had a nail hole at the heel of the hand. The open vision was only for a couple seconds, and honestly, for a moment, i wasn’t sure what had just happened and wondered if i had actually seen what i thought i had seen. When the vision happened, it was like a light blue wind pushed through my person and rocked me backward a little, but yet i had no understanding nor application for the vision. Only in the last 2 years, have i begun to understand what i saw. The Lord has opened His hand to whomsoever will receive from Him.

Matthew 10:8, “… Freely you have received, freely give…” and Acts 20:35, “…. the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

i believe somehow, we typically find ourselves somewhere in the middle between Love and mammon. On one hand, we have a heart to give, and on the other hand, we would really like to have something for ourselves. We say titles and validation don’t matter, but secretly, more than a few wish for those things. Friends, we need to balance the equation, so to speak.

Within us, we have conflicts on many levels that are being allowed to continue unchallenged. A question for us all: How has the love of “stuff” and an idolatrous dedication to possessing whatever we can invade our thinking and being? Think about it.

Love says, “Be anxious for nothing.” Mammon says, “Be careful for everything!”

Luke 12:22-23, “And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” But mammon says to watch every possession like a hawk, be greedy with everything.

The Lord denounces the blind watchmen in Isaiah 56:11, “Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough. And they are shepherds Who cannot understand; They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his own territory.”

Do you see it? Driven by the insidious, cunning, deceitful way of death called mammon, those watchmen found themselves in opposition to God. We either have our feet on God’s side, or on mammon’s side, but we cannot straddle the divide with one foot on each side… it tears us apart, and we end up in chaos and confusion.

The contrast of Love vs. Mammon, was something i found, in Matthew Henry’s Commentary. i was so impacted by, what has been called, the simplicity, strength, and pregnancies of the expressions in his short piece on God and mammon, i thought it valuable to bring it up at this juncture.

Love says, “Be careful for nothing.” Mammon says, “Be careful for everything!”, Love says, “Be giving.” Mammon says, “Hold tight to what you’ve got!”, Love says, “Be content with what you’ve got.” Mammon says, “Get everything you can by fair or foul.”, Love says, “Be honest and just.” Mammon says “Cheat your own father if you can gain by it.”, Love says, “Give me your heart.” Mammon says, “NO! Give it to me!”. There is a lot to think about there.

The Lord calls each of us to be anxious for nothing, to be giving and content with what we’ve got, to be honest, to love the truth and justice, and above all give the Lord our heart. We are bid to consider carefully… to choose this day whom you will serve. The ball is in your court… how do you plead?

Be strong and courageous, pray for your neighbor, be a cheerful resource of hope and strength for those who are in short supply, and i’ll talk to you later. Amen.

¿Tu vida refleja transformación?

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2 Corintios 5:17 “Por tanto, si alguno está en Cristo, nueva criatura es; ¡Lo viejo ha pasado, lo nuevo ha llegado!”

La iglesia de la Misión en Vacaville, California hizo de lo siguiente uno de sus pilares de fe en su publicación “Decisiones que nos definen” por David Crone. Punto número cuatro, “Hemos decidido que tener buenos programas no es suficiente, que el cambio sin transformación es intolerable, y que permanecer donde estamos no es una opción.”

Muchos de nosotros hemos dejado donde estábamos y nos dirigimos a donde será y eso es cosa de Dios para nosotros que somos guiados por el Espíritu… El cambio es bueno … Muy bien. Pero, ¿has sido transformado, más que simplemente cambiado, no solo en mente, sino en composición o estructura; ¿Cambiado en carácter o condición? ¿Acabamos de cambiar los hábitos y la dirección, o estamos permitiendo que Dios nos transforme a la semejanza de Su Hijo? Eso no es solo “transformado”, tiempo pasado como un evento de una sola vez, sino “transformando”, como en un proceso continuo con un futuro. No te conformes, transfórmate. Cambiar es ser “fijo y cumplir”, pero ser transformado requiere una metamorfosis. No llegamos a ser una nueva creación simplemente cumpliendo con las reglas para que podamos ser arreglados. Para ser una “nueva creación” se requiere toda una metamorfosis, el viejo tú debe morir para que el nuevo tú pueda emerger. Sólo Dios puede hacer eso.

Filipenses 2:14-15, “Haced todas las cosas sin quejaros ni discutir, para que lleguéis a ser irreprensibles e inofensivos, hijos de Dios sin culpa en medio de una generación torcida y perversa, entre la cual brilláis como luces en el mundo”,

Tener una mentalidad que odia el pecado es buena, pero lo más importante, ¿amamos a Jesús? Odiar el pecado es bueno, amar a Jesús es lo mejor. Ser consciente de los planes del infierno es bueno, ¡pero ser consciente de lo que Dios está haciendo es lo mejor! Hay una diferencia entre “bueno” y “mejor”. Muchos de nosotros estamos, diariamente, trabajando para dejar nuestra murmuración externa, nuestra crítica externa de todos y todo, junto con las quejas y los señalamientos con el dedo…esos cambios son buenos, MUY buenos. Pero, ¿hemos sido transformados y estamos siendo transformados debido a las huellas dactilares de Dios en nuestro cuerpo, mente y corazón? Transformados… es decir, no solo hacemos externamente lo correcto, sino que internamente, la enseñanza del mundo ya no nos agarra ni nos impulsa como olas ante el viento, como quien solíamos ser, está muerto por el poder y la sangre de Jesús, teniendo un corazón para llegar a ser y vencer. Además, es gracia para nosotros tener en cuenta que el proceso de transformación (Romanos 12:1; 2 Corintios 3:18) toma tiempo. Sé amable contigo mismo mientras tanto.

La reeducación no es transformación. La reforma no es transformación. La rehabilitación no es transformación. La transformación es estrictamente en la morada de Dios solamente.

Un día Me quejaba de los pocos milagros de sanidad y maravillas que vemos en este país, preguntándole al Señor con toda sinceridad: “¿Qué estamos haciendo mal Padre, para que estas cosas no estén sucediendo?” ¿Estamos realmente haciendo algo mal, o es mas que nada, simplemente que no es la temporada todavía? El Señor me dijo: “Hacer milagros, señales y maravillas es excelente. Ahhhh… pero transformar el corazón del hombre, ¡ahora ESO es una maravilla para ser vista!” Una vida transformada es un testimonio eficaz del poder de la Palabra de Dios. ¿Estás brillando intensamente, o estás sutilmente preocupado y nublado por las quejas y los argumentos?

La reeducación, la reforma, la rehabilitación son cosas de cambio, pero el cambio sin transformación no es aceptable. No quiero que nosotros simplemente cambiemos, mi corazón es que seamos transformados, no habiendo dado vuelta una nueva página, sino que hayamos comenzado una nueva vida. No es solo un orden y un método renovado, es un orden completamente nuevo de la energía creativa de Dios que vivimos en Cristo. No solo estamos reimaginando un viejo paradigma, sino entrando en algo nuevo que es transformacional, no solo siendo salvos, sino viviendo “en y como” la belleza, la gracia y la presencia electrizante y suprema de Dios.

En 2 Corintios 5:17, “todas las cosas” significa “todas las cosas”, y ninguna parte de “todo” significa otra cosa que “todo”. “Nuevo” significa no solo cambiado, sino transformado. Véase Romanos 12:1,2.

¿Te estas transformando? No solo la salvación, y por NO significa menospreciar la importancia de la salvación, no me confundas, pero no simplemente la salvación, sino la belleza, la gracia, la vida y el amor. No es suficiente tener un “seguro contra incendios” al obtener la salvación, la intención de Dios es que lleguemos a la plena semejanza de Su hijo, Jesús. ¿Te estas transformando?

Gracias por escuchar, soy Social Porter para el Ministerio Viviendo en Su Nombre.

Traducción por Alfredo Magni Sozzi.

 

Little Wisdoms

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On a side note, it seems so much of our time is spent on things of lesser importance, sort of like the anxiety about sanctuary carpet color, knowing the 25 little-known Harry Potter facts, or maybe doing a study on the average length of lampshades in America. i must admit i’m pretty surprised and fascinated by the things people seem to think is so important. Like it’s more important to take an online quiz to find out what kind of potato you would be, if you were a potato, than it is to pick up the phone and have a short conversation with someone who needs to hear an encouraging voice today. Things of lesser importance seem to have completely distracted our entire nation…. another example – many seem to be overly concerned about the number of likes they get on Facebook, overly concerned if someone is texting them or not, whether or not they are wearing an acceptable style of clothing, being pre-occupied over if so-and-so saw me would they like my hair, etc, etc till the stomach turns.

We’d all do better by learning to ask ourselves –“what is critically significant in life”- and to recognize the things of lesser importance we are caught up in which cause us to miss out on what is truly important. It seems like it’s easier to watch a silly reality show than it is to spend a little time reading the Bible. i suppose our preferences are a pretty strong indicator concerning our relationship with God, wouldn’t you say?

Over time, the Lord has given me some little, hard-won wisdoms, and this evening i’d like to cover a few of what i’ve gathered.

1. The first little wisdoms on my list of “notes to myself” is the idea that “God comes TO us before He goes THROUGH us.”

To me that means we must become possessors and not simply professors – we must actually possess Christ, not just proclaim or maintain that He lives within our hearts while remaining clueless as to who He is and what He means when He says what He says. It also means we can know all about Hebrew and Greek and the Bible, yet rarely if ever do we connect with God. One of the saddest things i’ve ever seen is a man graduating seminary with a master of divinity, but he’s more lost today than he was when he started. Lately, i’ve been using a phrase to describe the response of many believers to deeper discussions of our faith…. that phrase is “white noise”. You may ask… maybe…what is white noise?

White noise is like tuning your radio to a place where there’s no station and nothing but the hiss of the radio…. no signal…. no music…. no nothing, just the sound of soft, consistent static. It can also mean, “random talk without meaningful content”. When we possess Christ, within ourselves we have a response. When we merely profess Christ and come to times of necessary response, we either give no response, or we only offer cheap, shallow talk with no meaningful content. i consider it a great disappointment when other believers have the opportunity to enter into a deeper conversation about God, but instead of being inquisitive, asking questions, and searching out answers, they bow up in pride, act all huffy, as if someone told them they were stupid, and either storm off, or just stare at you in silence.

1 Peter 3:15-16, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”

He comes TO us before He goes thru us so our answers aren’t merely academic, but truly Spirit-driven.

2. Another little wisdom is that “we seem to often confuse character with accomplishment”.

True, our conduct influences our character, and our character most definitely influences our conduct, but so often…. it seems…i find myself believing that if i could just do such-n-such, then i must be a good person, or, i might say to myself that i do good therefore i should get good. You know, even the worst people can do good things, and just because we do good things from time to time doesn’t mean we are people of Godly character. God’s idea of good works, isn’t about the good thing that was done but about the righteous heart behind the works. Even the worst sinners can do good things, but only the righteous are considered to have good works.

Matt 7:11 says that even those with a corrupt conscience know how to give good things to their children. In Christ alone is my character built, not just in doing some good things. i say it is always the right time to do the right thing….believe me, doing the right thing, even when it’s to our own hurt, takes Godly character. Testify. Let us reveal to the world our Godly character and not stop short of that unveiling by only declaring to them our accomplishments.

3. The next little wisdom is about forgiveness, which seems to be a repetitive and difficult lesson for many of us. “Forgiveness is not so much about the other person but about us as individuals.”

For as long as we don’t forgive, we stay chained to the other person, or persons, in the offense of the circumstances. Forgiveness restores the standard and good boundaries maintain that same standard of righteousness.

In 2 Timothy4, we read about how Paul, who was publicly confronted by Alexander the coppersmith, was called upon to give his self-defense at a preliminary trial. But when he stood to testify, no one stood with him as a friend. No-show friends seem pretty common these days, which means we must resolve to follow Christ, regardless of who clicks like on our Facebook page, or gives us verbal cudo’s when we need propping up. Then Paul says, “May it not be put to their account.” Even though all his friends were a no-show, he asked the Lord to not lay it to their charge. So what standard was restored by his forgiveness, even though scripture is silent as to anyone even asking for forgiveness?

i believe it was the standard of mercy and grace. His feelings were hurt by the no-show friends, but he chose to exercise grace and prayed that the Lord would not count it against them. Friends, there will be times in your life when support doesn’t show up – it’s not IF it will happen, it’s when it happens…. in light of that, how will you react? i like to think Paul knew they didn’t show up because they were afraid, and by his employing mercy and grace… he let it go. When friends don’t do what they say, let’s have grace for them and allow their offense to slide off our backs, knowing that God is faithful to address their issues in His time. Consider….the Lord was and is merciful and exercises grace toward us when we are unresponsive towards Him. God is generous, let us be generous also.

4. Here’s a little wisdom: “Silence can speak volumes if we’re willing to listen.”

Now i’ll be the first to admit, silence from any corner can be trying, but rather than object loudly to the silence, how about we listen to hear what’s underneath? Like “white noise”… rather than only hearing the non-response…. let’s go the extra mile to listen for what’s underneath it…and you KNOW there is a lot going on beneath the surface of silence.

Luke 14:3-4, “And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go.” What was underneath their silence?

Ok, now this is just what i think, but i believe they were astounded by the position in which Jesus had placed them, and being unable to discover some means of saving face they simply remained silent, at which point Jesus healed the man, and since the man was evidently not one of the invited guests to dinner, the Lord sent him on his way. i believe their silence was about saving face. i believe their silence was about unbelief, and not knowing how to respond concerning was Jesus really who He said He was. It was about the fact that they couldn’t say it was not lawful, for the law didn’t forbid it. If it had, they surely would have spoken up. Jesus presented the opportunity for protest … and right in front of them was the perfect time to make objections if they had any… right now was the time to object and not after the man was healed. But yet, they were silent. Maybe it wasn’t so much that they objected to someone being healed, but more WHO was doing the healing.

Oftentimes, if we could hear what is in the silence of those around us, quite possibly we would find good reason to exercise great grace. Silence speaks loudly if we are willing to listen. Maybe fear holds people silent more often than we think; maybe most people really don’t know what to say – so they say nothing. We really, really need to learn to listen beyond just the words. i think maybe we’ve been taught to speak and to speak well, but it is rare to meet someone who has been taught to listen.

i’d like to add a twist to the “little wisdom” of “silence speaks loudly if we’re willing to listen”, and that is the side note that silence is not ALWAYS golden. For example, when someone is mad at us and they may give us the silent treatment. This kind of silence, however, usually means they are playing a cruel game of “who can care less, the most, the longest”. And to add further complication to the idea that silence speaks volumes if we’re willing to listen, what do we do with the Silence Of God? Oooo! Profound question there. i have a small amount of wisdom on that…..i’m afraid it’s not much, but here it is: When God is silent, let us wait patiently knowing He will indeed answer, letting strength rise as we wait, learning to live well where we are until the Lord replies. And know this, He is faithful… He WILL reply.

5. “Anytime we “turn on the light of truth, somebody is sure to cry”.

Or, i suppose that could be restated as “You can rest assured that anytime we present the Good News of Jesus Christ, someone will find a reason to object.” Let’s not worry if someone is going to feel hurt when we are truthful about the gospel …..it is necessary that we testify. The gospel of Christ rocks people’s boats, it unbalances their world perspective, it shifts the earth plates in all their agendas, and unclutters chaotic thinking…. in light of that, someone is going to be disturbed and troubled. As preposterous as it sounds, we must realize that there are people who actually thrive in chaos, they Godlessly prosper in a perfect storm. God is not surprised, and when it happens, we need to keep our focus on presenting the gospel, and not be swept into silence because we are afraid of what others will think. i have often found myself being the generator of “white noise”, or non-response – just the noise of nothing but moving air, and oh gosh, haven’t i left a discussion only to repent later for my silence on behalf of the gospel? Truth be told, i was afraid of the potential confrontation and didn’t feel i had a good reply at the moment or maybe i was afraid the people in the discussion wouldn’t like me, which would mean they might not speak to me anymore. Either way, at the core of my non-response, i was afraid.

1 Peter 3:16, “Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” The world often sees the Gospel as scrutinizing, and any time we turn on the light of Christ and the world feels scrutinized, somebody is gonna cry.

Psalm 30:5, “…The Lord’s favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”

6. Here is wisdom we should all heed: “An oath is only as good as the person behind it”.

The moment someone says to me, “I swear it’s the truth,” immediately i have red flags of doubt go up. Chances are good that my red flags of doubt go up because so often in the past my experience has been when someone swears something is the truth, loud, long, and often, it has typically not been the truth. As a result, i tend to project into the future what i’ve learned from the past, meaning due to history i tend to doubt someone who makes an oath and swears up and down it’s true. “An oath is only as good as the person behind it” and once someone has proven themselves to be unreliable in keeping their word, i believe it is nearly, if not probably impossible to become expressly and exclusively trustworthy again. It’s like there never fades this little inkling, a little thin shadow of doubt. It’s as if once we violate trust, even if for years we prove ourselves to be of reliable and faithful character, there will often seem to be a little thing in the back of people’s minds that will niggle at them to not be so trusting.

Many people will swear by God….on someone’s grave, or even swear by some false god as to their truth and sincerity, and then they’ll say if they fail to keep their oath they will expect some kind of punishment should they either be lying or fail to live up to their pledge.

Friends, there is no such thing as “personal truth”. There is only one truth, Jesus. Also, i think this is wisdom….if you don’t have to swear and make an oath, then don’t.

Let’s be very careful with all our swearing and declaring, James 5:12 reads, “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes,” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into hypocrisy.”

And really… above that, the truth is… we should put our trust in no one BUT the Lord for He alone is sovereignly faithful. In fact, the Lord is so confident in His ability to do all that He says, we see God swearing by himself in Genesis 22:16, swearing by his holiness in Psalm 89:35. In Isaiah62:8 the Lord is seen swearing by his right hand (the right hand being the hand of prosperity), and swearing by his great name in Jeremiah 44:26…..all that in order that He might stress the absolute certainty and immutability of His performing that which He swore. The Lord is the most reliable person in the entire universe and if He promises anything, we can stake our lives on it; He does not fail. God is good for His promises and truly, He is as good as His oath.

Think about it.

Let wisdom sink down into your soul, and notice, it is subtle, and most of the time the wisdom the Lord gives us doesn’t first appear as earth-shattering, but as it unfolds in our lives, we see the face of God, His glory rising in our hearts……it is there to help us navigate life, sort of like …..it is wise to learn to make small talk….if we don’t learn the art of small talk, we’ll probably miss seeing the green shoots of grace which grow in people’s back yards.

And to that i’ll say, think about it….amen.