Category Archives: Arrogance

Daniel’s Story Is About Exile

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(Note: This is the 2nd in a series of posts on Daniel’s life)

Babylon Came To Jerusalem

The Book of Daniel begins with these haunting words:  “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it.  The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God” Daniel 1:1-2.  And, v.6 states that Daniel, among others, was exiled from his home, in Israel, to the land of Babylon. This would be God’s story about Daniel; and, hopefully, you find comfort in knowing that God is also writing your story! Just like Daniel’s story, there is a purpose to the story of your life!

Nothing Is Random

There is NOTHING random about it! God is in the details! Just like any great writer takes you through all kinds of twists & unexpected turns until the end, when he ties up all the loose ends & it all makes sense, God does the same thing as He writes our stories. We can have faith, like Daniel, that God is writing all the twists & turns, the heartaches & the disappointments, into the stories of our lives & at the end He’ll bring closure to it all & make sense of it! We may not know how He’s going to make it work; but, trust Him, He will.  It was the truth of God’s Word that sustained Daniel because his story was birthed in pain, suffering, and separation.

Nebuchadnezzar Was A Bad Man

Daniel’s story is about EXILE— that’s where chapter 1 begins.  Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, was not a very nice man. History records him as one of the most brutal, powerful, and ambitious kings the world has ever known! He was arrogant and egotistical! Babylon has such an ungodly reputation, in the Bible, that it seems to be used as a metaphor— in the Book of Revelation— for the evil world system that anti-Christ will control, in the last days, before Jesus returns. This is what God writes into Daniel’s story. 

Why Would God Allow This?

Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon “laid siege” to Jerusalem. That’s a military term describing an operation employed, by an army, to capture a fortified place by surrounding it;  and by cutting off all communications & supplies; and by deploying weapons against it! Why would God allow this? That’s the kind of question we continue to struggle with today, don’t we? We wonder aloud why God would allow the pain and suffering and disappointments that we face in life. We wonder aloud why God would allow our nation to become more and more corrupt. We wonder aloud why it seems that evil men rise to leadership and why good men are seldom elevated.

God Choreographed All Of It

For Daniel & Israel, we wonder why God wrote this into their story. The siege was the result of God’s judgment for disobedience. When God gave Israel the land of Canaan, as an inheritance, He warned them that they were being used by God to drive out the wickedness in the land; and, that He would also drive them out of the land if they behaved like the nations they dispossessed! And, despite multiple warnings, they disobeyed & worshiped idols! They dishonored God’s Sabbath! Though there were times of revival & a brief return to God, the gradualism of sin & wickedness overtook every level of the nation from kings to priests to citizens. They preferred darkness over light; so, God judged them. He didn’t just ALLOW it, “…the LORD HANDED Jehoiakim, King of Judah, over to him…” God WROTE it into the story!

Gripped By God’s Greatness

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The Problem With Our Sovereignty

When Adam & Eve chose to listen to the wisdom of a talking snake shortly after taking their 1st  breath— air, compliments of their Creator God, by the way— the result was more than just a severed relationship with God. It was more than getting kicked out of paradise. What the serpent offered them, in exchange for their soul, was individual self-authority; or sovereignty;— or, “godlikeness”— without the Power of God! The Power of God, necessary to carry out individual sovereignty, was NOT the serpent’s to give!

Satan’s Counterfeit

So, they chose to accept Satan’s counterfeit offer “to be LIKE god.” But without the “Power of God,” all they could make was a decision to disobey.  So, that sinful decision to “be like god” was hard-wired into every individual through Adam & Eve’s original sin.  We’re all born into the world “acting” like we believe we’re “God”; and, growing up with this false sense of “individual sovereignty” without the “Power Of God” to back it up! The result is what some people call a “god complex”— it’s in our DNA. We’re self-deluded from birth! We’re arrogant! We think we’re infallible! We seek to control our environment from the moment we’re aware of it!

Silly Things People Say

It doesn’t help that we have parents; or, other people in our lives, who say silly things to us like: “You can do anything you put your mind to!” Really? So, I started putting my mind to it— I was going to be 6’ tall and play basketball in the NBA! I was going to be valedictorian in my class! I was going to become independently wealthy! Guess what! I’ve never been any of those things! The text in Genesis also says that when Eve looked at the fruit, that, “…it was desirable to make one wise…” she also bought into the lie of self-sufficiency— that we can follow our own wisdom; that we don’t need God. We just need to “listen to our heart.”

Our Heart Is Deceitful

But, God says our heart is “…deceitful and desperately wicked. No one can know it…” (Jeremiah 17:9) It’s not until God lets us “crash & burn” a few times that we begin to realize we’ve been duped; and, with the Holy Spirit’s help, the Gospel begins to make sense to us! Hey! We’re NOT in control! We’re out of control! We’re broken; and, we need a Savior because we can’t save ourselves! Jesus became that Savior through His work on the cross! And, He saves us from ourselves— from our “god complex”! Then the Holy Spirit moves in & begins to “reprogram” us; so, we start to look more like Jesus! Let us be gripped, Church, by the greatness of our God!

Above and Beyond

In Ephesians 3:20, the Apostle Paul encouraged the Church of Ephesus with these words: “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.” God can do more than we could ever ask or think because His Spirit indwells us! It’s not about US! It’s about the BIG GOD who indwells us! That’s where the power is! If our ministry is not about Him & His glory our efforts are futile! “Self-Reliance” and “self-sufficiency” are such subtle sins! They constantly slip into our lives and sabotage our ministry efforts! Let us humble ourselves before Him— let us agree with John the Baptizer when He said of Jesus: “He must increase; and, I must decrease!”  Dear God… bring revival to your church! Change our hearts! Make us so dependent on you that we bathe every decision in submissive prayer, seeking God’s wisdom over our own!

Well Done Daniel!

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-Action Thrillers!

You don’t have to know me very long to know that I love “action” movies like Star Wars; and, Marvel Comics movies; and, Mission Impossible! That kind of stuff! Those are the kind of books I love to read also— thrillers; like Ted Dekker & Joel Rosenberg books! That’s probably why I became such a big fan of the Old Testament book of Daniel after I came to faith in Jesus as a Junior Higher! I remember sitting by the record player (do you all remember those?); and, listening over & over to a recording of the action highlights of the book of Daniel being dramatized! The lion’s den! And, his 3 friends in the fiery furnace! I loved it! I couldn’t imagine a more action-packed story.

-The Back Story To Daniel!

When I went off to Bible college I became fascinated with all the end-time prophecies in the book of Daniel. I remember evangelists preaching in chapel; and, using the book of Daniel to show us where we were on God’s prophetic calendar. As I’ve gone deeper in God’s word; and, matured in my faith, I’ve discovered another storyline that weaves through Daniel’s book that was hardly broached in Sunday School; or, even in Bible college. It’s the back story of the lion’s den & the fiery furnace. It’s the story of Daniel’s faith in God; and, how he lived out his faith in one of the most wicked environments the world has ever known.

-Well Done, Good & Faithful Servant!

Through Daniel’s story, God shows us how to live a, “well done, good & faithful servant” kind of life. Let me explain! In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 25, we find one of Jesus’ parables recorded, “The Parable Of The Talents.” In the parable, God is represented as a master who gives various talents to his servants; and, to those who use their talents faithfully, he says:  “Well done good & faithful servant.” If you’ve ever read the book of Daniel, you know that, despite of great pain & disappointment in his life, Daniel lived that kind of life—a “Well done good & faithful servant” kind of life! I long to use my life; and, I pray you long to live yours in such a way that you would hear those words someday when you stand before Jesus; and, give an account of your life:  “Well done good & faithful servant!”

-Responding To Everyday Issues!

It is my intent, over the next few posts, to show you how God helped Daniel respond to the everyday issues of life. Right from the start, God shows us how to respond when life isn’t happy! Daniel’s story begins, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God…” (1:1-2). This is the result of God’s judgment. All God’s warnings to Israel, through the prophets, went unheeded; so, the Lord sent Nebuchadnezzar to lay siege against Jerusalem! This was God’s Sovereign work— “The Lord handed Jehoiakim…over…”

-A Story Birthed In Pain!

No one would have made a movie out of the start of Daniel’s life. His story is birthed in pain, suffering & separation! Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, was not a very nice man! History records him as one of the most brutal, powerful & ambitious kings the world has ever known! He was arrogant & ruthless! His strategy for assimilating a conquered foe was to remove young royalty, like Daniel, from their homes; usually, killing their parents right before their eyes! Daniel’s world was flipped upside down. He was uprooted from his homeland; and, carried off to a middle eastern country he didn’t know to learn a new culture & a new language. And, Daniel shows us how to live even when life doesn’t have a happy ending. The rest of chapter 1 finds him determined to stay faithful to God. He refused to defile himself by the ungodly culture around him; and, God blessed him for his faithfulness! We’ll dig into that in our next post!

We Are Accountable!

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-Spiritual Watchmen To Unbelievers!

In the last couple of posts, we’ve talked about Israel’s “watchmen” as described by the Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel. We talked about how the “spiritual overtones” of the watchmen remind us of our responsibility to be spiritual watchmen to the unbelieving world! We’re called to warn the world that their sin has separated them from God; and, they’re in grave danger unless they repent & turn to Jesus! The parallels between being a watchman; and, being a disciple-maker, are unmistakable! God gave Old Testament Israel’s watchmen a precise message; and, as Jesus’ disciple-makers, we’ve also been given a precise message.

-A Precise Message!

To the watchmen, God said: “When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn’t turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life. Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel: You have said this, ‘Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them! How then can we survive?’ Tell them: As I live”—the declaration of the Lord God—“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:7-11.

-The Good News!

What’s the watchman’s message? It’s “grace,” isn’t it? It’s the message of the Gospel; the Good News that God, “…takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked…”  If only Israel would “…repent of their evil ways…” God asks them, “Why will you die, house of Israel?” We’ve been given the same message to deliver everywhere we go, church! “The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9.  “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16. That’s our message!

-God’s Ambassadors!

Paul wrote the Church of Corinth, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God’” 2 Corinthians 5:20. We’re God’s ambassadors, church! We’re His watchmen to the world! We’re commanded to plead with the world to come to Christ! To share the message that God loves them & welcomes them to repent and be saved! What a great message we have to share with loved ones, neighbors; and, co-workers! He is a good God! “He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses” Psalm 103:10 .

-A Notice Of Accountability!

Let me make one final point! In the same way that God made Israel’s watchmen accountable, He has made us accountable! In v.17 of Ezekiel’s 33rd chapter, God confronts Israel over their claim that God wasn’t “fair”! In v.20 He says, “You say, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel.”  I cringe inside every time I hear someone judging God for the way He does things! What arrogance that a puny little man— one of 7 billion on this planet— would dare to call out God for anything! We don’t even know what we don’t know! “The Lord is righteous in all His ways and gracious in all His acts” Psalm 145:17. God is even willing to extend grace to us when we make rash claims against Him— “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked,” God says, “Why will you die?”  If you’re a follower of Christ then you have been served notice! You are accountable for making disciples! Are you doing it?

Jesus Fulfilled The Law!

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-The Law Reveals God’s Character!

The law, of God, reveals the character of God! It speaks to His righteous judgment & His love! Some people want to “judge” God because He judges people! But, His love clearly balances out His judgment:  “…I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,  but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands “ Exodus 20:5-6.  He judges & punishes sinners to the 3rd or 4th generation; but, He shows love, His “faithful love”, to a thousand generation those who love Him and keep His commandments! He is a kind, benevolent God!

-But, We Have A Problem!

Our problem, as the human race, is our pride & arrogance that keeps us from being open to God’s revelation about the truth of our sinfulness! The depth, of our brokenness & depravity, is such that we’re not even aware of all the times we sin against God. This is why God gave us the law; to, reveal our sin! The Apostle Paul wrote the Church of Rome:  “What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet” Romans 7:7.  Paul, under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, says that I wouldn’t even know that it was a sin to covet or lust after my neighbor’s wife if God’s law didn’t call it sin!

-The Law Is A Mirror!

So, the law acts as a mirror, revealing & reflecting our sin back to us! As Israel moves into the land, one sacrifice God tells them, to offer, is for all their “unintentional” sins.  In other words, God points out, to us, that it’s impossible for us to even name & confess all our individual sins because there are so many! God’s law reveals God’s 2 overarching concerns; and, we talked about this last week— Love GOD & Love PEOPLE! In that order! When we get our “vertical” love— for God— right, we’ll get our “horizontal” love— for our fellow man— right! Though God gives us His 10 Commandments, in Exodus ch.20, He actually expands on them in Exodus ch.21. He gave them laws in regard to slavery; and, laws regarding personal injury; and, laws, about theft; and, crop protection; and, personal property. He gave them laws about seducing someone & capital crimes; and, laws about protecting the vulnerable, the foreigner & the marginalized. And, Jesus came to fulfill the entire law!

-The Heart Of The Law!

That’s what He said! He didn’t come to abolish the law; but, to FULFILL it! Jesus loved God & His fellow man perfectly! There was no sin found in Him! Jesus also taught that the “spirit” of God’s law was more about the “heart” than the “letter.” He said, for example, that when we hate our brother that we murder them in our hearts! And, when we lust after someone, we commit adultery with them in our hearts! There is no way we can overstate God’s concern for the way that we treat each other; or, the way we think about one another; or, the way we talk about one another! God is concerned with justice! And, God’s law reveals the principle of “sowing and reaping” also! We’ll talk more about this next post! But, God’s bottom line is that the obedient life really is the best life we can experience! God honors those who honor Him!

 

In The Beginning!

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-In The Beginning!

That’s how Genesis, the 1st book of the Bible, begins! “In the beginning…” there was CREATION! Contrary to the majority “opinion”, our world & the universe did not evolve! If it did come into existence, the result of a “Big Bang”, it was because God spoke; and, “BANG” the world’s exploded into existence! Take a look at Genesis ch. 1, v.3 “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and THERE WAS LIGHT.”  V.4 “…God separated the light from the darkness.”  V.5 “God called the light ‘day,’ and He called the darkness ‘night.’  Evening came and then morning: the first day.” So, light & darkness were God’s idea.  He created them!

-And It Was So!

And, He created the 1st day ever; v.9 “Then God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ AND IT WAS SO.”  V.11 “Then God said, ‘Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.’ AND IT WAS SO.” Every time God spoke, things happened! IT WAS SO! He has universe-changing authority! Nothing happened! No world! No universe! No galaxies with stars & planets… until God SPOKE!

-God Already Was!

Before anything else began, God already WAS! He is the eternally present being who is outside of & transcends over His Creation! “Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God” Psalm 90:2.  So, Genesis is God’s account—His TESTIMONY—of how everything came into existence! No one else was there to observe it or record it! I’m continually amazed that people believe the “theory” of the evolution of it all! They hold onto the supposed “facts” from billions of years ago that no one witnessed!

-Science “Facts”?

The “facts” of science are constantly CHANGING! Go, try this one yourself—just Google “Scientific Facts That Have Changed Over Time.” When I did it, that query prompted 417 million hits in 0.47 seconds. For real! Here were some of the titles on the 1st page alone:  “18 Science Facts You Believed In The 1990s That Are Now Totally Wrong”;  “8 Scientific Facts That Have Changed Since You Were In Grade School”; and, “25 Science ’Facts’ That Were Proven Wrong.” Science, by its nature, is a moving target!

-It’s Human Pride & Arrogance!

By contrast, God inspired the writer, of Hebrews, to conclude that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” Hebrews 13:8. And, the next verse says, “Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings…” It’s human pride & arrogance that rejects God’s testimony of the “GENESIS” of all things & accepts the unfounded, unprovable theories of an evolutionary process. No one was there to offer visual testimony… but, God! No one saw it… but, God! Are you going to place your “faith” in a constantly changing Science or God’s testimony? Neither can be observed or repeated! As I’ve often concluded, it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does to simply believe that God created everything!

How Do We Bring God Glory?

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-Here’s What It Looks Like!

We often talk about living a life that glorifies God! But, what does that look like? How do we flesh that out? According to the Apostle Peter, we bring God glory, in our lives, as we yield to His Spirit’s work to transform us into Christ’s likeness. He says:  “Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God.  If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever” 1 Peter 4:10-11.

-3 Points About Bringing God Glory!

Peter seems to make 3 points, about bringing God glory. First, God’s purpose, for “gifting” us, is to bring glory to Himself. Second, our motive, as we use our gifts, should be to glorify God with them. And, finally, God’s method is to empower our gifts, by His Spirit, so He gets the ultimate glory as they are being used. So, it’s ultimately God’s purpose to bring glory to Himself as we use the gifts He has given us! Now, while the immediate interpretation, of the “gifts” here, is related to the “gifts of the Spirit”, in the broader context it could be argued that Peter means, for us, to include our talents & abilities & anything else that makes us uniquely “us.” God has given you EVERYTHING that makes you YOU—all your gifts, talents, abilities, personality, outward appearance, etc. And, what Peter seems to be saying is that He’s given you all that FOR HIM! For His Glory!

-Our Gifts Come From God, Not Ourselves!

None of these things, that are unique to us as individuals, are to be used selfishly; nor, do we have any reason to be arrogant or prideful about any of it, since, it’s all been given to us by our gracious God! Everyone has been gifted by God—some more; some less—“…according to the VARIED GRACE of God…” And, then he offers 2 examples—of “speaking” & “serving”—and, how these gifts are to be used only in such a way “…that God may be GLORIFIED… to Him belong the GLORY & the power…” (v.11).  God has purposely & intentionally given us all the “stuff”—that makes us WHO we ARE—so that we would bring Him Glory as we use them! Not for our own glory! Glory belongs to God alone, Peter says!

-We Are Tools In God’s Hand!

I’m not very much of a handy man; but I do have a great deal of appreciation for those men & women who are! And, I’ve found that most handy people have specialized “tools” for certain repairs. There’s a specific tool for everything! That’s how God purposes to use us! He’s made us all different with our own unique gifts, personalities & talents. We’re each a special tool in God’s tool chest; and, He intends to use us, in each specific instance, to bring Himself greater glory. But, God is only glorified as we use our gifts out of a motivation to see Him glorified—“…use it,” Peter says, “…as GOOD MANAGERS of the varied grace of God” (v.10).  There’s an expectation of intentionality! Don’t just float through life, living off all the good gifts God has blessed you with! MANAGE WELL! So as to bring God glory in every thing you do!

 

Do You Have Financial Pride?

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-This Is A Real Problem!

When the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy, about his finances, he does so in a way that a disciple-maker might teach his disciple; or, a leader, in a church, might preach to his people.  “Instruct those who are rich in the present age,” Paul begins, in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, “not to be arrogant…” People, who are blessed with money, tend to struggle with pride. So, “…instruct them,” Paul tells him, “NOT to be consumed with financial pride.” Let me stop there, for a moment, and, address those of you who don’t think Paul’s words apply to you because you don’t think you’re “rich.” YES! He is talking to you! And, YES, you are rich!

-Yes! He’s Talking To You!

Half the world’s population lives on less than $2.50 a day! If you live on more than that you’re in the upper half of the world’s wealthy! If you’re household income is $37K or more you’re in the TOP 4% of the world’s wealthy! If you make $45K or more, you’re in the TOP 1%! YES! The Apostle Paul is talking to you; and, he says, “Don’t be consumed with financial pride.” How do you know if you have financial pride? Have you ever said, or thought, something similar to this: “If they worked as hard as I do; or, if they used their brain like I do, they wouldn’t be poor.” That’s PRIDE! That’s saying, “I’M the reason I’m wealthy! I worked hard for it! I used my brain & I deserve it.” To the Church of Corinth, Paul reminded, “…what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you BOAST as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

-All Things Come From God!

God has given us our brains, our opportunities, and, our resources! He’s given us EVERYTHING we have! How can we boast about it? And, as if to emphasize that point, Paul adds this: “…don’t set your hope on the uncertainty of wealth…” Don’t be consumed by financial DEPENDENCE! Don’t DEPEND on it! Wealth, Paul says, is uncertain! It can’t be trusted! The wisdom, from the book of Proverbs, puts it like this: “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle” Proverbs 23:5.  In other words, just look at money and it’ll fly away! Avoid living an insignificant life! Don’t waste your life! The sin of “consumerism” draws it’s strength from financial pride and financial dependence!

-Finding Your Significance!

Set your hope on God, Paul says—“Instruct those who are rich, not…to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.” God is the giver of the gifts we enjoy! But, He never intended that we should enjoy the gifts more than the Giver! Our significance is wrapped up IN HIM; not, in the stuff he has lent to us! So, be consumed with Him! We overcome the consumerism bug by being consumed with God & with others! He continues, in v.18, “…do what is good, to be rich in good works…” Be consumed with serving others with the gifts God has blessed us! And, “…be generous, willing to share…” Paul adds. There is really no worse testimony, about the sufficiency of Jesus, than a stingy, Scrooge-like Christian. Jesus said, “FREELY you have received, FREELY give!” Matthew 10:8

 

 

How Do You Measure Spiritual Growth?

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-Measuring Physical Growth Is Easy!

Measuring “physical” growth is relatively easy, isn’t it? And, we begin measuring physical growth from birth, don’t’ we? How long is the baby, in terms of inches; and, how much does baby weigh? Right? That’s always one of the first questions asked! And, the measuring continues as baby grows into a toddler; and, then elementary age. Many homes have a measuring wall; or, a doorway, with all kinds of little pencil marks & words alongside it with a child’s name & age representing how tall they were at that specific age. Do you have such a place? Measuring physical growth is also a pretty exact science too, isn’t it? This is your “HEIGHT”; this, is your “WEIGHT”! This is your “inseam”, your “waist”; and, your “neck size.”

-Measuring Spiritual Growth!

But, measuring “SPIRITUAL” growth isn’t as easy, is it? It’s our tendency to measure others “SPIRITUALLY”  by how much they know about the Bible, doctrine, and, theology. So, if someone’s level of Bible knowledge is how we judge their level of spirituality, than it follows that we think of “SPIRITUAL GROWTH” as adding more “KNOWLEDGE”—more Bible reading; more Bible studies; and, more Church activities! And, yet, it’s curious that the Apostle Paul taught the Church of Corinth that, “…knowledge puffs up…” (1 Cor. 8:1); or, it INFLATES us with PRIDE! Who hasn’t met the arrogant “know-it-all” that keeps reminding you how much they know about the Bible? They beam proudly when others brag about their Bible knowledge. Paul is saying that—in their case—knowledge isn’t a measure of how spiritual they are; but, how CARNAL & FLESHLY they are! Knowledge is their IDOL!

-Bible Knowledge & Spirituality!

Now, please understand that I’m not ragging on anyone who has a growing knowledge of God’s Word! On the contrary, Scripture demands that we read it; memorize it; and, meditate on it! In fact, it’s impossible to grow spiritually apart from a steady diet of God’s Word. I’m simply saying that Bible knowledge is NOT an accurate measuring tool for spirituality! So, if it’s not more Bible knowledge; than, what is it that grows us spiritually? I like to say that spiritual growth happens as you become more like Jesus; & less like you! How does that happen?

-It’s Not By Osmosis!

How do we become more like Jesus? Well, it doesn’t happen by some process of osmosis! Rather, it happens by our “SANCTIFICATION” Scripture says! At the moment of our salvation—when we exercise faith in Christ’s atoning work on the cross—God “JUSTIFIES” us! That means He pardons us from sin’s penalty—death! And, from that point forward, we are destined for “GLORIFICATION”—that day when we’ll finally be set free from the very presence of sin; and, we’ll be “like Jesus.” And, “SANCTIFICATION” is everything that God is doing in your life, in that time in between, our SANCTIFICATION & our GLORIFICATION! If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’ve been set FREE from the “power” of sin! Your spirit long’s to be rid of sin; while, your broken, totally depraved flesh continues to lust after it! It’s in that tension where God works in us!