Category Archives: Holiness

Compassion Ministry Validates Faith

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What Does Faith Look Like?

If you’re one who believes your salvation is solely about what and whom you believe in, James’s epistle has to be a bit unnerving for you! I say that because James lays down a three-part evidence of what genuine, saving faith looks like: (1) self-control over one’s speech, (2) a ministry of compassion to the needy, and (3) practical holiness. I am alluding to the words written by James’s hand while inspired by God’s Holy Spirit: “If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:26-27).

Compassion Ministry

James places the ministry of compassion on an equal plane with living a holy life and getting rid of your “potty mouth!” Unfortunately, many believers tend to separate them and elevate one area over another. Many think that becoming holy—or “keeping oneself unstained by the world,” as James says—is more important to God than taking care of widows and orphans. God doesn’t see it that way. Each one plays an equal part in living out our faith in Jesus, which is exactly what James means by “pure religion.” Ignore the chapter break—which isn’t inspired but added by well-intended individuals—and discover something even more scandalous: James declares it “favoritism” to look past the needs of orphans and widows.

Pure Religion Shows No Favoritism

See how it flows without the chapter break: “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:27–2:1). Failing to minister to the needs of orphans and widows is favoritism! Don’t do that, he says. He then goes on to illustrate favoritism for us in chapter 2. So, I think it’s biblically accurate to say that the “pure and undefiled religion” in 1:26–27 is the same thing as “faith in Jesus” in 2:1. Is this how you would define genuine faith? If not, perhaps you need to redefine faith the way God does. It’s His definition that counts!

Let God Define Genuine Faith

That may seem obvious to those of you who are passionate about serving Jesus, but unfortunately, that’s not the case with many in the church who claim to be Christians. I’m referring to the authority of Scripture to dictate every area of our lives—every area! There is not one part of my life that I can claim authority over. God and His Word have complete authority over every area of my life: my thought life, my work life, my sex life, etc. God’s Word has complete authority over all of it! What “I think” and what “I believe” must be submitted to the revelation of Scripture, then repented of and changed when it doesn’t match up. Are we in agreement? That is a fundamental of authentic faith in Jesus Christ. It’s no longer a Holy Bible when we start cutting out the parts we don’t like!
 

When Church Culture Meets Needs

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Haunted By A Scripture

I grew up in a church culture that did relatively nothing to meet physical needs. It was argued that if you gave people money, they would just spend it on booze, cigarettes, and drugs. So, we were told, “Don’t give them anything!” We had no food pantry to provide for the hungry in our city. We had no benevolent fund to assist with other needs. And yet, we thought we were being faithful to God’s Word. But there is a Scripture in James that always haunted me as I read it: “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows” (James 1:27). What do you do with that?

Playing The Legalist

How can we just dismiss that? Or play the legalist and limit the spirit of the text to caring exclusively for orphans and widows? At the same time, we cannot be so preoccupied with physical needs that we omit the sharing of the Gospel. That is the problem with many socially minded churches. If we limit our care for people to physical needs and never share the Gospel with them, all we have accomplished is keeping them alive longer—only to prolong their ultimate meeting with God at the judgment, where their unbelief will be exposed. It is not “good deeds” or the Gospel. It is not an either–or. It is a both–and decision we must make.

What Is Pure Religion?

To James, pure religion is not the result of good deeds, but results in good deeds. We do not take care of the orphan, the widow, and the poor in order to attain pure religion. Rather, when our religion is the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ, we become Jesus “in the flesh” when we meet the needs of the orphan, the widow, and the poor. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5). Salvation is “…not of works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:9). But when we humble ourselves and trust Christ’s atoning work on the cross, He changes us on the inside, and the Holy Spirit gives us the heart of Jesus. As we are sanctified and grow in our faith, we will want to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the down‑trodden in our world—just like Jesus did. This ought to be a core ministry value for the church.

Look After Orphans

Look again at that verse in James, but this time let’s back up one verse and see how it flows in context from one verse to the next: “If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:26–27). Notice how James lumps together three very practical evidences of pure religion—three areas of obedience that demonstrate genuine saving faith: self‑control in your speech, a ministry of compassion to the needy, and practical holiness. See that? Inspired by the Holy Spirit, James places ministry to the needy and cleaning up a “potty mouth” on the same plane as living a holy life. More on that next week.

Lord, Teach Us To Pray

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Bad Prayer Habits Abound

I want to begin this series of posts on the subject of prayer by sharing with you the results of a survey titled “Top Ten Bad Prayer Habits.” Here they are: #10 — “My prayers are just a grocery list!” #9 — “I make my grocery list during my prayer time!” #8 — “I only pray by myself!” #7 — “I see prayer only as my personal wish list!” #6 — “I always pray the same thing and get bored!” #5 — “I only pray when I’m in a crisis!” #4 — “I do all the talking while I pray!” #3 — “I can’t stay focused while I pray!” #2 — “I’m just too busy to start my day with prayer!” #1 — “I don’t pray at all!” Can you identify with any of that? I can! I’m guessing we’ve all had—or still do have—some bad prayer habits. Now, if you claim to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, you can see how that would be a bit problematic if you don’t pray at all, right?

Praying Like Jesus

There’s an amazing New Testament text about prayer in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus was praying, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray!” Now, let me share my take on that scenario. I see it kind of like one of our typical church prayer meetings. Jesus and His disciples are all gathered in a circle praying, and the disciples have their little prayer lists: “God, keep us safe from the Romans… Help Zebedee catch lots of fish today… Help us not to get leprosy! That’s been going around… Oh, and bless the missionaries!” And when they finish, they look up—and Jesus is still praying! Minutes pass by. Maybe an hour. We don’t know. The text doesn’t tell us. But I get the idea that things begin to feel a bit awkward as the inadequacy of their own prayer lives becomes evident. Maybe they start whispering among themselves, as they often did:  “Hey, ask Him how to pray!” “I’m not gonna ask Him—that would be embarrassing! It’d be like admitting I don’t know how to pray!” However it actually worked out, one of them wrenches up the courage to ask Him: “Lord, teach us how to pray!” Not “me,” but “us”! So Jesus tells them how to pray. We need to pay attention here, church! To summarize, He tells them never to pray like they’re counseling God.

When You Pray

He told them: “…you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one…” —Matthew 6:9–13 If you were to underline or highlight any of Jesus’ words here, I’d go back to: v.5: “…whenever you pray…” v.6: “…when you pray…” v.7: “…when you pray…” v.9: “…pray like this…” Over the next couple of posts, we’ll dig deeper into Jesus’ instruction about prayer. And—spoiler alert—Jesus makes it clear that God doesn’t need us to tell Him what to do. That’s not prayer! Don’t hang out a shingle and try to be “God’s counselor.” Jesus tells them that prayer is how we align ourselves with God’s sovereign plans.
 

A Distinctly Christ-Centered Home (Part II)

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It’s Counter-Intuitive To The Majority Culture

In so many ways, keeping step with Jesus and Scripture is counterintuitive to the majority culture. The culture will often tell a woman to divorce her husband if they don’t share the same values. But the Apostle Peter’s Holy Spirit-inspired words tell us that a husband who is disobedient to the Lord “…may be won over without a message by the way their wives live…” (1 Peter 3:1). She doesn’t need to nag! It’s possible that the Spirit can use her life in such a dramatic way that her husband may be “won over without a message.” She doesn’t need to preach at him!

Internal Adornment & Beauty

Peter builds on that point in the verses that follow: “…when they observe your pure, reverent lives. Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes. Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes” (1 Peter 3:2–4). If you’re a wife who’s a follower of Jesus, your life should be marked by internal adornment and beauty. And let’s be clear—Peter is not teaching that women should refrain from makeup and jewelry. What he’s saying is that your life should consist of more than the “paint” and “bling” on the outside. How shallow! “Live pure and reverent lives,” he says.

Have A Beautiful Heart

Focus on making your heart beautiful by yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit. Just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should! Don’t give your husband a piece of your mind that you can’t afford to lose. My girls are familiar with a verse of Scripture that I often quoted to them: “A beautiful woman without discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout” (Proverbs 11:22). Your hope ought to be placed in God’s sovereignty—“…in the past, holy women like Sarah put their hope in God as they submitted…” (1 Peter 3:5–6). Go back and read the Genesis account of Abraham and Sarah’s life. It’s interesting that she was never present when God gave Abraham His instruction, but she submitted to Abraham by putting her hope in God’s sovereign control of the situation. She let God work out the kinks in her husband’s head. She didn’t nag!

Husband: Know Your Wife

Let me finish by drawing your attention to Peter’s words to the Christian husband: “Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with an understanding of their weaker nature, yet showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). Your life, as a husband who follows Jesus, will be marked by an understanding of your wife. Now, I know that some of you men reading this are laughing inside—“You really think we can ever understand a woman?” No, I don’t! And this is a subject I have a really hard time preaching on because I personally stink at it so badly. But what it seems Peter is saying, in part, is that “…as you live with your wife, gain an understanding of her…” Study your wife! What causes her tension and frustration? Serve her in those areas. Be a help to her!

God Deserves All The Glory

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The Glory Due His Name

There’s a wonderful passage in the Old Testament that relates to the glory that God deserves. Here’s what King David says: “Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!” (1 Chronicles 16:28-29). In my previous post, I talked about how God’s glory is a really big deal to God—and rightly so! David is also inspired by God’s Holy Spirit to declare God’s strength. Declare the Lord’s “…glory and strength…”

To His Glory

I find it interesting that David would point to God’s strength in the context of His glory! Why? Whenever we ask that question “why”—of a biblical text—it ought to serve as our cue to dig deeper! To study the verses surrounding it! So, if you look back at the preceding verses, David says that “…Yahweh is feared above all gods…” (little “g”) because “…all the gods of the peoples are idols…”; and, here’s the contrast—”…but, the LORD made the heavens…”; end v.27, “…strength & joy are in His place.” So, compared to false gods, Yahweh is all-powerful; or, omnipotent! It is to His Glory that, by His strength, He created the heavens! So, declare His strength! Someone once asked me that old philosopher’s question: “Can God create a rock so big that He can’t lift it?” I think the answer is “YES” He can create that rock! And, “YES” He can lift it! 

Declare God’s Glory In His Name

It’s to His glory that He is able to do anything and everything! Then, David tells us to declare God’s glory in His name! There are really two thoughts in that phrase: “…give to the Lord the glory due His name…” The first thought relates to His name. There’s a lot going on with a person’s name—if I say the name “Adolf Hitler,” that name evokes thoughts related to his character, doesn’t it? That name conjures up thoughts like dictator, anti-Semite, and murderer! The name of God, however, brings to mind thoughts of His love, mercy, grace, benevolence, etc. All that’s in His name; or, His character! Those traits describe who He is! He is just and righteous in everything He does! So, declare the glory related to His name!

Stealing God’s Glory

The second thought in that phrase, “…give to the Lord the glory due His name…” is this: He alone deserves all glory! The Apostle Paul wrote: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever” (Romans 11:36). He’s saying that, in fact, God has all glory! He alone had all glory before creation, right? There was nothing else until He created it! So, any glory that the creation has was given to it by God! The “glory” of a sunset is God’s glory! He gave the sunset its “glory”! It’s because of God’s glory that He hates pride—”pride” is man’s attempt to steal God’s glory! Whenever we’re proud of our work, we’re stealing glory from God who gave us the gifts and talents to do the work we do! Pride is acting like you didn’t receive it from God! Any praise we receive must be redirected to God for His glory!
 

God’s Glory Is A Big Deal

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The Beauty Of His Character

God deserves all glory because He alone has designed everything, and His name is on everything! It’s His name that adds value to humanity and to the rest of creation! So, when we speak about God’s glory, we define it as “the essence and beauty of His Spirit.” We’re not referring to His material or aesthetic beauty—like we typically define human beauty—but to the beauty of His character—to all that He is! John Piper defines God’s glory as “the manifest beauty of His holiness.” Holiness points to His absolute “uniqueness.” 

The Goal Of All Things

He is one-of-a-kind! He is in a totally separate class all by Himself! There is no other God like Him! “O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor” (1 Chronicles 16:28-29, NLT). God’s glory is a really big deal to God, and it’s a big deal in the Holy Scriptures! The goal of all things is God’s glory! And I’m not overstating that one iota!

Creator and Creation

Let’s not forget that there is God and there is everything He created! That’s it! There is nothing else! And in the original creation—before sin—God declared that all of creation was good! Why? Because all of creation reflected God’s beauty, so it all brought Him… glory! In a similar fashion, we say that an artist’s painting is a reflection of the artist, and the artist’s work brings him a certain “glory!” God has blessed humanity with certain creative abilities, but they’re all small “c—creative” because all mankind’s creative abilities were received from the capital “C—Creator” God. So, every “artist”—who is a true disciple of Jesus—will redirect all praise received to Creator God! In part, that is one way that we bring God glory—by redirecting all praise and compliments received to God who created us with those abilities! We acknowledge that whatever talent or ability we have is on loan from God! It ultimately belongs to Him! Our greatest preoccupation must be with God’s glory because that’s our reason and purpose for existence!

Mandated To Give God Glory

Here’s an observation from the 1 Chronicles 16 text: the writer, King David, was inspired by God’s Spirit to offer this mandate regarding God’s glory. This is an imperative or a command to “declare God’s glory” (v.28). When David became king, he determined to make worship a priority again in Israel. One of his first acts was to return the Ark of the Covenant, which had been neglected under King Saul, back to Jerusalem. In the process, David preaches this great message that is included as the inspired Word of God. That means it’s authoritative—not because David said it, but because God inspired him to say it! So, “declare God’s glory,” he says! Don’t just study it and keep it to yourself. We’re commanded to declare it, and that’s a general statement that means to declare it everywhere to everyone.

Don’t Worship God Empty-Handed

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Worship God With An Offering

So, my last few posts have focused on King David’s communication to Israel, in 1 Chronicles 16, about the proper way to worship God. It’s never acceptable to worship God according to our own homespun rules! We must worship Him in the way that He demands to be worshiped! One way that David commanded the congregation to worship God was with an offering! “Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness” (v.29). In other words, do not come to worship God empty-handed!

Stewards Of God’s Stuff

Remember that we’re stewards of God’s stuff. Nothing we have actually belongs to us! We’re not really owners of anything! We’re managers of a portion of God’s estate! God owns it all, and proper worship includes a return of a portion of His blessings to us in the form of an offering! He’s the Creator! He’s created all the wealth in the universe, and He lends it to us! So, worship God because He’s the Creator! That’s how David continues his admonition to the people of Israel: “…the world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord is King!’ Let the sea and everything in it resound; let the fields and all that is in them exult. Then the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth” (vv. 30-33).

All Creation Worships Him

All of creation— the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in it; the fields and all that is in it; the trees of the forest— all creation worships Him! Finally, David concludes with a charge to worship God now because it’s what we’ll do for all eternity: “Give thanks to the Lord,” he says, “for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. And say: ‘Save us, God of our salvation; gather us and rescue us from the nations so that we may give thanks to Your holy name and rejoice in Your praise. May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised from everlasting to everlasting’” (v. 34). Clearly, it’s a sign that a believer has not spent a lot of time in prayer and the Word when they express a fear that heaven may be boring!

We Can Only Imagine

After a billion years in heaven, we’ll still not know God entirely! No amount of intimacy with Him will close the gap in our knowledge and understanding of an eternal, infinite God! I’m certain that I’ll find Him more fascinating than all the Super Bowls and Star Trek reruns I’ve ever watched! Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord” (v. 36). And there was great joy as God dwelt with His people as His Glory descended on the Ark of His Covenant with His people! One day, the Book of Revelation says, “God will dwell among us”; literally, “He will pitch a tent among us.” Joy flows from worship! If we’re genuine God worshippers, we won’t be able to hide it! It’ll show on our faces! Grumpy Christians just aren’t worshipping God as they should! So, worship God! It’ll change your life! It’ll change everything!

Worship God Rightly

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An Example of Biblical Worship

It’s been my experience that many, who claim to be followers of Jesus, do not worship God rightly. I’ve found many who claim to be worshipers, but their worship fails to resemble what God commands worship to look like in Scripture. A great example of biblical worship can be found in King David’s Holy Spirit-inspired message to Israel about proper worship. Just open your Bibles to 1 Chronicles 16 and you’ll see what I mean. Among other things, David commands the congregation to worship God with their offerings: “…ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness” (v.29). Don’t come to worship God empty-handed!

Stewards! Not Owners!

Remember that we are stewards and managers of God’s stuff, not OWNERS! God owns all of our stuff! We’ve been given the responsibility to manage a portion of God’s estate. God is the owner of it all! And worship has always included an offering! David also led Israel to worship God for His creation— “…the world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord is King!’ Let the sea and everything in it resound; let the fields and all that is in them exult. Then the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth” (vv. 30-33). All of creation— the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in it; the fields and all that is in them; the trees of the forest— all worship Yahweh, David says!

The Very Rocks Would Cry Out

At Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the Pharisees told Him to rebuke His disciples for giving Him honor as Messiah, Jesus told them that “…if they kept silent, the very rocks would cry out…” We are called to worship God for the wonder of His creation and for the wonder that all creation worships Him! And then, David instructs Israel to worship God now because they’ll be worshiping God for all eternity— “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. And say: ‘Save us, God of our salvation; gather us and rescue us from the nations so that we may give thanks to Your holy name and rejoice in Your praise. May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised from everlasting to everlasting” (v.34). We don’t know a lot about heaven, but worship will be part of it!

Worship Beyond Imagination

It’s a clear sign that a believer hasn’t spent a lot of time in prayer and the Word— seeking after God— when they express fear that an eternity in heaven may get boring! After a billion years, we’ll still not know our God completely! But I’m certain I will find Him more fascinating than all the Super Bowls and Star Trek reruns I’ve ever watched! As David finished his sermon, the text says that all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord” (v.36).  And there was great joy as God dwelt with His people. The disciples also had great joy as God, the Messiah, dwelt with them during his three-and-a-half-year ministry leading up to the cross. In heaven, Revelation reveals that “God will dwell among us”; forever we’ll worship Him!

Daniel: Debunking The American Dream

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(Note: This is the 10th in a series of posts on Daniel’s life)

Even If He Does Not Rescue Us

I love the response of Daniel’s 3 friends— Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah— when King Nebuchadnezzar demanded that they bow down & worship his gold statue; or, face death in the fiery furnace:  “If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the King. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as King to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up” (Daniel 3:17-18).  Understand that they didn’t doubt His existence when they expressed those words:  “If the God we serve exists…” The rest of the story confirms their belief in His existence; and they trusted God  to deliver them either by miracle or by death!

Where False Teaching Begins

They trusted God even if it was part of His Sovereign will not to deliver them by a miracle! Their trust in God was not just tied to delivery from the furnace— “Even if He does NOT,” they said, “We won’t bow to your false gods.” By application, we have to be careful that our trust in God is not limited to delivery by miracle! Sadly, the “gospel” being preached in the majority of our American churches is all about “ME”— it’s “MAN-centered”, not “GOD-centered.” “If God doesn’t deliver me from the ‘furnace’ of my bad circumstances,” this false “gospel” preaches, “than He’s not to be trusted!” That’s where false teaching begins— with man’s way!

God Is Always Righteous

The true Gospel of Jesus Christ always begins with GOD! And, it contrasts the holiness of God with unholy mankind! God is always righteous & we’re not! We’re born, into this world under His judgment and wrath; broken, depraved, in need of mercy & grace that is only available to us through Jesus’ atonement for our sin on the cross! The so-called “American Dream” is a perversion of God’s true Gospel! It promotes an entitlement mentality of a bigger & better “YOU”— your “right” to own a home; your “right” to a high-paying job; your “right” to affordable health care; your “right” to be delivered from the “furnace”! The false gospel of the “American Dream” says Jesus came to make us bigger & better— that’s NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ! He didn’t come to make you a better version of YOU! He came to save you from yourself! To follow Jesus means to take up His cross & crucify SELF; to remove self from the throne of your life, and place Jesus there as your Lord, Savior & King! 

God Is The Treasure We Seek

To His disciples, Jesus said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). We don’t just need a little “makeover.” We need to DIE! Our “SELF” needs to be crucified & born again in Christ! That’s the true Gospel! This story wasn’t about the delivery of Daniel’s friends from the furnace! This story is about GOD & His eternal purposes— and, Daniel’s 3 friends were submitted to that whether it meant delivery by miracle or by death! That’s their testimony— having relationship with God was of far greater value to them than life itself! By their willingness to entrust their lives to God’s plan & purpose, rather than their own, they made God the treasure to desire more than anything else!

God’s Law Of Sowing & Reaping

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God Is Not Mocked

I grew up convinced that my parents had eyes in the back of their heads! You too? Or, they had a spy reporting back to them every time I disobeyed; because I never got away with anything! The Apostle Paul sets the record straight:  “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” Galatians 6:7-8.  So, it wasn’t my parents! It was an all-knowing, omnipresent God who knew everything about me; and in His Providence, made sure that my sins were exposed. 

The Time Lapse Between Sowing & Harvest

And Paul says that God will NOT be mocked!  The word “mocked” literally means “to turn up one’s nose.” We can’t turn up our noses at God and live a life contrary to His Word without facing the consequences. We won’t get away with it! There’s always a time lapse between the time of sowing & the time of reaping. In the spring, the farmer is out sowing seed in the fields; but, harvest can be 6 months away! Don’t be deceived! You may have sown a seed. You may have acted sinfully. You may think you got away with it; but, the harvest is still coming in! Or, perhaps you’re a follower of Jesus who is troubled by the godless individuals around you who seem to get away with their sins. Remember the time lapse between planting & harvest!

God Will Right All Wrongs

In time, God will right all wrongs:  “…vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord” Romans 12:19.  The “Law of Sowing & Reaping” assures a harvest of corruption for the one who sows everything to the flesh; for the one who is consumed with this present temporal life; and, has little to no regard for the eternal! They’re placing time deposits in all the stuff that will one day pass away. They have no treasure being stored up in heaven because everything they’ve sown will only produce a harvest here in this life! And what is produced is a harvest of corruption, However, for the one who sows to the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul says that the “Law of Sowing & Reaping” produces a harvest of everlasting life. We sow to the Spirit as we plant a new affection for God. It’s an intentional pursuit of Him! It’s overriding the desires of our flesh with the desires of a new heart He gives us at salvation! It’s fleeing those lusts, of the flesh, as the Holy Spirit directs & empowers us! We only experience genuine happiness in our holiness; as we obey God’s Word! His commands are meant to protect us from sins harmful harvest!

Sowing To The Spirit

We sow to the Spirit when we say “YES”, on purpose, to everything that will strengthen Holy Spirit-inspired desires in us! We repent of sin quickly as the Spirit points it out to us! Sowing to the Spirit means turning our back on the lies about God— changing our minds by intentionally filling them with the truth about God! Sowing to the Spirit means we submit to those things that God uses to strengthen His Work, of Grace, in our hearts! God uses the Scriptures to prepare the soil, of our hearts, to sow to the Spirit! God uses prayer to prepare our hearts for sowing seed to His Spirit! He also uses worship to convince us God is better than anything our flesh offers & He uses the local church to keep us accountable for spiritual decisions we’ve made. When all is said and done, God gets the glory for the changes, in our life, because it was by His Spirit that they happened! Sins harvest always includes guilt & shame. Sowing to the Spirit produces joy!