In a world that is rapidly falling into moral chaos and when the church in general has lost its power and effectiveness, it is vital that we as believers, and especially leaders in the church, return to God’s priority and anchor. In Paul’s fourth letter, he writes to a church that is much like what we find in many churches today. There was division, immorality, spiritual immaturity and pride in the Corinthian church. How was Paul going to deal with this sea of confusion?
Paul was there in Corinth with Silas on his second missionary journey in December, 51 AD. Later, when he wrote this letter, Paul reminded them of how he ministered among them. “When I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). This wise approach was to counter the pride and “puffed up” attitude that prevailed at Corinth (4:6). There is only one remedy to these conditions; the person of Christ and His death. When we realize that we “have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), there is no longer any room in our hearts for that conditions Paul found at Corinth. Our problem is that we try to avoid “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10). Will you join me in KNOWING THIS ONE THING?
0 Comments
There is much said and written in our day about finding ‘fulfillment’ in our lives. Having the right education, the right partner, the right job, etc., are part of what people consider things needed to complete their lives. All these pursuits will end by death or by some other circumstance in the course of life. So where do we find ‘real fulfillment’?
“For in Him (Christ) the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him” (Col. 2:9-10). What an amazing truth! Paul approaches our completeness by first declaring that deity was residing completely in Christ. His person and work were a complete representation of God and thereby becomes the basis for our being made “full”. As persons who have placed our faith in Jesus for salvation, we then receive our fulness in Him. This is a must for every believer to understand and live by. If we miss this principle, we will always be groping for something more, something other than Jesus to satisfy or make us complete. This Scripture should make us STOP and CONSIDER our view of who we are in Christ. If we fall short by not seeing that our fulness is in Christ, we have missed God’s purpose for us. If we grow in this understanding, every relationship, starting with marriage, will be characterized by Christ being the center. This is the work of the Spirit in us. Jesus said of the Spirit, “He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). If you feel incomplete, then Christ has not become your center; your all. THIS ONE THING IS NECESSARY! Jesus came into a world where religious leaders were seeking places of importance and rulers were seeking positions of power. Both were corrupt and sought the exaltation of man. Neither realized how empty and dead their pursuits were.
Jesus comes among these people and proclaims a totally different, but worthwhile goal. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Instead of being inward and self-seeking, Jesus is pointing to the necessity of putting first what belonged to God (His kingdom), and His character (righteousness). God’s kingdom by definition, requires that we seek to be under His rule and authority. Those who conscientiously pursue God’s control in their lives find that God will aid them in their pursuit. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). We find God’s help as we first seek Him. Seeking God’s righteousness is an acknowledgement that I have none of my own. To begin with, we are not saved (justified or made perfect before God) by our own works, even if we think they are right (See Romans 3:10; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9). Seeking God’s righteousness is finding my complete satisfaction in what God has done for me in Christ, who has become my righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). If in any degree I seek a satisfaction in anything or anyone apart from Christ, then I am NOT seeking “first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”! This does not mean that the persons and things God places in our lives are not intended to fulfill His will and pleasure, but it does mean they are not first. What is your first pursuit? Many, if not most of us have degrees of difficulty setting proper priorities in our lives and then keeping them in the right order. Jesus took a simple life experience to teach an extremely important principle. Two sisters were hosting Jesus in their home; Martha was preparing a meal and Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching” (Luke 10:39). Martha felt this was very unfair to be doing the work by herself. Jesus brings a perspective to this situation that we need to apply to our attitudes toward life’s priorities.
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10: 41-42). Notice how Jesus adjusts Martha’s view of life and ours as well. 1. He reveals what is going on in our hearts; anxiety, a troubled spirit, and what we consider most important over the truly important. In most cases, we would never admit the secrets of our hearts, but Jesus brings them out in the open, not to condemn, but to correct. 2. We often try to balance what we think is important and put them all on the same level. In doing so, we fail to see that the “ONE THING” places everything else in its right place. 3. This is a choice we must make. “Mary has chosen the good portion”! We have all made bad choices in the past, or at least placed undue value on things that were of lesser value than our relationship with the Lord. It is vital to start making right choices NOW! 4. When we start making right choices, God will stand in our defense so our choice is not taken from us by others. Jesus defends Mary’s choice. She listened and learned from His teaching. The Lord is placing this challenge before you and me; what “ONE THING” will we choose today that will put Jesus first and not worry about all the other things people think are more important. Your choice first affects you! It has an eternal implication and is the only thing you MUST DO! David made this choice, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance” (Psalm 16:5-6). Don’t miss this blessing! After Jesus gives the invitation to come and find in Him that which will quench the thirst of the inner man, He promised to all who come that they will experience rivers running through them; “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). These very words convey a sense of abundance that no other source can provide. The key point I want to make here is that the same refreshment we find in a close, inner relationship with Christ is to be the very source that God will use through us to minister to others.
Please think with me through this principle. You cannot give to others what you have not received yourself. How often I have met someone who was empty and dry from the experiences of life, but I was of no help to them because I had not received from the Savior life-giving water and food. On the other hand, as my fellowship with the Lord grows and I am filled with His Spirit, the water of refreshment I have received is now available to others. Your life in Christ will abundantly refresh others if you get plugged into a strong relationship with Jesus and become refreshed by Him. This same principle is taught by Paul. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Notice the same principle is applied here. We cannot comfort others with God’s comfort unless we have received that comfort from the “God of all comfort”. There are many similar examples in Scripture that point to the same principle. The question you and I must answer is; am I receiving on a continual basis, refreshment through my relationship with the Lord, which I can give to others? If not, my efforts to help others will be fruitless and empty. I know of no other invitation with such significance to our lives. Not long after “many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him” (John 6:66), Jesus proclaims this invitation to the crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths; “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (7:37). As in chapter six, Jesus was not referring to the literal need of water, but the dry conditions of the soul. It is true that both the physical and spiritual need of water is so critical that life is dependent on receiving water. The need of spiritual water is more critical than physical water. If we die from lack of physical water but have our souls satisfied with the water of life in Christ, we have eternal satisfaction and our thirst is quenched.
The invitation is clear, but we have a problem either admitting that we are thirsty or recognizing that our souls are dry. If we do not realize that our souls are spiritually dry, we will not come, even at the invitation of the Author of life. This is a sad condition, and I have known those who ignore their spiritual condition to the point their conscience is dull and they do not realize how dry they are. Others who know they are thirsty and do nothing about it are in a serious condition also. Jesus’ invitation was to all and it is up to us to respond. The real question is whether you have responded to Jesus’ invitation to “Come”? If you are not thirsty, please realize that something is seriously wrong. It may be that you need to ask God to give you a thirst for Himself, the living water. This world is filled with promises to satisfy your empty thirsty soul, but everyone is an empty promise. Only Jesus can give living water that will give present and eternal satisfaction. Whether you have never come to Jesus as your Savior and Lord or have been a believer for years, your greatest needs is to come daily to the feet of Jesus and receive the water of life that gives lasting refreshment. WILL YOU COME? I close this series with Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have.” One of the greatest sources of strife in marriage comes from discontent. I can trace most marital problems to this one issue. Paul warns that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). Most of us would never say that we are discontent with our circumstances, but how we hold our money and resources will determine whether we look at what we have as stewardship or ownership. It is rare to find a marriage that is truly free from any degree of the love of money.
This challenge is most visible in marriage. Of all the married couples I have counseled, at least 80 percent have not learned to be stewards of what God has given them. On the other hand, when a couple view their marriage as an extension of God’s glory, contentment and serving the Lord are a hallmark of their relationship. As Paul also affirms, contentment is learned and must apply to all areas of life, no matter whether “facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Philippians 4:12). As we abide with Christ, He gives the strength to live in joyful contentment. In this series, I ask you not to forget that the gospel is spread more rapidly through those who live it daily. This includes marriage! This is real freedom! In cultures that tear down and demean the institutions and relationships that God has established, Scripture continually calls us back to a standard that the Creator established at the beginning. That is why Hebrews 13:4 tells us to “let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
Holding marriage honorably means that we are giving it the proper “weight, respect, courtesy and reverence that is due” because of its importance. Though the world has ‘dumbed down’ the importance of marriage, I trust that we as followers of Jesus will restore in our hearts and practice the unique value of marriage “among all”. This is what we call a “timeless principle or truth”. It matters not our place in history, our ethnicity, or the pressures from a changing culture. God has placed a divine value on marriage that must be given ‘great weight and reverence’! Such a high view of marriage means that “sexual immorality and adultery” cannot be tolerated, not simply because it violates the institution and covenant in marriage, but because it sins against the God the Author. That is why “God will judge” those who practice such deviations from the original design. We must also remember that God forgives those that turn back to Him in repentance. There is a certain joy that fills our hearts when we acknowledge God’s values in our marriage. My prayer is that this will encourage you to raise a banner of honor for marriage, whether you are married or single. It will glorify the Designer! There are certain aspects of marriage that will wear us down if we let them. Balancing schedules between a commitment to the Lord in personal life, raising children, work, and His church can make for stress and a weary mind if they are not handled in a correct manner. The first way to correct weariness is by resetting our priorities.
This instruction is demonstrated by Jesus in Matthew 8:19-22 and Luke 9:57-62. Jesus was not implying that burying our dead relatives was unimportant or something we shouldn’t do. Through hyperbola, He was drawing a comparison between the highest priority and every other activity and pursuit of life. In the same vain, Jesus said, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). We put ourselves under needless stress and become weary because Jesus is not our center. From that center, every other relationship and responsibility must become subject to Him. If we are too busy to maintain a close intimacy with the Lord, then we are allowing someone or something to eclipse His place. When this happens, we become weary from spiritual imbalance. This is so true in marriage. Selfish interests and trying to make others bend to my agenda will generate extreme weariness. Paul reminds us to “not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Especially in marriage, it is vital to allow the Spirit to dictate our priorities, not just for reducing the weariness, but so we reap a harvest of righteousness and fruit for the Father’s glory. |
Archives
December 2023
Link To Our Old Blog:
|