Your Best Life Now?

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf doesn't not whither.  In all that he does, he prospers"  (Psalm 1:3, ESV).  

This is the title of a best-selling book by a well-known televangelist, Joel Osteen, touting the benefits of being a believer, who only has to cash in on his spiritual lottery ticket to find prosperity, as he sees it--to suit his whims.  God is indeed good to some in all ways, and good to all in some ways, but not good to all in all ways, including believers (cf. Psalm 145:9).  We are to be faithful to what God has called us to and put God in charge of the so-called success.

With God, little, with His blessing, is much.  The spirit that we offer our lives to Him is what matters--as Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "True holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile."  She also said that it is not what we do, but how much love we put into it that matters! Prosperity theology is a heresy that the modern church has fallen for, and the test of this is that if you cannot preach that gospel to everyone, it is a false gospel.  There are martyrs in China who are not leading prosperous lives, yet they wouldn't give up their crowns for worldly success any day--how does this teaching apply to them?  God will prosper us as we do His will, and this means being in His will (which is always the safest place to be).

Do you really want your best life now, as some have their reward or portion in this life, according to Psalm 17:14, or would you want to make an eternal investment that will outlast the consequences of this world? Every day we strike a chord that will vibrate for eternity, and the most important thing we can do is make an impact that will outlast us, by investing in something bigger than ourselves.


The telltale sign of believers is not income, real estate, 401(k)s, vehicles, nor profession, but the love of the brethren, per John 13:35: Mother Teresa of Calcutta (recipient of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize) said that God has called us to faithfulness, not success. We can be assured that if we are faithful in little, we will be faithful in much, according to Jesus--as this life is but a trial run, dress rehearsal, or tryout for eternity. Jesus said that you shall know them by their love, not their possessions, or success by any standards.

Joshua 1:8 promises to make our way prosperous and to give success, if we are faithful to the Word; however, people misconstrue what success and prosperity are.  God will ensure that we will succeed in doing His will, that He has called us to do and He will bless us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, even partaking of the divine nature.  Don't be fooled by the world's standards of success and prosperity, like he who dies with the most toys wins or achieving the so-called American dream!  The Bible warns against materialism and that we cannot serve God and Mammon.  Jesus said not to store up treasures on earth.  We are to make eternal investments in heaven by giving according to, and in proportion with, the blessings we share from are granted by God.

Some seekers are searching for the benefits, but not the Benefactor, and only want God in their lives for what they can get out of Him.  God will take care of all our needs, though some confuse needs with felt needs or wants.  David prayed, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want [be in want]." God's chief aim is to fashion us after the image of Christ, not to make us balanced, well-adjusted, happy, and secure individuals.  We need to live in light of eternity and not be so focused on the temporal!

If we have God, we have all we need, even if the crops fail:  It happened in Habakkuk 3:18 (ESV), which says, "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will take joy in the God of my salvation."  3 John 2 (ESV, emphasis added) says, "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul."  God seeks to use us as vessels of honor and that is what we are here to do:  Being His feet, hands, voice, and ears to a needy world.  The really successful believer is one who bears the image of Christ and God can use for His glory like Paul said in Romans 15:18 (NIV): "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me...."  This is reiterated by Isaiah, saying that all that we have accomplished, He has done through us (cf. Is. 26:12).

Newsflash:  God isn't out to guarantee anyone's happiness or financial benefit, but to sanctify us after the image of His Son and to use us for His glory:  "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever"  (The Westminster Shorter Catechism, cf. Isaiah 43:7).  Some believers just want to be happy, which depends on happenings, while we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy.

We all have a cross to bear and when we finish the work God has given us, we will be checking out into our heavenly destination:  "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption"  (Acts 13:36, ESV).  Our crosses pale in comparison to His, but God saves no one without sanctifying them.  Jesus said that we must take up our cross and follow Him, and to "count the cost," as this is what we signed up for and it comes with the territory--there's no guarantee of a bed of roses or an easy life, but "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God"  (cf. Acts 14:22).

God promises to meet all our needs in doing His will, according to 2 Cor. 9:8, that makes a promise to claim concerning God's provision.   Again:  "But my God shall supply all your need..." (cf. Philippians 4:19).  In the final analysis, it is said, "Adversity, discipline, suffering, and trials inevitably come to all Christians, but Christ didn't exempt Himself from them."  It is the bumps in the road that shape character:  The same sun hardens the clay, melts the butter!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Who's Holier Than Whom?

"Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding"  (2 Corinthians 10:12, ESV).

God rebuked Israel for having the so-called "holier-than-thou" attitude in Isaiah 65:5.  The right frame of mind is "such were some of you..." (1 Cor. 6:11, ESV).  George Whitefield saw condemned men sent to the gallows are remarked:  "There but for the grace of God, go I."  We see this haughty and complacent phenomenon today in "holiness" churches, such as the Neo-Pentecostal and Methodist, that teach "entire sanctification," or that a second salvation experience renders a believer incapable of "willful sin" or even destroys the sin nature, rendering him "holy."

It is true that Scripture does say that "without holiness, no man shall see the Lord," but all Christians are holy--there are no degrees of holiness this side of eternity, and it is not by grading on the curve, but a pass/fail basis that God uses. "Since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Pet. 1:16, ESV). Sometimes saints are referred to as "pious" and this is a reflection of our devotion to God, whose prime attribute, and the one that best describes Him is holiness (Isaiah 6:3, ESV, boldface added:  "... Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts").

There is no caste system in the faith--no elite or clergy, as opposed to laity--we're all ministers of reconciliation and messengers of the gospel.  We are all "one in Christ" and no part of the body has a right to deny the need for another part--it's not what gift you have, so much as the spirit you use it in.

(The sum total of God's attributes is His holiness and it's defined as "otherness," purity, or being set apart for service, like silverware set apart for special occasions. God's holiness is the attribute of attributes and regulates all the attributes.)

What is our righteousness then?  It is as filthy rags according to Isaiah 64:6 and, like the wind, our sins sweep us away.  Our righteousness and holiness are extrinsic and the gift of God, not our own working--we have nothing to boast of; our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to Him.  We have no inherent worth or righteousness, that we can offer God and it is entirely imputed to us by Christ on our behalf, by virtue of the atonement on the cross, which enabled the Father to be both just and the justifier.


There is no "second work of grace" to seek, once saved, and believing one is entirely sanctified leads to an inflated opinion of one's achievements.  Martin Luther taught that the believer is at the same time just, and a sinner (cf. Gal. 2:17).  Proverbs 20:9 destroys the premise of sinlessness:  "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?'" At salvation we are justified and declared righteous, not made righteous--in God's eyes, we are sinless. There are no saints walking around who have overcome their sin nature and don't sin willfully.  Our righteousness is imputed, not actual. Don't overestimate your spirituality, because there are no shortcuts or easy roads to sanctification, apart from growing in Christ.


We must look into the matter of what holiness is:  Christianity isn't a catalog of rules; neither is it legalism and adhering to certain taboos or rules, or lists of dos and don'ts; neither is it a philosophy or collection of religious ideas; it is not giving up something for God to make you feel superior or smug, either. When you dedicate your life to Christ (He wants you, not something you have, as we present ourselves to Him), and then you become holy, because holiness means being set apart for the service of something.  All believers are vessels of honor and set apart for God's service.  Holiness is essentially manifest in sanctification, and we cannot be saved apart from also being sanctified--a growing process from the point of salvation.


We are to accept all believers, regarding each other as better than ourselves, and to have an attitude that is humble and not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. The business of the Christian life is the pursuit of experiential holiness or of becoming more conformed to the image of Christ--letting our minds become transformed and renewed.  We cannot reach a state of perfection, and perfectionism, as taught by Methodists, is erroneous.  John did say that a Christian cannot sin, but he meant to continue in its practice without conviction and discipline--because God corrects his wayward children per Hebrews 12:5-7.

There is a limit as to how sanctified we can become because our ultimate sanctification is in our glorified state in heaven--even Paul didn't claim to have attained unto it yet (cf. Philippians 3:12, ESV:  "Not that I have already attained this or am already perfect...."   The psalmist in Psalm 119:96 says that he had seen the "limit of all perfection" (ESV). This is interpreted to imply that no one's perfect and to err is human, as the cliches go. We have no right to judge or look down on our brother because "to his own Master he stands or falls." We are all "works in progress," and we must ask people to be patient with us because God isn't finished with us yet--we may even be cantankerous, but how much more we would be without Christ!  We are not what we ought to be, but thank God, we are not what we used to be!

We are not to get into the "let's compare" mindset and to "look unto Jesus, the Author, and Finisher of our faith." We all look like saints compared to Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler, but perfection (Christ himself) is the standard, and direction is the test: "Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect"  (cf. Matt. 5:48).  Note well that God is the moral center of the universe, and it's unwise to play the "let's compare" game.  Being in Christ we are holy positionally, and only God is holier than us by virtue of His very divine nature!   We share in His holiness--we have none of our own!  Only in achieving this God-given state of holiness do we solve the problem of our sin nature and find the way out of our dilemma.  It would be vain to hand us a set of rules or guidelines to adhere to--we couldn't keep them--what we need is a Savior to change our nature, not a lecture to make us feel guilty.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Order Of The Towel

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men"  (Phil. 2:5-7, NKJV, boldface added).

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many"  (Mark 10:45, NKJV, boldface added).

"Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the
wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve
Him"  (Malachi 3:18, NKJV, boldface added).

When Jesus took up the towel in the Upper Room to wash the disciple's feet, they were taken aback at his servile act that set a new precedent, because Jesus was asking them to do likewise with each other--i.e., not to think that it's about you, and be willing to humble yourself in service one to another to meet their needs (foot-washing was considered the work of slaves, yet Jesus did it; how much more us!).  Jesus said that he who humbles himself like a child will be considered greatest in His kingdom. We must have the idea of John the Baptist, who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  The important thing to consider in service is that the way up is down in God's economy!  It is an honor to humble yourself and to esteem others more highly than yourself--some people are egotistical and all they think about is themselves; humility is not thinking less of yourself, or having low self-esteem, but not thinking of yourself at all!

Only Moses and Jesus were called humble or meek in the Bible, that's how rare true humility is--once we think we've got it, we lose it! Serving others takes a mindset like Jesus to see needs that you can fulfill and you are suited for--the hallmark of our testimony should be one of service and dedication to the needs of others.  They say:  See a need and fulfill it!  Who is the neighbor that the good Samaritan helped on the road to Jericho, but someone we meet in our path that we can help?  Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that true humility is doing the will of God with a smile. Albert Schweitzer said that only really happy people are those who've learned to serve others. Your Christian life begins once you enlist in His service and go to work as a servant.

True happiness is getting your eyes off of yourself, as it is said:  Look at the world and be distressed, look at yourself and be depressed, look at Jesus and be at rest!  Once you've experienced the love of Jesus, you want to pass it on!  They have this "pay it forward" tradition, where you pay for another person out of a random act of kindness--this is one way of reaching out to those in need and even changing life of a person who may be having a bad day.

True service must be voluntary and not mandatory or obligatory.  We are indebted to God with a debt we can never pay back and we should have the same godly attitude towards others--to be willing to oblige them; since it's better that they will owe a debt of gratitude to you, that they can't repay!  That's why Jesus said, "It's more blessed to give than to receive" in Acts 20:35.  We should be known as ministers of kindness to those in need to demonstrate the love of Jesus in us for the world to see--that's why we are lights in this dark world.

God will reward us for faithfulness (we are not necessarily called to success, which is His option) and never forget even giving a cup of cold water in Jesus' name will not lose its reward.  "For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do," (Heb. 6:10, ESV).  Remember, he who is faithful in little shall be faithful in much!  God sees and keeps track of our work done as vessels of honor in His name.  He rewards us for what He accomplishes through us (cf. Isa. 26:12).  "But you, take courage!  Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded,"  (2 Chronicles 15:7, ESV).  God is no man's debtor and will make sure that we are rewarded better than we deserve.

We have to live in light of eternity, because our reward may not be in this life:  "And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,"  (Heb. 11:39, ESV). What is the faith that pleases God?  And without faith, it is impossible to please God.  We must "believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him,"  (Heb. 11:6, ESV).  What He's done for others, He will do for you, because He's still in the resurrection business and Jesus changes lives.  Remember what Jesus said to Thyatira, "I know your good deeds."

There are a few pointers in serving:  Our motive must be love out of a pure heart and not for self-aggrandizement; it must be done in faith believing God will reward you, whether man does or not; you must persevere and not give up, but remain faithful to what God has called you to do. Sometimes it may cost us something, but we should consider the cost before going on the journey.

The non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms and we all have a calling and will find it if we go on to know the Lord.  We are not slaves of our neighbor but have a servant's heart.  Slaves are owned by someone and servants just do service for others.  Jesus is our Master and we are His slaves and He has enlisted us in the service of each other.  We are to know the Scripture "that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work"  (2 Tim. 3:17, ESV).  We all have a testimony to protect and must not jeopardize it by not practicing what we preach:   "They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works..."  (Titus 1:16, ESV).


The reward of our service is eternal and we don't want to lose out.  Our works will be tested for their eternal value, whether they are wood, hay, and stubble, or silver and gold.  Only the valuable metals will stand the heat of the fire's test.  It's true some believers may end up with no reward--for they never did anything in the Lord's name, but only for their own glory and fame, power, or fortune. The test of a man is how he responds to praise, and we are not to serve for the praise of man, but the approval of God, not as people-pleasers.

Caveat:  Believers must not become converted to the program instead of to Christ, becoming essentially mere do-gooders who put their faith in their deeds--that's why some will say, "...' Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'" (Matt. 7:22, NKJV). The smallest of good deeds done in the Lord's name will be rewarded if done in faith! God sees the motive of the heart, while a man looks upon the appearance. Jesus said that only he who does the will of His Father in heaven will enter the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt. 7:21). Do we want the applause of man or the approbation of God?  I am not against good deeds; however, there's no lasting reward to deeds done in the power of the flesh. The Lord will say to some that they've had their reward.

What is the raison d'etre for service-orientation?  The true measure of a man's greatness is not how many people serve him, but how many people he serves.  We must realize that we are all but servants in God's eyes, and the best commendation we can hope for at the bema (which is the Judgment Seat of Christ) is this: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!" Hence, it is a privilege just be used by God and we must realize that "[God] has [done] for us all our works" (Isa. 26:12, ESV).

Paul was not braggadocious, but he did say, "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me..." (Rom. 15:18, NIV).  Newsflash: God's economy is a service-oriented economy.  Get the right attitude:  As Jesus said, "...' Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me'" (Matt. 25:40, NKJV).  In sum, to attribute to someone a genuine servant's heart is probably the greatest of accolades.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Evolution Of Faith

The so-called "Great Quest" (as Billy Graham calls it) commences when one realizes his life is a vacuum and void of meaning and purpose, and he is searching for answers (sometimes one seeks the benefits and not the Benefactor, though).   Only God can fill this emptiness that man has and one has to want answers and to believe--no amount of evidence will convince one who is unwilling or just doesn't want to believe. The inception of faith is when one is willing to listen, whether initially agreeing or not, and to not turn a deaf ear to the gospel message--this is receptivity.

Faith grows as one understands the message due to enlightenment by the power of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who is at work in the heart. One then agrees with the message intellectually or acquiesces, and the Roman Catholic Church stops here, as to its definition of faith--this is the step to acceptance of Christ.  But there must be a surrender of the will and willingness to obey.

The person has to want to believe in his heart for God to reveal His will and that person can come to Christ as he is, but he will not stay that way. A changed life is the only validation of salvation.  One must accept Christ as He is and that means in His lordship, not just head belief. Believing in the heart changes you from the inside out and involves a penitent faith and turning from the old ways and decided to follow on to know the Lord in discipleship--following Him.

Faith consists of knowledge of the true gospel message, assent to its validity and appropriateness, and trust and reliance on its precepts. We must trust in the person and work of Christ.  That is, that He is the unique one and only Son of God, the God-man and that He accomplished our salvation in toto, on the cross, when He pronounced, "It is finished."  It's a done deal and we accept it as a gift, not doing any pre-salvation work to qualify us for grace--it would be justice if then, but we do not earn it, nor do we deserve it, and we can never pay it back--we're forever in God's debt.  We were debtors who couldn't pay our debts.  The qualification for salvation is to realize our state of being unqualified!

Saving faith commences when one can unashamedly confess Christ openly before man, for if we are ashamed of Him, He will not confess us to the Father--Christ condemns the lukewarm pretender who stays neutral and doesn't make his stand known--it is better to be wrong than neutral, for then Christ can have something to work with.  But this is not all:  we must progress to a serving faith, which is when we begin to truly follow Him as Lord and Savior.  When we are mature we truly have a living relationship and fellowship with our Savior and own Him as our personal Lord.  We must be willing to speak out for Christ as his mouthpiece and as ambassadors of reconciliation because He has no voice through which to speak but ours.  Note that genuine faith is a living faith that grows and is not stagnate, static, nor inert.  It progresses from giving up, to surrender, to commitment. 

The mature Christian serves Christ through his spiritual gift and is both mission-oriented towards non-believers and ministry-oriented towards believers.  A non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms.  The mature Christian life is one of faithfulness, not success in the eyes of the world--neither worldly success nor lack of it is a calling card of a believer.  The key is to attempt great things for God, but expect even greater things from Him--it's not what you do for God that counts, but what He does for you.  All the works we do are simply God working through us as vessels of honor ("... [You] have done for us all our works," according to Isa. 26:12, ESV).  Thank the Lord that we are not called to success, but to faithfulness, according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now canonized).

Faith is simply knowledge put to work and we don't achieve it, we receive it!  Faith must be seen and visible to be real, because the heroes of faith were men of action.  Anyone can say he has faith, but it must be demonstrated to be real.  Faith and works can be distinguished, but never separated:  James would say, "I'll show you my faith by my works," while Paul would say, "I'll show you my works by my faith."  If you don't have good works, your faith is suspect; however, works are no substitute for faith.  We are not saved by works, but unto works, which are foreordained (cf. Eph. 2:10).  We are not saved by works, but not without them either, because James said that faith without works is dead, and that kind of faith cannot save: the formula of the Reformers was that we are "saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."

In summation, faith isn't necessarily something you have, but something you show; it is seen! It is said we must turn our creed into deeds. Works confirm our profession, or it is a bogus profession and we are Christians in name only or nominal believers--there's a difference between the profession of faith and the reality of faith.  Bonhoeffer said that "only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes"--true faith manifests itself in obedience only!  It has been wisely said, that "faith is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying despite the consequences!"  The purpose of faith is to produce fruit:  No fruit, no faith, period!  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Meditations Of My Heart

Meditate on these verses noting the usage of "thoughts."

"... Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature"  (1 Cor. 14:20, ESV, emphasis added).

"...[H]ave the same mindset as Christ Jesus"  (Philippians 2:5, NIV).

"For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, NIV, emphasis added).

"... [A]ll his thoughts are, "There is no God"  (Psalm 10:4, ESV, emphasis added).

"They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them"  (Romans 2:15, ESV, emphasis added).

"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his hearts was only evil continually"  (Gen. 6:5, ESV, emphasis added).

"... [H]ave you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"  (James 2:4, ESV, emphasis added).

"But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts?..." (Matt. 9:4, ESV, emphasis added).

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true ... think about these things"  (Philippians 4:8, ESV, emphasis added).

The heart in Scripture refers to the innermost being of man, his affections, will, and intellect.  In Psalm 19:14, David prays that the thoughts of his heart be acceptable in God's eyes.  Man is whatever he thinks about all day, some poet has written.  Another has said appropriately, you aren't what you think you are, but what you think, you are!  Jesus said  (cf. Matt. 15:19) that "out of the heart come evil thoughts." The lips reveal what's on the heart, that's why David prays that the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart be acceptable in God's sight.  Quoting Psalm 139:23, David prays, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." We keep no secrets from God. Proverbs 23:7 is pertinent:  "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Jesus said that all is open and laid bare to Him whom we must give account.  In other words, God wants us to get our thinking straightened out!  We are to love God with all our minds, too.

Why are thoughts so important to our walk?  They are to be godly and have the divine viewpoint.  We are not to think like the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind (to conform to the image of Christ), according to Romans 12:2.  It is not sufficient to be content with Bible knowledge if it doesn't sink into our minds and make them in the image of Christ and to learn to think like He thinks, "we have the mind of Christ [Scripture]"  (1 Cor. 2:16). Our minds are finite and Christ's is infinite and we will never peg Him nor have a handle on everything He thinks, but we are to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18).

The devil likes to destroy our thinking process with lies from the world, and only the study of Scripture can prepare us to fight them.  "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ"  ((2 Cor. 10:4-5, NIV, emphasis mine).

Your worldview is your mental outlook (how you interpret the world around you and its events) and it must be Christian or what is known as the Judaeo-Christian worldview, as opposed to the Secular Humanist or Postmodern ones so prevalent in academia today.  It is a sad fact, for instance, that the average teen believer now actually believes truth is only relative and there is no "absolute truth." Jesus came to bear witness to the truth (cf. John 18:37-38).  "...Everyone on the side of truth listens to me" (John 18:38, NIV).

Jesus claimed to be the incarnation, embodiment, or personification of the truth and He claimed you will and can know it:  "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (cf. John 8:32). Man's learning can be called "true," but only Scripture is "truth." That's why truth transforms and has the power to change lives. That's why Jesus said:  "Sanctify them by the truth, thy word is truth"  (John 17:17, KJV). This is where we must take our stand and show our colors--there is knowable absolute truth and we are responsible for it, as revealed in Scripture.

No one can claim ignorance and no one has an excuse (cf. Romans 1:20).  Just like Paul said in 1 Cor 13 that when he was a child he thought as a child, and so on; it is time to think like a man of God and this doesn't just simply being content to be impeccably correct theologically (it is far more urgent to have your heart in the right place), but thinking like Christ as it relates and applies to the world around us  (i.e., "to understand the times" per 1 Chronicles 12:32).  Our thoughts are vital, for Christ must first be in our minds before He can be in our hearts, likewise doctrine.

At the Ocean Grove Conference Center in New Jersey the inscription over the speaker's platform reads (boldface added):

SOW ...                           REAP
a thought                          an act
an act                               a habit
a habit                              a character
a character                        a destiny

IT IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE TO PUT A PREMIUM ON THOUGHT CONTROL.


Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus Incognito

"[To] reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles.." (Galatians 1:16, NIV, emphasis added).
"Whatever you did, for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me"  (Matthew 25:40, NIV, emphasis mine).
Jesus interposed His Father's will over His:  "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house [about my Father's business]?" (Cf. Luke 2:49, NIV).
"... A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household"  (Mark 6:4, ESV).

According to English legend, King Arthur would sneak among the common people, without his regalia, just to find out what they really thought and to get on the same page with empathy--Jesus did far more than that in humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross (cf. Philippians 2:7ff).  We are to have this same mind in us, as was in Christ (cf. v. 5)!  We should be aware of the fact that Jesus is loose and at large in our midst invisibly via the Holy Spirit residing in believers:

Jesus "came unto His own and His own received Him not," according to John 1:11; He was a man on a mission to seek and to save that which was lost (cf. Luke 19:10)--the lost sheep of the house of Israel, who had gone astray--He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He didn't promote or advertise the fact that He was the Son of David or the Messiah, but He never denied it either.  He was known to use figures of speech when preaching, so as to confuse the religious leaders, especially the party of the Pharisees.

They had to ask Him bluntly:  "Are You the Messiah, or are we to look for another?"  He didn't always beat around the bush, but spoke plainly, and not in parables to keep the secrets of the kingdom known only to the sheep, but many were not willing to accept Him for who He was.  They called Him the son of Joseph, the prophet from Galilee, the carpenter, or as a snide remark: Mary's son, the Nazarene, even just the carpenter, or the teacher (rabbi).

Only once did He openly proclaim His rightful place as Messiah, and that was during the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, as we call it now.  It had been written that Israel would not see their messiah until they shouted, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD."  The Pharisees were getting nervous about His popularity and were worried that if He were left alone, that the whole world would go after Him.  They were worried about Job One, which was protecting their turf and influence over the people as their teachers and guides, but they did it out of jealousy and a jaundiced eye, which even Pilate saw at Jesus trial before him.

Jesus had foretold many times of His crucifixion and resurrection, but the disciples were dense and were clueless as to His real identity until they actually witnessed it on Easter morning.  Peter had confessed Him to be the Son of the living God, but this was more of a theoretical interpretation than actual application, though they had worshiped Him on occasion, their basic attitude was, "What manner of man is this?"  He gave signs, according to John's record, that He was God in the flesh, and His miracles were not helter-skelter, nor for personal gain, selfish motive, nor showy.  To prove His identity beyond doubt, there was no biggie miracle that couldn't be denied, and even King Herod thought he'd get a show from Him like He was a clown or magician--but Jesus never did miracles on demand.

The Christian is likewise called to be Christ incognito:  We are His mind to think Christlike thoughts; His heart to love others through; His voice to speak His message of love; His hands through which He can help others.  As St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) has said, "He has no hands but our hands, and no feet but our feet" to help others.  Note that some Christians are known to take this to the extreme and get a messianic complex, which can border on mental illness or delusion. People often pray for Jesus to help them and don't realize that He uses believers to answer prayers and to fill in for Him incognito.

When you've done it for the least of these His brethren, you've done it for Christ; for He said, "I was in prison and you visited Me, I was hungry and you fed me."  We don't want to go to the other extreme and deny that Christ is at work through our brothers and sisters in the Lord, either.  On the one hand people will want to know the gospel according to us, and on the other hand, we don't want to deny that the Lord Himself is at work through His children as vessels of honor: Just as Isaiah 26:12 (NIV) says:  "... [All] that we have accomplished you have done for us." The King James Version renders it:  "[For] thou hast wrought all our works in us."

The point is that not only are we Christ incognito, but we are to serve Christ as if He were incognito and undercover and at large!    We are being renewed in the image of Christ, who is the replica, icon, or express image of God Himself.  Christ is God with skin on, you might say, and we can put the gospel in shoe leather by living it out and making it real to others:  Only when you love the gospel, long to make it known, and desire to live it out, do you actually believe it--it's not a matter of pure acquiescence, intellectual assent, or agreement.  Those who have bowed to Christ are the ones He can use for vessels of honor and complete His mission, whose marching orders are given in the Great Commission--our raison d'etre or reason for being!

Our testimony must be for real, and not a masquerade, sham, nor facade; that is, we cannot be nominal Christians or believers in name only who have a bogus profession and no reality to back it up--there is a contrast between the reality of faith and the profession of faith and viva la difference! We represent Christ in our daily walk and people observe us and judge Him by our testimony and witness.  We are Christ's ambassadors who have authority to speak in His name! "... We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God"  (2 Cor. 5:20, ESV).   When they see Christ in us, it has an impact on the unbeliever, because Christ becomes real to them lived out through us as a testimony that cannot be denied.

We can make Christ real by living up to our testimony and that means walking the walk, not just talking the talk.  When they realize we are Christians they will watch our every step and judge our testimony to see if they are more righteous than us.  But be glad that we have God's stamp of approval and He promises to use us for His glory as vessels of honor and "He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."  Remember the words of Paul in Colossians 1:27 saying, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Finally, Paul says in 2 Cor. 13:5 (ESV, emphasis mine) a word of caution: "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves,.  Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

As believers, we know that Christ said He'd never leave us nor forsake us and that He'd be with us always, even to the end of the age (cf. Matt. 28:20).  There is the promise that wherever two or three are gathered together in His name, that Christ is present incognito (cf. Matt. 18:20)!  Our spiritual eyes are opened and we see Jesus as present in Spirit.  The eyes of our heart are opened and we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (cf. Hebrews 12:2).   "But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels..."  (Heb. 2:9, ESV, emphasis mine).
Soli Deo Gloria!

Taking God Out Of The Equation

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil..." (Isaiah 5:20, NIV).
"O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end" (Deut. 32:29, KJV).  
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death"  (Proverbs 16:18, KJV).  
"In those days there was no king [standards] in Israel.  Everyone did what was right in his own eyes"  (Judges 21:25, ESV).

In other words:  Without God, all values are up for grabs!  Everyone believes they are sincere and that sincerity is what matters; it is part of the equation, but not the whole solution, because you can be sincerely wrong--we need more than sincerity, we need to be absolutely right because there is an absolute standard and Judge that we are accountable to.  Man claims his goals or ends are justified, but the means to them must also be just in God's eyes!  The logical conclusion of academia indoctrinating students that we are evolved animals is that we tend to act like animals!  As atheist Albert Camus said:  "The absurd is sin without God."  Consequently, there is no basis for a moral compass! 

It is commonly assumed in academia that there is no absolute truth, and this proposition is widely accepted by students--but they confuse truth with belief:  There is no absolute belief, but there is, nevertheless, absolute truth, that is objective and remains true whether believed or not, and doesn't matter who believes it or who doesn't.  You just can't rule God out of the equation, like in eliminating variables in science or voting for some unobjectionable choice.  

Since Socrates claimed that "the unexamined life is not worth living," we must search our own hearts and find ourselves, as it were, to know what we actually do believe in and in what we base our faith, because everyone believes in something and everyone worships something, even if they don't believe in God.  Is there anything you will die for or stand up for and defend to the death, because of conviction and commitment?

Note that an opinion is something you hold, while convictions hold you and something you are willing to die for.  If you don't stand up for right and wrong, do you think you'll stand up for Jesus?  Edmund Burke, a philosopher, said that the only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.  There is something everyone can do to neutralize evil in the world, even if it's being a prayer warrior!

Rome fell due to a collapse in morality, as perversion became the norm, and it has been wisely put that when a nation loses its gods it cannot survive--no matter the religion, religion is necessary for morality, for there is no need for it otherwise, when each man does what is right in his own eyes.  All truth is God's truth and meets at the top (Augustine and Aquinas), and all religion does have an element of truth, and even false religion is but a distortion of the truth and not the opposite of it; however, "no lie is of the truth" (cf. 1 John 2:21)!

When we take God out of the reckoning man loses his moorings and anchor to weigh in on society and to set standards to live by--ethics and values only become what society approves of, and are a matter of consensus and public opinion; however, often the voice of the people is the voice of the devil (Vox Popoli, Vox Diaboli)!

Today we see an absence of faith in absolute moral principles, and this is called moral relativism. No truth equals no virtue, according to Socrates, and Postmodernism has made truth a short-term contract and posits that there is no Truth with a capital T.  There is a reason why nihilism is the biggest fad or direction of today's young people, they really don't believe in anything!  This is dangerous territory according to Dostoyevsky:  "If there is no God, all things are permissible."  They will tell you that something just doesn't work for them and this is the ultimate test, not whether it's true (classic pragmatism).

William James was the founder of pragmatism, which was further delineated by John Dewey, said that you cannot test the truth of an idea, but only its usefulness--what matters is whether it works.  We have no basis of truth and principle without God and everything is up for grabs, as one says, that may be true for you, but not for me.  Caveat:  "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3, ESV).

The ideas of skepticism, cynicism (the most prized modern virtue), and humanism, ( or homo mensura, i.e., man being the measure of all things, originated by the Greeks of antiquity) are not new--there is nothing new under the sun because the devil isn't creative, but only keeps recycling old lies, as the father of lies.  When you don't have some standard and put yourself as the standard, it is tantamount to making yourself God and becoming His judge by your personal standards, which are subjective and variable over time.

he very concept of justice and mercy must come from somewhere, and we all appeal to some standard to judge them by, just like Plato reasoned that God is the ultimate good. since there must exist something to judge goodness by. Beauty remains after the rose fades, and if we have these senses of right and wrong instinctively by nature, there must be a higher sense governing the universal moral order from which it originated:

In other words:  Where did good faith, fair play in sports, unselfishness, courage in battle, integrity in personal dealings, altruism, generosity with money, trustworthiness, honesty in relationships, genuine joy and happiness, etc. come from, if not some absolute standard?  How did we get these ideas?  We are essentially appealing to some divine standard or norm of moral right and wrong (like when someone buds in line and we are offended or upset at the injustice).  Appealing to a higher sense sounds a lot like appealing to God, a Higher Being, or Higher Power.

This is highly ontological in that we would have no idea of a God if there was none--where did mankind get the original thought, which is so universal?  We see virtue as well as evil in every civilization, and this is collaborated by the biblical record of the war between the two and the ultimate triumph of good over evil--our sense of right and wrong demand there be a hell for wrongdoers, and if you've ever gotten angry at someone you may have wished he go there, even if you doubted God's existence!

Some believe in moral relativism because they conceive of a situation of being forced to decide between raping their daughter and witnessing her torture, but God doesn't hold us culpable for coerced choices but only freewill ones.   God is the one that allowed it to happen for His purposes and we must not doubt His long term witness seen in light of eternity.

Denying absolute morality goes nowhere since everyone would agree, that is of sound mind, that rape and incest are always wrong under all circumstances without exception (which lays to rest the theory of situation ethics, whereby someone could justify himself).  Hitler justified himself, and we don't want to absolve him of his "evil" in the process, by saying that his sincere belief that Jews were the problem and the "final solution" was the answer was justified.

There is no limit to the evil man is capable of and the only restraint is God's Holy Spirit, who will only stand for so much before judgment is inevitable. (Note:  2 Thess. 2:7 says, "... Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.")  "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV).  The Bible says in Proverbs 14:34 that "sin is a reproach unto any people" and it doesn't matter whether they approve of it or not, God is the final judge and arbiter of how much He lets the man get away with (e.g., Sodom and Gomorrah).

Man needs a sense of "ought" and, without God, this is problematic; ethics become nebulous.  Man will always try to justify himself and his purposes and set standards he believes he can achieve:  He will say that he wants the greatest good for the greatest number (i.e., utilitarianism) and believes the ends justify the means in achieving it; or he can believe that it just doesn't matter whether something is true, for who can determine this?

But what matters isn't whether it works and is practical or not; and this is the crux of the problem: Christianity isn't true because it works, because many untrue things work (e.g., yoga and TM); but it works because it's true--"Taste and see that the LORD is good" (cf. Psalm 34:8); find out for yourself! And where I'm coming from, truth matters and is worth knowing and defending.  The New Morality of today is dangerous too, even though it sounds sincere, in saying that all that matters is the motive, such as being with the intention of love or helping someone when its none of their business. People think something is a responsible  decision if they can justify it!

What is the answer?  The world faced this issue at Nuremberg after WWII, when they were bringing the Nazi war criminals to justice because they claimed to be following orders and only doing what their society had approved of and they asserted sovereignty in determining this standard.  The only way they found they could convict them was to appeal to some "natural law" or what may be called "transcendent law" that we all know by nature and are responsible to beware of, regardless of what the government says or tells us to do--would you rape your sister if the government said it was sanctioned in their new morality?

The Bible confirms this principle in Romans 2:15 because it says clearly and dogmatically that God's law is written in the hearts of man, and he has a conscience to convict him by the gift of God--we are not unconscionable animals but in God's image!  We cannot act like animals observing the law of the jungle and believing in the survival of the fittest, but that the strong ought to help the weak as the humane thing to do--this is what we are meant to be (noble creatures that are in God's image).

The only solution to man's dilemma is to know the resurrection power of Christ, who is in the business of changing lives from the inside out or transforming them miraculously.  What He's done for others, He can do for anyone who seeks Him, repents, and taps into this supernatural power; the trouble is that Secular Humanists deny the supernatural as the foundation of their worldview and won't even go there or give Christ the opportunity in opening the door.  The doors of academia are basically closed with secular worldviews in control.

The Bible isn't just inspiring like Shakespeare is but can change lives and we don't need to defend it, no more than a caged lion, which can defend itself.  POW's during WWII on the Malay peninsula had resorted to savage-like living, until they found a New Testament and decided to read it, with the result that it civilized them.

An anthropologist on Papua New Guinea asked what a native was reading while stirring his pot:  He said he was reading a Bible and the scientist said that modern man has rejected that book and he's wasting his time--the answer was that he'd be in the pot, were it not for that book! When someone asks you to prove that the Bible can change lives, just tell them that they can prove it themselves by only sincerely, with an open mind, willing spirit, and needy heart, to read it for themselves, and the results will speak for themselves.

In summation:  Only in Christianity do we see the synthesis of right motives and means unto right end results.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Finding Meaning In LIfe

"If we are to know how to live, we must find out what God is like"  (Plato).

Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, concluded:  "Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee."

"... The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love"  (Galatians 5:6, NIV).

"It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it"  (Mother Teresa of Calcutta).

"The only really happy people are those who have learned how to serve"  (Albert Schweitzer).  

There is meaning in life, in fact, the only worldview that offers meaning in suffering is the Christian one!  It is important what you believe because ideas have consequences and we are admonished by Paul in 2 Cor. 10:5 (ESV) to "take every thought captive to obey Christ [pursue divine viewpoint]."

When we ascribe to a so-called worldview, or mental outlook (i.e., Judaeo-Christian, Postmodernism, Secular Humanism, New Age, or even Marxism); i.e., we interpret reality, not as it is, but as we are. Only God is objective and all true knowledge must originate with Him because He is omniscient or pansophic.  If you assume evolution, for instance, and this is the linchpin that holds all secular worldviews together, then there is no God, no Lawgiver, nor Judgment Day, and no hell to shun, nor absolute moral values, and neither is there any absolute truth to boot.  This is commonly referred to as moral relativism and the denial of Truth with a capital T.  Just like the cynical Pilate who asked Jesus: "What is truth?" Jesus didn't just tell us the truth, like when He made pronouncements ("Truly, truly, I say unto you..."), but was the very personification of truth itself and made it knowable through Him.

You can never know anything by making man the measure of all things and the reference point or starting point of knowledge; you must begin with God and explain the universe, not with man and explain God away ("In the beginning God...").  Humanism deifies man and dethrones God, and Postmodernism considers all knowledge relative, except what relates to their metanarrative, interpretive framework, or worldview, i.e., Christian ideas!  All secular worldviews have this in common:  They are diametrically opposed to everything Christianity stands for.

Communists must affirm unequivocally that a "Supreme Being, Creator, or Divine Ruler [i.e., God] "does not, cannot, and must not exist."  Man has irrefutable evidence for God and is without excuse (cf. Rom. 1:20); however, he suppresses this fact for moral reasons--he simply doesn't want to believe, because it's uncomfortable.  "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge..." (cf. Romans 1:28).  Augustine, in his Confessions, wrote:  "You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you."

They refuse to "let a divine foot in the door" and begin with the presumption that the supernatural is impossible, by placing ultimate faith in the scientific method and personifying science, bringing about "scientism," whereby pronouncements are declared that aren't related to science, but philosophy or religion, for example ("The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be," says Humanist of the Year (1981) recipient, astronomer Carl Sagan).  Science has become a religion, with people only putting faith in the natural and the observable.

Without the church as the "pillar and ground of the truth" (cf. 1 Tim. 3:15), we lose the anchor and value system by which to judge right and wrong, and morality becomes elusive and truth becomes a short-term contract.  Truth is relative, they say, well relative to what or to whom?  No matter which belief system you ascribe to, it isn't a matter of faith vs. rationalism or reason, but of which set of propositions you are willing to accept by faith as presuppositions.  Both systems require faith--for "all knowledge begins in faith: Socrates said that "to begin learning you first must admit your ignorance." Augustine also said similarly, "I believe in order to understand."  When we have faith, God opens our eyes and illumines us, without God we would know nothing for sure.

The viewpoint of youth today, and many do not know what they believe, is that Christians have kissed their brains goodbye, and are ill-prepared to answer the attacks on their faith; they don't even think it's defensible, and can survive in the open marketplace of ideas.  A worldview basically answers these three questions:  Where did I come from?  Why am I here? And Where am I going? The secular interpretation is that we came from blue-green algae or even nothing at all, and have no meaning or purpose in living but to seek fulfillment of instincts, and are headed toward oblivion or nothing but food for bacteria.  Jean-Paul Sartre said that "without reference to God, man is a useless passion."  Famed atheist and mathematician Bertrand Russell said that "unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is useless."  We were put on this planet for a purpose, to make a contribution, to leave a legacy that will outlast us.

The only worldview that gives man dignity and purpose is Christianity.  We are created in God's image and are not animals (they want to think they're animals so they can live irresponsibly like animals).  The very word "purpose" is repugnant to secularists, who deny the Anthropic Principle, for instance, that demonstrates purpose and design in nature that is perfectly suitable for mankind.  A life without purpose is lived in vain and is a waste, going nowhere!  God put us all here for a purpose as part of His plan and glory:  "The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever," says The Westminster Shorter Catechism (ca. 1646), which refers to Isaiah 43:7, which says God created man "for His glory."

We are here to make God look good and be fulfilled in Him. As Blaise Pascal, French mathematician said, "If man is not made for God, why is he happy only in God?   If man is made for God, why is he opposed to God?"  As Jesus said, "... I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly"  (John 10:10, ESV).  The eternal life with Christ begins at the point of entry into salvation (cf. John 5:24, ESV, emphasis added):  "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has [present tense!] eternal life.  He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."

The only way one can find true meaning in life is to know Christ because He is our Creator.  The Bible is our celestial beacon, divine GPS, and owner's manual and has everything we need to know for salvation and meaning.  We all need to know we are important, have an impact, and have an identity or are somebody that counts.  The Bible answers all these questions and gives us motivation to live to please others and God, not ourselves: A life lived selfishly is suicidal.  Pascal, famed scientist and philosopher, said that there is a "vacuum-shaped hole in our heart that only God can fill." You not only matter, but are more important to God than the whole universe or cosmos.

God is a person to be known, is personal, and gets personal and knows us personally as persons, so intimately that He numbers our hairs! We alone have a God that is knowable and not aloof and impersonal, like Allah. Muslims emphatically deny the capability of knowing God personally and of having a personal, living relationship and fellowship with Him, that inspires and motivates life and living in the here and now, but in the light of eternity.  Suddenly, when you see you have a divine purpose in being alive and can accomplish God's will, life becomes an exciting journey and relationship and even a challenge that other religions don't have.  We grow in our knowledge of God and never gain definitive knowledge of an infinite Being.  "The finite cannot grasp the infinite," says the classic maxim.

As a logical conclusion, when you deny God, you have no basis for meaning in life or to do anything but "eat, drink and be merry [cf. Isaiah 22:13]." Man then just exists, he doesn't live life to the full. Twentieth-century philosopher Will Durant asks:  "Can man live without God?"  This is the dilemma of the modern man who seems to think that "God is dead," as Friedrich Nietzsche falsely and shamelessly postulated; he was saying we didn't need Him to explain the cosmos or to find relevance--that God doesn't matter anymore.  Without God, there is no anchor on the soul, and man has but a bleak outlook and is hopeless.  We all need a sense of "ought" and understand the times to know what to do (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:32); who knows?  We may have been born "for such a time as this"  (cf. Esther 4:14).

The problem with man today: "Men have forgotten God," according to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, even if he professes a religion or even Christianity, he is a practical atheist or one who lives like one, despite a bogus profession of faith, he is only a nominal Christian or one in name only.  Man will find that there is no basis of ethics without Him, and man is free to make up his own value system or ethics as he goes along, to suit his own interpretation and situation, like:  "Listen to the God within!" Or, "If it feels like the truth to you, it is!"

Caveat:  We must beware of following Israel's footsteps in the time of the judges:  "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes"  (Judges 21:25, ESV).  It is similar today, in that people lack a moral compass, and think that morals are determined by convention, consensus, or community standards--and evolve over time.  God is the moral center of the universe and He is our Judge, we are not His judge--we answer to Him, He doesn't answer to us!  Yes, Isaiah was also right on and on the same page:  "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned each one of us to his own way"  (cf. Isaiah 53:6).

Rick Warren lists four purposes to live for:  as a member of His family; a model of His character; a minister of His grace; and a messenger of His good news.  We all need a philosophy of life and an interpretative framework to view the world around us and put things into perspective.

If you've ever pondered:  "Who am I?" Or, "Do I matter?" Or even, "Am I important?"  The answer is in knowing God through His revelation in Christ.  In my day people used to take time-outs and "find themselves."  You can never get found if you don't admit you're lost! You were born to fit into God's intricate plan, not for God to approve your plans--you have the destiny to be realized in Christ!

A word to the wise is sufficient:  Psalm 11:3, ESV, says, "[I]f the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Without God as our reference point, we lose all footing and orientation in society, and no civilization has ever been able to maintain ethics without the aid of religion, and "no society has ever survived the loss of its gods," according to playwright George Bernard Shaw. No nation has been able to maintain morals without the aid of its religion, according to Will Durant. Has the rise of Secular Humanism, which is a religion without God, eradicated Christianity from the public arena and marketplace of ideas;?

Have we come full-circle from the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, in which it was argued that the minds of children should be kept open and they should be taught about the theory of evolution, just to be fair?  Now, they won't let the Christian view get its point across as a viable belief system and worldview that gives meaning to all of academia and its disciplines. We must not concede everything away and lose to the Postmodernist and Secular Humanist by default and give up the ship without a college try and fight.

Let me conclude with a quote from scholar Carl F.H. Henry: "The Christian belief system, which the Christian knows to be grounded in divine revelation, is relevant to all of life." Soli Deo Gloria!

Finding Our Calling

The following verses are pertinent to finding God's will for your life:

"One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much..."  (Luke 16:10, ESV).

"... Well done, thou good and faithful servant..."  (cf. Luke 19:17, KJV).

"Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is"  (Eph. 5:17, ESV). 

"For I know the plans I have for you, ' declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"  (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). 

"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.  Long before we first heard of Christ, ... he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone"  (Ephesians 1:11, The Message).

"For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, ... everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him" (Colossians 1:16, The Message). 

"Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established" (Proverbs 16:3, ESV).

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death"  (Proverbs 16:18, ESV).

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand"  (Proverbs 19:21, ESV).  

"Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless."  (Bertrand Russell, mathematician, philosopher, atheist, author of the famed book, Why I Am Not A Christian).


God has uniquely gifted everyone for the ability to know His will, but it isn't an automatic given to know it, though Acts 22:14 says it has been granted Paul to know His will.  We must search for it and be willing to do it or we will never know it.  "If any man wills to do His will..." (cf. John 7:17).   Obedience and willingness are provisos to finding out God's plan.  If we are not obedient in what He has revealed, we will not be given more light.  Most people blindly go through life, the blind leading the blind, and never find their true calling--they exist, but don't live. We are meant to live for something bigger than ourselves and for something that will outlast our lives--every chord we play strikes some note that will vibrate throughout eternity, but some of us march to the beat of a different drum than the light of Scripture.  "When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD" (Proverbs 19:3).  Man ruins his life, then blames God, or he is a success and congratulates himself!

This life is but a dress rehearsal and a tryout for the real thing in heaven, or a stage set for eternity, and we are meant to find out what we are here for. People who don't know their purpose attempt too much! Attempt great things for God, and expect greater things from God!  The Bible is our Owner's Manual and has everything we need to know for fulfillment in life!   Many people live as if they will never die, and die as if they never lived, and don't find purpose until their later years!  What a pity that the common man sees nothing more to live for than the Epicurean philosophy of "eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die" (cf. Isaiah 22:13) school of thought.  We are not to live just in the "here and now," but in "light of eternity," and "it ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our final day," according to commentator Matthew Henry.  We have the ability to see and expect the future, but with that comes the downside or drawback of being capable of worry.  We should never live in the past of regret, nor in the future of worry (paying dividends on bills we don't owe): These are the two thieves of our time and when we don't live life to the fullest it is usually this to blame.

Now, most people never even find out what they are good at, much less, their true calling in life: "God in heaven appoints each man's work" (John 3:27, NLT).  It is often said: "You missed your calling" with tongue-in-cheek.  The best we can hope for in life is to find out His will and plan for our lives, and it is never too late for God's best--He is in the business of changing lives and transforming them into the image of Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17, ESV). Christ is still in the resurrection business and can change our lives from the inside out--we don't just turn over a new leaf, but start afresh with Jesus in charge--we are changed from the inside out.

There is no greater joy, than in doing the Lord's work, but there is a curse on anyone who is slack in doing it (cf. Jeremiah 48:10).  The happiest people, it has been put, are those who are too busy trying to meet other's needs and make them happy, that they don't have time to worry about their own.  The sure recipe of a wasted life is to live it for yourself--get your eyes off yourself and live for God's will, whatever the calling--there are many callings, but the same Spirit (and that's what counts!).

Many people experience a dramatic conversion and their whole life turns around or heads in a new direction after finding Christ:  Look at how prison radicalized the life of Chuck Colson (dirty-tricks and hatchet man for Pres. Nixon, turned philosophical apologist for the faith), for instance! God puts us through the fires of adversity to make us better people, and no one is exempt, not even Christ exempted Himself. Our crosses pale in comparison to His and we should be aware that adversity, trials, sufferings, discipline, and misfortune happen to all of us and are meant for our good, and Christ can turn even the most diabolical atrocity into something good:  "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (cf. Gen. 50:20). God orchestrates all events, even historically, and never loses control of His Plan. (Romans 8:28, ESV says:  "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good....")  We can do nothing to thwart His intentions and make God resort to a Plan B.

The most important link to finding God's will is seizing the day (going for it!), or carpe diem, or seeking God's will and recognizing it when you see it in the light of Scripture.  God will open doors, we just have to be ready to step into His will (cf. Isaiah 22:22).  When God opens a door, the impossible can become possible, because all things are possible with God (cf. Luke 1:37).  When I first became a believer, I didn't understand why my brothers in the Lord were so concerned about what God's will was:  "What would Jesus do?"  As we mature we have a greater desire to please God and live for Him and His glory: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" (cf. The Westminster Shorter Catechism, ca. 1646).  "[E]veryone] who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made"  (Isaiah 43:7, ESV).  We must learn to live for Christ and not ourselves, to please others, not ourselves!

How do you know that you were not "born for such a time as this?" (Cf. Esther 4:14).  Living on purpose is the only way to live, says Rick Warren, and life makes no sense without purpose.  Life is an intricate plan of God and we are to fit into God's plans, not ask Him to fit into our plans! This is the origin of the Protestant work ethic.  When we are engaged and engrossed in God's work everything else is put into the right perspective:  "... I am doing great work, so I cannot come down..." (Nehemiah 6:3, KJV).  Motivation is primed by the right orientation:  "... [F]or the people had a mind to work" (Nehemiah 4:6, NKJV).  We want to be like Jesus at the end of our lives and be able to confess:  "... I have finished the work which You have given Me to do"  (John 17:4, NKJV).  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Where's The Joy?

"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold"  (Job 23:10, NIV).  

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete"  (John 15:11, NIV).  

"He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps"  (Psalm 40:2, NKJV).

If you are a melancholy believer, or one who seems glum, sullen, or dejected, in the pits, in a depressed funk, despondent, or have the doldrums, and don't know how to snap out of it you are a bad advertisement for Christianity, if you're really happy and full of joy, tell your face!  There may be periods of depression when one wallows in self-pity, has a pity party, or withdraws, (even Elijah got depressed), but one must learn how to bounce out of it.  Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:4 to "rejoice in the Lord always."  " Nehemiah says "... [The] joy of the LORD is your strength." There are some key elements to finding joy amidst the hard times--and He does make us experience hardship:  "You have fed them of the bowl of tears, You have given them tears to drink in great measure"  (Psalm 80:5, NKJV).

This is to develop our character to mold it after Christ's image, which cannot mature without adversity, hardship, discipline, trials, and even temptation--but remember Christ was honest enough to warn us and they are inevitable as a "coming of age" spiritually.  Christ didn't exempt Himself from trouble, and our "crosses" pale in comparison to His.   If you don't know why you are suffering or you think you don't deserve it, be like Job and throw a spiritual fit and cry out to God with your case and complaint.  It's okay to throw a spiritual temper tantrum or fit! Some people are just more vulnerable to getting the blues or even depression, but this doesn't need to define who you are.

There is a methodology or method to the madness, for rebounding from depression, when it is time to seek the Lord and His presence--there is a time and season for every purpose under the sun.  God is in the business of sharing His joy!  When we sin and grieve the Spirit it can show and spread like wildfire.   Every believer has been called to do God's work and if he knows his calling, he can find joy in doing the Lord's will and in being in the Lord's will. There's always joy in doing God's work with a smile and finding fulfillment in that.  When you live for something bigger than yourself you will have a different perspective on life.  Real living begins when we commence serving others and get our eyes off ourselves.  We shouldn't just exist, but live!  Work for something in life that will outlast it.  If you know how God uses you and what your spiritual gift is, you are on the way to finding joy in the Lord and knowing how to spread it as a messenger of the good news with a positive testimony.

When we are in a depressed funk, or "downcast" as Psalm 42 and 43 call it, God seems to be MIA and we need to seek the face of God. We are to seek the Lord and His face or presence.  The whole business of the Christian life is to seek God, not just when we feel down.  Even Job wondered about the whereabouts of God: "Oh, that I knew where I might find Him"  (cf. Job 23:3).  God is never far from each one of us according to Acts 17:27.  He may be no further than the mention of His name! Did He not promise:  "... Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20, ESV). Remember that where ever two or three are gathered together in His name, that Jesus promises to be among them (cf. Matt. 18:20).  The Holy Spirit dwells in us to be our Comforter and Enabler to live in His power and to overcome trials and the enemy.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks His lost sheep and brings them to green pastures and to give them rest.

It is a joy to see God at work in others and to share in the blessings by association.  This is an encouragement for us to do the Lord's will and to be profitably engaged in spreading the Word. There is vicarious joy, just like parents relive their childhoods through their children. Remember, we are all on the same team and we must know the real enemy, the devil, who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (cf. 1 Pet. 5:7).  We learn to "rejoice with those who rejoice" (cf. Romans 12:15).

We really must learn to find joy despite our circumstances and to be strong in our faith, for the Lord must test our faith:  "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10, ESV).   God wants to see if it is genuine and will stand the test of time, and isn't a facade, sham, or masquerade--only sincere, even if imperfect, faith will do.  Learn to rise to the occasion and above your circumstances:  Experience is not what happens to you, but what happens in you! Paul was in prison and rejoiced in the Lord with such testimony with Silas that the jailer got converted in Acts 16.

Joy is contagious and a great testimony, and that is more motive to seek it to be a light and river of life to others, who need to be encouraged.  This is so that we acknowledge joy in the Lord, not in circumstances, which can change.  Joy is something on the inside that is not dependent on happenings like happiness is.  Paul learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself in (cf. Philippians 4:13).

When you know God is with you, everything becomes bearable and that is one of Christ's names:  "God with us." Also, it is written in Isaiah 43:2 (ESV):  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you ...."   We are to seek the Lord and His presence "as a deer pants for flowing water, so my soul pants for [God]" (Psalm 42:1, ESV).  Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now canonized, says that "true holiness consists of doing God's will with a smile." That is, if we are happy, we should tell our faces!  Soli Deo Gloria!