Tag Archives: Jesus

THE RESOLVE OF CHRIST

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While contemplating what to write about for this post, I was thinking about a teaching I heard a long time ago from a gifted brother in the Lord. His teaching taught how important it is to have “resolve“. Down through the years, as I’ve learned more about the Kingdom, resolve, or my lack of it, has taken on more and more importance toward my growth as a child of God. The scripture he used in his teaching really struck me. Jesus just got through teaching about the Kingdom when some Pharisees tried to warn Jesus that He was in danger of being murdered. Here is Jesus’ reply:

31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ 34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Luke 13: 31-35

It was thrilling to see Jesus, under the threat of being killed, put Herod and the Pharisees in their place by telling them exactly what He was going to do, when He was going to do it, and for how long. Jesus demonstrated the kind of resolve and faith that all of His children should have while doing God’s will.

WHERE’S MY RESOLVE?

At the end of the day, isn’t it our resolve, when it comes to advancing the Kingdom, one of the things the enemy attacks the most? How many times have you decided to read the bible or pray and then suddenly you get a phone call, or your eyelids start to feel like weights are hanging from them while a sudden bout of the “yawns” come over you. How many times have you had good intentions and ideas to bless God and His people, but because you didn’t add resolve, they float away into the nether.

DEFINE RESOLVE

re·solve
verb
1.
settle or find a solution to (a problem, dispute, or contentious matter).

“the firm aims to resolve problems within 30 days”
synonyms: settle, sort out, solve, find a solution to, fix, straighten out, deal with, put right, put to rights, rectify; More
2.
decide firmly on a course of action.

“she resolved to call Dana as soon as she got home”
synonyms: determine, decide, make up one’s mind, make a decision
“Bob resolved not to wait any longer”
noun
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firm determination to do something.

“she received information that strengthened her resolve”
synonyms: decision, resolution, commitment
“he made a resolve not to go there again”

I also found some interesting words while looking up more synonyms for resolve. They were:

boldness
courage
firmness
intention
steadfastness
will

Did not our Lord demonstrate all these resolve synonyms in the face of the adversary?

Oh Lord, give us a greater measure of resolve! Let us face the obstacles in our way as you did, with boldness, courage, and steadfastness. When the enemy or our flesh tries to stop us, let us address it as you did in power and faith!

That same boldness and faith that Christ consistently demonstrated dwells within us by His Spirit. We have the resolve of Christ! Be strengthened in your resolve in the little and big things, for God is with you!

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:5-7 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

PERSPECTIVE AND POLITICS

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Well it’s that time again, it’s that time when Americans slog through the longest presidential campaign in the world (Canada’s process–11 weeks, Mexico–12 weeks, America–some candidates have started campaigning a whopping 569 days before election day), and also the most expensive, with some experts predicting over 5 billion dollars being spent when all this is said and done. Every news program touches upon the presidential run every….. single…..day. Unfortunately, there’s no escaping it (unless you’re smart enough to throw out your frequency receiving devices). The presidential election and the hope for change seem to be exalted above everything else, with all the main candidates not only known in America, but internationally as well. Despite how exalted this office is, we can’t lose perspective. Compared to the King of kings, these earthly governments are like fading mist, here today and gone tomorrow. Meanwhile, the government of the Most High is like a rock, standing forever.

THE HIGHEST GOVERNMENT

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

The kingdom of God is upon the shoulders of Jesus. He is the foundation of the highest government. The following prophecy about the kingdoms of man versus the Kingdom of God clearly shows where we’ve been, and where we’re headed. The Kingdom of God is represented by a stone that then becomes a mountain and crushes the temporary statue that represents the governments of man.

34 You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2:34-35 (NASB)

INSTRUCTION

Is there any instruction from the highest government concerning the secular governments of man? Of course, although man has rejected His lordship, God continues to move through earthly governments to accomplish His will. God clearly wants His people to pray for those in authority, not just those in your favorite political party, but whoever is in charge. Don’t you know that Christians can have a profound impact upon authorities if we pray?

“1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior…” 1 Timothy 2:1-3

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. Proverbs 21:1

The following is an exert from Dillon Burroughs’s article pertaining to prayer and politics.

“We live in an age of political spite. Even seemingly devout Christians have decided it’s okay to bash our nation’s leaders with reckless abandon. “I know I’m supposed to love our president, but…” or “I can’t wait to get those politicians (choose your party) out of office in the next election!” Yet these attitudes are directly opposed to God’s plan regarding our Christian view of our nation’s leaders.
First and foremost, the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2 commands us to pray for our governing leaders. In fact, just about every possible word for pray was used to communicate this truth. Further, we are not to pray for their demise. We are told that we pray in order that “we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” What does this mean? We pray for our leaders so we will live in a stable society that allows us to focus on worshiping God….”

BOY DO WE NEED PRAYER

One thing that Christians truly need to be leery of is the vain philosophies of politics.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8 (ESV)

Democrats have a certain philosophy, as well as the Republican party. All political parties feel like they have the answer to the public’s problems. These parties may try to stand on cherry picked scriptures from the bible, while having a form of godliness, but unfortunately, they deny its power. The overall emphasis always ends up being man centered, meaning–man has the answer. It’s vain for Christians to put so much weight and hope in political parties that are doomed to fail, because they depend on elemental spirits of the world instead of the Spirit of God. The bottom line—these parties are not determined to follow Christ in all things, and they do not trust God for resources. They are out to take from and exploit the weak. There’s a spirit of corruption, bribery, hypocrisy; “and to take as much as we can from the public coffers before it all comes tumbling down” type of approach—a spirit of, “let’s party now for tomorrow we die“, and the wickedest philosophy that is used to rationalize so much political evil says, “the end justifies the means“. Well, nothing is new under the sun: Isaiah 1:21-26.

21 How the faithful city has become a harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves;
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And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.

UNGODLY COUNSEL

People really need to put away the ungodly counsel that is regurgitated over the airwaves everyday. Airwaves that are filled with demagogues and liars using half truths to fill people’s hearts up with hate and bitterness. Hate directed towards other people that are made in Gods image and likeness, who He loves through the sacrifice of His son. We may wink at, and justify embracing demagogues full of ungodly counsel and entertainment, but God doesn’t.

Psalm 1:1-6(ESV)

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

SUBTLE SATAN

The devil knows the power of God that’s released against him when Christians take God’s word to heart. Therefore, if he can change things, and move things ever so slightly away from what God really wants, he’ll do it. A lot of Christians have embraced the idea that the answer to our country is having more Christians in political offices. Although, without a doubt, God calls some Christians to political offices, and it’s a great calling, but is it emphasized in the word of God as “the” answer? Under the Old Covenant, you could make a case, sort of, because God did promote some people to positions of political authority, Joseph comes to mind; but under the New Covenant, are we not encouraged to pursue Kingdom offices, not mans. The bible is clear that we are to pursue offices and callings in God’s government, such as deacons, pastors, shepherds, overseers, evangelists, prophets, teachers, etc. Don’t misunderstand, God doesn’t ignore the governments of man; He specifically says to pray for them first. We should look to prayer first, not with lip service and unbelief, but with faith that praying to God is THE answer above all else pertaining to worldly governments, then supporting Christians who run for office.

IN CONCLUSION

It’s a challenge in these last days to keep things in perspective. Everything is set up to distract us, get our attention, watch me, click me, and look at me! Billions of dollars are used to study our weaknesses and fears, and how to exploit them; to find the psychological buttons to push that will get our attention, dollars, and even votes. But let us focus on the Eternal Kingdom for all of these things will fall by the wayside. Let us pray for the authorities of this world, because all men are subject to God. Let us keep a holy perspective.

The saying is trustworthy, for:
    If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;… 2 Timothy 2:11-12

Political Musings

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I am about to write about two things that you are never suppose to talk about in a social setting: religion and politics. Two subjects so volatile that it’s best just to leave them alone. For better or worse, I just can’t. Because as a Christian, I know how vital it is to constantly work at aligning our worldview with what God reveals in His word and our lives. The wrong worldview can lead to unnecessary suffering and defeat, while the right worldview can equip us to deal with all that the kingdom of darkness can throw at us.

The passion involved when people talk about politicians and politics can be quite startling although understandable. The profound affect a politician’s decision can make on us can cause us to sit up and take notice. The question I muse about is this; how do Christians maneuver through this polarizing political climate?

First of all, I think it’s vital that all Christians have a good foundation to stand on. We know that Jesus is the rock and everything else is sinking sand. Our political outlook must be based on God‘s words.

When we talk about politics, we are really talking about government or Kingdoms. From the scriptures it is easy to deduce that Government didn’t originate with man but with God. It originated with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, the eternal God Head, the first government with no beginning and will be the last Kingdom with no ending. Our God is a God of law and order and since man is made in His image and likeness, government is written on our hearts.

At some point in eternity, God in His graciousness decided to expand His kingdom. Angels were first brought into God’s Kingdom and then man. The currency God chose for His Kingdom is faith, hope, and love. God knows, in His kingdom that a relationship with Him is the highest good for all of His creatures, and yet, He left it to the individual to embrace His revealed goodness or to reject it. Unfortunately, some angels and mankind rebelled against Him and doubted His goodness resulting in darkness and death.

All is not loss. According to His wisdom, God in His great mercy, unfolded a plan of redemption and salvation that culminated in His son Jesus Christ. When a man receives this gift of salvation, that man is born again and is baptized into the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is not of this world, it is distinct from any other kingdom and is the highest of all Kingdoms. It is eternal, and the perfect King of this kingdom is God Himself. God in His infinite wisdom has allowed other kingdoms to coexist with His in this age, such as the kingdom of darkness and the kingdoms of this world, but in the end, after the dust has settled, His kingdom and His kingdom alone will rule and reign forever and ever. Daniel shows by interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s vision, what will happen to the most significant kingdoms in history, and the coming last kingdom of man signified by the iron and clay feet.

Daniel 2:31-35,44
31“Your Majesty, you had a vision. You saw a large statue. This statue was very bright. It stood in front of you, and it looked terrifying. 32 The head of this statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were made of silver. Its stomach and hips were made of bronze. 33 Its legs were made of iron. Its feet were made partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by humans. It struck the statue’s iron-and-clay feet and smashed them. 35 Then all at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were smashed. They became like husks on a threshing floor[a] in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain which filled the whole world.

44“At the time of those kings, the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed. No other people will be permitted to rule it. It will smash all the other kingdoms and put an end to them. But it will be established forever. 45 This is the stone that you saw cut out from a mountain, but not by humans. It smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told you what will happen in the future, Your Majesty. The dream is true, and you can trust that this is its meaning.”(GW)

What does all that have to do with our approach to politics? As Christians we can take comfort in knowing that this isn’t our home. This isn’t our kingdom.

Hebrews 13:14
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. (ESV)

We can take comfort in knowing that the God we serve is so vast that He sees all nations as but drops in the bucket.

Isaiah 40:15
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. (NIV)

We can take comfort in knowing that the Kingdom of God is here right now, and that it is an expanding, large mountain, that is filling the world. To His glory, Christians have been given the awesome privilege to help expand God’s kingdom in this world.

Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”(ESV)

We can take heart in knowing that our King has already couquered this world and the kingdom of darkness. Amazingly, we have as Christians, an awesome privilege to help administer our King’s victory.
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John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”(NIV)

In conclusion, as far as the political scene, I will give unto Caesar what is Caesar‘s, and I will pray for those in authority as the word of God instructs.

1 Timothy 2
2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, (ESV)

Proverbs 21
21 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.(ESV)

In love, we also must speak truth, justice, and we must denounce immorality in all its various forms to those in authority, as John the Baptist did and many of our Christian brothers and sisters down through history.

I will do all these things but my passion, our passion, our allegiance must first be to the Kingdom of God while everything else takes a back seat. While many will continue to put their hope in this politician or that political party, I will put my hope in the only man that can handle it all, God in the flesh, Jesus Christ!

Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.(ESV)