Commitment to Christ Has a Cost

"More than once Jesus deliberately addressed certain issues that quickly diminished the number of onlookers. It was commitment that thinned the ranks." - Chuck Swindoll

We make or engage in commitments of one kind or another practically every day. There are work commitments, relationship commitments, family commitments, school commitments, social commitments, and so on.

I suppose you could say that commitments are just another part of living life. The word commitment can be defined as: "The act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself." Making a commitment increases both the worth and risk of something.

When one makes a commitment it should not be taken lightly. Likewise, when you or I make a commitment to follow Christ it should definitely be taken seriously. Many treat coming to Christ as a one-time exercise in faith; the baptismal being the final act, then we're done! But, wait! There's much more to it than that.

Jesus, himself, pointed this out to his disciples after they had  followed him out into the desert for some relaxation away from the crowds not far from the city of Bethsaida (Luke 9:23). For all who would choose to follow Him, there is a cost to be paid. He laid out the price and terms in clear, large-size print (Luke 9:24-27)!

Jesus always drew big crowds wherever he went. But, most followed him only because of what they thought he was in their minds. They thought he was the Messiah who would usher in the restored kingdom and free them from Roman oppression. For a while, even his own disciples started believing the hype that the "kingdom was coming soon" (Luke 19:11).

After Jesus began teaching about his own death at the hands of the Jewish leaders and Gentile rulers, his celebrity ranking took a serious drop. All of this shocking talk about his death, and the possibility that he really wasn't who they thought he was, caused many to reject him. They just couldn't exchange their own ideas, plans, and desires for His.

They weren't faithfully committed to Him. They only wanted to follow Christ as long as it was on their terms; without any commitment on their part. There were also three people mentioned in Luke 9:57-62 who appeared willing to follow Jesus. But, after some questioning, he found their level commitment was not really there. They didn't realize how much it would cost them to follow Jesus.

I know we've been talking a lot about "costs" here. He tells us in Luke 9:23; Matthew 16:24; and Mark 8:34 to, "Take up your cross and follow Me." This is where the "cost" kicks in. What does it "cost" to follow Jesus Christ? If you think you're ready to commit, or "take up your cross," you'll need to sincerely consider the following possibilities:

Choosing to follow Jesus might cost you some friendships. Choosing to follow Jesus might isolate or cut you off from your family. Choosing to follow Jesus might damage or destroy your reputation. Choosing to follow Jesus might mean losing your job. Choosing to follow Jesus might cost you your life.

I know this all may all sound extreme, but these are actually consequences in many parts of the world today. Let me also point out that these things might not necessarily happen to you if you choose to follow Christ. They are just some items to carefully weigh in your mind if you are willing to "take up your cross."

A commitment to Jesus means that you have to do it everyday. You must be willing to give up your hopes, dreams, possessions, and in some cases, even your life for the cause of Christ. In order to be called His disciple you must be willing to take up your cross (Luke 14:27). There's no other way, no short-cut, or back-door.

There was a television commercial several years ago for a major credit card in which the tag line was "Priceless." Jesus followed His call of death to self with the gift of life in Christ (Matthew 16:25-26). If you are ready to make your commitment to Jesus Christ, the reward is well worth the sacrifice, the reward truly is "priceless."

Scripture: Proverbs 16:3; Hebrews 11:6: Psalm 143:10; Matthew 6:33; Psalm 37:5

Prayer: Dear Lord,  Thank you for bringing my spirit up to where it is now. I commit my spirit into your hands. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and let me breathe the air of your presence. Amen

Have a blessed day!

Sara

Video - Beth Moore: Treasuring Up

Another great message from Bible teacher and speaker Beth Moore. She shows how God sometimes shows us things that we need to "treasure up" in our minds for future purpose. Enjoy!  ~Eve

God Has a Plan For You!

"He can only keep those who have handed themselves over to Him." - Watchman Nee

God's plan is for each of his children (you and I) to be filled with His Spirit. Only when we, as children of God, live under the control of the Holy Spirit are we able to obtain the full measure of the Spirit, and work hard in the power of it. To help us understand this exciting truth, there are several significant assumptions, or beliefs, that I feel we should be aware of.

We need to be aware that: every sincere baptized believer has received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38); every believer has been baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13); every believer has received the seal of the Holy Spirit, which indicates God's ownership and identifies us as the children of God (Ephesians 1:13); and, every believer is commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

We can see many examples of these truths in the Bible. John the Baptist was declared to be one who would be filled with the Spirit (Luke 1:15). The 120 in the Upper Room were filled with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3-4). Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:8). Stephen worked in the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:8). Our Lord was continuously filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1).

You might be a little confused as to how this works. Perhaps I can help clarify this for you. First of all, we are not empty containers. The Holy Spirit isn't something tangible like water, gravel, or sand. The Holy Spirit is a divine person. So, for us to be full or filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit. Think of Him as the pianist and we are the piano.

Therefore, for us to be filled with the Spirit is to: be empowered by the Spirit (Acts 1:8); be taught by the Spirit (John 14:26); be guided by the Spirit (John 16:13); reap the harvest of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23); and properly use the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12-14). This is all well and good, of course, but how is one able to experience the Spirit-filled life?

We have to accept the fullness of the Spirit by faith (Galatians 3:14). It's the same response we make when we receive Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior; by faith. We don't receive the Holy Spirit as some reward for our spiritual excellence, or as a result of self-denial and self-discipline. You can do these things and still not experience the fullness of the Spirit.

Too, we must present our bodies to the Lord as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). We are to recognize and respond fully to the truth the Holy Spirit has come to live within us. We are to present ourselves as holy dwelling places, totally given over to the purposes of God for our lives. Also, if we want to keep the fullness of the Spirit, we need to confess and forsake every sin the Holy Spirit reveals to us. He will point out what is not acceptable.

Finally, the Spirit-filled life is a life in which we deliberately follow God's will and let Him fill us with his fullness and use us for his glory (1 John 3:24). The Spirit-filled life is a part of your birthright as a child of God. It is both a privilege and responsibility. Let Him accomplish his will through you.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Titus 3:5-6; Ephesians 4:30; John 16:13

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to always to be positive in my attitude; and that I may search and find the best in people and situations. Help me to take away the good out of all that happens. Amen

May God always bless you!

~Eve

Things to Consider: The Danger of Spiritual Pride

"Spiritual pride is the most dangerous and the most arrogant of all sorts of pride."  -Samuel Richardson. 

When Jesus accepted the dinner invitation by Simon, the wealthy Pharisee, he knew full well what he was getting into. In the Pharisee's mind, he invited Jesus over partly because of his own curiosity, and partly to hear Jesus' thoughts on Old Testament teachings. Perhaps, also thinking he might be able to trip up this Galilaean teacher, or at the very least find fault with him (Luke 7:36).

Being a Pharisee, meant he was probably very familiar Jewish law and traditions. Therefore, it was somewhat odd that he didn't offer Christ the most basic courtesies upon Jesus' arrival at his home. Keep in mind, the culture of the time had straightforward customs of hospitality. None of which were extended to Jesus here.

Now, having just reclined at the table and began their meal a most unexpected thing happened! An uninvited "woman in the city," or harlot, who had heard that Jesus would be there, made her way into their presence. She carried an alabaster box with her (Luke 7: 37).

There was a good possibilty that she had experienced a life-changing event after having listened to Jesus preach. She felt the need to thank him personally, and now the opportunity presented itself to do so. The only way she had of doing this would be to wash and annoit his feet. Thus, the contents of her box contained a sweet ointment for that purpose.

She walked behind Jesus as he reclined, his feet behind him. In this way, she did not have to look at Christ in the face and interrupt his meal. She was all set to perform a very customary act in those long ago days (1 Samuel 25:41). Standing behind him crying, she began to wash his feet with her tears.

The woman dried off Jesus' feet with her hair, and kissed them. Simon must have been more than a little confused by all of this. As he watched her lovingly apply the oil to Christs' feet, no doubt he wondered how Jesus could let a woman of her repute approach and touch him in such a manner. Not surprisingly, Jesus knew what Simon had been thinking. What an opportune time to teach a lesson. And he did (Luke 7:40-47)!

Let's contrast the two main characters. We have Simon the Pharisee , well-versed in Jewish law, an upstanding citizen and religious leader, pillar of the community, and an all-around model citizen. Then, we have the "woman in the city," the uninvited dinner guest. She was a lowly-woman of the streets, a prostitute, and on top of that, a woman in a very, male-dominated society.

But, here's the big difference. And it made all the difference to Jesus. Simon was the typical, high and mighty Pharisee who knew all the laws and followed them to the letter. He could quote Jewish law frontward and backwards. And, he looked down at anyone that was not up to his standards.

On the other hand, the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and annoited them was anything but. However, she did have one major thing going for her that Simon did not. She had faith and love for Jesus, which she didn't hesistate to display. It was her sincere demonstration of her faith and love that prompted Jesus to forgive her sins (Luke 7:44-48).

Likewise, if not careful, we can easily be snared by the same trap as Simon the Pharisee. His "spiritual pride" blinded him as to how he viewed himself, it caused him to underestimate the character of this woman, plus it impeded him from understanding Jesus. We may look great on the outside, but inside we're spiritually dead.

Jesus doesn't want "spiritual robots" who think they're better than anyone else. That's not what He taught. Jesus message of faith in Him, repentance of sins, forgiveness, and love for each other is not that complicated. It worked then, and it still works today. Don't let "spiritual pride" stand in your way!

Scripture: Job 13:2; Leviticus 26:19; Ephesians 4:17; Job 37:24; Jeremiah 9:24 

Prayer: Holy Father, I pray that my own pride will never overshadow my relationship with You, or toward others. May I always be humbled by your unconditional love, mercy, and grace. Amen

May God bless your day!

Hailey

Friday Faith Check-Up: Live Free from Fear with God!

"Our lives are full of supposes. Suppose this should happen, or suppose that should happen; what could we do; how could we bear it? But, if we are living in the high tower of the dwelling place of God, all these supposes will drop out of our lives. We shall be quiet from the fear of evil, for no threatenings of evil can penetrate into the high tower of God."  - Hannah Whitall Smith

Life can be pretty scary. When we were young, and growing up in a still new and mostly unfamilar environment, there were plenty of things to be frightened of. Some were real, but most were figments of our developing perspectives of the world, and imaginations. For most, we had supportive and understanding family members who comforted and explained things to us.

As we grew into adulthood, we found there were new things to be afraid of. Responsibilities made it a little more difficult to simply shrug off these fears. Things like raising a family, mortgages, car payments, job stability made our lives more complicated. Yes, a hug and and an understanding ear are still welcome. But, the fear of life, of the unknown, is harder to simply explain away.

Fear is a constant companion throughout our lives. We can't get escape it, nor can we ignore it. It can be a teaching tool that demonstrates risks and dangers to our lives. Or, it can be a big wall that keeps us from moving forward; stunting or stifling our enjoyment of life. It may appear that there are few things we can do, other than just dealing with fear. However, we have a powerful ally in our corner who is ever ready to help us.

Earlier, I mentioned how important it was as a child to have someone who would comfort and guide you whenever you experienced fear. Usually, it was a parent, or someone older, who helped us out then. Having said that, our Lord provides this same loving and comforting feeling to us wherever we are in our lives. He offers us a life free from fear and worry.

Some might ask, "Is there a catch? What's the deal?" There is no bargaining, or fee to pay. All we have to do is learn to lean on Him (Proverbs 3:25, 26). That's it! Now, I have to say, that might sound like crazy talk to some people. Many have been on the losing end of bad relationships, or in uncomforable situations where trust and faith have been left in tattered pieces.

But, we're not talking about leaning on another "person" as we are accustomed to. This is God, we are talking about. Our Lord! And, certainly for some this is a leap of faith; letting down one's defenses, and exposing your vulnerabilities. But, that's exactly how He wants us to come to Him, as an innocent, trusting child (Matthew 18:3).

With God behind us, we have nothing to fear (Matthew 10:28-31). We never have to worry about being left alone, or abandoned in our time of need. Whatever our fears are, they can never be bigger than God. He alone provides what we need to overcome our fears, doubts, and anxieties (Hebrews 13:5, 6). God tells us to "Fear not!"

If left unchecked, fear can run rampant in our lives, causing chaos and destruction. It can lead to unfulfilled lives, and hinder our abilities to integrate socially, and grow emotionally. A fear of living is not really living, is it? God desires each one of us to live a good, Spirit-filled life without the stress that accompanies fear (Psalm 34:9).

It's quite natural to have fear. It is one of the emotions that makes us alive. Fear is also necessary in that it helps to keep us alive. As it pertains to our Christian lives, we would not become strong, mature, God-fearing Christians without fear to test our faith (1 Peter 5:7).

So, while we can't always depend on others to help us whenever fear strikes, we can always depend on God. We can always have complete confidence in our relationship with Him, Only He provides the confidence we need to face our fears head-on and conquer them (Ephesians 3:12).

Scripture: Isaiah 41:10; Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:9; Psalm 27:1; Romans 8:31

Prayer: Dear Lord, what can I be afraid of when You are with me? What can fear do to me, when You lead the way? May You always be my guiding light through the darkest paths, and let no fear stand in my way to You. Amen

Have a blessed and safe weekend!

Kaye

God's View On Hatred

“In time we hate that which we often fear.” -William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra

Racism, bigotry, mob-like behavior, political divisiveness, and slow-action between government and public agencies fuel much of the hatred we see today. Hatred is a fluid emotion that changes its level and type depending on different factors. Therefore, there really is no easy answer as to the reason for all of this hate.

Naturally, some will disagree with this. And yet, if it isn't any of the above, then what is it that drives our blatant hatred of each other? The Bible has a thing or two to tell us about hate. Maybe it might be beneficial to look at hate from a biblical viewpoint.

Let's draw a line down the middle of the page and add two headings: Positive and Negative. According to the Bible there are "positive" and "negative" sides to hate. We'll examine the "positive" side of hate first. Psalm 97:10a tells us that we should, "Let those who love the Lord hate evil...”

If our relationship with God is healthy, and we are right with Him, then it is justifiable to hate those things that God abhors. You see, the closer we walk in fellowship with the Lord, sin becomes more evident and obvious to us. This includes both inner and outer sin.

That's why it hurts and angers us so much when we see spiritual hypocrisy, glaring unbelief, ungodly behavior, and God's name being slandered. As we grow with God, we come to understand His attributes and love His character. This in turn permits us to be more like Him, hating whatever goes against His Word and nature.

Now, let's turn to the "negative" side of hate. We are more familiar with this "hate" as the one that is directed against others. This is the "hate" that we discussed at the beginning of today's message. It is ugly, unsettling, and can sometimes be deadly.  The Lord mentions this hatred in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:23-26).

Needless to say, God isn't very fond of this kind of hate. It is so detestable in His eyes that if a person hates, he or she is said to be walking in darkness, not in the light (1 John 2:9; 11). Even worse is the person who professes to be a follower of Christ, but continues to espouse hatred toward others (1 John 4:20). This person is a liar who, though may be able to fool others, isn't fooling God one iota!

In closing, hatred is a toxin that eats away at our hearts and minds. It destroys us from the inside out. Thus, we must be vigilant when it comes to hatred. It can spring up inside of us at any time (Hebrews 12:15). Hatred can also drive us apart in our relationship with God and other believers.

We all need to carefully follow the Lord's advice, and confess every sin that would separate us from Him no matter how big or small. In this way, He will faithfully forgive us as He has promised (1 John 1:9; 2:1).

Scripture: Romans 12:19; Luke 10:27; Psalm 11:5; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 5:5

Prayer: Jesus, I pray that my heart will not be consumed by anger and hatred. Also, help me to follow your example as I interact with others. Let me be compassionate, patient, and forgiving towards all whom I may meet during my day. Amen

Have a blessed day!

Judy

Video - Stormie Omartian: The Prayer that Changes Everything

We all know how powerful prayer can be in our lives. But...is there more to it? Are we missing something? Best-selling author and speaker, Stormie Omartian discusses the hidden power of praising God in this information packed video message. Enjoy!   ~Eve