Isa 53:10 The Lord’s will to prosper in YOUR hand.

Isa 53:10
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

Is that our goal? Wait, shouldn’t that be the goal of Christianity? For the Lord’s will to be done in our hands, to prosper, to succeed, in our hands? Is that what you want? I hope you say yes to that question…

But now you gotta look at the context of Isa 53. In order for Jesus to prosper the Lord’s will through His hands, He had to a) be despised by men, rejected, familiar with suffering (to be familiar with it, you have to go through it a lot), be thought of having no value, and obedient to what Isaiah says, “to crush Him.”

The question lies on us. Are we willing to be crushed, suffer, be despised, rejected, familiar with suffering, have no value….for the sake of prospering the Lord’s will through your hands?

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but to suffer for Him.”
-Paul (Phil 1:29)

2 Corinthians 5:13 Insanity?

I was looking through my old notes in 2 Cor 5 when i noticed I wrote something in pencil. It was really hard to read, but it was long. I decided to rewrite it in pen and what I saw a gem of conviction. It’s crazy how I ended up writing this and never had too much thought about it. The notes are so good that I’ll just write it straight from it (with a little additions and clarifications).

2 Cor 5:13
If we are out of out mind (insane), it is for the sake of God; if we are in the right mind, it is for you.

People call Paul mad or insane. Acts 26:24, he was called insane for Christ, doing His will, even in the midst of crap (2 Cor 4:7-12) and always referencing his mind on Christ and God (Acts 26:22). In reality, if you live a life that’s not insane, are you really with Christ? Think about it, you’re in a relationship with a guy whose sole purpose was to serve, never thinking of Himself (Phil 2:6-8). If you had an inkling of Christ, wouldn’t your life seem “insane” to those outside of Him? Would a “sane” person give up all he has to follow Christ (Matt 16:24)? Would a “sane” person give up making his life work for the sake Christ and others (Matt 16:25)? That’s insane…but that’s who Christ is and that’s what He wants. This is why (1 Cor 1:18-21) it’s foolish to the world…  Are you, in the eyes of the “sane,” insane in what you do for the sake of Christ? If not…there might be something wrong with your faith…….

Ouch..

Job: Is heaven enough?

I’ve been really inspired by “You Hold Me Now” by Hillsong from their new cd Faith+Hope+Love album (free advertisement, maybe I can get something from them..haha…just joke)

In the song, it talks about heaven (rev 21) and I got to thinking, is heaven enough for me?

Look at the story of Job for a moment. This is a man blessed by God for his righteousness. He was wealthy and everything and Satan comes in and says, “Dude, the only reason why he loves you so much is because of the gifts you give him. Get rid of them and I’ll show you that he’ll curse you.” Job, in one day, loses his livestock, his servants, his wealth and his children. The next day, he loses his health and his wife tells him to “curse God and die!” However, Job perseveres without the gifts that were given to him.

Is this how we’re willing to live? I was thinking to myself, “everything given to me besides salvation is a gift that God doesn’t need to give me (well, this goes along side with the salvation, but you know what I mean, hopefully…). The family, the car, the friends, the church, the electronics I have, the life I have…..everything is a gift from God. With this in mind, what if God took it all away? Would I still be as responsive to who He is with my life?

How about this, is heaven enough for you? The salvation you gain here is for the life we will live with Christ after we depart. Is that enough for us? I was referenced to Matt 6:33 where God will give us what the pagans run after if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. What do you hear non-christians saying when they talk about after death? “Oh, I’ll be in heaven.” “Oh I know he’s in heaven.” etc…. You see, even they think of heaven and want it. What if God tells you that everything you do will be rewarded to you in heaven, not on earth…would you still follow?

Look at the example of Christ. Phil 2:6-8. He humbled Himself, making Himself nothing, becoming a servant….for what? To be killed….on a cross…His reward? Heaven…

Overall, are you willing to work for the Lord with everything you had EVEN if God gives you nothing on Earth?

Philippians 2:5-8 WWJD

Phil 2:5-8

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

These verses had been stuck on me for quite some time and now are one of those verses I constantly say in my head.

I also thought randomly, one day, about those WWJD bracelets everyone, at one time, seemed to have. At time, I even thought that people wore them as a fad rather than a reminder of what Jesus would do in certain situations (and I’m starting to think that with the whole He>i thing too).  So….what would Jesus do?

I think these 4 verses state them beautifully. They are simple and to the point. Jesus came, obviously, not to be served, but to serve (Matt 20:28), and here’s how.

He never took a hold of who He was when things got nuts. Think about it, He is God. He could’ve done whatever He wanted, but did He? No, He did what everyone else wanted Him to do in terms of service. For example. when people wanted to be healed, He healed them. One thing that always gets me, and I know I’ve said this many times before, is the Luke 9:10-17. He withdrew, meaning He wanted to be alone with His disciples, but the crowds came. Did He run faster? Did He summon walls of dust to shoo them away? No, He welcomed them, healed them, fed them, etc. Is that what we do? When we want to be by ourselves, yet people come to us, do we welcome them or not? Lastly, think about the crucifixion. Dude, if I was God (and thank Him that I’m not), I would’ve turned everyone to frogs when they hit me or something. Watching Passion of the Christ wrecked me. How can He have sooooo much self control not to knock any of these guys down?

Verse 7 wrecked me. He made Himself NOTHING. I don’t know how else to explain this except that He never thought of Himself as too good to serve. He was nothing in His mind and everyone else was everything. He took the very nature of a servant. HE TOOK. Not, “It was forced on Him.” No, He took the identity. He served. That’s who He was and that’s how He lived.

(Here’s a secret to serving. Make yourself nothing and it’ll be much easier.)

He became obedient even to death. Is that us? Do we serve even when it hurts? Jesus did. He did it to the point where it killed Him. Do you?

If you have one of those WWJD stickers or bracelets, and you decide to put it back on, always remember this. What would Jesus do? Not refer to His rights, made Himself nothing and became a servant who was obedient even to His death. Now verse 5 gives us our application. Is this our attitude in life?

2 Corinthians 2:17 Where art thou motives?

2 Cor 2:17
Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity like men sent from God.

It seems that the “Christians” in Paul’s time was preaching for gain rather than to do God’s will. In my head, I hear a conversation like this. “Eh, what can you tell me about this verse?” The “Christian” would say, “What’s in it for me?” You look at that phrase and say, “dude, that’s so messed up. Are you serious? Why would you do that?” Now hold that thought and lets continue with the interpretation.

We have to look at ourselves and say, “Do we do that?” I bet you that you do. Maybe not in the way that I stated through that little impromptu conversation, but think about it. God tells us to preach the word, but seemingly, actions speak much louder words. 1 John 3:18 tells us to show love through actions (the goal of the word is to love Matt 22:37-38) and 1 Peter 2:12 tells us to live such beautiful lives amongst the nonchristians.  I heard this once and my pastor quotes it a lot. “Preach the word and speak it sometimes.”

So the way we act, the way we serve, is it all for the God? Have you ever served for “profit?” Not just monetary gain, but gain in anything? Did you ever serve in order to get praise (thank yous, that’s awesome!, you’re awesome!), material things (money, gifts, food, etc), and anything else other than God? Well, “Dude, that’s so messed up. Are you serious? Why would you do that?”

So when you serve or preach the word, where are your motives?  Are they upwards or elsewhere? Gal 1:10 tells us that if we do it for man (including yourself…..Phil 2:3) we’re not Christians (or servant of Christ, meaning He’s not our master). The question you gotta ask yourself now is, “Can I present my motives in front of God and not be embarrassed?” Paul did just that. (“..we speak before God with sincerity”). The word sincerity literally means tested by sunlight, which basically means pure. His motives were pure BEFORE GOD. Can you do that? Probably not, so how can we? The two words before that phrase, “In Christ.”

How have your motives been lately? Can you share them before God? Are they pure?

Matt 6:19-21 Where your heart stay?

Matthew 6:19-21
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

How do we gain treasures in heaven? From the verses before, doing things selflessly. Why would you do anything not secretly (v 4, 6, 18)? Probably to gain something in return, whether it be physical resources or praise from others. That’s the wrong intention (1 cor 10:24 or Phil 2:3). The idea of selflessness (selfless giving, selfless serving, selfless actions), these things seem to gain you rewards in heaven.

Now the real question is, where does your heart lie? Is it in the world or is it in heaven? We know where it should be (our citizenship is in heaven Phil 3:20), but is it really there? What do we look for? What are our treasures? Things of Earth (money, other worldly pleasures) or in Heaven (God, the Word)? What comes out when you speak? Worldly things or Godly things (Matt 15:8 Out of the overflow of your heart, your mouth speaks).

Where is your heart? With God or with men? Ask yourself that and think upon it…

1 Corinthians 11:18 Why Divide?

1 Corinthians 11:18  In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.

Divisions seem to be a big problem in the Corinth church (1 Cor 3 and 12)….and in many churches in this generation. This division in the church leads to not looking for other’s needs or selfishness….obviously something that we’re not suppose to do. (Again, Phil 2:3, 1 Cor 10:24, etc)

I was trying to think, what makes us divided? Obviously, we don’t divide ourselves from people we like. We, in reality, try to make things work with them. We divide with people we don’t like or people with traits we don’t like. Do you ever remember a time when you really didn’t like someone, but after, they became your friend? You didn’t talk with them, you didn’t associate yourself with them, you just didn’t….like them….at first. Only until you got to know them did you really see that there was no point in that division.

With the people you divide yourself with, did you ever take the time to really think about them? Talk to them. I mean, seriously. Did you try to work things out? As a person whose faith is more mature, sometimes you have to try harder than the person you’re divided with. Have you ever really done that?

In the story of the Tower of Babel, God says in verse 6 of chapter 11 “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” Meaning, if we’re united and doing the same thing…for God (the people building weren’t doing it for God and He ultimately came down and messed it up…how? By breaking the unity.), nothing would be impossible.

As it says to love God with all your mind, you should do the same with men. Love them with all your mind. Find out how to you can love people to bring unity to the church.

1 Corinthians 10:32-33 Think before you do…

1 Cor 10:32-33
32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Going back to v23, Everything is permissible but does it build and love on others? When you think about it, your natural instinct is to be selfish, get things for you and to do things for yourself. If you don’t think about how to love other people, it’s going to end up as a selfish deed (Phil 2:3, 1 cor 10:24) and that can end up causing others to stumble. v33 confirms what I’m saying in that Paul isn’t trying to live for himself, but for the many.

An interesting conversation came up one day ending with me and a friend saying we’re people pleasers. It’s interesting to see that Paul, himself, was a people pleaser, but our ambitions were completely different. My goal was set on people to like me while his ambition is to get others to see God through him and be saved. With this comes application. Where is your heart every time you serve or do things to please people? Is it on self glory or praise from men (Gal 1:10) or will it be for them to see God through you so that they may be saved?

Every time you do something, think about it and ask yourself the basic question: will it build them up? Every time you say something, think about it: will it build them up? (Prov 15:28 says The heart of the righteous weighs (ponders NASB) its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.) Think before you do…

1 Corinthians 10:24 Are you loving…..yourself?

1 Corinthians 10:24
24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

Looking at the verse before, is everything you do on the basis of love….for others? Are you looking for things to do for self gain such as recognition, proving a point, or even trying to get near someone? How selfish these motives are!! When you look at your life, is there moments where you do things that had absolutely no hint of selfishness in it? If you say yes, GREAT!!! Now let me burst your bubble. Do you do these selfless things all the time? If that answer is no, you’re not like Jesus. Even He, when He wanted to be alone, served others with healing, feeding and preaching (Luke 9:10-17).

I learned that quiet times are Jesus to you and Jesus through you. The bible is God telling you what you suck at and what you should work on. Jesus through you SHOULD be about other’s perception of you. Do they see Jesus through you? It’s a concept I need to grasp. How does reading affect others around you?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility (lowering yourself to look up at people), consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Phil 2:3-4

1 Corinthians 10:9 Content!

1 Cor 10:9
We should not test the Lord, as some of them did– and were killed by snakes.
(Deut 6:16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah. [Water from rock Ex 17: The idea that they complained because they didn't believe God was there to help them, to provide for them. They did not have faith in what God had planned for them.])

I referenced to the passage from Numbers 21, where the Israelites complained about the situation and were bitten by snakes.

4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

Trials are things that last a lot longer than you think. I mean, when you know when something is going to end, it’s not a trial, it’s an expectation. This is why God says to persevere or outlast the trial (James 1:2-4). These guys, including myself at times, didn’t do that. They grew impatient and did the unthinkable. They bashed God in the face. Well, not literally, but think of it this, way:
Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert?
Do you know why God took them out of Egypt? Ex 3:7 “ The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.”
There is no bread! There is no water!
We don’t have the necessary things to live! We need more!
And we detest this miserable food! (NASB manna)
We don’t like the things you’ve given us!

What’s interesting between the last two things is that they had no bread but they had food. They were complaining that God didn’t give them what they wanted. Total conviction for me. I complained to God many times in my life about the things that I don’t have and the things that I want. Is that how we should live? Phil 4:12 Are content with what we have, even hungry or in want? Do you really believe that the secret of contentment is  v13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength? Do I live a life where it shows that I’m satisfied with my life? (Do you focus on what you don’t have or what you do?)

So what did they say? Illustration: Imagine if you were at starbucks and you heard one of your fellow friends say, “Oh, man, I need to get out of here. I don’t care, just get me to a better place.” You hear it and decide to help him. You know he’s going to get hungry during the ride so you buy him a bagel before you leave. You then get into your car and you start driving. On your way to this better place, all you hear is, “Man, why did you take me out? This is taking too long. Why did you buy me this bagel? This food sucks.
Yea, he’s punching you in the face. He sucks big time. Too bad God is the driver and you’re the complainer.

6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

It’s interesting that Moses didn’t pray while they were dying. It says he prayed after they realized they sinned and that they asked him to because they knew that was the only way to get help. Do you pray knowing that God can help you from your snakes?

8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

I was thinking about this. God is God. He can heal you in an instant if he wanted to. Why would he tell Moses to make a snake for them to look at? It was for them. If they wanted to be healed, they would have to go with faith and humility and look upon the snake.

It’s pretty crazy that today is Good Friday and how this passage refers to the cross of Christ. If we faithfully and humbly come and look upon the cross and Jesus Christ for our sins (venom), we will be healed.  (Do you look upon Jesus knowing that you will be saved from circumstances?)

Applications:
When in trials, do you pray KNOWING that God can help you?
Do you live a life that shows satisfaction, even through these trials? Do people see you and see that you’re good with everything you have or do you live like you want something all the time? Do you live in a way that tells people, “I want so much more in this life?” Do you really believe that God will give you the things you need? That he will give it to you when the time is right? Ecc 3:11 says that He has made everything beautiful in its time. Do you believe that? Live it.