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Have you ever just asked?

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Eunice in London, 2018

Most of you know me as Pastor Neil, a guy who loves God and His Son Jesus Christ. There was a time when I didn’t. I believed in God like most people. He was the creator, some universal good or love that I prayed to when I needed help. Sometimes, my prayers even seemed to get answered. Yet for the most part, I was an American atheist, just out for my own way. Oh, I was a good guy. Most of you would have thought I was pretty good. But when it came to who Jesus was, I was certain he was not God. Good, yes, a great teacher, yes, an amazing man, certainly…

but was he God? No way could Jesus be God.

I distinctly remember a friend’s Father showing me from the Bible how God was Spirit, so no one could be God. Jesus was just a great man. Then one day, not sure why, I asked God if Jesus Christ was His Son. God, is Jesus your son? Is He, God come in the flesh?

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London, 2018

 

Looking back now, I cannot remember the complete process of my transformation from doubt to faith, but it was not because I was taught by anyone. I did pray and I did ask God to forgive me of my sins. I did confess that Jesus saved me. Then it all changed. The light came on and a knowing replaced the unbelief I had had for years. Yes, it was an overnight change; not one that I controlled or needed anyone to explain. I just knew He, Jesus Christ, was God.

All I did was ask, “God is Jesus your son?” Have you ever asked…sincerely wanting to know if the Baby born of Mary was the Son of the Most High God? I pray you will.

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Got Hope?

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Got Hope?

The Bible says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”…but faith cannot work without hope!

Without hope, faith fades because it has nothing to focus on. Got Hope? If you do it shows by what you do and don’t do. Hope is the target, goal and future destination. Faith is the actions steps to get us to our goal and destination.

The Hope God offers is described as a gift given to us, as an anchor that holds us, as alive and able to keep us, and has transforming power to make us Christ-like. Add to all this God’s hope is stronger than death!

What is your hope in? Is it in a person, place or thing? Or does it reside in a movement, cause or relationship. Is your hope eternal or tied to this fading world?

You will not live long without hope. It is the sight to the soul. Without hope we are vision-less and blind…alone and walking in the darkness of a meaningless life.

Real hope comes from God, it is a gift. The God of hope has to give it to you. Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Got Hope? Come to the God of hope and receive His gracious gift of love revealed in Christ. When He is your focus you receive an eternal hope that cannot fade away.

Are you seeking the knowledge of God?

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Meditation Journey Day 21            

…and find the knowledge of God.

Hi Friend,

Proverbs 2:5 also promises us that we will find the knowledge of God. The knowledge of God Prov 2is more than data, facts and information about God. The knowledge of God is a Biblical term loaded with spiritual life. Paul cries out in Romans 11, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”  He prays that the Church “may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that (they) may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…” Col.1 In Peter’s second letter he greets the churches with this salutation: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord…” Paul also teaches us our new man “is renewed in knowledge (of God) according to the image of Him who created Him.” Col.3

In summary these verses tell us the knowledge of God is deep and that we are expected to increase in our knowledge of Him. It says grace and peace will grow in our knowledge of Him. In Colossians 3 we begin to understand why the knowledge of God is so important to us personally. We learn through it the Holy Spirit renews us and transforms us into the image of His Dear Son. Romans 8:29

To have this impact the knowledge of God has to be more than just theological points Surrenderknowing about God that changes anything. We must know Him in the spiritual equivalent to Adam knowing Eve. We grow in the knowledge of God as we yield our minds and hearts to Him. It is only when we surrender our whole being as a living sacrifice (Romans 12) that we truly begin to know Him.

This reward, of actually knowing Him, is the final gift of seeking God as instructed in Proverbs 2:1-4. It does not come quickly or easily. That is why we must be diligent in daily seeking God through His word. Yet the reward is great. The more we know Him the more we are able to experience the heights on His love and have grace as we transverse through the valleys of life.

Observation: The knowledge of God is the reward at the end of diligently seeking God through His word. There are many great benefits in knowing God. As we know Him more His grace and peace grow in us and we are transformed into the image of Christ.

Interpretation: Gaining the knowledge of God is more than knowing about God, it is personally and intimately yielding your whole being to Him.

Application Prayer: Father God, I so desire to know you. Thank you for revealing yourself through your Word and in the person of Jesus Christ. Help me, Lord, to be diligent in seeking your face to reach your heart.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

What is your take away?

I hope you will pray for me and all the others that are on this journey. You may also want to send me comments, suggestions or questions. I promise I will respond to each inquiry.

The Treasure’s Cost

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Meditation Journey Day 16

Hi Friend,

Our passage says we are to seek and search for wisdom as for hidden treasures. The treasure of Wisdom is hidden from those that do not seek the Lord Jesus Christ, because of their unbelief. Some cringe at statements like this because the cry comes, “Is there not other ways to get wisdom?” Do you remember the definition of Biblical wisdom? Wisdom is the insight and knowledge of the true nature of life and things. It is the theory and ability to view life from God’s perspective. If you want God’s wisdom, then you must go to the source.

“He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through Him.” (John 14:16)  He is the Door to the sheep-fold and if we are to enter the fold it will be through Him. True wisdom of life is never separate from Jesus, therefore seeking and searching will begin with His Word and the seeking of His Face. That is what having faith in Jesus means. As Hebrews 11 states: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Seeking and searching starts with the Word of God and includes the humble receiving and the regular storing of the Word in our hearts. Our continual repentance with tears of grief over our sin and joy because of His grace is also a part of seeking His face. If we are to gain the understanding of what we believe it must also embrace the going and doing of His will.

Have you noticed that the more we stay on this meditative path the longer this passage of Proverbs 2:1-5 becomes!

My son, if you receive my words and hide/memorize/treasure up my commandments with you, turning/applying/tuning your inner ear to be attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry/call out for Wisdom/insight/knowledge and raise your voice for (the grace to do His will and get) understanding, if you seek it/her like silver/gold/rubies or precious jewels and search for it/her as for treasures hidden by unbelief, then (and only then) you will understand the fear/awe of the LORD and find the wisdom/knowledge of God.

My Child, if you seek wisdom like silver and search for wisdom as for treasures hidden by unbelief,

Jesus told us how to seek the kingdom and its treasure of wisdom. In Matthew 13, He made it very clear that receiving His treasures will cost us everything. Pearl“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found , went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Your cost to buy the pearl of great price may include the giving of time to serve others or the giving of money to God’s Kingdom. It may even include the giving up of grudges and forgiving the undeserving. It will cost you your arrogance, pride and unbelief. It will cost you your independent spirit and personal philosophies about God. There is no one sequence in seeking and searching for God’s Wisdom, just one source: Jesus Christ! It will cost you everything, but you will be wealthier then if you owned the whole world.

Observation: Jesus Christ and the Word are the sources of seeking and searching to find God’s wisdom. He is the only way to the Father’s House. It will cost us our most precious possessions.

Interpretation: The treasure we seek is hidden by unbelief. Our seeking starts with believing God exists, and He is the rewarder of all who seek Him. Jesus is God, and we will never find God’s wisdom outside of knowing Him. The reward is eternal and richer than anything this world offers.

Application Prayer: Father, please open our spiritual eyes to see your King and Kingdom. We hunger for more zeal to seek Your Kingdom and righteousness.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

What is your take away?

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I hope you will pray for me and all the others that are on this journey. You may also want to send me comments, suggestions or questions. I promise I will respond to each inquiry.

Search as for hidden treasure!

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Meditation Journey Day 15

Hi Friend,

Little words can have major consequences!

“…and if”, remember we noticed the three ifs in Proverbs 2:1-5? Now I want us to ponder that twice we have the joining word “and”. As you reflect on any passage always look at every word. None of them are extra or meaningless. The conjunction “and” in our passage binds together each of the “if” statements. It is not enough to only memorize or pray or do acts of serving individually to engraft the Word into our lives. To be transformed into His image God wants all of these working together. Together they bring our entire self into fellowship with Him. All three processes described in these verses give you insight into a meditative journey to know Christ.

Today we begin to chew on verse three “and if you look for it as for silver andGold panning search for it as for hidden treasure.” Verse one challenged our minds to receive and memorize. Verse two challenged our emotions to become deeply broken. Verse three requires us to move. Knowing God and following Jesus takes us outside of our comfort zone. We are to seek and search as we hunger to know Jesus.

I made some changes in the passage. I am sure you will notice them?

My son, if you receive my words and hide/memorize/treasure up my commandments with you, turning/applying/tuning your inner ear to be attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry/call out for Wisdom/insight/knowledge and raise your voice for (the grace to do His will and get) understanding, if you seek it/her like silver/gold/rubies or precious jewels and search for it/her as for hidden treasures, then (and only then) you will understand the fear/awe of the LORD and find the wisdom/knowledge of God.

My Child, if you seek it/her like silver and search for it/her as for hidden treasures,

I just put you on a mini search as you noticed the changes I added in the passage. Searching out a passage can start as simple as reading several different versions of the Bible or reading what scholars have written about a passage. Yet always remember, seeking wisdom is more than a mental trip.

Notice I added the word “her” next to the word “it”. Wisdom is described in some versions of scripture as a woman. Finding her is a treasure that is more valuable than silver. Proverbs 3:13-18 says this, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.”

Father God is telling us the eternal value of seeking Him and His wisdom is better than anything here on earth! We spend so much time and energy on temporal activities all the while the most important pursuit in life, seeking God and His Wisdom, is left undone.

Have you ever taken the time and energy to do what this passage instructs us to do? Clearly we are to memorize, receive … store/hide … incline/turn… apply … call out … cry aloud … seek/look for … search His word to open our earthly hearts to His Presence.  Let me ask you to prayerfully consider this process an opportunity to take the hand of wisdom as she endeavors to show you the King and His Kingdom.

Observation: The conjunction “and” joins all three of the ways listed to seek after God. The goal is to know Him. Wisdom, His wisdom, will guide us to Him.

Interpretation: God’s Wisdom is worth seeking. It is more precious than gold, silver and precious jewels. The process is being clearly laid out by Father God. The question is will we do the work to journey to know Him deeply?

Application Prayer: Father God thank you for sending Jesus for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Help us to see He is drawing us to a closer walk with Him through His word. May we humble ourselves to find the grace to follow Him. In Jesus Name, Amen.

What is your take away?

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Thanks for listening. I trust you remember that our daily meditative journey is a process of how to grow deeper in Christ. Later on you will be meditating on passages chosen by God and using these principles to allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart.

I hope you will pray for me and all the others that are on this journey. You may also want to send me comments, suggestions or questions. I promise I will respond to each inquiry.

 

 

 

 

Life has transformative power!

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Meditation Journey Day 8

Hi Friend,

So send I youThanks for reading this each day, your comments have been very helpful and encouraging.

Verse one of Proverbs 2 says “My son, if you receive (accept/take) my words and store up (hide – memorize) my commands within you…” I have found this command to memorize the word is the “make it” or “break it” choice for most people to continue the process. I share this information with you not to discourage you but to encourage you. If you embrace this critical step the rest will begin to happen in your life. That is not to say God just wants us to fill our minds with knowledge. We know knowledge alone is not transformative. As we meditate through the rest of the passage you will see the entire process that involves your whole being, not just your mind.

Plant GrowthWe must think of the word as God does, like a seed. If I give you the seeds of the sweetest fruit or the yummiest veggie you can ever imagine eating, until you plant and grow them you would never taste the fruit! Let’s ponder this more…

Please know I do not add the passage Proverbs 2:1-5 for filler! I hope you will read it every day! So please DO NOT SKIP reading this each time. Yes, this is part of the process!

My son, if you receive (accept/take) my words and store up (hide) my commands within you, turning (inclining) your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for wisdom (insight) and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then (and only then) you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

“My son, if you receive (accept/take) my words and store up (hide) my commands within you…”

In the Parable of the Sower, Luke 8:11, Jesus said, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” Isaiah 55 also makes a direct connection between God’s word and the idea of it being seed. Peter also spoke of God’s Word being the seed in 1 Peter 1: 23, “…since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”

Stages of ButterflyPlant seeds contain the DNA for new life and life has transformative power! God’s Word is the seed with God’s spiritual DNA and will transform anyone if they plant it in their hearts. Do you want the fruit of the Spirit in your life?

As a vegetable gardener, I know I personally cannot produce any vegetable, but if I plant carrot seeds I can expect carrots. My job is to plant, water and tend the seed. God’s job is to make it grow. Yet it is not enough just to plant a seed to get fruit. The seed must be watered for it to grow. No surprise the Water of Life is the Holy Spirit! Jesus said in John 7, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (He had not yet been crucified and resurrected from the dead!)

These are the two essential processes for transformational growth in our lives. The Word of God is the seed and as we yield to the Spirit of God the Water of Life flows in and through us. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross gives us access to both the Word and the Spirit. My purpose in sending you these devotionals is to enable you see how God wants you to garden your heart to be fruitful for Him.

Receiving and memorizing His word are the first steps in you becoming a fruitful garden for God.

Observation: In this passage God is instructing us how to become a fruitful garden. It is not just listening to it or reading His Word. He insists that we also “plant” it in us through memorizing His thoughts.

Interpretation: The Word of God is the Seed of Life. The Water of Life is the Holy Spirit. We need to plant the Word in our minds by memorizing it and yield our hearts to God’s Spirit every day. He will do the work we cannot do…transform us into His image!

Application Prayer: Father God, help us to see our hearts as the soil, your Word as the seed and Your Spirit as the water. Help us to choose to yield to Your gardening plan to become fruitful for You… in Jesus Name, Amen.

What is your take away?

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Thanks for listening. I hope you will pray for me and all the others that are on this journey. You may also want to send me comments, suggestions or questions. I promise I will respond to each inquiry.