Wednesday Morning Devotional

Withholding Nothing

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?” — Acts 5:3

In this verse, this man named Ananias has done something wrong and is being called out for it. He has lied to God and at some point had allowed Satan to “fill his heart.” What do you think he lied about? What vile thing does a Satan filled heart do?

If I didn’t know the context of this verse, I would probably say, “Ananias must have killed someone and is lying about it!” Or maybe, “Ananias must be cheating on his wife and is trying to cover it all up!” I would say it must have been something awful. God absolutely laid the smack down on Abel for answering God’s question of “Where is thy brother Abel?” with “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Surely Ananias must have done something similar.

Nope.

Ananias sold a piece of property so he could give to the church. In Acts 2:45 it says that the true believers in Christ “sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” The problem is that Ananias told the Apostles that he was giving it all, but the truth was that he was only giving part. He said, “I’m giving all,” but he was really only giving some.

I evaluate my life at 3:48 a.m. this morning. I have claimed to be a follower of Jesus Christ for the past 24 years. I deserve nothing less than the instant death that Ananias received. I have done the same thing. I have sung the song “I surrender all,” knowing I have only surrendered some. During every decade of my life, I can think of things that I held on to that I would not give to God.

Even now, I am convicted about my speech. “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)   The truth is, I have been allowing some things to flow out of my mouth that ought not be spoken over these past few months. I have been talking in ways that don’t bring grace or build up others. Sometimes it might be in a joking matter, other times it might just be me taking an underhanded shot at other people in ministry. Honestly, up until now I guess I haven’t thought it was that big of a deal. But, the more I think about it, I’m sure Ananias honestly thought what he did was no big deal. I wonder if I could be allowing Satan to fill my own heart.

I guess the Lord lets me live to fight another day because I am at least honest in my assessment of following Him. I really believe if God had asked me “Where is thy brother, Abel?” I would have said, “I killed him! I’m sorry.” I think if I had been Ananias, I would have said, “Hey, I sold some property, here is 30% of the money to give to those in need. Pray for me that I might become like those other guys who can give it all.” I do recognize how poor in spirit I truly am. I also recognize just how much I have fallen in love with God. I want to have as much of Him as I can stand. Even right now as I type this, He is all over me. My heart is so full.

Thank you, Lord for saving me. Thank you, Lord that it isn’t my goodness you are attracted to. Grant me a heart that truly desires to live for you, and you alone. Grant me a heart that will always be honest when evaluating where I am with you. Help me to speak as only you would speak. Help me to be Holy, as you are Holy.

Amen

Adam

Living and Dying

Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” — John 21:22

The context of this verse is a conversation Peter is having with Jesus. Jesus just told Peter that he would “stretch out his hands . . . and another would carry him where he did not wish.” This signified that Peter would die on the Roman cross of crucifixion. Peter immediately pointed Jesus to John and said, “what about him?” Then, Jesus said the statement that I chose as our verse for this week.

It is amazing to me how different following Jesus looks in different countries. In most of the Middle Eastern countries, following Jesus can actually mean physically dying for Him. The decision to follow Christ is quite different in countries such as Syria and North Korea as opposed to the United States of America. We struggle to explain Luke 14:26 here in the U.S: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” I desire to raise my children and enjoy retirement with my wife. I’m sure that husbands and fathers in the Middle Eastern countries do as well. But, as of right now, following Christ for them means going against what the majority of their families believe, and could cost them immediate death.

How many Americans who say they are Christians would continue to call themselves Christians if the roles were immediately reversed? A quick Google search tells me that 83% of America is “Christian,” whereas 5% of the Middle East is Christian. Why the vast difference? Well, cultural differences make it easy here, but hard there. There, a public declaration could well likely lead to your brutal execution, or at the very least your excommunication. Here, a public declaration will get you “likes” on Facebook.

Really think about this. Read the Gospels and the book of Acts and ask yourself, “What does it look like to really be a Christ follower?” If it came down to Jesus or your own livelihood, could you stand true? “Well, I have a family to provide for.” So do the vast majority of the people who will die today for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus calls us to a life of self-denial, dying daily to our own desires, and a true commitment to following Him and His ways. We must evaluate what is clearly stated in the Word of God and decide what we have taken “off the table.” If I’m honest, at one time my relationships were “off the table.” I was going to be friends with who I wanted to be friends with, date who I wanted to date, and do what I wanted to do. My money at one time was “off the table.” I was not going to give any money, much less 10%, to that church with that preacher who “just wanted my money.” In fact, I thought I could talk like I want, listen to what I want, watch what I want, and basically do what I want.

And I could have, and did . . . for a while. Then, I began to wonder why I didn’t have the peace that a few quiet, Godly men had on their lives. I figured out that they loved God. They didn’t give stuff up because they felt like they had to; they gave it up because they wanted to. They saw Jesus as their most prized possession, whereas I saw Him as some genie in a bottle. If I could do just enough to make Him “happy,” he might somehow superstitiously “bless” me.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records a legend about Peter. It said that Peter was leaving Rome to escape persecution. On his way, He sees Jesus appear to Him. “Lord, where are you going?” Peter asked. “To Rome to be crucified once more,” Jesus replied. Upon hearing this, Peter knew it was time, and walked back into the city to surrender his own self to be crucified. “Crucify me upside down,” he said, “I’m not worthy to die in the same manner as my Lord.”

Would to God that you and I would have the same resolve to be obedient to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After all, what makes a man think he would die for Him, when he won’t live for Him?

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save It.” – Luke 9:24

Later

Adam

Judging

“I have already passed judgment on this man” – 1 Corinthians 5:3 (NLT)

Nobody ever quotes 1 Corinthians 5:3. In fact, if a person were to quote this verse, everyone else, even people who could not care less about the Bible, would quote Matthew 7:1; “judge not” they would say.   So, here is the question: Do you believe when the Apostle Paul, writer of the majority of the New Testament, admits that he “passed judgment” on a man, that he actually sinned by going against the words of Jesus?

Of course he did not sin. People love to take verses out of context to fit their sinful desires and lifestyles. I mean, if I cheated on my wife of 14 years who has never even one time done me wrong, and you all found out about it, would you all sit silent? No, and you shouldn’t. I would be a guilty adulterer who would be an idiot to sit back and say, “don’t judge me!”

Here is the thing; if I claim to be a Christian, I am open season for judgment. If I do not claim to be a Christian, then you don’t get to judge me. Here is how Paul himself puts it a few verses later in verses 12 and 13: “What business is it of mine to judge outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.”

You guys have no idea how big of an 80’s rock-n-roll band junkie I used to be. I had t-shirts galore: KISS, AC/DC, Warrant, Motley Crue, Slaughter, Iron Maiden, Poison, Metallica . . . the truth was, I absolutely loved that stuff. The truth also was, all of those bands sang songs that went directly against the Word of God. Most of the songs were full of hate, rage, and completely laced with sexual innuendo and foul language. The Bible plainly says, “rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” (Colossians 3:8) I was a walking contradiction by calling myself a Christian, and trying to maintain what I thought was my 80’s rock-n-roll lifestyle.

Now, I remember two people actually pointing this out to me. One was an elementary grade teacher. I had just been to my first KISS concert and was proudly wearing my first t-shirt from an actual concert. You could buy the shirts in music stores, but they didn’t have the tour dates and cities on the back. If the tour dates and cities were on them, that means you were there! Everybody who was anybody actually knew that. Anyway, my elementary grade teacher looked at me and told me KISS stood for “Knights In Satan’s Service” and I was headed straight to Hell for listening to that garbage. I was judged for the first time in my life. I was 9, and already condemned to Hell by someone other that God for something that I liked. I was judged even though at the time, I made no claims to be a Christ follower.

The other person took a much better approach. Approximately 7 years later, this guy discovered that I had “gone forward” in church to become a Christian. He let me know that if I was going to really follow Christ that eventually my rock bands had to go. He explained it to me the best he could in a way that I could understand. Basically, he quoted 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things are passed away, all things are become new.” He asked me to study the bands and the lyrics and to really find out what they were all about. I left the conversation thinking about what I put in my mind in a whole new way, but still concluded that he was a “judgmental Christian.” Why did I call him that? Because I wanted to have the eternal rewards that God offers, and also love music that clearly opposed Him and His ways.

I say all that to say this: The majority of Christians are horrible at discernment. We will take a person walking in the church doors wearing what we deem inappropriate and give them the stink eye. We will gossip about people who are just starting out in the Christian faith because they haven’t produced any righteousness or holiness. Well, duh, of course they haven’t. You don’t plant a fruit seed and expect an immediate harvest. It can take anywhere from 4 to 10 years for those seeds to actually bear any amount of fruit. Why do we expect new Christians to produce immediately? Honestly, it was 5 years after I professed Christ as my Lord and Savior before I produced at all. Christianity is a growing process that takes a while. I eventually put the rock music away because God had changed my heart and I WANTED to, not because another Christian dangled me over Hell and told me I HAD to.

The dude Paul said he judged was sleeping with his own stepmother. He needed to be judged. He needed to be told. I doubt the guy said, “you know, you are right . . . I am wrong.” He probably said the same thing I said when confronted about my t-shirts, “Don’t judge me you hypocritical Christian!” or “Only God can judge me!”

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you do not get to call yourself a Christian and keep your sexual sin. Nor do you get to constantly pump your head full of songs that glorify sexual sin. “Adam, you don’t get to judge me!” Am I judging? Or, am I simply telling you that you are breaking the third commandment by taking the name of Christ in vain? God’s plan is simple, one man, married to one woman, for as long as the two of you are both alive. If you don’t like it . . . don’t claim to be a Christian. Otherwise, repent of everything you have done wrong in the past, and do your best to start doing it right, like now. If you find it impossible, pray. Ask for God to change your heart and mind. Sometimes He does it immediately, sometimes He does it over the course of years, but you never ever accept that known, habitual sin will remain a part of your life. Old things really do pass away in God . . . all things become new.

1 Corinthians 11:28 says; “let a man examine himself.” In other words, “judge yourself.” If you claim to be a Christ follower, take a good look at your Facebook page. Do you make posts that contradict what you say you believe? Do you live and behave in such a way that contradicts God’s Word? Read the book, the whole book. Examine your own life and allow it to be put under this microscope. Count the cost of being a Christ follower. If you are willing to pay the price, go for it and never ever look back . . . New and abundant life awaits you! If you aren’t willing to pay the price, stop calling yourself a Christian and stop being angry with Christians who are simply telling you the truth about yourself.

I realize that I could have found some liberal church that would take me “just as I was.” I could have easily found a church that would tell me I’m okay and don’t have to change one bit. Turns out, I’m glad I went to churches that would tell me the truth, in love. I didn’t like hearing it at first, but there is absolutely nothing I have given up for God that I miss. The things He has replaced them with are 10,000 times better than what I was holding on to.

Be honest with yourself.

Do you really love God and His ways?

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” — 1 John 14:15

Later

Adam

“What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” – Matthew 26:15

Sometime before what we call Good Friday, Judas asked the chief priests, who hated Jesus, this question I have chosen as my main verse.  The priests counted out 30 pieces of silver.  If each piece of silver was a shekel, and a shekel is worth about 4 days wages, then Judas sold Jesus out for 120 days worth of wages.  If you are reading this and you have a job, would you sell Him out for a lump sum payment of what you make in 4 months?

I really want to react like, “I’d never do a thing like that!”  But, the truth is, I’ve sold Jesus out for much, much less.  As a young Christian, I sold Him out to do stupid stuff like cuss, underage drink, sleep around with my girlfriends, lie, and cheat.  I knew what He expected of me, and I willfully chose to do otherwise.  The truth is, I have been worse than Judas Iscariot, for I sold He whom I have called “my Lord” for far, far less than four months worth of wages.

Have you?

On that day, Judas watched Jesus be condemned.  He couldn’t handle the guilt.  He tried to undo his sin.  He tried to ask the priests for forgiveness.  He confessed to them, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”  But the priests were of no help, for mere men cannot forgive sins.  Judas tried to make it right by giving the 30 pieces of silver back.  Unfortunately for him, he found out the hard way that sin cannot be undone, nor can forgiveness be bought with money.

If only Judas could have waited three days.  In three days he would have seen the risen Lord.  Undoubtedly, Judas would have poured his heart out to the risen Savior of the entire World.  Undoubtedly, Jesus would have looked at Judas with the same eyes that looked at the woman caught in the act of adultery and said, “neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.”

So here we are in the middle of Holy week.  I don’t know about you, but I sit here and type this with such thankfulness in my heart for my risen Lord.  I am amazed at how persistent and relentless He is at saving one of His own.  We really will find Him, if we will seek Him with all of our heart.

The only way to Heaven is still through Jesus.  He said it Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6)

He either is the only way to Heaven or He isn’t.  He is either telling us the truth, or He isn’t.

If you don’t believe He is telling the truth, then He is a liar.  All you have to do is absolutely nothing and keep living life on your own terms.  It’s what the overwhelming majority of people do anyway, even the majority of Americans who claim to be Christians.  Most are no different than Judas, they may stay near where He is, but as soon as He messes with their real gods, they will think nothing of denying Him.  Sadly, I only know because I’ve done it.

But, if He is telling us the truth, and if He is the only way . . . if He is . . .

Jesus, thank you so much, for giving your life on the cross of Calvary to save a sinner like me.  Thank you for rising from the dead and showing yourself to so many people, proving that you really did conquer death and the grave.  Thank you so much for the Gospels.  They teach me and tell me all about how you lived, and in turn they show me how I should live.  I pray for anyone reading this that does not know you as Savior and Lord.  Will you break up the fallow ground of their heart?  Will you make one more major attempt at penetrating their hearts and minds that they might be open to receive the free gift of eternal life?

There is and never will be another like You, Lord.

Years I spent in vanity and pride

Caring not my Lord was crucified

Knowing not it was for me He died

At Calvary

Mercy there was great and grace was free

Pardon there was multiplied to me

There my burdened soul found liberty

At Calvary

Happy Easter.

Adam

Free Indeed

Therefore, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. – John 8:36

I believe there are two parts to salvation. The first part is what everyone seems to want . . . eternal life. Now, every religion offers some form of afterlife. Islam offers an eternity of sensual pleasures. Hinduism offers reincarnation. Buddhism offers Nirvana . . . eventually. Even Atheists have their own form of afterlife . . . an eternity of nothing. Christianity offers Heaven, a place where you continue to enjoy the same presence of God you learned to enjoy on Earth.

The second part of salvation deals with life here on Earth. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and have life more abundantly.” (John 10:10) In Him, and through Him, our lives take on purpose and meaning. However, this is nothing that the other religions don’t offer as well. All religions offer purpose and meaning. So, what difference does it make? Do all roads lead to the same place?

Of course not! Just as all roads here on Earth do not lead to my house, all spiritual roads don’t lead to God the Father’s home in Heaven.

God offers freedom from sin through His Son, Jesus Christ. Sin is defined in the dictionary as “an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.” 1 John 5:17 says, “All unrighteousness is sin.” James 4:17 basically says that if you know to do good, then don’t do it, you have committed sin. On top of all this, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) No person who habitually sins is headed to Heaven as defined by the Holy Bible. Therefore, it seems impossible that any should enter the kingdom of Heaven. Especially since we know that all people, in some form or another, sin.

“If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.”

I have been learning a bit how Buddhist Monks live. They basically isolate themselves and stay away from worldly things, sexual relationships, and luxuries in an effort to be pure and clean. In fact, these Monks, who do not believe in our Bible, do a far better job at morality than probably 99% of Christians do.

But, are they free indeed?

Of course not! If you have to lock yourself away from the world in order to stay moral, you have simply traded one confinement for another.

Think about it.

A person should be able to own things without those things owning them. A person drowning in financial debt is not free. They have to spend.  A person, who has learned to be content with or without nice things, is the one who is free indeed. If I don’t have the money to buy something, I don’t buy it. I haven’t always been that way.

A person who is constantly seeking sex with someone who is not his or her spouse is not free indeed. They are bound by their lusts. I remember when I was bound, I saw myself as free to do as I please, but I never saw myself as free to NOT do as I please. The only way I could have prevented my idiotic actions as a late teen and young adult would have been to lock myself away in a monastery and prevent life from happening. I was not free indeed.

That is, until I gave my heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

As the years go by, He is slowly but surely setting me free indeed. I can now use my computer with zero temptation to go to inappropriate websites . . . a feat impossible as little as 11 years ago. I can have hobbies without spending the majority of my time and money on them . . . a feat impossible as little as 5 years ago. I can go to work and have a good attitude about being there.   I’m not saying I always do, but I am actually free to choose my attitude. Up until 2007, I only had a bad attitude about going to work and would do only the minimum requirements to keep my job.

I guess I could go on and on with these types of examples. I’m not saying that I’ve figured it all out, nor am I saying that I have arrived. Heck, I just knocked a glass of tea out of the refrigerator and it went everywhere. I wasn’t free to not grit my teeth, growl really loud, and fight saying bad words while I spent the next 10 minutes cleaning. But, I want that kind of freedom. I already believe that the next time it happens, I will be able to smile up at the Lord who continues to make all things new.

After all, it is He who has set me free.

Free indeed.

Later

Adam

Hardships

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”  — Acts 14:22

I am not a fan of suffering.  In fact, I try to avoid it as much as possible.  Looking back over my life, I have done really stupid stuff to bring hardships on myself.  I have also had hardships that were just completely unavoidable.  I have learned to look at my hardships closely.  I must ask myself, “Am I suffering because of my poor decision making?”  If the answer is “yes”, then that suffering was unnecessary.  If the answer is “no”, then that suffering was unavoidable and I look at it as God-ordained.

Nobody has suffered like Job.  His suffering was absolutely unavoidable.  He did not suffer as a result of his poor choices.  In fact, Job was “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1)  Just a few verses later, an onslaught from Satan began that nobody has experienced since.  However, by the end of the book, Job emerged stronger in faith than ever, and with twice the stuff he had before the hardship began.

I have seen in this life that no two people have the same sets of trials and tribulations.  Even though hardships may be similar, no two are exactly alike.  Our main verse for today says we “must” go through them to enter the kingdom of God.  In other words, if you want what God offers, eternal life in Heaven with Him, as well as an abundant life here on Earth, you are going to be tested and tried.  At the end of every trial, you will emerge much better off than you were before.

This morning, I am going to keep in mind that my trials and hardships have been custom designed.  You might want to start thinking of yours as custom designed as well.  God knows exactly what you and I need to experience to become more like Him.  Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble.”  I don’t think I remember being presented that truth when I received Christ as my personal savior.  I sort of found out the hard way that our sinful nature doesn’t just disappear.  I also found out the hard way that the process of becoming more Christ-like is ongoing and does not just automatically happen the day I decide to call myself a Christian.  The only way to conform to His image is to walk with Him one day at a time, not just in theory, but also in practice.

I guess I say all that to say this:  Whatever you are going through, and I mean whatever . . . it is custom designed by God Himself.  He knows exactly what you need to go through to be prepared to enter Heaven.  People think just anybody and everybody is going, but Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.  We are here on Earth for such a short period of time.  All that matters is that you conform to the image of Christ.  At the end of it all, He will say one of two things to each and every person who has ever lived:

“Depart from me, I never knew you!” (Matthew 7:23)  These are the people who did everything possible to avoid the process of enduring hardships to become Christ-like.  Every time the least bit of discomfort was involved in following Him, they quit.  They wanted no part of self-denial, no part of the cross of suffering, and no part of following Jesus into unknown territory.

“Well done, my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)  These are the people who could join Job in the midst of custom-designed suffering and say, “Though He slay me, still I will hope in Him!”  (Job 13:15)

Later

Adam

All Things New

“He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” — Revelation 21:5

Yesterday (Monday) was awful. It was just one of those Murphy’s Law kind of days. As I sit and ponder it now, it should not have been a bad day at all. Unfortunately, it snowed a month or so ago and we were out of work for a day. Well, Monday just happened to be the make-up day for that snow day. It was a full moon, and it was just a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day.

When days like this occur, I have gotten pretty accustomed to claiming Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” I know God has a purpose in it all. I count it an honor to love Him and be one of His “called.” I take great comfort in this . . . even great pleasure.

I have gotten fairly decent at “keeping my eyes on the prize.” What I mean by that is that I stay focused on Jesus, guard my attitude, and guard my thoughts and my words.   Gradually, I have digressed in recent weeks. I am finding myself “surviving” instead of “thriving.” As I type this out, my mind sees a war being carried out in the unseen realm. I know that I am under a spiritual attack.

Monday, once my day actually got started, I thought very little of God. This continued throughout the rest of the day. By the end of the day, someone told me what a wonderful job I do and that I deserved all the praise that I get for doing it. How did I respond? I just gave one of my half grins and said nothing. I went home and thought nothing of it. I did mind-numbing computer/television activities the rest of the day until time to sleep and finally put the dreadful day in the books.

As all things are made new this morning and I spend time with God, I see very clearly. I easily repent of my failures and my forgetfulness of Him . . . I do fail and forget more than I care to admit. However, I am struggling with this issue of pride. I have always been quick to give God the glory when I am complimented, but for some reason, Monday, I allowed someone to give me glory and did not reflect it right back to Him. For this reason, I am asking Him not only for forgiveness, but a change in heart that wants above all to honor and glorify Him in everything that I say and do.

Lord, today, will you once more make all things new in my heart and mind? I know I am taking the verse a bit out of context, but I find myself drifting and allowing the flow of the world to slowly move me backwards. Will you go before me and make my path straight? Will you for the thousandth time allow me to start anew? Help me to keep my mind on you, for there is, and never will be another like you. Help me to walk with you this day and be constantly aware of your Presence.

Moment by moment, I’m kept in His love

Moment by moment, I’ve life from above

Looking to Jesus ‘til Glory doth shine

Moment by moment, O Lord I am Thine

Later

Adam