Priceless Privilege

 

Many years ago, I realized I needed more in my walk with God. I thought I knew Him intimately, but trials convinced me I didn’t completely trust Him. I knew faith and fear could never work together. But what I sensed—what I felt and saw, had more power in my life than the truth I thought I knew. I realized I couldn’t walk by faith without knowing the absolute safety of God’s perfect love for me. The only way I would know His love’s breadth, height, length, and depth was to take in more of Him. I was hungry for a closer relationship with Him, and I didn’t want my time with God to be fabricated or forced. I wanted to know His genuine and palpable presence, so I came to Him, defenseless, exposed, and wide open. I began to delve into the Word as I never had before. Paul’s epistles came to life for me. In Philippians 3:7-8, I found Paul’s response to Jesus. 

 

“But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life]. But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him—a joy unequaled]” (Philippians 3:7-8, AMP).

 

Paul considered everything a loss because of the priceless privilege of knowing Jesus Christ. Everything he thought he had gained in his life became trash to him. The things he had believed became nonsense. Paul discovered that in knowing Jesus, he had received the “supreme advantage” of life and godliness. When the Word came to life in me, the things I thought and the lies I had believed became senseless. Faith started to defeat the fears that had controlled my life.

 

Paul’s words reveal the supreme advantage of knowing Christ. Understanding this advantage emerges when we pursue God. God pursued Paul and finally got his attention on the road to Damascus. When faced with the wonder of God’s love, I have a decision: I either respond or I don’t. In pursuing God, I discover the indescribable gain of knowing Him. I receive His forgiveness, healing, deliverance, provision, and blessing. This pursuit restores and completely satisfies me.

 

Before I married Pat in 1969, we were captivated by each other. A few weeks before our wedding, Pat went to Richmond, Virginia, on a business trip for the Defense Contract Administration Services in Atlanta.  Being separated from each other was incredibly difficult. The times we talked on the phone were a priceless privilege. We valued those calls because we knew it would be a while before he returned for our wedding. Now that we have been married for almost 56 years, we know each other more completely. Marriage is an example of what our relationship with the Father should be. It should be private, unique, vulnerable, honest, and committed.

 

When I value my marriage highly, I consider it a priceless privilege. I'm familiar with what I need to know about my spouse, learn to respond to his likes and dislikes, and anticipate how he will respond in various situations. The same is true of my relationship with God. Knowing God intimately will acclimate me to His likes and dislikes. I will know how to respond in difficult situations. I will hear Him clearly and understand the hidden things unique to our relationship.

 

When we place unsurpassed value on knowing God, we discover He is the God of abundant life. Ephesians 3:18 reveals this abundance as knowing the breadth, length, height, and depth of His love for you. The more we know God, the more of Him there is to know. The gift of His love is unending and just waiting to be unpacked and known by you.

 

The world offers nothing lasting. God desires to change our lives with His surpassing love and to establish His Kingdom. But we can never build His Kingdom on our merit and limited understanding. Knowing God fully will not only draw us closer to Him but also draw others. It is our priceless privilege and supreme advantage to know Jesus and grow more deeply acquainted with Him. 

 

Peter wrote: “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).

 

We have been given everything we need to live a godly life. We discover these things by knowing God intimately.

 

Paul wrote: “[I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]” (Ephesians 1:17, AMP).

 

I can’t live by my insight. It is death to my faith (Romans 8:6). I desire my Father’s deep and personal insight. His insight is much better than my senseless one. His insight is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

 

Lord, grant me a spirit of wisdom and revelation in my relationship with you. As you hunger for me, I hunger for you. The former things I thought meant something now mean nothing. The former fears mean nothing. The former life has passed away. I walk by faith and not by sight. You are all I need. Nothing surpasses this priceless privilege of knowing you. It is a "joy unequaled."

 

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Draw Near to Your Father

 

Can you imagine a time with God that feels like coming home and not like a checklist? 

 

Intimacy with God seems out of reach to many Christians. They may even get to the point where they question whether having a personal relationship with a living and powerful God is possible. For these, salvation with God has been a labor or work and “feeling” like a disappointment to God. 

 

The Cross is where life overcomes death, and work is no longer born of self. But so many Christians still live on the side of death and never experience abundant life. Which side of the Cross do you live on?  The side of the Cross where winning God’s love is your goal or the side where you receive God’s love Christ won for you? One side of the Cross steals your joy because of your inability to prove your worth. Living on this side of the Cross is death to intimacy with God. The other side of the Cross—the Resurrection side—doesn’t focus on your failure but on Jesus’ perfect performance. It receives the abundant life and peace Jesus died to give you. Living on this side of the Cross brings you into an intimate and loving relationship with God.

 

The Cross is all about bringing us into a relationship with God. It is where this living and powerful God becomes your Abba Father. The Cross is not about a list of things to do to win your Father’s love. The Cross is where you receive His love. Having a relationship with God is not about religion. It is not about trying to be good enough for God to heal or use you. In a relationship with God, Jesus satisfied all the requirements of a holy God so that we now have a joyous entrance into His Presence. The Cross is your invitation to know Him.

 

God has invited us into a deep personal relationship where we know His voice, heart, and will. He wants us to experience His pleasure and joy. God wishes us to discover what Jesus has already purchased on the Cross and the new life He has given us. God’s love pursues us and seeks our response. Our Creator loves us, His Creation. 

 

Do you wish to experience the abundant love of your Father? He wants you to be free of religion, disappointment, and the inexhaustible checklist. He wants you to come into the freedom and joy of your salvation and discover the loving heart of your Father, who came to die and give you His new life. When you live in intimacy with your Father, your performance is not your focus. Your Father is your focus and your desire. The checklist is fulfilled because He fulfills it in you.

 

Discovering the heart of God begins with knowing Him.

 

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24, ESV).

 

All of us are invited to know and understand the Father thoroughly. You do not need to prove your wisdom or might. God is your Father who invites you into His Presence to know Him.  But does His invitation make you hesitate because it calls for a vulnerability you would rather escape? God practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness and delights in doing these. The Father looks for vulnerability in His children, which inspires honesty. You cannot hide behind masks when you know and understand the Father. You are free to let all the fat hang out. You can let all the things you don’t like about yourself surface completely before the Father. It is in His Presence you discover intimacy and healing beyond human comprehension. 

 

If we wish God’s miraculous life-changing power to change us, we will only discover it in our most profound union with Him. We can only be vulnerable and open in a trusting, intimate fellowship with Him. God responds to our unveiled honesty as we respond to His unveiled love. He helps us see our lives from His perspective. Our intimacy with Him is a secure fellowship in which we receive truth about Him and knowledge about ourselves.

 

Satan hates our union with God. He is even afraid of it. Satan knows that a relationship with God will reveal how weak he really is. Satan wants you powerless, living in a stagnant religion instead of living in a vibrant, alive relationship with God. A stagnant religion will kill deep intimacy with God. It will keep you from truly knowing Him.

 

God is always moving toward you, seeking you, and drawing you. A stagnant, motionless faith keeps you from responding to Him. Religion holds God at arm’s length. But relationship invites Him in. A stagnant faith can result from the legalism that many Christians have allowed in their lives. Many believe God only loves them when they emotionally experience His pleasure or perform well. Their emotions and checklists have become a means to measure their relationship with God. They believe they have failed Him if they don’t feel God’s love and acceptance. Regrettably, the devil will use our emotions and persistently thrust our failures in our faces, reminding us we will never be good enough to do God’s work. 

 

An emotionally driven life is a never-ending, fear-inducing, and faith-defeating existence. This kind of life does not receive the abundant life Jesus has given. It remains in bondage to the enemy, who seeks to rob it of Jesus’ victorious freedom (John 10:10). Instead of humbling himself to receive more grace, such a person submits to his emotions and is held hostage in the devil’s snare. To break the bondage, this person must submit to God, resist the devil, and humbly receive Jesus’ gift of more grace (James 4:6-7).

 

An abundant life is knowing God intimately. God invites you to enter His presence based on His goodness and capability. You can’t come to Him based on your performance or perfection; what you lack will never bring you into His Presence. But what you lack is found in Jesus. It is Jesus’ perfect performance that brings you into God’s Presence. Knowing that this powerful and living God wants you to know Him fully is humbling. As you completely surrender your desires, fears, and wounds, He is already within you, receiving you just as you are and healing what you cannot.

 

Nothing in life comes close to the abundance God wishes to share with those who choose to have a profoundly personal relationship with Him. He calls us to respond to His love. Choosing to know Him and to be known by Him is the most profound joy. Open your heart to all He has to share with you. Seek to understand who He is in you. When you know your Father intimately, you boast in His perfect work, not in your checklist performance. You are one with the Father. As Jesus is steadfast, you, also, are steadfast. As He is just, you, too, are just. As He is righteous, you, also, are righteous. And just as He delights in all of these, so do you. 

 

As Jesus is in this world, so are you (1 John 4:17). This is your inheritance, and nothing can keep you from God’s Presence when you truly know and experience Jesus’ love given without cost to you. You don’t have to live on the side of the Cross that has judged and condemned you. You have a Father to know on the Resurrection side who loves you. 

 

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Come home and know the Father who loved you first. 

 

 

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Mama’s Last Christmas Wish

 

Christmas will be here in a few days. This will be our eleventh Christmas without Mama. Life to Mama was about her family loving and sharing, and Christmas was the time to “get that done.” We were her mission field—just as many others were her mission field, too.

 

When I was a child, Christmas was an exciting time. My grandparents, Big Tom and Gigi, always came on Christmas morning. When I had children, we often traveled to Mama and Daddy's house in Georgia for a time with our family. My brother, his wife, two children, and my sister would be there. Sometimes, someone who was lonely and needed some love joined us. God always brought those who had needs into Mama's life. As the years passed, Christmas remained the greatest time to love family and friends.

 

Christmas was a time to share the story of Jesus from the Bible. Daddy would also read “The Best Little Christmas Pageant Ever.” We learned not to play the game of Trivial Pursuit with Pat. He knew all the answers. We played Fictionary and other games that took imagination. Two folding tables would often be set up in the family room, and different games would go on. Laughter filled the room. My brother played the guitar, and we sang. The Hamptons always sang. The Christmas Daddy gave Mama a new ring hidden in a blender will never be forgotten. The picture shares her joy. The younger ones sometimes slept on a cot in the basement garage when the house was packed. One year, my son turned off the central heat while sleeping in the garage, and we woke up freezing. There was always a place to sleep, to share, and be loved. There was always a place of acceptance where you were inspired to be more than you thought you could be. There was always room. 

 

Through the years, Mama saw our potential and inspired us—I should say pushed us—to achieve it. She believed in who we could be when we had little belief in ourselves. In 2005, she went into Autumn Cove Assisted Living because Daddy could no longer care for her. Up to her passing, she always inspired and reminded us of our potential. Daddy had always taken her to church every Sunday, but in early December 2012, she could not go anymore. Two weeks later, I knew she needed to come home from Autumn Cove for a special Christmas Eve. It was a wonderful time. Mama prayed in her quivering voice for her family. It was the last time she would come home to be with us. She would never leave Autumn Cove again.

 

I still love her and miss her. I miss her laugh. I miss her look, saying, “You need to think that through.” I miss her look, which could see right into me. I miss watching Bonanza, Andy Griffith, and Matlock with her. I miss holding her hand, straightening her room, and hearing her say, “Aren't you ready to quit fussing so much?” I miss her loving concern for everyone in her life. A month before her death, she was still asking the staff at Autumn Cove about their families and sharing her love with them. 

 

Mama's greatest wish―her last wish that Christmas when she came home―was for us to love each other unconditionally and for us to know her Savior. It was on her mind a lot before she passed. Jesus will bring me one take to be with her again. She probably has Daddy busy with her in heaven, preparing for her family.

 

May each one who has lost a loved one remember the good times and the good memories. Bring the memory of who they were into your home this Christmas. Love your family entirely and unconditionally. Mama prayed that her family would all know Jesus’ unfailing love. Mama may not be with us again this Christmas, but her legacy of love still lives. Her last prayer for her family lives on. It was her last Christmas wish.

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/12/mamas-last-christmas-wish.html

 

The Gift of God

 

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

—Galatians 4:4-7

 

 

When the right time came, God sent His Son from heaven into the world. His entrance from the heavenly realm was not haphazard or random. Before Christ could come to earth and redeem man, some things had to happen. God sent His Son into the world at the earliest possible time. To accomplish the purpose for which He came, Jesus had to be born of a virgin and made subject to the requirements of the law.

 

God’s purpose in sending His Son into the world was twofold. 

 

First, Jesus came “to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5). Jesus did this by perfectly keeping the law, fulfilling its requirements, and fully paying for its curse (Matthew 5:17, Galatians 3:13). We cannot keep the whole law perfectly. If we fail in one area of the law, we fail the entire law (James 2:10). Christ delivered us from the law's curse. He delivered us from our inability to live a righteous life. He gave us a new life of righteousness we could never earn (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21).

 

Secondly, Christ gave us the position of sonship with all its inherent rights. Not only were we ransomed from slavery to the law but redeemed from our orphaned status into sonship. 

 

Many people stop at redemption. They realize the salvation from sin they have received but not the new life they have inherited. Jesus has redeemed us, and we have the promise of eternity!  But we are also adopted as sons and daughters by God! Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10)! We live in the abundant life Christ has given us when we realize the full benefits of the inheritance He has redeemed for us. 

 

When what we believe in our hearts agrees with God's Word, we have the abundant life God promises—no matter what happens. Jesus has “recreated” us in God’s righteousness. He has “restored” us to a right relationship with the Father so we can walk in the assurance of our sonship. He has given us “the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). We don’t walk by sight. We walk by faith in the authority Jesus has given us. We walk in the truth of the relationship Jesus has purchased for us with His precious blood. 

 

In the beginning, God created us for Himself, but we sold ourselves into slavery to the enemy. God rescued us through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. No amount of effort, human works, or man's righteousness could bring the divine favor that we needed. It took the actual life of God (Leviticus 17:11) to purchase our redemption.

 

Could there be any more extraordinary gift this Christmas season? Redeeming love is God's wonderful gift to you. What is your response to His gift?  Have you received Him in your heart? And if you have received Him, what are you doing with Him?  Will you allow Him to remain unwrapped and unknown, or will you open the inheritance He has purchased for you? Jesus has the gift of abundant life for you.

 

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

—John 4:10

 

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God’s Kind of Love

 

 

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

—John 13:35

 

The night Jesus allowed Himself to be captured in the Garden, He told His disciples that His love would distinguish them from the rest of the world. Our godly living, religiousness, or condemnation of sin doesn't reveal to the world that we are faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Our love for each other causes the world to take notice, while a lack of love keeps the world from knowing Jesus. 

 

Members of the body of Christ who place the utmost importance on outward appearance and continually look for fault in others are some of the most judgmental believers. Jesus Christ has no condemnation (Romans 8:1), and His perfect love doesn’t condemn (I John 4:18). Condemnation is the opposite of the love Jesus spoke of to His disciples. 

 

Jesus didn’t say everyone would know we are His disciples by our doctrine, rituals, hatred for sin, or even by how we express our love for God. He said very clearly that the one trait that would cause the world to identify us as His followers was our love for one another. This same night in the Upper Room, Jesus prayed to His Father: “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:21). The only way that the body of Christ will be one as the Father and Jesus are one is through God’s kind of love. 

 

The unity of believers, which only comes through a genuine God-kind of love, is the greatest means of evangelism the church has ever known. We should not be shocked that Satan has pitted Christians against each other. This is why the body of Christ is not united in love. 

 

Yearly, we spend billions of dollars on evangelism through training, media, and other types of outreach. The early church didn’t have the massive programs for evangelism we have today or the ability to travel around the globe to spread the Gospel. You cannot even compare what the early church spent to what is spent today on evangelism. Yet, the unbelievers in Thessalonica had something quite interesting to say about Paul and those who ministered with him: “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6). The early church evangelized the known world in less than thirty years. Before we can ever fulfill the Great Commission, there must be an awakening of God’s love in the body of Christ, where our relationship with Jesus defines us instead of religion and ritual. 

 

The following is based on I Corinthians 4:4-8, and hopefully, it will encourage us to honestly assess our love for one another. 

 

God’s love tolerates trying situations and persons, enduring far beyond the norm. God’s love is patient, generous, and good. God’s love is unselfish and obliging, showing sympathy and understanding for others. It is considerate, forbearing, courteous, and desires only to promote the welfare of others. God’s love is benevolent and beneficial, revealing itself in actions of kindness. God’s love is not jealous or resentful of the good fortune of others or desires to have what is theirs. God’s love does not boast or praise itself. His love is not vain, self-righteous, or proud. God’s love does not act or react in a way that is dishonest or violates what is right. God’s love does not demand its own way. God’s love is not easily upset or angered. God’s love does not reason or judge another’s hardship or suffering. His love is joyful when sincerity, integrity, honesty, and truth prevail. His love makes it possible to withstand all stress and difficulty. Because He is love, God supports and carries whatever is placed upon Him. God’s love protects, covers, and holds off anything that threatens the benefit and welfare of another. God’s love is patient in all circumstances. God’s love puts faith in others, believing the best of everyone without criticizing or looking for fault. God’s love persists and hopes against all odds in expecting what is promised. God’s love causes one to push through despite any difficulty. His love never proves inadequate or fruitless. God’s love will never disappoint, prove undependable, or fail. God’s love endures forever.

 

Make God’s love your greatest aim and pursuit (1 Corinthians 14:1).

 

Is this the love you aim for and pursue despite your feelings and every disruption of the enemy? Does the world recognize you as a Christian because of your love for your brother or sister in Christ? The world will know we are Christians by our love.

 

The power of the Good News is realized and used to its maximum potential when believers are wholly united in Jesus' love. Nothing stands against our powerful and undefeatable unity in Christ when we love as He has loved us. Just as with the early church, the power to turn the world upside down will not be overcome. Nothing can halt Jesus’ redeeming love in us except our selfishness and pride. His love freely and unselfishly given to us changes hearts when it is freely and unselfishly given. The unity of His love is the power that changes us and the world. 

 

The body of Christ is awakening to this unity. We will either be a part of this awakening or not. Jesus prays for His faithful followers: “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21).

 

This awakening begins in you and me.

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/12/gods-kind-of-love.html

 

 

 

A New Commandment

We cannot reach a higher level of excellence without following a new commandment Jesus has given us. This isn’t a command to love God. It is a command to love others as Jesus Christ loved us.

 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).

 

To love others as Christ has loved us is the whole fulfillment of the Law (Romans 13:10).

 

The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote of something similar in Hebrews 8:8-13. These verses speak of a new covenant. Hebrews 8:13 says, “In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

 

If a new covenant made the first covenant obsolete, a new commandment made the first commandments obsolete. We are not to follow what is obsolete. We are to follow this new commandment that Jesus gave to love as He has loved us. Following this one commandment will fulfill all the righteousness of the Old Testament commandments (Matthew 22:36-40).

 

The Old Testament Law controlled people’s actions from the “outside” by telling them what to do. Jesus’ new commandment of love controls people’s actions from the “inside.” Because of the New Covenant that Jesus’ perfect love has given us, God puts His Laws in our minds and writes them on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). The Holy Spirit from within is now our teacher and guide.

 

Jesus’ declaration, “as I have loved you,” is very meaningful. Jesus loved as no man had ever loved before. Jesus commands us to love as He did. But we are incapable of this. We must receive Jesus’s love as our own before His love can flow through us to others.

 

The Old Testament commandments explained how we should love God and how He would respond to us. The New Testament commandment in John 13:34 describes how we respond to God's love (I John 4:10). The Old Testament commandments were followed to obtain God’s love. The New Testament law of love responds to God’s love freely given to us in the gift of His Son. 

 

The New Testament often quotes the Old Testament law of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus demonstrated a higher level of love that had never before been seen. Jesus not only loved His neighbor as Himself, He loved His neighbor more than Himself. This New Testament commandment has fulfilled the Old Testament commandment. Christ’s law of love is a greater commandment encompassing the Old Testament commandment of loving others as ourselves and all other Old Testament Laws.

 

John, who wrote this Gospel, later wrote about the new commandment of love and obviously received his inspiration from Jesus’ teaching. He wrote, “Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8).

 

This new commandment of love wasn’t new to God but was never clearly seen by men because of the darkness of sin. However, it was unveiled and revealed to men when the darkness was removed in the light of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. The old commandment of love became new through Jesus’ gift of His life in a way words can hardly express.

 

How can I love with such an amazing, inexpressible love? How can I love others more than myself? I am incapable of it. Just as I have no power to keep an obsolete law or perform a perfect work, I cannot make myself love with Jesus’ perfect love. It has to come from His laws written on my heart. If Christ is in me, the Spirit is living in me because of the righteousness I have received (Romans 8:10). I have the Holy Spirit to empower Christ’s love in me. When I follow Jesus’ command to love, He controls my actions. Not me. 

 

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

 

If I don’t freely share the love of Jesus I have freely received, then all these gifts and all I do mean nothing. When the Holy Spirit does not empower my life, I have no power to give the love I have received. But when I yield the selfish desires to prove my worthiness and begin to live out of the righteousness He has given me, the love of Jesus fuels my life. He is who I am and whom I freely give away. And He continually gives unto me as I give unto others. 

Jesus’ commandment to love as He has loved us is new, encompassing, fulfilling, and unending. Thank you, Jesus, for calling us to this higher excellence! There are no words adequate enough to express your love!

 

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A Higher Excellence

 

Some Christians are just not motivated to do anything significant for God. They are capable, gifted, and well-informed but are content with their current situation in life.

 

How can a spirit-filled Christian be satisfied with anything less than living a life of significance for God? Some Christians may have had an upbringing where they were not encouraged to achieve higher things and, as a result, have settled for less. But others don’t have such an excuse. They choose not to take advantage of opportunities to learn, change, and better their lives. Consequently, they never experience more because they have settled far beneath what God has planned for them. Whether raised as an underachiever or one who chooses to settle for less, God calls you for more.

 

It doesn’t matter how much education, training, or encouragement you give to people. Without an inner drive and determination to improve their lives, any attempt to help them is wasted.

 

God calls us to surpass our perceived limitations. Too often, we make excuses for our complacent and indifferent attitudes, which determine our lives. As a result, the world frequently sees the body of Christ as a lackluster group of believers who aren’t motivated by what they claim to believe.

 

Perhaps Paul's involvement with underachievers in the church is one of the reasons he wrote to the believers in Rome, instructing them to be "not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11 KJV).

 

The Greek word for “slothful” in Romans 12:11 is “okneros,” which means lazy. It describes someone who is lethargic, apathetic, and indifferent toward life. This same Greek word is in Matthew 25:26, where Jesus tells the parable of the “slothful” and “wicked” servant who produced nothing significant with the resources entrusted to him. Both "slothful" and "wicked" express an indifferent attitude that has no place in our Christian walk.

 

Paul continues, saying we should not be slothful "in business." "Spoudadzo" is the Greek word for business, which means to do something eagerly and diligently. It describes a person who acts responsibly, quickly, and conscientiously. Instead of being lethargic, a diligent person is energetic. He has an outstanding attitude and does a good job. He puts his whole heart into whatever he does for the Lord and treats it with the utmost importance. 

 

Paul also says that we should be "fervent in spirit." The word "fervent" is the Greek word “zeo,” which means to boil with heat. This word gives the image of someone so passionate about his calling that his zeal constantly boils within him. The word "spirit" in this context refers to our attitude. This phrase could read, "Be constantly fervent in your attitude."

 

Then Paul further says we are to be "fervent in spirit; serving the Lord." Paul is saying that the right attitude is one of the most effective ways to serve the Lord. When a believer has an excellent attitude and dedicates himself to his work, he leaves a good image of Jesus as a witness. But when a believer does his work poorly and has a bad attitude, he leaves a poor picture of Him.

 

Paul uses the Greek word “douleuo” when he writes about "serving" the Lord. This word comes from the Greek word “doulos” and describes a sold-out servant committed to serving and pleasing his master. He is willing to do his best to discover his master's desires and then unequivocally do whatever is required to achieve those desires.

 

Whatever the Lord asks you to do, do it with excellence and dedication. Be consistent, committed, fervent, loyal, and enthusiastic. When a Christian consistently demonstrates these qualities, the Lord is pleased with His investment in that servant. He knows His return will be excellent.

 

Always remember that excellence in your work does not earn you special favor with God. Jesus has already recognized you as special by dying for you. Salvation is a free gift, and nothing you do can buy you a unique standing with God. However, how you serve Him and your life’s witness is very important to Jesus.

 

As our pastor, Bill Snow, taught yesterday, “The greater the change or challenge, the greater the calling.” God has entrusted your life with His highest calling. How is He challenging you? Are you taking advantage of the opportunities He offers you? What needs to change in your life? What attitude, belief, or perception might keep you from pursuing God’s calling? When people look at you, does your life give them a positive impression of what a Christian is like, or does it leave them with a bad impression of one? Look honestly at your life, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to you.

 

God doesn’t call you to be an underachiever. He calls you, His special chosen child, to excellence and for you to accomplish what He has put within you. Abandon any negative attitude that has determined your life. Don’t allow any laziness or apathy to dominate you. Choose to have an enthusiastic attitude about anything Jesus asks you to do. Ask the Lord to reveal any changes you must make to move to a higher excellence in Him. Then, reach beyond your perceived limitations and allow the Holy Spirit to empower those hard changes.

 

God created you for His higher purpose and your better good.

—Sunday Adelaja

 

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/12/a-higher-excellence.html

 

God is That Good

 

Our understanding of God’s goodness and what it means to have Christ in us will determine our lives. Walking in faith will be impossible if either understanding is wrong. And without faith, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). 

 

Faith is a sign we truly know God. The more we understand His goodness, the more we walk in faith. The more we know Him, the more we trust Him. We don’t have to work up faith when we trust Him. We know He is good. His love is the basis of our lives.

 

The faith you exercise and the purpose you pursue will never surpass your understanding of God’s love and His presence in your life. You will never know what is possible if God remains mysterious and beyond understanding.

 

Your life is limited to your perception of God. You will only pursue what you believe God wants for you. If you aren't certain He wants to heal, deliver, and bless you, you won’t have faith to receive the good things He has for you. Many Christians struggle with receiving from God because they aren’t sure He is that good.

 

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things” (Romans 8:32)?

 

If you will continually meditate on Romans 8:32, it will change your mind and heart. 

 

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked Bartimaeus (Mark 10:51). He still asks you the same question. Can you respond with certain assurance, knowing that He is that good and He has chosen to live in you?

 

When your faith is alive, it expresses unconditional confidence in Jesus, who loves you, died for you, and now lives in you. Faith will remain a struggle until you know God is for you (Romans 8:31).

 

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

 

Let the Holy Spirit persuade you God is that good.

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/12/god-is-that-good.html

Are You Fully Persuaded?

 

 

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day

—2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV

 

 

“I know whom I have believed,” Paul writes. 

 

The “have believed” in 2 Timothy 1:12 is in the past tense and precedes “I know whom” in meaning. You can’t know Jesus without first having believed in Him. Believing and knowing are separate things. When you first believe in Jesus, the doctrine of the faith guides you. As you renew your mind with the Word, the new life you have received in Christ comes to life in you. Paul introduces the concept of knowing Him.

  

Knowing is a deeper level of understanding than just believing. You can believe something about someone, but your belief is only confirmed once you grow to know them. You can have a mental belief about God but very little spiritual knowledge of Him. To know Him, the revelation of His Word must renew your mind. Mental belief cannot give you spiritual fellowship with God. 

 

In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul uses the phrase “am persuaded.” Paul writes of Abraham in Romans 4:20-21, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (KJV).

 

Being “fully persuaded” as Abraham was “fully persuaded” is the result of first “believing” God and then “knowing” Him.

 

We may be at different places in our walk with God, but we have the same desire to be “fully persuaded”—to be at a place of unwavering faith where circumstances don’t unnerve us, and our words are full of His life. 

 

“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed, and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13).

 

Spiritual faith comes from believing in God, knowing Him, and being unequivocally convinced of His good purpose to save, heal, deliver, and bless us.

  

Knowing God’s true nature and heart of love for you is more than simply believing doctrinal truths. It is a life-changing relationship and unshakeable intimacy with your Father that gives you enduring faith like a “rock.”

 

“The rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:25, NKJV).

 

Do you remain strong when the rains and wind come against your faith in Him?  Have you grown from just believing in Him to knowing who you are in Him? Has He fully persuaded you that He is able to safely keep what you have given to Him?

 

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, NKJV).

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/12/are-you-fully-persuaded.html