And so when we sat down to eat dinner, I was lost in my thoughts as we all started eating. My soon-to-be-three year old son, Nicholas, said in the moment:

“Daddy, let’s pray.”

My mouth dropped to the floor and then my heart filled with joy inexpressible. The verse in Matthew came flooding into my consciousness:

And [the chief priests and scribes] said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF’?” –Matthew 21:16.

Jesus was quoting from Psalm 8:2.

At times it really seems like God has put an anointing on my son. Then again, kids “get” God for the most part. Makes perfect sense when you think about it. What did Jesus also say?

But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” –Mark 10:14-15.

That’s what God is looking for in all of us. That child-like faith that just trusts, and says “Abba! Father! Daddy!”

My family and I are entering a new phase in our lives where this is exactly what God is expecting of us. It’s partly exciting and partly scary at the same time. Seemingly God is asking me to put-up-or-shut-up with my faith and trust in Him.

God used my son last night to remind me how critical it is to be in constant prayer for thankfulness and for His will to be done in our lives.

Is God asking you to step out in faith and trust Him? Have you been through a season such as this? Care to share your experiences?

May He Increase!

In case you don’t, it says:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. –Philippians 4:6.

I like the translation of this verse that I heard recently:

“Worry about nothing, pray about everything, and give thanks for anything.”

I like that, a lot. The only problem is, a lot of times, it’s a lot harder than we think. I’ve had to remind myself lately that worrying is a sin. Did you realize that?

How many times did Jesus command us “do not worry?”

• Matthew 6:31
• Matthew 6:34
• Matthew 10:19
• Mark 13:11
• Luke 12:11
• Luke 12:22

Just to list a few. I guess “do not worry” means, well, “do not worry.”

How often do we view our worrying in direct violation of His commandment?

May He Increase!

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” –Mark 8:34.

It’s unfortunate that these passages in Mark seem to be overlooked and downplayed when introducing Christianity to people. It’s also unfortunate that the Christian life, at times,  is portrayed so that you’d think we are supposed to live “victoriously,” which means financially, healthfully, and every other kind of “-ly” you can think of.

Key in on how Mark 8:34 starts out: “He summoned the crowd with His disciples.” The message Jesus is preaching in these verses was meant for His followers and those who would choose or desire to follow Him.

The cross was a well-known symbol to the people of that time. Nowadays we were them around our necks like jewelry. Back then, the cross was a torture and death device. The closest, modern-day equivalent would be Jesus saying to deny yourself and take up your electric chair.

Jesus was crucified outside of the gates of Jerusalem. The place was called Golgotha. Imagine that you’re driving into the city of Los Angeles on say the 101 freeway. As you approach the city limits, all alongside of the freeway are these crosses with men hanging on them dying. That’s exactly what the Romans would do. They would place the crosses on major entry points into a city such as Jerusalem so that you knew who is in charge. And if you mess up here, brother, this is what is going to happen to you.

So the people listening to Jesus saying “must deny [yourself], and take up [your] cross and follow Me” knew exactly what He was saying: this isn’t a life for the faint-hearted. This isn’t a life for those who wish to spend it on themselves. This isn’t a life that is to be lived for yourself. And certainly, it isn’t your “best life now.”

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” –Mark 8:35.

There are a couple meanings implied here. The first is the obvious: martyrdom. This would have been clearly understood by the people listening to Jesus’ words. They could easily count the cost 2,000 years ago.

Today, in the United States, we don’t necessarily risk life or limb for the sake of the gospel. Our Constitution protects us (for now) to practice our Christian faith. In other parts of the world–Iran, Iraq, China, etc.–there is a real risk of practicing your faith in Christ.

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” –Mark 8:36-37.

One of the things I love about Jesus is that it’s black and white with Him. The message is clear: you are either saving your soul/your eternity, or you are gaining the world and all it’s empty promises. So, how much is your soul worth?

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” –Mark 8:38.

Are you ashamed of Christ? Are you shamed of His Word (the Bible)? Be careful! Unless you repent of this, when you stand before the Almighty, Jesus will be ashamed of you and deny you before His Father!

Repent of your sin, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him! The Christian life may not always be easy, but it lives up to its promises. The world promises everything, but gives you nothing and leaves you empty at the end of it all. And why not? It all belongs to Satan, the father of all lies.

May He Increase!

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying the opposite: that we are to dwell on negativity.

I heard an old message comparing the mind to a field of soil. If you have a field of soil you can plant whatever you want in it. If you want to plant corn, you can plant corn. If you want wheat, you plant that. If you want beautiful and fragrant flowers, you plant those. If you want to plant dangerous plants like poison ivy or deadly nightshade, you plant those items. The point is, the soil doesn’t care what you put into it. As long as you plant something, fertilize it, water it, and tend to it, the thing you planted will grow. Make sense?

Now, think of your mind. Your mind doesn’t care what you put into it. You can fill it with the Word of God and that truth will take root. You can plant seeds of desiring to help others and those will grow. Or, you can fill your mind with ugly things like malice, lies, pornography, foul language, and all sorts of evil and those things will manifest and take root. Contrast someone like Billy Graham or Mother Teresa to a Jeffrey Dahmer or Osama bin Laden. One side has filled their minds with love and the others with hatred.

I had heard this message years ago but I suppose it wasn’t until now that it really sunk in. All my life I’ve tended to focus on the negative side of things. I remember a high school friend of mine called me a pessimist one time and it bothered me because I never realized it.

Ultimately, it’s a heart condition. Jesus talked about this in Mark.

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” –Mark 7:21-23.

Wow. What a list. Jesus is speaking of the heart, but to the Jews of the time, the heart and the mind were connected. Next time someone says, “yeah, but he/she has a good heart,” remember the words of Jesus.

Back to PMA, or “positive mental attitude.” I believe God has the true version of what PMA is supposed to be. It’s not some contrivance or some trite response to circumstances. No, it’s a divine formula of things we are to meditate on at all times.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. –Philippians 4:8.

There it is. Of course, we are to meditate on all of scripture. But if we want a manageable list of things to focus on mind on, here they are. This is God’s version of a positive mental attitude.

May He Increase!

Of all those things, my son’s illness was the most troubling. He’s had a fever off and on and we chalked it up to teething. Yesterday morning, however, he was very feverish and we could tell it was time to take him to the doctor. Long story short, the unnamed HMO said that his insurance was suspended. Not sure why the appointment center couldn’t have told us this before wasting our afternoon. As a side note: you think government healthcare is a step in the right direction? Believe me, it’s not.

After spending half the day gathering up the necessary paperwork, my son was able to get into the doctor today. Gratefully, they told us the cause of his misery: an ear infection.

This morning, he was inconsolable. I have to say that I’ve not cried out to God before like I did this morning. When you don’t have health insurance–for all intents and purposes, this morning he did not–you get to a place to where you have no idea what to do. Perhaps that is a lesson that God has spent nearly 40 years to get me to realize that the only insurance we need is Him! It was a reminder that even with insurance, God is our assurance in times of trouble.

Thus, today, I was lead to James.

The Purpose of Trials

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. –James 1:2-3.

Some translations start this as “count it all joy.” Either way, this has always been something so difficult for me, personally. Note that it does not say “feel all the joy,” or “just enjoy.” No, it is to be a conscious decision to consider it all joy in spite of how we feel.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. –James 1:4.

I can sense that I’m only now starting to learn this lesson as I approach 40. Maybe I’m finally getting it? Lord knows none of us are “perfect.” But that’s not what the verse is implying. The word is meant to convey spiritual maturity.

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” –Matthew 5:48.

The Greek word used here and in James 1:4 is τέλειος or “teleios.” It means “wanting nothing necessary to completeness,” or “mature,” as the rest of the verse in James 1:4 says: “lacking in nothing.”

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. –James 1:5.

Oh wisdom! More precious than all the riches of the world!

“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as its price.” –Job 28:12-13, 15.

More than anything else right now I’m begging God for wisdom in all things that are affecting my family.

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” –James 1:6-8.

God isn’t demanding absolute, undoubting faith. I think that’s what most faith-healers and prosperity preachers would assert. The problem with that is you tend to have faith in faith and not faith in God. In Mark, we read of the father who wanted Jesus to heal his child. Obviously he knew Jesus could heal his child otherwise he wouldn’t have asked. The father says to Jesus: ”But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” (Mark 9:22). Watch what Jesus replies back to him:

And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” –Mark 9:23-24.

The phrase in James 1:8, “double-minded” is δίψυχος in Greek, or “dipsychos” which means “two souls.” In other words, it’s like having divided allegiance. Jesus spoke of such a division:

Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.” –Matthew 12:25.

Back to James:

But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. –James 1:9-11.

Here again is another verse about the futility of riches an an indictment of the prosperity gospel. James clearly states that we of “humble circumstances” should glory in our high position. We are not of this world! We aren’t home! Why would we desire to have our creature comforts now? Nothing this world can offer what is in store for the believer in Jesus!

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. –James 1:12.

My hope is that God is polishing my crown of life right now. That is my desire. I don’t want a crown right now, I want the crown of life when I meet my Redeemer face-to-face! I want Him to be able to say to me:

“Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” –Matthew 25:21.

Is God polishing your crown right now?

May He Increase!