Eighteen Inches from God

"Oh, taste and see the Lord is good! Psalm 34:8 

There is an incredible difference between knowing something in your head and experiencing it in your heart. On the first Sunday after the resurrection, Jesus joined two people on the Emmaus Road. Luke 24:13-35 tells the story as they walked along. They seemed to understand a great deal about Jesus (vs.19) yet, despite all of their knowledge, "their eyes were kept from recognizing him". They were eighteen inches from God - the distance from the head to the heart. 

Not long after, when they personally heard Jesus speak biblical truth and joined Him in worship, "their eyes were opened," and they finally recognized Him for who He truly is. The reality of Jesus moved from their heads to their hearts. 

God is less a concept to be understood than a Person to be experienced. I personally use devotionals for a daily time to meet with God. But the danger is assuming that making time for God, we must be experiencing God. If we are not careful, it's possible to learn about God without truly experiencing His love! 

Allow what you learn (head knowledge) to go 18 inches to your heart (personal experience). 

No Expiration Date

 

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35

When you buy food at the grocery store, particularly dairy products, do you check the expiration date? Occasionally I forget and discover several days or a week later that the milk remaining in the carton has expired and taken a turn for the worse. Or the formerly white cottage cheese has turned green, but not from envy.

These days virtually all consumable products – packaged lunch meat, canned goods, cereals, even over-the-counter drugs, have expiration dates. “Best when used by,” “sell by,” “best enjoyed thru,” or simply, “Exp. Date. Things get old. They spoil or get stale. They lose their usefulness.

We buy devices and they're out of date almost before we know how to use them. Planned obsolescence is standard in the technology industry. That's why I love the Bible. It's never out of date. People may think it is no longer relevant but I find just the opposite. Matthew 24:35

• Are you looking for wisdom on how to build a healthy marriage? You’ll find no greater advice than in the Scriptures. Ephesians 5:25-33

• What about handling finances? Proverbs 22:7

• Wondering how to raise kids? Proverbs 22:6

• Wanting to know how to succeed in the workplace? Colossians 3:23

How is it that almost everything around us has time restrictions and limitations, but the Bible doesn't? I believe the reason is simple: Eternal truth has no expiration date.

Unlike passing fads and slang vocabulary, the truths about life transcend time, culture and trends. Just as gravity is a physical constant, truth about human nature – especially truth found in the Scriptures – is equally constant and unchanging. 

Are You Living a Fantasy?

 

Years ago there was a popular TV series called Fantasy Island. The premise of the show was people from different walks of life could come to a secluded island and live out their fantasy, though for a price. There is always a price for living a fantasy.

From the beginning of time, Satan's strategy was to get people to think they could live a “fantasy” without a price. Genesis 3:4 But Ezekiel 18:20 tells us, “The one who sins is the one who will die.” His plan has not changed. He tells people that they can get rich by playing the lottery but the odds of winning are 1 in 13,983,816! True fantasy. People who view pornography, fantasize they can have an intimate relationship with one of those gorgeous women. But the chance of even meeting one of those women is a true fantasy.

The fantasy of sin is:

1. Sin will take you further than you ever intended.
2. Sin will cost your more than you expected.
3. Sin will never fulfill what it promised.
4. Sin will never bring true happiness.

The fantasy of Satan is that you live your life without God. But that is not living; it's a fantasy.

Are You Out Of Your Mind?

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" Philippians 2:5

If you have been a Christ-follower any length of time, you are aware that the way you see life is often the opposite of those around you. The reason is they have a different mindset or perspective. For the Christ-follower; we have the "mind of Christ." We view everything through a Biblical lens; while non-believers see things from a non-Biblical viewpoint. Our lifestyle is confusing to some because they don't understand our motivation.

But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 2 Corinthians 2:14 i.e. If you attend church more than once a week; people might say you are "out of your mind." That is true; not in the sense we are insane, but we are out of our 'natural' mind and rather have the mind of Christ.

Sometimes we get frustrated with non-believers but we must remember that they do not understand the truth as we do. Not that we are superior, we are traveling a different road.

Did I Offend You?

 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this? -- Matthew 15:12

Today in our politically correct world, we have to be so careful that we don't offend anyone. But is that possible? People in our culture do not want to know the truth. Many people don't see truth as being absolute but God's Word is absolutely true.

Technically speaking, people get offended because when they are faced with the truth, they refuse the truth. They refuse it because it doesn't align with their version of the truth. The famous line from the movie A Few Good Men is true. "You can't handle the truth!" When someone lovingly points out a fault or sin in your life, do you get offended?

In Matthew 15, Jesus confronted the religious leader for their twisted view of the truth and they were offended. We when speak the truth against the social norms of today, people will be offended. Christ-followers are commanded to speak the truth. Ephesians 4:25 1 John 3:18 Psalm 15:2

But when we speak the truth it must come from a heart of love. Ephesians 4:15 Truth is not a club we use to beat people who have opposing views. We are not to speak the truth just to win an argument. We speak the truth in love so that people will be set free from falsehood. "you will know the truth, and that truth will give you freedom." John 8:32

What Are You Thinking?

Our lives are always moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts. What we think shapes who we are. Our lives do follow the direction of our thoughts. The better we grasp that truth, the better equipped we'll change the trajectory of our minds.

There are only two thought patterns in our world. The first is a worldly view of life. This is the thoughts of those who do not personally know Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, "...the god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.." The other and proper view is a Biblical world view. This view means you live according to the Word of God. The two are dramatically opposed. Romans 12:2 , Matthew 4:4

To live according to the Word of God; you will need to use theses four tools:

Replacement Principle. Remove the lie and replace it with truth. Satan's weapon is the lie. Our weakness is believing lies and if we believe a lie, it will affect our lives as if it were true.

Rewire Principle. Create new trenches of truth. Our brains contain mental "ruts" through repeatedly thinking the same thoughts. We need to dig truth trenches.

Reframe Principle. We cannot control what happens to us but we can control how we perceive it. We have the power to "reframe' how we view of circumstances.

Rejoice Principle. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything that is happening but when we've had enough, God is enough. We praise Him for the WHO He is, even if the what is not what we want. As we praise God, He shows up and gives us peace of mind.

 Decide today that you will not think like the rest of the world. You will let God renew your mind.

Speaking Responsibilty

 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love -- I Corinthians 16:13-14

I wonder how many of us would be honest enough to confess that our speech sometimes gets us in trouble? As Christ-followers, we are commanded to speak the truth (Zechariah8:16) but even speaking the truth may cause us problems. Galatians 4:16

When speaking with people we should always tell the truth but our speech must be motivated by love Ephesians 4:15 That sounds simple and sometimes it is but sometimes it can be very uncomfortable. When someone has strayed from the faith, we must confront them with truth but in love. James 5:20

It is rare to find a church or small group who have the courage to speak the truth in love even when it's hard. Rarer still is the person who can accept the truth without being offended.

In 1729, Oxford students John and Charles Wesley began the Holy Club, a name given by their fellow collegians in mockery of their emphasis on devotions, was the first sign of what later became Methodism. One of the major tenets of this gathering was a strict accountability of their Christian lifestyle, systematically brought all their lives under strict review.

We need to speak the truth but always in a spirit of love. "Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you." Ephesians 4:28