Snakes and doves

Have you ever been sent out to do a certain task? 

Maybe you had to sell raffle tickets, gather up a group of people to do some volunteer work, visit someone and bring a message, or go to some foreign country to preach Jesus.

Sending out

Whatever the case, such 'sending out' is often accompanied by a wish for good luck, farewells, warnings (be careful, come back as quick as you can), and lots of advice of course.

When Jesus sent out His twelve disciples, He said this:

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves [Matthew 10:16].

One or the other

Uh, excuse me Lord? You want me to be as a snake and as a dove? I don't think that will go very well together. It's either one or the other, right? One is either clever or stupid, extravert or introvert, loud or quiet, obnoxious or sweet. Oh, how we love to add labels and put people in boxes. We don't even realize how much we limit ourselves when we do so.

Perfect example

God is different. With Him all things are possible and He wouldn't be God if He had not set the perfect example Himself. Jesus is the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. Yeah, both the lamb and the lion. Jesus displayed tender compassion as well as harsh anger. He is the judge as well as the savior.

We have a tendency to accept the side of God we like the most and ignore the rest. But, let's not forget, God is love but He is also just. Yes, God loves the sinner but hates the sin. Yes, God forgives but He also corrects and disciplines.

Pure in an evil world

When Jesus says we should be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves, He is not asking for the impossible. He wants us to be pure in an evil world. He wants us to be determined and yet dependent on Him. He wants us to be outspoken and diplomatic at the same time. He gives us both courage and meekness, power and love, alertness and rest.

In Him, we will have the perfect balance. In Him, we will speak up when necessary and be silent when required.

Review of 'Kingdom Road'

I have never been much of a reader of devotional books. That is... until last year when I picked up 'Stormproof' by John Hagee. I enjoyed the short inspirational messages that perfectly prepared the way for my daily Bible reading.

Several months ago I ordered a copy of Kingdom Road by fellow author Susan Rohrer. Susan and I are the moderators of the 'Christian non fiction lovers book club' on Goodreads. I have read several of her books and enjoy her challenging style and in-depth spiritual analysis of scripture. She always encourages the reader to invite the Holy Spirit into the reading and reflecting process.

In Kingdom Road Susan takes us on a journey pursuing the presence of God in 31 devotionals. Whether you take a day, a week, or a month to read each devotion doesn't really matter, as long as you read them. Susan's writing triggers spiritual revelation, so much so that I had to read each devotion twice!

This is no ordinary journey, it is a trip on the Kingdom road where as a reader you get to walk in the Father's presence, follow in the footsteps of Jesus, stay in step with the Holy Spirit, hear God's voice, and move in your spiritual gifts. And while traveling you will discover the powerful reality of heaven on earth that was promised to all believers.

👉If you have a desire to travel further with the Holy Spirit, don't miss this book. You will enjoy Susan's excellent writing skills as much as her insight and wisdom.

You can find Susan's books on Amazon!

Teach me (5)

In my previous blog post (part 4 in this series) we looked at Psalm 86:11. David wrote 'Teach me Your ways' and he added a request for purity of heart. Oh, may that be our prayer as well.

I truly believe it is a godly attribute when we desire to be taught. We can read the request for wisdom over and over again throughout the Bible. it was the cry of our forefathers: Teach me. Let's look at Psalm 119:66,

I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge.

Do we believe in the Lord's commands? His command to love Him above all else, to love others as ourselves, not to worry, to forgive others as we have been forgiven...? I am just naming a few. If the answer is yes, let's go on.

Teach me good judgment and knowledge. Not just judgment, but good judgment. I think we are in dire need of that. There is so much going on in the world; it is often hard to figure out what is real and what is fake. 👉We need good judgment, not so that we can judge people, but rather that we will be able to judge circumstances.

The same is true for knowledge. We do not need more knowledge so we can brag about how clever we are. No, we rather need knowledge about the ways of the Lord. Why? Because the ways of the world lead to death, we can see that all around us, but God's ways lead to life! 

Check out my Psalm 119 daily devotions on YouTube!

Ears to hear...

In my previous two blogs I wrote about directing our thoughts and enlarging our view by fixing our eyes on things  invisible. Someone wrote to me and said  'don't forget our ears.'

And indeed, our hearing… the Bible has quite a lot to say about that as well. Jesus said 'He who has ears, let him hear.' Rather logical, is my guess, unless you have a hearing impairment or are completely deaf.

We have ears to hear, to perceive sounds, to follow conversations, and therefore to listen. The question is: what are we listening to?

Not everything that comes to us within earshot is useful. Not everything is pleasant, pure, lovely, honorable, virtuous, and praiseworthy… yes, the very things that we should fill our minds with. 👉 Conscious listening means making choices.

Romans 10:17 says, So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. If you read that entire chapter, you will see that it is about listening to and obeying the gospel that is being preached. Faith comes from hearing the good news of Jesus Christ.

There are people who are always "preaching" bad news, whether on television, in church, or at work. That is not what builds our faith. On the contrary, it crumbles whatever faith we might have left in this difficult time we are experiencing on a worldwide scale. Remember: faith comes by hearing the word of Christ and His words are spirit and life!

Make sure you listen to His words. How? Read the Bible out loud! Listen to an audio bible! Listen to faith-based sermons! Listen to the Holy Spirit! Faith comes by hearing.

He who has ear, let him hear.

Ever been stuck in Luke 6?

I have been there before and I am there again... Luke 6. How in the world does one get past such a chapter?

I do not want to leave, I want to linger just a little longer and savor the wisdom and the words of Jesus. This past week I have been reading the same words again ... and again each morning.

Love your enemies... yeah, right. We know that verse, we can quote it. But do we know how that verse (35) continues? 

Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting  to be repaid. Then your reward will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 

Lend to our enemies without expecting to be repaid? I'm not sure how that works out in real life, but I do not know of anyone who ever did this.

He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. Excuse me? God is kind to the wicked?

It feels like I have to push the reset button of my faith and start all over again, because the more I read the Bible, the more I realize I do know not anything :)

have you ever been there?

Purpose of the church (8)

Thank you very much for reading this blog series about the purpose of the church and also for your valuable comments.

"The purpose of the church is simple, namely that everyone gets to know Jesus well" I wrote in my previous blog post. Simple maybe, but apparently not so easy to implement. In personal conversations I often discover that people can faithfully go to church for years and years and yet do not know Jesus personally. That is quite tragic and I really hope and pray that we will all experience a refreshing renewal and change in the way we do/are church.

Of course, we can not solely expect that from leadership (sometimes they have no clue either), we are in this together. Let us take a look again at the words in Ephesians 4: 11-13. This time, for the sake of clarity, I used the Good News translation and cut it into pieces because the sentences are very long:

• It was he [Jesus] who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers.
• He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service
• in order to build up the body of Christ.
• And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God
• we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature.

Wow, we shall become mature people (a perfect man the NKJV says) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. What a wonderful purpose. I want that! Even if I have to sit in a pew for a while :)

I suggest that we all compare the above list (the Word of God) with our church setting and customs and ask ourselves some critical questions: Is there a five fold leadership available in my church/congregation to prepare me to serve, so that the church/congregation can grow, and do we get to know Christ better? And finally .... am I on my way to maturity?

I sincerely hope that we will be church, with a purpose!

Purpose of the church (7)

'Biblically speaking, the church will not be built up by programs and methods, but by the servanthood of believers', I wrote in part 6 of this series.

Interesting, isn't it, to read the words in Ephesians 4:11-13 slowly and compare them with the way we do church today. So far we have seen:

• that Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers (Amen, let's not add or distract anything and acknowledge and appreciate all of them.)
• to equip his people (we are not supposed to stay ignorant or dumb, we should grow and be trained.)
• for works of service (not for what we want to do, but for the works He has prepared for us to do.)
• so that the body of Christ may be built up (now, that is the way to do it).

The Body of Christ, that is: the believers, the church (local and universal), is being built up (grows) when the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers train the believers to serve God. But that is not all there is to it ... Let's continue to read:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God

Ah, there is a higher purpose than just gathering knowledge and being of service. We must stop fighting each other and eventually form a unity! In the Today's English Version it is written: And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God. I should have known, we do not play church simply because we have been doing so for ages, no ... the goal is that we will form a unity and get to know the Son of God well!

The longer I think about the words in Ephesians 4-11-13, the clearer it becomes. The purpose of the church is simple, namely that everyone gets to know Jesus well! Equipping leads to service leads to spiritual growth leads to the knowledge of Jesus which leads to unity .... regardless of our background, upbringing, education or religious denomination.

Purpose of the church (5)

And  He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry... (Ephesians 4:11).

How often can you read such a text? Not often enough, I think. We can learn so much that will help us today to build a healthy spiritual community, a church that is truly the Body (the representation) of Christ on earth.

Jesus gave it like this for a reason; let us not take anything away from it and add nothing to it. I sincerely believe it would be very useful to take a closer look at the forms of leadership in our contemporary churches in light of Ephesians 4:11-13. By the way, I think it is easier to start a new church with these verses in mind, than to reorganize an existing one with the dogma's, patterns and systems already in place, but that aside.

The people (whether you are a hairdresser, construction worker or nurse) who are called and assigned to one or more of the five functions, tasks or ministries mentioned must always bear in mind that they do that work as part of a team in order to to equip (prepare, get ready) believers to serve God. The Good News Translation calls it 'works of Christian service'.

When we think about the purpose of the church these verses keep popping up. We do not come together just to come together (although that can be very useful from a spiritual and social point of view) but to be equipped for work in the service of God. In that sense we could see the church as a vocational school. We don't know much when we enroll, we learn and learn and ask questions and do our homework. We are not supposed to stay in grade 5 or 6 for ten years, we are called to grow and graduate!

The equipping must always lead to service. There will come a time when we will put the acquired knowledge into practice, when we will do what we have learned. There comes a time when we are going to share God's love with a world in need, whether that is around the corner or in a distant land. In doing so it is very possible that we are called once more... to equip others!

Give me a D

In my Bible alphabet blog series D stands for Disciple.

Disciple actually means a follower or pupil of a teacher and comes from the verb discere which means 'learning'.

A disciple is someone with a teachable spirit, someone who is willing and committed to learn (not someone who thinks he/she knows everything already).

Jesus says some very important things to the people who want to be His disciple, for example: A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher (Luke 6:40). Will be like Jesus ... in thinking, talking and acting!

Not everyone believes that Jesus is the Son of God, but in general people do agree that He is the greatest teacher who ever walked the earth. Is it not logical that we should learn from Him? This begins with the reading and studying of the four Gospels (do it!) and asking for wisdom and insight from the Holy Spirit.

The qualifications for discipleship are not very complicated, but quite radical: So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33). In today's terms this basically means:

• that we must be willing to let go of everything we think to know
• that we should not hang on to our possessions and
• that we must be willing to give up our lives for Him

Fruit of the Spirit (8)

Throughout the ages people from all kinds of religions have done their best to be recognized; recognized from the outside that is... Just think about wearing hats, head coverings, toga's, habits, crosses and beads. However, the outside doesn't always say much about the inside, and that is really the place where God wants to bring forth fruit.

What the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us, is truly beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). In this blog series we have come to faithfulness. The King James Version says faith.

Isn't that what faith-fulness really is: being full of faith...?

The faith that we receive as a gift from God, and that needs to bear fruit in our lives, is not the faith from our parents, church or friends, but it is supernatural faith from God! Hebrews 11:1 tells us what kind of faith(fulness) that is: 

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (NIV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV)

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. (MSG)

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. (GNT)

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. (AMP)

Amen. I want to be recognized by that kind of faith, what about you?

Fruit of the Spirit (7)

Personally I find it useful and refreshing to take a step by step look at the fruit the Holy Spirit wants to produce in our lives. I hope you are enjoying it as well, as we are beginning to see that we cannot force these things to grow in our lives and they cannot be learned.

It is super natural character of God Himself which will grow in us when we give room, when we yield our will to His.

What the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us, is truly beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithful-ness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Today I want to stop and think about goodness.

Goodness, that's an interesting one... We probably all know good people and maybe they do not even believe in God. Well, yeah, some people are simply more friendlier and more generous than others. Doing good is something we can learn from our parents, or in school, or from some kind of philosophical book. Is that the goodness the Bible talks about in this context? No, that is not the kind of goodness (friendliness, generosity, goodwill, grace, honesty, integrity, kindness, mercy, righteousness, beneficence, honor, humaneness, kindheartedness) when talking about the fruit of the Spirit.

The divine fruit 'goodness' goes much, much further than a positive human characteristic. We are talking about a goodness as mentioned in Luke 6:35 (GNT), Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Well, Jesus explains it in a way that leaves no discussion, don't you think? Doing good to our enemies. And then that last part, a real eye-opener... God is good to the ungrateful and wicked. Ouch, is that really true? I have never heard someone preach on that one...

Being good to ungrateful people... when we find ourselves doing that, we can be sure His character is being formed in us :)

Fruit of the Spirit (6)

Fruit of Gods Spirit in our lives, what a wonderful concept. That fruit is not the little things we can do for Him or in His name, that fruit is the development of His character in us. more of Jesus, less of me...

It doesn't matter what our strong or weak points are, but it matters what His Holy Spirit wants to produce in us, and that is truly beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Let's take a look at kindness, which in the Greek language is chrēstotēs. When researching the Bible we can find out that this is not our every-day kindness, the nodding to our neighbor or the friendly word to our co-worker. That sort of kindness is great and definitely to be praised, but the kindness that God wants to bring forth in our lives is kindness of a different order...

It is the kindness the apostle Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 4:12-13, We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly... Kindness when being slandered? You gotta be kidding, right?! Well, it surely gives us a great exercise for this week: Do I allow the Holy Spirit to work through me or am I always going ahead of Him?

Supernatural kindness, that goes against all political correctness. That is being kind when we do not feel like it, that is kindness when we do not want to give it. Jesus explains it like this: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked (Luke 6:35).

Ouch and ouch again... being kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Now, that is only possible with the help of the Holy Spirit!

Fruit of the Spirit (5)

When talking about the fruit that God wants to bring forth in our lives, I sometimes hear people say: 'Yeah, kindness and goodness, I can see that in my life. But patience? No, that is not my strongest virtue.'

No, not your strongest virtue, but certainly Gods! His fruit in our lives is not the same as our human or natural character, it is supernatural character of the Lord Jesus Himself. It doesn't matter how we try to perform or what we want to produce, it matters what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us, and that is beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Forbearance or longsuffering or patience... Supernatural patience; that is not the kind of patience we have when it suits us. That is not the kind of patience we have with the ones we love (our children, partner, parents or dog!). No, that is patience with ALL people.  And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

Ouch! Be patient with everyone? You must be kidding, right?!

Well, He is not kidding. But we must bear in mind that we can never, ever do this in our own strength, it is work from Him in us. God is patient, absurdly patient if you ask me... 

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance...Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation (2 Peter 3:9 and 15).

Oh, those questions of Jesus...

Isn't it wonderful to travel through the gospel of Luke? I love it. Of course there is much more to read and learn than I am posting on this weblog... but I just enjoy zooming in on those small sentences and scenes that can raise big thoughts.

It happened more than once that the theologians in Jesus' time tried to trick or test Him. We can read this for example in the text preceding the parable of the Good Samaritan. One of the teachers of the Law approaches Jesus with a question about eternal life. Jesus answers his question, according to Jewish custom, with another question. Two questions really. Read along in Luke 10:25-26, On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” Those two questions should penetrate the heart of every believer.

WHAT is written in the Law? Do we know what is written in the Law, in the Old Testament? Do we still read the Law and do we learn from it?

HOW do you read it? Let's say you do read in the Old Testament, and you do know what the Law says (most people who have gone to church most of their lives have a good knowledge of the scriptures), then there is still the question: how do you read it?

Do we read with pre-conceived ideas? Are we skeptical, critical or are we reading without really thinking? Do we accept everything the preacher says from the pulpit, without re-reading it? Do we read with our heart or with our brains, or both? Do we read with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and who inspired the writers of the Bible? How do you read it? Jesus'question is still ringing in our ears today.

It is written about the disciples: Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Lucas 24:45). That is still possible today, for you too if you desire so!

TIP: Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you when reading the Bible, so you can see the things through His eyes.

Measure

The Bible is a fascinating book, I don't have to tell you that :) But what I want to tell you is, that it is important to read a translation that you can understand! As far as I know there are no 'good' or 'bad' translations; just make sure you read one you can relate to.

As I wrote in my previous post, I am reading through the gospel of Luke at the moment and, quite unavoidable, I arrived at chapter six. Now there are two things possible at the beginning of such a chapter: read through it quickly or stop and meditate on the lessons Jesus is teaching here. This is not theology or theory, but practical Christianity for our every day life. I quote verse 37 and 38: Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Ouch, strong words, especially the last sentence.The first question that enters my mind and that I would like to share with you is: which measure do I use? In a negative and a positive sense. Jesus uses examples of both: judging and condemning, but also forgiving and giving. Whatever the case, we set the measure with which we will be measured...

• Am I critical, judgemental, or unkind towards others? If so, such an attitude towards others will come  back into my own life.
• Am I forgiving and generous (time, talents, money, love, etc.) towards others? If so, such an attitude towards others will come back into my own life.

What a great responsibility to realize that we are the ones setting the measure that others will use towards us. It would have been much easier if God took care of all that, so we wouldn't have to change our bitterness, stinginess or unforgiveness. The words of Jesus are simple but not easy, they imply responsibility but also a challenge.

I don't know about you, but I don't want people to judge me or criticize me. I want others to forgive me and share their blessings with me. My wish is the measure that I need to use for others.

If we desire a different harvest, we must make a beginning with sowing different seeds.

Church homework

Has it ever happened to you? Someone says something really significant and you tell yourself 'gotta remember this' and not even half a day later you don't remember what it was. This is how it often happens with sermons being preached (sorry)...

We speak in different churches and my husband and I are always trying to come up with things to make a sermon practical. We should be doers of the Word after all, not only hearers. Saying how nice and wonderful a message was, means nothing if we don't put the words into practice. First of all we have to learn how to remember things.. The easiest way to do this is through making notes. How do students learn in school or college? By taking notes and going over them again at home. Isn't it logical to learn the same way in church?

A few weeks ago my husband Jan spoke in a church in Holland and the next day all members received an email, it said:

"Jan gave us all some homework to do, so let this email be a reminder! It is important to put into practice what we have learned last Sunday. Grow and develop, seek God and do what you have learned!

• Read Proverbs 8
• Listen to the podcast of the sermon again
• Purchase a journal and start this year with writing down your spiritual adventures
• Bring this journal to the services and make notes to further study at home
• Write down what you have learned (about Jesus) in 2012
• Write down what you want to learn or experience this year, for example: victory in certain things, receiving of spiritual gifts etc.
• Make sure to write down your questions, disappointments en challenges as well

This way, it will be possible to see within (half) a year or so which prayers have been heard, what longings fulfilled and which questions answered. Spiritual growth becomes more clear."

What is your experience when it comes to putting into practice what you've learned? Do you make notes in church?

What is the longing of your heart?

Have you spotted any attractive and desirable donkeys in your town lately? Probably not, although... I just came back from a short mission trip to Macedonia and there I saw a lot of donkeys. They were carrying heavy loads of firewood, while their owners guided them on the way home. In many parts of the world donkeys are still desirable means of transportation.

So, what's up with donkeys? Well, in my latest book My Neighbor's House I have taken a closer look at the tenth Commandment, yeah... the one about desiring someone else's house, wife or cattle. This Commandment tells us not to desire the wrong things. The most logical next question would be, “So how then do we desire the right things?” After all, we don’t really want to go through life with just a short list of do’s and don’ts as if we were programmed robots. As intelligent beings, we prefer explanations and reasons; surely the Bible must have an answer for us.

The first thing I noticed when studying this subject was that the apostle Paul wrote extensively about it. It almost seems like a war was constantly going on in him between good and bad desires, spiritual and natural desires. His writings were based on his personal experiences. He says in Romans 8:5, Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. His words should trigger the evaluation of our own lives. It is one thing to say we do not desire someone else’s stuff, but what do we desire? What is the longing of our heart? Are we happy and content with life? What does it mean to live in accordance with the Spirit, and what does the Spirit desire, anyway?

Both the Old and the New Testament talk about the desires of our human nature. The teaching of the Tenth Commandment is simple; don’t desire anything that is not yours. The teaching of the apostle Paul in the book of Romans goes beyond that restriction; make sure you set your mind on what the Spirit desires. It is clear that the instruction for us New Testament believers goes further than a simple prohibition; it urges us to seek the blessing behind it.

I remember when I was in high school, and at the beginning of each new semester we would receive our class schedule as well as class rules and restrictions. At first sight it seemed nothing but a set of instructions and regulations that would make our lives as students miserable. But then we learned that there was also room for a school dance, movies to watch, and field trips to make, which surely made life in school more pleasant. Learning and enjoying went hand in hand. This is how it often works with God’s Word. The Bible contains many laws, rules, and regulations—whatever you would like to call them. But that is not all there is, certainly not! The Bible contains promises, blessings, and insights, as well. When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He didn’t send him down the mountain in a hurry. He spent a long time talking with Moses and gave him various moral and religious laws, laws of justice and fairness, and even laws of healthcare. 

Do you see His commandments as too hard, too complicated, out-of-date, not relevant or are you curious to find out more about the spiritual principle behind them?

Fertile soil

Recently I was reading the parable of the sower again, maybe for the umpteenth time, and again I was pleasantly surprised to discover how timeless Jesus' teachings are. In Luke 8 Jesus tells the parable of the sower to a large crowd and later explains it in detail, to his disciples.

He basically tells them what to expect when sharing the gospel. There are four different ways people will react to the Good News according to His words in verse 11-15,

• Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. It is really sad when this takes place, and maybe you have seen it happen to someone you know. Remember that we can always pray for another moment to come.
• Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. Faith without roots will not survive, the first sign of a storm will knock it down. Our faith should be rooted in love, Gods love. Let's remain in His love!
• The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. I believe, many Christians find themselves in this group nowadays. Jesus mentions worries, riches and pleasures in one sentence; it doesn't matter if life's distractions are good or bad, when they keep us away from the Word, they will eventually choke us. Choking... one of the biggest problems for believers in the Western world. Worries, stress, fear, materialism, luxuries... if not careful they will keep us from maturing.
• The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. This is our goal, this is where we want to be! Retaining the Word, cherishing it, which means we will keep it close and meditate on it day and night. By PERSEVERING we will produce a crop. Fruit bearing does not happen automatically, we need to be faithful and not give up.

Can you describe the soil of your heart?

Kindness

It doesn't matter how many times we read the words and lessons of Jesus, we can always learn something new.  This week I stumbled upon a comment from the Master that made me go... ouch! Is this really in the Bible?

I was reading through Luke chapter 6, a chapter full of wise and practical life lessons for Believers. Verse 35 says, But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High... There is enough meat in these words alone to do a blog series of 10 weeks! But this time, my eyes were drawn to the concluding words Jesus gave, words I haven't heard too many sermons on, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

He (God) is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Is this the picture we have of God? Is this the picture people see when they see us? Often we have this image of a God who is cruel to the wicked and maybe even punishes Believers who have done wicked things. But Jesus, who knows the Father best, tells us something else. God is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. What a lesson to learn! Are we kind to the ungrateful and wicked?

God = love and 1 Corinthians 13:4 says that love is kind. It is Gods nature to be kind. What about us? The Bible teaches that kindness benefits people. Proverbs 11:17 says it simply like this, A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself. I don't think we would call ourselves cruel, but the question today is: are we kind? Not necessarily to our kind of people, but to the ungrateful and wicked.

Kindness is fruit (Galatians 5:22) that the Holy Spirit wants to produce in our lives, so that we will become more and more like Him. How can we grow in this area? By being kind to the ungrateful and wicked people that cross our path every day! That is a challenge we must take up if we truly want to be called sons and daughters of God.

I am the Lord, who exercises kindness... [Jeremiah 9:24]

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