Where does your satisfaction come from?

Friends,

The world seeks to satisfy us. It is the enemy's most effective weapon. For when we are discontent with what the LORD has provided, we chase after the things of the flesh. And when we chase after the things of the flesh, we are no longer pursuing Christ, we are no longer seeking the Kingdom of God and its righteousness.

Proverbs 27:7 [NKJV]
A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

The honeycomb represents the temporary pleasures of sin. It is fleeting, and it always leaves you wanting more.

When we are satisfied with what God has provided, those temporary pleasures do not tempt us ... indeed we look at them with contempt. But when we despise the life that Almighty God has chosen for us, then even the most horrendous sin seems wonderful and enticing.

Satisfaction and contentment are choices that we make. We are no longer in bondage to lust. We are free to love holiness, to love the law, and the be completely satisfied with the life of Christ.

Be encouraged, Jose

Release your grip on temptation

Friends,

Christ Jesus instructed us to enlist the Father's aid daily in keeping us away from temptation. An old country song reminds that we don't need anyone's help in being lead to temptation, because we'll find it all by ourselves. Our generations are certainly not the first to have this problem ...

Numbers 31:15-16
And Moses said to them: "Have you kept all the women alive? Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD." [NKJV]

In this episode, the warriors appointed to defeat the Midianites had forgotten that the beautiful women they carried back to camp were the very ones who had very recently tempted their brethren and enticed them to sin. In other words, the victorious soldiers in the LORD's army took hold of temptation and brought it back home!

Are we doing the same today?

It is time to stop holding tight to that which tempts us. You know what those things and thoughts are... so stop pursuing them (and then wondering why you stumble). Return to your pursuit of that which is Godly, and you won't have time to pursue that which is not!

Be encouraged, Jose

Deep satisfaction

Friends,

Where are searching for satisfaction today? There are easy, pat answers to that question ... family, work, play. But let's get beyond those cliches and dig down to the root of the question.

Will the work you do ever truly be satisfactory? Or will someone always find something to criticize? Maybe the criticism is done to motivate; maybe it's done to strengthen. But the criticism proves that your work will never be fully satisfactory, doesn't it?

Will your spouse fully satisfy you? Your wife may be the love of your life, but she is still an imperfect human being, and mistakes are inevitable. Your husband may be all you ever dreamed of, but he can never be all you truly need.

Psalm 17:15
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. [NKJV]

There is an easy, almost mindless, agreement when we say that God is the source of our satisfaction. But the hard truth is that we rarely evidence that belief in our daily lives.

Today, sisters and brothers, consider who God is. Consider His infinite love and kindness and holiness. Ask yourself if there is anything or anyone that can possibly match Him.

And then be reminded ...
The Lord has given Himself and all that He is to us. And there is no greater source of satisfaction than to be found in His likeness.

Be encouraged, Jose

The setup

Friends,

When I was a boy, my mother used to remind me that the best way to keep something from falling was to place it on the ground. It is the same principle that protects toddlers from injury when they stumble and fall. They simply don't have that far to go.

We know that the opposite is true, as well. Old adages like, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," come to mind. And of course, all of this wisdom has its source in the Words of the One True Wise God ...

Proverbs 16:18 [NKJV]
Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Pride is what puffs us up, seeking to make us bigger than we are. Humility keeps us grounded in the truth.

When the truth reveals the emptiness of pride, the aftermath can be devastating. For evidence, look no further than humiliation suffered by the wives and children of adulterous celebrities. On the other hand, humility has nothing to fear from the truth.

Pride takes many subtle and not-so-subtle forms. It is certainly bravado and arrogance. And it is demanding and stubborn. But pride also keeps score. Pride is envious.

The true believer has no time for pride. Seek the LORD and beseech Him to reveal every instance of pride in your life. A life of humility is a life of peace and contentment. Seek it, by seeking Christ.

Be encouraged, Jose

The righteous pursuit

Friends,

In the course of daily life, each one of us has to fight the urge to spend our time and energy on the things of this world. In that battle, we would do well to remember what happens to all worldly items ...
Prestige fades away.
Possessions rot and rust.
Power is a fallacy.

And even more, Almighty God sets His hand against those who pursue these things:

Arise, O LORD,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
With Your hand from men, O LORD,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.
Psalm 17:13-14 [NKJV]

The Spirit of God inspired David to write these words in a prayer, knowing that the LORD will rise up against every man who make their portion in this life, at the expense of eternal life. God sees that as idolatry, worshiping the created things instead of the Creator.

Only the LORD is truly worthy of worship and praise. And only His presence is worth the energy of pursuit. Seek Him, brothers and sisters, and He will show Himself mighty to you.

Be encouraged, Jose

Never out of His reach

Friends,

Did you know that the LORD is patient beyond our imagination?

Hosea 3:5
Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days. [NKJV]

In the days of the prophet Hosea, the LORD promised the children of Israel that, after they had lived in their sin for generations, they would return to Him. It was not that they had committed to return, but rather it is that the LORD will make absolutely sure to bring His people back to Himself.

Things have not changed.
The people of God still live in only partial obedience to the LORD.
And the LORD is still completely and totally committed to ensuring that His people will be brought back to Him.

Be encouraged, Jose

Where are you sowing?

Friends,

With each day, each hour and each and every breath, we are sowing. Seed is being distributed whether we realize it or not. But what does that ground look like? Is the ground fertile and ready to bear fruit for the Kingdom? Or is it ground that will bring forth thorns and thistles? God is telling you and me to stop taking this question lightly:

3 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
"Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns."
Jeremiah 4:3 [NKJV]

But the typical believer might ask ...

How am I sowing seed to thorns?
I tithe!

Don't you realize, dear brothers and sisters, that we are sowing seed to thorny ground when we devote excess time and energy to things of the flesh. We are sowing seed to thorny ground when we fret and worry over our jobs and finances. We are sowing seed to thorny ground when we pray fervently for self-centered gain.

Stop that.

Our Father in Heaven knows full well that we need food, shelter and clothing. He will provide all of these things according to His bounty and wisdom. We need not worry over them nor should we devote excessive time and energy to acquiring them.

Instead, devote time and energy and focus and attention to learning the character of Christ, that we might be transformed into His image. In that way, we will finally begin to truly seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Be encouraged, Jose

The goal of faith

Friends,

What is the goal of your faith?

Is it to live a better, more moral life?
Is it ease your conscience?
Is it part of your search for peace and tranquility?
Is it your antidote to despair and hopelessness?

In and of themselves, these are wonderful outcomes of genuine and authentic faith in Christ Jesus. But they are not the ultimate aim of His quickening.

receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:9 [NKJV]

Salvation.

This is the high-note of the Gospel. It is the only goal worth pursuing. With salvation, everything has meaning; every day has hope; every word can edify and transform. With salvation, we have confidence in eternal life. Without salvation, though, everything is dead, worthless and subject to the inevitability of time and death.

On this day, pray that the Lord make this your compelling vision. Pursue the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. For these are the greatest gifts.

Be encouraged, Jose

More than mere gifts

Friends,

It occurred to me the other day that I have been diligently praying for God's gifts. That doesn't sound like a bad thing to pray for, does it? We know that every good gift comes from our Lord, and He certainly desires to bless His people.

Nevertheless, I came to conviction after reading a passage from Matthew Henry's commentary regarding inheritance. He referred to this verse from Paul's letter to the church at Rome:

and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8:17 [NKJV]

Almighty God gives provision and gifts to all creation. He makes the rain to fall on the believers and the unbelievers. Generally speaking, Christians and heathen enjoy health, wealth and prosperity to largely the same degree across the world. Of course, there are exceptions, but to focus on God's gifts misses a larger and more important issue.

The Father reserves His inheritance for His children. When we die, my wife and I will leave our modest estate to our children and grandchildren, not to our friends, our co-workers or the next-door neighbor. In the same way, the great blessing of His Kingdom is left not to the world to inherit, but to the family of God. And that is my new prayer.

Heavenly Father, cause Your people to desire the inheritance which You have ordained for us. Grant to us the vision of Your Kingdom, that it will advance across this world and be established according to Your perfect will.
Amen and amen.

Be encouraged, Jose

Chasing God

Friends,

During one of the many eras that God's people had gone astray, the prophet Hosea brought forth the word of the LORD. God describes how His people will look for the what their false gods had offered them, and what the result of their search will be ...

Hosea 2:7
She will chase her lovers,
But not overtake them;
Yes, she will seek them, but not find them.
Then she will say,

'I will go and return to my first husband,
For then it was better for me than now.' -- [NKJV]

The people of God had mistakenly attributed their abundance to the idols of their own making. In our day, we do the same thing. We believe that our provision is the result of our own hard work, our own ingenuity, and our own diligence. Because we believe that our efforts are the source of our abundance, we work harder and harder and harder to attain and maintain what we have. We chase after worldly success, but we will not find it. So we chase harder. And and we have to show for it is exhaustion.

Sisters and brothers, it is the LORD, and Him alone, that is the source and reason for every blessing we have. It is not enough to simply give Him credit ... though surely He deserve every ounce and breath of praise and gratitude. He calls us to pursue Him, to chase after Him. He calls us to desire Him.

By seeking the LORD and His Kingdom and His righteousness, we will gain the most wondrous and everlasting blessings.

Be encouraged, Jose

Love Defined

Friends,

We know that Christ showed you and me the ultimate love act at Calvary. Beyond His desire to restore the people of God to righteousness was a deeper, more powerful purpose.

This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
2 John 1:6 [NKJV]

Every thing Christ Jesus did ... every word, every thought, every act ... was in complete obedience to the Father's perfect will. He obeyed the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. And when He was declared to be the Lamb of God, He knew it was His Father's will that He go all the way to the Cross.

Nothing has changed, brothers and sisters. You and I are commanded to obey the Father's will, just as Jesus did. (And as we are transformed into His image, we will do so with greater consistency.) It is how we demonstrate love. It is how we turn love into a verb. And it is how we ultimately bring glory to the Lord of lords!

Be encouraged, Jose

The one thing lacking

Friends,

Christ Jesus responded to a young man who asked Him what he needed to inherit eternal life. And after a few questions and answers, here is our Lord's response:

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.
Mark 10:21 [NKJV] - emphasis added

I've taken the liberty to call your attention to two distinct phrases in this verse. The first is that Jesus loved this young man. This means that Christ knew him, even better than he knew himself. Jesus knew him so well that He knew exactly what the young man needed; He knew precisely what the man lacked.

Though this man had conducted himself according to the highest standards of religious law, the Lord could see that his heart was attached to things of this world. Could he let them go? Could he set these perishable things aside for that which is eternal?

The important question today is ... can you?

Jesus calls some to poverty for His sake, and others to a less difficult circumstance. Yet all of us are called to let nothing hold us back from following Him. Whatever is keeping you from fully devoting your life - heart, mind, soul, spirit, body - to Jesus, set it aside today. Truly, you lose nothing and gain everything.

Be encouraged, Jose

Power's Purpose

Friends,

When a brother or sisters receives a fresh anointing from the Lord, it is an awe-inspiring event. Indeed, the person often gains prestige and notoriety in the church; the Body recognizes that there is something truly special about that individual. Unfortunately, in our celebrity-driven culture, this recognition quickly goes too far. In an instant, it degrades into treating that man or woman as an idol; all while rationalizing it with a veil of Christianity.

American Christianity has forgotten the real reason for the anointed power of the Holy Spirit:

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8 [NKJV]

The Lord sends His Spirit upon us for one reason, and one reason only: to empower us to be His witnesses. First to the Body of Believers (Jerusalem), and then to the world (Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth). Instead, we have fallen -- far too easily -- into the enemy's trap of using the power of the Spirit to bear witness to ourselves. We exalt our own talents and charisma. We revel in the crowd's adulation. We embrace the power, prestige, and possessions that flow our way. And then we're shocked -- shocked!! -- when we find ourselves the object of the Father's righteous indignation and severe chastisement.

Brothers and sisters, is your life a witness to Christ? Do celebrities (even Christian celebrities -- like preachers or singers) receive special attention in your heart? Are your conversations reflecting an interest in what God has done in your life? Turn away from what the world is chasing. Focus your heart, your mind, your ambitions and your dreams on what the Lord is chasing. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Are you ready for it?

Be encouraged, Jose

Something to guard

Friends,

During the Israelites' trek through the wilderness, The LORD commanded the them to organize and be numbered into an army. Each tribe was given a specific territory to guard and protect. For all but one tribe, the commission was to protect that land from external enemies. The Levites, however, were given a special duty:

The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, everyone by his own camp, everyone by his own standard, according to their armies; but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.
-- Numbers 1:52-53 [NKJV]

The Levites were given no land - no physical territory - to live on, to claim or to protect. Rather, they were given charge over the Tabernacle of God. The Holy Place needed to be protected.

But protected from whom?

Since the Tabernacle is located at the center of the camp, the only potential attackers would come from within. And this presents us with a peculiar perspective.

You see, the Lord knows that His church is most vulnerable to those from inside His camp. We, His people, are warned again and again to watch out for false teachers. And it's highly unlikely that any mature believer would be swayed by the teachings of someone who does not profess to be a Christian.

This means, brothers and sisters, that we must carefully guard our heart from any false teaching, even if that teacher is a world-famous preacher, best-selling author or the pastor of some hyper-super-mega-church. We must know the word and submit all we learn to the Lord, regardless of the credentials or reputation of the speaker. By His Word and Spirit, He dispels all confusion.

Be encouraged, Jose

Turn away from the idols

Friends,

Ezekiel 14:6 [NKJV]
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.' "

The news of the past seven days has been filled ... overwhelmed is probably a better word ... with talk of the death of several celebrities. The question I pose today to believers is this ...

Why do you care?

The death of a famous singer, actress, or other celebrity is, in reality, no more or less important or tragic than the death of your neighbor. No matter what a person accomplishes in this world, unless they have repented and accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, then the only real tragedy is that yet another soul is lost to the enemy. Beyond that, our attention to the death of someone with whom we have no relationship is a blatant form of idolatry.

Today, ask yourself this: Do you interrupt your relationship with Christ Jesus because of the actions of a famous person? Do the events surrounding the unsaved celebrities of our world distract you from prayer and fellowship with the Lord?

It's far too easy to be bewitched by the glitz and the glamour that surrounds entertainers. But such things do not compare to the glory revealed in Christ. Search for that true, enduring glory today and for always.

Be encouraged, Jose

The Shining Path

Friends,

With every step, we have to choose a path. One path appears to be logical and appropriate. It conforms to conventional wisdom and to the traditions of our fathers. But although it appears to be well-lit, its light is an illusion. The path that is lit by the wisdom of man is made to appear bright by our enemy. He does this to distract us. However, when we turn away (that is ... when we repent) from that deadly path, and instead shift our gaze to the path of the just, we finally see just how dark that way is.

Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
   That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. ... NKJV

You see, in order to understand how dark the world path is, we need to see the bright shining path of righteousness. The natural man's path will grow suddenly dim, just as the light of a flashlight is imperceptible when compared to a halogen aircraft landing light.

The path of the just, brothers and sisters, is the one we must follow. But in order to see it, we must take action. We must seek it. Christ promises that it will be found, that it will be hard, and yet that it will bring us into the presence of the Most Holy God.

Be encouraged, Jose