Judge

 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

 Luke 6:37

 “White lies aren’t meant to hurt anyone, but a lie is still a lie. It’s not really stealing when the company logo is on it; it’s advertising. Everyone day dreams about being rich and having ‘that car, that house, even that mate’.” We might not actually say these things, but we think them when the fingers are pointed at us, but what about when we are the ones pointing the fingers and the words coming back to us are a paraphrased edition of Matthew 7 accompanied with a wagging head and waving finger, “Judge not, lest you be judged.”  Are we supposed to leave our canon of Biblical truth at the door when it suits us, but pick it up when we have suffered a wrong from another? What exactly was Jesus saying when He was teaching on judging? Was the Master Teacher asking us to leave our sense of right and wrong at the door? What exactly did He mean when he told us:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matt. 7:1-2

To understand the concept of judgment we have to understand our position in the grand scheme of things as we are now. We were meant to judge things. God gave us dominion over things, even living things, but to be a judge implies a final resolution on a matter. For example, if we are to judge a contest, we pick a winner, and as a result we place others in the position of ‘not best’ which makes them the loser of the competition. We choose the best runner, the best pie baker, the best hoop maker, or whatever the contest is, by what the product is. If it’s a race the product is who finishes first. If it’s a contest in which someone’s strength is in question, it could be whose shoulder touches the mat first. Although, we could be wrong and have missed a first touch. We can, and do misjudge. We come to final conclusions based on our own preferences or perceptions. Who are we to judge?

We are the image bearers. We were meant to judge, some things, but not the hearts of other people. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

 In a world of everybody wins, nobody actually wins, we all lose because there is really no competition, thus no judgment. Therefore, a judge could be a good thing if you win, or a bad thing if you lose, or you could take the pragmatic approach and enjoy doing your best and scoring better than you did before.  Do you remember how you did on your 4th grade spelling test in your fifth week of school? Probably not, but chances are you can spell all those words now. Why? Because of change, you’re not a 4^th grader anymore. You’ve grown up. How would you like for everyone to judge you by who you were then? Or treat you like they did then? Would that be fair? No matter how you did on that spelling test, win or lose, it didn’t define you. You are not the sum of the all the judgments or assessments made about you by the people around you. Isn’t that wonderful!

When God sees you, He sees you. He judges you based on His scale. His scale comes down to one thing, and I’m sorry, it’s not the sinner’s prayer. It’s what the Master said, ”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your mind.” Matt. 22:37 Do you love Him?

There might be a reason that we have trouble not judging another person. There is an expression in Christian circles. “Hate the sin, not the sinner.” There is a problem with that expression. It excuses confronting the sin by wanting to befriend the sinner. Jesus didn’t look out in the crowd and see sinners. He saw lost people in need of direction. He saw weary travellers in need of rest. He saw sick and injured in need of healing. He saw the embattled in need of peace. Jesus saw the need, and met it. He judged them to need saving, whether they saw it or not. He saw men. Jesus hated sin, because it separated man from God. So yes, hate the sin, but not the man, pull him from the sin. When we refer to people as sinners we’ve judged them as being separated from God. 

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother,’Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and the you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matt. 7:3-5

Sometimes we tend to think someone’s sin is so much bigger than our own, but what we need to realize is that all sin separates us from God. God is pure, 100% without flaw, and no matter how flawed we are, we’re all flawed, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. It’s when we think we can sit in judgment of someone else without first hearing the matter that we have the plank swinging around and hitting everyone in the head, and we don’t even realize it because we can’t see it. We’re too focused on the speck that no one else seems to notice. Talk about a mole hill raised to a mountain! Look at all the lumps on the heads of the people around we’ve used to build it up.

It’s hard to remove a plank! It requires brain surgery once a person gets a plank impaled in their noggin. In other words, it requires a change in perceptive thinking, and that takes God. So how can we do this? The Master had the answer for that too. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39 We have no problem loving ourselves. Even the most self-loathing person is just having a lover’s spat. It takes a lot of sacrifice to love someone as much as we love ourselves. If we could love people in that manner what incredible people we would be. We would truly be servants without looking for anything in return. We would not take any account of wrongs suffered, nor would we demand respect. We would simply take care of the person next to us because they were there.

If you’re reading this in a setting where you can accept this challenge, I challenge you to turn to your neighbor, probably someone you don’t know, and meet a need you see they have. It might only take a second, but do it anyway. Maybe they’re having coffee, hand them a napkin, or help them carry something to their table. If you’re by a door, stand and hold it open for a few people. Some will say thank you, be sure to answer with a smile and say, “you’re welcome.”  If you see a mother struggling with her children, offer a smile and a kind word of encouragement, ‘you’re doing an awesome job, it’s not easy, but you hang in there,’ can mean the world to her. That usually quiets kids down. Offer praise to your co-workers, and your boss too. Tell people around you that you like your job, even when you’ve had a hard day. You’d be surprised how it changes the work environment. And SMILE! It makes you look like you like people.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matt.7:6                           

Does this mean we aren’t to judge sin? No, we are to judge sin, in our lives and in the lives of others. We need to keep sacred what is sacred, and what is dirt needs to stay away from that which is meant to be clean. It’s how we call it out that can make the difference. We don’t plant our roses out in a patch of weeds, and we don’t send our children, in the midst of a hurricane to fend for themselves in hopes it will make them stronger. As Christians, we shouldn’t be engaging in sin, or excusing it. To say something is a sin is to speak the truth, but follow it up with the solution, not the condemnation. It is hard to balance the “in the world, but not of the world” existence we’re living. We live a life of submariners, and it can be a dauntless reality of trying to continue in a world where if we step out of bounds we will die. Yet, we have to remember our mission on this planet is not to point fingers, but to clasp hands, even when those hands are dirty.

We also have to remember that there are people who will reject us, who will seek to hurt us, and who will refuse to accept us. Don’t take it personal. We’re in good company. “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.” Luke 6:22-23

We have to see ourselves as here to be different, not because of some church directive, or set of rules laid down, but because we’ve been made sacred by the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross and sealed by the Holy Spirit inside of us. We’re submariners now, not sea creatures who when pulled out of the water will die. We are blessed to be able to live under the water due to the confinement provided by the Master teacher, and will be able to live above the surface when the mission is over, and we return to shore. Until then, we judge only those things God has given us authority over. We stick to the mission at hand, not on finger pointing out each other’s wrongs, but on pointing to the way to the surface.

“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” Rom.14:12-13

 

The Trust Factor-The Master Teacher- Matthew 6:22-34

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Who do we trust in this chaotic world we live in? We are inundated with ‘trust me’ in a world where we are taught to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate everything that comes into our life as we take it all in whole-heartedly and are told to accept it all without ‘judgement’. It’s a very confusing process. Most of the time our trust is misplaced, and we are wounded, pulling down all the threads of our beliefs until we become cynical, hard, and self preserving. We will jokingly tell our friends, and warn our children, “You can’t trust anyone.” Yet, how many times do we let them down and break those trusts?

Who we place our trust in is the biggest issue we all face. When I was a new Christian and newly married, I found myself waiting every day for my husband to come home. I had lost many of my old friends because they were living a very different life from me. I was lonely, with the exception of my husband. It was unfair to put such pressure on him. There were women who took me under their wing at our church and began to disciple me. They opened my eyes to things I was doing that were wrong, and it was a painful process of maturing. I went to many Bible studies, and learned a lot, but as for friendship, I didn’t feel I had any real friends at the time. I remember crying, and my husband said to me, “You’re putting your faith in man, and man will let you down every time. Put your faith in God and let Him lift your head.” I thought my husband was the smartest man who ever lived, but I found out that many of the people in our group of “friends” had that saying. When I turned my thought process around, those women became my friends, and not just my friends but my family. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29

As our Master Teacher looks out into the crowd on the mount, both then and now, I think he sees a lot of lonely people who just have misplaced trust-issues. They feel alone, when He’s got them right there, if they would just open their eyes to what’s around them. And so, Jesus taught:

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23

The eye is amazing! If anyone ever doubts in a Creator, point them to the eye and ask them how that randomly happens. It’s not a simple process. https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/resources-for-teachers/how-your-eyes-work It’s light acting upon a thin tissue which sends impulses to our brains so that we can tell an elephant from a gnat while judging distance. We swat the gnat, not the elephant because of light.  But if our eye can’t perceive the light due to injury, or if we just keep it closed, we could be swatting at elephants, or lions, or other bigger beasts. If we can see, why don’t we see? Why do we “turn a blind eye” to things around us that so desperately need our attention? We do it because it’s hard to be light in an ever-darkening world. We have excuses, but do we really have any good reasons? ”Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12  We place our trust in the things we see, rather than in our faith. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

It is strange how much time we spend gathering ‘things’. With the recent hurricanes and the earthquakes that have been occurring, and yet, these do happen everywhere, you think we would learn not to put much of our energies into material possessions. They can become projectiles in the winds of the storm or buried under mounds of debris. When the storm was over in Puerto Rico and the news came out, “We lost everything, but we’re alive!” I praised God and considered it a miracle.

 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24

This verse maybe one of the most quoted verses in wealthy congregations when it’s time to support a fund-raising initiative. It is meant to get us to realize that we can’t buy a god for ourselves, at times I don’t think we get the message. Less than 2 percent of church-going Christians actually give e a tenth of their income as tithe to their local church. This is a hotly debated topic today. Yet, have we considered that the money we ‘tithe’ isn’t ours to begin with? If we are Christians then we should believe that all things we have are provided to us from our Master, so He would want us to use all that comes into our hands as we would His possessions. He’ll provide for us. It is our job to use His resources for His purposes, and not our own. If we would trust in Him we would see this come to life in our lives.

 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Matthew 6:25-27

Worrying is one of the world’s favorite pastimes. It’s not just musing what will happen next with anxiety. It’s preoccupation with anything we feel needs our attention. Let’s look at the synonyms for worry. They are concern, anxiety, apprehension, care, and the worst one, fear. Our cell phones cause a lot of worry for us. Think about the feeling we get if we forget our phone somewhere. It’s as though we lost our identity. Imagine a friend nonchalantly says she is convinced that cell phones are the mark of beast while she was texting someone. Then her phone dies. How would she react? She would immediately pull out a charger and look for a way to plug it in, or she would have a charge stick in her purse. Why? Because she would worry she would miss something even more than the anxiety she complains about being constantly in contact with so many people. If such a small hand-held device can cause so much anxiety, what are the bigger pressures of life doing to us? Birds don’t carry cell phones, and they communicate so well they fly in amazing formations and can all change directions in a millisecond and not fall out of the sky.

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:28-30

Did you know the average American family spends around 2000 dollars a year on clothing? That’s a lot of money. Did you also know that the average income for the people of India is around 1500 a year, and in Ethiopia it’s around 600 a year, and in Burundi it’s about 250 a year? So why are we so obsessed with our closet that we have a television channel in which people look for houses with walk in closets and the realtor tells them to turn a bedroom into a closet? Because we feel we must impress people. We lose our identity again. We forget it’s not the clothes on our back that make us important, it’s that we are His image-bearers. Paul said it well when it comes to the struggle we face when we are called to live for Christ. “For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bond servant of Christ.” Gal. 1:10  What other people think is important to me, but not in the way some think it is. I do care what a person thinks because I ultimately want to persuade them that Jesus is the answer. The answer to what? To whatever they’re facing.

“Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:31-34

The Lord knows all that we need for our physical needs. He will provide what we have need of. When I was little there were foods I didn’t like, but my parents taught me to eat it anyway. In doing so I learned not to be such a picky eater. There were foods that made me sick, and my parents made sure not to give me those foods and reminded me not to eat them. That is how God is with His children. He will give us what we have need of, even when we don’t like it, but He will never give us what we should not have that will injure us, even when we want it. We must trust that our Heavenly Father knows best. It’s not easy with so much coming at us which is why we must be seeking Him first. We should be looking up at Him, the way a child looks up to seek permission from a parent, for that nod of approval. If we don’t get it we should hold fast to His hand knowing He will take perfect care of us. Let’s just live in the moment, resting in Him, knowing He’s got this. What is the ‘this’ He’s got? All of this.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

WHAT IS YOUR TREASURE? Master Teacher. Matthew 6:19-21

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 2 Cor. 4:7

What do you spend most of your free time doing? What is it your life is all about? If someone else was to explain the type of person you are, what would they say about what was important to you? Would it be your career, the money you make, the fame you’re acquiring, the company you keep, your reputation with the opposite sex, or your intellect? If you dropped dead in this moment, would your life have been a success in attaining the goals you’ve set? Wouldn’t it depend on what those goals are and what is important to you? Why are you here?

Most of us ponder that question in our teens and twenties. It’s one of those big philosophical questions that we use to define our place in our world. It’s strange that we identify ourselves based on things that are so temporary. No one ever leaves this life wishing for more time at work, or lamenting that they weren’t the subject of conversation at some dinner table, or the envy of their friends for what they wore or the car they drove. Most of life’s regrets are about relationships with others, missed opportunities to do things for the people we love, words left unsaid, and promises unkept. Jesus knew the pain we suffer through when we are separated from those we love, and how easily we are distracted by worldly things. The Master Teacher addressed the issue on the mount as He looked out on those gathered around freed of the trinkets they’d left at home. They had come to hear the Teacher, without all their stuff. He taught saying:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

What we invest our time and efforts in says a lot about the kind of people we are before our God. Our desires demonstrate our motives. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but Lord weighs the motives. Proverbs 16:2 And what motivates us reveals our hearts. Everything we do stems from the heart. A man can say that he works to provide for his family, but if he spends all his money on distractions so that his wife and children are preoccupied with other things, his success as a provider has robbed him of his family. A good determination of how important something is to us is how much time we put into it. A man who spends all his time at the office is missing out. Our jobs or careers are not our lives, the career is what we do to have a life. If you are blessed enough to really love what you do, and it’s not about the money, then chances are you are also the type of person who can leave the job easily to spend time with the people you love.

We could go into depth on how empty setting our sights on the things of the world leave us, but God says it better.  They trust in their wealth and boast about how rich they are yet not one of them, though rich as kings, can ransom his own brother from the penalty of sin! For God’s forgiveness does not come that way. For a soul is far too precious to be ransomed by mere earthly wealth. There is not enough of it in all the earth to buy eternal life for just one soul, to keep it out of hell. Rich man! Proud man! Wise man! You must die like all the rest! You have no greater lease on life than foolish, stupid men. You must leave your wealth to others.” Ps.49:6-10 Living Translation  If you were to try to remember just one great prize you won in your life, chances are you don’t still have it. If you do it’s probably in decay or depreciating. What seems like one man’s treasure is passed over at the estate sell as being trash.

Our world has left us with a messed-up sense of what our purpose on this planet is all about. We lost our focus. The Westminster Catechism’s very first question and answer really gives the reason we are all occupying space on this planet. It reads, “What is the chief end (purpose) of man?  Man’s chief end (purpose) is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”

 Our treasure is not what material things we gain here on earth, but in the Kingdom of God. His Word is our greatest treasure while we’re here because it is the revelation of God. “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” Ps.119:162 It reveals the nature of God to us, His children. The Bible exists for our instruction and edification so that we can grow in our relationship with Him. What is so intrinsic about the Bible is that it is a love story of a God not being pursued by His worshippers, but of God pursuing his beloved. We are His treasure, and Jesus proved that on the cross at Calvary. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness. Jer. 31:3.

 Since we are that for Him, isn’t it right that He be that for us? Once we have chosen Jesus everything else assumes it’s true value. “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:6-9

  So what good are these temporary things that will pass away? What purpose is there in spending time, effort, and resources on stuff. Stuff is fluff. But people, now there is something worth investing in. At least that’s the way Jesus saw it. “O righteous Father, The world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.” John17: 25-26 We should be Kingdom seekers, not just first but always. Let us pray we can maintain not just a godly perspective, but a Seeking first the Kingdom of God perspective. Only then can we truly keep our eyes fixed on Him.

“Listen, my beloved brethren, did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” James 2:5

Fasting: Doing the Hard Stuff-Master Teacher- Matthew 6:16-18

 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

 Luke 14:27

What would you give for those you love? Would you give up your lifestyle and become a different type of person? Would you quit your job if it meant growing more in love with your spouse or family, even if it meant living in poverty? If you didn’t know where your next meal came from, or if you had to go without it for someone who had not eaten in days to have a meal, would you do it? The most important question of all is what does it mean to you to be a Christian? Are you a convenient Christian, and as long as it doesn’t cost you too much it’s all good, but if it ruffles your feathers you find yourself like Peter saying, “I don’t know the Man!”

Many of us don’t consider what we would give to love someone. We don’t really think of love as being costly, but as being a good feeling. Love is not an emotion. It does prompt emotions, some of them are very pleasurable. Sometimes love can hurt. Love always requires action. Love always requires sacrifice. It’s the attitude we take toward the act of sacrifice that determines the manner of love we are expressing. Of all the expressions of love, the denying of what we need so that we can give more of what we are is the hardest. Fasting is such a sacrifice, and so it is an ultimate expression of love. This is the reason the Master touched on it at the Sermon on the Mount, and why He gave it as an example before beginning His ministry.

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:16-18

We can see that the expectation is laid out that fasting is a part of the follower’s lifestyle. In the modern church, it seems to be a lost part of our observance of worship to be fasting, but at the time of Christ it was a part of religious rites observed as part of their custom. The most notable was the Day of Atonement as prescribed by the Law of Moses. It was safe to say that all those Jesus spoke to on the mount that day were familiar with fasting, but in today’s society not many truly know what it is to give up our food or something else we ingest and thrive on willingly.  For a person reading the Bible today it’s easy to skip right over these verses and lose the power of the message behind them because we don’t fast like they did back then. Maybe if we did, we’d get it.

Fasting is a means of giving up the physical to strengthen the spiritual. It’s the laying aside of those things that encumber us in the flesh in so we can truly seek our Creator and be in communion with Him, for whatever purpose we have need of Him. A fast usually is for one of three purposes, repentance as in the case of David’s fast, guidance as the early Church did before sending out Paul and Barnabus, and finally as a means of remembrance as commanded in Leviticus 16:29 for the Day of Atonement. So, why don’t we practice fasting as often as our ancestors in the faith did?

Part of the reason is that we don’t see the benefit in it. If fasting was of some health benefit to us, like it was part of our workout routine, we would probably be all about it. We don’t view fasting, as a means, to advancement. We feel we can achieve the spiritual just as easily with a full stomach and all our physical needs met. If we’re physically comfortable then we’re surely going to be able to connect with God, right? Well, let’s look at that from a Biblical stand point as well as reason it out.

Fasting is about denying the flesh so we can pursue the spiritual. It stands to reason that to ignore one is to give more attention to the other.

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. Matthew 16:24

 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. Galatians 5:16-17

And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:28

For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Galatians 6:8

It makes perfect sense that fasting would be something Christ would advocate since He did it prior to beginning His ministry. Hollywood would have us believe that He went into the desert, stumbled about, and came close to death during his 40 days of fasting. If you have ever fasted you know the power of denying your flesh. Yes, it is hard, for about the first few days of the fast, but then it’s not so hard. It can even get to a point where we don’t think much of food at all. If we place ourselves in place where food is unattainable it could even be a little easier because there would be no one around to tempt us into eating it. I’m not saying it was easier for Jesus than anyone else. He knew hunger. He also had a mission which meant more to Him than his flesh’s temporary desires. Satan threw his attempts at tempting the Lord Jesus, but they were fruitless because of who he was dealing with. Jesus demonstrated His deity in his rebuke of Satan:
 When tempted with the lust of the flesh: “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Matt 4:4

When the Lord was tempted with the lust of the eyes:  Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Matt.4:7

And once again when Jesus was tempted with the pride of life: Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only you shall serve.'" Matthew 4:10

Since Jesus did fast, then it’s clear He wasn’t against fasting. He often went alone while others were eating to be with His Father and pray. We don’t read in the scriptures where Jesus was asking, “What’s for dinner?” But we do read where He was preparing the meal for the disciples after his resurrection on the shore. We know He ate the Passover meal with them. We know He had dinner with Simon the Pharisee, and with numerous others listed in the Bible. We know that He ate at Martha’s house, but not a meal Mary prepared for Him, no, but she did perfume his head. We know that Jesus spent a lot of time with people, and so it makes sense that if He was fasting he wouldn’t want anyone to be skipping out on the feast around Him. He knew where the food was in His spirit, and that’s what He passed on to us.

But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”

Therefore, the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”

 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. John 4:32-34

Fasting is not just about skipping meals, or media fasting. It’s about drawing close to God. It’s about praying, seeking God out, going on a journey with Him through your spirit by denying the flesh. It’s not about giving something up as much as it is about letting someone in. When we fast let us press in and hold fast to our God. If the reason for the fast is for repentance, let’s crawl up on His lap and lay it all out in humility, not casting blame, but taking it to Him for healing so we can walk in forgiveness and lay it down. If we are going to Him for guidance, let us sit and meditate until we hear His voice over all the noise that drowns it out, and let us be willing to stay as long as it takes. If it’s about remembrance, let us hold fast to those things God would have us exercise in our lives and not forget to live them out before the world. Let us testify to them, not just in our times of fasting, but in our times of feasting as well. Fasting is a blessing. Doing without the worldly encumbrances can be very liberating. So, wash your face, put a smile on, and know God is all you will ever need.

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

For Giving the Great Gift!- The Master Teacher- Matthew 6:12-15

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

Are you carrying a grudge? Is your pride more sacred to you than your relationship to other people? Do the words “I’m sorry,” and “I forgive you,” seem like a foreign language to your soul? Sorry seems to be the hardest word to say, but forgiving an offense can be the hardest action to take. We all have trouble at times forming the words, “I forgive you.” Pride gets in our way. “Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “But seventy times seven!” Matthew 18:21-22. Peter asked the question because he really wanted to hold the grudge. Maybe he’d just turned to Andrew and said, “I’ve had it up to here with you, Andy! That’s the eighth time today!” Andrew might have run around the back of Jesus for protection, and so Peter asked the question, hoping that as an oldest brother himself Jesus would have moved to the right so that Andrew would have been exposed and Peter could clobber him.

Yet Jesus stands his ground, like the Master Teacher He was, and tells him, (paraphrasing is mine) “innumerably more times more than your precious pride wants you to. It’s necessary for you to be wronged for the sake of the kingdom.” It was not the first time Peter had been taught about forgiveness. The Master Teacher held class on it for the masses, and he was there that day, with his brother, and many of those who had hurt and injured his pride. Many people had made that trip to the top of that hill, and probably along the way had carried the burden of a grudge up with them. When Jesus is teaching them to pray, He spends a lot of time on forgiveness, so it must be right up there with the sovereignty and power of God.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 Matthew 6:12-15

I’m going to ask that you give me a little lee-way here, brothers and sisters, and allow me to paraphrase the Lord’s prayer in this passage because sometimes we hear it so often that we don’t really hear the words that coming out of our mouths unless we stop and reword them. Jesus says, “Forgive us the way we forgive those that have wronged us, and don’t allow us stray into the ways that got us there to begin with so that we are in the wrong that leads to sin, against ourselves and others, because evil is enticing and ensnaring, so we need You to keep us from it. Ultimately, You are God, and we are not and You have the power and dominion over us, because we are members of Your Kingdom. So it is and will ever be.”

There is only one choice to be made when you’ve been wronged by someone. You either pick it up and carry it, with all the hurt and anger, or you don’t. At times, when things are rightfully causes of hurt and anger, you can’t help but carry things for a while. It’s human nature to be hurt. When someone dies, when someone leaves you, when someone injures you or someone you love, or when some other injustice occurs in your life, it is the human condition to be carrying some grievance against another person, but a grievance and a grudge are two different things. A grievance is a result of an unfair act or injustice requiring an act of arbitration or retribution so that it’s made right. A grudge is a feeling of resentment and bitterness that can lead to hatred, envy, jealousy and even murderous thoughts. We are warned about bearing grudges because they are so heavy. “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” Lev. 19:18 & Eph.4:30-32, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you.”  God is such a good Father that He does not want us to carry a load we were not meant to carry, physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. The stress created by unforgiveness is intense, and God knows just how it interferes with the joy He intends for us. The unforgiveness is what gets in the way.

Practically, what does forgiveness look like? Well, it’s hard! That’s why Jesus had to repeat it so often. Think about all the times He told people their sins were forgiven. Isn’t that the message of the Gospel? Forgiveness? Wasn’t that what the life Jesus lived all about? Our forgiveness? So yes, it’s hard! It’s very hard to walk in forgiveness when we are being continually wronged. We are judged by people who don’t live in our skin, don’t think our thoughts, and haven’t walked in our steps, and yet we do the same to them as well. And it’s so hard! So what’s the answer?

GRACE!  The answer is grace. Grace is giving what you don’t have to give, yet it seems to abundantly come from God because it’s so sweet and so good it couldn’t come from anywhere else. Grace is giving what is undeserved to those who don’t deserve it, unexpectedly. In our world today there seems to be a misunderstanding of grace. People either swing from one end of the pendulum to the other. They either believe it is earned, like a grade, and only those who meet certain qualifiers will receive it, or everyone gets it and its blanket grace and covers everyone, everywhere, simultaneously, regardless of whether or not they want it. The people in the first category comfort themselves by viewing grace as being something that their good works will merit them. I like to call them competitive gracer. They want to be in first place when it comes to receiving grace, but giving it? They don’t like giving away the prize to just anyone; it should be awarded to those who are truly deemed worthy by working out. The second camp of grace believes in a form of universal grace, where everyone wins regardless of their eternal perspective. Grace is a blanket that falls from heaven and covers or ‘smothers’ everyone.  This form of grace comforts believers in this concept because then everyone goes to ‘a better place’ when they die. They believe there is no need for adherence to God’s laws because of this free-flowing river of grace. The issue with both points of view is that grace is a gift, and like all gifts it’s not reliant upon the receiver, but upon the giver. Imagine if you were to go to your bed tonight and there was a gift there for you. It was something you always wanted and needed, as if the giver had been in your mind all along and knew you so well, better still it was unique to you, and no one else had anything like it. That’s what grace is like. Grace is not being super strong; it’s being weak and finding the strength within the weakness to know it's okay to be weak. It’s not for everyone, because it is a choice for the Giver. “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Cor.12:9

God is graceful, as we know, but how do we become so graceful that we can forgive those who do wrong to us? The world would tell you to assess your feelings and decide how to best express them in some conflict resolution model in which you and the other party could arrive at a resolution which may leave you both feeling that you had lost something by compromising. Sometimes you’d give a lot, and at other times you’d give a little. It’s never a fifty-fifty split. With forgiving it always puts the forgiver in the driver’s seat giving them full power and the receiver in the position of getting a gift of great value. If you’ve ever been a victim of someone, and you forgive them, you’ve taken the power back from them. They can no longer victimize you. In that sense, forgiveness is of great value for the one who forgives. If you’ve ever been the one who has wronged someone and been forgiven, you do know the value of a restored relationship and the liberty that comes when the guilt is released from your consciousness. Forgiveness is a win-win for everyone because it’s God’s grace distributed through His children.

One last issue in forgiveness is the emotional investment that it requires. The truth is there are times when it’s easy to forgive an offense, and there are times when it is extremely difficult to forgive someone. I have been truly touched and brought to tears by the family members of murder victims, or other victims of brutal crimes who forgive the perpetrators in open court.  I believe they do it for themselves, because if they don’t these people will continue to hold power over them for the rest of their lives. The more difficult it is to forgive someone due to our emotions the more we need to bring it to God for healing. It’s usually our wounds that need the healing from the injury inflicted, but forgiving them will heal that too. God created us with emotions, and sometimes we do get angry. It is what we do with our anger that can get us into trouble. “Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still.” Psalm 4:4 We must check our emotions in the forgiving process and vent them to the One who can hold them for us, not as the world tells us to do and vent them at every opportunity. “A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.” Prov. 29:11 So if we don’t entertain our feelings of being wronged then it is easier to forgive.

If God, who we have wronged repeatedly, who we have denied and refused in our rebellion and sin, could forgive us our sins in such a manner as to make atonement for us through Jesus, who are we to hold anything against each other?  I pray this blog has caused you to think of those you have been carrying a grudge against. I pray you now recognize how heavy a load you’ve been carrying, and you are ready to lay it down. If so, you may have to make a call or send a simple text that either says those hard things, “I’m sorry,” or “I forgive you.” If you do it, and you don’t hear back you did your part and the Father knows it. You have done well. God will work on it from there.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.” Ps. 32:1

Want versus Need- Master Teacher- Matthew 6:11

 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
 John 6:35

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re not a needy person. You probably have a lot more than most people in the world, and you don’t really think about it that much. You may own more than one pair of shoes, have a closet full of clothing, in your home that is not made from substandard materials, and you may even be enjoying a delightful beverage that you paid an amount that someone in a third world nation would consider a day’s wage. You might not be as blessed as many in the society around you, but you know in your heart that God has provided abundantly for you, and you’re grateful for it…sometimes. Yet, most of the time you don’t really stop and think about it because of the business of life. There may even be some among us that are dissatisfied with what they have, and maybe they want more and don’t understand why they can’t have it. Why hasn’t God favored them in abundance?

Maybe you’re looking at it all wrong. Remember: “No temptation has over taken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor.10:13  To paraphrase that verse, God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, even when it comes to wealth and material possessions. We can squander what He does give us, or we can invest it for Him in the eternal Kingdom. This is what we see as the Master Teacher continues His lesson on prayer on the Sermon on the Mount. One simple sentence is loaded with such wisdom. This week we’ll look at this simple statement and see how it is like a thermometer that takes the temperature of our spiritual well-being with God.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matt.6:11

Our dependence on God is our blessed position with Him. Like a child in the arms of a protective parent, our needs are met when we look to Him for the provision. God is a good Father. He does provide for His children. He provides for what they need, when they need it, and how they need it.

 It is difficult to understand how that works when we live in a world where children do go to bed hungry while others enjoy feasts. We do suffer even though we are His beloved. We are not impervious to the consequences of the sinful world. Remember that the prophets were not immune to the suffering of the people they were called to prophesy to. Daniel went into the lion’s den. Isaiah was killed by being sawn in two, Jeremiah was dropped into a cistern by his adversaries and Ezekiel was carried into the Babylonian captivity. Those called by Jesus suffered martyrdom in the first century. The church today is suffering persecution in record numbers. And we comment that we need a cup of coffee? No, we want a cup of coffee. We need to wake up.

So, what is it that we should be asking God for when we ask for our ‘daily bread’?

As human beings we have physical needs. We must have those needs met so that we can function and complete the work God has ordained for us to do. When you’re going to run a marathon you have to carb load to fuel up for the race ahead. We have to do the same when we pray. We have to ask God to meet our physical needs, but be aware of when we’re asking with the wrong motives. What we need is what scientist would call homeostasis. That is a perfect state of equilibrium so that we can fully function without physical, cognitive, or social hindrance. If our physical and mental needs aren’t met we can get bogged down and not be about God’s business.  

Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more of value than they?” Matthew 6:25-26 We are of so much more value to God than anything else in creation. He loves us. He loves us so much that He paid the ultimate price for us, as we know. He has redeemed us with the atonement of the cross. “The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3 Because of this great love, He provides all that we need for us on a daily basis.

God loves to provide for us, and He has been doing so since the beginning. He provided the garden as a place of fellowship for Himself and Man, then when Man fell, He provided a covering for the shame Man felt. (Genesis 2-3) When the relationship was broken God gave the Law as a means for man to come into covenant. In our rebellion, we seek to break the law, even reveling in our lawlessness. Still, God pursues us, continuing to provide even when it cost Him all. “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”John3:16-17 Therefore, God is not just our provider, but the provision as well.

Yet, we remain unsatisfied, and the sin of covetousness remains at the core of our being, spurring us on to jealousy and envy, making us prideful, greedy, and materialistic. We trade away our Creator for possessions. What we were meant to have dominion over ends up having dominion over us. We wrongfully assume that having more stuff gives us more status, and more status gives us more power. In reality we have no power. We control very little outside of the space we occupy. In our arrogance, we can assume that we do hold the ability to rule over kingdoms of our own creation. We can even create gods for ourselves that will agree with the way we feel the world should be, but at the end of the day we find ourselves as unhappy as ever. Even Solomon, who had everything the world could offer, fame, fortune, and the world’s admiration, said, ”Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: ‘Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing.’” Ecc. 12:13-14 We long for what we had in Eden, face to face communion with our God. Until we have that, we will not be fulfilled. Only God can fill us.

Jesus is what we need every day, but have you considered what He needs? What is it that God needs? God obviously doesn’t need us. He doesn’t need us to fulfill any lack He has in himself. He is sufficient in Himself. So, why us? That is what is truly amazing about God. Even though God doesn’t need you, HE WANTS YOU! God has a desire for you and me to be with Him. His amazing love for us consumes Him.  

If someone loves you that much, how can you ignore that love? It requires action on your part. So what does Jesus ask in return? He asks that we love Him too, and that love becomes a passionate motivator encompassing our lives. He doesn’t want our love to be something we take for granted. So, when we ask Him for our daily portion, we are coming to Him expectantly, depending on Him to meet the day’s needs, and trusting that He has our best interest at heart. 

“Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:3-4

The Kingdom of God-Master Teacher-Matthew 6:10

For the Kingdom of GOD is not a matter of talk, but of power.” 1 Cor. 4:20

Have you had a hard day? Have you been pushed, bullied, lost your way, felt like you blended into the walls and no one cared that you were there? Hold your head up. You are a child of the King! He loves you so much He went the distance for you and paid the ultimate cost for you. He defeated your worst enemy. Someday He will take you away to His home where He sits on the throne and judges the world. If the world is taking you captive, remember you are His beloved.

All that sounds good, but how does it apply practically? Exactly what does it mean to live a victorious life just because we are Christians, and as such have an inheritance in Christ when we can’t even manage to keep our relationships here on earth peaceable, much less handle the daily stresses of life? Why aren’t we conquerors, when the word promises that we’re more than that? Sometimes we’re victims, not victors. At least that’s what it feels like when the world is laughing at us, right?

Take heart. As it says in Hebrews 4:14-16, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 

Practically speaking it really takes adjusting our entire outlook on life. I’m talking about a major paradigm shift from how we think we exist in the context of our life, our history, and our society. It’s taking our Christianity from a moral code of ethics, and putting our citizenship, our social position, and our very identity completely into submission to the sovereignty of God most High, and understanding how completely dependent on Him that makes us. It is to surrender all, without so much as a whimper of protest, as we see all that we’ve invested in being stripped away from us. All because we stand to gain what He has for us, even though we haven’t seen what’s behind door number three, but we know it’s got to be better than what was behind doors one and two. It’s trusting in the LORD, and not ourselves.

As the Master Teacher continued to expound on the approach we ought to take in prayer at the sermon on the mount, He offered three lines that speak to our relationship with the Father while acknowledging His position as King.  

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

Overall, these three lines of the Lord’s prayer often are over looked and rushed right through without given much thought. Most people would see them as a desire to have Jesus return and establish His kingdom, but why would Jesus be telling the people there on the mount to pray for what was already happening right before their eyes? He was there with them. He was directing them to pray, in such a way as to establish God’s kingdom within them. “Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold the kingdom is in the midst of you.” Luke 17:20-21 When we look at the placement of these lines in the prayer, it is clear the first part, as established in the last blog/teaching, was to identify God’s supremacy, and now these lines establish His sovereignty. It is saying, “God, you govern me.

When God established Israel as a people through Jacob, He changed Jacob’s name from ‘Heel grabber’ or what could be translated as one who trips another up, like a usurper or supplanter, to Israel which means “one who triumphs or contends with God.” It was meant to show that Jacob had subjected himself to the will of God. Another translation is “Governed by God.”

In our day to be under the submission of governing authorities has become something to be put down. Our media has made the once honored positions of government fodder for a Roman circus rather than an esteemed and highly sought after position of public service. Instead of the dream being that any young man or woman growing up to be president, it’s easier to change the world by going on a reality television show. At least then the person has a better chance of being admired than a candidate for public office does. Yet, there is a blessing in submission and subjecting oneself to the will of God.

Jacob wrestled with God, holding fast to Him, all night long. If we picture what that must have been like we can compare it to the child who is about to be left by the parent, and the child will not let go. I was a Navy brat. One time, my father had been on the ship for months, and I was about ten-years-old. We lived a few states away because my parents owned a house there, so when my dad came off the ship he would drive back to our house two states from the base, about a fourteen-hour drive. It was a Saturday morning and I was doing my chores, and I heard a knock on the door. I went to the door, and there he was, “Daddy!” I screamed. My poor exhausted father was knocked on his rear as I tackled him. I flew at him, all arms and legs, like a monkey flying through a tree. As soon as he could get up, and I let him go, boom! My sister hit him with the same velocity as I did. She was bigger and heavier than I was. Still, he loved it! My brothers joined the dog pile, and then my mom. I picture Jacob’s wrestling like that. He was going home, and he needed God with him. Just like us kids needed our dad, He wasn’t going to let go until he was assured it really was Him, and he wasn’t alone. He said as much. “Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.’ But he said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’” Genesis 32:26.

So, Jesus says to say, “Your kingdom come.” These words are not merely asking God to come and rule over the earth. He is the creator; He does rule over the earth. These three words are much more than that. These three words are both an invitation and a pledge for those who are citizens of the kingdom. When a soldier goes into the service he pledges to defend the country from enemies, both foreign and domestic unto death. This is quite a promise. When we say the words “Your kingdom come” we are basically doing the same thing. We are submitting ourselves totally to the call of the kingdom on our lives. We are saying, “The Kingdom comes first. I’ve counted all as lost. I move toward the upward call of Jesus on my life.” If we aren’t ready to do that, we shouldn’t say it. No soldier wants to be in the heat of battle and have the guy beside him say, “I’m done with this, it’s not what I expected, I’m out, see ya,” and just leave his brothers without cover. Every soldier trains for that moment, and they go in equipped mentally, knowing they might not come out of it. That’s why we owe them our gratitude. And that’s why when we say the words, “Your kingdom come,” even if we view it as when Jesus returns, we should not take it lightly. We must see ourselves as enlisted in the kingdom as well, and as such we must submit.

There is a blessing in submission. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s will being done in the believer’s life is totally up to the believer. Now, let me restate that. For God’s will to be done in the believer’s life, it is totally up to the believer. Why? Because, as it says in Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Love is a choice we make. I encourage you to read Romans 8 with that thought in mind. We must continually choose God, not just once, but every moment of every day. God’s will in our lives can only be done if we’re not in rebellion to it. We are either choosing to do His will or we’re in rebellion. There is no middle ground. People would love to read the first half of Romans 8:28, but they miss the second part, especially the submission part. That’s because people would rather have God working for them instead of having to submit to God. Newsflash—His way is much better and easier. And I can prove it!

Garden of Eden- God’s way- one commandment- Don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but you can eat every other tree, note- before that we could eat of the tree of life, but not after. Man’s way-rebellion to God’s command got us out of the garden, no more tree of life, and more commandments because God now had to warn us because we now ‘know’ what’s good and bad and choose to do bad.

The Wilderness- God’s way- three-day journey across the Red Sea and back to the land of Canaan to inherit the “Land flowing with Milk and Honey”. Man’s way—Barely left Egypt and start complaining, and the moment Moses’ back is turned they form their own god so they can practice whatever they want. Rebellion ensues and they spend 40 years wandering through the desert until the last of that generation  died off.

Taking the land- God gives them the land all way back to the Euphrates and to the North as far as the mountains of Ararat. Israel stops short, due to the years of war, and everyone decides enough is enough, so they stop a third of the way in, as a result Israel is at war with their neighbors throughout their history and is eventually carried off by a people group they could have defeated had they just obeyed in the first place.

Failing to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah- God’s way was to provide for the redemption of Israel as a nation, and in doing so he provided for the ransom of the whole world as spelled out in Isaiah 51-53. Man’s way—to fail to admit Jesus as the atonement for sin and therefore suffer the continual consequence for sin. “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire had conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:14-15

 Refusing to call upon the Name of the Lord- God’s way- “For ‘whoever calls on the name of LORD shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 Man’s way--
The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” Psalm 14:1

Living out the will of God requires sacrifice. Jesus said to be his disciple we must pick up our cross and follow Him. We must realize that we are carrying a cross, an object of death to self, and we are taking it to a place where we will be sacrificing as He did, putting aside our sin to take up a new life. This new life can only be found in the kingdom of God, where our King sits on the throne. The blessing of submitting to His authority is knowing that we serve a King who loves us enough to have carried the cross for us to the death we deserved and suffered it for us. It’s Jesus switching his cross for ours, and taking what we deserve to give us His victory. None of the kings of this world would do that for their subjects. Their expectation is for their subjects’ allegiance to be to the death, but not the king’s death but for the king’s gain of worldly wealth and riches, which will perish. Our King’s gain is us, because He loves us.   

“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, not 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