Look to Work from God’s Agenda

I do understand, when looking to lead, there is an agenda or a goal or a destination that is being worked. It only makes sense, otherwise what is the point, getting people to follow aimlessly. In virtually every leadership book, periodical, class, or seminar I have been exposed, leadership is almost pointless without purpose.

Jesus had an agenda, a goal, a destination as He was leading the disciples. He was aware of the mission. He understood the purpose. The thing is, it was not His agenda, but the Father’s. Jesus came, rather was sent to this world to carry out the Father’s agenda. He was set to do work of the Father and not His own. Jesus was the workman carrying out the mission.

As Jesus went through this world before He did anything, He consulted the Father to get the lay of the land and understand the mission at that moment. Before His actions, Jesus prayed to the Father. Jesus followed the agenda of the Father at every turn. He was in tune with God and knew that it was not His own will, but the Father’s for all things to happen.

“³⁶And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’” – Mark 14:36 (ESV)

Jesus was always looking keenly for the next part of the agenda to play out. He was looking for and always willing to accomplish the Father’s plan. Jesus was not just bringing a group of people on a journey to nowhere, He was leading based on an agenda. It was the agenda of the Father.

This is to be our approach as well. As disciples we are to follow an agenda. The agenda will lead to the goal, destination, or result we are to accomplish. The thing is, that agenda is not our own but the agenda of the Father. I have to remember every day to have restless eyes as I seek to work the agenda of the Father. I am to be in communication with the Father as Jesus was to get the direction I am to take. At each turn I am to reach out to the Father to understand as much as He can and/or will give me. I am to follow the LORD’s direction and work to accomplish His agenda.

What is leading you? Are you out there working on accomplishing your own work to get somewhere you want to be? What if you were to work the agenda of the Father and followed his direction to accomplish His agenda?

Turned Away From Righteous The LORD Molds Us Back

“⁶We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

— Isaiah 64:6 (ESV)

Notice how verse six above begins that “we have all become”. This indicates to me that I have turned away from and chose a specific path. I have allowed sin to take hold of me and has taken me “away”. It is on me that I have turned this way and not that the LORD has forsaken me. He has allowed me to be my own and my choice was to turn away from Him.

This is difficult to understand that the LORD allowed me to choose to turn away from Him. Isn’t the LORD supposed to be all loving and to keep me from trials and difficulty. Well, He is really all loving and allows us to be independent thinkers and doers. It is our choice to turn away and He allows us that free choice. The thing is that choices come with consequences and in this instance, the consequence is being carried away by our sin.

But, there is a light at the end of this tunnel of iniquity. The LORD will mold us into that which He would have us be.

“⁸But now, O Lord, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.”

— Isaiah 64:8 (ESV)

When we have given ourselves to the LORD through our hearts acceptance of the salvation He gives, the LORD will form us as His child. He will use His hands to mold me into His vessel and then, as with clay, to solidify my form, I will have to be put into the fire (consequences of my iniquity). I will come out the other side as a vessel for the LORD. But again, as with clay, I will be fragile and will need to continue my belief in Him and His way for me, else I crack. Although, even with the cracks, the LORD will repair me as He again puts me through the fire.

The thing is that it was a choice to turn away from the LORD and I will continue to turn away periodically from the LORD. I am human and have that choice. I have to remember that the LORD is my potter and that I may have just been placed in the fire to be solidified or after repair and that when I come out the other side, I will be strong for the LORD once again.

What is your view of your life after salvation? Are you of the thoughts that you are good and how can the LORD allow you to suffer? What if you were to realize that it is you that have turned away, but the LORD is there to mold you back into the vessel for His glory?

The LORD Listens to Hear His Righteous

This morning as I continue my study of the word “righteous” I found myself thinking as a parent and again remembering that the LORD is my Father and parent. I am speaking of how a parent seeks out the voice of their children. I remember many times being out in the world with the boys and where they were not next to me, I always new where they were. I may have been far from them physically, but I was always close enough to hear their voice. I don’t know if I had super hearing or not, but I was always able to distinguish their voice in their time of need. The LORD is the same with each of His righteous.

“²⁹The LORDis far from the wicked,

but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”

— Proverbs 15:29 (ESV)

“¹⁸The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

¹⁹He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.”

— Psalm 145:18-19 (ESV)

The LORD is always near enough to His righteous that when they cry out or simply call on Him, He hears and will direct His attention to them. Regardless of the need or the reason for the cry, the LORD will be there for His righteous at a moments notice. He will celebrate, comfort, and/or cry with them, whatever the situation calls. The LORD listens to hear His righteous.

Again, I come to the question as to whether or not I am or we know that we are righteous as how do we know that the LORD is listening for us. Well, we know that He listens for us thanks to our acceptance of His gift of salvation. He offered, we accepted, and we are immediately adopted into the family of God as His child. Now, whether or not we are righteous, we do not know as that should not be the focus of our lives to somehow gain righteousness. My focus should be following the will of God and spreading the Good News to give others the same opportunity for salvation that I was afforded. I have to do the work and know that the LORD will grant me based on my heart.

I am tasked with doing the work of the LORD. I cannot concern myself with reaching some sort of pinnacle of acceptance that I do not control. The LORD will hear me when my heart is with Him and He dwells there in me. He hears me when I cry out. He listens for me to come to me in my time of need. The LORD is mine and I am His.

What is your thought on crying out to the LORD? Are you doing so with the hope that He might be listening? What if you took the approach that you are His child and know that He is listening for your voice and is available when you need Him?

Honor for Your Parents for the Promise

As I study God’s Word, it seems as though I am coming back to the same passages again and again. God has new things for me to learn as I do. Now I know that over a lifetime, there are many days and the odds of coming back to the same passages are really good, it is just that I have been doing a dive into God’s Word over the past number of years and I have really noticed the guidance through His Word. This morning I am led back to Ephesians as I study the word “honor”.

“‘²Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise),’³that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’” – Ephesians 6:2-3 (ESV)

Familiar passage indeed. Yet, I still learned something this morning. The parenthetical statement above, “this is the first commandment with a promise”. I had not thought of it from that perspective before. God not only gave us a commandment, but told us the outcome of keeping it. It will “go well”. God has told us that doing that which we are commanded to do will result in good things to come.

I know, well bring on the good things. It is simple, yet difficult at the same time. Saying that I honor my parents in public and even in private is one thing, but really putting it into practice is another thing all together. Honoring them is an action and not just words. I have to remember to show them that I honor them and not just tell them that I love them.

Recently, my family traveled and my mother went along with us. My mother is into her 70s and where she is relatively healthy, she is not able to keep up with us young kids (we are in our 50s, LOL) like she used to. At one point my wife and our boys went on a hike to see a site and mom and I were tagging along. We got about half way to the destination and I realized that my mother was likely not to make it. Where seeing the site would have been nice, I elected to turn back with my mother to wait on everyone to return. Mom was more important to me than seeing something that was not going anywhere. I honored her by being there with and for her.

Now, honoring our parents is not to be done for some reward. I did not think about the reward when I stayed with mom. I did not want something out of it. But thinking back to the time spent with her, I see that I may have received the reward. Things for me did “go well” as I was able to have some good private conversation with mom and connect with her away from the formal setting of most conversations. It was all, in the moment and was very real and lovely.

Our role with our parents is to honor them through our action. We are to demonstrate to them that they are indeed important and when it comes down to it, they were the first to love us and for that, they deserve our honor.

What is your approach to your parents? Are you seeing them as just another person in your life? What if you were to honor them for the position they hold or held in your life?

Confess to the Father

This morning I am wrapping up my concordance study of the word “father”. Over the course of that past couple of months I have learned much in the way of my Father in heaven and father in this world. Today is a reminder for me as to who to rely on with all.

“⁵The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” – Revelation 3:5 (ESV)

I have to rely on my Father. As we see the words of Jesus above, He confesses before God the Father. As He is our example, we should do the same. I have to remember that my confessions are for my Father as well.

As a small child the father is the one in the home who is the immediate protector. He is the patriarch and the one we hide behind when things are not as they should be. He is the one who holds us when we need comforting. He is the one who cheers for us when we are out there doing what we do. And he is the one who listens when we have something to say and/or confess. And then we grow up. Our father in this world is not always there with us and we turn to our Father in heaven to take over.

It is my Father in heaven that is our immediate protector. He is the patriarch and the one we hide behind when things are not as they should be. He is the one who holds us when we need comforting. He is the one who cheers for us when we are out there doing what we do. And he is the one who listens when we have something to say and/or confess.

I have my Father to care for me. In order for that, I have to be here in confession with Him. I have to give it all to Him and know that He will take care of it all. I may not know or like the way He cares for it, but I have to know that He is and is doing so for me in line with His will for me and the spreading of the gospel. It is only up to me to come to Him and confess that which needs confessing and allow Him to love me and put things in motion for His glory.

Who are you confessing to? Are you just holding it all in or looking for someone/someplace to let it out? What if you were to give it all to our Father and allow Him to care for it all?

Know My Father to Know Me

“¹See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” – 1 John 3:1 (ESV)

As a child of God, I am different. I do not conform to the ways of this world that seems to be driven by societal norms. I do not seek to be insta-anything. I do not look to have what the “rich and famous” have. I do not do what I do for the recognition or notoriety of the world. I am here to serve God and to do His will. And that is what you may not know about me.

If you want to know who I am, look to my Father, who is my example. Look to Jesus and know Him to know me. He did not come to be liked by the world, He came to save the world. And that got Him killed, and that was the plan all along! He was not insta-anything, He did not have what the “rich and famous” had. He did not want recognition from the world. He was here to spread the gospel of His Father and to do His will.

Too often in this world, it is as though we are looking to be “like” someone. And usually that someone is from the societal norm that seems to have it all. I am not of that persuasion. I am content with who I am and what I have. Our newest car is a 2005. We are totally okay with having BLTs for dinner. We go shopping at the thrift shops. Our idea of a good night is relaxing at home streaming on the television.

Where the above is true, it is not that we are against what others have created for themselves and we do enjoy letting our hair down from time to time and going all out for some fun. But the difference is that we are not living to do so. We have a higher goal in mind and know that by following the example of our Father, we will reach that goal. By living a life of contentment, we are able to focus on that which will make a difference and that which is of the societal norm is not where we find ourselves longing to be.

If you really want to know me, get to know my Father in heaven. See the example that He gave and recognize that in me to see me in the light. Just because I do not look to be like everyone else, does not mean that I should be shunned by society. It is only because you don’t know my Father and therefor you do not recognize Him in me.

What is it that you are trying to be? Are you allowing society to drive who you are so that you will be known to all? What if you were to be like Christ and encourage everyone to get to know the Father to know you?

The Father Creates Only That Which is Perfect

This seems to be a really bold statement considering all that goes on in the world that may not be fully and completely “right” for the world. I have to remember though that the evil one is here in this world distorting and disrupting things.

“¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” – James 1:16-17 (ESV)

I see here in the words from James that God creates all things that are perfect, and that there is no change to that which comes from Him. By this, I was created perfect. Every hair on my head is in the perfect place. There is no variation needed for me, in my creation.

Now, as noted, the evil one is here in this world distorting and disrupting. He is here to make it seem as though my creation was somehow flawed. I am not perfect and that there are things that can/should be done to improve my station in this world. The evil one wants me to believe that I need to be prettier, I need to have more, I need to be more. And the he is using all that is around me to bring the point to me.

What he is not doing is bring thing into the light. For when it is brought into the light the perfection that was is revealed and the sting of the flaw is driven away. God is the “Father of lights” and all that is in the light is shown to be perfect. It is up to me to live my life in the light so that all that is perfect will be revealed and I will be able to continue doing the will of God without the concerns of my station and whether or not I am worthy, for I was created perfect and things that are perfect are worthy for sure.

What is your view of yourself? Are you seeing your flaws which are in the darkness? What if you viewed yourself as God does, in the light and perfect in your creation?

Accept the Father’s Discipline

I know, who wants to be disciplined. Who wants to be rebuked and corrected. Who wants to be pushed to be better and more effective. Well this guy does.

In the mornings, I get up early and get some exercise. Now mind you, I am not a super fit guy and frankly, I am sure that those who are would not really consider the exercise I get as doing much for them. But, each morning I push myself to be better than the day before, and am excited when I best things by even the smallest of margins. Sometimes just getting up and getting out is besting things so I am excited for those just as much. Now, how is it that I am able to get and do in the mornings, but through discipline. Thankfully I have some willpower to do them, yet if not, I would seek out someone to hold me to account at getting better, just as one does when they hire a personal trainer.

Well, the Father is my spiritual personal trainer. He holds me to account so that I get better, at least better than the day before. And yes, sometimes it is better by the smallest of margins, but it is better none the less. I have to seek out my personal trainer and the discipline to get better and where it may not be super fun in the moment, the results are great to behold.

“⁹Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:9-11 (ESV)

Our Father in heaven is here to train us in the glory of the gospel. He wants us to be strong and courageous in our work for Him. The way we do that is with the discipline to continue, even when things get hard. He will not make things easy for you and me. We will struggle with getting through. We will endure pain and frankly will fall into the trap of avoiding things just because they are hard. But those are the times when we seek Him out to hold us to account and maintain our discipline to press forward for His glory and now our own.

Only the Father will hold us to account for His work, and only when we are in His arms. I have to ensure that I will have the Father on my side and be lifted by Him and the way I do that is to dive into His Word and work to understand where I stand as His son. I have to remember that regardless of how hard things might be in the moment, He is allowing the hard to toughen me in the moment to reward me in His time.

What are you working toward that is hard? Are you out there going it alone? What if you engaged with the Father to hold you to account and press you to completing so that you will be rewarded for your work?

Of/In the Lord

As is the case a lot in my bible study, I find myself in the same passages time and time again. This morning in Ephesians 6. I may have written on this in before, as I have notes in the margins of my bible to the effect, but I was led here by God again and I know that means there is something here for me to learn and understand.

“⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. ¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” – Ephesians 6:4 & 1 (ESV)

Yes, I know and did post these verses in reverse order. Speaking first to fathers to discipline children yet not in anger, but of the Lord. And then to the children to understand that the instruction and discipline of the father are of the Lord and they should obey in the Lord. These work together and both are responsible in making them work together.

I feel as though there is one-sided approaches to fathers and children. And those one-sided approaches are seen in perspective. Fathers see disobeying children and children see angry, overbearing fathers. And where perspective is important, it is also important to see things from the other’s perspective to get a sense of where the actions are coming from.

Children, we have to see that fathers are doing what they understand to be in the best interest of us. Fathers want us to be independent and successful. Do they get it right all the time, NO. Are all fathers raising us “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”, NO. Yet, generally, fathers are acting in the way they know how. It is our role to ensure that we are obeying them “in the Lord”. We are to be following the teaching of the Lord and finding His instruction in that from our fathers.

Fathers, we have to see that children are doing what they understand to be in the best interest of us. Children look up to us to be the example of what right looks like in the world. Do they get it right all the time, NO. Are all children obeying “in the Lord”, NO. Yet, generally, children are seeking to understand the fathers instruction. It is our role to ensure that we are disciplining and instructing in the way “of the Lord”. We are to follow the teaching of the Lord and finding His obedience in our children.

Notice in the above that it is our responsibility to study and learn from the Lord what is right, regardless of which side we are on. Some of us are on both sides, fathers and children. And for us, we have double work to do, instruct “of the Lord” and obey “in the Lord”. Either way each is “the Lord” where we are to find that which is right and honorable.

Where are you looking for the example? Are you fully looking to your father or children here in this world? What if you were to look for the example of/in the Lord and applied His teachings to here in this world?

You and I have the Same Father

This is where I land this morning as I read and study God’s Word. We are of the same Father. We are together in Christ and in the same household. We are adopted brothers and sisters.

“¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…¹⁸For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” — Ephesians 2:13-14 & 18-19 (ESV)

It matters not where we come from, we are all going to the same place. We all have the love of Christ to lean on and use as our comfort and guidance. We all have the same opportunities as we come from the same household and have the same Father, our LORD, Christ.

How did/do we get here you ask? Well it is simple. We all have to accept the salvation provided by Christ thanks to His death on the cross for all of our sins. Yes, all of our sins. He did not do it for Himself as a show of see me. He did it so that we would not have to. He died of the persecution for our sins so that we would be able to move forward and spread the gospel knowing that we are no longer slaves to our sins. We have been forgiven and are able to move forward with the comfort of knowing that we are free.

I and you are brothers and sisters in Christ thanks to the one act of Christ and our acceptance of His act as being for us. And now we are of the same lineage and of the same life opportunities and are heirs to the kingdom of God, together, meaning that we have the same Father in heaven.

What is your thought on your lineage with me? Are you separate as you are somehow separated and don’t know me? What if you saw us as brothers and sisters thanks to the salvation provided by our Father through our brother Jesus Christ?