A Son Is Not Defined By What He Does.

John 13:1-5

1 Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came forth from God, and was going to God, 4 arose from supper, and laid aside his outer garments. He took a towel, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (WEB)
In the orphan world system that we live in, we find our identity in the things we do and what we possess. That is why there is such an emphasis in life to climb the corporate ladder, acquire as many possessions as you can, etc. The more we achieve, the better we feel about ourselves. On the flipside, the more we fail, the worse we feel about ourselves.

This kind of motivation leads to a life that not only has lots of ups and downs, but is a very tiring way to live. The more that your identity is directly related with your performance, the less secure you will be in life. After all, what will happen if you cannot perform any longer? Who are you then? Are you less valuable? Are you less loveable?

What happens if an economic catastrophe wipes out all your possessions? What happens as gravity sets in as you grow old and you no longer have the perfect physique? Who are you then? I believe that even the very thought that some of these things might happen, can cause many people to live a life of fear because they believe that their happiness and their identity is conditional.

We may be loved by the world as long as we can keep up appearances, but what happens when the time comes that we stumble and fall? What happens when we fail to live up to the expectations of other people? From a Christian context, what happens when we fail to live up to the expectations of church life? Are we any less loved by God?

Of course the right answer is that we are loved by God no matter what we do. That His love for us is not based on our self effort, but on what Jesus did on the cross when we were powerless to do anything about it (Romans 5:6). While most believers know this to be true on one level or another, there are still remnants of an orphan belief system in our hearts that look to our works to establish our identity.

In this week’s blog, we see how Jesus takes on the lowliest expression of servanthood towards His beloved disciples by washing their feet. Just prior to this, the Apostle John writes the following words about Jesus in verses 3 and 4… 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came forth from God, and was going to God, 4 arose from supper, and laid aside his outer garments. (WEB)

Jesus knew that He was the beloved Son of God. He knew that His Father had given all things into His hands. Jesus knew that He came from God and that He was returning to God. It was the revelation of who He was that sustained Him, not what He did. Because He was the Son of God, He could do anything. He could heal the sick, raise the dead, and yes, even wash His disciples’ feet. Nothing that He did could ever compare with who He was. He was the beloved Son of His Papa!

We have been given the same Spirit of Sonship (Galatians 4:6-7) that our elder brother walks in. Paul the Apostle told us that it was no longer he that lived, but Christ that lived in him (Galatians 2:20). He also said that Christ in us is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

The revelation that we are born of God should be enough to satisfy any need to define who we are! Sure, Jesus told us that we would do greater things than He did because He was going to His Father. But even the greatest of all achievements will pale in comparison to simply being called the children of God (1 John 3:1).

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would know that our identity in Christ is not defined by what we do or what we don’t do. Our identity is not defined on how much we work, how much we achieve, or how much we sacrifice.

May the revelation of His great love give us courage to simply be who He created us to be! Whether that is doing great exploits or taking time to rest. May we carry within our being the revelation that we are loved sons and daughters to our Father in heaven. May this identity be enough for us even in the midst of a world (and sometimes a church culture) that demands more from us.

May the compass in our hearts always be calibrated to the love that God has for us. Whether we achieve or we fail, whether we work or we rest, may we all know that God’s love will never ever change towards us.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8
1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing. 3 If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 6 doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.

A Son Is Led By The Spirit

Romans 8:14

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (ESV)

A while back I was asked to speak at two different churches in two different cities on the same Sunday morning. Both of these churches were located in fairly remote farm land just outside where I live. Since my GPS wouldn’t work in these areas, I was given turn by turn written directions by the pastor for the first church that I was to speak at.

I only had 15 minutes to get from the first church to the second church and it was a 15 minute drive to get there! With no idea how to navigate the country roads and no written directions on how to get to my next speaking engagement, I was feeling a little stressed. One of the elders in the first church saw my stress level rise when she was trying to verbally give me directions to the next church, so she kindly offered for me to follow her in my car and she would lead the way. I gladly accepted her kind offer to lead me.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the sun was shining, we were driving past beautiful corn fields, everything felt perfect. I wasn’t stressed because I knew that the lady driving in the car in front of me knew where she was going. I didn’t have to watch out for street signs, I didn’t have to worry about speed traps, all I had to do was follow her. Because I was confident that she knew where she was going, I had the opportunity to enjoy the rich scenery that we were driving through. This feeling of bliss contrasted the stress I felt earlier in the morning as I was trying to follow my turn by turn directions to get to the first church.

Since I was being led, my only responsiblity was to simply follow. It was at this moment that God spoke to me and said these words… “Barry, this is how it feels to be led by the Spirit”. I immediately understood what the Lord was saying to me. When we are led by the Spirit of God, we do not have to worry about where we are going. We do not have to try and chart out the turn by turn directions in life. All we have to do is to simply follow. When we are following the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we can enjoy the scenery along the way because we do not worry about getting lost.

In this week’s blog, the passage of Scripture from Romans 8:14 tells us that one of the signs of sonship is learning to be led by the Spirit. It might sound simple enough, but in an orphan world system that celebrates independence, the idea of allowing ourselves to be led, can be quite a challenge.

If someone else is leading us, then our only responsibility is to follow. When the Spirit moves, we move. When He stops, we stop. In order for us to be led by the Spirit, we must surrender our own agendas and independence and simply trust in God’s goodness to take us where He wants us to go. When we are led by the Spirit, we simply settle in to being the branch that Jesus speaks about in John 15, where He tells us that He is the vine and apart from Him, we can do nothing.

In my own life, I am learning how to follow the Spirit’s lead. It has not been easy for me, I am slowly learning what it means to be led. Having a ‘type A’ personality, I have always believed that initiating is always better than waiting. But the truth is, to be led by someone, is to learn to live in a posture of waiting to be led.

The first part of verse 7 in Psalm 37, says… Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him. Verse 34 in the same chapter King David says… Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. (ESV) Isaiah 40:31 tells us that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will even mount up with wings like eagles and never tire!

My question has always been… How long do I wait? The answer that I have always heard from the Lord is… “As long as it takes!” For that reason, I have struggled to yield to the process of being led. If I allow myself to be led by the Spirit, then I will need to embrace a posture of waiting to be led. When He moves, I move. When He stops, I stop.

While this has been a difficult and painful process for me to learn, I am slowly but surely, grasping the glorious freedom found in being led. Being led by the Spirit frees up my mind carrying the responsibility of trying to discern the road map for my life. Being led by the Spirit frees me up to be able to live in the moment rather than in the future. Being led by the Spirit allows me to embrace a simple life with the heart of a child who calls out to his Father… “Are we there yet?”

My prayer today is that we would all see the amazing benefits of being led by the Spirit. My prayer is that the Lord will restore our ability to trust in His leading and not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). May we all find the courage to lay down our own agendas today and surrender to the loving leading of the Holy Spirit that lives within us.

May we all find a new freedom in our hearts today that allows us to live in the moment, rather than to live in the future. May we be able to embrace the heart position of learning to wait on the Lord so that our strength can be renewed. May we all see the glory and the fruitfulness that awaits everyone who simply takes their place as a branch that has unlimited access to the richest, life-giving vine imaginable (John 15).

1 John 2:27
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. (NIV)

A Son Is Led By The Spirit

Romans 8:14

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (ESV)

A while back I was asked to speak at two different churches in two different cities on the same Sunday morning. Both of these churches were located in fairly remote farm land just outside where I live. Since my GPS wouldn’t work in these areas, I was given turn by turn written directions by the pastor for the first church that I was to speak at.

I only had 15 minutes to get from the first church to the second church and it was a 15 minute drive to get there! With no idea how to navigate the country roads and no written directions on how to get to my next speaking engagement, I was feeling a little stressed. One of the elders in the first church saw my stress level rise when she was trying to verbally give me directions to the next church, so she kindly offered for me to follow her in my car and she would lead the way. I gladly accepted her kind offer to lead me.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the sun was shining, we were driving past beautiful corn fields, everything felt perfect. I wasn’t stressed because I knew that the lady driving in the car in front of me knew where she was going. I didn’t have to watch out for street signs, I didn’t have to worry about speed traps, all I had to do was follow her. Because I was confident that she knew where she was going, I had the opportunity to enjoy the rich scenery that we were driving through. This feeling of bliss contrasted the stress I felt earlier in the morning as I was trying to follow my turn by turn directions to get to the first church.

Since I was being led, my only responsiblity was to simply follow. It was at this moment that God spoke to me and said these words… “Barry, this is how it feels to be led by the Spirit”. I immediately understood what the Lord was saying to me. When we are led by the Spirit of God, we do not have to worry about where we are going. We do not have to try and chart out the turn by turn directions in life. All we have to do is to simply follow. When we are following the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we can enjoy the scenery along the way because we do not worry about getting lost.

In this week’s blog, the passage of Scripture from Romans 8:14 tells us that one of the signs of sonship is learning to be led by the Spirit. It might sound simple enough, but in an orphan world system that celebrates independence, the idea of allowing ourselves to be led, can be quite a challenge.

If someone else is leading us, then our only responsibility is to follow. When the Spirit moves, we move. When He stops, we stop. In order for us to be led by the Spirit, we must surrender our own agendas and independence and simply trust in God’s goodness to take us where He wants us to go. When we are led by the Spirit, we simply settle in to being the branch that Jesus speaks about in John 15, where He tells us that He is the vine and apart from Him, we can do nothing.

In my own life, I am learning how to follow the Spirit’s lead. It has not been easy for me, I am slowly learning what it means to be led. Having a ‘type A’ personality, I have always believed that initiating is always better than waiting. But the truth is, to be led by someone, is to learn to live in a posture of waiting to be led.

The first part of verse 7 in Psalm 37, says… Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him. Verse 34 in the same chapter King David says… Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. (ESV) Isaiah 40:31 tells us that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will even mount up with wings like eagles and never tire!

My question has always been… How long do I wait? The answer that I have always heard from the Lord is… “As long as it takes!” For that reason, I have struggled to yield to the process of being led. If I allow myself to be led by the Spirit, then I will need to embrace a posture of waiting to be led. When He moves, I move. When He stops, I stop.

While this has been a difficult and painful process for me to learn, I am slowly but surely, grasping the glorious freedom found in being led. Being led by the Spirit frees up my mind carrying the responsibility of trying to discern the road map for my life. Being led by the Spirit frees me up to be able to live in the moment rather than in the future. Being led by the Spirit allows me to embrace a simple life with the heart of a child who calls out to his Father… “Are we there yet?”

My prayer today is that we would all see the amazing benefits of being led by the Spirit. My prayer is that the Lord will restore our ability to trust in His leading and not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). May we all find the courage to lay down our own agendas today and surrender to the loving leading of the Holy Spirit that lives within us.

May we all find a new freedom in our hearts today that allows us to live in the moment, rather than to live in the future. May we be able to embrace the heart position of learning to wait on the Lord so that our strength can be renewed. May we all see the glory and the fruitfulness that awaits everyone who simply takes their place as a branch that has unlimited access to the richest, life-giving vine imaginable (John 15).

1 John 2:27
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. (NIV).

A Son Delights To Do His Father’s Will

John 8:29

The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,
for I always do what pleases him.” (NIV)

Jesus lived a life that always pleased His Father. He loved to do His Father’s will. In John 4:34, Jesus told His disciples that His very food was to do the will of His Father and finish His work. Everything that Jesus did was in harmony with His heavenly Dad.

Every time He picked up a child and blessed them, He was doing what He saw His Father doing. Every time He forgave a sinner, He was moved with the same compassion that welled up in God. Even when He drove out the money changers in the temple, He was moving in complete unity with His Father.

The very focus of Jesus’ life was to make His Father smile. He delighted to do His will in all that He did. It wasn’t difficult for Jesus to live in unity with His Father, for the love that they had for each other made it the complete joy of His life. Jesus did not have to try and think about what made His Father happy, because He knew His Father’s heart intimately and naturally flowed in the same direction.

I truly believe that it is God’s plan and purpose for us to delight to do our Father’s will too! In Psalm 119, the psalmist declares in many places how he delighted to do the will of God. In Psalm 1:1-3, we read the incredible benefits that follow those whose delight is in the Lord…

1 Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night.3 He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper. (WEB)

When I was a young Christian, I thought that living a Christian life would mean that I lived a life that was in direct opposition with what I wanted. I was convinced that God was going to send me to be a missionary to a country where I didn’t want to go to. I even struggled that He might ask me to marry someone that I wasn’t in love with.

The reason why I struggled with these things was because I assumed that God’s plans and purposes for my life must be the exact opposite to what I desired in my heart. After all, I was a sinner and was very familiar with the Bible verse that says that the heart is deceitful and beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9). If I couldn’t trust my heart, then I could only assume that God would require the very opposite of what I desired in my heart.

Now as you read this, you may be wondering how I embraced this kind of theology as a new believer. It wasn’t because someone actually told me this was the truth. I just think that I learned this through living a Christian life that was focused more on me trying to live by a set of rules or principles than learning to trust in the still small voice that now resided IN me.

When I look back at the 36 years that I have been a Christian, I have been amazed to see how God has actually led me. He didn’t send me to a country where I didn’t want to go. I actually married the love of my life and we just celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary in the past two weeks. And the work that He has called me to do in His kingdom is what I absolutely love to do!

Having said all that, I am not saying that my Christian life has been easy. There have been many times when I have stumbled, been hurt, been discouraged, struggled with fear, etc., etc. Life has not always been easy but looking in hindsight, I am amazed to see how the best times in my life have been when I have followed my heart’s desires.

The more that I am convinced that nothing in all creation will ever separate me from the love of God, the more I see that my life is really a dance with the Spirit of God that lives in me. He leads and I follow. How do I know His leading in my life? I am learning to simply trust that He is directing me through the desires of my heart.

In Philippians 2:13-14 Paul says… 12 So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.13 For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. (WEB)

I love the Amplified version describing verse 13… [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. (AMP)

I believe the more that we truly live in a heart relationship with the Godhead, rather than trying to live by a rulebook, the easier it will be for us to discern the will of God for our lives. The more we realize that our Father created us to do good works that are unique to us, the more we will stop trying to compare ourselves with others and run the race that is uniquely marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1-2).

In the Amplified version of Ephesians 2:10, this is what Paul says… For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. (AMP)

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would know that we have been created in the image of God to uniquely reflect His glory in all that we do. My prayer is that we would embrace who He made us to be so that we could truly begin to live out of our redeemed heart and trust the Lord’s leading through our heart’s desires.

May each one of us truly find delight in simply doing our Father’s will. May a new sense of the joy of the Lord fill us today, knowing that our life already makes Him smile. May we all live a life being led by the Spirit and not by our own pre-conceived ideas of what we think He wants us to do. May freedom reign in our hearts and may we truly echo the psalmist and say I delight to do Thy will oh God!

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

A Son Is Strong When He Is Weak

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

⁷So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (ESV)

The Apostle Paul was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) of all of the apostles. He is responsible for writing the theology for a huge chunk of the New Testament that we all embrace today. He was considered a  “pharisee of pharisees” in his time. He sat at the feet of one of the greatest religious leaders of his day during his training.

In the verses just prior to this week’s Scripture passage, Paul even tells about the amazing things that he saw when he was caught up to the third heaven. He was indeed one of the ‘super apostles’ of his day for sure. If there was ever someone who could boast in his own abilities, it would probably be Paul. He was better educated, better disciplined, and probably more zealous than most of his contemporaries.

Yet in all of his natural abilities and spiritual gifts, it appears that he had something yet to learn. And that was the principle of weakness. You see, Paul thought as many of us do, that in order to be strong, we need to be able to demonstrate our own strength. Yet as we read in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, he was about to learn that the very opposite of this is true.

Because of his struggle with something that he could not overcome in his own strength, the perverbial thorn in the flesh, he asked God to remove it on his behalf. He actually asked on 3 different occasions to be delivered from whatever it was that was harassing him. It was at that time that Jesus appeared to him and said words that absolutely turned Paul’s theology upside down… “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

It was at that moment, that Paul got a revelation of the principle of weakness. When he was empty of his own ability to be strong, then the omniscient, omnipotent power of Christ living in him could be strong on his behalf! Paul realized that his own strength actually was getting in the way so he decided not to try and boast in his strength any longer, but rather in his weakness. For when he was weak… then he was made strong!

You see, a son is not afraid to be weak. He knows that one of the greatest principles in the kingdom is the principle of weakness. Jesus modelled this dependent life in John 5:19-20 when He told His disciples that the Son could do NOTHING apart from His Father. In John 14:8-11, Jesus also said that it was actually the Father doing the work through Him.

If we try to be strong in our own abilities, we will actually hinder the true strength of Christ that is just waiting to be revealed through a surrendered life. That is why Jesus told us in Matthew 18 that the greatest in the kingdom would be those with a childlike heart. Little children are weak. They need to be provided for, protected, taught, etc., etc. Because they know they are needy, it creates a complete and absolute dependence upon their parents that is absolutely beautiful.

Because we live in an orphan hearted world system, the ideologies and opinions of that mindset dominate the thinking…even in some church cultures. In an orphan world system, the first shall be first and the last will be least. The wealthy, the powerful, the beautiful, the educated are all considered the cream of the crop, while those who are lesser in any of these areas are considered to be inferior.

While I would hope that most people have the best intentions, even in the world system, the reality is its values and beliefs are not based on the kingdom of our God and Father. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-30, the Apostle Paul tells us that our Father has chosen the weak, the poor and the foolish things of the world to confound those considered on top of the food chain.

When I talk about an orphan mindset, I am simply referring to a belief system that is not rooted in the truth that we are children of God and that He is a Father to us in every way. If we are not yet convinced of this foundational truth of Christianity, we will try to live a life where we have to manage all of the challenges that come our way in our own strength.

My prayer today is that God would give us the same revelation that He gave to Paul the Apostle two thousand years ago… That when we are weak, then we are truly strong because the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient for us.

May each one of us be filled with the Spirit of the Living God in a greater measure today than ever before as we embrace our own human weakness. May we all truly live an impossible life because we are empty vessels filled with the fulness of God through the power of Christ that is at work within us!

May we know no boundaries or barriers in life because we have chosen to surrender our strength to the One who has promised to be strong when we are weak. In the name of our elder brother Jesus, I pray these things. Amen.

A Son Is Holy Because Of His Family Line

Hebrews 2:11

 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.
So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. (NIV)

In 1 Peter 1:15-16, we read the following exhortation…
¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (NIV) If we look at this command to ‘be holy as God is holy’ in our own natural abiility, we will most certainly feel completely overwhelmed. For in our hearts we know that the truth is, no matter how good we can try to be, it is simply not possible to live up to God’s standards in our human effort.

James says that if we keep all of the law every day of our lives and just make one tiny mistake, it is as if we have broken the entire law. (James 2:10) The road to holiness is definitely not based upon on our natural ability. Romans 3:10 clearly tells us that there is no one who is righteous…not one. I think that I would be safe to say that in most Christian circles, we would agree that holiness is not produced from our own actions but on Christ and on His shed blood alone. Hebrews 10:10 tells us… And by that will, we have been  made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (NIV)

While we may all agree that Hebrews 10:10 is a theological truth, how does it work out in our lives on a day to day basis? Do we live each day knowing that we are completely loved and accepted by God no matter what we do? Do we live knowing that there is nothing in all creation that can separate from His love even when we mess up? Do we know at the very deepest part of our being that there is nothing that we could ever do to make God love us more than He does right now? Do we truly believe that that we are holy even as Jesus is holy even when we fall down?

If you are anything like me, you may struggle to believe that these things are true from time to time. It is as if sometimes we live our lives pulling out flower petals repeatedly saying “He loves me, He loves me not”. Maybe it is easier to believe that I am holy on the good days when I read my Bible, pray and maybe witness to others. But what about on the bad days? …When I am discouraged, fearful and not full of faith? Do I believe that I am still absolutely loved and set apart for His purposes at these dark and lonely times?

The remnant of the orphan heart that still remains in us struggles to believe that the love of God and His extravagant grace and mercy are more than enough. The orphan part of our belief system that has not yet surrendered to love still believes that we have to do something in order to be accepted. After all, an orphan does not carry within themselves a sense of where they come from and who they belong to.

I know that this is a poor example, but our son Steve will always be an ‘Adams’. He was born into our family and will carry our name no matter what he does in life. He didn’t do anything to earn being part of our family, he was simply born into it. I think this is but a shadow of what it means to be born into the family of God. When we become born again, we inherit everything good that is in God’s family. Jesus’ holiness, His righteousness, His relationship with God… everything!

To walk in holiness is not to live by a set of do’s and don’ts in our lives, but to simply live out of the spiritual DNA that God has already deposited in us by His Holy Spirit. We are His kids! We are holy because He is holy! …Not because we could do anything to ever earn it, deserve it or sustain it.  I believe that our God and Father wants to love all of the remaining orphan beliefs right out of us and convince us that the shed blood of Jesus is enough. Period.

My prayer today is that our heavenly Papa would give us a deeper revelation of the ‘once and for all sacrifice’ of our elder brother Jesus. I pray that we would all know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our holiness, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our eternal acceptance is not rooted in our own efforts but in the everlasting and immeasureable love of God. I pray that we would know that God already sees us as holy because of our union with His firstborn.

Does this give us a license to go out and sin? God forbid!!!!! I believe the more that we are able to believe that we are completely loved and accepted now, the more we will respond to this love by living a life worthy of our calling. (Ephesians 4:1) May each and every person who has called on the name of the Lord know that we have been made holy simply because we are part of God’s family.  …And Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters!

Romans 8:29-31…
²⁹For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also  glorified.  ³¹What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (ESV)

A Sons Priority Is His Fathers Kingdom

Matthew 6:31-33

 ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’
or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 
³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 
and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus encourages His disciples not to worry or focus on all the things they need, but to seek first His Father’s Kingdom. Just prior to making this statement, Jesus says that they are not to take even one thought for their life. Not one thought.

Have you ever considered what life would be like if you didn’t have to worry about the mortgage, about your future, about your daily needs? I have often pondered the words of Jesus and wondered how this could practically work in my life. If it were possible (and I believe that it is), then if I wasn’t pre-occupied with all of the daily demands in life, what would I think about?

I believe we find our answer in verse 32 and 33. When we are convinced that our heavenly Father knows what we need and has promised to provide, it frees us up to focus not ourselves, but on the things that are important to God’s heart. After all, could you imagine how much free time and emotional energy that you would have available if you didn’t have to battle fear, anxiety, worry, condemnation, etc. etc. on a daily basis?

For those of you who have young children… How would you feel to walk into your house and see your little ones sitting in a corner worrying about whether there would be enough food in the house? A loving parent’s natural response would be to dispel every one of their fears so that they could simply enjoy life moment by moment. I believe God feels the same way towards us. He doesn’t want us to live a distracted life where we are living in fear of the future, or in regrets of the past, He wants us to live in the moment… with Him.

He is the great I Am not the I Was or the I Will Be, and He wants to walk with you and I just like He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day. But for us to be truly present with God in every moment, we must be able to commit all of our cares and concerns over to Him. As 1 Peter 5:7 says… Cast all your cast on Him for He cares for you! 

I believe that our heavenly Dad loves it when we entrust all our needs into His loving care! I believe that it demonstrates to Him that we really believe every promise He makes is true when we choose to cast (throw upon Him) every one of our cares and concerns onto His big strong shoulders. The more we are able to do this, the more we will be able to truly seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

When we struggle with an orphan mindset, we are not convinced that our Father will truly take care of us as He promised. And if He doesn’t take care of us, who will? With that kind of belief system, we have no choice but to make the meeting of our own needs our first and primary priority… just like Jesus said the pagans do.

My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit that lives in the hearts of every believer, would convince us more today than yesterday that we can truly cast every care of ours upon the Lord because He has promised to care for us. My prayer is that we would have the grace to take each one of the boulders of worry and fear that we have been carrying around in our backpack and drop them to the ground, one by one.

I pray that we will become more and more convinced that God is for us and He is a good Father who always provides for His kids. My hope is that as we become more convinced of this truth, we will find relief from all the burdens that have weighed us down for years. May each one of us find a new freedom in Christ to be able to focus on the eternal things that really matter to God. May each one of us have a renewed focus so that we could minister to our heavenly Father’s heart and make His priorities our priorities!

A Son Can Throw A Party Anytime He Likes

Luke 15:25-32

 ²⁵“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, ²⁹but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’³¹And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³²It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'” (ESV)

The above passage of Scripture is quoted from the much loved Prodigal Son Story of Luke 15. This part of the story focuses on the older brother who was angry at the thought that his father would throw a party for his rebellious younger sibling. We pick up the story as the older brother ventures towards his home only to hear the sounds of music and celebration.

Because of his disgust for his brother’s behavior, he refuses to enter into the party. I am so thankful that the father in the story treats the older brother with as much love and compassion as he does the younger one. He goes out to invite his beloved son to come join in the celebration and this is how the son responds to his father in verse 29… ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

It is amazing to think that the heir of all of the father’s inheritance would feel so deprived in life that he felt that he was a literal slave to his father. The NIV Bible says that the son said these words to the father… All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. (NIV) Of course, the father’s loving response to his son was that he could have had a goat to celebrate ANYTIME he wanted because all that belonged to the father belonged to him as well.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can best relate to the younger brother in the story, and at other times, I can best relate to the older brother. Truth be told, I kind of think that there is a little bit of the younger and older brother in all of us. That is why I am thankful that the father treats both sons with equal love and compassion.

The point of this week’s blog is to simply say that our God and Father loves to celebrate. He is happy and full of joy! As a matter of fact, joy is a charter member of the kingdom of God. (Romans 14:17) If you are not convinced that God loves parties, listen to the words Jesus spoke in Luke 15:7 … ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (NIV)

If heaven throws a party every time a sinner repents, then according to my calculations, there must be lots of parties in heaven because thousands of people come to Christ every day. If heaven celebrates over each one, I wonder if heaven is just one party after another? I guess we will all find out soon enough huh!

The point is, the older brother felt enslaved to his father and cheated out of a reason to celebrate. What he was feeling was the absolute opposite of his father’s heart. His loving father wanted his disillusioned son to know that he could celebrate any time he wanted. His feelings of anger and lack were based on deception and not on reality.

Those who wrestle with an orphan mindset will struggle with feelings of lack, alienation and even jealousy. When we are living as slaves and not sons, we will feel like we are deprived from all of the good things in life. When we truly live a beloved sons and daughters to our heavenly Dad, we will live in the light of His love, knowing that all that belongs to Jesus belongs to us as well.

Living in the light of God’s love does not necessarily mean that we will be insulated from pain, suffering and loss. However, the revelation that we belong in the family of God will bring the comfort and strength we need to endure even the most difficult of circumstances. In Nehemiah 8:10 says that the joy of the Lord will actually be our strength!

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would be filled with the joy the comes from the Lord to overflowing! I pray that the love of God would drive out all the feelings that we have that we are slaving away in our Father’s field. May we all know deep in our hearts that we can have a party any time we like because we our heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus! (Romans 8:15-17).

I also pray that our eyes would be open so that we could really see the heart of our Father who loves to throw parties when His lost kids come home. May the Lord of the Harvest fill our hearts with the same compassion that He has, so that we may be compelled to go out into the harvest field and point the way home to many prodigals and orphans. After all, our Father is waiting to throw yet another party!

A Son Walks In His Fathers Authority

Matthew 28:18-20

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)

We are all very familiar with the Great Commission that Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 28 when He told them to go into all of the world and make disciples of all nations. Of course, for Jesus to be able to give them the authority to go, He would have first had to be given authority Himself. Verse 18 is the key to this charge that He gave them… “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. (ESV)

For you and I to walk in our destiny as sons and daughters to our heavenly Father, we need to be convinced of the same revelation that Jesus was convinced of… That everything that belonged to the Father belonged to Him as well. We read this clearly in Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17:9 when He said… All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. (NIV)

Jesus knew that He was His Father’s Son, so based on that fact, He walked in the authority of being the Son of the living God. He didn’t have to grasp for it or strive to earn it. The authority that He received from His Father was based on the simple principle of inheritance. Sons and daughters who know the security of being loved, know that they are heirs to whatever their parents have.

If someone struggles with an orphan mindset, they are not yet convinced that they are sons and daughters to the Father and joint-heirs with Jesus. If they aren’t yet secure in who they belong to, they will need to establish an identity and an authority that is clearly based on their own self-effort. What else can they do? If they don’t know who their Father is, then how can they rest in the divine authority that He gives to sons and daughters?

Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10:8 the secret to walking this out. He told them… ‘Freely as you have received, freely give’. The more that you and I learn to receive from heaven, the more that we will be able to give away to others. In Luke 22:29, Jesus told His disciples that just as the Father conferred a kingdom on Him, He conferred a kingdom on them.

Because of the cross, we are now joint-heirs with Jesus and fellow citizens of the household of God. We carry within our own spritiual DNA our heavenly Father’s seed. In Philippians 2:1-11 we read how Jesus did not consider equality with His Father as something that He had to grasp for. Instead, He was happy to humble Himself, take on the form of a servant and became obedient even to death on the cross.

He knew who He belonged to. He knew that He was His Father’s Son and this revelation gave Him the courage to walk in the humility of a servant heart, yet with an authority that caused His Father to exalt Him to the highest place above every name that is to be named.

My prayer today is that we would all know that we truly are sons and daughters to our Father because Jesus was happy to be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29) I pray that we will know today more than ever, that we are not orphans, but joint-heirs with Jesus. (Galatians 4:4-7)

I pray that this knowledge of the divine authority that the Father has given Jesus and which Jesus has in turn given to us, would bring us into a deep rest. May we know that we do not have to establish an authority apart from what has been freely given to us already, as a beloved son or daughter to the Creator of the universe.

A Son Is Encouraged By His Father

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 
¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. (NIV)

Our elder brother Jesus, and God our Father are cheering us on in the unique race that is marked out for each one of us. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:10 that we are the Father’s handiwork, created in Jesus to do the works that God prepared in advance for us to do.

If I build something for a purpose, it is my heart’s desire that the thing that I build would do what I created it to do. If I fold a piece of paper and make a paper airplane of out it, I want it to fly! The better it flies, the more satisfied I feel as it’s creator.

How much more does our heavenly Father want us to succeed in everything that we do in life? There are many Scriptures that speak of the magnificent freedom that is ours in Christ and the abundant life that He wants us to enjoy. Each step of the way, He is encouraging us to keep on running our race because as it says in Romans 8:31… If God is for us, who can be against us? (NIV)

God is for you. He believes in you. He created you before the foundation of the world to be a reflection of His image to a fatherless world. Each and every one of us who has simply said ‘yes’ to Jesus, has this hope. We are our Father’s handiwork, and we are called to fulfill our destiny as His beloved sons and daughters.

An orphan heart that is not yet convinced that they are a beloved child of the living God, will tend to look horizontally for the affirmation that tells them who they are. If we are not convinced that we are completely loved and accepted now because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, we will seek affirmation from other sources.

One of the ways that we seek this affirmation is by looking to other people to find true acceptance. For many people, this is expressed in trying to please every person they meet. Unfortunately, I consider myself an expert in this field. I grew up believing that my own personal value and self worth was directly hinged on the approval of others. This led to an exhausting life on a treadmill of trying to please every person in every situation.

It wasn’t until I began to receive a deeper revelation of the unconditional, eternal love of God my Father, that this vicious cycle of people pleasing began to change. I am not saying that I am completely done with this, but I am at a better place now than I was before I knew that my God and Father was my greatest encourager.

My prayer today is that we would all know that we are secure in the family of God, with Jesus as our big brother and God as our Father. My hope is that each one of us would be free from living a life of seeking affirmation from others to tell us who we are. I pray that we would all come into the glorious freedom of the sons of God (Romans 8:19-23) and fix our eyes heavenward for the encouragement and affirmation that we all were created to receive from our true Father.

I pray that the power of the Holy Spirit (which lives in each son or daughter) would open the eyes of our hearts so that we could know by experience the eternal hope that we have been called to, the glorious inheritance that is ours in Jesus. May we all say yes and amen to the prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed in the book of Ephesians…

Ephesians 1:15-23 KJV
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: ¹⁸The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, ²⁰Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: ²²And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.