Think...

 

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;

—Romans 8:5-6

Do you ever copy what someone else is doing?

When we were children, if one of our friends ran a little ways and then jumped, did we run a little ways and jump, too? Or, maybe we saw someone make a funny face, so we decided to make a funny face, too?

As an adult, if one of our friends shows us his or her new high definition television, do we find ourselves beginning to think about buying a new TV? Or, maybe our friend shows us his or her new smartphone. Do we find ourselves checking on-line to see if it’s time for us to get a new smartphone, too?

On many occasions, whether we’re children, or adults, we see what someone else is doing and we decide to do the same thing.

Now sometimes, doing what someone else is doing is okay. For example, when we were children, if we saw our older brothers and sisters, or our mom and dad, washing their hands before they ate dinner and we decided to wash our hands, too—well, that was a good thing to do.

But sometimes, when we copy what other people do or say, we can get ourselves into trouble. If we see someone do something nasty or mean to another person, we might decide to be mean or nasty to that person, too. Or, if we hear someone share a bit of tasty gossip about someone we don’t like very much, we might decide to pass that tasty bit of gossip on to one of our friends.

Or, maybe we’re in a meeting and we hear someone say something that doesn’t seem quite right to us. Instead of questioning what we’re being told, we remain silent and just go along with the crowd. We might even tell ourselves that by remaining silent we are “preserving the peace.” Instead, by remaining silent—by doing what the others in the room are doing—we may well be helping to create chaos.

But, do you know what? God has given us a way to help keep us from copying other people when they do bad things, or inappropriate things, or questionable things, or even things that are borderline but that we suspect might be wrong. That’s right. God has given us a brain inside our head. And, He expects us to use that brain. He wants us to think before we act.

So, let’s say we hear someone talking about another person in a very rude and careless way. Now, at first—particularly when we don’t particularly like the other person—we may think that we should talk rudely and carelessly about that person, too. But, just before we open our mouths to say something rude, we think about it and decide that it wouldn’t be the right thing to do.

If we do that—stop and think about what we were going to do before we did it—we would be using the brain God gave us to help us decide what to do.

God loves us very much. He loves us so much that He wants us to use our brains to think about what we are going to do. He wants us to use our brains to think about what we are going to say. Instead of just doing or saying what we see someone else do or say, God wants us to think about it first. And, God has also given us the Holy Spirit to remind us to use our brains—to think before we act or speak. The Holy Spirit will nudge us to do the right thing, if we listen carefully to what He says to us.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Holy Manners

 

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

—Philippians 2:5-11

Looking back on the years while we were growing into adulthood, do you remember, like I do, how our moms and dads were always trying to teach us things? Almost every day, our moms, or dads, or both of them, would try to teach us something that would help us become the kind of boy or girl we ought to be.

For example, I imagine that mom and dad consistently taught each of us—and it took quite some time—to say “Please,” “Thank you,” and “You’re welcome.” When we asked someone for something, mom and dad taught we to always say, “Please.” Then, when someone gave us something, mom and dad taught us to say, “Thank you.” And, they also taught us that when someone says “Thank you” to us, we should respond by saying, “You’re welcome.”

We learned that “Please,” “Thank you,” and “You’re welcome” were part of what mom and dad called “manners.” And, one of the things that marked a well-behaved boy or a well-behaved girl was a display of good manners. That’s part of the reason why mom and dad insisted that we learn to say “Please,” “Thank you,” and “You’re welcome.”

I wonder, if along the way of growing up, did we realize that when we enter the presence of a king, there is a certain kind of “manners” that we must display in order to show we understand that the king is in the room? That’s right. we can’t just march into the room and say, “Hi, King!” Or, at least we can’t do that and expect the king to think well of us.

When people enter a king’s throne room, those people must keep their heads bowed. And, when they reach the throne, they must kneel to show the king proper respect. The king has earned the right to be treated this way because, well, after all, he is the king.

In Revelation 4, the Bible tells us about a great day, coming in the future, when all of us will enter the throne room of heaven and approach the God of the universe. The Bible tells us that on that day, God’s throne will have a rainbow above it. God’s throne be surrounded by 24 other thrones and on those thrones will be 24 elders dressed in white who will have crowns of gold on their heads. Thunder and lightning will radiate from God’s throne.

The Bible also tells us that in front of God’s throne will be seven lamp stands and a sea like crystal glass. And, right in the center, near the throne, will be four creatures. One will look like a lion. One will look like an ox. One will have a face like a man. And, one will look like a flying eagle. These four creatures will have eyes all over them and each creature will have six wings. Over and over again, the creatures will say:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.”

The Bible also tells us, that as the four creatures begin to praise God, the 24 elders will stand up from their thrones, bow down on their knees before God, take off their gold crowns, and lay those crowns in front of God’s throne. Then, all together, the 24 elders will say:

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.

Now that’s a pretty amazing word picture of what it will be like on that great day in heaven.

You see, God is worthy of all that attention and praise because He is Holy. And, it is the Holiness of God that motivates us to worship Him by devoting our lives to please Him in the way we live and to serve Him with all of our hearts.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Insist on First Sources!

 

A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.

—Proverbs 14:5

Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.” The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true. When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

—Acts 24:1-16

Once again, at the beginning of another blog post, I want to very respectfully ask you to think back over the course of your life. For some of you, that may take a bit longer than it does for others. I know, in my own case, I have to search through more than seven decades to cover that span of time.

During your life, have you ever been rewarded for being good?

When I was a little boy, there were two places where little boys were likely to receive a reward for being on their best behavior. One was at the doctor’s office, and the other was at the barber shop. When my mom would take me to the doctor’s office so he could give me a checkup, the doctor would listen to my heart. He would look into my ears, nose, and throat. He would shine his little flashlight into my eyes. He would poke me a little bit on my chest and tummy.

If I endured all the doctor’s looking and poking without crying or squirming, when I went back out into the waiting room, the nurse would give me a lollipop. You know, a piece of candy on a stick.

When mom would take me to the barber shop to get a haircut, the barber would put this booster seat on the barber’s chair and my mom would lift me up onto that little seat resting on the big chair. You know that big chair—the one that turns around and around.

Then, the barber would put a narrow band of tissue-like paper around my neck and then tie big cloth around my neck that covered all of my small body in order to catch the little hairs he would cut off my head. Next, he would comb my hair and take the electric razor and cut around my neck and side of my head. He would then take his scissors and snip, snip, snip away at the hairs on the top and sides of my head. Finally, he would make a few minor adjustments to my haircut, brush me off with a camel’s hair brush, and remove the protective cloth and the narrow band of paper.

If I would endure all of those buzzes and snips without moving around too much, when the barber was finished and my mom would lift me out of the barber’s chair and set my feet on the floor, the barber would let me choose a lollipop from a big basket.

Do you remember the neat thing about lollipops? Surely you do. You can tell the flavor by the color. Red lollipops taste like cherries. Purple ones taste like grapes. Orange ones taste like oranges. And, yellow ones taste like lemons.

You know what would be really silly? It would be really silly if, on purpose, just to be mean, someone mixed up the colors and the flavors.

You would pick out a yellow lollipop expecting it to taste like a lemon, and it would taste like grapes. Or, you would select a red lollipop expecting it to taste like cherries, and it would taste like oranges. That would be really silly, wouldn’t it?

The person who would mix up the colors and the flavors just to be mean would be doing a really bad thing. He or she would be telling a kind of lie. He or she would be “deceiving” us. He or she would be deliberately trying to trick us.

Some people seem to lie as much as they tell the truth. In fact, some people seem to have developed such a pattern of lying that they will twist and turn the smallest detail to produce the outcome they want—always focusing attention on themselves. Or, they will always tell a story in a way that favors their own reputation. These are all forms of lying.

When we love someone, we don’t lie to him or her. When we love someone—really love that one—we always want to tell him or her the truth.

That’s the way God treats you and me. God really loves us. He loves us so much that he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. Because God loves us so much, the most important thing we can do is to love Him right back. And, because we love God, we always want to tell the truth. Telling the truth—always telling the truth—is one way that we show God we love him.

Wise people stay alert for lies. They never let their guard down. No matter who speaks to them, they always receive information and filter it looking for possible lies. This is particularly important for people who hold positions of responsibility. God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us tell the difference between the truth and lies.

God also teaches us in His written Word that we must insist on information coming from “first sources.” So, in receiving information—especially information about some other person or event—insist on obtaining that information from first sources. Never, never, never take the word of someone else about something important. Find out for yourself what’s true and what’s not.

In the Scripture passage from Acts 24 at the beginning of this blog post, the Jewish leaders had accused the Apostle Paul and told lies about him to the Roman Governor, Felix. But, Felix wisely insisted on hearing directly from Paul. Felix did not rely on what the Jewish leaders had told him about what Paul had supposedly done or said. Rather, Felix insisted that he would rely only on first sources. Upon hearing charges against Paul, Felix went directly to Paul and gave Paul the opportunity to explain. Felix did not pass judgment until he had heard directly from Paul.

In a sentence, what I’m trying to convey: “Wise leaders always keep watch for the truth by insisting that information comes to them only from first sources.” Let me say that again. “Wise leaders always keep watch for the truth by insisting that information comes to them only from first sources.”

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Extending Love

 

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

—James 2:1-13

Do you have a favorite flavor of ice cream? What’s your favorite flavor? In every survey that pollsters have taken, do you know what the number one favorite flavor of ice cream is? It’s vanilla! Yes, vanilla. Vanilla is the number one flavor of ice cream. And, the second most favorite flavor is chocolate!

What about colors? Do you have a favorite color? Most people have a favorite color, a favorite song, a favorite food, a favorite gadget or toy, maybe a favorite car, a favorite golf course, or a favorite vacation spot. We all have “things” that we like better than other “things.” And, it is really okay to have favorite “things.”

But, when it comes to the way we treat other people—the way we talk to them, the way we look at them, they way we smile at them, the way we show kindness and love to them—we really should not have favorites.

How would you like it if your husband or wife, or your mom or dad, treated your best friend better than they treat you? If your best friend came over to your house to visit, and your spouse or parent gave your friend a big bowl of ice cream, but didn’t give you any. Wouldn’t that be really silly?

You see God wants us to show His love to other people by treating them with kindness no matter what they look like, no matter what kind of clothes they wear, no matter how rich they are, or no matter how poor they are.

God loves us very much. He loves you very much. And, He loves me very much. God loves you and me so much, that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Savior.

God loves us exactly as we are. He loves us if we are tall. He loves us if we are short. He loves us if we are fat. He loves us if we are thin. He loves us if we have new clothes. He loves us if we have old clothes. He loves us if we are rich. And, He loves us if we are poor. God loves us exactly as we are.

And, God expects us to love other people the same way He loves us. He expects us to love them if they are tall. He expects us to love them if they are short. He expects us to love them if they are fat. He expects us to love them if they are thin. He expects us to love them if they have new clothes. He expects us to love them if they have old clothes. He expects us to love them if they are rich. He expects us to love them if they are poor.

You see, it is okay to have favorite things like flavors of ice cream, or colors, or gadgets, or toys, or foods, or golf courses, or vacation spots. It’s okay to have favorite “things.” But, when it comes to people, God wants us to love all people the same way—the very way that He loves us.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Will you help me?

 

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

—James 2:14-18

Please think back to that time when you were a child. Did you ever ask your mom or dad to help you with something? Maybe you asked them to help you put on your shoes, or comb your hair, or brush your teeth? Maybe you asked them to take you to McDonalds or Burger King for lunch? Maybe you asked them to take you to the beach, so you could swim in the Lake?

Do you know why your mom and dad helped you when you asked them? Your mom and dad were willing to help you because they love you. You see, when we love someone, we are willing to help that person. Another way of saying that is that if we love someone, we are willing to serve that one. That’s right. If we love someone, we are willing to serve that one.

The writer of the Book of James in the Bible talks about the fact that if we love the Lord Jesus Christ and have placed our faith in Him as our Savior, we will be willing to serve Him. That means we will be willing to help others in His behalf. We will be willing to help others, just as Jesus would help them if He were with them in person.

But, do you know what? Sometimes people get it backwards. Sometimes people try to help others, not because they love Jesus, but just because they think by helping others Jesus will love them. And, when they do that, they miss the whole point.

Jesus already loves us. Jesus loves you and Jesus loves me. He loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His life in our place on the cruel Roman cross of torture. He died so that the shedding of His blood would serve as the ultimate payment for the atonement of the sins of everyone who has ever lived and everyone who will ever live. And, He rose from the grave, conquering death, so that everyone who accepts the reality of His great gift can spend eternity with Him.

If that wasn’t enough, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in the heart of everyone who believes in Him. The Holy Spirit helps us follow obediently the pathway that God lays out before us every day. And, that includes showing love to others by serving them in Jesus’ Name.

So, when people think that they can do things to help others to get Jesus to love them, they have it backwards. The only right way is to do things Jesus would want us to do for others because we love Him.

When we help others because we love Jesus, we put our faith in Him to work. That’s what James is talking about. James is telling us that “The faith that saves, is the kind that works.” Let me write that again. “The faith that saves is the kind that works.”

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Is it true?

 

If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

—John 14:15-17

Has anyone ever told you something that was just really hard for you to believe? You weren’t sure whether or not it was true?

I know that every one of us enjoys stories. A good novel engages us and we simply can’t put it down. Out of the hundreds of television shows, we have a few that we really follow closely. Most surely we have a favorite movie or two. In every case, we feel drawn to the book, TV show, or movie because of the story it tells. Even the so-called “reality shows” actually tell a story, perhaps a goofy story, but a story nonetheless.

We’ve enjoyed stories since those days when mom or dad read to us just before we went to sleep at night. Each one of those children’s stories had some lesson to teach us, or something fun to explain. The person who wrote those stories did so to bring joy to children.

Some of those children’s stories told us about animals that can talk. For example, in the Winnie the Pooh stories, A. A. Milne has created a whole forest full of animals that talk and have adventures. The only human in those stories is a little boy named Christopher Robin. And, he only appears in the stories once in a while. The rest of the time, Milne has written about Pooh Bear, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, and Baby Roo. I actually didn’t discover Milne’s stories until I was in college. I had hoped to write children’s stories, so I did a great deal of research about the children’s stories that had already been written.

If mom or dad read a Winnie the Pooh story to you when you were a child, I imagine you enjoyed it quite a lot. But, I also know that as you grew older, you realized that real, live rabbits, bears, pigs, tigers, and kangaroos don’t talk to each other in the English language. Even so, it was fun to read a story about talking animals because it helped you imagine what it might be like if animals did talk to one another.

Sometimes when someone tells us something, it is hard for us to know for sure whether or not what they are telling us is true. When we have a hard time deciding, we might say, “I don’t believe you.” In order to believe something, we have to know that it is true.

When something is absolutely true, it has a way of helping us believe in whatever that something is. For example, the Bible tells us that, on one occasion, Jesus’ mother, Mary, came to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, before Jesus was born. Elizabeth was also going to have a baby. Elizabeth told Mary, “You are blessed because you believe what the Lord has told you will happen.”

You see, an angel had appeared to Mary many months before and told her that she was going to have a baby, that his name would be “Jesus,” and that he would grow up to become the Messiah. Mary believed what the angel told her. She believed what the angel told her because in her heart she knew it was absolutely true. And, she knew this in her heart because God gave her the ability to recognize that it was true.

Understanding what is true and what isn’t true is a gift from God. And, that is a really important lesson we all need to learn. God empowers the Holy Spirit—who lives within the heart of every person who believes in the life-transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ—to help us know for certain what is true and what isn’t.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Is It Real?

 

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 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. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

—1 John 2:26-28

If I offered to give a young seven-year-old child my car keys, do you think that child would be willing to grab my keys and take my car out for a drive? Well, a particularly bold child might just take my keys and head out the door. Yet, I am quite sure that no seven-year-old knows how to safely drive a car. Why, most children of that age couldn’t even reach the gas or brake pedals.

There are just some things in life that we have to wait until we are older before we can fully understand what’s involved. Driving a car is one of those things. And, even after a person has driven a car for decades, if that person loses the ability to use his or her right leg, that one will have to have hand controls installed in a vehicle, take many hours of on-the-road instruction, and pass a new state exam in order to obtain a restricted driver’s license before he or she can regain the privilege of driving. How do I know this? Because that is exactly what I had to do when a 19-year-long infection finally resulted in the amputation of my right leg in 2017. Having done all that was required of me, using my specially equipped Dodge Caravan, I can now drive myself wherever I want to go. When I arrive, I can unload my powered wheelchair and proceed anywhere that is handicap-accessible.

Yes, there are just some things in life that we have to wait until we are older before we can fully understand what’s involved. Or, if the circumstances of our lives change, we may have to make some fundamental adjustments to the way we have always done things in the past.

Among the things that we may have to grow into is being able to tell for certain what is “real” and what is “make-believe.” Many seven-year-old children’s lives are filled with storybooks and videos and TV programs that have characters that have become their friends. The older the children get, the more clearly they will be able to tell which of those characters are “real” and which of those characters are “make believe.”

Most children might be surprised to know that sometimes adults have trouble deciding what is “real” and what is “make-believe.” Our friendships are a good example of one type of those things. Sometimes, we come to believe that a particular person is our friend. But then, we learn that person we thought was our friend is really not our friend. We find out that person has said some bad things about us behind our back. Or, we discover that person has done something in secret that harms us in some way. So, we often have to examine our relationships rather carefully in order to determine which of those relationships are “real” and which of our relationships are “make-believe.”

For some of us, including me, having to try to figure out which relationships are genuine can present an almost overwhelming challenge. I’ve shared on this blog previously how some experiences in my early childhood and in my teenage years have shaped the way I relate to other people. I have become very socially awkward. And, much the worse, I have increasingly found it difficult to trust other people. So many times, throughout the years of my life, I have found people to behave in an untrustworthy manner that I have almost lost my ability to trust anyone.

Of course, there still are a few exceptions. But generally, I do not trust other people. Because of this, I am the loser. I end up not relating well to other people, especially one-on-one. And, my social awkwardness sometimes comes across to other people as if I am angry, or that I think I am better than other people, or that I am abrupt, harsh, or even cruel. Even though none of those outward appearances describe how I really feel in the depth of my being, because other people perceive me in these ways, their perceptions erect a barrier between us.

I continue to feel amazed at how difficult it can be to determine what is “make-believe.” Here’s another example.

Scripture talks about the return of Jesus Christ to earth, what people often call the “Second Coming of Christ.” One particular verse, found in Revelation 1:7, speaking about Jesus, states:

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

Some adults aren’t sure whether that verse is talking about a “real” event or a “make believe” one. But, I know for an absolute certainty that what that verse talks about is real. One day, maybe even one day soon, Jesus will return and everyone on earth will see Him. That will truly be an exciting day.

Because Jesus loves us so much, and because we love Him right back, we can look forward to that day when He returns to earth. Knowing that He is coming back some day, gives us joy and also helps us want to live in a way that pleases Him.

So, some things in your life right now may be “make-believe.” But, one thing you can count on—something that is very real—is that Jesus loves you, and that He has a wonderful, wonderful plan for your life. He has promised to return to earth. And, that is exactly what He will do.

Until He does return, Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to walk alongside us each day. The Holy Spirit will help us stay on the pathway that God has laid out before us. We are not alone. Until Jesus returns, the Holy Spirit will lead us and guide us into the pathway of obedience every single day.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Listening Carefully

 

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

—1 Samuel 3:1-10

Listening is very, very important. Tell me, what do we use to listen? Silly question, right? Of course you know the answer! When we were children, we were taught that we listen with our ears. Please let me share an illustration.

When we were in a place where it was very noisy—a place where, maybe, lots of people were talking and we tried to get our mom’s attention—we had to work quite hard. We had to raise the sound level of our voice. Perhaps we had to gesture. We had to do everything we could think of to attract our mom’s attention.

“Mom,” we would say.

“Mom,” we would say a little louder.

“Mom,” we would say more insistently.

“Mom!” We finally would shout quite loudly and tug on her sleeve.

We had to speak really, really loudly in order to get our mom’s attention. We had to speak loudly enough that she could hear us over the noise of the other people talking.

Sometimes, you see, it is really hard to listen when we are surrounded by lots of noise.

In the verses at the beginning of this blog post, the Bible tells the story of a little boy, not much older than some of us were when we first learned about how noise interferes with communication. One night, when he was fast asleep, he thought he heard someone call his name. Well, you know this familiar Bible story, don’t you? And, if you don’t, you can read it above.

Once the young boy, Samuel, realized the Lord was calling him, he replied, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

And, do you know what happened then?

The Lord and Samuel had a conversation. That’s right. They had quite a talk. And, what they talked about will be the subject of another blog post that we will share together sometime.

Why do you suppose that God waited until nighttime to talk to Samuel?

God waited until night had fallen because He knew that, in the dark of the nighttime hours, it was very, very quiet. God knew that when it was very quiet Samuel would be able to listen better. Samuel would be able to clearly hear God’s voice.

In the first part of Psalm 46:10, the Bible quotes God saying:

“Be still and know that I am God.”

One of the hardest lessons to learn is how to be quiet and listen. That’s right. It is really, really hard to be quiet and listen. No matter how old you are, it’s hard to be quiet and listen. But, if you work at it, you can learn to listen. Listen to each other. And, listen to what God might want to say to you. Listen with your natural human ears. And, listen with your supernatural, “spiritual ears.” Then, take careful note of what God may say to you in the deep recesses of your heart.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Submission

 

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

—Matthew 26:36-46

Today, I want to write about what it means to “submit.” Now I realize that the word “submit” is not a very popular word. It is not a word that most people really understand, at least not with clarity. And yet, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I think it’s very important to a person’s development to know what it means to “submit.”

Please allow me to illustrate by sharing a true story with you.

When I was a little boy, I really did not like to eat peas. My mom told me that peas were good for me. But, when I looked at a pile of peas on my plate, all I could think of was how mushy and squishy they would be when I took a spoonful of them into my mouth and began to chew.

So, when my mom would give me some peas, I would take my spoon and push the peas over to the side of the plate. I would be very careful that all the peas stayed together in that little pile. Then, I would eat everything else on my plate and hope that, by saving the peas to the very last, maybe Mom wouldn’t make me eat them.

But, do you know what? My strategy never worked! She would make me eat them every time.

Now sometimes, I would sit there and not eat those peas for a very long time. My mom would say, “Dean! Eat your peas!”

And I would say, “Yes, Mom.” But, I wouldn’t eat them.

In a little while, my mom would say, “Dean! Eat your peas!”

And again I would say, “Yes, Mom.” But, I still wouldn’t eat the peas.

Finally, my mom would say, quite sternly, “Dean! Eat your peas. You cannot leave the table until you eat those peas!”

So, finally, reluctantly, very, very slowly I would eat the peas. The moment I began to eat those peas, I began to “submit” to my mom. You see, finally—in spite of how much I procrastinated making the only correct decision—I did what my mom wanted me to do.

That’s what it means to “submit.” We submit, when we do exactly what someone trustworthy wants us to do.

God want us to do what He tells us to do in His written Word, the Bible. He wants us to submit to Him because He loves us and because He always knows what is the very best thing for us to do. God is certainly trustworthy. He’s someone worthy of our trust. And, He has given us power, through His Holy Spirit, to enable us to submit to His will. The Holy Spirit empowers us to bend our foolish, selfish, stubborn human will to God’s divine and perfect will.

It’s important for us to remember that Jesus, God’s Son, gave us a beautiful example of what it means to submit in the Garden of Gethsemane, as recorded in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post. On the very night that Jesus was going to be arrested on false charges and ultimately crucified in our place on the cruel cross of Calvary, He asked God in prayer to spare Him. But, and this is the really important part, He ended His prayer with the words, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” He purposefully and willingly submitted to His Father’s perfect plan.

Make no mistake about it. Jesus knew what pain He would endure. He knew how humiliating it would be to hang naked on the cruel cross of Roman torture. He knew that the agony that would grip every aspect of His being would be excurciating, as He bore the penalty for all of the sins that humans had ever committed and for every sin that humans would ever commit in the future. He knew that He would pay a terrible price for submitting to His Father. Every one of Jesus’ four human modalities—emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical—would be stressed to the breaking point. Nevertheless, because He knew that His Father’s perfect will was for the best, Jesus submitted His will to the will of His Father.

Because Jesus knew what it meant to submit, and because He willingly submitted His will to God the Father, we received forgiveness for all of our sins, through the shedding of Jesus’ precious blood. And, because He rose again from the dead, He gave assurance to everyone who believes in Him that he or she would have eternal life. Even as Jesus ascended to the heaven from which He came and sat down at the right hand of His Father, He secured for us the reality that heaven would ultimately be our home for all eternity.

The lesson for us is crystal clear: whenever God reveals to us exactly what He wants us to do, our loving response—in full obedience—is to submit to God’s divine and perfect will. Faced with untold challenges in this life, as followers of the Great King Jesus, we can make no other reasonable choice but to submit to the will of the One who knows us best and loves us the most.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

He Loves You!

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

—John 3:16-17

If I say to you, “Jesus loves you,” I know that won’t surprise you at all, will it?

As long as we have attended church, many, different people have told us that “Jesus loves us.” We have heard it from our Sunday School teachers. We have heard it from our pastors or priests. We may have even heard it from our moms and dads, or from our grandmas and grandpas, or from our uncles or aunts, or from some close friends. “Jesus loves you” is a wonderful, wonderful truth. And, all of us know this is so.

There are some people in our community who don’t know that Jesus loves them. As sad as it is to realize this, we can take joy from knowing that God has given us the wonderful opportunity of being the ones to tell them that Jesus loves them, too.

Sometimes, before we can tell people that Jesus loves them, we have to get their attention. We also have to be sensitive to needs they might have and try to reach out to them and meet those needs.

Have you ever considered participating in a special event at your church? I’m talking about the kind of event that invites all of the people in your neighborhood to come to your church for an occasion where you offer them some food, some entertainment, and a chance to share with them—in a very non-threatening way—that “Jesus loves them.” This kind of an event is really a way of getting their attention and trying to meet some needs they might have, so you can have the opportunity to share with them the good news of Jesus’ love.

By now I’m sure you’ve joined me in noticing the treats in the photo above. In fact, I imagine that, like me, some of you have hardly taken your eyes off that tray of treats from the moment you first landed on this blog post a few minutes ago. They really look good, don’t they? These treats have really captured our attention.

In the same way these treats have captured our attention, a special event at our churches will capture the attention of the people in our neighborhoods.

Underneath each of the treats in this photo, I’ve tucked a note written on a very small piece of paper. Can you tell me what you think the note says? That’s right! “Jesus loves you.”

And, you know, He really does love you, He loves me, and He loves every person that He calls to Himself. That is a truth worth sharing. Isn’t it?

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Learning from the News

 

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw— that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

—Revelation 1:1-3

Almost everyone knows A. A. Milne’s character called “Winnie-the-Pooh?” Do you know Pooh Bear? I had the distinct privilege, back in 1976, of narrating all of Milne’s stories for CRIS—the Connecticut Radio Information Service for the Blind. I created different voices for each character. It was the most fun of any project I have ever done.

If you know Pooh Bear, you know that Winnie-the-Pooh is a very special friend of a little boy named Christopher Robin. You probably also know that Winnie-the-Pooh lives in the forest and has a very special something that he likes to eat. Do you remember what that special something is?

That’s right. Winnie-the-Pooh likes to eat honey. In fact, Pooh will go to great lengths to get a hold of some honey.

One day, Rabbit and Piglet went to visit Winnie-the-Pooh. They knocked on Winnie-the-Pooh’s door and waited for the bear to answer. When Pooh opened the door, Piglet said, “Hi, Pooh-bear. I have good news and I have bad news.”

“Really?” Pooh replied.

“The good news is that Rabbit and I have found a very large mess of honey for you,” Piglet answered.

“Wonderful,” Winnie-the-Pooh exclaimed.

“The bad news,” Piglet continued, “is that the honey is near the top of a very tall tree.”

“Oh,” Winnie-the-Pooh responded.

“The good news,” Piglet continued, “is that there are lots of branches near to the ground to make it easy for you to climb the tree.”

“That’s great!” Winnie-the-Pooh smiled in anticipation.

“The bad news,” Piglet went on, “is that the bark of that tree is really slippery, so you are likely to slip when you start climbing.”

“Oh,” Winnie-the-Pooh whispered, and sadly sat down on the ground.

“The good news,” Piglet said once more…

And, so it continued, back and forth. First the good news and then the bad news. First the good news and then the bad news. Minute by minute. Hour by hour.

Sometimes, our lives can be a little bit like that exchange between Piglet and Winnie-the-Pooh. First we get some good news and then we get some bad news. It was that way for the Church back at the time, many hundreds of years ago, when the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation in the Bible.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, first John would share some good news with the church, and then he would share some bad news. Do you know why he would do that? He would do that so that the people in the church would learn about how God expected them to live their lives.

So the next time someone says to you that they have both good news and bad news, just remember that it is probably a time when you are going to have to do some serious learning. Okay?

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Becoming a Mentor

 

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

—John 13:15

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

—1 Corinthians 11:1

Do you know that every one needs a mentor? Now that word “mentor” is a word that at lot of people throw around quite casually in conversation these days. The word “mentor” really means: “a teacher who teaches by example.”

We learn lots of things by watching how other people accomplish whatever they are doing. Have you ever watched “Mister Rogers” or “Sesame Street” or one of the other children’s programs when one of the characters shows the viewers how to do something? Then later, you (or your children) tried to do that same thing? Sure you have. You learned because you saw someone else do something and, as a result, you were now able to do whatever they showed you. With practice, you could keep doing that same task until you could do that “something,” too.

Think about how you learned to pray. Maybe the first time you became conscious of prayer, it was your mom or dad who prayed with you. Perhaps, you were a very little boy or girl at the time. I imagine that mom or dad said something like, “Now bow your head and close your eyes and we’re going to pray.” Then mom or dad would bow his or her head and close his or her eyes and pray a prayer with you.

Every time mom or dad prayed with you, he or she would say, “Now bow your head and close your eyes and we’re going to pray.” Pretty soon, you knew that when it was time to pray it was also time to bow your head and close your eyes.

At the same time, you listened carefully to what mom or dad said to God when they prayed. Maybe they asked God to give you a peaceful and restful night’s sleep. Perhaps they asked God to protect you, your brothers and sisters, your grandma and grandpa, your uncles and aunts. They may even have thanked God for sending His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in order to forgive your sins. Eventually, by doing what mom or dad asked you to do and by listening to what they said to God, you learned how to pray for yourself. You learned how to pray by following what mom and dad showed you.

Or, maybe, you didn’t grow up in a praying household and the first time you prayed was as a teenager, or even as an adult. Even then, didn’t you learn how to pray by listening to someone else, or maybe many others, pray? Sure you did.

The lesson for today is that God wants us to learn from each other. And,more so, God wants us to be teachers to all of our friends and all of the other people we see each day. He wants us to show them the right way to do things. God wants us to live our lives in such a way that we can be good teachers—good mentors—to others.

You can learn how to mentor others by always choosing what you know is the right thing to do. We sometimes try to kid ourselves into believing that we have many choices in every situation. The truth is that, in every situation we encounter in life, we really do know, within the depth of our being, what is the right thing to do in each circumstance. That nudging within us is the Holy Spirit. He is helping us to know what the right thing to do is in every situation.

God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within everyone who acknowledges that the Lord Jesus Christ is his or her Savior. The Holy Spirit helps keep us on the pathway that God has laid out before us. The Holy Spirit helps us choose to do the right thing whenever we must make a choice.

So, you can learn how to be a good and effective mentor by listening carefully for that nudge from the Holy Spirit. Choose to do the right thing in every case and you will become a good mentor.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Fruit Bearers

 

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

—Colossians 1:9-14

I want you to imagine with me for a moment that you are a farmer. Can you do that? Of course you can. And, on your farm you have a very large field. Your field stretches from way over there to way over here. All through this very large field you have planted fruit trees.

Now planting those fruit trees was only the beginning. Starting in the very early days of spring, you would have to put fertilizer around those trees. You would have to make certain the trees have enough water. You would have to carefully remove any weeds that might grow up around the trees and steal nourishment away from them. You would have to work very, very hard. All through the summer months and into the fall, you would have to care for those trees in the hope that when the time of harvest comes they would produce beautiful, juicy, delightfully tasting fruit.

Now imagine if you were that farmer and you went out into the field at harvest time expecting to find fruit and the first tree you came to had not one piece of fruit on it. Why you would look that tree up and down. You would move branches aside. But no matter where you looked, no fruit.

So you would move on to the next tree. You would look up and down, move branches, but—wait a minute—no fruit. Hey, what’s going on? At the third tree, no fruit. At the fourth tree, no fruit. Not one tree in all of your orchard has fruit. What a terrible disappointment. All that work, and nothing to show for your effort.

In John 15:8, Jesus tells us that we have to make certain our lives do not become like trees that do not bear fruit. We have to respond to the love of the Christ that occupies our hearts by living out that love in our service to others.

Through acts of kindness to others, by doing what we know is right, by sharing what we have with people in need, we show that Christ’s love lives in our hearts.

We have to always remember that because God loves us so much, He sent His Son Jesus to be our Savior. Our response to this great act of God’s love is to make certain we show His love to the people with whom we come in contact.

Every time we say a kind word to someone, or give someone a cheerful smile, we show them Christ’s love. Every time we give someone less fortunate than we are a part of what God has given to us, we show them Christ’s love. Every time we tell someone that Jesus loves them, we show them His love.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

In and Through Our Savior

 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

—John 14:6

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

—Book of Common Prayer 1662 (translation)

What does it mean when we acknowledge all of the above requests we make in prayer to God by using the phrase “through Christ our Lord?” And, what impact does this acknowledgement have on our daily walk of obedience with Him?

Jesus told his disciples in John 14:6:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In these few words, the Lord Jesus Christ declares Himself the sole means by which we connect with God. The use of the definite article, “the,” leaves room for no other way to God. Jesus is the way!

As bold as this declaration may seem, and as disappointing as it may appear to followers of all other religions, the Son of God declares Himself the definitive point of contact. In the reality of our daily lives, this confirms that—as we strive to obediently follow the pathway God has laid out for us—everything we do, everything we say, everything we accomplish, in fact, everthing we are comes through Jesus. He becomes the enabling pathway.

In John 14:26, Jesus declares:

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

So, God gives believers, in Jesus, the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and to become an internal counselor who will strive with us as we seek to enter into all things through the Lord Jesus Christ.

No matter what kind of trial or difficulty we may have to face, our sustaining encouragement and our exit strategy comes through Jesus. He is the One who enables us to draw sustenance from Him to face the time of trial. He is the One who directs our pathway along the road of obedience to His will and His written Word. He is the One who will protect us from the onslaught of our enemies and will confirm for us the support of our friends.

And, part of the beauty of His Abiding Presence is the reality that He fulfills, moment-by-moment, His promise from John 15:5-8:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

We must remain in Him. We must move through Him. We must experience through Him. We must enjoy through Him. We must love through Him. We must obey through Him.

God accomplishes His will and purpose in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, we accomplish God's perfect will for us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. All that we have and all the we are comes as a precious gift from God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

To walk the pathway of obedience, we must follow the writer of Hebrews’ instruction in Hebrews 12:1-3:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Join me, won’t you, in living this day in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Allow the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to carry you along the pathway of true obedience that God has laid out before you. Release every obstacle that arises into the protective arms of Jesus. And, experience the joy of His peace.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Magnify and Glorify

 

“O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.”

—Psalm 34:3

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

—Book of Common Prayer 1662 (translation)

What does it mean to “worthily magnify” God’s holy Name? And, how in the world do we do it?

A strong correlation exists between this quotation from the Book of Common Prayer and the admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ when He quotes from the Mosaic Law in Mark 12:28-31:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

In this passage Jesus affirms that we are to love the Lord our God:

• with all our heart—our emotional being
  
  
• with all our soul—our spiritual being
  
  
• with all our mind—our intellectual being—and
  
  
• with all our strength—our physical being.
  
  

In other words, we are to love God with the totality of our being. Love for God must flow from every modality of our being. In fact, we cannot begin to love others until we first love God.

In John 21:15-19, Jesus confronts Peter and they reconcile following Peter’s denial on the night Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. In this exchange, the Lord Jesus probes to find out whether or not Peter has come to understand that the agape—God-breathed love—that He requires comes only through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We don’t really get a glimpse of whether or not Peter truly understands until some days later when Peter preaches his famous sermon at Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2:14-41.

In and of ourselves, we simply cannot worthily magnify God’s holy Name. But, as we receive the life-transforming power of the Risen Christ, He enables us to fulfill the call of the Psalmist in Psalm 34:3 KJV:

O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.

In the quiet of the early morning hour, when we first stir from a night of rest, we must make the volitional decision to surrender our will to the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Then, and only then, can we begin our day in the full confidence that the Enabler will empower us to worthily magnify God’s precious and holy Name.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Loving Perfectly

 

“…The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

—Galatians 5:6b-

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

—Book of Common Prayer 1662 (translation)

What does it mean when we ask God to help us “that we may perfectly love Thee?” And, what impact does this request have on our daily walk of obedience with the God who loved us enough to send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on Calvary’s cruel cross in our behalf?

You see, that’s the point. God has literally poured out His love toward us. Scripture makes that crystal clear.

Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:8:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God always makes the first move. He draws us irresistibly into His love, mercy, and grace by the power of the Holy Spirit. At the beginning of human life on this earth, God gave mankind an opportunity to remain obedient in the Garden of Eden. In response, Adam chose to sin. That sin condemned all mankind to eternal death.

But, God’s love would not leave us in that dreadful state. He made provision to reconcile us to Himself through the precious blood of His Son. Jesus’ death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin. And, Jesus’ resurrection from the grave secured our eternal home in heaven once our life on this earth comes to an end.

Can you conceive of any response to the overwhelming love of God more appropriate than loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? No, of course not.

Even in this matter of loving God in return, He has not left us to flounder our way along without help. Once again, the Holy Spirit enables us to love God with the sinless perfection that can only come by way of His cleansing. Moment by moment, day after day, as we yield our selfish human will to His perfect divine will, He sweeps away the natural, sinful evil that permeates our beings. As a result of such cleansing, we can now perfectly love God.

In Galatians 5:6b, Paul writes:

…The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

We express our faith principally through love. Love for God and love for our fellow humans.

Several times in this series of blog posts, I have made reference to Jesus’ own words in Mark 12:28-31:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Again, you can see how important love is to an obedient walk with God. The authors of the Book of Common Prayer have expressed a very critical truth. God desires our love as a fitting act of obedience and also as a fitting expression of our gratitude for His magnificent love He extends to us.

I don’t know about you, but I take enormous comfort from knowing that He has already made provision to faithfully keep me on the pathway of obedience that He has laid out for me each day. And, I am quite certain that the best way to begin, and to end, my day with God is to simply speak these words to Him: “I love you!”

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Cleanse Our Thoughts

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

—2 Corinthians 5:17

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

—Book of Common Prayer 1662 (translation)

What does it mean when we ask God to “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts?” And, what impact does this request have on our daily walk of obedience with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?

In the deep recesses of our hearts, we harbor a great deal of information. The Bible often uses the word “heart” to refer to the centrality of our being. You might say that our heart represents the core of our self. So, holding all this information—or dare I call it “data”—in our hearts, makes inspecting the nature of that data quite important to our well-being.

The data we hold, or harbor, in our hearts affects all the modalities of our self: emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical. Every aspect of our lives receives influence from that which we harbor in our hearts.

If we hold things of beauty, grace, charm, and holiness in our hearts, our being will reflect those positive qualities. If we harbor evil thoughts, evil desires, evil memories, evil intentions, then our being will reflect those negative qualities.

By asking God to “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit” we invite our Precious Father to sweep through the core of our being and brush out all that’s evil and sinful. Since what’s removed must be replaced with something else, as the Holy Spirit sweeps out the evil and sinful, He sweeps in the holy, righteous, and good.

We get a strong sense of this activity from Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Part of what happens, when we receive the gift of salvation through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed on Calvary’s cruel cross, is that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within our hearts. He, then, can respond to our request to “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” We don’t have to do anything, but ask Him. Just ask!

I encourage you to begin each day—even before you get out of bed—by praying the simple prayer you will find by clicking here. My dear friend, Dr. David R. Mains, wrote this prayer many years ago and shared it on his radio broadcast, The Chapel of the Air. Letters he received from listeners indicated that this prayer has helped thousands of people begin their mornings by confidently stepping out on the pathway God has laid out for them that day.

Please join with them, and with me. I’ve prayed this prayer for over 40 years. And, while I have often fallen short of God’s best for me, He has always proven Himself faithful. I have learned to trust God implicitly. And, you can learn this important truth, as well.

Why not start today, right now. Just bow your head, pray the simple prayer I’ve suggested in the paragraph above, and watch how God will “cleanse the thoughts of your heart by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”

You’ll be really glad you did.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Secrets!

 

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

—John 1:12-13

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

—Book of Common Prayer 1662 (translation)

What does it mean that from God “no secrets are hid?” And, what impact does the reality of this truth have on our daily walk of obedience with our God of Love, Mercy, and Grace?

As a child, do you remember how you felt when someone told you a secret? Pretty early in our lives, most of us learn the power that comes from knowing something that others don’t know. In fact, quite early in our lives, most of us also learn that secrets offer a most powerful way to manipulate others.

“I know something you don’t know!” chanted that nasty little tike that lived around the corner from the home in which I grew up.

Secrets have the power to hurt. Secrets, sometimes, also have the power to heal.

When a dear friend comes to you with a very serious problem and, in confidence, shares with you. Holding that information in strictest confidence, while you pray earnestly for God to help your friend deal with his or her problem, can offer a healing balm to soothe a wound of the soul.

Even in our own lives, in the deepest recesses of our hearts, we often harbor secrets that we feel we can share with no one. That’s the beauty of this declaration from The Book of Common Prayer. The same God “to whom all hearts be open, all desires known” is also the God “from whom no secrets are hid.”

When we become a child of God, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. No longer do we have the ability to harbor secrets from God. He knows us in the most intimate manner possible. He knows our thoughts, He knows our hearts, He knows our desires, and He knows our secrets.

Today, as you continue to journey along the pathway that God has laid out before you, take courage in knowing that the God who knows your secrets will grant you wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to deal with whatever circumstances occur in your life. The power of the indwelling Holy Spirit will enable you to face every challenge and overcome every obstacle. So, breathe a sigh of relief. You can rest in God’s love, joy, and peace all through this day.

 

_{Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}