Ruling Peace

 

“Trust in the Lord forever…”

—Isaiah 26:4a

In this sinful world, we struggle to find peace. That’s because a great spiritual warfare rages around us. Satan’s desire is to entrap and then destroy every human being on this planet. He works the hardest on those whom God has chosen to belong to Himself.

Satan knows exactly how to press every one of our negative and sinful “buttons.” The evil one has a unique ability to take us down into the pit of despair. This enemy of our souls also has the ability to tempt us to turn from what we know is right and pleasing to God, and instead follow pathways that will harm us in the depth of our beings.

As believers in the life-transforming power of our risen Lord Jesus Christ, we are daily assailed on every side. Yet, true and lasting peace awaits us in the arms of the God who loves us with His everlasting love. God waits lovingly and patiently to enfold us in His protection. He desires for us to seek His care. He wants us to run to Him whenever our enemy tries to attack and destroy us.

Allow joy to well up in your heart as you read these words from the Prophet found in Isaiah 26:3-4:

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.

Let us gratefully receive the Peace of Christ this day. His peace will sustain us on our journey through this life and into the glorious eternal life that awaits us at the feet of our Lord and Savior.

 

Originally posted on Monday, March 30, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Problem with Getting Even

 

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil.”

—Romans 12:17

“Don’t get mad, get even!”

Getting even is a pretty well-defined tactic of our culture. In fact, over the past five years, getting even seems like it has risen to new heights as a tactic against anyone with whom one disagrees. Yet getting even does not square with the Apostle Paul’s instruction in Romans 12:17-21:

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Through the power of the risen Christ, which dwells within us by the enabling of the Holy Spirit, we can be overcomers. We can overcome evil and promote good. We have no obligation to fall into the same evil patterns that other individuals exhibit throughout our culture. In fact, we have a distinct responsibility to stand against this, and every other, evil practice.

We must determine to encourage a life pattern of forgiveness and reconciliation. While we retain the teachings of Jesus as the higher ground on which we stand, we must approach others—even those who try to harm us, even destroy us—with humility, kindness, and God’s forgiving love. This is an excellent plan. And, besides, God’s love for us compels us to do what pleases Him the most.

 

Originally posted on Friday, March 27, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

We Need Each Other

 

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”

—Romans 12:6

Do we realize we need each other in order to competently and effectively serve the Lord Jesus Christ and His Kingdom? We simply cannot strive to serve alone. We need the assistance and encouragement of our fellow believers in order to continue serving our Savior in the most loving, caring, and productive way.

That’s what the Apostle Paul was preaching about when he wrote the words found in Romans 12:3-8:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.

If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Let’s move out into this new day with a humble determination to work with our fellow follwers of Jesus, so that we can lovingly use the gifts God has given us for the benefit of others and to bring glory to the God who loves us.

 

Originally posted on Thursday, March 26, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A New Law of Love

 

“Great peace have those who love your law…”

—Psalm 119:165a

In the Old Testament times, God’s chosen people could express their love for God only by following the Law He had given them. This prompted the Psalmist to write in Psalm 119:165-168:

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

I wait for your salvation, Lord, and I follow your commands. I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.

But, after God’s Son came to earth as a man, He brought a new and living way for believers to express their devotion, as recorded 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.”

For us as believers, the pathway of obedience has become paved with love: love for God in all four human modalities—spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical—and love for others.

This new pathway of obedience that our Savior has opened for us really coincides with a fulfillment of the Old Testament Law, made possible within us by the enabling of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

As we follow the Great King Jesus, let us enthusiastically embrace the Law of Love. And, let’s allow God’s love to flow through us this day to touch the lives of everyone with whom we come in contact.

 

Based on a post from Wednesday, March 25, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

You are being watched!

 

“…walk in the way of love…”

—Ephesians 5:1

“You’re being watched!”

Does that phrase startle you? Does it create fear? Apprehension? Concern?

It’s true that every person who claims the name of Jesus, every disciple, every “Christ’s-one,” is being watched every day by the people who cross the pathway of their lives.

In response to this reality, it is imperative to ask these questions: “How well do we represent Jesus? How well do we handle joys? How well do we handle sorrows? When adversity comes our way, how do we react?”

Do we take every change in our lives with the same grace that our Savior would show? When someone does something that impacts negatively on our lives, do we respond the way Jesus would?

You see, people watch us every day to see if we act like we belong to the King of Kings. Do we show the kind of loving clarity that Jesus would show?

In writing to the Christians gathered in the house churches in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul offered this advice in Ephesians 5:1-2, 8, 10, and 15-17:

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light and find out what pleases the Lord.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

People are watching us. They want to see if our faith in God is real. They want to measure whether devoting our lives to serving Christ has made the kind of transformation in our behavior that validates the truth and integrity of what we may say about the peace and joy we experience because we have accepted God’s gift of eternal life.

Over the years I have been writing this blog, I have shared an experience several times that illustrates what I am trying to share with you today. If you will, please allow me to share this true story once again.

Many years ago a man, who worked at the insurance company where I worked, approached me. He was someone with whom I had worked closely in years past in the Buffalo Office. Now that we were both in the Hartford, Connecticut, Home Office, we did not see each other very often. But, on this day, he asked me if he could talk with me.

“I don’t quite know how to put this,” he said, “but my wife has recently become one of those born again Christians. I would like to buy her a Christmas present that would let her know I love and support her, even though I don’t understand this decision she has made.”

“How can I help?” I asked.

“She told me that one of her new friends has a book in which she can find where any word is mentioned in the Bible. How do I get one of those books?”

“Well, that book is called a Concordance” I explained. “It looks like this.” (In God’s Providence, I just happened to keep a Concordance on my cubicle bookshelf.) After he looked at it, I then explained where he could buy one.

That encounter was the first of many conversations over the next year. Finally one day, he came to me with a huge smile on his face and just the hint of happy tears in his eyes. That’s right, you probably have guessed it. He had prayed and acknowledged Jesus as his personal Savior.

Why did this man come to me with his initial question? Because he had been watching me. I had never preached to him. I had never declared my faith to him. I had never even had a conversation about spiritual matters with him. But, when it came time to ask his question, he came to me knowing I would help him.

He had been watching me. Without my saying a single word—and even though there is absolutely nothing whatsoever that is special about me—he knew that I could talk to him about the Bible and how to read it well.

Every single day, every one of us is being watched by people who need a life-transforming encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.

In a world where people are always trying to deceive others, we should be “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” people: people of the Truth; people of the Light.

Let’s make a conscious choice to live in a way that honors the trust our King has placed in us to represent Him well to a needy world.

 

Based on a post from Tuesday, March 24, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Lifelong Praise

 

“I will praise the Lord all my life…-”

—Psalm 146:1b

As this new day begins, the sun rises in the sky. The warmth of the sun awakens all nature. Nature lifts leaf and bloom to praise the Creator.

Privileged as we are by God and very special of all creation because Father, Son, and Holy Spirit proclaimed: “Let us make mankind in Our image”—can we fail to join our minds and hearts and say with the Psalmist, quoting from Psalm 146:1-10?

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—he remains faithful forever.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord.

Yes, dear ones! This day, and every day, let’s join our hearts and voices and praise God from whom all blessings flow.

 

Based on a post from Monday, March 23, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Reliable Investment

 

“Blessed (are)…the people he chose for his inheritance.”

—Psalm 33:12

In what do we invest wholeheartedly? Mutual funds? Real Estate? The stock market? What about bonds? Or, how about precious metals: gold and silver?

The Psalmist offers an alternative investment strategy in Psalm 33:12, 18-22:

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

Trusting in God’s unfailing love is the most reliable investment we can make.

 

Based on a post from Friday, March 20, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

God Constantly Supports Us

 

“…your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.”

—Psalm 94:18b

God loves those who belong to Him. His love never fails. He constantly watches out for us.

That’s why—once we acknowledged His love and the gift of salvation He has given us through His Son—He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us.

The Psalmist expressed the reality of God’s abiding Presence in these words from Psalm 94:18-19:

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

God cares for us in a way that exceeds our ability to understand. Even when the trials of life assail us, He never leaves us.

As we walk with God throughout this day, let’s relax into His loving arms. With sincere intentionality, let’s rejoice in His mercy, grace, and love.

And, when an opportunity arises, let’s share, in a gentle and tender way, what He has done for us with those He brings across our pathways.

 

Based on a post from Thursday, March 19, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Condemnation Free

 

“Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ”

—Romans 7:21

No one enjoys learning that he or she has come under condemnation. Even when we’ve done something wrong and deserve to be condemned, we don’t like it.

Sometimes it is all the more perplexing when we truly intended to do the right thing, but immediately find ourselves doing the exact opposite of what we intended to do.

Fortunately, we’re not alone in our self-disgust. A spiritual giant, none other than the Apostle Paul, had the very same experience. He records his frustration in Romans 7:21-25 and 8:1-2:

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.

For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

We should draw comfort from knowing that the Apostle is just like you and me. He daily faced the same kind of circumstances that we face.

Once we acknowledge the salvation that God has given us, through the atoning sacrifice of His Son, we are free from condemnation. Oh yes, we are still sinners. We will retain our sin nature that we inherited from Adam until we pass from this life. But, we now have the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome our bent toward sin.

Let’s rejoice that, because of Jesus, we are “condemnation free”!

 

Based on a post from Wednesday, March 18, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Responding Rightly

 

“…conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

—Philippians 1:27a

Trials come at an ever-faster pace. Difficulties arise that seek to smack us down and take us out of this “Game of Life.”

It’s almost like a star player on the football field. The running back is valued for his ability to get the ball over the goal line. Nothing brings the fans to their feet faster than watching a running back bob and weave through the defenders and streak across the goal line to score a touchdown. Likewise, nothing deflates the screaming fans quite as much as seeing a defender knock a running back to the ground after he’s traveled just a few feet from the line of scrimmage.

In our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, we have to be prepared to run determinedly to the goal. We also have to understand that Satan wants to knock us to the ground.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words of loving instruction in Philippians 1:27a:

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Living worthy lives presents us with a great challenge. But, during this new day with the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, we can surely rise to the challenge to the glory of God.

 

Based on a post from Tuesday, March 17, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Doing Good To Others

 

“Let us not become weary in doing good…”

—Galatians 6:9a

A “Kingdom” exists wherever a King is recognized and that King’s wishes are obeyed.

Our Savior, the Son of God—the Lord Jesus Christ—ushered in His Kingdom here on earth when He took on human form over 2,000 years ago. Therefore, the Kingdom of God exists right here and right now, wherever people recognize Jesus as King and determine to obey His will. As believers, it is our task to develop an understanding of the essence of Christ’s mission here on earth and then connect ourselves to that mission.

One aspect of the essence of Christ’s mission is for His devoted followers to do good to others in Jesus’ name. As the Apostle Paul taught in Galatians 6:9-10:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

As our night of rest fades into a new and busy day ahead, let’s determine to make every effort, as we are enabled by the Holy Spirit, to do good to others in the name of our King Jesus.

 

Based on a post from Monday, March 16, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Shining Ever Brighter

 

“The path of the righteous is like the morning sun…”

—Proverbs 4:18a

Have you ever awakened with a start in the early morning hours just before dawn and for a brief moment felt the panic of not knowing where you are? The confusion of such a moment seems terrifying.

From 1986 through 2003, I traveled extensively on business. During each of those years, I was on the road an average of 39 weeks out of 52. I logged over 1,250,000 miles on Delta Airlines alone. Staying in so many different hotel rooms, I did occasionally awaken and not know where I was. I felt that moment of panic. I sometimes would wish that the early light of morning would flood in through the window, instead of merely peek around the edges of the closed curtains.

As believers in the life-transforming power of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we don’t always know where the pathway God has laid out before us will lead us. But, we can be certain that it leads us where He wants us to go. And, we can be certain that He will always brighten the light we need to find our way. All we have to do is simply wait patiently for Him to act.

The closer we draw to God, the more we purposefully surrender our will to Him, the more of His light we will have available to illuminate our pathway. We must draw closer, ever closer, to God until we experience what King Solomon wrote about in Proverbs 4:18:

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

God has given us another new day in which to serve Him. Let us embark on this new day with a renewed commitment to glorify Him through everything we do. We can move forward with the assurnace that He will brighten our pathway.

 

Based on a post from Friday, March 13, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Calling Forth Songs of Joy

 

“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders…”

—Psalm 65:8a

King David knew a great deal about the inward fading light of early morning and the outward fading light of evening. He had observed both of these phenomena from the Judean hillside where he had tended sheep as a boy.

Many times in the waxing and waning dusk, David would play softly on his shepherd’s flute, quieting the sheep, especially the newly born lambs. Is it any wonder that he would remember those days when he wrote these words from Psalm 65:8:

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.

King David knew first hand that God, the One True King, is the source of all joy. In order to possess the fullness of joy, we must honor this Great King and love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. If we do this, He will call forth joy from within the very depths of our beings.

 

Based on a post from Thursday, March 12, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Godly Sorrow

 

“Godly sorrow brings repentance…”

—2 Corinthians 7:10a

More than 60 years ago, I heard an evangelist preach a sermon on what he called “Godly Sorrow.” I left that service somewhat mystified.

The Apostle Paul, however, speaks about godly sorrow in a way that is quite clear when he writes in 2 Corinthians 7:10:

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Let us welcome the kind of godly sorrow that the Holy Spirit brings us. It helps keep us on the pathway of obedience. It encourages us to quickly confess our sins, repent of our sins, make restitution for our sins, and receive reconciliation.

Godly sorrow clears the channels of our lives, so that God’s love can flow through us and into the lives of the people around us. And, ultimately, godly sorrow produces the greatest possible joy.

 

Based on a post from Wednesday, March 11, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Overflowing Love

 

“…whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”

—Romans 13:8c

I once heard a Bible teacher declare: “The flow of God’s love from our hearts to others is like water bursting over the top of a dam.”

Scripture often contains instructions that seem very difficult to enflesh. Our sin nature always remains at war with the new nature Christ has given us through the Holy Spirit.

Here’s just one example from Romans 13:8:

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

We know we are to allow God-breathed love to flow through us and touch the lives of everyone in our lives. But, most of us have at least one person who has treated us so unfairly, even despicably, that it is very difficult to allow God to love that one through us.

Even so, that is our calling—that is our instruction. As we cruise into the fullness of this week, let us not forget to pray for hearts so full of God’s love that His love will flow over the top of whatever “dam” that our stubborn will may have built to keep His love from overwhelming the one person who has treated us so hatefully.

If we bend our will to God’s perfect will in this matter, then—and only then—we will be able to have a truly good day. Let us joyfully allow the flood of His love to overflow!

 

Based on a post from Tuesday, March 10, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Withholding Criticism

 

“For none of us lives for ourselves alone…”

—Romans 14:7a

We live in an age where criticism of others is almost a sport of the realm. Everywhere we turn people are judging each other harshly. What was once courteous discourse has turned into a nasty festival of name-calling.

Galatians 6 urges us to restore our sinful brothers and sisters gently, lest we fall into sin. So, harsh judgment has no place in the lives of believers, especially when dealing with other members of the family of God.

Sometimes we try to hide our own sinfulness by harshly criticizing others. Instead, we should be tenderly calling our brothers and sisters to confession, repentance, restitution, and reconciliation. But, we should do so only after we have dealt with our own sins.

The Apostle Paul offers these challenging words in Romans 14:7-10, 12-13:

For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord.

So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt?

For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

Let’s begin this new day by allowing God’s grace to so permeate our minds and hearts that we look at each other only through His eyes of love. When we see some behavior in other brothers and sisters in Christ with which we don’t agree, before we jump to criticize, let’s make certain we have first properly dealt with our own pet sins.

 

Based on a post from Monday, March 9, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Instruments of God's Grace

 

“…they spoke so effectively that a great number…believed.”

—Acts 14:1b

Since that moment when the Holy Spirit did His work in our lives that revealed God’s love for us, we have walked the pathway of our lives as instruments of His grace. Every person we encounter along the road of life gets a glimpse of God’s mercy, grace, and love at work within us.

Most of the time, that glimpse of God’s working in us comes by way of our actions. People can sense the Spirit of Christ within us by what we do and the way we do it.

Occasionally, God gives us an opportunity to speak a word in His behalf. Scripture tells us that on such occasions the Holy Spirit will give us exactly the right words to say. So, whether by our actions or by our words, we represent the God who loves us to a very needy world.

Of course, we hope that our efforts will become such a natural part of our lives that we will always represent our Lord in an effective way. Dr. Luke gives an example of this when he writes the following words in Acts 14:1:

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.

As we begin a new day, let’s think about the hours that will open up ahead and pray for the people who will come across our pathway in the course of this day. Let us pray that by our actions—and, when prompted by the Holy Spirit, by our words—we will have a positive influence.

If we follow in the footsteps of Jesus today, we will plant a seed of Christ in each person we pass along our way. As we pray for each person we might encounter, we must ask the Holy Spirit to make both our actions and our words effective testimonies of God’s mercy, grace, and love.

 

Based on a post from Friday, March 6, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

"I know your deeds..."

 

“I know your deeds.”

—Revelation 3:8a

We who are loved by God—the ones He has chosen before the foundation of the earth to belong to Himself, the ones to whom in due season He revealed His love through the Holy Spirit—are most fortunate, most blessed, and most driven to respond to God in obedience to His will and to His Word. Our obedience is actually the only thing God requires of us. And yet, that obedience is the most important action we will ever take.

As a result of God enabling our obedience through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can read with great joy these words written to the Christians in the ancient city of Philadelphia, as recorded in Revelation 3:8, 10:

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.

I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

At the start of this new day, we can move forward along the path God has laid out before us knowing that, in our weakness, we will find His strength. We can press onward and “endure patiently,” knowing that the trials we must face in this life are but for a little while.

Let us rejoice in the mercy, grace, and love of God. Let us celebrate that we belong to Him. Let us humbly receive the gifts He gives us, especially the gift of forgiveness for our sins and the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

 

Based on a post from Thursday, March 5, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Marks of Maturity

 

“I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.”

—Proverbs 4:10b

The subject of “maturity” looms large in all matters we face in life today. This is especially true in our narcissistic, self-centered, sin-filled, decadent culture. More and more, Conservative scholars have begun to question whether or not our society has made the subject of maturity an anathema.

Just the other day, I came across a paper I wrote during my time at Houghton College back in 1967. This particular paper came to mind because I have recently considered some of the problems that face the Evangelical church in the United States. After quite a bit of analysis, I have once again concluded that one of the problems foisted on the church by societal norms is that the people in the pews seem to increasingly lack emotional maturity. This started me searching through old files to try to find what I had long-ago written about the subject of maturity.

Maturity is certainly a multi-faceted subject. The paper in question compared various deficiencies in maturity with Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs.” I won’t take time here to define the culmination of Maslow’s work. But, if you wish, you can read about it by clicking here. In any case, my paper lists the following possible facets of maturity:

• Emotional Maturity
  
  
• Spiritual Maturity
  
  
• Intellectual Maturity
  
  
• Physical Maturity
  
  

These four facets of maturity are based on the four human modalities and concide rather nicely with the Scriptural designations found in the words of Jesus reported in Mark 12:30:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Please allow me to quote from my paper:

If our society has reduced the level of emotional maturity among its members to a lower than normal degree, we will observe people who exhibit traits of a self-centeredness, hyper-sensitivity to insults, elevated response to disagreements, attempts to cover over misdeeds, overly active efforts to blame others, unwillingness to take responsibility, and a general lack of commitment to doing what is right simply for the intrinsic reward that doing right affords. Within the Evangelical church, this lowered level of emotional maturity takes the form of a hyper-sensitivity to the opinions of others, wherein someone’s rightful assertion of a personal belief is interpreted as offensive, unkind, or unloving.

Lowered emotional maturity also appears as believers seeking for a church that meets their needs, rather than seeking a church where they can serve. Such individuals examine all aspects of the church against a narcisscistic point of view. They wonder whether the church is fulfilling their personal spiritual growth, rather than accepting the reality that spiritual growth comes from intense personal devotion and intentional personal effort.

Whenever people seem too quick to accuse others of offending them, a careful analysis of each scenario will often disclose that it is a lowered emotional maturity that prompts the feelings of hurt or offense and not the actual event.

While I could quote even more from this long-ago paper, I will stop at this point, only to assert, with greater certainty than I felt more than 50 years ago, that our Evangelical church is plagued by the lowered emotional maturity among its members that our truely messed-up society has promoted.

For the Christian, following the pathway of obedience flies in the face of our culture. For one thing, we live in a society of ever-increasing disobedience wrapped in a cloak of mindless conformity.

Our culture also demands instant gratification. In contrast, for a Christian to obediently follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, it is more of a triple-marathon than a 50-yard sprint.

One moves quite slowly along the pathway of spiritual maturity. That’s because overcoming bad habits and besetting sins takes quite a significant investment of time and effort.

Then, just as soon as the “Christ’s-one” declares victory over a specific sin, the Holy Spirit gently and lovingly reveals another sin with which the believer must deal. So, the road to spiritual maturity can seem quite endless. And, it is.

King Solomon tried to lay out this walk toward spiritual adulthood when he wrote these words in Proverbs 4:10-13:

Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.

I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.

When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.

Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.

Here Solomon repeats what he has learned from God. In the literal Hebrew for Proverbs 4:12, God is saying, “Step by step I will open up the way before you.”

So, let’s take heart! In His mercy, grace, and love, God is daily opening up the way in front of each one who follows His Son, the Lord Jesus. And, God is doing this incrementally—that is to say, step by step.

We need to celebrate each victory along the pathway toward holiness. We also need to pray for each other and encourage each other, as we struggle to overcome our besetting sins.

And, we would do well to examine our own selves to determine whether or not we have chosen a pathway of a lowered emotional maturity. We can choose to improve our maturity in all four facets. By allowing the Holy Spirit to continue to make us into a new creation, we can rise up and become effective, mature individuals who will represent Christ well and bring honor to His name.

As the Apostle Paul urges us in Galatians 6:2:

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Indeed, as we walk together along the pathway of obedience, your burdens are mine and my burdens are yours. Together, we will joyfully cheer each other onward.

 

Based on a post from Wednesday, March 4, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

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Extending God's Love

 

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…”

—Ephesians 2:4

As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have many reasons to be filled with joy and to express that joy by doing good deeds that touch the lives of others. When I read what some of my friends are doing to extend God’s love to the people around them, I am greatly encouraged. In fact, I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-10:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I am greatly humbled to realize that the good works my dear friends perform, as they reach out to those in need, were prepared in advance by God for them to do. That should cause great joy to well up within their hearts.

Each kind word, each act of grace, each expression of God’s love, each act of mercy is a testimony to the ultimate act of mercy, grace, and love that Christ gave us on Calvary’s cruel cross. Our Savior’s birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension give us the strongest possible example of what it means to fulfill God’s perfect will.

Let us celebrate this day the awesome privilege we have to touch the lives of others in the blessed Name of our Savior and Lord. And, let us bask in the joy that true obedience brings us, whenever we do those good works that He has prepared for us to do.

 

Originally posted on Tuesday, March 3, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

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Singing Boldly

 

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.”

—Psalm 137:1

Most people my age who grew up in the strong, yet nurturing, grip of Christian Fundamentalism, will remember singing this song during Wednesday night prayer meetings:

This world is not my home,
I’m just a-passin’ through.
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door.
And, I can’t feel at home
In this world any more.

The sentiment in this song expresses the reality that, having come to understand the great work God has done in our behalf through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross, we now live as citizens of Christ’s Kingdom. We are no longer of this world, even though we remain in this world.

The people of Israel experienced a similar reality, as expressed in Psalm 137:1-6:

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?

If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

Carried off by the Babylonians, the Israelites languished in this foreign land. They were mocked because of their faith in God. The Babylonian culture hated them because their faith stood in stark contrast to the unabashed sinfulness of their captors.

The captive Israelites ask: “How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?” Then, they try to answer this question by considering the request of their captors to sing a song of Zion, so that their captors can mock them further. But, the real answer lies in a decision that they will ultimately learn to make. They will come to understand that they can overcome the pain and misery of their captivity by singing the songs of Zion with boldness and yet with overwhelming love.

That solution applies to us today. When we feel overcome by the sinfulness of this world. When our culture snears at us and derisively disdains us. We can retain our dignity and our joy by singing our songs of worship and praise. Yes, we can sing those songs boldly, yet with overwhelming love. That’s the solution!

 

Originally posted on Monday, March 2, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

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How Are You Regarded?

 

“This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.”

—1 Corinthians 4:1

How are you regarded? Said another way, what do people think about you? What description pops into their thinking when you come to mind? Do most people like you? Do most people dislike you? Are people quite neutral regarding what they think about you? Do some people like you a lot and others can hardly stand to be around you? Do some people consider you a leader, a role model, or even a hero?

The Apostle Paul had no patience with hero worship. Even though Paul certainly had achieved the status of a spiritual super-hero, he wrote these words in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2:

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants [or “bond-slaves”] of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Early Christians in Corinth had begun to identify with their favorite preacher or teacher. In the verses immediately preceding the ones quoted above, Paul challenges them to put away such foolish thinking. Instead Paul urges them to recognize that the one sharing the good news of the gospel with them is nothing more than a “bond slave of Christ and steward of the mysteries of God.”

A bond slave is a “now-freed-slave” who willingly attaches himself or herself forever to his or her Master. God gave His chosen people, the Jews, a process for a fellow-Jew to use when his or her time of indentured servitude had come to an end, or when the Year of Jubilee occurred. This process is described in Deuteronomy 15:12-18:

If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.

But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.

Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

So, from this passage of Scripture, we can discern that someone given the title of “steward” can be defined as “a slave elevated to a position of responsibility in his or her Master’s Kingdom.” Such an individual remains a slave because he or she has purposefully chosen to remain a slave. But, such a person has earned the trust of his or her Master. And, as one who has earned such a trust, has been elevated to have a greater responsibility within his or her Master’s domain.

By definition, a steward has no interest of his or her own. He or she is not interested in self-advancement or self-actualization. Instead, a steward has only one interest: doing what is best for his or her Master. Constantly, a steward asks: “What can I do to advance my Master’s Kingdom?”

How do people regard you as a Christian? Are you a bond-slave of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God? That is certainly what I desire to be, what I seek to be. And, I hope you endeavor to do the same.

 

Originally posted on Friday, February 27, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

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A Few Kind Words

 

“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”

—Proverbs 12:25

A few kind words can have a startlingly positive effect. That’s why kindness represents a characteristic worth pursuing.

Deep inside, my dad always thought of himself as less than worthy because he never finished high school. Truthfully, he was a very wise man who had more common sense and practical life experience than most other men. He had a strong native intelligence that, given other circumstances, would have allowed him to rise to great heights. Instead, he used the gifts God had given him to reach out and help other people, often in his own unique way.

My dad taught me to treat everyone the same—to show no favorites and treat everyone with equal respect. He especially told me to make friends with what he called “the little people—people like you and me.”

My dad was referring to the people who do what he called “the real work”: the maintenance and cleaning crew, the security guards, the technicians who keep the machinery running, all of the support people who work almost silently behind the scenes. And, he also taught me to treat everyone with equal kindness. Please let me illustrate with this account:

Once I was working late at night at the insurance company where I was employed. One of the cleaning crew came around the corner and startled me. He quickly apologized. Just as quickly, I assured him I was the one at fault. After all, at this time in the middle of the night, I was the one intruding into his work space.

Then, I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit. “I hope you know how much we all appreciate what you do every night,” I told him. “It is really helpful to work in a clean space. Thank you for your hard work.” Then, I asked him what his name was.

He told me his name and said, “Thank you.” Then, he went on his way. In a moment I heard him begin to whistle a little tune.

Soon, whenever I encountered a member of the maintenance or cleaning crew, I would be greeted with a smile and a cheerful, “Hello, Mr. Wilson.” I would ask the person’s name and also ask him or her to please address me by my first name. “Please call me ‘Dean’,” I would say, with a chuckle, “Mr. Wilson is my father.”

It wasn’t long before I knew the first and last name of every member of the maintenance and cleaning crew. When we would encounter each other, we would exchange a few words of conversation. I began to learn about their families and what they were interested in doing when they weren’t at work.

One day, several years later, one of the cleaning crew appeared at the door of my cubicle. I invited him to sit down. With tears he told me his wife had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and asked me to please pray for her. I bowed my head, laid my hands over his, and prayed fervently for his wife.

As the weeks passed, I would seek him out for a report on his wife. I kept praying as she had surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

Then came the day when he joyfully reported that his wife had been declared cancer free. A few months later, right around Christmas time, he appeared at the door to my cubicle with a sweet-looking woman at his side. “I wanted you to meet my wife,” he said with pride in his eyes. It was my great joy and genuine pleasure to meet this woman for whom I had prayed during the many months.

Remember how this story began? All I did was heed my earthly father’s instruction to treat everyone the same, with respect and with kindness. And, when my loving heavenly Father nudged me, I obediently responded.

You see, there is nothing special about me—nothing whatsoever. In many ways, I am a very flawed person. In this case, I was just acting as an emissary of our Great King, Jesus.

Notice what King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 12:25:

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.

As we begin a new day, let’s determine to speak many more kind words in order to build each other up and to build up everyone around us. Doing this will surely make our precious Father smile.

 

Originally posted on Thursday, February 26, 2015

_{Copyright © 2021 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

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