Author: StephanieBBlake

I love to help others focus on the one thing that's most important in life through my ministry, teaching and writing. As Vice President of Xtend Ministries International - www.xtendinternational.com, I travel extensively with my husband. I maintain two websites: www.onefocusministries.com and stretchmoney.wordpress.com. On the One Focus site, you can find free Bible studies, devotionals and information about my first book, "The Prayer Driven Life". My book, "Money: How to Be Rich Without It and How to Stretch It Using Ten Hints from the Past and the Technology of Today" was the inspiration for stretchmoney.wordpress.com. Money saving hints are contained throughout the book and this site was created to continue to give helpful hints on stretching money or having the proper view toward money.
Word Focus

Ancient Wisdom for Today: Relating to Others

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…His secret counsel is with the upright (Proverbs 3:32 NKJV).

…His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous [those that are upright and in right standing with Him] (Proverbs 3:32 Amplified).

Many a mother has counseled her daughter to stand up straight. To improve posture, a young girl might walk through her home with a stack of books on her head. In that upright position, it is impossible to look down or to the left or to the right without toppling the books. Her gaze must be forward. Her concentration is straight ahead.

Standing erect is not only good for your posture. It is imperative for your spiritual life. Those who are upright are disciplined in righteousness, justice and integrity.

The definition of upright is an object that is vertical or erect or a person that is honorable or honest. In the Amplified Bible, the word upright is often translated as consistently or uncompromisingly righteous, one who walks uprightly, in right standing with God or moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation.

An upright person is not perfect, but focused. Occasionally the books will fall. The posture of a focused Christian will improve with time and practice. The more determined one is to love God and please Him, the more disciplined he will be.

Every failure or sin is a lesson learned. Don’t go there again. When you are down, look up at God. Ask for His forgiveness and accept it. Mary Pickford, 1873-1979, said, “You may have a fresh start any time you chose, for this thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

After a Christian has sinned and asked for forgiveness, Satan loves to keep him wallowing in guilt, refusing to feel forgiven. God knows we will fall yet He is righteous and just to forgive us our sin – through His Son.

The upright godly person walks with wisdom, looking forward, considering the steps of the path before him and is determined not to let distractions turn him aside from the path God has chosen for him.

With eyes forward, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

For further study, highlight every passage in Proverbs with relevant meanings of “upright.” Compare these with the New Testament armor found in Ephesians 6:10-13 – focusing on the breastplate of righteousness.

The Wise Person Watches His Speech

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11).

Quarreling children on a playground sometimes say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That saying is not true. Relationships have been crushed and lives have been destroyed because of words. Even in America, where the law clearly declares one innocent until proven guilty, the mere accusation of a crime can ruin a life.

Scripture is full of admonition to be careful with our words. It is a recurrent theme in such books as Proverbs in the Old Testament and James in the New.

One of the best examples of a godly man who did not sin with his mouth was Job. At the end of his trials and the conclusion of the book of Job, God addresses the so-called friends who gave Job advice throughout his experiences. He was angry at them because they did not speak of Him what was right, as His servant Job had. Those friends were saved only through the prayers of Job, a righteous man before God.

Isaiah’s vision convicted him that he and his people were guilty of unclean lips. Jesus said that what a man says comes out of the overflow of his heart. Paul advised the Ephesian church to refrain from unwholesome speech and only say those things that would build others up. James warned Christians to be slow to speak and slow to anger.

The contrasts between proper and improper speech are plentiful in the book of Proverbs. For instance:

  • When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is not wise (10:19)
  • He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity (22:23).
  • Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue (17:28)

These verses might lead those who are naturally quiet to think that being godly is easier because they don’t talk a lot. However, the Bible does not say that God is pleased only with silence. He wants us to use our tongues to witness (Romans 10:14), confess Jesus as Lord (Philippians 2:11), give God thanks (Colossians 3:17), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

For further study, search through Proverbs for the contrasts of good and evil speech. There are seven sets of these in chapter 10 alone.

Two of the Ten Commandments deal directly with speech. Compare these with other verses about the tongue.

The Wise Person Cares for Others 

A body of water with no inlet or outlet becomes a stagnant, insect-infested pond. Without living water flowing in and out, the result is not only unattractive and uncomfortable but unhealthy as well.

A healthy Christian life includes service to others. Jesus not only said that the greatest commandment was to love God with everything you are, but to love others as you love yourself. He gave His closest disciples a new commandment to love each other just as He had loved them.

There is no place for a self-absorbed Christian in God’s family. Jesus warned against keeping your light under a bushel or neglecting to become salt in a world that desperately needs it. Vital, living Christianity flows with the Living Water of the One who gave His life for ours.

Satan does not care how much you theorize about Christianity or how much you profess to know Christ. What he opposes vigorously is the way you live for Christ – the way you become an instrument of mercy, compassion, and love through which He manifests Himself to the world.

Mother Teresa said, “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have been done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.’”

Throughout the book of Proverbs, a common theme is caring for others. It described gracious, merciful, generous people who are concerned about the needs of others and extend their hands to help them. The old saying, “What goes around comes around” can be applied in the positive sense as well as the negative. The unexpected consequence of helping others is the blessings you receive when you do. Proverbs says that a caring person attains honor, does himself good, will be prosperous, happy, blessed, and will himself be watered and kindness and truth will come to him.

Paul instructed the church in Rome to receive Phoebe and assist her for “she has been a helper of many and of myself also” (Romans 16:1-2). Name the ways God has cared for you. Can you model that same kind of care to others?

For further study examine these verses in Proverbs about caring for others.

  • Family and close friends: See 11:16, 11:17, 11:25, 11:26, 14:21, 14:22, 22:9, 24:23-25.
  • Neighbors: Proverbs 11:9, 11:12, 14:21a, 24:29, 25:8-10, 26:17-19, 29:5
  • Poor: 4:21b, 14:31; 17:5, 19:17, 21:13, 22:9, 22:22, 24:29, 28:27, 29:7, 29:14, 31:8-9, 31:20
  • Enemies: 6:7, 20:22, 24:17, 24:19, 24:23-25, 25:19-21

The Wise Person Works and Leaves the Results to God 

…He who has begun a good work in you will complete it…We are God’s fellow workers, you are God’s field, you are God’s building (Philippians 1:6, 1 Corinthians 3:9).

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. That is how Proverbs begins. It ends with a description of a godly woman. Because she fears God, this woman will bear fruit and her own works will praise her in the gates. In Old Testament times, the men gathered in the gates for daily conversation. This woman’s husband was well known and sat with the other leaders in the city gate. His wife made him proud.

This truth is carried out in Jesus’ teaching. When you reflect His light, others will see your good works and the Father will be glorified. A child of God who makes the Father proud is someone who trusts Him in every area of life. His life and his work testify that He loves God and fears Him.

The universal human questions: who is God, who am I, what is my purpose are answered in this context. God is all in all and deserves my respect. I am His creation and His child (if I am a believer). My purpose is to do His will and glorify His name.

Some confuse work with their vocation or the job they have. Whatever a believer does, he should do well, for he serves the Lord Jesus. A Christian should be the best employee in a company. A vocation is only part of your life, however. Your work encompasses not only your profession but every area of life.

How to approach work is a common thread throughout the book of Proverbs. It addresses the need to be diligent in your work or to pay steady, constant attention to what you are called to do.

A book of contrasts, Proverbs instructs sluggards to consider the ways of ants. Consider this humorous comparison between these small creatures: ants and slugs. Ants are instinctively productive workers. People have a choice.

For further study, see Proverbs 10:4-5, 12:11, 12:24, 12:27, 13:4, 21:5, 22:29, 24:27, 28:19 in conjunction with Colossians 3:17-24 and Ephesians 6:7-8 in light of being diligent in your work.

To contrast diligence and laziness, see Proverbs 6:6-9; 10:26, 19:15, 19:24, 20:4, 20:13, 21:17, 21:25,22:13, 24:30-34, 26:14-16, 30:24-28.

Examine these verses in light of honoring the Lord and sowing righteousness with your lifestyle and productivity: Proverbs 3:9, 10:16, 11:18, 11:28, 12:12, 16:8, 31:20-31

Summary of Ancient Wisdom for Today 

He who gains wisdom loves his own life (Proverbs 19:8 Amplified). 

The wise person accepts God’s love.

He fears God, strives to understand, obeys the commandments and accepts discipline.

The wise person reflects God’s love.

He stands upright, watches his words, cares for others and works according to God’s plan for his life.

The wise person trusts in God and leaves the results to Him.

God judges our attitude and our work. He rewards the wise person who honors Him and does His will. The rewards are earthly and eternal.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord… So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom (Psalm 90:12, 1 Corinthians 15:58).

© Stephanie B. Blake

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Word Focus

Christmas Word Focus – A Scripture Christmas Tree

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Cut a Christmas tree from green poster board.   For the ornaments, use white and colored paper. Use white poster board to make the star and the candles. Gifts at the base of the tree can be wrapped or just placed underneath.

Have members of your Bible study group (or family members) decorate the tree and talk about how Jesus really is “the reason for the season.” 

White ornaments:

The white Scripture balls are verses that tell about Jesus. They form the trunk of the tree (Jesus is the True Vine – John 15:1).  The last four fill in the second branch (2 on each side) forming a cross in the middle of the tree. Start at the bottom of the tree and go up with the scriptures as you explain them:

1.  The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David (Luke 2:11)

2.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

3.  Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning God is with us) (Matthew 1:23).

4.  Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).

5.  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6a).

6.  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25a).

7.  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

8.  “Yes, I am the gate.  Those who come in through me will be saved” (John 10:9a).

9.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

10.  “Take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b).

11.  He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God (Romans 4:25).

12.  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).

After making the cross in the tree with the twelve white ornaments, place the star on top of the tree, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

White candles:

The first Christmas trees were decorated with candles on the ends of the branches.  There are nine candles for our Scripture tree, each one “lit” with a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Place “love” at the base of the tree for Jesus said, “I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. And here is how to measure it – the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends” (John 15:12-13).

Place the other eight candles on the tips of the branches citing examples of how Jesus demonstrated joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in His lifetime.

The first twelve ornaments, the star and the candles are white to represent the purity of Jesus who knew no sin (1 Peter 2: 

Colored ornaments:

The colored ornaments are some of Jesus’ words to His followers.  Although Jesus said “You are the light of the world” and “Let your shine before men” (Matthew 5:14, 16), we must always remember that we have been stained with sin and are reflective light. We can only shine when we are “plugged in” to the Source of Light. Fill in the rest of the tree with these ornaments, reading each as you put them on, reflecting on Jesus’ words to us.

  1. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness . . .” (Matthew 6:33).
  2. “You are the salt of the earth . . .” (Matthew 5:13).
  3. “You are my friends, if you do what I command you” (John 15:14).
  4. “You will know them by their fruits . . .” (Matthew 7:16).
  5. “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail . . .” (Luke 22:32).
  6. “You are the light of the world . . .” (Matthew 5:14).
  7. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth . . .” (Matthew 28:18).
  8. “By this all men will know that you My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
  9. “Let your light shine before men . . .” (Matthew 5:16).
  10. “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . .” (Matthew 6:20).
  11. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God . . .” (Matthew 5:8).
  12. “My sheep hear My voice . . . and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

The Scripture references for the colored ornaments are taken from the New American Standard.

At the base of the tree, place the gifts that Jesus gives to those who trust Him:

  • ETERNAL LIFE: The greatest gift of all is the gift of eternal life – Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • THE HOLY SPIRIT: He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide and instruct us – John 14:16: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you.”
  • SPIRITUAL GIFTS: To each Christian is given at least one spiritual gift – 1 Corinthians 12:7:  A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.
  • PEACE:  Only through Christ can we know true peace – John 14:27: I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
  • WISDOM: We have only to ask for wisdom, in faith believing, and He promises to give it to us. James 1:5: If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you.  He will not resent your asking.
  • FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: We can cope with the trials of life because God gives us the fruit of Jesus’ Spirit – Galatians 5:22, 23: But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
  • GLORY: Jesus shares His glory with His believers. John 17:22: “I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one as we are.”
  • POWER, LOVE, SOUND MIND: 2 Timothy 1:7:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (NKJV).

  • THE MIND OF CHRIST: 1 Corinthians 2:16: . . . But we have the mind of Christ (NKJV).

The tree may be draped with garlands or red yarn or rick-rack to represent the shed blood of Jesu

Note:

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Something extra:

With the remnants from the green poster board, you can make stars with descriptions of Jesus.  On one side you would put the description, on the other the Scripture.  Punch hole in the top of the star, place ornament hanger in the hole and hang on your regular Christmas tree. Below you will find just a few of the descriptions of Jesus.

  • Only begotten – John 1:14
  • First and Last – Revelation 1:17
  • Cornerstone – Ephesians 2:20
  • Prince of Peace – Isaiah 9:6
  • Emmanuel – Isaiah 7:14
  • Bread of Life – John 6:48
  • Governor – Matthew 2:6
  • Judge – Acts 10:42
  • Rock – 1 Corinthians 10:4
  • Vine – John 15:1
  • Unspeakable Gift – 2 Corinthians 9:15
  • Teacher – John 3:2
  • King – Matthew 21:5
  • Shepherd – Hebrews 13:20
  • I AM – John 858
  • Lamb – Revelation 5:6
  • High Priest – Hebrews 4:14
  • Advocate – 1 John 2:1
  • Good Shepherd – John 10:11
  • Morning Star – Revelation 22:16

It is my prayer that this tree will represent the true meaning of Christmas that we, as believers, celebrate.

© Stephanie B. Blake

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Word Focus

Elements of Powerful Praying: The Person, the Prayer, the Power

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The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results (James 5:16 NLT).

THE PERSON

The best definition of prayer is conversation with God. The person talking with God and God Himself are participants in the conversation — the prayer.

What kind of person has such access to God that he feels at ease talking with Him at any time, in any place and about anything?  According to Scripture, a righteous person has such access.

What makes a person righteous?  There is no natural righteousness in man (Isaiah 64:6, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:23).  The righteous man is righteous only because Christ’s righteousness has been transferred to him through faith (Isaiah 53:11, 1 Peter 3:18).

David said the person with clean hands and a pure heart is allowed to stand in God’s holy place (Psalm 24:3-4). The writer of Hebrews tells us that we can enter God’s holy place with confidence by the blood of Jesus (10:19).

Once a person is washed clean, however, access to God is unlimited.  Abraham, who walked and talked with God, was considered righteous because of his faith (Romans 4). God called Abraham His friend (James 2:23).  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers. . .(1 Peter 3:12).

Recently on a beautiful bright sunny day, my husband and I were out for a walk. I observed a driver round a corner in front of us very slowly.  She was driving through a deep puddle left from a heavy rain the day before.  Her van was spotlessly clean.  It was obvious to me that she was trying to keep it that way, so she was taking much care to keep dirt off her clean vehicle.

Christians need to take that same care with their spiritual lives.  Although it is true that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7), as long as we are on earth, there is the need for constant cleansing. There are spiritual mud puddles all around us.  It takes work to go around them and stay clean.  When, not if (1 John 1:8-10), we do get dirty again, we must go back to the wash and remove the road dirt. Satan loves to put obstacles in our path and get us dirty and distracted.  He knows that the dirt can obscure our spiritual vision. Sometimes we are so lazy that we do not want to take the time to clean up.  Our communication with God can be interrupted during those times.

Jesus promised that He and the Father would make their home with the one who loves Him and keeps His word (John 14:23).  In the discourse about the true vine, He put home in terms of abiding with one another (John 15:4).  The righteous person who abides in Jesus is a person of prayer who pleases God. The person of faith who seeks God is rewarded (Hebrews 11:6).

The righteous person lives by faith (Romans 1:7, Galatians 3:11). That person of faith is rewarded and pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). An essential element of a powerful prayer is the person: a righteous person.

THE PRAYER

What is an earnest prayer?  For the answer, let’s look at the what, where, when, why and how of prayer itself.  Using James 5:16 as our guide, note “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (NLT).

WHAT

An earnest prayer is one in which the person praying is serious about his prayer.  He is not flippant.  He doesn’t pray just to say he prayed.  He doesn’t pray to appear to be righteous.  He prays because he is righteous.  However, he is only righteous through a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Earnest praying comes from the heart. The person praying honestly wants to hear from God.  He wants God’s will to be done. He wants God to be glorified in his life.

WHERE

A relationship with God is unlike any other relationship.  He is always with you.  An earnest prayer can be made anywhere.  It is good to have a prayer closet, but a certain location is not necessary in order to pray.  Even if you have a special place of prayer, when you leave that place, your prayer life should go with you.

WHEN

You can talk to God at any time: upon rising in the morning, driving, cooking a meal, before making an important decision at work, and at home. His word tells us to be in an attitude of prayer at all times. He is always ready to listen and respond.

WHY

Prayer is not necessary to tell God anything He does not already know.  He knows who you are and what you need. Prayer is the opportunity to get to know God better.  You need God: His salvation, His forgiveness, His guidance, His comfort, His healing, His strength, His Spirit in your life.  You get to know God better through earnest prayer.

HOW

There are three types of prayers.  Since God can hear your thoughts, you can talk to Him in your mind: silent prayer. It is possible to have a conversation with God at any time and in any place because He is always listening.

Spoken prayer is out loud: during a worship service, a fellowship meeting, before meals, etc. Voiced prayers can be either individual or group prayers. When you pray in public, it is possible for others to join you silently as well.

Written prayers of Scripture contain a treasure trove of information about God and His relationship to His children. Examine the prayers of David, Abraham and Paul.  Many other faithful men and women of the ages have recorded their prayers.

Using a prayer journal has made a big difference in my own prayer life.  Recording my prayers helps me see God’s hand in the details of my life. Sometimes God said no to something that I did not need or that would not have been good for me.  Many times I have recorded a request, but been guilty of forgetting to say “thank you” for the answer. Having a journal helps remedy that neglect.

An essential element of a powerful prayer is the prayer itself: an earnest prayer.

The Power

There is energy in the prayer of a righteous person.  It is powerful, not because of the person praying, but because of the relationship he has with the Father through the Son.  Family members who live (abide) together and have a good relationship with each other, are comfortable when they are home together.  What an incredible thought that Jesus said He and the Father would make their home with us! The opportunities for conversation (prayer) are unlimited because we live together. At any time, day or night, a child of God has access to the Father, even calling him “Abba,” the equivalent of our “Daddy.” The Christian who stays clean knows that his prayers will not be hindered by sin in his life.  If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God (1 John 3:21).  It is with this confidence that a righteous man can approach God with his fervent request. That prayer will be powerful and effective (1 John 3:22). Jesus reminded those with an earnest request to never give up (Matthew 7:7, Luke 18:3-5).

The New Century Version renders James 5:16 this way: When a believing person prays, great things happen. 

For further study, examine the following: 2 Chronicles 7:12-15; Psalm 62:5, 109:4; Proverbs 15:8; Matthew 21:22; Acts 6:4; Philippians 4:6

© Stephanie B. Blake

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Word Focus

Focus on the Fullness of Joy

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Have you ever been filled with joy? What would it feel like to have complete joy? Do you equate joy with being happy? With being satisfied? With having all that you could possible want?  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines joy:

  1. a. the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires, b. the expression or exhibition of such emotion
  2.  A state of happiness or felicity
  3.  A source or cause of delight.

Jesus referred to joy in the context of His relationship to His believers. In His discourse about the vine and the branches in John 15, He concludes with “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” Later on in His prayer for His followers in John 17, He tells the Father, “But now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy made full in themselves.” The writer of Hebrews tells us Jesus. . . for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). It is hard to imagine that Jesus felt joy on the way to the cross. Can we possibly know what He meant by My joy?

Jesus may have a given us a clue in His parable of the talents.  In Matthew 25, He tells the story of three servants who were given the responsibility of watching over their master’s possessions while he was away.  One was entrusted with five talents, one was entrusted with two, and the last was entrusted with one.  Upon his return, the master discovered that the first two servants had not only taken good care of what he had given them, but had gained a profit on his behalf.  To those two servants, he made the same statement, “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.” 

There have been many sermons delivered on the cowardly attitude of the third slave, who was afraid and buried the one talent, resulting in great displeasure of the master.  In this parable, the master is Jesus and we are represented by those whose stewardship of the treasures was commended or condemned.  The reward for the first two was more responsibility and entering into the joy of the master. The faithfulness of the first two servants not only brought joy to the master. It was his joy. A master is only a master if he has servants.  The master had joy because his servants cared enough about him to take their assignment seriously and produce something for his sake.

This also may help us understand Hebrews 12:2.  The joy that set before Him was the accomplishment of salvation for those who would believe in Him.  We are the reason He came. We are His joy. Jesus not only has joy because of those who trust in Him, but He wants to share His joy with His followers: that they may have My joy made full in themselves (John 17:13).

The apostles Paul and John made similar statements when they said:

  • make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose (Philippians 2:2)
  • even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You, too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me (Philippians 2:17-18)
  • These things we write to you that your joy may be full (1 John 1:4).

One of Paul’s favorite expressions was “in Christ.” Our joy will never be complete without being “in” Christ.  Notice that Jesus said, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11), “that they may have My joy made full in themselves” (John 17:13) and “enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21, 23).

Jesus said, “Abide in Me and I in you” (John 15:4).  It is only possible for us to have the fullness of joy that He describes when we abide in Him.  We know that these are spiritual references, but it helps to think of entering into the joy of the Master and abiding in Jesus in physical terms.

Where do you live? Where is your home? This is the place where you abide. Inhabit, dwell, live and lodge are all synonyms of abide. Jesus says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him” (John 14:23).  The NKJV translates the last part of this verse “make Our home with him.”

When I return from a trip, I enter into my home. My home is the place where I abide.  Joy is not just an emotion, a feeling, or a wish.  It is a place of residence for the Christian. Abiding in Jesus is the place of joy.

If we understand joy as a spiritual “place,” then it is somewhere we can “go to” and “leave from.”  David asked God to restore the joy of his salvation (Psalm 51:12).  A person who has trusted Jesus as His Savior and Lord has a permanent home with Him that can never be lost.  However, when focus is placed on anything other than abiding in Jesus, a Christian can temporarily forget that his residence is a place of joy.  The remedy is to maintain or restore a clean heart (Psalm 51:10).

It is not always sin that robs our joy.  It can be trials and circumstances.  James tells us that remaining in Christ’s joy is a choice.  It is a decision of the will. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:3-4).

Corrie ten Boom, a holocaust survivor, shared her story in her books, The Hiding Place and Tramp for the Lord. In Tramp for the Lord, she recounts visiting a prison in Ruanda, Africa, which was the dreariest, darkest prison she had ever seen. As she looked into the faces of the prisoners, all she saw was unhappiness, despair, hopelessness and anger.  She asked the Lord how she could possibly share the gospel with these men. He told her to tell them about His promise of joy, placing in her mind joy as part of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22) and Nehemiah’s statement, “the joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). 

So she told them of a time in Ravensbruck, a Nazi concentration camp, when she nearly gave in to despair.  Roll call was such a degrading experience that even repeating a favorite scripture, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:35), no longer brought her comfort.  On a day when she thought all hope was lost, a skylark started to sing in the sky.  God then brought to her mind, For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is [God’s] mercy toward them that fear Him (Psalms 103:11).  Corrie said, “Every morning for the next three weeks, just at the time of roll call, the skylark appeared. In his sweet song I heard the call of God to turn my eyes away from the cruelty of men to the ocean of God’s love.”

When Corrie gave these men the opportunity to accept Christ as Savior, every one of them did so.  The missionary who had interpreted for Corrie confessed she had thought the prison was too dark for the light of the gospel.  After witnessing the salvation of these men, she said, “I have seen what the Holy Spirit can do.  The joy of the Lord is available, even for such a place as this.”  Months later, Corrie received a letter from this missionary in which she said, “The fear is gone. The joy remains.”

Do you live in this place of joy?

For further study:

  • In a psalm of thanksgiving, David said, Splendor and majesty are before Him. Strength and joy are in His place (1 Chronicles 16:27).  Turn to 1 Chronicles 16 and read the entire prayer (verses 8-36). Make note of the many ways a follower of Christ can experience joy in His place.
  • Read the book of Nehemiah.  It is a remarkable account of a man who would not be deterred from experiencing the joy of knowing God and doing His will, no matter what the obstacles were. He could say, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
  • David, a man after God’s own heart, was able to say, “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).  Does fullness of joy sound familiar? See John 15:11 and John 17:13. Read the entire Psalm to see the context of this statement.
  • When David did not “feel” the joy of his salvation, he asked God to restore it. Read Psalm 51, especially verse 12.
  • How does John the Baptist describe the fulfillment of his joy? Read John 3:22-30, especially verse 29.
  • Jesus told His disciples that no one would be able to steal their joy. Read John 16:19-24. Are you allowing anyone or anything to steal your joy?
  • Paul describes the kingdom of God as righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).  Do you think that the “kingdom of God” is in the future only or do you believe you reside in the kingdom of God today? If you are a believer, your permanent residence in the kingdom of God began the day you accepted Christ.
  • Read Galatians 5:22-23.  The fruit of the Spirit is a gift to each believer.  Even if you don’t “feel” love, joy and peace, it is yours.  Is there something that you need to do to make the fruit of the Spirit evident in your life?

Focus on the fullness of joy that Jesus has promised.  The price He paid for your fullness of joy was His sinless life and sacrificial death.  Don’t let Satan rob you of that incredible gift.

©Stephanie B. Blake

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Illustration from Tramp for the Lord, Christian Literature Crusade and Fleming Revell Company, 1974, chapter 11.

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Word Focus

Focus on the Shepherd’s Voice

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“The sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:4b).

When reading John 10, we are captivated with Jesus’ description of Himself as the Door to the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd.  The focus is and should be on Him.  However, the Shepherd’s life revolves around His sheep.  That same passage gives the sheep’s perspective as well.

Throughout Scripture, mankind is often compared to sheep. All of us like sheep have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23:1). We are His people and the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3). Preachers often remind us that sheep are not very smart. It is true that if the lead sheep steps off a cliff, the rest of the flock is likely to follow. It is also true that a single sheep can get so preoccupied that he can wander off and get lost, unable to find his way home.  Sheep definitely need a shepherd.

However, Jesus did not compare us to sheep in order to make us feel dumb.  He made the comparison because He wants us to know Him as the Good Shepherd and trust His voice.  Sheep are a perfect description of what believers should be because they do trust their shepherd. Maybe sheep aren’t so dumb after all. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, tells us:

  • The sheep hear his voice (John 10:3).
  • They listen for their names (v. 3).
  • The sheep know his voice (v. 4).
  • The sheep follow him (v. 4).
  • They will not follow a stranger (v. 5).
  • They will flee from a stranger (v. 5).
  • They do not know the voice of a stranger (v. 5).
  • They do not hear the strangers (v. 8).
  • They know the Good Shepherd (v. 14).
  • They are part of One Flock (v. 16).
  • They hear his voice and follow him (v. 27).
  • They are eternally secure (v. 28-29).

Recognizing the frail nature of sheep, Jesus warned His disciples that as He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves, [they needed to be] shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). The sheep that truly belong to His flock need to be aware of strangers, thieves and hirelings who work to make them go astray (John 10). The strangers and hirelings do not know the sheep nor do they care about them.

When Jesus describes His sheep, He is talking about those who believe in Him (John 10:26). James 2:19 states it is not head knowledge that saves you, for even the demons believe in God. Being a true believer, or part of His flock, involves your whole being.  Paul describes that as believing in your heart (Romans 10:9). Matthew 25:31-33 describes a day when Jesus will divide the true believers from those who might appear to be part of the flock, but are not. He describes this time as a separation of the sheep and the goats. He will have to tell some who claimed to be part of His flock, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23).  He said, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My own and My own know Me” (John 10:14).

When people are trained to recognize counterfeit money, they do not study counterfeit bills.  They are taught to examine every detail of real money so that when the counterfeit appears, they can see the difference.  Jesus’ sheep will not follow a stranger because they do not recognize the voice of strangers (John 10:5).  See also 1 John 4:1.  Jesus’ sheep know the real Shepherd is the One who died on their behalf.

My children were part of a church family from infancy and were only acquainted with family and friends that they could trust. When they started elementary school, they were understandably upset when they came home from school telling me that they had attended a meeting about “red light, green light” people.  The school officials were warning my children about those in society who could do them harm (red light people).  They were instructed to only listen to and go with “green light people” (family members or friends who had been identified as those they could trust).  There were even signs given out to families to place in their windows indicating that they were “green light people” in case a child needed to find a safe haven on their walk home. As disturbing as it was to have to discuss this with my sons, it was necessary for their safety. Jesus’ sheep know to flee from strangers (John 10:5). James tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).  Jesus is the Door to our safe haven.

Jesus’ sheep hear His voice. Jesus often said, “Those who have ears to hear, let him hear.” He was not talking about people who were physically deaf, but those who were spiritually deaf.  There were many who saw Him with their own eyes and heard Him with their own ears, but did not accept Him as Savior and Lord. Jesus’ sheep have “ears to hear” the Shepherd’s voice. They recognize His voice because they belong to Him.

Jesus’ sheep follow Him.  Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).  The commandments are for the welfare of believers (the sheep).  Just as loving parents give boundaries to their children for their protection, benefit and growth, our Good Shepherd does the same for us.  Psalm 23 is a beautiful description of the safety and security of following the shepherd.  The shepherd’s rod was a guide for the sheep while the staff helped pull them back on to the correct path when they strayed. To follow the shepherd was not complicated.  The sheep just had to keep their eyes on him and follow him.  Jesus’ commandments are not complex.  He demonstrated them with His life and His death. He puts all the commandments into one simple statement: “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

The gospel of John was written by one who understood Jesus’ love.  In fact, he describes himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 21:20).  He wrote four more books of the New Testament.  In 1 John, one of the recurring themes of that letter was the certainty of knowing Jesus.  Jesus’ sheep know Him.  “I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me” (John 10:14).

Reflections for further study:

Study John 10 and 1 John side by side.  It is as if John took Jesus’ words in John 10 and reflected on them and wrote 1 John.  How does 1 John help you understand that you know the Good Shepherd?

Highlight the number of times the word “know” or “knows” appears in 1 John.  In the New American Standard version, the word “know” or “knows” appears thirty-nine times. With few exceptions, the reference is to a believer knowing about his relationship to God.

After highlighting “know” and “knows” in your Bible, look through these verses to list the ways that a believer can (there may be more than one verse which applies):

  • Know the love of God
  • Know what truth is
  • Know how to tell you are born of God
  • Know that you shall be like Jesus
  • Know that Jesus came to take away your sins
  • Know that you have passed from death to life
  • Know that Jesus abides in you and you abide in Him
  • Know His Spirit
  • Know that you have eternal life
  • Know that He hears you when you pray
  • Know that He can help you stop sinning
  • Know that the Son of God has come into the world

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27-30).

. . . having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end (John 13:1).

Focus on the Shepherd’s voice. He only has good for you. He will comfort you, guide you, protect you, and lead you home.

© Stephanie B. Blake

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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Word Focus

God as our Heavenly Father

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“What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God for his Father.” – J.I. Packer

What are your thoughts about God as your heavenly Father? 

People often form their opinion of God the Father based on their experiences with their own earthly fathers. If a person is fortunate enough to have a Christian father, those experiences bear some resemblance to God as Father. There are many, though, who had very bad models of fatherhood. Their perception of God as Father is quite different from someone who had a Christian father. However, all comparisons fall short of who our Heavenly Father really is.

Backward Thinking  

When we apply our father’s attributes to God, we get it backwards. God came first. He created our earthly fathers. They needed salvation, just as we do. God Himself is the model Father. Our error in thinking about the family of God, and God as our Father, comes from our perspective.

When we view God as Father through the filter of family as we know it, we will always have faulty thinking. For instance:

  • If we are reluctant to take responsibility for disciplining our children, we may judge His commandments as harsh and resent His discipline.
  • If we were never able to have a good conversation with our own fathers, we may have trouble approaching God as “Abba, Father.”
  • If our father was selfish and did not work to provide adequately for his family, we may be hesitant to believe that our Father can and will provide for our needs.
  • If we had an absentee father, we may have difficulty knowing that God the Father will give us protection and guidance and be there when we need Him.
  • If we had a father who did not keep his promises, we may have problems believing He means what He says.
  • If we had a father whose comments tore us down instead of building us up, we may not see God as trustworthy and loving.
  • If we had a godly Christian father, we may still limit God in our thinking because our father had limitations simply because he was human.

God is able to do far more than our earthly fathers were capable of doing. Still, God instituted the family. He gave us fathers as examples. He instilled in them the desire to provide for, protect and guide their children. We just need to make sure that in our thinking about God as Father that we do not limit Him in any way.

How does God become our Heavenly Father?

 To be part of God’s family is to have come to a point in your life where you have believed in His Son with all your heart. To have God as Father is an act of the grace of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Read and discuss the following scriptures and notice the involvement of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the promises given to a believer.

How does one become a child of God?

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

What happens to a Christian when he dies?

. . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. . . For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:3, 5-6, 16).

What does God promise to give to His children?

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. . . For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:4-6,18).

God is all about family. Jesus demonstrated how we, as adopted children, can relate to God as Father. We can have the same relationship to the Father that Jesus has because He lives in us.

Adoptions are expensive and enormously time consuming. Those going through the adoption process reveal that they really want a child. Most parents adopt because they cannot have children any other way. God had a Son, but He and His Son desired to add to their family.

God does not need us, but He does want us. The adoption process that God went through proves His love for us.

An Inheritance is Not Earned 

An inheritance is not earned. It is something that is bestowed upon a loved one. Sometimes a parent will make a distinction in their inheritance between a natural child and an adopted child. God, our Father, makes no distinction. In what might be called His Will and Testament, Jesus asked the Father to include His adopted children in His inheritance (John 17). See Hebrews 8:13, 9:15-17. Finally, the covenant was complete (Hebrew 13:20-21). What we could not do to fulfill our part of a covenant with God, Jesus did for us.

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29).

Grace Changes Everything

Believers in Christ no longer live under the judgment of law although the law still provides practical guidelines for living. Adopted children of God live under love, not law. God’s goal for His children is to make them holy (Matthew 5:48). He wants us to become like Him. He sent Jesus not only to die for our sins and obtain a place in His family, but also to set an example. God knows our hearts and examines our hearts for His standard of holiness.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called the children of God, and such we are. . . And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1 John 3:1, 3 NAS).

Reflect on the gift of God’s love as Father and the sacrifice of His Son Jesus in order to bring us into His family.

© Stephanie B. Blake

Scripture references are from the New King James Version

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Word Focus

God’s Ambassadors: On Mission with God

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…Those who have become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message He has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors

(2 Corinthians 5:17-20a NIV).

Ambassaduer Extraordinaire

Among European powers, the ambassador extraordinary (French ambassadeur extraordinaire) was historically deemed the personal representative of the Sovereign.* Jesus was sent by the Father to show us the love of God through His sinless life and atoning death. He is Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus left his heavenly home to show us God (He was His visible image – Col.1:15).  For the first time, we were able to see God in person.

Jesus is God on Mission

Jesus clearly stated why He came and what His mission was: I came into the world to testify to the truth. . . I am the way, the truth and the life.  See John 10:10, 14:6, 12:46-50, 18:37.

Jesus Completed His Mission

Jesus came because we need redemption and forgiveness. His work was to do for us something that we could not do for ourselves: to live a sinless life and pay the price for our sins by bearing them Himself upon the cross.  That was accomplished for us on Calvary (Colossians 2:14).

Gary McSpadden expressed it this way in his song “He Paid a Debt.”

He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay.

I needed someone to wash my sins away, and now I sing a brand new song, Amazing grace, Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.

The Mission Field is Now Ours

In the garden, only brief hours before His crucifixion, He prayed, I have finished the work You sent me to do (John 17:4).  In that same prayer, He then passed His assignment over to His believers. As You have sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world (John 17:18). On the cross, He said, It is finished (John 19:30).  His work was done, ours had just begun. As the Father has sent Me, I also send you (John 20:21). He gave His ambassadors specific instructions: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV). See also Mark 13:10, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

We are Chosen, Commissioned and Challenged

Our instructions from our Lord were in the imperative: Go and you shall be My witnesses. This was not a suggestion.  This is something we must do. Not “Go if you have time.” Not “Go if you have the gift of evangelism.” But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

Of the current world population of over 6 1/2 billion,  approximately 1/3 call themselves Christian, that is, as opposed to being Hindu, Buddhist or one of the other religions. Many who claim to be Christians are not true believers in Christ.  The majority of the world’s population has no personal relationship with Christ.  According to the Population Reference Bureau’s “2010 World Population Data Sheet,” there is a current increase of 83.6 million people each year (factoring in worldwide births and deaths). Clearly, the mission field is great and growing!

A study recently conducted by Tilburg University in the Netherlands called “European Values Study: A Third Wave,” gives us some alarming statistics. They polled the religious values and practices of people in 32 countries throughout Europe. The study indicated that while the majority of Europeans consider themselves Christians, for the most part their belief has evolved into an amorphous spiritual inclination rather than adherence to any exacting creed or even to the Church.  Only about 21% of Europeans said religion was “very important” to them. For most, there has been a decline in church attendance and traditional beliefs, such as belief in a personal God, in favor of personally defined “spirituality” and neo-paganism.  Secularism and moral relativism are the spiritual underpinnings of the beliefs of the majority of Europeans.

In the United States, Christian beliefs and values are at an all-time low.  George Barna, of the Barna Group, regularly conducts surveys on the faith and spirituality of Americans.  In a March 6, 2009 article entitled “Barna Survey Examines Changes in Worldview Among Christians over the Past 13 Years,” Barna defines biblical worldview as “believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.” Current results show that 9% of all American adults have this biblical worldview.  Even those that openly claim to be “born again Christians,” less than one in five had this biblical worldview.  Barna states that this biblical worldview is so important because it “serves as a person’s decision-making filter.” His assessment of this latest survey led him to draw this disturbing conclusion:

“There are a several troubling patterns to take notice. First, although most Americans consider themselves to be Christian and say they know the content of the Bible, less than one out of ten Americans demonstrate such knowledge through their actions. Second, the generational pattern suggests that parents are not focused on guiding their children to have a biblical worldview. One of the challenges for parents, though, is that you cannot give what you do not have, and most parents do not possess such a perspective on life. That raises a third challenge, which relates to the job that Christian churches, schools and parachurch ministries are doing in Christian education. Finally, even though a central element of being a Christian is to embrace basic biblical principles and incorporate them into one’s worldview, there has been no change in the percentage of adults or even born again adults in the past 13 years regarding the possession of a biblical worldview.”

Clearly, the challenge is great. Yet it is no greater than when Jesus told 11 men before the middle of the first century to take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth.  Jesus knew how challenging it would be, yet He didn’t back off from the commission. And He still doesn’t.  Neither should we.

How Do God’s Ambassadors Accomplish Their Mission?

How can this challenging task be accomplished? Although some are called to “go” full-time to the ends of the earth, not all are. How can you personally and as a church fulfill this Great Commission assignment?

  1. Power of the Holy Spirit: I am with you always (Acts 1:8).  He still is. Arthur Blessit, a worldwide cross-carrying evangelist, says, “Courage comes from knowing who sent you and in whose power you go.” Whatever your assignment is to help accomplish this work, Jesus will let you know through His Spirit.
  2. Prepare yourself, realizing time is short: …always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). Learn how to share your faith.  Prepare your own testimony.
    Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone (Colossians 4:5-6 NIV).  The world is a spiritual battlefield. We need to be military-ready.  “Reveille” is heard by soldiers to wake them up to “dawn alert.” We need to be awakened to the shortness of the hour. Are you prepared?
  3. Practice your gifts in the body: local church, other churches, around the world.  The body of Christ should be doing those things that the Christ, the Head of the Body says. Think of the ways that you can exercise your spiritual gift in order to function as an Ambassador of Christ.
  4. Pray: Adoniram Judson, one of the fathers of modern missions,

impressed an empire for Christ and laid the foundations of God’s kingdom with imperishable granite in the heart of Burmah. He was successful, one of the few men who mightily impressed the world for Christ. Many men of greater gifts and genius and learning than he have made no such impression…The secret of its…endurance is found in the fact that he gave time to prayer. He kept the iron red-hot with prayer, and God’s skill fashioned it with enduring power. No man can do a great and enduring work for God who is not a man of prayer… **

Not only pray for your own personal mission and that of your local church, but for other Christians.  The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2).

  1. Participate in giving: For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints (2 Corinthians 8:3-4). You may be called upon to assist those who do serve on the mission field even when you cannot.  Your tithe through your local church enables your church to carry on its ministry to those who need to hear the gospel.  As God instructs you to give, be obedient.
  2. Partner with other Christians:  I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy because you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now (Philippians 1:4-5 NIV). A cord of three strands is not easily broken (Eccl. 4:12). We are part of the Body of Christ. He intended for us to accomplish our mission together.

What is your role as an Ambassador of Christ? Will you be able to say with Paul, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7)?

© Stephanie B. Blake

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador

** Power Through Prayer, E. M. Bounds

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Word Focus

In The Father’s Throne Room

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Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens . . . But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises (Hebrews 8:1, 6).

Jesus has always been God (John 8:58, Revelation 1:8).  He was the God of creation (John 1:1-3).  He was the God Man in His incarnation (Matthew 1:23). He is now and always will be God (Hebrews 13:8). The writer of Hebrews tells us that Christ is now seated at the right hand of the throne of Majesty. Since this was always His privilege, why is this so important to you and to me?

The significance is that through His sacrifice as the Lamb of God, He, our High Priest, has done what no other High Priest had ever done.  He completed the work of redemption and sat down. Now because He is there, you and I as believers in Him, can come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).  This is not a future promise.  It is a present reality.

Realizing that access to God’s throne room is readily available should give Christians an excitement about prayer and cause us to use that privilege constantly.  Who would not want to have an audience with the King at any time, seek His advice and know that His presence is only as far away as a thought?

I am on a quest to learn more about prayer. If I had the opportunity to talk with the writer of Hebrews, my question to him would be: “What can your letter teach me about prayer?” The answer to that question is the subject of this study.

The Life and Words of God’s Son

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:1).

Although the beginning verse of this letter does not reference prayer itself, there is an application to prayer.  Prayer is a conversation with God. A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue.  If you are truly interested in hearing from God (His side of the conversation), you must be able to know how He speaks and recognize His voice when He does.

In the Old Testament, He prepared us for the coming of His Son. He spoke to the fathers by the prophets promising the redemption that would come through Jesus Christ. Abraham was justified by faith, not by works (Romans 4 and Genesis 15:6).  The men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11, the great “Hall of Faith,” were justified by faith.  Their faith was in the promise to come.

In the New Testament, we have the account of Jesus’ birth, life, sacrificial death, resurrection, ascension and presence in His body as well as additional prophecies about His second coming.  If you are a believer, like Abraham, you are justified by faith, not by works (Romans 5).  Your faith is in the promise fulfilled.

God, who chooses to speak with His children, speaks to us clearly through His Son. Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. . . . But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things that I said to you” (John 14:23,26). 

If you want to hear God speak to you, listen to Jesus.  If you do your part (love Him and keep His word), God will live with you and in you and His Holy Spirit will remind you of the things that you need to hear Him say to you.

Reflections for further study:

  • What were some of the ways that God spoke in the Old Testament?

Examine the accounts of Abraham, Moses, Job, Elijah and others.

  • Since God has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, give examples of ways that you can hear Jesus speak to you.

The Throne of Grace

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

As has been mentioned, because of Jesus, believers have access to the throne of grace. Every need you have is met at this place of privilege. Prayer is the means by which you come boldly to the throne of grace.

Reflections for further study

  • This verse begins with Let us therefore . . . What does the writer of Hebrews say in the preceding verses that help you know that you may come boldly to the throne of grace?
  • Can you picture yourself at God’s throne?  Are you dressed appropriately?  Do you have any need for cleansing before you come to His throne?  What will you say to Him today when you approach Him?  Do you need forgiveness . . . help. . . instruction. . .insight. . .wisdom for a task?  Whatever your need is, He is there to meet it.

Christ’s example in prayer

In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety (Hebrews 5:7 NASB).

Read the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus and note the many times it is mentioned that He spent time in prayer.  He prayed for others, He prayed for Himself, and He taught about prayer.

Reflections for further study 

  • Read Matthew 6:5-15, 7:7-11, 7:21-23.  What does Jesus teach about prayer in His sermon?
  • What does Matthew 9:37-38 tell you about prayer and evangelism?  Are you faithful to pray for God to send laborers into His harvest? Is He speaking to you to become a laborer?
  • Read Jesus’ prayer of Matthew 11:25-26.  Read the chapter in its entirety.  Why did Jesus pray, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes?” 
  • Before Jesus fed the four thousand men with seven loaves and a few fish, He took the loaves and the fish and gave thanks (Matthew 15:36). Have you ever experienced the multiplication principle in your own prayer life?  If so, share with someone what God did.
  • When Jesus addressed the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites, what did He have to say about their prayers (Matthew 23:14)? What prayer principle is He teaching here?
  • Matthew 26:36-46 is the account of Jesus and the three disciples in Gethsemane. What did He pray? What did He ask His disciples to pray?
  • Compare Jesus’ prayer of Matthew 27:46 and Hebrews 5:7-8.
  • Read John 17 and “The World’s Most Majestic Prayer” (another Bible study on this website).  Answer the “questions for reflection” at the end of that study.
  • If Jesus found it necessary to pray, how much more do you and I need to pray?

The Intercession of Jesus

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).

Picture the throne room of God.  Visualize God the Father and God the Son talking about you: someone made in Our image, according to Our likeness (Genesis 1:26).  Since Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15), He stands ready to intercede for you.  Now, imagine yourself approaching the throne of grace boldly asking for His mercy and grace to help in your time of need (Hebrew 4:16). Pray “in His name” (John 14:13-14) and let Him do the rest.

  • How comforting is it to you that your risen Lord is still interceding on your behalf?
  • Compare Romans 8:26, 8:34 and Hebrews 9:24 with Hebrews 7:25.

Clean and Pure

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus. . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19, 22).

How can you approach God’s throne of grace boldly?  No one can approach God through any personal merit; only through the shed blood of Jesus. The apostle John says that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. . . . If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7b, 9). In Psalm 24:3-4, David says, Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. . . .

Before the coming of Jesus, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies.  There was a veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.  The historian Josephus reported that this veil was 4 inches thick and that even horses tied to each side could not pull it apart.  Yet, at the death of Jesus (Mark 15:38), this veil was torn in two from top to bottom.

Reflection for further study

  • What is the significance of the veil being torn from top to bottom?
  • If you have come to Jesus, confessed your sins, received His forgiveness and serve Him as Lord, you can have boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus.  What does being welcomed into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies mean to you?

Pleasing and Praising God 

…without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name (Hebrews 13:15).  

Reflections

  • Is it your desire to please God?  If it is, the answer is simple.  Trust Him.  Prayer, communication with God, is the means by which to diligently seek Him.
  • The Old Testament records the sacrifice of animals to God. This was a prelude to the sacrifice that Jesus would offer as He submitted Himself to the cross for us.  It also was a tangible witness to the pagans that the people of Israel worshipped the one true God. Now, verbal witness of God’s working in a believer’s life, the fruit of our lips, is the sacrifice of praise. Do you tell others of God’s involvement in your life?

Privilege of Praying for Others

Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably (Hebrews 13:18-19).

No one knows for sure who wrote the book of Hebrews.  From this request it appears that there may have been more than one contributor to this letter.  They all had a clear conscience before God.  That would have only been possible through the blood of Jesus (see Hebrews 10:19, 22 above).  These men desired to live honorably and for the glory of God.

God designed the family of God to care for one another.  It is a privilege to pray for our brothers and sisters.  If someone asks you to pray for them, do so.  Just as parents are thrilled when their children watch out for each other, God is pleased when we care enough about each other to bring someone’s request to His throne room.

Question for Reflection

  • Is your conscience clear before the Lord? Do you confess sin as soon as you are aware of it?
  • Do you desire to live honorably before the Lord?

A Prayer and a Purpose 

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever (Hebrews 13:20-21). 

This summarizes the body of the letter itself.  The God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead provided through His Son a way for us to come back to Him; to have peace with God.

            . . . that great Shepherd of the sheep

The letter states that it was Jesus, who being our High Priest, gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice.  He accomplished what animal sacrifice could not. He completed the requirement for justification.  At His crucifixion, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). In John 10, He said as the Good Shepherd, He willingly laid down His life (John 10:17-18). He is the Priest who offers the sacrifice (Hebrews 2:17).  He is the Lamb of God, the sacrifice itself (John 1:29).  He is the Shepherd who protects his sheep (John 10). Everything that was required to reconcile sinful man back into relationship with righteous God was accomplished through Jesus (Romans 5:1-11).

            . . . through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,” says the Lord:  “I will put My laws into their hearts and into their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:16-17).  This is the final everlasting covenant.  Jesus fulfilled it when he offered one sacrifice for sins forever (Hebrews 10:12).

            . . . make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever.

God has a purpose for your life.  He has given you all the resources in Jesus for you to accomplish that purpose, please Him, and bring glory to His name.

Questions for Reflection 

  •  Is your life pleasing to God?  Does it bring glory to Him?

The Benediction of the Letter to the Hebrews 

Grace be with you all (Hebrews 13:25).

This was the type of benediction that Paul used to conclude his letters. Since the other letters of the New Testament written by James, Peter, John and Jude do not conclude this way, this may be one reason that some scholars suppose that Paul penned this letter or was one of its authors.

Questions for Reflection 

  • Are you willing and able to share God’s grace with others?
  • Is prayer a duty or a privilege to you?
  • What has Hebrews taught you about prayer? Are you encouraged to pray more?

© Stephanie B. Blake

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Word Focus

Jesus Explains His Words to His Friends

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John’s gospel gives us a lengthy account of the last visit Jesus had with His disciples before His betrayal, trial and crucifixion. After Judas left the group to betray Jesus, He was left with the faithful few.  Even though they did not understand everything He had to say or was about to happen to Him, they were true disciples and loved Him.  These conversations are recorded in John 13:31 through John 16. He concluded this time with a prayer to His Father on their behalf in John 17. 

It is striking to note that several times in the midst of His discourse, He gave them reasons for what He was telling them.  These are the passages examined in this study.

Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He (John 13:19).

These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you (John 14:25-26).

And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe (John 14:29).

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11).

These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble (John 16:1).

But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.  And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you (John 16:4).

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

Read John 13 through John 17 in their entirety.  Examine the statements above and answer the questions below.

John 13:19, 14:29, 16:4: Jesus knew that His time had come for God to be glorified in His sacrificial death on the cross (John 13:31-32).  Before Judas left the room, John remarks several times that Jesus was about to be betrayed and that He was troubled in spirit. Still, Jesus included Judas in the foot washing.  Can you imagine how Judas must have felt as He watched the Master wash his feet, knowing that he was about to betray Him?  Only a heart that had been hardened by the world could experience such an act of kindness and still carry on his horrible plan. Jesus even warned the others that one of them would be excluded from their blessings (John 13:17-18).

Later, Peter denied Christ just as He predicted (John 13:38); however, Scripture tells us that Judas and Peter were worlds apart in their allegiance to Jesus. What was the difference?

John 14:25-26: In the very presence of the Lord, these disciples were warned of the trials to come as well as encouraged that Jesus would give them all the resources they would need for the challenging days ahead.  The Holy Spirit did indeed remind them of the things that Jesus said.  See Luke 24:8, John 2:22 and John 12:16.

Believers today have the indwelling of the Spirit of Jesus and His recorded words.  Have you spent enough time listening to Him (reading His word) so that His Spirit can bring His words to your mind when you most need them?

John 15:11: This is one of the most incredible statements Jesus made to His disciples. How could Jesus feel joy at this time in His life?  Compare Hebrews 12:2 with this passage. See another Word Focus, “Focus on the Fullness of Joy,” on this website for more insight.

John 16:1: One of His followers had deserted and betrayed Him. Judas was not a true disciple, but had followed Him along with the rest of the disciples for some time. The rest, although they were true believers, would have many chances in the future to leave as well.  Although Jesus knew that they would not stand with Him during the days to come, He also knew they would band together after His death and become what He had trained them to be – witnesses to Him in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). He was now giving them adequate warning that the temptation to stumble would come and He was preparing them for that eventuality.

How does His warning affect Christians today? Was it harder to be true to Christ then or now? In what areas of your life are you tempted to stumble?

John 16:33: This was the last thing Jesus said to His disciples before His prayer.  If you are a Christian, you know that in the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, [Jesus] has overcome the world. In the midst of tribulation, do you experience the peace of Christ?

© Stephanie B. Blake

All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

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Word Focus

Living in the Light: Looking Up and Lighting the Way for Others to Follow: Part 1

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 In Your light we see light (Psalm 36:9).

The Value of Created Light

Light naturally affects everything around it. It is necessary for living and greatly enhances the quality of life.

The loss of sight is devastating. Those who are born blind can learn to live within the confines of the dark and those who become blind later in life can adjust; however, no one ever chose to live in a world of darkness.

Even a blind person depends on certain properties of light for their existence. Light is necessary for the development of food. Photosynthesis starts by taking energy from the sun converting it into something plants use for their life processes. Animals make use of this energy when they eat the plants. This consumption of energy continues all the way to the top of the food chain. Nearly all life on earth benefits from food as a result of a few bacteria and photosynthesis in plants.

Many sighted people, especially children, are afraid of the dark. However, when light illuminates a dark place, fears of the unknown and the unseen are often dispelled. A lamp, a flashlight, a candle or electric lights can expose what is really there. Monsters created in the shadows disappear.

SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a seasonal depression that occurs the same time every year, most often during the cold, dark days of winter. The curative properties of light are the prescription for this malady.

On one of those cold days, there is a vast difference between walking in sunlight and walking in the shadows. Sunlight brings warmth and comfort.

“Einstein said that the reason he could construct the theory of relativity was because there is one thing in the world that is unchangeable. That one thing-the speed of light-is the only constant in this physical, material universe” (Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.). Light brings knowledge and understanding.

Lighthouses have distinctive light patterns, enabling mariners to identify their location. Even though many ships now have GPS capability, their captains often still trust in lighthouses to give them direction.

Spiritual Light

The value of light is far reaching both physically and spiritually. God is light (1 John 1:5) and His Son is the Light of the World (John 8:12). Jesus said His followers are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). The Apostle Paul said Christians should live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8) and the Apostle John said we should walk in the light as Jesus is in the light (1 John 1:7).

Looking to the Light saves from a life of darkness, provides nourishment, dispels fear, provides healing, warmth and comfort, and gives knowledge, understanding and direction.

Light in Scripture

Light is so important to God that He mentions it thirteen times in the first eighteen verses of Genesis and ends Revelation with references to it. On the first day, He spoke light into existence and separated it from the darkness. On the fourth day, He made two great lights to govern the day and the night.

Throughout Scripture, light is a recurring theme either as eternal light, created light or shared light. The last two chapters of the Bible tell us that the sun or the moon will no longer be needed as light, for the Lamb is the light. The light that God created to shine in the darkness pointed to the Light of the World. He was Light before the foundation of the world, came so that we might see the Light, and will reign forever as the Light of heaven. In the new heaven and the new earth there will be no more night. There will no longer be anything associated with darkness: no more death, no pain, no fear, no sorrow, no impurities.

Masquerading Light of Death

There is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof is death (Proverbs 14:12).

The god of this world fools many people of the world with the wisdom of the world. Satan, the father of lies, appears as an angel of light. As Adam and Eve discovered in the garden of Eden, believing his lies results in death. Satan’s goal is to keep people from looking to Jesus, the Light of the World, and trusting Him as Savior.

The Age of Enlightenment, a dark period in the history of the world, left God out of the picture. “Enlightenment was a desire for human affairs to be guided by rationality rather than by faith, superstition, or revelation; a belief in the power of human reason to change society… ” (Wikipedia: definition by Dorinda Outram). It has become obvious that human reason has not changed society for the better. Without God, there is no understanding of right and wrong. There is no light.

As I travel internationally to teach the Bible, I am aware that many are still ignoring the presence of the Light of God. In many cases, people are creating their own belief systems without checking the validity of God’s claims on their lives. Instead of looking up, they are looking inward. Satan, as an angel of light, is very subtle with his temptations. It never occurs to many who listen to his lies that they are doing his bidding because they prefer evil. The Apostle Paul instructed believers to get rid of any deeds of darkness and wear an armor of light. Although Satan continues to lead many astray, God enables His children to live in the light in a world of darkness.

Examine John 1:4, John 3:19-20, Romans 13:12, 2 Corinthians 4:4

Living in the Light

The light of life is a beacon shining throughout the word of God. After his testing experience, Job said, God has delivered me from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light of life (Job 33:28 NIV).  Since God is the believer’s dwelling place (Deuteronomy 33:27 ESV), the light of life is home to His children. David said, For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life (Psalm 56:13 NIV).

Christians have an eternal life which began the day of their new birth. They have received the light of life. It is only possible to live in the light if you know the Light. Jesus shared the characteristics of being the Light of the World with His believers. As a result, Christians are also the light of this world and can penetrate the darkness. As lights upon a hill, Christians are to have a Christlike influence on those around them.

Lighting the Way for Others to Follow

As the Light of the World, Jesus provided some unusual leadership principles to equip His believers to light the way for others to follow.

Many leaders in the secular world provide good practical advice on leadership. They command an audience because of their achievement of their business goals. By sharing their expertise, they can lead others to succeed in business.

Christians, however, regard that privilege from a different viewpoint. Emphasis on Christian leadership is based on one model only. Jesus is the example of leadership for Christians. Paul understood that principle well as he encouraged others to imitate him as he also imitated Christ. As the psalmist recognized the written word of God as a lamp to his feet and a light to his path, we also acknowledge that Jesus, the living word of God, is truly the Light worth following.

Even if you don’t realize it, you are a leader. Someone is watching you and following your example. It may be a child, a spouse, a coworker or a neighbor. None of us are without influence. If you are a believer in Christ, His expectation is that you will light the way for others to follow Him.

In part two of this Bible study, seven Christian leadership principles founded on the Light of the world are examined.

For further study:

Research other scripture on light.  Reflect on whether the reference is to eternal light, created light or shared light and how each applies to living in the light.

For further reflection and/or discussion:

  • How can you recognize true light and masqueraded light?
  • Of all the unique statements Jesus made about Himself, what is special about the Light of the World to you?
  • Have you noticed a difference in characteristics of leaders in the church and leaders in the business world?  If so, what are they?  If not, what does that mean?
  • There are many movies and books that deal with darkness and light (for example: the Star Wars).  What, if any, revelance does that have to God’s references to light?
  • Have you ever had a sudden understanding of a Biblical concept that you have been researching or wondering about?  Did you feel like “a light came on,” a revelation in your mind?  Examine Psalms for scriptures that might explain what happened to you.

© Stephanie B. Blake

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